Moat Cailin
Robb Stark
With everything in motion, it was only a matter of time before we started moving. Conflicts had already begun on the Goldroad, according to some of the merchants traveling North, so we were pressed for time to march against the South. Therefore, I was now bidding farewell to my father and the lords who would accompany him to Winterfell.
Lord Hornwood, Karstark, Umber, and Maege Mormont would leave with him and return to their own territories with some of the troops at a later date. Alongside them, twenty thousand soldiers and some millennial workers would depart from the Moat.
All the lords who had offspring in their twenties left them with me, giving me the responsibility of taking care of Smalljon, Lord Karstark's three sons, and Dacey Mormont. None of them would be on the front lines, as I couldn't risk their lives, but they would be part of my royal guard now that I'd been crowned King of the North.
"I hope you can complete all the tasks I've assigned to you, Father," I told him with a smile after a brief but comforting hug.
"Aye, I hope so too," he nodded grimly, and I could see his doubts. It saddened me to see how his "mistakes" in King's Landing had affected him, but I hoped that reuniting with Mother and the rest of our family would help his mental health.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to send a raven to the rest of the lords. There's no weakness in working alongside them." I smiled and took a few steps back, giving Jon space to speak with him.
"Lords, I thank you for the service you'll do for the North," I addressed the assembled lords in the background. "I have complete faith that you'll be able to accomplish everything I've asked."
"Do not worry, my King," Lord Hornwood replied. "We'll ensure everything is handled in that part of the North."
"Aye, and we'll have the dragonglass needed to fight the White Walkers," Lord Umber snorted. "I still can't believe they exist, and even less that I'll have to fight against them."
"A story worthy of songs," nodded Lord Karstark. "Please, my King, take care of our sons."
"I'll do my best to keep them out of danger, my lords," I said resolutely. "I can't promise they'll be unharmed, but I'll do my best to bring them back to the North."
"That's all we can ask, my King," Maege Mormont replied. "I know my Dacey would get pent up if you kept her away from the fight," she laughed.
"Aye, same as my Smalljon," Lord Umber guffawed.
Two Days Later
After finishing the last parts of my plan, my small vanguard was ready to move against the Freys. Our group consisted of five thousand soldiers, but for now, I would only take the best fifty. It was such a small force that it would be easy to attack the Twins unnoticed.
As a formality, I sent a delegation to ask for passage, but of course, they denied us. I had my excuse ready, as we couldn't wait for them to "get the stick out of their asses" to let us pass and help their liege lords.
I was sure my grandfather wouldn't care, and even if he did, I didn't care at all. This was no longer a war to satisfy my ego and be crowned king, living the best life I could while destroying every threat in Planetos. No, this was now a war for the survival of every living being on this planet. I couldn't allow Scion to pinpoint my location, and for that reason, I would fight anyone who opposed me.
The small group of green men at my back knew the requirements to plant more weirwood trees, so they would take care of that and handle the wounded. With their magic and my enhanced insects, they had become a different kind of healer. I could promote natural healing, antiseptics, and everything needed to help those who weren't critically injured, while they used their magic for the more serious cases.
For the past few days, I have been visiting the Twins to make my job easier. I went alone, staying in the shadows, and ordered my insects to spoil their food supply or even steal it with my larger creations. The Freys were hungry and paranoid, with more of them leaving every day to hunt animals, only to disappear in the woods. Now, it was time to strike.
The main antagonists had already been pinpointed by my insects, and I made it clear that I wasn't looking for a bloodbath. With that in mind, my small group and I prepared to attack while the Freys were weak.
"Are you all ready?" I asked one last time. "Remember, do not kill unnecessarily, and try to stay silent."
"Aye," "Aye," "Yes, my King."
Nodding in approval, we started walking toward the bridge. The Frey forces had dwindled in recent days, and many of the guards on the bridge were either dozing off or hunting for food. Using my insects to scout, I ordered most of them to inject the guards with paralytic venom. I signaled my group to start moving.
"Begin the operation," I commanded and nodded in satisfaction as I watched my soldiers silently tie up the Frey guards and carry them back north. We had to move fast, and I knew that after today, everyone in my army would know about my powers.
Since there was no need to hide it anymore, I ordered my insects to incapacitate the guards atop the Twins. We would use grappling hooks to scale the walls. I heard my soldiers gasp in surprise, but they knew better than to stop now. After the operation, I would have to answer their questions, but for the moment, they remained focused. Organized. Just as I had trained them.
Screams rang out in the distance, but they didn't matter. There was no one awake to hear or provide support to the unfortunate guards. Over the past few days, I had investigated which Freys deserved death and which would be sent to the Wall. Since most of the guards atop the walls were innocent of serious wrongdoing, I only incapacitated them. The only ones who didn't survive were Lothar Frey and a few of his sycophants.
As we entered the castle, we moved quickly. We didn't have the numbers to fight thousands of men in the area, so efficiency was crucial. Today's objective was to assassinate most of Walder Frey's bastards and take the old lord hostage. That way, when Lord Mallister arrived with reinforcements, the remaining Frey soldiers would bend the knee.
"Jon, be ready. It'll be like the Dreadfort," I told Jon quietly but firmly. "I hope you've been training."
He nodded resolutely and drew his bow. The other guards followed suit, preparing their light weapons—throwing knives, daggers, or maces, Dacey Mormont's preferred weapon.
"Five guards ahead," I murmured. "Kill them all."
At my signal, they sprang into action. I stayed back to observe how they worked as a team. Jon remained near the wall, avoiding the risk of hitting our own men, while Smalljon and Dacey ran in with their maces just after our men threw their knives. The knives and arrows struck true, and Dacey, Smalljon, Theon, and Rickard finished the guards with their maces. They then caught the bodies, ensuring they fell quietly to the ground.
As they disposed of the bodies, I scouted for more nearby enemies, injecting any guards I found with either lethal venom or a paralytic dose that would wear off in a few hours.
With everyone ready, we began running toward the Twins' Great Hall. Most of Walder Frey's bastards were there, discussing what to do about us. The guards at the entrance were quickly knocked out, and we took position. The strongest men opened the doors.
Inside the Great Hall, Lord Walder Frey sat, completely unaware of the invasion. My insects had been listening to their conversations, and I grew cold with anger at their plans to extort us. Walder Frey's arrogance had been his downfall. He didn't bother with heavier security, convinced no one would dare attack his castle, even after losing so many soldiers due to a lack of food.
We burst into the hall, my men behind me. Walder Frey's eyes widened with shock as he fumbled for words.
"Robb Stark," he hissed. "You dare—"
"I do," I replied. "We won't wait for you to get that stick out of your ass, Frey. This war is just starting, and the Frey family has no place in the future of the Seven Kingdoms. After we take you and kill your sons, the North will occupy these lands for the betterment of our kingdom."
Walder opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, I raised my hand. A cloud of insects swarmed him and his sons, their bites numbing their bodies within seconds. Walder Frey and his sons collapsed, eyes wide with terror.
I turned to the others. "Round up everyone here. We're heading back to the other side."
My men moved swiftly, clearing out the Freys and taking them to the roof so we could escape. Now, we just had to wait for Jason Mallister's army to arrive. Our forces were more than ten times the size of the remaining Frey men so I didn't doubt we won this pissing contest.
Standing on the bridge I looked up to the castle in the distance, and I ordered my insects to buzz aloud for every moment until the Mallister army arrived, a little psychological torture wouldn't hurt. After all, my conquest has just begun.
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