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Chapter Forty-Eight: Shifting Alliances
Sansa
Margaery truly was a good friend. It had not taken Sansa long to realize that. The girl had barely been in King's Landing for a moon's turn and she had already realized how much pain the city caused Sansa. Not only had she realized the pain Sansa was in, but she had set about making a plan to end that pain.
Before Margaery, Sansa had thought that she would spend the rest of her life in pain and humiliation, mistreated by Joffrey every day. But now she had a secret, she was to marry Loras Tyrell. He was the knight from her dreams, and she was to be his Lady. He would be kind to her, good to her, gentle with her.
And best of all ... he would take her far away from King's Landing and Joffrey.
This was a better ending than Sansa could have hoped for.
She and her secret betrothed were sitting together now in the gardens. She was as grateful to Loras as she was to his sister. He too had seen her pain. She spent so much time alone now, the Lords and Ladies of the court saw fit to distance themselves from her now that she was not Joffrey's betrothed. It did not bother her, she did not want false friends. But it was lonely. Ser Loras must have seen that because they now went on a walk through the gardens together every afternoon. It was the happiest part of her day.
Just like Margaery, Loras had rescued her.
Though she did wish that he were easier to talk to.
"That's a lovely pin," she told him, flinching internally at the lameness of her conversation starter as she lifted her finger from her lap to point at the golden rose that was pinned to the front of his silk doublet.
"Yes," Loras agreed with her, looking down at the pin in question. "It's more of a brooch, really." He looked away from her and Sansa wondered if any of her brothers even knew the word brooch. He pursed his lips together, his brows furrowed as he turned back toward her, "Though I suppose a brooch is a type of pin. So there's that."
They fell into silence again. Their walks were always punctuated by these awkward silences. Sansa hoped that they would be fewer and farther between as they got to know each other better. She hoped that by the time they were married they would never have these silences.
Her mother had told her that most marriages did not start with love. That love grew between a husband and a wife once they were wed and living together. But she was sure that she already loved Ser Loras. And she desperately hoped that she would be able to make him love her in return.
When she thought that she was going to marry Joffrey she had resigned herself to a horrible, loveless marriage. Like the queen and King Robert. She had told herself that all the fairytales her mother had told her as she was growing up, all the stories of dashing, courteous knights and their fair ladies were made up and untrue.
But now she could see that she was wrong. The brave, handsome, courteous King was a fable, but the knight? He was sitting beside her now, as if he had stepped out from one of her dreams. And she would make the most of it. She would make him love her. If only she could get around these awkward silences and say something that would interest him.
She cleared her throat and waited until he looked at her before she spoke. "I'm very happy," she told him, her heart beating wildly. How she hoped that he would tell her that he was happy about their marriage too. He did not say anything. She tried again, "I'm very happy ... about ..." she could not bring herself to say it, not even alone in the garden with just him. There were spies everywhere. She could only hope that he got her meaning.
He sat up a little straighter and nodded, clearing his own throat, "Ah yes," he told her. "I am happy too."
She blushed and looked down at her lap, he had not said marriage but that was what he meant. She knew it. "I feel like I'm in a dream," she admitted without thinking. She forced her gaze away from her lap and to her left, she could not even look at him. She was so embarrassed by her confession.
What would he think of her now? Would he think she was a child? One who had spent her entire life dreaming of knights and weddings? She had, but that did not mean that she wanted him to know that. His sister was so beautiful and sophisticated, she wanted to be like Margaery. And Margaery would never have said something like that.
She bit her lip, she could feel her blush burning on her cheeks. But she was soothed a bit when Loras spoke again, "Yes," he said again. She allowed her eyes to dart to his face and he was smiling kindly at her as he nodded. "Me too. Definitely."
He paused and once again Sansa was left to worry that they would fall into another awkward silence. She worried that she would try to break the silence with another embarrassing statement. She worried that he would think she was simple and stupid. But then her knight, her Loras, saved her again. "I have dreamed of a large wedding since I was a young child," he admitted to her.
Sansa smiled, finally lifting her chin so that she could look him directly in the eye. She shifted in her seat so that she was angled toward him. They were talking about something she could agree with. And for the first time that afternoon, it was Loras rather than Sansa who was admitting to something that was potentially embarrassing.
