A/N: Not excited about what is coming on Netflix, for those who are fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Just a thought.

Jon inspected the troops of the Jade Company brigade alongside Robb, who spent half the previous day getting him acquainted with the captains of the Company of the Rose and the Wolf Pack. He was quite impressed with the descendants of the northerners who came to Essos, developing reputations as effective soldiers. They were just as disciplined as the Jade Company troops, and that was saying something since most sellsword companies besides the Golden Company were not worth whatever fees they were charging to their clients.

But for Jon, the northerners' journey to Essos very much mirrored that of Robb's. What they had in common was that they came to Essos because circumstances prevented them from staying Westeros. The founders of the Company of the Rose refused to bow to the Targaryens and thus chose to live in exile, while the Wolf Pack's founders were among those who could not return home after a massive conflict like the Dance of the Dragons. Robb had to leave Westeros because even though he escaped the Red Wedding, no one was going to support him and it was only because of Yohn Royce was he able to leave Westeros' shores and have the money he needed to hire the northerner sellsword companies. Once we return to Westeros, the debts we have to House Royce will be massive because he did not have to help out Robb.

While Jon was glad that the one he saw as a brother was alive, he also felt sad since the years had taken their toll on Robb. He was no longer confident in himself, always second-guessing his ever actions, and he could see that whatever grief he still had in him was buried in his work. Unlike Jon, Robb had no one to help him deal with the pain in his heart and it only made him wish that he was there when all of the terrible events that had happened.

Naturally, he had to ask Daenerys and Rhaenys for advice on how to deal with Robb regarding his emotional condition.

"Just say as it is," Rhaenys was quick to say. "He is not a boy and he suffered through the consequences of his decisions. To do anything less would be an insult to his growth."

"Dear niece, even a northerner might not be able to handle that, because that is just cold," Daenerys pointed out. "Yes, Robb went through so much, but that is why he must be dealt with delicately. After all, a man who is going through so much pain does not need anymore."

"Both your wife and your sister are right and wrong," Hoon Ti joined in. "There are ways to treat people according to their age, but your cousin went through struggles that men twice his age would have gone through. While the queen is correct in speaking with tact, Rhaenys has a point in that you share the same blood and he is a man. Do not hold back on what he must hear, but do not cause misunderstandings, for even one word or one twitch of the eyebrow can ruin one's intended message."

Jon indeed had to get Robb out of his distress, but he was still family and he did not want to rub more salt on his wounds. Careful now, he told himself.

After they finished inspecting the troops, both of them walked on the walls around Meereen, where both looked upon the massive Volantene blockade. If Jon had counted correctly, it would appear that the tigers had devoted their entire fleet just to make sure that they would have no chance to escape to the sea. While he was tempted to take Meleys and simply burn them through, he had no idea just what type of countermeasures that the ships had against the dragons and he had to make sure that there would be only a certainty of victory. Joon did not fight the Prime Minister's forces unless he was sure that the would win, even though he had to make haste because of Seong.

"Quite a sight, is it not?" Jon spoke to Robb. "We should be touched, that the tigers see us as such threats that they are putting all of these ships against us."

"I agree, Jon. Or Daeron," Robb said with hesitance. "I have yet to be accustomed to your true heritage."

"Nothing has changed between us." Jon clasped Robb's shoulder. "We might not have had the same father, but what we have is something that cannot be broken. You are my brother."

Robb smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Jon. That means much coming from you."

"Do not mention it."

"So… you are married to your aunt?"

Jon shrugged. "Upon meeting her, there was no one else for me. I… could not deny the bond that we shared."

"Well, you are a dragon as much as you are a wolf, so I cannot say anything," Robb told him with a smirk. "But Arya told me that you were not a virgin when you married her, that you have been with other women."

Jon bobbed his head, not seeing any reason to deny it. "I have. One was a woman on Yi-Ti's northern frontier and the other is now the Empress."

