When Jon and Robb were children, they had trained together in the yard nearly every day. They had hit at each other with wooden sticks under the instruction of Ser Rodrick, and later Ser Addam, and as they got older Theon joined as well. Only training had never been just training. They played at war, and imagined themselves to be great heroes from the songs and stories their father or Maester Luwin or Old Nan told them.
Even outside of training, they waged war in the godswood. Sometimes it was Arya's game of Nymeria and her thousand ships. Other times they were famous knights rescuing the maiden fair, often played by Alysanne or Sansa. Robb was always the Young Dragon or Florian the Fool, and Jon was Ryam Redwyne or Aemon the Dragonknight. When Theon made time to join them, he was Theon Stark or an Ironborn warrior of legend. The knights they played changed day by day, but one thing remained constant. When they went to war in the godswood, they were always by each other's side.
This was nothing like their games, Jon had decided. It was much more boring. Even with the speed which they marched south, the days dragged on and on. Much of the north looked the same, and as beautiful as Jon found it, he wished for change. It was all rolling hills and trees. So many gods forsaken trees. They would find space to make camp every night, and every night the surrounding woods looked the same.
Jon had anticipated the journey south taking much longer than it did in truth. With nearly 20,000 men at their back, Jon had assumed it would take moons to reach Moat Cailin. But it seemed the draw of war and the hurry to rescue their liege lord had lit a fire in the men, and Robb had no intentions of leaving his family to rot in King's Landing any longer.
Jon knew better than to wish for a war and bloody battles for the ages, but he knew that more likely than not it would come to that. What other outcome is there, in retaliation for the imprisonment of the Lord of Winterfell? Jon knew it, Alysanne knew it, and so did all of the men who followed them south. And as much as he tried to deny it, Robb knew it as well.
Robb told Jon as much one night after they made camp. That particular night they were somewhere in the Barrowlands. Jon wasn't sure exactly where, it all looked the same anyways. But each night, no matter how similar the surroundings, Robb made a point to walk through the camp. He thought it important for the men to see him, and he never made the walks alone. If Alysanne did not join him then it was Theon or another bannerman of import. If not one of them, it was Jon, as it was on that particular night.
"Do you honestly think Joffrey will negotiate?" Jon had asked. The two of them weaved in and out of tents and through the Karstark encampment. White sunbursts on black fields flapped in the wind every which way Jon turned. It never ceased to amaze him just how quickly a city sprung up where they stopped. Hundreds of thousands of cookfires and tents spotted the landscape as far as he could see, and each night Jon failed to understand just how quickly it would come down in the mornings.
Robb stopped to watch two Karstark men-at-arms train and made comments of their footwork. Jon observed his brother as he interacted with the men. Common foot soldiers to be sure, but Robb spoke to them as equals. He's like father in that way. Their father had always made a point to speak directly to his people and invite members of the household to sit with him at the high table, high and lowborn. He never made any of them feel lesser than, as far as Jon could tell.
Robb broke away from the two men and resumed their stroll. The Karstark encampment soon bled into the Bolton encampment, and it felt far less welcoming. Karstark banners were replaced with Bolton banners, and the flayed man scowled down at them from above. As much as a flayed man can, I suppose. Robb continued to weigh his words.
"Joffrey took King Robert's grudge against Targaryen's for his own and has not let it go. Alys says he is not quick to forgive or forget slights, or let go of grudges for that matter," Robb nodded a greeting at a group of soldiers as they passed by. "If father did make claims against him, I do not think he will let it pass. He is not a merciful man." Robb's shoulders slumped as he spoke, and Jon felt equally dejected. All sorts of stories had made their way through the camp as they traveled south. Stories claiming it had been their father who had killed King Robert, that he had lied to try and take Joffrey's throne for his own. They ignored them as best they could, but what he did overhear made Jon fear the truth all the more. "I may hold on to hope, but I am no fool. If Joffrey does not release my father, then it will have to be war."