Not that he ever needed to feel embarrassed around her. She already loved him and there was nothing that would change that.
His eyes got a dreamy, far off sort of look to them. "The guests," he told her. "The food. The tournaments." She smiled at his excitement. He lowered his gaze to her face and slowly he came back to her. His eyes lost that dreamy look, now there seemed to be a sadness in them, "The bride," he added to the list, nodding to her. She wondered what about the thought of their wedding made him so sad.
Perhaps he is thinking about how he would have felt if I had been forced to marry Joffrey, she thought. It was perhaps a fool's hope. But the queen had called her a fool so many times that Sansa thought perhaps she was one. And whether it was foolish or not, it was pleasant to think that Ser Loras would have been saddened by her marrying Joffrey.
The sadness left his eyes and he smiled sweetly at her, "The most beautiful bride in the world." She blushed, looking down at her lap. When he said things like that it was easy to believe that he might one day fall in love with her. Someday soon, perhaps. She smiled, this was how Robb spoke about Lenora, it was how her father spoke about her mother, it was how she had always dreamed her husband would speak about her. And now she had it.
He continued to describe their wedding day. "In a beautiful gown of green and gold brocade with dagged sleeves. And roses everywhere. Red and pink roses in the garden, white rose petals scattered to the ground as she walks to the front of the sept, gold roses in her hair." He was careful not to say your, they were still keeping the marriage plans a secret until Margaery and Joffrey paused, ducking his head so that he could make eye contact with her now that she had looked down. "Have you ever been to Highgarden, my Lady?" he asked her.
She shook her head, lifting her gaze back to his face, "No," she told him. "I had never left Winterfell before I came ... before I came here. But it sounds lovely. I can't wait to see it." She paused, the smile fell from her lips. She dropped her voice to a whisper, daring herself to say what she truly wanted to say. "And to leave this place."
Loras nodded as he glanced away from her, out into the garden. He was gentle and kind, he understood her pain better than anyone else. She was sure that it was this understanding that would be the foundation of their marriage. He would never hurt her the way Joffrey had hurt her because he cared too much for her to do that. "It's terrible, isn't it?" he asked her, his voice little more than a whisper. He looked back at her and forced a smile onto his lips, "The most terrible place there is," he added.
She nodded to him, though she was at a loss as to how they had stopped speaking of the arrangements for their happy wedding and had landed on how terrible King's Landing was. She was sure that it was somehow her fault though. And so she would have to be the one to change the course of the conversation.
He stood from his seat on the edge of the fountain and held his hand out to her, she smiled at him as she slipped her hand into his soft one and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "Tell me more about Highgarden," she requested as he placed her hand on his forearm and began to lead her away from where they had been sitting. "I know almost nothing about it, only what you and your sister have told me. And if I am to be the future Lady of Highgarden, I should know all there is to know about it."
"And so you shall," Loras agreed with her. He fell silent for a moment, thinking of what he wanted to tell her. She loved that, how thoughtful he was. He chose his clothes and his words so carefully. "Highgarden is the most beautiful castle in the entire Seven Kingdoms," he told her, his voice a bit wistful. "It sits just off the Mander river. On the top of a perfectly symmetrical hill. It has three concentric tiers of white stone walls, as you move inward the walls get taller and thicker. You will be safe there, Lady Sansa."
Sansa smiled at his promise, "I'm glad," she told him in a whisper. "It's been so long since I've felt safe. Tell me more. Please." She added the please as an afterthought, to soften her demand. She did not want him to think her rude or demanding.
He smiled at her. "Between the outermost and middle walls is our briar maze. It's a labyrinth of wonderfully maintained hedges. It serves as entertainment for the residents of Highgarden castle, but also as a defense."
Sansa found herself giggling in delight, "Anyone who dares to attack the castle and makes it past the outer wall must then find their way through the maze! That's genius!"
Loras nodded, "We certainly think so, my Lady." He paused for a moment, thinking of what else to tell her. "There are flowers and vines and orchards everywhere," he promised her. "No matter where you look your gaze will find beauty. These gardens are nothing but weeds in comparison." He looked disdainfully at the flowers around them. "You will be surrounded by peace and beauty at Highgarden, Lady Sansa," he promised her. "And all of it will pale in comparison to your own, sweet beauty."