Robb was taken aback. "By the old gods… you have been busy, it would seem. I wonder how long it took for you to have such high aims."

"It just happened," Jon responded. "The woman from the frontier was more innocent, but I had my reasons to get into the bed with the Empress. Although to tell you the truth, dealing with the Empress was quite difficult because she was taller than me."

"Taller?"

"Her mother was a Lengii and they are known to have people who grow to seven to eight feet tall."

Robb chuckled in amusement. "If our father heard about what you have been doing, he most certainly would have more than a few harsh words to throw your way."

Jon chortled with him. "Right? But as much as she helped me, I knew from the moment I dealt with her that I could never be happy with her. Fortunately, she felt the same way and that made leaving Yi-Ti very easy."

"But what about this women from the frontier?"

Jon closed his eyes for a moment, remembering Chanhee's face and her voice. "What I feel for Daenerys… I might have felt for her if I had enough time. But…" Even though it was more than a long while, the memory of her death, the feeling of her corpse growing cold in his arms, both were things that he tried not to dwell on so much.

Robb sighed. "I understand what you feel. I really do, because that is what I felt for my wife while she was still alive."

"Talisa was her name, right?"

Robb nodded. "I was already betrothed, but my feelings and passions for her made me disregard all of the consequences and I had to marry her. We were going to start a family, only for…"

Jon saw him freeze and his voice crack. He only heard rumors on what had happened during the Red Wedding, one of which was that Talisa's was stabbed to death while she was carrying Robb's child. Seeing his brother almost break down in tears was all he needed to know that the rumors were true.

By instinct, Jon brought into a tight hug, patting his back while Robb eventually sobbed into his chest.

"Let it out, brother. Let it out. It is not good to have all of this pain in you, because it will eventually destroy you."

Even though Jon personally decapitated the ones who were responsible for Chanhee's death, the pain that he got from her being taken too soon still lived in his heart. Only with Daenerys was he able to finally break free from the cycle that was slowly about to consume, but Robb did not have that and he had to make sure that his brother would not fall into the abyss that he himself would have fallen into without the woman he loved.

"I am not going to say you will move on from seeing her die, because none of us will truly be able to," Jon whispered to him. "But you are still breathing. Whether you think that you were spared for a reason or if the gods are taunting you with life, I know for certain that you being alive means that you have another chance to be happy. And that is something that many of us are willing to fight and die for."

"But how could I? Our unborn child was brutally murdered!" Robb suddenly rose his voice, but out of grief. "I have failed as a king, as Lord of Winterfell, as head of House Stark, and as a brother and son. Many northmen died because of me and many more had to suffer after I failed to detect treachery in my ranks. I failed!"

"No one can replace him or her," Jon was honest with him. "But just as I had another chance with Daenerys, you also can have that. There will be someone that you can grow close to, become fond of, that no one else can hurt you ever again. Otherwise, why are you still fighting? What is the whole point of trying to get home if you are going to drown your sorrows over drinks and brothels?"

Robb rose his head from his shoulder, wiping his tears away while sniffling. "I will never be a drunk, nor a whoremonger like Robert."

"Then try to find happiness. I found mine, and you can also. I intend to live for a long time, but the both of us cannot hope to do that alone. I knew that I could never have a future with the Empress, but ultimately I do not regret the time we spent together. I learned so much from her, the most important lesson being that I should not trust others so easily outside of family, and that we should always maintain our purity but be cunning against those who want to bring us down. Perhaps... I will have a place in my heart for her always because of that."

Robb exhaled heavily but he nodded in agreement. "You are right. I must move forward. Talisa's dead, but I cannot bring her back. And she would not want me to wallow in pain forever. And your sister told me about the type of woman that I should have."

"Very good. She gave you good advice," Jon cracked him a smile. "The family that you were going to have with her, you can try again with another special woman. They say that love is better the second time around, so you have that opportunity."

Then, Minoru Lim ran up to them. "King Daeron, the enemy is fast approaching from the south."

