Catelyn tries to hold her end of the bargain with Margaery.


CATELYN VI

The gates of Riverrun opened wide for her. Her cloak was drenched and so she was. Brienne rode at her side, now her sworn shield. She didn't look better. But Catelyn was home, and her home was free.

On their way, they fell upon a patrol near Harrenhal who told them of the siege of Riverrun. And then news came that the castle was saved and the Lannisters were gone. Catelyn rode immediately, escorted by Brienne and a group of men led by a knight in service to House Dustin.

Inside the courtyard, some of the people she cared the most for in this world were waiting for her.

"Hi, Catelyn," Edmure told her at once. "I'm glad to see you. We were beginning to fear the worst."

"The worst is what I always expect now." She turned to Ser Brynden Tully, the Blackfish, her uncle. Despite being old by all standards, he was taller and better built than his nephew, who would soon become Lord of Riverrun. Not that the Blackfish resented Edmure for that. He never wanted to be Lord of Riverrun.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked as they shared a deep embrace.

"It was hard to get a raven to you, and his state got worse all of a sudden."

She withheld her tears. They would be for later, when she would be with her lord father. For now, there were two other people she needed to take care of.

In the little span of time she was away, Robb seemed to have gotten ten years older. The change was not mostly physical. He had scars earned from battles on him now, but above everything else it was his behavior. He looked more like his father than he ever did before. His face was hard, but she soon realized that just like her husband, he needed to look tough in front of his men. His eyes just showed relief to see her again.

"Welcome home, Mother."

She embraced him as well, then turned to the one person that made her arrival to Riverrun in the time of her father's decline less tragic. Arya threw her arms around her as soon as Robb released her.

When they separated, Catelyn realized that her youngest daughter had grown in her behavior just like Robb, and just like she didn't only grow up physically. She noticed blisters on her hands, and she had a short sword at her belt. Her face was harder, and there were marks showing that she endured great challenges. Jon Snow was right behind her and he stood where he was. Catelyn looked at him but nothing more.

"We have many things to discuss, Mother," her son started, "but it can wait if you wish to see our grandfather first."

It would be so easy to give in, to just run to her father's chambers and see him, see how horribly the illness was taking him, to escape the world of war and just focus on family. But war couldn't be ignored, and her whole family needed her, not just her lord father.

And so they ended up in her brother's solar, telling each other what happened, Arya about the events of King's Landing and how she escaped, Catelyn about the events in the Stormlands and her escape from Renly's encampment and her journey of return. Aside from the tale of the shadow with the face of Stannis Baratheon who killed Lord Renly right in front of her, a tale that Lady Brienne confirmed, the fact that caused the most reactions were Lady Lannister's revelations about Bran's attempt of murder.

"So it would be Joffrey who tried to kill Bran?" Robb asked, not looking very surprised.

"Lady Lannister seemed to think so," she replied.

"How do we know she's not lying to cover her own involvement?" Edmure asked.

"You have a point, uncle," Robb said. "It's easy to blame the dead."

All seemed to agree.

"What do you mean, the dead?" Catelyn asked.

They all looked at her. "You haven't heard the news?" her uncle Brynden asked her.

"The raven arrived days ago. We thought you'd hear about it," her brother said.

"Hear what?"

"Joffrey is dead. Tyrion Lannister must have sent ravens through all the Seven Kingdoms about it. Joffrey would have been found dead in his chambers on a morning. They blame Stannis."

As Robb's words were spoken, a feeling of relief went through Catelyn. Joffrey Baratheon was dead. The boy who had her husband murdered was gone. Everyone advised him to spare Ned Stark, but he didn't listen. He ordered his execution on the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor. Justice was done. That monster got what he deserved. That was all she could think as the words of Margaery Lannister resonated within her mind.

"If Joffrey is dead..." She began to whisper, then her voice got strong enough to be heard. "If Joffrey is dead, then your father is avenged."

Her son didn't react, nor did Jon Snow, but Arya seemed relieved as well, even... satisfied. Proud.

"It's not over yet," her son declared. "We've received word from Stannis. He sent it after the Battle of the Kingsroad, but the message got lost. He wants us to march on King's Landing and assist him in its taking. He's not happy that we allowed most of Ser Kevan's army to retreat to the capital."

