Four years after Riverhold had first been built, the first true test of Alyssa's leadership came. Fighting outlaws had been something anyone with a sword could do, and Brynden had done most of the ruling in her absence. The presence of a small band of terrified smallfolk at her gates, however, would test her resolve and ability to make hard decisions. The guard informed Alyssa they appeared unarmed, and so she allowed them into her hall. They seemed to run in rather than walk, glad to be surrounded by stone walls.

They looked around nervously for a moment, before the biggest, a tall man with a large cut down his face, spoke up. "Milady, we need your help. Bandits have attacked our village, and they've killed many and carried off our women. Please protect us."

Alyssa leaned forward in her chair, a simple yet sturdy construction of thick oak. "I thought I'd chased those filth from my lands." Her hand grasped the hilt of River's Edge. "My people will never be left unprotected, and if those who seek to prey on them have forgotten they should fear me, then I must remind them." Her head turned to her right, where Brynden sat, quietly watching. "Call forth our knights, we ride tomorrow." Alyssa glanced back at the watching smallfolk. "You'll be safe soon, I promise. Did you see where they came from?"

The man looked nervously at the others, before he swallowed. "I followed them on me old plough horse, that's where I got this" he gestured to his face; "they saw me and nearly shot me off him. They came from Fieldstone, milady."

To her left, the sound of a chair scraping back drew Alyssa's attention, and she glanced over to see Maester Lucas standing in a hurry. Her request for a maester from the Citadel had been answered, and though Lucas was young and had few links on his chain, he served adequately for what Alyssa required of him, that being copying letters and tending to the ravens. "With respect, my lady, Fieldstone is not in your holdings."

"What?" Alyssa stared directly at the smallfolk now. "Who is your lord?"

Once again, the big man seemed to be chosen as their speaker, and he wrung his hands together before mumbling something Alyssa could not hear. "Speak up, man" she said impatiently, her earlier concern all but gone, replaced by outrage at being deceived.

"Lord Lychester, milady." The man was close to tears now. "Lord Lymond's knights haven't been seen in Fieldstone for moons now, the people there told me and when I tried to ask for his help, his maester turned me away, he did. It was on me way back through Fieldstone I got seen and had to ride for it. The people think he's abandoned them. We come from Donnelwood, and you've kept us safe for years until now, so we thought that if Lord Lychester wouldn't help us, and them, then you might."

"A moment, good people." Alyssa turned away, leaning close to Maester Lucas, and to Brynden, ever present at her right hand. "Tell me what you can of this, Maester."

Maester Lucas was a young man of just over twenty namedays, but his voice was sure when he spoke. "Not much, my lady. I know Donnelwood is a small village sworn to you, near the border with House Lychester. It was plagued by bandits and thugs operating out of a nearby inn; thanks to Lord Lymond's inaction, before you began your crusade to remove all bandits in the area. As for Fieldstone, it is a fairly large settlement a day's ride from here. It lies near the edge of House Lychester's holdings, two days from Lord Lymond's keep."

"Two days away, and still he does nothing?" Alyssa's voice was equal parts disbelief and rage, knuckles whitening on the hilt of her sword. "If he won't, then I will."

The young man, normally calm and collected, was animated now, gesturing fiercely as he tried to make himself heard. "My lady, Fieldstone is Lord Lymond's village. If you send a force of armed men into his lands without his consent, that can be seen as a cause for war, and many of our neighbours love us not."

"He's right." The words were quiet, but shocked Alyssa to her core. Turning in her seat, she looked incredulously at her uncle, only to see that his jaw was set and his face was hard. This wasn't her uncle who stood before her now, this was the Blackfish, who had defied even his brother and liege lord. "This would be beyond foolish, it's fucking stupid Alyssa!" His face was calm, showing nothing of the fear and shock now building within him. "It is not within your power to send an armed force into your neighbours lands."

Brynden had always insisted on addressing her properly, despite Alyssa's insistence that he need not bother with her title, so for him to speak so bluntly now stunned her, and he took his chance to continue. "Lychester's a senile old fool, but you'd be just as stupid as him if you do this."

"And what would you propose?" Alyssa's nails were now drawing blood as she clenched her fist in her rage. "Do nothing and let Lychester's laziness endanger our people?"

"Wait." The Blackfish was calmer, his words more controlled than hers, but his resolve no less. "Send a raven to Lord Lychester and demand that he deal with the problem."

"The old fool knows, he just doesn't care" she snapped, breathing now heavy as she vainly attempted to calm herself.

Acknowledging her point with a simple tilt of his head, Brynden gamely tried another tack. "Then tell Hoster." Alyssa's face softened slightly as she considered his point, and Brynden seized the moment, pressing his edge. "Your father may be old, but he's no fool. He knows what kind of a man Lychester is, he'll have Lychester summoned to Riverrun in a blink if he finds out. Knowing him, he's been waiting for a reason to rake that senile bastard over the coals, you might give him the excuse to deal with him for good."