"Thank you. Prepare to move out." Jon turned his attention to Robb. "That chance that you have, let us win here. That way, you can enjoy it."

Robb gave him a determined grin. "Aye. Let us get these bastards and get home as soon as possible. The sooner that we get home, the sooner that I can move on from what I had experienced."


Benjen rode his horse as he, General Lim, and the captain of the Wolf Pack marched with their portion of the army south towards Yunkai, or at least the slave settlements that dotted the outside lands around the city. Their force was the vanguard, with the main force including the Unsullied and the Company of the Rose not far behind and commanded by Daenerys, Jon, and Robb, with Daario and Grey Worm as the ground leaders.

After being stuck inside the city for long enough, Daario was the first to suggest doing battle with the slavers. "I for one am tired of being penned up in this place for too long. It is time we take the fight to them."

"For once, I agree with Captain Naharis," Ser Barristan concurred. "We cannot remain on the defensive forever. We must fight, especially since the tigers have effectively blocked this city off from the sea."

"I am not sure if we are capable of carrying out a major attack," Gendry dissented. "We might have infantry with us in plentiful numbers, but we have no cavalry. And the horsemen approaching from the south will take more time to ride up here."

"Why do we need cavalry when we have the dragons?" Daario pointed out. "We can simply burn through our enemies faster than they could blink."

"It is not going to be simple," Rhaenys told him. "They will be prepared for an attack from the sky. If they do not have the tools to hurt our dragons, they will certainly have strategies to make an attack with dragonfire more difficult to conduct."

"Agreed," Jon nodded. "We are in lands that have been ruled by old Valyria until only four hundred years ago, and the memories of the dragons will still be ingrained."

"And remember, the dragons can still become endangered if under the right circumstances, as all of you have seen before Meereen," Daenerys reminded them all. "We cannot just charge headfirst with dragons, not until we reduce the risks against them considerably."

"So, a ground battle then?" Daario expressed his eagerness while holding up his sword. "About time."

"While Prince Kaijin and the rest of the Jade Company are busy keeping Astapor secure and are moving to further strengthen our presence in the Slaver's Bay, we have to do our part in winning the final victory against the slavers," Benjen added. "We have to make the first move."

"Forgive me for my ignorance and for my lack of knowledge of tactics," Tyrion joined in. "But still counting the forces that are against us, we are facing over seventy thousand men. And the troops that we can call upon immediately around Meereen number only about forty thousand, which includes the Unsullied, the northern sellswords, and the Yi-Tish brigade. Until this Prince Kaijin can deal a crushing blow against the tiger fleet, any movement against Yunkai will leave Meereen dangerously exposed."

"Your concerns are well-founded, Lord Tyrion, assuming that we will be facing seventy thousand men at once," Robb revealed.

"Do elaborate, Lord Stark."

Robb glided his hand around the map of Meereen and the surrounding lands. "We have the ships here and the enemy forces here. We are facing a threat from two sides. But if their intention is to also conduct an amphibious assault, they will have put a portion of their army on the ships, which decreases the number of troops that are on land around Yunkai. If our counting is correct, we are facing only half of the seventy thousand men that Malaquo brought with him."

"In essence, our chances of fighting on land have improved," Benjen said.

"Then again, if the Golden Company are still on the ground against us, that could pose a problem," Tyrion pointed out.

"They will probably save the Golden Company to be used as a last resort," Lim responded. "Why would you use probably your most able men on the first real battle?"

"It is settled, then," Jon clapped his hands together. "On the morrow, we will march out and meet them. It is time that they face the true power of the resurgent Targaryens."

The day before they marched was spent making plans and getting the troops ready. Once they were, Benjen led the vanguard out while the main force would follow and would be only a half day behind.

He had the scouts ride out ahead and confirm the positions of the enemy. From what they told him, the enemy forces appeared to hold the stronger position. They formed a defensive line, fortifying three slave settlements not far from Yunkai, with their right flank anchored to a nearby stream that fed back into the Slaver's Bay, their left was protected by a rather large oasis, and another stream to their front. From how they arranged their troops, they were prepared to fight a defensive battle.

