Grounds for war

Winterfell, the capital of the lands held by House Stark, the supreme ducal house of the North, was nothing like its depiction in the show. In fact, the differences were considerable!

Winterfell's walls stood a full fifteen meters high!

The same height as those of King's Landing!

Winterfell stood atop a fairly high hill!

From a distance, it looked black and unfathomable!

The North's climate was not particularly warm, leaving much of its land covered in grasslands or pine forests!

It was rich in warhorses, furs, and finely crafted greatswords!

Along Winterfell's towering walls, banners bearing gray wolves on white fields hung at ten-meter intervals, on both the inner and outer sides!

Those were direwolves!

Wondrous creatures that could reach two to three meters in size and serve as mounts!

Outside Winterfell, however, the landscape seemed desolate!

The North was as large as the other six kingdoms combined!

It covered an astonishing 4.5 million square kilometers!

Half the size of Huaxia!

Because of the climate and geography, its settlements were scattered far apart!

Even so, the North's total population still numbered in the millions!

It was one of the most powerful feudal domains!

It was also one of the places where the blood of the First Men remained purest, untainted by Andal blood!

Northerners had little liking for southerners!

For the First Men hated the Andals for invading their lands and taking the south!

Thus, northerners called people from the south "southerners"!

At this time, Winterfell's Grand Maester, Maester Luwin, was in his prime. Rickard Stark, the supreme duke of the North, had brought him back from Oldtown!

Luwin liked the people of the North very much. Apart from House Bolton, northerners were generally steadfast, loyal, brave, and able to endure bitter cold!

A raven flew into the maester's tower, where Maester Luwin lived. It stood forty meters high, with a lookout platform atop its dome!

A maester's apprentice brought a raven down from the lookout platform!

After receiving the letter, Maester Luwin examined the beeswax on it.

Seven pebbles arranged within a shield: a simplified version of House Royce's sigil!

Not daring to delay, he immediately took the letter to the Godswood to find Supreme Duke Rickard Stark near the weirwood!

Beneath the weirwood, beside the pool, the old duke Rickard was wiping down Ice, his ancestral Valyrian steel sword!

It was a greatsword 1.2 meters long and ten centimeters wide!

Though it looked like a heavy sword, Ice was very light thanks to the special properties of Valyrian steel! Legend held that Valyrian steel swords were forged with dragonfire and magic, and the method of making the steel billets had long been lost!

Rickard carefully wiped his ancestral sword, considering where to send his second son, Ned-Eddard Stark was his formal name, while Ned was the nickname used by those close to him-and his third son, Benjen Stark. He could hardly send them all to Castle Black!

Under primogeniture, the other sons had no right of inheritance. At present, his second son Ned was still being fostered by Jon Arryn!

Suddenly, he spotted Maester Luwin, dressed in black robes and wearing his maester's chain!

Rickard slowly raised his head.

Luwin approached and handed Rickard a letter! Then he sat down with Rickard. They were good friends!

Rickard took the letter, examined the beeswax on it, and looked at the maester.

"House Royce?"

Luwin nodded! Rickard slowly opened the letter!

[To the honored and glorious supreme guardian of the North, my beloved cousin Rickard:

Since House Candleblood attacked and killed my eldest son some time ago, my clever daughter has also been targeted by Faceless Men hired by someone with ulterior intentions! Blood covered the entire butterfly chamber.

Fortunately, my valiant vassal, Su Qin Herculys, had given us a magical defensive accessory from the distant east. Otherwise, I fear the next letter you received would have brought news of my death!

The Golden Tailor (organization) has discovered that one of Jon's earls spent a month in Braavos!

I intend to launch a war of vengeance against House Candleblood. I hope you can keep House Arryn in check, Cousin!

Signed: Yaron Royce

Seal: pebble seal (House Royce)]

After reading it, Rickard slowly rose and stood motionless beneath the weirwood!

