Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Caitlin

In the eyes of Catelyn Stark, her son Robb's newly forged crown weighed heavily on his head like a heavy burden. The ancient crown of the Winter King was lost three hundred years ago when Torrhen Stark succumbed to Aegon the Conqueror.He gave the crown to Aegon, and what Aegon did with it no one knows.Today, with the excellent craftsmanship of the blacksmiths under the Duke of Hoster, Robb's crown is just like the Stark kings described in the story: a bronze cast crown, engraved with the runes of the ancestors, nine swords in the shape of Black iron spikes stand upright in it.There is no gold, no silver, no jewels in this crown, only steel and bronze, dark and hard, the metal of winter against the severe cold.

They waited for the prisoner in the great halls of Riverrun.She saw Robb push back the crown and set it on his thick brown hair.After a while, he pulled it forward again, and turned it around, as if it would make it more comfortable for him.Wearing a crown is no easy task, Catelyn thought as she watched, especially for a child of fifteen. When the prisoner was brought in, Robb ordered the sword.Olivar Frey held the sword hilt forward, and handed it up. The son drew the sword and laid it across his knees. The intention of coercion was very obvious. "This is the man you want, Your Majesty," said Sir Robin Legge, Captain of the Tully Houseguard, loudly.

"Lannister! Kneel before the king?" Theon Greyjoy yelled, and Ser Robin Rigg pinned the prisoner down. He looks nothing like a lion, Catelyn thought.The mother of this Sir Cleo Frey was Tywin Lannister's sister, Lady Gina, but he inherited none of the Lannister's famous beauty and blond hair and blue eyes. Sir Ray, the second son of old Lord Walder Frey, had a head of wispy brown hair, a short chin, a thin face, pale, watery eyes, and blinking.Maybe it's the light, the dungeon below Riverrun is dark and dank... it's been particularly crowded lately. "Sir Cleo, get up." Although the son's voice was not as cold as his father's, it was not like a fifteen-year-old child.It was the war that forced him to come of age early.The sword lying on his lap reflected the morning light, and the edge of the blade shone slightly.

But it was not the sword that worried Ser Cleos Frey, but the direwolf.His son named it Gray Wind. It had a body as big as a deerhound, with no flesh, a smoky coat, and eyes like molten gold.He walked forward slowly, walked up to the captured knight and sniffed.Everyone in the hall could smell fear.Ser Cleos had been captured at the battle of the Whispering Wood, where Gray Wind had bitten the throats of five or six enemy soldiers. The knight staggered to his feet and retreated hastily, causing several spectators to burst into laughter. "Thank you, my lord." "'Your Majesty'!" Earl Amber, nicknamed "Greatjon", shouted angrily.Of all Robb's northern generals, he was the loudest...and the most loyal and fierce, or so he insisted.He was the first person to respect his son as the king of the northern border, so naturally he could not tolerate any disrespect to his new king.

"Your Majesty," Sir Cleo quickly changed his words, "I beg your pardon." This man is not brave, Catelyn thought, and, really, he is more a Frey than a Lannister.If it were his cousin "Kingslayer", he must have a different attitude.They could never force Ser Jaime Lannister's pretty mouth to say Your Majesty. "I set you free from prison to deliver me a letter to King's Landing, to your cousin Cersei Lannister. You will carry the banner of peace, and I will send thirty of my capable men to escort." Sir Cleo was obviously relieved, "I will be happy to deliver a letter to the Queen Mother on behalf of His Majesty."

"But you know," said Robb, "I didn't set you free. Your grandfather, Lord Walder, led all the Freys to me, and your cousins ​​and uncles fought in the Whispering Wood." You fought valiantly, but you chose to fight for the Lion's Banner. In that case, you are a Lannister, not a Frey. I want you to swear on your knighthood that when the letter is delivered, you will bring the Queen with you soon. answer, return here, and continue to be a captive." Ser Cleos answered immediately, "I swear it." "Everyone in the hall heard what you said," Catelyn's younger brother, Ser Edmure Tully, warned him.With his father dying, he now speaks for Riverrun and the Lords of Three Rivers. "If you go and don't return, the whole country will cast aside your reneging behavior."

