Chapter 103: Danger in the Wolfswood and Maple Syrup

In the Wolfswood, when Lady Barbrey, riding on her horse, saw a grey wolf poised to strike in the thicket, she was given a great fright.

Having just been galloping, Lady Barbrey seemed to have rediscovered the days back at the Rills when she would gallop wildly with Brandon and Lyanna; she seemed to have found her passion and youth once more.

Lady Barbrey had galloped ahead, leaving Eddard, Helen Pyke, the archer Fellan, and the others far behind; now, in the silent Wolfswood, she was all alone.

Because Lady Barbrey had not intended to go hunting at all in the beginning, and it was only after Eddard and Domeric persuaded her that she had hastily mounted her horse, she had brought no weapons—not even a dagger—and was unable to fend off the wolf.

Running away was the only choice.

Lady Barbrey hurriedly pulled tight on the reins, preparing to flee.

The grey wolf let out a low growl, its fur bristling, and lunged at Lady Barbrey's horse; the horse screamed and reared up. Lady Barbrey hugged the horse's neck tightly and clamped her legs against its belly, but she was still thrown off.

The world spun, and Lady Barbrey fell heavily to the ground, seeing stars; a sharp pain shot through her arms and legs. Lady Barbrey rolled over, lying on the ground, and saw the wild wolf standing just three meters away.

The wild wolf bared its teeth, let out a low growl, and, aiming for Lady Barbrey's snow-white neck, leaped toward her.

"No—" Lady Barbrey instinctively reached out to block the wolf, but she knew in her heart that doing so was futile.

Was she to die just like this? Lady Barbrey thought of her father's horse herds when she was a child, thought of her former lover Brandon Stark, thought of her marriage to her husband William Dustin, and thought of the lonely halls of Barrowton after her husband's death; in an instant, memories of the past flashed rapidly through her mind.

"Whoosh—," just as the wolf was inches away from Lady Barbrey, a sharp arrow flew in and pierced the wild wolf's neck.

The wild wolf let out a miserable shriek and collided with Lady Barbrey; blood stained her black lambskin coat and breeches, and Lady Barbrey recoiled in terror. The wild wolf, its neck pierced by the arrow, struggled a few times on the ground before falling still.

Lady Barbrey stroked her chest, a survivor of a narrow escape; she had actually lived. Lady Barbrey looked toward the direction from which the arrow had come, and saw the archer Fellan on horseback, bow in hand, appearing in the distance.

The archer Fellan hung his bow at his waist, rode his horse to Lady Barbrey's side, dismounted, and helped the fallen Lady Barbrey up. "Lady Barbrey, are you hurt? It is all my fault; Lord Eddard ordered me to protect you, and I should have followed you closely."

Lady Barbrey looked at the blood on her body. "This is all wolf blood, not my blood. Horse-thief, you saved me."

Shortly after, Helen Pyke arrived on horseback, followed by Eddard with Robb, Jon, Theon, and Domeric, the Master of Kennels Farlan of Winterfell, and the hunters; seeing Lady Barbrey covered in blood, everyone was given a great fright.

Eddard hurried forward. "Why are you covered in blood? Quickly, go fetch Maester Luwin!"

Lady Barbrey smiled. "Lord Eddard, this is not my blood, it is wolf blood. I rode into the Wolfswood, a wolf attacked me, and then the horse-thief Fellan shot and killed this wolf; the wolf's blood splashed onto me."

A false alarm; everyone was finally relieved. Domeric fussed over his aunt, and Lady Barbrey mocked, "It seems I had better not provoke the people of House Stark in the future; the wolves in the Wolfswood are in league with the Starks! The wolves here actually wanted to kill me."

Lady Barbrey looked at Fellan. "Horse-thief, you saved me; when we return to Winterfell, I shall reward you with one hundred Silver Stags."

Fellan lowered his head. "My lady, back then at the Rills, I was a stable boy under your father, Lord Roderick; after I grew up, I stole the warhorses of your maiden house. This is what I owe you; I do not want any reward from you."

"This is what you want." Lady Barbrey gave Fellan a light kiss on the lips and hurriedly pushed him away.

Robb, Jon, Theon, and Helen Pyke cheered loudly, and Helen Pyke smirked, "My lady, your kiss was too perfunctory, wasn't it? Fellan saved your life; doesn't he deserve a more passionate kiss? Your kiss felt as cold as a corpse, devoid of any emotion."

Lady Barbrey waved her hand. "Iron Bitch, ever since my husband William Dustin passed away, I haven't kissed any man; Fellan should be content. My clothes are covered in wolf blood; there are spare clothes in the saddlebag. Iron Bitch, come over and help me change."

Helen Pyke took the spare clothes from Lady Barbrey's saddlebag, and the two walked into the forest.

Eddard pulled Fellan aside. "Fellan, Lady Barbrey is a bit older and has a sharp, eccentric personality, but she is undoubtedly a charming woman. I see that Lady Barbrey seems interested in you; you must seize the opportunity."

Fellan seemed to be given a great fright. "Lord Eddard, I am a horse-thief, and she is the Lady of Barrowton of noble birth; how could she possibly take a fancy to me?"

Eddard patted Fellan on the shoulder. "You performed great deeds during the Rock-born War; I will enfeoff you with several manors near Winterfell, and you will be a petty lord. Although it is far from being the Countess of Barrowton, you will be a noble after all. I can see that you have desire for Lady Barbrey; do not deny it."

Fellan frowned. "When I was a child at the Rills, I tended horses for Lord Roderick; the first time I saw Lady Barbrey, she was already the widow of Barrowton, though she was only in her twenties then. I have fantasized about the fair-skinned, beautiful young widow! Stable boys, kitchen boys, and pig-slaughtering boys all have improper thoughts about noble ladies."

"You are no longer a stable boy; you are a warrior of House Stark of Winterfell." Eddard told Fellan, "You are worthy of the widow of Barrowton. Think about it, Lady Barbrey has Barrowton as a dowry; isn't she worth pursuing?"

Lady Barbrey changed into a black and white dress and returned to the group.

Eddard smiled. "Lady Barbrey, it is better to have Fellan protect you in the Wolfswood; do not run around anymore."

For the time that followed, Lady Barbrey went hunting with Fellan; Fellan taught Lady Barbrey how to use a bow and arrow to shoot wild geese. Being with Fellan, Barbrey laughed as happily as a little girl.

Robb killed a deer, Jon and Domeric worked together to kill a wild boar, and the Master of Kennels Farlan's hounds caught many hares and pheasants.

A squirrel climbed up a maple tree; Robb threw a dagger, but the dagger failed to hit the squirrel and pierced into the maple tree, instantly causing sap to flow out.

"That's it, I can't reach it." Because the dagger was stuck in too high a position, Robb had to have Jon lead the horse over, stand on the horse's back, and reach out to pull the dagger out.

The dagger was covered in quite a bit of sap; Eddard wiped some of the tree sap with his hand and tasted it.

Eddard looked up at the tall, thick maple tree before him; he recognized this tree as a sugar maple.

The sap of the sugar maple could be boiled down to make Maple Syrup; Eddard had not expected that there would be sugar maples in the Wolfswood.

"Farlan, are there many of these sugar maples in the Wolfswood?" Eddard asked the Master of Kennels Farlan.

The Master of Kennels Farlan had hunted in the Wolfswood his whole life, and he said, "There are plenty of these maple trees."

Currently, the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms had never tasted Maple Syrup; once Eddard boiled the Maple Syrup, he could undoubtedly make a fortune.

(End of chapter)