Chương 15: Chapter 15: The End of a House [Edited 13/08]

Two weeks later.

Returning to the Last Hearth after leaving Lord Hornwood to begin preparing his soldiers was challenging. The Lonely Hills were barren hills where ordinary people did not attempt to live due to the rugged terrain. The only inhabitants were bandits fleeing justice, but they rarely ventured there.

We encountered no bandits, but the horses were tired and thirsty after a grueling adventure. As I dismounted, I saw Lord Umber embracing "Little" Jon Umber, a fifteen-year-old with broad shoulders and a rugged appearance.

"We're back, lad," Lord Umber greeted him.

"I can see that, Father," replied SmallJon, gesturing for servants to bring bread and salt.

"Welcome to the Last Hearth, Lord Robb," said SmallJon.

Smiling, I returned the greeting. " A Pleasure to meet you, Smalljon. We'll have to call you that since we already have another Jon in our group."

"Hah, no problem at all. Nice to meet you, Jon," he said, giving my brother a firm handshake.

"Are you ready to make history, Smalljon?" I continued.

"History? What are you talking about, Lord Robb?" he asked.

"Go and speak with your father; he'll fill you in. For now, we'll take a break before heading to Karhold."

We headed toward the rest of the group and completed the bread ceremony before entering the Last Hearth. The closest castle north of the Wall was large, sturdy, and cold.

After a modest dinner, we set off again towards Karhold to gather the final two members of our small group: Jon, Smalljon, Jory Cassell, and Harrion and Torrhen Karstark. Jon and I were the youngest in the group but still the strongest fighters. On our journey towards the Dreadfort, we engaged in a few spars to assess everyone's style and strength. Jon and I were notably the most agile and skilled with a bow. Conversely, Theon and Torrhen Karstark were the weakest, while Smalljon was the strongest, making me wonder if the Umbers descended from giants. Harrion was a solid all-around fighter but excelled in none.

Upon arriving at the village near the Dreadfort, we lodged at an inn for a week, during which we decided to conduct reconnaissance. I donned a hood to remain incognito and approached the castle. Using my ability to control insects, I surveyed the area and sensed an unusual atmosphere within the castle walls. With my enhanced beetles, I located the maester trembling in bed, battling the neurotoxin I had infected him with. Scouring further, I found Roose Bolton sound asleep in his solar, unusually pale and gaunt, resembling a corpse. Moments later, I discovered Ramsay in his chamber, equally pale as if he hadn't seen sunlight since my departure.

Depression, indeed, was a dreadful affliction, robbing one's will to engage in productive activities and leaving one pondering whether death might be preferable to life. This was compounded by the medieval era's ignorance of mental health issues.

Having gathered sufficient intelligence, I returned to our group to report my findings.

"This will be easier than I thought," I said, taking a swig of vodka to warm myself.

"Why do you say that, Robb?" Harrion asked.

"They have no maester, leaving the castle incommunicado, and the Boltons seem half-dead," I explained.

"We'll wait for Jory to arrive before we begin the infiltration. For now, relax," I continued.

Jory had remained at Karhold, and when our fleet was a day's journey from the Dreadfort, he would join us. While waiting for Jory, I focused on preparing the tools we needed for the infiltration.

"I want six black hoods from you," I instructed the local clothing merchant in the village.

"Understood, milord. What sizes do you need?" the merchant asked.

"Two small, two medium, and two large," I clarified.

"Return tomorrow to pick them up, milord," he said.

"Understood; thank you for your help," I acknowledged.

After securing the infiltration attire, I sought a merchant who sold a sufficiently long rope to scale the castle walls. The plan involved using my insects to discreetly incapacitate rooftop guards, followed by deploying a set of stronger insects to fly to the top of the Wall and enable us to climb to the highest point where our operation would commence.

Two days later, Jory had just joined us. After resting for a few hours, we waited for the sun to set before commencing our operation.

"Before we begin, let me clarify that you must do exactly as I say when I say it," I said sternly to my group.

"There will be no room for hesitation in following my instructions. If I tell you to jump, you jump immediately, understood?" I continued.

"Understood, Robb. I hope you know what you're doing," Torrhen Karstark said.

"Trust me, we'll be done in less than an hour. I assure you," I replied.

With that conversation concluded, I allowed the rest of the group to focus.

"Remember not to wear armor, just light clothing. We won't engage the guards face-to-face," I reminded them.

"And one more thing," I added, "I don't want you discussing anything you see today. It's a secret only my father knows at the moment. Don't ask questions, as I won't answer them. Perhaps you'll learn about this in the future, but ignore anything you see; just continue following my orders."

"Understood, Robb," Jon affirmed.

Approaching the castle's rear on horseback, my group and I tied them up in the forest. From there, I retrieved the rope I had crafted and purchased from the village merchant, a 30-meter-long rope long enough to reach one of the lower towers.

Using my insect control, I first sent an observation group of over 500 insects modified for visibility. These insects had various capabilities, some seeing in infrared, others adept in darkness, and the most sophisticated group modified to view in the electromagnetic spectrum. These beetles were painstakingly tricky to create but proved invaluable intel, providing me with insights into the bioelectricity of all living beings within their range. They were my best available spies.

In addition to my observation group, I dispatched an attack group composed of thousands of mosquitoes secreting a neurotoxin that induced fainting in those they bit. This allowed us to incapacitate guards without causing unnecessary fatalities.

