"Why are you going to Winterfell?" Count Waymar scratched his chin, adorned with a beard speckled with white, questioning his granddaughter with curiosity. When Cley saw the bewildered expression on Wilra's face, he knew she hadn't mentioned her plans to anyone.
"Cley is going to see Lord Edd, maybe make friends with Lord Edd's sons. I thought I'd go make friends with Miss Sansa while I'm at it," Wilra confidently explained.
In fact, she wasn't entirely wrong. Her sister Wilferd had been taken to Winterfell several times by Count Waymar in the past few years. According to her sister, she had become good friends with Sansa Stark, the Stark family's youngest daughter, and they even spent time embroidering together.
Unintentional words led to mindful listeners, and it seemed this idea had been brewing in Wilra's mind since the moment she heard about Cley's return.
"Stop causing trouble, and stay put!" Wilra's father, Willis, with a beard resembling a bear's, scolded his daughter. This burly man seemed completely at a loss on how to communicate with his daughter.
Cley, seeing Wilra biting her lip while holding onto her braids, found it amusing. He was about to say a few words to support Wilra when his gaze fell on Count Waymar's pensive face. He swallowed his words upon seeing the count's expression.
Surprisingly, against everyone's expectations, Count Waymar, who usually opposed girls wandering on their own, agreed after a moment of contemplation.
"Fine, Cley, you take her. Keep an eye on her."
Cley was taken aback for a moment, unexpected as it was, but to avoid another incident with the floor, he quickly nodded. He couldn't gauge Count Waymar's intentions precisely. In such noble households, the presence of offspring, especially females, had significant implications, often hinting at potential marital alliances between noble families.
Count Waymar had been the head of the family for decades, and no one could fathom his thoughts. However, one thing was clear to everyone: the Wilferd sisters, having reached womanhood, would not marry into a family lower in status than the Mandell house.
Was the old man planning to showcase Wilra in front of Robb? If so, did this mean he hadn't given up the idea he had when he took Wilferd to Winterfell earlier?
Cley couldn't figure it out, but for now, it wasn't something he needed to worry about.
...
Two days later Beside the White Blade River
"Take this wine, deliver it to Ser Rodrik Cassel, the Master-at-Arms at Winterfell, and tell him it's to settle my gambling debt," Lord Wendel Mandell exclaimed, slapping his son's back with a large hand as he instructed him about people he knew at Winterfell.
Cley, accompanied by Wilra and ten brightly armored guards, followed the White Blade River northward. If everything went smoothly, they would reach Seagard in half a month, then ride the King's Road, and within half a day, they would arrive at Winterfell.
The river flowed gently, resembling a silver ribbon under the morning sun. Adorned by the vast green plains, the North in the midst of summer was indeed worth touring.
On the snowy white horse behind him, Wilra, who had left the castle, was shouting and laughing, showing none of the dignified demeanor of her sister Wilferd.
"Sit tight, don't fall off the horse," Cley reminded her.
"Oh, oh, I got it. Cley, don't nag like an old maid," Wilra dismissed, her laughter ringing like silver bells along the deserted riverbank.
Cley chuckled and chose not to bother with her. His gaze shifted to the family guards protecting them in the center, clad in armor adorned with the mermaid emblem – the Mandell family's heavy cavalry. While most soldiers in the North were equipped with chainmail due to the region's economic constraints, the Mandell family, with the wealth of being the rulers of the fifth largest city in Westeros, had no such concerns. As far as Cley knew, the family's armory could instantly equip over 1500 fully armored cavalry.
When he learned this, Cley couldn't quite understand why such a formidable force remained hidden during the War of the Five Kings. Even when Lord Waymar allowed both of his sons, one to die as a captive in Harrenhal and the other to perish in the Red Wedding alongside Robb Stark, and even when Jon Snow counterattacked Winterfell, this force remained inactive. What was Lord Waymar planning?
If this force had joined the battlefield, with 1500 Northmen on horseback rapidly maneuvering southward, they could have reached King's Landing within half a day while Tywin Lannister was immobilized in the Riverlands. Perhaps the war would have ended then and there, preventing a cascade of subsequent events. Cley realized that, including his own family, the secrets hidden by these noble houses that had been passed down for centuries on the continent of Westeros were likely much deeper than he could imagine. He couldn't make decisions based on his own impressions.
One thing Wilra mentioned at the banquet was not entirely wrong—Cley did need to meet the Stark family during this trip to Winterfell. As the third-generation heir of House Mandell, he was inevitably aboard the Northern war wagon. The harsh cold and Old Gods' worship in the North had molded the Starks into resilient characters, but evidently, they seemed to lack sufficient political astuteness. Considering the series of questionable moves made by Edd and Robb later on, the promising situation in the North was squandered, and they bore an inescapable responsibility.
However, on the flip side, despite their political shortcomings, this family was still competent in being leaders. At least, Cley didn't want the sadistic psychopaths from the Dreadfort to be the guardians of the North.
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