iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 224 The Winter is Coming
  Some coast along the western side of the Crab Claw Peninsula.

"Lord Green, the horses are ready."

"It's work."

Green Kleb sat on a piece of gray stone. He picked up the leather wine bag and was about to drink. However, he suddenly paused, looked up at the sky, and then narrowed his eyes slightly.

Green stared sharply at the sky. He stood up and stretched out his left hand. The well-trained attendant immediately handed over the lord's bow and arrows.

…………

In the clear sky, a majestic eagle soars, its wings spread out, as if embracing the entire sky.

Suddenly, an arrow roared across the sky, streaking across the sky like lightning, pointing directly at the eagle.

The eagle seemed to sense the danger and hurriedly flapped its wings in an attempt to avoid the arrows aimed at it. However, the speed of the arrow was so fast that the eagle was hit and its feathers flew into the air.

…………

…………

"Bran..."

…………

"Bran...Bran..."

…………

"Wake up. Wake up, Bran."

In a gentle whisper, Bran Stark closed his third eye and suddenly opened the other two eyes.

When Bran woke up, his stable boy Hodor kept chanting: "Hodor, Hodor, Hodor, Hodor..."

Bran panted with lingering fear in Meera Reed's arms.

Meera wiped the sweat from Bran's forehead and said, "You just punched, kicked, and screamed in terror. Bran, what did you see?"

Meera Reed is the daughter of Howland Reed, whose father is the commander-in-chief of all the people in the Neck. She has long brown hair and a pair of green eyes.

Meera Reed is sixteen years old. She is a typical swampland person, thin and short. She follows her father's guidance and is good at using fishing nets and three-pronged frog spears.

Meera Reed is an excellent hunter, and she is one of the guards that Maester Luwin has arranged for Bran this time.

…………

Bran said incoherently: "Arrow, I saw an arrow, an arrow shooting at me."

Meera stretched out her hand to comb Bran's hair and said, "I'm so sweaty. Do you want some water?"

Bran nodded, and Meera held the pouch to his mouth, and he swallowed eagerly.

Water kept spilling from the corners of Bran's mouth, and every time he used the third eye he came back weak, thirsty, and hungry.

"Hodor, Hodor, Hodor..."

After drinking the water, Bran felt much better. He asked, "How long did I sleep?"

The thin boy with green eyes and green robes answered Bran's question: "Three whole days."

After a pause, he asked: "Where did you enter?"

The boy's name is Jojen Reed, and he is Meera Reed's younger brother.

Jojen Reed is thirteen years old and has a slight build, but his tone of voice is always serious when he speaks, making him look more mature than his actual age.

At Winterfell, Bran's Old Nan calls Jojen Reed "little grandpa."

Jojen Reed possesses green vision, the ability to dream prophetic dreams, and he is also one of the guards assigned to Bran by Maester Luwin.

…………

Bran frowned and recalled, but his memory was very vague: "Bird, or eagle..."

He even felt that when he came back one day, he would completely forget how to speak.

Jojen Reed said in a deep voice: "Lord Bran, Meera gave you some water, and we also put honey on your lips, but this is not enough. If it takes too long, you will starve to death."

Bran retorted, "I have eaten, I have hunted rabbits and fish."

Jojen Reed's voice contained a warning: "You are not the one eating. Please remember your identity. You are Bran Stark."

Bran was silent. Why didn't he remember his identity? He knows it too well! He is the little boy Bran, the crippled Bran.

The stable boy Ado said to himself: "Ado, Ado, Ado..."

A tall woman with messy brown hair said, "We are all worried about you."

Her name is Osha, she is a spearwife loyal to the Stark family, and she is one of the guards assigned to Bran by Maester Luwin.

Bran remained silent. He lowered his eyes and glanced at his unconscious legs... He might as well be the beast Bran. He can run and fly, nothing is better than this!

Seeing this, Jojen Reed warned again: "Please remember your identity. Lord Bran, you must remember, otherwise you will be swallowed up one day."

Jojen Reed was his friend and his teacher, but Bran wanted to ignore him at the moment and turned his head away.

