CHAPTER 11 - King and His Hand

DISCLAIMER – So, first of all I want to say that, Jory and Ned never met Gendry. Now let's get this out of the way, Ned genuinely never found out about the incest, however everything is triggered by when Lara send the letter, causing Cersei to think she knew about the incest and she did. One plan led to another and well Ned died.

I hope you like what I have in store for you guys, please review!

Robb Stark's Camp

Lara woke up from her dream, the usual dragon flying above her. Lara braided her hair and put on her cloak before she exited her tent to join lady Catelyn for breakfast. As she made her way, every soldier that looked at her bowed with utmost respect, after all she was the army's leading tactician and was Robb Stark's most trusted council.

Lara saw Catelyn at the table, with Robb who was reading parchments. "Good morning," Lara greeted.

Catelyn gave her a motherly smile while Robb nodded. Not long after, an ugly boy entered the tent. He was Olyvar Frey, Robb Stark's squire. The squire looked shaky and nervous, but Lara gave him a soft look.

"My lord, my ladies," he greeted in a low tone.

Then there was an immidiate silence, the boy traded eye contact with Robb, Lara and his mother. But nothing. He didn't pour ale, he didn't do anything. He looked like he was about to say something but didn't. Lara found this to be wasting her time as she tapped on her fingers on the table, but then she gave out a quick sigh.

"Well, spit it out boy, we 'aven't got all day," Lara said firmly yet not getting angry with the squire.

"Go on, Olyvar," Robb said politely.

The boy gulped and opened his mouth, "news from the capital my lord," he said, "it's a-about your father."

Then Robb dropped the papers and look stoicly at the boy. "lord Eddard, was executed yesterday, on the order's of Joffrey Baratheon…" the boy continued, unable to look at Robb, "my deepest condolences, my lord."

Robb immidiately got up from his chair and he grabbed his sword out while still in chainmail. He look like he's about to murder everyone. After he went out, lady catelyn rubbed her face with her hands and sighed.

Lara closed her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows, then she turned to Olyvar. "Spread the news all over the camp, tell the lords that my uncle is now gone. Tell them to mourn and they answer to Lara and Robb Stark now."

Olyvar nodded and he bowed, before Lara joined Catelyn at the table and wept beside her. Lara whimpered and coughed, unable to contain her tears.

Catelyn looked over to Lara and hugged her, to which Lara immidiately hugged her back.

"I'm so sorry…" Lara sobbed, "I can't save him. I can't save my uncle."

Catelyn put her hand on the back of Lara's hair, and she nuzzled against her. "We need Sansa and Arya, we need to get them back, it's now or never now," Catelyn said quietly.

"Aye we do," Lara said, "before Joffrey did the same unforgivable to them."

Catelyn's POV

My husband. My poor Ned. Dead by a sword, even his head was not resting with his body, butchered by that bastard!

I was fighting a war inside my mind, I was fighting the emptiness in my heart as well. As I made my way through camp, soldiers were bowing their head and stopped in their track. News of my Ned's death had reached throughout the camp.

I couldn't handle it, I grasped a tree for support. So many misfortune has come to me.

Then I heard the clanking sounds of a sword and a man grunting. I knew it was Robb. I walked slowly, and saw how Robb was unleashing his anger.

"Robb,"I called out softly. But he appears to be ignoring me, hitting the tree with rage and death in his eyes.

"Robb!" I called out once more, and he stopped, huffing at me. "You've ruined your sword."

Robb went over to me and I hugged my firstborn. There was sadness shrouding the both of us, the young man in my arms had just lost his father.

"I'll kill them,I'll kill them all!" Robb shouted at my shoulder, his voice cracking.

"We need to get Sansa back, we need to get Arya back, we need to get the girls back," I said softly.

"then we'll kill them all."

Somewhere near Robb's Camp

Arya was squating behind a rock, she was relieving herself. Then she put on her pants standing up.

"Are you done?" Jory asked.

"Aye," Arya said, "Are you?"