"I am a man of my word," replied Sir Cleo stubbornly. "What message do you want me to bring?" "My peace terms." Robb stood up, sword in hand, and Gray Wind ran back to him immediately.The whole hall was silent. "You go and tell the queen mother and the regent, as long as she agrees to my conditions, I will put away this sword and end the dispute between each other." Catelyn glimpsed at the back of the hall, the tall and gaunt Lord Rickard Karstark pushed aside a line of guards and walked out in silence.Others remained motionless.Robb ignored the uproar. "Olifa, bring the letter," he ordered.The attendant took the sword and handed him a roll of parchment.

Robb unfolded the letter, "First, the Queen Mother must release my two sisters and let them return to White Harbor safely from King's Landing by sea. I hereby declare that the marriage contract between Sansa and Joffrey Baratheon is official. Release. As soon as I receive the notification from the acting castellan that they have arrived at Winterfell safely, I will immediately release the Queen Mother's two cousins, servant William Lannister and your brother Tyn Frey, and escort They made it safely to Casterly Rock, or wherever she asked." Catelyn Stark wished she could read the thoughts behind every face, every wrinkled brow, and every set of lips.

"Second, return the remains of my late father immediately. We will do what my father wished and bury him in the crypt of Winterfell, and let him and his brothers and sisters rest underground together. The remains of the guards who followed him to King's Landing will also be buried. must be returned." Living people go south, dead bones return north.Ned is right, she thought, he belongs to Winterfell, he keeps repeating, but am I listening?No, I said to him: You must go, be Robert's Hand, not only for our family, but for our children... It's all my fault, my fault... "Thirdly, my father's great sword 'Ice' must be brought to Riverrun and placed in my hands."

She looked at her brother, Ser Edmure Tully, who stood aside, thumbs hooked on the hilt of his sword, his face grave as stone. "Fourth, the Queen Mother must tell her father Lord Tywin to release our knights and lords captured in the Battle of the Green Fork. After he does, I will immediately release all the hostages taken in the Whispering Forest and the Battle of Riverrun .except Ser Jaime Lannister, whom I will keep to see that his father does well." She studied Theon Greyjoy's narrow smile and wondered what it meant.The young man always looked like he was enjoying some secret joke, which Catelyn never liked.

