Hi everyone. It has been a very long time since I uploaded a new chapter, and I ask for your forgiveness for keeping you waiting for so long.
I won't force you to spend any more time reading notes at the beginning of the chapter. Let's see how the visit of Petyr Baelish to Riverrun ends.
CATELYN VIII
His behavior was much better now. Catelyn had joined Petyr in the room where he was settled. She brought two guards with her. The soldiers of the Vale who accompanied and protected him didn't want to let them in, but Petyr told them it was okay. Now he stood in front of her. The two guards were not far.
"I wish I had been able to explain it all to you in private, before this audience."
Waves of rage and sadness crashed into her inner walls, and she could barely hide them in her voice. "You promised to protect Ned."
He lowered his head and looked at his feet. "I'm sorry. I really tried to protect him, Cat. Believe me, I did. But… it is very hard to hold a promise in King's Landing, even when we want."
She considered him for a moment. Even as a child, Petyr had always been hard to decipher. However, his regrets seemed genuine.
"Tell me what happened. Explain yourself to me, only to me. Don't dare to lie." She produced a knife she hid under her dress. "I swear on my honor as a Stark and a Tully that I will not hesitate. Tell me the whole truth or this dagger will end in your heart."
She had nothing left to lose. She lost Ned, Bran and Rickon. Sansa was taken away from her, Robb risked his life every day, and who knew what could happen to Arya if they lost this war. Petyr looked contrite.
"I suspected the queen and the Kingslayer to have a special relationship for a long time, Cat. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I had no proof, only suspicions. If I had been wrong, not only my head but yours could have ended on the executioner block for bearing false accusations against the queen. It was the same thing for Jon Arryn. I had doubts and nothing more. When Eddard Stark began to inquire, I helped him the best I could. I warned him about the people who spied on him. He finally discovered the truth about Cersei and Jaime Lannister. And he had proof."
"Why didn't you help him?"
"I tried. I wanted him to leave the city, to get himself and your daughters to safety… But he wanted to be honorable, and that cost him his head. We didn't have enough men to overthrow Cersei, especially not after Robert's death. I knew I could try to bribe the gold cloaks, but had I offered gold to Slynt, the Lannisters would offer him more gold with titles, and a seat on the small council. So… yes, I did nothing when Ser Jaime and his men took care of the Northerners. But I did everything to not have your husband executed. I convinced Cersei to send him to the Wall, to let him live. I even tried to convince them to send Sansa outside the city, so I could smuggle her to the North in secret. On the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor, Joffrey was supposed to send your husband to the Night's Watch after he confessed false crimes, but to everyone's surprise he ordered him to be beheaded. Even Varys and Cersei didn't expect this and tried to stop him. They failed. I was afraid that if I showed too much will to save Ned Stark, they might point me as a traitor and I would die. So yes, I stood aside as your husband died."
He inhaled deeply. "I'm so sorry, Cat. I had no love for your husband, I won't deny it. But he was your husband, you cared for him, it was obvious to me that he was very dear to you. You had five children with him. I never wanted his death, and I did everything I could to save him, and to save your daughters. I might have been willing to sacrifice my life for them if that meant they could be free, but that would have been useless if I died failing to save them. At least, if I was alive, I could watch over Sansa. I tried to make up a plan to make her escape the city, but there was no way for me to approach her. I thought of exchanging information with her in the godswood. There are no walls there, so Varys's little birds could not have overheard us. But a handmaiden of Lady Lannister began to follow her everywhere, even going as far as to pray with her each time Sansa went to the godswood. Sansa trusted this girl. Finally, she betrayed your daughter and helped the Lannisters kidnap her when they abandoned the city. There was nothing left to do in the capital. So I left for the Eyrie."
She said nothing as he paused. He was waiting for her reaction, but she granted him none.
"Listen, Cat. I failed your husband, it's true, but I never failed you. I never stopped trying to protect you. I'm sorry if you think it wasn't enough."