Her breathing slowed, and as she closed her eyes, clearly thinking of what to do, Brynden sent a rare prayer to the Seven, begging the Crone to give his niece the wisdom to wait and do what was right. Unfortunately, when she opened them, it was not the Crone, but the Warrior, and the Stranger that he saw reflected in those blue orbs.

"Father will summon Lychester to Riverrun, but that will take at least a week. Calling his forces will take longer, it may be a moon or more before Riverrun sends aid. This needs to be sorted now". Her tone was final, she would not be dissuaded on this, but Brynden desperately tried one last time.

"What about the other lords Alyssa? Vance and Bracken won't take this lightly, and Hoster can't be seen favouring you. If Lychester calls for justice…" Brynden trailed off, no arguments left, and as his niece responded, he was horrified to see that his words had had no impact.

"Lord Mallister has pledged support, and if I explain the situation to him, I believe Lord Vance will side with us." Alyssa's face was drawn grimly. "Lord Lymond's inaction threatens his borders as well as mine, and Lord Bracken's. Stone Hedge's lands border Lychester's on the other side, bandits from that area could spill over into his holdings as well. The same goes for Lords Goodbrook, Blackwood and even my father, House Tully's personal lands touch Lord Lychester's. If Lychester's holdings are becoming a nest of bandit activity, it is in our interests to burn it out before it can spread to all of us."

"But even ignoring all of that" her eyes were alight with a strange fire "even at the risk of war with House Lychester, I would still ride for one reason." Alyssa looked directly at the small group of bedraggled people in her hall. "These are my people. They are mine to protect. Call the banners."

"Seven bless you, milady." The small knot of people in the hall cheered, and Alyssa drew her sword, gazing into the blue steel for a few moments. "I swore I would protect you, and you have my word, these outlaw scum will meet their end."

Banners flying, trumpets blaring and warhorses snorting, Alyssa led her cavalry out of Riverhold the next morning, as she had promised. Brynden noted to himself as she left that she sat a horse far better than she had as a child, the result of days spent in the saddle riding down bandits. The ride to Fieldstone and camping along the way took longer than the fighting itself; as expected, when faced with armoured knights closing in on the village, the poorly armed bandits fled. It availed them naught, as the light cavalry Alyssa had brought rode them down effortlessly, butchering them with sweeps of longswords and thrusts of lances. Alyssa was overjoyed at the sight, and so too apparently, were the people of Fieldstone, freed from oppression and free to sell the weapons and armor of the fallen.

"Tully! Tully! Riverhold!" Fieldstone made its gratitude known as Alyssa's men finished their work, and for a moment Alyssa thought that nothing bad had come of this. When the raven arrived at Riverhold a week later, she knew she was wrong.

"...Present yourself at Riverrun to answer for your actions, by order of Hoster Tully, Lord of Riverrun and Lord Paramount of the Trident". Alyssa put the scroll down, face impassive, before she glanced at her uncle, and her composure cracked. "I'm in trouble here, aren't I?"

A solemn nod was her answer, and she took a deep, shuddering breath, the implications her actions might have now striking her. "How bad will it be?"

"Worse than you might expect, but not as bad as you fear" the answer was cryptic, a slight smile playing upon the Blackfish's lips at her confusion, before he sighed and decided to do away with the humour. "A straight answer then. Very well. First off, you can stop fearing for your neck. Stupid and arrogant this may have been, it wasn't murder or treason, so Hoster won't take your head or Riverhold." His lips twitched again at the sight of Alyssa visibly relaxing at the knowledge that her life was not at stake.

"That said" Brynden continued, "he may order you to apologize to Lychester, take some of your lands, give him some of your taxes or anything else that he thinks appropriate." He chuckled ruefully, rubbing his neck as he remembered incidents from times past. "The old goat has a sense of humour and an imagination both, that's how I met you after all."

Both Tullys shared a smile at that, before Brynden clapped his hands sharply. "Well. We'd best prepare to leave then."

"We?" Alyssa's face was equal parts question and hope. "You're coming too, Uncle?"

Slowly, Brynden Tully shook his head, a gentle smile upon his lips, and her heart sank. "Alyssa, you're my niece. You might have been bloody stupid, but you're still family, and I made a promise years ago that I don't intend to break."

Tears filled her eyes, and she embraced him for a moment, before both left to prepare for their journey to Riverrun.

The reception Alyssa received at her father's seat stood in contrast to her previous visits. Guardsmen in fish-crest helms met her at the gate, and fell into step around her as she approached the hall, her own guards eyeing them off nervously, hands hovering on their swords. Ser Robin Ryger, captain of the guard, met her at the entrance to the hall. A grim man in any case, there was no smile on his face whatsoever. "Your arms, my lady."

