Chapter 47 CHAPTER 47
Deepwood Motte
Located in the northwestern region of the Wolfswood, it was one of the most important strongholds in the North.
To the north, it faced Bear Island across the sea, while to the east and south, one had to cross the vast Wolfswood before reaching the nearest Northern settlement.
Ever since House Glover swore fealty to House Stark, Deepwood Motte had shouldered the responsibility of guarding the North's northwestern frontier and protecting Winterfell from threats arriving by sea.
During the later wars of Westeros, even Jon Snow and Sansa Stark would first think of Deepwood Motte when seeking the support of Northern lords.
This alone proved how special Deepwood Motte's position truly was within the North.
In fact, if not for the existence of the Iron Islands constantly raiding the western coast, Deepwood Motte would have had a very high chance of developing into the North's most important western port city, connecting trade routes with both the Riverlands and the Westerlands.
And Garon's obsession with targeting the Iron Islands was not only because of historical hatred and future events.
There were also practical benefits involved.
Only by completely pacifying the Ironborn could merchant ships from the south safely travel north through the Sunset Sea.
Once that happened, Garon could rely on maritime trade to attract merchants and wealth while monopolizing the abundant resources of the Wolfswood to rapidly enrich Deepwood Motte.
Otherwise, relying solely on difficult overland routes, Deepwood Motte would remain limited no matter how hard it developed.
Even the coming of the Others would not change that reality.
Of course, all of Deepwood Motte's future prosperity currently existed only within Garon's imagination.
As for how to achieve those ambitions, that would depend on whether he could successfully seize control of the Iron Islands in the future.
At this moment, however, evening was approaching.
Ever since leaving Winterfell, Garon and his party had been traveling steadily through the Wolfswood.
Unlike the rushed journey toward Winterfell, Garon was not particularly anxious on the return trip.
The journey that originally took three days had now stretched into four before they finally entered the lands controlled by House Glover.
"Whoa!"
Garon pulled on the reins and slowed his horse while looking toward the distant trees.
His eyes quickly noticed the markings carved onto several sentinel trees nearby.
"Jon, we're almost there."
Garon pointed toward the marks while explaining calmly, "Those are hunting signs left behind by the forest clans. This area already belongs to Deepwood Motte's territory."
"Travel a little farther, and you'll finally see the castle itself."
Jon looked exhausted, and after hearing this, he immediately let out a long breath of relief.
"It seems I can finally sleep properly tonight."
No wonder he looked so tired.
For three straight nights, they had camped within the Wolfswood, where the howling of wolves never stopped.
Especially Ghost.
The direwolf pup seemed constantly provoked by the sounds in the forest and often howled back for hours without pause.
Several times, those howls had even attracted nearby wolf packs.
If not for Garon and Roger's experience surviving within the Wolfswood, Jon felt he would have already ended up as scattered bones beneath the trees.
"Yes, just endure a little longer. We'll arrive soon."
Roger also smiled while speaking from the side.
Jon nodded tiredly.
Seeing his appearance, Garon no longer delayed and directly waved his hand.
"Then let's continue."
The group urged their horses forward once again.
By the time the sky gradually darkened into deep blue, Deepwood Motte finally appeared before everyone's eyes.
Jon's first impression was that Deepwood Motte actually looked even larger than Winterfell.
And the closer he approached, the more convinced he became of that thought.
Unfortunately, the rough wooden outer walls blocked most of his view, making it difficult to fully observe the settlement beyond.
As the sound of galloping horses echoed closer, the guards stationed atop the bell tower of the outer keep quickly discovered Garon and his party.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The warning bell rang through the evening air while the eastern gate of the outer keep slowly opened.
Garon was completely unsurprised by this.
Without slowing at all, he directly led everyone through the gate and into the outer keep of Deepwood Motte.
The moment Jon entered, he was immediately stunned.
The area before him looked less like an outer bailey and more like an independent town.
Behind the heavy wooden palisades stood dense rows of wooden buildings of every size.
At first glance, Jon noticed that the majority of them were workshops processing hides, furs, and hunted game from the Wolfswood.
Clanfolk continuously moved back and forth through the muddy streets, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
And in the center of the crowded settlement, a broad dirt road stretched upward toward the inner keep built atop the nearby hill.
Garon flicked the reins and increased his speed, leading everyone directly toward the inner keep.
Jon knew that was where Garon had lived all his life.
Before long, the inner keep finally came into view.
Unlike Winterfell's ancient grey stone, Deepwood Motte's inner keep was built from a mixture of timber and stone, giving it a rugged appearance that perfectly matched the harsh environment of the Wolfswood.
Garon arrived first before the only main gate of the inner keep.
At this moment, several people were already waiting there.
"Uncle Robert!"
Garon laughed loudly, pulling sharply on the reins before jumping from his horse and heavily embracing the broad-shouldered man waiting outside.
"Garon, you've finally returned!"
Robert Glover heartily patted Garon's back and laughed loudly.
"If you hadn't returned soon, I would've ridden to Winterfell personally to drag you back!"
Garon released him and smiled helplessly.
"A few minor matters happened in Winterfell, so I was delayed several days."
At this moment, a small figure suddenly emerged from behind Robert.
It was Gavin Glover, Robert's eldest son.
"Brother Garon!"
The six-year-old child had not seen Garon for nearly half a month, and he immediately hugged Garon's leg excitedly while asking loudly, "Was Winterfell fun?"
Garon laughed and rubbed his head affectionately.
"Yes, very fun. I'll bring you there someday."
Gavin instantly cheered excitedly upon hearing this.
Meanwhile, Galbart Glover's adopted son, Laurence Snow, also stepped forward with a grin.
"Garon, I thought Lady Sansa had charmed you so completely that you no longer wanted to come home."
"Haha!"
Garon patted Laurence's shoulder and replied with a smile, "How could that happen? Deepwood Motte is still my home."
Thirteen-year-old Laurence looked up at him happily.
"Then welcome home, Garon."
Garon smiled and nodded.
Robert stood nearby watching everyone interact with a satisfied smile.
However, while observing the returning group, he suddenly noticed the unfamiliar black-haired youth among them.
A trace of doubt appeared in his eyes.
"Garon, who is this?"
Garon immediately collected himself and introduced Jon.
"Uncle Robert, this is Jon Snow. Lord Ned arranged for him to become my squire."
"Jon, this is my uncle, Robert Glover."
Jon immediately stepped forward respectfully.
"Lord Robert."
Robert froze briefly as the identity of Ned Stark's bastard instantly surfaced in his mind.
He glanced at Garon thoughtfully, clearly wanting to ask something, but ultimately held back.
He decided it would be better to speak privately later about everything that happened in Winterfell.
"This is my uncle's son, Gavin Glover, and this is my father's adopted son, Laurence Snow."
Jon greeted them politely.
Gavin merely blinked curiously, while Laurence quietly observed Jon with interest.
After all, they shared the same status as bastards.
"Uncle Robert, where's the steward?"
Robert withdrew his thoughts and replied, "The steward is helping Sibena prepare dinner, while Maester Beckman is still at the workshop…"
When mentioning the workshop, Robert subconsciously glanced at Jon before stopping himself from speaking further.
Jon immediately became curious after hearing the unfamiliar term.
Garon naturally understood what Robert meant and directly changed the topic.
"Come, let's head inside first."
Then he turned toward Laurence.
"Laurence, go tell the steward to prepare a room beside mine for Jon. He'll be staying in Deepwood Motte from now on."
Laurence nodded and immediately headed into the inner keep to find the steward.
Meanwhile, Garon and the others followed Robert toward the Great Hall together.
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