The night before Robb set out, a northern noble whom the Starks held in especially high regard came to pay them a personal visit.
Catelyn even came out to greet him herself.
"Ser Hode, are you saying you wish to join Ser Bolton?"
"Yes, my lady. The Crannogmen are skilled at fighting on foot and with bows. Perhaps I can be of some help."
The knight's full name was Lilan Hode.
Eddard Stark had told every member of his family that if it weren't for Lilan Hode, he would have died at the hands of Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning.
Robb had originally intended to take him along to Riverrun, but since Lilan Hode had made the request himself, they would respect his wishes.
"No problem, Ser Hode." After discussing it with her son Robb, Catelyn supported his proposal.
What neither of them could have imagined, however, was that Lilan Hode had another reason for wanting to join the army commanded by Roose Bolton.
And that reason was Jon.
As far as he was concerned, he might well be the only person in all the Seven Kingdoms who knew that Jon wasn't Eddard's bastard.
At the very least, he had seen Eddard leave the Tower of Joy with a swaddled babe in his arms.
And when they faced Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning himself had said that Rhaegar had sent them to protect the prince!
That was right! The prince!
Jon's performance lately had been far too remarkable.
Lilan Hode couldn't ignore it.
He had once sworn to Eddard that he would keep this secret.
He needed to make sure Jon truly wanted only to "save his father," as he claimed, and had no other motives.
Tywin's army was currently encamped on the southern bank of the Green Fork, five days' march from the Twins.
Tywin's strategic vision was undeniably sharp.
From this position, he could block the Northern Army to the north and keep a close eye on the Vale to the east.
Roose Bolton and Jon's task was to keep Tywin's forces occupied, creating an opportunity for Robb to lift the siege of Winterfell.
To launch a surprise attack on the Westerlands forces surrounding Riverrun, Robb had set out early with his cavalry.
Though cavalry could travel quickly, they had a longer route to cover.
At a normal marching pace, the infantry main force led by Roose Bolton could reach Tywin's army before Robb arrived at Riverrun.
At that moment, Roose Bolton was in his tent, making preparations and rallying the troops before the battle.
Since Roose Bolton still commanded the main force, the tent was filled with prominent northern nobles.
Among them were House Karstark, House Seaworth, House Manderly, and House Blackwood.
And, of course, the newly joined House Frey.
Robb had taken only eight hundred cavalrymen with him. The remaining thousand or so infantrymen were still under Roose Bolton's command.
Roose Bolton was assigning duties, deciding the order of march, and arranging the army's center, left flank, and right flank.
There was no difficulty in assigning a place to the newly arrived Lilan Hode, either.
The soldiers he had brought were assigned to the archers.
Now, only the most crucial part of Roose Bolton's surprise attack plan remained: someone had to take on reconnaissance.
In the original Battle of the Green Fork, Roose Bolton had been discovered after running into cavalry from House Maranbul of the Westerlands.
That had caused the surprise attack to fail.
Roose Bolton asked, "Is anyone willing to take on the reconnaissance mission?"
These Northerners might have been quick to shout about fighting, but when their lives were on the line, every one of them was as shrewd as a monkey.
Reconnaissance was a lousy job.
Do it well, and no one would give you credit.
Do it poorly, and you were bound to take the blame.
So no one said a word for a long time.
Just then, Jon stood up and volunteered for the task.
"Lord Bolton, I'd like to scout for the army and make sure the road ahead is safe and clear."
Jon's offer drew everyone's attention, especially Lilan Hode. With his emerald-green eyes, he studied the boy, who looked so much like Eddard, as if pondering something.
"Make sure it's safe and clear? How? With those soldiers of yours who've only just learned to walk?"
Meiqi Saiwen was once again trying to get attention by picking on Jon.
But this time, Jon wouldn't indulge him. He whipped around, his face cold.
Saiwen's smile froze. He turned his head away, looking embarrassed.
That silenced everyone who had been about to mock Jon.
They seemed to have forgotten that, bastard or not, and despite the ridicule he'd faced for his "outlandish" battle plans, he could still be called the greatest warrior in the North.
From his seat in the corner, Lilan Hode murmured a name that only he could hear: Lyanna.
Roose Bolton's eyes flickered. Then he said:
"A wolf's nose is always sharp. You can handle the scouting."
"As you command, my lord."
Jon nodded and accepted.
He had already decided that if the attack went badly, he would pin the blame on Jon.
That might loosen some of Robb's restrictions on him.
Of course, he couldn't simply pin the blame on Jon without cause. As commander, he couldn't make up accusations.
The others weren't blind, after all. If the battle went badly for some other reason, he couldn't just close his eyes and lie.
But as Roose Bolton saw it, since Jon had volunteered, there was no reason to refuse him.
Just then, Lilan Hode suddenly stood up and said:
"Lord Bolton, we Crannogmen know this area well, too. Perhaps I could go with Jon."
"Very well. Then I'll leave it to you and Jon, Ser Hode."
Everyone looked at Lilan, finding it a little odd.
A moment ago, not a single person had been willing to take on the reconnaissance mission. Now two had volunteered at once.
When Jon heard that name, it rang in his ears like a thunderclap.
But so as not to arouse the other man's suspicions, he made no unnecessary movement.
They simply agreed to meet up again when the time came.
After the war council ended, the lords returned to their respective armies.
Their next task was to pass Roose Bolton's plan on to their bannermen.
The bannermen would then relay it to the knights and other soldiers on the front lines.
Jon naturally had to return and see his "dynamic duo."
At that moment, in Jon's camp, Old York was listlessly watching the soldiers endlessly practice turning left and right, marching forward, and halting.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't imagine how soldiers like these were ever going to win a battle.
Their formation looked good, but what would happen when it was time to kill the enemy?
As far as he was concerned, this campaign would probably be his last.
He had hoped to earn some military merit and buy more farmland when he returned.
But now it seemed that everything was ruined.
Smack!
Old York slapped himself, cursing himself for falling asleep in that situation.
He turned to look at his "comrade," Tommen, who was always the same: either arranging his armor or polishing his weapons.
It seemed that simple tasks could keep him happily occupied for hours.
Suddenly, Old York saw Jon returning to camp. Though reluctant, he got up to greet him.
Tommen came over to Jon's side after his attendant reminded him.
"My lord."
The two greeted him in unison. They—or, more accurately, Old York—knew that Jon had surely returned with a battle assignment.
Old York clung to a glimmer of hope. Perhaps this bastard commander could use his connection to Robb to secure them a good position in the battle.
"Everyone, I happen to have two tasks for you. The first is reconnaissance. Our target is the Westerlands army, and we must make sure our own movements aren't discovered."
Old York heard this and thought, What kind of task is that? Do it well, and you might not get any credit. Do it poorly, and you'll definitely be held responsible.
It was a rotten job! So he pinned his hopes on the second task.
"The second task is to build a dam near the Green Fork. At the critical moment, we'll divert the water to attack the enemy or impede their advance."
After hearing both assignments, Old York's heart sank. He knew he wouldn't get anything out of this campaign.
Just then, Old York asked in a low voice:
"My lord, did Lord Bolton force these assignments on you? You could write to Lord Robb..."
As far as Old York was concerned, Jon had definitely been set up.
Otherwise, there was no way he'd have drawn such a raw deal.
Jon paid no attention to the old fox.
Next, he had to upgrade the [Gods' Eye] trait and figure out why Lilan Hode was approaching him.
Eddard was always saying that without him, Jon would have been killed by Arthur Dayne.
Could that old man really have some kind of "sorcery" up his sleeve?
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