Slowly, she lowered the blade. But she kept it in her hand.
"Lysa's troops? Where are they?" she asked him.
"Close. They should be by the Crossroads now. I wanted them to hurry so we would arrive in time."
"Why now? Why didn't Lysa help us before?"
He seemed to hesitate. "I'm afraid your sister is no longer… sane. You don't imagine what treasures of persuasion I had to use to convince her to help you. She fears everyone ever since her husband's death."
"Lady Margaery told me she was mad," Catelyn whispered.
"On this, she might have been honest with you. Although, she wasn't in this state back in King's Landing."
"On the rest, was she lying as well?"
"If she's not, then I'm lying without being conscious of it." He opened his hands. "Listen, Cat. Margaery Lannister was born in House Tyrell. Using other people's feelings, manipulating them, making everyone love her, those are her specialties. The women in House Tyrell are very good at it, and the Lady of Casterly Rock is no exception. She wanted Robert to repudiate Cersei in order to marry him in the first place. Then she convinced her own husband to abandon his brother, his sister and his nephew to their death. She may look kind and trustful, but she is not. Not at all."
Catelyn sighed. Who was she to believe? She thought that she understood the frustration Ned told her he felt whenever he had to deal with southern lords.
"How am I supposed to believe you? You worked for Joffrey and the Lannisters. You stood by their side as Ned was… You saw that monster Joffrey beat my daughter. How can I ever trust you again?"
"Because I love you, Cat."
The declaration struck her as if a knight just punched her in the stomach with his fist of steel. She looked closely to Petyr. He was not joking. She sighed.
"Petyr…"
"I love you, Cat. I have always loved you, Cat, and I will always love you."
He made a few steps towards her. She raised he dagger.
"Don't approach!"
How dared he? He stopped and for a moment, a short moment, she saw the boy she grew up with, the boy who challenged Brandon in duel for her. It was the same gaze he had when she tied her ribbon around her betrothed's arm. Petyr had asked her to give it to him, but Catelyn had declined as gently as she could. She also begged her betrothed at the time to spare him. He was only a boy. And for a moment, he was that again, a boy still in love with her.
He stepped back, an apologizing look plain now, a man once again, and placed a hand on his heart. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."
She didn't lower her weapon. She didn't allow his feelings for her, whatever they were, to affect her thinking. The two guards were still ready to intervene behind. Petyr sat on a nearby chair.
"I'm sorry, Cat. I was hoping, coming here, that you would feel at least a little grateful for the efforts I made. Perhaps I was wrong. I'm sorry this wasn't enough for you, or for your family. But you can still count on my assistance, and you will need it against your enemies."
"We have Lysa's help. You said it yourself, the Knights of the Vale are coming. I think this will be enough for help."
"Lysa ordered me to lead her army here, and she gave specific orders to the officers to protect me and to only obey my orders."
Catelyn's eyes opened wide. "Why would she do such a thing?"
To believe that her sister granted such power upon him. She had high doubts.
"Lysa is paranoid since her husband's death. She trusts very few people. I was lucky to have known her for so long, or else she would never have listened to me. You don't know what treasures of persuasion I had to put in to convince her to send you help."
"How did you convince her?"
"With the only argument that could work with her. Her son. I told her he was strong and growing stronger by the day, but he would never approve of her actual decisions. A strong lord would never abandon his own family. Even so she needed days of thinking before she finally accepted to move."
"I once thought I found back a friend when we met again, in King's Landing."
"And I was, and still am. I apologize that the friend I am couldn't save your husband, but I can still help you save your family."
She considered him and his words. "It will be to my son to decide." She turned her heels.
"Do you ever want to see Sansa again?"
She stopped and turned to look at him. "You cannot bring her back."
"No, not right now. But I have people in Lannisport, even inside Casterly Rock. She is there as we speak. I can try to take her out of the castle if you want. There are secret passages that my agents can use. I won't lie to you, it's possible she might not make it out, but we both know she is too valuable for the Lannisters to try to kill her, even if she tries to escape. She is the heir to the North after all. My men might give their lives in the attempt, but it is worth the try. Just say it and I'll have her out."