Alyssa's own men set up a cry at this, and she was about to join them before her common sense reasserted itself. She was in Riverrun, not Riverhold, and aside from the puny ten or so men she had as escort, all the armsmen around wore the trout, not the dolphin. Should her father decide she was an enemy of Riverrun, all her men would do was die in her service. If she were to leave with her head still on her neck, it would be accomplished through the use of words, not swords.

Wordlessly, she unbelted River's Edge and handed it to Ser Robin, along with her dagger. Her pain at relinquishing it must have shown on her face, or perhaps her willingness to disarm made Ser Robin see her as less of a threat, because he favoured her with a slight smile. "It will be safe in my keeping, my lady." Motioning for her guards to remain outside, Alyssa took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and marched into her father's hall.

Lord Hoster Tully sat in his great chair, looking slightly more pale than Alyssa had last seen him, although that may have been a trick of the light. However he may have appeared, his longsword was in his lap, and his arm was as strong as ever as he pounded his fist for quiet, the hall having burst into noise at her arrival. She stood, attempting to appear fearless in front of his chair as Lord Hoster glared at her.

"Alyssa Tully, Lady of Riverhold, you stand accused of bringing an armed force onto the lands held by Lord Lymond Lychester without his consent. What have you to say in your defence?"

Alyssa thought for a moment; I could demand trial by combat, and hope I can outfight whoever Father chooses as champion. If I lose, I'm guilty and even if I win, I'll be seen as guilty by all the Riverlands, and Father's trust in me will be gone. Better to try and defend myself. "I am a noble highborn of the Riverlands, I have the right to face my accuser."

Lord Hoster gestured, and from the shadows, an elderly man emerged, clad in orange and white plate armor that he barely seemed to be able to stand under the weight of. The black talon of Lychester was on his breastplate, and the ornate longsword he handed to Utherydes Wayn as he approached had the guard and pommel fashioned in the same shape. Alyssa's mouth opened in shock. The old man came himself? I thought his mind was too feeble to leave his castle?

Slowly, but proudly, the man came forward, standing before Lord Hoster and glaring at Alyssa. "I am Lymond Lychester, Lord of Castle Lychester, and in mine own name, I accuse you. Knights bearing your banner rode onto my lands without my consent and did harm to people on my lands."

Hoster's lips tightened until they whitened, and Alyssa could see his hand tighten on the arm of his chair for a moment, before he turned to her. "Lady Alyssa, have you anything to say in your defence?"

Swordfighting and strategy were not as dissimilar as people seemed to think. Often, one would mirror the other. The Blackfish, for instance, was a man legendary for his stubbornness, and his defence mirrored that, he was unyielding, content to block the coming blows until he could retaliate, never driven more than a step backwards. Alyssa, on the other hand, preferred offence to defence and speed to strength, leaping and dodging around incoming blows and letting her agility be her shield. So when her father asked her to speak in her defence, she did what came naturally. The best defence, after all, was attack.

"Yes, my lord." Draw blades. "Lord Lymond is correct, I did send my knights onto Lychester land." Accept incoming blow. "That said, he has left out several details." Prepare to strike back. "Those slain by my men were not innocent smallfolk; they were criminals. Murderers, thieves and rapists, the kind I've spent the last few years scouring my own lands clean of. They raid my lands and then retreat into Lord Lychester's holdings to avoid my justice." First hit breaks offensive. "The people of Fieldstone came to me and begged for my protection. Apparently my lord Lychester" she said with a smirk, "they've brought the matter to your attention multiple times, and no longer trust you to keep them safe." Second blow wounds. Surprisingly, she paused now, and in the crowd, Brynden's lips twitched as he realized what she was doing.

Most people thought that after the second blow wounded your opponent, the best thing to do was to close, and finish them, however a wounded enemy was the most dangerous. If they knew they would receive no mercy, they had nothing to lose, and they would strike out, attempting to injure or kill their attacker. Brynden had taught Alyssa that lesson many time in her youth, painfully. The proper technique was to avoid the blow, and then move in swiftly to deliver the fatal strike.

Eyebrows raised, Hoster turned his head. "Lord Lymond. Is this true?" Under Lord Tully's watchful gaze, Lord Lymond wilted. "Well, that is, yes, my lord, but the problem did not warrant my intervention, and certainly not hers."

Despite herself, Alyssa laughed. "Didn't warrant it?"

Brynden could almost see his niece gracefully twist her body to avoid an invisible blade.

"When your people feel they must come to me for aid, then clearly the situation warranted your attention long ago!"

Before she even opened her mouth again, Brynden saw the blade sink home.

