Lady Lyarra Bolton

It had been nearly a year since her father had died on the banks of the Fever River, a year in which many things had changed in the north and her family's position had improved considerably. Wallace Stark had led some 2,000 men from Winterfell to attack Stannis Baratheon killing the man and ending his siege of the Dreadfort for which both Lyarra and her father had been grateful, of course Wallace was not simply going to let her father remain in the Dreadfort whilst he lived, and so he began burning the lands around the Dreadfort, drawing his father and his men out from their home. Lyarra had been in labour when her father had ridden off to war one last time but she had heard the news from one of her oldest friends Steelshanks Walton who had come back following her father's death. From him she had learnt how her father and his men had fought a very, very fierce battle with Wallace Stark and his men, and how her father had managed to force Wallace Stark and his men to retreat west of the Fever River with their men significantly reduced. In doing so however, her father the great Roose Bolton had received many an injury and had died before he could make it back home.

And so though Wallace Stark had lost the battle in one sense in another he had won it and with it the north, for with Roose Bolton dead and the armies of the Dreadfort pretty much beaten and depleted, there was little for Lyarra to do except for dip her banners and fly the white flag of surrender. The men who came back from the battle led by Steelshanks Walton had sworn fealty to her, but even with them she knew she would be significantly outnumbered, and having just given birth to her and Jon's son Rodrik, and with her husband still in chains in White Harbour she was not really willing to keep fighting. And so she sent word to Wallace Stark that she was willing to discuss terms of surrender, and so when the man arrived with his wife Arya Stark, they spent four days discussing terms and at the end of it all, Lyarra did think that her house had come out much improved from the whole thing. As well as getting full pardons for both herself, her family and her vassals she had also gotten her husband freed from his cell in the Wolf's Den, and had also gotten some land taken from the Hornwoods as well as the option of making the Hornwoods become their sworn bannermen if she so chose. In return for this, Lyarra had agreed that when he turned eight Rodrik would be sent to foster at Winterfell and that should House Bolton ever betray Winterfell ever again, they would accept complete extermination. The negotiations were ominous and for the first time Lyarra saw why Wallace Stark was being called the northern answer to Tywin Lannister, the man was ruthless and would do whatever it took to preserve his family and the north.

Still once Stark had left Jon had come back home some three weeks later, looking more like a skeleton than a person and so Lyarra had forgotten all about the Starks and the rest of the north and spent the rest of her time with her husband and son, nursing Jon back to health and making sure he was strong enough to stand and talk let alone help her rule their lands. Lyarra had come to realise that she loved Jon dearly, and could not imagine a life without him, there had been times during the early days of their marriage where she had feared that her father's actions would mean that their relationship would sour and would never be what it could be, and then when he had been imprisoned in White Harbour she had seriously worried about whether or not she would ever get to see him again. Now that he was back, she made every effort to ensure he felt appreciated and knew that she loved him, she knew that he loved her and their son, though he was very, very quiet and reserved even more so than he had been before he had left for White Harbour. Rodrik took after him that in regard, their son with his pale skin and eyes, was a very quiet babe, hardly ever crying and always doing as he was told, he had started speaking some two moons ago and though he rarely bawled as Lyarra had known some babes to do, he was still an active child in that he was very curious about certain things.

A touch on her arm brought her out of her reverie. She turned round to see Jon looking at her, concern etched onto his lovely face. "Are you well my love?" he asked. "If you wish to leave the hall I am sure that Wallace and Arya will not mind. After all it has been quite a tiring day."

It took her a moment to remember where she was, and then it clicked, they were in Winterfell having been invited along with most of the other northern nobility to celebrate the completion of the rebuilding of Winterfell. Lyarra looked around and saw that the festivities were still in full swing though she could not see either King Wallace or Queen Arya. She shook her head then and said. "No I am quite well my love. But tell me where are Wallace and Arya for I cannot see them. Nor can I see Mors Umber or Lord Rickard. Has something happened?"

