Chapter 14
Rebekah POV, Riverrun
"So, who do you think is the better swordsman, the Mountain or our man Jaime?" Rebekah heard one of the Lannisters scouts say to another. Vamp hearing was a brilliant perk, and she was taking full advantage of it, so she'd be able to time the attack as soon as Freya, Nymeria and Ghost killed the scouts.
"If Jaime can't kill the Tully brat how skilled can he be." The other pointed out.
"Loras Tyrell?"
"Loras Tyrell." The other said snorting "He's prettier than the queen."
"I don't care about pretty, he's as good with a sword as any of them." The first one protested.
"How good can he be? He's been stabbing Renly Baratheon for years and Renly isn't dead." He two scouts shared a laugh at that and Rebekah had to bite back a laugh, lest her guards wonder what the hell she was laughing at.
"Do the horses look spooked to you?"
"They're horses, they get spooked by their own shadow."
"Rennick." One screamed as the direwolves attacked the duo.
She didn't say anything as she and the rest of the Stark cavalry just charged at the Lannister army, though some, like the Smalljon yelled Winterfell or the North. Drawing Ice Rebekah cut down the first Lannister soldier that was in her path. Kevan Lannister clearly didn't expect an attack as the enemy forces were distracted, tired and some even appeared drunk. This is no battle, Rebekah thought, this is a slaughter. It wasn't long before the entire Lannister host was wiped out.
"Rebekah, look what we found." Dacey said as she and the Smalljon threw a bound man to the floor as the Smalljon held a sword to his throat. His blonde hair and green eyes showed that he was a Lannister and considering that he looked over sixty years old Rebekah guessed that he had to be Kevan Lannister.
"Kevan Lannister I assume?" She asked the bound Lannister.
"Indeed, I'm guessing you are Rebekah Stark. So what are you going to do with me? Trade me for your father?" Kevan Lannister asked her.
"No, put him in the cells of Riverrun." She told her friends.
As Smalljon picked the man up he spoke again. "We can end this now, Stark. You fight for the Stark's, I fight for the Lannisters, save thousands of lives."
"No." She told him as she turned to leave.
"Why? You a coward?" He said, gloating at her.
Turning back to him she said, "I have nothing to gain by fighting you. If I win, I killed a useless old man, I lose, and I get killed by a useless old man. There's nothing to gain by fighting against you." With that Rebekah turned and headed towards Riverrun.
-TVQ-
"Well the battle went much better than we could have hoped." Domeric said as they looked across the fields where the battle had recently taken place from the battlements of Riverrun.
"At least 2,000 of our men are dead." She pointed out, surprised at the guilt that was filling her. While she wouldn't necessarily call herself a bad person she hadn't expected to feel guilt. Torhen Karstark was also dead, along with Halys Hornwood making his son Danys the new Lord Hornwood.
"The bards will sing stories about them." Domeric said.
"What good will songs do the dead or their families."
"You have such a bleak outlook." Domeric said. "You really need to lighten up. Kevan Lannister is our hostage, his army is scattered and the Northern and Riverlords will be joining us in a few days."
"True." Rebekah admitted with a small smile coming to his face. She didn't love Domeric but she liked him a great deal and would gladly marry him, he just had a way of always cheering her up.
"I hear the lords are planning on throwing a feast to celebrate your victory."
"Yep." That should hopefully be fun.
"You know, you're going to have to give a speech."
"What." Rebekah exclaimed, causing Domeric to smirk at her. "I am not giving a speech." She said finally.
"You have to." He said smiling "It's a good way to inspire the soldiers, plus, the lords love a talker."
"We've just won a major victory." Rebekah pointed out "The troops are already inspired."
"The Riverlords aren't. Half of them have had their lands put to the torch by the Lannisters."
"My uncle is responsible for the Riverlords, not me." Rebekah honestly didn't give much of a damn how motivated the Riverlords were, if revenge couldn't motivate them then a stupid speech wouldn't.
"You'd be surprised at how effective a few words are." Domeric stated before he left, leaving her on her own.
-TVQ-
Sansa POV, Kings Landing
Sansa had no idea what to think about what was going on. From what she knew her father's entire household had been wiped out and she knew it was her fault. Lady had run off, it was far harder to get out of the city with her at her side but she knew her faithful direwolf would meet her outside of the city. At least that was what Yorin had claimed.
She didn't know what to think of the member of the Nights Watch but she had seen a few times at Winterfell and she felt she could trust him. "How long until we leave?" She asked him.
"A few more days, by then I'll have everything I need to head to the Wall and I'll drop you off at Winterfell along the way." Yorin answered.
"Have you heard anything about my father?" Yorin had told her little about what had happened, only that he was still alive, as a prisoner in the black cells.
