Green Light

Tonight, Robb was going to take out Cersei, Jaime, Tyrion, Joffrey, and the rest of the Lannisters in one fell swoop.

Don't talk about Myrcella and Tommen still being children, about them being innocent! Don't say Tyrion hasn't done anything wrong, that he's innocent!

If Cersei and Joffrey were allowed to continue, wasn't his father Eddard, whose head was chopped off, innocent?

Wasn't Brandon, crippled from his fall, innocent? Wasn't Rickon, who died horribly before Jon's eyes in the Battle of the Bastards, innocent?

Weren't Sansa and Arya, who endured countless hardships just to make it home, innocent?

Weren't the tens of thousands of Northern soldiers who marched south from the North and died wretchedly in foreign lands innocent?

To hell with innocence! To hell with guest right!

Not to mention the Red Wedding that would come later, even the ancestors of Hua Country in Robb's past life had taught him to use every means to snuff out dangerous sparks before they flared.

From ancient times to the present, Hua Country had countless Hongmen Banquets!

"Hmm, Theon should still need some time to prepare.

Daisy, notify the captains besides Theon to await my orders. As soon as I give the signal, proceed according to the plan."

Shaking off the stray thoughts in his mind, Robb turned his head and issued the command to Daisy behind him.

"As you command, Lord Robb!"

Daisy nodded in acknowledgment, bowed to Robb, and then vanished once more into the darkness of the corridor.

The guest quarters where the Lannisters were staying were located in the rear section of the Main Keep. The wildfire was also concentrated mainly along the outer walls of this area.

Robb had prepared thoroughly for today, having already brought professionals to survey the Main Keep's structural layout.

The collapse of the Main Keep's guest wing would have some impact on the overall structure, but it wasn't to the point where pulling one thread would unravel the whole tapestry.

Thinking about it, the Inner City's Main Keep was the nobles' safest and final refuge.

If the Main Keep were so easy to collapse, and a siege catapult accidentally knocked down part of it, destroying the castle's overall structure and causing a total collapse, wouldn't the nobles be wiped out in an instant?

Clatter, clatter!

Robb walked through the quiet castle stairwell, the only sound being his own footsteps.

He was now heading back to his bedchamber, to stay by Blood Wind's side, who was already waiting for him.

Once Theon sent word, he would have Blood Wind give the prearranged signal.

That signal was Blood Wind's skyward wolf howl.

Having grown to this size, the penetrating power of Blood Wind's howl was already terrifying.

Barring any accidents, tonight the entire Winterfell, including the Winter Market area, would hear his howl.

As for the plans after success, Robb had a rough outline in his mind.

First, the most optimistic scenario: the wildfire successfully kills all the Lannisters, and then the various traces of "accident" he had pre-arranged take effect. The King and his father return, and the matter is written off as an accident.

After all, even the King could meet with an accident, couldn't he?

As for how enraged the old lion Tywin would be, he didn't care. The North had never feared any external enemy except the Targaryens with their dragons.

Second, a relatively optimistic scenario: most of the Lannisters are killed, and he and the Wolf Guard finish off the survivors. Then, he is punished by the King and his father.

If the punishment isn't death, he would bear it silently, bide his time, and rise again.

If it's a death sentence, then the escape methods he had prepared would come into play.

After escaping, he would take the wealth he had gathered during this time and those willing to leave with him, and flee far away to the continent of Essos.

Third, a very pessimistic scenario: the wildfire doesn't kill the main Lannisters at all, and they even manage to break through the Wolf Guard's encirclement.

In that case, Robb would directly launch a coup and seize control of the entire Winterfell.

Although this would lead to problems like an unstable foundation and vassals refusing to recognize him, he would just have to take it one step at a time. After all, Robb was a man, not a god; he couldn't control every single variable.

As his thoughts churned, Robb arrived at the door of his bedchamber.

When he opened the door, a flash of green light filled his entire vision.

"Robb, the Lannisters have entered the ambush. It's time for us to go!"

The effect of that green light on Robb's eyes hadn't faded yet when the familiar voice of Theon reached his ears.

He blinked hard, and when he opened his eyes again, his vision had cleared. He found himself standing in a bare Redwood Forest, its branches stripped of leaves.

"Sound the horn! All troops, advance!"

Before Robb could even ask Theon what was happening, he heard himself speak those words.

Moo-oo!

A deep horn blast sounded from behind him.

Robb involuntarily spurred his horse forward, charging out of the Redwood Forest.

Though he couldn't control his body, his eyes could still observe his surroundings.

All around him were cavalrymen in standard chainmail, bearing the banners of House Stark with the Direwolf sigil. Theon was also following closely at his side.

After bursting out of the Redwood Forest, Robb found himself in a river valley plain surrounding a small stream.

A group of roughly two thousand cavalry, bearing a golden Roaring Lion Banner on a red field, were chasing a few hundred riders ahead of them—House Tully cavalry flying the Trout Banner. But as war horns sounded, countless Northern soldiers emerged from the forest on the left, right, and front, startling the Lannister cavalry in the center of the valley plain. They dared not continue the chase and began to turn back the way they came.

Unfortunately, banners of the North also appeared behind them.

The Lannister cavalry hesitated for a moment, then one rider spurred ahead, charging straight toward Robb. Over two thousand horsemen followed close behind, launching a desperate final charge.

Arrows, longswords, blood, screams!

On a battlefield of this scale, those were always the main themes.

Robb's direction held roughly five thousand Northern cavalry. Under his lead, they outnumbered the enemy two to one and tightly entangled the Lannister horsemen.

Robb, constantly guarded by his protectors, personally cut down only two or three enemy riders.

By the time the Northern cavalry from other directions closed in, no Lannister horsemen remained before him.

"Kill!"

A sudden roar came from ahead. Robb looked up toward the source.

There was Jaime, clad in Lannister Lion Plate Armor, drenched in blood, sword in hand, riding straight for Robb.

Ordinary Northern cavalry were no match for him. Under Jaime's blade, they couldn't last past the second strike before falling from their horses.

The Karstark brothers, Toren and Eddard, who were guarding Robb, immediately led several guards to meet him.

Theon drew his bow and took aim. Though the surrounding Northern soldiers blocked his view, he could at least put some pressure on Jaime.

Robb knew the Karstark brothers well. Their swordsmanship was quite respectable.

But after a few exchanges with Jaime, the knight suddenly lunged forward, leaping toward Toren. Gripping his longsword with both hands, he drove it upward through part of Toren's warhorse, piercing Toren clean through.

"Toren!"

Eddard's face twisted as he roared. He spurred his horse and swung his sword at Jaime, who had lost his mount.

Whoosh!

A small dagger flew from Jaime's hand, striking Eddard straight in the left eye. He fell from his horse instantly.

After killing the two Karstark brothers, Jaime, now without a horse, had lost all mobility. He could no longer threaten Robb and was soon surrounded and captured by the heavy cavalry.

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