Near Moat Cailin, Eddard Stark, having executed the criminals, leaped onto his black horse, followed by his the North vassals. 🍓 ⋆ 🍦 🎀 🎀 🍦 ⋆ 🍓
The ground beneath the horses' hooves was soft and damp, slowly sinking with each step, as the group moved slowly toward the Moat Cailin Tower.
Riding alongside Lord Eddard, Howland Reed spoke up, "Lord Ned, these damned pirates have shed too much blood in the North... Your execution was wise."
Lord Eddard's furrowed brow relaxed slightly, and he said, " Howland, I'm worried about Cat and Robb."
Howland shrugged his sturdy shoulders. He really couldn't say anything about this. After a pause, he finally asked, "Lord Ned, will you be heading south?"
Lord Eddard frowned again, pondered for a moment, and said, "I intend to bring my family home."
Tap tap tap tap tap... Their mounts slowly crossed the wooden plank bridge laid on the dark green mud.
"Lord Ned, I always suspect that Roose is an ice sculpture." Howland pointed to the Earl Dreadfort in the distance.
Lord Eddard's lips curled up almost imperceptibly as the House Stark vassals, who had just arrived at Moat Cailin, approached.
As Lord Eddard approached, they all knelt on one knee in the mud before him.
Get up.
Dismounting from his horse, Lord Eddard's tall and imposing figure moved slowly through the crowd, scrutinizing each of his vassals.
" Lord Eddard!"
"Lord Ned, it's so comforting to see you."
" Lord Eddard, I will always be your vanguard!"
"It's so good to see you safe and sound, my lord."
"We must teach those cunning Southerners a lesson they won't forget! Blood for blood!"
"Lord Ned, I will always be at your service."
"I will always be at your service!"
Lord Eddard stopped in front of a boy who looked to be eleven or twelve years old. He patted the boy's head with his large hand and said, "Son, your father was a valiant the Warrior, the North Remembers."
Robb left many Stark vassals to Roose Bolton who died in battle. He was a veteran of countless battles and had long been accustomed to death, but... Lord Eddard, though he did not show it on his face, was saddened by the passing of those vassals. He had always regarded them as his Stark family.
The little boy's eyes reddened, and he shouted in a clear voice, "Sir, I will fight for you in place of my father!"
I believe in you, my child.
Lord Eddard patted the little boy's shoulder and said, "My children are in Winterfell. They are still young, but their parents are not with them. They need the protection of good the Warrior. Can you help me?"
The little boy nodded excitedly, straightened his small body, and said loudly, "Sir, I will never let go of my sword, I will guard it day and night, I will definitely do my best, I swear to the New and Old Gods!"
"Okay, thank you for your help."
Inside the tent, Lord Eddard first instructed his vassals to prepare for a banquet, then left only Earl Roose behind.
Roose Earl's usually cold voice held a hint of respect. "Duke Ned, Dreadfort is at your disposal."
"Sit down and talk."
After Earl Roose was seated, Lord Eddard pondered and said, " Roose, I need to rely on your wisdom."
Roose 'Earl light-colored eyes flickered slightly as he placed his hand on his chest and said, "To serve you is the honor of Dreadfort, my lord."
Lord Eddard nodded slightly and said, "The current chaotic situation in the Seven Kingdoms reminds me of the great war more than a decade ago, and the North is practically mired in it. We need to consider our next move."
Roose 'Earl soft voice rang out. "Lord Ned, will you wear the crown? It's important for our next step."
As the Earl of Dreadfort finished speaking, the atmosphere suddenly became heavy. After a moment of silence, Lord Eddard slowly said, " Roose, Robert is my eternal king, and the North will not oppose his Iron Throne."
Earl Roose placed his hand on his heart and said, "Duke Ned, it is my honor to hear your heartfelt words. If I am not mistaken, you will support Stannis to sit on the Iron Throne, and may even raise an army for him, will you?"
After a slight hesitation, Lord Eddard nodded slowly and said, "According to the law, Stannis is Robert I's Lawful Heir."
Roose Earl's bloodless, pale fingers gently touched the armrest of the chair. He said, "Lord Ned, can someone who assassinated his own brother's heir still be a legitimate heir?"
