CHAPTER 167: SQUID BOY - II

Chapter 167: Squid Boy - II

Castle Black

POV of Theon Greyjoy

Inside Castle Black, Theon could see a large number of men had gathered and were trying to watch something in the middle.

Cheers of Bolton, Starks, Umber, and Karstark made him realize that the boys were probably having a spar.

Curious, he climbed the stairs to get a proper look at the spar.

In the middle of the large crowd that filled Castle Black’s courtyard to the brim, he could see a small circle in which the Bolton boy was fighting against Robb Stark, Smalljon Umber, Harrion Karstark, and Jon Snow.

He rubbed his eyes and looked at the scene once again.

He had not heard anything about Domeric Bolton being a swordsman. From what he had heard so far, he expected the boy to be a commander who sat on his horse and watched the battle from the back of his forces.

The fact that Bolton knew not only how to swing a sword but was rather good at it was a surprise for him and everyone else, judging by the stupefied looks on their faces.

He watched as Bolton darted in between his four opponents. He blocked Robb’s swing, locked blade with Robb, and then swung the Winterfell heir in a feat of immense strength until Robb was being used as a shield against the other three opponents.

Then, the Bolton headbutted Robb before kicking him toward the other three, forcing them to scatter. After which, he quickly went after Harrion Karstark, who tried to block the flurry of attacks coming his way but failed miserably due to bad footing and was disarmed before the other could come to his help.

Jon and Smalljon quickly joined the battle, but Robb didn’t.

He looked back and saw Robb kneeling on the ground with the help of his sword and clutching his stomach with the free hand in the place where he had been kicked a moment away from Bolton.

It seemed like Robb was out of the fight as well.

He looked back at where the Bolton was fighting Jon and Smalljon simultaneously, moving around the field quickly so that he would only have to fight one swordsman at a moment.

Then the chance came. Smalljon let out a battle cry and broke the unspoken agreement between Jon and him to fight from a safe distance.

Bolton used this chance to maneuver Smalljon between himself and Jon.

Smalljon didn’t even last a second.

One moment, he was letting out a battle cry and attacking the Bolton, the next moment, in a feat of great skill and agility, Bolton had him down on the ground, disarmed and disoriented.

Now only Jon and Bolton were left.

The whole castle was filled with the chants of "Bolton! Bolton!"

Even the men of the Night’s Watch who Theon thought hated the Bolton boy were openly cheering for him.

Then again, their choice was either the Bolton or the bastard. And who would cheer for the bastard?

The spar went as expected.

Jon did not show a sudden increase in skill and managed to last longer or even turn the tables on the Bolton boy.

The difference between their skills was just too great.

Jon was disarmed a few moments later, with Bolton’s blade pressed against his neck.

And here he was, even thinking about cheering for the bastard. If only because he disliked the Bolton boy more.

The whole castle burst into cheers after the last opponent was defeated, and the Bolton boy showed himself above the common masses by giving the bastard a hand and helping him up.

Then he smiled and waved at the spectators, displaying his pearly white teeth in the process.

By the Drowned Gods, he wanted to punch that idiot in his perfect teeth.

But Theon had to reconsider some of his plans. Now that he knew the Bolton boy was skilled in swordsmanship, it was unlikely Theon could humiliate him by defeating him in a duel.

And it would be good if he avoided situations where the Bolton boy might challenge him. If they were at Winterfell, he wouldn’t have to fear the Bolton boy. But he needed to be more careful when he was away from Lord Stark.

Other than that, he didn’t need to change his plans much. After all, the Bolton Boy couldn’t harm him even if he wanted to.

When the time came, this little lord would understand who he was: Theon Greyjoy.

Sometime later, Theon’s mood worsened when he learned the reason for the sparring between the Bolton Boy and Smalljon, Harrion, Jon, and Robb.

Who did they think they were? They were deciding who would lead the expedition without even consulting Theon Greyjoy.

If Theon had known about the argument beforehand, he might have planned something to turn things to his advantage. But those bastards went ahead and decided everything in a sparring match, without even inviting Theon himself.

Now, if he were to run for the expedition leadership, everyone would expect him to defeat the Bolton boy in a duel. And this time, it would probably be a one-on-one.

And even if Theon couldn’t be the expedition leader, Robb should at least be. He was the heir to the Warden of the North, after all. Why would the Bolton boy be the expedition leader?

If Robb had been the leader of the expedition, Theon could have ridden alongside him and told Robb what to do when the time came. And after the expedition, everyone would be talking about how well his ideas had worked.

Then he and Robb could share the fame the expedition brought. Robb was a man of equal importance to Theon, so sharing his fame with him was acceptable.

But the Bolton boy managed to mess everything up again. Why did he always have to steal Theon’s things? Why shouldn’t he know better and quietly retreat?

What was worse was that everyone loved Bolton Boy despite everything. Couldn’t anyone see the danger he posed?

The Bolton Boy was a danger to the North, to Lord Stark, to Robb, and most importantly, to Theon.

No one cared about Theon when he was around, and it drove Theon crazy.

By the Drowned Gods, he really wanted to punch the Bolton boy’s face.

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Next Chapters’ Name:

Ch.168: Other Benefits of Body-Enhancing Ritual

Ch.169: Night Raid