The end of negotiations.
CATELYN IX
She had not been able to sleep for the whole night. Between the visit of Lady Margaery, the new information concerning the man called Jaqen who helped Arya at Harrenhal and her daughter's refusal to listen to her warnings concerning him, Catelyn was exhausted by the last day. She went to pray to the sept of Riverrun, only to find that someone else was present. It wasn't the septon, but the young woman who accompanied Lady Margaery.
Catelyn had not forgotten the way she spoke to her at the Crossroads. It was because of her that Jon Snow noticed her presence in that inn. However, she had not forgotten that she also risked her life to bring Arya to safety. Catelyn never thanked her for that, though she never truly had the chance to do it. Still, she avoided her. Mira Forrester may have warned them about this Faceless Man, but there was something odd in that girl that made Catelyn feel she couldn't be trusted. Only the fact she was serving the Lannisters, even if officially she was attached to Lady Margaery before she married into this family, led Catelyn to distrust her. And there was also the way she helped that caused this mistrust. Jon Snow always defended her, he spent a lot of time with her in the Westerlands, and that was to him, not to Robb or even to Arya, that this young lady told to beware of Arya's friend. Jon Snow seemed far too close of her.
Deep into prayer, she didn't seem to have noticed Catelyn's presence. Robb's mother would have stayed behind if she didn't need to light a candle at the Mother's altar. Catelyn slowly walked to the statue and, proceeding carefully all the way long, lit the candle. All the while, she eyed the other visitor of the sept. When it was obvious she didn't notice her, or that she didn't care that someone else was present in the sept, Catelyn looked at her for a longer time.
Lady Mira Forrester, eldest daughter of Gregor Forrester, the Lord of Ironrath, and handmaiden to Lady Margaery Lannister of House Tyrell, Lady of Casterly Rock, wasn't without charm. Catelyn noticed the way she walked in the fashion of the south, and she also dressed in this fashion, revealing more of her body than any northern lady would ever dare. Catelyn could easily see her making a good marriage one day. No man she was promised to would have any reason to refuse her. She was quite graced by nature, and behaved accordingly to a true lady of the south. The only default Catelyn could see, and that wasn't what men usually looked at, were her hips. Lord Gregor's daughter was very slender and her hips didn't seem large enough to bear children.
Taking her attention elsewhere, Catelyn went to sit and just prayed. Some time later, she heard the girl leaving the sept, so that Catelyn was now alone. She spent some more time, praying for all those she loved and those who left her, then went back to her rooms. She needed some rest, as tomorrow's day would be filled with important events. She didn't know however how important and crucial they would be.
She was awoken very early in the morning. Other than the strong pounds on her door, what surprised her the most was the voice that awakened her.
"Cat, wake up. Robb needs us in the hall right now."
Catelyn needed some time to understand it was her uncle who yelled at her from the other side. He pounded the door several times, telling her she didn't have time to change and to only put on a cloak.
The hall was heavily guarded when she arrived with her uncle, at least ten men before its doors.
"Don't say anything until we're in," her father's brother whispered to her, without place for discussion.
The doors opened. Her son, her brother and the bastard were already there, standing in the middle of the large room, two strange shapes on the floor before them. The door closed just as Catelyn realized what these shapes were. Tightening the cloak around her shoulders, she approached her son, but her gaze remained on the two shapes. As she closed on them, she saw more and more details of the bodies. Small bodies. Blood on the carpets below them. Blond hair. Traces of blood on the bodies. Large cuts in their stomachs and necks. Green eyes. Eyes without life.
"Are they…?"
"Martyn and Willem Lannister," Robb answered, grim. "Ser Kevan's sons."
"What happened?"
"Lord Rickard Karstark," her uncle replied in a similar grim tone.
"Why?" Catelyn didn't understand. Why would the Lord of Karhold do this?
"Probably to avenge his sons. He's been talking about revenge since the beginning of this war, ever since Harrion died at the Kingsroad. The only reason he fought was to avenge his dead sons."
"It seems like he got tired of waiting," the Blackfish said. Her son looked at him.
"Bring them here." He nodded and left. "Ser Brynden already questioned them. Lord Karstark took a few men with him in the goal to kill Lady Margaery Lannister."
"What?" Catelyn shouted this time.
"They couldn't execute their plan. I made sure she had more than enough people to guard her, including some of her own men. They weren't enough to do it. Then they went to the cells. They murdered the guards and penetrated in the one where the children were being kept. They stabbed them. The noise attracted some of the other guards above who stopped them before they could reach Ser Kevan's cell."
