Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon.

Chapter 246 Reunion

"Are you sure you want to give that boy Aegon's identity?"

Viserys had just returned to Highgarden, and Daenerys, who had moved there temporarily, asked him about this matter privately that night.

Daenerys was pregnant with a big belly, and she seemed to be asking for an explanation for her child.

Viserys came forward and hugged him, caressing her bulging belly. It seemed that he could feel the baby kicking. "The letter has not been sent yet, Dany. I am sorry. I should have talked to you clearly before making such a decision."

Daenerys didn't really care. She knew Viserys would have something to say, so she chose to ask first: "It's not too late now, is it? Do our Dornish allies know about this?"

"Of course, I have discussed this with Oberyn in private. It is not worth hiding this matter from our blood alliance. Prince Doran will know it soon. Using a black dragon instead of a red dragon is really a last resort. The Targaryen bloodline is too thin now."

Daenerys speculated for a long time, then frowned slightly: "You have other plans for the child? Is it in the North? You plan to marry him to a Stark in the North. Do you want to keep the son and kill the father?"

"." Viserys couldn't help but look at Daenerys, "What book have you read recently?"

"The complete volume of the Citadel's Records of the Four Kings, as well as detailed historical materials on Aegon's Conquest and the reign of Maegor I, and the truth behind the Dance with the Dragons." Daenerys glanced over unhappily, "You don't think my ideas are cruel, do you?"

"Of course not," Viserys shook his head. "My thoughts are similar to yours, except that 'keeping the son and leaving the father' is a bit superfluous. In the eyes of others, he is 'the son of Rhaegar', and the story of Rhaegar and Lyanna in the North, I don't need to say much. He may be able to do something in the North, but he will never be the ruler of the North. I only want the claim of the child of him and the daughter of the Stark family to the North. As for him, I don't intend to use too secretive means to deal with him. It depends on his own ability."

"But why would he be willing to stay in the North? With the identity of 'Son of Rhaegar', he can do many things."

"He will." Viserys winked at Daenerys and said, "Want a drink?"

Daenerys understood immediately: "Did you tamper with the manual? Or was it the Three-Eyed Raven? Lemon juice. Speaking of which, there are so many kinds of fruits in the South. I have lived here for two months and have seen dozens of them."

Speaking of which, Daenerys also participated in the production of the "Handbook". Of course, she didn't learn it herself. The essence of the practice of the "Handbook" is to pray for strength from Viserys. Daenerys doesn't need to learn it. As long as she has enough mental strength, she can get a response anytime and anywhere.

To some extent, Daenerys can be considered a "god-favored one", but although she has power, she has almost no chance to use it. After all, she is pregnant, and Viserys has arranged three layers of protection for her. Sometimes, Daenerys would think that if an assassin came to her through the heavy protection, he might feel desperate after seeing her power.

Viserys replied, "I would never have thought of anything wrong with the Handbook. It is a book of integrity and self-assertion. I will only give him enough power in the North to let him do what he wants. I will only quietly suggest that he should do things in a proper way. The boy has been well taught, has he not?"

Daenerys understood. Viserys had told her that honor could control knights and nobles, but she still wanted to know, "Do our Dornish allies not care? Their Princess Elia has a son for no apparent reason? I heard that Oberyn loves his sister."

"What do you think?"

Putting herself in their shoes, Daenerys realized that she might not be able to accept it from an emotional point of view, but from the perspective of interests and family, the fact that "Aegon's child has the claim to the North" is beneficial to both Viserys and Martell.

Daenerys thought it through, but it did not make her happy. Instead, she felt sad: "Viserys, my good brother, Your Majesty, I sometimes think that every time I look at the various conspiracies separately, I feel that the relationship between us and our allies and princes really makes me feel..." She couldn't find the words to describe it.

"Danni, someone once summed it up this way: All organizations in this world are makeshift organizations. Especially a makeshift organization as big as a country. Family ties, oaths, allies... In the final analysis, we can believe in the beautiful things in people's hearts, but we must never forget that, although it sounds cruel, more things are based on interests."

Viserys stroked her hair, paused, and ended the topic: "Well, let's not talk about these unpleasant things. You just mentioned fruit. Are you interested in trying Dorne's fruit someday? Dorne's lemons and melons are famous in the nine free trade cities."

