Chapter 20: Rika Pu'er

After resting for a night at The Twins, they left behind two hundred and fifty soldiers and nearly the same number of Frey corpses.

The bodies hung in rows beneath the bridge of The Twins, swaying with a gentle rhythm in the cold wind, saluting everyone who passed through the Green Fork.

They crossed The Twins with the joy and pride of victory, following the torrent of cavalry toward the next battlefield.

Rika had the most satisfying sleep of his life during that tense day. After closing his eyes, there was no more of the bloody, mangled reality or the stench of gore; the tension, fatigue, and exhaustion all vanished after a beautiful sleep. At this moment, he even missed the hot soup and freshly baked mutton bread of The Twins.

He could still feel the soreness all over his body, but this soreness was the reward for his fierce fighting, proof of his brave combat, and his good fortune. Although his armor had been pierced, the arrowhead had been blocked by the fur. His body was covered in bruises, but it had no impact on subsequent battles; he had fallen in love with the feeling of wearing armor.

The cavalry troop was almost as excited and high-spirited as he was; he could feel it from the neighing of the warhorses and their brisk running.

They crossed The Twins and headed south along the Sea Border Road. The small lords along the way kept their doors shut and guarded their keeps tightly, watching them ride past like dumbfounded ducks.

There were more enemies than allies here, he realized. They should recognize the banners held high in the troop. They wouldn't know the grey shield with the blue disc on a white background—that was the banner of his small house—but they must be able to recognize the high-flying Ice Direwolf banner. How could they not? They had even fought under this banner for the Young Wolf before.

The cavalry whistled as they passed such manors, mocking the cowards hiding behind the stone walls.

The people behind the walls had reason to fear.

Along the way, Rika saw many farms destroyed in fires, leaving only wet, charred ashes and broken walls. Many keeps were the same; behind the corners of the walls, simple shacks were erected, hiding ragged commoners or bandits. He even saw a few old women with grey hair and withered skin. They were numb to the passing of the large cavalry troop. This made Rika feel disappointed; he would rather have seen faces full of anger and hatred.

Hey, I am conquering your territory!

They might be local farmers, or laborers from some fortress, or seamstresses who sewed clothes, but now they were just poor wretches with no home. Rika felt that they wouldn't be able to survive this winter at all.

The further they marched, the colder he felt. This was clearly heading south...

Along the way, he patiently listened to Lawrence introduce all kinds of knowledge to him. In short, he looked like a passionate young man today, willing to play with those around him, not knowing if it was because of his good mood.

In the afternoon, they arrived at Seagard. On the gate tower, the grey Twin Towers banner flew high; this was the banner of House Frey. Did they not know that the Frey family castle had already been occupied?

The defending soldiers on the castle saw the large cavalry troop approaching and were panicked and at a loss. Rika sat on his horse, observing from afar; they were either too old or too young. Rika felt that as long as they crossed the moat and set up two siege ladders, they would surely take it in one battle.

The Wolf Girl was not in a hurry to attack. She let a mercenary knight approach slowly carrying a flag of peace. The knight threw away his sword and dagger at the castle wall and then entered the castle in a basket.

The cavalry troop waited impatiently under the city. Two hours later, several soldiers lowered the Twin Towers banner, the drawbridge slowly lowered, and the city gate opened slowly with a creak. Behind it was a troop of cavalry carrying flags. This time, what Rika saw was a silver eagle with wings spread on a blue background.

The leader was a sturdy man with an elegant white beard, his white hair hidden under an eagle-shaped helmet. The whole person looked very majestic; Rika had never seen such a graceful figure. He stood tall, his eyes were firm, and time had not brought him any decay at all.

He could only be the Count of Seagard, Jason Mallister. Rika thought he would dismount to show submission after approaching, but he did not.

