Here's part six! One more chapter left and we'll be done with Season 1!

So a few reviewers questioned why Cregan wasn't the one to lead the second host against Tywin Lannister. The answer is simple: he's young and he's green. Tywin Lannister is an experienced and ruthless commander, it would not make sense for Robb to choose his fifteen year old brother to lead a host against him, even if it as a diversion. Now that that has been cleared up, thank you to everyone who left a review, favorite and follow on this story!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Game of Thrones characters in the story or from the novel, A Song of Ice and Fire. Only the OCs included are mine and any original plots.


Chapter 6: The Whispering Woods

Of course the Old Gods would make it so that Cregan's first battle would be fought in a place called the Whispering Wood.

Once they had departed from the Twins, the northern army had ridden hard, desperate to reach the Lannister camp by night. They didn't stop to break at all. Any man that dismounted his horse to urinate or defecate, was forced to rejoin the force way further back than his original position. Cregan's plan would only be successful, after all, if Tywin Lannister didn't catch wind of the vanguard approaching Riverrun.

On the way they had picked up other forces. Lord Jason Mallister, untouched in the war thus far, had joined him with his strength from Seagard, and along the way they had picked up survivors and scattered men, men who had been part of his uncle's strength at Riverrun before it had been broken by the Kingslayer. They were coming in as a trickle, but the news they brought was of great importance to his eldest brother.

In order to besiege Riverrun properly, it seemed Jaime Lannister had divided his camps into three, to block all of the walls of the Tully castle. Ser Brynden had told them that it was a smart move, but it also left his camp ready for raiding. Ser Marq Piper and Ser Karyl Vance, friends to Ser Edmure and determined knights, were ravaging Lannister scouts and supply lines. The Kingslayer was losing his patience, and their Lord Father had once told them that an impatient enemy was the easiest to defeat. Thus was the reason that Robb had tasked Ser Brynden with leading a small force of knights and outriders to raid the Lannister camp, flying Tully colours as they did so. The plan was that the Kingslayer would see more raiders and chase after him, and then Robb would close the jaws of his trap.

Cregan fidgeted slightly as he sat on his horse next to his eldest brother, the two of them waiting for the signal from Maege Mormont while looking out over the Whispering Woods. Their men were hidden well, the secondborn son of the Quiet Wolf noted. Just across the small stream where he and his brother intended to spring their ambush, the warriors of Mormont, Umber and Mallister had gathered with the Greatjon having the command. To the north of the stream, the Karstarks were waiting in the direction that the Lannisters would be charging in from. The rest of the northmen and the soldiers of House Frey were gathered around them.

Sif and Grey Wind were stood faithfully by their respective masters' sides, their amber eyes ceaselessly roaming the riverbed as they craned their heads upwards and sniffed the wind. The Direwolves had grown quickly over the past months and were easily larger than the average adult hound that the kennel master of Winterfell, Farlen, bred, yet no dog looked as fierce as their beastly companions did.

The secondborn son of the Quiet Wolf rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the anxiety inside himself. He wore a mixture of steel-plate and plaited leather over chainmail with a white tabard bearing the grey Direwolf of House Stark over it. An oaken shield was strapped to his saddle and High Justice hung at his side. He wore no helm nor did Robb. Both brothers wanted the men to see who fought beside them, as they had been taught by their Lord Father.

"Are you ready?" Cregan asked his eldest brother, breaking the tense and foreboding silence.

Robb nodded, his Tully blue eyes stern and prepared for the battle that was to come. "Aye. What about you?"

The boy of fifteen namedays displayed a wolfish grin. "Let's fuck them bloody."

Robb chuckled and turned his attention back towards the gully as the far of call of trumpets sounded and both he and Cregan knew that the Lannisters were approaching. The sounds of hooves began to ring through the forest as the secondborn son of the Quiet Wolf clenched the reins of his horse tightly with one hand while the other rested on the hilt of his sword. Like the calm before the storm, the thunder of hundreds of horses became louder as they approached. Soon, war cries and curses could be heard as well.

