The fighting continued all the way until dawn.
When the first ray of sunlight shone into the Whispering Wood, this war—destined to be recorded in history—finally came to an end.
Inside the forest, blood-tinged dew condensed on leaves and blades of grass, sliding along their veins before dripping onto corpses on the ground, then vanishing without a trace.
Robb sat resting beneath a tree. Grey Wind served as his backrest, guarding him tightly, a low rumbling sound coming from his throat. He had howled and fought all night long, and his voice clearly wasn't feeling too great now.
The remaining wolf cavalry sat scattered around them. A small number dragged their exhausted bodies through the undergrowth, standing watch and guarding against the possibility that enemy forces near Riverrun might suddenly arrive.
As for the corpses strewn across the ground and the spoils of war, they simply didn't have the strength left to deal with them.
Ser Brynden "Blackfish" Tully sat opposite Robb, reporting the results of the previous night's battle.
"We captured close to a hundred knights and more than a dozen nobles, including Lord Westerling, Lord Banefort, Ser Gawen Greenfield, Lord Lefford, Ser Tytos Brax, the Dornishman Marlor… We also caught three members of House Lannister—all nephews of Lord Tywin. Two from his sister's line, and one from his late younger brother's…"
He continued, "We're still counting the bodies, so we don't yet know how many the enemy lost. From my estimate, about half of them fled roughly an hour after the battle began."
This long string of names made Robb's head ache."Tell me our losses instead. That's what I care about."
The Blackfish paused briefly before answering, "We lost fifty-eight men. Over a hundred more were wounded."
Robb felt a pang of bitterness. If he had any choice, he wished that not a single wolf cavalryman had died. But this was war—only blood and fire could forge truly outstanding warriors.
Theon Greyjoy sat to Robb's left. "We caught the Kingslayer! That bitch in King's Landing is going to be dumbstruck! Lord Eddard can be saved now!"
"Hopefully…" Robb said quietly.
He knew that by this point in time, King Joffrey would likely already be driven mad enough to have Eddard Stark executed. Still, there was hope that his two sisters could be saved.
Even though both of them would suffer hardships later in the story and grow because of it, Robb would much rather see his family live out their lives safely inside a greenhouse.
Suffering was not the only thing that could make a person grow. Those who glorified suffering always had ulterior motives.
Robb looked at the remaining two hundred or so wolf cavalrymen. Their faces were etched with exhaustion, yet their expressions were brimming with excitement. For many of these knights, this battle alone would be something to boast about in taverns for the rest of their lives.
This force could continue fighting—but only after sufficient rest.
Robb began to think about the current situation of the war. Riverrun still needed their support. More than ten thousand enemy troops were still laying siege there. However, once news of the Battle of the Whispering Wood spread, enemy morale would undoubtedly plummet.
It was time for a decisive battle.
"Ser Blackfish, any news from Lord Jason Mallister?"
Jason Mallister was the lord of Seagard. At present, almost all of the Riverlands had been ravaged by House Lannister. Only three cities remained unconquered: Riverrun, Raventree, and Seagard.
Seagard lay close to Raventree, so Robb had instructed the Blackfish early on to inform Jason Mallister to march from Seagard toward the Whispering Wood.
After all, no matter how strong three hundred wolf cavalrymen were, it was impossible for them to directly break through a fortified camp defended by ten thousand men. That had nothing to do with bravery—it would simply be suicidal.
When it came to intelligence work, no one surpassed the Blackfish.
"We've received word. That raven was quite lucky—it somehow wasn't shot down during the chaos. As per your instructions, Lord Jason Mallister of Seagard has already set out with his troops."
"However, their speed is a bit slow. Along the way, they encountered many Riverlands soldiers and hedge knights who had previously been defeated by Jaime. He's absorbing them and reorganizing his force. They're expected to reach the Whispering Wood in about two days, with roughly two thousand men."
Robb did some quick calculations. The old fox at Raventree could raise four thousand troops on his own. Seagard wasn't as wealthy, and even with the remnants absorbed along the way, two thousand men was already a decent number.
Add to that the more than three thousand defenders inside Riverrun, and although their overall strength was still at a disadvantage, it wasn't an unwinnable fight.
No matter how hard it was—could it really be harder than last night's battle?
Having made up his mind, Robb began issuing orders."In that case, we'll wait here for Lord Jason to arrive with his men. Ser Blackfish, maintain contact with Riverrun. Once we move out, they'll need to coordinate with us and launch a counterattack."
What followed was simple. After getting enough rest, the wolf cavalrymen cheerfully began rummaging through their spoils.
Robb treated his wolf cavalry extremely well. After every battle, he distributed spoils according to merit. The armor of fallen enemies was valuable, and Robb made sure it was divided fairly.
At the same time, Robb also began to meet his own spoils of war.
The Kingslayer, Jaime, had been stripped of his armor and brought before Robb, covered in blood. His golden hair had been stained black by dried gore.
"Ser Jaime," Robb said calmly, "you were quite impressive. You nearly conquered the Riverlands."
Jaime raised his head and stared at Robb."What in the hell are you?"
Robb shrugged. "Just a pitiful man trying to save his family. I won't kill you. Sending you back to King's Landing can get my family returned."
A dim look crossed Jaime's face. Being defeated and exchanged as a prisoner was a great stain on his honor.
Though, to be fair, his reputation was already at rock bottom.
Robb suddenly changed his tone. "But aside from that, there's still a debt we need to settle."
Jaime looked confused.
Robb kindly reminded him, "You pushed my brother from a tower, crippling him for life. You also stabbed my father through the knee in King's Landing, forcing him to walk with a cane. Do you really think those things can just be written off?"
"Do as you will," Jaime said calmly.
In truth, he felt guilty toward Bran. That was just a child, yet he had hurt him for his own selfish desires. Being punished was only right.
Robb nodded. "Very well."
Without another word, Robb swung his sword and cleanly severed Jaime's left hand."This is repayment for Bran's disability."
Before Jaime could even scream, Robb had already seized a long spear and hurled it at Jaime's knee, piercing straight through it and pinning it to the ground.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Jaime's agonized scream echoed throughout the Whispering Wood.
Robb wiped his hands and said evenly, "Perfectly fair. Disability for disability. A pierced knee for a pierced knee. Lannister—this settles the debt."
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
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(End Chapter)