Chapter IV. Garden Of Bones

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Narrator POV

Outside Oxcross, Thunder rumbles through the darkness. It is raining at the gold cloak encampment. Two gold cloaks are arguing over who is the best fighter. Guard #1 says "It's got to be the Mountain. He's the biggest. He's the strongest."

Rennick says "Bulls are bigger than lions. Doesn't mean I'd pick a bull in a fight."

"If the bull had fangs and claws, I would. Right, the Mountain or our man Jaime."

"If he ever gets out."

"Loras Tyrell?"

"Loras Tyrell. He's prettier than the Queen."

"I don't care about pretty. He's better with a sword than any of them."

"How good could he be? He's been stabbing Renly Baratheon for years, and Renly ain't dead." They laugh, and a horse neighs nervously "The horses seem a little spooked to you? They're horses."

"They get spooked by their own shadows."

"Shh. Do you hear that?"

"No."

"There's something out there."

The soldiers both stand to investigate the darkness. They move forward cautiously until Rennick lets out a loud fart. Guard #1 jumps and Rennick laughs raucously "Oh. Oh, you're a right little prick. You should see your face."

"I swear you pissed yourself. "Oh, who goes there? Ahh!"

"There is something out there."

"Yeah, don't even try me."

"Rennick."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"Rennick!" he draws his sword. A dire wolf leaps from the darkness and attacks Rennick. King Robb Stark's face appears in the darkness as Rennick screams.

Robb and his Northern men sit quietly on their horses, listening as a pack of wolves descends upon the Lannister men. Man shouts "King in the North! The King in the North!"

》》》》《《《《

The next morning, The Northern forces completed their assault on the encampment. bodies and wounded men in the mist. Horses neigh and soldiers cry out in pain. Lord Roose Bolton and Robb walk through the aftermath, followed by a handful of Northern soldiers. Roose says "Five Lannisters dead for every one of ours. They're dead. Take everything they've got. We've nowhere to keep all these prisoners. Barely enough food to feed our own."

Robb says "We're not executing prisoners, Lord Bolton."

"Of course, Your Grace. The officers will be useful. Some of them may be privy to Tywin Lannister's plans."

"I doubt it."

"Well, we'll learn soon enough. In my family, we say, "A naked man has few secrets. "A flayed man none.""

"My father outlawed flaying in the North."

"We're not in the North."

"We're not torturing them."

"The high road's very pretty, but you'll have a hard time marching your army down it."

"The Lannisters hold prisoners of their own. I won't give them an excuse to abuse my sisters."

A wounded soldier shouts "No, don't! Don't! Please!"

Talisa says "Shhh." A Wounded soldier struggles as Talisa removes his tattered pants and tries to tend to his bloody legs while another woman tries to help "The rot's set in."

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