"That's not surprising. He wanted us to keep the Lannisters into the Riverlands so he could seize the Iron Throne, not to send them back to the city where they could defend it," the Blackfish commented.

"We're heading tomorrow, at forced march. I'll leave half my men with you, uncle Edmure, to help you defend the Riverlands. The Lannisters may be retreating to the Golden Tooth, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is a trap."

"You're leaving, already?" She knew it was the king's orders, and they had to obey him, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it was a mistake, moreover now that Joffrey was gone.

"These are Stannis' orders," Robb replied grimly. He didn't seem more enthusiastic than her to the idea of marching on the capital.

"What about Bran and Rickon?"

For a long time, no one dared to speak. "Lord Bolton's son is taking care of it. Winterfell will be free soon, and so will Bran and Rickon."

Will they? She didn't dare to ask the question, but she looked into the eyes of her son, then her brother and her uncle. All had the same expression, the one that meant they didn't know what would happen.

"My lords, if you would allow me..."

Everyone turned to look at Brienne. She had stayed silent the whole meeting, only confirming Catelyn's story about Lord Renly's death. She hesitated a moment before the army of eyes pointed on her, then she spoke again.

"I would not obey Stannis Baratheon if I were you."

Robb started at her. "Lady Brienne, you served Renly Baratheon. You were part of his Kingsguard and it is your right to mourn him. You can estimate yourself lucky that you protected my mother and that you are at her service. In other circumstances, I would have put you under arrest for treason. But your fate lies in Stannis' hands. He is our king. If you hope to live..."

"Lord Stannis murdered his brother."

"Be careful, my lady."

"I know what I saw, my lord."

"Aye, and what do you claim you saw? A shadow! You want me to believe it?"

"I'm not lying."

"Forgive me, Lady Brienne, but it is hard to believe such a tale."

Brienne of Tarth was speechless, but Catelyn didn't let the silence linger for long.

"I saw it as well, Robb. She's not lying." She could not let the others believe Brienne was lying. She already went through enough ordeals and faced more than enough problems. Catelyn would not let Robb add more to them.

Her son looked at her with an intense look. "Are you sure? You saw a shadow kill Renly Baratheon?"

"I did. And it did have the face of Stannis," she added.

She wouldn't have Brienne branded a liar when she was telling the truth, no matter what her own family might think of her.

"I've met your father, Lady Brienne, a long time ago. He's a good man, brave and honorable." Ser Brynden Tully turned to Robb. "I cannot speak for the lady's honor, my lord, and I cannot claim I trust her. She was present when the king she swore to serve was killed and failed to protect him. She also found herself guilty of treason when she joined Lord Renly against Stannis."

"I did it because I believed in Renly. He was a good man."

"That didn't give him the right to usurp his brother's crown, my lady. By all the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, he is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, no matter what you say."

"Renly would have made a better king than Stannis."

"Maybe, but we do not choose our king because we like him or not, nor because he is a good king or a cruel king. Whether we like or not, that's the way it works. I didn't like serving under the Mad King, but I did nonetheless, and so should you have. But we're not here to talk about this." He looked at Catelyn, then to Robb again. "But as much as I mistrust this woman, I trust your mother, and you should trust her too. If she says that a shadow with the face of Stannis killed his brother, then so be it, that's what happened."

Robb sustained the stare of the Blackfish, then turned to look at an uncertain Edmure. Catelyn's brother didn't believe her, it was plain to see. When Robb turned to Arya and Jon, they both nodded, Arya the first. He finally looked back at her.

"I believe you. Both of you. But Stannis is the king. I have to obey him, and his orders are to march on King's Landing."

"Wait a minute." It was Jon Snow who intervened and who spoke to Brienne. He first looked at Catelyn, but finally it was the tall lady he addressed. "My lady, that shadow who killed Renly Baratheon... you said it just appeared in his command tent, out of nowhere?"

"I don't know for certain, my lord." She mistook Ned's boy for a lord, probably for Robb's legitimate brother. Catelyn would tell her later that the boy was no lord and only a bastard. "It got past the guards and took us all by surprise. The men outside didn't see it coming. It seemed to have... crept on the ground, unseen."

Jon Snow looked thoughtful. He turned to her son. "Robb, you remember what Lord Tyrion wrote in his message? That Joffrey was assassinated in his sleep, while he was inside the Red Keep."

