So here it is, the first chapter told from Mira Forrester's perspective. Mira wasn't supposed to be a POV when I started to write this fanfiction. In fact, the events happening in this chapter were supposed to be told from Jon's perspective, and then I thought it would be better to have a part of the action told from the perspective of the other side, and Mira seemed to be a natural choice.
I know some people complained that Mira's chapters in "A Shadow and a Wolf" only slowed down the pace of the story, and this is true. Mira in ASAAW is a sideline character with a sideline story that is loosely tied to the main plot. That will not be the case for A Rose and a Lion (ARAAL). Mira will be directly involved in the events of Westeros and her chapters will be part of the main plot. There won't be a sideline story this time. I let you read this chapter to see it by yourself.
MIRA I
"Now the Lannisters are using you as their ambassador," her brother grumbled.
"No, Rodrik. I'm not really an ambassador. I'm only carrying an offer of peace. I was chosen over any other person because I am a Northerner," she explained.
"If Tyrion Lannister believes this will make Robb Stark consider his offer, then I'm afraid he will be disappointed," her father replied.
They were together in her father's personal pavilion. She was happy to see her family again, but just like for Jon, she wished they met in better circumstances, and so did they. She believed the next time she would see them would be at her wedding in Highgarden, but destiny decided otherwise. She couldn't believe everything had gone so wrong in such short time. She should have thought better. History books were full of wars that started when they were the least expected, when everyone believed they were safe and happy. Not long ago, she had been serving the Lady of Casterly Rock, peacefully attending her while she ran the biggest castle in Westeros and helped her husband rule the Seven Kingdoms.
Mira wasn't an idiot. She saw enough of the world to know who wielded the real power in Westeros. That was why she had been so confident that nothing would befall Lord Eddard Stark. Lord Tyrion and Lady Margaery had no interest in a war with half of Westeros. Tyrion Lannister was a man who loved to read, to drink and to rule and play politics and diplomacy, even though he sometimes complained about the idiots he had to deal with, but he had no love and no interest for war. Lady Margaery was quite the same. It was no surprise that they came to love each other. Her mistress loved to rule as well, to care for the people and to be loved by them. She wanted the fields to be fertile so she could feed the hungry people of Lannisport and King's Landing, not to see them devastated by armies. She wanted warm cloaks for children who froze during winter, not armors for soldiers. The only weapons she loved to be made were the gifts she offered to her guests and her friends, not the swords that were put into a hastily mobilized farmer so he could kill someone on the battlefield. The people Mira served disliked war, whether the war was cold or hot. They didn't like it tepid either.
And yet, war had come.
"I told him so, Father, but he sent me all the same," she said. She suspected that Lord Tyrion knew she told the truth but kept it to herself. Even if her duty mostly consisted in carrying a scroll, she was still officially an emissary of Lord Tyrion and couldn't share details of this sort. That was her duty.
"Well, we're glad to see you, my daughter."
"Do you think it is wise that you stay in the south?" Rodrik asked. "Maybe it would be better for you to go back to Ironrath."
"You're forgetting about my wedding."
"You can stay at Ironrath for the time being, and once the war is over, you can travel to Highgarden."
"It would be unwise, Rodrik. If Mira leaves Lady Lannister, the betrothal is likely to be cancelled. Though I would rather know that you are safe and unwed than in danger and about to be wed," her father said, worried.
"I won't be in any danger, Father. Lady Margaery has known me for years, and she trusts me. Besides, we don't know what this war could bring to us. If things somehow don't go in our favor, I will probably be better in the south. I could even influence Lady Margaery to see that our family is safe. And if Lord Stark wins, I won't have anything to fear from him or you."
"You trust them?" Rodrik asked, a little suspicious.
"I trust Lord Tyrion and Lady Margaery, yes. They're not that different from us. They were only born south of the Neck."
"If you say so, sister. I know you're enjoying your time in the Westerlands, but don't let that cloud your judgement."
"I don't, Rodrik. I worry about everyone of you every day. I don't know what the future holds for us, and it scares me."
"Don't be scared. You'll see. In a few months, we'll be riding through the gates of the Red Keep, and at this moment the Lannisters would be better to not have mistreated you," he said with a smile. He meant it as a joke, but it didn't reassure Mira.
"The future is always uncertain, Rodrik. We cannot say what will happen in two months, or two years, or twenty years. Anything is possible during a war."
"Aye, it's true, it goes for us like it goes for you. So be careful."
"I'm not the one who will be fighting with a sword soon, Rodrik. But I will be careful. I always am." Unless being careful means acting without honor. "By the way, I never thanked you for the book you sent me."
Rodrik smiled. Mira was happy to bring conversation back to a less serious topic. "I know you'd like it. You must have seen your share of wonders by now."