Daenerys asked sharply, "You are going to Valyria? When?"

"You can't hide anything from me." Viserys shrugged helplessly. "It will be soon, Dany. I told you I would go to Valyria before the child is born."

Daenerys knew: "It's the dream from before."

"Although we have tried to deal with it through related dreams, there is undoubtedly a problem with the source of our bloodline. That mysterious existence, whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally, I have a reason to find him. Otherwise, our child may be able to be born safely because of the connection between your and my dreams, but what about the next generation? Moreover, I need a stronger power, at least a person of high enough status to influence the situation."

"I know," Daenerys came closer, "I won't stop you. I will wait for you in Dorne and pray for you." She suddenly laughed, "It suddenly occurred to me that I was praying for you and praying for your safety. So, can you, my brother, my king, my god, answer my prayer and return safely?"

Viserys held her in his arms. "Of course, my love, my queen, my companion. I promise."

-

Time flies, and more than a month has passed since the Targaryen campaign to retake the West.

The Battle of the West had only been going on for two days when a major city, a fortress that was said to be impregnable, fell under the dragon's flames.

Only by actually trying to attack a castle can people realize how terrible the power of the Targaryens was in the War of the West.

Just make an analogy and you will understand.

The army of "Wolf Girl" Arya, who was heading north, arrived near the Kingsroad east of the Twins at almost the same time as the Targaryen army attacking the Westerlands, and stationed troops near the Twins, keeping an eye on the Twins.

It was said to be a spy, but in fact the army was stuck here.

More than forty days passed, and the Twins chose to avoid fighting and defend the Twins to the death.

The Twins, located on the Green Fork River and occupying a strategic position, made it impossible for the Wolf Girl's army to ignore them.

Arya's coalition forces could not capture the Twins, which were strong and strategic, nor could they ignore the Freys in the Twins and leave directly to the north. Because although the Freys in the Twins were defeated in field battles, they were not seriously injured. The next stop to the north was Moat Cailin, which was almost a nightmare for those attacking from the south. If only a part of the troops were left to monitor, it was very likely that the Freys would take advantage of Arya's army heading north to attack from behind and block the army heading north at the Neck.

Arya had only a handful of men, less than a dozen. They were her personal guards who gathered some Northern soldiers who were originally wandering in the river, and some of them might even be deserters, relying on the reputation of the Stark family during her time at Riverrun. The only ones who could actually stand by her were more than a hundred wolves and a dog, the hound Sandor Clegane. The other borrowed soldiers, more than 2,000 of whom were guest soldiers at Riverrun, were commanded by Tytos Blackwood, Lord of Raventree. Lucas, son of Tytos, was killed at the Red Wedding. When Robb was alive, he was also a loyal partner of the Stark family in Winterfell.

Lord Tytos strongly advocates an attack on the Twins.

His basis was that the Frey family still had many prisoners from the riverlands and the north, many of whom were loyal men deeply trusted by Robb. If they captured the Twins and rescued these people, such as Patrick Mallister, Jon Umber, Marq Piper and other northern lords and the descendants of river lords, Patrick Mallister was of course a big deal. If they could be rescued, it would mean that Seamarsh would certainly send troops to help in return, and Jon Umber, Marq Piper and other knight descendants of northern lords would be even more so.
But others don't think so. Es Rivers is the representative of the other half of the river lords. They believe that the Twins are easy to defend and difficult to attack. Arya should take advantage of the situation and go north. Once in the North, the appeal of the Stark family will come into play. They believe that once Arya enters the North, she doesn't even need to reach Winterfell. She only needs to find a castle to station and she can use her appeal to summon the lords who oppose Roose Bolton. Of course, the most important thing is that they think that Arya is now fighting under the banner of King Targaryen's call to go north to aid the Great Wall. If she doesn't insist on going north and turns to attack Frey, it may cause dissatisfaction from King Targaryen.

Yohn Royce, who had just joined the coalition, did not express his opinion. The Earl of Runestone City was still observing Arya. Earl Royce's dispatch of troops was not without purpose. Of course, he considered the blood ties between nobles, but privately he wanted more. First, he wanted to ask Arya to marry his son Andar Royce, and second, to help Arya get on the road to Targaryen and consider the interests of the Royce family in the Vale.

For Arya, who is only twelve years old, it is a miracle to reach her current level.

