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"There is nothing I cannot believe. After all, I have seen dead men rise with my own eyes, and I have seen brothers I spent more than ten years with become almost different people in a short time."
Jon committed that piece of information to memory and answered Ygritte with deeper meaning in his voice.
No sooner had he finished speaking than he clearly felt her hips shifting backward. Jon frowned and warned coldly, "Stop moving."
"Do not be so sensitive. I only want to find a more comfortable position to sleep."
With her back to him, Ygritte curved her lips into a smile and answered solemnly.
"You said before that the other tribes had all gathered together. Where?"
Seeing Ygritte continue to shift, Jon asked another question to distract himself.
"I believe I said one question for one question."
"Then ask."
"I have nothing else I want to ask. So I am going to sleep."
Listening to Ygritte obviously tease him, Jon bit his lip and snapped somewhat angrily, "Do not move. Sleep."
Seeing that he truly seemed a little angry, Ygritte temporarily stopped shifting.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
A few minutes later, the sound of clothing rubbing together rang out again. Ygritte gently and rhythmically continued moving her hips, as if dancing to music.
"You are still moving?"
"Am I? I did not notice."
"Stop moving. Rest properly. We travel at first light tomorrow."
"Are you sure? Why do I feel like you enjoy it when I move?"
"Shut up."
Their exchange, almost like that of lovers, added a faintly ambiguous atmosphere to the dark cave.
Tap, tap, tap!
Boots stepped across the damp ground, producing a steady rhythm. Robb held a wooden box in one hand and walked through Winterfell's cells.
"Your Grace!"
Because the prisoners in these cells were special, a fully armed Winterfell rider stood guard every few steps. Whenever they saw Robb approach, they immediately saluted.
"Have you considered it?"
Robb stopped before one cell and looked through the small window in the thick door, asking the woman inside, who sat curled up with her head lowered and her arms around her knees.
The woman lifted her head at the sound. Her ordinary face carried a certain heroic spirit, but she did not answer. She only stared coldly at Robb with icy eyes.
Asha Greyjoy, Theon's elder sister, had been ambushed and captured alive, then imprisoned at Deepwood Motte for several months.
The ironborn under her command had long since been released and, under Theon's rule, had contributed to the attack on the Westerlands.
Robb knew Asha's ability in battle and command both surpassed Theon's. Killing her directly would bring all harm and no benefit. Releasing her hastily would inevitably have a negative effect on Theon's rule.
Therefore, even though Theon had pleaded for her several times, Robb had never agreed and had kept Asha imprisoned until now. However, after returning from Deepwood Motte this time, he had brought Asha back to Winterfell together with Leaf and the other two.
"Very well. I know your answer."
Seeing Asha's obvious attitude, Robb curled his lip and walked deeper into the cells.
Leaf and her two companions were imprisoned in the innermost section. In addition to cavalry guards, Bloodwind lay quietly in a corner with his eyes closed in false sleep.
"Leaf, Thorn's wound infection is worse than two days ago. If this continues, she will certainly die in great pain.
"In this wooden box, I have Myrish ointment from Essos. It is effective against infection."
Robb entered the cell through the door opened by the rider guarding it. He spoke directly to the point while removing Leaf's gag.
Thorn and Vine were the names of the other two wood dancers. Through friendly conversations with Leaf over this period, Robb had obtained quite a bit of information.
A few days earlier, Robb had changed his original goal from submission to cooperation. He proposed that as long as Leaf worked for him for one year and provided explosive fruits, he would grant them freedom.
One year was short for the long-lived children of the forest.
However, as the one defined by the Three-Eyed Crow as the destroyer of the future, Robb was someone Leaf resisted with great intensity.
"Bring that wounded prisoner here."
Seeing Leaf remain silent, Robb turned and ordered the cavalry guards outside the cell.
A few minutes later, Thorn, the wood dancer, lay on a special stretcher-bed Robb had ordered made and was carried into Leaf's cell by two cavalry guards.
Thorn lay face-down on the stretcher-bed. Her limbs were covered with tiny bloody holes, but these wounds had already stopped bleeding and begun to scab.
Her back, however, still bore two long wounds. The flesh around them had turned outward, the red flesh at the edges had begun to suppurate, and there was a foul smell.
"Hiss."
