Chapter 213: Westerlands Partially Subdued, Rhaegar Attacks from the Riverlands

At Castamere, the place where Duke Tywin made his name, Duke Tywin's great army suffered a total and utter defeat.

On this rainy night, "The Song of the Seven" and "The Rains of Castamere" were sung incessantly.

Thousands of Westerlands nobles and Knights became prisoners of the Wolf King's army. Many Westerlands nobles were captured, including Lord Plumm and Lord Stokeworth.

More Knights and squires voluntarily surrendered to the Wolf King's army.

Many Hired Knights and Sworn Knights serving the Westerlands, as well as many squires harboring dreams of knighthood, abandoned the Lannisters at the final moment.

In King's Landing, the Lannisters blasphemed the Seven and slaughtered the followers of the Seven; in the end, this debt was repaid by the Lannisters of the Westerlands.

The coastal towns of Kayce and Feastfires were frequently raided by the Iron Bitch, while House Crakehall of Crakehall had to guard against the Reach to the south.

Lord Greatjon Umber said, "We men of the North believe in the Old Gods and the Weirwood Heart Tree; why should we sing stupid songs praising the Seven of the South!"

"You know nothing, Jon Snow."

Usually, the black and white bears helped transport boulders and timber at Harrenhal and were deeply loved by the soldiers; now, each of them stood over two meters tall and weighed over one thousand jin.

On the Ruby Ford on the north bank of the Trident, Eddard built Crossroads Castle; the defenses of this Wolf Castle were much stronger than a lord's town.

Eddard said calmly, "Duke Tywin has become a dog with a broken spine and won't be jumping around for many more days. Even if he hides in Casterly Rock, how many followers of the Seven would still be willing to fight for Tywin?"

Kanu was a disciple of the Eagle King McCain and a member of the Raptor Tribe; he was only twenty years old, with a hooked nose and a head of black hair.

Old Bear Mormont said, "Our Night's Watch is very well prepared. In the last three months, we have killed over a dozen wights, and we even saw an Other, though unfortunately, we couldn't kill him."

Eddard said, "Casterly Rock and Lannisport have not yet been taken, and the war in the Westerlands is not over. Harrenhal has a force of over twenty thousand, so I don't need to mobilize the main army. I will take the Magic Dragon, the Wolf, Prince of Giant Eagles Michu, and a portion of the giant eagles to Harrenhal first; that will be enough to repel the enemy."

"If the undead army dares to come, the defenders of the Wall, holding the high ground, will surely be able to defeat the enemy."

"We must be careful of the Great Other's dark servants; necromancers can open graves and resurrect corpse after corpse, and the cruel North and Beyond the Wall possess the most graves."

The brothers of the Night's Watch and the Winter Wolves on the Wall were the best-fed army.

"Prince Rhaegar is at the Gods Eye; the undead have found a few fishing boats."

Eddard said, "Rest assured, I will use the warg's control technique to help you control the giant eagles."

Under the attack of fire, this small undead army quickly scattered, and Prince Rhaegar disappeared without a trace. The cavalry burned these fishing boats and retreated to Harrenhal.

"Don't forget, the necromancer has already turned King's Landing into a city of the undead."

A raven flew in from the east and landed on Eddard's arm, the raven making a "caw-caw" sound in its throat.

Gold and silver can get you anywhere; autumn has arrived, and the North, the Vale, and the Riverlands have abundant food reserves. Gold can allow Eddard's people to survive the long winter and defeat the undead.

As a warg, Eddard found controlling animals as easy as putting on shoes. Now, Eddard had mastered the ability to communicate with animals; he understood the raven's language, and the raven told Eddard that the undead were marching toward Harrenhal.

Eddard was not surprised that Prince Rhaegar was leading an undead army to attack Harrenhal; he had long expected that the Lannisters of King's Landing and the undead would attack Harrenhal, as it was the necessary passage for the undead of King's Landing to attack the Riverlands and the Vale.

The Red Priest Thoros made a face, "Thoros of Myr has never tasted the feeling of flying; this time, I'll get to be a Giant Eagle Knight for once."

It truly lived up to the famous saying of House Lannister: "A Lannister always pays his debts."

However, Eddard selected some commanders; the Lightning Lord, the Red Priest Thoros, and Brienne were chosen by Eddard.

In the end, the King-Beyond-the-Wall Joramun and House Stark together captured the Nightfort and lifted the curse.

Lord Rickard said gloomily, "But if the undead use dark magic to salvage the dragon bone, that would be a disaster for Harrenhal. The Magic Dragon Koi and Eagle Eye are still too young; how could they contend with Vhagar and Caraxes? We must destroy the undead's conspiracy at the Gods Eye."