Meera touched Bran's little face and said warmly: "You are hungry, do you want to eat something?"

Bran nodded. Meera was far more cheerful than her brother, always making him laugh, as if nothing could frighten her or make her angry, except Jojen Reed.

In fact, Jojen Reed can scare everyone because he can dream green dreams—dreams that must come true.

After they fled to Wolfwood, Jojen Reed had a dream about Bran's death.

Bran thought angrily that he was not dead, that this time Jojen Reed's green dream had not come true.

Bran's eyes suddenly trembled, and the terrifying arrow appeared in his mind. It seemed that... in a sense, "he" was really dead just now.

…………

A small fire was lit, and Meera's big iron helmet became their pot. She first cut the large pieces of meat into small dices and threw them in, then added water and the wild onions that Ado had found.

The first bite... tasted very good. Bran took several bites in a row and said, "Thank you, Miss Meira."

Meera Reed chuckled: "I am happy to serve you, Lord Bran."

Jojen Reed put down his spoon and said, "We will set off tomorrow and continue on the road."

Meera Reed's smile froze, and she asked nervously: "Did you have a green dream again?"

Jojen Reed frowned habitually. He shook his head slightly and said, "No."

Meera Reed asked: "Then why leave in a hurry? The Shaking Tower is a good place. There are no villages nearby, the woods are full of prey, and there are fish and frogs in the streams and lakes... Who would come here to find us?"

The place they were now in was an ancient watchtower in the Wolf Forest. There were no villages nearby. It had been abandoned for many years. The overturned stones on the outside were covered with moss and ivy, and the shape of the tower was almost unrecognizable.

The true name of the tower has long been unknown, and Bran named it the "Shaking Tower" based on its appearance.

………    “Ado, Ado, Ado…”

Jojen Reed's moss-colored eyes looked at his sister and said, "This is not our destination."

Meera Reed retorted, "But it's safe here."

"I understand, it seems safe here..."

After a pause, Jojen Reed continued: "But how long can it last? The Ironborn's goal is not just Winterfell. They may chase us here at any time. If we are found by them, you should know the consequences."

After Jojen Reed finished speaking, everyone was silent for a moment.

Bran said: "It may be Robb's army that comes to us. My brother will come back from the south soon, and he will come back with all the troops to drive away the ironborn."

Jojen Reed reminded: "Lord Bran, Maester Luwin didn't mention Robb before we left, but he said... The North is now full of ironmen. Let me rush to the Wall as soon as possible to seek help. Your uncle’s protection.”

Meera's eyes were filled with worry: "The journey is difficult... The journey to the Great Wall is long, and Bran has no legs, only Hodor. If we have horses, everything will be fine..."

Jojen Reed interrupted: "If we were eagles, we could still fly!"

He added: "The truth is, we have no wings, just as we have no horses."

A silent Osha said: "There are forest officers, farmers and hunters deep in the wolf forest. We can get horses from them."

Jojen Reed's frown deepened: "The first thing we need to avoid right now is to be hunted down. Look at us...a crippled boy, a spearwife, a simple-minded big man and two Zetians who have left their hometown. Local people."

He glanced at everyone and continued: "How obvious is this? Those people will spread the news about us, and we will immediately become prey, hunted by those who really want to get rid of Bran Stark. .”

Everyone was silent. Jojen Reed walked to the fire, poked the embers with a stick, and said, "Bran needs a wiser teacher, and the Three-Eyed Raven is waiting for us in the north."

Osha said in a deep voice: "Little Reed, Maester Luwin asked us to send Bran to his uncle."

Jojen Reed poked at the embers again and said, "The Ironborn may pursue them as far as the Wall, but they will not pursue them north of the Wall."

Osha was about to speak, but was interrupted by Bran's voice: "This is a good idea. I want to meet the Three-Eyed Raven."

…………

The others went to prepare for departure, leaving only Bran and Jojen Reed.

Bran stared at the fire for a while and said: "Although I have never been beyond the Great Wall, I know that it is a very vast place. Can we find the Three-Eyed Crow?"

Jojen Reed said calmly: "Maybe he found us, Lord Bran."

