Chapter 34 Chapter Thirty-Four Caitlyn

Before reaching the village, it was completely dark.Catelyn wondered silently if the village had a name.Even if there was one, it has already been taken away by the fleeing crowd.They took everything, not even the church candles.Ser Wendel lit a torch and led her through the low lintel. Inside the sanctuary, the seven high walls were broken and collapsed.Our God is one, but He has seven states, just as our sanctuary is one building but has seven walls, as Brother Omid taught her when she was a little girl.The seven gods in the bustling sanctuaries in big cities always have their own statues, and each has its own altar.At Winterfell, Brother Chayle only hangs a different carved mask on each wall.Here, Caitlin saw only rough sketches.Ser Wendel stuck his torch in the ledge by the door, and stepped back to accompany Robert Royce.

Catelyn studied the faces carefully.As elsewhere, Heavenly Father wears a beard.The Virgin's smile remained undiminished, she was kind and kind.The warrior holds a huge sword.Blacksmith holds a hammer.The girl is young and beautiful.The old woman was thin and wise. And the seventh face... Stranger's face could not distinguish between male and female, more like the same body of both.He is a wanderer from a distant land, an eternal exile from the horizon, both human and not human, neither understood nor understood.Here, his face is drawn as a black oval, with two stars added in the shadow as eyes.The face disturbed Catelyn.From the Stranger she could find no comfort.

So she knelt down before the Virgin. "My lady, watch this war with your motherly eyes. They are your children, every one of them. Please take care of them, and my son. Please take care of Robb and Bran and Rickon, As if I were beside them." A slit runs across the Virgin's left eye, which appears to be weeping.Catelyn heard Ser Wendel's loud voice, and now and then Ser Robert's whispered answer. They should be talking about the upcoming battle.Otherwise, the night was so still that not even a cricket could be heard.The gods were silent.Have your ancient gods answered you, Ned?She couldn't help thinking, when you kneel under the heart tree, are they really listening to your words?

The flickering light of the torches danced on the walls, and the faces seemed to come to life, twisting and changing them.The statues in the cathedrals in the city always leave the ingenuity of the masons and carvers, but the charcoal drawings here are rough and featureless.The Father's face reminded her of her own father, bedridden and dying at Riverrun.The warrior reminded her of Renly and Stannis, Robb and Robert, Jaime Lannister and Jon Snow.In a trance, she even saw Alia's expression in those lines.A gust of wind blows across the threshold, the torch crackles and shakes, and the image goes with it, lost in the orange glow.

The smoke from the torch made her eyes ache.She wiped hard with her crippled palm.When she looked up at the Virgin again, she saw her mother.Lady Minissa Tully died in childbirth, while the Duke of Hoster's second son was being delivered.The child went with her, and a part of the father went with her.She was always so still, Catelyn thought, thinking of her mother's soft arms, her warm smile.How different our lives would be if she were alive.She wondered if Madame Minesa understood the state of mind of her eldest daughter, the woman kneeling before her.Oh, I have trekked thousands of mountains and rivers, for what?Who am I for?I've lost my daughters, Robb doesn't want me, and Bran and Rickon must think I'm a cruel mother.Where was I even when Ned was dying...

Her mind began to spin, and the entire sanctuary spun around her.The surrounding shadows swayed and rotated, and weird beasts ran around on the broken white wall.Kaitlyn hasn't eaten all day.This is not wise.She feebly argued to herself that it was all because of lack of time, yet she knew that nothing tasted like anything in a world without Ned.They beheaded him, killing two at a time. The torch behind her suddenly burst into a burst of light, and in the dimness, the Holy Mother showed the appearance of her sister, but the pair of eyes were harder than she remembered, not quite like Lysa, but more like Cersei.Yes, Cersei is a mother too.No matter who the biological father of the child was, she was the one who was pregnant for ten months, let them kick and beat inside her body, and brought them into this world mixed with pain and blood.If they were really Jaime's...