The sounds of Lannister trumpets got closer and closer and as Cregan saw the Tully banners approach the small stream, he felt a sudden emptiness. His Lord Father's voice in his head was silent. There was no more advice to give. He and Robb had done everything Eddard Stark had ever taught them. What they did now, would be their own. Cregan withdrew High Justice from its black sheath, his Stark grey eyes narrowing. He would do his Lord Father proud, he made a vow to himself, as the fist tails of crimson cloth became visible through the trees of the forest.

In a matter of seconds, the Tully men sprung across the ford and into the woods beyond where the Karstark men were only waiting for his brother's call. The Lannisters began to cross and Cregan heard Robb begin whispering under his breath though whatever it was he said, the secondborn son of the Quier Wolf didn't know. But then, his eldest brother abruptly stopped his mutterings and raised the lance he held to the sky.

"For Winterfell!" Robb bellowed, before he kicked his heels into the flanks of his horse and took off.

Grey Wind and Sif began to howl as a sort of omen and their howls were answered with the blowing of warhorns from the men who surrounded them. Cheers and roars erupted as Cregan urged his steed forwards, breaking into a gallop next to Robb. The northmen raced down the slope of the valley in the direction of the unsuspecting Lannisters. From the other side of the valley, a second bout of warhorns sounded as the Greatjon's men rode in, the sounds crashing together in a great symphony, which was only made louder when the Karstark horns sang their tune.

Cregan swore that he would never forget the look on the faces of the Lannister men as they descended on them like a wave of steel. Sif and Grey Wind savagely tore through the men like the meat shields they were, the beasts of myth ravaging throats feasting on the corpses of all those that they killed. Cregan roared as he swung High Justice in a downwards arc and sliced through the neck of a Lannister man. He felt absolutely invincible on horseback as he cut through the Kingslayer's men like a knife through butter. Man after man fell by his sword and in a matter of minutes, the dark grey steel of High Justice was dripping with blood.

The secondborn son of the Quiet Wolf wore an exhilarant smile on his face as his grey eyes searched for his next victim. Robb was no longer by his side, likely having been pulled into a fight elsewhere. A war cry sounded from behind him and Cregan turned his head to see a Lannister charging at him with a mace in hand but before he could move, Sif came to his defense. The black Direwolf seized the knight's wrist which held the bone crushing weapon and, with a grisly snarl, he yanked. The straps snapped and the man screamed as his arm was torn from his torso with fountain of blood.

"Good boy!" Cregan praised his four legged companion with a laugh before an agonized scream grasped his attention elsewhere and he turned just in time to see Jaime Lannister withdrawing his sword from the mouth of a Frey knight. The disgraced Kingsguard knight wore no helm, his hair shining in the moonlight, and his golden armor was caked in gore. Despite having been caught off guard, the Kingslayer wore an amused look on his face as a young, bearded northerner whom Cregan recognized as Harrion Karstark charged at him with his sword brandished and an intent to kill in his eyes.

"KINGSLAYER!" Cregan shouted and urged his horse into a gallop. The knight of the Kingsguard grunted as he parried a blow from the heir of Karhold and pushed him away before he lifted his head to see the secondborn son of the Quiet Wolf charging at him with reckless abandon. This was it. If he could take the Kingslayer, the battle would be over and Riverrun would be theirs for the taking.

The boy of fifteen namedays roared as he swung High Justice down on the Kingslayer with a great ferocity. However, though his reputation would forever be stained, that did not mean the man was anything less than a deadly warrior. He had become the youngest knight ever named to the Kingsguard for a reason after all. Jaime smirked as he easily parried the blow and then sidestepped, ducking and swinging his sword in a sideways arc. The steel cut through the legs of Cregan's mount like butter and he gasped as his horse collapsed bringing him down with it.

Cregan hit the ground face first, surely scraping the left side of his face and caking it in the dirt and mud of the forest floor. He hissed in pain for but a few seconds before he quickly grabbed his sword and rose to his feet, glaring at the golden haired cunt who had been waiting for him to get up with an arrogant look on his face. Harrion Karstark moved to aid the secondborn son of the Quiet Wolf but before he could, the heir of Karhold found himself blocked off by three Lannister knights.

