Chapter 27: Crossroads Inn
It was nearly midnight when Ian and his companions finally arrived at their destination.
The Crossroads Inn stood at the junction of the north-south Kingsroad and the east-west River Road and High Road. It was a three-story structure with a whitewashed stone chimney.
A thatched stable and a bell tower stood on the inn's north side. The entire building was enclosed by crumbling white stone walls.
Its south wing was built on pilings over a patch of marshy ground. This marsh had once been a tributary of the Green Fork. In those days, half the inn sat over water. However, the river had since changed course, leaving the building high and dry.
The Crossroads Inn possessed considerable history. It was said to have been built during the reign of Jaehaerys I, the fourth Targaryen monarch—the Old King. When Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne had stayed here, the inn was briefly renamed the "Two Crowns" to commemorate the honor.
Later, as ownership changed hands, the construction of a new bell tower earned it the name "The Bellringer."
Later still, Ser Jon Heddle took over the inn and personally forged a new sign—a three-headed dragon of dark iron. Because it clanged whenever the wind blew, the inn became known as the "Clanging Dragon."
The name "Clanging Dragon" remained in use until the Blackfyre Rebellion, when the sign was torn down and the name abandoned.
The Blackfyre Rebellion of 195 AC was a civil war within House Targaryen for the Iron Throne, following the Dance of the Dragons.
At the time, the eleventh Targaryen king—Aegon IV the Unworthy—legitimized all his bastards on his deathbed, creating numerous claimants to the throne.
Furthermore, the spiteful Aegon IV, who'd married his sister-wife Naerys despite her wishes, always suspected she still loved their brother Aemon. To humiliate them both, he'd publicly claimed his eldest son Daeron was actually his brother's bastard. (Quite who he was humiliating remained unclear.)
This led to widespread discontent among the nobility after Aegon IV's death. Many questioned the legitimacy of his successor, Daeron II, and threw their support behind Daemon Blackfyre—the eldest and most formidable of Aegon IV's bastard sons.
Daemon Blackfyre was indeed remarkable—not only handsome but a warrior of legendary skill. Those who witnessed him in battle called him "the Warrior himself in mortal form."
At twelve years old, Daemon had defeated all opponents in a tourney. King Aegon IV acknowledged him publicly, knighted him (making him the youngest knight in the history of the Seven Kingdoms), and gifted him the sword Blackfyre itself—the Valyrian steel blade wielded by Aegon the Conqueror. From that day forward, Daemon took the name Blackfyre.
When Daemon launched his rebellion, he inverted the Targaryen sigil—instead of a red dragon on a black field, he chose a black dragon on a red field.
The inn's black dragon sign quickly drew the ire of Lord Darry, a local lord and staunch supporter of King Daeron II. Lord Darry furiously tore down the sign, chopped it to pieces, and threw the fragments into the river.
Later, Daemon Blackfyre was slain by Brynden Rivers's Raven's Teeth at the Battle of the Redgrass Field, and his rebellion ended in failure.
After that, the Heddle family never replaced the sign, and the place became simply "the inn."
People called it the "River Inn" or the "Crossroads Inn" according to preference and location.
In the original books, the Crossroads Inn was an important and iconic location where many significant events occurred.
Therefore, in Ian's initial assessment, there was a high probability this would be an agreed meeting point for players forming alliances.
As he approached the inn, Ian's heart began to race.
Although he knew his disguise was now perfect and his forces sufficient to overwhelm any player fresh from character creation, he still felt nervous.
Due to the late hour, the innkeeper and staff had likely retired for the night. Even when Ian and his companions arrived at the door, no one came to greet them or stable the horses.
They had no choice but to knock and wait.
About five minutes later, after Rolf knocked for the third time, a woman's voice drifted from within the inn. Her tone suggested extreme displeasure at guests arriving at this ungodly hour.
As the voice grew louder, Ian caught muttered curses.
Not insults, mind you—just simple grumbling and complaints about the inconvenience.
The door was opened by a plump, middle-aged woman. From her disheveled appearance and sour expression, Ian guessed this was the innkeeper, Masha Heddle.
The moment she saw Ian and his companions, Masha's complaints died in her throat. She'd never imagined that three armored knights would be the ones disturbing her rest at this forsaken hour.
The Heddle family had once counted knights among their number. Jon Heddle, the ancestor who'd first acquired this inn, had been a knight. However, with the last Heddle knight slain during the Second Blackfyre Rebellion, they were now no different from commoners, save for their surname.
"Forgive me, my lords," Masha stammered, suddenly at a loss. Just as she fumbled for words, Ian spoke up to end her discomfort.
"Prepare us a large common room, and your finest wine and food," Ian ordered matter-of-factly, as if oblivious to Masha's earlier complaints.
"Yes, my lords, at once," Masha agreed with relief, motioning to a maid who'd just appeared to show Ian and his party to their accommodation.
Masha was somewhat puzzled why these knights refused individual rooms with proper beds, instead requesting a large common room—typically reserved for the lower classes, where a dozen or more straw pallets could be laid on the floor.
But she knew better than to ask such questions. After giving the maid instructions, she hurried to wake the kitchen staff and get the cookfire started.
Led by the maid, Ian and his companions arrived at their room. By then, nearly all the lights in the inn had been extinguished, and the common room stood empty. Ian wanted to determine if other players had arrived, but that would have to wait until morning.
He procured two oil lamps from the maid at his own expense and hung them in the room, brightening the entire space.
Though called a large room, it wasn't particularly spacious.
Twelve straw pallets arranged neatly in two rows occupied over ninety percent of the floor, leaving only a narrow gap in the middle—wide enough for one person to pass—serving as an aisle.
Ian surveyed the cramped quarters with mild distaste. He could've afforded private rooms for all three of them, but that would've meant splitting up. Until he had a better sense of the situation here, keeping Rolf and Kevan close seemed the wiser choice.
"This will do," Ian said, removing his sword belt. "Rolf, one of you should keep watch while the others rest. Rotate every few hours."
"As you command, my lord," Rolf replied. "I'll take first watch."
Kevan simply nodded and began removing his armor with practiced efficiency.
Ian settled onto one of the straw pallets, finding it surprisingly more comfortable than expected. The straw was fresh, at least, and the blanket—while rough—was clean.
As fatigue began to overtake him, Ian's mind wandered to the question that had been nagging him since they'd decided on this destination.
How many other players were here? And more importantly—did any of them recognize the same opportunity he had?
The Crossroads Inn was, after all, the perfect hunting ground. A natural chokepoint where travelers from all directions converged. If he'd thought of it, surely others had as well.
Tomorrow would tell. For now, he needed rest.
The game was far from over, and he intended to be ready for whatever came next.
(End of Chapter)
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