Thorn, who had been unconscious all along, seemed to feel a little cold. She made a hissing sound and curled inward.
"An infection caused by a wound like this worsens quickly. If it is not treated in time, she will suffer greatly before dying. Fortunately, she is only a little chilled now and has not developed a fever. Otherwise..."
Seeing tears flicker in Leaf's eyes, Robb appropriately pressed harder to achieve his purpose.
In his previous life, Leaf had been willing to die and had used an explosive fruit to sacrifice herself and block the enemy. She possessed a kind heart that loved life and treasured her companions. She did not want Thorn to die painfully. She turned to Robb and directly stated her condition.
"I can agree to your demand. But I want you to swear before the gods that the explosive fruits I make for you will not be used against the Three-Eyed Crow, against us, or against other living beings beyond the Wall."
"I, Robb Stark, swear before the gods above..."
Hearing Leaf finally relent, Robb immediately raised his hand and swore. After finishing the oath, he smiled and continued speaking to her.
"Do not worry. I will only use these explosive fruits against enemies in the south. After all, we humans love killing one another most."
"Human, I have no interest in hearing these things. I have agreed to your demand. Treat Thorn's wound quickly."
Leaf had no interest in the latter half of Robb's words. She anxiously urged him to treat Thorn.
"No problem. You two, carefully carry her back. Then apply this Myrish ointment to her."
Robb nodded and ordered the two cavalry guards beside him.
"Yes, Your Grace!"
One rider took the wooden box containing the Myrish ointment and placed it on the empty space of the stretcher-bed. Then the two men carried the stretcher-bed back to the opposite cell.
"What materials are needed to make explosive fruits? I will have people prepare them now."
"Soil burned by fire, and a type of saw-edged grass..."
"Those materials are simple. I will have people prepare plenty. Once the materials are ready, I will come observe how you make them."
Robb nodded, agreed, and put the gag back on Leaf, who was about to speak again. Then he left the cell, scratched Bloodwind for a while, and walked out with light steps.
'Magic grenades, secured.'
Early the next morning, after Sam's careful screening, the thirteen Wolfguard candidates Robb had finally chosen stood waiting quietly in front of the kennels.
They did not wait long. Robb soon arrived at the kennels with Bloodwind. After Leaf agreed to cooperate yesterday, Robb had tried letting Bloodwind leave the cells instead of watching them at all times.
The children of the forest, who treasured their companions, had indeed caused no trouble.
"Your Grace!"
"Mm. Let us go in first."
Robb nodded in response to the Wolfguard candidates' greeting, then pushed open the kennel gate and entered with Bloodwind.
After Robb's party entered the kennels and closed the gate, the thirteen Wolfguard candidates, trained in strict formation, stood in a neat line without needing Robb's order and quietly waited for him to speak.
Robb inwardly approved of their basic discipline and spoke to them loudly. "The reason I selected you this time is to rebuild the Wolfguard. Your homes are all near Winterfell, so you should have heard of the Wolfguard."
"We have!"
After hearing Robb, the thirteen candidates' eyes shone, and they answered in excited unison.
"Mm. The Wolfguard are fairly famous in the North. But in the future, you will be even more famous than they were. Perhaps all of Westeros will know you. Because..."
Seeing their high morale, Robb nodded in satisfaction. As he spoke, he walked to the center of the kennels and opened the doors of the two repaired wolf dens.
Grr, grr!
Nymeria and Lady whined softly as they stepped out with light, silent movements.
Behind them, thirteen wolf pups, now about the size of one-year-old Alaskan malamutes from Robb's previous life, stared at the strangers with yellow or green eyes and gave low warning growls.
"Because you will become Wolfguard worthy of the name."
The moment Robb finished speaking, the thirteen candidates could not hold back their exclamations. But because they were still in formation, they did not dare speak to one another. Only the burning light in their eyes grew brighter.
"You may discuss it freely for a while and see which direwolf catches your eye."
"Gods, they really are direwolves!"
"These are not ordinary direwolves. They may grow as huge as His Grace's Bloodwind."
"Does that mean we can ride wolves into battle one day?"
"I like those five black-furred ones. They will definitely grow into mighty black wolves."
The moment Robb allowed them to talk, the thirteen Wolfguard candidates gathered in groups of two and three, pointing at the pups and discussing them heatedly.
"Cough. Quiet."
