Chapter 167: Father of Life, Revered by the People, Trembling Lords

The residents of Winter Town stood on both sides of the Kingsroad, scattering petals of winter roses into the air to welcome the triumphant return of Lord Eddard.

"Long live Stark! Long live Lord Eddard!"

"Long live Winterfell!"

Eddard rode atop the direwolf Nightwalker, draped in a bear-skin cloak gifted by a wildling chieftain, leading the procession. Beside him, in addition to Northern lords such as Greatjon Umber, the "Big Barrel" Wull, Lord Rickard, Black Donald Flint, and the middle Liddle, were the Night's Watch members invited to the victory banquet: the Old Bear, Halfhand, Benjen, and Cotter Pyke.

The rest were Eddard's honor guard: Varamyr riding a four-meter-tall snow bear, Byers riding a black bear, Michu soaring on a giant eagle, Samantha riding an ostrich, Thorn riding a shadowcat, and the rockborn chieftains Billy and Rayson riding unicorns.

And the giants riding mammoths, who looked like moving castles.

Eddard had ordered one hundred giants to remain on the north shore of Long Lake, under the command of the architect Donnel Flint, to build Long Lake City; the remaining five hundred-plus giants, riding their mammoths, followed Eddard to Winterfell.

Ser Rodrik Cassel, the master-at-arms of Winterfell, stroked his snow-white beard. Even the well-traveled Ser Rodrik was seeing the wondrous sight of skinchangers and giants for the first time.

Maester Luwin frowned, beads of sweat covering his bald head, and muttered, "Giants reappearing in the world, skinchangers' beasts appearing in the bustling streets of Winter Town, giant eagles flying overhead... truly a strange and ancient age."

Throughout these days traveling south along the Kingsroad, Eddard would find a wildling chieftain to accompany him each day. He discussed the customs of different wildling tribes with Tormund Giantsbane, explored the knowledge of skinchangers with the Goat Girl Gisella, discussed the lore of birds with the Eagle King McCain, and inquired about the habits of Cerberus with the hellhound Daron.

The more they communicated, the better Eddard understood these wildling chieftains. The wildlings had all faced the weirwood heart tree and sworn allegiance to Eddard, yet loyalty must be earned.

Wildlings valued oaths, loyalty, and honor more; the Wolf King Eddard had brought the wildlings to the Green Lands, and the wildlings and giants revered Eddard as a god.

Tormund called Eddard "Father of Life," which was originally one of Tormund's many epithets.

"Only because Lord Eddard saved countless holy spirits from the hands of the Others." Many wildlings had begun to call Eddard "Father of Life."

Robb, Theon, Domeric, and Jon rode beside the giant bears; their originally majestic warhorses looked instantly much smaller next to the great bears.

Catelyn, with Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon, waited before the gates of Winterfell to welcome Eddard's triumph.

In the expectations of the children and Catelyn, Eddard should have returned in triumph riding a warhorse, flanked by the Winterfell household guard. They had not expected Eddard to be riding on the back of a direwolf, surrounded by wildlings riding strange beasts and looking bizarre—it was a scene straight out of Old Nan's stories.

As soon as Sansa saw the snow bear and Borroq's ferocious wild boar, she was terrified and turned pale. She dodged backward and bumped into a wildling chieftain. Sansa politely wanted to apologize, but to her surprise, it was the King-Beyond-the-Wall clad in bone armor. Sansa ran away crying in fright.

Arya, however, was not afraid. She took a stick and tapped it against the King-Beyond-the-Wall's bone armor, making a clanging sound. The King-Beyond-the-Wall laughed and called Arya a "fierce little one."

As soon as Bran saw the direwolves Nightwalker and Sunshine, he ran over, screaming, "Wolf knights! Wolf knights!"

The direwolf licked Bran's head with a tongue as rough as stone, and the direwolf let out a happy laugh.

