As Lord Rickard's words fell, the hall instantly became silent, and Robb stared at Lord Rickard below, his gaze growing sharper.
Greatjon suddenly snatched a spear from a guard's hand, pressed it against Lord Rickard's back, and angrily said, "King Robb, let me pierce his chest and see what's inside!"
Lord Rickard laughed heartily and said, "If my heart could awaken my sons from their graves, I would gladly dig it out!"
The veins on his hand pulsed, and Ser Brynden clearly felt his grand-nephew's rage intensifying. He stepped forward and spoke to those below, "Lord Karstark, many children of the Riverlands have died at the Kingslayer's hands, and their fathers are also filled with the fire of hatred."
Lord Rickard's gaze shifted to Brynden Tully, and he grinned, saying, "Lord Blackfish, everyone can have a stab. I just want revenge for my son; I don't care about anything else."
Ser Brynden scanned the people below and raised his voice slightly: "We are at war, for the Riverlands and the North. Anyone can die on the battlefield. Dying in battle is a knight's highest honor."
He turned his head to look at King Robb, then shifted his gaze back to the people below, saying, "Your son died bravely in battle, yet you, in the name of a father, have defiled your son's honor with your selfishness."
As Ser Blackfish's words fell, the people below couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Seeing this, Lord Rickard spat out bloody saliva and said, "This is a matter for Northmen, Lord Blackfish, you are meddling too much!"
Buzz!
Brynden raised a hand to silence the Riverlands lords who were about to speak, and they held their tongues.
He spoke, "Lord Karstark, please retract your inappropriate words. You and I, and everyone present, are King Robb's vassals."
Edmure Tully looked at his Uncle with admiration. He stepped forward and said loudly, "Rickard Karstark, we both serve under King Robb's banner, yet you killed my father's guard for your own selfish reasons. If we follow your logic, how should this debt be settled?"
Lord Rickard was speechless but still angrily declared, "The First Men trust only their blades and swords, not their ears and tongues."
"You!" Edmure angrily pointed at the stubborn rogue.
Ser Brynden first raised his hand to stop Edmure's action, saying, "Lord Karstark, please answer me: when your sword pierced the Tully guard, did you ever consider that we have been fighting side by side under King Robb's banner?"
He turned slightly, extending one hand towards Robb's position, and said, "The Trout will also speak with the sword in hand, but the Direwolf banner waves above our heads. Edmure and I have no right to dispose of the King's vassal."
Lord Rickard seemed to roar, "Come on, take my head, let me see your skill!"
Ser Brynden's voice was hoarse, and his eyes were deep: "If the King allows, I will."
Black Walder had been standing in the back, as if watching a play. He suddenly roughly pushed aside the person in front of him, stepped out, and said loudly, "Lord Blackfish, my warhammer is very willing to serve you, to smash this Northerner's head!"
Ser Brynden looked at the eager Black Walder, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he said, "Young Frey, though I am a bit old, I can still wield a sword like a young man."
Hearing Ser Brynden's warning in his words, he grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth, but did not speak again.
Then, he was pulled back into the crowd by the other Walder.
Just as Robb was about to speak, Roose Bolton placed his hand on his chest and said, "King."
"Please allow me…"
He moved his feet, stood beside Lord Rickard, and continued, "To escort Rickard Karstark to Winterfell, where Lord Ned himself will deal with him."
Robb's eyes seemed to burn with fury. Lord Rickard laughed heartily and said, "If Lord Ned is to cut off my head with Ice, I have nothing to say, nor do I need any reason; that is the honor of the First Men of the North."
He looked around at everyone present and declared loudly, "I, Rickard of House Karstark, swear by the new gods and the Old Gods, that no matter who it is, no matter their birth, as long as they bring the Kingslayer's head, I will marry my daughter (Alys Karstark, fifteen years old this year) to him!"
A hum filled the hall, suddenly silent, as if the air itself had solidified… Everyone present was astonished.
Then, people began to whisper, and the Lord Steward loudly stopped them: "Silence! Silence! Silence!"
King Robb's chest rose and fell. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, slowly rose, and sharply scanned everyone, saying, "Greatjon, please continue to guard Rickard Karstark. The other seven are to be hanged."
Greatjon blinked and said, "King Robb, even dead men are to be hanged?"
Robb glared at Lord Rickard, who was still glaring back at him, and said, "Yes, I don't want these dirty things to pollute my Uncle's river. Let them feed the crows."
