Chapter 163

"After two years of war, he finally returned to this land. The quiet land."

"Waves, the ocean, the fishy-smelling sea wind, and the nauseating warships were all far off."

"The soldiers were in high spirits, but no one cried out; they were still waiting for the duke's order to disband the army."

"As they wished, the duke, after landing at the mouth of the River of Lament, sent back batch after batch of overdue militia, granting them pack horses, food, and small amounts of gold and silver. This was what they deserved after long years of campaigning abroad."

"He thought that half of this should be paid by the Stark family, because at least half the time, this army had been fighting for the Starks."

"He would get this bill back."

"The one who came to the port to greet him was his heir, Li Ke Bo Dun, who had ear-length dark brown hair, a determined gaze, a well-built physique, but seemed a bit awkward and at a loss upon seeing him."

"The duke looked at him sternly, watching his heir stand before him like a disciplined student."

"In the cold air, the two stood silent, looking at each other. Well, the duke lightly tugged at the corner of his mouth, bringing a hint of ease to the frozen air."

"\"What a fine young man! \" the duke exclaimed. What does Duo Mi Li Ke look like? He felt his memory was a bit fuzzy, but the person before him was probably not that, and he truly wished it were. \"A splendid camp, you've prepared it well. \""

"This was a temporary camp built for his northern army, constructed according to marching regulations. The camp entrance had two watchtowers, front and rear, to warn of surrounding enemies—somewhat excessive, since they would face no enemy attack here, yet the heir still built it to standard, which exceeded expectations. Besides, there were billets, lodgings, and stables allocated by troop type, planned and arranged to his satisfaction."

"\"This doesn't look like a temporary structure. \" The duke rode his horse; perhaps he shouldn't have spoken of the camp as he was leaving it."

"\"My lord, if we ever rebuild Bolton Port, we will use this camp. I hope it can withstand this winter's ice and snow; I have made full use of the terrain and reinforced the main walls. The rubble here is easy to find, and timber is not lacking. \" Li Ke Bo Dun's voice was neither loud nor soft; before the duke it appeared quite ordinary, neither far nor near—just right."

"\"Good. I hope we can make use of this camp again soon. \" How long? That mainly depends on Lang Nü and the length of this winter."

"\"Speaking of the camp, Lord Ti Li Er and Lord Luo Wan wrote saying they didn't like the 'haunted house' that the Viscount of Shanyang City had prepared for them; they seem to dislike everything here. \" Li Ke Bo Dun rode his horse, trailing half a horse's length behind the duke, accompanying him on the ancient road from Dreadfort to the port; he had ordered the troops behind to keep a slight distance, so the two walked side by side, which undoubtedly relaxed the heir greatly."

"\"How did you reply? \" Viscount Mo Te Mo Er Mo provided three hundred infantry and fifty cavalry for the southward Bolton forces; now only two hundred seventy-three return unharmed, most of their hands stained with the blood of Northland soldiers. When Mo Er Mo's soldiers return to Shanyang City, this news will reach Viscount Mo Te's ears. Unfortunately, this information was not conveyed by his heir."

"That poor heir likewise died at the Red Wedding—as one of the perpetrators."

"\"I told them, the North's environment differs from the South; Lord Mo Er Mo surely has his own ideas. Of course, I also reminded him that if dissatisfied, they could build according to their own wishes. \" The heir smiled, \"Of course, I also didn't forget to tell them that the best camp is White Harbor. I hope they don't take it seriously—two thousand men couldn't take White Harbor. \""

"\"If they used good strategy, fewer people could take a city; they were correct to station there, and you did well. Unfortunately, they couldn't alone take Hewood Castle, for that is the gateway to White Harbor, which White Harbor would not easily relinquish; moreover, Hewood Lady is of the Mandel family. \""

"\"I hope the news of the Lannister army taking Kahe City will somewhat stimulate them. By the way, my lord, the Lannisters have captured Ya Li Ka Stark; how should we use this girl? \""

"This is an added blessing."