"Does Cersei pray to you too, my lady?" Catelyn asked the Virgin.The image of the haughty, grim, beautiful Lannister queen was clearly printed on the wall.There are cracks in the portrait, especially, as if Cersei is singing for her children.The seven gods are seven in one, and there are seven in one, Brother Omid told her.A crone has the beauty of a maiden, and a Madonna has the strength of a warrior, so long as her children are in danger.yes…… In the short time she had spent with Robert Baratheon at Winterfell, she had known that the king had not given Joffrey much warmth.Had he known that the boy was of Jaime's blood, no one could have blamed Robert for putting him to death, along with his mother, without hesitation.Bastards are commonplace, but incest is frowned upon by gods old and new, and children born of such wickedness will be publicly declared wicked in the sept or in the godswood.The dragonlords are intermarried brothers and sisters, but they are of ancient Valyrian blood and follow Valyrian customs.Like their dragons, the proud Targaryens never heed the call of the god-man.

Ned must have known this fact, as Lord Arryn had before him.No wonder the queen killed them all.If it were me, would I do this?Catelyn clenched her fists, and her crippled fingers bore scars from saving her son from the assassin's knife, bone deep and still unhealed. "Bran knows too," she whispered, bowing her head.By gods, he must have seen or heard something, so they strangled him in his sickbed. Lost and exhausted, Catelyn Stark threw herself into the arms of the gods.She knelt before the blacksmith, who repaired what was broken, and begged him to give attention and protection to her dear sweetheart Bran; she knelt before the girl, and begged her to give Arya and Sansa her courage, to protect Their innocence; in front of the heavenly father, she prayed for justice, the power to pursue justice and the wisdom to know justice; in front of the warrior, she prayed that he would make Robb strong and protect him through the battlefield safely.Finally, she came to the crone, whose image always held the lamp in one hand. "Guide me, wise lady," she prayed, "show me the way I should go, and don't let me lose my way in the darkness ahead."

After a long time, footsteps sounded behind him, and there was a knock on the door. "Ma'am," said Ser Robert politely, "I beg your pardon, but our time is up. We must be back before dawn." Caitlin stood up stiffly.Her knees were aching, and all she wanted was a feather bed and a pillow. "Thank you, sir. I'm ready." They rode silently through the sparse woods, the tall trees leaning sideways to the opposite side of the sea because of the sea wind.The nervous neighing of horses and the clang of iron were their natural guides, leading them back to Renly's camp.In the darkness, men and horses lined up in long columns.They were black and boundless, as if the "blacksmith" had forged night itself into steel.There were banners fluttering to her left, and to her right, and row after row of banners in front of her, but in the pre-dawn darkness, there was not a single color to be seen, not a single coat of arms to be distinguished.A gray army, Catelyn thought, gray warriors on gray steeds carrying gray banners.Renly's shadow knights waited in their saddles, their spears held aloft.She walked through this forest of bare and tall trees, leaving behind the big trees that had been deprived of their greenery and vitality.Looking up, the place where Storm's End stood was a deeper darkness. The black walls could not reflect the starlight at night. Across the field, one could see the torches coming and going at the place where Duke Stannis camped.

Candles were burning brightly in Renly's tent, and the silk tent seemed to glow, like a great green-glowing enchanted castle.Two rainbow guards stood by the big tent door.The green light shone strangely on Ser Parmen's purple tunic, and gave a sickly tint to the yellow-glazed sunflowers that covered Ser Emmon's full plate.Long silk feathers fluttered from their helms, and rainbow cloaks hung from their shoulders. Inside the tent, Brienne was dressing the king as Lord Tarly and Rowan discussed deployment and tactics.It was very warm in the tent, and the briquettes in a dozen small iron basins were burning, emitting heat. "I must speak to you, Your Majesty," she said, and it was the first time she had crowned him King, and she wanted to draw his attention to her anyway.

