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Chapter 16: A Time for Wolves
Robb
When word came to Riverrun about his grandfather, he was originally going to just send his mother and a retinue of men, but she scolded him and said that this would be the last time he got to see his grandfather since they weren't there to say goodbye to his father.
So he told the army to gather their things and break camp, setting their sights back on the Riverlands and towards Riverrun.
It won't be the last battle, however. He's given Lord Roose Bolton the command while they are in the Riverlands, he is to take Harrenhal and keep a firm grip at their back, and because their army is short on men his half of the Northern army will only consist of 4,000 men and 6,000 men for Lord Bolton.
The reason being his fault, House Frey's forces marched back to the Twins weeks ago after he married Lady Westerling. Not that I blame them, I broke my vow to them. A frown placed itself upon his lips as he remembered Black Walder cursing their union before leaving, if he were a crueler King then he'd have taken his tongue.
His mother is disappointed in him, but he couldn't care less for her freeing the Kingslayer for Sansa, one girl and a sister he has heavy doubts of seeing again, as much as it pains him to think such things.
Smiling, one good thing came out of this, at least. The Mountain is dead, his head taken and a great victory over Tywin. He also gained another sister to his family as well, Mya Stone is now Mya Stark once he tells Arthur the good news, all the weddings and reunions gave him some time to think about his home, Winterfell.
He's been to war. Fought more battles than he'd like too and earned himself enough scars and heartache. More than anything he wants to go home, to see his castle and push the Ironborn out of his lands as his ancestors had done when the raiders occupied Bear Island.
They'll go home, all of his people and rebuild their lives before winter comes, and years after winter passes then they'll resume their war against House Lannister.
"My King?" He looked to his right, looking at his new wife who still wears the direwolf cloak on her back.
Jeyne wouldn't have been his first choice, he made that mistake when he took her maidenhead in his grief over losing Bran and Rickon. Yet, yet he walked and married her to respect her virtue despite him not wanting to or at least the boy that was still within him.
He doesn't love Jeyne, not truly, but he will respect her as a husband should and remain faithful to her. It's what father would have done, or what he had done.
"Yes, my Queen." His response was soft, but she still heard him and smiled.
"I know you wed me to preserve my honor. I know, I know you don't feel for me as I wish it, but I swear to you: I won't ever betray you, or be unfaithful towards you." She told him and stood shocked, does the girl know how to read minds now? He chuckled and stirred his horse closer and grabbed her hand, squeezing gently.
"Thank you... My Queen."
The army marched for hours, passing by the Golden Tooth moments ago and seeing the last canyon in some time for the green trees and rivers of the Riverlands. Along the way, he and Jeyne had many small and short conversations, filled with questions about the Riverlands, about his personal guards or his direwolf, Grey Wind. Lastly was his brother, Arthur, she asked who he was like and if he would approve of their marriage.
He answered all of them, telling her that Arthur is a natural-born son meaning that him not approving of her shouldn't be a problem. After that, he asked his own questions or ones he doesn't already know about and the two had a good laugh, though turning to look back he saw his mother giving him a frown to which he frowned back.
He wonders if Arthur is having a better time than him.
Arthur
Wonder if Robb is doing better than me!
Arthur thought as Gendry slammed him on the ground, his back aching from the forceful landing.
It's his fault, he started it by telling his fellow bastard that he's the greatest warrior since he defeated the Mountain. Gendry took that as a challenge, saying that the only way he could prove he is the strongest is by defeating a Baratheon. He obliged.
Now he wished he didn't.
The men around the great hall laughed as they fought, cheering for him or Gendry. On the dais, Mya looked on with a smile despite the sadness within the castle.
He knows that Lord Hoster is on the Stranger's door, the Maester said it would only be a matter of days before the old man's spirit leaves his body for the afterlife. Edmure, Blackfish, and Arya all are in the man's chamber, keeping him company while he waits for Robb and Lady Stark to return.
Avoiding a hit by Gendry, he wrestled the bigger boy to the belly and placed his knee on Gendry's back, twisting his arm a bit. Pure strength overcame him, and he was tossed left and Gendry was reaching out to him with his hand, he took it and thus, ended the match between him and the son of King Robert.
"Truly, a Stag like his father." He praised and held Gendry's hand up, and the crowd in the Great Hall went wild with cheers.
He let go of Gendry who walked to join some men for drinking, and as for him? He walked over to his pregnant wife and kissed her on the lips, bringing a hand to her now swelling belly.
The act brought his mind to his brother, and who he is bringing with him to Riverrun. A sister, and a Queen both. Robb, I hope you know what you are doing. As far as he'd known, the Frey's are a prickly people and prone to take this type of slight very easily.