However, with only a total of twenty-five thousand men coming to face thirty thousand troops from both the slavers and the tigers, Benjen felt that the odds were not entirely against them. Getting into the minds of the enemy commanders, he began to think of how he would fight or how this battle would end. Despite being nearly equal in number, whoever held the defense held the advantage and that was something that the enemy was counting on. And since an attacking force needed to be much larger than the defenders to win, they must have assumed that the dragon's troops would not seek battle and instead withdraw to Meereen.

Going back to the port city was not an option, as they had to prevent the noose around Meereen from becoming tight. And since they were already on the march, they might as well attack. If I were the enemy, I would not expect us to attack such a strong position that they set up.

He relayed the scouts' reports back to the main force and he elected to wait for them to catch up, since he wanted to fight together. And he already developed a tactical plan on which they would be able to have a chance.

Most importantly, if what he had heard about the enemy was true, they were divided in purpose despite having a common goal. Volantenes, slavers, Golden Company, Aegon… they all want different things. That is what we must count on, for different purposes leads to chaos in battle since they will be unwilling to cooperate.

Eventually, the vanguard and the main force arrived at the middle of the slave settlements. Both Benjen and the ground commanders saw that if the enemy expected an attack, they would have probably have moved more men out of the settlements into the intervening ground in front. However, they were exposed, presenting them with an opportunity.

"I will take the left flank. You take the right," Daario said to Benjen with that ridiculous confidence evident in his voice. Both he and Grey Worm were appointed the ground commanders of the main force, mostly for Daario to make sure did not feel neglected and because the more able leaders were needed like Ser Barristan were needed to direct the defense of Meereen should it come under attack. Robb was with the reserves, to be called up when the time came.

"Get into position then." Benjen could not see the dragons yet, but that was the point since they would only appear when the army gave the signal.

As for the vanguard, Benjen nodded to the standard bearer, who waved the Jade Company banner left and right. The shooters of the Jade Company brigade advanced in formation with the Wolf Pack in front with their spears. As they had anticipated, the slavers responded prematurely by the sudden attack by charging forth their cavalry and their spearmen. Once they got into a close enough distance, the Wolf Pack pikemen lowered their shafts to protect the shooters.

"Ready!" Benjen could hear the officer in charge of the shooters in guanhua. "Present! Fire!" A line of thick smoke was released, as iron balls collided in the enemy cavalry and spearmen. Just like what he had witnessed in the northern frontier, they were felled by the dozens while hundreds more were most likely wounded. As the shooters reloaded, the Wolf Pack pikemen marched forward and ran through whoever was fortunate enough to not get killed by the tanegashima.

Benjen looked to his left and saw that the main force was engaged in fierce combat. They did not have the advantage of tanegashima to break the enemy charge and so had to contend with their momentum. Over the course of several minutes, they were able to withstand two more charges, all from the cavalry deployed from the easternmost of the slave settlements. Seeing that their advance had stalled but that more of the slavers were concentrating their efforts on the Unsullied and the Company of the Rose, Benjen nodded to Lim. "I think it's time we push to help them, lieutenant."

"Very good, my lord."

While the right flank of the enemy was crushed, both the left and the center was still intact and was close to outflanking the main force. Benjen, Lim, and the captain of the Wolf Pack personally charged their horses into the fray, followed by the mounted contingent of the vanguard, and their horses charged over the stream. They all felt the force of their mounts smashing into the enemy mass, with Benjen swinging at the slavers and tigers with his sword while secure on his saddle.

Turning his head, he saw more of the enemy come at them. As the enemy were putting more of their troops to fight against the main force, Benjen nodded to Lim, who blew the horn to signal the next stage. Suddenly, two dragons were heard over the field, as Meleys and Drogon emerged from the sun. While Meleys used her quick speed to create a partial circle of fire to prevent an escape, Drogon unleased his flames onto the rear part of the enemy mass. Screams were heard as hundreds, all close to each other, were burned.