Her cheeks burned with their blush. But she was pleased. Loras Tyrell was indeed the knight of her dreams. And the more they spoke the more she was convinced that she could and would be the Lady of his.
-.-.-.-.-
Tyrion
He found his sister in her solar. She was sitting at the window that overlooked the gardens. She made a pretty picture. It was times like this when Tyrion could almost pretend that she wasn't the cruelest woman in the world. Looking at her now, her hair and skin shining in the sun he could almost forget that she had taken such joy in the fact that their father was forcing him to marry Sansa Stark. Seeing her calm and quiet like this, he could almost feel sorry for her as well.
She looked up at him and he expected to see her jaw clench and her eyes narrow. But her face remained soft and she inclined her head to him before she nodded toward the window, silently indicating that he should come closer. He briefly wondered if she intended to throw him out the window, but on a beautiful day like this there was sure to be people in the gardens. People meant witnesses. Cersei would never throw him from a window when there were witnesses.
He was right. There were people in the gardens below them. Two to be exact. His wife to be and Cersei's new husband. They were sitting side by side on the edge of the fountain. Whispering to each other. Tyrion craned his neck and stood on his tiptoes to be able to see over the window sill. Cersei watched him for a moment before she sighed and moved toward her desk. She carried her chair over for him so that he could stand up on it and use it to climb onto the window sill. Then she sat beside him.
"Do you think they're planning their wedding?" Tyrion asked her, his eyes darting from the couple in front of them to his sister. She was acting strangely, nice even, and in his experience Cersei was never nice to him.
"You know the girl is," Cersei told him, her voice soft. "Sansa Stark has been dreaming of a wedding since she was a child. She just never knew what a marriage was."
"She's much like you," Tyrion told her.
"I was never as simple as she is," Cersei snapped at him, though her voice didn't hold its usual bite. "I knew what the world was and I knew that there was never going to be a knight to save me."
"You knew that," Tyrion allowed her with a nod. "But I do recall a time when you came running into my chambers at the Rock, giggling because Father had told you that he was going to try to arrange for you to marry Prince Rhaegar."
"I was a child," Cersei told him. "A child who wanted to be queen. A child that thought my husband would adore me. A child -"
"Like Sansa Stark," Tyron finished for her.
Cersei nodded, "Lady Catelyn should have done the girl a favor and told her the truth of marriage. That there's rarely love or happiness. Catelyn Stark should know that, Ned Stark took her as his wife out of a sense of duty, not love. And I suppose they were well suited for each other, but that was luck. It could have just as easily gone the other way. They could have been like Robert and me." She was still staring into the garden, but her green eyes had a far away look to them. She wasn't thinking about Sansa Stark, Tyrion had a feeling that she was thinking of her own children. "Say what you will about me, but I prepared my girls. I told them the truth. I made sure they knew about love, or the lack of it, in a marriage. I warned them. My girls did not walk around the world thinking that marriage held the key to their happiness."
"It seemed to work for Lenora though," Tyrion pointed out cautiously.
Cersei nodded, he knew she could not argue with him. As much as she did not like having Lenora in the North with Robb Stark she could not tell him that she had not seen how happy the two of them had been at Winterfell. She was quiet for a moment and then she snorted, her lips twisting into a rueful smile, "Lenora," she said softly. "Have you realized what your marriage to Sansa Stark will make you to her?"
Tyrion chuckled too, though there was little humor to it. "I will be married to her husband's sister which would make me her uncle and her brother."
Cersei nodded, "And I will be married to her brother's wife's brother. Which I believe would make me her mother and her sister."
"And Sansa will be Joffrey's aunt and good sister," Tyrion continued.
"And Loras will be Margaery's father by law."
"And you will be Margaery's and Joffrey's sister and mother." Tyrion shook his head and sighed, "It will make for some fun family dinner's won't it?"
Cersei nodded, her lips still turned up into that rueful smile of hers. "What was Father thinking?" she asked him, still looking down into the garden. Sansa and Loras had stood up and started to walk away from the fountain now. Soon there would be no witnesses. If she wanted to push him from the window she would be able to do it.