"Yes, I'll be right away, my lady," Renly agreed.Brienne was fastening the carapace and breastplate to his padded tunic.The king's armor is dark green, the color of leaves in the summer forest, so deep that it seems to be able to absorb the flames of candlelight.The golden light flickered on the buttons and ornaments of the armor, like a wisp of will-o'-the-wisp in the woods, flickering with his actions. "Please continue, Lord Matus." "Your Majesty," said Matus Rowan, casting a glance at Catelyn. "At this moment, our army is ready. Why wait for dawn? Sound the horn and let us march." "Want people to say that I broke my promise and launched a sneak attack without chivalry? Dawn is the appointed time." "Dawn is the time Stannis chooses," Landau Tarly pointed out. "He wants to ride the rising sun on us. Our army is almost half-blind." "That's only a moment's terror at most," Renly said confidently. "Ser Loras will hold them back. Then there will be a melee." Brienne fastened his green belt and buckled the gold buckle. "After the death of my elder brother, no one is allowed to insult his body. He is my blood and flesh, and I will never allow anyone to wear his head on a gun to show off everywhere." "What if he surrenders?" Lord Tarly asked. "Surrender?" Lord Rowan laughed. "When Mace Tyrell trapped him in Storm's End, he would rather eat rats than sacrifice the city." "I remember it well." Renly lifted his chin and let Brienne fasten the gorget. "At the end of the day, it was hard to hold on. Ser Gavin Wilder and his three knights conspired to open a side gate and surrender, but they were caught by Stannis. He ordered the trebuchet to be thrown They were thrown from the city. I remember the look on Gavin's face when he was tied up, he was our coach all this time." Lord Rowan was a little confused. "No one came out of the city. I remember it well." "That's because Maester Cressen dissuaded Stannis, saying how we should throw good meat when we were so embarrassed that we were about to eat our comrades' corpses." Renly brushed his hair back.Brienne fastened it with velvet straps and fitted a small padded cap around his ears to lighten the helmet. "Thanks to the Onion Knight, we have not descended to the point of eating corpses, which was imminent at the time. Even more so for Sir Gavin, who died in prison." "Your Majesty." Caitlin has been waiting patiently, but time is running out. "You promise to listen to me." Renly nodded. "Go to battle, my lords...well, if Barristan Selmy is in my brother's camp, he must be captured alive." "Ser Barristan has not been heard from since Joffrey drove him away," Lord Rowan questioned. "I know the old man. He needs a king to watch over, or what is he? Since he's not on my side, Lady Catelyn says he's not with Robb Stark of Riverrun either." .Then where else could he be but Stannis?" "As you wish, Your Majesty. He will not suffer any harm." The two adults bowed deeply, turned and left. "Speak freely, Lady Stark," Renly said.Brienne threw the cloak over his broad shoulders.The cloak was heavy of gold thread, with the crowned stag of House Baratheon set in black jade. "The men of Lannister tried to kill my son Bran. I asked myself many times what it was for. I didn't realize it until I heard your brother say that day. The day he fell was a hunting day, Robert, Ned And most of them went after the bear, but Jaime Lannister remained in Winterfell, and the Queen." Renly didn't ignore her cue. "So you think, the kid saw their incest..." "I beg you, Your Grace, to allow me to go to your brother Stannis and tell him my suspicions." "What is the purpose?" "If you and your brother are willing to set aside the crown for a while, so will Robb," she said, but she could only hope that her son would.If necessary, she would make sure he did, and even if Robb's lords would not listen, Robb would listen to her. "The three of you should work together to call the Great Council—this country has not called for a hundred years. We will send someone to Winterfell, let Bran tell his story, and let the whole world know about House Lannister. is the real usurper. Then, all the lords of the Seven Kingdoms who have been summoned will jointly decide who is their ruler." Renly laughed. "Tell me, ma'am, will your direwolves vote for who will be the wolf?" Brienne brought the king's gloves and greathelm.The helmet is decorated with golden antlers, about a foot and a half long. "The time for negotiation is over, now is the time for a test of strength." Renly slipped