At the same time, Benjen could hear shouting from the left of the main force. Robb came forward, with the reserves and smashed into the enemy's right flank, now encircling them. As they were about to be overwhelmed, the left and center of the slavers and tigers collapsed and many tried to run. Drogon and Meleys had something to say about that, as they flew after the ones who were making their way off the field of battle and burning them.

For Benjen, he rode alongside Robb as they went after what remained of the enemy's right flank. Their horses jumping back across the stream, they were supported by the Jade Company's shooters, with the officer giving the order to fire at will.

Some of their foes then made the wise decision to put down their weapons and put their arms up, with the men moving quickly to secure them. For the slaves who hid in the settlements while the battle raged, Benjen knew that Daenerys wanted them to be freed immediately and thus had Lim oversee the removal of their chains.

Drogon and Meleys landed, with Daenerys and Jon sliding off their backs before they flew back up in the air again.

"How many dead?" Jon asked.

"At least four thousand." Daario walked up to them. "Mostly because of the enemy charge on our ranks. But we got at least eleven thousand kills."

"Well, at least we got a victory here," Daenerys surveyed the carnage. "Now, what we have to do is to move on Yunkai."

"We have to still deal with the ships at Meereen," Jon reminded her. "Once they are taken care of, then we can start to think about taking Yunkai. But now, we showed to the enemy that their long period of progress and attack is over."

"Indeed so," Benjen agreed. "We should begin to move back to Meereen, while keeping a small force here to maintain our presence."

"Done," Daenerys told him.

As their first victory on the land dawned on them, Benjen knew that there was still much work left to do.


Davos and Shireen were escorted to the house of Jaenyra Vhassar, whom the Onion Knight had learned was an influential woman in Volantis. A member of the Vhassar family, long connected to the elephants, Davos had to remain on guard since he and Shireen were not of danger.

While Davos was out looking for food, he found the abode where Shireen and the guards were housed surrounded by Volantene troops. Davos was about to draw his sword until one of them raised his hand.

"Stop! We mean you no harm," the Volantene said while speaking in the common tongue.

"Who are you?" Davos remained in his combat stance.

"Who I am is not important, but who I represent is. I am sure that you are aware of the Vhassar family?"

Davos nodded. "Aye, I am."

"My lady Jaenyra Vhassar wishes to speak with you. She says that you and her have common cause."

"You mean to tell me that she is going to support Stannis Baratheon as king?" Even Davos found that ludicrous, for how could a lady connected to the "elephants" do anything significant to help the one who fathered the girl he was protecting.

"No. It concerns what Stannis' position will be when the dragons come back to Westeros."

Davos gulped. "And why would I want to support a family who was violently deposed from their throne?"

"Because without us, you and the girl you protect will not last more than a week. There are many here who will seek to use Shireen Baratheon as a bargaining chip, those connected to your Lannister enemies."

Davos realized that he did not have much choice in the matter, but he could see that the men surrounding him had no reason to hurt him or Shireen either. Taking a chance, he allowed the Vhassar men to escort them all to Jaenyra's place.

With the guards escorting Shireen to another part of the Vhassar palace, Davos stood by as he waited in the main hall. It was as richly decorated as he would expect of a family claiming descent from Old Valyria, with golden plates, vases, and clean marble floors. But curiously, despite Volantis being a center of the slave trade, he found no slaves around the house. Either she is poorer than she looks, or something else.

"I apologize if I kept you waiting." Davos' head snapped to where the voice was and in entered a Volantene woman of high standing, which he could tell from how she carried herself, especially her chin being raised high to display confidence. She was wearing the bright-colored dresses usually worn by nobility and had makeup all over her face. "I hope I was not too intrusive or coercive when I brought you and your girl here."

"Well, you did not hurt us, my lady, so I cannot blame you for that," Davos answered. "Are you… Jaenyra Vhassar?"