Jory laced his pants from behind a bush and wiped his hand on his pants. "Aye, we'll reach your brother's camp by nightfall, best we speed up. "

Arya went over to the horse with Jory, as Jory was holding out his hands to lift Arya, she shrugs them off.

"You're not touching me Jory," Arya said seriously, "not with piss on your hands." Then she pushed her arm up on the saddle to lift her weight up and sat perfectly in front of the saddle. "I can do it on my own."

Jory looked at her with admiration of an uncle or an older brother and chuckled, "aye aye, that's quite the accomplishment little wolf."

He sat behind her and hold the reigns of his horse, then they both galloped away.

Jaime Lannister's Prison behind the Camp

Jaime Lannister was sitting on the ground by the post, staring at the sky. He was denied a proper meal and water. He was thirsty. He was damned. He had fallen into the enemies hands.

Suddenly a figure approached him. It was Lara Stark, accompanied by a guard.

She wore her hair in a braid, similar to Catelyn Stark. She had a fur cloak on, similar to Robb Stark's, but she was all dressed in dark colors, a contrast to how she dressed when Jaime first saw her, she was mourning of her uncle's death. She looked stern, but there's softness in her eyes. She was without doubt, one of the most gorgeous women he had ever laid eyes on. He hate to admit it, but even Cersei would wilt away at her presence.

"Lady lara," Jaime said sarcastically, "you miss me?"

"I owed you my time, I promise to visit you in your cell, you seemed to be interested to talk to me," Lara replied, entering Jaime's made up cell.

"Really I thought it was the opposite, I remembered you blushing when we locked eyes," Jaime replied back.

"Ah yes," Lara chuckled, "You must've misinterpret it, I was looking at your son." Jaime's expression darken, his fist was curled up against the pole he was chained to.

"We can't believe in every word the fools and maids say," Jaime said quietly.

"No, we can't," Lara replied, "and I'm supposed to believe my cousin fell on his own."

"My deepest condolences, I heard you wrote to Robert that he had passed away," Jaime replied quickly. And Lara shook his head.

"He wanted to be a knight like you," Lara said, "but I'm afraid his dream is dead now." Jaime rolled his eyes, as if letting Lara know that he knew Bran was still alive.

"The last time I saw a person with your hair, I stabbed my sword through his back," Jaime said, "and before, I served one."

Lara looked out of the cell, and gazed at the view of the camp from his cell, not much, she thought.

"Was it the one who burned my father and my grandfather, or the one who kidnapped my aunt?" Lara asked solemnly.

Jaime coughed, his throat so dry. "By vows, the first one," Jaime said amusingly, "but by heart, the latter."

Lara looked at the kingslayer and bent down to give him a sip from her water bottle that she carried beneath her cloak. However the Kingslayer raised his eyebrows slightly as if he was hesitant if it's poisoned or not, earning an eye roll from the young Stark woman. Then Lara Stark drank from the bottle, and placing it to Jaime's mouth. He tilted his head to drink, and it was refreshing.

Who knew water could taste better than wine, he thought.

"The one with pretty hair that couldn't keep his hands off my aunt?" Lara asked in her northern accent. Earning a chuckle from the Kingslayer.

"That's the one," Jaime said lowly. "Brilliant man, smart, beautiful, strong," Jaime said, reminiscing his golden times.

Lara look uninterested, and she walked away from the kingslayer.

"Thankyou for your water," Jaime said, and Lara smiled sadly but appreciative of the genuineness from his tone. Then she sighed.

"Don't thank me yet, we're still enemies," Lara said with a hint of hate, "your kin killed my uncle."

"So I've heard," Jaime said. Lara looked down and walked outside of his cell.

"Lady Lara," Jaime shouted out, and Lara turned to him. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Lara's eyes were empty and she looked away, walking back to the camp.

Later that night

Robb Stark was breaking bread and drinking ale with his lord, with his mother at his side. There were no songs, just conversations. The air was tense. Lara was sitting at Robb's right side, looking sorrowful and calculating. Lara hold her glass of ale, when suddenly a lord stood up.

