Early morning.
After a night of relentless, heavy rain that had threatened to wash the very cobbles from the bridge, the sky had cleared into a dazzling expanse of new blue satin. Wisps of white clouds floated within it like delicate ribbons of silk, shredded by a high-altitude wind. A brilliant sun slowly rose from the depths of the eastern forest, its light catching the steel and fur of the Northern host. Led by the Sunburst Star banner, the massive infantry column under Earl Rickard and Harrion began to stream onto the King's Road, heading for the Neck and the safety of Moat Cailin.
Eddard stood atop the western tower, his black woolen cloak swaying in the cold breeze as he watched them depart. He felt a strange weight in his chest, a mix of relief that his family was safe and the crushing reality that the Crossing was now entirely his responsibility. He descended the spiral stairs, his silver plate armor gleaming with a polished intensity. Emblazoned on his breastplate was the new sigil: the black twin towers beneath a rising golden sun.
In his hand, he gripped the five-foot-long "Heartbreaker." The Valyrian steel felt light, almost eager, as he stepped into the courtyard.
"My Lord, the men are ready," Dita Calandre said, holding the reins of Eddard's warhorse.
Eddard swung into the saddle and rode through the East City. The sound of hooves grew into a rumbling roar as his personal guard, one hundred heavy cavalry clad in black plate and mail joined the procession. Outside the gates, two other units waited. Six hundred Karstark riders under the silver-and-black tower banner sat rigid in their saddles, a forest of long spears glinting in the morning light. Beside them was a more disorganized swarm: the cavalry of the loyalist vassals. Their diverse banners - black boars, mistletoe, herons, and waterwheels fluttered in the wind.
Over a thousand cavalry. It was a show of force designed to shatter the nerves of any who still dreamt of a Frey restoration.
Eddard didn't linger. He gave the signal to march north. Of the six knights who had drawn steel in his hall, only the Smo family had sent representatives and their "defense" had ended in a blood-soaked circle on his floor. The remaining five families - Hed, Turner, Bert, Buniel, and Buck had chosen silence. They had been given ample time to confess. Now, they would be given the axe.
High above, Blackfeather circled the winding road. Through the [Animal Friend] link, Eddard saw the world as a tapestry of green and brown. He saw the tracks of his army in the mud and the terrified peasants hiding in the brush as the "Winter Sun" approached.
By the time they reached Hedgerow Village, the reception was already prepared. Dozens of people had bound their own hands and were kneeling in the muck at the village entrance. At the very front sat a thin girl, barely thirteen years old, her hair matted with rain and her face pale with terror.
Eddard pulled his horse to a halt, his shadow looming over her. "Alianna Hed," he said, his voice amplified by the silence of his men. "Where is your uncle?"
Hedgerow Village was a prosperous place of wheat and barley, named for the ancient oaks that formed a natural perimeter. Eddard knew the census: eight hundred people, a small logging camp, and a defunct knightly family. Sir William Hed's brother and nephews had been running the place since the war began.
"My Lord," Alianna said, her voice trembling but surprisingly clear. "The moment your messenger was seen on the ridge, my uncle and his sons took the horses and fled. They took no luggage, only their steel. They spoke of seeking refuge with Aemon Frey in the West."
"And you?" Eddard asked, leaning forward on his pommel. "Why didn't you come to the Twins to beg for your father's life?"
"My Lord... the soldiers left behind were afraid," she whispered, her eyes fixed on the mud. "They feared being hanged as rebels if they escorted me. And I... I am a girl. I cannot ride, I cannot fight. If I had set out alone, the bandits would have taken me before I cleared the woods. I waited for you, My Lord. I thought you would be the only justice left."
Eddard clicked his tongue. He had come here expecting a fight or a groveling liar. He hadn't expected a realistic survivor. He looked at her small frame and thought of the "main character" tropes from his previous life. He couldn't hang a child for the sins of a father who was already destined for the Wall. It would be a waste of resources and a PR disaster.
He looked back at his column, spotting a familiar face. "Matthew!"
Matthew, the horse archer who had survived the trek to Sunspear, rode forward, looking confused. "My Lord?"
"Are you married, lad?"
"Ah? No, My Lord. Never had the time."
"Alright then. You marry her," Eddard said, waving his riding crop at Alianna. He turned back to the girl. "Your father is a forsworn man. He will take the Black and spend his days at the Wall. But you... you will marry my loyal subordinate. You will assist him in managing Hedgerow Village. You will be the bridge between the old blood and the new rule. Do you have any objections?"