the lobster-shaped glove in green and gold into his left hand, and Brienne knelt down to fasten his belt, which was more like a sword than a dagger. And appear heavy. "In the name of the Mother, I beg you," Catelyn called, as a gust of wind blew open the tent door.She thought she saw something move in, but when she turned her head, only the king's shadow was reflected on the silk tarpaulin, shifting and swaying.Hearing Renly tell a joke, his shadow followed him, raising his sword.A black haze emerged from the green tent, and the flickering light of the candle flames.Things got weird and weird, when she found that Renly's sword was still neatly pinned to his waist, unsheathed, and that shadowy sword... "It's cold," Renly said in a thin, bewildered tone, and after a while, the steel plate on the throat guard was torn open like cotton cloth by a shadow sword that didn't exist.He only had time to let out a small and rough gasp, and the gushing blood blocked his throat. "Your majesty—no!" When the evil jet broke free, Brienne the blue-clothed guard cried heartbreakingly, no different from an ordinary frightened little girl.The king staggered in her arms, blood streaming across his armor, dark currents drowning green and gold.Candles were extinguished.Renly struggled to speak, but was choked with his own blood.His legs had collapsed, held up entirely by Brienne's strength.She raised her head and called out loudly, but she couldn't speak in the extreme pain. shadow.Something dark and sinister was going on here, she knew, something beyond her comprehension.The shadow was not that of Renly.Death came from outside the door and took his life, swift as the wind that blows out a candle. A few seconds later, Robert Royce and Eamonn Cue broke in with two sergeants holding torches, but Caitlin felt that it seemed like half the night had passed.They saw Renly in Brienne's arms, red with the king's blood, and Ser Robert uttered a cry of horror. "You wicked woman!" yelled Ser Amon in his yellow-glazed sunflower armor. "Put him down, you wretch!" "By Gods, Brienne, what is it all about?" Ser Robert demanded. Brienne looked up from the king's body.The king's blood gushed out, and the rainbow cloak on his shoulders was stained red with blood. "me……" "You will die!" Ser Emmon drew a long-handled battle-axe from the armor pile by the door. "You will pay for the king!" "No!" Catelyn Stark yelled, finding her voice at last, but it was too late, they were all mad with blood, and the shouts of the people fell on her, drowning her feeble words. But it was too late, and Brienne acted with a speed that Catelyn couldn't believe.Her sword was not at hand, so she drew Renly's sword and blocked Amon's axe.The steel collided violently, sparking blue and white sparks.Brienne sprang to her feet, roughly pushing the king's body aside.Ser Eamon, who charged again, tripped over the corpse, and Brienne's sword severed the handle of the ax in a moment of shock, and the broken ax was spinning in the air.At this time, a sergeant stabbed her in the back with a torch, but the rainbow cloak was soaked in blood and could not burn.Brienne turned and swung her sword, the torches flew with her arms, and the fireworks lit the carpet.The crippled sergeant screamed horribly.Ser Emmon dropped his ax and drew his sword.The second sergeant jumped forward, and Brienne bounced away, and the two swords clashed and collided in the air, making ear-piercing noises.Then Eamonn Cue joined the fray, one against two, and Brienne had to back off, but she managed to keep them even.On the ground, Renly's head rolled limply to one side, the wound opened horribly, and blood flowed out slowly, slowly. Ser Robert, who had been holding back, hesitated, now reached for the hilt of his own sword. "Robar, come on, listen to me." Catelyn grabbed his arm. "You're mistaken, it's not her. Help her! Listen, Stannis did it." The name came to her lips without a second thought, but when she said it, she knew it was fact. "I swear—you know my honor—that Stannis did him." The pale, frightened eyes of the young Rainbow Knight stared at the madly battling woman. "Stannis? How did he do it?" "I don't know. It's witchcraft, some kind of dark magic, there's a shadow, a shadow." She could hear the madness in her own words, but the words flowed like sharp knives flying behind her. "There was a shadow holding a sharp sword, I swear, I saw it with my own eyes. Are you blind, that girl loves him! Help her!" She glanced back and saw the second sergeant also