"Mei of House Stark." He sized up the Wolf Girl. "Two hours ago, I was still a prisoner in my own castle. If you hadn't come, perhaps I would have died in prison. Thanks to you, I can regain control of the castle!" His tone was filled with emotion. "After the Young Wolf died, the Freys used the children captured at the Red Wedding to trade for the opening of the city gate. It's truly shameful; I thought I was strong enough. You know, I once served the Young Wolf, letting the Ice Direwolf fly at the highest point of the castle, the first time in hundreds or thousands of years. I am old; I didn't expect that at the end of my life, with my bones old, I would still be so pathetic. Do you need me to bend my knees?"

"Leave that to your liege lord," Mei looked back at Seagard and replied softly, which made the old man in front of her feel a little comforted. "In any case, I will continue to head south to rescue him or his family castle."

"Several wars have made Seagard bleed too much, and the food in the city has been swept away by the Freys," he sighed longly. "Now that winter has arrived, I think I can still provide you with fifty mounted soldiers, just as a small contribution to saving my liege lord."

"I heard that Darry City was looted twice and burned once, and the male bloodline has been cut off. Count, if you ask me, you haven't done anything wrong, and you are much luckier. I don't need your soldiers; I just need a few guides familiar with the situation in the Riverlands."

"That would be best." The Count of Seagard turned his horse to return. "You know, the pardon from King's Landing will come down soon, if the Freys' promise is credible."

Then you'd better not believe it, Rika thought.

"After this, the Iron Throne won't have any pardon for you."

"Then you'd better not lose." He turned his horse and returned.

They quickly left Seagard and marched all the way, camping at Rough Stone City in the evening.

Rika heard Lawrence say that this place was once the residence of a king of an ancient country, but what he saw was nothing more than strange stones, solid foundations, rising hills, endless humidity, and a lonely wilderness. Perhaps it had experienced prosperity in earlier times, but now it was just ruins.

Lawrence pointed to several wordless stone tablets and insisted that they were the mausoleums of some kings. Rika didn't care about such mausoleums; if he wanted to see this stuff, the whole Barrowton was full of them—the entire wilderness of Barrowton was buried with kings, important officials, and warriors of ancient First Men kingdoms.

Lawrence's other introductions were also interesting, but he still had his own work to do. The knights of the vanguard had already built simple stables here to house the warhorses. Some warriors had also cut a lot of forage in the wilderness. Rika had to feed the forage cut by the warriors to the warhorses he managed.

Besides this, Rika also needed to prepare marching items, check tools, and stack books for the Wolf Girl. By rights, he should also prepare swords for her, but the Wolf Girl never needed him to serve her swords.

Being a squire was a quite difficult job; he always had to get up earlier than the Wolf Girl and sleep later than her—the tragedy was that the Wolf Girl always got up early and slept late. The only comfort was that he was not the Wolf Girl's only squire. He was taken as a squire at the same time as George Cassel, a distant nephew of the original captain of Winterfell, Jory Cassel, but he was younger than Rika and was placed in the rear by the Wolf Girl, not participating in the battle inside The Twins, and was now sulking because of this.

After settling the horses, he saw George struggling to hammer wooden pillars. He laughed on the side; this was extra happiness.

After all the pillars were fixed, Rika worked with other soldiers to pull up the tent. This was the commander's simple combat tent. For the convenience of marching, they gave up the fully functional wooden table and spread animal skin blankets on a frame made of simple hardwood branches, which became a table for planning strategies. The big shots of the staff had better remember not to put their arms on the "tabletop," and don't even think about drinking wine while discussing; besides that, they had to stand. It is said that standing to discuss is easy to quarrel, but they never did.

The Wolf Girl held a military meeting here. The participants included the young Count Cerwyn, Count Robett of Deepwood Motte, Count Tallhart, and other noble lords leading troops, as well as officers under the Wolf Girl. Rika, George Cassel, Lawrence Snow, and a guide from Seagard listened in as the Wolf Girl's squires.