"So the little pup wants to play in a man's game, does he?" The Kingslayer spat at him with a clear sense of superiority. Cregan growled wolfishly and leapt at the man who met him midway.

The secondborn son of the Quiet Wolf did not think as he fought the renowned yet disgraced knight. His sword arm acted instinctively, flashing left and right, up and down, striking high and low, deflecting, parrying and blocking from every direction. He could tell instantly that he was fighting the best swordsman he had ever faced, greater than even the Blackfish. The Lannister, however, seemed almost lazy in his moves, but the glint in his eyes showed his excitement.

They exchanged a flurry of blows before locking blades tightly. Cregan pushed up and away, knocking Jaime Lannister's blade aside and slashing a powerful blow at his belly. But the Kingslayer spun away and the boy of fifteen namedays had to do the same in order to get back into a defensive position. He attacked again, striking high four times then dropping low, under the golden haired cunt's sword and striking at his ankles. However, Jaime jumped back and began to rain powerful blows down on him. Cregan's muscles screamed at him as he managed to block each and every one of his strikes but the last one proved more forceful than the rest and he was sent sprawling to the ground.

As Cregan moved to get back up to his feet, Jaime Lannister instantly kicked his sword away and slammed a foot down onto his chest, making him cry out in pain. The Kingslayer regarded him coolly, all hints of arrogance gone from his face. However, there was a certain glint in his eyes that Cregan couldn't quite decipher. "I must admit, you fought well. You have great potential much like myself at your age." The knight of the Kingsguard shook his head and raised his sword over Cregan's neck. "It truly is a shame you'll never be able to reach it."

"NO!" A shout sounded from somewhere on the battlefield, Cregan couldn't tell where exactly, and Harrion Karstark came charging into view like a man possessed. The heir of Karhold smashed his whole body into the Kingslayer and threw him off of and away from the secondborn son of the Quiet Wolf. Jaime had certainly been caught of guard by the appearance of the Karstark heir if the shocked look on his face was any indication as he hit the ground hard. Almost immediately, swarms of northmen surrounded him with their swords drawn and directed at his throat. The Kingslayer glanced at each of the northerners who were glaring at him before he smirked and dropped his sword, raising his hands.

"I surrender then." The Kingslayer stated casually as if he hadn't just lost the battle. Men rushed forward to bind his arms and legs, being rougher than necessary with him.

Cregan sighed in relief at his near escape from death before he found himself being hosted to his feet. Hands grasped his face and turned his head to the left where he found himself meeting his eldest brother's worried and frantic Tully blue gaze. His eyes skimmed all over him, checking every area of blood for a wound.

"I'm fine, brother." The secondborn son of the Quiet Wolf reassured Robb as a grin split his features. "My pride and ego have been bruised tremendously but I'm still alive."

"Thank the gods for that." Robb breathed out in relief as he pressed his forehead against his younger brother's. "When I saw the Kingslayer standing over you, I thought…" He shook his head and turned to face Harrion Karstark who was standing a short distance away to give the brothers their moment. "You saved my brother's life, Lord Harrion."

The heir of Karhold simply chuckled and bowed at the waist. "Lord Cregan saved my life first, My Lord. Had he not intervened, I'd be yet another corpse made by the Kingslayer's hand. Besides, our houses are kin. My sword is and always will be yours."

Robb and Cregan sent a pair of grateful grins at the man before the eldest son of the Quiet Wolf turned to the rest of the Northmen and the warriors of the Riverlands. Sif silently padded up to Cregan side, his muzzle and fur dripping in blood though the boy of fifteen namedays didn't mind as he scratched his four legged companion behind the ears.

Knights and lordlings of the west were being bound and taken away to be held for ransom or prisoner exchanges as Robb addressed the gathered men. "Today was a great victory. But I fear we do not have the time to celebrate or mourn. The Kingslayer's host still rings Riverrun in iron and steel. We must liberate it before they learn what has happened here. Lend me your lances and your swords and ride with me again, to Riverrun!"