But Tyrion was sure that she would not do that. "I don't suppose there's anything we can do about this?" he asked her, turning to look at her for help. No matter how cruel she had been to him, she was his older sister. When they were growing up he had thought that she and Jaime had all the answers. He supposed that a part of him still thought that.
She shook her head, "He'd have them both killed."
Cersei was growing soft in her older age. There would have been a time when she would have happily allowed their father to have Loras Tyrell and Sansa Stark killed. But now she said it as if that was an unwanted outcome. Perhaps Tyrion had been more right than he thought when he suggested that she saw a bit of her younger self in Sansa Stark.
Thinking about the Stark girl made him feel even sorrier. Not for himself, but for the girl. He had not spent a great deal of time with the poor girl, but he was sure that there was a part of her that would rater die than be married to him. And to go from believing that she was going to marry a tall knight like Loras to learning that she was going to marry the Imp? Well, Tyrion would not be surprised if she took it upon herself to die without any help from Tywin Lannister.
"It's hard to say which of the four of us is getting the worst of this arrangement," he mused. "Probably Sansa though Loras will come to know a deep and singular misery." She did not contradict him or argue. If Jaime had been here he would have told Tyrion not to be so down on himself. He would have told him that Sansa Stark would have been lucky to have him. It was too bad that the wrong twin had been captured at the Whispering Wood.
"Father doesn't discriminate," she told him, standing up from the window sill and moving back into her solar. "We're all being shipped off to hell together."
"On a boat you built," Tyrion pointed out as he crawled down from the sill and followed her into the room. He felt a bit sorry for his sister, but he would not let her get away with pretending that she was at fault for a large part of this arrangement.
"The Tyrells were plotting against our family. I did what I did to protect our family."
"I'm your family," Tyrion told her with a glare. His hands clenched into fists, he had not meant for his voice to come out so sullen sounding. He would not have Cersei thinking that he wished she would care for him. "A member of your family who's actively contributing to that family's survival. Whether you or Father or anyone else wants to admit it."
"I do admit it," Cersei told him. "If it weren't for your trick with the wildfire Stannis would have sacked the city long before Father got here. Our heads would still be rotting on spikes on the city walls."
"Trying to have me killed is an odd way of showing it," Tyrion told her, finally giving voice to his suspicions. She looked down at her hands, that surprised him, he had expected her to own up to it. "There are two people in King's Landing who can control the Kingsguard," Tyrion told her, moving closer to her. "Did you or did you not tell Ser Mandon to kill me?"
Her silence was enough to give him his answer. It was not Cersei. "It was Joffrey," he told her, his voice flat and hard. She would not meet his eyes. "Fair enough," he muttered with a nod. "He wants me dead. But his stupidity? He could have had me poisoned and no one would have known. But the king tells the Kingsguard to murder the Hand of the King in full view of his entire army. The boy's an idiot."
She finally looked at him. "What do you want me to say?" she sneered at him.
"I want you to tell me if my life is still in danger."
"Probably," Cersei told him, rolling her eyes. "Though not from Joffrey. He won't do anything now that Father's here."
"The Seven Kingdoms, united in fear of Tywin Lannister," Tyrion quipped, his voice sarcastic and bitter.
"Not the Tyrells," Cersei corrected him, her voice as bitter as his. "Soon they won't need to be afraid of him. Joffrey will belong to Margaery, the little doe-eyed whore. And so will his children and their children. History will be taken from our hands."
"You may escape at least," Tyrion told her, bringing their conversation back to where it had started, with their future weddings. "Once Jaime gets back Ser Loras might come down with a terrible case of sword through bowels."
Something crossed his sister's green eyes. A bitterness. He wondered what had her so upset. She shook her head, "Jaime won't help me," she told him. "He hasn't helped me in years. Not truly. And it may not be a when but an if he gets back. He's out there somewhere, but we have no idea where."
Tyrion sighed, "Jaime or not, I am truly fucked."
His sister nodded, "Who's going to tell her?" she asked him.
Tyrion sighed, he was sure that Cersei would delight in telling Sansa that she was to be married to him. But it was already a cruel enough joke to make her marry him, he would not allow his sister to torture the girl with the information. "I will," he told her. "It will have to be me."
