Two days later, news from Deepwood Motte finally arrived at Winterfell.
Maester Luwin hurried into Bran's bedchamber with a letter in hand. When he entered and saw Robb and Sansa also inside the room, he imdiately let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He quickly stepped forward toward Catelyn and pulled a folded parchnt from his sleeve before handing it over.
"My Lady, a letter from Deepwood Motte. You must read this imdiately."
Catelyn sat motionless beside Bran's bed, tightly holding Bran's cold and lifeless hand.
Hearing Maester Luwin's words, her brows furrowed at once.
Ever since the trial by combat and Bran's fall from the tower, Catelyn's attitude toward Garon had changed sowhat.
She was no longer as openly hostile toward him as before.
But that was only because he had helped expose the culprit responsible for harming Bran.
Beyond that, she still had no desire to beco close to him.
Catelyn did not even turn around. She rely continued stroking Bran's thin fingers and coldly snorted.
"What could he possibly want to write about now?"
anwhile, Sansa's beautiful eyes imdiately lit up with anticipation and joy.
"Did Garon specifically send a letter to ?"
That thought instantly appeared within her heart.
Yet Maester Luwin still firmly held the parchnt toward Catelyn and lowered his voice.
"My Lady… you truly should read it."
Catelyn remained unmoved.
Left with no other option, Maester Luwin finally explained.
"My Lady, Lord Garon has captured Joel."
"Joel? The poacher?"
For a mont, Catelyn failed to rember who Joel was and imdiately said angrily, "My son lies unconscious, and he still bothers over such trivial matters?"
At this mont, however, Robb stepped forward and accepted the letter instead.
As he opened it, he explained the situation aloud.
"Mother, Joel was one of the n involved in conspiring with Theon to harm Bran."
"Garon says they captured Joel near Deepwood Motte after he was severely injured by wild beasts, and from him they learned who was truly behind Bran's murder attempt."
Catelyn abruptly rose to her feet.
Unable to suppress the fury in her heart any longer, she demanded sharply, "Who was it?!"
Yet Robb did not answer imdiately.
His eyes remained fixed upon the final section of the letter, and for a long while, he seed unable to believe what he was reading.
Seeing Robb's reaction, Catelyn could no longer restrain herself and directly snatched the parchnt from his hand.
She rapidly skimd through the contents, quickly reading through the intelligence Garon had sent.
"Joffrey?!"
"It was Joffrey?!"
Catelyn's body trembled violently.
Even after reading it herself, she still found it impossible to believe.
"No… impossible… absolutely impossible."
"How could the prince possibly harm Bran?"
"Garon must be talking nonsense. He has to be!"
She turned furiously toward Maester Luwin and accused him sharply.
"What is Garon trying to do by sending this information?"
"Does he wish to provoke conflict between our liege lord and the King?"
Catelyn's sharp voice echoed throughout the room, instantly causing Sansa's expression to change.
She hurriedly defended Garon.
"Mother, this is far too serious for Garon to lie about."
Catelyn, still consud by anger, imdiately turned toward her daughter.
"And how do you know he wouldn't lie?"
"That is the Crown Prince, the King's own son!"
Sansa looked flustered.
She wanted to continue defending Garon, but before she could speak again, Maester Luwin interrupted.
"My Lady, this matter is indeed extrely serious."
"Besides the letter itself, Lord Garon also sent evidence."
Catelyn, Robb, and Sansa all looked toward him at nearly the sa mont.
"What evidence?"
Maester Luwin carefully removed a dirt-covered pouch embroidered with a crowned stag from his sleeve and handed it over.
Catelyn accepted it with confusion.
The mont she touched it, however, she instantly realized what it contained.
"Gold dragons?"
Maester Luwin nodded solemnly.
"Yes. There are one hundred gold dragons inside."
He deliberately emphasized the number.
The implication was obvious.
Garon's accusations were by no ans baseless speculation.
Catelyn imdiately fell silent.
She stared down at the crowned stag pouch in her hands while countless thoughts rapidly surged through her mind.
In the end, only a single terrifying conclusion remained.
