Chapter 65 Chapter 64 Caitlin

There is a soft sound in the forest, lingering in the ears. The stream at the bottom of the valley runs, meandering through the stone riverbed, and the moonlight shimmers on the water surface.Under the tree, the war horse neighed softly, and stretched out its hooves to scrape away the wet and soft ground covered with fallen leaves.People kept their voices down and joked nervously.Now and then she heard the faint sound of the clash of spears and the sliding of chain mail, but even these sounds were indistinct. "Ma'am, I can't wait long," Harris Moran said.He asked to be honored to take the responsibility of protecting her in this battle. As the captain of the Winterfell guards, this was his right, and Robb did not refuse.There are thirty guards around her, and their task is to protect her from any harm, and if the battle goes against them, they must escort her back to Winterfell safely.Robb was going to send fifty men, but Catelyn insisted that he would need all his men for the battle, so ten would be enough, and they compromised and sent thirty guards, but neither side was happy.

"The time will come," Caitlyn told him.When the battle came, she knew it would mean death, maybe Hal's death... or hers, or even Robb's.In war no one is safe, no one's life is at stake, so Catelyn would rather wait, listening to the soft sounds of the woods and the music of the brook, and feeling the warm wind in her hair. After all, waiting was no stranger to her, the men in her life always made her wait. "Little Kate, wait for me to come back." Every time my father went to court, the last episode or went to the battlefield, he always said this to her.She was obedient, too, and stood patiently on the battlements of Riverrun, watching the Red Fork and Tumblestone rush by.He couldn't come back on time, so Caitlin also kept watch on the city wall all day, looking out through the battlements and arrow holes, until finally he caught a glimpse of Duke Hoster riding the old brown horse, galloping along the river bank towards the ferry. Come. "Did you wait for me?" he must have asked, when he bent over her, "Did you, little Kate?"

Brandon Stark also taught her to wait a long time. "Ma'am, this trip won't be too long." He had solemnly vowed, "When I come back, we can get married." But when the wedding day finally came, it was his brother Ed who stood beside her in the church. Ned stayed with his bride for less than two weeks, and then rushed to the battlefield, leaving only one promise after another.Anyway, what he left behind was not just empty words, he also gave her a son.The moon was full and the moon was short, and nine months passed, and Robb was born in Riverrun, and his father was still fighting in the south.She went through a lot of pain and brought Robb covered in blood, but she didn't know if Ned would have the chance to see him in this life.Her son, he was so young back then...

Now it was Robb she was waiting for...and Jaime Lannister, the golden knight whom legend had never known to wait for. "Kingslayers are quick-tempered," Uncle Brynden told Robb, and he bet everyone's life and only hope on it. If Robb was frightened, he didn't show it.Catelyn watched him move through the ranks, patted one man on the shoulder, laughed with another, and helped another calm a restless horse.His armor creaked as he moved, with only his head exposed.The breeze blew his auburn hair, which was exactly the same as her own red hair, and she couldn't help but wonder when her son grew so tall.She was only fifteen years old, and she was almost as tall as her.

Please let him grow taller, she prayed to the gods in heaven, let him live to be sixteen, twenty, fifty, make him as tall as his father, give him a chance to hold his son in his arms , please, please, please.She looked at the tall young man with a new beard and a direwolf at his feet, but what she saw in her eyes was the little baby they put in her arms.That happened a long, long time ago in Riverrun. The night was warm, but the thought of Riverrun made her shudder.Where are they?she wondered.Could it be that uncle made a mistake?Everything depends on his promise.Robb allocated three hundred elite soldiers to Heiyu and sent him forward to cover the whereabouts of the main force. "Jaime doesn't know," Ser Brynden reported back, "I'll put my life on it. My archers didn't let a single bird fly back to him. We met a few of his scouts, and none of them could He went back to report. He should send more people. All in all, he doesn't know our whereabouts."