Luwin thought for a while before saying, "Whether or not House Arryn has been meddling behind the scenes, Jon has gone too far! Does he not know that House Royce is related by marriage to the supreme duke of the North?"

"The current Lady Royce is also a legitimate daughter of your loyal House Mormont of Bear Island. Rickard, Jon has gone too far!"

"The old bear will probably take his ancestral sword, [Longclaw], over there to support his granddaughter!"

The old duke Rickard slowly nodded, then shook his head. "Jon isn't that foolish. He wouldn't dare move against my younger cousin! I suspect someone is interfering to stir up conflict between the North and the Vale!"

Luwin nodded. "King's Landing?"

Rickard did not answer. He considered it for a while.

"Wherever those sewer rats come from, House Stark and House Royce must make their position clear. This war of vengeance is lawful. Luwin, bring paper and a pen. I must write to House Mormont and House Arryn!"

Luwin nodded and slowly departed.

In King's Landing, a raven flew into the hands of the apprentice responsible for receiving ravens, who then handed it to Grand Maester Pycelle.

Pycelle, the Grand Maester of King's Landing, examined the family's wax seal, hesitated briefly, then slowly headed toward Prince Rhaegar's palace.

Prince Rhaegar was playing "The Tragedy of Summerhall" in his palace. He was a figure of legendary stature.

The maester entered and set down the letter. Prince Rhaegar paid him no attention, merely glancing at the wax seal on the letter.

He continued playing.

He had long been troubled by a question. The prophecy of A Song of Ice and Fire had puzzled him for ages. Who exactly was the prince in that prophecy?

When the song ended, he slowly set down his harp and opened the letter.

After reading it, he remained deep in thought for a long time, then took the letter and headed toward the king's palace! At this point, that incident had yet to happen! The king still appeared to trust him...

The next day, the king issued a proclamation. The people of King's Landing were the first to hear the news:

[King Aerys II, King of the First Men, the Andals, and the Rhoynar, proclaims:

House Royce of Runestone, Runestone Territory, in the Kingdom of the Vale, has petitioned the king to declare war on the House of Wickenden Clan of Wickenden in the near future!

The grounds for war are as follows: in March of AC 275, Soli Waxley, the eldest son of the House of Wickenden Clan, attempted to assassinate Earl Yaron Royce while he was hunting crystal sharks to help Castle Black maintain the magical Wall! His eldest son and heir, Andar Royce, died protecting his father! The maesters have now completed their collection of evidence, and that evidence has reached Maester Pycelle!

War demands: the seizure of all lands belonging to the House of Wickenden Clan! House Royce holds a weak claim to Candleblood Castle and all baronies under Strongstone Beach. The laws of the kingdom recognize these war demands as lawful!

Following deliberations among the king, the crown prince, the Hand of the King, and the other ministers:

House Royce's grounds for declaring war on the House of Wickenden Clan are accepted, and permission to declare war is granted!

However, the demand to seize territory must receive the approval of the Warden of the East-Jon Arryn-or the House of Wickenden Clan must personally cede its lands to House Runestone in King's Landing, with the king as witness!

Signed: Hand of the King: Tywin Lannister

Seal: three dragon heads (House Targaryen)]

Tywin Lannister was still Hand of the King at this time!

A single piece of news ignited a storm!

Over the next few days, countless ravens carried the news from King's Landing to the other kingdoms!

By then, Runestone's army had already taken up its assigned positions!

House Royce was no minor house! It had once ruled the Kingdom of the Vale! Throughout history, it had intermarried with peripheral nobles of House Targaryen many times. Who knew how deep its reserves ran!

Moreover, as heirs to the bronze legacy of the First Men, the members of House Royce also carried the blood of House Stark!

The two houses intermarried and had maintained friendly ties for generations!

And the concentration of Stark blood in them was not low! House Royce's current marriage alliances were with House Mormont of Bear Island in the North and House Stark!