Every surrendering noble family offered hostages, who were sent to Riverrun; Eddard's group of fosterlings gained many Westerlands faces.

"I watched Prince Rhaegar grow up, marry, have children, and die at the Trident... I fought alongside Prince Rhaegar for many years; I never expected that upon his rebirth, he would become a Death Knight of the undead."

Jenny possessed the ability to have prophetic dreams. Since being brought to Harrenhal by Eddard, Jenny had lived in the godswood of Harrenhal, becoming close friends with Arya, Sansa, and Catelyn. According to Jenny, her ability to have prophetic dreams had grown stronger since she arrived at Harrenhal.

Because Eddard allowed the brothers of the Night's Watch to eat caviar, trout, shrimp, and other seafood at every meal, with ale and mead in abundance. Seafood from the Bay of Ice, Seal Bay, and the Shivering Sea, along with grain from the North, were all stored in the cold storage rooms of the Wall.

Jon Snow said, "The news coming from the south is more terrifying than the last; Harrenhal has been attacked by the undead, and we must also prepare."

Moreover, Eddard believed that House Farman of Fair Isle would soon surrender.

Catelyn widened her eyes, her eyes filled with fear.

Jenny said sadly, "The necromancer resurrected Prince Rhaegar and King Robert; it is naturally possible for him to resurrect the spirits of the ancient battlefield."

Ygritte said, "Jon, if the Night King is reborn, that would be a big problem for the North. We also have legends of the Night King Beyond the Wall; it is said his Corpse Queen was a daughter of the Barrowlands."

The Greatjon sighed, "What a pity, we still let the old thief Tywin escape."

The brothers of the Night's Watch today were no different from the Winter Wolves; their pay, armor, black wool trousers, black cloaks, and longswords were all provided by Stark.

Jon Snow stroked his obsidian dagger.

During the War of the Five Kings, the brothers of the Night's Watch swore to protect the kingdom, but in reality, the king in the hearts of the Black Brothers was Eddard.

Catelyn and Lord Rickard looked at each other nervously, "Could Prince Rhaegar be planning to take fishing boats to attack the Isle of Faces in the Gods Eye?"

The undead on the shores of the Gods Eye were caught off guard; a white bear crushed the skull of a skeleton warrior with one paw, and a black bear bit the neck of an undead, quickly draining the power from the undead's bones, only then did the undead truly die.

"The Barrowlands is the tomb of the First King; who knows how many people are buried there? If the Night King and the Corpse Queen reach the Barrowlands, who knows how many terrifying undead they could resurrect?"

Legend says the Night King was the Thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, who took a beautiful woman with skin as pale as the moon and blue eyes as his Corpse Queen. The Night King and the Corpse Queen used dark magic to control the brothers of the Night's Watch and began their dark reign at the Nightfort. The reign lasted for thirteen years.

The Red Priest Thoros and the Lightning Lord were skilled in fire attacks; fire-attack experts were more useful on the battlefield against the undead. Brienne was suited to protect Catelyn, Sansa, and Arya.

Lord Rickard shrugged, "Who can say for sure? If a pirate, smuggler, or ironborn becomes an undead after death, they might be a master of naval warfare. If they were a mountain clansman, they'd likely be a landlubber. In any case, Prince Rhaegar doesn't seem to be skilled at naval warfare."

Under the control of the Wolf King's army, some mining areas had also resumed extraction; the gold and silver of the Westerlands became Eddard's private wealth.

Catelyn looked at the ghost of High Heart, "Prince Rhaegar's undead appeared on the Gods Eye in fishing boats; besides the Isle of Faces, what else could be the target of the undead?"

"I have already sent Brynden Tully and Robb with twenty thousand troops to march south along the River Road to strike at Casterly Rock and Lannisport; it would be best to capture Lannisport and Casterly Rock before Tywin does."

Ser Barristan requested to be transferred to Harrenhal to participate in the war against the undead, but Eddard refused.

The ghost of High Heart, Jenny, said, "Prince Rhaegar's true target is actually the ancient battlefield of the Trident."

"If the legends are true, the Night King is far more dangerous than the necromancer."

Greatjon Umber said, "Lord Eddard, undead have appeared at Harrenhal and Storm's End; could the undead appear Beyond the Wall? After all, Others and wights have always been the nightmare of the North."

The war in the Westerlands was nearing its end, and a vast amount of the Westerlands' wealth fell into Eddard's hands.

