Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Theon

He was still asleep a second ago, and suddenly, he woke up with a start. Kayla snuggled up beside him, one hand resting lightly at his side, her breasts pressed against his back, breathing evenly and softly.The quilts covering them were disheveled.It was late at night, and the bedroom was dark and silent. what happened?What did I hear?Is there anyone? The evening wind sighed softly on the narrow window.From a distance, from a certain corner, he heard the cat's excited cry.Other than that, nothing.Go to sleep, Greyjoy, he told himself.The castle is so peaceful, you sent guards, didn't you?There were men on duty outside the bedroom door, at the city gate, and in the armory.

Maybe it was a nightmare I just had, but I can't remember it now.Kayla wears him out.Before being recruited by Theon, she was an eighteen-year-old girl who had never set foot in the castle. She spent her whole life looking up at the towering walls of Winterfell in the winter town.She was wet and limp and hungry, like a weasel.There's no denying that there's a lot of fun in fucking Lord Eddard Stark's bed with a rough tavern whore. Theon slipped away from her arms, and Kayla let out a few sleepy murmurs as she got out of bed.A few embers were burning in the fireplace.Weeks was lying on the floor at the foot of the bed, wrapped in his cloak, and motionless.There was silence.Theon went to the window and opened the narrow upper windows one by one.Stretching out his cold fingers at night made him feel goose bumps all over his body.He leaned close to the stone window sill and looked out at the dark towers, the empty square, the black sky and the endless stars that could not be counted to a hundred years old.A half-moon climbed up behind the clock tower, its light reflected off the glass garden canopy.There was no alarm, no words, not even a footstep or two.

All is well, Greyjoy.Can't you feel the silence around you?Let's have fun in time.With less than thirty men, you took down Winterfell Castle, a feat that will be celebrated forever.So Theon returned to the bed, determined to turn Kyla over and do it again, to dispel the needless apparitions.Her panting and coquettish smile were the best responses to the silence. He stopped suddenly.He was so used to the howl of the direwolf that he was almost deaf to it... yet somewhere in him, some hunter's instinct reminded him that the sound had disappeared. The doorman was Uzi, a strong man with a buckler. "Why are the wolves quiet?" Theon said to him. "Go see what they're doing and report back." The thought of the direwolf's possible escape made him sick.He remembered the day in Wolfwood, when the wildlings had attacked Bran, and Summer and Gray Wind had torn them to pieces.

He tiptoed Weeks awake, and the boy sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Go, see if Bran Stark and his little brother are still in bed, run fast." "My lord?" Kayla called sleepily. "Go on to sleep, it's none of your business." Theon filled himself with a glass of wine and drank it down.He had been listening, hoping with all his heart to hear a wolf howl.There are too few people, he thought sourly, I only have these few men, if Asha doesn't come... Weeks returned quickly, head shaking like a rattle.Theon cursed and picked up the clothes and pants that had been thrown on the floor in his hurry to get on Keira.Over his tunic he wore a leather vest studded with iron studs, and fastened his sword and dagger at his waist.His hair was tangled like grass, but that was nothing compared to the great trouble that terrified him.

At this time, Uzi also reported: "The wolves are all missing." As cool and collected as Lord Eddard, Theon reminded himself. "Wake up everyone in the castle," he said, "and drive into the courtyard. Everyone is not allowed to be absent. We will check immediately. Tell Lauren to search all the gates. Weeks, come with me." He didn't know if Sturgi had arrived in Deepwood Motte at this moment.The man wasn't as good a rider as he claimed to be--no ironborn was that good at pommeling--but there was enough time.Asha should be on the way.If she knew I had lost two Starks... the consequences would be unimaginable.