Likewise, the House of Wickenden Clan was no easy opponent. It had intermarried with House Arryn twice in the past hundred years, held the two subordinate territories of Wickenden and Strongstone Beach, and had the royal house of the Vale at its back!

How was this merely a declaration of war between two earl-level houses? This was House Royce, a Dragon Party house wielding real power in the Kingdom of the Vale, seizing grounds for war to declare war on House Arryn. It was a war with far-reaching implications, meant to probe and weaken the faction rebelling against the king!

Did you think the king did not know that the wolf, stag, and falcon were going to form an alliance? The king was not blind! The bald man was already one of the king's favorites!

In truth, the kingdom's overall course had been set after the Tragedy of Summerhall and the War of the Ninepenny Kings!

House Targaryen was in constant decline! Its main line had also been all but wiped out!

House Targaryen's strength had fallen drastically! It had been without dragons for a long time and truly could no longer effectively keep the lords in check!

For House Targaryen, there could be no backing down from this declaration of war!

Back to those taking part in the war.

Anyone who truly thought only soldiers from two houses would take part was a fool!

The eyes of every noble in the Seven Kingdoms turned toward the Kingdom of the Vale!

This was a battle in which the Dragon Party and the separatist powers tested each other! The king's harsh taxes and levies had already made life unbearable for the people of Featherwood, and House Targaryen had no dragons! This was a long-planned probe!

Who knew what the mastermind behind the scenes actually wanted!

On the day Delia was attacked, Su Qin immediately rode a swift horse to Runestone, covering 140 kilometers in half a day!

On the evening of his arrival.

The strongest horse in Gull Manor, Su Qin's warhorse, foamed at the mouth and collapsed!

Su Qin looked at the white horse lying on the ground, unable to rise. After instructing the guards at Runestone's castle gates to have someone take good care of it, he immediately entered the castle.

Entering the hall just inside the castle, he saw a group of knights gathered before the fireplace, cursing in the firelight.

A fierce-looking knight took a great gulp of wine. He was Yaron's military minister, Tor Etching, whose family lands were in the Etching Lands, on Runestone's far right!

"If we swallow this insult, what will the nobles elsewhere think of House Royce? What will they think of us knights who swore allegiance to Yaron? Our oaths included a vow to protect House Royce!"

The knights grew indignant. Some spoke of relatives who had also perished in the March attack, while others discussed which knights they could contact in various places...

Su Qin entered, and the others fell silent at the sight of his gloomy face.

Su Qin said nothing.

The nobles stared blankly as Su Qin climbed the stairs.

Su Qin headed straight for Delia's bedroom on the third floor!

Delia reclined on the bed, her lower body covered with a silk quilt.

The earl's wife, Beatrice Mormont, sat beside her daughter, gently holding her left hand as they examined the Golden Dragon fragments on the bedding together. They both knew it was a dragon, but it differed from the flying dragons they knew of, with four claws and deer antlers! On closer inspection, beyond its majesty, it even looked rather adorable now!

Before, they had only heard that magic existed. Today, they had truly seen it for themselves!

With her right hand, Delia carefully handled the dragon-shaped body of the shattered necklace, which had broken into many pieces.

She had already counted them. The necklace's main body had broken into seven pieces!

She carefully fitted them together, piece by piece!

She knew who treasured her, and began muttering inwardly...

"I suppose I'll let you marry a few more, you scoundrel... but I have to be the principal wife... if I'm the only one in the future... one tree still can't hold everything up... the enemy is so powerful..."

Who knew what she was muttering to herself.

Suddenly, someone knocked. The earl's wife was about to rise when she saw that the visitor had already pushed open the door.

The earl's wife watched Su Qin hurry over to the bedside beside Delia, while Delia stared blankly at him as he approached.

The moment Su Qin sat down, Delia threw herself into his arms and began to cry.

The earl's wife quietly left with the maid. House Royce would allow only one assassination attempt. The two strongest Golden Tailors deployed across the Seven Kingdoms were already rushing back overnight from the Westerlands!