Little Rickon screamed as he ran between the direwolf's four legs. Eddard reached out, pulled Rickon onto the wolf's back, and held him in his arms.

Robb dismounted, and Catelyn embraced him. The war Beyond the Wall was the first war Robb had participated in. Every day, Catelyn had prayed to the Seven in the sept, hoping for the safe return of Robb and Eddard. Now that they had finally returned, Catelyn should have been happy, but looking at these wildlings riding strange creatures and the tens of thousands of them, Catelyn began to worry and fret again.

Amidst the cheers of the Winter Town residents and the Stark household guard, Eddard dismounted from the direwolf, handed Rickon from his arms to Robb, and embraced Catelyn.

Catelyn cupped Eddard's face with her slender hands.

"Eddard, you've finally returned! What is going on with these wildling friends of yours? The beasts they are riding are too terrifying. What if they bite you? What if they bite the innocent residents of Winter Town?"

Eddard smiled, "You don't need to worry. These skinchangers are all master beast-tamers; they can control these ferocious animals very well."

Haris Moran, the captain of the Winterfell guard, escorted three hundred wildling wards to Eddard. Eddard introduced them to Catelyn: "Catelyn, these are our wildling wards. Their parents are all wildling chieftains. There are three hundred of them in total."

Three hundred flea-ridden, ragged children; the oldest was only Sansa's age, and the youngest was about the same age as Bran.

Some wards looked at Catelyn brazenly, which made her feel very uncomfortable. Northmen had never valued etiquette, believing that the flowery language of the South was unnecessary and a complete waste of time, and the wildlings Beyond the Wall had no etiquette at all.

"Arrange for them to stay at the Stark Estate in Winter Town!" Catelyn did not want these children living in Winterfell; they might corrupt the children.

Sansa was fine; she was a polite little lady who knew to stay away from these wildling children. But Arya and Bran never refused to make friends, and little Rickon was too young to distinguish good from bad. Catelyn did not want wildling children to become her children's friends.

Eddard shook his head, "Catelyn, our wards must live in Winterfell. Maester Luwin will be responsible for teaching them to read and write, and Ser Rodrik will teach them sword, shield, and horsemanship. I hope the wildling wards can be well cared for and grow up in Winterfell together with the Stark children."

Catelyn had no choice but to obey. After all, since Eddard had crushed the wildlings Beyond the Wall and annexed the lands Beyond the Wall, he had become a great hero of the North in Winterfell, in Winter Town, and in every corner of the North. Openly defying Eddard's orders in front of the Winterfell soldiers and servants was not a good idea.

"Vayon Poole, take the children into Winterfell," Eddard instructed the steward. "Send the girls to the baths to wash, and send the boys to the godswood hot springs to wash. Then arrange rooms for them, ten children to a courtyard, and do not let them run around."

Vayon Poole nodded. He and the Winterfell household guard led the wildling wards into Winterfell. Almost every ward looked at the majestic Winterfell with their mouths agape. For the wildlings, towers and mills counted as a castle; in their eyes, Winterfell was simply a miracle.

Thousands of wildlings poured into Winter Town. Some led gaunt plow horses, some drove goats, some rode cows, and some rode in bone chariots pulled by dogs, but most were on foot, with nothing to their names, hungry and famished.

Thousands of Winterfell soldiers were fully armed to maintain order. Thenn men wearing bronze scale armor and wildling warriors holding wooden clubs and stone axes walked among the wildlings to maintain order. The wildlings often quarreled and would occasionally come to blows, but there were few bloody conflicts because, according to Eddard's orders, those who committed crimes would become forced laborers and lose their freedom.

Originally, Eddard had purchased a large amount of grain through White Harbor from King's Landing, White Harbor, Gulltown, Pentos, and the Riverlands, filling all the granaries in Winter Town and Winterfell. Catelyn had been very happy, thinking they could successfully survive the next winter, but she had not expected Eddard to bring back so many wildlings.