Bran asked again: "What do you mean by teacher? Aren't you my teacher? You helped me open my third eye."

Nine-year-old Bran tried to "make peace" with him by asking questions. Jojen Reed said angrily: "Your third eye is too wide. I'm afraid you will turn into an animal and pass through." For the rest of my life.”

Bran shook his head quickly: "No, no, I will definitely control the time next time, I promise you."

Jojen Reed looked at Bran suspiciously and said, "The boy Bran made a promise?"

Bran complained: "I am only nine years old. I will get better when I grow up. Even the fool Florian and the dragon knight Prince Aemon were not very powerful when they were nine years old."

The Florian in Bran's mouth refers to the legendary knight in the Riverlands from the Age of Heroes, and Prince Aemon refers to Aemon Targaryen, who is considered to be the noblest knight to date.

…………

Jojen Reed nodded: "Yes, that makes sense, but..."

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he continued: "The prerequisite for your smooth growth is that the day lengthens and the night is suppressed, but the fact is exactly the opposite. Lord Bran, you are a child of summer, please remember the motto of the Stark family."

"Winter is coming."

After saying that, Bran couldn't help but tremble all over.

…………

…………

north.

In order to cooperate with Theon Greyjoy's plan to attack Winterfell, Dagmer "Cleftjaw" led his army to surround Torrhen Square (Chapter 209).

After receiving a request for help from Torrhen Square, Stark retainer Ser Rodrik Kelso summoned 800 soldiers from Winterfell and nearby manors to rush for reinforcements.

With the cooperation of the defenders of Torrhen Square, Ser Rodrik Kelso easily defeated Dagmer "Cleftjaw"'s army, and the Ironborn had no choice but to retreat to the Stone Coast.

Theon Greyjoy's plan to sneak attack on Winterfell, although everything went well at first, later failed miserably due to the sudden return of Eddard Stark, who had been "resurrected from the dead".

However, there were two other armies that invaded the North of the Iron Islands, commanded by Victarion Greyjoy (the younger brother of King Balon) and Asha Greyjoy.

…………

Cailin Bay is the choke point from the north to the south, and Robb Stark left 400 northern archers here.

Victarion Greyjoy led more than 100 warships to land quietly from the coast north of the Gulf of Cailin, killing the defenders of the Gulf of Cailin by surprise. The Ironborn easily occupied the Gulf of Cailin.

…………

Asha Greyjoy, with her carefully selected men, led more than 30 warships to sail north to Sea Dragon Point (a peninsula in the northwest of the North).

When the tide arrived, the Ironborn landed north of Deepwood Castle and directly attacked the Glover family's Deepwood Castle.

…………

News of Moat Cailin and Deepwood Motte being occupied by the Ironborn reached Winterfell.

After a brief rest, Stark retainer Sir Rodrik Kelso, under the orders of Duke Eddard, led 1000 northern soldiers northward to regain Deepwood Motte.

Duke Eddard gathered a new army in Winterfell, intending to take back Moat Cailin himself.

At the same time, messenger ravens carrying Lord Eddard's autographed letter flew out of Winterfell. Their destinations were Riverrun in the Riverlands, Pyke City in the Iron Islands, and the Blood Gate in the Vale.

…………

…………

Blood gate.

Petyr Baelish looked at the Bloodgate knight Brynden Tully with a heavy face behind his back, and said, "Sir Brynden, I'm sorry, this is an order from the Duke of the Eyrie."

Sir Brynden said coldly: "Littlefinger, where is Kate?"

Facing Sir Brynden's sharp gaze, Petyr said helplessly: "Uncle Brynden, Kate is very good. She and Lysa are biological sisters..."

He hesitated and said: "It's just..."

As he spoke, he let out a sigh that Ser Brynden could barely hear.

Sir Brynden stared at Petyr who was hesitant to speak for a while, and said, "Petyr, I taught you when you were young. Not everyone likes your word games."

His big hand touched the hilt of the sword at his waist, and then said: "I want to hear your truth, please don't test my patience."

Petyr smiled bitterly and said, "My Uncle Brynden, there is no need for me to lie to you..."

(End of this chapter)