"\"After Lord Ka Si Ta Ke massacred William Lannister, he surely never imagined his castle would one day fall to the Lannister army. If Tai Bo Te Lan Ni Si Te knew that Lord Ka Si Ta Ke had used Ya Li's chastity as a reward for those who captured Duke James, I suspect he would not retain that reward. I will try to communicate, to have him send the person to Dreadfort. \" Walking along the familiar ancient road, which let the duke relax completely, \"Kahe City is an important stronghold in the northeast of the North; Kahe City's northern side faces Seal Bay's Seal Port, a vital outlet for the North's conquest of Skaggs Island. You know, without Kahe City there is no Seal Bay; without Seal Bay there would be no Skaggs Island; without Skaggs Island... the North would not be whole. \""

"\"What's the point of bringing her to Dreadfort? \""

"\"Regardless, she remains the daughter of a northern count; coming to Dreadfort aids her safety and her chastity, if she still has it. Moreover, after the war, the warriors rewarded with Kahe City will need such a girl. \" The duke glanced at his heir, finding the scene somewhat amusing, \"She was once engaged to the original heir of Hewood Castle, but that heir is dead. If you want her, I can give her to you, but I must say your marriage is worth selling at a higher price. \""

"The duke's marriage would confuse allied families and be hard to value, but a clear heir's would be different."

"\"I follow my lord's arrangements. \" The heir laughed, \"Upon hearing that the Stark's two young sons had died, I sent someone to contact Lang Nü, but she refused, saying I lacked the qualifications to speak with her. \""

"\"Lang Nü is certainly the first choice; that's correct. If she agrees to the marriage, the war in the North will cease immediately, and I will send someone again to communicate with her, if she returns from Stream Land to Winterfell. \" This is largely useless, especially since this girl keeps winning; the duke knows this, he need not give up unless he utterly defeats her, otherwise the marriage will forever be the priority option for resolving the North's troubles. \"If she refuses, we must find a chance to kill her; then the North's turmoil will likewise be swiftly quelled. You see clearly—the crux of the North lies in this woman. \""

"\"Can we kill her, just as we killed her two brothers? \""

"Along the ancient road, towering giant trees intertwined, adding a touch of wondrous color and a mysterious atmosphere to the path."

"\"We don't usually talk like this in the North, \" the duke felt, his words to his heir increasing—this is a debt he owes, one that will take long to repay. \"The North never forgets; its old gods always watch. But since you've spoken, there's nothing more to hide—yes, killing her would also solve the trouble, but the cost is too high; I'm not sure we should act so soon. Have you seen the monk I brought back? He is a tool, a fine tool; I will use him at the right moment. You just need to know. \""

"\"Red-robed monk? Ba Er Ta Sa said he saw a strange woman in Winterfell, rumored to be the red witch beside Si Tan Ni Si, perhaps come to forge an alliance between Si Tan Ni Si and Si Ta Ke; but entrusting such an important matter to a witch might indicate Si Tan Ni Si truly has no one left to use. \""

"\"Ba Er Ta Sa is a cautious person; I feel at ease with Leaf Creek River in his hands. \" The duke didn't want to say more about the monk—too many uncontrollable factors—\"Have you seen these trees? What do you think? \""

"\"I certainly have, \" Li Ke Bo Dun said, somewhat puzzled, not grasping the duke's meaning, \"They are very old……very thick, also tall, and their leaves are somewhat strange. \""

Not bad, they're still quite straight," the Duke nodded lightly, "After Bolton's Port was destroyed, immediately after, the Bolton lord who inherited the Dreadfort cleared all the ornamental trees along both sides of the old road and planted oak, cedar, teak, walnut, fir and other species—these are all excellent shipbuilding timber.

As ship timber, they're too thick.

Yeah, too thick! The Boltons waited and waited, chopping batch after batch of timber, piling the wood in every warehouse that could be used for air-drying, yet they still couldn't turn any piece into a ship; when the shipbuilding timber became truly excessive, the Boltons had no choice but to sell batch after batch of it to the Braavosi," seeing these giants that blotted out the sky, the Duke felt a twinge of nostalgia, "They thought Bolton's shipbuilding trees were inexhaustible!

In the forest of giant trees, only the horses' snorts and the rhythmic tread of the following troops could be heard; the Duke and his heir were both moved by the trees lining the old road, as if they had never been to such a place before.

