Robb, I write to you with a heavy heart. Our good King Robert is dead, killed from wounds he took in a boar hunt. Father has been charged with treason. He conspired with Robert's brothers against my beloved Joffrey and tried to steal his throne. The Lannisters are treating me very well and provide me with every comfort. I beg you: come to King's Landing, swear fealty to King Joffrey and prevent any strife between the great houses of Lannister and Stark.

Your faithful sister, Sansa

Robb glared at the raven's scroll Maester Luwin had given to him not even a moment ago. "Treason?" He raised his eyes back to the aging man. "Sansa wrote this?"

The Maester nodded his head, "It is your sister's hand, but the Queen's words. You're summoned to King's Landing to swear fealty to the new King."

Robb sneered at his words, "Joffrey puts my father in chains and now he wants his ass kissed?'

Luwin sighed, "This is a royal command, my Lord. If you should refuse to obey-"

"I won't refuse," The acting Lord of Winterfell reread his sister's words and tightened his grip on the parchment as he caught the slight tremors in her near-perfect handwriting. "His Grace summons me to King's Landing, I will go to King's Landing. And not alone," He passed the summons back to the Maester. "Call the banners."

Theon smiled at his friend's words, but the older man simply raised his brow, "All of them, my Lord?"

"They've all sworn to defend my father, have they not?"

"They have."

Robb nodded, "I will see what they're words are worth," The older man nodded his head towards his young Lord. "And what of Jon, Myria, and Arya? They are not mentioned at all in this message." Robb furrowed his brows at the concerned look that began to overtake the Maester's face.

"I'm afraid we have not heard from either your brother or his wife since your mother left the Capital to travel to the Eyrie, but I will hold to the hope they left the city before your father was arrested. Otherwise we would have read of their imprisonment or the writing would be in one of their hands."

Maester Luwin then bowed to his Lord before walking from the room, the echoing of his Maester chains following his footsteps. Robb breathed a sigh of relief once he had left and had retaken his place at the table, his food long forgotten. Theon's eyes caught the worry etched in his auburn friend's eyes.

"You afraid?" Robb gazed at his friend and lowered his eyes to his trembling hands. Theon followed his gaze and nodded at the silent response.

"I must be."

"Good."

Robb raised his brow, "Why is that good?"

"Means your not stupid."

Robb grasped his hands together to quell the shaking and tried to focus on happier thoughts than the looming threat of war. Perhaps visiting Bran could improve his mood. He rose from his seat at the table, patted Theon's shoulder, and swept from the room. He quickly ascended the staircase towards his younger brother's room and smiled at the staff he passed while he wandered through the halls. He approached the open doorway slowly and paused at the sight of Bran sitting up on the bed with Old Nan in the chair Catelyn had used for her vigilance over the boy sewing as she regaled a story of the mysteries beyond the North to the small child.

"The white walkers aren't real Nan," Bran scoffed as the older woman.

She raised her brows at the boy, "And how do you know that? You are a summer child, you haven't even seen a true winter yet." The older servant paused in her conversation and rose from her seat when she caught Robb's eye. Robb smiled at the nursemaid and chuckled at the annoyed look upon his younger brother's face. Nan watched as the older brother slowly entered the room and took her place in the chair by Bran's bed, and quietly decided to give the family member's privacy.

"Old Nan's stories getting to you Bran?"

The boy shrugged, "I've heard them all before, and besides I think she's trying to scare me with them since I can't run off like other kids."

"Ah, well all stories have an ounce of truth to them and important lessons woven into the words," Robb smirked at the confused face of his little brother. "At least that's what father told me once." Bran nodded while grasping the sheets as he mulled over his older brother's explanation.

"Is father okay? I heard the servants whispering and I caught his name."

Robb sighed, "I'm afraid our father is in a bad position. The Lannisters have arrested him and they claim their reason as treason."

"But Robb, Father is an honorable man! He wouldn't-" Bran paused when Robb's large hand encased his small one and carefully untangled it from the blanket.

