Scholar Bennett was clearly stunned; he trembled as he accepted the lamb leg and wine flask, his silver necklace clinking around his neck, his plump face filled with confusion, unsure of what to do.
Everything that had just happened left him both fearful and excited. Magic held the same significance for every scholar as the Iron Throne did for commoners. After passing their trials, they had to swear an oath to become true scholars. Before that, they had to stand vigil in a dark cellar, where there was a sharp glass candle made of obsidian. Unless the assistant scholar could light it, they had to spend the entire night in darkness, a warning.
Each scholar received a different warning. Scholar Bennett had touched the candle, only to get his hand covered in blood, without lighting anything. Now, magic had appeared so grandly before his eyes, and it was so boisterous, beautiful, and powerful! It was captivating yet made one shrink back in fear!
Seeing the dazed scholar, Eddard gestured for him to try it. Bennett understood, and a troubled look appeared on his face. Breathing in the bloody air, he looked at the lamb leg and wine flask before him, completely without appetite, but under the gaze of a pair of cold eyes, he could only suppress the churning in his stomach and take a bite of each.
After Eddard saw this, he took back the food and wine from the other's hand and asked, "Scholar Bennett, I've heard that you always serve the castle's lord, not a specific family, is that correct?"
As he spoke, he pushed aside Marquis Frey, who was sprawled on the table, and sat down, devouring the food without ceremony.
Bennett lowered his head and softly said, "Respected Lord Eddard Karstark, according to the vows we have sworn, that is correct."
Eddard chuckled upon hearing this, and mumbled indistinctly, "Good, I know Roose Bolton and Tywin Lannister must have written to Marquis Walder. Do you know where their letters are? If they were destroyed, do you know their contents?"
At these words, Old Frey, who was lying nearby, squeezed out a "heh" "heh" sound from his throat, as if he wanted to say something to stop this, but was powerless.
Scholar Bennett subconsciously glanced at the Marquis, then walked over to Eddard, took two brief letters from the table drawer, and placed them on the table. Eddard looked at this scene in disbelief. In his opinion, such important letters, even if not destroyed, shouldn't they be kept in a secret compartment, or a safe with several locks? Just casually thrown in a drawer like this, was his heart really that big?
Scholar Bennett clearly noticed his surprise; he lowered his head and explained, "Respected Lord Eddard, Marquis Walder usually likes to stay in the Banquet Hall, so many matters are handled here. At that time, after I handed the letters to Lord Marquis, I saw him personally put them in the drawer."
Eddard raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "What a good habit, it saved me a lot of trouble."
He reached out and picked up one of the letters; it was from Tywin. The Lannister emblem on it was lifelike and exquisitely crafted, clearly the work of a master, making it very difficult to forge.
The content was also very simple. Roughly translated, it meant: Tywin informed Old Frey that the Iron Throne now had the support of Tyrell family and Martell, and the Westerlands were busily training new troops, capable of assembling a hundred thousand strong army with just a little time. Stannis and Robb Stark were merely like grasshoppers in autumn, unable to cause any significant stir.
Especially Stark. The Fleet from the Iron Islands had already set sail, and Roose Bolton had secretly pledged allegiance to the Iron Throne, uniting with the Dustin Family and Ryswell, preparing to end Winterfell's rule. If they joined the Lion's side now, their past transgressions would be forgiven in the name of the King's Hand, and he promised that Jaime, once freed, would marry a woman from House Frey and solemnly guaranteed that Jaime would inherit Casterly Rock and become the Warden of the West.
"What great terms, but it smells a bit like a scam. Is the old lion not just fooling Frey?"
Eddard sighed, put the letter close to his body, and picked up the second one. This one was from Roose Bolton, and its content was even simpler. First, it listed the forces currently absolutely loyal to Robb Stark. The forces of the Riverlands were automatically ignored.
The North originally had two armies of 10,000 men; in the Battle of the Green Fork River, he delivered seven or eight thousand to Tywin in one fell swoop. Of the remaining 10,000, five thousand were Bolton and their allies. In other words, only five thousand infantry remained loyal to Stark, plus the cavalry returning from the Westerlands, bringing the total number to no more than nine thousand. This small force meant nothing in the face of the Iron Throne!
Therefore, he hoped Marquis Walder would use the opportunity of the wedding to wipe out Stark's existing forces, clearing the way for the Bolton family to rule the North. The Bolton family and Tarly Family would arrive at The Twins with ten thousand soldiers soon, assisting House Frey in achieving all of this.
Tsk tsk tsk! Isn't this just an enhanced version of the Red Wedding?
Eddard clicked his tongue, put the second letter close to his body, and then said to Scholar Bennett, "Scholar, I want you to draft a letter in the name of Eddard Karstark as soon as possible and send it to Riverrun, telling King Robb that Frey Family and Bolton family have been bought by Lannister and are plotting rebellion, and that Barrowton and Riverrun might also be involved."