The current predicament is a headache for Arya, who has won victory after victory since she decided to become "Duke Stark". The dilemma outside the Twins is the most complicated situation she has faced since she sent out the troops. Although it seems that she has all the advantages, she feels frustrated facing the strong city of the Twins.

On the open battlefield, relying on the wolf pack, Arya and Nymeria can fight freely and tear the flesh of the enemy.

But when it comes to siege, wolves are of no use at all.

In addition, the news that the express horses from Riverrun had brought more than ten days ago, that Targaryen had ended the War in the West early, made her very upset, and she inexplicably felt that she was doing something stupid.

And today, the fast horses from Riverrun brought new news.

After the Targaryens conquered the West, they stopped their expansion. That is to say, even though Arya and her uncle Edmure had sworn allegiance to the Targaryens, they could not count on the Targaryens' army.

The Targaryens would provide loans, weapons, supplies, and name, but not an army.

Arya felt a headache after hearing the news. She quietly told the Hound the news and asked for his advice: "How should I explain this to my lords?"

The Hound asked back, "What's the explanation?"

Arya said unhappily, "It explains that the Targaryen king will not send troops to help me."

"Little Wolf Duchess, I thought you were worried about something," the Hound was speechless to her. He poured himself a glass of wine in the tent and drank it all. "I bet you will jump for joy if you tell them the news."

Arya couldn't understand: "Why?" When she came out of Riverrun, her uncle "Blackfish" told her that as long as she insisted on fighting the Targaryen banner politically, she didn't need to consider anything else but how to fight the war, and asked her to believe in Lord Tytos' judgment.

But after leaving Riverrun, Arya only remembered the first half of the sentence. As she won battle after battle, she gradually began to value Lord Tytos's opinion less and instead tended to seek the Hound's opinion on everything. She found that in some aspects, the Hound's opinion was exactly what she wanted, and the Hound always had some strange suggestions for her to unify the internal affairs.

She once asked him, "I didn't expect a big man like you could be a bit smart, but why are you like a butcher fool around Joffrey?"

The Hound replied angrily, "If Joffrey was as obedient as you are, I would still be serving my shitty white robes in King's Landing. Damn it!"

Back to the present.

Hearing Arya's question, the Hound had to explain: "Let me tell you, few of these nobles are willing to let others shit in their own toilets."

Arya rolled her eyes at his rude response. "Speak clearly."

"I have made it very clear," said the Hound, "even though you already are, I have to say that you are not fit to be a duke."

Arya retorted, "Why not? I've never lost since I was a Lord."

"Oh, and your brother who lost his life at the Twins never lost. 'Wolf Girl' and 'Young Wolf Master' are not nice names."

"'Hound' is a good name?"

"Whatever you say, 'hound' at least reminds me that I should be as cunning as a hound, and 'wolf girl' sounds like a fool."

Arya threw her hands away. "Go away and get drunk."

The Hound ignored her and took a few more sips of wine. He soon got drunk and fell asleep, muttering, "Damn Gregor, for not letting me do it myself."

When Arya walked out of the hound's tent, Nymeria was returning with her wolves, returning from the wolf trail specially left in the camp. Although Nymeria's wolf minions gradually got used to living near the camp, they still kept their distance from humans, and only Arya could command them.

In order to get closer to the wolf pack and protect each other, although Arya was the nominal commander-in-chief of the coalition, she stationed the camp in the most remote corner. In front of her were dozens of Northerners and the river warriors selected for her by her uncle Blackfish. In the woods behind were Nymeria and the wolf pack of more than a hundred gray wolves.

Few people usually come here, and the Hound lives nearby. Although it is not stated explicitly, everyone assumes that the Hound is Arya's personal guard, just like Jory Cassel by Eddard's side and Daisy Mormont by Robb's side. The Hound is also a sensible person. He asked for a position beside Arya, but did not ask for subordinates or command power.

In fact, the Hound could have taken the money and left at any time, but he chose to stay. Arya sometimes couldn't figure out why he chose to stay. Sometimes Arya thought it was because of her, but after getting to know him for a long time, she clearly felt that it was not the case.

But it is always a good thing to have the Hound in Arya's makeshift team. Arya is very inexperienced in politics, and with the Hound, she can ask questions without scruples, without having to pretend that she is not a little girl who can be looked down upon like in front of Earl Tytos, Ser Ess Rivers, and Earl Royce.

