Chapter 155: BLOODY BATTLE AT THE MILKWATER

In the middle reaches of the Milkwater, Fellan was interrogating a Wildling scout; the Wildling's shoulder had been pierced by a sharp arrow, a gift from Fellan's Dragonbone Longbow.

Over the past few days, Fellan had used his Dragonbone Longbow to shoot and kill several Wildling scouts each day; whether they were Harma's scouts or those of the King-Beyond-the-Wall, they suffered heavy losses when facing the scouts led by Fellan, and the Wildling scouts no longer dared to engage Fellan head-on; the Wildlings had given the red-haired Fellan a nickname: "Red Devil."

Fellan threatened the captive, "Where is Mance Rayder? If you don't speak, I will throw you on the fire to roast."

The Wildling's face was filled with fear, "I'll talk! Mance Rayder has obtained the Horn of Winter, and the camp is in the valley in the upper reaches of the Milkwater."

The Ranger guide Jeremy Lake frowned and said, "What Horn of Winter?"

The captive said, "The Horn of Winter has been blown; it can awaken the giants sleeping underground. However, Mance Rayder didn't use the Horn of Winter, yet he still found the giants. The Horn of Winter has another use: once blown, it can cause the Wall to collapse. Mance Rayder says so, and the Forest Witch says so too."

Fellan said disdainfully, "Mance Rayder is a goddamn fool, and the Forest Witch is a liar. The Wall is seven hundred feet high; how could it be blown down by a horn? Only Wildlings would believe his ghost stories."

The captive squeezed out a beast-like smile, "Who knows? The Wall was forged by Magic; otherwise, do you think it could have been built by human labor alone? Now, blue-eyed Wights are wandering in the wilderness, the Others are marching south from the Land of Always Winter, and giants have reappeared in the world; it wouldn't be strange if the Horn of Winter could blow down the Wall."

Ser Jeremy Lake stroked his sword hilt, "At the Wall, I heard Maester Aemon mention that in history, there was a King-Beyond-the-Wall named Joramun who used the Horn of Winter to awaken the giants underground; legend says this horn does indeed have the power to make the Wall collapse."

Fellan immediately became tense; if the Night's Watch Maester said so, the Horn of Winter might truly possess the power to destroy the Wall.

"The King-Beyond-the-Wall has found the Horn of Winter; it seems the Wall is in great danger! I must tell Duke Eddard about this matter."

Ser Jeremy Lake stroked his black beard and smirked, "Actually, there is no need to tell Duke Eddard. Harma's scouts are the elite among the Wildlings; after a few days, the Wildling cavalry is simply no match for us."

"Although the number of Wildlings in the Wildling camp is large, most of them are children and old people. A single surprise attack from us would be enough to take back the Horn of Winter, and we might even be able to cut off Mance Rayder's head."

Fellan frowned, "But Lord Eddard ordered us to wipe out the enemy scouts and scout along the Milkwater; he didn't tell us to raid the enemy camp."

"The situation has changed. You are in charge of the scout unit; do you have to ask Lord Eddard for instructions every single time?" Ser Jeremy Lake said solemnly, "There is an old saying: a general in the field may ignore the King's orders, let alone a Duke's. An excellent commander must adapt to the ever-changing battlefield, otherwise, they will be led by the nose by the enemy. Lord Fellan, think carefully—is that not the truth?"

Fellan was a rough man who could not read, and after hearing Jeremy Lake's words, he was somewhat confused, "But orders from superiors are still very critical! Duke Eddard often tells me that obeying orders is a soldier's duty."

Ser Jeremy Lake smiled, "That is true, but one must be flexible. I served in the City Watch of King's Landing back in the day, and I knew the legendary 'White Bull' Gerold Hightower, 'the Bold' Barristan, and the 'Sword of the Morning' Arthur Dayne."

"Everyone knows that the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen gradually lost his mind back then and was a madman. If these legendary Kingsguard had to ask the Mad King for instructions every time they fought a battle and marched according to the Mad King's command, the Mad King's dynasty would likely have died even faster. These Kingsguard all had their own ideas about warfare; Lord Fellan, you must also have your own ideas!"

