New chapter, in which Robb must make a choice.
CATELYN XI
Hell broke loose the moment Robb was done. There had been reactions of stupor, some yelling, grunts, snickers and many other sounds emitted by the lords of the North and the Riverlands while Robb summarized the Lannister's demands, but when he was done all people in the Great Hall of Riverrun let their thinking and emotions out, resulting in a mess of sounds where no word could be discerned.
Catelyn sat next to her son. He wouldn't look at her. He stared straight in front of him, all his attention on the lords who argued without coherence. He let them quarrel for some time. Then a loud growl interrupted all of them.
Her son's direwolf, Grey Wind, stood tall, paws tensed, as if he was ready to jump on the first one who would dare to talk loud again. His master stood up and came next to him.
"My lords, I gathered you because you gave me my crown. I never asked for it, I never wanted it, and I never dreamed of it before you put it on my head. Now, there are men outside these walls with an army probably forty thousand strong, and they demand that I give up this crown, and we have until sundown to give them an answer. From that answer will depend the future of the North, the Riverlands, your houses, your families. So, one by one, tell me what you believe we should do. And then I'll decide."
Her son took back his seat. No one dared to speak for a time. Then Catelyn's brother, who shared the dais with them, rose.
"As Lord of Riverrun and your host, I think I have the right to speak first. What they're asking is unacceptable. They want to snatch a large part of the Riverlands. I'm willing to make concessions, but that…"
"Uncle, they will not accept less than what they proposed. There is no place to negotiate here. Either you accept or you refuse. What say you?"
Lord Edmure Tully, Lord of Riverrun and Lord Paramount of the Trident, said nothing. He took his time to finally raise the voice.
"If you want to fight them, you will always have my support. I recognized you as my king. But if you accept, then so be it. Because you're my king, and this will be the last decision you took as such. And I'll never forget that. The Riverlands will never forget that."
He sat back. Catelyn suspected her brother still hoped to get back some of the conditions the Lannisters imposed. He was trying to put pressure on Robb for this. He would not succeed. Robb knew very well that offer of peace, this time, was to take or let go. Catelyn knew the Lannisters wouldn't agree to anything less they proposed. Tyrion Lannister was winning, and he knew it. Catelyn knew it, Robb knew it, and most of the lords here knew it… or so she hoped.
Lord Jason Mallister was next to stand up. "Your Grace, my son and some of my men are on the other side. I haven't forgotten the oath I took when I proclaimed you King in the North, but I cannot forget that my own blood and flesh is fighting for King Tommen now. I will never raise the sword against you, but I will never raise it against my own son."
"Lord Mallister is right." Roose Bolton had raised his voice. "No one is more accursed than the kinslayer. We cannot rely on him. But let's face reality for all of us. Can we defeat the Lannisters? Maybe. A decisive battle today or tomorrow might allow us to survive and give us some opportunity to win this war. And then what? We leave the North to the Ironborn? We abandon the Riverlands to themselves? Lord Tully proved during this war that he was unable to defend and keep his lands on his own." That sparked strong reactions among some of Edmure's bannermen. Only some of them. "The King in the North cannot defend the North and the Riverlands with the forces we have left. I say he does what Torrhen Stark did three centuries ago. He kneels and we all live. The other option would be to leave the North in the hands of some southern lord. I say he kneels to keep the North to Northerners."
Catelyn could feel many people approved the Lord of the Dreadfort, although they didn't voice their opinion. Lord Umber was the next one to stand.
"Your Grace, I don't give a shit about what the Lannisters have to offer us. I said you were my king, and so you will remain, no matter what happens. We will fight all the battles you lead us into, no matter where they are and when they happen, be it today or tomorrow."
As usual, he was straight to the point. Maege Mormony continued what Lord Umber had started. "Bear Island is on the first line to fight the Ironborn, and yet we're also here. No matter what the king decides, we will fight for him."
And then it was Ser Wylis Manderly. "My house has always supported the Starks of Winterfell, and we always will. Though I must admit that I agree with Lord Bolton on some points. We've remained in the Realm for three hundred years, and despite this, there's always been a Stark in Winterfell. The Starks have continued to rule the North under the Targaryens, and under the Baratheons as well. Robert Baratheon was a good friend of Ned Stark. His son Joffrey killed him, and he paid for his crime. I see no harm serving the Starks as Wardens of the North while another Baratheon, a child, rules over Westeros. Because no matter what happens, House Manderly will stand proud next to House Stark."