Arya and Nymeria strolled around the camp for a while, passing the road to the central military tent where the princes were summoned several times, but they could not make up their minds to go there.

"Perhaps the Hound is right," Arya couldn't help but stroke Nymeria's fur and said to herself in her heart, "Perhaps I am really not suitable to be a duke."

She felt tired when she thought about convening a meeting of the princes and having to put on airs in front of earls and knights who were older and smarter than her. She often thought of Robb recently, wondering if he had to put on the Stark's fortitude and strength in front of others like herself, and had to show the appearance of a true Duke of Stark in front of others?
But she soon began to think of her illegitimate brother Jon.

That was her only living relative, and Jon was at the Wall and needed support, but Roose Bolton would never provide support to the Wall.

Only she can do it.

Turned around a few times.

After thinking for a long time, Arya gathered up enough patience and courage. Finally, when she passed the road leading to the central army tent again, she rubbed Nymeria and guided Nymeria to walk towards the center of the army with her.

She had a resolute look on her long face, as if she was a lord. With Nymène showing off her majesty, she had an aura that was hard to look at. Many guards on duty along the way stood up straight when they saw her, and some knights even bowed slightly to her and saluted.

At this moment, she is the Duke of Winterfell.

But before Arya could announce the meeting, as soon as she arrived at the central military tent, a scout came to report the emergency to her.

Arya basically relied on Lord Tytos for military affairs, and her occasional statements were also opinions that were approved by the Hound and discussed. For this garrison, Arya no longer needed anyone's guidance, and she sent scouts to the west, north, and south. As for the east, it was the hunting ground of Nymeria and the wolf pack - although the army provided supplies for the wolf pack, the wolf pack was still used to hunting. They even ate corpses on the battlefield, which many people knew, but Arya basically controlled the wolf pack to eat the enemy's corpses, so it did not cause much disgust, and many of her own soldiers even supported her more because of this.

"What's going on in the south?"

Arya left almost no soldiers to guard the southern route during her trip north. All the supplies were carried out by the army, and there was occasional "requisitioning on the spot" - Arya had seen many dilapidated scenes after "requisitioning on the spot" during her wanderings in the river. She didn't want to do this, but her prestige was not enough to control the army's habitual attitude towards supply. In the end, it was the name of Targaryen that worked. As Arya and Brynden expressed their friendship with Targaryen and began to actively accept, collect, and purchase intelligence about Targaryen, the news of the previous battle in the West also brought Targaryen's military management regulations.

The Targaryen Army strictly prohibited "recruiting on the spot", requiring "purchase" rather than "forced requisition" even in an emergency. With this as an endorsement, although it caused some people's opinions, it still temporarily controlled the soldiers' habitual "recruiting" behavior when supplies were sufficient.

The hound warned her that the war would continue for a long time, and the supplies that seemed sufficient now would eventually run out. This would happen sooner or later.

Arya knew this, but she still gave the order.

She could only pray that the supplies wouldn't run out so soon.

Now that she heard that Edmure had returned to Hejian, she had written a letter, hoping that Edmure would be willing to provide her with supplies after unifying Hejian.

But now the scouts coming back from the south said something was wrong, and Arya's heart suddenly became tense. If the Lannisters sent troops from Harrenhal, then she might face a pincer attack from both the Freys and the Lannisters.

Fortunately, it's not a Lannister.

"Your Excellency," the scout reported respectfully, "We found a group of people in the south who have been spying on our camp. There are more than a hundred of them, hiding in the dense forest. We can't find their whereabouts. After asking the local farmers, they said they were members of the Brotherhood Without Banners. This group of bandits may want to take advantage of the confrontation between us and the Frey family to fish in troubled waters."

"The Brotherhood Without Banners," Arya said excitedly. "Did they send anyone to contact us?"

"Yes, they sent a very strong woman and a boy. The boy said he knew you. They sent a message to invite you to come in person. Their leader wants to invite you to meet him in a village called Green Mill on the Green Fork River. Your Excellency, we brought back the strong woman. Do you want to see her?"