There could have been more participants, Rika thought. They rescued a large number of Northern nobles and officers at The Twins, including Lord Jon Umber of Last Hearth, Ser Kyle Cerwyn, Cregan Cerwyn, Ser Rickon Dustin, Jack Flint from Flint's Finger, Aedan Flint from Widow's Watch, Ser Maige Piper, Corlys Wayn from Goldentun, Ed Ryswell from Black Oak, Ser Konsson Slate, Ser Edric Tallhart, Henry Norrey, etc., but they did not head south together. It is worth mentioning that none of them chose to pledge allegiance to Roose Bolton.

"Everyone, Riverrun is now surrounded on three sides. Among them, the Frey army is west of the Tumblestone River, the Riverlands coalition is east of the Red Fork, and the Westerlands army guards the area between the two rivers, blocking the Riverrun garrison in the castle from three sides. There are no bridges connecting the garrisons, only some rafts and small boats, unable to support each other at any time, so they are effectively three isolated armies. If our army heads south, the first we will encounter will be the Frey army on the west bank of the Tumblestone River, totaling about three thousand people, stationed along the river." Rika watched her draw a rough map of the whole place while introducing, showing the locations of all forces.

"Since they are three isolated armies, then what needs to be considered is the Frey army. How many cavalry and infantry do they have?" Xia Er asked.

"At most five hundred cavalry. The rest are all infantry." The Wolf Girl replied. She didn't say the source of the information, but everyone knew that what she said was the truth, and everything in the battlefield was under the surveillance of her ravens.

"These people, just charge with cavalry." Will smiled, like a thorough noble. The scar on his face made him look heroic.

"They are stationed along the river, and the length is as long as ten miles. Cavalry cannot charge for a long distance. We can defeat them and disperse them, but it is difficult to annihilate them. Even if we annihilate them, it will take a long time. You know, we don't have that much time, and we don't have that many supplies to play the pig-catching game with them. After lifting the siege, we will quickly return to the North, where there are still battles to be fought." Every Northern officer was nodding.

"Hi, stationed along the river, is this a pig or a genius?"

"They are stationed along the river to prevent people from Riverrun from swimming and escaping from the opposite bank."

"The bad thing is that catching pigs also takes time. Besides, we are not Freys; we don't eat human flesh."

"Then is there a bridge to cross on the upper reaches of the Tumblestone River? Let's fight the Westerlands army first."

"There is no bridge within a hundred miles of the Tumblestone River." The guide from Seagard mentioned.

The officers began to discuss, and the focus gradually drifted away.

"We can quickly break the Frey camp, and then the cavalry will turn to the upper reaches of the Tumblestone River to find a crossing bridge, cross the river quickly, and block the Westerlands soldiers between the Tumblestone River and the Red Fork, and then decide the battle."

"Too dangerous. No matter if it's two hundred miles or one hundred miles, it will be dark when we reach the bridge. We cannot cross the bridge at night, and once the intention is discovered, we will only be beaten hard by the Westerlands." Xia Er disagreed.

"Do you know who the commander of the Westerlands is?" The Wolf Girl asked the guide.

"It should be Daven Lannister. His father is Stevron Lannister, the younger brother of Lady Tywin. Is he the Warden of the West appointed by Queen Cersei?"

"This is strange. Why is the Warden of the West not Kevan Lannister?" Will raised a question.

"From the perspective of the Lannisters, the position suitable for Kevan is Hand of the King, not Warden of the West. Anyway, if you want to know the answer, go to King's Landing and ask that bitch Cersei." Count Deepwood Motte spoke out.

"I have a lot of questions to ask her!"

"Regarding Daven, what do you all know?"

"Commander, his father died in the Whispering Wood, and then he swore not to shave until he avenged his father. I heard that he hasn't shaved his beard yet."

"It seems that the person who killed his father is still living quite sturdily!" Gashar laughed.

"His father's killer is Rickard Karstark. He was executed by the Young Wolf." The guide replied.

Gashar's smile froze instantly.

