Chapter 23:
The Twins.
The twin towers stood on opposite banks of the Green Fork like two ugly poisonous fangs. The rushing river churned violently below, as if eager to wash away the blood that was about to flow.
Inside the feast hall, the air was thick with the smell of wine.
This was a wedding meant to repair the relationship between House Stark and House Frey. The groom was Edmure Tully (Catelyn's brother), and the bride was one of Walder Frey's daughters.
Walder Frey, the ninety-year-old lord, sat on the high seat like a vulture. His cloudy little eyes darted back and forth between Robb, Catelyn, and Victor Pompey, who was seated at the guest of honor table. A disgusting mix of drool and sinister smile hung at the corner of his mouth.
"Drink! Everyone drink!"
Old Walder rapped the table with his withered fingers. "King Stark, this is fine wine that even I rarely bring out! Don't refuse me just because these old bones are getting on in years!"
Robb Stark, though harboring grudges, still raised his cup for the greater good.
Catelyn Tully sat beside her son. Though uneasy, she relaxed slightly when she saw the lively scene around them.
Only Victor remained calm.
He sat to Robb's left, idly playing with a silver wine cup, but his eyes looked at the crowd as if they were already dead men.
He noticed that the doors of the feast hall had quietly been closed at some point.
In the musicians' gallery, the performers held their instruments, but their eyes were shifty and their clothes bulged suspiciously — clearly hiding weapons.
And not far away, Roose Bolton (Lord of the Dreadfort) was coldly cutting the meat on his plate with an expression as if he were slicing Robb's throat.
[System Alert: Killing intent has reached critical level!] [Detected enemy units: Crossbowmen x 50 (hidden on the second-floor gallery), Assassins x 100 (disguised as servants).] [Frey Family Betrayal Countdown: 3 minutes.]
Suddenly.
The cheerful drumbeat came to an abrupt halt.
The lights in the hall inexplicably dimmed.
The musicians began to play a low, mournful tune that every person in Westeros recognized with dread.
The deep cello sounded like weeping:
"The cat wore a robe, was it golden or red…" "The lion still has claws, these are its sharp claws…"
The Rains of Castamere.
This was the war song of House Lannister when they wiped out House Reyne.
This was the signal for slaughter.
Catelyn Tully's face turned deathly pale. She suddenly turned to Roose Bolton beside her and grabbed his sleeve — beneath the velvet, she felt cold chainmail.
"Robb! Run!"
Catelyn let out a heart-wrenching scream. "It's a trap!!"
Old Walder Frey let out an owl-like cackle from the high seat: "Hahahaha! Too late! Cut off that wolf pup's head for me…"
Clang—!
A clear, ringing sword cry forcefully overpowered the cello's sound.
It also interrupted Old Walder's command.
Victor Pompey stood up.
The wine cup in his hand was smashed violently onto the floor. Crimson wine splattered like the first blooming flower of blood.
"This song is too sad, Lord Walder."
Victor's voice echoed in the now-silent hall, carrying the domineering aura of one who ruled the realm.
"As a guest's return gift, I've prepared a much livelier tune for you."
He snapped his fingers.
"Begin."
Boom!
On the second-floor gallery, the dozens of Frey crossbowmen who had been preparing to shoot Robb suddenly let out a series of miserable screams.
From the shadows, more than a dozen black-clad Shadow Guards appeared like ghosts. Their daggers precisely slit the crossbowmen's throats. The heavy crossbows that had been aimed downstairs were now turned — aimed at the Frey family members on the high seat!
At the same time, the feast hall's main doors were violently smashed open!
"House Pompey! Kill!!!"
The Hound, Sandor Clegane, charged in first, swinging his greatsword. Behind him came a group of heavily armored Teutonic Knights.
They were like steel behemoths breaking into a sheep pen. The Frey household guards trying to block the entrance were instantly chopped into minced meat.
"What?! How is this possible?!"
Old Walder sprang up from his seat in terror. "I also planted men! Where are my soldiers?!"
"Your soldiers?"
Victor gave a cold laugh and with one swing of his sword, cut down a disguised servant who tried to sneak up on him.
"They're outside enjoying the 'flame feast' I prepared for them."
At that moment, outside the castle, flames shot into the sky.
Melisandre stood on the battlements, chanting ancient incantations. Under her guidance, the hidden Pompey deathsworn ignited the oil-soaked tents. Frey's several thousand troops fell into chaos and began slaughtering each other.
