The Blackfish

Alone in his solar Brynden sat silently mourning the loss of his niece and his king. When he had first heard the news of the betrayal that Walder Frey had perpetrated, he had gone completely silent, and even now only allowed himself to show emotion when in the privacy of his chambers. As he sat alone, his thoughts on his family, a knock came at the door. Upon opening the door he discovered maester Darry standing diminutively before him, a letter in his left hand.

"My Lord, a raven delivered this. I thought it best that you receive it at once or I wouldn't have disturbed you otherwise." That the old master had thought the news ergent seemed apparent from his disheveled state and his heavy breathing that gave away that he has been in a rush to get the letter into Brynden's hands.

"Had the Frey forces failed to kill the raven that had carried the letter or had they sent it themselves?" Bryden wondered silently as he reached out for the piece of parchment.

As he took the letter in hand seeing the seal on the letter and the name it barred was a shock to the old warrior. A Direwolf, the age old symbol of House Stark, marked the wax seal on the letter.

"Did Sansa send this? Was this a desperate ploy by the Lannisters to use his niece as a way to force my surrender?" he though upon seeing the sigil .He wouldn't have put it past them, after all Ryman Fray used his nephew every day to try and get the Blackfish to capitulate, threatening to hang him if Brynden did not surrender the castle. The craven fool never went through with his threats just as he never pressed the attack on the castle even though it was well within his abilities. It would have been no surprise to him if they had tried to use his niece as a tool, but before he threw the message into the fire he saw the name of the man who'd sent it, Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell Warden of the North. Carefully he opened up the letter and read its contents.

"To the honorable Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, Lord Brynden Tully of Riverrun,

A Lannister usurper, born of the crime of incest, sits upon the Iron Throne while his family governs the land. Those that rule in his name have cavorted to commit treason against the true king of Westeros, King Stannis Baratheon, by denying him his throne. Along with their crimes of treason they have murdered my father, my brother and his mother, and married my lady sister off to Tyrion Lannister. I send you this letter as the last surviving trueborn son Lord Eddard Stark, legitimized by King Stannis Baratheon and named his Warden of the North, and implore you to bend the knee to King Stannis. I have called upon father's bannermen to march with me and you and my brother's bannermen as well. All that bend the knee to King Stannis will receive full pardons for rising with my brother and be entitled to vengeance against those that violated the sanctity of guest's rights. Though we share no blood, we have lost much to the Lannisters and I would ask that you stand with me and my king against the usurper in Kingslanding so that justice may be served against those that took the ones we love away from us.

Signed, Warden of the North, Lord Jon Stark of Winterfell."

He read the letter over a couple more times before deciding that he needed to talk to Robb's widow, the Queen, and her mother.

"The Westerling girl and her family will want to hear the news the letter brought", he thought as he made his way to their solar. When at last he arrived he found the Westerlings supping on a stew. The crone Sybell looked as though her stew had suddenly turned to piss in her mouth after she saw Brynden enter the solar. The Blackfish did not trust the woman in the slightest. Though her daughter may have loved Robb, the crone's husband was beyond the moat with the besieging army already having received a pardon by the Iron Throne. The crone must have seen the letter because she immediately asked what news he had brought.

"I've received a letter from Eddard Stark's bastard, Jon Snow. The boy's been legitimized and made Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North and asked that we kneel to King-" He was cut off by Sybell before he could continue to relay the contents of the message.

"But Roose Bolton was made Warden of the North… No matter, if the Stark boy has knelt then so should we." She said almost as though she wished for this with every part of her body.

"If you'd let me finish speaking, I'd have told you that Jon Snow didn't bend the knee to the child in Kingslanding, but to Stannis Baratheon."

With that the woman seemed to have a look of distain as though the Blackfish had torn her hopes away from her. By the look of her one might have thought that Brynden had uttered a stinging personal insult to the woman.

"He has taken up arms in the North and is calling all of his father's banner men and all those that fought with his brother. He says Stannis will pardon all those that rose against him should they agree to stand with him now."

"So do you plan to attach yourself to Stannis' lost cause and follow Eddard Stark's bastard?" every word of Sybell's question dripping with disdain.

"Catelyn never cared for Ned's bastard, but after Robb's brothers were slain by that craven Theon Greyjoy he had to name a new heir. He said the kingdom couldn't die with him should he fall in battle. I was there when he named Jon Snow his heir and though the boy may not be Catelyn's son he is Robb's heir and I will answer his call. I plan to send a raven at night fall. King Jon has knelt to Stannis and so shall I."

"You stupid fool" Sybell spat venomously.

"First, you keep my children and I hostage and refuse to kneel even though the rest of the Riverlands have done so, and now you attach yourself to a cause that is just as doomed as the one you fought for before. You call Ryman Fray a craven for standing outside your walls and not rushing in to take you and yet you hide behind your hostages to strengthen your walls. Turn us over and see how long you last against the Lord of Riverrun!"