Chapter 26: Going back North

299 AC

Halys Hornwood

They had been marching for days and had finally reached the end of the causeway. He saw the three towers of Moat Cailin stick up into the sky as a welcome guide home. The towers stood a little straighter than the last time he had went back to the North with an army. He had still been the heir to the Hornwood then, his old father had remained home as he had gone south with Ned.

Oh good old Ned, how had he managed to get himself killed by Southerners just as his siblings. After all he had done and survived, it seemed like a cruel end. Whatever the case he had managed to clean up Moat Cailin nicely. The towers stood straighter, the fields were cleaner, the rubble was sorted out of the way and his son Robb had even built wooden barracks for the soldiers. There also were a new inn and stables. His horse would be grateful for that. Some fresh hay and a roof over its head.

He and his soldiers marched for another hour and a half before they reached what was now accepted as the entrance to the Moat. Here they were greeted by a captain Cregard. He was the captain of the two hundred men garrison they had left, when they went south. Most of them were archers, supplemented by a few dozen footmen.

That was not unlike his own force. At the battle of the Green Fork, he had lost around one hundred and fifty of his spear- and pikemen. He still had the remaining spears, all his archers and his sword- and axemen with him. His cavalry he left with Robb Stark, King Robb Stark now. He didn't know what to think about that, but it was ten times better than a Lannister king. Maybe it would be good for the North to rule its own again. It wouldn't need to give taxes to those damn Southerners anymore and could use it to feed and develop its own people and lands.

He was done with the South for the rest of his life. He had lost his cousin when he went down the first time and now his son and only heir the second time. He had loved Daryn and every night he still dreamed of the boy. He had been the perfect heir for his house. He was courageous, smart and learned. He had inherited most of his looks which, according to his wife, had made him a very handsome young man;

He had even been in talks with houses Umber, Manderly and Flint for possible marriages for him. All neighbors or rivals of the Boltons, as he felt he needed to check their power. He seemed to have been right as his wife reported raids once more on their border.

He had almost come to blows with Roose over it at the Twins, but Rickard had stopped him. He had said that he supported him but couldn't do anything now or they would fracture the army. Not much later the letter from the King came saying he was to go North with all his infantry. His task was to stabilize his home and help raising reinforcements.

He already knew he wouldn't go with them, neither would his troops. He had fought capably at the Green Fork and lost men there and he lost his son at the Whispering Wood, he had given enough there. Besides, his cavalry was still down there fighting directly for the Stark of Winterfell.

He would support House Stark loyally from up North as his house had always done. Looking at Moat Cailin, he thought it could be easily strengthened and reinforced and he would use his forces for that so the others could go south.

He would do that now for a few days, as he let his forces rest. He needed to send word to his wife that reinforcements were coming, so she wouldn't be afraid anymore. He would also contact Lord Wyman for a possibility to ally themselves against House Bolton, if need be. With Roose and his heir in the south, he and Wyman had no real opposition here in the North. Of course, he would always need to obey Winterfell and they would follow his moves but still, he could probably strike back effectively if need be.

He organized himself and his servants in the Gatehouse Tower and spent the rest of the day going over the garrison and the supply situation. At night he went to greet his son's bones before going to sleep. He had done that every night since he received them. Ned's son had been so gallant as to have his bones prepared for travel by the silent sisters and sent it up to him when his younger brother passed by the Twins. He had wanted to send it North much sooner but for some reason he couldn't. No, he and his son would go to the Hornwood together for one last time.

There was also the matter of the succession. His House was weak, too weak. He didn't have a clear heir and the other Houses could smell blood in the water. He needed to fix this and soon. He had been thinking about it for a long time. There were two clear possibilities. One was his bastard son Larence, the boy was being raised in Deepwood Motte so he would have gotten a good education on which he could build.

The other possibility was Beren Tallhart, his sister Berena's younger son. The boy would need to be raised by him and change his name, but it could work. The latter option would go a lot better with his wife, but he still leaned towards Larence. It should be his son that sat on their family's centuries old throne, not his sister's. How to break this to his wife though? He would wait, sent letters to Deepwood Motte in silence and grief with his wife in the meantime.

After a while he would go and get Larence and ask for his legitimization from the King. He wouldn't be fighting anytime soon anymore so he had the time to wait.

