The next day, bodies stripped of clothing floated on the river's surface, drifting toward the downstream, as the green waters of the Green Fork turned red, mixing with the pale, bloated flesh, resembling a pot of boiling tomato egg soup.
Male civilians hiding within The Twins began to leave the city. They had just finished cleaning up the corpses and were now collecting the scattered weapons to transport them back into the city.
Women and children were digging through the battlefield's mud, loading baskets of foul-smelling muck with blue glimmers into wheelbarrows.
This dirt, mixed with the ash of vampires, was the spoils of their victory. Once the mud dried and was sifted, the vampire ashes would be extracted, and these materials would be used by Qyburn and Thoros to brew advanced potions.
The high-level potions made from vampire ash had performed excellently in this war. Except for the unlucky ones who didn't have time to drink them, those who had taken the potions crafted by Wright had mostly survived.
The spoils of war belonged to the victors, and they would be distributed based on merit. After deducting the production costs for Qyburn and Thoros, any completed potions would be kept by the makers, and the surplus vampire ash would go to the two mages.
The weary soldiers needed another day of rest, and the victory ceremony would take place tomorrow. Smoke began rising once again from The Twins, but this time it was from cooking fires, not gunpowder. Knights and soldiers had removed their armor and gathered in small groups to discuss the dangers of the battle.
Edwyn Frey was fortunate. After searching the city, he found that his wife, Janyce Hunter, and his eight-year-old daughter, Walda, were still alive. His third brother, Petyr Frey, had died, but his wife, Mylenda Caron, had survived.
Edwyn was the eldest son of the Frey family. His grandfather, Stevron Frey, was the first heir to The Twins, his father Ryman was the second, and he was third in line. He had two younger brothers: Black Walder and the deceased Petyr. Now, with Old Frey, his grandfather, and his father dead, tomorrow at the award ceremony, when Edmure announces it, Edwyn would officially be named the Lord of the Crossing, the Lord of The Twins.
But Edwyn couldn't wait. With the castle hall requisitioned by Edmure, he gathered the surviving members of the Frey family in a small chamber to swear allegiance to him.
"I am the indisputable heir of House Frey. As long as you swear loyalty to me, I will allow you to continue living in The Twins. Otherwise, you can go and find your own way of living!" Edwyn said, sitting on a worn-out bench.
The soldiers in the room, holding weapons that had only just been used to stab enemies the day before, now pointed them at the remaining Frey family members.
About a third of the Frey family had allied with the vampires, a third had been killed by them, and the remaining third had been greatly reduced in numbers after the previous day's battle. Not many could still stand here alive.
"I will swear loyalty to you and support all your decisions from now on," Lothar Frey, known as Lame Lothar, was the first to kneel in the center of the room and swear his allegiance.
Lothar was from Edwyn's grandfather's generation. With his leadership, the rest of the Freys, seeing the cold longspears and longswords around them, also knelt to swear allegiance.
"My dear little brother, you've knelt as well. I'll make sure you have enough to eat, but from now on, you'll be in charge of all the toilets in the castle, ha!" Edwyn said, looking at his second brother, Black Walder, who was kneeling in front of him.
There were so many members of the Frey family that some names repeated. To distinguish him from Oldward, the fourth-generation Ward, who had a temper and was persistent in his actions, was given the nickname Black Walder.
Black Walder just looked up at his triumphant older brother, remaining silent. In the past, the two brothers had been suspicious of each other due to the inheritance, and today, looking at Edwyn, with his oily long black hair, Black Walder felt disgusted.
"My beautiful wife, Janyce, come to me!" Edwyn called as the male members sat in the front row. He waved at his wife, sitting in the back.
Janyce Hunter, from the Vale of Arryn's Hunter family, had neat brown hair, a well-proportioned figure, and was very beautiful. The Frey family's power had grown stronger, and if Edwyn hadn't been the heir, she wouldn't have been arranged to marry him.
"You'll be the Lady of this castle from now on! Ha ha!" As Janyce walked toward him, Edwyn pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the face.
Covered in sweat and the stench of blood, with oily hair, Janyce felt disgusted and tried to break free.
Slap!
Edwyn slapped his wife, Janyce, across the face.
"I am your husband!" Edwyn shouted, holding her tightly and lifting her skirt.
"What are you doing?" Janyce cried out.
"We Freys rely on numbers. Our only daughter is dead, and you've been my wife for many years. What else can we do now if not have children?" Edwyn's intentions were vile as he tried to force himself on his wife in front of the family.
"No! Not here!" Janyce, too weak to resist, cried as she begged.