"Yes. It's quite pleasant. I miss home, but I'm glad I can see some of the world. I couldn't have travelled so much had I remained in the North."
"Well, I hope you will continue to enjoy it. When do you think you will get married?"
She shrugged. "I don't know any longer. With this war, everything's been delayed, again. My wedding is not at the top of Lady Margaery's priorities."
"I can understand that," her father said. "After all, you're my daughter, not hers."
They shared an accomplice smile, like those they often shared. "She's my friend."
"I'm happy for you. It's not often that powerful ladies become your friends."
"Mother was happier than you the last time I saw her."
"Well," Lord Gregor Forrester began with a smile, "your mother sent you in the south to learn the southern ways, and you end up being friends with the Lady of Casterly Rock and betrothed to a Tyrell. I don't believe she ever dreamed of it."
"Who knows, at this pace, you will be Lady of Highgarden one day," Rodrik joked.
"Not a chance. Anyway, Willas Tyrell makes for a better husband than his cousin."
Lady Margaery's brother wasn't an evil man, far from it, but Mira knew better than to hope for reaching such a high position so quickly, and she wasn't eager to get married to a man who slept with other men. She had come to accept the particularities of Ser Loras, just like she accepted the particularities of many other people in the south, including Lady Margaery herself, but that didn't mean she approved them. She knew Willas very well. He was a very good friend, and she didn't mind the fact he was lame. Besides, what Willas lacked physically, his cousin lacked it in brain. She would rather marry someone without legs than without a head. And Willas was already a very good match for her family and in her mother's view.
"Don't ever say that in his presence," her brother warned her.
"I wouldn't dare," she replied in all honesty. Though she might let it slip in the presence of Lady Margaery, for she shared Mira's views about her brother.
"What about your friend Sera? Is she doing well?" her father asked.
"Yes, she is. She remains in King's Landing for now. I suppose we'll stay in the capital as long as Lady Margaery will live there. I have to admit that I don't envy her for now. I don't like being around Joffrey."
Her father looked at her with questioning eyes. "Are you afraid of him?"
"Yes, I'm afraid of him," she answered after a moment.
"You think you could be in danger?" her brother asked, worried.
"Not as long as Lord and Lady Lannister are the ones ruling the city. I think I will be safe, but Joffrey is unpredictable and violent. Sometimes he reminds of the Mad King, the way Mother used to describe him."
Lady Elissa Branfield grew up in the Reach, and twice she went to King's Landing, back in the days when Aerys Targaryen the Second was king. Once when she was only twelve, the second not long before her wedding with Gregor Forrester. She once told Mira about her visits and about the impression that Aerys Targaryen made on her. A man who laughed at cruelty and enjoyed it, whose behaviour alternated between evil grin and mad fury. No kindness in his eyes or on his face, no manners towards anyone, just madness and cruelty. Her lady mother said she had wanted to leave the city as soon as she arrived both times.
"Do you think Lady Lannister could send you to Highgarden after you return? After all, I suppose your betrothed must be eager to see you again. For how long have you been engaged yet? It must be two years now. She would certainly let you leave, and you would get far from Joffrey," her father said.
"I think it would be better if I stayed with Lady Margaery, Father. I don't know why, but I feel this is the place where I must be right now."
"Why do you think so?"
"I don't know. It's just…" She hesitated to tell them. "I feel I can be useful as her handmaiden."
"I have to admit that I don't like it, Mira," Rodrik said. "You're putting yourself in danger."
"So do you, Rodrik, and Father too. Every man in this army is putting his life in danger right now. Why should it be any different for me?"
"Because you have a choice, Mira. We don't."
"We always have a choice, Rodrik." She cast a glance to her father, who looked down.
"My son, would you go and make sure all men are resting? I don't want any of them to get drunk tonight."
"Aye, Father."
Her eldest brother walked through the entrance of the tent, leaving Mira alone with her lord father.
"We always have a choice," her father quoted.
"Yes, always."
He sighed. "Sometimes, I wish I made a different one."
Mira looked at the ground for some time, then stood up and paced before she turned to her lord father. "I used to blame you, Father, but I stopped a long time ago. I understand why you did this, and I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for you."
"I regret it every day, Mira. You have no idea how often I wish I could go back and change the decision I took this day."
"Many more people would wish you chose another path, had you taken this one."
"I know. I keep telling myself that I did the right thing, but that's not enough. None of your brothers talk about it, and neither do your mother or your sister, but sometimes I can feel they still despise me for what I did."
"I don't, and I'm sure no one does."
Her father laughed humorlessly. "You spent too much time away from home. I'm quite sure that Rodrik's first decision when I die will be to undo this."
They remained silent. They both knew what trouble this could cause. "Has Rodrik ever read the Chronicles?" she asked.
"No," her father confessed. "I never told him to."
"Why? You told me to read them."