He spent the next three days ordering more wooden barracks and stores to be build for the approaching reinforcements the King was raising. Wood had to be cut for it, and he was thinking of building a simple wooden palisade around the perimeter to better protect the area from bandits, thieves or wild animals. He discussed the plans with captain Cregard and had promised to leave three hundred of his men here to help the preparations. In time they would also build waystations on one and two days marching from Moat Cailin, but that wasn't for now.

He and his five hundred remaining men left for White Harbor, where they arrived four and a halve days later. They were graciously hosted by Lord Wyman and they spoke of the many dangers the Bolton's presented. He also had grievous news for him. Apparently, the Bolton bandits had stepped up their game and were now raiding far from the border, deep into his lands. His wife had closed herself off in his ancestral castle until reinforcements came.

Lord Wyman promised him the support of Ser Marlon, his and Donella's cousin and four hundred of his men. Under his command the force of nine hundred men marched towards his home. They first followed the White Knife for multiple days and bent off with its first tributary and soon they were in his family's lands. Then they followed the road to his home.

Everywhere he went from there, he was greeted with relief and joy and their force swelled to a thousand men as the masterly houses sworn to him all joined with a few of their men to rid the lands of the raiders. Three days from his home he was joined by a surprising, but welcome sight. Stark Banners were spotted in the distance.

Ser Rodrik Cassel had come with three hundred men from Winterfell to aid him and his House. He knew he could always count on House Stark, but it was still very touching to see. Together their forces marched on and soon they were home.

When he saw Donella again he hugged her fiercely, and they cried together at the bones of their son. He grieved and spent a lot of time with her, while also commanding the force. He sent out smaller forces to garrison the villages closest to his castle and many scouts beyond that.

Three days after his arrival they had a burial for Daryn. It was as good as it could ever be. He was devastated but didn't let it show to his vassals and allies. Later on, when he was alone with Donella, he cried the whole night in her arms. He wanted it to stop, but the tears just kept flowing. Oh, how he missed that boy.

The following morning, he swore he would ensure the survival of his House then. He would preserve House Hornwood and Daryn's memory with it. First of all, he needed to get rid of these bandits. His scouts had managed to bring back their location. He called for his captains and Ser Marlon and Ser Rodrik and together they made a battle plan and they left two days later.

He left some more men in the Hornwood and marched with twelve hundred men in the direction of the Bolton scum. His scouts reported that the bandits numbered around three to four hundred men, a force way too big for normal bandits. Whatever it may be, they were strongly outnumbered, so he would make short work of them.

On the insistence of Ser Marlon, he kept a line of scouts around his force in all directions. This would prove a stroke of genius, as on the fourth day after leaving the Hornwood they were almost ambushed. His scouts reported the ambush position back to him just in time and he managed to get his army in a make-shift battle formation before the Boltons struck.

He looked over his battle formation and saw that a few of his men had died due to something he couldn't identify. Soon the news came that the whole field was littered with spike traps. They had managed to avoid most of them, however three or four had still struck their mark. It was a pity for the men he lost, but it would make no difference.

Soon he heard the familiar whistles of arrows being fired and he saw how the Bolton force had circled round to his right flank and were attacking there. He jumped into action. "Archers, fire at the right. Get in a better position!"

He called out for a rider. "Get a message to Ser Marlon! Tell him that the center and I will turn right. He is to move closer to the main force, while also screening our back. I don't trust these Boltons to not have any more surprises in store for us." The rider immediately left for the left flank where Ser Marlon and his Manderly troops were positioned. He then turned with his whole force to help Ser Rodrik and the Stark troops who were being pressured hard on the right.

Soon his foot reinforced the Stark line. He immediately saw that his troops outnumbered the enemy ones. To take advantage of this, he called out for two of his sword companies, all around a hundred infantry strong, to circle around both flanks and start to pincer in the enemy. In the meantime, his more numerical archer force was making short work of their own archers.

This battle is nearly won, he thought as he looked over the field. That was until he heard something behind him. He saw how around a hundred horse came in his rear and charged at his army. Sheer panic rose in him as he saw the enemy cavalry charge. Luckily Ser Marlon had done a great job. The Manderly spears obstructed the cavalry from going in his troops rear.