After letting them talk for a while, Robb coughed lightly and had them quiet down.
"Sam should already have told you, but I must emphasize it one last time. Joining the Wolfguard means you will receive great glory and shoulder corresponding responsibility.
"You will be my ace force. Whether weapons, equipment, status, or treatment, yours will be the highest among all soldiers.
"At the same time, in the future you will be the enemies' key targets. The danger you face on the battlefield will far exceed that of ordinary soldiers.
"Finally, all of your families will move into Winterfell's inner castle to live. Even if you die bravely in battle, they will be properly cared for and settled.
"Now, does anyone wish to withdraw?"
"No!"
As soon as Robb finished, the thirteen Wolfguard candidates answered loudly together.
"Good. Now begin choosing your partners. Once chosen, you will live and fight alongside your own direwolf. They will become your closest and most reliable companions.
"Then, who wishes to choose first?"
"Your Grace, my name is Will. I would like to go first."
A warrior around twenty years old, tall and sturdy, with brown hair, immediately and bravely raised his right hand.
"Will, yes? I will remember your name. Step forward and reach out to stroke the direwolf you choose."
Robb formed an impression of this man who dared be first and nodded for him to step forward.
Grrr!
Will had only taken two steps forward when Nymeria and Lady immediately crouched low, bared their teeth, and gave sharp, urgent growls, as though they were about to attack.
Seeing this, Robb immediately sent a thought to Bloodwind, who had lazily lain down in a corner after entering the kennels.
Awhoo!
Receiving Robb's thought, Bloodwind immediately howled at Nymeria and Lady. Hearing his howl, they hesitated and paced back and forth in place.
On the road back from Deepwood Motte to Winterfell, Robb had asked Leaf why they had come to the kennels in the first place.
Her answer had been that while replacing the heart tree in Winterfell's godswood, the wood dancer, who was especially close to animals, sensed the many direwolves in the kennels.
But after they came to the kennels, they discovered that the two female direwolves carried a strong human scent. That meant they had already been tamed by humans.
Leaf had once heard the Three-Eyed Crow mention that the destroyer of the future had tamed direwolves to fight for him. Therefore, she had wanted to take these direwolves north of the Wall as well and weaken the destroyer of the future's fighting power.
So she had Vine use her ability to awaken the wildness in their hearts again. When they returned north of the Wall, she had intended to take them along.
Over the past few days, the wildness-awakened Nymeria and Lady had been harshly disciplined by Bloodwind and had once again submitted to the king of the pack.
Therefore, after hesitating for a while and being reminded by the pain of their still-unhealed wounds, they looked reluctantly at their pups and turned back into their dens.
Whine, whine!
Awhoo!
The thirteen pups had also wanted to follow their mothers back into the dens, but Bloodwind directly rose and let out a furious howl, making them obediently lie where they were.
Seeing this, Will knew His Grace's Bloodwind was helping him. He took a few steps to a black-furred, green-eyed pup and tentatively stretched out his right hand.
The little black wolf lying on the ground saw Will's outstretched hand and immediately revealed its already sharp teeth, growling fiercely at him.
Will, mentally prepared to be bitten, was not frightened by it. He firmly placed his right hand gently on the soft fur atop the little black wolf's head.
At first, the little black wolf's growls slowly weakened. As Will boldly began stroking it from head to tail, it finally made comfortable humming sounds.
Seeing this, Robb knew this pair had successfully formed a partnership.
Although these pups had, under the stimulation of blood pact points, grown in less than ten days from the size of five-month-old hounds to the size of one-year-old Alaskan malamutes, they were still wolf pups less than two months old.
With Bloodwind's help, it was not too difficult for them to accept humans.
After Will's successful example, the other Wolfguard candidates approached their own wolf pups one by one.
Only one candidate named Hayward, whether from nervousness or excitement, moved too strongly and frightened the pup he chose. He was bitten hard.
However, even with his arm bleeding heavily, he used his other hand to soothe the pup and finally succeeded in forming the partnership.
Thus, thirteen new Wolfguard were born.
As they trained and fought together with their direwolves, even if the pups had not fully grown by the time they marched south again and could not yet make them wolf riders, they would still possess formidable combat power.
Moreover, as time passed and the pups matured, the next generation of the wolf pack would multiply geometrically, and the Wolfguard would increase with it.
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