Winterfell was a grand and ancient castle, that much could not be disputed by even the Lannisters. The granite walls of the castle had always been a safe, impenetrable haven to those who had grown up behind them. Like Robb Stark.
And like Theon Greyjoy, who had served as Ned Stark's squire for nine years.
Ned Stark, whose chambers Theon Greyjoy now sat in, as though he were Lord of Winterfell. Theon had just placed a log onto the large fire that Ned Stark had rarely used. He had always enjoyed the cold.
Theon however shivered. He had dark circles around his glazed eyes, his hair was greasy and wild and it looked as though he was on the knife's edge of sanity. A war horn echoed annoyingly before the walls of the castle repeatedly. Taking breaks short enough to convince Theon it had stopped before another loud blast of the horn echoed over the castle.
"I will kill that man," he promised "I don't care how many arrows they feather me with, how many spears they run through me, I don't care if it's Robb Stark himself doing it, I will kill that horn-blowing cunt before I fall." Theon swore, staring into the roaring fire as Maester Luwin, the trusted counselor to Ned Stark and his family sighed as he walked forward to stand behind Theon's chair.
"They want you to know you're surrounded." Luwin stated
"I know I'm surrounded. I know that because I stood on the battlements and saw Robb Stark's huge fuckin' army was surrounding me."
"They don't want you to sleep. They want to sap your spirit before you-."
"Thank YOU, wise bald man. Thank you for explaining siege tactics to me. Just as you explained them to Robb Stark who is outside my fuckin' walls." Theon snapped, causing Luwin to sigh again.
"Theon. These are his walls. You know that." Luwin said as yet another blast of the horn caused Theon to jerk his neck violently.
"Any word from my father?" Theon asked after a long moment had passed, marred only by another blast of the war horn.
"No." Luwin stated bluntly, pacing behind Theon's chair to face the desk where his Lord Eddard had often sat brooding over his Northern kingdom and its affairs. A wise man, a good man. Luwin mourned him greatly.
"Send more ravens." Theon growled, clutching the arms of the chair he sat on as the horn sounded yet again.
"You killed all the ravens." Luwin retorted, causing Theon to fall into a brooding silence for a short time.
"The first time I saw Winterfe-…" Theon began, only to be cut off by the horn once more. Theon glared pure poison out the window before rolling his neck and continuing "The first time I saw Winterfell…it looked like something that had been here for thousands of years, and would be here for thousands of years after I was dead. I saw it and I thought 'of course, Ned Stark crushed our rebellion and killed my brothers.' We never stood a chance against a man who lived here." Theon laughed bitterly
"Lord Stark went out of his way to make it your home." Luwin corrected sternly, only earning an emotional snap from Theon.
"Yes, my captors were so very kind to me! You love reminding me of that. Everyone in this frozen pile of shit has always loved reminding me of that." Theon said, his eyes welling up slightly as Luwin stood behind him.
"Know what its like to be told how lucky you are to be someone's prisoner? To be told how much you owe them? And then to go back home to your real father…-." Theon by now had a tear falling down his face and sniffing through his emotion. He was interrupted by the horn, causing him to leap off Ned Stark's chair and begin screaming.
"I will kill that man! I swear to the Drowned God, the Old Gods, the New Gods, to EVERY FUCKING GOD IN EVERY FUCKING HEAVEN THAT I WILL KILL THAT MAN!" Theon screamed, causing Luwin to sigh and roll his eyes at the boy's dramatics.
"Theon, listen to me. I serve Winterfell, and now Winterfell is yours. I am bound by oath to serve you." Luwin said heavily, almost as though he was regretting the words as he spoke them.
"And what's your counsel, trust friend?" Theon turned, asking Luwin with weary sarcasm.
"Run," Luwin said simply "Robb has led an army nearly forty-thousand swords outside the walls. You have twenty men. Twenty. You can't win. Wait for nightfall and run."
"There's nowhere to run. I'd never make it back to the Iron Islands. Robb's entire army is combing the North. And even if I did, even if by some miracle I slipped through the lines and made it home…I'd be a coward; the Greyjoy who ran. The shame of the family." Theon said forlornly, sinking back into Ned's chair.
"Don't go home. Join the Night's Watch. Once a man has taken the black, he's beyond reach of the law. All his past crimes are forgiven. Even Robb could not reach you there." Luwin said, feeling a small sense of compassion for the foolish Greyjoy boy who slowly looked up at Luwin's words.
"I won't make it to the Wall. I won't make it ten feet past the Winterfell gates." Theon said as Luwin moved to hold the back of Ned's chair upon which Theon sat.
"There are ways. Hidden passageways, built so the lords of Winterfell could escape. The road will be dangerous, but with a little luck..." Luwin trailed off, letting Theon think on the matter "The Night's Watch is an ancient, honorable order. You'll have opportunities there." Luwin encouraged, wishing for a quicker end to this farce. Bran and Rickon were hidden in the crypts of Winterfell, along with Jojen and Meera Reed. Luwin was the only one to know of this, besides Osha, the wildling woman who guarded them. Luwin could only imagine what was going through the mind of his new Lord…his King, Robb and his Lady Catelyn at the notion that Bran and Rickon were dead.
