"Any other news?" Robb questioned, looking around at the table in front of him that held most of his northern lords. It had been a week since he had been crowned King in the North, a week since they had received news of Ned's beheading. His father was dead, killed by the king. Everything had seemed to happen in a blur since they had received the raven that spoke of that news.

Riverrun had been relieved of the siege by the Lannisters and most of the riverlords had asked for leave to return to their castles, to see what the damage was and to retake them from the lions. Robb had set his northern lords to patrol the riverlands and to scout.

"We've heard word of a huge pack of wolves," Wendel Manderly said, taking another bite of food. Wendel's stomach was already huge and Robb was amazed that the man was still able to wield a bow or ride a horse. "But that's nothing new. The Young Wolf is here!"

Greatjon Umber laughed, loud and happy.

Robb grinned, glancing to his mother and Ser Brynden Tully. "Mother, I would like you to go to treat with King Renly and see about an alliance."

"King Renly? He's only playing at war," Catelyn remarked, a frown on her lips.

"Renly hasn't even fought a battle yet," Brynden added, his eyes narrowing. "But I can see the possible alliance. If we fought together, Lord Tywin would be fighting a unified front. Besides, the Reach would add supplies and men to our cause easily enough. Renly would be better than Stannis, for sure."

"Very well. I'll go."

"I shall escort your lady mother," Wendel offered, dipping his head in a nod. "It has become dangerous to go about alone in the riverlands."


Harry and his hounds ended up at Raventree Hall a day or two later, after finishing up with House Bracken. Raventree Hall was the seat of House Blackwood and Harry had heard that it had one of the greatest and biggest weirwood trees in Westeros. Nearly a fortnight after he left Stone Hedge, he saw his father and his men leaving the keep of House Blackwood.

Smoke wafted up from the keep ahead of him and he urged his horse forward, keeping off the well trodden paths to avoid his father. He heard them laugh and speak about raping and burning the keep's harvest as they passed, taking no notice of him or his hounds.

The Lannister banner was flying high over the keep and Harry wrinkled his nose at the sight, seeing Moony and Padfoot spread out automatically to look for scouts. Harry stopped his horse behind a huge tree and drew his blade, hearing his father's men ride off into the distance. The urge to follow and stop them was great but the taken keep in front of him lured him into battle.

He dismounted his horse, tied it to a tree, and crept up to the keep's walls. Moony and Padfoot stayed with his horse after he signaled them and then he peered up at the walls, noting the Lannister guardsmen patrolling them. Harry eyed them before pulling on his invisibility cloak and focusing his magic enough that he floated up into the air.

He flew up, up, up and hovered over the wall, peering into the courtyard and seeing the Lannister cloaked guardsmen patrol it. It seemed that Tywin had left a garrison of men to hold Raventree Hall before moving on. Harry didn't recognize any of the men but then again, he hadn't spent much time in or around either Casterly Rock or Lannisport.

He dropped down onto the wall and quietly ran across it, taking the stairs at the watchtower and running down to the yard below. He slew the Lannister men that he came across, letting their bodies drop with a loud thump. It drew attention, which was exactly what he wanted as he ran over to the portcullis and opened the gate. Moony and Padfoot came howling in and charged right at the Lannister guards. Harry pulled off his cloak after that, killing any and all Lannister men that attacked.

The men of House Blackwood that were in the courtyard all dropped what they were doing, at least the ones who were not in chains, and picked up fallen swords. Padfoot howled again, taking a bite out of one man, while Moony had jumped up onto another, pulling a man's arm from his shoulder. Harry fought through the men into the late morning.

The sun rose on a Lannister free Raventree Hall and on the approach of more riders. Lady Blackwood and her only daughter came out of the keep as Harry slowly came to a stop, peering out through the portcullis and gate.

"Thank you."

Harry nodded, narrowing his eyes at the approaching riders, and then sighed in relief. The riders bore the Blackwood banner, of the black and white weirwood tree in the center surrounded by black crows on red.

"Are you a knight?" Bethany Blackwood asked, the only daughter of Lord Tytos Blackwood. The heir and other sons of Lord Blackwood were with him as Harry saw them enter through the gate.