"Your inaction has not only caused my people to suffer, but caused harm to all your neighbours. Thanks to you, bandits and criminals operate out of your holdings, and raid our lands with impunity! It almost seems that you approve of their actions!" Her voice had risen to a shout at the last, before her passion died away, and she stood there, panting as Lord Lymond at last found his voice.

"Outrageous!" The old man's face was as red as a Lannister's banner as he actually shook where he stood, so great was his fury. "Not only do you admit to your crimes against my House, you then have the arrogance, the gall to accuse me of knowingly allowing this scum to threaten your lands. I might have been negligent in my duties, but the King's own laws give me the right of pit and gallows on my own lands and no other but him." The glare that the old man fixed on her would have struck her dead had he the power. "But of course I cannot expect unbiased justice from a father judging his daughter, bastard or not" he spat "so I must make my own. If she is not punished for this, my lord, then I will call my banners and House Lychester will go to war with Riverhold."

Her father's face darkened, and instantly Lord Lymond could see that he had gone too far. "There will be no war between House Tully's bannermen on my watch, Lord Lymond, and I will punish any who break the King's Peace, no matter who they are" he roared, eyes flicking between both of them, "let's get that straight right now." Old man and young woman both nodded, terrified rabbits in the face of the roaring beast Lord Hoster had become. "Good." He breathed out for a moment, before continuing more calmly.

"As for my justice, Lord Lymond, you can be assured that my daughter or not, Lady Alyssa will be punished fairly and justly if she is guilty. So." He steepled his fingers together, looking over them gravely as a teacher would wayward children. "This seems a fairly simple matter to understand. Lady Alyssa, do you deny that you sent men into Lord Lychester's holdings without his consent?"

"I do not."

"Lord Lymond" he continued, ignoring the victorious smile the older man flashed, "do you deny that you were made aware of the bandits, and yet failed to deal with them?"

The old man opened his mouth, before Hoster fixed him with a penetrating stare, and he sighed. "I do not, my lord."

Satisfied, Hoster nodded to himself. "Then the issue seems to be whether this problem was extreme enough to warrant Lady Alyssa's actions. Were these bandits, as she says, a plague on the lands of your neighbours Lord Lymond, forcing her to deal with them, or is this a minor problem blown out of proportions by her haste?"

Before either could answer, Hoster held up his hand. "Obviously I could not get an unbiased answer from either of you. And while Riverrun has had complaints of thefts and crime along our border with House Lychester, the reports were varied and only a small part of our lands touch theirs. So I will have the truth, from the only place I will find it."

He turned to Riverrun's old maester, calmly watching from his place near Lord Hoster's seat. "Maester Vyman. Send a raven to Lords Blackwood, Bracken and Vance. They are requested at Riverrun within the fortnight, themselves or their heirs as their representative." The maester bowed, and left for the ravenry. Satisfied, Hoster nodded shortly. "When they arrive, I will ask them about the bandit activities on their lands, and then we will have an answer. Until then, both of you will remain here. You may roam Riverrun as you see fit, but do not leave." Alyssa and Lord Lymond both swore that they would not, and Ser Robin returned their weapons, before Hoster brought the session to a close. "That is all then. We will discuss this matter further when the other Lords arrive."

Hoster left, and with a last glare at Alyssa, Lychester stormed away. Alyssa turned to leave, but Brynden's hand on her shoulder stopped her. She glanced up, and the sight of her uncle's grave face made her heart sink. "I thought that went well?"

Ruefully, the Blackfish shook his head, a slight smile playing upon his lips. "Hoster's my brother, I spent years with him. After a while I learned how to read him, to understand when he says something without speaking, know what he truly means." His smile faded. "When he asks those lords about the situation, with matter like this he will abide by the majority."

Alyssa's confusion must have shown on her face, so he elaborated. "There are four other Houses beside you that border Lychester's lands. Tully of Riverrun, Blackwood of Raventree Hall, Bracken of Stone Hedge, and Vance of Wayfarer's Rest. Hoster will speak to each of the other lords, and see whether their opinion agrees with you or Lychester."

"And then?" Alyssa enquired.

"Then" Brynden passed his hand over his face for a moment, "then he will make his decision based on how many support your words. If all three side with you, Lychester will be proven a liar, and if they side with Lychester, Hoster will have no choice but to find you guilty and issue the harshest punishment in his power." Seeing Alyssa's eyes widen at this, Brynden smiled grimly. "But, should the opinions be split, then as Lord of the Riverlands, the deciding vote is Hoster's, and most like he will order the whole matter done with."

Alyssa nodded slowly, nearly sure that she understood the situation, but wanting her uncle to say it just in case. "Which means?"

"It means" the Blackfish said bluntly, "that to get out of this mess, you must convince Blackwood, Bracken or Vance to take your side."