"Finally, King Joffrey and the Queen Regent must announce to the whole country that they renounce the right to rule the North and the Three Rivers. From this day forward, our country will have nothing to do with it, but a free and independent kingdom. My country includes all the Stark lands north of the Neck, and the Trident and its tributaries, from the Golden Tooth in the west to the Moon Mountains in the east." "Long live the King in the North!" cried Greatjon Umber, shaking his fists as thick as pig's legs. "Long live Stark! Long live Stark! Long live the King of the North!" Robb rolled up the parchment, "Scholar Wayman has drawn a map showing the scope of our country's sovereignty. We will ask you to take one and give it to the Queen Mother. Lord Tywin must immediately withdraw his troops from the country's borders and stop all kinds of Burning, killing, looting. The mother and son of the Queen Regent cannot extract taxes, ask for tribute, or ask for labor from my people. The lords and knights of our country must immediately lift the iron throne, the Baratheon house or the Lannister house. Allegiances, oaths, mortgages, debts, and obligations of every kind. In addition, the Lannisters shall choose ten nobles of noble birth from a mutually agreed list to come to Riverrun as pledges of peace. I will rely on their status , treat each other with honored guests. As long as the other party abides by the agreement, I will release two hostages every year and escort them home safely." Robb threw the scroll at the knight's feet, "This is my condition. If she accepts, I will Just give her peace, and if she doesn't take it"—he whistled, and Gray Wind came roaring forward—"I'll let her taste the Whispering Wood again." "Long live Stark!" Greatjon yelled again, and the others echoed in unison, "Long live Stark! Long live Stark! Long live the King in the North!" The direwolf shook his head back and let out a long cry. No. Sir Cleo's face turned pale, "I will take your letter to the Queen Mother, Your Majesty." "Very well," said Robb. "Ser Robin, let him eat well, put on clean clothes, and set out at dawn." "Yes, Your Majesty," replied Ser Robin Lyger. "Then, this is the end of today's meeting." Robb turned and left, followed by Gray Wind. The knights and princes present knelt down, and Olivar Frey ran to the front to open the door.Caitlin siblings also went out together. "You behaved very well." In the corridor behind the hall, she said to her son, "but releasing wolves to scare people is not what a monarch should do, it's like a child's trick." Robb scratched Gray Wind's ears, "Mother, didn't you see his expression just now?" He asked with a smile. "I just saw Lord Karstark go out." "I saw it too." Robb took off the crown with both hands, and handed it to Olifar. "Take it back to the bedroom." "Your Majesty, I'll do it now." The attendant left immediately. "I bet there are many here today who share the same opinion as Lord Karstark," said his younger brother Edmure. "Now the Lannister army is scattered all over my father's territory like a plague, burning, killing and looting." , doing all kinds of evil, how can we negotiate peace? I repeat, we should immediately march to Harrenhal." "We don't have enough troops," said Robb sullenly. Edmure insisted: "Will our soldiers increase if we sit in the city? Our army is weakening day by day." "Whose responsibility is this?" Caitlin scolded her brother.It was because of Edmure's insistence that Robb agreed to let the river lords leave Riverrun after he was crowned, and go back to defend their respective territories.Ser Marq Piper and Lord Karel Vance went first.Lord Janos Bracken followed, vowing to take back the burnt castle and bury the dead before leaving.Right now, even Earl Jason Mallister hinted that he would return to Haijiang City. Gods bless, the city has not been affected by the war so far. "You can't ask my river lords to sit idle in the city, watching their lands be plundered and their people slaughtered, can you?" Ser Edmure said, "but Lord Karstark is a northerner. If we leave, it will be a great shock to us." "I'll talk to him," said Robb. "His two sons died fighting in the Whispering Wood. Who can blame him for not making peace with his murderer? . . . If it were me..." "No amount of death can bring your father or Lord Rickard's son back to life." Caitlin said, "We must make peace—if you are wise, you should give each other a little more sweetness." "Give them more sweets, and I will choke to death." The son's beard is redder than his hair.Robb seems to think growing a beard can make him look more powerful, more regal... and more mature.But bearded or not, he was still only a boy of fifteen, and he was as thirsty for vengeance as Rickard Karstark, and it was not easy to persuade him to offer peace terms, let alone good ones. "Cersei Lannister would never agree to trade two of your sisters for her two cousins, and you know she wants her brother." She said this several times, but Catelyn found that the king Far worse than being obedient as a son. "I cannot release the Kingslayer, even if I wanted to, and my lords will never agree." "Your princes support you as king." "It can also take away my throne." "Thank goodness if Arya and Sansa come back safely in