"I know." He avoided her gaze.
"Why not Rodrik then? Don't you believe it would be important for him? He will be Lord of Ironrath one day?"
"Perhaps because I don't want him to make the same decisions that I did. You will never be Lady of Ironrath, Mira. But of all my children, you were always the one who looked the most like me, who could understand me the most. I suppose I told you to read them because I wanted someone to understand me, and because I knew you would never face such a situation."
A sardonic smile came to her lips. "You knew nothing, Father."
Lord Gregor Forrester looked at her, stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You respect her, don't you?"
"Yes. I do, Father. I will never betray the North, or you, or my family, but I could never betray Lady Margaery either."
"It seems your mother didn't think about it when she sent you to Highgarden," he said on with sad voice.
"We both know what will happen tomorrow, Father. Lord Stark will refuse the terms of peace, and we know what will come next."
"Aye, I know. Only too well."
"Is that what you want?" she asked.
"No, but this is not a question of what I want. It's about what I must do, and about my duty. I swore an oath to House Stark."
He released her shoulders and went back to his chair. "Once, you took a different decision."
"Aye, but it was my decision back then. Now it's not."
"We always have a choice, Father."
"Not this time, Mira. Not this time."
Yes, we do. She kept it for herself. She knew her father wouldn't agree with her and wouldn't change his mind, and she wasn't even sure she wanted him to change it. Being loyal to two people who were enemies was difficult.
"Do you want to stay with us tonight? I already had my men arranging a place for you. You'll be comfortable," he offered.
"Of course, Father. I'll be glad."
They both smiled to each other, and for a moment Mira Forrester was back in the Great Hall of Ironrath, when she and her father would share a joke or a few words at table that only both of them could understand.
Later, Mira was in her own tent among the Forrester forces. She warned the knights who accompanied her that she would be sleeping with her family, and although some seemed to disagree, Ser Lyonel Frey said she had every right to spend time with her family.
She just untied her hair and laid back in her bed when she felt a burst of wind coming from the back of the tent. She turned to the origin of the noise to find a small shape with something dangling by her side. She realized who was there before she called for help.
"Arya, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Sorry, they wouldn't let me see you," she apologized.
"You shouldn't be here, not so late."
"It's okay. Only a few people know I'm here. Robb is keeping it a secret. Apart from some of his men and his main bannermen, no one knows about my presence. They still see a boy when I walk around."
Mira allowed a smile to come upon her lips. "Jon was right about you. Nothing can stop you."
"Jon talks a lot about me?"
"Yes, of course. He speaks of all his family, but about you more than anyone else. I think you are his favourite sibling. You seem very close."
"Aye, we are. I just wanted to thank you. I didn't tell you before, and I'm sorry. You risked your life to get me out of Harrenhal, and I wasn't very kind with you, Mira. Thank you, really."
"There's no need to apologize, Arya. You've been through more in a few weeks than me during my entire life, so I don't blame you for not saying thank you."
"I know but, I'm sorry all the same. I'm really sorry. I thought you were trying to give me to the Lannisters first, and I thought you were working for them." You're not that far from the truth, Arya. "I misjudged you. Do you forgive me?"
"Of course, I do. But I think you would be better to leave. Someone could realize you slipped away and it would terrorize your brothers."
"Aye, I'll go. Good night, Mira."
And Arya was gone as quickly as she came. Mira went back to bed and fell asleep. However, she woke up in the middle of the night and felt the need to make water. She used the chamber pot next to her bed and, while she went back to sleep, her right foot touched something metallic on the ground. She had lit a candle to prevent any accident while she made water and was about to blow it off. It was a chance she didn't do it yet, for the light of the candle reflected on the small piece of metal her foot touched. She knelt and took it. Because of the darkness, she couldn't see the details, but it didn't look like any coin she ever saw.
She approached it of the candle and looked at the detail. The coin was round, all dirty and old. It showed only three strange forms. Perhaps before it displayed a face but wear probably got the better of it. It was definitely not a golden dragon nor a silver stag. She bit it. It wasn't made of copper either. It seemed to be made of iron. She turned the coin to look at the other side, and there she froze. There were inscriptions, letters from a language she couldn't speak or read, but whose alphabet she knew. She couldn't read most of the letters on the outline of the coin, for again wear made half of them unreadable, but the two letters at the centre of the coin were more than visible. And she knew what these two letters meant together. Quickly, she put on a gown and a cloak and walked to the first person she thought about.
He was quite surprised when she woke him up. He was wearing most of his daily clothes, so Mira had no problem looking at him in this attire. Ghost had woken up the moment she walked in, but made no sound to warn his master.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, blinking at he light of the candle she lit as soon as she had entered.
"Excuse me, Jon, but I needed to talk to you, and it couldn't wait." She rubbed Ghost's fur a little as she spoke, and the direwolf squealed. He hadn't forgotten her.