She still remembered friends like Dondarrion, the red monk Thoros, and the great Gendry from the Brotherhood, but things were different now. Although she thought they were not bad people, Arya thought about the Brotherhood's actions and discovered that her own army had also done some things that should be condemned and hated by the Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood dealt with the Lannisters, the Northerners, and the Rivermen, who had been robbing, raping, and killing people in the villages and towns, and the Brotherhood gave them justice. Not long ago, Arya's army was also "collecting food."

Although she stopped in time, Arya knew that if Dondarrion asked her in person, she would have no way to refute.

Arya felt inexplicably guilty, but she suppressed her expression: "Let them come, I will meet them here."

The scout team leader hesitated for a moment and said nothing.

Arya and Nymeria both looked at him before the captain said, "My lord, I will be there at once."

Soon, the scouts brought two people into the tent.

As soon as she saw the person coming, Arya called out, "Gendry?"

The boy brought in was Gendry, with wounds on his face. He answered with surprise and joy, "Is it really you?" He didn't know whether to call her Arya, Arry, or the Duke.

Arya felt even more guilty, and she asked something else: "How did you get hurt?"

Unexpectedly, the scout team leader's face changed and he looked quite uncomfortable.

Arya had probably known the habits of her soldiers these days, and seeing this, she had roughly guessed what had happened.

But Gendry glanced at the captain and only replied, "There was a small misunderstanding with one of your scouts just now."

"I'm sorry, Gendry, they are following my orders. I told them to be on guard against any unusual movements in the south. You know, I have to be on guard against the Lannisters in Harrenhal." As she spoke, Arya glanced at the captain and signaled to him.

The captain was not stupid, but he was a knight and was unwilling to apologize to a commoner, so he said, "I'm sorry, Duke, I'm not sure they are your friends."

Gendry raised an eyebrow, but didn't get angry.

Arya dismissed him. "I know your duty, ser. Come down, I will speak to my friend."

After the scout left.

Gendry asked, "Should I call you Lord Duke?"

Nymeria bared her teeth at the two of them.

Arya grabbed the direwolf and said to him, "Gendry, I apologized to you for what happened to him. I didn't expect that our next meeting would be like this."

Gendry looked at her like a stranger, wondering what was going on in his heart. In the end, he answered her with a question: "Lord Arya, have you learned the purpose of our trip?"

Arya noticed that the big shot Gendry was vaguely resentful, so she had to ask back, "Who is this fraternity sister next to you? Why haven't I seen her before?" These days, whether she wanted to or not, she had learned the rhetoric of big shots to control the conversation. She didn't want to use this rhetoric on her friends, but after staying in this environment for a long time and forming a habit, she used it unconsciously.

She had to maintain her dignity in order to control such a large army as a twelve-year-old girl and make them dare not underestimate her and fight for her.

"Oh," the tall and strong woman, who was wearing ill-fitting peasant clothes and was not pretty, looked very excited. She knelt on one knee and was quite polite. "Lord Arya Stark, Brienne of Tarth greets you. Please forgive my excitement, Lord Arya. I never dreamed that we would meet in this way in the end."

"You're not from the fraternity?"

"I," Brienne explained hurriedly, "please allow me to explain to you."

Just like that, Brienne recounted her experience of accepting Catelyn's assignment to send Jaime back to King's Landing, and later traveling across the river to look for her and Sansa. When she spoke of her emotions, her eyes became wet with excitement.

Arya felt that what she said was like a legendary story. She looked back hesitantly, "So you are coming to me with the Brotherhood now. Are you going to pledge allegiance to me?"

Brienne did not mention the part where she was captured by the Brotherhood, and Arya was unsure what they were going to do.

"No, my Lord," Brienne explained. "I came to you this time, just like your friend Gendry, because an old friend, a lady, asked me to invite you to the Green Mill."

"My lady?" Arya asked. "The ser just now told me that it was the leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners who invited me to the Greenmill."

Gendry explained, "Yes, my lady is now the leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners. She is...she is the heir to the Brotherhood designated by Ser Dondarrion. Yes, yes, that's right."

Gendry was outspoken and was about to say something, but he quickly changed his mouth. It was obvious that this "madam" asked them not to reveal their identities directly.

Arya didn't ask any more questions, but instead asked, "What happened to Ser Dondarrion?"

Gendry replied sadly, "He is dead."

"How is that possible? The Red Monk won't save him?" She had seen with her own eyes that Dondarrion came back to life.

"He is indeed dead, and now 'Madam' is leading the Brotherhood."