"You think it was another shadow?" Brienne asked, a look of utter terror on her face. For a moment, Catelyn shared her feelings. She had seen this thing as well, whatever it was. To think that Stannis had used it again... that he might use it again in the future. It sent a chill along her spine.

"The message didn't say he was killed in the Red Keep, boy," Edmure corrected. "Tyrion Lannister only said his nephew was killed by Stannis while he was sleeping, nothing more."

"If he was sleeping, then he was probably inside the Red Keep. It means that someone managed to enter the Red Keep to kill him," Arya countered.

"Or one of his own men who betrayed him. As far as we know, the Imp could be behind this," Robb supposed.

"Tyrion Lannister would kill his own nephew?" Catelyn asked, not believing this.

Catelyn didn't imagine the Imp murdering his nephew. Kinslaying was just as horrible as incest. Though his brother and sister laid together, and he defended them. But why assassinate the nephew he did so much to protect up to now? Unless Lord Tyrion chose to kill Joffrey after he learned of his actions in Winterfell. Perhaps Lady Margaery was right and her husband ignored all of his nephew's crimes. But then, he protected his own sister despite the fact she tried to have him assassinated. Unless Tyrion Lannister was just like his father and decided Joffrey was too much trouble now.

"Who knows? Maybe he thought Tommen would make a king easier to control."

Robb had just said the words she thought.

"Robb, you don't believe that for real," his bastard brother said.

"I don't know what to believe, Jon, but I know who I shouldn't believe, and I know I must not believe the Imp."

"Stannis murdered his brother," Catelyn heard herself say in a low voice. "What would stop him from killing his nephew?"

"Joffrey is a bastard born of incest," her uncle opposed. "Though I must admit that gives Stannis even more reason to kill Joffrey. I don't think he would oppose sending an assassin after him, if need be, but we're not going to believe shadows and magic are behind everyone's death."

Robb raised his hand. When he spoke it was softly, but with authority. "Enough. No matter how Joffrey is dead, Stannis remains the rightful king. We must help him secure the Iron Throne. That's our duty."

"Is it?"

All eyes set on Catelyn after she pronounced these short two words. Robb was taken aback.

"Mother?"

She stood up to be at the same level than her son and so he would not look down on her. She had to look straight into his eyes. "We went to war to avenge your father. Joffrey is dead. The man who killed him is gone. Do we really need to continue this war, especially now that the Iron Islands have invaded the North and seized our home?"

She looked deeply into his eyes, begging him. She had already lost her husband to the southern politics. She didn't want to lose her children.

"The war is not over yet," he replied, gentle but firm like his father. "Stannis still needs us to defeat the Lannisters and their allies."

"What about your family? Sansa is still hostage in King's Landing."

"We will rescue her when we take the capital."

"What if they kill her before? And what about Bran and Rickon? The Ironmen have them."

"Ramsay Snow is besieging Winterfell as we speak. If they are still alive, he will find them. I know it's hard, Mother, but we won't save Bran and Rickon by marching north. Roose Bolton's son will have dealt with Theon and his friends long before we arrive. As for Sansa, we will not save her by retreating."

"What if you offer the Lannisters a truce against Sansa's return?"

"They will never accept it."

"Then tell them you will stop fighting them if they give Sansa back."

"I cannot do that, Mother." The son was gone. Robb now spoke and behaved like the Lord of Winterfell. "I have a duty to serve Stannis, to serve the king, to answer his call, to obey him."

"What about your duties to your family?"

She saw that Edmure and their uncle grew uncomfortable, and so did Jon Snow.

"Disobeying Stannis would be high treason."

He wouldn't be moved. Catelyn's house words were Family, Duty, Honor. Family came first. But for House Stark, Winter is coming. Robb wouldn't sacrifice his loyalty to the king, not even if he could save Sansa, Bran and Rickon. His duties of lord were more important right now.

"What about the North? How many castles have fallen to Balon Greyjoy and his son? Will you place Stannis' interests before those of your countrymen, of your own people?"

"Catelyn, you cannot talk like this. If you go north..."