Jon Snow rubbed his eyes and sat in his bed. "You don't have much respect for convenience for a lady," he said.
"You should know what some of my friends were doing in Highgarden, and even at the Rock. Anyway, that's not as if that was the first I entered your chamber," she said seriously. Though today it wasn't technically a chamber, but it was a detail. She tossed the coin at him. "Look at it. Arya came to see me and I think she dropped it on my floor."
He looked at it. "Aye. She showed it to me. A man at Harrenhal gave it to her."
"Did she tell you who he was?"
"She said a name. Jaqen Hagar, or something similar."
She recognized the style of name. "Braavosi."
"Aye, she thought so too."
"Jon, is there anything else she told you about this man? Any detail, any little information."
He hesitated. "She said he killed people for her. She saved him, so he allowed her to choose people he would kill."
She opened her mouth. "Did someone find out it was him?"
"No, not that I know of. She didn't see him after she left Harrenhal."
"Jon, I believe it was a Faceless Man."
"A what?"
"A Faceless Man. They come from Braavos. They are members of a secret society of assassins. Very little is known of them, but they are reputed for being very efficient killers. They never miss their targets, and they are very costly. Some say they are some kind of religious order whose members worship death."
Jon didn't believe her. "Mira, what are you talking about? This is impossible."
"I'm not joking, Jon. They truly exist. Many years ago, I saw a picture of a coin like this one in a book. The Faceless Men are using it to communicate between them and to show they belong to the organization. It is said that if you show a coin like this one to anyone from Braavos, he will do anything you ask from him. They are feared, and not only in Braavos. They are known through all the Free Cities of Essos, and even among the rich and powerful people of Westeros, or by those who have the means to pay them. They're dangerous."
He seemed to realize she was being serious. "Are you sure this is one of their coins? You said yourself that very little is known of them."
"No, I'm sure. These coins are known by everyone in Braavos. You see the letters on this side? They stand for Valar Morghulis. This is High Valyrian, and it means all men must die. The Faceless Men are said to use these words all the time."
"So you're saying that Arya received this coin from a professional assassin from the other side of the Narrow Sea?"
"Yes, and if that's the case, then she might be in great danger. We almost know nothing of these men. Some say that the reason why they are so good at killing is because they can change their faces. That's why they're so hard to find."
"Changing their faces?" he asked, skeptical.
Mira took a good inspiration. "Jon, listen. I don't know who this man was, but he is dangerous, and I don't believe it is wise to let your sister carry this coin around with her. Only the fact he could kill people in Harrenhal without being caught is reason enough to worry."
"Aye, I admit. But Arya is no longer in Harrenhal, and she's leaving for Riverrun today. I doubt she could ever see this man again."
"Maybe not, but I would rather be careful. I think your sister shouldn't keep this coin with her."
"I agree. I should have taken it from her in the first place."
"I would like to bring it back to King's Landing."
Jon looked at her, very surprised. "Why?"
"If I'm right and this man was a Faceless Man, then I might find something there. There's the library, the archives, and even people who could give me information about these assassins there. I don't like it. And either way, if I'm wrong and it's only a common assassin, then you'll get your sister rid of the coin anyway. The coin could help me to catch the assassin at Harrenhal."
"Aright," Jon conceded after a moment, giving her back the coin. "Try to find what you can."
"I will. I don't like that your sister could have been in contact with a man who can change his appearance to kill people."
Jon nodded. "You'd better go back to sleep, Mira."
"Yes, I should. Good night, Jon."
She rubbed Ghost's fur one last time and left. He whined as she walked out.
Back to her tent, she hid the coin carefully in her cloak an slept with it. She wouldn't let it go anywhere far from her. Jon's sister might be in danger, and she had to find out what this was all about. She didn't think she would try to locate the man at Harrenhal. The Faceless Men were too often mentioned and talked about to be a simple rumor. Maybe they couldn't change their faces, but behind every legend there was some truth. It couldn't be a coincidence that the coin was so similar to the image she saw a long time ago.
Early in the morning, after spending the night thinking about he implication of this coin and the assassin who supposedly helped Arya, she was summoned to Robb Stark's command pavilion. She had a good idea of what was waiting for her.
She was escorted by Ser Lyonel Frey and the other knights who came with her from King's Landing. Ser Kevan had offered to provide her with more guards when she stopped at Harrenhal, but she kindly refused. All the men who came to the Stark camp had followed her since King's Landing.
Ser Lyonel Frey was a cold man by many standards, and few in Casterly Rock spent time with him, but Mira didn't mind the fact that he commanded her escort. As cold as he could be, Lyonel Frey was also very respectful of everyone, especially people who behaved with honor and discipline. He seldom spoke with Mira during their journey, but on the few times he did, she could feel he had the utmost respect for her and her family. He allowed her to spend time with her father and her brother as much as she wanted, without asking any question. Once, he told her that her loyalty towards Lady Margaery was worthy of praise. While the other knights looked at her suspiciously because of her northern origins, no such thing was to be seen with the Frey knight.