"Even if he does it will be war. He imprisoned the Lord of Winterfell, that cannot go unanswered." They turned a bend into the Stark encampment, but Jon could still feel the flayed man at his back.
"I know that. It seems no matter what I do, I lead men to their deaths." A heavy burden, and one I am glad is not mine alone. The two of them came to a stop in front of Robb's tent and Jon laid a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"It's Joffrey who started this war. Not you. It's not your burden alone." Jon did not get much of a chance to speak with Robb past that night. Outside of council meetings, Robb found himself entertaining nearly every lord in the north. The rest of their journey to Moat Cailin, Robb invited a different lord to ride by his side. He invited the Greatjon, whose booming laughter Jon could hear from his spot back in the line, as well as Lord Bolton and Lord Tallhart and Lord Cerwyn. Lord Karstark and Lady Mormont each had a chance as well.
Jon was forced to find company with other Stark men or Theon. Theon had not been a poor choice at first, but the further south they traveled the more on edge he seemed. All Theon talked about was what horrors Lord Stark and Sansa, and perhaps Arya and Bran, could be enduring. "I'll have his head if he lays a finger on her," Theon had declared. Jon had snorted and answered that he would do no such thing, much to Theon's dismay. Theon's company made Jon all the more anxious and the days stretched longer.
After suffering a week of travel with Theon, Alysanne had invited Jon to ride with her and her ladies. They proved to be much better company. None of their mounts shied away from Ghost, as Grey Wind followed Alysanne nearly as often as he followed Robb. Jon knew Beth and Ser Addam well, and even though her other ladies were hardly more than acquaintances they still welcomed his presence.
Their group did not demand Jon talk much, and instead filled the silences with japes and songs that grew more and more bawdy as the days drew on. The Bear and Maiden Fair was a favorite, as was Meggett Was a Merry Maid and the Dornisman's Wife. It was much better than Theon's morose air, and it was nice to be able to ignore the true reason they traveled south, if only for a time. The long days on the road began to pass far quicker than they had before, and Jon grew more comfortable trading barbs back with Wylla and Jorelle. If Wylla poked fun at his brooding, as she called it, then he shot right back with a remark about her green hair. If Jon teasingly called into question what need a lady such as Jorelle had for a morningstar, she was quick to challenge him to a spar.
He realised that the ladies had quickly become friends when Robb requested Alysanne's company at the front one morning and Jon deemed to ride on his own. He did not want to impose his presence on her ladies, especially if Alys was not present. It was Wylla who'd found him several hours into their march and cured him of that notion. "Does my hair truly frighten you so much?" She had called out.
"Jorelle and her morningstar moreso," he laughed, and Wylla joined him. Jorelle had challenged him to aspar when they made camp the previous night after some traded barbs. Jon had soundly defeated her, but Jorelle had not made it an easy victory for him.
Wylla giggled. "Do not tell her so. I fear we'd never hear the end of it," Wylla urged her horse closer to his and kept pace. "Please join us. Elsewise we're doomed to listen to dear Edda moon over Ser Addam, and I much prefer your brooding to that."
"I do not brood!" Jon declared, and Wylla rode off laughing. He followed her all the same, and had not attempted to depart from their company again. The rest of the journey passed in much the same manner, the days blurred together, and before long Moat Cailin loomed before them.
Moat Cailin was most certainly not what Jon had been expecting. When he and Robb were boys, Maester Luwin had taught them about the different keeps in the north. The ones that were occupied and the ones that were abandoned. Of particular focus had been Moat Cailin, for its strategic importance as a defense to the north and it's connection to the first men. All the stories they had been told described Moat Cailin as a ruin. Twenty towers had long turned to three, and Old Nan's stories had told of a wooden keep rotted away and a wall that lay in shambles.
The Moat Cailin that greeted their host did not have twenty towers, but nor was it a ruin. The towers had been long reinforced, and where the wooden keep stood a stone one took its place. Men wandered about, repairing the curtain wall to its former glory and tending to the surrounding grounds. What has father been doing? Jon racked his brain, but could not remember his father making any mention of anything past simple repairs being done to Moat Cailin.
