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Night fell, and the waning moon rose in the sky.
Under the cold moonlight, Sir Harrison's manor stood, rarely closed for the night.
Six guards were stationed at the gate of the manor, fully armed and on high alert.
Dorian, the 'adopted son,' stepped forward and easily convinced the guards to let them through. Ian and the others followed him past the gate and into the manor.
After passing the brightly lit mercenary barracks, they made their way directly to Sir Harrison's castle.
For those seeing a medieval knight's castle for the first time, disappointment was often the result, and Ian was no exception.
Although he had mentally prepared for the modest surroundings of a typical wealthy knight's family, Ian couldn't help but stifle a laugh when he saw Sir Harrison's small, quaint 'castle.' He had only seen castles in movies or renowned European landmarks, so the reality was quite different from what he had imagined.
There was a story from the original book. When Ygritte, known as "Fire Kiss," first arrived south of the Wall, she pointed at a mill and asked Jon Snow if it was a castle. Jon had told her it was just a mill, and that a castle was much larger.
Ian couldn't help but wonder if Jon Snow would say the same about Sir Harrison's castle if he were here with Fire Kiss.
"Tonight is going to be a sleepless one, Sir," Dorian whispered to Ian.
"Let's go in," Ian said, motioning for Dorian to knock on the door.
Dorian patted his horse and took a few steps forward. The sharp-eyed castle guard immediately recognized him.
"Oh, little Dorian, what brings you back now? Deputy Captain Kelvin has been here for almost three hours and is talking to Sir Harrison inside," the old guard said, expertly taking the reins from Dorian and signaling for a young guard to help with the horse.
"My adoptive father is dead," Dorian whispered. In front of the old guard, who had watched him grow up, Dorian fought to hold back tears. He knew this wasn't the time for emotion.
He had returned to compete for the position of grand leader.
If he cried here, even with the Lannister family's financial backing, he would likely become the subject of mockery among the mercenaries.
"The deputy captain and the others brought the news back," the old guard said, noticing Dorian's struggle and unsure how to comfort him.
"It's alright, Khaleesi, I'm okay," Dorian managed a forced smile. "I will personally avenge my adoptive father." He then declared loudly, "I will become the new 'Black Falcon!'"
The old guard shook his head, clearly surprised by Dorian's overconfidence in his abilities.
"You go ahead and report in," Dorian said, pointing to Ian behind him. "This is Ser Lucien Lannister. He is my friend, and he wishes to meet Sir Harrison." He hesitated for a moment, not finishing the unflattering nickname for the deputy captain, "and Uncle Kelvin."
"A knight of the Lannister family?" The old guard gave Ian a brief glance, nodded, and quickly turned to head into the castle.
Ian and the others waited outside the castle for a long time, but the old guard did not return.
"This is taking too long," Dorian muttered, "Usually, such a briefing wouldn't take more than two minutes! Sir Harrison must not want to see me."
"Maybe Sir Harrison and Lame are discussing something important and don't want to be disturbed," Sir Grantham, the second-in-command, suggested.
"If that were the case, the old guard would have at least come out to tell us," Ian said, shaking his head. "If there was a conversation going on, why would they leave the guard who came to inform us standing out here?"
Dorian's patience was running thin. "Should I go in and have a look?" another guard quickly asked upon seeing the delay.
"Go," Dorian grumbled, suppressing his anger and nodding.
Suddenly, Rohr, who had been silent until then, stepped forward and came to Ian's side. "Sir Lucien," he said quietly, "I just saw a head flash across the second-floor window. It was only for a moment, but someone was definitely watching us."
Ian felt a cold premonition spread over him as he remembered something unsettling: the Black Falcon Mercenary Group never appeared in the original story.
If the former leader had died early at the Crossroads Inn, why did neither the newly elected leader nor the mercenary group itself make an appearance?
Could it be that in the original timeline, no new leader was chosen, and the group was simply disbanded due to internal strife?
Before he could ponder further, the second guard who had entered the castle came out quickly. His expression was strained. "Sir Harrison and Deputy Captain Kelvin are discussing very important matters. It's quite late, and they hope to meet with you tomorrow," he said, directing the last part of his speech to Ian. "May I take you to your guest room for the night?"
Dorian, about to use 'Sir Lucien' to intimidate the guard, was immediately interrupted by Ian.
"According to Sir Harrison's arrangement, I am a little tired. Tomorrow will be fine for our conversation," Ian said calmly.
"Please, follow me, Sir," the guard said, clearly relieved. "Sir Harrison's castle is quite small and doesn't have many rooms, but we do have a good guest room in the backyard."
"No need to bother," Ian said, gesturing to Dorian. "He knows the way, right?"
"Ah? Yes, yes, Sir," the guard quickly nodded.
"Oh, of course, Sir Lucien," Dorian replied, even though he was still unsure of Ian's reasons. He knew, however, that whatever Ian was doing, it was definitely for a good reason.
After bypassing Sir Harrison's castle, Ian and the others arrived at the backyard.
Unlike the brightly lit camp area in the front yard, the backyard, usually reserved for important guests, seemed unusually cold tonight—there wasn't even a guard in sight.
Once they were sure no one was following them, Ian turned to Dorian and whispered, "You mentioned before that you can ensure the two mercenary captains are on your side. Are they in the manor now?"
"Yes, all the mercenary teams operating in the base camp should be here, which is why I have good relations with them." Dorian, confused by Ian's question, couldn't understand what he was getting at.
"Find them. No, take us to them," Ian ordered.
"Don't you plan to persuade Sir Harrison and Lame directly? Why go looking for them now?" Dorian asked, perplexed.
"I'm worried that only Lame and Sir Harrison are left," Ian replied with a sneer. "Who was the old guard who went in to report?"
"My father's... I suppose he's considered Lame now, or mine," Dorian said, realizing that something serious was happening inside Sir Harrison's castle. He was beginning to understand Ian's tone.
"What about the second guard who went in?" Ian asked.
"That's one of Harrison's cronies."
"There are rats in the castle." Rohr's voice interrupted, and Ian looked at him, his suspicion growing.