"The Rangers sent out by the Lord Commanders of the Night's Watch throughout the ages all had the ability to handle things on their own; otherwise, in the lands Beyond the Wall, if they relied on instructions from superiors, the Rangers would not be able to survive. Mance Rayder has obtained the Horn of Winter; if you go to ask for instructions and wait for Lord Eddard's reply, it will only be a waste of time, and the King-Beyond-the-Wall could very well use that time difference to destroy the Wall with the Horn of Winter."

"Think about it: if we scouts take back the Horn of Winter, how will Lord Eddard reward us? The merit is right before our eyes, Lord Fellan; you must not hesitate!"

Over the past few days, the Ranger Ser Jeremy Lake had served as Fellan's guide, and Fellan had gradually grown to like this Ranger.

Ser Jeremy Lake came from House Ryker of Duskendale in the Crownlands; he was of noble birth, had served in the City Watch of King's Landing, and was a formally knighted Knight anointed with Holy Oil. Unlike the Northerners who despised formalities, Ser Jeremy valued etiquette and always respectfully addressed Fellan as "Lord Fellan."

Under Ser Jeremy's persuasion, Fellan felt more and more that raiding Mance Rayder's camp and seizing the Horn of Winter was a good idea.

"Ser Jeremy, let's do as you say! We set off for the Wildling camp immediately."

Kane, who had been listening quietly from the side, hurried over. Kane was a Winterfell household guard and one of the few soldiers who could read and write, so he was responsible for the ravens and letters among the scouts.

"Fellan, Lord Eddard's order is to scout and kill as many Wildling scouts as possible, not to raid Mance Rayder's camp. If you must attack, you have to send a raven to ask Lord Eddard at the Fist of the First Men."

Ser Jeremy let out a donkey-like laugh, "Are you a coward? Sending a raven to deliver a letter will only delay the opportunity for battle. Besides, there are eagles in the sky from time to time; these eagles are likely the wargs under Mance Rayder. Can a raven dodge the sharp claws of an eagle? I highly doubt it."

"If the raven is shot down and the letter falls into the enemy's hands, our surprise attack plan will be leaked."

Kane said sternly, "Where would there be so many wargs? I haven't seen an eagle for days. Fellan, according to Lord Eddard's instructions, we must send a raven."

Fellan hesitated, and Ser Jeremy whispered in Fellan's ear, "Lord Fellan, these Winterfell household guards are jealous of you and don't want you to earn merit. Think about it: the chaotic Wildling camp could be taken in a single raid to seize the Horn of Winter; hesitation will only let the merit fall into the hands of others."

"Lord Fellan, the Horn of Winter means more honor and a higher title. Your wife, Lady Barbrey, is of noble and proud blood; I believe Lady Barbrey also hopes for you to become a hero of the North."

Fellan clenched his fists; born a commoner, he actually felt inferior deep down when facing Lady Barbrey. Fellan longed to become the number one hero of this expedition Beyond the Wall, so that he could return to Barrow Hall and Lady Barbrey's bed with his head held high.

"I have decided: we march on the King-Beyond-the-Wall's camp. I must take the Horn of Winter."

"Fellan, this is too crazy!" Kane spoke up to stop him, "There are tens of thousands of enemies in the Wildling camp."

Ser Jeremy smirked, "Tens of thousands of dirty children, women, and old people are by no means tens of thousands of fully armed enemies. We still have over five hundred cavalry; five hundred cavalry can tear through the Wildling camp like a kitchen knife through cheese."

Fellan stroked his Dragonbone Longbow, "This is the Dragonbone Longbow gifted to me by Lord Eddard; I must fight through blood and fire to take back the Horn of Winter."

"Kane, you can release the raven to send a letter to Lord Eddard at the Fist of the First Men. I believe that if Lord Eddard knows about the Horn of Winter, he will also agree to my attack."

Kane wanted to argue further, but Fellan waved his hand, "You send the raven, and we will continue the raid; the matter is settled."

The ravens in the cage began to caw.

At the Fist of the First Men, a raven landed on the dilapidated wall of the ringfort; Domeric took the letter from the raven's leg and immediately ran to give it to Eddard.

"Lord Eddard, a raven has arrived."