She thought about Sansa. It had been so long since the last time she saw her. How could she be in this place she didn't know? Catelyn had no doubt her daughter was behaving like a true lady, but what might befall her, a prisoner of the Lannisters?
"I'll need to talk to my son."
"Robb is not her mother. I'm asking you."
"It is my son to decide."
And on that she left. As she travelled the corridors of Riverrun, still escorted by the two guards who came with her, conflicting thoughts and feelings ran through her mind. In some way, she felt responsible for what happened to Petyr. Her own feelings for him never went beyond friendship, but maybe she had given him the wrong impression, even though it had never been her intentions. She recalled their kissing games in the godswood. It was only a game, but maybe Baelish thought there was more to it. She should have known something was wrong when his tongue attempted to slip into her mouth, and taken precautions from this moment. Perhaps the tragedy of the duel would never have happened.
However, these were not the main feelings that inhabited her. She still felt betrayed by someone she considered a good friend. No matter what he said, he would need to earn her trust and friendship again. There might be one way he could, and for that she needed to convince her son.
She found herself again in her father's solar, now her brother's, with her uncle, her brother, her son, and Jon Snow. Although she couldn't deny the fact he followed Robb and fought side by side with him, she would have liked it if he wasn't here.
"What he says is in line with what I got from the knights following him," her uncle declared after she briefly related her conversation. "Lysa made him commander of her troops, and he must leave as soon as he informs us of the approaching army. I still think it odd that she wouldn't warn us by raven. The chances of being intercepted are much greater for a few riders on the road than for a raven in the sky."
"Though Littlefinger's words are don't contradict what we heard from both Jon Snow and Catelyn. And it is in line with what we haven't heard from Lysa," Edmure said.
"Still, I'm not ready to trust that man," Robb declared.
"Me neither," Jon Snow agreed.
"Me neither," the Blackfish replied. "I would be much reassured if he could prove us his sincerity."
"There might be a way. He says he can take Sansa out of the Lannister's custody."
She hadn't told them yet. She explained to them what Baelish told her.
"Words. They're only words, and words are wind," the Blackfish declared.
"Even so, I think we should take the risk," she argued. "Sansa is in danger. Who knows what she's going through right now? We have to get her out of here."
"I don't think she's in danger," Jon said. "The people at Casterly Rock were decent. I don't see them harming her."
"Like Joffrey did?" she harshly retorted.
"There was no one like Joffrey there. And even Littlefinger agrees that Sansa is too valuable for the Lannisters to hurt her."
"We don't know what the Lannisters could be doing to her right now."
"I am no longer sure about anything concerning the Lannisters, not since my father died." She felt the mention that Ned was his father like a slap on her face. "About anything but one. Tyrion Lannister is no fool. He would never sacrifice a piece of bargain like Sansa, nor waste an opportunity to control the North."
"And what if the Lannisters marry her to one of their own? We cannot wait and hope the Imp will treat her better than Joffrey."
Robb seemed to think about it for a while. "Too risky. If the escape attempt fails, who knows what could happen to Sansa then. And we don't know yet if we can trust Baelish."
"This might be an opportunity to verify that he is trustful," she pushed forward.
"How long will it take for Sansa to escape? For the time Baelish will need to inform his men, then to organize a plan, then to bring Sansa back here, how long will it take?"
"Not to mention that I don't see how Sansa could escape Casterly Rock," Jon said. "I lived there. It's like a city carved inside the mountains. I don't see how Sansa could escape without being noticed. And she will still have to travel miles of road before she reaches our lands, in Lannister territory or that of their allies."
"As I said, too risky. For now. First, Baelish will bring us the Knights of the Vale here. Then we can wait for Stannis or the Lannisters, defeat them and take back the advantage in this war. Riverrun cannot fall like Winterfell did," Robb declared.