"I know this, you this, and the North knows this. That is why I have called the banners to free father from their cruel grip," He lightly tightened his grip on Bran's hand. "The Northern lords will be here later tonight and then we will set out to avenge this great injustice."

The injured boy frowned at his words, "So you're leaving too."

"I must, an army needs a leader."

"Why can't Jon lead? He's a Stark, and father taught you both of strategies."

He shook his head, "I do not know where Jon is at this time. No one does."

"How come?!" Robb jerked back at the boy's sudden yelp.

"The last we heard of him or Myria was when she informed us mother was leaving the Capital to visit the Eyrie. That raven came over two weeks ago and we have not heard from either of them since." The younger boy's face paled at the thought of his oldest brother being lost. Jon was always so quiet and smart, surely he was fine. Perhaps he was on his way home right now, or he was heading to Dorne possibly? Myria does have family there and it is closer to the Capital. But what if he was hurt, or captured, or...or dead. "Brandon, get out of your head," Gray eyes shot to blue. "Jon is the smartest out of all of us, he knows he can't send a raven that could be intercepted on its way here. I bet he's almost home."

Shuddering breath escaped Bran's quivering lips, "You're right Robb, I'm just worried."

"I am too, Bran. But I have faith in our family." Robb pulled his little brother into his arms and rubbed his back as he pretended to not notice the small patch of his jerkin slowly become wet with Bran's tears. Gods he wished his father and mother were sitting in his father's solar waiting to share advice. He wished his sisters were down the hall yelling at each other over some stupid sewing lesson. He wished Myria was here to scoff at Theon's stupid flirting, and to laugh at Jon's very obvious jealousy.

But wishing wouldn't save his family, action would.

He spent a few more moments with Bran consoling him and promising the safe return of all of their missing family members before he slipped away to repeat the news to little Rickon. Robb would never admit it, but the heartwrenching wails his littlest brother produced broke something inside of him. Mother or Myria would know just how to cheer him up, but Robb awkwardly sat next to the six-year-old as he clung to him and begged for his big brother to stay. Only the calm hands of Myria's Lady in Waiting were able to assuage the storm of tears pouring from his river blue eyes. Robb mournfully stepped from the room at Willow's insistence and slowly made his way to his father's solar to prepare for the arrival of the bannermen.

He supposed it would be his solar at the moment until his father was freed. Unless...no, no. His father would have his solar back once he returned home. All Robb had to do was instruct the staff to prepare for a small banquet for the Lords and read the responses when Maester Lewin returned with them. Logically he knew some of the Lords would not be able to make it in person in a single day, White Harbor for example was a three days ride. But many Lords that could make the ride were expected to arrive the coming day with stragglers joining the next few days before the mass of the North began to march South. Northern houses of longer distances, like the Reeds or the Forresters, would send a written reply of their fealty to the North, and the Starks, before joining up with the Northern army as they migrated south towards the Capital. Hopefully all of the major houses would agree with the injustice of their Liege Lord's imprisonment and join in the cause. The only house Robb was suspicious about was the Boltons, but they were a peculiar and cruel bunch.

But Robb's worry and insecurities hung over his head like a black rain cloud the rest of the day and well into the next. Greeting the lords as they arrived seemed a somber affair to the nineteen-year-old man, but he attempted to ignore his woes instead for a more agreeable visage for the spiritful lords as they filled the great hall with their rowdiness and merriment as they reunited with old friends and started to regale heroic tales of the last time they were summoned for battle. Robb sat at the head of the great table with Greywind laying by his feet and Theon and Bran sitting by his side. The higher lords sat further down the long table with their men filling up the rest of the hall. Robb pretended to be invested in the story revolving around the Greyjoy rebellion that Lord Glover and Lady Mormont were laughing about when a booming voice cut through the din of the hall.

"For 30 years I've been making corpses out of men, boy," Robb's Tully eyes turned to the voice and focused on the prideful look resting on Greatjon Umber's face. "I'm the man you want leading the vanguard."

Theon and Bran glanced their eyes back between the pair sitting on opposite ends of the table as Robb answered back, "Galbert Glover will lead the van."

