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Clay always wore that ring on his finger—a ring adorned with a blood-red gemstone, the symbol of his authority as the commander of the White Sea Guard.
His presence in this castle would not go unnoticed by the White Sea Guard operatives hidden within, and the ring served as the most direct insignia of his command.
Before his departure, Steward Rivers had given him precise instructions: upon reaching the Twins, if he required the White Sea Guard's support, he needed only to carve the symbol of a trident onto the outer wall of the fortress's largest Sept.
Upon seeing this mark, the operatives of the White Sea Guard within Twins would find a way to make contact with him. The secret phrase for identification was the short phrase: "Black Sea, White Waves."
The process seemed simple, but verifying identities in such matters was always a delicate task. A degree of secrecy and counterfeiting prevention was necessary. However, if the verification process was too complex, it would make the entire chain fragile, drastically reducing its practicality.
Before coming to the Twins, Clay had only intended for the operatives to observe the internal affairs of House Frey. He had yet to decide on their next course of action.
But after these two days in the Twins—through what he had personally witnessed, the scattered pieces of information he had gathered from the guards, and, most notably, the conversation he had just had with Aenys Frey—Clay could now say with certainty that the entire House Frey was sitting atop a volcano, one that could erupt at any moment.
Lord Walder Frey was too dominant, having controlled every aspect of his family's power for decades. Now, at ninety years old, he showed no obvious signs of weakness or decline in energy.
This old man, whose age was five or six times that of Clay's, had taken an eighth wife on the day of his ninetieth birthday—Joyeuse Erenford, a girl of just sixteen, about the same age as Clay himself.
The "King" was strong-willed and long-lived. Though he aged with each passing day, there was no sign that he would relinquish his power anytime soon. Meanwhile, his "Crown Prince," Stevron, and the numerous other "Princes" of House Frey had long since grown impatient.
They eagerly awaited the day the old man would return to the embrace of the Seven Gods. At the same time, they schemed and competed against one another by any means necessary, each vying for the old lord's favor, willing to do anything to win his approval.
Aenys Frey's words today contained a great deal of deception, but it was not without an underlying motive. It was evident that he sought to win over House Manderly and bring them in as allies. The laws of inheritance were supreme, but in the face of absolute noble power, sometimes those laws could become rather flexible.
As Clay made his way toward the northern wall, he mulled over the situation. The southern wall was indeed a weak point, but not weak enough to be easily exploited. The towers stood in close formation, and while the bricks were blanketed in moss, there were no visible cracks that could threaten the structure's integrity.
His captain of the guard followed closely at his side. Clay spoke in a low voice, his words just loud enough for the man beside him to hear.
"If you had four thousand men under your command, how would you take the Twins?"
The captain stiffened in shock, immediately glancing around to check their surroundings. Aside from the many White Harbor guards trailing behind them, the section of the wall they stood on was deserted. Only then did he allow himself to relax slightly.
Now, he understood—his young lord had long been contemplating this question. He had deliberately chosen an isolated spot to voice it.
To be openly discussing how to capture the Twins while standing on House Frey's land… Only someone like Young Lord Clay, who had the audacity to kill a Lannister, would dare pose such a question. The thought flashed through the captain's mind.
At first, he assumed the young lord was merely jesting. But when he stole a glance at Clay's expression, devoid of any trace of humor, he realized his lord was completely serious.
"My lord, with four thousand men… If it were me, I don't believe I could take the Twins. Lord Walder Frey can muster over three thousand troops. If it comes to a siege, with our forces at nearly equal numbers, there would be little chance of victory."
Though he answered honestly, as a seasoned warrior, this question was not difficult for him to consider. Yet, as he observed his young lord silently contemplating, waves of shock continued to surge through his mind.
What exactly was his young lord planning to do on this trip to the Twins?
As the captain personally chosen by Lord Wyman Manderly to protect Clay, he held a respected position within the White Harbor Guard. Naturally, he was aware that Clay had originally come to the Twins to pay a courtesy visit to Lord Walder Frey and to discuss his marriage arrangement.
But now, a chilling realization settled over him.
Clay had never cared about the marriage. From the very beginning, his interest had never been in any Frey woman. His true focus was on House Frey itself.
Or rather… the Twins.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Clay threw another question at him:
"I am aware that House Frey only has about five hundred standing soldiers. The three thousand men you mentioned—does that mean the remaining two thousand five hundred are temporary levies? Peasant soldiers?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Then let me ask you this—if the conditions were right, would it not be possible to station just one thousand men outside the city gates and prevent Lord Frey's two thousand five hundred peasant soldiers from entering the city at all?"
"Er… In theory, yes. But, my lord, the Twins has two gates. At best, we could block the eastern gate, but the western gate—"
"From what I know, most of the major Frey estates are on the eastern bank. The western side is closer to the mountains and is not heavily populated."
"…That is true, my lord."
Though Clay's ideas seemed far-fetched, the captain had to admit that, under the right circumstances, it could work.
The Riverlands were densely populated, yet apart from Riverrun, the seat of Lord Tully, no single noble house maintained a standing army of more than a thousand men. When war broke out, lords relied on their vassal knights to raise peasant soldiers from their estates, gather them, equip them, and then march to battle.
But that process took time. If an enemy force struck before they could properly muster their troops, they could cripple the bulk of their military strength before the battle even began.
Regardless of why his young lord had such dangerous thoughts, as a veteran soldier, the captain knew one thing: when war erupted, nobles would always call their forces into their castles or rally them at a designated location.
For Clay's plan to succeed, they would need to strike before House Frey could mobilize its levies. Their army would have to remain hidden in the forests east of the castle, launch an unexpected attack, and have their cavalry rush in to seize control of the gate.
The problem was, House Frey wasn't foolish. They surely had scouts stationed throughout the region. Keeping their army's arrival completely hidden would be nearly impossible.
"My lord, for this… 'plan' to work, we would have to eliminate every scout House Frey has hidden in the eastern forests. Otherwise, the moment our forces approached, they would be discovered."
Clay chuckled. "That is not your concern."
He pulled a folded piece of paper from his coat and handed it to the puzzled captain. His tone turned grave.
"Take this symbol. Choose someone among the guards whom you trust absolutely and have them carve it onto the outer wall of the Sept. You must not do it yourself. Find someone reliable, someone inconspicuous. There must be no mistakes."
Now, he would see what the White Sea Guard's hidden operatives in the Twins had learned.
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[Chapter End's]
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