Her dear uncle was stopped by her son. "I can reply on my own, Ser Brynden. You know I cannot disobey Stannis, Mother. Yes, if I could I would go back in the North, but I can't. Joffrey is dead, but his family is still alive, and they will want to avenge him. If we abandon Stannis, the Lannisters will defeat him. We are all bound by oath to serve him. He's our king, Robert's rightful heir. Stannis is our best hope to deal with the Lannisters once and for all and to make sure they do not seek revenge after us. We need him as much as he needs us. If I go back north now, yes, I will free our home from the Ironmen, but this will give the Lannisters the opportunity to defeat Stannis, and once he's defeated, they will attack us. Nothing will stop them with Stannis and Renly gone. They could even make an alliance with the Greyjoys for what we know."

"What if Stannis is not the king? What if we're fighting for the wrong side?"

"Cat, be careful. What you're talking about is treason," Edmure warned her.

"I think we are all traitors here. We all rebelled against one king or another. Stannis only has the Stormlands by his side, nothing more. He can do nothing against the Greyjoys. Tommen has the fleets of Lannisport, Oldtown and the Arbor with him. He can deal with the Ironborn."

"That's enough, Mother," Robb said.

"You only have Stannis' word that Joffrey and his siblings were not Robert's children. He has no proof. He just killed his own brother. What if you're fighting for the usurper?"

"I said it was enough."

This time Catelyn felt that this was truly the end. She would not convince him to make peace with the Lannisters, even less to make an alliance with them, even it could free the North from Balon Greyjoy. She failed. Sansa would remain hostage in King's Landing, and the fate of Bran and Rickon depended on Roose Bolton's bastard. Robb's expression told clearly that he would not listen to her anymore.

"Uncle, perhaps you should show Cat to our father's solar. I suppose she will want to see him."

Catelyn read through her brother's words. He wanted her to leave.

"Arya, maybe you could accompany Mother," Robb added for her youngest daughter.

"Aye," she replied shortly.

Ser Brynden Tully led his niece out of the room with her daughter and Brienne. They were not a few paces on their way that Arya jumped in the melee.

"You really want Robb to make peace with the Lannisters?"

"You are back with us, Arya. You are safe. But your sister Sansa and your brothers are not. If making peace with our enemies bring back your sister and your brothers, then yes, I would do it."

"Cersei had Father executed," her daughter said. "I was there. She was the one to arrest him."

"I know, Arya. I know."

Arya was obviously angry, and she fell behind where she began to talk with Brienne. Catelyn wished she could explain it better, make her understand why it was necessary to make peace with the people who killed her father, but she didn't see how.

"I understand why you want this war to end, Cat," her uncle said, low enough for Arya and Brienne to not hear them. "But you know we cannot end it, not right now. I know you do."

Of course, she did. Catelyn was not stupid. Despite her attempt, she knew peace was not possible at this moment. Perhaps if the Lannisters were defeated, then the Tyrells would surrender and they could all go back in the North. They did surrender after the Mad King died in Robert's Rebellion. But then, the Tyrells had no family ties with House Targaryen. Lord Tyrell's daughter, his only child now and his heir, was the Lady of Casterly Rock, married to the lord of House Lannister. And would Sansa still be alive when the Tyrells and the Lannisters would be defeated?

What if it was Stannis who was defeated? Would Robb bend the knee before Tommen Baratheon? He was the king the Lannisters supported now that Joffrey was gone. Catelyn didn't have any bad memory concerning the boy. He and Bran played together at Winterfell. It was very unlikely he had any role in the recent events. He was too young. Maybe he would be sensible enough to free Sansa if Robb was accommodating. The problem was to know if Robb would ever consent kneeling before a Lannister king, a boy he saw as a bastard.

Catelyn knew only one thing. The longer the war would last, the greater the danger would grow for her children.

When they met the patrol of Tully knights as they approached Riverrun, Catelyn thought of it as a good omen. The Lannisters had withdrawn from the castle, abandoning the siege. They did so during the heavy rains that followed the arrival of the Northerners. Even the defenders of Riverrun saw nothing. The rain prevented them from seeing the Lannisters were dismantling their positions, just keeping enough men to stop any sortie, while their cavalry made sure the northern scouts did not approach the encampments. As a result, for three days, neither Edmure nor Robb were aware of the Lannisters' movements. It was only on the fourth day, when rain quieted down, that the men of Riverrun realized what was going on.