"The opportunity for Jon Snow to cut my throat in my sleep!" Theon snapped, yet again, rising from the chair to face Luwin before angrily crossing to the window.
"The opportunity to make amends for what you've done." Luwin stressed, looking at the boy who walked back towards Luwin.
"I've done a lot, haven't I? Things I never imagined myself doing…" Theon said with a noted tone of sadness. Luwin sighed.
"I've known you many years, Theon Greyjoy. You're not the man you're pretending to be." he put a comforting hand on Theon's shoulder. "Not yet."
"You may be right. But I've gone too far to pretend to be anything else." Theon said, his words in despair. He sighed before straightening his back.
"Stygg! Wex!" Theon called, looking at Luwin with a sudden cold and detached gaze. Two of Theon's Ironborn appeared in the chambers, looking very disgruntled at having to serve Theon Greyjoy.
"Take the Maester to a cell and lock him there. He will be of no use during the battle. Only after." Theon said grimly, earning a shake of the head from Luwin, who did not realize that Theon was saving him from any potential wrath of the Ironborn.
"Good luck, Theon." Luwin said dejectedly.
"I don't need luck." Theon insisted, turning his back as Luwin was roughly led out of the chambers and towards the dungeon of Winterfell.
"Oi, Maester. Is Robb Stark the kinda greenlander to go back on his word?" one of the Ironborn soldiers asked Luwin as they locked him in a cell that already held the castle servants loyal to the Starks.
"Robb Stark is his father's son. Honor is what matters most to him." Luwin declared, unaware of the changes his King had gone through.
"Aye…" the Ironborn muttered to himself, exchanging a meaningful glance with his friend before leaving the Stark servants in the dark, damp dungeons.
The next morning dawned bright with no hint of the coming winter except for the clouds of mist that rose up before Theon's face as he breathed. The horn that he so detested echoed once more as Theon climbed up onto a platform in the main courtyard of Winterfell to address his twenty Ironborn.
"You hear that?" he asked them, assembling the rough group of men towards him. "That's the mating call of the Northmen. They want to fuck us! Well, I haven't had a good fuck in weeks, I'm ready for one!" Theon said to the laughs of his men.
"They say that every Ironborn man is worth a dozen from the mainland." Theon said, pacing the length of the platform. "You think they're right?"
"Aye." The Ironborn chorused, some of them raising their weapons.
"We die today, brothers! We die bleeding from a hundred wounds, with arrows in our necks and spears in our guts! But our war cries will echo through eternity. They will sing about the Battle of Winterfell until the Iron Islands have slipped beneath the waves. Every man, woman, and child will know who we were and how long we stood! Aggar and Gelmarr! Wex and Urzen! Stygg and Black Lorren! Ironborn warriors will cry out our names as they leap onto the shores of Seagard and Faircastle!" Theon declared passionately, appearing to inspire the men who had never wanted to willingly follow him.
"Aye!" his men chorused again.
"Mothers will name their sons for us!" Theon continued, his voice growing hoarse from his nonsense screaming.
"Aye!" the men chorused again, by now seemingly fully driven by Theon's words.
"Girls will think of us with their lovers inside them!" Theon's eyes were wild, spittle flying from his lips as he screamed.
"Aye!" another fateful echo of that war horn, caused Theon to whip around before turning back to the man while jabbing his finger towards the walls.
"And whoever kills that fucking horn-blower will stand in bronze above the shores of Pyke!"
"Aye!" the men, were by now growing weary of the charade, waiting for their moment to strike.
"What is dead may never die!" Theon screamed, thumping his chest with pride.
"What is dead may never die!" the Ironborn echoed as Theon's first mate appeared from behind him to smash the back of his spear across Theon's head, sending the Heir to the Iron Islands sprawling to the ground unconscious.
Robb could vaguely hear Theon's voice echo across the walls and it incensed him that Theon Turncloak was still walking free in Winterfell. Mounted on his horse, Robb and his generals were in the center of the well-organized army beseiging his castle.
"Are we sure they will accept these terms?" Dacey asked curiously, as the army listened to Theon's screaming.
"The rest of them will be granted safe passage home as long as they surrender Theon. None of them know that I intend to sail to the Iron Islands after this. None of them have to know till they see our sails on their shores." Robb said calmly, though his generals knew that he was growing angry and impatient the longer he was forced to stay outside the walls of his own castle. The siege had lasted three days so far, and on the first night Robb had sent his offer of clemency to the other Ironborn through a message attached to an arrow. By chance, Black Loren had found the letter and brought the terms to his fellow Ironborn without Theon's knowledge.
"Sly." Brynden chuckled, before the gates of Winterfell opened and every man and woman tensed for what was to come.