The older Lord scoffed and shrugged his shoulders, "The bloody wall will melt before an Umber marches behind a Glover!" He squared his shoulders towards Robb. "I will lead the van or I will take my men and march them home."

Robb curled his right hand over his left as he let Greatjon's words seep into his head. The older man glanced at the Stark's face and smirked, thinking he had intimidated the younger Lord well enough to get his way.

"You are welcome to so do, Lord Umber," Robb began as he slowly raised from his seat. "And when I am done with the Lannisters, I will march back North, root you out of your keep, and hang you for an oathbreaker."

"Oathbreaker is it?!" Lord Umber yelled as he jumped to his feet. "I will not sit here and swallow insults from a boy so green he pisses grass." He spat as he fumbled for the sword on his belt. Theon swiftly reached for the dagger hidden in his cloak, but before either man could unsheathe their weapons Greywind leaped from his spot by his master's side, ran across the table, and jumped onto the large man who threatened Robb.

Men jumped to their feet when the direwolf suddenly attacked the Lord. The hall was silent as Greatjon cried out in pain and Greywind growled as he bit further into the man's hand which reached for the blade. The large beast tugged harshly with his clamped jaw and Lord Umber wailed as two of his fingers were ripped from his hand. He sluggishly sat up as he gripped his bleeding limb with his uninjured hand.

Robb's voice cut through the silence, "My lord father taught me it was death to bare steel against you Liege Lord," The older Lord tensed at the emotionless words which slipped from the Stark. "But doubtless the Greatjon only meant to cut my meat for me."

The Umber glared and kicked his chair away from the table, attempting to release his anger. "Your meat..." He huffed and glanced around at the tense and disappointed looks he received from other Lords standing around him. He raised his bloody and managed hand, "is bloody tough."

Umber laughed when he saw the smile cross his Lord's face and suddenly the whole of the hall erupted into vigorous laughter at the Greatjon's dry humor from the entire affair. The dinner continued as normal after Maester Lewin had wrapped Lord Umber's hand and the men continued to discuss battle plans and strategies.

Bran sat wide-eyed at the whole affair which splayed out in front of his very eyes. He supposed events like this were why many Southerns thought men of the North were uncivilized and brutish. Near the end of the dinner Hodor came and carried him to his chambers where Willow assisted him into bed before she went to check once more on Rickon. Bran let his eyes flutter shut and he was about to fall into slumber when a hand on his shoulder abruptly woke him.

"What is it? What happened?" Bran asked when he caught sight of Robb once more sitting by his bedside.

"It's all right."

Bran glanced at his older brother and frowned at the full Northern attire he was dressed in, "Where are you going?"

"I told you yesterday, South. For Father."

"But it's the middle of the night, I thought you would leave in the morning."

"The Lannisters have spies everywhere. I don't want them to know we're coming."

Bran grimaced, "They have more men than we do."

"Aye, they do."

The boy sat up as he gazed at his brother, "Can't I come with you? I can ride now. You've seen me riding. And I won't get in the way…"

Robb shook his head, "There must always be a Stark in Winterfell," He sighed as he repeated the words their mother said to him. "Until I return that will be you. You are not to leave the castle walls while we are gone. Do you understand?"

Bran nodded his head at the serious tone in Robb's voice.

"Listen to Maester Luwin. Look after your little brother."

"I will."

"I'll send letters whenever I can, but if you don't hear from me, don't be scared." Robb leaned over and engulfed his brother into a tight hug, "Until I return." He then quietly left the room and allowed his brother to return to his slumber. Bran sat up when he heard footsteps not long after Robb's departure, but frowned when his younger brother stepped into the candlelight as opposed to the elder.

"How long have you been hiding out there?" Rickon stayed silent as he wandered into his brother's room. "Robb will be looking for you, to say goodbye."

"They've all gone away."

Bran sighed, "They'll be back soon. Robb will free Father and they'll come back with Mother."

Rickon shook his head at Bran's hopeful words, "No they won't." He then once more slipped away into the dark corridor.