"The proper course is clear: we march south and pledge fealty to King Renlya and join our forces with his," the lord declared.

"Renly is not the king," Robb replied sternly.

"You cannot mean to hold to Joffrey, my lord," the lord replied with fury, "he put your father to death!"

"that doesn't make Renly king, he's Robert's youngest brother. If Bran can't be lord of Winterfell before me, Renly can't be king before Stannis," Robb explained.

"Do you mean to declare for Stannis?" the lord asked.

"Renly is not right," another lord exclaimed. Then all the lords engage in a loud debate.

"My lords," Greatjon Umber roared, "MY LORDS!" silencing all the participants.

"Here's what I have to say to these two kings," he said, them he spat. "Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor is Stannis neither."

"Why should they rule over me and mine from some flowery seat in the south?" Greatjon declared. "What do they know of the Wall or the Wolfswood? Even their Gods are wrong." Then everyone laughed.

"Why shouldn't we rule ourselves again? It was the dragons we bowed to and now the dragons are dead," lord Umber said, unsheating his sword and points it to Robb.

"There sits my only King, the one I'm meant to bend my knee to," he said, "the King in the North!" and he bent his knee in front of Robb.

Robb stood up and looked to Lara, signalling her to stand with him.

Then another lord shouted, "I'll have peace on those terms, they can keep their red castle, and their iron chair too." Then he bent his knee, "the King in the North."

Before Theon could stand and unsheath his sword, Robb hold out her hand to him. Theon was hesitant but then Robb shook his head at Theon. Then Robb look at Lara, "Rise my lords, no one is proclaming anyone King tonight." Both lords looked at Robb, confused.

"I don't deserve this title," Robb said, "My father died a swift death, head struck down by a sword. My cousin, her father was burnt down to the ground when she was still a baby. We won the Battle of the Whispering Woods due to her plans, to be King is to not acknowledge my promise that I would rule together with her. She is Brandon Stark's daughter, by rights had she been a man, she would be lord of Winterfell."

"I can't be King if she isn't my Hand," Robb said.

Lara gasped quietly, she truly has power over them. She turned to Robb who gave her a strong look on his face while Catelyn offered her a weak smile.

"It's Your grace now," Lara replied.

The soldier bowed, "forgive me but lady Arya Stark and ser Jory Cassel has joined our party."

Lara gasped, and looked at Robb. She walked fastly outside with Catelyn and Robb, with the other lords at their tails.

She saw Arya, wearing pants, face full of dirt, and holding a small sword. She was lifted off the horse by Jory and as they locked eyes with one another, Lara and Arya embraced. Lara's heart was beating loudly, she was glad that Arya was safe.

"Arya, arya, arya," Lara whispered to her cousin, nuzzling against her hair. Lara heard a cough from lady Catelyn, who instantly hugged Arya as Lara let go.

Lara turned to Jory who was looking at her and nodded, showing her gratitude for bringing her cousin home back safely.

Arya looked at Robb, and jumped on him. "Where's Sansa?" Robb asked Jory as he was hugging Sansa.

"With the lord, they'll reach us soon Robb," Jory replied lightly.

Lara looked down, and look at Jory. "They're not coming back Jory."

"What do you mean my lady?" Jory asked, squinting his eyes. Arya let go off Robb and looked at Lara curiously.

"A few days ago, news came from King's Landing," Lara said. Jory looked at her with disbelief but sighed loudly before looking down at the ground.

"Robb what does she mean?" Arya asked, as her mother and Lara wouldn't answer her.

"Come now," Robb touched her, "we have so much to talk about."

"No," Arya demanded, "I know something is wrong, tell me what is it."

Robb looked strictly at Arya, challenging her. But Arya didn't back out and she was fuming, "Now," Arya ordered.

"Lord Eddard's dead," Lara said harshly.

Arya widened her eyes, and she was about to break down to the ground. "W-what about Sansa?" she asked.

"We don't know," Lara said quietly, as if almost whimpering.

Arya huffed as if she was out of air, but she was held and hushed by her mother. That night, the sky was filled by Arya's scream and cries.

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