Chapter 77

"Isn't that Sir Gandef over there? I, representing Winterfell, thank you for your help; without you, Sansa probably couldn't have escaped safely from King's Landing." Mei Yi turned her gaze toward the man who had come together.

"This is all Sir Tangtos's arrangement; I dare not take credit." He stepped forward two paces and bowed; everyone was surprised to discover he was a lame man.

"Once my sister returns to Winterfell, I will surely repay you." Mei Yi turned to Melisandre, "My lady, regarding the alliance, please allow us to discuss further."

"Of course." She replied.

After sending the red-robed woman out, the hall began to murmur, and Mei Yi raised her hand to stop it.

"What do you all think?" Mei Yi asked.

"I see no benefit in allying with Stannis; just with that little magic of hers, we could also swear fealty to Stannis? That's a joke!" Lord Luofogeluofuo spoke first.

"Stannis can't offer us anything; at most he'd use us as cannon fodder to draw the power of the Lannisters and Tyrells. But now the whole east of the Trident is rotting, and the Iron Throne can't muster strength against him, let alone against us. Our only target is Bolton; hearing him say all that, it's nothing but saying she herself, not Stannis, is useful. But I think these are just mystifying tricks, all show and no substance!" Lord Luoe jiekaisuo said.

He is Rodrik's cousin; among the five council members, adding him gives the Winterfell representatives a numerical advantage.

But he stated his position, at least showing the council's opinion had been formed; Mei Yi had nothing more to consider.

"Allying with him has no obvious benefit, but the drawbacks are clear; he at least needs my knee. He's far from the mainland now, so let's leave him be for now; if he can take King's Landing, we might reconsider. For now, at least Stannis's commission appoints the Onion Knight, so our neutrality is at least understandable; when the Onion Knight returns, he may have a different explanation, and we can decide our strategy then."

Mei Yi finished speaking and then announced the meeting adjourned.

The red-robed woman had stayed in the Three Sisters Islands, White Harbor, and Winterfell; how could she know Bolton would land soon? And she assertively said Bolton was drifting on the Shivering Sea? There are no reference points on the open sea—how could she know the fleet was on the Shivering Sea? Or was it a vision in the fire? Would a fire-vision even give her a location?

If Bolton didn't land from White Harbor, Oldtown, or Widow's Watch, his only option would be to cross the Shivering Sea; rather than saying it's "seeing," it's better said to be guessing. She herself had seen too many red priests, taking their visions as proof that it was their own effort, when in fact it was merely the natural progression of things.

Mei Yi felt there was no need to think further.

As for the mysterious power she spoke of, nothing could surpass a dragon. That red dragon, though disobedient, had been on the loose since birth, but it is still her own power—a perfect shield against disaster.

On the contrary, she hoped someone would curse her, so she could see exactly what real power the dragon possessed.

After thinking these things over, she prepared to leave the hall.

"Your Highness." The scholar called out to Mei Yi, "Please wait."

"Master Luowen, what is it?" Mei Yi inquired.

She felt Luowen had been too despondent lately.

I'm getting old and feeling increasingly incapable, so I've already sent a raven to the Citadel asking them to send another scholar to assist me. I've received the Citadel's reply; the scholar coming to Winterfell has the common name Buckley, nephew of the Earl of Buckley, named Roland. I think he'd be suitable, so I'd like to ask for your permission.

Mei Yi glanced at the scholar, found it strange, and said, "Master, things have been busy lately; you need to rest. If you need anything, please communicate with our steward. Hmm, who is the steward of Winterfell now?"

"Little guy, Qiaodan Fen'en."

"Oh, I know him; he's Varys's assistant, a suitable choice."

"About the scholar?"

"If you need an assistant, of course there's no problem."

"Yes, Your Highness." He bowed out shakily.

The snow kept falling. She didn't know whether it was just Winterfell snowing or the whole world; everywhere she looked was a blank white.

The North gets lots of snow; even in summer it occasionally snows, so this winter's snowfall is completely normal.

I don't know whether because of the snow, Kelei Duo and the following troops will ever be able to return to Winterfell.

She walked alone along the winding, muddy path, the fluffy dog trailing far behind. It's said that since escaping Winterfell in summer, it hasn't made a sound, becoming silent like a white spirit.

"Are you Mei Yi Stark?" A boy sneaked out from beside the wall, blocking her path. He looked somewhat flustered and uneasy.

"Yes, who are you?" Mei Yi didn't recognize this boy.

His face turned red, then as if remembering something, he hastily pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Mei Yi. Mei Yi took the parchment, looked at it curiously, and then laughed.

"He thinks you'd make a good servant?" Mei Yi asked; the boy nodded at her words, and Mei Yi laughed, saying, "I already have two servants."

After hearing that, he seemed a bit nervous and also disappointed.

"One of them is already a knight; by rights he shouldn't stay with me anymore, so I can still take another." Mei Yi laughed and said, "Huode nuorui, would you like to be my servant?"

He looked delighted and nodded quickly.

"Good, Huode, do you have any other relatives nearby?"

He quickly shook his head, "No. My grandfather brought me to Winterfell and then left; there's still plenty to do in the mountains."