Cersei watched him, one of her eyebrows raised in a graceful arch, "You are truly fucked."
-.-.-.-.-
Robb
When he returned from his morning ride out to the camp beyond Riverrun's walls to see his soldiers his uncle's steward announced that two of Walder Frey's sons had arrived and wished to speak to him. He had sent them up to Robb's solar to wait for him. He nodded, he had expected them to come, though not so soon. At his mother's insistence he had sent a raven to Walder Frey stating that he wished to discuss the terms of their agreement.
The polite way of saying that he meant to find a husband for one of Walder's daughters.
"Which ones?" he asked.
"Your Grace?" the steward replied, his eyebrows knit together in confusion. "My apologies, I don't know what you mean."
Robb sighed, "Which sons?" he asked.
"Oh," the steward answered with a nod. And for one moment Robb thought that he would have an answer. But then the steward frowned, "I'm not sure, Your Grace," he shook his head. "Lord Walder has so many. Perhaps you could call them Walder? There's got to be at least one of them."
Robb sighed, useless, "Send for Ser Brynden and Lord Edmure," he instructed the steward. "If I must speak to them without knowing their names I will not do it alone."
"As you wish, Your Grace," the steward answered, bowing quickly before he almost ran from the hall to find Robb's uncles.
Robb waited for them outside his chambers, he was not afraid of the Freys, but he wanted his uncles with him when he entered the solar, if only so that one of them could make introductions and he would not have to guess who he was speaking to. It did not take them long to join him and when they opened the doors to walk into the chamber he realized that he need not have worried about being alone with the Freys.
Lenora was already there, sitting across the table from them. She smiled at him when she looked up and quickly stood from her chair, the men across from her followed her lead. She inclined her head to him and his uncles while the two men bowed low.
"Robb," she greeted him once they straightened from their bows. "You of course know Lothar and Black Walder Frey."
He grinned, his wife was an angel. Not only had she given him the men's names, but she had subtly pointed her finger to each man in turn as she said his name. He walked toward her and pressed a hard kiss against her cheek before he moved around the table to shake both their hands. "Of course," he chuckled, "I am sorry for the delay, if I had known that you were arriving today I would have been ready for you."
"We were just telling the queen that we traveled quickly and unannounced with very few soldiers on purpose," Black Walder told him. "It's safer that way during war time."
Lenora smiled and nodded, "You're right about that, Ser." She turned toward Robb, "I hope you don't mind, but I've taken the liberty of thanking them for coming so quickly." She turned back to the men, "We've let the matter of the wedding we promised your father go on long enough. Much too long to be honest, it's time that we settled the matter."
"Aye," Lothar agreed. "You speak the truth of it. Father would appreciate that. He had hoped to see many of his children married by now. Three brides for three of his sons, and two husbands for two of our sisters." Robb bristled, sure that this reiteration of their deal was for his benefit. "Instead only Walda was married. Though she's been sent to the Dreadfort and her Lord Husband is at Harrenhal, so it's a strange sort of marriage."
"It is true that I promised my sisters for two of your brothers," Robb told them, his voice hard, "and Lenora's brother and sister as well. But even your father must admit that I cannot be blamed for the fact that we have not found them yet."
"And the Princess Myrcella has been sent to Dorne," Black Walder interjected. "Do you intend to take her back at the end of the war? Or will you leave her there and hope that my father won't remember your promise if you wait long enough?"
Robb's hand clenched into a fist on the table and Lenora reached out, she placed a gentle hand on top of his, in part to soothe him and he was sure in part to hide his animosity from their guests. "I assure you that waiting your father out and hoping that he forgot our deal was never our intention. Lord Walder did us a great service by allowing us to use the crossing, and we intend to pay that back."
"No one was accusing you, Your Grace," Lothar told her with a nod. "Everyone knows that the Lannisters always pay their debts."
Robb turned to look at Lenora and watched as her eyes narrowed slightly, she was confused by that reference. He turned back to the Freys, Black Walder was whispering something to his brother, it looked like he was scolding him. "Your father took half of his forces from me after the Crag," he pointed out, putting an end to the whispering between the two brothers. "How am I to understand that?"