The man looked a bit hesitant before he answered. "When the great bells are rang your father will be taken before the Great Sept of Baelor to confess his crimes." Just as he finished speaking he said bells began to ring. Getting to her feet Sansa followed the sounds of the bell as Yorin followed her.
Reaching the courtyard before the Sept Sansa was shocked that it was absolutely packed with people. In the distance she could see her father in the distance, being dragged out by two gold cloaks. Even from the distance she could tell that her father was in a bad state and she began to rush towards him but Yorin grabbed her before she could.
"I am Eddard Stark, lord of Winterfell and Hand of the King," her father began. "I am here to..." Her father hesitated before answering. "Tell everyone that King Joffrey is no true king but a product of incest between Cersei Lannister and her brother Jaime Lannister the Kingslayer." The crowd burst into yells at her father's words but Sansa could vaguely hear Joffrey yelling.
"Lies, lies. Ser Illyn bring me his head."
"No." Sansa screamed at the top of her voice but it was drowned out by the roaring crowd. She tried rushing to her father but Yorin grabbed.
"Look at me girl, look at me." He said, pulling her away so she wouldn't see it happening but she could tell from the cheering crowd and the slightly saddened look on Yorin's face that the deed was done and that her father was dead. And Sansa felt apart of herself die as she knew that everything that happened was her fault.
-TVQ-
Tywin Lannister POV, war tent Green Fork
"They have my brother." He stated, keeping the anger out of his voice.
"The Stark girl's clearly less green then we hoped." His hated son Tyrion stated as he fought the urge to glare at him.
"How did this happen?" Harys Swift moaned. "What madness possessed Ser Kevan to split his host, didn't he realize how vulnerable that made him." How dare you insult my brother, you useless craven, he thought staring at his brothers father by law. Harys Swift was honestly far too old to be of any use during the war.
"You've never seen Riverrun, Ser Harys." His son Jaime began, "When under attack the castle becomes a virtual island and the only way to take it is by attacking it on three fronts."
"Perhaps we should sue for peace." Swift suggested, seemingly ignoring what Jaime had said.
The sound of glass shattering drew Tywin's and everyone else's attention to his son Tyrion. "There's your peace." Tyrion said, pointing at the broken wine glass on the floor. "Joffrey saw to that when he decided to take Ned Stark's head. We'll have an easier time drinking wine out of that cup then bringing Rebekah Stark to the table now. She's winning, in case you haven't noticed."
"The first order of business is ransoming Ser Kevan." Another one of his bannermen stated. That was unlikely, gold meant shit to Northerners.
"No truces, we can't afford to look weak."
"We should march on them at once." A different lord suggested.
"First we must return to Casterly Rock to raise-"
"They have my brother." Tywin yelled, finally losing his patience. They're like bickering children. "Get out all of you." He ordered as the lords rose from their seats and proceeded to leave. "Not you two." He said to his sons.
They both took a seat on either side of him. Tyrion began to reach for the wine when Tywin picked it up and poured his son a glass, to both his sons surprise. "You were right about Ned Stark." He told Tyrion, "Had he lived we could have brokered a peace with Winterfell and Riverrun. But now madness, madness and stupidity." Those were the best two words to describe his grandson and daughter, mad and stupid respectively. "I always thought you were a stunted fool," Tywin told Tyrion. "Perhaps I was wrong."
"Half wrong, I'm new to strategy but unless we want to be surrounded by three armies then we can't stay here." Tyrion said.
"No one will stay here, the Brave Companions will set out and put the Riverlands on fire. Your uncle Stafford will raise a new host at Casterly Rock while the rest of us retreat to Duskendale, allowing us to raise another host from the Crownlands. And the two of you will go to Kings Landing." He told his sons.
"To do what?" Tyrion asked confused.
"Rule." He exclaimed. "You will serve as Hand of the King in my stead." Tywin told his dwarf son to his surprise.
"Cersei won't like that." Jaime pointed out.
"Let her not like it." He snapped at his son. "Her stupidity is the reason we are in this mess."
"But why me? Why not someone more experienced?" Tyrion asked.
"Because you are my son." Tywin told Tyrion.
-TVQ-
Rebekah POV, Riverrun
Her father was dead, killed by that Lannister bastard. Curse the Lannisters and the curse for this mess they started. All the lords of the North and the Riverlands were gathered in the great hall of Riverrun to decide what to do next.
"The proper course is clear." Lord Bracken began "Pledge fealty to King Renly and move south to join our forces with his." That would leave the Riverlands defenceless to the Lannisters.
"Renly is not the King." Rebekah told lord Bracken, though in truth, she really didn't care. Her father was dead and because of what, because Robert Baratheon couldn't be fucking asked to nock up his bitch of a wife.