"Is the sword on your back real? It looks much taller than you."

"Yes, this is Qiongenxuenuo's loan of Nuorui's sword, then given to me, along with that letter."

"The letter says you're strong at archery. But to be my servant, you need not only strong archery but also strong swordsmanship. How about it? The training ground is right ahead—do you want to give it a try?"

He smiled and hurriedly nodded.

Mei Yi, in the heavy snow, brought him to the training yard, took two practice swords from the nearby armory, and tossed one to him.

The practice swords were made of hard pine, their cores filled with lead, so their weight matched that of real swords; the hilts were also metal-weighted, making them exceptionally luxurious and practical even as practice weapons.

Huode couldn't gauge the weight of the practice sword, and the sword Mei Yi threw slipped from his hands.

"Next time, next time I throw the sword, you must catch it—sword and person together."

He grunted an acknowledgment; just a short while later, snow had coated his hair thickly, and he was excited beyond words.

Mei Yi also didn't know why, in this heavy snow, she wanted to spar with this little servant.

She also had nothing else to do.

"Feel free to attack me; don't hold back, I'll constantly prompt and correct you."

Huode was full of energy, wielding the practice swords with both hands, chopping straight; Mei Yi blocked all his attacks, no matter how he tried, she remained unmoving, easily handling his assaults from any direction, continually reminding him what to watch for.

The snow kept falling, and the training yard was already a sheet of white.

Huode panted heavily, his body wrapped tightly in fur, his face flushed red—perhaps from exertion, perhaps from the cold wind. His whole body was covered in snow and mud from the yard.

He fell over and over, getting up each time. He kept his enthusiasm, which, at least to Mei Yi, was quite entertaining.

Only when he was exhausted did Mei Yi call a halt; by then, several people had stopped to watch from the sidelines.

"You want to try too? Come on together!" She saw a few children nearby about Bran's size.

At that moment, the guards also brought out a full set of training equipment from the armory—practice swords of various sizes, as well as armor, helmets, and other protective gear suitable for anyone.

Some soldiers saw Mei Yi's interest, and they also lit a fire on the training field.

Children gathered in the training field and its surroundings, the spectators grew more numerous, the atmosphere became livelier.

At least the heavy snow didn't drown these people's enthusiasm. Mei Yi thought.

Children are always full of enthusiasm for the future; this already surpasses many adults. These are what Winterfell lacks.

Mei Yi knew these children all came from families supporting Winterfell: Saiwen, Geluofo, Taoha, Senlin clan, Kongdun, and the mountain clan's Nuo Rui and Lide'er. Some mountain clan people have already settled in the Winter Refuge Market, because of accompanying Bran, also live in the city.

She didn't know each child's name, but undoubtedly they were still young.

They are also Bran, aren't they? Each one is as lovable as Bran.

They will also be the mainstay of the North, someday.

A few taller children first put on protective gear, picked up training swords, and as they entered the field they surrounded Mei Yi.

Mei Yi found it amusing; at least in terms of positioning, they performed not badly, much better than the initial Seain, Qiongen, and Robb.

Regarding these children's attacks, Mei Yi blocks if she can; if it's not an obvious opportunity, she mainly chooses to let go; but if they reveal too obvious a gap and loophole, Mei Yi will not forget to counterattack and attack.

Young children can endure a bit more hardship.

After a short while, the children were sprawling in the heavy snow, east and west falling; the watching warriors and servants grew more numerous; eventually the scuffle turned into a farce, the children each loudly shouting, like queuing up to get beaten.

Soon, each teenager covered his buttocks, wailing in pain.

Although they cried pain, Mei Yi knew they were happy and excited.

Not everyone has the chance to spar with her.

At this point, whenever a teenager fell, cheers and noisy laughter came from the side.

The heavy snow did not leave the castle silent and cold.

Mei Yi also felt much snow falling on her head, and even more melting directly on her face; she felt her face freeze red.

She gave up trying to feel better, directly letting her body sense the icy cold of the heavy snow.

If possible, she could even make herself feel warm and comfortable; but nothing beats actual sensation.

When the children fell in waves, exhausted from continuous attacks and unable to stand, a few soldiers also boldly put on protective gear.

Mei Yi enjoyed being able to unleash her strength, to beat people well; she laughed watching them enter one by one; finally the soldiers entered together, but the result could only show that they weren't much different from the children.

Under Mei Yi's slight effort, they endured hardship multiple times that of the children.

But they enjoyed playing with Mei Yi.

Although the snow grew heavier, the spectators did not dwindle; each time a warrior was knocked down, cheers erupted from the side.

Ice and snow coexist with joy.

The combat of adult warriors and children is clearly different.

Mei Yi felt there was no need to put on airs, to remain motionless; they had already tried hard, and she also had no need to undermine their confidence.

She also began walking back and forth on the training field, showing her seriousness.

Adult warriors are stronger in strength, their skill not lacking; some are extremely agile; frankly, in swordsmanship they may not be inferior to Robb Qiongen, and some could even be compared to Tolomey from Braavos.

Tolomey once served as a swordsman for the Sea King; among her retinue, he is considered of relatively high swordsmanship.