From the Dreadfort all the way to the small town before Bolton's Port, this is what generations of Boltons have done over the years—nothing but waiting." The Duke resumed in a light tone, "I know your suggestion in the council chamber; you've done well enough, I'm satisfied, and missing the chance to launch an attack on the Starks isn't your fault." The Duke sighed, "That's my fault. I should have given you more decisive authority; perhaps if you had taken initiative, the Starks would feel pressure and not project their power further west, and the Riverlands wouldn't be in today's predicament.

He had already known the she-wolf's actions while aboard the ship.

The red-robed monks repeatedly demanded offerings, warning the Ryswells that the enemy had arrived and disturbing the senses of that ice plains wolf, yet they still failed to stop the Ryswells' defeat and had no effect on the she-wolf's victory." The Duke raised his hand to stop Rick Bolton's question, "This isn't something that can be explained—the she-wolf and her retinue may think that striking the Ryswell family will weaken Barbrey Ryswell's standing within House Dustin, and then they could use three heirs to partition the Barrowlands, which is completely wrong. Both House Dustin and House Ryswell are families that do not hesitate to let women inherit the headship, just like the Starks; the she-wolf herself benefits from, let's say, the North's tradition, yet she forgets this obvious fact in Lady Dustin's case, which is truly shocking, especially since she killed Rodrik Ryswell, the Earl whom the Riverlands love, which is hard to imagine. If I were to guess, whether it's Brightflame Gate, Stone River Mound, Longrock Fort, or Ironstream City, they would all choose to pledge loyalty to Lady Dustin rather than to whichever Ryswell the she-wolf has chosen.

Does Lady Dustin have the talent to rule?" Rick Bolton asked, "Lord Rodrik's three sons were also killed; I hear this is retaliation by the Ryswells for insulting Lord Eddard's corpse.

The Duke knew he had never met this lady and knew little of her. But as his own sister-in-law, he understood her all too well: in her youth she was a shy, pure-hearted beautiful maiden; after marriage she proved adept at managing both household and affairs; widowed, she gradually became the true leader overseeing the Barrowlands inside and out.

Governing the Riverlands and the Barrowlands is more than enough for her." As a woman she need not fight on the battlefield; that alone suffices, "After her three brothers died, it falls to her to rule the Riverlands, which for us isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Not a bad thing?

What is the family motto of House Ryswell and House Dustin?

I..." the heir stammered, his face flushing.

The Duke couldn't blame his heir; not everyone gets the chance to learn every house's sigil and motto.

Don't blame yourself," the Duke gestured, "The family motto is a conduit to understanding certain houses' natures, and not everyone acts according to their own motto, but most people cannot escape the motto's 'curse' on them." The Duke chuckled, "You heard me right—I used the word 'curse'; some might see it as a 'blessing,' but let them think what they will.

A cold wind swept through the thicket like a lone blade; the Duke pulled his cloak tighter, plucked a damp, withered leaf clinging to his outer garment, and let it go.

This might be Lady Dustin's crisis, but also her chance to unite the Riverlands and the Barrowlands." The Duke smiled, not uttering their mottos, treating it as a warning to his heir, who should at least thoroughly understand his ally houses, "We will give Lady Dustin sufficient support.

What kind of support?

The Duke felt that he and his heir still had much to adjust; if Domeric were here, he would at least confirm things by way of example.

Why not guess?" the Duke smiled at him.

Since it's support, naturally we can only support what we have," Rick Bolton mused, "Troops? Besides, my lord, you are the Iron Throne–recognized Warden of the North, which is also no small thing; we can use that to exert influence over the Riverlands.

Better than he imagined. "You're wrong," the Duke said, pulling at the corner of his mouth into a slight smile, "It's not to exert influence over the Riverlands by this means, but over the Barrowlands." The Duke cut off his further speculation, "The she-wolf has chosen three heirs for the Barrowlands: Lanney Stark, Piers Waterman, and young William Fisher of House Fisher. Everyone knows Lanney Stark's claim comes from her mother, but her mother's sons are not only Lanney Stark; there's also Jon Flint. Eddard Stark once feared that Jon Flint's finger and the Barrowlands would fall under the same count's rule, so he vetoed the marriage between Jon Flint and Barbrey; I am different—I can support Jon Flint's marriage, thereby continuing to bolster Lady Dustin's position in the Barrowlands." A wind blew here; he felt he liked the icy taste of the mountains and forests, his enthusiasm for speaking grew stronger, an experience he had never had in the south, "Jon Flint may not be willing to change his surname for the Barrowlands, which also helps Lady Dustin maintain her standing there.

