Upstream (SYOC)

Robert's Rebellion failed. Rhaegar Targaryen slaughtered Robert Baratheon and claimed the throne for himself. Stannis Baratheon fought on in his stead, but the damage had been done. The Lannisters declared for the Targaryens, and combined with a Tyrell force, the rebels were forced to resign themselves back to their castles and plead for mercy. For the Starks, who were much too far away to deal with, there was an abundance of leniency. As was for Jon Arryn, who was seen as a master diplomat. The other two houses, Tully and Baratheon, no one knew what would happen to them.

Lord Hoster Tully proved to be a master negotiator. He refused to entertain the idea of surrendering his paramountcy to the Freys. The Tullys were blacklisted on the alliances of Westeros but remained relatively intact. The Baratheon brothers, Renly and Stannis, were murdered, leaving just Renly's small children as the leaders of the Stormlands. It's been years now, 100, since the failed rebellion, and things are taking a turn for the worse…what happens when the events of A Song of Ice and Fire played out much, much differently?

Featured Characters-

Lord Auster Tully, 19, Heir to the Riverlands

Lord Athyn Tully, 18, Knight

Lady Alissa Tully, 17, Lady

Lady Kyva Tully, 16

Lord Kell Tully, 16

POV Alissa Tully

They always said a Tully's strength was that the family stuck together. Alissa didn't necessarily believe that. Or, she did, but she had an amendment to add. The family stuck together, until it was convenient to marry you off to 'strengthen' the family. That, and the family seemed to have a multitude of secrets that the others weren't allowed to know.

Alissa had been…she liked to say betrayed by each of her siblings in their own way. She remembered when she turned 12, she ran down to find her eldest brother, Auster, for his annual cake he made for her. Instead, she found that he was gone. None of her family had bothered to tell her he'd left to be fostered in Casterly Rock for three years.

A year later, her brother Athyn had been ushered off to King's Landing for training as a knight with the Kingsguard. She'd cried for hours as she hoped that he wouldn't join the Kingsguard and leave her forever. Luckily, that hadn't happened, as he'd returned and refused to join it, but he would now be a knight, no longer a simple lord.

Kyva hadn't necessarily betrayed her, but Alissa still blamed her for what had happened. Her mother took Kyva to Highgarden, Storm's End, and Sunspear in a tour of the southern courts, and neglected to bring Alissa with. Only Kell and her were at Riverrun at that time.

Kell's was more complicated. Alissa had never told a soul, nor did she really consider it a betrayal. More, she was hurt that he didn't trust her. She still didn't like thinking about it. Just a year ago, she'd gone to see Kell and tell him about dinner being ready in the dining hall. She still thanked the gods that the door hadn't squeaked when she opened it. Her fifteen-year-old brother had a man between his legs. She still wasn't sure whether it was an escort or someone in particular. He didn't see her and she was glad for that. She'd chosen to forget that part.

Her feet stepped through the puddles that were left in the muddy ground outside the Riverrun palace. The rain had fallen quietly on and off the day prior, and Alissa was looking around at the palace. Days like this when she was younger she'd sit down in her room and dream about her future. She imagined falling into the arms of a sturdy Stark, a muscular Baratheon, a beautiful Tyrell, an exotic Martell, or even into the bed of a Dragon. Now, all she wanted to do was run from that future.

Her sister's frequent trips to the south with her mother used to bother her. Now, they were a source of her happiness. No longer did she have to endure long, hard journeys to the streets of Highgarden and Sunspear. Nor did she have to endure her mother's prying watch on her everyday activities. Paradise truly existed in silence.

Alissa's light blue dress fit perfectly with the sky shining over the Riverlands. She wouldn't have it any differently: home was definitely where her heart was. She hadn't left in years, and even then, it had just been to the Eyrie with her father. The Arryns were always so polite, and the Mountains of the Moon were beautiful.

She remembered, as she sat on the steps of the castle, the stories her father used to tell about the rebellion. Led by Robert Baratheon, Ned Stark, Jon Arryn, and Hoster Tully, the four attempted to supplant the Targaryens on the throne. Needless to say, they were unsuccessful. An unofficial diplomatic blockade of the Tullys had begun. No highborn house was going to marry their fertile bloodlines. That's why her father had to marry her mother. Not that he didn't care for her, it just wasn't the Tully way to marry someone that far beneath his status. Her mother had been a Mooton, a lower house in the Riverlands.

It hadn't been necessary, her house was loyal to the Tullys anyway. The Targaryens had threatened the major houses with blockades of their own if they married a Tully. They still didn't understand why the Starks and Arryns wouldn't accept. They had been in it with them, surely they could stick out their neck just slightly for their brothers. To no avail, however.

Alissa didn't know where she'd end up, truly. Somedays she thought she did, and then went back into the mystery. She was the oldest daughter of a Tully, surely someone would want that in their blood. Any day now, she figured that someone would ride up the pass into Riverrun and ask for a betrothal. Her parents would be proud, but in her heart she would hesitate.

No one understood what she thought. She could see, better than anyone, that the Riverlands had a darkening shadow coming over it. Alissa knew it. The Freys had gotten more audacious since the rebellion, and a few supported their plans at different points. Only her father's iron will, and a few thousand Tully swords kept them from speaking out more. Auster would do her father proud one day, that much Alissa knew.

Word had reached Riverrun that the Starks had spotted creatures beyond the Wall. Most south of the Twins denied that anything had happened, as most believed nothing survived beyond the wall, save the Wildlings. But, in Alissa's head and heart, she felt differently. Fact becomes a story, stories become myth, and something that never should've been forgotten could be lost.

In addition, the Targaryen King was getting old. A new king could be crowned within a few years. Change is not good in Westeros, rarely is it even adequate. The Gods pray for the coin to land on the right side when a Targaryen is born, and none had seen the eldest prince in years. He could be dead for all Alissa knew. Then again, she'd never ventured all the way to King's Landing.

A/N: This is a SYOC but will have a bit of a different process. For example, there will be no form handed out at the beginning. I want a simple email that reads, in 1 sentence, for example, "I want to submit House Tully, led by Auster Tully, 19. The main characters will be Auster, Athyn, Alissa, Kyva, and Kell Tully."

There will not be just 1 main character per house. In GoT, that is unrealistic. Each house had over 2-3 main characters that were featured quite a bit. This is why the form will be different. The selection process goes like this. I will not accept minor houses before major ones. Therefore, it is encouraged that the major houses be filled as fast as possible. Tully is not up, as I have taken them. Happy submitting!

1) Send the sentence

2) A series of 5-10 questions about the House's past in your view and me helping you tweak it a bit

3) A modified form that can allow a House to be submitted with 2-4 main characters

4) Acceptance