"Who is the Lady?" Arya demanded. "Why should I risk meeting her if you won't tell me who she is?"

"This..." Gendry scratched his head anxiously.

"My lord, please see her no matter what." Brienne was also very emotional.

Arya began to guess, from Robb's widow to the female warrior of House Mormont. In the end, seeing that Gendry and Brienne did not mean any harm, she gave an answer: "Okay, I promise to let you see the 'lady', but I can't go alone. I have to take Nymeria and a few reliable guards with me. It's not that I don't trust you, but it's my duty. I am now the Duke of the North and the only survivor of the Stark family. I have thousands of soldiers under my command, and the entire North is waiting for me to reclaim. I can't take risks on some things."

Arya thought about it and was still guessing that the Brotherhood came because of the crime her soldiers committed in "collecting food and grass" in the river, so after thinking about it, she went to call the Hound. She remembered that the Hound defeated Dondarrion in the trial last time.

She was thinking that if her brother was going to judge her, then she would let the hounds conduct a trial by combat.

Most of Arya's soldiers were borrowed, so it was not easy for her to go out. In the end, she informed Lord Royce, Lord Tytos, and Ser Iss, the controllers of her three main forces. When the other party raised objections, Arya told them about the previous letter from Riverrun.

As the Hound said, none of them had any objection to Targaryen's approach, and some were even happy about it. After hearing that Edmure had returned to Riverrun, the people who had disagreements during the past few days in discussing the way forward reached a consensus in a short temporary meeting: that is, the army would stop and station here, and at the same time write a letter to invite Duke Edmure to unify the troops of Riverrun and march from the west, with Arya in the east and Edmure in the west, and the two sides would jointly attack the Twins.

After hearing this, Arya thought it was a good proposal, so she didn't object. However, she still couldn't understand why Targaryen didn't send troops and his men reacted like this. If Targaryen could be persuaded to help, perhaps the Twins could be captured in just one day, and the fortress of Moat Cailin would be even less likely to stop the dragon, and even Winterfell could be quickly recaptured.

But Arya saw that even if they were borrowed troops, these people would rather waste their soldiers in the Twins, and the future attack on the Moat Cailin would be doomed to failure. But no one suggested that Arya find a way to ask the Targaryen for reinforcements.

Perhaps her political literacy was still too immature, so she couldn't understand why these people were so willing to do things under the banner of the Targaryen King, but were unwilling to let the Targaryen army get involved.

As a result, no one objected to Arya's meeting with the leader of the Brotherhood. They just increased the number of guards from a few people to several hundred.

So the next day, from the Northern Army camp on the King's Road, a group of hundreds of soldiers and horses, accompanied by "Wolf Girl" Arya, marched to a village called Green Mill on the banks of the Green Fork River south of the camp.

At the entrance of the village, the army encountered a dozen scouts from the Brotherhood. Arya recognized Tom the Sevenstring among them. She remembered their experience in Noble Heart.

Tom was sent to negotiate. The archer who was a singer boasted: "Lord Arya, you are really impressive, but I'm afraid the village will not be able to accommodate so many people with you."

Some knights heard the other side's teasing and looked at Arya, as if to see her reaction, while the brothers' scouts were also observing their every move.

Arya smiled. "There are a lot of people here. This is a good place for horses to drink water. Ser Eddard—" This Ser Eddard is from the Royce family. "Ser Brown—" This Ser Brown is from the Blackwood family. "Ser Will—" This Ser Will is from Riverrun. "Please take your men to water the horses here. I'll be back soon."

The three of them responded in unison: "Yes, Your Excellency the Duke."

This unanimous response was quite powerful, causing all the Brotherhood members to look deeply at Arya. It had only been half a year since the little girl came along, but she was already completely different from when they first walked together.

It can also be seen that Arya is quite powerful in the army and is not a puppet set up by the princes.

What's more, they saw the Hound, who had snatched Arya from them, riding beside Arya, looking like a guard. They didn't expect that the rumors in the river area were true, which made everyone marvel at it.

The hound looked unconcerned at being watched like this, and only responded to the group of whisperers with a look of disdain and contempt.

But Arya did not arrange for him to water his horses here. Instead, he continued to follow Arya into the village with twenty or so other northerners.