"Alright, this is at least not a cautious, introverted person. I hope he won't run away in a sorry state." When the Wolf Girl thought everyone had no new plans, she began to issue orders. "Tomorrow, Credo and Gashar will lead the main cavalry to charge directly into the Frey army's main camp, take the last Frey for me, and rescue Lord Edmure Tully. If you have time, tell him that his wife is still waiting for him at The Twins." This caused a burst of laughter. "Will will intercept from downstream of the river, and Xia Er will bypass the battlefield and return, starting to intercept from upstream. All Counts, lead your own troops and stand by to attack at any time. Win against the pigs first." Everyone laughed when they heard this.

"I think we can have a better strategy..." Lawrence Snow jumped forward from the side of the tent. This made George Cassel look very unhappy. Rika also felt this was very rash; he wasn't the Count of Hornwood yet!

"How can a bastard like you speak here! Get back quickly..." Only Count Deepwood Motte reprimanded.

The tent was quiet. Lawrence's face was red. Rika saw some officers silent, and some with smiles on their lips, as if savoring this unique atmosphere.

Count Deepwood Motte perhaps hadn't realized the real problem, or perhaps he was doing it on purpose.

"Count, we still have time to listen to his high opinion, let him speak." The Wolf Girl broke the silence.

"I, I have studied the Young Wolf's battle of raiding the camp." His voice was trembling, but he still persisted. "The key to the victory of this battle lies in two points. First, the Battle of the Whispering Wood captured Jaime Lannister, causing the enemy to lose unified command. When the Westerlands army on the north bank of the Tumblestone River was attacked, the Westerlands army on the south bank risked crossing the river to rescue, not only suffering a crushing defeat in the river crossing action but also causing their own defense to fall into chaos." He said, pointing to the map to indicate, "But why did he risk rescue? Because both sides of the river were Westerlands troops, and at that time Jaime Lannister was captured, and consecutive crushing defeats made the officers on the south bank have to perform. Second, the enemy on the south bank, after losing their leader, suffered a pincer attack from the Riverrun garrison and the Young Wolf."

"Yeah, we finally know how the Young Wolf won." Count Deepwood Motte said with sarcasm.

"The Westerlands people also know how they lost. So, when we break the Frey army, the Westerlands army will never risk crossing the river to rescue. They will only strengthen the precautions behind them, and the more cleanly and neatly we win, the more strictly they will defend, and the faster they will retreat. There are many boats by the Red Fork, and they can retreat to the east bank at any time." Lawrence insisted on his tone.

"The Freys are neither their own people nor their commanders. Losing this ally is certainly distressing, but this will not cause Daven to be punished, and there will not be any psychological burden. In short, he will not impulsively and recklessly cross the river on rafts to rescue. But no matter what, watching the friendly forces collapse, he will definitely strengthen defenses or, seeing that things cannot be done, escape and seek opportunities to fight again." Will seemed to appreciate Lawrence very much.

"We also didn't bypass them to attack from behind, and Riverrun couldn't open the city gate to pursue in this situation. If I were him, I would naturally join other troops before confronting us across the river." Xia Er added.

"In other words, they will calmly watch us break the Frey army and then fight a war of attrition with us." The Wolf Girl pondered.

"Even retreat to the east of the Red Fork, strictly preventing us from crossing the river. Considering the time problem, by that time we can only return to the North." Lawrence took over the conversation, and this was the key point.

"After we leave, they can continue to besiege the city. After all, our allies in the Riverlands no longer have offensive power." Will added for Lawrence.

"Letting them run away is indeed troublesome." The Wolf Girl said. "You said you have a better strategy. Now you can say it."

The Wolf Girl's words encouraged Lawrence, and he was quite inspired. Rika felt a little envious.

"Abandon the Frey army. Cross the Tumblestone River and attack the Westerlands main force with all your strength." Lawrence clenched his fists.

"Then what about Lord Edmure Tully?" The guide asked.