Cart after cart of pumpkins, black bread, carrots, and winter pears were distributed. Catelyn's heart was bleeding; this was all money!

Winterfell soldiers set up tents along the Kingsroad, which then spread south and east of the Kingsroad. Thousands of wildling tents were already full of wildlings, yet the line of wildlings on the Kingsroad still seemed endless, and countless wildlings were still pouring in like a tide.

Catelyn lowered her voice, "Eddard, how many more wildlings are on the Kingsroad?"

"The wildlings have almost all arrived; tomorrow is likely the last batch." Eddard stroked Catelyn's red hair, "There are over 120,000 wildlings in total. I left 4,000 wildlings and 100 giants at Long Lake to build the castle, and the rest have all come to Winter Town."

Catelyn said in horror, "So many wildlings? They will eat all our grain. They are all useless mouths; what use are they?"

Eddard placed a finger on Catelyn's lips, "We can discuss this question when we get home and close the doors. Now is the moment to enjoy the victory."

And so, amidst the cheers of the Winter Town residents and the wildlings, Eddard entered Winterfell, and Catelyn could only follow.

As Eddard walked through the courtyard, the pregnant Gilly darted out from the shadows, "Lord Eddard, thank you for taking me in. I have become a laundress."

Gilly was one of Craster's wives. After Eddard captured Craster's Keep, he sent Gilly and Craster's dozen or so wives to Winterfell. "Gilly, I hope you like life in Winterfell."

"Despicable Wolf King." Craster's curse came from the side. Only then did Eddard notice that Craster was wearing shackles and was locked in a cage. "Let me out."

Eddard smiled, "Craster, I can set you free immediately. If you are willing to stay in Winter Town, I will provide a house; if you are willing to return Beyond the Wall, I can also send people to escort you. All this, as long as you provide me with intelligence on the Others."

Craster revealed a sinister smile, "Wolf King, do you think I would betray the Great Other for freedom? I will never reveal the mysteries of the Great Other and the Others to you. The cold wind has already begun to blow, and the Great Other will sooner or later march south from the Land of Always Winter to extinguish all fires of life. When that time comes, only those who worship the gods like Craster will be able to survive."

Eddard nodded, "Then you just stay in the cage and worship your god well!"

Craster stared at Gilly's pregnant belly, "Wolf King, I've heard it all. You think that by defeating that boy Mance and bringing back over a hundred thousand wildlings, you can mock the Great Other? You god-damned fool. When Gilly gives birth to the child, if it is a boy, you must send him Beyond the Wall to offer to the Great Other; otherwise, the Others will follow in the child's footsteps and turn Winterfell into a city of bones and skeletons."

Eddard really wanted to mock Craster's doomsday heresy, but his thoughts instantly returned to that day at Craster's Keep. Standing in that dilapidated hall, Eddard had felt an inexplicable chill. Could it be that Craster's sons really had a special attraction for the Others?

Catelyn was startled by Craster's words. She said in horror, "Eddard, is this prisoner so important? He is just a madman. He has been muttering nonsense the whole time he has been in Winterfell. Send him away quickly; send him to the Stark Estate."

Eddard did not want Catelyn to be frightened, so he called for the Winterfell household guard.

"Lock Craster in the dungeon."

Let Craster and his Others rot and stink in the dungeon together!

Eddard and Catelyn returned to their bedroom. Catelyn said excitedly, "Eddard, you crushed the wildlings Beyond the Wall; you should have just driven them away. Why did you have to migrate the wildlings to Winterfell? We simply cannot feed so many people."

Eddard took off his bear-skin cloak, "Our food reserves are very sufficient. I instructed Lord Wyman of White Harbor to ship a lot of grain from the South, Pentos, and Tyrosh."

"But that is all Winterfell's money being spent!" Catelyn said angrily, "Have you forgotten? We are deep in debt; we owe Lord Manderly one hundred thousand Gold Dragons, and we owe the Braavos Iron Bank five hundred thousand Gold Dragons."