"How big is his army?" the son asked. "A total of 12,000 infantrymen, living in three camps, scattered around the castle, separated by rivers." Uncle said while showing a rough smile, which made her feel very familiar. "Surrounding Riverrun, this is the only way, but it will also be their mortal wound. The opponent's cavalry is about two or three thousand." "The Kingslayers outnumber us nearly three times," said Galbert Glover. "True," Ser Brynden, "but one thing is lacking in Ser Jaime." "What's missing?" Robb asked.

"patience." Compared with when they just left Twin River City, their current strength has increased a lot.When bypassing the source of the Blue Fork River and turning around and heading south, Earl Jason Mallister led troops from Sea Frontier City to help out, and other new troops also joined in one after another, including mercenary knights, small princes, and skirmishers who had lost their masters , they had fled north after her brother Edmure's army had been routed at Riverrun.The horses were galloped as best they could, and they were here before Jaime Lannister got the news.Now, the decisive moment has come.

Catelyn watched her son mount while Lord Walder's son, Olyfar Frey, held the reins for him.Oliver was two years older than Robb, but as childish as ten years his junior, he seemed restless in every way.He fastened Robb's shield and handed him his helm.The son lowered his mask over the face she loved so much, and transformed into a tall and handsome young knight sitting on a gray horse.The woods were too dark for the moon to reach, so when Robb turned to look at her, she could see nothing but darkness under the veil. "Mother, I have to go to the front," he told her. "Father taught me that before going to war, let the men see that the chief is with them."

"Go ahead," she said, "and let them have a good look at you." "I'll give them courage," Robb said. Who will give me courage?she asked herself.Yet she remained silent, forcing herself to smile at him.Robb turned the big gray horse and walked slowly away from her. Gray Wind followed him like a shadow, and his bodyguard followed.When he forced Catelyn to take protection, she insisted that he do the same, and the northern lords agreed.The sons of many vassals strive for the honor of fighting alongside the Young Wolf Lord—the new title they helped him to claim.The thirty finalists included brothers Toren Karstark and Eddard Karstark, Patrick Mallister, Jon Umber, Daryn Hornwood, Theon Greyjoy, five of Walder Frey's many descendants, and older ones such as Ser Wendel Manderly and Robin Flint.There was even a woman among them, Daisy Mormont, eldest daughter of Countess Maggie and heir to Bear Island, tall and lanky, six feet tall, when the other girls were still playing with dolls, she used the meteor hammer .The lords complained about this last assignment, but Catelyn ignored their complaints. "This has nothing to do with the family name," she told them, "just to make sure my son is safe."

At the moment of life and death, she thought to herself, are these thirty people enough?Are six thousand people here enough? There was a faint bird song in the distance, a high-pitched, sharp trill, like a cold hand across the nape of Caitlin's neck.Another bird chirped in response, and then a third, and a fourth.This is Xue Shrike's call, and she has been very familiar with it for so many years in Winterfell.They can be seen in the deep snow of winter, when the godswood is white and silent.They are birds of the north. Here they are, Catelyn thought. "Ma'am, here they come," whispered Hal Moran.He loves to repeat the well-known facts. "May the gods be with us."