Many more was said. All northern houses renewed their pledge to follow Robb wherever he would go, while some advised or urged him to bend the knee so they could keep following him. Of those who didn't speak for accepting the Lannister's offer, none urged Robb to refuse. Maybe one told him to flatly refuse. At most, some said they would gladly fight the Lannisters if Robb decided to. As for the remaining river lords, opinions were more divided. Some didn't hesitate to call Lord Mallister a traitor. Words were also said against the Freys, whose banners had been seen next to the golden lion and golden rose. Catelyn witnessed how divided her father's former bannermen were. The Riverlands were shattered.
When all this was done and no one had anything else to say, Robb took his leave, saying he would return shortly to them with his decision. In the meantime, he had someone to visit. No one opposed, knowing who her son was going to see.
A few moments later, she stood next to him and Arya as they watched over a motionless body. They had removed his armor and all clothes aside from a shirt and pants. Whatever they could see from his hands and face was pale like winter snow. Large bandages surrounded his head, thicker where the sword had struck on the right side of his face. Only the slow breathing could testify that Jon Snow was still alive.
"Vyman says he will wake up tomorrow if the wound is healed enough. He's flooding him with milk of the poppy," Arya said.
Catelyn would have to speak with the maester to ensure he wouldn't give too much. In the corner of the room, Grey Wind and Ghost laid quietly on the floor, as if mourning. Catelyn found herself hoping direwolves had no instinct to predict the future.
"I wonder what he would tell me, if he was conscious," her son wondered.
Catelyn knew what Jon Snow would say. "He would advise you to accept the terms."
Robb looked at her, a hard expression on his face. "Probably."
He went back to observing the unmoving body of his half-brother, ignoring her once more. She hoped he didn't think she was trying to show her lack of respect towards the boy because she dared to say those words. Quite the opposite. Jon Snow had been right from the beginning. They should have accepted the proposition from the Lannisters a long time ago. She only realized it when Petyr actually stabbed her in the back. She should have thought better than thinking their old friendship and childhood years spent together meant so much. He was just as guilty of everything that happened during recent months than Joffrey or Cersei Lannister. Now all they could hope for was that Lord Tyrion would remain true to his word. So far, he fought them, but he never betrayed them. If Lady Margaery said the truth, then he did really try to save Ned. She hoped she wasn't trusting the wrong people again, but what other choice did she have?
After spending some time with his brother, Robb indicated her to leave the room with him. Once outside and after a few steps away from the door, he stared at her.
"You wanted us to make an alliance with Petyr Baelish because he told you he would help Sansa, and now you're telling me that we must make an alliance because Tyrion Lannister would allow you to see Sansa again. How am I supposed to trust your judgment?"
"Because Petyr never helped us. Lord Lannister did." She hesitated before she said the rest. "And because you know what your brother would say if he could speak."
Robb walked away, but only after a few steps, he turned back to her. "My brother almost died because of you."
He walked away and never looked back.
Catelyn didn't move for a while. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes multiple times, but she refrained. She breathed heavily, did her best to soothe her nerves.
"Lady Stark." Brienne had remained standing by the door all this time, watching over Catelyn and Arya. "Will you be fine?"
"No, Brienne. I will not be. I will be never be fine again."
"What you did… it was to save your family, my lady."
She thought of Ned, of Bran, of Rickon, of her father. She thought of Robb who just rejected her. She thought of Jon Snow who almost died while fighting for House Stark on the battlefield, and who would be marked for the rest of his life for this. She thought of Sansa, far away, cut away from her for so long. She thought of Arya, wild, no longer the child she used to know.
"And by trying to save them, I lost them." She looked to the door. On the other side, Arya watched over the brother she loved the most. Catelyn looked to Brienne. "Stay with Arya. I need time alone."
