Chapter 83

His internal thoughts continued to war with each other until he finally saw something that halted the gears in his mind at once.

Because a child was currently singing a melodious song and carving a face in one of the Weirwood trees.

No… a better look told him that it was not a child at all. In fact, the being singing and carving faces in Weirwood tree was in fact…

His mind came to another halt as he finally realized that he was yet again seeing a being from the legends of the North.

"Children of the Forest." The head of the Police force who met with them a day ago informed him with a voice filled with reverence. "Lord Bolton brought them with him down South when he came from the expedition beyond the Wall. He has placed them under protection and anyone who even thinks about harming them will suffer the harshest of punishments."

He nodded in reply and once again picked up his jaw from the floor.

He was getting too many surprises ever since he entered the Bolton lands that had stopped resembling a Northern kingdom and has started resembling something entirely new and foreign instead.

He was about to continue once again when the Portcullis of Dreadfort lowered (he had not even known that there was a moat surrounding Dreadfort) and a contingent of horsemen came out from inside the castle.

The contingent was being led by a woman whom he instantly recognized as Lady Barbrey Dustin. Following the lady were two bodyguards, one of whom was large enough to equal The Mountain in size. The other woman was much shorter in stature but was riding a direwolf the size of a horse.

Following them were dozens of horsemen armed to the teeth in what he could only assume was a blatant display of power.

And if they were trying to intimidate him with their blatant power display, he was slightly ashamed to admit that it worked.

The horsemen following the woman were armed in far better armor that any of his own men possessed not to mention that they also seemed far better trained and disciplined.

In fact, his trusted and loyal guards looked like mere smallfolk playing at being a knight in comparison to them.

But all of this was not what worried him the most.

What worried him the most was the fact that Lord Domeric Bolton himself had not come out to greet him.

This was either a blatant insult to him or Lord Domeric Bolton was currently not present in Dreadfort.

He dearly hoped that it was the former.

Because after seeing the wealthy and prosperity along with the presence of giants and Children of the Forest in the Bolton lands, he had no wish to be in conflict with Lord Bolton.

Because by this point, he was sure that if the Boltons and their allies decided to rebel against the North, then the Starks might still prevail but it would be at a very high cost.

"Lord Stark" Lady Barbrey spoke as soon as the contingent arrived in front of him and even from this distance, he could see the revulsion and hate in the eyes of Lady Barbrey when she looked at him and his men.

He was slightly grateful for the fact that her hate did not extend to his children.

"Lady Barbrey." He nodded.

"You are a long way from home." She said testily and the men behind him bristled in anger at the breach of decorum. Any other lord of the North should have bowed to him and offered him their hospitality.

But considering the history between them… he could understand.

The saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' held true for Lady Barbrey. But not only had she been scorned when his elder brother took her maidenhead but then proceeded to break his promise to her when he was betrothed to someone else. When his elder brother died, he took her husband to a war and didn't even came back with his ashes.

Yes. Lady Barbrey had very good reasons to hate the Starks. And as it was now, he could do nothing but shoulder her hate on his own.

"Indeed." He replied with a calm nod "I've received a lot of complaints from your neighbor lords and came here to mediate on your behalf. With that said, I don't see Lord Bolton here."

"Lord Bolton went to Braavos for some business two moons ago. Your 'unannounced visit' caught us off guard." She said with some reluctance.

He thought about what to say next but he was never the brightest when it came to Diplomacy and for once, he found himself at a loss for anything to say.

How is a Warden supposed to react when his own lords bar him entry from their castles. Especially when the lord doing so is one of his strongest and wealthiest vassel.

If Brandon were here then he would have definitely known what needed to be done. He was never meant to be a lord. But now that he was here he had to do what needed to done.

Except that he didn't knew what he should now.

So he stayed silent. And stared.

Lady Barbrey stared back with cold eyes and the both of them continued their stare off for a long moment before she finally gave a snarl and broke gaze from him in order to give him a short bow.

"The hospitality of Dreadfort is yours Lord Stark." She said through gritted teeth.

And that was that.