"You cannot mean to hold for Joffrey, my lady, he put your father to death." Lord Bracken seemed rather desperate to mention that, why he wanted to declare for Renly she didn't know.
"You don't need to remind me, Bracken. I will die before I declare for the Lannisters." She told the man, speaking dangerously softly.
"What about Stannis." Lord Blackwood suggested. "Not only is he a proven battle commander but he also possesses the royal fleet. Not to mention the bulk of the Stormlands have declared for him." Either Stannis or Renly. Stannis had half of the Stormlords while Renly had the other half, and his marriage to Margaery Tyrell had secured him the Reach.
"Then we declare for Stannis, he may be a hard man but he's a just one. Which is more than can be said for either Joffrey or Renly." Maege Mormont said.
"I don't want Stannis for my king." Wylis Manderly stated, representing his father. "I've heard that he's taken up with a red priestess from Asshai. They say this red woman tried to have the sept on Dragonstone burnt. Why should we follow him if there's a chance that this red woman will burn our septs and weirwood trees."
After that was said there was a lot of grumbling and arguing that Rebekah just zoned out, all she wanted was the Lannisters dead, she didn't really care who they declared for.
"My lords, my lords." The Greatjon bellowed, standing up from his seat. "Here's what I say to these two Kings." The giant of a man then spat on the floor, causing a few cheers. "Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis neither. Why should they rule over me and mine from some flowery seat in the South. What do they know of the Wall, or the Wolfswood, even their gods are wrong." Rebekah actually managed to let out a small laugh at that, while most of the Northerners and even a good number of the Riverlords let out a full laugh at the Greatjon's words. The man then drew his sword and pointed it at her. "There sits the only one I'll bend my knee too." Rebekah quickly glanced to her sides to see if the Greatjon was pointing at anyone else but he wasn't, he was pointing at her. "The Queen in the North." The Greatjon proclaimed bending the knee.
-TVQ-
Oberyn Martell POV, Sunspear
He was in a good mood, a very good mood. Tywin bloody Lannister had marched into the Riverlands with 60,000 and in two battles he had lost half his army, the second battle at the hands of a girl who was barely seventeen. Oberyn's only regret was that he hadn't participated in either of the battles.
"Hello brother." He greeted as he entered his brothers solar. This was one of the few days his brother was actually in Sunspear. As Doran's health worsened he spent most of his time in the water gardens and left ruling Sunspear to Arianne as, contrary to what his niece thought, Doran wanted her not her brothers to succeed him.
"Oberyn." Doran replied "Enjoy your travels?" He had, after all only recently returned to Sunspear.
"Indeed." He answered with his voice tense.
"I know what you want Oberyn. To take our army and fight the Lannisters."
"And why shouldn't I?" He asked his brother, anger creeping into his voice.
"For starters you need to go through both the Reach and the Stormlands to get to the Lannisters. Second, our fleet isn't large enough to transport a large number of our troops into the Westerlands or strong enough to take on the Lannister fleet." Oberyn hated the logic in his brothers words. "Have you heard the news?"
"Indeed. The Stark girl is now 'Queen in the North'." He would like to meet the girl, assuming she survived the Lannisters and the Baratheons.
"Do you think she can succeed in making the North independent?"
"It's possible, after Dorne the North has the best natural defences." He wondered if the North would have been able to resist the Targaryen's if they actually tried.
"I honestly don't know what to do brother." Doran said after a small silence.
"What do you mean Doran?" He asked his brother confused.
"For years we planned to put Viserys Targaryen on the throne and even marry Arianne to him, only for him to become as mad as his father."
"There's also Daenerys." He pointed out.
"Khal Drogo is dead and his Khalasar has disbanded. There is no way to place her on the throne without a lot of support which she doesn't have." Dorne was not enough to place her on the throne and the mad King had done a good job of removing many of his families loyalists. Doran was silent for a moment before he spoke again "It's time we told Obara the truth."
Oberyn's head snapped to his brother in surprise "Do you mean to place her-?" He began asking but his brother interrupted him.
"No. For starters we have no proof at all."
"I love her like a daughter. I think it's too dangerous to tell her the truth." He protested.
"We should have told her years ago Oberyn," Doran said sighing. "Robert Baratheon is dead, and the Lannisters are fighting a war on three fronts, she's not in any danger anymore."
"What's the point. Her entire life Obara has wanted to be nothing but a warrior, the truth will change her." He protested.
"She deserves to know the truth, Oberyn. We will tell her tomorrow, and that's final." Doran snapped.
End of chapter 14. Please review. This chapter took forever to write, writing Sansa feels impossible.