Deepwood Motte

Deepwood Motte—

Located to the northwest of the Wolfswood, it is one of the most important cities in The North.

To the north, it faces Bear Island, home to House Mormont, across the sea.

To the east or south, one must traverse the entire expanse of the Wolfswood to reach the nearest city.

Since the Glover family pledged their fealty to the Stark family, Deepwood Motte has shouldered the vital responsibility of guarding the northwestern frontier of The North and protecting Winterfell.

In the Game of Thrones television series, before the Battle of the Bastards, when Jon and Sansa traveled everywhere to lobby for the support of the northern lords, Deepwood Motte was the first place they thought of.

From this, one can see just how unique the status of Deepwood Motte truly is!

In fact, were it not for the existence of the Iron Islands, Deepwood Motte would have had a high probability of developing into a major port city for the northwest of The North, connecting to The Riverlands, The Westerlands, and beyond.

Garon's focus on the Iron Islands, beyond historical reasons and future plot points, is driven by these very practical factors.

Only by pacifying the Iron Islands can merchant ships from The Riverlands safely travel north.

Only then can Garon attract investment through maritime trade and rapidly build his fortune by monopolizing the resources of the Wolfswood.

Otherwise, relying solely on land transport, Deepwood Motte would struggle to grow even by the time the White Walkers invade.

Of course, the future development of Deepwood Motte currently exists only in Garon's vision.

As for how to specifically implement it, he will determine that step by step once he has completely conquered the Iron Islands.

At this very moment, evening is approaching.

After leaving Winterfell, Garon and his party have been traveling through the Wolfswood.

However, unlike the haste of their journey to Winterfell, Garon has not been in such a rush on his way back to Deepwood Motte.

The journey that took three days to complete on the way there has taken Garon four days on the way back, only just reaching the territory under the control of Deepwood Motte.

"Whoa—"

Garon pulled on the reins, gazing at the trees in the distance, and noticed the markings left on a Sentinel Tree.

"Jon, we're almost there!"

Garon pointed to the marks on the tree ahead and explained, "Those are the hunting signs left by the Woodland Clan; this is their hunting ground."

"We won't have to travel much further to see Deepwood Motte!"

Jon, looking exhausted, let out a long sigh upon hearing this, "It looks like I'll finally get a good night's rest tonight!"

It was no wonder he was so tired.

Having spent three consecutive nights camping in the Wolfswood, the howling of wolves had been constant every night.

In particular, his Ghost seemed to feel provoked, howling right back at them.

Often, once the howling started, it would continue for hours without stopping.

There were even a few times when it attracted entire packs of wolves.

If it weren't for the fact that Garon and Roger had such extensive experience living in the Wolfswood, had he been alone, he would have been devoured by the wolves until nothing but bone shards remained.

"Indeed, just bear with it a little longer, we'll be there soon!"

Roger, riding alongside, said with a smile.

Jon nodded wearily. Seeing this, Garon didn't linger any longer, waving his hand directly, "Then let's continue on our way!"

The group spurred their horses into a gallop once more.

By the time the sky turned a deep shade of blue, Deepwood Motte finally emerged before their eyes.

At first glance, Jon's initial impression was that Deepwood Motte was even larger than Winterfell.

As they drew closer, he became increasingly certain of his guess.

It was just that the walls made of rough timber blocked his view, making it difficult to catch a glimpse of its true form.

As the sound of hoofbeats thundered, the soldiers of Deepwood Motte standing on the watchtower of the outer bailey spotted Garon's party.

Clang, clang, clang—

The bells rang out, and the eastern gate of the outer bailey of Deepwood Motte was opened.

Garon was not surprised; without pausing for a moment, he led his men straight into the outer bailey of Deepwood Motte.

As soon as Jon entered the outer bailey, he was taken aback.

The place before him was less like an outer bailey and more like a bustling town.

Inside the outer bailey, enclosed by wooden palisades, stood dense clusters of all kinds of wooden houses. In a fleeting glance, Jon noticed that the most common structures were workshops for butchering game.

Countless members of the clans walked back and forth, the scene a hive of activity.

Amidst the chaotic architecture, a paved dirt road wound its way toward the inner keep at the top of the hill.

Garon flicked his reins, picking up speed as he charged toward the inner keep atop the hill.

Jon knew in his heart that this was the place where Garon had lived all his life.

Soon, an inner keep constructed of a mix of wood and stone came into Jon's view.

Garon took the lead, arriving first at the only gate of the inner keep.

At this moment, there were already people waiting before the gate of the inner keep.

"Uncle Robett!"

Garon let out a hearty laugh, pulled his horse to a sudden halt, vaulted down, and embraced Robett, who had opened his arms wide, in a heavy hug.

"Garon, you've finally returned!"

Robett patted Garon's back with a booming laugh and said, "If you hadn't come back soon, I was planning to go to Winterfell to find you myself!"

Garon released Robett and explained, "There were some trivial matters at Winterfell, so I was delayed for a few days."

Just then, a little tyke popped out from behind Robett; it was none other than Robett's eldest son, Gawen Glover.

"Brother Garon!"

Six-year-old Gawen hadn't seen Garon for half a month, and upon seeing him now, he affectionately hugged Garon's leg and shouted, "Is Winterfell fun?"

Garon smiled and patted his head, "Yes, it's very fun. When there's a chance, I'll take you there to see it!"

Hearing this, Gawen cheered with anticipation.

At this time, Galbart's ward, Lawrence Snow, also stepped forward to greet him, "Garon, I thought you were so bewitched by Lady Sansa that you didn't want to come back."

"Haha—"

Garon patted Lawrence on the shoulder, "How could that be? This is my home, after all!"

Thirteen-year-old Lawrence looked up at Garon and said happily, "Then welcome home, Garon!"

Garon nodded with a smile.

Robett stood to the side, watching Garon interact with everyone with a smile.

Seeing that they were still chatting, he was about to tell them to go inside before continuing, but he suddenly noticed that there was one more person in the returning party.

A doubt arose in Robett's mind, and he couldn't help but ask, "Garon, who is this?"

Garon came to his senses and introduced Jon to Robett and the others, "Uncle Robett, this is Jon Snow, the squire Lord Ned has arranged for me."

"Jon, this is my uncle, Robett Glover."

Jon stepped forward and bowed stiffly, "Lord Robett!"

Robett was taken aback, his mind instantly recalling Ned Stark's bastard.

He looked at Garon, wanting to say something but stopping himself, then decided to find a time to talk to Garon alone about what had happened at Winterfell.

"This is my uncle's son, Gawen Glover, and this is my father's ward, Lawrence Snow."

Jon greeted the two of them in a friendly manner.

Gawen was fine, merely blinking his eyes, but Lawrence stared curiously at Jon, quietly observing this bastard who shared the same status as himself.

"Uncle Robett, where is the steward?"

Robett withdrew his gaze and replied, "The steward is helping Sibella prepare dinner, and Maester Beckman is still at the workshop..."

When mentioning the workshop, Robett glanced slightly at Jon and did not continue.

Jon, being observant, immediately became curious about the workshop.

Garon understood and turned his head to say, "Let's go, let's head inside first!"

"Lawrence, go notify the steward and have him prepare a room for Jon near mine; he will be living at Deepwood Motte from now on."

Lawrence nodded, then headed back into the inner keep to find the steward.

The rest of Garon's party, accompanied by Robett, headed toward the Great Hall of Beasts.