11th Month of 298 A.C. Riverrun
King Axel I Tully
The fighting with Tywin Lannister's westermen was going somewhat well. They had severely dented his chances of truly finding out what the endgame was with regards to Axel's goodbrother's plan in the Westerlands. Tywin's scouting parties had been captured or killed in a flurry of small battles within the Riverlands, and as such the man was blind, but not so blind that he could not see, the man would come, if there was any sense in him he would march from Harrenhal soon enough, for what was a lord without his lands? Axel had ensured that message had gotten across loud and clear to the Lannister men, capturing some Lannister cousin or the other and sending him back with those exact words. Blood for blood as it were, for during the fighting in High Heart Axel's old mentor Ser Stevron had been cut down. Axel had reaped a bloody vengeance for that.
Right now though he needed to stay calm, his niece was back, escaped from King's Landing and he needed to ensure she was okay. "Sansa sweetling, do not be afraid dear. I will not harm you, I just want to make sure you are okay. Do you understand?"
His niece nods, and gods she looks just like her mother did at that age. "Yes Your Grace." She replies meekly.
"Come now sweetling, do not call me that. I am family, I will protect you, but I cannot do that unless you tell me what happened to you in King's Landing." Axel says.
His niece looks at him then and her blue eyes begin watering, he moves forward to comfort her but she draws back. "I….I did something wrong in King's Landing. I said that you and my father were traitors, I…I lied to safe myself when I should never have said the things I said."
He feels his heart break for the niece he has only just begun to know and says soothingly. "Hush now sweetling, you did nothing wrong. You only did what you had to do to remain alive. I know your mother and father will be very happy to see you again."
His niece sniffles somewhat at that. "I….I… do not know uncle. I don't know. Why would they want to see me when I betrayed them?"
"You did not betray them Sansa you did no such thing!" Axel insists.
"I did though. Every day in King's Landing I lied and called them traitors. I betrayed them and everything my mother and father ever taught me. I lied to protect myself, when I should have been here." His niece was coming close to crying now.
Axel looks at his wife helplessly and Jeyne as always comes to the rescue. "Sansa sweetling, you did not betray your family. You did what you had to do, anyone would have done the same in your place."
At this his niece begins crying in earnest, and as if on cue, his wife stands and takes her into her arms, whispering soothing things into her hair. She looks at Axel and he merely nods and soon they are walking out of the hall and to where the children sleep. As he watches them go and then once they are gone, he cannot help but wonder what happened to his niece in that damned city to make her like this.
Soon enough his wife re-enters the solar and sits down next to him. "How is she?" he asks.
"Tired, and shaken. The journey was rough on her. I do not know what they did to her in King's Landing, but it has clearly damaged her. She needs time, time to settle and get used to not being a prisoner." His wife responds.
Axel takes his crown off and runs a hand through his hair. "Gods damn it, is there anything these god damned lions will not do to try and get more power and influence. Thank god they suffered those riots, otherwise I fear what might have happened had Sansa remained there."
"It is a shame they survived them though. Their Kingsguard, appear to be so lax that the fact they suddenly came and remembered their duties is most unfortunate. It would have made our lives so much easier had they all died there and then." His wife replies.
Axel roars with laughter. "Aye that is true. But then again it would not be a war with the commons did our jobs for us now would it? That's what we have them for here in the Riverlands."
His wife smiles. "True, very true my love. Hopefully Edmyn and the girls can help Sansa in the meantime. But now what of this man who has come with her. This hooded man who never removes his mask? Do you know him?"
He can hear the hesitancy in his wife's voice and so takes her hand and squeezes it. "You don't need to be afraid my love. I know this man, I know him well. We met once a long time ago when I went to King's Landing when there were dragons on the Iron Throne."
"But why would he help you? What reason could this person have for helping you? For helping us now?" Jeyne asks.
Axel looks at his wife and says simply. "Because we share a common enemy. The Lannisters might be in control now, but their methods of coming to power leave a trail of enemies in their wake. Especially in Dorne. So long as our enemies are the same, then so too are our goals."
"And what about when they are no longer the same what then?" Jeyne asks.
Axel is silent a moment and then he says. "That day will never come. Not with this man, and not with what he wants. For we have wanted the same thing for a long time." With that he says no more until Maester Vyman shows the hooded man into the room.
The man is dressed head to foot in black, the only thing that is not black is the mask, that is an array of orange. Axel stands and shakes the man's hand. "Thank you for bringing our niece back here my friend. We are most indebted to you. Please sit down."