She walked as quickly as she could and went to the godswood. Normally, she would have gone to the sept but, by staying in her family's godswood, she felt that she could somehow connect with both her family at Riverrun, her dead husband and her children. And there she allowed all the cries she kept inside to escape. She was afraid Robb might refuse the offer. She was afraid that tomorrow, the Lannisters would storm the castle's walls and destroy everything she ever held dear in this life. The home where she grew up, the Tullys who still lived there, the remaining children she had and even her husband's son. Only Sansa would remain, a prisoner forever at Casterly Rock, and Lysa, who betrayed her, now married to Littlefinger. How could her sister betray her? Petyr must have lied to her. Maybe she wasn't even aware of what happened at Riverrun.
She heard leaves and branches creak under someone's feet.
"I looked for you in the sept first, then into your room. I didn't expect to find you here."
Her lips curved into the shape of a faint smile for an instant. Her uncle sat next to her.
"If you want my opinion, Robb's going to accept. We have too much to lose and so few to gain by continuing this war. Plus, after fighting side by side with the Lannisters' men, ours won't be as motivated to fight them as before." There was a pause during which he must have waited for her to say something. "I guess that's not the way we expected the last few days to go on."
"Nothing during the past two years has gone the way it was supposed to," Catelyn said.
"No. Nothing. Here. Come."
He put an arm round her shoulders and brought her head against his own arm. Silent tears strolled away from her eyes. They remained quiet here for a long time. An hour later, Robb convened his bannermen and announced his decision.
As the sun set on the horizon, they met in the middle of the battlefield. On one side, Robb, Catelyn, Edmure, the Blackfish and the most powerful lords of the Riverlands and the North. On the other side, Lord Tyrion Lannister, his uncle Ser Kevan, Lord Randyll Tarly, Ser Stevron Frey, Ser Patrek Mallister and many more lords and generals from the Westerlands, the Reach and the Riverlands. They all unhorsed at the place of their meeting. It was Lord Lannister who spoke first.
"Robb Stark, you've been called King in the North. You claimed the lands that are currently part of the North and the Riverlands as your own. Those lands, and all the lands south of the Wall, belong to only one king, the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Tommen Baratheon, the First of His Name. Are you ready to serve him like your father served his father before, Robert Baratheon?"
For a moment, only the sounds of the wind in the banners could be heard, along with some neighing from the horses. The instant grew tense. Then Robb slowly walked to Lord Tyrion and stopped right in front of him, his hand on the pommel of his sword.
He brought his hand to his head, seized the bronze crown he occasionally put as king, and laid it at the feet of the Regent of King Tommen and Protector of the Realm. Then he slowly, reluctantly, knelt.
Her son swore fealty to Tommen Baratheon, the First of His Name, King of the Andals, the First Men and the Rhoynar, and Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. He was followed by Edmure, Catelyn, and by all their bannermen who were present.
When it was done, Tyrion Lannister approached Robb. In the current situation, as all men were kneeling in front of him, he stood like a giant before them.
"Robb Stark, you knelt as self-proclaimed King in the North. You rebelled against your rightful king. That is treason, but that treason was not made out of ambition or out of malice. You and your father were lured into it by lies from the enemies of the Realm. Your father paid the heavy price for it. But what Joffrey Baratheon did was wrong. Your father was only trying to serve Robert Baratheon even after his death, and he was manipulated by others. King Tommen forgives you, your house and all the others who fought alongside you, including your allies in the Riverlands and your northern bannermen. Now, rise as Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North."
Robb stood up, no longer a king. All the others imitated him. The Lord of Casterly Rock offered her son his hand. He shook it. Lannisters and Starks were now allies.
"We have work to do now," the Imp said.
"I agree," her son replied.
Minutes later, they were all inside the Lannister camp, around a large table with a map displaying all the Seven Kingdoms. Pieces were positioned all over the map, representing the forces all over Westeros.
In the North, wolves occupied most of the territories, aside from some areas like Moat Cailin and Deepwood Motte. The Riverlands were a mess of figurines belonging to all factions. Lions occupied the west while fiery hearts were spread over the south. Only a few fishes remained. And there was a huge concentration around Riverrun that included a rose, and more figurines showing the army of the Vale riding away in direction of the Eyrie. The Crownlands were just as divided as the Riverlands. Lions, roses and burning hearts mingled. In the capital, a single heart was surrounded by lions and roses. In the Stormlands, burning hearts were limited to a small area in the east of the kingdom, including the Isle of Tarth. Catelyn wondered what Brienne's father currently planned to do with Stannis dead and his only daughter serving as sworn shield for an opponent. The rest of the Stormlands was covered with roses. Dorne remained covered with suns, with some concentration along its northern frontier, while the Reach and the Westerlands remained firmly in the hands of their lords, roses and lions not allowing anyone to contest their authority. Finally, three strong concentrations of ships were showed at King's Landing for Stannis, in the Iron Islands for Balon Greyjoy and at the Arbor for the Tyrells. Smaller fleets populated the harbors of Lannisport, Oldtown, Seaguard, White Arbor and Gulltown.