They arrived before the command tent. Ser Lyonel and Ser Vaner Nash, who walked before her, stepped aside to let her in. Before she stepped into the wolf's den, Ser Lyonel wishes her good luck.
"I think you'll need it," he said, no sarcasm and no mockery piercing his voice, only a genuine wish that everything would be alright.
Inside, Robb was standing behind a table, a map of Westeros laid before him, without any piece on it. Mira supposed he didn't want to risk his tactics being discovered by a possible spy. Mira was no spy. She didn't come with the intent of discovering Robb Stark's intentions, but if she was asked by Lord Tyrion or Lady Margaery to talk about what she saw in this camp, she would have no choice but to speak, unless she was bound by an oath of some sort to tell nothing.
Jon was sitting to his brother's right, while Lord Jon Umber sat on the left. There were many lords including Lord Glover and Lord Bolton. She didn't know some of them, but she presumed the most fat of them was Ser Wylis Manderly, heir to White Harbor. Her father was also present, at the right end of the table. He nodded to her. He tried to look encouraging, but Mira knew better. She stood before all of them, all those high lords of the North, the most powerful men in her homeland, and she was all alone. She wasn't supposed to be there. She was born at Ironrath, a daughter of a rich if not powerful northern family, a worshiper of the Old Gods, member of a house who had been loyal to House Stark of Winterfell for centuries. And yet there she stood, opposite to all these men and women, representing a king who murdered Lord Eddard Stark.
Iron from Ice. She repeated her family's words in her head. They gave her courage. She bowed and pulled up a passive face, joined her hands in front of her, and waited. Robb Stark spoke.
"Lady Mira Forrester, first, I want to thank you, as Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, but also as a brother, for bringing back to me my sister, the Lady Arya of House Stark. I know you took huge risks for that, and that you take again more risks by going back to King's Landing, knowing Joffrey and his advisors might find out what you did." She didn't know if Joffrey would ever know about it, but Lord Tyrion and Lady Margaery would. "You have my personal gratitude, and the gratitude of all House Stark, and of the entire North."
"Hear," said all the lords save one. Roose Bolton was looking at her with cold eyes, expressionless. She tried to not let his cold stare unsettle her.
"I have read the terms of peace that were sent to us by Tyrion Lannister, Hand of the King and Lord of Casterly Rock, Joffrey's uncle." Disdain was plain in Lord Stark's voice as he said the name. "After considering them thoroughly, I have come with another proposal to make to Lord Lannister."
A servant gave her a large scroll with the seal of House Stark on it. She saw Maester Ortengryn open many of these seals on many papers through the years. It was the first time she was being given one though. The Lord of Winterfell continued.
"Since Joffrey is acknowledging that he murdered my father without good cause, I consider he deserves the same justice as any murderer. Joffrey must surrender himself to me so I may carry out the sentence he deserves for killing Lord Eddard Stark. I will consider in return that all the other members of House Lannister are innocent and were not responsible of my father's death. House Lannister and House Tyrell will drop their weapons, cease all hostility and recognize Stannis as the one true king of the Seven Kingdoms. My sister Sansa is to be released without delay. Lord Tyrion Lannister is to stand in trial for the attempt of murder against my brother, Brandon Stark. My father's bones and the bones of all the people the Lannisters slaughtered in King's Landing must be returned so their families may bury them with dignity and honor. My father's sword, Ice, must be returned immediately. All the houses in the Riverlands whose lands were occupied or crossed by the Lannister troops will be compensated with an amount that will be fixed by the wronged houses and approved by me and Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun."
"In return, I will consider that all the other members of House Lannister are innocent and were not responsible of my father's death. I will hold no grudge against them and consider that justice has been made. I will talk for them and House Tyrell to King Stannis and do my utmost so that they can keep their lives, lands and castles. I will also do everything I can to ensure that Myrcella and Tommen, the children of Jaime and Cersei Lannister, are allowed to live in exile with their parents, though the final decision will belong to Stannis of the House Baratheon, our rightful king. There will be no marriage between House Stark and Houses Lannister and Tyrell, and they shall obey Stannis in everything he commands them."
"If the Lannisters and their allies refuse this offer, I will not protect them from Stannis's wrath, and I will hunt them as accomplices in my father's murder. They shall suffer the same fate as my father, only I won't use a servant to do my beheading for me. I will litter the south with Lannister dead."
"Hear, hear," said all the lords together. She noticed her father and Jon said so with less enthusiasm than the others.