I controlled my mosquitoes and ordered them to bite the three guards patrolling the rooftop. Once the guards were incapacitated and the rope was securely in place, I returned to my group.

"We can climb now; no guards are awake," I informed them.

"Robb, what's going on? How did you do that?" Theon asked.

"I said no questions, Theon," I said sternly.

"Let's proceed with the infiltration," I directed the rest.

Being the first to ascend, I began climbing with the aid of the rope. Jon followed suit without questioning the safety, followed by Harrion, Jory, Theon, and Torrhen. Once we were all atop and observed the guards on the ground, they exchanged glances but refrained from asking questions.

"Let's proceed this way; first, we'll go for Roose Bolton," I directed the group. "When we have him, Jory and Harrion will handle him. Don't harm him more than necessary; he's asleep in his solar."

"Understood, Robb," the rest nodded.

"Two guards to the right, Jon. Shoot the second one with your bow. Aim for the neck; he's not properly protected," I whispered to the group. Remember to be stealthy, no shouting, and move with caution."

"Understood, Robb," Jon nodded.

"On my mark, Jon. Shoot the second one. One, two... three."

Simultaneously, two arrows flew from our bows, hitting their intended target. When both guards fell to the ground, clutching their throats, they made a bit of noise, but no other guards were close enough to be alerted.

"Let's move on this way," I directed my group.

As we continued our journey toward Roose Bolton's solar, we encountered two more guards. These guards were innocent of wrongdoing, so I incapacitated them with my insects.

Upon entering the solar, Jory and Harrion seized Roose Bolton by his arms and legs, focusing on moving him. While they attended to that, I searched for the original evidence, which I intended to keep as a trophy in Winterfell, as the last diary of the house of Bolton.

As we continued with our task, our next stop was Ramsay's room, where my insects had rendered him unconscious before our arrival.

With everything prepared, we readied to return to the rooftop, where we entered the castle. We encountered and subdued three guards who were guilty of obstructing our path.

Once at the rooftop, I descended first, followed by Roose Bolton, Jon, and Ramsay. While the rest descended from the castle, Jon and I carried the Boltons near the forest where our horses were stabled. Once ready, the rest mounted the Boltons, and we swiftly escaped, riding our horses until we reunited with the armies of Karstark and Umber.

"Can you use magic, Robb?" Torrhen asked as we traveled.

"Magic ceased to exist when the last dragon died, Torrhen," I replied with a smile. "Stop asking questions I won't answer for now. Just wait a bit."

Three hours later.

"I can't believe it, they did it," murmured Lord Karstark.

"Heh, so you didn't trust Lord Robb, eh, Rickard?" chuckled Lord Umber.

"But I'm glad our children returned safely. Our bet to include them in Lord Robb's small group seems to have paid off. I hope they'll become friends with the next Warden of the North," continued Lord Umber.

"Yes, it paid off. And after fighting together, their friendship will grow just like ours did with Ned," affirmed Lord Karstark.

"Here we bring the Boltons, my lords," I said as we dismounted from our horses.

"So I see, Lord Robb," said Lord Umber before continuing, "I'm glad you're safe, son," he said, embracing Smalljon.

"Let's continue towards the Dreadfort, my lords. Let's end this farce," I told the rest.

As we continued our journey towards the castle, the rest of my group recounted what happened during the infiltration, only commenting on what they had seen. They were unable to explain what I had done with my insects or how I knew what was happening before they could see it, which increased rumors about my feats and how I knew everything that was going on around me. Even rumors about me using magic were discussed by the soldiers.

Knowledge of my name would grow with this feat, and I would gain a reputation for being able to do things that other people believe are impossible. Having such a reputation in my case was more positive than negative, as the people of the North (who are the ones who matter to me at the moment) do not follow the Faith of the Seven but the Old Gods, so they would believe that I am chosen by them as a champion for the North.

As the army reached the entrance of the Dreadfort, we heard a great commotion because the guards had found the dead or unconscious guards, and they realized that the Boltons were no longer inside the castle.

Lord Umber decided to approach the castle and shouted loudly.

"Bolton bannermen, surrender!" he shouted. "We have an order from the Warden of the North to bring to justice those who have broken the King's peace. We already have Lord Bolton and his son; you don't have to die for them."

"Surrender yourselves. There's no need to shed more blood than necessary today," he shouted.

Minutes later, the castle's master-at-arms was walking towards our group, saying they would surrender only if we promised not to kill people who didn't deserve it, hinting that not everyone who would come out of the castle would be peaceful.

Preparing my bow, I signaled to Lord Umber to proceed.

"We will attack those who try to escape. Come out in a straight line and drop your weapons at the castle entrance," said Lord Umber.

"Remind the soldiers that I never miss my shots, guard. Don't try to escape, or my arrow will reach you," I told the master-at-arms before he left.

Gradually, the soldiers and servants approached our group, where they were being caught one by one despite some escape attempts that were thwarted thanks to my arrows. The vast majority of the castle's residents were taken without a fight.

"Summon the villagers from the town. I want them to see what's happening and point out the different criminals within the groups. Once we have the list, prepare the courtyard to administer justice depending on their crimes," I ordered my group.

"Right away, Robb," Jon nodded as they prepared to follow my orders.

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