She nodded.The surrounding woods became quiet, and in the silence, she could hear their voices, although they were far away, they were approaching rapidly: the sound of galloping horses, the clashing of spears, swords and armor, the muttering of soldiers, and the sound of laughter and cursing Bi Luo. Hundreds of millions of years seemed to come and go, the voice became louder and louder, she heard more laughter, someone gave orders, and the water splashed when crossing the stream.A horse is snorting.Some man is cursing.At last she saw him...Although it was only for a moment, even though she only looked at the bottom of the valley through the narrow gap in the forest, she knew that it must be him.Even at this distance, Ser Jaime Lannister was still clearly visible, his fair hair and gold armor were silvery white by the moonlight, and his scarlet cloak was black.He wasn't wearing a helmet. As soon as he appeared, he disappeared again, and the silver armor was once again covered by the bushes.A long line of knights, sworn knights, and freeriders followed him, making up about three-quarters of the Lannister army's cavalry. "He will never sit in his tent and wait for the carpenters to build a siege tower," Ser Brynden had promised. "Three times so far he has led his cavalry into a sortie, chasing a scattered army or storming a recalcitrant estate." So Robb nodded, poring over his uncle's map.Ned taught him to know the map. "You attack him here," he said, pointing to the map, "just take two or three hundred people, not many, and carry the banner of Tully's house. When he comes after us, we will be in—" His finger pointed Move left one inch. "—Ambush here." "Here", there is a silence in the night, the moonlight is pouring, shadows are everywhere, the ground is covered with thick fallen leaves, the ridges are full of dense forests, and the hills slowly descend to the riverbed.The lower the terrain, the sparser the undergrowth. "Here", his son rode on a horse, looked back at her for the last time, and saluted with his sword. "Here," Maege Mormont blew the long, low horn, blasting down from the east side into the valley, telling the people that Jaime's army had been ensnared. Gray Wind shook his head back and howled to the sky. The howling of wolves seemed to go right through Catelyn Stark, and she found herself shaking.This is a terrifying sound, a frightening sound, but there is a rhythm in it.For a moment she felt pity for the Lannisters in the valley below.This is what death sounds like, she thought. Ah ah oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... came the Greatjon's horn from the far ridge and to east and west the Mallisters and Freys blew too. Trumpet of vengeance.The northern mouth of the valley was very narrow, turned like a bent elbow, and from there came Lord Karstark's warhorn, deep and full of mourning, joining the dark chorus.In the valley below, the enemy army shouted loudly, and the horses kicked forward. Under the order of Robb, the archers who hid among the branches unanimously rained arrows, and the Whispering Forest breathed out the breath that had been suppressed for a long time, and the whole night was filled with mourning.She looked around, and the warriors raised their spears one after another, and the dirt and leaves that were used to cover the reflection faded away, revealing extremely sharp and cruel blades. "Long live Winterfell!" she heard Robb shout as the arrows fell again.He galloped past her and was the first to lead his men in a dive down the valley. Catelyn sat on her horse, motionless.Hal Moran and his bodyguard surrounded her, and she just waited quietly, as she had waited for Brandon, Ned, and her father.She was on a high ridge, and the trees almost completely obscured the fighting below.Her heart was beating wildly, once, twice, four times, and suddenly, it seemed that only she and her guards were left in the forest, and the rest had melted into the boundless green. However, when she raised her eyes to the ridge across the valley, she saw Greatjon's cavalry emerge from behind the shadows of the dense forest, lined up in an endless line, and began to charge.As they burst out of the woods, Catelyn saw the moonlight falling on the tip of the gun in that tiny heartbeat, like a thousand fireflies wrapped in silver flames, rushing down the mountain. She blinks.They were but men, warriors swooping down the valley, to kill or be killed. Although she could not claim to have witnessed the battle afterwards, she could at least say that she heard the whole process.The reverberations echoed in the valley, with the snap of broken spears, the sound of swords clashing, and the sounds of "Long live Lannister!" "Long live Winterfell!" and "Long live the Tullys! Fight for Riverrun and the Tullys!" shout.When she realized that it was