6th Month of 298 A.C. Winterfell

Robb Stark

Being the Stark in Winterfell was an honour and a privilege, it was also a terrifying thing. He was the one responsible for ensuring that things ran smoothly in Winterfell whilst his father was away in the south. He was the one responsible for managing the accounts, for ensuring people paid their money on time, all of that was his responsibility. It was both exhilarating and terrifying. So far he would like to think he had done a good job at it all, nothing had gone wrong, there was no trouble from anywhere, and things were running smoothly. Arya had come back from the Barrowlands, father had sent her back for reasons that were unclear, but apart from that things seemed fine. Robb was still having difficulty understanding why father had accepted Robert Baratheon's offer to become Hand of the King. As far as Robb could tell, father had slowly come to accept the inevitable, that the dragons would return, stronger and better than ever, and yet, there he was in King's Landing acting as hand, with Sansa betrothed to that shit Joffrey, it did not make sense to him. It really didn't.

There were other things on his mind right now though. He had asked for a meeting with his mother, Ser Rodrik and Maester Luwin to discuss various things and get their opinions on them. He looks around the solar, notes mother's tired eyes, and makes a note to speak with Arya when this is done. He clears his throat then begins speaking. "Father is away in the south, and he has left the governance of Winterfell and the north as a whole with me. From what I have been able to gauge things are running smoothly, and there is nothing overtly worrying or concerning occurring within these lands. If there is something, I would hear it now."

Silence follows this statement, and as it begins to drag on, he begins to think perhaps they will have nothing to discuss. But before he can change the topic, Maester Luwin speaks. "A raven has come from Hornwood my lord. Written not in Lord Halys' hand, but in the hand of his maester. It seems they are facing some very troubling circumstances."

Robb nods, that is most certainly odd. "What circumstances might these be?" he asks.

Luwin takes a moment to find the letter, before he hands it to Robb. Speaking as he does so. "It seems that Lord Halys is getting some very threatening letters from the Dreadfort, something to do with a dam that was built many years ago. Lord Halys has sent men there to reclaim the land, using the writ that you issued, but Lord Bolton's men have it seems reputed that."

That makes Robb grit his teeth in frustration. "Bolton has refuted that? Is this Lord Roose, or his sons?" the brothers Bolton are troublesome, but Domeric is generally agreeable.

"His son. It seems that in Lord Roose's illness, and his son Domeric's absence, Ramsay Snow has begun issuing edicts using the sigil of the Dreadfort." The maester responds.

Robb takes this into consideration and then asks. "And how many letters of this nature has Lord Halys received, and why is it that his maester is the one writing the letter, and not the man himself?"

At this the maester seems uncertain, but then he does eventually reply. "I think it is because Lord Halys himself is trying to solve the issue peacefully. Usually when a maester writes the letter, it is because the lord of the castle is moving towards final solutions."

Robb does not need to ask what the maester means by that. Instead he looks to Ser Rodrik and asks. "How goes the training of the men Ser?"

Ser Rodrik is a gruff old man, but someone who Robb and his family have come to trust implicitly. "It goes well my lord. The men are ready to fight whenever the call comes."

That had been something that Robb had wanted to ask his father about, if he was going south to be Robert's hand, why did he need men to be trained and ready as if preparing for a war? Pushing that thought down, he says. "Would they be prepared to move toward the Bolton lands?"

He can see the surprise on Ser Rodrik's face as the man replies. "Yes, I believe they would my lord."

It is at this moment that his mother decides to speak, her voice firm but also questioning. "Why are you thinking of moving toward Bolton lands?"

Robb looks his mother right in the eyes and says. "Yes. I cannot afford for there to be something of disturbance in the north now. Not with father in the south, and strange things happening elsewhere. We must ensure that things are peaceful. Furthermore, the Boltons have been causing all kinds of issues."

He can tell his mother does not quite approve, though she does not say as much when she replies. "Do you not think that there could be another method for finding out what is happening in Hornwood?"

Robb shakes his head. "No, there is no other method for dealing with this issue mother. The Boltons have been given a warning, multiple times now, it is time they were dealt with, with force. If nothing else, it will give us a chance to see what our men can do."

His mother looks unconvinced, and even slightly worried, but before she can say anything, Maester Luwin speaks. "If I may, my lord?" Robb nods gesturing for the man to continue. "I think that perhaps continuing on this path might be a dangerous thing. The Boltons have not committed a direct offense yet, perhaps waiting for some time before acting would be best?"

Robb can see what the man is saying, but he is set in his course now. "I understand where you are coming from, but I think the Boltons have been given enough of a chance. The time to finish this is now. We have the men, and if there is to be war, we must see what the men can do. Ser Rodrik, have the men ready, we shall ride out soon enough."