exchange for your crown. Think how many of your lords would love to put Lannister to death in prison, in case something happens to him in prison , others must think—" "—he deserved what he deserved," Robb said. "What about your sister?" Catelyn asked pointedly. "They deserve what they deserve? I assure you, if anything happens to her brother, Cersei will pay her blood—" "A Lannister will not die," said Robb. "No one can talk to him without my permission. He has food and water, and a bed of clean straw, which he is not supposed to be comfortable with. But I will not let him go, not even for Arya's sake." Not with Sansa." Caitlin suddenly noticed that her son was "looking down" at her.Did the war make him grow so fast, or did the crown they put on his brow make him proud?Caitlin asked herself. "You dread meeting Jaime Lannister on the field again, don't you?" Gray Wind roared, as if sensing Robb's anger.Edmure Tully made a hasty move, patting Catelyn on the shoulder like a brother. "Kate, come on, the kid did the right thing." "Don't call me 'boy'!" Robb turned to face his uncle, venting all his anger on poor Edmure, who only knew he was trying to help him out. "I'm coming of age, and I'm king—sir, I'm your king. For the record: I'm not afraid of Jaime Lannister. I've beaten him once, and I'll do it again. Only—" He pushed aside the hair that covered his eyes, and shook his head, "I wanted to exchange the kingslayer for my father, but..." "... But you can't change your sister?" She whispered coldly, "Your sister is not important enough, is it?" Robb didn't answer, but there was hurt in his eyes.Those Tully blue eyes were her heritage.She hurt him, but he was too much like his father to admit it. What am I doing?she said to herself.By gods, what's the matter with me?Isn't he just trying to be a good king?I know all this, I have seen this day and night, but... I have lost Ned, I have lost the cornerstone of my life, and if I lose my daughter, I can't bear it... "I'll do my best for my sister," Robb said. "As long as the queen has a semblance of sanity, she'll accept my terms. Otherwise, I'll make her regret her decision." He obviously didn't want to continue the subject. "Mother, you really don't want to live in the Twins? You should stay away from the front lines and get to know Lord Frey's daughter better. When the war is over, you can choose a wife for me." He doesn't want me, Catelyn thought weakly. A king really can't have a mother, and I always say nasty things. "Robb, you are so grown up, you can decide which daughter you like Lord Walder, you don't need my help." "Then you and Theon go together. He will set off tomorrow, first assist Mallister to escort some prisoners of war to Sea Front City, and then take a boat to the Iron Islands. You can also find a boat. If the wind is favorable, you will be gone within a month." Can return to Winterfell. Bran and Rickon need you." And you don't need to? "Your grandfather's days are numbered. As long as he is alive, I will stay in Riverrun and watch over him." "I am the king and I can order you to go." Caitlin ignored him, "I repeat, I hope you keep Theon with you and send someone to Pyke." "With Balon Greyjoy, who better to send than his son?" "Jason Mallister," Catelyn suggested, "Tytos Blackwood, Stevron Frey, anyone... but Theon." The son crouched beside Gray Wind, playing with the direwolf's fur, avoiding her gaze. "Theon has done a lot for us. I told you about him saving Bran from the wildlings in the Wolfwood. And if peace with the Lannisters fails, I'll have to get King Greyjoy's Longship Fleet." "The best way to get his fleet is to keep his son as a hostage." "He's been a hostage for half his life." "There's a reason for that," said Catelyn. "A man like Balon Greyjoy can't be trusted. Don't forget, though it was only for a season, he was king after all. When he gets his chance, It might happen again.” Robb got up, "I don't care about this with him. I am the king in the north, so what if he grants his wish and makes him king of the Iron Islands? As long as he helps me defeat Lannister, I am happy to give the crown .” "Robb—" "I decide to send Theon. Good day, mother. Gray Wind, let's go." Robb walked away quickly, and the direwolf followed suit. Caitlin could only watch him leave, that was her son and also her lord, what a strange feeling.Back in Cailin Bay, she urged him to "give orders", and now he really did. "I'm going to see my father," she said abruptly. "Come with me, Edmure." "Desmond is training the newly recruited archers. I have to say a few words. I'll see him later." He might not be alive later, Catelyn thought, but didn't say it.The younger brother would rather go to the battlefield than enter the ward. The dying father's ward is located in the main keep, and the best shortcut is through the godswood.The godswood was full of grasses and wildflowers, elms and redwoods, thick leaves still clinging to the branches, oblivious to the news the crow had brought two weeks ago.Autumn was here, and although the Cardinal had announced it, the gods seemed reluctant to tell Breeze and the Woods the news, for which Catelyn was grateful.Autumn is a season of fear, because the shadow of winter lingers in front.A person, whether wise or dull, cannot judge