"He begs your pardon, Your Grace," Black Walder told him, his voice sounded sincere. "He's worried is all. With the Ironborn attacking holdfasts in the North and the Highgarden allegiance with the Lannisters and King's Landing. He worried that someone would come for the Twins next. And with so many of his children left with their futures undecided or in the balance he felt it was his duty to protect the House seat."
"His duty is to serve his king," the Blackfish bit out.
"Did he really think that we would let anyone attack the Twins?" Robb asked, surprised.
Lothar raised his eyebrows, "As you wouldn't let anyone attack Winterfell, Your Grace?"
Lenora shook her head, "Treason," she whispered under her breath.
Black Walder shot his brother a glare before he turned back to Robb. "Again, Your Grace, I apologize. To tell you true, yours was not the only raven our father has received. There have been other ravens," his eyes darted toward Lenora, "from King's Landing."
"And what did Tywin Lannister have to say?" Robb asked, because he knew no negotiations would come from Joffrey. Lord Tywin spoke for the king.
"He offered terms," Black Walder told him, it seemed as though the man was being purposefully evasive. "That were much more inviting than the agreement that was originally made for the crossing. Lands, gold, titles, more marriages than our father could hope for. But our father is a loyal man. He pledged fealty to the King in the North and he means to remain loyal to you, Your Grace, as long as his terms are met."
"That is why we are meeting today," Robb pointed out. "To meet the terms of our agreement."
"His new terms," Lothar interjected.
Robb tensed, it was not honorable to change the terms of an agreement once the deal had been struck. But he was not going to be the one to tell Lord Walder or his sons that. He sighed, "Very well, what would your father have of me? I will hear it and decide."
"In payment for his loyalty to you when you showed no intention of being loyal to your agreement our father demands Harrenhal and all its attending lands," Black Walder told him.
"I don't think that's wi -" Edmure started to counsel.
Robb interrupted him. "We are fighting for the North," he told his uncle. "Harrenhal is not in the North. But we have captured it and it will be his once the war is over and we have no further strategic need for it."
Black Walder nodded and glanced at Lothar, "Our Father would like your solemn promise that you are doing everything in your power to find your sisters and that once they are found you will bring them to the Twins so that their weddings can take place immediately."
Robb nodded, "Done," he assured them.
Lenora snorted beside him, "Lord Walder cares more about marriages than my mother did," she whispered to him, so low that the men across the table would not be able to hear her. "And mine and Myrcella's marriages were matters of state."
Robb smiled at her and reached out, gently chucking her under her chin with his thumb.
The Freys watched his action with a look of curiosity. There was something else in their eyes too, though it was hard to place. Robb thought it looked something like satisfaction, though he could not for the life of him understand why his actions toward his wife satisfied them. "There's something else," Black Walder continued.
Robb nodded, "We will do everything we can to give Lord Walder what he needs."
"Not what," Lothar corrected him, "who."
"Your original agreement with our father was that you would pick out a suitable husband for our sister, Roslin," Black Walder told him. "But Father grows impatient and weary of waiting. He feels slighted and with the strength of his loyalty that he has showed you in spite of Lord Tywin's promises, he feels that he should be able to name the bridegroom. This way he can be sure that his grandson through Roslin will inherit lands."
"And who does your father have in mind?" Lenora asked them, her teeth gritted together. Robb looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed, something that the Freys had said had angered her, though he knew not what it was.
They did not answer verbally, instead both Lothar and Black Walder turned to look to Robb's left at Edmure. "What?" Edmure asked when he realized that everyone at the table had turned to look at him.
"You want Roslin's son to inherit Riverrun?" Lenora asked.
"Not we, Your Grace, our Father," Lothar assured her. "We would never presume to tell the King in the North what to do."
And yet, you are, Robb thought to himself.
Edmure laughed, finally understanding, though the look on his face told Robb that he did not find the situation humorous, "No," he told them quickly, shaking his head.
"Our father requires Lord Edmure marry our sister Roslin," Black Walder told them, as if they needed any further clarification.
Edmure stared, "How - how old is she?" he stuttered.
"Nineteen."