"We already sent news of Stannis's death to the most important houses of Westeros," Lord Tyrion began, "but we will need Riverrun rookery to spread it faster, and also to make our alliance known to everybody. Can we count on it, Lord Tully?"
"Yes."
Edmure replied politely, but it was obvious he didn't relish in obeying the orders of the man who just snatched away a large part of his territories. Still, Catelyn knew he would do what was necessary. House Tully was now at the mercy of the Lannisters and Tyrells, and sending ravens everywhere to announce the alliance along with the defeat of Stannis was essential. The most people knew about it, the more would drop their swords and join the supporters of Tommen Baratheon.
"Don't forget to send orders to your fleets as well. The Ironborn are still sacking the North," Robb pointed out.
"We won't. The fleets of the Arbor and Lannisport are ready. The moment they receive our words, they will set sail for the islands and end Balon Greyjoy's rebellion once and for all," Tyrion promised.
"We're lucky the Redwynes are not heading to King's Landing as we speak. Though if we focus on the Iron Islands, we have no ship left to take care of Stannis's fleet in the capital," Randyll Tarly said. "I don't expect White Harbor to be able to procure enough ships to face those in King's Landing."
"Those ships are necessary to defend our own coasts, and anyway they could be intercepted by the fleet of the Vale," Robb countered.
"The Iron Islands are the main threat," Lord Tyrion ruled out. "The Ironborn are still ready to fight, and their force comes from when they fight on the sea. The Greyjoys are getting bolder every day while the remnants of Stannis' army are scattered and demoralized. I highly doubt his fleet could be of any danger without an army ready to fight."
"I don't share your optimism, Lord Lannister," the Lord of Horn Hill interrupted. He pointed two places on the map. "From our scouting reports, we know the Knights of the Vale are heading back to the east. And two groups of Stannis's soldiers are gathering back after their defeat. They are weakened but still a danger. From their actual direction, I'd say one is heading to Harrenhal and the other one to Saltpans. Stannis's ships can recover those at Saltpans and bring them back to King's Landing or Dragonstone. In the meantime, my men and I have ventured very far. Our main army is still besieging King's Landing. We must return to them, and the troops at Harrenhal could stop us on our way."
"I don't believe this is such a threat, Lord Tarly," Roose Bolton said in his casual soft voice. "We cannot talk about Stannis' men anymore. Stannis Baratheon is dead, and his head is on a spike we all saw when we rode into this place. What have his men left to fight for? A queen who embraced a foreign god? A little girl plagued with greyscale? I don't see many of them fighting for her. At best, they would be fighting for a dead man. The Ironborn are the main threat. My son saw it with his own eyes when he tried to take back Winterfell and the Ironborn burned it to the ground instead."
"For the time being, Lord Tarly, you will hunt down Stannis's remnants. If you can reach the gathering that is heading to Harrenhal on your way, don't hesitate to kill them all. And try to obtain the oath of as many lords and landed knights on your way to the capital," the Lord of Casterly Rock ordered. "All the rest of our armies should head to the Vale. It will be much harder to defeat the Arryns than to destroy whatever is left of Stannis' legacy."
"We need to send men in the North as well," Robb said. "The Ironborn are still holding Moat Cailin. As long as they have it, we're cut from our homeland. We got to take it back. If we could embark some at Seaguard…"
"From what I know, you already have men besieging the moat from the north. I'm sure Ser Manderly and most of the other northern houses in the south can confirm it." No word was needed to get this confirmation. "The Ironborn cannot escape to the south because all there is south of them are swamps and crannogmen who will kill them the moment they get out. The northern troops will be better spent down here, fighting the Vale. Once we get Gulltown, you'll have more than enough ships to bring your troops in the North, and much more quickly since you'll have access to White Harbor."
