CHAPTER 94
It was around two in the afternoon.
The sky was gloomy, as though the heavens themselves were about to collapse, while fine snow drifted steadily downward.
Inside the training grounds of Deepwood Motte's North Keep, fifteen hundred soldiers had already assembled in the falling snow. Their white breaths intertwined with the snowflakes as they stood waiting.
Yet despite the bitter cold, every formation remained orderly and disciplined.
No one was late.
This included the newly trained conscripted soldiers from the Four Clans.
Clearly, Garon's discussions with the clan chiefs several days earlier had produced results.
At this moment, Garon, clad in leather armor, stood before the fifteen hundred men.
His gaze swept across his army.
His voice was as firm as frozen earth and carried clearly to every soldier present.
"The Ironborn have come!"
"They have ravaged our coastline and murdered our vigilant brothers stationed at the watch posts!"
"They believe the Northern army marched south and that Deepwood Motte stands undefended!"
Garon's eyes burned like torches.
He raised his voice again.
"Today, we will make the Wolfswood the burial ground of these sea raiders!"
"We will kill them all!"
Immediately, more than a thousand soldiers roared in unison.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Garon waited for the shouting to subside before raising a hand.
The training ground instantly fell silent.
"Roone!"
He began issuing orders according to the plan discussed earlier.
"You will lead five hundred infantry to Sea Dragon Point and engage the Ironborn. Draw them toward Sentinel Hill. That place will become their grave!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Roone nodded without hesitation.
Garon then turned toward Jon Snow.
"Jon, lead five hundred cavalry immediately. Circle through the western side of the Wolfswood and position yourself beyond its exit. Once you hear the horn signal, cut off the Ironborn retreat!"
Jon answered firmly.
"Understood!"
Without delay, he turned and rallied his riders.
Five hundred cavalry quickly disappeared into the swirling curtain of snow.
A short time later, Garon personally led five hundred infantry and five hundred archers out through the north gate, plunging into the snow-covered Wolfswood.
The forest was dim.
Wind and snow made movement difficult.
Yet Northern warriors feared neither cold nor hardship.
Garon rode at the very front.
Even amid the storm, his thoughts remained clear as ice.
He constantly calculated distances, timing, and routes.
To ensure Asha Greyjoy would not reach the Wolfswood first, he repeatedly urged the army forward.
Halfway through the journey, Garon encountered the scouts who had escaped from the coastal watch posts.
They immediately delivered a crucial piece of intelligence.
"My lord, we observed roughly one to two thousand Ironborn landing among the pine forests."
"But they became lost in the swamps and are still circling through them."
A slight sense of relief finally appeared in Garon's heart.
He ordered the scouts to continue guiding the army.
At approximately four in the afternoon, they finally arrived at Sentinel Hill.
Under the falling snow, Sentinel Hill appeared even steeper and more forbidding than usual.
The eastern side was significantly higher than the western side, creating a natural killing ground.
The slope was open and offered almost no cover.
"Roone, take your five hundred men and follow the scouts. Be careful."
Roone nodded solemnly.
He was completely unconcerned that he had been assigned the role of bait.
Looking toward his officers, he spoke quietly.
"Move out."
The five hundred infantry quickly disappeared into the wind and snow.
Garon then surveyed Sentinel Hill and began arranging the ambush positions.
"Mihawk, take the First and Second Companies and conceal yourselves among the rocks on the left flank."
"Third Company, hide among the trees on the right flank."
"Fourth and Fifth Companies remain with me in the center and conceal yourselves along the ridgeline."
He swept his gaze over the men.
"Remember this. Without my command, even if you die, you are not to move or make a sound."
Mihawk and the others answered together.
"Yes, my lord!"
The orders were swiftly carried out.
Soldiers used rocks, fallen branches, and accumulated snow to conceal themselves perfectly.
Before long, they blended seamlessly into the vast white landscape.
Garon lay prone behind a tree.
His eyes were like those of a hunting eagle.
Through the curtain of snow, he watched the path below the slope without blinking.
The world seemed reduced to only the sound of wind and snow and the cold fire of battle burning in his chest.
Meanwhile, Asha Greyjoy continued leading more than a thousand Ironborn through the swamps.
Ever since destroying the watch posts during the night, her lack of familiarity with Sea Dragon Point's terrain had forced her army into the marshlands.
Progress had been painfully slow.
Even so, excitement still burned within her.
"The Northern army marched south with Robb Stark."
"Deepwood Motte is defended by little more than a few watchdogs."
"Taking it should be easy."
As she stared toward the distant hills, she could not help urging her men forward.
"Move faster!"
"We're sleeping in Deepwood Motte tonight!"