Jon's brow knitted together, and his voice was very soft when he replied. "They have called a meeting of a very few select lords to discuss some very interesting news that has come from the south. We have been asked to attend the meeting, but if you are too tired to go, I will beg off for now and speak with them later on."

Lyarra shook her head then. "No there is no need for that Jon. We need to be seen as working with Wallace and Arya, there are those who still view us with suspicion and they will want to put us into Wallace and Arya's bad books, we cannot have that. We must attend this meeting and we must see what it is that is so urgent."

Jon nods and together they get up and walk out of the hall, when they arrive at Wallace's solar they find Wallace, Arya, Lord Karstark, Mors Umber, her grandfather Lord Rodrik Ryswell, Lord Edrick Flint and Ser Wylis Manderly all present. So this will be a meeting of the trusted confidants of the new royal couple then, something serious must be about to go on. Once they are seated, Wallace Stark looking old and tired, like the leader of a pack speaks his voice soft. "Thank you for coming now, and sorry to take you away from the feast, but there are certain tidings from the south that I felt you all needed to hear before they become more common knowledge." At that there is some murmuring before it eventually dies down. Wallace Stark speaks once more. "Riverrun has been freed from the Lannister siege, my brother Morton returned to Winterfell earlier tonight and reported as much, Ser Brynden Tully has now decided to purge the riverlands of Lannisters and Freys alike. Last Morton had heard, he had managed to get the Brackens and Blackwoods back onto the same side and was marching for Darry. Soon enough Lord Umber, himself shall be back in the north and ready to defend us from whatever threats might come from north of the wall." There is a lot of cheering at that and then Wallace continues. "There has been more word from the south as well. It would appear as if the Ironborn have finally resolved their inheritance issue, and have declared Asha Greyjoy Queen of the Isles. She is now looking for allies to help her in her war against the Iron Throne. Soon enough an ambassador from the Isles will come to treat with us, and I would hear your thoughts on what we should do."

There is some murmuring there and then Lord Karstark spoke his voice laced with anger. "I would not trust the Ironborn with a stick let alone an alliance. These are the same people who invaded our homes and burned them to dust, who killed your cousins Your Grace. I say we let Asha Greyjoy and her squids fend for themselves as they left us to do when King Robb asked for their alliance."

Mors Umber seemed to be of the same opinion. "I would never dream of allying with the Ironborn, they have ships aye, but most of those ships will have been destroyed during their own civil war. If it is ships that you want Your Grace, then you need only look towards White Harbour, where Lord Manderly has been building ships since the order came from your cousin two years ago. We need not ally with the squids now."

Fools, you are thinking in the short term, ally with the Ironborn and we shall be unstoppable. Lyarra thinks. But she holds her tongue as Ser Wylis speaks. "Whilst it is true that my father has been building ships for two years now and should have a considerable fleet to call upon should Your Grace so choose, our western shore is still vulnerable to attack. Perhaps it would be wise to ally with the Ironborn and then consider building a port town on the western coast and a fleet there to match?"

There is sense in what Manderly says, Lord Edrick Flint opens his mouth and Lyarra has the feeling that whatever he says might turn the matter one way or another. "I believe we should ally with the Ironborn, for though we are traditionally rivals, Asha Greyjoy needs allies, and we need a way to defend ourselves against the Lannisters in the west. I say ally with her and seal the deal with a marriage, whom it is that gets married we should leave for your grace to decide."

Lyarra looks at the King and that is when she realises that he had already made his decision a long time ago, she looks at Jon and sees that he has had the same realisation. The king's voice is calm and level when he says. "I thank you for voicing your views my lords. I agree with Lord Edrick, we need to strengthen our western defences, and so whilst we are doing that I see no harm in allying with the Ironborn. There will be terms to our alliance of course, but the more trouble the Iron Throne is under, the less time they will have to focus on us."