Three Weeks later

King's Landing

As Tyrion walked toward the small council chamber in the Tower of the Hand, he wondered what would be discussed in this meeting, after all when he had received the summons from his father, the messenger had called the meeting a most important and emergency meeting. Those two words made Tyrion's heart do a jump and a fall in his chest, he bloody well hoped that Stannis Baratheon wasn't trying to launch an attack on King's Landing again, the people were still angry at the Lannisters for Cersei and Joffrey's follies in the weeks building up to the Blackwater, and of course the Tyrells had managed to win the people over by giving the people the food that they themselves had prevented from reaching the capital when the War of the Five Kings still had Five Kings fighting in it, now there were just four.

As Tyrion entered the small council chamber he was surprised to see Joffrey standing next to his mother, the boy was an idiot and a fool and had so far not really shown any interest in trying to understand the intricacies of ruling, so his presence here was a major surprise. What was also surprising was that Joffrey and Cersei appeared to smiling most happily and even Tyrion's father looked less grim than usual and even looked like he might smile, if such a thing was possible.

Curious as to why everyone seemed so happy Tyrion said " Father you summoned me and I have come. Pray tell why it is that everyone seems in such a happy mood today?"

Before Lord Tywin could respond, Joffrey said "Show him the letter Maester Pycelle, show him the letter!"

Intrigued as to why Joffrey sounded so happy about receiving a letter, he took it from Pycelle and read it aloud " Roslin caught a fine fat trout, and her brothers gave her a nice wolf pelt to cover herself with." Tyrion stopped reading then said "What is this, is this Lord Walder's attempt at poetry."

Joffrey blurted out "He's dead! Robb Stark's dead!"

Ah so that's what it was the Young Wolf dead, Tyrion looked to his father and saw confirmation in his eyes, but before he could say anything Joffrey began speaking again "I want his head, Maester Pycelle write to Lord Walder and tell him to send Robb Stark's head back to the capital on the orders of his king. I'll present it to Sansa on my wedding night and make her kiss it."

Tyrion was horrified, the boy was a monster. It seemed Lord Varys shared his feelings for he said "Your Grace, Lady Sansa will be your sister by marriage soon, surely you do not mean to do this?"

Before Joffrey could form a response, Cersei cut in with a fake smile plastered onto her lips and said "It was a jest, nothing more, Joffrey was joking weren't you my sweet?"

Joffrey replied indignantly "No I wasn't joking! He was a traitor, in fact they were all traitors I want no pardons for the Blackwoods or any of them grandfather, put them all to the sword and remind them that I am the King!"

Tyrion could tell that his nephew's little outburst had not impressed Lord Tywin whatsoever, a fact that was confirmed when he said "A king who has to constantly remind people that he is king, is no king at all. That was a lesson Aerys never learnt."

Joffrey it appeared however, was not cowed and said "Ha what would you know grandfather, my father was the one who defeated Rhaegar Targaryen on the Trident and won the Iron Throne. All you did was hide in Casterly Rock!"

Tyrion inwardly cringed he could see the anger brewing in his father's eyes and could hear the ice in his voice when he said "Maester Pycelle, the king is ill take him back to his chambers and give him some dreamwine till he gets better."

Joffrey's protests were fervently ignored as he was escorted out of the small council chamber by Maester Pycelle and two of the Kingsguard.

Once Joffrey had left, Lord Tywin faced the rest of the small council and spoke "Hid under Casterly Rock, whoever told him that?"

Cersei was quick to claim that it was Robert, and their father replied that he was not fighting a war to sit Robert the second on the throne, Tyrion thought he had to be careful not to allow Aerys third to sit on the throne.

After the rest of the small council had been dismissed, Tyrion found himself face to face with his father as they were sitting on the opposite ends of the table. "So Robb Stark is dead then, I wonder how Lord Walder got the gall to do that then?"

Lord Tywin snorted and said "The actions were all the doing of Lord Walder and Roose Bolton."

"Yes but Lord Walder is an old man who broods about all the insults he has allegedly suffered over the years, he wouldn't have the guts to do something like that without a promise of a pardon and protection."

"Yes, well it was done to secure the family line on the throne and tell me Tyrion would you have rejected Lord Walder and told him nay, that would have driven him straight back into the arms of the Young Wolf. Tell me why is it better for ten thousand men to die on the battlefield, but not for a few thousand to die at dinner?"

Tyrion had no response to that, but his next question was one he was dying to hear the answer to "So Robb Stark is dead, but he still has a younger brother left who has won the north back from the Ironborn. How do you expect to bring him back into the fold after his brother's death?"

Lord Tywin replied "I don't. Roose Bolton is currently marching north with two thousand men, he will defeat and kill Edwyn Stark then get the remaining Stark Bannermen to heal and will serve as Warden of the North until your child by Sansa Stark comes of age."

