iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 599: Biting Cold Wind

There was silence.

Duke Ed closed his eyes and opened them again. The wolf's gray eyes moved over and said, "Luce, I will finish writing the letter."

His eyes fell on the map again, and he murmured, "As for Stannis..."

Seeing that Lord Eddard was in deep thought, Lord Roose waited for a moment and took the initiative to speak: "My lord, Stannis's head would be a good gift to show the loyalty of the northerners to the king and queen."

Lord Eddard paused as he slid his finger across the map. He looked sharply at the man in front of him and said, "Lord Bolton, this will be a battle for the survival of all living people. Stannis is also part of the defense against the invasion of the White Walkers."

The Lord of the Dreadfort frowned slightly. "But he still calls himself the king. Moreover, he regards us as traitors. You know his character very well."

He looked directly at the Lord of Winterfell. "How he should be dealt with should be decided by the King and Queen. This will also better demonstrate the sincerity of the Northerners."

He stepped forward and continued, "Lord Ned, I have a way to capture Stannis alive. Please leave it to me..."

Duke Ed frowned and interrupted: "What method?"

Without waiting for Lord Roose to respond, he added in a cold voice: "I will never allow the honor of the North to be tarnished again, Roose Bolton. I hope you will remember this."

Hearing this, Roose's face, as cold as ice, did not change at all. "Lord Stark, Stannis has already trampled on the honor of the North. He seized the land given to the Night's Watch by the North to settle his so-called subjects, who are tens of thousands of wildlings from beyond the Wall."

He looked the wolf in the eye. "It is clear that Stannis is not capable of feeding those wildlings."

Lord Eddard stared at Roose: "We now have a common enemy, the White Walkers."

"Stannis will not obey the orders of others." Facing the sharp gaze of the wolf, Lord Roose's voice remained emotionless.

"My lord, the current situation in the Seven Kingdoms does not allow for two kings."

As Count Luce finished his words, the tent fell into solemn silence again.

After a pause, Lord Eddard spoke hoarsely: "Stannis has the right to wear black."

"No, he deserves to die."

Lord Roose's voice was rarely calm. "Only with his death can the war seventeen years ago be considered truly over. Otherwise... the king and the queen have enough reason to doubt our loyalty. Lord Stark, you must execute him. It would be best if you... cut off his head with your own hands, for Stark and for the entire North."

"enough."

Lord Eddard's broad chest rose and fell slowly: "Lord Bolton, don't let me repeat myself. To resist the White Walkers, we must gather the strength of everyone."

"The strongest fortress is often first breached from within, this is the motto of King Green."

Lord Roose looked straight at him and said coldly: "Stannis is dangerous. You should not expect anything from him. He is Robert's brother, but he is not Robert himself."

Duke Eddard's grey eyes trembled imperceptibly. If there was anything in King's Landing worth remembering by Wolf, it was only Grimm. The North would never forget.

At the same time, he had another consideration. Roose Bolton talked too much today, and he noticed something unusual.

"Roose, if Stannis lets his lust take over, I will kill him myself."

After a pause, Lord Eddard added: "I will support more wildlings from beyond the Wall to pass through the Wall and keep them in the north. Their ultimate fate is to become puppets of the White Walkers and become our enemies."

He rested his big hands on the table, scanned the map, thought for a moment, and then said, "I will arrange a group of cavalry to keep an eye on the wild people from outside the Great Wall who have settled in the gifted land."

"This will weaken the North's ability to defend the Wall. Stannis does not deserve your devotion to him."

As he spoke, the eyes of the Earl of the Dreadfort moved slightly, meeting the gaze of the Lord of Winterfell, and he continued, "You are betting on the tolerance and mercy of King Green. The people in the North are unstable because of 'Robb's deeds' and can no longer withstand further tests."

Count Luce's pupils shrank slightly. The wolf in front of him seemed like it would tear him to pieces at any time, but he showed no sign of backing down.

His chest rose and fell several times, and Lord Eddard tried to suppress his anger: "Lord Dreadfort, that's enough for today."

Benlang waved his hand, but Count Luce showed no intention of leaving.

"Lord of Winterfell, if you insist on protecting Stannis, please forgive me for my offense. I hope you will allow me to represent the North and go to King's Landing immediately."

Lord Luce touched his chest towards Eddard and said, "If I get your permission, I will set out overnight for the North."

The candlelight on the table flickered, and silence fell again. "Please ask Lord Commander Mormont to send a messenger from the Night's Watch. You..."

Benlang turned his back to Count Luce and waved his hand: "...You can take them with you. My handwritten letter will fly to King's Landing early tomorrow morning."

"My blade is still sharp."

Lord Roose glanced at the running wolf after speaking the Bolton family code. He then flicked his cloak embroidered with a red flayed man and slowly left the tent of the Lord of Winterfell.

……

Soon, the cold wind blew in.

"grown ups."

The thick fur door was opened again, and the captain of the Stark guard appeared.

"I thought Lord Bolton always had an icy face."

Duke Ed's gaze shifted over, and Sir Kane grinned: "He seems to be quite angry, and he left with his men."

Hearing this, Duke Ed frowned slightly: "So fast?"

Ser Kane shrugged. "Lord Ned, it is obvious that he has made preparations in advance."

Duke Ed frowned and was silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "Did the people from Zengdi send any news?"

Sir Kane paused for a moment, then shook his head and replied, "Those savages are still relatively honest at the moment."

Upon hearing this, Duke Ed's brows knitted even tighter: "Normally, the messenger riders sent over there should come to report tonight, regardless of whether there is anything abnormal or not."

Sir Kane restrained his expression and said angrily, "I'm sorry, sir. I... will send someone to investigate tomorrow morning."

"I hope it was the snowstorm or wild animals that delayed the riders' journey."

Pulling out a blank piece of parchment, Duke Ed slowly sat down with a heavy face: "The cold will make people dull, remember this lesson, Kane."

"As ordered."

The cold wind seemed to come in from a gap again. Sir Kane moved his feet and looked vigilantly in the direction of the tent door.

"You go and arrange the staff later, I will go there myself tomorrow..."

There was a buzzing sound in his ears, and Sir Kane's pupils suddenly dilated. A black shadow pounced on him like lightning, and he had no time to react.

Then, his vision went dark for a moment, and this strange thing brushed past him.

That direction...

Behind……

Lord Ned?!

As the candlelight flickered, the quill pen that Duke Ed had just picked up fell from his hand.

He was thinking about how to write the beginning of the letter when he suddenly felt a chill in his chest and subconsciously touched that place.

His fingers seemed heavy and clumsy as if they were filled with lead. The burning heat from his fingertips startled him. It was blood...

As his consciousness became increasingly blurred, Lord Eddard seemed to have returned to the godswood of Winterfell and heard the laughter of his wife and children.

His body felt no pain, only cold.

A biting cold wind suddenly blew snow into the tent, extinguishing the last ray of candlelight.

Sir Kane screamed: "No!!!"

(End of this chapter)