Two rows of Ironborn marched pathetically out of the castle with a hooded and shackled figure lying limply across a mule that they marched in front of them. They all flew white peace banners, causing Robb to fight a smirk as he urged his horse forward alongside Brynden, Garlan, Dacey and Edmure.
"We yield Winterfell and accept your offer. Here before you is Theon Turncloak!" Black Loren growled, eyeing Robb with distaste before wrenching the hood off Theon's stirring and dazed form.
"An accurate moniker. Very well. Ser Edmure, send these men back to those shit stained rocks they call home. Ser Garlan have the forces of House Stark march into the castle first and foremost. The rest will hold the lines until I have settled my castle. Dacey. Take the traitor to the dungeons along with Roose Bolton and Petyr Baelish. I wish to execute them all in the morrow." Robb said, glaring pure hatred at the man he once considered his best friend, who looked up at Robb in complete shame, fear and embarassment.
"Robb-..I-..I'm sor-."
"Silence, traitor! Theon Greyjoy, on the charges of high treason, and for the murder of my brothers', Brandon and Rickon Stark, I sentence you to death by execution. Take him away!" Robb oredered before Theon could say any more. Dacey herself took the rop tied to the mule and began to trot into the castle behind the columns of Stark soldiers that were, at long last, returning home.
Robb sat before Winterfell for a moment atop his horse, Ser Brynden Tully sat beside him, holding his reigns and looking at Robb with pride as Robb himself looked at Winterfell with tears in his eyes.
"Do you realize what you are?" Brynden asked after a while as the two men ventured into the castle alone.
"What?" Robb asked in confusion, looking to his great-uncle.
"You are one of the greatest men Westeros has ever seen. The Young Dragon conquered Dorne at 16, aye. But he lost all that work in a fornight when Dorne rebelled. You have…you have conquered the mainland and ended a war that threatened to destroy the realm. You are about to establish one of the finest dynasties in history. You're a great man, Robb Stark. And I am proud to have served you." The Blackfish was not a man for praise, so his words came as a high honor for Robb who bowed his head for a moment as a blush tinted his cheeks.
"I hope you mean that, because I wish for you to come to King's Landing to serve on my Small Council when we are done with the Iron Islands." Robb said as they trotted beneath the raised portcullis of Winterfell.
"Bah, I suppose I will have to. Not many men you could trust in that rat's nest." Brynden grumbled, silencing as he saw the look on Robb's face.
He was finally back in Winterfell. The King from the North had reclaimed his seat, his home. But everything was different. His father was dead. His brothers were de-…
"BRAN?! RICKON?!" Robb all but fell off his horse as he saw Dacey Mormont and the wilding Osha leading Hodor, Bran and Rickon out of the crypts and into the main courtyard of Winterfell. Robb sprinted to his brothers, Rickon ran excitedly into Robb's arms, hugging his oldest brother tightly as Robb moved to wrap his other arm around Bran who was nestled in Hodor's arms.
"Gods…Mother-…we all-…we though you were dead!" Robb shouted, completely at a loss for this stunning and wonderful development. It was then that Bran told Robb their tale of escape and return, of Osha's loyal service to them, and of Meera and Jojen Reed's companionship. Robb learned that the castle servants had been locked in the dungeon and Dacey had just freed them.
Maester Luwin soon joined the group in the courtyard, to Robb's great delight. Robb greeted Luwin like he would have greeted a beloved uncle.
"Take the boys back to their chambers and get them a hot supper. I want the southern army resupplied and rested. We will march for the Shadow Tower in three days time." Robb said, depositing Rickon to the ground as he beamed at Luwin, Brynden and his brothers.
"Maester. Send a raven to-…" Robb began, turning to Luwin as Hodor led the boys away, only for Luwin to cut Robb off with a shake off his head.
"Robb, all the ravens have been killed."
"Damn Theon…" Robb said furiously "Very well. A rider must be sent to House Long, they are only a few hours ride away and must have ravens. Word must be sent to Riverrun and Highgarden at once. The boys are alive and Winterfell is once again ours. And I obviously need not ask you to see that the castle has ravens again as soon as possible?"
"Of course not. Your Grace." Luwin smiled, nodding at the boy whom he had taught and trained since Robb was a babe.
"Your Grace, Lord Howland Reed wishes a word with you at your earliest convenience." Ser Garlan Tyrell, who had just rode into the courtyard called as he dismounted his horse.
"Thank you, brother. I will see him in my chambers once I have washed." Robb sighed, clapping Garlan's shoulder before turning to once again admire Winterfell.
Arya was alive. Bran and Rickon were alive. The Gods had been good…all that they missed was their father. Ned Stark had been taken far too soon, and Robb would never fail to grieve his father every day for the rest of his life. Ned Stark's memory would govern the Seven Kingdoms for generations to come, Robb knew that much.
Author's Note: Winterfell is once again the seat of House Stark and those who betrayed the Starks will soon face justice :D
I might skip Robb's whole campaign on the Iron Islands and summarize it in a short chapter as I'm quite excited to get on to the ruling and governance of the Young Wolf. Do leave a review!