useless to open her eyes, she closed them and listened intently.She heard the hooves of horses galloping, the iron boots splashing in shallow water, the dull sound of swords splitting oaken shields, the friction of steel clashing, the roar of bows and arrows, the thunder of war drums, and the screams of a thousand horses at once.People cursed loudly, or begged for their lives, or escaped death, or doomed, some survived, some died.The valley seemed to disturb hearing, and once she thought she heard Robb's voice, so clearly it seemed that he was standing beside him, shouting, "Follow me! Follow me!" Then she heard the direwolf growl Roaring, sharp teeth tearing at pieces of flesh, the centaur wailed in agony full of fear.Is there really only one wolf?She couldn't tell. The sound gradually weakened, and finally subsided, and finally only the howling of wolves remained.A few strands of red dawn appeared in the east, and the gray wind howled in the sky. When Robb came back, it was not the gray horse he had been riding, but a piebald horse.The wolf's head on his shield was nearly chopped to pieces, and deep marks were carved into the wood, but he seemed to be unharmed.But as he drew nearer, Catelyn saw black blood all over his mail gloves and the sleeves of his tunic. "You're hurt," she said. Robb raised his hand and stretched out his five fingers. "I'm fine," he said. "It's...maybe Toren's blood, or..." He shook his head. "I have no idea." A crowd followed him up the slope, all dirty and dented in their armor, laughing and laughing.Theon and the Greatjon led the way, with Ser Jaime Lannister on the left and the right.They pushed him in front of her mount. "Kingslayer." Hal announced again without further ado. Lannister looked up. "Lady Stark," he said, on his knees, a wound on his head, blood streaming down one cheek, the pale morning light returning the gold to his hair. "Happy to be of your service, but I forgot where I put my sword." "My lord, I do not want your services," she told him. "I want my father and my brother Edmure, my two daughters, and my husband." "I'm afraid I don't know where they are either." "It's a pity," Caitlin said coldly. "Kill him, Robb," urged Theon Greyjoy. "Behead him." "No," the son replied, taking off his bloodstained gloves. "It's more useful for him to be alive. Besides, my lord father will never kill prisoners after the war." "He's a wise man," said Jaime Lannister, "in the light of day." "Take him away and put him in chains," Caitlin said. "Do as my lord mother says," Robb ordered. "Besides, there must be plenty of guard. Lord Karstark would like to have his head on a gun." "I suppose so," the Greatjon agreed, gesticulating, and the Lannisters were led away, wounds bandaged, and chained. "Why does Lord Karstark want to kill him?" Catelyn asked. Robb looked back toward the woods, with Ned's usual melancholy look in his eyes. "He... killed them..." "Lord Karstark's son," explained Galbert Glover. "Both died at his hands," said Robb, "Toren and Eddard, and Daryn Hornwood." "No one can deny the courage of that guy Lannister," Glover said. "Seeing that the situation was over, he called his men and went all the way to the valley to kill him, trying to rush to Lord Robb and cut him down. He almost succeeded." gone." "He forgot where he kept his sword . . . it first cut off Torrhen's hand, then split Dalynn's head, and then it fell on Eddard Karstark's neck," said Robb. From the beginning to the end, he kept calling my name, if everyone hadn't stopped him desperately—" "—I am the mourner now, not Lord Karstark," Catelyn said. "Robb, your men did what they were sworn to do, and died fighting to protect their lord. You Mourn them and honor them for their bravery, but not now, you have no time to grieve. You cut off the snake's head, yet three-quarters of the snake's body still wraps around your grandfather's castle. We won a battle, But not the whole war." "But what a battle it was!" said Theon Greyjoy excitedly. "There hasn't been a battle like this in the Kingdom since the ancient 'Fire of Rage,' my lady. I swear, Lan For every ten deaths on Nist, we only died one. We captured nearly a hundred knights and a dozen vassals, including the Earl of Westerling, the Earl of Banfort, Sir Gales Greenfield, the Earl of Islam, Ser Tytos Brax, Mallor the Dornish... In addition to Jaime, we also captured three Lannisters, all nephews of Lord Tywin, two of them belonged to his sister, One belonged to his dead brother..." "What about Lord Tywin?" Caitlin interrupted him. "Theon, may I ask if you happened to catch Lord Tywin too?" "No," replied Greyjoy, who froze suddenly. "As long as he is not caught, the war is not over." Robb looked up, pushing the red hair away from his eyes with his hands. "Mother was right. The Battle of Riverrun still awaits us."