He swears that he wouldn't have known if the Frey soldiers hadn't told him and others as they passed to go home, he was angry, aye, but is he no better? Bedding a woman he wasn't married to and is going to be a father of the illegitimate, or now legitimate child. He isn't going to be mad that his brother chose the wrong wife, just that he makes up for it by fulfilling one of the vows he made, one of which doesn't sit right with Arya or him, maybe even Jon if he'd known.
Robb had agreed to marry one of Walder's daughter, and also agreed to wed Arya to the ferret's son, Waldren. Arya didn't know until Black Walder said it, he nearly started a fight because of the fools boldness in wanting to take Arya so one of the promises could be made and threatened that if the Freys didn't leave, he would teach the lot of them why he is called the Dread Wolf.
"Lord Arthur?" He turned and saw the Maester approaching, he stepped away from Mya then and gave the man his full attention.
"What is it, Vyman? You seem to have bad news every time you come by." He commented, earning a scowl from the older man.
"Dark wings, my Lord." He was passed a raven scroll, "With Lord Edmure and Brynden busy with Lord Hoster, I believe you, being the King's brother would be given the message." He opened the scroll and read what their outer scouts sent to them, they could afford to send them further with Tywins dog in the dirt. He read it and narrowed his eyes, cursing the Lannister's for the hundredth time.
"So Stannis Baratheon was beaten back, damn... Damn." He said and looked to Mya who was wearing a frown.
He'd hoped the man would be victorious in his battle, then the Lannister's would be dead or on the run for a hunt. Stannis is also an honorable man, from what his father spoke of before being attacked by Jaime Lannister. It was a fool's gamble, but he'd hoped Stannis would win and his brother could negotiate peace with him.
And now, this war will be a slaughter. He'll just have to make sure the ones dead will be the Lannister's.
Sansa
Sansa Stark watched from the farthest side of the throne room, Lord Tywin Lannister riding towards the Iron Throne, where Joffrey was sitting in his armor.
She remembered how Joffrey acted like a wounded deer, not a stag or a lion after her half-brother stuck him in the shoulder. She wished that he'd gotten Joffrey in the heart, killing him but the Seven spared her 'betrothed'.
Betrothed? She laughed internally at herself. She actually believed that he loved her, wanted to be with her, and she learned the truth, that it was all a lie to make her give up her father's plans to send her and Arya back home. She's hated the fact she betrayed her family, was going to kill herself and take Joffrey with when he showed her the head of her friend, Jeyne, and Septa Mordane. If not for Sandor Clegane, she would have done so.
What's worse is that her father would have been killed as well, if not for Arthur saving him, but at the cost of leaving her behind to be Cersei's hostage.
She's since regretted treating Arthur so terribly, maybe one day when she sees him again, she will apologize for being such a horrible person. If he and Robb even succeed in taking the Capital, unlike Stannis Baratheon. She waited in her chambers for the battle to end in a true Baratheon's favor, instead, she saw the lion banner still standing the next morning, after that, she simply wept and waited for more torment.
"Thank you, your grace." She heard the last of it before Lord Tywin turned his white horse and walked back out the throne room.
"Lord Petyr Baelish, step forward." She tuned out the next bit once more, only hearing that Lord Baelish was named Lord of Harrenhal, a large promotion of his station for a minor Lord.
Petyr made a remark, something about obtaining sons and grandsons, the reason she heard it was because it made the room bellow in laughter.
What came next, she couldn't possibly forget, because it brought such a smile to her face.
"Ser Loras Tyrell, step forward." the beautiful man who named her Queen of Love and Beauty at her father's tourney knelt to the Iron Throne, head low for a moment. "Your house has come to our aid. The whole realm is in your debt. If only you were there to defend me when that Bastard Wolf wounded me." You couldn't beat my brother, you couldn't when you had him surrounded, and you wouldn't even with a rose. She smiled, defending her half-brother. "If your family would ask of anything, I would happily grant it." Loras looked up to Joffrey and she noticed no gratefulness, more or less a bit of disgust.
"If you would honor me and my family, your grace. My sister, Margaery had lost her husband shortly after her wedding. She is still a maid and pure, and would be honored to be your first Queen." Joffrey couldn't smirk any more than he did this day. And looking to the left, she saw that Lady Margaery is a great beauty to be sure.
Joffrey saved face, attempting to defend his betrothal to her. In the end, however, the decision was made, with the help of the Queen to set her aside for the Tyrell.
She's free, free in a matrimonial sense, at least.
Arya
(6 days later)
Arya Stark was training with Gendry in the courtyard, using her skills taught to her by Syrio to evade the Baratheon strength with stealth.
