After that, Robb brought the captured Jaime to Catelyn to report the good news of their victory.
Then Jaime tried to provoke Robb into a duel to the death.
Robb watched like a man seeing a movie. He had already realized this was the Battle of the Whispering Wood from the original story.
But he couldn't move at all, until a "caw" sounded behind him!
When Robb opened his eyes again, he heard Theon beside him. And so it went, over and over: Robb kept taking part in the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
As the number of repetitions increased, Robb felt the restraints on his body loosen slightly. He could now move his head a little.
And every time he brought Jaime to meet Catelyn on the hillside, he heard that same bird call behind him before the next repetition began.
At last, when Jaime invited Robb to duel once more, Robb turned his neck toward the sound behind him, stiffly and inch by inch, like a rusty robot.
On a low branch, he saw a Three-Eyed Crow with bright green eyes in its forehead, staring intently at him.
"Caw! They can't die yet! Caw! They're part of the future!"
Suddenly, the Three-Eyed Crow beat its wings and cried out in a harsh, piercing voice.
Robb knew who it was, of course. But though he could turn his head, he couldn't speak.
"Those who seek to destroy the future! Caw! Who are you? Who are you?
You are not Robb Stark! Caw!"
As the Three-Eyed Crow cried out the last words with increasing urgency, it spat out a mouthful of blood. Its whole body burst apart with a bang.
At the same time, the scene that had trapped Robb in its endless repetition vanished in a flash. Bright light filled his vision, but this time it wasn't green. It was white!
"Awooo!"
"Robb! Thank the Drowned God, he's awake!"
"Go prepare some liquid food. I'll tell Lady Catelyn!"
Through Robb's blurry vision came several familiar voices. He struggled to open his eyes wider, and the scene before him gradually grew clear.
Robb was lying in his own large bed. Theon stood on his right, and Blood Wind lay on his left. Concern filled the eyes of both boy and wolf.
A little farther away, Daisy and Owen stood by the door. When they saw Robb's gaze fall on them, they nodded in greeting and went outside to take care of their respective tasks.
"Robb! You must feel weak. Do you remember what happened?"
Theon looked Robb over carefully and asked in a quiet voice.
"W-what... happened?"
Robb tried to speak, but his throat was hoarse and sore, and his voice barely came out.
"Robb, you've been unconscious for thirteen days!"
Theon's words struck Robb like a bolt of lightning.
"Thir... thirteen days? The... Lannisters?"
"Lord Eddard agreed to become Hand of the King. He and the Lannisters left for King's Landing three days ago.
"Meanwhile, Lord Benjen took Jon and the Imp to the Wall."
Theon knew what Robb wanted to ask, so he told him what had happened. After a brief hesitation, he continued,
"That night, the person I sent to notify you found you collapsed outside your room. You wouldn't wake no matter how hard they tried, so they told me right away.
"Without your signal, the plan couldn't go ahead. After secretly stashing the Wildfire, I told Daisy to call off the plan, then informed Lady Catelyn.
"The next day, the king and Lord Eddard returned to Winterfell. That afternoon, Brandon... fell from the Broken Tower."
At the end, Theon lowered his head in shame, unable to meet Robb's eyes.
Now that he knew supernatural forces were working behind the scenes, Robb didn't blame Theon.
"Owen? Osha?"
"Because you were unconscious, everyone was worried about you. Owen was so concerned that he stayed by your bed.
"Brandon knew Winterfell well and managed to lose Osha. By the time she found him, he'd already fallen beneath the Broken Tower."
Theon explained the whole thing in one breath.
Robb nodded, then pointed at the cup on the desk and rasped, "Water!"
Theon hurried to fetch it. As he helped Robb sit up to drink, he said, "We've been forcing you to drink a little milk and honey water all these days. You're very weak now, so don't push yourself."
Robb could feel how weak his body was. He nodded and let Theon help him.
After drinking, his throat felt much better. Robb cleared it and tried to speak. "Ahem. You... take Blood Wind, Owen, and Little Jon and catch up with my father and the king's party.
"Once you catch up, follow them from a distance. Don't let them notice you.
"When they stop to rest at the Crossroads Inn, sneak Lady and Nymeria back here. Blood Wind will help you!
"As long as you don't reveal who you are, you can do whatever it takes. Theon, remember! Bring them back at any cost!"
After giving Theon his orders, Robb turned to Blood Wind and sent him the thought of following Theon and bringing Lady and Nymeria back.
Blood Wind had long since awakened to intelligence, and understanding such a simple command posed no difficulty.
He gave a soft whine to show he understood, then sent Robb a thought expressing his concern.
"Oh, and have Toren and Eddard take a few Wolf Guard to watch over my room. Have Daisy keep an eye on Brandon. That's all, Theon, Blood Wind. Go!"
Feeling too weak to push himself, Robb made all the arrangements and waved Theon and Blood Wind off.
Theon had planned to wait until Daisy and Catelyn returned before leaving, but Blood Wind jumped behind him and shoved him toward the door with his huge head.
After the boy and wolf left, Robb suddenly wore an expression of fury and weakly punched the edge of the solid wooden bed.
His heart was full of resentment, but not toward anyone else. He resented himself!
He hated his own arrogance, his confidence that he could overturn the board and rewrite his family's fate.
He hated his own helplessness, trapped without a chance to fight back in the Three-Eyed Crow's repeating dream.
If Theon and the others hadn't cared for him so diligently, he would have starved to death in the dream.
After venting his anger, Robb knew the past couldn't be changed. He closed his eyes and began to consider how he should plan for what came next.
Before long, Catelyn hurried into Robb's room. When she saw him propped up in bed, she covered her mouth with both hands and wept silently.
Two of her sons had fallen unconscious one after the other, while her husband and daughters had left home. The mother had endured too much.
"Mother! Don't worry. From now on, I'll take care of everything! I promise!"
Hearing the noise, Robb opened his eyes and looked at the weeping Catelyn. He smiled and spoke softly.
Catelyn's face showed conflicting emotions as she smiled through her tears. She rushed to Robb's bedside and held him tightly.
After carrying out all of Robb's orders, Theon set off with Blood Wind, Owen, and Little Jon, each of them riding one horse and leading another, in pursuit of the party along the King's Road.
Robb had woken up, and the servants throughout the Main Keep hurried about, preparing to tend to their lord.
No one noticed that a Raven had already taken silently to the sky.
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