Saving the Direwolf

By the fifth day of riding, Owen, who had been leading at the front, easily found the trail of Robert and Eddard's party.

After all, such a large group traveling on the King's Road left plenty of traces.

Theon and the other two, along with Blood Wind, hung far behind, waiting for them to stop and rest at the Crossroads Inn.

Without the interference of unnatural forces, the power of fate was so hard to resist.

Playful Arya, along with the butcher's apprentice, was playing sword-fight games with branches by a tributary of the Trident River.

Joffrey, coached by Cersei, had once again become the sunny, golden-haired young prince, strolling along the riverbank with Sansa, who was infatuated with him.

Secretly following Arya, who had Nymeria with her, Theon, Little Jon, and Blood Wind—dressed in hooded cloaks and face scarves—were hidden nearby.

Things moved quickly. When Arya sadly tried to drive Nymeria away, Theon knew his chance had come.

He reached out and patted Blood Wind's head, which was barely hidden by the bushes even while lying down.

Clever Blood Wind understood immediately. Rising silently, it crept toward Nymeria in a low, predatory crouch.

Before long, Blood Wind returned with Nymeria, now docile and obedient, to Theon's side.

"Half the job's done. Let's meet up with Owen!"

Theon tried to scratch Blood Wind under the chin as a reward, like Robb would, but Blood Wind dodged with a look of disdain.

Unfazed, Theon turned to Little Jon and spoke.

Owen had been keeping an eye on Lady, who was staying put obediently at the Crossroads Inn.

But she never wandered off, giving Owen no chance to enter the inn, which was guarded by soldiers bearing the Golden Lion and the Crown Stag.

When Theon and the others arrived to regroup, they continued to wait for an opportunity.

As night fell, torches were lit at the Crossroads Inn.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from the inn. Theon, with his keen archer's eyes, spotted Arya being escorted into the inn by Lannister soldiers.

Once they were inside, many knights and guards crowded in to see how the king would handle the matter.

Seeing that most of the soldiers' attention was drawn away, Theon nodded to Owen, patted Blood Wind's head, and crept toward the stables behind the inn where Lady was tied.

In truth, Theon and Owen could have handled this alone. They brought Blood Wind only out of fear they couldn't control Lady—even though she was usually gentle, she was still a direwolf.

Lady was tied to a post by the stables with a thick iron chain. Her innocent eyes had no idea what was about to happen.

To show his stance, Eddard had sent all the Northern soldiers he brought out to search for Arya, leaving only Jory at the inn to report back to him.

So, naturally, Lady was guarded by two Lannister soldiers in golden lion armor.

Clink!

A small pebble hit the stable post with a sharp sound.

The two Lannister guards instinctively turned to look.

Shhk!

Mmph, mmph...

Two black hands gripping short daggers emerged from the darkness, covering their mouths and swiftly slitting their unprotected throats.

Only when the struggling guards went still did Theon and Owen release them and begin searching the bodies for the key to the chain.

Clatter, clatter!

Hurried, light footsteps approached. Worried about Arya being brought before the king, Jory was about to ride out to inform Eddard.

But as he rounded the corner behind the inn, he saw two masked men rifling through the fallen Lannister soldiers.

Shing!

Jory instinctively drew his sword and was about to shout a warning.

"Blood Wind!"

Still on the ground, Theon cursed inwardly and urgently called for backup in a low voice.

Whoosh!

A gray blur flashed past Theon. Blood Wind clamped its jaws onto Jory's sword hand, slamming him heavily to the ground.

Perhaps because Jory was someone it knew well, Blood Wind didn't go for his throat and held back its bite.

Otherwise, Jory would have either died instantly or ended up a one-armed swordsman like Jaime later.

"Cough! Blood Wind?"

Jory's shout turned into a cough as he immediately recognized the distinctive Blood Wind.

"Captain Jory, I don't want to kill you. Let me take Lady—this is Robb's order!"

Seeing their cover blown, Theon pulled off his mask and spoke quietly to Jory, who was pinned by Blood Wind.

"Robb's awake? Your target is Lady? Cough... get Blood Wind off me first!"

Jory turned his head and saw Theon's face, letting out a sigh of relief. Perhaps uncomfortable under Blood Wind's weight, he coughed and spoke.

"Alright, Blood Wind."

Years of acquaintance made Theon trust that Jory would never sell them to the Lannisters, so he called Blood Wind over.

"No time to explain. Seeing Blood Wind here, I trust this is Robb's order. Take Lady and leave now! Then have Blood Wind give each of these two guards one more bite on the neck."

As he rose, Jory covered his bleeding right hand and spoke to Theon.

"Right, have Blood Wind take another bite out of my leg. That'll make the excuse that I couldn't give chase a fact."

Theon said nothing, merely nodding to Blood Wind, who lowered his head and bit down on Jory's thigh.

"Hiss!"

Biting his lip, Jory sucked in a cold breath from the pain. When Blood Wind let go, he slumped to the ground and said to Theon, "Go now. I'm about to call for help."

Owen, having found the keys, had already freed Lady from her chains. Theon nodded to Jory, pulled his scarf back up over his face, and led them swiftly into the darkness.

Sweat beading on his face, Jory watched them vanish, then finally let out a controlled shout: "Ah! Someone come quick!"

What followed was more or less the same.

Only Cersei, seeing both direwolves gone, had no outlet for her fury. She buried her hatred for House Stark deep within, waiting for the final eruption to come.

"Jory, don't follow us to King's Landing tomorrow. Find a merchant caravan heading for Winterfell and go back with them to recover."

In the inn, Jory lay in bed, his wounds dressed by the physician traveling with the King's Landing party. Eddard stood beside him and spoke.

"Yes, Lord Eddard."

Jory nodded in reply.

Eddard suddenly opened the door, glanced outside to confirm no one was there, then came to Jory's bedside and said quietly, "They might not be able to tell the wounds apart because of the blood. But I'm certain—the wounds on you and those two Lannister soldiers could never have been made by Lady or Nymeria. Was it Blood Wind?"

"Yes! Robb has woken. Theon came on orders to bring back Lady and Nymeria."

Jory naturally wouldn't hide the truth from Eddard. He had planned to find a chance to tell him, but Eddard saw through his lie at once.

"Mm. You've worked hard. Go back and rest well."

Eddard gave Jory a thoughtful word of care, then turned and walked out of the room.

When Eddard returned to his own room, Arya sat sadly on the edge of the bed, waiting for him.

"Father, I want to go home. Tell me... have Robb and Bran woken up?"

Having endured too much today, a heartbroken Arya immediately threw herself into Eddard's arms and spoke.

"Robb has woken. I believe that under his care, Bran will surely be fine too."

Eddard stroked his daughter's soft hair, his gaze fixed northward, his tone firm.

What had happened today made him wonder whether Robb's arrangements were mere coincidence or if he had foreseen that something unexpected would occur. But no matter what, deep in his heart, Eddard trusted that his son Robb would protect House Stark.

There will be one more chapter tonight.