Lord Eddard stared at the candlestick on the table for a moment, then said, " Roose, you think... I highly doubt whether this is the truth."
Earl Roose's lips curled into a rare smile, " The North can only worry about one thing: if this is true, what should we, who support Stannis, do...? What if you only discover the truth after you've helped him sit on the Iron Throne? What will the North choose then?"
He rubbed his thumb against his index finger and continued, "To be honest, if I hadn't read your handwritten letter, I really wouldn't have believed that the Tully family's daughter would personally poison her husband—Duke Arryn."
After a pause, Roose 'Earl soft voice rang out again. "Lord Ned, perhaps you should worry about Lady Catelyn's safety in the Eyrie. A woman capable of such a thing wouldn't care about blood ties. ♤🐍 😾♬"
Duke Direwolf's gaze sharpened instantly. After a pause, he said, "Thank you for your advice, Roose."
His grey eyes met Roose Bolton's, and he continued, "I'd like to hear your advice."
Earl Roose raised his eyes, and his gaze briefly met that of Lord Eddard.
He nodded slightly and said, "Lord Ned, we can choose not to join the struggle for the Iron Throne, but I believe the North should stand with the victor, whether it is the Baratheon or the Lannister."
"You've heard about the Royal Bloodline... Roose?" A bitter look flashed across Lord Eddard's face.
Earl Roose slightly and said, "Yes, Lord Ned. Before the war, almost all the lords of the Seven Kingdoms received letters from Stannis."
After a moment of silence, Lord Eddard sighed and said, " Roose, Stannis didn't fabricate it. The three children Cersei gave birth to are not Robert's. That's why the Lannister want to kill me."
After hearing the royal secrets revealed by Lord Eddard himself, Roose Bolton sat motionless for a long time, without even moving his eyelids.
Roose Earl slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again. His soft voice rose slightly as he said, "Lord Ned, I sincerely offer you my advice."
He rose from his chair, bowed slightly, and continued, " Stannis now holds the advantage, and the Kingslayer is in our hands... If you leave the matter to me, I am confident I can get them to marry Myrcella Baratheon to your eldest son."
He took a half step forward. "This is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. If we seize this opportunity, you have every chance of sitting on the Iron Throne, in the North..."
" Roose Bolton."
Before he could finish speaking, Lord Eddard coldly interrupted Roose Earl.
" Robb has an agreement with House Frey, and breaking that agreement would be a breach of Stark honor."
Earl 'Roose eyes flashed, and he advised, "Lord Ned, perhaps that engagement can be disregarded. I've heard that Frey made coercive moves, after all, Robb is only a teenager..."
"Enough!"
Lord Eddard slowly rose to his feet and said, " Robb, as my heir, is responsible for his own honor. His honor is the honor of the Stark, and the honor of the North."
"Lord Ned, at this time..."
Lord Eddard said coldly, "That's enough for today."
He waved his hand. "You may leave, Earl Bolton."
After a short period of rest, Robb Stark's Stark - Tully alliance captured the Westerlands, House Marbrand's Ashemark (located northwest of Golden Tooth ).
Subsequently, Robb detached a portion of his army, led by Galbart Glover of Deepwood Motte, Rickard Stark Karstark of Karhold, and Maggie Mormont of Bear Island, to plunder the Westerlands coast.
Robb seized five gold mines in Lannister and headed directly towards Lannisport.
When news of the King in the North and the King of the Trident sweeping across the Westerlands reached Riverrun, the morale of the Riverlands vassals soared.
Around the same time, Edmure Tully, the heir to Riverrun eager to salvage his honor, received intelligence that the Lannister army was returning to reinforce the Westerlands.
Family... responsibility... honor... Edmure Tully immediately summoned his vassals and army. This time, he was fighting not only to salvage his honor, but also for his nephew.
Edmure Tully deployed over 10,000 Riverlands troops at various crossings along the Red Fork, determined to block the Lannister army from crossing to reinforce him.
Seeing that the Riverlands had prepared defenses along their only route, Tywin Lannister repeatedly sent out small groups of troops to launch probing attacks in an attempt to find weaknesses in the Riverlands ' army and cross the river. However, he was unable to succeed due to the natural barrier of the Red Fork and the Riverlands ' strong defenses.