Bran's bedroom was empty, and Rickon's bedroom below was wide open.Theon couldn't help cursing himself.I should have sent someone to watch them, but I was confused.Thinking that patrolling the walls and protecting the gates is more important than guarding two children, one of whom is still crippled. There were whimpers from outside, and the residents of the castle were being dragged from their beds and driven to the square.I'll make them cry!How kind I have been to them, and what they have returned to me.For the sake of violating the little girl in the animal house, two of his subordinates were beaten to death by him. Isn't this enough to show his impartiality?Yet it was so unfair that they blamed him for the rape, and everything else!Mikken died of his own talkativeness, as did Benford.As for Chayle, he must offer something to the Drowned God, and his people are watching. "I mean no harm to you," he said before they threw the monk into the well in the courtyard, "it's just that you and your god can't stay here." It's possible to relate to their reasons, but the reality is quite different.I don't know how many people participated in this escape plot.

Uzi and Black Loren returned together. "Something happened to the Hunter's Gate," Lauren said, "You'd better go and have a look." For the convenience of travel, the hunter's gate is opened next to the animal house and kitchen, leading directly to the fields and forests. It is a special exit for hunting without going through the winter town. "Who guards it?" Theon demanded. "Deng Lan and Slant Eye." Deng Lan was one of the two who made a move on Pala. "If they let the two kids go, don't even think about peeling back this time, I swear."

"It's not necessary," Black Lauren replied briefly. indeed.They found Squint floating face down in the moat, entrails swimming behind him like a nest of pale snakes.Deng Lan collapsed half naked in the warm room in the city gate tower dedicated to operating the drawbridge.From left ear to right ear, his throat was slit a huge opening.He wore a rough coat that concealed the unhealed whips on his back, but his boots were scattered on the straw mat and his breeches fell to the soles of his feet.On the little table by the door were cheese and a decanted wine bottle, and two glasses.

Theon picked one up and sniffed at the liquid left at the bottom. "Squint is responsible for patrolling the city, isn't it?" "Yes," Lauren said. Theon raised his hand and threw the cup into the fireplace. "Deng Lan, an idiot, must have pulled down his breeches to penetrate a woman, but the woman did it instead. According to the situation here, the murder weapon is a cheese knife. Come, find a gun, and give me another idiot Fished out of the river." The situation of another idiot is much worse than Deng Lan.Black Lauren dragged him out of the river, and everyone immediately found that one arm of this man was twisted from the elbow, half of the neck was missing, and there was only a black hole where the belly button and private parts were originally.Loren speared him ashore, the stench of the lance piercing his gut.

"Direwolf's masterpiece," Theon said. "Two horses together, it should be." He was sick and walked back to the drawbridge.Winterfell had two walls of thick granite, separated by a wide moat.The outer wall is eighty feet high, and the inner wall is over a hundred feet high.Due to lack of manpower, Theon had to abandon the outer defense line and only place the guards on the higher inner wall.With the castle likely to be in chaos at any time, he didn't dare to take risks and put his limited troops on the other side of the moat. At least two people were involved in the operation, he determined.On one side, a woman seduces Deng Lan, while the other releases the direwolf.

