*
The North, Winterfell
"Woooooo..."
As deep and distant horn blasts echoed through the air, a solemn and tense atmosphere quickly spread outside Winterfell.
Along with the sound, well-equipped and high-spirited cavalry units slowly appeared on both the north and south sides of the Kingsroad.
The cavalry leading the way held high the banners of various Great Houses; these flags fluttered in the sunlight, shining brightly and showcasing the glory and power of their respective families.
Among these banners, some depicted a mighty giant in chains, others a blazing sun in winter, and some the image of the infamously cruel flayed man, along with elegant elks and upright sentinel trees.
Besides these familiar sigils, there was one particularly eye-catching banner: a green merman holding a trident, dancing in the wind as if telling secrets and legends from the depths of the ocean.
With the appearance of these banners, the Ironborn stationed within Winterfell—those who styled themselves as fearless conquerors—fell into unprecedented panic and chaos.
They hadn't expected so many Northern houses to arrive so quickly and unite against them; this sudden pressure caught them completely off guard.
According to the intelligence they had received earlier, most of the Northern armies had been deployed to the Wall and the Vale; they truly couldn't fathom where these troops had come from.
In fact, these troops were the private levies of the Northern houses themselves, while the armies sent to the Vale and the Wall were actually new forces trained by Eddard after his return to the North, mostly consisting of mountain clansmen.
The first to arrive near Winterfell and take action were the White Harbor knights led by Jon; to reach the city as quickly as possible, Jon had separated the cavalry from the infantry.
The armies of the other houses dispatched their cavalry immediately after receiving messengers sent by Jon.
Jon's reason for arriving first was the fear that the Ironborn might flee; he knew them well—they were like locusts, usually raiding and looting before running away.
Although this army had been hastily assembled in a very short time, their arrival undoubtedly intimidated the Ironborn inside Winterfell, throwing them into disarray.
While Jon directed his Northern cavalry in the busy task of setting up a temporary camp, the Ironborn within Winterfell were in a state of chaos.
Although their celebration last night had been a somewhat out-of-control revelry, these rough pirates had maintained a sliver of vigilance, assigning specific men to guard the castle gates.
They knew well that it was only through a surprise attack on the gates and internal betrayals that they had managed to seize the impregnable Winterfell.
Therefore, they remained highly alert regarding the security of the gates, allowing no negligence.
Amidst the confusion, Yara Greyjoy anxiously searched for her brother, Theon Greyjoy.
When she finally found him in a corner, she saw the unfortunate boy indulging in the embrace of the redhead prostitute Ros, relishing forbidden pleasures as if the outside clamor had nothing to do with him.
Yara's appearance would undoubtedly shatter his brief peace, bringing new challenges and decisions for the siblings.
"Splash..."
As a basin of cold water was poured over his head, Theon, who was still dreaming, jumped straight out of bed.
"What are you doing?"
The soaking wet Theon had been quite the powerhouse last night, leaving Ros utterly defeated; thus, when the water was poured, both were drenched like drowned rats.
A low-status prostitute like Ros naturally didn't dare to resist, but Theon was different; he felt he was a great hero and that no one should be rude to him.
"The enemy is at the gates, my dear brother. Do you really want to continue here?"
Yara found Theon's state quite amusing; her brother had been taken to Winterfell as a hostage at a young age. If he hadn't been the heir to House Greyjoy, she might have sent him to meet the Drowned God long ago.
"What!?"
Upon hearing his sister's words, Theon quickly suppressed his anger and began hurriedly putting on his clothes.
After tossing a few gold coins to Ros, Theon and his sister rushed frantically to the top of the South Gate.
Seeing scouts riding out and the simple camp still some distance from Wintertown, Theon's brow furrowed.
"Go and bring that telescope here!"
Unable to leave the city and only seeing a few banners, Theon shouted back. After waiting a moment and realizing there was no response, he remembered that these Ironborn bumpkins had no idea what a telescope was.
Thus, Theon had to personally go to the Maester's Turret to fetch the large celestial telescope, a tool Maester Luwin had used for astronomical observations before passing it on to that Maester Arryn.
This was the only tool Theon could think of to scout the enemy's situation; through his observation, he analyzed their composition and numbers.
"Eh? Isn't this just a giant Myrish tube?"
The well-traveled Yara, hearing her brother's report, quickly recognized it and spoke up.
Following Theon's report, the Ironborn began to see him in a new light; although he was a Greyjoy, in the eyes of many, he was just an immature green boy.
Or more bluntly, many Ironborn simply didn't consider Theon one of their own and felt he had no right to command them. However, as the lad demonstrated his abilities, they began to accept him.
"What do we do now?"
After listening to Theon's description, Yara asked somewhat helplessly.
Yara was now feeling some regret; if she had been more insistent last night, they might have evacuated this morning.
But it was too late for that now; what she really needed to think about was how to solve the problem at hand.
"The enemy only has a little over a thousand men, and most are cavalry. The real threat will be the infantry and siege engines coming later."
Having received the same noble education as the Stark children since childhood, Theon had learned much about warfare and marching.
Maester Luwin was a man of wide-ranging interests; if he hadn't been marginalized by the mainstream of the Citadel for his studies into magic, he might have become an Archmaester long ago.
"So, I suggest we launch a night raid tonight. The enemy is mostly cavalry; if we destroy their stables and let the horses stampede through their camp, we'll have a chance."
Many of Theon's combat styles were similar to Robb's, though he lacked Robb's composure. In another timeline, his plan to seize Winterfell could be called highly successful.
Had Theon taken the Stark brothers, Bran and Rickon, with him then, he would have walked a very different path.
Here, perhaps due to early setbacks or being provoked by Jon, the current Theon was remarkably calm, focused entirely on helping House Greyjoy to prove himself.
"Clap clap..."
As Theon's words fell, the sound of clapping came from behind them. The Ironborn turned to see the beautiful and eerie silver-haired Sonia.
"I never thought Balon would have such an outstanding heir. If you're going to raid those cavalrymen, let my people help you!"
At Sonia's charming words, the Ironborn couldn't help but stare at her stately peaks.
"Those houses must have leaders! If we kill them beforehand, your actions tonight will go much more smoothly!"
In the North, the Iron Islands, and Beyond the Wall, due to the environment and culture, the commoners' education was rudimentary at best. Without knights or lords to lead them, these levies would quickly scatter if they didn't receive orders.
Sonia's plan and assistance added a layer of security to Theon's plan. Only by eliminating the commanders of the Northern Allied Forces would everything belong to the Ironborn.
Moreover, if they defeated these Northern knights, their horses would all belong to the Ironborn. Though most Ironborn couldn't ride, they could still use the horses as transport.
Hearing Sonia's words, Theon cast a fearful glance at the cloaked man standing behind her.
This lean man, who called himself "Bloodfang" Jafar, seemed like an avatar of the Stranger to Theon. After the North Gate was taken, Theon had gone to inspect the situation there.
In the murder holes of the North Gate's gatehouse, Theon saw the bodies of several familiar faces. They had mostly been killed in a single blow; he could tell many had been slain before they could even react.
"Thank you for your help, Lady Sonia. With this, we'll have a few more chips on the scales of victory."
Seeing that his sister Yara didn't look like she was refusing, Theon hurriedly expressed his thanks.
"Let us bring death and fear to the enemy!"
A spirited Theon said this after glancing at the camp Jon was building.
Clearly, Theon still hadn't spotted Jon's presence. In his view, as long as he eliminated the commanders of the houses coming to the rescue, victory would be within his grasp.
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