Her companions burst into laughter and immediately began pushing their men onward.
Another half hour passed.
Finally, they emerged from the swamps.
Upon reaching the highest point of the hills, they immediately spotted the Wolfswood ahead and several hundred soldiers from Deepwood Motte moving in the distance.
Asha frowned.
"Deepwood Motte learned of our landing and still dares to leave the safety of its walls?"
She looked toward her kinsman Dagon Greyjoy.
Unfortunately, Dagon was not a man known for deep thought.
Scratching his head, he replied.
"They say Northmen aren't afraid to die."
"Maybe they know they'll lose, so they want to die with some honor."
Asha rolled her eyes.
She knew she had asked the wrong person.
Still, she could not be bothered to think too deeply about it.
There were only a few hundred enemy soldiers.
"Take some men."
"Defeat them."
"Capture a few alive and find out what they're doing."
Dagon nodded enthusiastically.
He immediately led more than eight hundred men charging down from the hills.
The moment Roone saw the Ironborn pouring down the slopes, his heart tightened.
Yet he did not retreat immediately.
Instead, he quickly deployed his men into a crescent formation and slowly withdrew.
Watching this, Asha became even more puzzled.
"A formation?"
"What are they trying to accomplish with that?"
A faint sense of unease began to rise within her.
Sure enough.
The moment Dagon's men crashed into Roone's formation, they were split apart and dozens of Ironborn fell almost immediately.
"Damn it!"
"Deepwood Motte actually has some tricks!"
Asha could no longer remain idle.
She personally led the remainder of her force forward.
Soon, the entire Ironborn army surged toward Roone's soldiers.
"It's time!"
Seeing Asha commit all her forces, Roone knew there was no point delaying further.
If he remained any longer, escape would become impossible.
Immediately, he pretended to panic and shouted for a retreat.
The soldiers of Deepwood Motte quickly disengaged and fled toward the Wolfswood.
"Chase them!"
"Run them down!"
Dagon roared furiously.
He could not tolerate nearly being embarrassed by Roone moments earlier.
His eight hundred men pursued recklessly and without formation.
Asha followed close behind.
Several times she considered sounding the horn and recalling Dagon.
Yet every time Dagon seemed ready to abandon the pursuit, Roone would suddenly turn and launch another brief counterattack.
Again and again, Dagon's anger was reignited.
He pursued with increasing recklessness.
The cost of the deception was not small.
More than fifty soldiers from Deepwood Motte were killed during the retreat.
By now, Dagon had chased Roone deep into the Wolfswood and vanished among the trees.
Concerned for her kinsman, Asha had little choice but to lead the rest of her men into the forest as well.
The vast Wolfswood resembled a giant beast opening its jaws and swallowing the Ironborn whole.
The moment she entered the forest, Asha felt her vision become restricted.
Snow drifted through gaps in the branches overhead.
Ignoring the cold, she searched anxiously for Dagon.
His furious shouting still echoed somewhere ahead.
The uneasy feeling in her chest only grew stronger.
"I need to find Dagon quickly."
"We cannot continue advancing blindly."
"This is Glover territory."
Taking a deep breath, Asha pressed onward.
Eventually, she caught up to Dagon near the base of a slope.
At that moment, Roone was leading his men uphill.
The freshly fallen snow made the climb treacherous.
Several soldiers slipped and tumbled to the ground.
Dagon's men hurled axes after them.
A few unlucky soldiers were struck and collapsed into the snow, staining it red.
Watching the scene, Asha finally shook her head.
"I've been overthinking."
"How could they possibly have prepared an ambush?"
She looked carefully to both sides.
There were only trees, rocks, and snow.
No sign of hidden enemies.
Her final doubts faded away.
Raising a hand, she gave the order.
"Charge!"
"Crush them!"
Dagon roared triumphantly and rushed uphill, swinging his flail.
Nearly a thousand Ironborn followed him up the slope.
Some slipped on the snow and tumbled into others.
The entire hillside became a scene of confusion and disorder.
Standing below, Asha frowned slightly.
She glanced left and right again, intending to order her men to spread out and flank the enemy.
But at some unknown moment, hundreds of archers had appeared on both flanks.
Bows were already drawn.
Arrowheads pointed directly toward the Ironborn climbing the slope.
Asha instinctively looked upward.
At the crest of the hill stood a tall figure staring down at her with icy calm.
It was Garon Glover.
Several heartbeats later, Garon slowly drew the greatsword at his waist and brought it down in a decisive slash.
An overwhelming sense of terror exploded within Asha's heart.
"Retreat!"
"It's an ambush!"
Her shrill scream was instantly drowned beneath the deadly roar of countless arrows.
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