Theon wanted a torch, and led his men up the steps up the wall, then lowered the torch and scanned ahead, looking for... There it was, inside the wall, on the wide crenel between the two merlons. "Blood," he announced, "wasn't wiped clean. I presume that the woman lowered the drawbridge immediately after killing Dunlan. That's when Squint heard the clink of chains, came to check, and died. Then they took the body from the This battlement is pushed down the moat to prevent other Sentinels from finding out." Uzi looked along the wall. "But the next guard tower is not far away. The torches on it are still burning—" "There are torches, but no guards," Theon said grumpily. "There are more towers guarding Winterfell than I have." "There are four guards at the gate," Black Lauren said, "There are six guards including those who patrol the city." Uzi said, "Why doesn't he blow the horn—" God, I'm full of idiots. "Think about it, what would you do if you were here, Uzi? It's dark and cold outside, and you've been patrolling for hours, hoping to get off your sentry early. Then there's a strange noise, and you walk towards the city gate , suddenly, there are two pairs of eyes at the end of the stairs, green light and golden light under the firelight. Two shadows rush down with lightning speed. You see the cold light of sharp teeth, lower the spear, and then you are "bang" Knocked down by the ground. They rip your belly open and chew through leather armor like cotton." He gave the Uzi a hard push. "You fell on the ground with your head down, your internal organs leaked everywhere, and you were bitten by a wolf's neck." Sean strangled the opponent's bony neck, gathered his fingers, and sneered, "You tell me, how do you blow like this? What the hell?" He pushed Uzi roughly, causing him to stumble and stumble over the merlons, rubbing his throat.I should have gotten rid of those two brutes the day I came into town, he thought angrily, I've seen them kill and know how dangerous they are. "They must be brought back," said Black Loren. "You can't do it when it's dark." Theon couldn't imagine chasing a direwolf in the dark: thinking he was a hunter, he became the hunted. "Let's wait for dawn. Before that, I have something to say to my loyal subjects." He went down to the courtyard, and men, women, and children were driven to the wall, huddled together, and panicked.Many did not have time to dress: some were covered only with blankets, others were naked with only a cloak or nightgown draped indiscriminately.A dozen ironmen surrounded them, torches in one hand and weapons in the other.The wind howled, and the flickering orange light reflected the steel helmet, bushy beard, and ruthless eyes. Theon walked up and down before the prisoners, examining their faces.In his eyes, everyone is a traitor. "How many did you lose?" "Six." Reek strode up behind him, smelling of soap, his long hair blowing in the wind. "Including the two Starks, the marsh boy and his sister, the idiot in the stable, and your wildling woman." It was indeed Osha.He suspected her when he saw the two cups.I should be careful and not trust her blindly.She was as scheming as Asha, and they even had similar names. Has the stable been checked? "Aga said there are quite a few horses." "Xiao Wu is also in the fence?" "Xiao Wu?" Reek frowned. "Aga just said that all the horses are still there. Only that idiot is missing." Well, they are on foot.This is the best news since he woke up.No doubt, Bran was carried in a basket on Hodor's back; Osha had to carry Rickon - not very far on his tiny legs.Theon was sure now that they were still in his hands. "Bran and Rickon have fled," he announced loudly to the townspeople, scanning their eyes. "Does anyone know where they went?" No one answered. "They couldn't have escaped alone," Theon continued. "Without food, without clothes, without weapons, they couldn't escape." He had already searched every sword and ax in Winterfell, but someone must have hidden it. arms. "I'll find out who helped them. I'll find out who turned a blind eye." Only the wind. "When the morning light breaks, I'll set out and bring them back." His thumb hooked around the hilt of his sword. "I need hunters. Who wants a good wolf pelt for the winter? Gage?" Chef always greeted him cheerfully when he came back from hunting, to see if he had brought any game, but now he said nothing. Not sent.Theon turned back and continued pacing, trying to scan people's faces for clues. "Wild hills and wild mountains are not places for lame people. Think about Rickon, a half-grown child, how can he survive? Nurse, tell me how scared he must be now." The old woman whispered in his ear ten times For years, she had