"You will ride for King's Landing right away, Lady Mira, and I encourage you to hurry, for as long as the Lannisters do not answer my offer, I will consider them as enemies and keep fighting them to avenge my father. They can give me Joffrey willingly, or I'll take him from them over their dead bodies."
That was all. She performed her duty by bringing the terms of peace to Robb Stark and receiving his answer. Duty only demanded that she brings back his answer to Lord Tyrion who would then decide whether he accepted or refused. That was all she had to do, and nothing more.
However, she felt she couldn't leave.
The whole city was filled with wailing, lamentations, shouts and sufferings of all sorts, for men were killed in close combat and others, still alive, were thrown from the top of roofs and fell to the ground, some even falling on spears and swords. The main roads were burned down and districts went on fire one after another. This day saw other horrors, for the fire set ablaze all buildings and made them crumble, while soldiers, instead of progressively opening breaches in constructions, made the walls fall in one swift movement. Along with stones, lots of bodies and even people still alive fell upon the enemy soldiers. These people were mostly old, women and children who hid in their houses, some covered with injuries, others half-burned and shouting horrible screams. Others, pushed from heights, were thrown into a thousand horrible pains, reduced to ashes, smashed, torn apart.
She looked at her father. He made an imperceptible movement with his head, begging her to leave. Their gazes met, and he knew immediately. She saw his lips squeezing even from where she stood. They both knew what she was about to do, and they both dreaded it.
"My lord, you realize that Tyrion Lannister will never accept peace at these conditions," she finally said.
"I don't expect him to, but I'm giving him a chance."
"He will never recognize that his nephews and his niece come from an incest." After all, they had no proof that Joffrey and his siblings were not Robert's children. They might look more like Ser Jaime than their father, but this proved nothing. Talia was so alike their mother that she seemed to have nothing in common with their father. That didn't make her less the daughter of Gregor Forrester than Mira. "And you know that Stannis Baratheon will kill the children no matter what happens."
"I gave you my answer for Lord Tyrion, Lady Mira. There's nothing else to discuss. I wish you a safe travel."
He had pushed aside the matter. He now began to stand up. "I demand the right to speak freely."
"My lady, I have nothing to listen to. Whether the Lannisters accept my terms or they refuse. I will not negotiate. You may leave."
She heard two men approaching her from behind. Leaving was no suggestion in Robb Stark's eyes. "A man you knew once told me that a good lord listens to his people."
The two men who were approaching her stopped in their path, and Robb Stark stopped his movement as well. He stared at her, as if that was the first time he saw her.
"I may only have been six when Eddard Stark visited Ironrath, but I remember it very well, and this is what he told my lord father during his visit. And I'm quite sure he told you the same at one time or another. I ask the permission to speak as a Northerner who spent the last years of her life in the south and who knows more about the southern kingdoms than any other person in this tent."
A heavy silence fell upon the place. Her father was looking worriedly at her, and Jon was surprised, and so were many other lords. Some displayed anger. After all, she almost defied the Lord of Winterfell in front of his most powerful bannermen. Only one man remained quiet, and he was the one to speak.
"Perhaps Lady Forrester could share with us what she knows of the south. Better to go to war when you know your enemy."
She wasn't sure which enemy Roose was talking about. Mira knew enough about politics to understand that Robb Stark couldn't refuse her now. The Boltons and the Starks had a history that was as complicated as the history of Mira's family with the Whitehills, or the Tyrells with the Florents or the Lannisters with the Reynes. As soon as the Lord of the Dreadfort said he was interested in hearing someone, the Lord of Winterfell couldn't refuse it.
"You may speak," Robb Stark said, taking back his seat.
Again, Mira had the eyes of the entire North on her, but this time she wouldn't only listen. She would speak. She straightened and reminded herself once again that she was a Northerner. She may have spent the last four years in Highgarden and Casterly Rock, but she was a child of the North, and she would always be. As such, she went straight to the point.
"You cannot win this war."
"That's a bold statement, my lady," the Lord of the Last Hearth said. "It seems the south made you weak."
"I know you fought during Robert's wars, Lord Umber, but you fought against armies of the Crownlands and Dorne, and against Ironmen. You never fought the Tyrells and the Lannisters. They already raised more men than you will ever be able to muster. Their armies are ready and well trained, and they have better weapons and armors than you do. Even if you defeat them in battle, they will always come back with another army, no matter how many times you beat them, until you lose. They already occupy a part of the Riverlands. Lord Stannis and Lord Renly are fighting each other. I know you don't have the support of the Vale, or else I would have seen some banner from the Arryns or their bannermen since I arrived. And since Theon Greyjoy is not here, I suppose you probably sent him to the Iron Islands to make an alliance with Balon Greyjoy."