A neatly, organized line of White Harbor spears, followed by swords and axes stood defiantly in the way. He immediately shouted at his archers "Change targets to the cavalry on the left, FIRE AT WILL AND MAKE IT QUICK!" He also sent out a rider to peel some of his spearmen from the line and turn around.

Only a fraction of his bowmen managed to get shots of in time, but it was still enough to floor a dozen of horsemen and hamper part of their charge. The rest then crashed into the spear wall. The wall held in most of the places, but it was breached thrice. He looked on as he saw how two of those holes were plugged by sword- and axemen, as they pulled riders from their horses and finished them on the ground. Only at one place a dozen riders broke through completely.

He shouted out for his retinue, some forty retainers on horseback, to follow him and charged at the group. He saw how a few more riders were charging through the whole in the line, as Ser Marlon tried to plug the hole in his lines. He shouted for his men to go into a charge and they thundered down upon the Bolton soldiers.

He came upon a rider who awkwardly tried to block his downward cut. He managed to do so but lost his sword in the progress. A quick backhanded slash as he turned in the saddle was enough to split open the man's neck. He thundered through, flooring an enemy that had lost his horse, until he came upon the hole In the spearwall.

There he clashed with another rider. This one had been prepared for his arrival and they exchanged blows, while his remaining retinue subdued the other enemies that had broken through. He couldn't find a hole in the enemy's defense, but soon two spearmen pushed their spears under the enemy's face and the man surrendered.

He gathered his breath and looked around. He saw how the last remainders of the charge were being disarmed or cut down. Around a dozen riders were fleeing into the woods and as he was looking around for more, a rider came to him saying "The enemy's infantry has been dealt with, Lord Hornwood. Ser Rodrik has also led a charge into the enemy archer line and dispersed them."

"Good, thank you." he stated to the man. He then shouted at the top of his lungs "The day is ours, lads! We have shown these bastards what true Northmen can do!" A series of cheers erupted from the line as he made his way to Ser Marlon. "Good advice to screen the back, Lord Halys." the man said with a grim smile on his face.

"An even better execution, Ser Marlon. That charge could have been devastating had it reached the main line. Me and my men thank you for the speed at which you made that defensive line." he said honestly. Who knows how many hundreds of men he would have lost to that charge, if it had connected to their rear.

"Just following orders, My Lord." the man simply stated.

"Can you organize your troops here? Let them loot the bodies, but the loot of the enemy camp will go to us, as most of it will have been stolen from the surrounding smallfolk." he said, and the knight nodded.

He jumped on his horse and rode over to the other side of the field. There he had a similar conversation with Ser Rodrik. He organized his own infantry himself and allowed his archers to join looting the enemy as well.

After a while he organized a group of men and marched into the enemy camp. There he found a few wounded bandits, but what shocked him most were the bodies of half a dozen people put on weird crosses around the commander's tent. They looked flayed. The skin was peeled from their bodies, some remnants still hanging from their fingers or faces. It was such a gruesome sight that he almost threw up. He managed to keep himself in check for his men, but only barely. Some of his soldiers weren't as lucky, as he heard the sound of multiple men vomiting all along the camp.

They also found several young women. All naked and scared to death. When one of his men wanted to approach them or give them a blanket, they all just started screaming. It was very clear they had witnessed and experienced severe things. He had his men calm them and bring them together to offer them food, clothes and shelter.

After this, they looted the camps of its valuables and soon found Bolton livery in some of the tents. This was all the proof he needed. They finished looting the camp and then they buried the dead, burned the tents, sealed their fires and left.

He walked over to Ser Rodrik and showed them both the Bolton liveries, as well as the women whom they had saved. The knight looked very serious, before stating. "This will have to be brought to the King and Queen to decide on. For now, their force is destroyed, and your lands are safe. I also heard the Boltons suffered many casualties along the Green Fork. They won't be as big of a problem now, if they should try anything in the future."

He nodded at that. He still smiled over the fact that Rickard had found a way to cull the power of the Boltons by granting them 'the honor' of leading the first line of defense at that battle. Roose Bolton had lost over half of his force and had now less manpower than even the Freys, Manderlys, Karstarks and Umbers in the force he left south. He didn't even come close to what Winterfell had brought with them. No, Roose in the south would be checked, it was here in the North that he worried.