What they did not know was that on the very day Delia was attacked and the Golden Dragon necklace shattered!

A meteorite struck the head of the Many-Faced God's statue in the distant House of Black and White, leaving the Many-Faced God headless! It outright knocked the House of Black and White's magical pool out of operation!

The House of Black and White immediately shut its doors and announced the suspension of all assassination services!

On the brocade-covered bed, Delia lay in Su Qin's arms.

Delia sobbed, "I thought... I thought... I'd never see you again..."

Feeling the endless tears soak through his golden-gull attire and woolen inner robe, Su Qin held Delia tightly in his arms.

After a long while, Delia shifted her head, and Su Qin slowly loosened his embrace.

Delia wiped away her tears. Her purple eyes were red as she smiled at Su Qin and pointed at the fragments on the quilt, which had come apart again.

"She saved me!"

Su Qin smiled, then slowly grew rather gloomy again. Delia raised both hands and cupped his face, wanting to comfort him.

Holding Delia around the waist, Su Qin said slowly, "We're not letting this go!"

Delia was shocked. "What are you going to do, Ser Su Qin?"

Su Qin looked at Delia angrily.

"Are you going to let that old viper keep snapping at you? Unless we hurt him badly, he'll always be looking to bite you and poison you to death!" "We're not letting this go!"

"I will declare war on the House of Wickenden Clan on the grounds that its eldest son, Soli Waxley, attempted to assassinate the Earl I serve within my territory! To uphold Yaron Royce's dignity! To fulfill my sworn oath!"

Su Qin roared!

Delia froze, then smiled, slowly capturing Su Qin's lips with her own.

You fool, there's probably someone else behind this.

Delia muttered inwardly, but the war did have to be fought! It was the perfect chance to reclaim the lands House Royce had weak claims to!

But once she calmed down, who said the culprit belonged to House Arryn? The Targaryens, some groups of rat merchants in the Fingers, or the Iron Bank were all possibilities!

That evening, after the Earl finished consulting with Su Qin, Delia, and several ministers, two ravens flew toward King's Landing and Winterfell!

The evidence had long since been handed over to King's Landing! But the enemy kept resorting to dirty tricks! This could no longer be tolerated!

A few days later, news that House Royce had formally declared war on the House of Wickenden Clan reached the desks of all the great nobles!

House Stark recalled Ned Stark, who had been fostered under Jon Arryn, overnight! House Stark could only remain neutral!

House Stark and House Royce were both families of First Men kings from the same era, and had intermarried for generations!

Unexpectedly, no territory openly supported the House of Wickenden Clan, while the knights heading to House Royce had already begun moving openly!

That night, 2,500 regular spearmen clad in iron armor and 500 longbowmen, accompanied by 300 light cavalry and 10 Silver Plume Knights!

They were the first to rush to Keir Keep on the front line and begin garrisoning it!

They arrived after just twelve hours of forced marching!!

Then came Runestone's 1,000 iron-armored mace soldiers. This heavy infantry force escorted the food and supplies, arriving three days later!

Then formal mobilization and preparations for war began!

Because preparations for this war were rather rushed, the formal offensive was scheduled for three months later!

Fighting a war was hardly as simple as fighting a single battle and being done with it!

Probing, scouting, surprise attacks, cutting off supplies, harassment, flanking, guerrilla warfare, frontal combat...

If a war ended in just a few days, either the disparity in strength was enormous, or one side was useless!

Thus, every noble under the Earl of Runestone was notified to muster their militia after the harvest and watch for enemies within their territories!

Once preparations were complete, the formal offensive would begin!

That meant March of the following year!

Reconnaissance ships also began putting out to sea every day to scout. A surprise attack by sea?

With such a long distance to cover at sea and ships moving so slowly, by the time you arrived days later, the other side would already have mobilized its soldiers and prepared its defenses! Besides, it was not as though no nobles were secretly helping House Royce keep watch over Crab Bay!

So this war would come down to the fighting on land!