"Yes," Harry answered, seeing the young girl smile.

Lord Tytos Blackwood rode through the gate and stopped in the yard before them, looking around at the keep. The stables were burning and there were several areas of smoke surrounding the keep in the valley. The bodies of the Lannister garrison lay where they had fallen, blood seeping from them.

"My lady," Tytos whispered, dismounting and walking right up to his wife and pulling her in for a kiss.

"Who is this? We weren't challenged at the gate by Lannister men," Tytos remarked, after pulling back from his wife. He glanced right at Harry and the two hounds by his side.

"Ser Harry, of the Reach. I came to help."

"He single handedly killed most of the Lannister garrison," Lady Blackwood added, raising an eyebrow. "He rose over most of them and appeared out of nowhere. His hounds took down the rest."

Lord Tytos Blackwood stared at him, blinked once or twice. "The Old Gods must have sent you to help us. You have our thanks then. You must have dinner with us."

"My lord, I can't-"

"You have saved my keep and my family," Tytos said, dipping his head in a nod. "It is the least we can do to thank you."

Harry hesitated, glancing in the direction that his father had gone, then back to Lord Blackwood. "Alright. I will stay one night then I really should be going."


As the sun moved about the horizon, the men and women of House Blackwood set about repairing the castle and dragging away the dead bodies. The Blackwood banner flew on the ramparts again and Harry stared up at it briefly before turning into the castle, following the slight sense of… death that he felt. It was drawing him in, the ancient power calling to him only just barely.

He had never felt this before, this energy. He followed it, around the keep and into the wooded area behind it only to stop and stare at the sight that was before him. The biggest weirwood tree that he had ever seen stood in front of him, apart from all of the other trees.

Its' roots were large, occasionally bumping up above ground every so often. The tree limbs almost looked like they reached all the way up to the clouds, as long as they were. The red face was on the center of the big trunk, carved there by… Well, Harry vaguely recalled that some people thought that the faces on heart trees had been carved by the children of the forest.

The sun glowed behind the tree, causing the tree to glow an eerie yellow, as dusk fell. The last meal of the day was in an hour and it seemed like the crows had the same idea, as hundreds of birds came to roost in the weirwood tree. Harry just stood there and stared at the tree for a while, entranced by the sheer size of it. It looked dead and still… He could hear a humming, just below the surface of it, almost quiet.

"Some think that the Brackens killed it."

Harry stiffened and turned around, seeing a tall young man who looked rather gangly. He looked the boy over, noting some similarities to Lord Tytos Blackwood.

"Hoster Blackwood or Hos. My mother says you just appeared out of nowhere."

"It's not dead," Harry finally said, glancing back to the tree and taking a step closer to it.

Hoster's eyes widened as he came up to stand next to Harry. "It's not dead? How do you know?"

"It's calling to me."

Harry closed the distance between the tree and reached up to place his hand over the face, shivering at the coolness of the bark, and extended his magic. The weirwood tree seemed to shake under him, trembling minutely and then light bloomed behind his eyes. Something started to draw on his power, sucking. His knees buckled and the last thing he saw was a new bloom on the tree's lower limb.


"Ser Harry?"

"Harrold!"

"I'm awake!" Harry exclaimed, blinking his eyes open to see Lord Tytos and his wife over him. Their only daughter, Bethany, and Hoster were by his feet, their eyes wide. Hoster helped him up, taking his hand and lifting him.

"What happened? You touched the weirwood and then you fell."

"I…"

"It's alive!"

"Whatever you did, the heart tree's alive!" Hoster said excitedly, his blue eyes wide.

"What?" Harry rubbed at his eyes and turned around, facing the tree, his eyes widening. The tree was indeed alive, with red leaves curling outward from the limbs. The tree looked like it had fresh, vibrant energy flowing through it, its' bark now more white than it had been."Wow."

Lord Blackwood let out a loud, surprised laugh. "We're in your debt again, ser. Whatever you are or did, let us go celebrate our weirwood tree and the old gods. My son says you keep to the old gods too?"

"I do."

"Rare for one of the Reach but with times like these…"

"My lord?"

"At least Riverrun has been relieved. The North has arrived."