They met with Manderly and headed back to camp with their men. They had one hundred and forty-seven dead and eighty-four severely wounded. Not bad, considering the enemy had numbered close to four hundred men combined with the fact they had set an ambush.

They let their men feast to their victory, as they discussed their plans. Ser Marlon would go directly back to White Harbor from here. With the absence of Lord Wyman's sons, he was responsible for drilling all the new recruits and would need to be home to fulfill his duties. He did, however, repeat multiple times that House Manderly would again come to their aid if new problems arose on his border.

Ser Rodrik would get back with him to the Hornwood and would go to Winterfell from there. They would leave the day after tomorrow at midday, to give their men some well deserved rest. It would also help the wounded to strengthen themselves a little bit. Those who were still not able to be transported on the carts the whole way would be left at neighboring villages until they were nursed back to health.

Battle was a bloody and gruesome affair and they hadn't managed to capture the enemy commander, so he knew it wasn't over. However they had killed many of his soldiers and gotten more than enough prove to take his head when he next resurfaced. Dozens of prisoners had attested that they had been led by Ramsay Snow. Numerous accounts of his crimes had also been reported.

He would have the bastard's head in time. Now he would first go back home.

(Five days later)

He marched back into his ancestral home and was glad for it. His force now numbered around six hundred and fifty men, as the Manderlys had left. He had expected to be received as a hero here, but the mood was dark and gloomy.

He sought out his wife, jumped of his horse and marched to her. He enveloped her in a hug and proudly stated that the Bolton bandits had been vanquished and that their lands were safe once more. His wife smiled at him and said she was proud, although it didn't reach her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, surprised at her reaction.

"Something happened while you were away, Halys. We got word four days ago that the ironborn have attacked the North. Asha Greyjoy, the daughter of Lord Balon, is besieging Deepwood Motte as we speak. Raiders and longships have also been spotted along the Stony Shore." his wife said softly.

"What? Ironborn? Are you sure?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, my love, but that's not even the worst of it. Victarion Greyjoy has led most of the Iron Fleet to Moat Cailin and taken the fortress from the west. The owner of the new stables managed to flee to White Harbor and Wyman send us a raven." His wife said sadly.

"They took Moat Cailin? How? I had just strengthened the defending force there to over five hundred men. Most of its garrison were our own men! I even spend time helping with the fortifications of the old fortress. How could this happen?" he said in complete shock.

"Victarion Greyjoy marched on the fortress with thousands of men, outnumbering the defenders many times. Another letter arrived yesterday were it was clear the castle was taken. It seems your efforts had born some fruit as it is said the ironborn had very heavy casualties. Wyman guesses them at three or four dead ironborn for every Northman killed."

"That would mean fifteen hundred to two thousand dead ironborn? For Moat Cailin? How can Lord Balon be that stupid? He can't seriously suspect to achieve something with that? The ironborn in Moat Cailin are surrounded by us and the crannogmen and Robb in the south!" he responded, still in shock from the news.

"My love, if the ironborn had two thousand casualties attacking the fortress with a garrison of only five hundred, how would you fare against thousands guarding it?" she asked, the fear in her voice clear.

"Hmmn, true words. However, we can make them bleed! We can assemble the levies that originally would have been going south to throw the ironborn back from Deepwood Motte and the Stoney Shore. Maybe we could then unite with some of the Northerners in the south and siege out Moat Cailin from both sides." He said, deep in thought.

"Ser Rodrik and I have much to speak about, Donella. We will be up in my chambers. Could you order the servants to bring up some food? I fear it might take a while." he asked his wife.

She nodded dutifully and he thanked the Gods once more for the wife they had given him. "I am very glad to see you again and thank you." he said softly, as he kissed her hand. He saw how she nodded with a small smile, before he left to get Ser Rodrik and lead him to his solar.

They spend hours discussing possible plans of action. Finally, they settled on the fact that they would leave for Winterfell in two days. There they would raise the forces left in Winterfell and the troops of the Cerwyns and the surrounding lords.

They would also make contact with the Mountain Clans. The Clans had been levying their men for weeks now and would be able to march to Deepwood Motte soon, if ordered. They could outnumber the ironborn over two to one just on their own. The forces they rallied in Winterfell would split and help dispel the ironborn from the Stony Shore as the second force marched on Deepwood Motte as well.

