On the fifth day of their ride, Owen, who had been leading the way, easily found the tracks of Robert and Eddard's party.
After all, such a large group traveling along the King's Road left too many traces.
Theon, Smalljon, and Bloodwind followed from a distance, waiting for them to stop and rest at the Crossroads Inn.
Without the interference of unexpected forces, the power of fate was difficult to resist.
The playful Arya, accompanied by the butcher's apprentice, was playing a sword-fighting game with sticks by a tributary of the Trident River.
Joffrey, having been taught by Cersei, had returned to his role as the golden-haired, sunny boy, strolling along the riverbank with Sansa, who was smitten with him.
Secretly following Arya and Nymeria, Theon, Smalljon, and Bloodwind, all dressed in hooded cloaks and face coverings, hid nearby.
Things escalated quickly. When Arya, heartbroken, tried to chase Nymeria away, Theon knew the moment had come.
He reached out and patted Bloodwind's head, who, even while lying down, was almost too large to be concealed by the bushes.
The clever Bloodwind understood immediately. Rising silently, it crept toward Nymeria with the posture of a predator.
Before long, Bloodwind returned to Theon's side, leading a now tamed and docile Nymeria.
"Mission half accomplished. Time to regroup with Owen!"
Theon, attempting to imitate Robb, tried to reward Bloodwind by scratching its chin. But Bloodwind, with a disdainful glance, dodged away.
He wasn't embarrassed at all and immediately turned to Smalljon.
Owen had been responsible for keeping an eye on Lady, who was obediently staying at the Crossroads Inn.
But since Lady wasn't running around at all, Owen hadn't had a chance to enter the inn, which was guarded by the Lannister and Baratheon soldiers.
***
After Theon and the others regrouped, they continued to wait for the right opportunity.
As night slowly fell, torches were lit around the inn.
Suddenly, a commotion came from the direction of the inn. Theon, with his sharp eyesight as an archer, immediately spotted Arya being escorted by Lannister soldiers into the inn.
After they entered, many knights and guards rushed into the inn, eager to see how the King would handle the situation.
Seeing that most of the soldiers' attention had been drawn, Theon nodded at Owen and patted Bloodwind's head, then stealthily made his way toward the stables behind the inn, where Lady was tied.
In truth, Theon and Owen could have handled the situation on their own. They brought Bloodwind along only because they were afraid they might not be able to control Lady, even though she had always been gentle. After all, she was still a direwolf.
Lady was tied with a thick iron chain to a post beside the stables. Her innocent eyes had no idea what was about to happen.
In order to demonstrate his stance, Eddard had sent all his Northern soldiers to search for Arya, leaving only Jory at the inn to keep him informed.
Thus, Lady was naturally guarded by two Lannister soldiers in golden lion armor.
Clink!
A small pebble fell onto the stable post, making a crisp sound.
The two Lannister guards instinctively turned their heads to check.
Rip!
Mmph, mmph...
Otherwise, Jory's fate would have either been instant death or becoming a one-armed swordsman like Jaime in the future.
"Bloodwind!? Cough cough…."
Jory's shout turned into a cough, but in an instant, he recognized the unmistakable Bloodwind.
"Ser Jory, I don't want to kill you. Let me take Lady away. This is Robb's orders!"
Realizing that their presence had been exposed, Theon pulled off the mask covering his face and spoke quietly to Jory, who was pinned down by Bloodwind.
"Robb has woken up? Your target is Lady? Cough, get Bloodwind off me first!"
Jory turned his head and saw Theon's face. He let out a sigh of relief. Maybe being pressed by Bloodwind was too uncomfortable, so he coughed and spoke.
"Alright, Bloodwind."
Having known each other for years, Theon trusted that Jory wouldn't sell them out to the Lannisters, so he called Bloodwind off.
"There's no time to explain. Seeing Bloodwind here, I believe this is Robb's order. Take Lady and go now! Then have Bloodwind take a bite at the necks of these two guards."
As he stood up, Jory clutched his right hand, which was bleeding profusely, and spoke to Theon.
"Also, let Bloodwind bite me in the leg again. That'll make my excuse for not being able to pursue you more believable."
Theon didn't say much more. He nodded at Bloodwind, who lowered his head and bit down on Jory's thigh.
"Hiss!"
Jory clenched his teeth and sucked in a breath of cold air from the pain. When Bloodwind let go, Jory collapsed to the ground and told Theon, "Go quickly, I'm about to call for help."
***
Owen had already found the key and unlocked Lady's chain. Hearing Jory, Theon nodded to him, wrapped his face again, and quickly disappeared into the darkness with the others.
Jory, drenched in cold sweat, watched them vanish before he finally stopped holding back and shouted, "Ah! Someone, come quickly!"
What happened afterward was more or less the same.
The only difference was that Cersei, seeing both direwolves missing, had no outlet for her frustration. She buried her hatred for the Stark family deep within, waiting for a final eruption later.
"Jory, don't follow us to King's Landing tomorrow. Find a caravan heading to Winterfell and go back to recover." At the inn, Jory lay on a bed, his wounds bandaged by a physician from King's Landing. Eddard stood beside him and told him so.
"Yes, Lord Eddard."
Jory nodded in response.
Suddenly, Eddard opened the door and glanced outside. After confirming no one was there, he quietly returned to Jory's bedside and whispered, "Maybe the blood concealed the wounds, but I'm certain that the injuries on you and those two Lannister soldiers weren't from Lady or Nymeria. Was it Bloodwind?"
"Yes! Robb has woken up, and Theon came under his orders to retrieve Lady and Nymeria!"
Jory wouldn't hide the truth from Eddard. He had planned to find an opportunity to tell him, but Eddard had already seen through his lie.
"Hmm, you've worked hard. Go back and rest well."
Eddard, deep in thought, expressed his concern for Jory, then turned and left the room.
When Eddard returned to his own room, Arya was sitting sadly by the bed, waiting for him.
"Father, I want to go home! Do you think… Robb and Bran have woken up?"
After everything she had been through today, Arya, overwhelmed with sadness, immediately threw herself into Eddard's arms and spoke.
"Robb has already woken up. I believe Bran will be fine under his care."
Eddard stroked his daughter's soft hair, gazing north with a firm tone.
The events of the day left him unsure whether Robb's arrangements were a coincidence or if he had foreseen some unexpected situation in advance.
But no matter what, deep in his heart, Eddard believed his son Robb would protect the Stark family.