"Indeed. And you are Ser Davos Seaworth, Hand to Stannis Baratheon and currently the protector of his only child, Shireen Baratheon. You come here to seek refuge while her father does battle with the Lannisters."

"That is correct, my lady. And I take it that we will be safe under your protection."

"If only to prevent others from using you and Shireen as leverage."

"If I may, my lady, how did you know we were here?"

"Come now." Jaenyra cracked a smirk. "You were not subtle when your ship arrived in Volantis and everyone is aware of what is happening in Westeros. There are those among the Old Blood here who can see the potential of closer ties with the Seven Kingdoms and Shireen would make a good bargaining chip since that will allow them to control Stannis. If Stannis is controlled, then the Old Blood can have a very good negotiating position with the Lannisters."

Davos swallowed while he kept his composure. "Are you not of the Old Blood?"

"I am different," Jaenyra stated. "The situation is more complicated than it should be and I do not wish for those who want to take control of Shireen to be used as a hostage. If that happens, things will get ugly very quickly." She poured two goblets with wine, one of which she gave to Davos before clinking it.

"You honor me, my lady, by serving me with your own hand," Davos thanked her before taking a sip. "But do tell. What do you mean by the situation being complicated?"

"I am sure that you have been here long enough to understand that the tigers and elephants are the two main factions that control Volantis' machinations." Davos nodded. "The tigers under the Maegyrs have sent most of their troops to the Slaver's Bay in an effort to reverse what Daenerys Targaryen had done regarding slavery. It was a great host, of over five hundred ships and over seventy thousand men. But like all wars, a fleet and an army costs money and it will not be long before Volantis begins to see its hard-earned reserves depleted."

"What is that to you?" Davos asked.

"My distant relative, the current head of my family, reached out to me and he told me that the longer Malaquo Maegyr stays in the Slaver's Bay, the more exposed his partners in the tiger party become. He sought my advice and I told him that it would behoove him to reach out to the enslaved populations here in this city to gather support."

"I suppose that did not turn out well."

Jaenyra chuckled. "But he cannot ignore how much influence the red faith has over the slaves and given their activities in the streets, one would have to be utterly stupid to dismiss them as potential allies. When I framed it in that way, he was more… attentive."

"And what does this have to do with me?"

Jaenyra set down her goblet and sat down on her couch. "I can guarantee the safety of yourself, your men, and Shireen Baratheon if you do me a favor."

"What sort of favor?" Davos inquired with expectance.

"You know how to smuggle, if what I hear of your reputation is true," she went straight to the point. "I am in need of a smuggler."

"I am not sure what you need me to smuggle."

"I am getting to that. While my family and the elephants hold much power here, we are still at a disadvantage when it comes to numbers. The one thing that the tigers always enjoyed over the elephants is that they can command a larger number of troops at their disposal. Due to developing a natural tendency for conflict, they were always the most martial of the parties and that gave them an edge whenever there were street clashes between us."

"But?" Davos had been around enough of Jaenyra's sorts to know how they spoke.

"Despite the tigers' obvious combat abilities, Malaquo left only nine thousand men to act as a caretaker force against the Old Blood families that support him. And there are five times that number of slaves within Volantis itself. Now, I do not have to tell you that even the best trained men in the world could only fight for so long before they are defeated by overwhelming odds."

"How could the slaves even get enough confidence to do as you say they will? Fight against their masters?"

"Worry not about that part, for I and the red faith know exactly what words to use to get them to rise up." Davos was not exactly comforted by Jaenyra's suggestions. "But what they need is weapons and weapons is not something that the elephants have in abundance."

"Ah." Davos finally understood why she called him to her house. "So you need me to buy weapons and smuggle them to whoever will distribute them to the slaves?"

Jaenyra nodded and gave him a big smile. "Now you catch onto my meaning. You do not have to worry about money, because I will pay for it and so will certain members of the elephant party. But we cannot just go to anyone who is selling weapons. No, we need a source where the slaves will have the advantage despite the tigers' troops still in the city."