If their plan worked, they could throw most of the ironborn out of the North in a matter of weeks. The only problem would be Moat Cailin. Filled with thousands of men, even ironborn scum, the fortress was impregnable. Even with the five thousand troops that had been scheduled to go south they wouldn't be able to take it. However, with help from some of the troops in the south they might be able to starve them out from all sides. The crannogmen might give additional support if need be.

He spent the rest of the evening planning the provisions and arranging his forces and their march. At night, he finally had some time to spend with his wife. She was clearly worried, having had to endure Bolton raids and now hearing of the threat of an ironborn attack. He managed to calm her, as he explained no ironborn had ever made it as far inland as the Hornwood.

He promised her, he would leave additional troops in their castle and establish a series of patrols along the border to scout out any trouble before it really began. That is exactly what he did for most of the next day, together with working out his plans of the night before.

That was until suddenly another raven from Winterfell arrived. It was a message from their new Queen, although he recognized the handwriting of Winterfell's Maester.

Lord Hornwood,

Word has come from my husband's campaign down south. Our forces have won a great victory over the Lannisters at Oxcross. They have destroyed an army under Ser Stafford Lannister, Lord Tywin's cousin and brother-in-law. Ser Stafford and his son and heir Ser Daven were both killed in the battle. Martyn Lannister, youngest son of Lord Tywin's brother Ser Kevan, was captured together with the heads of Houses Crakehall, Jast and Vikary.

Multiple other lesser nobles were also slain or captured, and the West seems to be in disarray. The king has followed up his victory by storming and capturing Ashemark and its Lord Damon Marbrand. There he has also captured Willem Frey, a grandson of Lord Tywin's sister.

He has sent word from the castle to implore how the reinforcements south are coming along. However, Lady Stark and I urge you to use these reinforcements, and the troops sent with Ser Rodrik Cassel, to rid the North of the ironborn first. After this is achieved, the men will move south as planned.

I would implore you to urgently reply and act upon this letter.

Alys Stark, Queen of the North and the Trident.

He sighed, finally some good news. He walked over to his Maester's chambers and asked for a map of the Westerlands. The young Maester gave one to him and he spread it out. Quickly finding Ashemark. That's where his men and his King were. The castle commanded much of the northeastern Westerlands, so their troops would be free to plunder. Good, let those filthy Lannisters feel the vengeance of the North for what they did to his son in the Riverlands.

The orders from the Queen were nothing he and Ser Rodrik hadn't decided upon already. He scribbled a small message describing their victory over the Bolton bastard combined with the fact that they would depart with six hundred men tomorrow, before giving it the the Maester to send back to Winterfell.

He brought the map with him to his solar and called over Ser Rodrik. Both drunk a good Northern ale to the good fortune of their King and to vengeance upon the Lannisters. He toasted to Daryn, while Ser Rodrik drank to his nephew that was slain in King's Landing.

His King would give him the vengeance he deserved and in turn he would help him rid his Kingdom of ironborn scum.

He didn't want to go fight anymore, he felt tired. However, the only hope for House Hornwood and his blood was stuck behind the walls of Deepwood Motte, being besieged by ironborn. Galbart and Robett deserved his help for caring for the boy all those years. It would only be just if he helped free their lands now.

More importantly was the matter of Larence. He couldn't save Daryn anymore, but he would let the Others take him before he allowed something to happen to his other son. Every ironborn that stood between him and his son would rue the day he was born. This, he swore silently as he drank deeply from the dark ale. Blood and battle and his estranged son on his mind.

This is all for this chapter!

A new POV, as a new theater of war opens up. The ironborn have attacked as they did in canon, but the North is much better prepared. As such Victarion's losses taking Moat Cailin were very large. The North is also a lot better prepared to hit back, as levies were already being raised and trained everywhere.

Deepwood Motte was sieged by Asha for over a month in canon. Here they know the news after a week – 10 days and as such the castle hasn't fallen yet.

Ramsay is beaten back once more, but once more he comes severely weakened out of the fighting and House Hornwood survives and has restored control over their lands.

