"What are you going to Winterfell for?" Lord Wyman Manderly scratched his chin, which was covered in a long, white beard, and asked his granddaughter with a puzzled expression.
Clay saw the look of surprise on Wilfred's face and knew that Vera hadn't told anyone beforehand.
"Clay is going to see Lord Eddard, right? Maybe he can make friends with Lord Eddard's sons. I'll go and make friends with Miss Sansa," Vera declared, her voice full of conviction.
In fact, she wasn't wrong. Her older sister, Wilfred, had been taken to Winterfell several times by Lord Wyman in previous years. She had told Vera that she had become good friends with Sansa Stark, the Stark family's eldest daughter, and they had even done embroidery together.
The speaker spoke without thinking, but the listener took it to heart. Vera had probably started brewing the idea the moment she heard Clay was back.
"You're just causing trouble! Stay put!" Willis, Vera's father, scolded his daughter, puffing out his beard. The burly man, who looked like a bear, seemed completely clueless about how to communicate with his daughter.
Clay, seeing Vera tugging on her braid and pouting, found it amusing. He was just about to say a few words to support Vera, but when his gaze fell on the old lord's thoughtful face, he swallowed his words.
Seeing the lord of the house remain silent, everyone stopped eating and drinking, and the vast Merman Palace fell silent.
To everyone's surprise, Lord Wyman Manderly, who had always been very opposed to the girl running around on her own, agreed after a moment of thought.
"Alright, Clay, you take her and keep an eye on her."
Clay paused, surprised, but quickly nodded to avoid his foot being stepped on again.
He couldn't figure out Lord Wyman Manderly's intentions. In a great noble house like this, the appearance of offspring, especially females, in another house was very particular, as it often indicated the intention of a marriage alliance between great nobles.
Lord Wyman Manderly had been in charge for decades, and no one could fathom his thoughts, but one thing was clear to everyone: the Wilfred sisters, who had already started their periods, would definitely not marry into a house with a lower status than House Manderly.
Was the old lord planning to let Vera appear more in front of Robb? If that was the case, then taking Wilfred to Winterfell in the first place was probably with the same intention. Was he still not giving up?
Clay wasn't sure, but that wasn't something he needed to worry about right now.
Two days later
By the White Knife River
"Take this wine. Give it to Ser Rodrik Cassel, the master-at-arms at Winterfell. Tell him it's me repaying a debt."
Wendel Manderly clapped his son on the back, giving him instructions about the people he knew at Winterfell.
Clay, accompanied by Vera and ten guards in gleaming armor, headed north along the White Knife River.
If all went well, they would reach Seagard in half a month. From there, they would take the Kingsroad, and with a fast ride, they could reach Winterfell in half a day.
The river flowed gently, a silver ribbon in the morning sun. Under the vast green plains, The North in the height of summer was quite a sight to behold.
Behind Clay, to his right, Vera, having left the castle, was shouting excitedly from her white horse, unlike her sister Wilfred, who was always so proper.
"Hold tight, don't fall off," Clay warned.
"Oh, alright, alright, Clay, stop fussing like a nanny," Vera said dismissively, her silvery laughter echoing across the empty riverbank.
Clay chuckled and decided not to bother with her. His gaze swept over the family guards protecting them. These guards, armored in plate and bearing the merman sigil on their shields, were the heavy cavalry of House Manderly.
Though most soldiers in The North were primarily equipped with chainmail, that was usually due to the North's weaker economy, which couldn't afford expensive full plate armor.
But House Manderly, which controlled the fifth-largest city in all of Westeros, had no such concerns. As far as Clay knew, the family's armory could instantly equip over 1,500 fully armored knights.
When Clay learned this, he couldn't figure out why such a powerful force had stayed hidden during the War of the Five Kings.
Lord Wyman Manderly had allowed two of his sons to be taken prisoner, and one to die at the Red Wedding alongside Robb Stark. He hadn't even used this force when Jon Snow retook Winterfell. What was he planning?
If this force had joined the battle, while Tywin Lannister was held up in the Riverlands by Robb, 1,500 Northmen knights could have swiftly moved south and struck at King's Landing. The war might have ended there. Why all of the subsequent chaos?
Clay realized that the things these great houses, including his own, which had been around for hundreds or even thousands of years in Westeros, had hidden beneath the surface were probably far deeper than he'd imagined. He mustn't make hasty decisions based on his own impressions.
Vera had been right about one thing during the banquet. Clay did need to meet the Eddard Stark family during this trip to Winterfell.
Since he was the third-generation heir of House Manderly, he was inevitably dragged onto the war chariot of The North.
The harsh cold and the Old Gods' faith gave the Starks an unyielding character, but it was clear that they lacked sufficient political acumen.
Look at the series of boneheaded decisions made by Eddard and Robb later on, and the great situation in The North was ruined; they bore an inescapable responsibility.
But then again, although this family was terrible at politics, they were still qualified to be leaders. At least Clay didn't want those perverted skin-flayers from Dreadfort to become the Warden of the North.
The journey, which wasn't particularly urgent to begin with, was further delayed by Vera's constant meandering, turning a fifteen-day trip into a twenty-day one.
As the sun set on the twentieth day, they finally saw the gray-black castle standing on the horizon in the golden sunset.
From a distance, a melodious horn sounded.
Accompanied by the thundering of hooves, three warhorses carrying knights in full chainmail armor, led by a fluttering Direwolf Banner, arrived before them.
The knight in the lead, of course, recognized the Manderly's banner of the Merman. He lowered his guard and called out, "Welcome to Winterfell, friends from White Harbor."
This was really asking Clay and his party what they wanted, as it was the duty of the Stark family rangers.
The knight was also good at reading people. He immediately noticed Clay and Vera, who were dressed in fine clothes and being protected in the center of the group, and addressed his words to them.
Clay knew it was his turn to speak. He urged his horse forward, and the guards naturally made way for him.
"I am Clay Manderly. I wish to meet with the Warden of the North, Lord Stark."
Although he didn't remember a young man like Clay in House Manderly, no one in The North would dare misuse the Manderly family's banner.
The knight nodded, spurred his horse forward, and said, "The Lord is in the castle. I will take you there. Follow me."
Following the Direwolf Banner, Winterfell gradually drew closer. Before the final rays of the setting sun vanished, Clay and his companions passed through Winterfell's gates.
(End of Chapter)