Eddard was studying a map with Benjen and the Old Bear; Eddard was somewhat nervous—black wings brought black news, and every time a raven sent a letter, he asked, "Where is the raven from?"

"It is from Fellan's scouts, sent from the middle reaches of the Milkwater."

Eddard picked up the letter and finished reading it, his brow furrowed, "Fellan, that goddamn fool! For an unverified Horn of Winter, he actually wants to charge at Mance Rayder's camp? Has he lost his mind?"

The Old Bear and Benjen finished reading the letter, and the Old Bear sighed, "If Mance Rayder has really obtained the Horn of Winter, it is a huge threat to the Wall. However, Fellan should not have acted on his own and ventured deep into enemy territory; it is simply courting death."

Benjen was filled with melancholy, "Does the Horn of Winter really exist in this world? I feel this is Mance Rayder's conspiracy; he deliberately fabricated this lie to lure our army into attacking. This is a trap."

Eddard suppressed his anger, "Even if Mance Rayder has obtained the Horn of Winter, does this ancient horn still have power? Even if it has power, can one horn cause the seven-hundred-foot-high, hundred-league-long Wall and nineteen fortresses to collapse simultaneously? This is clearly powerful sorcery, and sorcery has a price. Who can blow this horn?"

"Fellan didn't consider these things and rashly attacked for a Horn of Winter; he will throw away his life for nothing and implicate other cavalrymen to die with him."

The Old Bear said in a gruff voice, "Fellan is a brave and skilled warrior, and his archery is the best I have ever seen, but he is too young, and young people often lack experience."

Speaking of experience, Eddard immediately thought of Ser Jeremy Lake.

"Lord Commander Mormont, the Ranger Ser Jeremy Lake is serving as Fellan's guide. You told me that this man is experienced and is over forty years old. When Fellan chose to attack, I am very curious why this Ser Jeremy did not step in to stop him?"

The Old Bear and Benjen looked at each other, and the Old Bear said gloomily, "Ser Jeremy should have dissuaded Fellan. I chose Ser Jeremy because he is of noble birth and can communicate better with the Winterfell soldiers. Now it seems that choosing Ser Jeremy as a guide may not have been wise."

Eddard turned to Domeric, "Release the ravens immediately and send a letter to Fellan, telling him to bring the scouts back to the Fist of the First Men immediately and terminate the operation!"

Sunlight shone on the Fist of the First Men, but Eddard felt a bone-chilling cold.

Was the Horn of Winter really a lie fabricated by Mance Rayder? If Fellan died at the hands of the Wildlings, Eddard would not only lose a master archer, but the marriage between Barbrey and Fellan that he had worked so hard to facilitate would have been in vain, and the widowed Barbrey would surely hate Eddard to death; Winterfell's future reforms and orders would inevitably suffer from the passive resistance of the Rills and Barrowton.

To prevent Orell's eagle from hunting the ravens and stopping the letter from being delivered, Eddard had Domeric release three ravens at once.

Eddard began to envy Orell; as a warg, Eddard could control a Direwolf to travel at night, but Orell could control an eagle, and the eagle's field of vision in the wilderness was clearly better than that of a Direwolf.

Perhaps when night fell, Eddard could warg into the Direwolf to travel at night and go along the Milkwater to find Fellan, but doing so was very risky. Eddard did not know how many wargs were in the wild; if the Direwolf acted alone, it could easily be attacked by beasts controlled by wargs.

The Old Bear looked at the map, "Whether true or false, the Horn of Winter is a threat."

Benjen said, "I believe that Qhorin Halfhand and the warriors of the mountain clans have already crossed the Giant's Stair and ventured deep into the Frostfangs; the Wildlings will be forced to flee the valley of the Frostfangs. Jory Cassel and Daven will drive the Wildlings out of the Haunted Forest. As long as news of victory comes from both places, we can march north to destroy Mance Rayder's camp and take the Horn of Winter."

Under the moonlight, Fellan led the scouts to camp by the Milkwater, where the corpses of Wildling scouts lay strewn along the ice-covered banks. Rockborn wards Baolaisen Siteren and Joss Crowl pulled arrows from the bodies to reuse later.