"Lady Margaery? Is she aware?"
Robb didn't answer, for at this very moment the Blackfish returned. The Lord of Karhold and four more men bearing the sigil of his house entered, all chained and escorted by many guards. Rickard Karstark's face was covered with blood. Whether it was his blood or those of the boys he killed, she didn't know.
"Is that all of them?" Robb asked her uncle. He nodded. "It took five of you to murder two unarmed squires?"
"Not murder, your Grace. Vengeance," Lord Karstark replied.
"Vengeance?"
"How is that vengeance? Martyn and Willem didn't kill Harrion and Torrhen. They both died on the battlefields. I saw them both die and these boys had nothing to do with it," Jon Snow interrupted.
"They were killed by Lannisters. These were Lannisters," Rickard Karstark retorted.
"They were boys!"
Robb put a hand on his half-brother's arm. He stared at him right in the eyes, which seemed to refrain him to do something he would regret. He returned his attention to the Lord of Karhold.
"Look at them." He didn't.
"Tell your bastard of a brother to look at them. He killed them as much as I."
"Jon had nothing to do with this. This was your treason."
"It's treason to free your enemies. He freed the man who killed Harrion. He deprived me of his death. He killed them the moment he set that man free."
"It was my right to release him," Jon Snow opposed. He got free of Robb's hold, circled the bodies and stood right in front of the prisoner. "My father used to tell me how Robert Baratheon said I see no babes, only dragonspawn. I wonder if he ever actually looked at the babies… because I haven't seen you look at them even a moment." He took another step. He was almost nose to nose with his opponent now. "Your king told you to look at them."
The Lord of Karhold spat on his face. All he earned from that was a punch in the face from the Blackfish.
"Leave him," Robb ordered.
Jon Snow was wiping his face while the Lord of Karhold got back on his feet, blood in his beard. Catelyn watched the bastard, afraid of whatever inconsiderate thing he might do next.
"Aye," Lord Karstark muttered as he raised. "Leave me to the king. He wants to have me beaten, then leave me be, still alive. That's how he does things. He never finishes what he actually starts. Our King in the North. Or should I call him the King Who Lost the North?"
Robb said nothing for a moment. His face reminded so much or Ned. Jon Snow, on the other side, was fuming with anger.
"Escort Lord Karstark to the dungeon. Hang the rest."
The accomplices swore they were forced to do it, but no one was there to hear them. Robb turned his back after the criminals were escorted out by his granduncle. He sat heavily on a nearby chair.
"Are the Lannisters aware of what happened?" Catelyn asked while looking at the dead bodies on the floor.
"No. Ser Brynden made sure as few people as possible knew about it, and that they wouldn't talk," Edmure informed them.
"How are we going to tell them?" Jon asked.
"We will not. Word of this cannot leave Riverrun."
"You would make me a liar along with a murderer?" Robb asked, obviously angry.
"We cannot hide this. They have the right to know what's happened," Jon argued.
"We won't be lying. We will only tell nothing. We will bury them, and not reveal anything until the war is over," her brother said.
"You want to hide to the Lannisters that two of them, two children, were assassinated?"
"If we reveal the truth, the Lannisters will come back at us. They pay their debts, they always talk about it."
"And you think they won't pay them when they learn at the end of this war that we hid the deaths of Martyn and Willem?"
"Telling the world that two children were savagely murdered while in our custody would be suicidal. I'm the Lord of Riverrun and this is my castle. That's to me to decide what to do with events that happen inside these walls."
Catelyn decided to come in the conversation at this moment. "Robb, what do you think?"
Her son took his time to answer. "I don't question your authority over Riverrun, uncle, but this treason was committed by my bannerman. It's my call to decide what happens to him." Edmure nodded. "How can I fight for justice if I don't serve justice to my own men, no matter how highborn? He has to die."
"The Karstarks are Northerners. They will not forgive the execution of their lord."
"Your mother is right," her brother approved. "If we kill Rickard Karstark, his men will rebel. We cannot allow to lose any more men. Our numbers are already dwindling."
"You want to spare him?" Indignation was plain to hear in Jon Snow's voice. "That man just killed two unharmed children in their beds. That's murder!"
"If we lose the Karstarks, we will lose this war," Catelyn stated.
The bastard came near her and looked straight into her eyes. He did it more often ever since this war started and that Robb listened to his advice as much as hers. "If Bran and Rickon had been killed by a knight in service of the Lannisters, what would you have thought of them if they hid the truth?"