told him countless stories, but now she only yawned at him, as if she didn't recognize him at all. "I could have killed all of you men and given you women to my soldiers to enjoy, but I didn't. Instead, I tried my best to protect you. Is that how you thank me?" Joses, who taught him how to ride a horse , Fran who taught him how to train his dogs, and his first Bath—the winemaker's wife...everyone avoided his eyes.They hate me, he finally realized. Reek leaned over. "Skin them," he urged, his thick lips gleaming coldly. "Master Bolton used to say: A naked man has few secrets, but a flayed man has no secrets." Theon knew that the flayed man was the sigil of House Bolton; in ancient times, the patriarchs of their house had even used the skins of their enemies as cloaks.Countless Starks died tragically in this way.The atrocities ended probably a thousand years ago, when House Bolton finally surrendered to Winterfell.Having said that, but the ancient way never dies, neither does my people. "As long as I'm in charge of Winterfell for a day, I won't allow such a tragedy as skinning in the northern border." Theon said loudly.I am the only barrier between you and his eccentricity, he wanted to cry.He can't show off, he just hopes that someone is smart enough to learn the lesson quickly and understand the truth. At the edge of the city wall, the sky gradually turned gray.Dawn is not far away. "Joseth, saddle the comedian, and get a horse for yourself. Moozie, Garth, and Pocky Tim, you go too." Muzzy and Garth were the best hunters in the castle, and Tim Mu is good at archery. "Aga, Rednose, Gemma, Reek, Weeks, they're coming, too." He needed his men in the rear. "Fran, I need hounds, you command them." The gray-haired tamer folded his arms. "Why should I hunt down my real master, why should I catch a few children?" Theon approached him. "Because now I am your real master, and only I can protect Pala." The provocation in Fran's eyes gradually dissipated. "Yes, my lord." Theon paced back, calculating carefully. "Master Luwin," he announced. "I don't know anything about hunting." True, but I'm worried about leaving you in town. "You should have learned earlier." "Take me too. I want that wolfskin cloak." A boy, younger than Bran, stepped forward.It took Theon a long time to remember who he was. "I used to hunt a lot," said Walder Frey. "I hunted red deer and elk, and even wild boar." His cousin sneered: "He went with his father, and they didn't even let him see the boar's face." Theon looked at the boy suspiciously. "Come if you want, but if you can't keep up, don't think that I will come to coax you." He turned to Hei Luolun. "You're in charge of Winterfell while I'm away. If we don't return, you can maneuver." You fucking bastards just pray for my return victorious. As the first pale light of dawn passed over the top of the bell tower, the people assembled before the Hunter's Gate, their breath frosted in the morning chill.Gema was armed with a long axe, with a handle long enough to strike a wolf before it approached, and a heavy blade capable of killing a wolf with a single blow.Agga put on the greaves.Reek was carrying a hog-hunting spear and a washerwoman's bag full of God knows what was in it.Theon took his longbow—he needed nothing else.Once, he had saved Bran's life with a flying arrow, and he didn't want to do the opposite with another arrow, but when it really came down to it, he had no choice. Eleven men, two children and twelve dogs crossed the moat together.Beyond the outer wall, tracks were clearly discernible in the soft mud: the paw prints of wolves, Hodor's heavy steps, and the shallower tracks left by the two Reeds.When they got to the edge of the woods, the gravel and fallen leaves made it difficult to track, and it was Fran's red bitch's turn to use her nose, and she did not disappoint him.The other hounds followed, sniffing and barking, with a pair of huge mastiffs in the rear guard.Their size and ferocity come in handy against direwolves. At first he guessed that Osha would lead them south to find Ser Rodrik, but the trail before him was heading northwest, all the way into the Wolfwood.Theon was deeply apprehensive about this.It would be a great irony if the Starks had gone straight for Deepwood Motte—they would have fallen right into Asha's hands.I'd rather let them die than that, he thought bitterly, better thought of as a tyrant than a fool. Wisps of pale mist flowed through the trees.The sentinel trees and soldier pines here are thicker than those in the city, and the evergreen forest is the darkest and darkest place in the world.The rough terrain and the soft turf covered with loose pine needles made it dangerous for the horses