fell , the long sword loosened from his limp fingers.There was a lot of voices outside the camp. Obviously, the angry crowd could rush in at any time. "She is innocent, Robert. I assure you, on my husband's name and on the honor of the Starks!" This sentence moved him. "I will stop them," said Ser Robert. "Take her away." He turned and walked out. The flames on the carpet finally reached the tent, and the fire spread everywhere in the tent.Ser Emmon hit Brienne hard, he in yellow enameled steel and she in wool.His misfortune, however, was to forget Caitlyn.She raised the iron basin and smashed it on the back of his head.He was wearing a helmet, and the blow wasn't fatal, but it was enough to knock him over. "Come with me, Brienne," Catelyn ordered.The girl immediately seized the opportunity, raised her sword and slashed open the green silk tent.They ran side by side into the dark and chill before dawn.Noisy commotion came from the other side of the tent. "Go this way," Caitlin pointed, "slow down. We can't run, or it will be suspicious. Walk as if nothing happened." Brienne sheathed her sword and followed Catelyn.There is a smell of rain in the night air.Behind them, the king's tent was completely ablaze, and the flames soared into the night sky.Nobody cares about them.People rushed past, shouting fire, murder, and witchcraft.Others gathered in groups of three or four, discussing something in low voices.Only a few prayed, and Catelyn found only one young squire, kneeling openly, sobbing. Rumors spread that Renly's army was crumbling.The bonfire at night was gradually extinguished, and under the morning sun in the east, Storm's End's huge body stood out, like a giant cliff in a dream.The pale mist surged and filled the entire field, and then fled in all directions under the brilliance of the sun and the wings of the breeze.It was the ghost of the morning, Old Nan had told her the allusion, the spirit returning to the grave.Renly was there, as was his brother Robert, as her beloved Ned. "I never held him until the moment he died," Brienne said quietly as they weaved through the spreading chaos.Her tone sounded like she might break down at any moment. "A moment ago he was still laughing, and suddenly there is blood everywhere... Madame, I don't understand. Did you see that, did you see...?" "I saw a shadow. I thought it was Renly's shadow at first, but no, it was his brother's shadow." "Lord Stannis?" "I can feel him. It doesn't sound like a reason, but I know..." For Brienne, those words were enough. "I'll kill him," the tall, plain-looking girl declared emphatically. "I will kill him with my own hands and avenge him with my lord's sword. I swear! I swear! I swear!" Hal Moran and her bodyguard had their horses ready for her.Sir Wendel Manderly was poking around impatiently to find out what had happened. "Ma'am, the whole camp seems to have gone mad!" he exclaimed, seeing them, without thinking. "Lord Renly, what the hell is he—" He stopped abruptly, staring at Brienne, who was covered in blood. "He died, but we didn't do it." "This battle—" Hal Moran began. "There is no more battle." Catelyn mounted her horse, and the guards formed around her, Ser Wendell on her left, Ser Pawyn Frey on her right. "We're carrying twice as many horses, Brienne. Take one and come with us." "Ma'am, I have a horse, and my own armor—" "Never mind that. We must get far before they try to track us down. We were both present when the king was slain, and people will not forget that fact." So Brienne turned and did so without a word. "Let's go!" Caitlin ordered immediately after all the guards got on their horses. "If someone obstructs, shoot and kill!" The morning light caresses the wilderness with its slender fingers, bringing back the colors of the world.Under the mist, gray warriors rode gray horses and held shadowy spears. The tips of ten thousand spears shone with a golden cold light, and the boundless flying battle flags showed red, pink, orange, blue, white and brown. Shining noble gold.There were all the elite horsemen of Storm's End and Highgarden there, Renly's army an hour ago, and now they belonged to Stannis, Catelyn knew, though they probably didn't know it themselves.To whom could they serve, if not the last Baratheon?Stannis had won, and had won it all with one wicked blow. I am the rightful king, he declared, speaking with a jaw as tight as steel, and your son is as much a traitor as my brother.He also has the day when the end will come. A chill soaked through his body.