She struck at the right place. Many lords couldn't hide their surprise. She noticed that the son of Balon Greyjoy was standing next to Robb Stark when he was acting Lord of Winterfell, back when Lady Margaery and her husband visited the North, and she supposed there had to be a good reason that he wasn't here. Her theory just proved to be right.
"Even if you gain an alliance with him, Balon Greyjoy will eventually turn on you, like he did ten years ago. Joffrey is supported by the two most powerful houses in Westeros. As long as they support him, you will not be able to defeat him."
"For a Northerner, you seem quite certain that southerners are going to win," Lord Bolton pointed out. "Are you so certain we will lose, Lady Mira?"
He was testing her. She could see it. "A wise man once said that the best commander is not the man who wins every battle, but the man who knows when he can fight and when he cannot. I don't wish to see the North defeated, and eventually invaded." She looked back at Jon's brother. "I know you want to kill Joffrey, my lord, but all you will achieve by fighting him will be thousands of deaths, if not more, and many of them will be your countrymen."
"So you suggest I accept Tyrion Lannister's offer?" Robb Stark asked, obviously disgusted.
"Yes, I think you should." She didn't hesitate to say what she thought, not a single second.
"Coward!" Lord Karstark shouted.
"Careful, you're talking to my daughter," her father warned the Lord of Karhold.
"Your daughter is a coward then."
"Enough!" Robb Stark stood to speak. "My father, the Lord of Winterfell, was murdered by Joffrey. Justice demands that Joffrey dies, and I will stop at nothing to bring him justice."
"With all your respect, Lord Stark, killing thousands of people to render justice for one man is no justice for the people who will die," she countered.
"If it had been Lord Forrester who was killed, would you say the same?" he asked.
She looked at her lord father, who returned her gaze. "Sometimes, we must sacrifice someone of our family for the people we rule."
Lord Gregor Forrester looked down again. "You may think that way, Lady Mira," Lord Glover said, "but Lord Eddard wasn't only a lord for all of us. He was a friend, almost a brother. The entire North is grieving for him, and we are ready to die to avenge him."
He tried to say it on a gentle tone, though she perceived a certain sharpness behind it. She saw that all the lords agreed or didn't dare to disagree. Mira knew she was stuck into a corner, but she had gone too far to draw back. She did the last thing she could do and called in a loud voice.
"Ser Lyonel, the case."
Robb Stark frowned and many looked suspicious. Two Silent Sisters entered, carrying a huge case, and laid it on the ground between Robb Stark and Mira. Everyone looked at it, perfectly knowing it what it was.
"What's that?" Jon asked in the end.
She looked at him, trying to convey with a simple look how sorry she was. "We brought everyone's bones. They're yours. Your father's greatsword is at Harrenhal. I was instructed to send it to you right away if you accepted the terms of peace. It's still not too late."
She allowed everyone to look at the case one more moment, and then Robb Stark walked to it, knelt, and opened it. Mira couldn't see the content from where she was, but she knew everyone else could. "When I arrived at the Red Keep, the first thing I saw was Lord Stark's head on a spike over the battlements. I wanted Joffrey to die at this moment, and I still want him to die, but not at any cost. Because if you wage war against him, there will be other cases like this one, other heads on ramparts, more blood that will be spilled. And some of it will be northern blood, northern heads, northern bones. I don't want to see Northerners die for something we cannot get. And if you go to war, the death of these people will be on your hands as much as Joffrey's hands."
Robb Stark didn't lift his face from the content of the case. He didn't show any sign that he heard her. After a long moment, he looked up.
"Go. If Joffrey turns down my proposition, I will kill him and all his family."
Mira closed her eyes for a short moment and sighed. She had done all she could. "I will pray that Tyrion Lannister accepts it, but I know he will not. Good luck, my lord."
She left, shooting one last look at her father. When she came out, tears were running down her cheeks.
"Are you well, my lady," Ser Lyonel asked her.
"I'm fine. We ride for King's Landing now."
He nodded, and the men followed her back to the space they were given. Everything was almost ready. Only last preparations were required, and they would only take a few minutes. Mira thought about going to see Rodrik one last time, but they didn't have time. She was also afraid that it might be the last time she would see him. A man once said that in peace, sons bury their fathers, while in war, fathers bury their sons. She was afraid it might turn out she would have to bury her father and her brother. She had tried to avoid this possibility, and she failed. If she couldn't convince Robb Stark to make peace, she didn't see how she could convince Tyrion Lannister or Lady Margaery.
"Mira what just happened?"
She would recognize this voice anywhere. Jon was approaching. His presence was comforting and dreading at the same time, for she knew he might die in this war too.
"I did what I thought was right," she told him, "just like when I saved Arya."
"You truly want us to make peace with Joffrey?"
"Yes, I do," she said, with all the conviction in the world.
"He killed my father!"
"And many more fathers will die if you fight him."
"So what, we let him live?"
"Do you have another solution that doesn't involve thousands of people dying?"