to slow down.But no matter what, she couldn't walk slower than a crippled man on her shoulders, and faster than a skinny shrew carrying a four-year-old child on her back.He told himself to be patient, and before sunset, he would be able to catch up. They came to the edge of a ravine, and Maester Luwin rode up to it. "So far, the hunt has been no different than herding in the woods, my lord." Theon smiled and said: "It is indeed very similar. But the difference is that the hunt must end with blood." "Does it have to be? It's stupid for them to run away, but you can't show mercy? We're all after your foster brothers." "No Stark has treated me like a brother but Robb. It's just that Bran and Rickon are more useful to me alive than dead." "Isn't it the same for the Li Des? Calim Bay is on the edge of the swamp. Lord Huo Lan can surprise your uncle if he wants to, but as long as you have his heir, he can only stand still." Theon hadn't expected this.In fact, he didn't take the clay people seriously at all, except for glancing at Meera once or twice, wondering if she was a virgin after all. "Perhaps you're right. If circumstances permit, I'll spare them." "I hope you'll spare Hodor too. The kid's an honest man, you know, and he's just doing what he's told. Think about it." How many times has he fed your horse, washed your saddle, and polished your armor!" Hodor meant nothing to him. "If he's willing to catch him without a fight, let him live." Theon raised a finger. "Don't plead for the savage, or I will let you die with her. She swore to me, but she abandoned it like nothing." The maester bowed his head. "I will not excuse the oath-breaker. You see. I appreciate your mercy." Mercy, Theon thought quietly as Luwin walked back into the queue: This is a pitiless trap, give too much and they say you're weak, give too little and you're a ferocious beast.However, he also knew in his heart that the advice given by the bachelor just now was indeed advice.My father only wants to fight and conquer, but if he can't hold on, what's the point of conquering a country?This cannot be done by force and terror alone.It's a pity that Ned Stark took all his daughters to the south - otherwise Theon would marry one of them, and it would be enough to tie himself to Winterfell firmly.Sansa was a sweet little thing, and she should be old enough to have sex by now.But she happened to be thousands of miles away, in the hands of Lannister.What a pity. The deeper you go, the denser the forest becomes.Pine and sentinel trees give way to massive, dark oak.Tangled hawthorn bushes concealed dangerous ditches and creeks.The rocky hills are connected one after another.They passed a tenant farmer's hut, long abandoned and overgrown with weeds, surrounding a full ditch whose still water gleamed gray like steel.Then the dogs barked suddenly, and Theon was convinced that the Desperadoes were close at hand.He kicked the comedian and raced on, but when he got closer, he found the carcass of a young deer... shattered. He got off his horse and took a closer look.The deer had just died, and it was obvious that the wolf had done it.The hounds sniffed eagerly around it, and a mastiff buried its head directly in the carcass of the deer, feasting until Faran howled and drove it away.The animal hadn't been cut at all, Theon thought. Wolves had, but men hadn't.Even if Osha didn't dare to take the risk of starting a fire, she should have cut off a few pieces of meat. There was no reason to leave the best food here to rot. "Fran, are you sure we're on the right track?" he asked. "Is it possible that your dog was chasing another wolf?" "My bitch knows the smell of summer and fur." "I hope so. Let me trust you." Nearly an hour later, the trackers followed the trail down a slope toward a creek that had been flooded with mud from recent rains.Just by the stream, the Hound lost his trail.Fran and Weeks led them across the stream without success, while the dogs wandered up and down the opposite bank, sniffing and sniffing. "They were here, my lord, but I don't know where they went next," said the Master Beastman. Theon dismounted, knelt by the stream, and dipped his hand in some water.The stream was cold. "They can't stay in there for long," he said. "Take half the dogs downriver and I'll go up—" Weeks clapped his hands suddenly and loudly. "What's wrong?" Sean asked. The mute boy pointed. The land by the water was wet and muddy.The tracks of wolves are clearly discernible. "Paw prints, yes. So?" Weeks sank his foot into the dirt, twisted his boot from side to side, and dug a deep trench. Joses understood. "Hodor's a big guy and he's bound to leave deep footprints in the mud," he said. "Especially when