Near Cailin Bay, Eddard Stark, having executed the criminals, mounted his black horse, and the Northern vassals surrounding him also mounted their horses.
The ground beneath their horses' hooves was soft and wet, slowly sinking with each step as they moved towards the towers of Cailin Bay.
Howland Reed, riding abreast of Duke Eddard, spoke, "Lord Ned, these damned pirates have made the North bleed quite a bit… Your execution was wise."
Duke Eddard's tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly as he said, "Howland, I am worried about Catelyn and Robb."
Howland shrugged his sturdy shoulders; there was little he could say about such a matter. After a pause, he still asked, "Lord Ned, will you go south?"
Duke Eddard's brow furrowed again. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I intend to bring my family home."
Clip-clop, clip-clop… Their mounts slowly walked across the wooden bridge laid over the black-green mud.
"Lord Ned, I always suspect Roose is an ice sculpture," Howland said, pointing to the Dreadfort Earl in the distance.
The corner of Duke Eddard's lips curved imperceptibly. Over there were the Stark vassals who had just arrived at Cailin Bay.
As Duke Eddard approached, they all knelt on one knee in the mud towards him.
"Rise."
Dismounting his horse, Duke Eddard's tall, strong figure moved slowly through the crowd, examining each of his vassals.
"Lord Eddard!"
"Lord Ned, it is truly reassuring to see you."
"Lord Eddard, I will always be your vanguard!"
"Excellent, it's truly excellent to see you well, my Lord."
"We must teach those cunning southerners a harsh lesson! Blood for blood!"
"Lord Ned, I will always be at your command."
"Always at your command!"
Duke Eddard stopped in front of a boy who looked about eleven or twelve. He ruffled the little boy's hair with his large hand and said, "Child, your father was a brave warrior. The North will never forget."
Many of the Stark vassals Robb had left with Roose Bolton had died in battle. He was battle-hardened and long accustomed to life and death, but… though Duke Eddard showed no emotion on his face, he grieved for the passing of those vassals, having always considered them family of Stark.
The little boy's eyes were red, and he loudly declared in a clear voice, "My Lord, I will continue to fight for you in my father's stead!"
"I believe in you, my child."
Duke Eddard patted the little boy's small shoulder and said, "My children are in Winterfell. They are still young, but their parents are not with them. They need the protection of good warriors. Can you help me?"
The little boy nodded vigorously, straightening his small body, and declared loudly, "My Lord, I will keep my sword in hand, I will guard day and night, and I will surely do well! I swear by the new gods!"
"Good, I appreciate your effort."
Inside the tent, Duke Eddard first instructed his vassals to prepare for the upcoming feast, then dismissed everyone except Lord Bolton.
Lord Bolton's usually cold voice carried a hint of deference: "Duke Ned, Dreadfort is at your command."
"Sit down and speak."
Once Lord Bolton was seated, Duke Eddard mused, "Roose, I need your wisdom."
Lord Bolton's light-colored eyes flickered, and he placed a hand over his chest, saying, "Serving you is the honor of Dreadfort, my liege."
Duke Eddard nodded slightly, saying, "The current chaotic situation in the Seven Kingdoms reminds me of the great war more than a decade ago, and the North can be said to be deeply entangled in it. We must carefully consider our next step."
Lord Bolton's soft voice spoke up: "Lord Ned, will you wear the crown? This is very important for our next step."
When the Dreadfort Earl finished speaking, the atmosphere instantly became solemn. After a moment of silence, Duke Eddard slowly said, "Roose, Robert Is my king forever, and the North will not be an enemy to his Iron Throne."
Lord Bolton placed his hand on his chest and said, "Duke Ned, it is my honor to hear your heartfelt words. If I am not mistaken, you will support Stannis to sit on the Iron Throne, and even raise an army for him, am I right?"
After a slight hesitation, Duke Eddard slowly nodded and said, "According to law, Stannis is the legitimate heir of Robert I."
Lord Bolton's bloodless, pale fingers quietly traced the armrest of the chair, and he said, "Lord Ned, can an heir who assassinated his own brother still be a legitimate heir?"
Duke Eddard gazed at the candelabra on the table for a moment and said, "Roose, I am very suspicious of whether this is the truth."
The corner of Lord Bolton's mouth curved in a rare smile: "The North can only worry about one thing: if this is true, what should we, who support Stannis, do? If you help him ascend the Iron Throne, only to discover the truth later, how should the North choose then?"
Rubbing his thumb against his forefinger, he continued, "To be honest, if I hadn't seen your personal letter, I truly couldn't believe that the daughter of Tully would personally poison her husband—Duke Arryn."
After a pause, Lord Bolton's soft voice spoke again: "Lord Ned, perhaps you need to worry about Lady Catelyn's safety in Eyrie. A woman capable of such a deed would not care about blood ties."
The Direwolf Duke's gaze instantly sharpened. After a moment, he said, "Thank you for your advice, Roose."
He looked at Roose Bolton and continued, "I want to hear your counsel."
Lord Bolton raised his eyes, and his gaze met Duke Eddard's.
He nodded slightly and said, "Lord Ned, we can choose not to join the struggle for the Iron Throne, but I believe the North must stand with the victor, whether he is Baratheon or Lannister."
"You've heard about the royal bloodline… Roose?" A bitter expression flashed across Duke Eddard's face.
Lord Bolton nodded slightly and said, "Yes, Lord Ned. Before the war, almost all the lords of the Seven Kingdoms received letters from Stannis."
After a period of silence, Duke Eddard sighed and said, "Roose, Stannis did not fabricate it. The three children Cersei bore are not Robert's seed. This is also the reason Lannister wants to kill me."
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