Tyrion and Robb sustained each other's look for some time. "Fine," Robb finally conceded. "But the Vale won't be easy to take. My father grew up there. The Eyrie is impregnable. And there are also the hill tribes who will be a threat to all of us the moment we set foot in the Vale."
"That won't be easy, I know. That's why we need you, Robb Stark, and all your men. Once we enter the Vale, I'll lead one detachment to the Eyrie. We may not be able to invest the fortress, but we can easily starve its occupants. In the meanwhile, a second detachment will get around the castle by the south and head to Gulltown. Once the harbor is taken, then the Northerners will be able to send their men back in the North more easily and Robin Arryn may be more willing to surrender once his armies and main castles are in our power."
"It seems like a nice plan to me," Ser Manderly said. "Though in war anything can happen. I think we all know this by now."
"If we want this war to be over as soon as possible, then I suggest we head for the Vale tomorrow at first light," Robb declared. "We will adapt our plans as the war goes on, like we did up to now. And don't forget the Vale promised to help us, and they betrayed us. They're going to pay for that."
"That will be worth fighting with Lannisters, if only to give a lesson to those bastards. I'll bring them down from their honor with pleasure," Jon Umber roared. Many northern lords approved him.
As they proceeded to leave, Lord Tyrion asked Robb and Catelyn to stay behind to have a few words with them. He poured them both a cup of wine. Robb accepted and drank a sip from it to be polite. He had insisted to receive bread and salt before they all went into the Lannister camp.
"Lord Stark, Lady Stark, I know what happened this past year, and I know you will never forget that."
"Indeed, the North remembers," Robb replied. "No matter what happens in the future, I'll never forget how my father died, but I won't forget you also helped us against Stannis. And if you hold your promise with the Ironborn, we'll never forget it either."
"I hope so." He took another sip. "We may never be friends, Lord Stark, but I think we can be allies."
"I agree."
Each one of them spoke on a neutral tone.
"Which is why… I want you to lead the detachment that will head to Gulltown once we're in the Vale," Lord Tyrion declared.
Surprise was plain on Robb's face. "Me?"
"Yes, you."
"The Northerners who still follow me will never be enough to venture so far into the Vale. Between the hill tribes and the powerful armies we might have to face…"
"I'll give you half my forces. Along with the battalions from the Riverlands and your own men, you should have about thirty thousand men under your command, maybe more."
Catelyn was taken aback just like Robb was. The man who was their enemy only a few days ago was entrusting half his military forces into Robb's hands. However, her son was very skeptical.
"Why are you doing this? Why not name one of your own to command these troops. Even with half your men, he would still have more than I do."
"Because you're a capable military commander. You may have lost against Stannis once, and you may have lost again if we didn't help you out, but you also defeated one of my armies at the Battle of the Kingsroad, and you held quite well against Stannis, inflicting him heavy casualties twice. Considering his competence as a soldier, that is no small feat. I want someone competent at the head of such a force."
"Aren't there competent commanders in your army?"
"None who are more than you. I don't see the point of giving the command of a large army to a knight or a minor lord in my service when I can choose the Warden of the North."
Robb looked at him carefully for a moment, but the most powerful man in Westeros didn't let anything out.
"Very well. I thank you, Lord Lannister."
"You're welcome. But you should thank yourself. If you hadn't bent the knee today, you wouldn't have received such a commandment."
And he would certainly not be alive either. Catelyn was sure this was what Lord Tyrion was thinking at this very moment, and that such was the meaning he intended to convey.
"Very well. I'll go and prepare my men," Robb declared.
"Lord Stark, before you leave…" Her son stopped before the entrance. Catelyn had followed him there. "Remember, the quicker you take Gulltown, the quicker Lysa Arryn and her son will surrender, and you can get your men back in the North. Winter is coming, after all."
Robb nodded and left. Catelyn lingered behind, but before she could talk, Lord Tyrion gave the answer to her unspoken question.
"You can go and see your daughter at Casterly Rock, Lady Stark."
I tried to keep it uncertain until the very end. I hope I succeeded. And the war goes on. We are far from the end.
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Next chapter : Sansa
