The Enemy on Both Sides

"Charge!"

The commander of Winterfell's right-wing infantry wasn't about to pass up the chance to kick an enemy while they were down. He immediately gave the order to attack.

At once, the shieldbearers in the front rank of the right-wing infantry raised their shields and turned sideways. Together, they looked like a set of blinds opening from the middle.

Behind them, squads of Winterfell infantry rushed out, armed with small round shields and one-handed swords.

Their eyes burned with excitement, their fighting spirit high. The cavalrymen who had fallen just a few yards ahead and were now struggling to their feet looked like a pile of battle honors delivered right to their doorstep.

"Horse tripping ropes. A few iron chains took out more than two hundred cavalrymen. I really do love Robb's underhanded tactics!

"Everything is going according to his plan. Has he really grown to this point? That's terrifying!"

Watching the right flank, where victory was all but assured, Theon felt a complicated mix of admiration and fear toward Robb.

On the left flank, Locke had regrouped with several cavalrymen who had been thrown from their horses but survived. He had already seen the destruction of the right-wing cavalry.

Only a handful of cavalrymen remained on the left. More than half of the heavy cavalry were still alive, but the enemy pikemen were clinging to them with reckless determination, leaving them no way to break free.

There was still hope!

Locke glanced behind him at the three thousand infantrymen advancing at a charge.

If House Bolton's infantry could take over the fight against Winterfell's infantry and free the heavy cavalry from their entanglement, then the cavalry, still more than half intact, would remain House Bolton's trump card.

"We'll join up with the infantry."

After assessing the situation and making his decision, Locke immediately spoke to the few surviving cavalrymen.

Their horses had long since become corpses on the ground, so they could only run toward the infantry formation.

As House Bolton's infantry drew nearer, a knowing smile spread across Locke's face.

Clip-clop, clip-clop!

The sound of thousands of horses moving together, so familiar to Locke, reached his ears. His smile froze.

House Bolton couldn't possibly have that many cavalrymen left. Even if Ramsay arrived in time, his few hundred riders couldn't make such a thunderous sound.

Behind House Bolton's infantry formation, a cavalry force of at least two thousand, flying the Direwolf banner, was charging toward them.

"Impossible! I sent scouts to search the area.

"How could so many cavalrymen appear behind us? Where were they hiding?"

A little earlier...

"They never imagined we'd been hiding right behind them all along!"

Standing on the far side of a hill, Robb watched Locke's troops in the distance as they advanced at full speed, no longer concealing their tracks. He turned to Count Rickard beside him and smiled.

"Lord Robb, your wisdom is as awe-inspiring as the Wall!"

Some time ago, Count Rickard had been astonished to see Robb climb out of a wagon carrying timber. Now, after witnessing Robb's many tactics, he was thoroughly impressed and praised him sincerely.

"Count Rickard, you're too kind. Blood Wind deserves the credit!"

Robb smiled, then continued,

"House Bolton's scouts can't match Blood Wind's eyesight, speed, or stamina. I had Blood Wind follow them from a distance and report their position to me. That let us stay hidden in their blind spot the whole time.

"So their scouts were useless against us. Of course, no one else could use this method."

"Lord Robb, there's no need to be modest. From the very beginning, House Bolton has been part of your plan. You only needed me as an obvious target to draw their attention."

Count Rickard had figured out quite a few things over the past few days. He continued,

"I led the four thousand militia infantrymen we'd gathered, drawing all the attention of the Dreadfort. Meanwhile, Winterfell's elite warriors had already set out and hidden in the woods near the Dreadfort.

"Then you used the supply wagons to transport the soldiers day after day into the extra tents we'd prepared, where they stayed hidden.

"House Bolton's scouts kept their eyes on what lay ahead and never imagined you were right under their noses."

"The darkest, easiest place to hide is beneath a candle, where its light can't reach."

Hearing Count Rickard's account, Robb summed it up with a smile.

"A simple yet profound truth!"

"Count Rickard, you're too kind. That militia captain named Trog yesterday was impressive, though. I plan to bring him into Winterfell."

"Indeed, he's a capable commander. Lord Robb, that's... the signal!"

Count Rickard didn't need to point it out. The conspicuous column of smoke was visible to almost everyone.

Robb watched it with a resolute gaze, drew the sword from his saddle, and pointed it forward as he shouted, "Attack!"

Whoosh!

His horse had reached full speed. Even through his helmet, Robb could hear the wind rushing past his ears. Blood Wind, whose size was beginning to rival that of a warhorse, raced alongside him.

Robb hadn't brought Nymeria or Lady to the battlefield for a large-scale engagement like this. They weren't strong enough, and they were still growing; an accident could easily get them killed.

Robb was in the middle of the charging formation, made up of fourteen hundred Winterfell cavalrymen and six hundred Karstark cavalrymen.

This time, he wasn't charging at the very front.

At the head were the lancers led by Little Jon, followed by the light cavalry under Robb and Eddard, and finally the Karstark cavalry led by Count Rickard alongside Winterfell's mounted archers.

In Westeros, personal valor was certainly important, but sound tactics and strategy mattered just as much.

The siege of the Dreadfort had been full of twists and turns. When Locke's force attacked, the allied army had been caught between two fronts.

But when Winterfell's elite infantry appeared and pinned them down, Locke's troops in the middle were caught between two fronts as Robb's force charged in.

They were like layer upon layer of a sandwich. Well, Locke's troops, stuck in the middle, probably wouldn't appreciate the comparison.

In the blink of an eye, Winterfell's cavalry were almost upon Locke's infantry, who were advancing at a run.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

As soon as they entered range of Winterfell's mounted archers, who were positioned at the rear, the archers drew and loosed a volley.

The cavalry appearing behind them clearly caught the infantrymen off guard, and confusion began to spread.

The sudden rain of arrows only made the panic grow faster.

Locke's infantry had shieldbearers in the front of their formation and ordinary foot soldiers behind them.

Even in normal circumstances, an army of several thousand couldn't switch the shieldbearers in front with the infantry behind them in a short time while keeping its basic formation intact.

And now they were under fire from Winterfell's mounted archers. The infantry scattered like ants whose nest had been disturbed.

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