From the look on his face, Catelyn knew there was no way she could convince him to change his mind. Sansa would remain a prisoner of the Lannisters, and them prisoners of Riverrun as three armies closed on them.
"We will hold a feast tonight for our friends of the Vale. That will lift men's mind to know that we have friends coming to our rescue. Though I wish we could keep Baelish as a guest while his army is joining us," her brother said.
"If only we could, but Lysa herself states it clearly in her letter. It is Littlefinger who must lead her army and no one else. It's probably the craziest thing she's ever done, naming Littlefinger at the head of an army," her sister commented.
The rest of the day was spent preparing for the feast tonight. The news that the Knights of the Vale were coming travelled faster through the castle and the camps outside than anyone could have imagined. Men now drank cheerily. Her uncle reported her that some wanted to march against Stannis right away. Courage had risen again in the hearts of men. Catelyn, again, had conflicted feelings that made her feel elated then afraid.
The feast in the evening was not as grand as the one they held in Winterfell when King Robert visited, but it was big enough to honor their guests, even though Catelyn didn't know yet if Petyr deserved such honor. She wanted to believe him, especially for Sansa. If he succeeded, if he could get her out of the lion's den… The former ward to Riverrun sat on the dais with them, at the main table. Edmure insisted it was necessary for the morale of the men and to not infuriate Petyr uselessly. Catelyn had to concede that it was true, and Robb as well, even though it pleased no one at the table. Arya had refused to be there, no matter the insistence her mother put. Catelyn got more worried about her every day. It may have been a mistake to delay the arrangement of a marriage for her.
Maybe she could marry her into House Manderly. Lord Wyman Manderly was a good man, and so were his sons, despite their overweight. Arya had liked it when Ned brought her along to White Harbor. If she liked adventure and discovery, the city was probably the best place to go for her little daughter. She could even travel on ships if she wanted. The women at the court of Lord Manderly were given more latitude, while the city was a mix of the north and the south, the joining between the two worlds.
On the other side, Lord Manderly's eldest son was already married, and he had no son. She would have to look at different options in the Riverlands and the North. Maybe she could strike a betrothal with the Karstarks. This could help to make the relations between their two families better after the deaths of two of Lord Karstark's sons.
Everyone there played his part. Robb, Edmure and her uncle, just like her, showed a happy and reconnaissant demeanour to the Knights of the Vale who had come to their help. Decent supper was served for everyone, wine and ale flowed without interruption. The lords of the North and the Riverlands were in good mood for the most part. Even Jon Snow, who supped on the floor with the other lords, participated. Petyr showed himself amiable, civil and courteous with everyone and in all his conversations. Just as they were nearing the end of the main service, Robb stood up.
"My lords, my ladies, times have been hard on us recently. We have fought battles. Some of them we won, the others we didn't. Some of us survived, and others didn't have the same chance. This war is not over, far from it I'm afraid. We've defeated some of our enemies, to see people we saw as allies take their place and turn on us. But in the coming days, everything will change. The Knights of the Vale are with us now."
This was followed by cheers all over the hall. Robb waited for them to dissolve.
"My father once was a ward in the Eyrie. To him, Jon Arryn was like a father. I'm glad to see today that the Vale has not forgotten us. No one should ever doubt them, and we shall never doubt them. So, to the Vale, and its Lord and Warden of the East, Robin Arryn."
He raised his cup and was followed by everyone else, including their guests from the said Vale. Catelyn understood and shared her son's resentment towards Lysa, which explained why he didn't mention her. One of the Knights who was present said a few words for Robb, declared he was the true son of Eddard Stark, the only man in the Seven Kingdoms who actually deserved to be king, and that he would be proud to stand on the battlefield along his northern and river friends. Again, everyone cheered and drank to seal this alliance. Baelish remained silent the whole time. He was always discreet, and he remained so.