"Let him see his Frey bride later." Will didn't care at all.

"The mobilization and river crossing of a large cavalry troop are not easy to keep secret. If they run away, it won't be worth it. So some strategies are needed." The Wolf Girl summarized.

"Why not divide the troops, part to attack the Freys, and part to take a long way around to cross the Tumblestone River and strike directly at the Westerlands main force." Gashar suggested.

"Crazy, we don't have that many troops!"

"The Twins were taken, and the enemy will know by tonight at the latest. By then, the Frey army is more likely to retreat and counterattack The Twins, rather than choosing to besiege Riverrun."

"Whether they go to The Twins or move to other places, it doesn't matter. The key is that the Westerlands main force cannot know our purpose."

Everyone in the tent said one thing after another, and finally perfected Lawrence's plan.

"If you want to achieve results, you must take risks. To lift the siege of Riverrun in one fell swoop, you must decide the battle with the Westerlands main force as soon as possible. The chance of victory lies in rapid maneuver. Xia Er, Will, you two lead your own cavalry to camp at a place half a day's ride away from the Frey army, sweeping away the Frey army's scouts. After our army successfully crosses the river, you and I will raid and harass one after another. Whether there are results is not important. If the Freys return, harass them along the way. If things cannot be done, you will retreat toward Seagard, delay their return journey, and wait for our army to return and pincer attack. Everyone else, bypass the forest and coastal mountains with me, cross the Tumblestone River within two days, and block the Westerlands main force between the two rivers under Riverrun to decide the battle!"

After dividing the troops, only 1,200 cavalry remained to face the Westerlands main force. Rika didn't know how to break the enemy and cross the river again to pincer attack the Freys. He didn't dare to ask questions in the military meeting.

They set off early in the morning, left Rough Stone City first, and headed south along the coast. They rode fast all the way, put away all the banners indicating their identity, passed through one fishing ground after another along the coast, turned east at the place of the Mountain and Sea territory, and quickly cut into the direction of the Tumblestone River from beside the continuous Westerlands mountains. They followed the narrow path of the creek valley, crossed the forest, arrived at the bank of the Tumblestone River on the evening of the second day, and sent a small team to seize the beachhead on the opposite side of the bridge under the cover of night, intercepting and killing the Westerlands soldiers stationed there. According to the Wolf Girl, they didn't let any of them go.

They crossed the bridge early the next morning. It took 1,200 cavalry three hours to pass through completely. In the chaos, dozens of cavalry fell into the water. He saw several soldiers sink directly into the water, and several lucky ones pulled the horse tails to the shore.

Unable to rescue.

After crossing the river, it was the Young Wolf's fighting style. Rika followed the Wolf Girl on Huangli, seeing the city walls of Riverrun from afar. The Ice Direwolf banner seemed to still be hanging high on the city walls, which made him feel comforted.

Perhaps after this battle, he could be knighted.

The Westerlands army did not give up the defense of the west. The anti-cavalry obstacles blocked the entrance from the Kingsroad to the main camp. The entire army besieging Riverrun was in neat formation, but it was not perfect for defending against large-scale cavalry. Rika only hoped that their archers were not yet prepared for defense.

"Lots of loopholes. Credo, Red Beard, lead the team, charge with me." The Wolf Girl shouted to the left and right. More than a thousand cavalry moved with the wind, iron hooves shaking the earth like military drums. The roaring sound made people feel spirited. Perhaps the Young Wolf had defeated tens of thousands of enemy troops here in the same way.

The cavalry passed through the defensive obstacles in the gaps by the river bank. Some soldiers quickly dismounted and pushed the obstacles away so that the cavalry behind could rush in frontally and quickly. Rika rode Huangli and followed behind the Wolf Girl. They turned and rushed into the Westerlands main camp. Rika didn't need to choose a direction; he just had to follow the Wolf Girl in front of him.

They only encountered scattered archer attacks. Very good, this shows that they did not organize defense to the south.