Anger flared inside of her. He had no right to compare these boys to her sons. "I would have accused them of being murderers if they told us it was someone else who did it." She thought about Ned and Tyrion Lannister's claim that he had nothing to do with it.
"I knew Martyn and Willem. I saw them play and practice in the courtyards of Casterly Rock while I lived there. I even practiced with them a few times, showing them a trick or two. They were as innocent as Bran and Rickon were!"
"Enough!" Robb stood up after he slammed on the table. "This is no time for this. I will deal with Lord Karstark and his accomplices once the Lannisters are gone."
"We're going to hide them the truth?"
"I said I would deal with this once Lady Margaery is gone. If the word gets out, others might have the idea to make an attempt on her life. We cannot let that endanger her visit. For now, we will keep it a secret. I'll make sure Ser Brynden brings the bodies to a safe place, where no one can see them, and that no other people are informed of this."
Jon Snow left the hall in a furious pace. He slammed its doors behind him.
"He knew the boys. That's not easy for him," Robb explained.
"My son, you don't plan to…"
"Mother, please. I don't want to talk further about this. Uncle, make sure that no one sees that there were bodies here tonight."
Catelyn went back to her chambers and changed for the day afterwards. She was afraid. Lord Karstark's actions would cost them a lot. Catelyn wasn't naive enough to believe they were certain to win. Had they been defeated, she could still hope on Lady Margaery's good dispositions towards her to save her and her daughters, in the very least. Perhaps Robb could also hope for being sent to the Wall in the eventuality of a defeat. But now that the Lannister children were butchered by one of the most powerful lords in the North, she feared their fate if they lost this war would be far worse.
Steeling herself, Catelyn went to the section of the castle where Lady Margaery was lodged. The guards posted there, in service of the Tullys or the Lannisters, welcomed her as if nothing had changed. Edmure and her uncle Brynden must have made sure the news didn't spread. When the Lannister officer hit the door and announced that Lady Catelyn Stark was there, it was her northern handmaiden who answered.
"Yes, Lady Stark. Lady Margaery will receive you very soon. She just asks you to wait a little."
"Did I arrive too soon? I can come back later if she needs time to prepare."
"No. She just doesn't feel very well. The journey was tiresome for her. She just needs a few moments to recover."
Catelyn found it odd. Margaery Lannister didn't seem tired when they spoke yesterday. Of course, she could hide her exhaustion. What was she doing behind these doors? Mira Forrester went inside and came back after a moment.
"Lady Margaery is ready to receive you."
She led Catelyn inside, then left. Lady Margaery was sitting on her bed. Catelyn's gaze wandered over her hair that wasn't as well arranged as usual, over the chamber pot next to her legs and to a piece of parchment laying on the desk nearby. She stood up as Catelyn appeared and the door closed behind her.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Catelyn. I sent Mira away to see her father. It might be her last chance before long. We can discuss in private. Please sit."
Catelyn took place on a nearby chair while Lady Margaery remained on her bed. Despite her smile and easy manners, Catelyn noticed she looked paler than yesterday.
"Do you feel well? I can ask the maester to take a look at you," she offered.
"Thanks, that's appreciated, but I don't want to abuse your hospitality."
"You have a long journey ahead of you. If there's any risk you could be ill, it would be better if someone examines you before you leave."
"You're probably right."
"I'll call him."
Catelyn went to the door and asked the guard to bring Maester Vyman. Then she went back to sit.
"From what you just said, I guess your son will refuse my proposition," Margaery resumed.
"You cannot expect him to accept without discussion," Catelyn countered, neither confirming nor denying Robb's intentions.
"He should. He will never get a better treaty."
If we lose, indeed. But if we win this war…
"I think you should listen to whatever he has to propose you."
"I will, but I cannot accept anything less than I proposed."
The tone of their conversation was courteous, without hostility. They were two friends from opposite sides in a war, but still friends. Despite the death of Ned, despite the months of conflict that tore apart their respective families, Catelyn couldn't forget Margaery's help at Winterfell when she took care of Rickon while Catelyn stayed at Bran's side, and later when she took care of both her young sons while she recovered from her wounds, all the while helping Robb as he assumed his new functions of Lord of Winterfell. And despite the fact she didn't approve it, it was one of her own handmaidens who brought Arya back to her. It wasn't Margaery that she mistrusted, but her husband and the fact she seemed to trust him entirely.
"Robb will never give up his crown," Catelyn warned her.
