Queen Margaery Baratheon

There was a lot that came with being Queen, Margaery had always known that but it still took her by surprise sometimes. There was attending to the various charities she was a patron of, there was ensuring the household ran smoothly, and then there was managing the court. Those last two things were helped by her goodmother. Queen Dowager Cersei Baratheon had helped a lot with ensuring she understood certain procedures and rituals needed to get things moving in King's Landing. The system was slightly slow and therefore in need of reform, something that she would speak to her husband about when he returned from the war. They'd managed to write to one another a few times, nothing too serious, and she couldn't inform him of her pregnancy in case the news was intercepted by one of their enemies, that was the downside of that. But other than that, things were moving along.

Margaery was currently sat in the small council chamber, listening to the lords of the council discuss the matters of state, the council was slightly less in number, Jon Arryn had passed on a few days ago, Lord Renly had been away at war, as had Loras, their deaths continued to haunt her, Lord Redwyne was moving on Dragonstone, and her husband was at war also. Margaery listened as Lord Baelish the master of coin spoke. "Your Majesty will know that the accounts show that we are making a healthy yield on trade with Myr and Lys, as well as Tyrosh the three daughters have more than made up for the lack of trade that we have with Braavos. Naharis will be feeling the pinch of that and might well fall apart in the intervening months particularly when Viserys Targaryen loses this war he is waging."

Margaery listened intently, she suspected that there was something foul at play with the accounts, Jon had mentioned the irregularities in them, and when she herself had looked through the books she had seen that there had been changes made, for what reason though she did not know. "You are quite sure that Naharis invested considerable sums within Targaryen's operation? I would not wish for us to make an accusation against someone such as him and have it turn out to be false."

Baelish nodded. "My sources at the Iron Bank show that he used money from the Sealord's account to publicly fund the Targaryen campaign, he has lent vast sums of money in the hopes of unseating your husband, His Majesty the King. This is something that is without doubt." There was something in the way Baelish moved then, the way his words sounded that raised her suspicions. He's hiding something, but what? Margaery thought to herself, unsure of what angle to play there, she would need to confirm with her goodmother about that.

"Very well, Lord Varys, what word do you have regarding the movement of troops?" Margaery asked. She trusted the eunuch more than she did the mockingbird, for the simple fact that she knew how to move against Varys, he played the game, and she knew that, and he knew that she knew. Baelish tried far too hard to show himself to be nothing more than the simply master of coin. Therefore, he hid his motives behind a veneer of respectability, this made it harder to truly identify his motives.

"The King has dealt a serious blow to the Targaryen cause, Your Majesty. Through defeating the coalition of forces under the command of Lord Bracken outside Harrenhal and through dealing with those few Dothraki forces that were sent as reinforcements, he has shown that he will not give an inch to those who would threaten his kingdom. This has meant that the lords of the Reach who might have risen for Targaryen have instead decided to remain neutral, or have decided to ride to his aid. The Dothraki remain in Saltpans, though my little birds report that they are growing anxious, they wish to fight and make a move." The eunuch responded. The man continued. "Furthermore, my sources report that Lord Renly and Ser Loras's deaths, there was a scramble back to Storm's End. Prince Tommen made it back safely to the castle, with some three thousand men, but the rest of the army either died on the field or bent the knee to Viserys Targaryen."

"Traitors, the lot of them." Cersei said. Margaery said nothing, Loras had been an idiot, and rash, but he was still her brother, and he had loved Renly. She had known making him a knight of the Kingsguard would be a terrible idea. Still her father had wanted it, and so it had happened.

"Very well, thank you. That is all." Margaery said, she got up, as did Cersei and together they walked out of small council chamber, Ser Jaime walking behind them. Why that knight had remained in King's Landing she did not know, but the King had insisted on it. As they walked, Margaery turned to her goodmother and said. "What do you think it is that Baelish is hiding, Mother?"

Cersei laughed. "What isn't he hiding? There's something going on between him and the Braavosi, which would make sense as he originally hails from there. He would know more about the internal situation in that city than anyone else, even the eunuch. Therefore, we must make sure we gather more information than we already have, in order to ensure that we have him right where we want him."

"How are we going to do that, everyone we have spoken to claims not to know anything or have provided us with leads that simply circle back on themselves." Margaery replied, she wondered what Baelish had over so many people to make them fear him so.

Cersei smiled. "I have a friend in his inner circle, who is ready to talk. A certain Archmaester whose testament will be very damning."