whether this autumn harvest will be the last harvest of this life. In the room on the top floor of the castle, the Duke of Riverrun, Hoster Tully, was ill in bed. The bed faced east, with a panoramic view of the confluence of the Tenstone River and the Red Fork River.When Caitlin came in, he was sleeping soundly. His beard and hair were all white, and the color was no different from that of a feather mattress. His once burly body had now been worn thin and small by the gradually spreading death air. Beside the bed, sat her uncle Heiyu, still in mail, with a dusty cloak, and his boots were dusty and covered with dry mud. "Uncle, you're back, does Robb know?" Ser Brynden Tully was in charge of Robb's scouting force, his eyes and ears. "Not yet. As soon as I entered the stable, I heard that the king was presiding over the government, so I came here directly. I think I should report the news to His Majesty in private." Heiyu has gray hair, a slender figure, precise movements, and he is clean-shaven His face was wrinkled and bruised. "How is he?" he asked, and she knew he wasn't asking Robb. "Still the same. The maester gave him dream wine and milk of the poppy for the pain, so he slept most of the time. He ate so little that he seemed to be getting weaker every day." "Have you spoken yet?" "Yes... But it's getting more and more disorganized. He often talks about his regrets, unfinished tasks, people who have passed away for a long time, and old memories. Sometimes he can't even distinguish the seasons, and even put me Be my mother." "He has missed her," Ser Brynden replied. "You resemble your mother, you can tell by the cheekbones, the jaw..." "You remember it better than I do. It's been a long time ago." She sat down by the bed and brushed away a handful of hair that fell down her father's face. "Every time I go out of the city, I don't know if he is still alive when I come back." Although his father and younger brother had disputes back then, the relationship between the two is still very close. "Fortunately, you are reconciled." They sat silently for a while, and finally Catelyn looked up. "You have news for Robb?" Lord Hoster groaned and rolled over, as if he had heard their conversation. Brynden stood up, "Let's talk outside, don't wake him up." She followed him up the stone balcony, which was triangular like the prow of a giant ship.Uncle glanced at the sky, frowned and said, "It can be seen even in the daytime, and my people call it the 'Red Messenger'...but what kind of message does it bring?" Caitlin looked up, and the reddish trail of the comet streaked across the blue sky, like a long scratch on the face of a god. "Greatjon told Robb that it was the Old God's banner of vengeance unfurled for Ned; Edmure thought it was a harbinger of Riverrun's victory—he saw a long-tailed fish, blue and red, The coat of arms of House Tully." She sighed. "I wish I was as confident as he is. Scarlet is a Lannister color." "That thing is neither crimson," said Ser Brynden, "nor the maroon of Tully's mud, but blood. It is a streak of blood across the sky, my boy." "Ours or the enemy's?" "How can there be one-sided bloodshed in a war?" Uncle shook his head. "The riverland around the God's Eye Lake became a sea of ​​flames, and blood flowed everywhere. Right now, the battle extends to the Blackwater River in the south, and the Trident River in the north. The Twin River City was about to be affected. Marco Piper and Karel Vance won a few small battles, while the noble of the southern border, Beric Dondarrion, focused on dealing with the looters, constantly attacking the looters sent by Lord Tywin It was reported that Sir Burton Crakehad bragged about killing Dondarrion, and it wasn't long before his team was tricked into a trap by Lord Beric, and the whole army was wiped out." "Lord Beric was with some of the guards Ned took to King's Landing," Catelyn remembered. "May the gods help them." "If the rumors are true, this Dondarrion and his red monks are smart enough to take care of themselves," said the uncle. "The princes under your father's command are miserable. Robb should not have let them go. They are separated. It's absurd, Kate, it's absurd. Jonos Bracken was mortally wounded defending his burnt castle, and his nephew Hendry died in battle. Tytos Blackwood Although he drove the Lannister army out of his territory, the enemy took away all the livestock and food, leaving him only the empty city of Raventree and a piece of scorched earth. The troops of the Darry family went well at first, and easily recaptured their castle. In the first half of the month, Gregor Clegane came with his troops and slew the defenders, including their lord." Caitlin was shocked when she heard that, "Darry is still a child!" "Yes, and it is the last descendant of the Darry family. The child could have been exchanged for a high ransom, but what is gold for a mad dog like Gregor Clegane? I swear, the head of this beast It is the best gift to the people of the whole country." Catelyn knew Ser Clegane was notorious, but it was too much... "Don't lift your head, uncle. Cersei took Ned's head on the point of a spear and hung it on the wall of the Red Keep, where the crows and flies spoiled it. "Up to now, she still finds it hard to believe that he