If they unite, then it wouldn't just be the joining of Jon Flint's finger and the Barrowlands, but also a union with the three regions of the Riverlands. My lord, aren't you worried?

Whether I worry or not makes no difference to the Boltons; the key is you—are you worried?

I don't know." He remained silent for a long time before giving his answer.

Jon Flint is a widower, and Lady Barbrey is a widow. As long as I consent to their marriage, I can easily undo the she-wolf's ill-conceived scheme." These are trifles, "You say you don't know—that at least is honest; no one will know what consequences this marriage will bring—I mean, whether Barbrey will bear children; she is already thirty-eight, and after this winter only the old gods know how old she will be. If she could still bear children at that age, I would worry if I were you.

If she cannot bear children, then after they die the three regions will still have to split apart, so there's no need to worry.

The duke gave his heir an appreciative smile; that's simply the case.

This is the risk, and I wouldn't even ask her whether she can still bear children—she would certainly see that as an insult and think we're fools; for us, the latter is especially not worth the loss.

"We can bribe her maid!" the heir laughed, "and investigate the matter thoroughly."

"If she could still bear a child, I'd even be willing to marry her to you." The duke also laughed, "She's older than you, but her dowry is rich, worth a gamble, even if you are the heir of Horror Fort."

"It can be considered." Li Ke Bo Dun did not reject this potential goodwill.

"If possible, she's not even your first choice." The duke wiped his smile, "When she was young she ran around with Wild Wolf Brandon, never heard of her getting pregnant; if anything happened, she wouldn't hide it from her sister Beishani, and Beishani, well, she probably wouldn't hide it from me either—after she married Earl William Dustin, her belly never showed any movement; she's likely unable to bear children."

"She certainly isn't the first choice."

"The first choice is the she-wolf, but she likely already regards Bolton as an enemy; unless we storm her city and capture her like the last Storm Queen Arjena," the duke sighed softly, looking at the heir's puzzled expression—he probably didn't know this woman, so he had to explain, "She is the last Storm Queen; the first Duke of Windrest Fort, Orleis Baratheon, defeated her father and, under the threat of the dragon, seized her castle; in the end, Orleis Baratheon married her and inherited the language and crest of the Dulandun family, which is also the source of the Baratheon family's language and crest."

"If we really take Winterfort and capture her, there's no need to marry her either."

"Of course." No need to inherit her language and crest either.

"So are there any other options?"

"Of course, this is what I've wanted to say all day." The duke looked at him, "Second option: she is the daughter of White Harbor heir Wyman Manderly. Perhaps, according to Earl Wyman's wishes, we could marry her first or second granddaughter." The duke gazed at the desolate familiar road, lost in thought, "War is frequent, men die more and more, leaving many lovely daughters without suitable matches; his two granddaughters, at least one should marry Eddard Stark's son, but Eddard's sons are all dead. If he considers the status of his granddaughters, perhaps he would agree to this marriage."

"If we had Wyman Manderly by the throat, perhaps he'd consider it more seriously. Too bad, Duke Jaime always likes to lose battles, leaving us passive."

"That's right, so I said 'perhaps'—while on the way to Saltfield Town, he should have stopped by Herenburg to seize Wyman Manderly's throat, but now it's too late to say anything. 'But the she-wolf easily released Wyman Manderly back to White Harbor, giving Lord Wyman full discretion.'"

"Would he abandon the Starks, even if his son were rescued by the she-wolf?"

"He was captured for the Starks' cause, and being rescued by the Starks now incurs no debt; moreover, I've never heard that the Manderly family values loyalty, unless their bellies are filled with conscience."

"I hope his granddaughter is unlike him."

"Do you care?" the duke asked coldly.

"After you put it that way, my lord, I suddenly don't care as much." The heir wasn't as cautious as he imagined, and he wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad thing.

"My lord, the Freys—if they learned the news……"

"They already know the news," the duke said without looking aside, "they have no choice. Only Bolton can help him. They were once Tywin Lannister's mad dogs, and now they could be Bolton's mad dogs. I hear you have a plan to drive a nail in the west of the river? Now someone can be that nail."