Lady Margaery looked down. "Then peace is impossible to make. We cannot let the Seven Kingdoms shatter."
"Why not? Three hundred years ago, our kingdoms were separated and independent, and they were for hundreds of years before that. Surely we could…"
"And before that, Catelyn, the same kingdoms were divided into even smaller kingdoms, and for thousands of years. Are any of us disposed to give back their lands and independence to the Florents, the Leffords or the Boltons?"
Both stopped to argue. Catelyn knew, and she knew that Lady Margaery knew as well, that arguing about it was futile. A pit kept their houses apart and there was almost no way to mend it.
"Tell me more about Sansa. I want to know everything about her life at Casterly Rock."
Margaery accepted and began to detail it. She didn't have much time for Maester Vyman came in. She left her friend alone with him. Her uncle then came to tell her that Robb would receive Lady Margaery very soon to give his answer. Her handmaiden being nowhere to be seen, Catelyn left a message to one of Margaery's guard to say they would see each other in the hall.
There, all the lords had taken place, from the most powerful to the lowest. With the many houses in the Riverlands who surrendered either to Stannis Baratheon or the Lannisters, the place was less crowded than expected and the Northerners were overrepresented. Catelyn took place next to her son. Edmure was on the other side. Jon Snow arrived late, when the audience was about to begin. Not far from Catelyn, Brienne of Tarth stood tall, her hand on her sword, ready to act at the first sign of threat. She swore an oath to Catelyn on the way back from the Stormlands and remained at her side ever since. To the men in the hall, she was still a curiosity, despite the fact that many houses had women fighting in their ranks, such as House Mormont. Arya stood next to Brienne, in the assistance close to the dais.
Lady Margaery Lannister of House Tyrell, Lady of Casterly Rock and heir to Highgarden, now that her brother Loras was dead, entered the hall with four of her guards, two bearing the colors of House Lannister and two with those of House Tyrell. When Catelyn thought about it, she was the cause, the origin of the Tyrell-Lannister alliance, the only person and the only thing keeping those two families united. Before her wedding to Lord Tyrion, nothing linked the two houses, and despite almost four years of marriage, no child had come out to cement this union between Highgarden and Casterly Rock. No wonder this woman was so powerful. She was the key to the most powerful alliance in the Seven Kingdoms and, right now, she stood proud and tall, unimpressed, in front of Robb Stark, the King in the North, and Edmure Tully, the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands. Without her, nothing would maintain the Tyrell-Lannister alliance.
"Lady Lannister," Robb began, " I listened to your offer. After consideration and after consulting my advisors and my bannermen, I must inform you that I decline it."
This was no surprise. Without Littlefinger's arrival a few days ago and the news that Lysa would finally help them, Catelyn would have urged him to accept the alliance with much more insistence. However, she had to concede it, Robb would never give up his crown.
"Still," Robb continued, "I'm proposing an alternative. I'm ready to comply to all the content of your offer, including a marriage with a lady of House Lannister, freeing the hostages from all sides and allying together to fight Stannis if King Tommen consents to acknowledge me as King in the North, with executive rule over the North and the Riverlands as they were delimited before the war started."
"You know this is not acceptable, Lord Stark. If you do not bend the knee to Tommen, an alliance is impossible. At the most, we could allow you to keep your title of king. You would be King in the North, but only for the North, not the Riverlands. However, you would still need to swear fealty to Tommen and the Iron Throne and to maintain all the engagements your father had toward the Iron Throne."
The grumbling was obviously against the proposition. People mocked it, laughed at it. Again, Robb's answer was no surprise.
"I must decline again. This is not what the North wants."
"What about the Riverlands? A part of the river lords have already pledged an oath to King Tommen. What do you say, Lord Tully? Do you really want the Riverlands to hold an oath to Winterfell instead of King's Landing?"
Catelyn knew what she was trying to do : to turn Edmure against Robb. Her brother lost his composure for a moment, but found it back quite quickly. "The Riverlands remain loyal to Robb Stark, the King in the North."
An uproar of approval rose in the hall. However, Catelyn got the distinct impression the uproar mostly came from the northern lords and that the river lords were more discreet. Perhaps it was only because they were fewer.
While people kept cheering, the great doors of the hall opened. The opening was small, but Catelyn noticed it all the same. The girl with black hair walked quickly to Lady Margaery. She hadn't realized that Mira Forrester wasn't present for the audience. Perhaps she prepared Lady Margaery's luggage… though the Lady of Casterly Rock certainly didn't have many for such a journey. The northern girl whispered something in her mistress' ear, anything she was saying covered by the loud and booming voices of the northern lords. Catelyn felt the blood in her veins freeze. Her worst fears were confirmed when Lady Margaery slowly turned to look at the people on the dais, an expression between incredulity and anger on her face.