A few bards came to entertain them. One of them came with an assistant who carried a huge bell that hung from a stake. The bard began with a few notes. Then his companion struck the bell twice, then again twice.
High in the crimson towers
Hate between a mother's eyes
Certain of a costly price
To pay when fire survives
When all she loved has left the keep
The rains above us gently weep
And wash away the blood as it goes cold
And so she spoke
And so she spoke
The lion of Castamere
When none remain
To mourn her reign
So proud yet founded upon fear
Gates swung open wide to wretches
Lowborn pay the price in blood
Placed upon the precipice
Of near rising flood
Terror in the hearts of children
Worried that the war's come home
As the sound of wildfire burning
Nears the lion's throne
Let it be fear he told them
Let it be fear they know
Let them become ashes now unless they all bow
Blind with the power and fury
Numb behind the dregs of wrath
Set to pay the costly price
And tread a mad king's path
When thousands battled in his name
He stormed the gates and showered flame
To break tyranny but then would forge his own
And so she spoke
And so she spoke
The lion of Castamere
When none remain
To mourn her reign
So proud yet founded upon fear
"Let it be fear" he told them
"Let it be fear" they know
Let them become ashes now unless they all bow
Burn them all down to embers
Servants and lords the same
Show them all fire and blood to win a mad king's game
And with the swords lain down
They screamed 'til the bells cried out
In search of some mercy their hope became fear
Their hope became fear
And it fed his rage
His lust for the lion's cage
He'll stand down for nothing
Until they all cheer, with no one left here
Castamere
Let it be, let it be fear
Castamere
Let it be, let it be fear
The bard received great approval as his song condemned both Cersei and Stannis, the first for her relationship with her brother, the second for becoming the kingdoms' plague after having been their hope. Catelyn thought, not without irony, how Stannis ended burning people with fire just like his very distant relative, Aerys the Second, the Mad King, after he fought against him in his brother's rebellion.
By then, Catelyn had moved from the dais to the side of the hall. Lady Maege Mormont stood by her side.
"An appropriate song," Catelyn commented.
"Songs commemorate wars and battles. They don't win them."
"You would be surprised, Lady Mormont. The Rains of Castamere have almost won battles on their own in the past."
"Too bad the Lannisters didn't bring a bard with them on the Kingsroad."
"They don't need one to remind me that they hold my daughter."
"We will free the Lady Sansa, Lady Stark. She may not be my daughter, but I'll fight her captors as if she was my own. And you know what I'd be ready to do to save my own daughter? Everything."
Everything. Catelyn continued to look at the guests who were feasting, some of them behaving as if victory was already theirs. They behaved the same way before Ned died, for what good it did.
She didn't realize Maege Mormont was gone and that someone else had slipped next to her.
"You behave as if the fate of the whole world rested on your shoulders."
She closed her eyes. "What do you want, Petyr?" Her voice showed her exasperation in a very plain way.
"Nothing. Just to make sure that you're not alone."
"I'm perfectly well."
"That's the only thing I hope." He made a pause. For some time, none of them said anything. "I'm not here to talk with you, Cat. I understand that I will need to earn the right to speak to you again. But if there's anything you want to tell me, don't hesitate. Tomorrow, I'll be gone. This might be your last chance, no matter what you want to say."
She closed her eyes again. Contradicting thoughts fought in her mind. There were so many things she wanted to tell him. Finally, the fateful words came out.
"Do what you can. Save my daughter."
Please review
Next chapter : Margaery
Song in the chapter : "The Bells", by Aviators. This original song, inspired by the soundtrack of the show and the Rains of Castamere, depicts Cersei and Daenerys in the two last episodes of the show. It can be found on Youtube.
For the purpose of this chapter, I modified the lyrics of the song so that it was about Cersei and Stannis. With Melisandre burning people alive and the city that burned when Stannis took it, a bard with indirect knowledge of the event and the will to make a popular song could come up with something similar.
As you can imagine, the Starks are quite desperate, to the point where they are willing to accept Baelish's help.