Jon shook his head in disbelief. "If it had been your father, would you really let Joffrey go with it?"
"I would have to, just like my father did?"
He frowned. "What?"
"Have you forgotten my brother? I told you about him. You think my father wanted to exile him? Asher was forced to live the rest of his life on another continent, only because he fell in love with the wrong woman. My father didn't want to send him away. Do you know why he did it? Because if he hadn't, we would have been at war with the Whitehills. He couldn't be sure he would win, but even if he was, his people would have suffered. Why do you think he is called Gregor the Good? Because he placed the interest of the people he ruled over his own, over the interests of his family. That's why the people love him."
"Do you have any idea what war really is, Jon?" she asked him. "History tells us the date of battles, the lords and the kings who took part to it, who won and who lost, but never tells us what truly happens during wars. People die on the battlefield, and for every man who is killed, many more are injured. Some lose legs or arms. Some are so severely injured and suffer so much that their comrades kill them to shorten their pain. And it's only the people on the battlefields. What do you think happens to those who can't fight? They get murdered and raped. Their houses are destroyed. Entire villages disappear. When it doesn't happen, the armies steal from the people, take their crops, their clothes, their steel, even their children, anything they can use for the war. Lands are left unattended and cannot produce crops anymore while men are at the front. And when winter comes, people starve or freeze to death because they have nothing left to eat or to keep themselves warm. THIS is war. Do you think it's justice?"
Jon was looking at her, agape. Her memories brought her back to a long time ago, in the North, when her brother Asher was forced to leave. She had been so angry at her father. That was one of the rare times when her mother yelled at him, and Mira yelled at him too. She was so angry, that her father exiled her brother, his own son. That was when her father suggested her to read something very special: Chronicles of wars and their consequences, written by an unknown maester. A passage of it had come back to her mind while she spoke with Robb Stark. It detailed the casualties and the suffering caused by all the conflicts that took place in Westeros and Essos for the last five hundred years. The man who wrote this had collected numbers and testimonies that showed the consequences of all these wars. After she read it, her father had spoken to her, telling her that would be what would happen if he didn't exile Asher. It had taken time for Mira to forgive her father, but in the end she understood, and she forgave him. Her father, on the other side, never forgave himself, and Mira knew her lady mother never completely forgave him either. She was the only Forrester to truly forgive him, but she didn't blame him for not forgiving himself. She wouldn't either, if she was in his place.
"We cannot let Joffrey escape with this, Mira." Jon said after a long moment. "If we let people go away with that, if there's no justice in this world, what will it become? What will stop people from doing what they want?"
"They're already doing what they want, Jon. If we are ready to kill people to avenge your father, what's the difference between us and Joffrey?"
He approached and stared at her. "We're not like him."
"I know you're not, but I don't want you or your brother to be anything like him one day."
"We won't."
"You can't promise that, no more than you can promise someone you will not die. Anything can happen during a war. Nothing is sure."
"One thing is sure," Jon said. "If we do not fight, Joffrey will be free to do anything he wants."
"Not as long as Lord Tyrion and Lady Margaery are there to control him," she replied.
She believed everything she said. Although the Tyrells hesitated so far, she knew they would side with the Lannisters at the end. And as long as the Lord and the Lady of Casterly Rock could keep Joffrey in check, the Seven Kingdoms could know justice, prosperity and peace, if only the kingdoms were ready to give them a chance.
"They really had nothing to do with my father's death?" he asked her.
"I swear it on my life, Jon. Joffrey killed your father, and no one else."
He looked away. "I'll try to convince Robb to not kill every Lannister, but our father just died, and I can't see how that will be possible. I fear the Lannisters and the Tyrells are enemies now."
She looked straight into his eyes. "I will never be your enemy, Jon. Never."
They kept looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity.
"My lady, we're ready to depart." Ser Lyonel's voice broke the moment. Mira looked at Jon one last time then proceeded to mount her horse that Lyonel Frey brought her.
"Do you think we will see each other again?" Jon asked her.
"I don't know." This time she couldn't be sure of it. She couldn't be sure of anything. Nothing was filled with more uncertainty than war. She settled herself comfortably on the saddle. She was a clumsy rider before she left Ironrath, but after years spent riding with Margaery and her friends, she got quite decent at riding.
"I know you said I couldn't do that, but I promise you, Mira. I won't let your father and your brother die."
"Promise me in this case that you will not die either."
"I promise."
She smiled for the first time today. "Then I suppose we will see each other again, after all. Be careful, Jon."
She ordered her horse to move forward. An hour later, they were already far from the camp of the Stark army and riding for Harrenhal. There, she would take the greatsword Ice and carry it back to King's Landing. She wished she could have left it to Robb Stark like his father's bones and his sister.
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Next chapter : Jaime