he's got the baby. But all the footprints here are our own. You see." Theon was taken aback, and soon realized that what the other party said was true.Two wolves walked alone into the brown flooded stream. "Osha must have turned away at a long distance, most likely, parted ways with the wolf before the stag. She let the wolf go the same way, so as to tempt us to continue the chase." He paced before his hunter. "If you two dare to lie to me—" "No other traces along the way, my lord, I swear," Garth argued. "Besides, there's no way a direwolf would leave a child, at least not for long." That's true, Theon thought, Summer and Shaggydog should be out hunting, and they'll go back to Bran and Rickon after they've had their fill. "Garth, Muzzy, you take the four dogs and go back the way you came. Agar, you keep an eye on them in case they try to trick you. Fran and I continue to track down the direwolf. If you find something, blow the horn. If you see it directly When you see the two beasts, blow twice. Just keep an eye on them, and you will find their master." He took Weeks, the Frey children, and Garney "Red Nose" to search upstream.He was on one side with Wickes, and Rednose and Walder Frey on the other, each with a pair of hounds, for wolves could be on either side.Theon deliberately searched for footprints, traces, broken branches, etc., trying to use clues to reveal where the wolf came ashore from the water.He easily spotted tracks of bucks, elk, and badgers.Wicks scares away a drinking fox, and Walder chases three fleeing rabbits in the grass, trying to shoot one.They saw the bear's paw print on the bark of a tall birch.But there was no trace of the direwolf at all. Go on, Theon encouraged himself, beyond this oak tree, up that gentle slope, and through the bend of the stream ahead, we must find something.He has been restraining himself like this, and after walking for a long time, he finally understands that it is time to turn back.Growing anxiety gnawed at my stomach.Near noon, he turned the comedian's horse's head, turned around a few times reluctantly, and then gave up tracking. Osha and the two little rascals somehow managed to hide from him all the time.But, this is impossible, they are walking, let alone disabled and young children.But for every hour he wasted, the chances of escape increased.If villages were found for them... the northmen would not reject Ned Stark's son, Robb's brother.They will send horses and food, and some will fight for the honor of protecting the young master.Even the whole damn North will rally around them and rally. Enough, the wolf just went downstream, he clung to the thought.The red bitch will sniff out where they landed out of the water, and we'll have them in no time. But when they rejoined Farran's group, Theon needed only one look at the Handler to know his hopes were shattered. "These smelly dogs should be fed to the bears," he said angrily, "if I had bears." "It's not their fault." Fran knelt between a mastiff and his beloved red bitch, laying his hands on them. "Water cannot retain breath, my lord." "The wolf must land somewhere." "Of course. It's either upstream or downstream. As long as we continue to search, we will definitely find it. The question now is, which way to go?" "I've never heard that wolves can run several miles against the current." Reek said. "People are okay, but when there is no way out, maybe they can do it. How can a wolf do it?" That being said, Theon was skeptical.These two beasts are by no means equal to ordinary wolves.It was time to peel off the skin of this monster who suffered a thousand knives. The same story played out again when they reunited with Garth, Muzzy and Aga.The two hunters turned halfway back to Winterfell, but saw no sign of the Starks leaving the direwolf alone.Fran's dogs became as frustrated as their masters, sniffing woods and rocks desperately, sometimes violently biting each other. Theon cannot accept defeat. "Let's go back to the stream and search again, this time as wide as possible." "I can't find it," said the Frey boy suddenly. "As long as the frog eaters follow them, they won't find them. Clay figurines are ghosts and ghosts. They don't fight openly like decent people, but hide in the dark and shoot poisoned arrows. You can't see him. But he can see you. None of the men who chased them into the swamp ever came back. Their houses move, even their castles, Graywater Castle." He glanced nervously at the dense forest and grass all around him. "Maybe they're nearby, listening to us." Fran showed how he felt by laughing. "As long as it's in this forest, my dog ​​can't smell it, even the fart you just let out, brat." "Frog eaters don't smell like