Seeing their chance, they went out the castle. The remaining Lannister forces should not have been enough to hold them, but it seemed they had planned everything. Holes and trenches filled with pikes were waiting for the men of Riverrun all around the castle, especially at the gates. Stafford and Daven Lannister didn't plan to storm the castle. They wanted to keep the Tullys inside. Hence they made it almost impossible to get through the bridges. The first lines of men were pierced by the traps laid down by the Lannisters, those that followed stumbled on the first. The remaining Lannister forces killed many this day. Edmure lost over a thousand men and had to withdraw inside the walls of Riverrun. In the meantime, Robb's forces were still being kept away from the surroundings of the castle.

A few hours later, the Lannisters were all gone. Much of their army was already out of reach. Avoiding the traps was much easier now, knowing where they were and without the Lannisters to cause trouble. Even then, the horsemen of the enemy and sellswords they left behind continued to make life difficult to both river lords and Northerners. One such group, probably paid by the Lannisters to cause as much disarray behind them, ambushed Lord Karstark's son while he headed for Riverrun. They still didn't know that the castle was free. Fields all around were not. Bandits and sellswords were attacking supply lines, scouting groups and foragers.

Why had the Lannisters withdrawn from Riverrun? Was it a tactical withdrawal? Were they regrouping somewhere, where they thought they might have better chance to defeat Robb and Edmure? Catelyn knew that a siege on Riverrun was very difficult, forcing any assailant to divide his troops in three and making him vulnerable to any outside attack. The Lannisters had been lucky they could repel Robb's assault on their lines. Still, their positions remained difficult. They could end being surrounded with Riverrun on one side and the northern army on the other one.

Or was the withdrawal caused by other reasons, not a military decision but a political one? Could Lord Tyrion have ordered the retreat of his armies after Joffrey died? Catelyn found it too beautiful to be true. The Lannisters would come back, and if Robb was marching on King's Landing, even if he left a contingent behind him, the Riverlands would need to be ready for another Lannister incursion.

She decided to change the subject.

"How is he?"

Her uncle sighed. "Not good, I confess. Vyman says he doesn't have much time left."

"He wrote me his time was counted, but... I never thought it was so dire."

She had not understood, from the letter he sent to her through Lady Margaery back then, how dire his state was. Maybe her lord father had just not wanted to frighten her too much, but now...

"I must warn you. Sometimes, he thinks I am our father, or it is Edmure he mistakes for him. When he saw Arya, he thought she was Lyanna Stark and that he was at Harrenhal."

They had arrived before the door of her father's chambers.

"Do you want to go in alone, or do you wish me to follow?" her uncle asked.

"Please, come in."

He nodded, a sad expression on his face.

"How is it, between you two?"

"While we could still talk, we somehow... forgave each other, as much as we could. Let's just say we accepted the situation a long time ago."

She turned her head back to the wooden door. Gathering her courage, she seized the handle, turned it, and opened.

The room looked empty, and to not have been in use for a very long time. In a corner, lying in a bed, covered with sheets, her lord father rested, his eyes closed, his respiration even. Slowly, she approached and sat on a nearby chair, positioned next to his pillow. Her uncle remained standing behind her. Arya was there too, while Brienne remained at the door.

His once brown beard and hair had turned white, and his tall and strong body had grown thin. He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. It seemed to be taking a heavy toll on him. He looked at her, and then a smile crept on his face.

"Lysa. You're back. I thought you were still in the Eyrie."

Remembering what her uncle told her before, she forced herself to smile and held back the tears that threatened to fall.

"No. I'm back, Father."


This is the kind of chapter that I think mirrors every time in AGOT, ACOK and ASOS where Catelyn tries to convince men to make peace and they refuse to even consider it. For Catelyn, the goal of this war was always to save her children, and to avenge Ned as well, but first and above everything else to save Sansa and Arya. But like Robb said, "It's more complicated than that".

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Next chapter: Jaime

P.-S. : Sur une autre note, je suis sur le point de publier ma première histoire originale en tant qu'auteur, mais je me cherche des beta-reader pour avoir une opinion avant la parution finale et apporter des améliorations si nécessaires. Si vous êtes intéressés à devenir beta-reader pour des livres de science fiction, contactez-moi en utilisant la messagerie de ce site. Mes livres sont écrits en français.