"Lord Stark!" Just like Catelyn, nobody must have expected Lady Margaery able to talk so loudly for all other voices in the hall ceased. Tension could be felt as the wife of Tyrion Lannister stared at Catelyn's son. "I demand to see Ser Kevan Lannister and his sons."
The silence was heavy. Robb didn't flinch. His expression was grave, but he didn't show any sign of distress. He remained calm, just like his father was in dire situations. "It would be useless, my lady."
"I demand to see them now," she repeated. "Unless you have something to hide."
"I've got nothing to hide, my lady. Ser Kevan is alive and well, just like you saw him yesterday. His sons don't have the same chance." A few whispers spread through the crowd of lords, ladies and knights. "Martyn and Willem Lannister died last night. They were murdered by a group of five people who broke into their cells. Three men under the service of Lord Tully died as they…"
The rest of Robb's words were lost in the thunder of voices that raised to the news. Aside from a very strict circle of confidents, Robb had told no one about this tragedy.
"I demand…" Once again, Lady Margaery firm and powerful voice shut all the others in the hall. "I demand to see Ser Kevan Lannister and his sons now. I want to see them now, and here. If you really have nothing to hide, Lord Stark, then bring them here, for everyone to see."
Everyone waited for Robb's decision. Everyone was watching him. Catelyn realized that Robb had no chance for forgiveness here. He had to prove that he was the true Lord of Winterfell, a true king.
"Fetch Ser Kevan, and bring the bodies of his sons as well."
Half a dozen men left the hall, obeying the orders of their king. That was the only thing to do. Lady Margaery pinned him to a wall and Robb had no choice but to assume what happened. Denial, lies, dissimulation would only make him look weak, dishonorable.
While the guards were gone, Lady Margaery looked around her, then stared back at Robb. "I see Lord Karstark isn't here. I'm surprised, considering he's one of the most powerful men in the North."
Her declaration started a new wave of discussions among the assistance. Robb just waited. He kept looking at Margaery, and she did just the same. None of them flinched, at least in appearance. Finally, the great doors opened again. Ser Kevan was being escorted by two men. He wasn't wearing chains. Lady Margaery went to him right away.
"My lady, what's going on?" he began. The Lady of Casterly Rock spoke to him in a very low voice. He then turned to Robb. "What? What does it mean, my lord? What happened to my sons?"
Two blankets arrived, carried by four men, two for each, and laid cautiously on the ground. Catelyn looked at that man, who once was Master of Laws for Robert, and who led the Lannister armies on the battlefield. He now looked at the bodies of his sons, utterly destroyed, his face showing despair. Slowly, he knelt and removed the blanket from the first shape. A cry escaped his throat.
Lady Margaery stared again at Catelyn's son. "Is that how you treat those who offer you peace? By killing their children?"
"No one here wanted this, my lady. Lord Rickard Karstark led the men who killed those boys. He acted against my orders. This is treason. He will pay for that."
"And where is he, now?"
"In our cells, waiting for my judgment."
Lady Margaery didn't seem soothed by his words. "I'm leaving Riverrun right now."
"My men will escort until you've left our lands." Catelyn knew that Robb was doing this to protect her as much as to keep an eye on her, but that he mostly wanted his bannermen to understand he wouldn't let the Lannisters wander freely on their territory.
"I'm bringing the bodies of Martyn and Willem Lannister with me. They shall all be buried with dignity in their home, at Casterly Rock."
"I'll have Silent Sisters take care of them."
"Ser Kevan Lannister is coming with us."
"My lady, this is not a request I can accept."
"This is not a request. This is a fact. Kevan Lannister is coming with us. Ser Appleton, make sure Ser Kevan makes his way back to Casterly Rock, even if you must leave me here to die." The last order she gave to the guards who followed her left them unmoving for a moment. Then she nodded and they surrounded Ser Kevan. "I will not leave my uncle-in-law here, where his life is in danger and where the King in the North cannot ensure his safety against his own men. His place is with his wife and their daughter, to grieve the loss you inflicted upon them."
"Like you allowed the Lady Sansa to grieve her loss with her family after you killed her father?" Lady Maege Mormont roared, approval coming out from all around.