"I have now taken control of The Twins, but my forces are limited, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to resist the ten thousand strong army of Bolton and Tarly that is about to arrive. Tell him to send reinforcements as quickly as possible!"
Scholar Bennett nodded and said, "I'll get right to it."
Eddard looked at the scholar with cold eyes, and meaningfully reminded him, "Send a few more birds. It's chaotic outside, and someone might shoot one down for stew."
"I understand."
Scholar Bennett's obese body trembled, knowing this was a warning that someone outside would use arrows to check his work, and it was best not to play tricks.
"Hmm, go on."
Eddard picked up the wine flask again, waved the scholar away, and then gave Dita Calandre a look. The grizzled man quickly followed. As a free knight from the South, he knew some literacy.
Now, Eddard had a clear understanding of what he wanted to know, and he was fortunate to have arrived at The Twins first, foiling the conspiracy before House Frey's plan could begin. He had done so much for Robb; if this were his college dorm in his previous life, Robb would have to call him "Dad" at least once!!
However, the matter was not over yet. The ten thousand strong army of Tarly Family and Bolton family was also a problem. Although The Twins had high walls and deep moats, Eddard had too few men; he originally had only four hundred, and some were lost in this battle. To hold two castles against an army of ten thousand would be too difficult!! He had to find a way to increase his forces.
"Eddard Karstark, even if you control The Twins, you won't win."
At this moment, Old Frey had barely recovered a little from the effects of [Weakness], and although his guts were almost turning green with regret, he still wanted to use words to incite Eddard, making a final effort. "That Robb boy is good at fighting, but his mind is stubborn and straightforward, a naive boy who can't see the situation clearly at all."
"Caitlin Tully is a selfish and foolish bitch who doesn't know how to play this game or the consequences. The remaining little wolf pups are either too young or in our hands, completely negligible. Why don't you choose us?"
Eddard put down the wine flask and laughed, his laughter growing louder and echoing in the empty hall. After a while, he stopped smiling and said, "Because I just don't want to stand with you! To find allies, would I abandon the honest and honorable Stark and choose the cold-hearted and cunning Old Flayer? What their father and son do in Dreadfort, they probably aren't even considered human."
"Not to mention Joffrey on the Iron Throne is a madman, his mother Queen Cersei is a promiscuous and self-important bitch, and his father is an idiot, in every sense of the word. Old Tywin is certainly a figure, but he only cares about his own family. Allies or subordinates, he probably wouldn't even blink an eye when it's time to discard them. If I choose him? I wouldn't even know when I'd be sold out!!"
At this point, Eddard gently tapped Old Frey's head with the lamb leg, which was now just bones, and said with a smile, "People like you, who calculate their whole lives, simply cannot see the essence of things. You went to great lengths to have your son marry a Lannister woman, did you ever receive an ounce of respect? Frey decisively abandoned Stark in their time of need and threw themselves into the embrace of the Iron Throne. Did you never consider that no one would ever trust you again after that? Isn't that tragic?"
"What's more, your end won't be good either. Although I am not from Stark, as a distant relative, I also want to say, winter is coming, Marquis Walder!!"
Old Frey saw his last effort fail, struggled to lift his head, and said venomously, "Your end won't be any better!! As soon as the Bolton family and Tarly Family's armies arrive, they will surely breach the city gates and kill all of you!! Kill all of you!"
Eddard shrugged indifferently, tore a piece of cloth from Old Frey's ornate silk robe, wiped his greasy hands, and then stuffed it into the other's mouth, saying with a smile, "That's my business, nothing to do with you. You'd better stay in the dungeon and hope Robb arrives at The Twins sooner. Otherwise, at your age, I'm afraid you won't last many days."
Eddard had no intention of treating the Frey family well. Amidst the struggling "woo" "woo" "woo" sounds, he casually ordered, "Matthew, take two men, arrange a private room for Marquis Walder. Don't let him suffer, and don't let him talk too much."
"Yes, Lord!"
Matthew waved his hand, took two men, and escorted Old Frey out. Marquis Walder was still restless, struggling with "woo" "woo" "woo" sounds. Matthew glanced at him annoyed, then drew his dagger, and without a word, inserted the blade under Old Frey's thumb, then flicked it, and the entire nail came off cleanly. Old Frey's eyes rolled back in pain, and he fainted.
Freya, who had returned from the East Bank, happened to see this scene. She spat at Old Frey, then walked up to the high platform and approached Eddard, saying, "Young master, things went smoothly on the East Bank as well. Lando and Karas controlled several of House Frey's officers and forced the enemies to surrender. So there were no casualties!!"
"Good!!" Eddard nodded with great satisfaction. If people from House Frey died, they died. His own men were already few, so fewer casualties were always good.
After reporting the situation, Freya seemed to remember something and said, "Young master, there's one more thing the brothers asked me to inquire about."