A lot of you have been asking for a Lannister/King's Landing POV. One of the things I find most interesting in writing this fic is exploring the fog of war certain characters experience. In reality Robb wouldn't know everything that has happened in King's Landing in detail. As such, the reader won't either. I promise you that everything that happened in King's Landing will be explained in detail by eyewitnesses, but you will have to wait a few more chapters for it.

The same will happen for the situation in the Vale, although you will have to wait a lot longer for that one. Regular updates from the scene will be delivered via raven messages and in the future we will go there with a POV, but not for a long time.

The next chapters will focus on the war with the ironborn and the campaign in the West, as news from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms trickles in. Both campaigns will differ substantially from canon and will be discussed in detail.

Reviews:

- Kuman: Yes they did indeed connect the dots, although a lot can be said that the men just had no choice either.

You're right Arya is older, I fixed that. Parts of the fleet can indeed be converted in peace times but the North's focus is now on its safety so it seemed less important to them all for now.

The Starks have indeed considerable influence, but not enough for them to break their oaths to serve all Kingdom's of men equally. There are a lot of other volunteers who came between the books and the Rebellion. Donal Noye, Eddison tollet and Ser Mallador Locke to name a few.

There is a new POV North now! As explained the others will have to wait a while, but they will come.

- Poly19hum: You're very welcome! Yes skilled logistician and offer can decide not only battles, but entire campaigns! I wish you a very good weekend as well.

- Force Smuggler: A grief stricken fool ...

- Raw666: Thank you, I will!

- Wolf's Pizza: The Lannisters position in the Westerlands is disastrous. However, a few notes. First of all, Tywin has been rebuilding his forces for months now. Forcing men from the Southern Riverlands and the Northern Crownlands in his army as well as hiring more sellsword companies from Essos than in canon. He does this because he knows how bad his situation is. He hoped for Ser Stafford to be ready in a few months and pincer in Robb between them, but that has clearly failed. Still his army is up to its canon strength again, albeit far less disciplined, veteran or loyal. This might prove a big problem, although he once again has the numbers to confront Robb. Especially because Robb only has 6k men in the Westerlands and Tywin can march with 20k.

Second, the Lannister have reasserted control over King's Landing with the force Tywin sent South. Although most of the capital still hates the Lannisters and the peace is very fragile and other revolts could easily break out with the food situation as it is.

If the Lannisters were to ally with the Tyrells, the Tyrells would get more now. The Lannisters position is a lot worse than it is in canon and so they will have to give in to even more demands. I won't disclose any more, as I might spoil things but your thoughts are very interesting!

Well Ramsay escaped once more, as he is a coward who lets others do the dangerous work for him. However, his power base is severely weakened and the only reason Halys doesn't march on him to take his head is the threat of the ironborn that now looms over the North.

Depends on how Northern the company still is. Even if most are still descendants from Northerners, most will have intermingled with Essosi or other Westerosi as I don't see many Northern women come to join them. They probably are a bunch of men who don't have too much in common with the North anymore, except for maybe the Old Gods and some old tales and songs.

- Jaimerey7000: Yes that's possible. Although Shella Whent isn't dead yet so it doesn't matter for now.

- Kingmanaena: Thank you for your continued support!

- Foxy-Floof: They will, just like in canon. However, realistically the fleet would only be able to defend the eastern side of its shores. To defend the western portion, they would need to sail around Dorne and up again. This would take months everytime and is unrealistic as they wouldn't have enough places to supply their fleet at. It will still do a lot of good though.

- Whitetigerwolf: Thank you! You will know everything, just wait a few more chapters as the chaos in King's Landing isn't at its end yet.

- Mirzan: How so? Half of last chapter was a Jon POV? He will however get more important roles over the following chapters. Some in his POV, some in Robb's.

- Greatazuredragon: Yes, that's just how Robb looks at it as well! He will get enough experience and self confidence to start taking his place as one of Robb's more important commanders soon. Thank you so much!

- Koll: Kind of a weird comment, as Jon didn't do anything too important to show before this and was also frequently seen in Robb's POV's. Besides this is a story about how Ned could change the war and the fate of House Stark with some more guidance and other decisions. Robb is literally the head of House Stark, he is very much a main character.

- Guest1: Thanks!

- Guest2: Thanks, I fixed it. Jon's parentage will be disclosed and be a thing in this story, but it will never be the main storyline.