The cavalry was like a sharp knife, sliding into the prey's abdomen, completing the cutting in one go, making the prey lose all resistance in a short time. The first to collapse was the infantry that had not yet formed a formation. After the cavalry broke in, they were panicked and left their backs to the advancing cavalry. Too immature. Rika swung his sword repeatedly, hunting down all the enemies he could kill and the chaotic soldiers who might bring trouble to the Wolf Girl.

When they rushed into the huge tent dominated by red, Rika felt that the battle was over. The Westerlands main force was already in chaos under the back-and-forth cutting of the Northern cavalry. Rika followed the Wolf Girl from the bank of the Tumblestone River to the bank of the Red Fork, and then turned and crossed again, as if entering no man's land.

He vaguely saw Riverrun open its city gates in the formation, lower the drawbridge, and soldiers held high the Trout banner and filed out.

The Blackfish stood high on the city wall and must be able to see the whole battlefield. Since he chose to enter the arena, it naturally meant that the victory of this battle was in his grasp.

Like a dream. Rika knew they had won another battle of raiding the camp.

They broke through repeatedly, hacking and killing all the way. After a few rounds, only five or six cavalry remained beside the Wolf Girl, and the Wolf Girl was still constantly crossing the battlefield, pointing out the direction for the next wave of attacks.

He put aside his boring thoughts, followed closely beside the Wolf Girl, and constantly asked the scattered cavalry around to keep up, but only a small part followed, and most of them couldn't hear any of his roars at all.

The battlefield was so chaotic, with fleeing enemy troops everywhere, some with immature faces, almost the same size as George Cassel. If these people continued to flee, they would definitely die under the hands of some rider who wanted to kill numbers, Rika thought.

They rode across the chaotic battlefield, constantly looking for Westerlands troops who were still resisting. A large number of Westerlands soldiers threw away their weapons, panicked, and like flies, swarmed into the river, grabbing rafts and boats, but the chaotic defeated soldiers just pulled boat after boat of soldiers back into the water. They struggled in the water, but disappeared from the surface after just a short while.

The battle ended when Daven Lannister surrendered. At this time, the sky was dark, and everything was grey, even the blood was grey. Rika couldn't see the situation of the Frey army on the west bank across the river, maybe they had already left.

After the battle, soldiers searched for injured or dead comrades on the battlefield, instructed personnel to assist or mark, and gave mercy to those seriously injured. Later, they would pry open pieces of armor and collect the gold, silver, and copper coins hidden on their bodies.

The Wolf Girl just took a simple look at the battlefield, ordered the three Counts to lead people to count the spoils, identify nobles, knights, and famous warriors, and send them to the prison of Riverrun, and then led the team toward the river bank. There, they had confirmed the capture of thirteen small boats and twenty rafts.

This was a good thing. As long as the prisoners were settled, they could quickly take boats and rafts to return to the west bank to pursue the Freys.

But there were too many prisoners to look after, and they couldn't organize manpower to cross the river to pursue the Freys, which was very different from the previous plan.

This was not something Rika should care about. He felt that he should just wait for orders.

After the Wolf Girl turned around the battlefield, she led her guards and important prisoners like Daven Lannister into the castle.

Daven Lannister tried his best to maintain his grace, but his yellow hair was all mixed up, which was truly unbearable. As for the other prisoners of various colors, he naturally couldn't recognize any of them, and they didn't report their names. What's more, Rika's attention was no longer on them.

He saw the legendary knight famous in the Seven Kingdoms in the hall of Riverrun.

"I watched your battle on the city tower, it was truly enjoyable, I really wanted to go downstairs and fight with you." Ser Brynden Tully, the Blackfish, opened his mouth and laughed, very happy, the smile pulling open the wrinkles on his face. "The children of Eddard Stark are so outstanding!"

The Wolf Girl smiled politely at him.