Inside the feast hall, the situation reversed in an instant.
Robb Stark, who had been the prey moments ago, exploded with the bloodthirst of the King in the North after a brief shock.
"Umber! Bolton!" (He still didn't know Bolton had betrayed him) "Kill with me!"
Robb flipped a table to block incoming arrows and drew his sword, protecting his mother.
"No need to break out."
Victor walked leisurely to the center of the hall and stabbed a would-be assassin aiming for Catelyn.
He looked up at the trembling Old Walder on the high seat, as if looking at a mouse waiting to be slaughtered.
"Close the doors."
Victor gave the cold order.
Bang!
The heavy doors slammed shut once again.
Only this time, the "pigs" trapped inside were the Frey family.
"This is the price of violating guest right, Walder."
Victor pointed at Roose Bolton.
The Lord of the Dreadfort, sensing the tide had turned, was trying to slip away quietly.
"And you, Lord Bolton. Is the chainmail under your clothes also for attending a wedding?"
Robb suddenly turned his head and stared at Roose Bolton, fury blazing in his eyes. "Bolton?! You betrayed me too?!"
Roose Bolton drew his sword with an expressionless face. "Your Grace, it seems we have lost this round."
"No. You have died."
Victor's figure flashed. [Master-level Swordsmanship] erupted.
Before Bolton could raise his hand, Victor's sword had already pierced his wrist and flicked his weapon away. Then the Hound charged in, kicked the infamous Lord of the Dreadfort to the ground, and pressed his greatsword against his neck.
What followed was a massacre.
The Teutonic Knights advanced in formation while the Shadow Guards carried out precise eliminations.
The Frey family's bastards, grandsons, and great-grandsons fell into pools of blood like harvested wheat.
Ten minutes later.
The hall fell silent. Only the sound of dripping blood remained.
Old Walder Frey sat collapsed on the high seat, looking at the corpses of his children and grandchildren scattered across the floor. He finally broke down.
"Don't… don't kill me…"
He trembled and begged. "I have money! I have daughters! Lord Pompey, you can have any daughter you want! I'll waive all bridge tolls!"
Victor walked up the high seat step by step, carrying his dripping sword.
He stopped in front of Old Walder and looked down at the ninety-year-old schemer like a mouse waiting to be slaughtered.
"I don't lack money, and I don't lack women."
Victor leaned close to his ear and said softly:
"I'm simply here to collect some interest on behalf of a mother (Catelyn)."
"Robb." Victor turned his head. "He's yours."
Robb Stark, covered in blood, walked up.
He looked at the old man who had nearly wiped out House Stark, with no mercy in his eyes.
"The North does not forget."
Schlunk!
Robb's sword stabbed viciously into Old Walder's heart.
A generation of schemer died in the most humiliating way — on his own wedding feast.
…
At dawn.
The storm at the Twins had ended.
The main force of House Frey had been annihilated, and the remnants surrendered. Roose Bolton was thrown into the dungeon (to be left as a toy for Arya).
On the battlements.
Victor and Robb stood side by side, looking down at the rushing river below.
"Thank you."
Robb's voice was hoarse. He was still shaken. Without Victor, House Stark would have been wiped out last night.
"You saved my life, you saved my mother, you saved the North."
"From today onward, House Pompey is the eternal brother of the North."
"Brother is unnecessary."
Victor wiped the blood from his hands and looked at Robb with a meaningful smile.
"Don't forget our agreement, Your Grace."
"When you return to Winterfell, I want to see Sansa standing before me in a wedding gown."
"Of course." Robb nodded solemnly. "This is the oath of House Stark."
Victor looked toward the rising sun in the east.
The Red Wedding had been reversed.
The structure of the War of the Five Kings had been completely shattered.
The Lannisters had lost an important ally (the Freys) and gained a deadly enemy (a living Robb).
And House Pompey, stepping on the bones of House Frey, had truly seized the chips to influence the fate of the realm.
[Ding! Epic Quest Completed: Reversal of the Red Wedding!] [Reward Acquired: Control of the Twins (Strategic Chokepoint)!] [Special Item Acquired: Coin of the Many-Faced God (Can summon one Faceless Man assassination).] [Family Reputation Upgraded to: Renowned Across the Seven Kingdoms!]
"Next…"
Victor calculated in his mind.
The North was secure. The Riverlands were secure.
It was time to return to King's Landing, check on "his" child (the one with Cersei), and… prepare to welcome those three dragons that were about to grow up.
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