Robb Stark's camp was in furious chaos. The day had been filled with such victorious celebration that there was excitement in the air, but also hung the damp feeling of loss for they had lost a few thousand men in the pursuit of their victory.

The North had been winning small battles with some scattered Lannister troops for the past several months but finally today, they had taken on the Kingslayer's army and won. The most rewarding part for Robb, being when the Kingslayer himself was brought to him in chains. Finally a bargaining piece for the Stark girls.

While the Northern troops celebrated their victory Jaime Lannister sat in a wooden cage with shackles round his neck, hands, and feet, ensuring no possibility of escape. He almost laughed to himself of how the tides had turned while he reflected back on the last several months.

After reaching Casterly Rock and calling the banners he had met his bannermen within days. They had marched through the Westerlands all the way to Riverrun, crushing all armies in their path until they reached what they thought would be an easy victory over the Northern army.

I was wrong Jaime thought ruefully. The Stark boy may be smarter than I originally thought. Who knew he would use actual strategy over raw anger.. Jaime sneered alone in his cage thinking about this. Of course he had strategy.. he has advisors. I didn't suspect they would be this good though.

Jaime had now been in his cage for just over a week. He was eating one bowl of brown mush a day and sitting in his own filth, surrounded by mud. He knew it was a ticking clock for how much longer his body would hold out. He could almost feel his muscles begin to deteriorate. But the thing that he and Robb Stark both knew was that there was no way he was being traded for the Stark girls.

Robb had realized soon after the battle when it was clear that Lord Karstark had lost 2 of his sons at the Kingslayer's hand, that all in all the only satisfactory bargain that his army would accept for the release of such a valuable prisoner, was the North itself. Sitting in his cage that first night, the Kingslayer came to the same conclusion. His release would be pushed for by his father, but Tywin would stop short of releasing an entire region of their kingdom.

So I am in here for the long haul then.. Jaime thought miserably to himself. Better settle in. So he did. The days slid by with him in delirium after the 5th day of starving rations and filthy surroundings. He had tried talking to himself to keep some sense of sanity (as strange as that sounds) but he had been kicked brutally by the guards when they finally were tired of his voice. How long until my father comes for me. How long until Stannis' army marches on the Starks. How much longer.

At Renly's camp things were going much better. For the past several months they had gained great ground headed from Highgarden to Storms End, picking up armies across the Storm Lands as they went. Their total count of men was nearing 120,000 strong as they approached Stannis' army.

Renly offered parlay to Stannis and the brothers' spoke for a short time. Renly offering Stannis a seat on his council should Stannis surrender immediately, and Stannis offering Renly his life should he surrender. The whole while Loras stood next to Katherine, clutching her hand tightly. He knew how disturbed she was at the idea of one of her brothers killing the other. They had been up all night talking about it while Renly changed his mind over and over.

They had all been close before they left Kings Landing but Loras and Katherine had become especially close now that they were supposed to be "betrothed to be married" soon and needed to keep up appearances. It had bothered Renly at first but soon enough he realized that there was nothing that would ever come of that.. being that Loras was not interested in women, and his sister would never try to take his lover from him.

As they watched the brothers argue Loras leaned in to whisper encouragement to his betrothed. "Do not fear, Renly will make the right decision. We shall all be fine." Katherine smiled and squeezed his hand. "Thank you.. I needed-" Before she could finish she was interrupted by her eldest brother's first acknowledgement of her.

"Ah I see you've brought with you our whore sister and knight whose lust for her bought your army." Before she realized what was happening Loras surged forward. As she grabbed at him and attempted to pull him back, Renly had time to block his path. "Pay no attention to him Ser Loras, his insults hold no meaning to us. He is a lonely man whose own wife won't have him."

Loras sneered, "you will not speak about the Princess in that way or I will have your head." Renly rolled his eyes. So dramatic, as always. Plays the part of the jealous lover quite well though thank the Seven. "Yes, yes, Ser Loras, you may have his head if he speaks of Katherine again."

Stannis laughed, "this is the knight you will sell our sister to? Green. He is greener than the lands his castle sits on!" Renly smirked, "that is strange.. this green knight has won 6 battles and you have won none. Better a green knight who wins than a grey knight who hasn't won in decades." Stannis' smirk came off his face. There was truth to Renly's words and he knew it. The Tyrell knight had won several battles and Stannis had yet to face anyone since Robert's Rebellion.

"There will be no parlay. I will see you for the last time on the battle field tomorrow." As he turned to leave he changed his mind about something and turned around, "and sister? When I kill Renly I will come for you.. and when I find you I will marry you to the oldest, most foul man in my army's ranks. I will raise him to a Prince and have you bear his children until he dies of drinking and whoring. You will be a slave for the rest of your life and that will be your punishment for choosing the wrong brother. Enjoy your last night of freedom." With that he left.

Clutching her chest Katherine fell back into her chair. She felt sick. "Renly…" Her brother kneeled before her and took her hands in his. "Sweet sister, do not listen to his words. He only seeks to hurt you. When you wake up tomorrow we will have left, and by the time you sleep tomorrow we will have returned and our evil brother will be no longer of this world."

Loras added his hand to her back in a comforting pat. "Yes let us all retire so we may be rested. After tomorrow's victory we will be beginning our march on Kings Landing and we will have much to celebrate then."

Katherine forced a smile and stood. "Thank you... I think I shall retire.. Please come back to me, both of you. I shall pray until the moment you return." With that she threw her arms around each of them and held them close. They took her to her tent, with guards posted at the entrances, and then soon after retired to Renly's tent to spend one last night together before the battle.

…

Noise. After being in her tent all days sending prayers up to the Seven she finally heard noise. The camp was sparsely populated while the army was at war. There were a few men left to guard the Princess and the camp itself, but not many. There was no reason for there to be, so they had not wasted extra men to guard a nearly empty camp. The empty camp had meant silence all day long, so finally hearing shouts she knew they had returned.

Katherine stood up gleefully to peer out of her tent, hoping to see her brother and Loras riding in victoriously. Instead, by the time she reached for her tent flap, someone else had yanked it open and it was not one of her guards. Horrified and turning to run she was grabbed immediately by the men who had entered her tent.

Her attempts to escape their grasp were futile and soon they had tied her up and thrown her on the back of one of their horses. All she could do was wait and finally hours later she was pulled from the horse and dragged through the mud and thrown at someone's feet.

"Her brother wasn't at the camp but look who we found…" The leader of the men who took her spoke to the owner of the pair of boots she was currently sstaring at. A gasp escaped the boot's owner's lips as he kneeled down and raised her head up to meet his eyes.

Now Katherine was the one to gasp as she met the steely blue eyes of Robb Stark, King in the North.