just left.Sometimes she woke up at night, half dreaming and half awake, thinking he was by her side. "Clegane is nothing more than Lord Tywin's running dog." Tywin Lannister - Duke of Casterly Rock City, Guardian of the West, Queen Cersei, Sir James the "Kingslayer" and Tyrion the "Little Devil" Father, grandfather of newly crowned young king Joffrey Baratheon—was the real source of trouble, Catelyn believed. "That's right," Ser Brynden agreed. "Tywin Lannister is shrewd. He's safe behind the walls of Harrenhal, feeding his soldiers with our provisions, and burning what he can't take. Gregor was not the only dog ​​he let out, Ser Amory Lorch was out too, and a bunch of the Quohor sellswords, a ruthless bunch with a love of maiming. I've seen them leave Spectacle: The whole village was burned, the women were raped and dismembered, the corpses of the slaughtered children were left in the wilderness, and they were not allowed to be buried, and wolves and wild dogs were allowed to compete for food... This kind of scene is unbearable even for the dead." "Edmure would be mad if he knew." "That's exactly what Lord Tywin wants. Kate, spreading terror has its own purpose, and the Lannister army wants to inspire us to fight it." "I'm afraid Robb could ask for more," said Catelyn anxiously. "He's as impatient as a cat in a cage to stay here, and Edmure and Greatjon and the others must be pushing him night and day to fight." The son only won two battles, one was to attack Jaime Lannister in the Whispering Forest, and the other was to defeat the scattered army that surrounded the city of Riverrun, but in the mouth of his princes, he was already the reincarnation of Aegon the Conqueror up. Brynden the Blackfish frowned his bushy gray brows. "That's their ignorance. My first rule of war, Kate - is to never let the other side get what they want. Lord Tywin can't wait to fight us where he chooses, He wants us to march on Harrenhal." "Harrenhal." Every child in Three Rivers had heard the story of Harrenhal.This is a huge fortress built by King "Black Heart" Helen by the God's Eye Lake three hundred years ago.At that time, the seven kingdoms were really divided into seven kingdoms, and the river region was ruled by the "iron people" of the Iron Islands.The proud Harron wanted to have the largest palace and tallest tower in all of Westeros, so he spent forty years building the city.A great shadow loomed over the lake as King Harren's armies looted, taking stone, timber, gold, and workers from neighboring kingdoms.Thousands of slave laborers died of exhaustion in the quarries, pulling the sledges, and building the five giant towers.People suffer from hunger and cold in winter, and sweat profusely in summer, with ups and downs and hard work.In order to prepare enough beams and rafters, the three-thousand-year-old weirwood was felled. Harren exhausted all the resources in the whole river and the Iron Islands, just to realize his dream.Finally, Harrenhal was finally completed, but on the day King Harren entered the city, Aegon the Conqueror also led his army to King's Landing. Catelyn remembered how Old Nan had told that story to her children back at Winterfell. "King Harren finds out that thick walls and towers are no match for dragons," the story always ends, "for dragons can fly." Dragonfire consumed the monstrous fortress, killing all of Harren's family.From then on, misfortune happened to every house that acquired Harrenhal.Fortified as it was, Harrenhal was a dark and accursed place. "I will never let Robb fight in the shadow of that fortress," Catelyn promised, "but something must be done, uncle, to turn it around." "And be quick," agreed the uncle. "I haven't told you the worst yet, my son. My spies out west report that a new army is gathering at Casterly Rock." A Lannister recruit, she was on edge. "This news must be reported to Robb at once. Who leads this force?" "It is said to be Ser Steve Lannister." He turned his gaze to the confluence of the two rivers, his red and blue cloak fluttering in the breeze. "His nephew again?" The Lannister family in Casterly Rock City is really lush and tangled. "His cousin," Ser Bryndon corrected. "Lord Tywin's late wife's brother, so a close relative. But he is old and has never been very wise. But he has a son, Ser Daven." , It is said that he is brave and good at fighting." "Let's just pray that it is the father who leads the charge, not the son." "Anyway, they're not a threat for the time being. This army is made up of wandering warriors, freeriders, and novices recruited from the alleys of Lannisport, and Ser Stafford must first arm and train them before he dares to send troops... …However, let us not have illusions, Lord Tywin is not a kingslayer, he will never attack without thinking, he will wait patiently, and will not leave Harrenhal until Sir Stafford advances." "Unless..." Caitlin said. "How?" asked Ser Brynden. "Unless he has to leave Harrenhal," she said, "to deal with other threats." His uncle looked at her thoughtfully. "Lord Renly." "Renly 'Your Majesty'." Since he was asked to help, he had to use his self-styled title. "It's possible," Heiyu showed a dangerous smile, "However, he will ask for something in return." "The king wants the same thing," she said, "surrender."