Eddard said, "We in the North began preparing for the long winter, the Long Night, and the undead a long time ago. The Wall is as solid as a rock."

Jon Snow was somewhat worried, "But the North is a land watched over by the Old Gods."

"Are the undead also skilled at naval warfare?"

Eddard said, "The fleet of House Farman of Fair Isle failed to stop the North Coast Fleet from heading south; the forces Fair Isle itself can provide are a mere few thousand, not worth worrying about. Tywin's target is surely still Casterly Rock and Lannisport."

Ser Barristan said, "How many troops does the Wolf Prince intend to move to Harrenhal?"

Catelyn stroked her chest, "Harroway's Town is populous; once slaughtered by the undead, it will produce even more undead. Worse, once the undead capture the Trident crossing, they can directly threaten the downstream towns of Maidenpool and Saltpans, or even travel up the Trident to threaten a vast area including Riverrun, The Twins, and Fairmarket."

"Do not forget, everyone, that during the Dance of the Dragons, the Prince of Flea Bottom, Prince Daemon, rode the magic dragon Caraxes over the Gods Eye to face Prince Aemond, the Kinslayer, who rode the magic dragon Vhagar."

The manors south of The Wall grow pumpkins, potatoes, greens, rapeseed, blueberries, blackberries, and more, with plenty of vegetables and fruits.

In the past, every winter, the brothers of the Night's Watch worried just like the North, fearing they would not have enough to eat or wear. Now, the brothers of the Night's Watch have joined the great Northern family, and they worry about which delicacy to eat for every meal; clothing and bedding are plentiful.

From then on, Prince Rhaegar's undead army began to intentionally avoid the Gods Eye, and Prince Rhaegar's undead marched east toward Maidenpool.

Now, the Sarwyck family of Silver Hall, the Leyton family of Deep Den, and the Brax family of Hornvale have all surrendered to the Wolf King Eddard, and these Westerlands nobles have lowered the Roaring Lion banner of Lannister and raised the Direwolf Banner of House Stark.

Brynden Tully, Robb, needed to capture Sarsfield to advance on Casterly Rock; facing the twenty-thousand-strong army beneath the city walls, the Lord of Sarsfield could only choose to kneel and submit.

Mance Rayder said, "Lord Snow, none of us know how large the Land of Always Winter is beyond the Wall. Who knows how many people are still hiding in the Haunted Forest, the Land of Always Winter, and the Frostfangs? The Wildlings pride themselves on being Free Folk; there are always those who love freedom more than life, preferring to stay beyond the Wall rather than migrate to the North."

That evening, Lord Rickard, Raymund Darry, and Ser Wyllis Wode charged into the dark night with three thousand cavalry; the white bear Little Gasol and the black bear Randolph also joined the battle.

Mance Rayder said, "Lord Snow, we have naturally made full preparations for the undead coming from the north, but what if the enemy appears south of The Wall?"

However, the Kenning family of Ketch, the Prester family of Feastfires, as well as the Lannister strongholds of Casterly Rock, Lannisport, the Crakehall family of Crakehall, and the Swyft family of Cornfield and other Westerlands nobles remain loyal to Lannister.

Jon Snow frowned, "Originally, over a hundred thousand Wildlings followed the Wolf King and migrated to the North. Logically, there should be no humans left beyond the Wall. It seems the White Walkers have opened many graves and resurrected the corpses."

The Lightning Lord said, "Wolf Prince, we are on horseback; this speed is much slower than the giant eagles. By the time you reach Harrenhal, Thoros of Myr, Brienne, and I will likely have only just reached the Riverlands."

When the chorus of the armies of The Vale, the Riverlands, and the North rang out, Eddard rode on the back of a giant eagle, carrying the magic dragon, and witnessed the Stark Army annihilating the last of the Westerlands army from all sides.

"Where did Duke Tywin go? The Kingslayer? Kevan?" Eddard asked the Westerlands captives.

The name of the Night King appeared, and the air around them seemed to freeze; the Old Bear, Mormont, cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"The Gods Eye does not need support." The speaker was the ghost of High Heart, the old woman Jenny, "The Green Men can protect themselves. Besides, Prince Rhaegar's target is not the Isle of Faces."

Jon Snow, Mance, and the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, the Old Bear Mormont, stood shoulder to shoulder on The Wall behind the Nightfort, gazing into the lands beyond the Wall to the north.

Jon Snow shrugged, "So what? It's just a legend."

With the Lannisters desecrating the Seven in King's Landing and the High Septon ordering the Knights to overthrow the Lannisters, Ser Barristan can influence more knights and squires in the Westerlands to abandon the Lannister cause and turn to Stark. After all, Ser Barristan is a living legend.