"Ser Mei, thank you for helping Riverrun lift the siege and avenging the King, mother, nobles, and soldiers who died tragically at the Red Wedding!" He walked up to the Wolf Girl and bowed solemnly to her.

His eyebrows were thick, his hair was grey, and his voice was hoarse and low, but the whole person looked very powerful. He looked reliable from any angle, Rika thought.

"Revenge is still missing some key people, Ser Blackfish. At least add Lyman and his son Edwyn, and that Black Walder. The Maester has already pointed out that they participated in the murder. Black Walder is even more hateful."

"Them? They will have their heads cut off by his mercenary knights tonight and sent back to Riverrun. Just wait and see!" He put away his kind smile and showed a look of disdain.

"After screening the prisoners, I will cross the river to pursue them."

"The Twins have been lost, they are not to be feared. If I were you, I would cross the Red Fork, raid Harrenhal, and defeat the reinforcements led by the Kingslayer. Defeating him is equivalent to cutting off all possibilities for the Iron Throne to touch the Riverlands before the end of this winter."

"Where has he gone?"

"The Kingslayer marches slowly, I don't know if it's because he has no hands. Anyway, he walks and stops all the way." He hesitated for a while and added, "He is not the point either. I have to tell you that a large number of nobles and heirs who originally fought for the Young Wolf are imprisoned in Harrenhal, including Wylis Manderly, the heir to White Harbor. As far as the safety of the Stark family is concerned, your sending troops to rescue him is far more significant than defeating Daven Lannister," the Blackfish sighed, "even if you just go there to confirm that he is already dead."

"Not bad. It seems I have to change the plan again." The Wolf Girl laughed. "However, if this is the case, Lord Edmure will have to stay in the Frey army for a while longer."

"His stupid look is simply losing face for the Tully family! However, he will be fine. The Frey family can sell him for a good price now."

"Speaking of the lady, the Frey lady is still staying safely at The Twins. You have to send someone to pick her back. There is a Tully in her belly, maybe she can inherit the Frey's shrewdness."

"Speaking of the lady," Ser Blackfish had no smile, but sighed instead, "You have to think about how to settle Robb's queen. I have to tell you that her mother has been instilling black painful remarks in her, but she has been resisting. In essence and in fact, she is a good girl, but there is no wolf in her belly. You have to consider whether to take her back to Winterfell."

"I have to see her and ask for her opinion."

"Just like this?" The Blackfish laughed. The Wolf Girl's clothes were covered in black mud and blood. "It will scare the girl."

"The queen should be fearless." She laughed.

They met Robb's queen in the hall. The queen had a well-proportioned figure, a small and shiny crown on her chestnut hair, and her heart-shaped face was full of sadness. Rika blushed after just one look.

What a beautiful woman! He secretly pulled his cloak to cover the arrow hole in front of his armor and straightened his body.

"Your Highness." The Wolf Girl knelt on one knee solemnly. Rika had to follow suit, bowing his left hand, not wanting to reveal the hole in the armor. The sad queen stepped forward to help the Wolf Girl up, and he also stood up.

"Thank you for your hard work. I am very grateful that you could come to rescue us. I also heard that you have occupied The Twins and avenged the Red Wedding."

The soldiers wantonly mocked the living Freys, calling them "kin-slayers." But the Wolf Girl would not say these things to this cute and pure queen.

"Revenge is half done. The remaining few Freys are in the army. It was Roose Bolton who stabbed King Robb, and he is marching toward the North. It was Jaime Lannister who instructed Roose Bolton to kill the king, and he is marching toward Riverrun."

Queen Jeyne was silent for a while, but not long enough to seem strange, and then said firmly, "We will fulfill our wish sooner or later."

"Yes, Your Highness, we certainly can." The Wolf Girl turned to the topic. "You are the Queen of the North. You should live there. Although it is cold and remote, you will receive the courtesy of the North. In any case, you have full choice."