"And where do you propose to obtain them?"

Jaenyra sipped her wine. "I am sure that you have heard the rumors of a great force coming from the East, led by this… Daeron Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen. They sail ships not before seen in battle and they can fight with what the survivors are calling 'fire lances.' Given the bonds between Daeron Targaryen and Robb Stark, who I helped, I am sure that there will be a way for you to gain some of these weapons. And that will be where your smuggling experience will come in, because it will not be easy getting it from Slaver's Bay to here, not with the Volantene fleet and the patrols just outside of the city."

"And if I agree to do this, you are sure to keep Shireen safe?" Davos asked with adamance.

"Believe me when I say that I will rather slit my own wrists than see harm come to a little girl." As if to show she was serious, she pulled out a knife and put it against her forearm. "Would you like me to cut?"

Davos shook his head. "That will not be necessary, my lady. I will need a ship down and a crew."

"Already done. Come to the docks on the morrow and set sail, but tonight, you and your girl dine with me."

Davos nodded his thanks and he breathed out a sigh of relief. Well… Shireen will be safe. That is one less problem to worry about.


Sansa sat in the solar of Lord Manderly as she received Howland Reed, one of her late father's closest friends. And as the leader of the crannogmen, she was relieved when Howland's man told her that she would have the support of the people in the swamps as she fought against Ramsay Bolton.

But to see him here so suddenly was not very assuring for her, as she sensed something serious had happened for him to warrant requesting a personal audience with her.

"It is very good to see you, Lord Howland. You served my father well," she addressed him with respect.

"Indeed so, my lady. But as you are busy, I will not waste more time than necessary. I have to warn you of a serious threat coming from the south."

"What is this threat? Lannisters?" Sansa asked with expectance.

"No. I bring news that the Freys are marching on the Neck. They will enter the swamps within two weeks."

Sansa's attention was grabbed. "Freys? Do they not have the Blackfish and his rebellion to deal with in the riverlands?"

"Whatever spare troops that they can use, they are using against the north."

"But surely, they will not be able to advance past Moat Cailin." Despite the chaos that ensued in the North with the Boltons and the ironborn invasion, Moat Cailin remained intact.

"It is not the Freys I am honestly worried about. The Freys can barely fight in a battle and do not command a force needed to successfully penetrate through the Neck," Howland said. "However, the Freys moving northwards could only mean that the Lannisters will follow them eventually."

"The Lannisters have more serious matters to attend to, especially if Stannis Baratheon is still fighting and they have not made any meaningful progress against him. Why would they want to focus on the North now out of all times?"

"Because they know that the North has been mismanaged by the Boltons and they cannot trust a family who failed to prevent the penetration of the wildlings through the Wall. And I am only guessing, but if they are not making any progress against Stannis, they might be looking northwards to find any reason to repair their damaged reputation."

Due to Littlefinger maintaining his own little birds in King's Landing, Sansa was aware that it was only a matter of time before discontent with the Lannisters would finally reach a breaking point. "So our best course of action would be to hold the Freys in the Neck and make sure that they do not advance past Moat Cailin. If both are accomplished, we will have nothing to worry about."

"I will not be too sure of not worrying, Lady Sansa. One of the Frey scouts that my men captured told us that besides the Frey banners coming, it would appear that the small council put together a force of twenty thousand men, which would serve as the chief force for the forthcoming invasion of the North."

Sansa blinked, her dread growing. "Where they did get that amount of troops? I was under the impression that all troops that they had was being used against Stannis."

"Again, I am only guessing, but given how little progress they are making against Storm's End, they are going to temporarily turn their attention to the North and try to gain a victory, if only to buy time with the houses that are threatening to rebel."

"You believe that it has become that serious, my lord?"

"That is the only conclusion that I have reached, my lady. The war over who wears the crown has gone on for too long and the Lannisters have all but bungled the goodwill that they had obtained after Robert died. And if what I hear about the riverlands is true, the Freys will be the first to be overthrown since the Blackfish's rebellion is getting out of control."