"Like we allowed Lady Arya Stark to join her family!" To everyone's surprise, Mira Forrester had jumped into the argument. "This was a gesture of goodwill from House Lannister and House Tyrell. Is that your gesture of goodwill?" She pointed the two dead boys on the floor, their father still crying over their bodies. "Is that the idea of justice and honor for the North?"
General uproar and chaos erupted in the hall. "Silence!" Robb stood up for the first time since the audience started. "I had enough of this. You say we killed two children? What about those Tywin Lannister butchered during the rebellion? What about my own father, who you executed after you promised he would live?" Shouts of approval accompanied her son's words all over the hall. "I'm done dealing with the lots of you. I don't want to see any other Lannister in my castle or in my land. You're leaving now. If you ever show up again, I'll have you killed."
"It will be with pleasure. Go on. We leave."
Lady Margaery left on these words, under the shouting of everyone in the hall, along with Ser Kevan. Her guards carried the dead bodies of the knight's sons. No one thought that she was bringing a hostage with her. The soldiers around the room did nothing to stop them, and Robb didn't order them to do anything. Before they disappeared behind the doors, Catelyn saw Mira Forrester cast a gaze behind her. A gaze of hatred. Once they were all gone, Robb spoke again.
"The Lannisters are leaving. They will not be welcomed here again, but I forbid anyone to harm them while they leave. They are under the protection of the guest rights. In the North, we respect that right. Now, concerning Lord Karstark, he and the men under his orders who committed this act made themselves guilty of treason. And they shall be treated like traitors. The four men of lesser station who assisted Lord Karstark will be hanged until death follows. As for Lord Karstark himself, I sentence him to die by beheading."
Surprise and consternation were plain on everyone's face. Catelyn herself could barely acknowledge what was happening.
"That's what my father would have done," Robb continued, "and I wouldn't do anything he wouldn't have."
This was the end of the audience. A little time later, they were in her father's solar again. Her uncle was helping to maintain order after the recent events and to make sure Lady Margaery and everyone who came with her were leaving immediately.
"What have you done?" Catelyn asked him as soon as they were far from the crowd. "Announcing you'll be killing the Lord of Karhold? You realize how many people will turn their back on you once you've delivered the final blow to Lord Karstark?"
"This is not about how many people will stop following me. This is about justice. Who will follow me when they see that I spare those who betray me?"
"And what will happen once you kill Karstark?" Edmure asked. "There's going to be fights and battle inside Riverrun, among ourselves, when we need to be united against our foes."
"Justice is the same for everyone. A Northerner should know that. And the river men as well. I'm already beheading him instead of hanging, and I'm having my sword sharpened so he will die with one blow, in the most painless way it is possible to imagine. He will feel far fewer pain than those boys when he stabbed them."
He would not be moved. Catelyn knew this was a mistake, but he was wearing a crown now, and there was no way they could oppose his decision. Lord Karstark was his bannerman, not Edmure's. The Lord of Riverrun couldn't oppose this.
Jon Snow said nothing all this time. He didn't oppose Robb's decision. An idea appeared in Catelyn's mind.
"Was this your doing? Did you tell her?"
Everyone looked at him. The bastard gave her back her hostile gaze. "I told Mira nothing about the murders. I only told her that she would soon learn that something terrible happened, but this wasn't our doing. That someone betrayed and committed an atrocity we were powerless to stop. I was only trying to soften the blow for the future. I never told her anything about it."
That was because of him. That handmaiden knew something was amiss because of his words, and she must have asked questions. And someone opened his mouth.
"We have to verify who revealed the truth. I'll look into this with our uncle's help," Edmure said before he stared at Jon Snow. "As for you, Jon Snow…"
"I'll deal with him, uncle. Thank you. You and Mother, I would ask you to leave. I need a good conversation with my brother."
As always, Catelyn didn't like to hear her son call Jon Snow his brother, but she left them alone. She hoped that Robb would take measures against him. He caused them more than enough problem since the war started. He encouraged Robb to trust the Lannisters when they said they would save Ned. He freed the man who killed Lord Karstark's first son. And now he warned Lady Lannister's handmaiden about the killing of the boys. It was time Robb dealt with him.
Edmure didn't stay with her. He had matters to attend to. He hurried so much that he didn't notice the maester who was waiting for them outside.
"My lady, please forgive me, but I have information that I thought you might want to know."
"Of course, Vyman. What is it?"
"I examined Lady Lannister like you asked me to."
"Yes."
"And I think you should be informed about her condition."
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Next chapter : Sansa