"No, she will return to the Westerlands with us. Poor Jeyne didn't conceive a wolf seed; she is almost still a virgin." A noblewoman spoke sharply. This made Queen Jeyne's face turn red and excited.

Rika felt it was a bit harsh and full of offense. Rika glared at the woman fiercely.

"No, I'm not! We, we tried very hard..." Queen Jeyne almost cried.

"You are the Countess of Crag, right? I am sorry, your son Raynald also died at the Red Wedding. I heard from the Frey Maester that he died extremely bravely."

"He, he died..." She cried, but Rika felt it was very fake. "I only have these children left. They should return to the Westerlands with me. They are all Westerlanders." There were two other small children following behind her; these were Queen Jeyne's younger brother and sister.

"Madam. You and your children, brothers can return to the Westerlands. We will not tolerate Queen Jeyne suffering any humiliation in the Westerlands." The Wolf Girl's tone was firm. "If you want to go back, you can set off at any time. We will not stop you."

I hope there will be no guards. We have very few people.

"She is my daughter..."

The Countess's words were interrupted by the Wolf Girl before she finished. "She is the Queen of the North. Believe me, she will not be mistreated in the North. When the kingdom returns to peace, we welcome you to visit her in the North at any time, or she can return to the Westerlands to visit you."

"The North is too far away, she has no relatives there." Lady Sybell's tone softened a lot. She knew she couldn't persuade the person in front of her.

"Madam, her younger brother and sister can also go to Winterfell to accompany her, and can return with Queen Jeyne in the future. However, in any case, we will always follow the Queen's wishes."

They looked at Queen Jeyne.

"Robb left me in Riverrun, so I'll wait for him here. I'm not going anywhere." She was on the verge of tears.

"Fine."

After sending the queen away, Rika walked onto the city walls of Riverrun with the Wolf Girl. On the city walls, one could clearly see the vast territory of the Riverlands. Under the reflection of the river, it was vast and boundless, very different from the scenery of the North.

The cold wind blew from the river banks on all sides, and Rika felt even colder. Rika had to secretly wrap his cloak tightly. He never did this in front of the Wolf Girl, trying to make himself look like he was not afraid of the cold.

I am a Northerner.

After resting in Riverrun for a day, they organized the team and left the city, with Ser Blackfish escorting them all the way.

"Ser Blackfish, do you know what our biggest trophy is for this trip south?" The Wolf Girl sat on her horse, the cold wind blowing across her face, a strand of hair swaying in front of her eyes.

"Ser Mei, since you ask me, then I will say it is 'the invincible achievement of Stark'. After the Young Wolf's Battle of the Whispering Wood, the battle of raiding the camp, etc., as well as your Battle of The Twins and the battle of lifting the siege, the world will believe that as long as the Starks of Winterfell are still standing, the Iron Throne will never be upright, and the allies of the Iron Throne will also open their eyes to observe its cracks. For the Starks, after revenge and continuous victories, the half-hearted vassals of the North need to consider how to express themselves correctly." The Blackfish narrowed his eyes, his face full of wind and frost.

The Wolf Girl shook her head with a smile. "The biggest trophy of this trip is The Twins. After this battle, I am afraid that Freys of all sizes will claim rights. I can't kill them all, but I don't intend to give the castle to any of them. You are the Grand Marshal of the South appointed by Robb, and you should have a fief that matches your status."

"That's a good place. But it's too late. I'm already fifty-six years old and can't have another heir."

"I heard people say that the best time to plant a tree is ten years ago, and the second best is now. There are many women with the surname Frey at The Twins, you can pick one at will and plant the tree first."

"A young head of the house will be a disaster."

"As you wish, Count. You can leave The Twins to Lord Edmure, or Brandon Stark, or Rickon Stark, as long as the Ice Direwolf doesn't charge us or stuff women at us the next time it crosses the river." The officers laughed when they heard this.

Then, they took more cavalry than when they set off, crossed the Red Fork, and flew toward Harrenhal. ===== CHAPTER 21 =====