Back then, at the lord's war council, when Eddard demanded that the army's soldiers sing the "Song of the Seven" while surrounding the Westerlands army, many Northern nobles were very confused.

Eddard said, "The three of you can ride the giant eagles with me. Prince of Giant Eagles Michu and I will take thirty giant eagles back to Harrenhal; carrying the three of you will be easy."

In the night at Harrenhal, the warg Kanu's falcon, eagle, and owl scouted the undead near Harrenhal.

In addition, some wargs were also selected; they needed to bring their own beasts and could only travel by land, so Eddard allocated three hundred cavalry to escort the wargs and beasts as they left the Westerlands for Harrenhal.

"Harrenhal is under attack. My daughter Arya, Sansa, my wife Catelyn, are all at Harrenhal, and my magic dragon Koi, Eagle Eye, and seven griffins are all at Harrenhal. Harrenhal protects the Trident; once Harrenhal is lost, the Trident basin and even The Vale could be attacked by the undead. I must go to Harrenhal to deal with the undead."

Lord Rickard said gloomily, "It seems the undead also understand strategy. Once the undead occupy the Trident crossing, our army will be at a disadvantage."

"Even if the undead attack, my Warden of the North, Jon Snow, Benjen Stark, and the brothers of the Night's Watch can hold off the undead army."

Beside them were Jon's lover Ygritte, Benjen Stark, Qhorin Halfhand, and others.

The Winter Wolves and the craftsmen of the Night's Watch were responsible for maintaining these fortifications together.

The longswords of the Harrenhal cavalry were coated with wildfire; the burning swords lit up the night sky, and the bears roared.

Mance Rayder said, "The Isle of Faces in the Gods Eye near Harrenhal is a sacred site of the Old Gods, yet the undead are still at the gates. I devoutly believe in the Old Gods, but counting on the gods to win this war is clearly unrealistic."

Brienne said, "Wolf Prince, I have never ridden a giant eagle; will I fall off?"

Eddard showed the letter to Greatjon, Barristan, and the others nearby.

Upon hearing this news, Sansa turned pale with fright.

Castamere possesses rich gold mines; the Wolf King's army captured Nun Castle, Pendrey Hills, Castamere, and several other gold and silver mining areas along the way. At this moment, many carriages filled with gold and silver were being transported along the River Road to Riverrun.

People discovered that the Night King sacrificed living humans to the Great Other; from then on, books and songs about the Night King all became taboo.

Ser Barristan said, "But what if Tywin went to Fair Isle?"

"The things at the bottom of the lake," Jenny said, "I have seen it in my dreams. The necromancers in King's Landing are trying to use dragon bone to create frost dragons; there is also dragon bone in the Gods Eye."

After the crowd dispersed, Ygritte and Jon Snow stood at the edge of the world, overlooking the lands beyond the Wall.

It turned out that Sansa's worries were unnecessary, because soon, the undead army began to turn northwest, heading toward Harroway's Town.

Harroway's Town is densely populated and also guards the Ruby Ford crossing of the Trident. After Eddard took control of the Riverlands, he strengthened the defenses of Harroway's Town and built walls for the town, but the walls could not compare to Harrenhal, and the defense was much worse.

The letters tied to the ravens' legs confirmed the ravens' language.

The defenses on The Wall were also terrifying; now, every ten meters, there is a catapult, stretching from Westbridge all the way to Eastwatch, in addition to ballistae, flame-throwers, stone-throwers, arrow towers, and more.

Ser Barristan said in horror, "The Storm of Death is leading the undead army to attack Storm's End. Prince Rhaegar is leading the undead army to attack Harrenhal."

Lord Rickard Karstark is a devout believer in the Old Gods, and he said, "The Isle of Faces is a sacred site; we cannot let the undead pollute the Weirwood Forest on the Isle of Faces. I will immediately take troops to sweep the undead from the Gods Eye!"

Lannister gold is second to none in the entire known world; even far away in Qarth, Yi Ti, and Leng, legends of the Westerlands Lannister gold mines circulate. The Lannisters can truly be called a golden family sitting on a mountain of gold.

Kanu saw the situation on the Gods Eye through his falcon, "A strange wind has appeared on the Gods Eye, and all the undead's fishing boats have been blown to the shore."

Eddard said, "Because as long as the 'Song of the Seven' is sung, the followers of the Seven in the Westerlands army will become restless. The High Septon has already called on the knights of Westeros and the followers of the Seven to overthrow the Lannisters."