The Green Mill is called a village, but in fact it has only a dozen households and has been badly devastated by the war. Now, nine out of ten houses are empty and it is in ruins. There is only one living villager who has joined the Brotherhood. The mill here is relatively sturdy and was not destroyed in the war. It can provide shelter from wind and rain, so it is used as a temporary stay by the Brotherhood.

In front of the mill, Arya and her group were stopped by the Brotherhood's guards again: "My Lord Duke, the lady only sees you."

"They are playing tricks on me," the Hound cursed. "I'd say they have bad intentions!"

"The Hound!" Arya interrupted the Hound and looked at the man who was blocking her way. "I remember this man, Harwin, the son of Hullen, my father's guard?"

The man became excited: "Miss, you still remember me?"

"Of course I remember you. I remember you were standing behind Robb when he brought Nymeria to me. Last time, I ran into you in the riverlands, and you told me about what happened after you followed Lord Beric to war. Although you have a beard and messy hair, I still recognize you when I see you again this time," Arya seemed to be lost in memories. She sighed, looking quite old despite her young age. "Ah, it's good to see you again."

Harwin's eyes suddenly turned red and tears came out: "Miss. No, Lord Duke Arya, please trust me and go to see the lady by yourself, okay?"

"I believe you," Arya replied. "The Hound, everyone. You will wait here for me."

The Hound said nothing more.

Arya quickly dismounted from her horse.

At this time, Harwin added: "My Lord Duke, you can bring your direwolf."

Arya nodded and beckoned Nymeria into the mill.

Unlike the rare warm autumn sunshine outside, the mill was damp, cold, unlit, and dark.

Only deep in the mill there was a tiny fire.

Arya noticed that Nymeria was a little restless, baring her teeth and growling silently in the direction of the fire.

She grabbed the hair on Nymeria's neck and calmed her down. No matter who the "lady" was or what she wanted, Arya wanted to solve it in a reasonable and fair way. She and many people in the Brotherhood were old acquaintances, and she didn't want a bloody conflict between the two sides.

With this in mind, she gradually approached the fire.

A fire came into view, and a small wooden table was placed there. Behind the wooden table sat a woman in gray, wearing a cloak and a hood. Her face was hidden behind the hood, and her clothes trembled slightly, and her body seemed to be shaking.

Is she a nun?
Arya knew that in the south, gray was the color of the Silent Sisters, the Stranger's handmaidens.

"My lady," Arya spoke first, "you asked to see me, and here I am."

The figure didn't seem to expect her to say that, and his body was visibly stunned.

Nymeria moved restlessly, as if she felt threatened, but was unsure. She fell into a state of suspicion and sniffed the air uncertainly.

Seeing that the other party did not answer, Arya forced herself to remain calm and continued to ask: "Madam? Madam?"

The other person suddenly stretched out his hands, covered his face, and let out a low, hoarse, strange sobbing sound. The sound was intermittent, as if he was in great torture.

Arya felt inexplicably sad and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

Suddenly, she heard the other person talking. She saw that the other person's hands were grasping her neck, as if to strangle herself, and a hoarse, low, and suppressed call came from there: "Arya, my child"

The sound was hoarse and unpleasant, like the hissing of a poisonous snake.

But when Arya heard it, she was stunned for a moment. She tried to identify: "What did you call me?"

Arya leaned in closer, looking into the man's eyes behind his hood, which were like two red coals burning in the shadows.

There was a familiarity that suffocated Arya.

But she lowered her hood cautiously with trembling hands, revealing a face wrapped in a gray wool scarf. Her hair was dry and white as bones, and her forehead was powdered, but there were still disturbing marks of decay.

Only the upper half of her face was visible, but Arya recognized it.

"Mother?" Her eyes immediately turned red, tears filled her eyes, and in just a moment, she rushed over like a little girl, "It's you, mother! I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She said sorry many times, and finally said, "I miss you so much."

"Lady Stoneheart" tried to cover her horrible face with her hands, but Arya had already thrown herself into her arms. Since Arya was old enough to understand, she had never cried in her arms like this before.

With Arya holding her in her arms like this, Catelyn didn't know where to put her hands. Her heart, which she thought had completely cooled down, kept beating. She found that she wanted to cry, but not a single tear could flow from her dry eyes.

So Caitlin could only let out a choked scream through her badly cut throat.

(End of this chapter)