After the servants helped him out of his armor and cleaned his wounds, Ser Vernon was surprised to find that although William was covered in injuries, none of them were serious. A simple bandage was enough. The wounds were treated quickly, and after exchanging a few polite words with William, reminding him to rest well, Vernon departed.
William closed his eyes, trying both to regain his strength and to think about how to treat Garlan. He also considered that if he used magic a few more times, perhaps Margaery would develop a taste for it—"By then, she won't be able to resist, heh heh heh…" But he was too exhausted, and before long he drifted off to sleep.
Half-dreaming, he was awakened by the smell of food. Peeking under a bandage, he saw that the wound had already healed for the most part. To avoid startling anyone with the sight, he bound the bandage back in place, dressed himself, and stepped out of the tent.
The sun was already drawing in its light, and the sky shone blue like a clear lake. Countless tents cast long shadows under the setting sun. The air smelled of smoke rising from campfires where meals were cooking—it seemed they would be spending the night here.
Then he spotted a large column of cavalry approaching from Ten Mile Town, raising clouds of dust as banners of green with golden roses fluttered high. "At last, reinforcements from Highgarden," he thought.
On his way to visit Garlan, William met several servants. Each time, they stopped to bow respectfully before continuing with their tasks. William smiled back, but couldn't help feeling a little proud. Before, he had felt like something of a nobody in this company. Now, everyone greeted him with courtesy, and he relished the taste of being someone important.
Garlan remained unconscious, his face calm, the very picture of a handsome youth at rest. His breathing was steady and strong, which reassured William greatly.
The servant tending Garlan watched William depart with reverent eyes. The young ladies accompanying Margaery, upon seeing him, pressed their lips into small smiles. Without needing a signal from Margaery, they obediently stepped out of the wheelhouse and moved aside.
Though they were from a cadet branch, these three were still daughters of House Tyrell. Their courtesy left William slightly flustered, though not so bold as to climb into the wheelhouse itself. He remained at the door, waiting until the girls had moved off a distance before speaking to Margaery: "Margaery, I just went to check on Garlan. He's passed the worst of it, but there's still a risk of infection. We should treat him as soon as possible."
Margaery stretched a little in her seat. "You've already recovered?"
"Not fully," William admitted, "but I should be fine to use a few spells."
At the word "spells," Margaery's brow furrowed, and she did not answer right away. Seeing her hesitation, William smiled. "Magic or not, surely there's no harm in checking on your brother?"
"…Very well." At last, Margaery nodded.
"As long as you come, everything else will be easy," William thought with satisfaction.
The two of them, along with the three girls, were just about to head for Garlan's tent when they saw Osmund approaching, accompanied by a fully armed knight. After the formalities of the ceremony, Osmund introduced him: "Ser William, this is Ser Aegon Leygood, captain of Highgarden's guard. Aegon, this is Ser William Whent of Harrenhal."
'Captain of the guard—a real person of rank!' William hurried to bow first. "Ser Aegon, an honor! Not long ago, I had the pleasure of meeting your brother, Lord Leygood."
Aegon was tall and carried himself with steady dignity, though now he smiled broadly. "Ser William, I truly admire you. On the way here, I passed through Ten Mile Town, and I heard—'one man against a hundred' isn't enough to describe your bravery."
William knew that in Westeros, too much humility was often taken as false modesty. Glancing at Margaery, he said, "At first, I acted only out of outrage. Perhaps it was the encouragement of Lady Margaery that gave me strength."
Though she might have been cursing him inwardly, Margaery could only keep her smile. "Gentlemen, was there something you required? We were just on our way to see Garlan."
Osmund answered, "Ah? Ser Aegon has just visited Ser Garlan. His condition seems stable. We have come instead to invite Ser William and Lady Margaery to a war council, to be briefed on the current situation and the plans to come."
William noted with surprise that Osmund had spoken his name before Margaery's. Aegon and Osmund were the supreme commanders of this host of hundreds, and yet they had come personally to invite him. The thought left him astonished, though it made refusal impossible. "Garlan's wound won't worsen in the short term anyway," he reasoned inwardly, before turning to Margaery.
Margaery thought for a moment, then said to Osmund and Aegon, "I know nothing of military affairs, so I won't trouble you." She then looked at William. "Ser William, please feel free. I'll go check on Garlan first," and gracefully departed with the young ladies.
Once the women had gone, the men became more lively. William knew that both of these men held high ranks in Highgarden, and they also greatly admired William's prowess as an exceptional warrior. They deliberately sought to connect with each other, and their conversation was naturally very pleasant. Soon they arrived at a tent serving as a temporary command post. Since Aegon had brought reinforcements, the number of knights inside was far greater than during the morning council led by Osmund.
As the three of them entered, the knights who knew William began whispering to those who did not. Aegon moved to the center of the tent, cleared his throat, and said, "When we departed Highgarden, I thought the knights of Highgarden would have to bear a lifetime of shame."
His voice was not loud, but the knights fell silent.
"The attack at Ten Mile Town was far too sudden. Highgarden only learned of it after the messenger sent by Ser Osmund arrived. At that moment, everyone surely thought the Iroborn would loot Ten Mile Town and escape in time."
The knights who had followed Aegon nodded in agreement. Indeed, the Iroborn had ample time to flee, making this attack truly unexpected.
"But!" Aegon's voice suddenly rose, "there was one knight—he alone, facing over two hundred notorious bandits who terrorized the Seven Kingdoms, charged forward without hesitation."
Aegon looked toward a tall knight. "Ser Marcus, tell me, how many Iroborn did you find outside Ten Mile Town?"
Ser Marcus raised his voice: "Eighty-seven bodies, stretching from outside Ten Mile Town all the way to the river. The road was littered with Iroborn corpses."
Some knights, previously unaware, gasped.
Aegon continued, "Ser Leygood, how many Iroborn bodies did you find in Ten Mile Town?"
Ser Leygood answered excitedly, "Sixty-five bodies. We can confirm that at least forty of them were slain by a two-handed sword, including the infamous giant Ronan."
Knights familiar with the giant Ronan whispered in astonishment.
Aegon nodded with satisfaction. "Later, we captured fifty-nine terrified Iroborn. They claimed it was the work of a demon—but gentlemen, the demon of the Iroborn was our hero." He then extended his hand toward William and exclaimed loudly, "This is Ser William Whent—our hero!"
The knights erupted into cheers, rushing forward to bow and introduce themselves. William finally understood why he had been summoned—it was essentially a ceremony of recognition. Such a surprise, however, was not unwelcome. William smiled as he returned each greeting, much like at a fan meeting. Osmund and Aegon watched the scene with gentle smiles. Only after everyone had become acquainted did they turn to business.
William was not particularly interested in the details—such as how Lord Mace had raged, ordering the lords along the Mander River and the Shield Islands that "not a single soul is to escape"; or that tomorrow Aegon would lead the cavalry to continue searching along the Riverside Keep and Sharpcorner Fort for another group of Iroborn. He listened politely, feigning serious attention, unable to leave.
It wasn't until Osmund announced that the guard's departure tomorrow would depend on Maester Lomys's assessment of Garlan's injuries—Lormis was en route and expected in an hour or two—that William suddenly realized he needed to act quickly.