Jon urged his horse forward to where Robb had stopped. Ahead, three men rode from the keep to greet them. One man flew the banner of House Stark, and next to him rode a man who flew a banner that Jon recognized to be of House Reed. Robb looked as bewildered as Jon felt. "Did father mention any of this to you?" Jon asked.
Robb slowly shook his head. "He had mentioned that he'd ordered simple repairs, but I had no idea he meant this much." Robb glanced at him. "Did he mention anything to you?"
Jon shook his head. "Where did the north get the money for this?" Repairing a keep the size of Moat Cailin could not have been an inexpensive venture. Especially if father had set to repairing other keeps around the north.
"My dowry." Robb and Jon took notice of Alysanne, who had ridden forward to join them without their notice. She dismounted as the three men drew closer, and Robb with her.
Jon did not join them to greet the men. I doubt they would welcome the presence of a bastard. Still, he could hear them make introductions from where he sat. The only name Jon recognized was that of Lord Howland Reed, a name he had heard often in his father's stories. The men who greeted them directed them into the keep, and Lord Reed himself led Robb to the Gatehouse Tower. All that was left to do was wait for the rest of the northmen to arrive.
It did not take long. Not a day after they themselves arrived did a scout bring word of Manderly banners fast approaching, and Stark banners with them. Robb was anxious to speak with his mother, and Jon understood why. Still, it would be a lie for him to say he missed Lady Catelyn's presence. She had not yet arrived and already Jon could feel her scorn. More and more lords descended on Moat Cailin and what already appeared to be an endless sea of tents and soldiers swelled inside.
The Manderly banners that soon dotted the encampment made Jon chuckle to himself. The green does, in fact, match Wylla's hair. It did not take long after their arrival for Robb to summon him to his temporary solar. It was a plain room and obviously hastily furnished. There was a lone desk with a bench in front of it, and two wooden chairs by the hearth. There were no tapestries or rugs as there were in Winterfell.
Lady Catelyn narrowed her eyes at his arrival. "Perhaps this is a conversation for a smaller crowd." She met Jon's eyes and then Theon's, who had arrived just after Jon, before settling on Alysanne. Alys ignored her gaze and made for the desk in the corner and began to shuffle through the papers atop it.
Robb frowned. "Jon is father's son, and Theon has known from the start. They have every right to be here." Lady Catelyn slanted a glance at him and Theon once more but did not argue further.
Alysanne withdrew a letter from the desk and handed it to Robb. Jon could just make out the broken seal on it and recognized it to be the letter Sansa had sent. "We received this. From Sansa," Robb walked to his mother and held it out.
Lady Catelyn took it gingerly and glanced over it. "She makes no mention of Arya or Bran." She glanced over it once more. "This does not sound like Sansa."
Robb nodded and reached his hand out for the letter. Lady Catelyn handed it back to him. "That's what Alys said. The Queen's words." Robb ushered his mother to a seat. "What happened? We know nothing besides what Sansa wrote."
She cast a wary glance around the room once more before beginning her tale. "Lord Baelish brought me to Ned when I arrived. I don't know how he knew I was there, but he knew all the same."
Alysanne scoffed and took a seat as well. "Not much happens in that city without Littlefinger knowing of it. Or anywhere really." Lady Catelyn scowled at the nickname Alys used, but did not interrupt. "When I was there last, he mentioned things to me that I certainly had not told him, and I doubt my father did either." Alys shifted in her seat.
"Regardless," Lady Catelyn gave Alysanne a pointed look. "I have known Petyr since we were children. I trust him."
"You knew Petyr as a child. But perhaps that is still more than I, as I only knew the man for several moons. And of course I was only a girl." Alys met Lady Catelyn's glare head on, and the tension was enough to make Jon uneasy. What did I miss? Lady Catelyn has always been so fond of Alys.