In her mind, she thought about her grandfather who, over the course of the last six days got to know very well. She wished she didn't, it would hurt a lot less than she did now. After he passed in the late hours two days ago, she forced down the tears and threw herself into her sword training once more, Mya would have been her first choice but with her pregnant, she was stuck with Gendry.
"Tired, already?" She asked Gendry who grunted in response, making her smile for the first time in several days.
Robb is supposed to arrive, soon, and mother too. That is one good thing in this time of mourning, but it doesn't change that she'll be putting another member of her family to rest, the thought brought her brother's to mind, the ones he lost.
She'll never play with Bran, or practice archery with him, again. She won't ever hear Rickon's laughter or how he clung to their mother's skirts, she'd tease him for it despite the fact that until she was ten, she'd done the same thing and so had Bran.
Father. Bran. Rickon. Grandfather, Hoster Tully. Her family is growing shorter and shorter, and she hates it, she wishes she could do something about it but can't. When Gendry and uncle Edmure came back from the Battle of Shadyveil, carrying her wounded brother on a wagon, she cried and thought he was to join the dead.
She-
Taken from her thoughts, she didn't realize Gendry was using one of her brother's moves and she was quickly put on her back, groaning in defeat as Gendry stood over her with a victorious smile on his face.
"Two Starks, well, one's half but either way... I won!" She wanted to him, gods! She never wanted to hit someone so much, until now.
"That was unfair! I wasn't concentrating, I want a rematch." She demanded and Gendry shook his head.
"Oh, no. I have a streak going on, and if I get too confident I'll be the one on my back." She fumed, narrowing her eyes in a frightful glare, it had no effect on him.
Before another word could be said, the sounds of footsteps were her brother, Mya, uncle Brynden and Edmure. She slid Needle into her scabbard and approached her brother, embracing him and getting embraced back before stepping away, smiling lightly.
"What's wrong?" It became a regular thing, whenever one is approached nowadays. She was approached, when word came of the North being invaded and her brother's captured. She was approached, when news came of Bran and Rickon's deaths by Theon, who was supposed to be like a brother to her and her siblings.
"Nothing is wrong, Arya. More or less a good thing, Robb is almost here." Mya told her, the Doe then linked her arm with Arthur's own.
Her smile became bright, and an hour later she and the other's welcomed her family back home.
North
Jon woke up from his nightly sleep, imprisonment and joining an enemy army isn't so calming like in Old Nan's stories told when he and his brothers were children.
Next to him was Ygritte, his former prisoner, and after some time in the company of the Free Folk became his first lover.
Since the Commander brought him along on the Great Ranging, he'd been thinking a lot about his brothers, his real brothers. Bran, Robb, Rickon, even Arthur, he misses them all. Some nights, he wished he had continued riding south, to be beside Robb and Arthur and free Sansa.
The last raven he received from Arthur was news of their father's death, he had gotten Arya and two of King Robert's baseborn children out, a boy named Gendry and a girl named Mya. He wrote with regret, that he couldn't get to Sansa and swore that he and Robb would save her and bring the Lannister's to justice.
After that, he was chosen by Commander Mormont to join the force riding North.
Since then, he's been attacked by a man who weds his daughter's and granddaughters. Seen one of the creatures that had killed Otho and Jafer, even his uncle Benjen. Went to the Fist of the First Men and joined a scouting group led by Qhorin Halfhand. Failed to follow instructions and found himself captured by the Lord of Bones, a Wildling Chief. He's met numerous leaders of the Free Folk such as Tormund Giantsbane, Mance Rayder, and the Giant King and one of his sons, Wun Wun.
All of this is apart of Qhorin's request, to gather knowledge of what Mance's plans are. He was put into a group sent to go over the Wall, to attack them from behind while Mance lights the biggest fire the north has ever seen, but he's encountered a problem as well.
Ygritte, over the last two weeks of traveling together, he's begun to fall for her and just a few days had bedded one another within their cave.
He knows he will have to decide on his vows or his heart, either one will cost him greatly.
AN: A little softcore than the last chapter, but I still hope everyone's enjoyed or is enjoying it so far. So now we enter into season three, I hope I'm not going too fast, I'll try to slow it down a bit. I named the chapter: A Time for Wolves for the PoV's (I know Bran and Rickon are alive, but their PoV won't be up for some time.
Sketchywolf, Thanks! Glad it's fantastic.
Pyr101, Indeed, he knows 1% where to put it, and 99% of nothing.
Guest, It should earn some respect, but other than that I don't know.
Until next time, this has been Hail King Cerion, have a good day.