His baby brother had been wild as a winter storm since he learned Robb was riding off to war, weeping and angry by turns. He'd refused to eat, cried and screamed for most of a night, even punched Old Nan when she tried to sing him to sleep, and the next day he'd vanished. Robb had set half the castle searching for him, and when at last they'd found him down in the crypts, Rickon had slashed at them with a rusted iron sword he'd snatched from a dead king's hand, and Shaggydog had come slavering out of the darkness like a green-eyed demon. The wolf was near as wild as Rickon; he'd bitten Gage on the arm and torn a chunk of flesh from Mikken's thigh. It had taken Robb himself and Grey Wind to bring him to bay. Farlen had the black wolf chained up in the kennels now, and Rickon cried all the more for being without him.
得知羅柏即將率兵出征的那一天,他的小弟弟便像冬天的暴風雪一樣發了狂,一會兒嚎啕大哭,一會兒又大發脾氣。他不肯吃飯,整晚哭鬧尖叫,連給他唱搖籃曲的老奶媽,他也拳頭相向,第二天更是跑得沒了蹤影。羅柏派出城里大半的人手去找他,最后才發現他躲在地下墓窖,還從某個死去國王的雕像手中抓了把生銹鐵劍,朝人們又揮又砍,毛毛狗也流著口水從暗處沖出挑釁,活像個綠眼睛的惡魔。那只狼差不多跟瑞肯一樣狂亂;它不僅咬傷蓋奇的手,還撕掉密肯一塊大腿肉。最后是羅柏帶著灰風親自出馬,才把他們制服。現在法蘭把黑狼鎖在狗舍里,瑞肯沒了狼,哭得更厲害了。
Maester Luwin counseled Robb to remain at Winterfell, and Bran pleaded with him too, for his own sake as much as Rickon's, but his brother only shook his head stubbornly and said, "I don't want to go. I have to."
魯溫師傅建議羅柏留在臨冬城,布蘭也向他哀求過,不光為了自己,更是為了瑞肯。但哥哥固執地搖搖頭:“我并不想走,但我非走不可。”
It was only half a lie. Someone had to go, to hold the Neck and help the Tullys against the Lannisters, Bran could understand that, but it did not have to be Robb. His brother might have given the command to Hal Mollen or Theon Greyjoy, or to one of his lords bannermen.
這并非全然謊話。總得有人去防守頸澤,協助徒利家族對付蘭尼斯特,這點布蘭可以理解,但不一定非要羅柏出馬啊。哥哥大可把指揮權交給哈爾·莫蘭或席恩·葛雷喬伊,甚或他手下的封臣。