Robb interjected then, and looked as though he felt as awkward as Jon did. "You spoke with father, then?"
Lady Catelyn broke eye contact with Alys. "Yes, I gave him Lysa's letter, I believe he meant to look into the matter. Petyr said he had knowledge of the whereabouts of Jon Arryn's remaining household." Alys rolled her eyes at the mention of Lord Baelish but wisely did not speak up again.
"Do you think it got back to the Queen that he was asking questions?" said Robb. It must have, why else would they arrest him? Jon did not say as much. It was better to not remind Lady Catelyn he remained in the room.
Lady Catelyn nodded. "Perhaps. Jon Arryn had been conducting an investigation of his own before he was murdered, and Petyr knew of it. It's possible that his own questioning led to his death."
Alysanne spoke up then. "What was Jon Arryn asking about?"
"I could not say," Lady Catelyn gripped the arm rests of her chair and looked down. "I fear that whatever it was has led Ned to a similar fate."
Robb knelt down by his mother's chair and took her hand in his. "You've had a long journey, mother. Rest while I meet with the Lords, and we may talk more on the morrow."
She removed her hand and wiped her eyes. "No, I will attend the council with you," she stood and smoothed her skirts. "I will not rest easy unless I know what is being done."
Jon went his separate way before the council meeting. Lady Catelyn would certainly wish to spend time with her son, and Jon knew his presence would not be welcomed. I cannot begrudge her that comfort. Jon spent the hours in between wandering the keep and the surrounding grounds.
Only three towers stood in completion; the Children's Tower, the Gatehouse Tower, and the Drunkard's Tower. The Drunkard's Tower was called so due to the way it had leaned for years, though the men rebuilding Moat Cailin had long remedied that. Lord Karstark had claimed the Drunkard's Tower for his camp, and the familiar banners swung high. House Umber had taken the Children's Tower. Most of the tower was green with moss, but one could see where repairs had been made as the stone was new and clean. The Children's Tower was tall and slender, but not taller than the Gatehouse Tower.
The Gatehouse Tower was where Lord Reed had led Robb upon their arrival, and thus Winterfell's banners flew high above. Jon had been presented with his own chambers by Robb's, and though they were smaller than his back home in Winterfell, it was more than he had expected. He had been certain he'd be relegated to a tent with the rest of the men.
It was in the hall of the Gatehouse Tower where they met that very night. Jon had been certain Lady Catelyn's presence would see him ousted from the councils Robb held, but a page had still been sent to fetch him. The hall was made of dark stone with high ceilings and a map laid spread out on the large stone table. The walls had been hastily scrubbed clean, and further up the walls Jon could see lichen that servants could not reach.
Not all of the lords had arrived yet, but those who had pressed close around the table. The Greatjon was impossible to miss, as was Lord Karstark and Manderly. Lord Bolton stood quietly as ever, and other lords gathered along the edges. Jon did not take his usual place by Robb's side, as that spot had been claimed by Lady Catelyn whose face soured upon his entrance. Theon had already arrived as well and was pressed between Lord Umber and Lord Karstark. Jon strided across the hall with Ghost at his feet and claimed a spot directly opposite Robb.
The lord slowly trickled in, and Alysanne was the last to arrive with Grey Wind at her heels. Lady Catelyn's face did not even warm upon her arrival. Lord Karstark looked at her suspiciously as she took the empty spot on the other side of Robb, yet he said nothing. Robb stood over the large map and waited until everyone present had settled. "We received word from Lord Tully just a day past. Lannister men have set off on the River Road and Gold Road. More men still have left King's Landing." He moved markers on the map to reflect his words.
The Greatjon banged his meaty fist onto the table and Jon flinched. "Pah! Let them come!" His declaration sent a wave of chatter through the men, and Robb had to wait for those present to settle once more.
Robb ignored the Greatjon's words. "It's just a matter of where we'll meet them," he finished.