Soon, Janyce's long skirt was lifted up to her chest, her pale thighs and rear exposed as she twisted and squirmed in the air. The Frey men and women in the small chamber all lowered their heads, too scared to look or make a sound.
Now, with power in his hands, Edwyn revealed his true nature, but the Frey family dared not speak out. Black Walder, standing closest, could hear Janyce's cries of anguish clearly. Even though they were legally married, this was too much. Unable to bear it any longer, he raised his head and spoke out:
"Edwyn! You're about to become the head of the Frey family and the Lord of The Twins. Unity within the family is important, but so is your reputation!"
*Slap!* Edwyn slapped his wife's buttocks with a large hand, glancing sideways at his brother: "Oh! There are rumors that you and my wife have something going on. Does seeing her like this make you sad?"
Black Walder lowered his head again, fists clenched tightly in his sleeves, and did not answer his question: "You are about to become the head of the family. Please show some self-respect!"
"Edwyn, now that the battle is won, why don't you return to your room?" Concerned for the reputation of the entire Frey family, the older generation of Freys stepped forward to dissuade him.
"Haha, with the elders still here, of course, I wouldn't do such a thing!" Edwyn pushed his wife aside and stood up, looking at the women sitting at the back of the hall with their heads bowed.
Many Freys had died, and their wives had become widows, some of whom were still quite attractive. When their husbands were alive, Edwyn had envied them but treated them with respect. Now that he was the head of the Frey family, these widows would be under his care from now on!
As for his wife, Edwyn glanced at Jeyne, who was tearfully straightening her dress. With so many beautiful women around, one Jeyne didn't matter much anymore.
Thinking this, Edwyn no longer concerned himself with these relatives and left the hall with his men, laughing loudly.
"Thank you for saving me from humiliation," Jeyne wiped her tears and bowed to Black Walder. If Edwyn had done those things in front of everyone today, Jeyne would have surely hanged herself to preserve her honor.
Black Walder stood up: "Take care of my brother's widow, Mylenda."
Jeyne: "I will take care of her."
Both of them had seen the lustful look in Edwyn's eyes before he left.
After the soldiers in the hall had left and the Freys had dispersed, some of them had no grand ambitions and were content to continue living comfortably in the Twins. Black Walder, however, was different. He walked out of the hall alone and onto the city walls, looking at the familiar land where he had grown up, feeling a deep sense of injustice.
"Ser Walder, enjoying the cool breeze alone?"
A young voice called out. Walder turned to see the last male heir of House Bracken, Harry Bracken, a bastard who had been legitimized and now stood to inherit Stone Hedge.
"I came here to clear my mind," Walder replied. He and Harry were not close, having only met for the first time during the battle the previous day.
Harry walked over to Walder, leaning on the battlements and looking into the distance: "You haven't even washed your dirty clothes?"
"Weren't you helping Lord Edmure tally the battle achievements? What brings you here?" It was highly impolite among nobles to point out someone's shortcomings upon meeting, and it could even lead to a duel. Walder's tone was filled with anger.
Harry, however, seemed oblivious to his anger and continued gazing into the distance: "The clothes can be washed, but the Twins may not remain clean in the future."
"What do you mean?" Walder knew Harry wasn't here just to make small talk. He had come with a purpose.
Walder glanced around. There were no soldiers on the walls, and the entire eastern section was empty except for him and Harry. Feeling wary, Walder's hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
"Don't be nervous! There are soldiers blocking every staircase. No one can come up unless we go down. I have a proposal. Would you like to hear it?" Harry turned to face him, smiling as he raised and then lowered his hands, signaling that he meant no harm.
Walder narrowed his eyes: "You're just a knight. Who stands behind you?"
Harry's smile faded, and he spoke seriously: "The Silver Trout."
Having dismissed the others and risen quickly to the king's favor, Harry Bracken, now a trusted confidant, had sought him out for a private conversation. Walder nodded, signaling Harry to continue.
"Tomorrow, Lord Edmure will officially appoint the new Lord of the Twins, but other nobles in the Riverlands have objections to this heir!" Harry spoke softly, and Walder could barely hear him.
Late that night, in the luxurious bedroom that had once belonged to old Lord Frey and now belonged to Edwyn, Jeyne sat slumped against the wardrobe, exhausted from crying. Naked, she hugged her knees, her body covered in bruises, her cheekbones swollen, and her lips bleeding. She had just been beaten.
On old Lord Frey's soft velvet bed, Edwyn was shouting and grappling with a crying woman. She was the wife of the late Arwood Frey, a mother of four children, Ryella Royce.