Tyrion was shocked he'd heard about Sansa spending time in Highgarden and had assumed that perhaps she'd be married off to one of the Tyrells he hadn't expected his father to say what he'd just said so he sputtered out a response "My child by Sansa, how what how? I thought she was marrying one of the Tyrell boys?"

Lord Tywin had on what could only be described as an attempt at a smirk "Yes that is what the Tyrells think, but I will not allow them to take away the key to the north. No you shall marry her the day she returns from Highgarden and be done with it."

And with that Tyrion was dismissed from the chamber. As he walked back to his own rooms he couldn't help but ponder on these turn of events, Robb Stark dead how on earth would he get Sansa to agree to marry him after he told her the news? He'd have to speak with Varys.

Highgarden

Sansa had spent the past month and a half in Highgarden, truth be told she was surprised that she had been allowed to stay for so long there, she had been expecting a summons back to King's Landing any day now for the past few weeks and still nothing came, she was rather glad of that.

She deeply enjoyed spending time in Highgarden with Lady Alerie and Lady Leonnette, she found their company very, very good and at times it reminded her of spending time with her mother at Winterfell, but she always tried to prevent her thoughts lingering too long on Winterfell and mother, and Robb and Edwyn.

She was currently sitting in the gardens when she heard someone cough behind her, turning round to see who it was, Sansa found a blush spreading across her cheeks as she saw that it was Willas. She rather enjoyed his company as well, he was so handsome and kind and so very different to how Joffrey was, she really liked him.

"Lady Sansa, I hope I'm not disturbing anything?" Willas said rather tentatively

Sansa shook her head no he wasn't disturbing her.

He limped toward her and sat down next to her, Sansa shivered with how warm he was.

"Sansa... I'm not sure how to say this exactly but there was a raven from the Twins that reached today. Sansa your brother Robb and your mother were killed at your Uncle's wedding."

Sansa gasped she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to escape, no that couldn't be right that couldn't be true. Robb couldn't be dead he was supposed to come and save her, mother couldn't be dead no, no. But one look into Willas's eyes and the sorrow and pity that were there confirmed it for truth, Sansa Stark felt her resistance fall and soon she was crying and sobbing into Willas's chest as he held her and stroked her hair.

Winterfell

Edwyn Stark Prince of the North sat in his father' solar in Winterfell, staring into the fire and holding the letter that had come from The Twins and had arrived that morning. It was written in Olyvar Frey's rather small and neat writing, and its words had struck a deep blow to Edwyn.

Olyvar had written of Edwyn's brother's death at the Twins a violation of the sacred guest right. The reason why, retribution for Robb breaking his vow to marry one of Lord Walder's daughters and instead marrying someone called Jeyne Westerling. Olyvar, who had been Robb's squire until he was ordered back to the Twins, said that Lord Walder had been plotting to do this deed with Lord Bolton and Tywin Lannister ever since news of Robb's betrayal had reached his ears.

Olyvar wrote of how Lord Bolton had been the one to stab Robb in the chest just as it was all about to end, and of Edwyn's mother Olyvar wrote that Lady Catelyn was being held hostage by Lord Walder unbeknownst to Tywin Lannister and Roose Bolton.

Olyvar wrote that Roose Bolton was marching north two thousand men to claim Winterfell in the name of Joffrey Baratheon, the King on the Iron Throne. Olyvar also wrote to beg for Edwyn's forgiveness that he hadn't been able to stop the Red Wedding as it was being called for happening, and said that if he could help Edwyn in any way shape or form he would.

Edwyn had been preparing himself and the northern force of 3600 men that he was in command of to march north to the Wall to help answer the plea that had come from the Wall two days ago. They were going to march north to try and smash the Wildlings and help secure the Wall as had been the wont of Lords of Winterfell to do in the past, when Maester Luwin had come into Edwyn's chambers and had given him Olyvar's letter and everything had gone to shit.

Edwyn knew not what to do as he looked into the fire, as Lord of Winterfell and King in the North now with Robb's death he was honour bound to help the Night's Watch fight against the wildlings, but he was also duty and honour bound to avenge his dead brother and king. But he also had to think of Rickon who was currently playing with the two Frey Boys in the courtyard, he had to protect Rickon, he had to.

Looking at his direwolf Storm who was sitting at his feet by the fire Edwyn said aloud "What do I do Storm? March north to the wall and help Jon and the watch beat the wildlings, or march south and kill Roose Bolton?"

Storm merely looked up at him with those piercing grey eyes of his and said nothing. Edwyn looked at the letter again, and thought of his mother suffering at the Twins, he thought of Sansa still a prisoner of the Iron Throne, he thought of Arya and wherever she may be, he thought of Bran lost in the wilderness, he thought of Rickon playing with no care in the world and then he thought of Robb, his brother, his twin, his king who had died and left him behind and Edwyn Stark the Ironbreaker made up his mind, let Roose Bolton come. Edwyn would fight him and he would win for the North Remembers.