Both Baolaisen and Joss were wards of Winterfell, and both came from the Rockborn nobility of Skagos; Baolaisen was the Heir of Driftwood Hall, and Joss was the Heir of Abyss Keep. They had been trained by Ser Roderick in the Winterfell yard and had become excellent cavalrymen.

Ser Jeremy smiled and said, "We are getting closer and closer to Mance Rayder's camp. The Horn of Winter awaits us, and victory is within our grasp."

Kane frowned and said, "Could this be a trap? The Wildling scouts of the Lord of Bones and Harma the Dogshead seem to be luring us deep into their territory."

Fellan said indifferently, "They have lost so many men; they are weak enemies, so there is no need to fear their lures."

The Winterfell soldiers opened Canned Food and ate some fruit and canned river fish, when suddenly, the sound of Wildling horns rang out.

Harma the Dogshead and the Lord of Bones charged out, riding gaunt warhorses.

Ser Jeremy said with disdain, "Is this the ambush? Weak enemies; even if the enemy has us surrounded on all sides, I am not afraid."

Under Fellan's orders, the scouts mounted their horses to meet the enemy; these were elite cavalrymen.

Fellan used his Dragon Bone to shoot and kill three enemies, and when the enemy closed in, he switched to his Longsword to meet them, cutting down every opponent as if chopping melons and vegetables.

Joss Crowl roared as he swung his battle-axe, cleaving an enemy's arm and sending blood splattering.

Suddenly, a giant saber-toothed tiger lunged out of the cold wind, with the skinchanger Tigris riding upon it. The saber-toothed tiger bit the neck of Fellan's mount, its massive teeth instantly tearing the warhorse's throat, and Fellan was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

Fellan struggled to sit up; he had lost his Longsword and his Dragonbone Longbow, and he was left with only a dagger in his hand. His head throbbed, as if a dragon war were erupting inside his skull, and as the world spun, he saw Joss Crowl fall from his horse and have his head severed by Harma the Dogshead, the head impaled on a Lance and hung alongside the dog's head.

Varamyr Sixskins rode on the back of a Snow Bear. Winterfell personal guard Yadang charged at the Snow Bear, but with one lazy swipe of the Snow Bear's paw, Yadang's head spun around and instantly burst.

Saber-toothed tigers, wolves, Snow Bears, and Terrorbirds the size of elephants rampaged across the battlefield. The skinchangers' beasts slaughtered mercilessly in the cold night, and the screams of Rangers and North scouts were everywhere.

No! Things were not supposed to be this way. We were supposed to raid the Wildling camp and seize the Horn of Winter, but instead, we encountered an ambush by so many skinchangers.

Fellan was filled with regret at the thought of so many brothers losing their lives because of his wrong decision.

Fellan struggled to his feet, trying to find his lost Longsword and Dragonbone Longbow. That sword had been a gift from Barbrey; it was a lover's sword. As for the Dragonbone Longbow, it had been a gift from Eddard. Now, Fellan had actually lost the precious Dragonbone Longbow and Longsword.

The Lord of Bones appeared before Fellan like a ghost. He wore a suit of armor made of dried bones, and his helmet was a giant's skull. He clattered as he walked; many Wildlings and members of the Night's Watch called him "Rattleshirt," while he called himself the Lord of Bones.

"Demon archer, you shot and killed so many of my brothers, now it is your turn to die!"

The Lord of Bones swung his Longsword at Fellan. Fellan had only a dagger in his hand, so he threw it with all his might, and the dagger struck the Lord of Bones in the face.

If the Lord of Bones had not been wearing the giant's skull, that blow would have been enough to wound his face, but unfortunately, the dagger hit the giant's skull and harmlessly bounced off.

Fellan's head still ached terribly. He pulled a sword from a nearby corpse and was just about to meet the enemy when his head was struck by Harma the Dogshead's Lance, and he fell to the ground.

Everything around him began to blur. The last things Fellan saw were the Lord of Bones and the Lance of Harma with the dog's head impaled upon it.

"I want this brat's hand bones and skull; the Lord of Bones' armor needs some additions!"

"No, I want to use this brat's head to decorate my Lance, to be hung alongside my dog's head!"

Thanks to "Cai Zhi Yuan" for the monthly ticket, thank you for the support!

(End of chapter)