At the thought of the tens of thousands of Wildlings outside Winterfell, Catelyn suddenly became agitated and gripped Eddard's hand, "That's right, I heard from Maester Luwin that if any king or lord dares to default on debts to the Iron Bank, rebellions will constantly sprout within their borders. Last year there was a Rockborn rebellion on Skagos, and this year it is the King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder attacking the Wall; perhaps the Iron Bank is pulling the strings behind all of this?"

"Today you even brought over a hundred thousand Wildlings back to the Winter Town, and this is the heart of the North! If the Iron Bank incites these Wildlings to rebel, the Winter Town grand market, barracks, stables, forges, and glass gardens that we worked so hard to build could all be destroyed by the Wildling rebellion!"

Eddard smiled bitterly: "Catelyn, your imagination is truly rich. Go ask the financial advisor Klar; our maple syrup, Blue Noble, vodka, cinnabar ink, perfume, herbs, and dyed wool clothing are already selling well across Westeros and the Free Cities. We have earned a lot of money."

Catelyn said gloomily: "We have earned some money, but you have spent it all! I have seen Klar's bills; those Wolf Castles you built on the West Coast, like Dawn Watch, Warhorse City, Stony City, and Blacksmith City—which one doesn't cost money? Now you actually want to build Long Lake City and raise so many Wildlings; you are simply insane."

Eddard said calmly: "The debt we owe White Harbor will be offset by the taxes House Manderly owes to Winterfell. As for the debt to the Braavos Iron Bank, you have even less need to worry. The North is full of wood, and now, the Haunted Forest beyond the Wall is also mine. I have already ordered the Stark castle on the Wall to cut timber in the Haunted Forest and ship it directly from Eastwatch to Braavos for sale."

Catelyn said disdainfully: "How much can wood be worth? When the Braavosi see us using wood to pay off debts, they will know the North is dirt poor."

Eddard laughed: "That is where you don't understand. Timber is worthless in the North, but when shipped to Braavos, it becomes a precious commodity. Braavos is located at the intersection of the Shivering Sea and the Narrow Sea, and the climate is quite cold. There are very few forests within Braavos, and the Braavosi do not allow the cutting of windbreak forests on their islands. Therefore, many Braavosi cannot afford wood for heating and can only burn horse dung. The profit from one ship of timber transported to Braavos is over a hundred Gold Dragons."

The gloom on Catelyn's face gradually dissipated, "So wood is that valuable in Braavos. That damned Braavosi financial advisor Klar, why didn't he tell me? Calculating it this way, even if the North only sold wood to Braavos, it would be enough to pay off the debts. However, those Wildlings..."

Eddard placed his hand on Catelyn's shoulder, "The hearts of the people are the most precious thing, and the Wildlings have faced the Heart Tree and sworn allegiance to me, to House Stark, and to Winterfell. Like the people of the North, the Wildlings are descendants of the First Men and worship the Old Gods. Many people think the Wildlings are a barbaric, uncivilized group, but in reality, the Wildlings are proud and resilient. Twelve thousand Wildlings—supporting so many Wildlings does require food, but the Wildlings can also provide labor and military strength for Winterfell."

"Winterfell's lands have plenty of uncultivated soil. We build houses, settle these Wildlings, let them join the Stark Estate, and open up more fertile fields, and we will be able to harvest more food. Moreover, the grain shipped from White Harbor is very sufficient, the ice cellars at the Wall are piled full of food, and Stark fishing boats catch large amounts of seafood every day in the Bay of Ice, Seal Bay, and the Shivering Sea. Feeding the people of the North, including the Wildlings, is absolutely no problem."

"Besides Wildlings, there are giants and skinchangers, and we can select ten thousand brave and battle-hardened Wildling warriors. In times of peace, the Wildlings work for the Starks on the Stark Estate and in the workshops. In times of war, the Wildlings will fight bloodily for the Starks under the Direwolf Banner. Just imagine, if the Seven Kingdoms were in chaos and the Riverlands were engulfed in the flames of war..."