As his words fell, one prisoner suddenly knelt, begging, "King, I didn't kill anyone. I was just ordered to guard the gate for them, to see if anyone passed by."
King Robb looked at the kneeling man and asked in a deep voice, "Did you know Rickard Karstark's intentions? Did you see the weapons of those with you? Did you hear the screams and shouts of the young man?"
The kneeling man answered honestly, "Yes, yes, I knew it all… but I didn't join in. I was just ordered to guard the gate, I swear…"
"Greatjon, hang the one who was only guarding the gate last, so he can watch the others die."
Under the Young Wolf's authority, everyone held their breath. He turned his head and added, "Uncle, if it's convenient, please follow me."
After speaking, he turned and left.
The main door was pushed open, and Greatjon's men used spears to drive the prisoners out of the hall. Rumble, then thunder suddenly boomed, as if the entire castle was shaking.
Boom, boom, boom, the lightning grew louder.
Lord Bolton's pale eyes lifted, looking at the suddenly dark sky, and he leaped onto his whinnying horse.
...
The reception room was dark, its thick walls blocking out the sound of the thunder outside. A servant entered with an oil lamp to light a fire but was waved away by Robb, who only kept the lamp.
Once the door closed, the room was dim and oppressive.
Edmure casually found a chair and sat down. Robb took off his crown, placed it on the table in front of him, and stared at it in silence.
Ser Brynden watched Robb's grim face for a while and said, "King, Lord Bolton of Dreadfort cannot remain here; he harbors ill intentions."
Earlier, Lord Bolton's seemingly reasonable advice had directly exposed the biggest hidden problem between the Trident River and the Kingdom of the North. The lords of the North were not only Robb's vassals, but also his father's vassals, and his father was currently defending Winterfell against the Greyjoy invasion.
Lord Bolton was using Lord Rickard to "force" the young King; they could no longer suppress this matter.
Robb still stared at the copper and black iron sword-crown without speaking. Ser Brynden sighed, "Black Walder… his actions just now also showed Lord Frey's attitude. We must be vigilant."
The room was filled with a heavy atmosphere. Edmure wanted to comfort his nephew but didn't know how to speak.
After a pause, Robb suddenly cursed in despair and anger, "May the Others take that damned Rickard Karstark, Theon Greyjoy, Walder Frey, Tywin Lannister, everyone!"
Sensing the concern of his Uncle and Uncle, he slowly exhaled and said, "Back then, when everyone was shouting 'King of the North,' and I declared myself King of the North, I told myself… I swore to myself… that I would be a good King, not only honoring tradition like my father but also being strong, fair to all my vassals, and bravely fighting enemies…"
He sighed softly: "Even now, I can't figure out why everything is so chaotic? Who can tell me what's going on? Rickard fought by my side, risking his life, and his two sons bravely sacrificed themselves to protect me in the Whispering Wood. Yet Martin Lannister is my enemy, and I must punish the father of my deceased friend for his sake."
He looked at Ser Brynden: "Will Lannister thank me? Or will Frey thank me?"
Ser Brynden shook his head frankly: "No."
Knock, knock, knock, a knock sounded at the door.
After getting a response, Ser Reynald pushed the door open, rain pouring from his cloak and helmet. His voice was panicked: "King, the Karstark soldiers have all fled."
"Explain clearly, what do you mean 'all fled'?" Robb's voice was muffled.
Ser Reynald casually wiped the rain from his face and replied, "They left in groups, very quickly. It is said that only the wounded are left in the Karstark camp."
Robb's gaze was very sharp: "Have the Karstark soldiers reassembled?"
Edmure suddenly stood up and said, "Robb, I'll go gather the army."
"Edmure, come back."
Ser Brynden scolded, "You will cause a battle between the Northern army and the Riverlands army. Sit down."
Edmure opened his mouth but still obediently sat down.
Robb rubbed his temples and said, "Harrion (Lord Rickard's eldest son)… they are going to join Harrion. The army led by Bolton is stationed north of The Twins, and the Karstark longbowmen led by Harrion… they are there."
He rubbed his temples again, then continued, "Over three hundred cavalry, six hundred warhorses. We have lost the Karstark cavalry."
Edmure reminded Robb: "We must seal off the news, otherwise…"
Ser Brynden interrupted, "The news has already been taken out by the Karstark men. We are already one step too late."
"I will announce the truth."
Robb stared at the dark crown and continued, "Rickard Karstark provoked me and betrayed me. I had no choice but to sentence him to death."
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