Robb glanced at Lenora. Roslin was older than her by a year, but she seemed so young to marry his uncle, almost half his age. He was not sure who he felt more sorry for, the girl who would marry what would seem an old man to her, or his uncle who would marry a Frey against his will.
"Can I see her first?" Edmure asked.
"You want to count her teeth?" Lothar shot back at him. "We will leave for the Twins in the morning. We require an answer by then and a wedding not more than a fortnight after or this alliance is at an end."
"Your father does realize we're in the middle of a war?" the Blackfish asked.
"Lord Tywin promised quick marriages," Lothar argued.
Black Walder, definitely the more intelligent of the two brothers spoke loudly, over his brother, "Father is old. It would put his mind at peace to see her married to a good husband. It would give him hope that the other promised arrangements will also occur." He glanced between Robb and Edmure, "We will need your answer by morning, Your Grace."
Robb sighed, he did not look at his uncle when he spoke next, "You will not have to wait," he told them. "I have your answer now. I will agree to the terms."
Author's Note:
And there it is, another nail in Robb's coffin. (Or so to speak. I will make no promises about coffins. Not now, at least.)
Thank you my friends, for stopping by and reading! Thank you for adding this story to your alerts or favorites lists. Thank you in advance for the glowing review you're about to leave.
And thank you for all the wonderful reviews you have already left. You guys are wonderful!
RHatch89: Thank you friend! I hope this update was just as awesome!
sltsky96: Cersei and Tywin are complete jerks, though I will say this. If Sansa is going to marry anybody, she could not find someone better than Tyrion. I just love him. And Robb should trust Lenora and Grey Wind more. If only because Grey Wind is obviously magic and Lenora was trained by the greatest military general living in the Seven Kingdoms. She might know a bit about wars and men. She will catch on, unfortunately it might be a bit late.
And yeah, in the next chapter (and the chapter after that) Lenora is going to start "losing her shit" and going off on Robb about all of the dumb shit he's doing. She knows it's stupid and there's going to come a time, probably tomorrow, where she starts to tell him exactly what she's thinking.
Darkwolf76: No need to apologize, you found the chapter! And I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. Even if it was rough for our characters. And things are just going to get worse, as you can imagine.
I felt the worst for Jaime too. He is a much better person here than in cannon. I like him, books or show, I like Jaime Lannister. (Probably in the books more than the show if I'm being honest. He's witty and sarcastic with these flashes of decent human being) but his redemption arc was taking too long on the show for my liking so I wrote this story to give it to him earlier. And I will admit I'm quite pleased with it.
As for Robb, I love the sweetheart, but he deserves what he's going to get. Killing Lord Karstark, making new deals with the Frey's. He's a stupidly honorable man in a completely dishonorable world. And it's going to hurt him. He and Lenora actually fight about it in the next chapter... not that I'm going to give away much more than that.
I hope you enjoyed your traveling!
ZabuzasGirl: Thank you! Here's your newest update!
HPuni101: I won't make any promises about whether or not Robb will die. We're too close for me to drop anymore hints. But I will promise once again, that this story has a happier ending than one can expect from Game of Thrones! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
WritingNOOB: You're right. No matter what happens, Robb is not going to come out of the wedding unscathed. It's rather a question of how bad it will be for him. He is kind of fucked. :D
Arianna Le Fay: Don't worry, I have promised. If she loses Robb she will have a Stark baby. So just keep that in mind.
DannyBlack70: There will be a scene when Lenora finds out about the moon tea, unfortunately, with the red wedding being so close, I will not say when that scene occurs. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
RevanKnight25: I'm mixing and matching book/tv versions as I go. Garlen is there, he's joined the Kingsguard. And Willas is the heir to Highgarden. But one I like awkward Sansa and Loras conversations. And two, why marry your heir to Sansa Stark and have to wait until she has children to gain control over Winterfell when you can marry your spare to her and have him in control of Winterfell as soon as the war is over. Just a bit of scheming on the Tyrell's part.
BigWilly526: So you reviewed on chapter eight and it's going to be a while before you get here. But there's a reason I sent Jon to the wall, even if I don't plan on focusing too much on the White Walkers. He's not going to be wasted, I promise.
That's all I've got for now! Thank you loves!
See you back here tomorrow!
Chloe Jane.