Several knights who had followed Robb heard what Seran said and thought that Robb had lost the duel, and the young couple was simply having a quarrel.
Wright, with his sharp ears, overheard Geralt's whispered words. He had only told Seran about his secret—being Robb's illegitimate son—never mentioning it to any Stark family members. This way, Seran would have leverage over Robb, which was part of Geralt's twisted sense of amusement.
Matters of importance are decided by men, but household affairs are left to women. Over the years, Catelyn, busy with her grandchildren, delegated the internal matters of Winterfell to Seran, a younger woman with more energy. Seran handled everything efficiently and had considerable influence in the city. It wasn't until she left that they dared to approach.
As they often whispered to each other, offending Seran wouldn't affect your career, but when colleagues are feasting, you'd be left gnawing on stale bread. Moreover, her reasons are unassailable, and you'd have to swallow your pride and apologize.
Seran, the clever woman, had managed to get all the Northmen in Winterfell under control. Robb's life would be much harder from now on.
"Lord Wright, shall we wash Robb off and get him out of the pit?" The knight who spoke was Walder, a towering man over two meters tall, with muscles like iron. He had once been a simpleton as a child, a time when people in Winterfell called him Hodor.
"His injuries are healed. First, clean him up and feed him some meat soup." Wright gave a simple instruction, since they all lived in Winterfell.
"Robb, if you have nowhere to sleep tonight, you can stay in my room." The knights, having spent a long time with Robb, had a good relationship with him and lifted him away with hearty laughs.
"Oh! What happened?"
"What's wrong with him?"
The magicians surrounding Geralt, congratulating him on his victory, gasped and quickly stepped back.
Standing in the hall, Geralt was spewing large amounts of white smoke from his mouth, his bulging muscles deflating like an air-filled fish losing air, rapidly shrinking. In less than five seconds, he went from a strong man back to his original form, even thinner than before.
"I can't move. Please help me move my body. Thank you!" Geralt was in worse shape than Robb now. While Robb could still turn his head, Geralt couldn't move a single finger. After speaking those last words with his remaining strength, the only part of his body he could still move were his eyes.
"It seems the victor needs more care than the loser," Catelyn said as she walked over.
"I can take care of Geralt." A middle-aged woman Skinchanger, still graceful, stood beside Catelyn.
Catelyn also chimed in.
Wright crouched down to check Geralt's condition, his physical strength severely depleted from dehydration, and the side effects of some drugs. "He won't be able to get out of bed for at least three days. He does need proper care."
"By the way, what's your name?" In these times, there were no photos, only portraits, and the magic council held the records of all the Mages. However, after a few years, even those records could become outdated.
"Wendite. The other mages call me Wendy." The female Mage performed a noble's bow to Wright, mimicking the southern mannerisms.
Catelyn also supported her: "Wendy is my friend. Her room is very close to mine."
Wright, not trusting the regular Winterfell servants, didn't hesitate when a female Mage approached him. "You'll be leaving in three days, so for these few days, Geralt will be in your care."
"Please rest assured, Master Wright. I'm very experienced in caring for men!"
Wendy, using a princess carry, lifted Geralt into her arms and shook her body so that his head rested against her soft chest. After bidding Wright and Catelyn goodbye, she walked down the hallway. Seeing her carry a man so effortlessly, Wright couldn't help but admire the strength of northern women.
As for Geralt, unable to speak, his weak and helpless gaze seemed to silently thank Wright for finding him a good helper.
Both duelists returned to their rooms to rest, and Catelyn made her way toward Eddard. She had been on edge since Robb's duel began. When she turned her back to Wright, she couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face.
Wright didn't know Wendy's past, but Catelyn knew it all too well. Geralt had severely beaten Robb, yet couldn't even expel him from the castle. This had infuriated Catelyn. Meanwhile, every time Wendy's husband died, he was as thin as a stick. Catelyn believed that Geralt would soon experience the gentle side of northern women over the next three days.
---
Over the next three days, Wright taught Robb some new magic and battle techniques.
After three days, the Skinchangers gathered in Winterfell, preparing to depart for the Wall. Wright, riding a dragon, escorted them in the air, and they safely reached Mole's Town, south of the Castle Black.
Beyond this point, the roads were covered by snow several meters thick, and they could only access the Castle Black via the underground passage built at Mole's Town.
Only a little over a hundred Skinchangers mages had confirmed they were leaving for the Wall, but by the time Wright and the others met up with them at the Castle Black, the number had grown to four or five hundred. The journey north had no resupplies, and aside from the northern horses, there were also dog-drawn sleds. Many of the mages had their attendants bring along food for the trip.
Castle Black had six towering spires, with the highest being the Lance Tower, which reached about a third of the way up the Wall. Previously in a state of disrepair and close to collapse, this tallest tower had been repaired after the kingdom made significant improvements to the Wall's logistical support. They had also installed a magical detection array at the top.
The control room for the array was on the bottom floor, and the room at the top, once empty, was now brightly lit by Meredyth' magical light.
"So it's you, Meredyth. I thought someone else wanted to stay here," the wooden door creaked open, and Sansa entered.
"Did Lord Wright send you here as well?" Meredyth had just asked, but as she saw the door still open, Robb walked in behind her.
"Wright must have summoned more than just the three of us. Maybe others will come later," Robb said as he rummaged through a pile of discarded furniture in the corner of the room, pulling out a few reasonably intact chairs to hand to the two women.
Sansa and Meredyth had worked together at the Red Keep, and the two of them had no secrets between them. Now, they chatted about the thick clothes they were wearing. Robb, who couldn't contribute to the conversation, could only stare at the floor, counting the number of cracks in the wooden boards.
Before long, the wooden door opened again, and a man and a woman entered.
"Well, well, you three are here too!" The speaker was Jojen Reed, and following him in was his sister, Mera Reed.
Meredyth, using her mage's hand, tossed two broken chairs toward Jojen. "It's all familiar faces, and all from King's Landing's Magic School. What exactly did Wright bring us here for?"
"I thought he was going to give me the newly forged Ice, but you're all here too. Today is our last day at the Wall, so whatever he wants to say, it must not be so simple," Robb said, eyeing the familiar faces around him—three women and two men—and a bad feeling began to stir in his heart.