If this were true…
Wouldn't Ned and the children currently traveling south already be in constant danger?
Catelyn slowly raised her head stiffly and looked toward Maester Luwin.
"Where is the man Garon sent with the letter?"
"In the great hall," Maester Luwin replied imdiately. "Ser Rodrik is accompanying him."
"Bring him here."
Maester Luwin nodded and quickly turned to leave the room in order to notify Ser Rodrik.
During the ti before the ssenger arrived, both Robb and Sansa remained trapped in shock.
Especially Robb.
The thought that his father was now traveling south beside Joffrey, the very person who had attempted to murder Bran, filled him with both panic and fury.
"Could Garon sohow have made a mistake?"
"But if it's true…"
"Then Father and the others are in terrible danger…"
During the following ten minutes, countless chaotic and horrifying possibilities flashed through Robb's mind.
Only when footsteps echoed outside the room did he finally stop thinking and raise his head.
Soon, he discovered that the ssenger was soone he recognized.
Roger, captain of Garon's guard.
"Captain Roger, please explain everything clearly."
After hearing Maester Luwin's request, Roger organized his thoughts before recounting the story exactly as Garon had instructed.
"At the ti, Joel had been captured by Lord Robert as a poacher."
"When we discovered him…"
Roger steadily narrated the sequence of events from beginning to end.
"Later, because Joel's injuries were too severe, despite all efforts to save him, we ultimately failed."
As Roger continued speaking, the expressions of everyone in the room gradually darkened.
By the ti he finished, Robb's fury had completely erupted.
He slamd his fist violently against the stone wall beside him, not caring at all that his hand imdiately began bleeding.
"Damn Joffrey!"
Robb continuously cursed the prince in anger.
Unable to bear watching further, Maester Luwin quietly led Roger out of the room first.
Not far away, he summoned a servant and instructed him to arrange accommodations for Roger to rest.
Only then did Maester Luwin return to Bran's chamber once more.
At this mont, the room had beco deathly silent.
The atmosphere itself seed suffocating.
Maester Luwin looked around before carefully asking Catelyn for instructions.
"My Lady… what should we do now?"
His voice finally broke the oppressive silence.
A shadow of fury crossed Robb's face as he suddenly drew his sword.
"Damn it! I'll kill Joffrey with my own hands!"
Yet before he could continue, Ser Rodrik imdiately shouted angrily.
"You foolish boy, sheath your sword at once!"
"How many tis have I told you never to draw your blade recklessly?"
"King's Landing lies thousands of miles away. How exactly do you intend to kill Joffrey?"
"Not to ntion he is the Crown Prince!"
"Do you want the North to rebel?"
But Robb, still young and hot-blooded, imdiately retorted.
"Then are we supposed to do nothing while Bran's attacker walks free?!"
At last, Catelyn regained her composure.
"Of course not."
Ever since Roger left the room, fury had burned endlessly within her chest.
Catelyn reluctantly looked toward Bran lying unconscious upon the bed before gritting her teeth and making her decision.
"I will personally travel to King's Landing and inform Ned."
Maester Luwin was instantly startled.
"But My Lady, doing so would place both you and Lord Stark in grave danger!"
"Now that the witness is dead, we possess no decisive evidence proving Prince Joffrey's involvent."
Ser Rodrik also imdiately objected.
"Yes, My Lady. If you are truly worried about Lord Stark, then allow to go in your place."
Yet Catelyn had already made up her mind.
"Ser Rodrik, you will accompany ."
"If you go alone, Ned may misjudge the seriousness of the situation."
"As for evidence…"
Catelyn tightened her grip around the pouch embroidered with the crowned stag.
"This alone is enough."
"Do not worry. I only intend to warn Ned."
"I do not plan to do anything reckless."
She gritted her teeth tightly, forcibly suppressing the rage in her heart as she delivered her final decision.
Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik exchanged helpless glances before ultimately obeying her command.
Not long afterward, under Ser Rodrik's protection, Catelyn departed Winterfell and sailed south along the White Knife River, crossing the sea toward King's Landing.
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