Chapter 70

The Aftermath of your little Attack wasn't pretty, if you were inclined to put it mildly, and the Smell certainly wasn't doing the Situation any Favours in the blistering Light of the Reach's Midday Sun. And worse yet, it seemed like little would come of your Efforts, as the Monster once more began shadowing you before you knew it, but that wasn't the last Surprise they threw your Way. For the Host's Disinterest a few Hours ago had shocked and disheartened you even more, and as the Hours flew by and your Exhaustion finally caught up, you found that you would already be overjoyed if you were finally allowed to catch a bit of Sleep as you by now struggled to stand upright.

It was a Wish the black Knight behind you didn't even bother to acknowledge as you brought it up, as the Monster simply continued to silently take in the ravaged Remains of Stadley Castle's Defenders as if he was having the time of his Life. But time nevertheless continued to flow, despite how much you were caught up in thinking about the disturbing fascination of the Knight. And so you soon got what you guessed was your Reward in the form of a sealed Letter delivered by another massive Knight similarly clad in blackened Steel and deep red Gambeson.

The Letter offered, as if you could actually decline, a permanent Position as one of House Lannister's proactive Agents for exceeding their Expectations as they put it, but you surprisingly found that you weren't all that opposed to accepting despite the Fact that you couldn't really refuse. It was annoying that your Questions were being ignored by both Knights as if it was only natural, and you certainly can't claim that you enjoyed your work in Stadley Castle. But all things considered there were few Employers that could rival the Lannisters when it comes to Wealth, and those that could compete hadn't exactly managed to retain a Reputation for always repaying one's Debt as the Lions of the Rock had done throughout the Ages.

It's not like you assassinate People out of the goodness of your Heart, just because you tended to turn down most of the more distasteful Jobs in the past. Gold is obviously important to you since you started working alone, and it does continue to play quite the big Role when it comes to deciding who you're happy to work for. And it's not like you're the only one that thinks like that when you consider that half the Realm would be happy to serve the Lannisters for less than a Percent of what they were offering you.

It actually made you wonder if they valued you that much after you took the Castle for them on your own, or if they simply lost the Sense to perceive the Value of Gold, mayhaps both, though that would be more than a bit concerning. You really hoped that you wouldn't have to deal with someone completely unreasonable no matter how much Gold they were willing to throw your Way, seeing as the Dead don't have much use for Gold as far as you knew.

If your future Employers couldn't properly perceive the Value of Gold, then there was a decent Chance that the Value of your Life would sooner or later also be misjudged. It was a daunting Proposition for Assassins like yourself who were risking their Lives with each Target and Job, a Fact you were reminded of just a few Hours ago. And Risk Management was never a Strength of yours, so you somewhat depended on getting decent Targets from your Master and your Clients, which wasn't that hard seeing as no one risks their Investment by hiring an Assassin that couldn't get the Job done nor one that was too skilled and thus more expensive.

It was a Safeguard you wouldn't have with the Lannisters and their endless Wealth, but you supposed that you were complaining on quite the high Level now that you think about it, and once again, it's not like you really have a Choice in all of this. They had already decided that you would be decently useful to House Lannister's proactive Actions, and only the greatest Fools in the Realm, which not that long ago included you, could delude themselves into thinking that going against one of the Great Houses in any Way, Shape or Form, wouldn't end in Disaster.

You were lucky to survive the whole Ordeal, yes, as you continue to think about what had happened you were so unbelievably lucky that it would make most People sick, it made you wonder if the Mercenaries who only fought against the normal Knights could even understand how close this all was. Perhaps you should take some time to properly thank the Gods for their Help once you're free of the Monsters and in the Position to do so. Even as someone that never truly believed that the Gods genuinely cared, you had to admit that thanking them for helping you out, even if they did it just once in your whole Life, was the proper thing to do in your current Situation.

And with those Thoughts in Mind you swiftly tell the Knights that you're happy to accept their Master's generous Offer, mainly to dispel any remaining Enmity the Lannisters might still have for you, but also to not Spite the Gods, because again, you still wanted to live. You had expected that one of them would march off to inform the young Lord or his Father, but instead you got handed a similarly sealed Letter that told you all you needed to know, including the Location of your first Deployment.

But the Letter told you more than what was actually written on it, for one that the Lannisters indeed hadn't planned for even a moment to take, no, for an Answer. And secondly, that you were still quite expendable as you were officially assigned to your new Lord's Daughter, which as far as you knew wasn't much older than a mere ten Years as the Letter shortly compares her to the young Lord in Age. Your faint Hopes of some sweet time in the fabled Rock were however swiftly crushed as you were just a few Lines lower, sent off to the Vale of all Places.

But you supposed that anything that isn't outright bad should be taken as something good Today, and hey, at least your black Hair won't get in the Way of any Infiltrations in the Vale. Though that being said, you still have to wonder if they will at least let you rest before you have to begin your little Journey halfway across the Realm through the Bandit ridden Countryside. Yeah, you really felt like cursing right about now, but you knew that would only worsen the Situation as you might actually offend the Gods once you get really started, so you swallow your Feelings and ask one of the Knights around the Camp for a Tent.