people," Foyle insisted. "They smell like swamps. Like frogs, they smell like trees and muddy water. They grow moss instead of fur under their armpits. When they're hungry, they don't eat. They just swallow mud for a living. Breathing under muddy water!" Theon, who couldn't hold back, was about to reprimand the other nurses for their nonsense, but Maester Luwin intervened: "Historically, the greenseers have made great efforts to divert water into the Neck. Since then, the marshmen and the children of the forest A deep friendship was formed. Perhaps they did gain secret knowledge from it." In an instant, the whole forest seemed to be dimmed suddenly, like floating clouds covering the sun.It is one thing for an ignorant child to babble, but the words of a knowledgeable maester have different weight. "I care only for Bran and Rickon, sons of Ned," said Theon. "Go back to the stream. Go at once." At first no one moved, he thought people would disobey, but the northern sense of duty finally got the better of him.Although reluctantly, everyone followed dully.The Frey kid was as neurotic as the rabbit he had been chasing.Theon spread his men across the banks and down the river.They rode for countless miles, slowed down, and searched carefully. Whenever they encountered dangerous areas, they would get down and lead their horses there, and then continue to search.In one place a fallen tree clogged the water, and the hunters had to go round a very deep green pool, but if the direwolves did the same, they left no footprints or marks.It seems that these two wild things have been swimming.When I catch them, I'll let them swim and I'll sacrifice them all to the Drowned God! As the woods grew darker, Theon Greyjoy knew he was defeated.Whether it was the Marshman using the Children of the Forest's magic, or Osha doing some wildling trick, he had failed.He forced the people to move on in the twilight, and when the last ray of sunlight disappeared, Joseth finally summoned up the courage to say: "This will have no result, my lord. We will only twist the horse and break the leg." "Joseth was right," said Maester Luwin. "Searching the forest with only a few torches is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It's pointless." Theon felt the bitter taste of bile in his throat, and a nest of poisonous snakes writhed and wrestled in his stomach.If he just turned back to Winterfell empty-handed, then he might as well change into a clown suit and a pointed hat in the future—the whole northern border would regard him as a laughing stock.If Father knew, if Asha... "His Royal Highness." Reek urged the horse to approach. "Maybe Stark didn't go this way at all. In my case, needless to say, I would go northeast and seek refuge with the Amber family. Everyone knows that they are very hardworking to Stark. However, their territory is far from It's a long way away, and these kids are going to get close first to avoid the limelight. Maybe I know where they are." Theon looked at him suspiciously, "Say." "You know that old mill, the one that stands alone by the River Oak? I stopped there when I was brought back to Winterfell as a captive. The miller's wife sold us hay Feed the horses, and my old knight is teasing her children. Maybe the Stark is hiding there." Theon knew the mill, and even made a date or two with the miller's wife.Nothing special there, and nothing special about her. "Why is it there? There are a dozen villages and estates around this mill." There was a bit of teasing in those pale eyes. "Why you ask? It doesn't matter. They are there. I have a hunch." Theon had had enough of the answer in circles.His lips really looked like two fiery mating worms. "What the hell do you mean? How dare you hide it from me—" "His Royal Highness?" Reek got off his horse and motioned for Theon to do the same.When they were both dismounted, he opened the cloth sack he had carried from Winterfell. "Look." It was dark and I couldn't see anything clearly.Theon reached into his pocket impatiently, fumbling between the soft hide and the rough wool.A sharp thorn hurt him, and he closed his fingers, and the thing in his hand was cold and hard.It turned out to be a wolf's head brooch, made of silver and black jade.He suddenly understood and couldn't help clenching his fists. "Gema," he called, wondering who to trust.None will work. "Agar, Red Nose, come with us. The others take the hounds and return to Winterfell by themselves. You don't need you, I already know where Bran and Rickon are." "Prince Theon," Maester Luwin pleaded, "do you remember your promise? Mercy, you promised." "Mercy is for the morning," Theon said.It's better to be feared than ridiculed. "Now they're pissing me off."