To avoid embarrassment or being hit, Mei Yi didn't dare lose focus in this melee; amidst the many chaotic swords she weaved back and forth; her arms, elbows, legs, sword hilt, blade—all are her offensive weapons.

After four or five rounds of knocking down, the newly arrived soldiers only dared to circle around her.

This behavior dissatisfied the onlookers; in the heavy snow they jeered at these cowardly soldiers with boos.

In the cold environment, watching others fight is also a torment; if everyone kept circling, the audience would suffer greatly.

Under these boos, the soldiers had no choice but to rush forward; Mei Yi did not relax at all, fully engaged in this combat; she was faster, more agile, stronger, more skilled; almost no one could withstand a single move from her without being knocked down.

Their duchess's ability is extraordinary; she feels she perhaps wants to convey this meaning to her subjects.

That queen of love and beauty is too far away for them to perceive; but today's contest they can see with their own eyes.

They will see that their duchess, facing many opponents, can still not fall behind; they will see that their duchess is in no way inferior to any Stark lord.

Moreover, they can see that with her, Winterfell will not fall into genuine crisis.

Perhaps letting the red dragon descend directly upon Winterfell would be the best encouragement, but the red dragon is not under her control; actually, when the red dragon broke out of its shell, it had already flown away; she occasionally can sense the red dragon's position and movements, but most of the time her perception of the dragon is blank; heaven knows where it is.

What's so great? Without a dragon, I can still defeat all enemies; perhaps lacking a dragon shows I am the true savior, the true strong one.

Daenerys has three dragons, so what? If possible, I too could slay dragons.

Whoever dares bring barbarians and the Unsullied into Westeros, I will surely make you regret bearing the name Targaryen.

The heavy snow surged, yet still each soldier was eager to try.

Come on, come on!

On this field I have disciplined Robb, Qiongen; disciplined Seain, Crey; disciplined Jory, Halwin; likewise disciplined Bendyan, Rodrik; not to mention the hound, the kingslayer.

Come on, come on!

Each time a batch was knocked down, the onlookers loudly clamored; the children beside laughed and chattered, mouths wide open, unknown how many snowflakes melted in their mouths.

The heavy snow didn't seem cold; it was more like a stimulant for this performance.

In the end, Mei Yi discovered that Sir Rodrik, Sir Roose, etc. also silently stood aside watching.

Mei Yi knocked down the final batch of soldiers challenging the stage; watching them cover their stomachs, buttocks, thighs, she wryly smiled as she left the field, helplessly returning each practice sword to the sword rack.

"Anyone else?" she felt after the prolonged combat her body had loosened, and her hair had been soaked by the snow, as if just drenched in a heavy rain.

Her hair dripping wet, in this training field whitened by snow, she looked like a trapped beast rather than a female hero.

On the training field's fire rack, at some point logs were already set ablaze; the fire was well tended; actually, if no one tended the fire, it would surely soon be smothered by drifting snow and go out.

The blazing also included tar‑filled torch towers, burning around the field, emitting puffs of black smoke and foul odor.

The onlooking crowd shoved each other, wanting to pick out soldiers destined to die.

Mei Yi smiled watching the surrounding clamor.

Ice and snow are just ice and snow; ice and snow cannot cover human enthusiasm. As for difficult decisions, that will be after tonight.

"Nobody dares to go up?" She looked around.

A few more officers from Winterfell City rushed up.

Good. If the soldiers have courage, the officers must not be lacking.

However, it's best not to spank them; for these officers, it's best to defeat them in an elegant manner, or let them each exchange a few moves with her.

Just consider it a favor to them.

The officers have indeed become stronger, not only in specific techniques but also in joint defense combat ability.

But increasing just this is still not enough to threaten her. If she has passion in hand, she is certain she can slaughter them all in a short time.

After they too were knocked down, none of the soldiers present were prepared to put on protective gear anymore.

Actually, there is no special danger in sparring with her, and no need to wear any protective gear.

She is confident in her ability to control swords and blades. Overwhelming strength can likewise protect the opponent.

After these battles, the snow seemed to have lessened. But the enthusiasm of the onlookers did not diminish.

The bonfire continued to burn brightly.

Perhaps this is one of the few pleasures of a day in Winterfell City.

"Sir Roddrick, Sir Robart, Lord Mason, would you like to go up together?"

"Let's change the time, Your Highness." Roddrick's expression was stern, without a hint of a smile.

Mei Yi sighed silently, reversed her grip on the training sword, and headed toward the sword rack.

Huo De hurried forward, lifted her sword bag, took the training sword from her hand, and jogged toward the sword rack. He moved too fast, slipped on the muddy snow, and fell.

"The demonstration is over, let's disperse, let's disperse!" Mei Yi fastened her sword bag, turned, and loudly said to the onlookers.

The spectators left one by one, laughing excitedly; in the blink of an eye, the drill field had only a few people left.

"People from Braavos have arrived." Sir Roddrick looked at everything before him, calmly said, "They are waiting in the main keep. Would you like to see them?"

Mei Yi stroked her passion coldly, "See, of course we must."