Ryella had witnessed Edwyn's debauchery in the hall earlier that day. Though she had borne four children, the eldest was only six, and her late husband had been on good terms with Edwyn. Ryella had thought that even if she had a hint of charm, Edwyn wouldn't dare to act out of line. But to her surprise, Edwyn had called her to his room and immediately forced himself on her, giving her no chance to reason with him.
The nightmare finally ended. Ignoring the weeping Ryella on the bed and his wife, who lay collapsed on the floor, Edwyn walked naked to the tea table to pour himself a glass of water.
After gulping down a large mouthful of water, he spoke: "Ryella, don't think about returning to the Vale. I won't let you or your children leave the Twins. From now on, serve me well."
The only response was more sobbing.
Having gotten what he wanted, Edwyn smiled, casually wrapped a blanket around his waist, and walked to the door, shouting, "Guards!"
Then he turned to his wife, who was still by the wardrobe, and said, "I'll call my third brother's widow, Mylenda, over next. The three of you can have a nice reunion."
"You beast!" Jeyne wiped the blood from her lips and threw it at Edwyn. The blood splattered on the thick carpet, harmless and ineffective.
*Knock, knock.*
Two knocks sounded at the bedroom door.
Edwyn smiled at the two women as he reached out to open the door. Before he could turn around, he was shoved forcefully onto the carpet, his cheek smearing the blood his wife had thrown.
*Bang!* The bedroom door was locked by the person who entered. Edwyn turned his head and, upon seeing who it was, pointed and shouted, "Black Walder! What are you doing?!"
The intruder was indeed Black Walder. He wasn't wearing armor but was dressed in his father's favorite green robe, holding a longsword. He stepped slowly toward Edwyn, who was still on the floor.
"Ever since I suggested to our great-grandfather that the line of succession should place you before me, you've hated me!" Black Walder thrust his sword through Edwyn's foot.
"Ahhh~~~ Help! Someone help me!" Edwyn couldn't stand anymore. He clutched his injured foot and crawled backward on the floor.
"Your men will all die tonight. Some will fall to the vampires, and others will pledge their loyalty to me!" Another thrust of the sword, and Edwyn's other foot was pierced.
"You traitor! I am the head of House Frey!" Edwyn began to roar.
"No! You betrayed humanity and sided with the vampires. Everyone in House Frey knows it!" Another strike, and this time, Black Walder severed Edwyn's right hand.
"Ahhh~~~ Save me! Save me!" Leaving a trail of blood on the floor, Edwyn crawled desperately toward his wife, pleading for help.
"Get away from me!" Jeyne didn't help him. She kicked him away and quickly stood up, moving to the side.
"I'm your husband! If I die, Black Walder will kill you too to silence you!"
"Then so be it. But I'll get to watch you die first, and that's worth it!" For the first time in her life, Jeyne spoke such words, and it felt liberating.
"You're selfish, jealous, and greedy! I'm your own brother, and yet! You feared I'd take your place as heir. For years, you've slandered me, even tarnishing your own wife's reputation by spreading rumors that Jeyne and I were involved!"
Another strike, and Black Walder severed Edwyn's remaining hand.
"My brother's widow, Mylenda, my cousin Walda Frey, my aunt Arwyn Frey, even great-grandfather Walder's seventh wife, Annara Farring—you spared no one in your efforts to ruin my reputation. Which woman haven't you slandered?"
"Ha~ ha~~" Edwyn, writhing in pain, could no longer speak, only gasp for breath.
*Thud!*
Having vented years of pent-up anger, Black Walder delivered the final blow, driving his sword through Edwyn's heart.
"Haah~~ haah~~~"
Watching his older brother take his last breath, Walder, his nerves stretched to the limit, dropped the sword to the floor. He glanced at Jeyne, who stood to the side, and Ryella, who was wrapped in a blanket on the bed.
Taking a deep breath, Jeyne spoke resolutely: "My husband is dead. I will remarry you."
"I can do the same!" Ryella's mindset was different; she only wanted to save her own life.
Walder didn't respond. He picked up a woman's dress from the floor and tossed it to Jeyne, then walked out of the bedroom alone.
Less than a minute after he left, Harry and Thoros entered the room.
"Ladies, House Frey has suffered heavy losses. To restore its former glory, Edwyn was clearly not a suitable leader. Black Walder is the rightful heir by succession. He may not be exceptional, but he won't bring shame to House Frey. You know what to do."
Harry addressed the two women while Thoros pulled out a glass bottle from his coat and poured the green liquid inside it over the corpse.
Jeyne smoothed her hair and tied it up: "I've said it—I will marry Walder!"
Ryella: "I'll be his mistress!"
Both noblewomen had made their decisions.