The black and white bears were originally Eddard's pets and also Eddard's bodyguards. After Eddard had the magic dragon and giant eagles, he spent most of his time in the sky and did not need the protection of the black and white bears, so he left them at Harrenhal.

The gold and silver production in these mining areas is very rich, but compared to the mining areas around Casterly Rock controlled by the Lannisters, it is still much worse.

Singing "The Rains of Castamere" was also Eddard's idea.

"You mean the undead want to resurrect the ghosts of the Battle of the Trident?"

It is just that Eddard believes that soon everything the Lannisters possess will fall into Eddard's pocket.

"Tywin took a fishing boat out to sea. My Iron Bitch Harlen has already taken the North Coast Fleet and controlled the seas around Lannisport and Ketch. If Tywin encounters the Iron Bitch at sea, he is a dead man."

Every castle has stored a large amount of obsidian weapons; the Night's Watch garrison has an obsidian dagger for every person, every crossbowman is equipped with obsidian arrowheads, and there is also wildfire.

Ygritte tossed her fiery red hair.

Golden Tooth fell, the Westerlands defensive line collapsed, the High Septon called on the followers of the Seven to overthrow the Lannisters, and many Westerlands nobles could only choose to surrender under the pressure of the approaching army.

Qhorin Halfhand agreed, "King's Landing was once the center of the Faith of the Seven, and how sacred the Baelor's Sept there was, but now, it has become a Dark Temple. We must rely on ourselves to win this war."

At this moment, a gale raged over the Gods Eye, yet there was not a breath of wind on land. The Undead's Fishing Boat swayed unsteadily by the shore, and some Undead fell into the water.

The soldiers seized many suits of armor and warhorses, scavenging boots, cloaks, and valuables from the dead, while the Direwolf prowled at night, the Magic Dragon flew, the golden lady's lion, the Shadowcat, and others held a feast among the corpses on the battlefield.

"Try not to mention the name of the Night King, especially not at the Nightfort. Don't forget, the Nightfort is the Night King's old home."

Eddard said, "The soul of Rhaegar Targaryen has been controlled by the Great Other, just like the soul of Robert Baratheon; only by killing them can they be laid to rest."

Lord Rickard said, "This must be the power of the Old Gods. Fighting on the Gods Eye, under the watch of the Old Gods, what else do we have to fear?"

The former King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder has become the North's advisor for Beyond the Wall. Mance Rayder and his wife Dalla have given birth to a son, and now they have their own courtyard in Winterfell; Mance has become a loyal subject of House Stark.

Today, on the Wall, all nineteen castles have been rebuilt; from Westbridge, extending all the way to Eastwatch by the sea, of the nineteen fortresses, sixteen are in the hands of House Stark, while only Castle Black and the Shadow Tower belong to the Night's Watch, and Eastwatch is jointly managed by Stark and the Night's Watch.

These Westerlands nobles had no choice but to surrender, because when Duke Tywin previously summoned his great army, he drew troops from castles everywhere, and many of the young and able-bodied laborers of the Westerlands nobles had followed the Lannister to war, leaving mostly youths and old men to guard the castles. These castles were already poorly defended, and before the Wolf King's giant eagles, giants, and great army, they were vulnerable.

Eddard stood by the sea with Greatjon Umber, Lady Maege Mormont, Ser Barristan, and others, while a group of Westerlands noble captives stood to the side, wearing chains.

The Magic Dragon's size grew increasingly massive; now, its stature began to surpass the giant eagles, and Eddard believed that soon he would be able to ride the Magic Dragon to engage in battle.

Ser Wyllis Wode was a native of Harrenhal, and he said, "The water of the Gods Eye is very deep; many fishermen have tried to salvage Dragon Bone, but no one has ever succeeded, and the Undead may not succeed either."

Lord Plumm nervously pursed his lips, "Wolf Prince, Tywin, Kevan, and Ser Jaime, under the protection of the Lannister Red Cloak lion-helmed guards, took a Fishing Boat to Fair Isle, or perhaps they went directly to Lannisport."

"Rhaegar Targaryen is going to Maidenpool; he wouldn't resurrect Qiongqi and Foluolian, would he? Will they pollute the spring water where Qiongqi bathed back then?"

"In the Battle of the Trident back then, both the Usurper and the Royalists lost many famous lords and Knight; if Dark Magic summons a terrifying army of Undead, then it will be the end for countless living beings!"

Thanks to Dark Night Lingering, 20190430014231390, Han Qingsheng, 20221120202252021, Yangsiji, Life as a Game 6-6, 2210301106585894018 for the monthly tickets sent, thank you for the support!

(End of this chapter)