Chapter 352: The Third Line of Defense of the Allied Forces

The voice of her husband still echoed in Catelyn's ears, telling her not to look back no matter what happened.

Even if he died here.

Eddard Stark told his wife to take their children and flee south.

To flee to the continent of Essos.

To the ends of the world.

But he was not prepared to leave. As a man, a lord, a husband, he was going to fight these White Walkers to defend his home.

"Kill!"

"Ah—"

Now Winterfell had become a chaotic battlefield, with cries of killing and screams everywhere, people blinded by bloodlust.

But when it came to this, Eddard Stark seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he gritted his teeth.

"Catelyn..."

Then Eddard leaned over and whispered a few words into his wife's ear.

"What?!"

Then, under Catelyn's incredulous gaze, Eddard gently kissed his wife's forehead.

"Charge with me!"

Then the man with dark brown hair raised his greatsword and, without any hesitation, returned to the battlefield.

Boom—

Soon after, with a loud noise, the Hunter's Gate fell.

"Roar—"

The army of the dead also poured in from the other side of Winterfell. The kennels and the library were gradually occupied by the wights. The soldiers of the allied forces fought desperately, gradually retreating to the main castle in the center of Winterfell, which was easy to defend but hard to attack.

The carriage carrying Lady Catelyn and the young Starks hastily left through the southern gate of Winterfell.

The carriage was protected by loyal guards of the Stark family, and they fled along the Kingsroad towards King's Landing.

…

A night of fierce battle passed in a flash.

The sky gradually turned white.

With the fall of the main castle of Winterfell, the allied forces were once again defeated in the war.

Some soldiers fled in panic to the cellars of Winterfell, guarding the Stark family's tomb, hoping that the ancestors of the Starks could save them.

Many more defeated soldiers fled from the southern gate of Winterfell, fleeing along the Kingsroad to Seagard, where the rear of the allied forces was located, with a large amount of supplies.

The nobles of the Seven Kingdoms who responded to the king's call to fight against the White Walkers learned their lesson this time. Seeing that things were going wrong, they decisively turned around and fled, leading their troops in a disorderly retreat on the Kingsroad. Now that the whole line was in disarray, everyone was running for themselves.

Eddard Stark, the Warden of the North, originally intended to die with Winterfell, but in the end, he was ordered by the king to be tied to a warhorse and forcibly taken away.

The nobles of the Seven Kingdoms ran ahead, while King Robert became the last man to fight.

The army retreated, abandoning the castles along the way. If they couldn't even hold Winterfell, let alone the castles along the way.

The human allied forces gathered excellent commanders from the Seven Kingdoms. In fact, after brainstorming, many commanders learned from the previous defeat, made up for many shortcomings, and were fully prepared for the fall of Winterfell.

The many commanders of the allied forces decided to place the third line of defense of the human army at the Neck, which is comparable to the formidable Wall.

However, compared to attacking from the south, it became much easier to capture the Bay of Seals from the north.

Even so, the allied forces still hope to stop the army of the dead through the chaotic waterways of the Neck and the swamps that once you get stuck in, you can't pull yourself out.

They can join forces with House Reed of Greywater Watch, these 'swamp demons' who live in the Neck all year round are very familiar with the chaotic waterways and small roads of the Neck, they may help the allied forces stop the footsteps of the army of the dead.

Now the commanders of the allied forces have also seen that it is very difficult to defeat the Night King with the power of the Seven Kingdoms alone.

They must rely on some great natural forces.

The Neck is the best defense line.

...

Before the Battle of Winterfell.

A red-robed witch from Asshai appeared in the tent of the allied forces.

She did not hide her identity, and directly told Robert that she was a follower of the Lord of Light, the true king.

She came to help the allied forces defeat the White Walkers, the common enemy of all mankind.

Melisandre revealed her identity, causing a stir in the great hall of the allied forces.

This was the first time since the Usurper's War, after Robert seized the Iron Throne, that a representative of House Targaryen stood in front of Robert Baratheon.

Once, although the Iron Throne knew that there was a second prince of the exiled Targaryen family across the Narrow Sea, even crowned as a king.

And Viserys, who fled with his mother from King's Landing to Dragonstone, and then fled to the continent of Essos after his mother's death, naturally knew who had taken their world.

However, the Targaryen family and the Baratheon family had been at odds, except for sending assassins to each other as a sign of respect, there was no other contact.

The Iron Throne pretended not to see the enemy across the Narrow Sea, even if some of its vassals were secretly in cahoots with the Targaryen family, they could only be powerless and furious, unable to find evidence.

Therefore, Melisandre's declaration of her identity naturally caused a stir.

But Robert is the king of the Seven Kingdoms after all, and he did not embarrass a woman on the surface, perhaps also to show his demeanor in front of the small council, there is a rule everywhere that envoys are not beheaded in front of the armies.

He can allow Melisandre to stay in the camp as a representative of the Targaryens, but he asks her to prove that she has the ability to help the allied forces win. The camp will not feed a useless woman.

Then Melisandre ignited a flame in the air, stunning everyone.

Her strength far surpassed that of an ordinary male soldier, naturally earning her the right to stay in the camp.

However, Melisandre was in a semi-house arrest state, naturally not allowed to freely disseminate information and wander around.

Then Melisandre proposed her plan to fight the Night King.

"To defeat the Night King, we need to take advantage of the weather, the terrain, and the people. We cannot lack any of these three conditions."

This was a phrase that Viserys had once casually mentioned. Melisandre felt that this phrase seemed to imply the truth, and she was so shocked that she secretly remembered it and used it here.

"There are only two true gods in the world. The Lord of Light represents light, heat, and life, while His mortal enemy is the God of Cold, representing darkness, cold , and death."

"For countless years, the coming of winter and summer has actually been an endless battle between the Lord of Light and the God of Cold."

Outside the castle, the cold wind was biting. Although the fireplace was burning with a raging fire, all the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms in the hall were wrapped in thick furs.

Yet Melisandre, wearing only a thin red robe, stood confidently in the center of the hall, her recent display of power naturally commanding attention.

She ignored the grim faces of the three archbishops representing the Faith of the Seven in the hall. These false god believers were powerless.

She also ignored the angry glares from the Northmen who worship the Old Gods.

Her words directly negated the Seven Gods and the Old Gods, how could they not be upset?

However, the red-robed witch slightly raised her delicate chin, her expression neither arrogant nor indifferent, but as if stating a fact.

She stood alone in the great hall of Winterfell, bearing the name of House Targaryen, and managed to silence the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms present.