"Why meet them at all?" Theon said. His voice had it's usual cocky lilt to it and Jon so desperately wanted to roll his eyes. "King's Landing, that's our goal. We don't have time to waste in the Riverlands." It's as if he knows nothing at all! They needed the Riverlands men to bolster their numbers, and they would be hard pressed to make it to King's Landing without passing through.
"They won't let us make it to King's Landing," Jon spoke up. The lords directed their attention to him.
"Joffrey summoned Robb, of course they'll let us," Theon said. Jon noticed the mug of ale in Theon's hand and narrowed his eyes.
"That was before Robb called his bannermen. Do you really think they'll just let us march into the city, unimpeded, with 20,000 northmen?" Jon argued.
Theon went to continue the argument, but Lord Bolton spoke first. "Jon Snow speaks true." He made no effort to raise his voice, and they all quieted to listen. "They will likely try to stop us from crossing the Trident."
Jon studied the map spread on the table in front of him. The message from Lord Tully had said Lannsiter men were headed towards Riverrun, and more were coming up the Kingsroad. The Kingsroad crossed over the Trident at the ruby ford not far from Darry, the quickest route from Moat Cailin to King's Landing, and where they were to meet up with Lord Edmure and his men. That is where they will try to stop us.
He said as much. Lord's Karstark, Manderly, Umber, and Bolton listened to him and mulled over his words. The Greatjon nodded and none made to disagree with him, and his chest swelled. They do not dismiss me outright for my name. It had been his fear through all of the council meetings thus far, and had stayed his hand when it came to offering his opinion.
Robb gestured to Riverrun. "Lord Tully relayed that he's sent men to watch their borders, but there is not much they can do without breaking peace."
"The Lannisters broke peace when they imprisoned Ned and made hostages of my daughters and son," Lady Catelyn spat. Robb laid a comforting hand on his mothers arm. Lord Umber and Lord Karstark voiced their agreement to her words.
"Lord Tywin means to stop you from passing through Riverrun, and he won't do it with fancy words" Lord Karstark said.
Alysanne shook her head and glanced at Robb, who nodded encouragingly. "Not my grandfather. He'll see that as beneath him," Lord Karstark snickered lightly but she ignored it. Jon narrowed his eyes in his direction, but did not interrupt Alys. She ran a delicate finger along the Gold Road. "He'll head towards King's Landing. He is not well pleased with Joffrey and his ability to lead. He's never said as much to me, but one learns to hear what goes unsaid." She folded her hands in front of herself and looked over the map once more. "No, he'll want to take control of the situation in King's Landing. It will be my Uncle Kevan he gives command to, or he will not so subtly request the King to send my father out with a contingent of men." Jon saw the way her shoulders tightened at the mention of her father and he frowned. It must be no easy thing, to be on the opposite side of one's remaining blood.
"Hah!" Lord Karstark barked, "and you presume to know the mind of your grandfather?" Jon tensed and Ghost shifted at his feet.
"Lord Tywin visited me often in Winterfell, my lord," Alysanne spoke softer and more gently than Jon would have. "He took great interest in my education, and we exchanged letters. I know him well"
Lord Karstark sneered. "And how recently have you exchanged letters? What a grandfather tells his granddaughter is different than matters of war, girl," Lord Karstark looked down his nose at Alysanne. Her eyes flashed but she said nothing, a blank look frozen on her face.
He should not speak to her in that manner. Robb spoke before Jon could. He placed both of his hands on the table and leaned forward, just slightly. "Lady Alysanne is the future Lady of Winterfell, and my lady wife besides. Be careful in how you speak to her." Grey Wind growled lowly behind Robb, and Lord Karstark eyes found the Greatjon's gnarled hand. He backed down and inclined his head. He should be apologizing. To Alys. Robb moved on to discuss matters with Lord Mandelry as well as Lord Bolton.