Alianna looked up, her eyes filling with a profound, sobbing gratitude. "No objections, My Lord. Thank you for your mercy."
Matthew dismounted, kneeling beside his future wife, stammering his thanks. He stole a glance at Alianna; she was fair-skinned and had the healthy look of a village girl. In his mind, he was already calculating the Mu of land he'd just inherited.
[System Notification: Vassal 'Matthew' loyalty: Excellent.]
[Territory 'Hedgerow Village' status: Secured.]
"Prepare for the wedding," Eddard commanded the elders. "We move on. To Oatfield Manor!"
The mood of the army lightened as they rode. McKen's booming voice teased Matthew about his "sudden promotion," while Karas Snow made crude jokes about the wedding night. But the levity didn't last long.
Oatfield Manor was a ghost house. The Turner family had stripped the place of every silver spoon and sack of grain before fleeing to Unicorn Fortress. Timber Hall, the seat of House Bert, was the same. The rebellion was consolidating.
Eddard changed his pace. He bypassed the empty villages and rode straight for the road to Unicorn Fortress. Halfway there, they caught the Buniels.
A convoy of wagons, protected by a hundred infantry in leather and a handful of riders, was lumbering through a narrow forest pass. The white banner of the willow tree was clear even in the shade.
"Catch them," Eddard ordered. "Kill any who draw steel."
The Karstark cavalry hit them like a tidal wave. The Buniel infantry scattered like leaves in a storm. Some knelt immediately; others were cut down as they tried to reach the trees. It was a five-minute slaughter.
Lando rode up, dragging a bearded man by the collar. He tossed him into the mud at Eddard's feet. "Lounde Buniel, the heir, My Lord."
Lounde spat mud from his mouth, looking up at Eddard with a sneer. "Cruel usurper! Kill me! The Buniels will never acknowledge a Karstark dog!"
Eddard looked at the man. He saw a fool who had watched his men die and still thought he was in a storybook. He saw a man with a [Extremely Poor] loyalty rating who would stab him in the back the moment the wind turned.
"Lando," Eddard said, pointing to a crooked oak tree by the road. "Hang him. His armor and horse are yours."
"With pleasure," Lando grinned.
Lounde's bravado evaporated. The "Lion-hearted" heir turned into a shrieking mess. "Wait! My Lord! Spare me! I know the strength of the Buck family! I know the tunnels! Give me the Black! I'll take the Black!"
"Make him shut up," Eddard said, his voice flat.
Lando's armored boot connected with Lounde's jaw with a sickening crunch. Teeth and blood sprayed onto the mud. The whimpering Buniel was hauled to the tree, a rope looped around his neck, and hoisted. He kicked for a minute, then went still.
"Take the wagons," Eddard commanded. "We're wasting daylight."
They reached Unicorn Fortress at dusk.
The castle was a clever piece of engineering. It sat on a natural hill, but the surrounding earth had been excavated to create steep, artificial slopes that made a direct assault impossible for anything but a mountain goat. The walls were barely ten meters high, but the height of the hill made them feel twice that.
Two scorpions were visible above the gate, their iron bolts catching the dying red light of the sun. The banners of Buck, Turner, and Bert fluttered from the towers. They had gathered their strength here, thinking they could wait out the "Winter Wizard" in their stone cage.
Eddard sat his horse at the edge of the range, looking at the narrow, two-meter-wide slope that was the only path into the city. It was a deathtrap.
"Go to your fiefs," Eddard told the vassal knights behind him. "Levy your commoners. Bring every shovel, every spade, and every beast of burden you have. I want them here by dawn."
Worton Brown of Grassland Hamlet looked at the fortress and then at Eddard. He didn't understand the command. "My Lord... do you plan to dig them out?"
"I plan to bury them, Worton," Eddard said, his eyes fixed on the unicorn banner. "If they want to live in a cage, I'll make sure they never have to leave it."
Worton shivered, remembering the teeth Lounde Buniel had left in the mud. He spurred his horse toward his own lands, realizing that while the fortress looked strong, it was just a very expensive tomb.
Eddard watched the lights flicker in the castle windows. He had 412 Soul Power and a thousand men. He wasn't going to lose a single Karstark life to a stone wall. He was going to show the Crossing what happens when the Sun of Winter decides the day is over.
[System Notification: Siege of Unicorn Fortress initiated.]
[Objective: Neutralize the Triple Alliance.]
[Strategy Selected: Earthwork Containment.]
[Soul Power Gained (Buniel Execution): 25 SP.]
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