Catelyn's heart tightened, "Chaos? Please, no war. My father, Duke Hoster Tully, has been getting worse these past few years and has even become bedridden. My brother Edmure, how is he material for fighting a war?"

Eddard said: "The Riverlands border the Westerlands, the North, the Vale, the Crownlands, and the Reach, and they are separated from the Iron Islands by the sea. The Riverlands are a place that every strategist must fight for. Go flip through the history books; in the history of the Seven Kingdoms, whenever there is war, the Riverlands have never been able to stay out of it. 'When the seven kingdoms clash, the Riverlands bleed.'"

"Once war breaks out in the Riverlands, House Stark will summon the Northern Vassals to march south to relieve Riverrun. Think about it, how great an advantage will the North have when there are ten thousand roaring Wildling warriors?"

Catelyn suddenly realized, "I hadn't thought of that layer. Eddard, you really are the one who considers things comprehensively. My uncle Brynden told me that fighting a war requires population and money to support it."

The Tully family of Riverrun were the Wardens of the Riverlands appointed by Aegon the Conqueror, but the awkward thing is that the Tully family has never been kings in the Riverlands. Their territory is not as large as the neighboring House Vance, Riverrun is far less majestic than House Whent's Harrenhal, the Tully family's lineage is far less noble than families that once claimed kingship like the Mallisters, Vances, Blackwoods, and Brackens, and they are not as wealthy as House Frey of The Twins...

All of this destined the Tully family of Riverrun to have far less rallying power in the Riverlands than House Stark has in the North. Once war breaks out, Riverrun needs the support of the North and the Vale. The alliance of the North, the Riverlands, and the Vale of Arryn, forged when Catelyn and Lysa married Eddard and Jon Arryn respectively, was precisely out of this political consideration.

Eddard held Catelyn's hand, "Beyond the Wall has been incorporated into the map of the North, and the territory of the North has expanded several times over. The Starks have Dawn Watch in the Rills, Stony Town on the Stony Shore, Warhorse City in the Rills, Blacksmith City at Sea Dragon Point, and Abyss Keep on Skagos. The population of the North has increased by over a hundred thousand; this is a great victory."

"Enjoy the victory! The victory banquet will be held in a few days. At that time, vassals from all over the North will come to Winterfell to attend the banquet, and I will commend the heroes of the war beyond the Wall. This is a glorious moment belonging to the Direwolf."

A few days later, nobles from all over the North arrived one after another.

Lord Medger Cerwyn arrived first as usual. Because Cerwyn is so close to Winterfell, only a day's ride away, Medger Cerwyn is usually the first at every Winterfell banquet. He also brought his daughter Jonelle Cerwyn and son Cley Cerwyn.

Lady Barbrey of Barrowton arrived second, which was unprecedented. In past Winterfell banquets, Lady Barbrey usually either missed them or arrived late. She came so early this time only because she was worried about her husband Fellan.

Barbrey and Fellan embraced, and Fellan said apologetically: "I was captured in the war and failed to become a hero of the North."

"You fool, heroes all end up in the grave. It is enough that you can return alive and safe." Barbrey held Fellan's hand and placed it on her belly, "I am pregnant."

Fellan said excitedly: "Am I going to be a father?"

Subsequently, Lord Herman Tallhart of Torrhen's Square, the brothers Galbart Glover and Robett Glover of Deepwood Motte, and Lord Haris Hornwood of Hornwood arrived one after another.

Lord Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort arrived at Winterfell under the escort of a squad of Dreadfort guards. The Dreadfort guards had the Flayed Man crest on their chests.

Greatjon Umber mocked: "Lord Roose, you did not go on the expedition beyond the Wall. I am sorry that I did not get to hear your soft whispers at the war council!"