Margaery smiled. "Then we must endeavour to meet with him."

Master Robb Stark

They were in the Lord Commander's solar, and the chill was growing, everyone was in lair upon lair of furs and wool, trying to keep warm. It was frankly ridiculous if he were being honest, but then again this was their life now. Since that sight had appeared on the Wall, the wall started shaking and groaning at particular times, and so they had instituted a watch on it. If even the slightest crack appeared on the wall, someone was to inform either him, his father or uncle Benjen. They were all on edge.

Robb spoke, having just been on patrol. "So far everything is quiet on the other side of the wall. There has been no movement, apart from the odd deer running through the snow. It seems as though the wildlings have decided that they would rather not make a pass at the wall." Robb wondered whether they were doing the right thing. The wildlings had been their enemies for as long as anyone could remember, but now there was a true and real threat beyond the wall, and they weren't budging. It felt wrong somehow. "I believe that they are gathering near the Fist." When there was a raised eyebrow from his father he elaborated. "We know from reading through the books that that is what was done in the past. When the white walkers came down in their thousands in aeons past, the wildlings gathered on the Fist and attempted to make a stand."

"Except they weren't wildlings then, but part of the First Men." The blind Maester Aemon pointed out. "The wildlings are far more in touch with their ancestral roots than the first men who ended up behind the wall once it got raised. They knew more about what had happened for it was passed down in stories. The wildlings you captured said as much, did they not master Robb?"

Robb nodded, the wildlings they'd captured trying to cross over to their side had spoken like their lives depended on it. "Yes, they said that the wildlings had always been aware that the white walkers had hidden themselves away in the lands of always winter, but they had never truly been able to understand just why those creatures had done that. As time had progressed they gradually thought that was just the natural order of things. So, when the white walkers started their move south, they became worried."

Umber spoke then, his tone demanding. "Did these savages say why the white walkers are coming south?" Umber had a hatred of the wildlings that far surpassed anything that even the mountain clans could profess to, and Robb wondered why that was.

"No, they have thought through everything they could remember hearing about the White Walkers and nothing they have been told ever says why they'd come south." Robb replied. He hesitated for a moment, looking at his father, and then saying. "They did something else though."

"And what was that?" Uncle Benjen asked, his face looked as though he had not slept for a few hours. They all probably looked like that.

Robb took a breath, unsure of how true this thing he was about to say was. "These wildlings said that in the days passed, the children of the forest used to wander through the lands beyond the wall. The children were not the benevolent beings our stories paint them as, instead they were monsters, they demanded payment in blood, payment in children and other such things. They demanded all of these things to help develop a way for them to keep their power. For according to these wildlings, the children are dying, they are growing weaker and weaker, as magic dies in the world. There is something in the air that is killing them, and so they are preparing for a final assault on the world of man. Whether or not that ever comes to pass, the wildlings are not sure, but the children are definitely involved somehow."

"If the children are still alive, it would make sense that they would wish for some sort of retribution. The north has not exactly been friendly to them." Lord Bolton said. "You hear about it the old stories. Of the fights being waged between one side and then another. Of things that would make the Blood and Cheese incident of the Dance look like nothing more than a petty squabble."

"So, are you saying that as well as worrying about the walking dead, we now need to worry about a potentially angry race that has a long history of wanting us dead?" The Greatjon asked sounding incredibly annoyed.

"I do not know." Robb replied truthfully, for he did not know and he was not sure if he wanted to know. Myrcella had written to him telling him she was with child, and he wanted to see his child be born. He wanted to return home and some point. Not stay here constantly fighting and dying.

Father spoke then. "Let us worry about the white walkers. We know they are out there and we know they are coming. We must be prepared for them when they do come. For they are not going to simply allow us the chance to collect ourselves when they do arrive. They are going to try and harm us in every possible way." There was a pause then, then Father continued. "Now, how many Dragonglass arrows, knives and swords do we have?"

Samwell Tarly, who had been at Oldstones with Robb spoke. "We have four hundred and fifty, my lord." Tarly spoke with a tremor in his voice, though he was a smart kid.

"And where might we get more?" Father asked.

"From beyond the wall, or perhaps from Dragonstone." Tarly responded.

"We will have to go beyond the wall at some point." Uncle Benjen said. "Better we go now when we can command some sort of strength."

Robb could tell father was reluctant to let that happen, but he sighed and said. "Very well. But not until we get more information."