Although Sansa was focused on trying to secure the entire North, she remained informed of what her great-uncle was faring in the riverlands. By this point, the Freys had lost control of Riverrun, large stretches of land along the Red Fork, and there was talk that Maidenpool would soon defect. Maidenpool switching sides to the Blackfish was obviously a serious threat, since that would split the riverlands in two and thus cut the Freys off from any reinforcements that their Lannister overlords would provide. She was tempted to send a raven to him and offer her support, only for Littlefinger to shake his head and tell her to keep her attention and resources towards the single purpose of winning the land of the Starks.

"What should I do then, Lord Howland? Give you troops to reinforce you at the Neck?"

"I doubt that they can be of any help, since they will be unfamiliar with how to fight in the swamps. But should the Lannisters march up their army, we might find it difficult to hold them back. Granted, taking Moat Cailin has been an impossible task for any southern army, but we had the entire north to count on for supplies and reinforcements. That is not the case right now, so this is something that I have to make you informed of should circumstances change for the worst."

Sansa nodded. "Thank you, Lord Howland, for telling me this. Will you stay here for a little longer or will you return to Greywater Watch?"

"I also have another request to make, one that is more personal in nature. You remember my children, Meera and Jojen?"

"I do." Sansa did not know them personally, but she would not be doing a good job if she was not aware of the heirs of House Reed.

"A few years ago, they went northwards because my son Jojen has the sight, a gift that Brandon Snow possessed during the Conquest."

Sansa was skeptical of anything magical despite having Lady for the short amount of time she had her, but she did hear that Bran was showing signs of that condition before he disappeared. "And do you know where they are now?"

"I do not, but if you are able, you could keep an eye out for them. I am sure that whatever they are looking for, they have found it and are trying to get home now. If you do find them, I would like for them to be returned safely."

"That, I will promise you, my lord."

As Lord Howland took his leave, Sansa thought about what would prompt the Freys to be so bold as to try to penetrate the Neck, which protected the North ever since the Andals came. Only the ironborn came close to accomplishing that and that was only because they came from the sea. And despite the Freys and the Lannister reinforcements commanding greater numbers, they would be hard-pressed to fight in swamps and then try to take a fortress like Moat Cailin, the design of that place making it near impossible for an army to pass into the North intact.

Calling Littlefinger, she told him what Lord Howland told her about the Freys.

"That is indeed concerning," Baelish rubbed his chin. "If the Lannisters are going to march an army to the north, that will complicate your plans to retake Winterfell."

"But why now? I would imagine that defeating Stannis would be of higher priority."

"I agree with Howland Reed in that they might be trying to obtain a victory in order to repair their damaged reputations. But a raven sent from one of my little birds in King's Landing did tell of a potentially disturbing plot that is happening." He pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Sansa.

She read it and it went as such:

To Lord Frey,

Regarding the matter at the Twins, the king and the small council are very much disappointed with how you botched it. But we will give you a chance to redeem yourselves if you commit all of your forces to help us strike against the wild dogs that comprise House Bolton. March through the Neck, clear a path for us, and all of your sins will be forgiven. Do not delay.

Signed,

Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King.

"What matter would they be referring to?"

"I am trying to find out, but whatever they are saying is very confidential and that is why I am devoting much efforts in detecting the truth behind these words."

In Sansa's minds, the only matter in which the Lannisters used the Freys was the Red Wedding. But if they said that they botched it, then something else was going on, something that will warrant a personal letter from Tywin's hand.

"How did you fail them, Lord Frey?" Sansa asked to herself, realizing the implications of the letter that Baelish obtained.

A/N: Robb is making the first step to move on.

The battle was based on Blenheim, the decisive engagement in the War of Spanish Succession.

Davos is going back to smuggling, ha

And Sansa has to deal with the Freys coming, but she doesn't know what is happening yet.

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