Ultimately, Lord Tywin, eager to return to the aid of his troops, had no choice but to deploy a large army and launch a simultaneous all-out attack at more than a dozen crossings along the Red Fork.
After a fierce battle (rumored to be that Edmure Tully shouted himself hoarse to motivate his soldiers), the Riverlands army finally defeated the Lannister army, successfully preventing Lord Tywin from returning to the Westerlands.
Unable to continue fighting, the Lannister army had no choice but to retreat. Lord Tywin led his remaining troops to Harrenhal, awaiting reinforcements from the Golden Rose.
On the eve of the battle between Crackclaw Point and Vale, the heavy rain that had lasted for two days finally stopped, and the dark clouds in the night sky gradually dispersed, revealing bright stars.
Gryn Crabb looked up at the twinkling stars and murmured, " The Gods bless..."
The night wind after the rain was chilly, and Brienne went over and picked up a cloak to put on Gryn.
"Thank you for your help, Brienne."
Brienne glanced at Gryn with her somewhat dull blue eyes, then silently fastened the accessories on her cloak.
After a pause, she suddenly spoke, "Lord Gryn, tomorrow... please allow me to stay by your side."
Gryn's brown eyes flickered as he looked at the "beauty," and he said, " Brienne, according to my mother's last wishes, I will not fight personally unless it concerns the life or death of the House Crabb. Tomorrow is a good opportunity for you, and I look forward to your performance."
Brienne immediately knelt down on one knee, her expression resolute, and said, "My lady, please allow me to protect you."
Gryn had intended to assign Brienne to Pell Pili's final battle team to "earn" some military merits, but the incident with Renly still seemed to haunt her.
Lord Gryn always respected the Warrior ' reasonable requests. "I grant your request. Rise, my loyal the Warrior."
Brienne immediately smiled happily, and as she stood up, she said, "Thank you, Lord Gryn."
Gryn smiled and said, "Keep ' Ice ' safe for me tomorrow."
Brienne smiled even more broadly, "Yes, my lord."
Not long after, Ser Pell and Amparo entered the tent where Gryn was.
Gryn strode toward the long table covered with a map, asking as he walked, "How's the situation over there?"
Ser Pell began, "Tonight, the Declaration of Lords Declarant camp is still filled with laughter and joy; they really enjoyed the drinks provided free of charge by Gulltown."
Gryn was in a good mood, and he joked, "Didn't you ask them for a drink, Pell?"
Ser Pell's lips curled into a slight smile. "My lord," he said, "I only wish to sit atop their heads and have a drink."
Amparo a moment, then whispered a reminder, " Ser Pell, drinking is forbidden during battle; it's Crabb Military Code."
Amparo finished speaking, Gryn couldn't help but laugh, while Ser Pell's eye twitched.
Standing before the map, gazing at it for a moment, Gryn said, " Amparo, look here..."
He pointed to a spot on the map and continued, "I've taken you to this place before... It's big enough to hold 5,000 Crabb Longbow, and it's surrounded by forests on both sides, making it a natural barrier that prevents the horses of the Vale from galloping freely."
Amparo glanced at the location Gryn pointed to on the map, nodded, and said, "Lord Gryn, the terrain there is advantageous to us. Won't the Vale People have any objections?"
Gryn tapped Zhuo Yan lightly and said, "As far as the Vale Knights are concerned, they won't have any objections. To them, this duel is a fight to the death between the weak and the strong, and Crackclaw Point is the weak one in their eyes."
His gaze sharpened slightly. "For the proud and self-assured Vale, tomorrow is merely a grand Tournament, a hunting ground for vying for honor."
He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over Pell and Amparo, and said in a deep voice, "The time for blood to be paid for has come. You... how are your preparations?"
Ser Pell and Amparo simultaneously slammed their fists into their breastplates and shouted, "Long live Crabb!"
After Pell and Amparo left, Gryn's Little Steward, Leyton, brought the latest news about the " True Declaration of Lords Declarant ".
Gryn raised an eyebrow and asked, "How many mercenaries do they have?"
Leyton rubbed his hands together and said respectfully, "My master, it is said that they have more than 6,000 mercenaries in total, and they have hired three mercenary groups."