Roose Bolton said: "This must have been a very great expedition. Duke Eddard crushed the army of the King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder and also captured all sorts of strange and ancient creatures. I saw giants, terrorbirds, and snow bears, as well as countless Wildlings. I also regret not being able to lead troops to go. However, fortunately, my son Domeric went to the battlefield with Duke Eddard."

In fact, the Northern nobles all envied House Umber, House Karstark, the Northern Mountain Clans, and the Rockborn clans who followed Eddard on the expedition. The territories of these noble families are closer to the Wall, and many have been blood feuds with the Wildlings for generations, so even without Eddard's summons, they still chose to send troops to fight side-by-side with the Starks.

Many nobles missed this great war of annexing the lands beyond the Wall, expanding territory by ten thousand miles, and capturing over a hundred thousand Wildlings.

The current victory banquet is prepared to commend these few noble families. The glory and spoils of war were divided among the Umbers, Karstarks, Rockborn, and Northern Mountain Clans; the other nobles are just here to show support.

Lady Maege Mormont of Bear Island brought over six hundred captives. Bear Island did not follow Eddard on the expedition, but Bear Island was engulfed in the flames of war early in this war of conquest beyond the Wall.

Mance Rayder once hoped to capture Bear Island and use it as a springboard to bypass the Wall and invade the North. At Mance's instigation, the people of the Frozen Shore, who are separated from Bear Island by the sea, swarmed onto the coast of Bear Island in canoes. Lady Maege, with her daughters and the warriors of Bear Island, thwarted the attack of the Frozen Shore people, captured hundreds of people, and regained control of the Bay of Ice, forcing Mance's plan to miscarry.

Lord Wyman of White Harbor brought a large amount of delicacies as usual: caviar, sturgeon, salmon, prawns, crabs, swan meat, beef, and more.

"What a great war. The map of the North has reached an unprecedented size. So many Wildlings have joined the big family of the North. Fortunately, under Duke Eddard's instruction, White Harbor purchased enough grain. Our North has sufficient grain reserves, so we have nothing to fear."

After the Northern nobles were all present, the nobles entered the hall. The servants of Winterfell began to serve plates of turkey emitting an alluring aroma, onion beef, mutton sprinkled with cinnamon and cumin, turnips, pumpkin pies, lemon cakes, golden-brown crispy bread, vodka, ale, and beer.

The banquet had not officially begun, and Eddard was still in the study. In the hall, some nobles were laughing and talking; Greatjon began making lewd jokes with Lord Cerwyn, Lord Rickard was gambling with dice with Herman Tallhart, and Lady Maege found her brother the Old Bear to chat. The Old Bear and Night's Watch officials Qhorin Halfhand, Benjen, and others were invited to attend the banquet because the Night's Watch were also heroes in the conquest beyond the Wall.

Lord Roderick Ryswell of the Rills looked worried. He walked to Barbrey's side and walked with his daughter toward Eddard's study.

Lord Ryswell and Barbrey came before Eddard, and Eddard was curious, "Why not attend the banquet?"

Lord Ryswell handed over a jar of Gold Dragons, "Lord Eddard, we bargained with you over the issue of the mouth of the Salt Spear, and that was wrong. I am returning one thousand Gold Dragons and sending five hundred warhorses to express my apologies."

Barbrey handed over a jar of Gold Dragons, "These are those two thousand Gold Dragons; I haven't touched them. Lord Eddard, you have achieved victory in the Rock-born War and the war beyond the Wall, incorporating the lands beyond the Wall into the map of the North. This is something even Aegon the Conqueror could not do. You are a great hero of the North and even the Seven Kingdoms."

"Now the Direwolf is at the height of its power, and I am only willing to be a humble servant of the Direwolf. If there were any offenses against Lord Eddard in the past, I ask for Lord Eddard's forgiveness."

Eddard stroked the Gold Dragons, "Barbrey, this doesn't sound like you."

Barbrey stroked her belly, "I am pregnant."

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(End of chapter)