The man nods and sits. His voice is like silk when he replies. "It was no trouble doing a favour for an old friend. After all, it was to our benefits that she was freed."
"You left no trace that could come back to you or to us?" Axel asks.
His friend nods. "Yes. The riots looked completely natural, and as such the spider ensured that other things will now take up the lion's time instead of searching for the girl."
"What other things?" Jeyne asks.
"One of their own is missing. The lions place a higher value on a member of their own pride, than of hostages. At least the imp and the lioness do. That will keep them preoccupied for some time. Meanwhile, Stannis Baratheon is marching from Storm's End with the Stormlords he took from his brother's army." The hooded man replies.
"Renly is dead then? The man actually did it?" Axel asks.
"Not the man, but the woman. The red woman killed Renly Baratheon through some foul means. I do not know how but she did it, I recognise the methods through my travels. But yes Renly is dead and now the Tyrells and their lords are kingless." The hooded man replies.
"Kingless? They are ripe for the taking. But what can we offer them in order to ensure they do not go over to the Lannisters?" Axel ponders.
"Why would they go to the Lannisters though? Anyone can see that the lions are beat. It would be better for them to just declare independence. Of course Mace Tyrell seems to be a bit too much of an oaf to realise that." His wife responds.
"Mace Tyrell wants his daughter to be queen of all the Seven Kingdoms. Anything else he sees as not acceptable. This is a fact that most everyone in court knows. But something the lions will have to accept if they want to remain fighting. Tyrell could take all the power once Tywin is gone." The hooded man replies.
Axel looks at the man and asks. "What would you suggest then? How do you think we can convince the man not to side with the Lannisters?"
"I would not do anything. Let Tyrell do as he wishes. Sooner or later he will realise the mistake he has made." The hooded man says standing up.
"Where will you go?" Axel asks.
The man stops at the door and says simply. "Back. I have work to be doing there before the end comes for the lions." With that the man walks out of the room and Axel knows they will not be seeing him anytime soon.
"Do you think it is true what he said? That Tyrell will side with the Lannisters regardless of the fact they are losing this war?" his wife asks.
Axel nods. "Aye I believe so. We both know that the man has too much ambition and not enough common sense my love. And besides this would give him the chance to play the saviour of the city. Something any lord would die for. Whether or not it goes off according to plan is another thing."
"Does it not worry you? The fact that the Tyrells could soon be bringing their entire strength to King's Landing and then into the Riverlands?" his wife asks.
Axel thinks for a moment. "It does, but at the same time an army that size can easily be hit by food shortages along the way."
His wife nods and then asks. "Who else do we have to see tonight?"
"Walder Rivers." Is his response.
And sure enough his old friend comes walking in looking very, very tired. "Ah old friend, what news do you bring for me tonight?" Axel asks.
Walder takes a deep breath and then says. "Well we have managed to slay Armory Lorch finally. He will not be causing any more problems. Clegane is still somewhere but will be dying soon enough."
"And what of my uncle where is he?" Axel asks.
"He is riding to Darry as you asked Your Grace, ensuring Ser Ryman and his son are safe and protected." Walder responds.
Axel nods and then asks. "What of your own family? How has the death of Ser Stevron been taken? And has Ser Ryman's body been found?"
His friend is silent a moment and then says. "Stevron's death has hit us all hard. He was a good man, someone who would have made a very good lord. As for his son, well Ryman it seems ran afoul of a group of bandits, we found his body south of here near the brook end of the Red Fork, half eaten by carrion crows."
Axel nods and squeezes his wife's hand. "What of Cleos Frey? Has he come back from King's Landing?"
At this Walder smiles slyly. "He will not come back Your Grace. As you ordered, he is currently lying in a ditch somewhere. My men saw to it that lion banners were sported by those who did the deed."
"Good," Axel replies. "Whatever terms the buffoon was like to bring would have been foolish and ridiculous. And what of your father? How has he coped with all of this?"
"It appears he is ailing Your Grace. The news of Stevron's death hit him hard, and the fact that some of his sons have died during the fighting likely has hit him even harder. But soon enough he will be dead. Perhaps even before the year is out."
"And who would succeed him should he die?" Axel asks.
"By law Edwyn. But because of how destroyed the family would be once the old man dies, anyone could be lord at the end of this." Walder replies.
Axel smiles at his old friend and says. "And there is your chance my friend."