Jaime, his hand severed, knelt on the ground screaming. The Northmen were stunned by the sudden turn of events, frozen in place. Roman looked at them and said irritably:
"If you don't bandage Jaime soon, he's going to bleed to death!"
Hearing this, the Northmen snapped out of their daze and rushed forward to grab Jaime and stop the bleeding.
Robb and a group of great lords scrutinized Roman with the look of people examining a rare treasure. It was their first time seeing a dragon, something that only existed in legends, and their hearts were filled with curiosity.
"Is Ser Roman a dragon?"
"I think he is!"
"But I recall that in legends, dragons are just beasts with questionable intelligence; without a rider's command, they can't even distinguish friend from foe. Yet Ser Roman possesses wisdom blessed by the Crone!"
The Northmen were chattering incessantly, debating whether Roman was a man or a dragon. They were reminded of Aerion "Brightflame".
That Targaryen believed he was a dragon in human form and could transform into one by drinking wildfire, only to be burned to death by it.
Everyone suddenly felt that perhaps Aerion wasn't a madman, but simply hadn't recognized his true self. He was indeed a human, whereas Roman was undoubtedly a dragon in human form.
The Northmen felt nothing amiss; they were even grateful that their liege lord, Eddard Stark, was a man of noble character, which had led to Roman becoming a friend of the North rather than an enemy.
But the Freys from the Twins didn't think so. Watching Roman greet the Northern nobles one by one, their faces turned pale.
If Roman were to use the same methods he had just used to instantly kill Jaime's personal guard against the Twins, Lord Frey's sons had no doubt their entire house would be reduced to ash in a single night.
The Freys secretly swore to themselves that no matter what, they had to persuade their father, even if it meant using force.
Robb looked at Roman with a strange expression. He had once wondered what would happen when he faced the man who made him feel both envious and admiring, but in the end, he only said:
"Ser Roman, where has Ser Barristan gone?"
"Seeing that he wouldn't make it to this battle in time, Ser Barristan decided to head to Riverrun. He is setting an ambush there, waiting for you, Ser Robb, to come and support him."
Upon hearing this, the Young Wolf's instincts for war overcame his personal feelings. Robb immediately said:
"In that case, why don't we head to Riverrun tonight to rescue Lord Hoster? Now that the Lannister army has lost its commander, they must be leaderless!"
Roman readily agreed to the Young Wolf's request. He had come this time specifically to strike at the Lannister army led by Jaime, and it would be perfect to wipe them all out at once, saving them from harassing the production at Harrenhal every day.
The Young Wolf then began assigning tasks with the various commanders. Due to the geography of Riverrun, the surrounding land was divided into three sections, and all three areas needed to be defended; otherwise, there could be no talk of a siege.
However, splitting the troops into three locations was constrained by the rivers, meaning the attacking side needed far more manpower than a normal siege would require.
If Riverrun were any larger, it would likely be another "Diaoyu Fortress".
Furthermore, Hoster Tully had recovered his health due to the medical advancements at Harrenhal. With an old veteran defending a sturdy castle, the Lannisters would never dream of taking Riverrun without suffering greatly.
In the plan, the "Blackfish" Brynden Tully was responsible for dealing with the army on the north bank of Riverrun, Robb would attack the Lannister army on the west bank, and the Harrenhal cavalry led by Ser Barristan would handle the enemy on the south bank.
This time, no one would be able to escape back to the Westerlands!
The situation was urgent. After the discussion, Roman had to return to his ambush position, so he left a flock of ravens for Robb.
"Ser Robb, these ravens are a specialty of Harrenhal. You should know their purpose. If you need support during this battle to relieve Riverrun, use these ravens to send me word, and I will provide support from the air."
After finishing, Roman went to an open space, lightly shook his wings, and prepared to take off.
"Ser Robb, let us meet again at the victory feast in Riverrun!"
Having said this, Roman's body ignited with White Flame. Then, his wings instantly struck the ground, and he shot straight up into the sky, the airflow generated by his wings sending ripples through the mud on the ground.
After rising to a certain altitude, Roman nimbly adjusted his wings to level flight, turning into a ball of white fire before everyone's eyes.
It was only then that the Young Wolf revealed his inner envy, but his expression quickly returned to normal.
"All troops, begin the march! We must reach Riverrun before nightfall!"
Riverrun, Night
Robb, Brynden, and Ser Barristan had all arrived at their respective positions, preparing for the final assault.
First, the "Blackfish" Brynden launched the attack. Taking advantage of the night, he eliminated the surrounding scouts and small detachments, then led his troops to charge into the sleeping Lannister northern camp.
The long-standing security of the siege had left the Lannister army completely without defenses; this single charge by the "Blackfish" destroyed the northern camp's force of over 4,000 men.
At the same time, the Harrenhal cavalry led by Ser Barristan began their assault on the army of Fothergill.
Ser Fothergill was bald with a scruffy beard, looking more like an innkeeper than a nobleman, but he was very reliable; Jaime had given him high praise after working with him.
But today, the old knight was out of luck. Hearing the commotion outside, he rushed out to check, but because Ser Fothergill was not wearing his signature armor, and combined with the dim light, the Harrenhal cavalry did not recognize him as a nobleman.
Seeing an old man there, the Ironmen didn't care about anything else and thrust their lances forward.
The Harrenhal warhorses, combined with the cavalry wielding lances with both hands, possessed enough impact force to pierce through the plate armor of an average knight.
Ser Fothergill took the Ironmen's lance directly with his body. His ribs shattered instantly, and his lungs were punctured. Furthermore, as the Ironmen dragged him for over ten meters while he was impaled on the lance, Ser Fothergill's lungs were completely destroyed.
Subsequently, the hooves of countless Harrenhal cavalry trampled over him, and the old knight was dead beyond any doubt.
Because of the darkness, Barristan and Roman did not intend to risk taking prisoners, so they issued an order to kill on sight.
The Ironmen didn't care if you were a nobleman or not; when they met someone, they simply struck with lances, maces, sabers, and oil pots.
The soldiers in the Lannister southern camp were like a flock of sheep in a slaughterhouse, only able to be dismembered amidst their screams.
By now, the Lannister army on the west bank had realized something was wrong, and they immediately split their forces to prepare to support their allies.
Robb seized the opportunity to charge directly into the chaotic western camp, catching the Lannister army off guard.
The Lannister soldiers could only hastily form a shield wall, attempting to resist Robb, but Hoster also seized the opportunity. While the Lannister army was facing Robb, he used trebuchets to hurl stones at their rear.
Faced with enemies from both front and back, the Lannister army in the western camp instantly collapsed, and they threw down their weapons to surrender.
However, at this moment, some soldiers from the western camp had already boarded ships, preparing to attack Brynden and Barristan, and Robb was unable to mop them up.
The Young Wolf looked at the enemy troops on the river and called for the ravens that had been standing by.
"Notify Ser Roman; we need his help."
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