Robb studied the map himself before speaking. "We'll have no choice but to meet them," Robb pluckedthe wolf's head markers from where they stood at Moat Cailin. "We'll continue together to the Twins, and from there we'll diverge." Robb placed one marker at Riverrun, and another at Darry. "Lord Bolton will take a host of men and secure the crossing at Darry," the Greatjon made a noise of protest but quieted with a glare from Robb. "The rest of us will continue to Riverrun, meet up with Lord Edmure, and rejoin Lord Bolton at Darry." Robb looked to each of the men surrounding the table and they nodded. None voiced protests or shared their opinions, and Jon wished they would. The input from more experienced soldiers would be welcome. When no one voiced any objections, Robb continued. "Lord Reed, your men know Moat Cailin and the Neck best. I'll leave it's defenses to you."
Lord Reed cleared his throat. "If it suits you, my Lord, I would rather continue south with you. I'm of more value to you there than here." An odd man, but father speaks highly of him.
Robb pulled his eyebrows together but agreed all the same. "If you wish. My father trusts you, and I'll heed your council. Leave command with a man you trust." Robb gave directions to the other lords present to have their men ready early the next morning and then dismissed the council for the evening. Robb held Lady Catelyn behind and Jon was quick to exit.
Jon waited outside the room for Alys, who was one of the last to exit. She continued by him and he rushed to catch up. He called out to her and she slowed but did not stop. "The lords do not trust me, Jon," she bit out.
"Not all of them, certainly." The only one in the room who had questioned her had been Lord Karstark. He does not seem a friendly man to begin with. None of the other lords had questioned her words.
"They look at me with suspicion. You may think me a Stark, but to them I'm a southron lady with southron loyalties and a Lannister to boot," she worried at her sleeve. The two of them turned a corner into a stairwell and continued upwards. "Lord Umber will not say anything to me out of respect for Robb. Lord Manderly does not like that I brought his daughter south, Lord Karstark has made clear his opinion of me," her tone was bitter and her lips pulled into a thin line. "Lord Bolton is another matter," she said under her breath.
"Lord Bolton? What of him?" Lord Bolton had not even glanced at her during the council meeting, let alone question her.
Alysanne scrunched her face. "He questioned my loyalties at the feast before we left." Jon gawked at her and Alys gave him an imploring look. "Don't mention anything to Robb. Please. Now is not the time for trouble in our own ranks, and he'll soon depart anyways."
Jon snorted. "You should have said something to Lord Karstark."
"They're Robb's men, and it's he who needs to establish authority over them. I am just his wife who followed him south." The two of them came to a landing at the top of the stairs turned into a hallway.
They passed several members of the household and Alysanne greeted each of them. "You're not just his wife. You'll still be Lady of Winterfell someday, they need to listen to you as well." The two of them came to a stop outside of a door.
Alysanne faced him fully. "Aye, but not for some time. Robb is the one leading them to war, not I.
"They just need time. Lady Catelyn is from the south and they respect her."
Alysanne huffed. "They respect her, but it took years and five children for her to earn it."
"And from the sounds coming from your shared tent, you'll be well on your way to earning that respect." Jon had made the mistake of placing his tent next to theirs, and he did not repeat it.
Alys let escape a noise ofindignation and smacked him across the chest, but smiled all the same. "Get some rest, you fool. We've a long march tomorrow."
Jon walked the short distance to his door. "Aye, I'll certainly try." He ducked into his room with Alysanne cursing after him.
Sleep did not find Jon that night, and come morning his eyes burned. Jon had lay awake and thought of all the men who marched with them, fathers and sons and brothers, and knew that many of them would not return. A sobering thought, and one that he could not shake from his mind no matter how hard he tried. In truth, Jon still felt a boy playing at war. What do I know of battle? Of strategy? This was no battle waged in the godswood of Winterfell, and nor would they fight with wooden swords. By the time Jon managed to get his mind to settle the sun was rising, and he found himself wishing for just a few hours more.
The war would not wait, however, and neither would Robb, who had requested both Jon and Theon to join him by his side on the march. They led the march south together, and each step took them further and further from Winterfell's godswood.