1st Month of 300 A.C. Barrowton
Lady Barbrey Dustin
There were no more Starks that was a strange thought for Barbrey, a woman who had loved a Stark, hated a Stark and manipulated a Stark. A very strange thought. And now the North was in chaos, she had never believed that the north could not function without a Stark had always believed it to be some sort of scary story told by the Starks to increase their power, but now, now she saw that it was true. That worried her, it worried her a lot. She did not like it, but she knew that something had to be done about it, this chaos could not go on.
"What word has there been from the western coast?" She asks.
Her father the great Lord Rodrik Ryswell, a man who had been desperate for her to wed a Stark, and now a man considering becoming a king, is slow to respond. "The Ironborn continue to hold Deepwood Motte and the Glovers are foundering for ground. It seems that their new king is not so willing to continue expending resources there."
"Is that such a bad thing? Do you not think that could be one way of ensuring that our plans go accordingly?" she asks.
Her father is silent a moment and then he responds. "We do not know where Galbert Glover is and whilst we know Robett is at White Harbour, that man has no love for us. And we have no love for him. I would rather not give my enemy the hands of such a vaunted prize. The more the Glovers suffer the more we can play that to our advantage."
Barbrey looks at her father then and says. "You are still considering expanding your lands then? Do you seriously think they will discuss terms with you?"
"I do not know, but we shall never know unless we try. I am tired of seeing other houses grow to power whilst we remain subservient. We were once kings, we are descended from Kings, it is only right that we take what is rightfully ours. The Starks are gone, we must take full use of the situation." her father states.
"What then of your alliance with Ramsay Bolton. The bastard has been too busy fighting the Karstarks to truly come asking, but he will come sooner rather than later. What will you do then?" Barbrey asks.
"I shall do to him what the Freys did to the Stark boy. I will not allow him anywhere near my hall or hearth. The bastard is mad and being associated with such a taint is not something I want." her father says.
It is at this moment that her brother and her father's heir Roger speaks. "We cannot play it so openly though father. Bolton's bastard has got some support that is true, but the Karstarks have gotten more, and they are fighting for a king, a man crowned and named as king. Stannis Baratheon will be a dangerous foe, especially with the Karstarks on his side."
Barbrey snorts then. "If you truly think the Karstarks are working for Stannis Baratheon, you are sorely mistaken brother. Arnolf Karstark will be using this as a chance to get Winterfell. He has always wanted that damned castle and now he shall get it one way or another."
"He might find that a bit difficult." her brother says smiling slyly.
"What do you mean by that?" Barbrey questions.
"It seems that Lord Wyman has come across an Ironborn boy who was in Winterfell when it was sacked. And it seems this boy has given him reason to believe that there is one Stark boy still alive. That is what he has been doing all this time." her brother responds.
"Impossible, Theon Greyjoy had the Stark boys killed and their heads mounted on spikes on Winterfell's walls. There are more than half a dozen witnesses to that crime." Barbrey retorts.
"And who was it that told that truth as it were, in the first place dear sister?" her brother questions. "Why the Dreadfort, the house that has always envied the Starks their power and prestige. Bolton's bastard had been snooping around for months after Lord Eddard went south doing things the old gods only know what. And now he is struggling to hold it all together, and that is the reason why."
Barbrey considers this a moment and says. "That boy, whichever one it is, would be a very valuable asset to have. Whoever has the boy would have the north."
"Exactly, which is why Wyman Manderly has remained so silent on the matter. It would not do for word of this to get outside of White Harbour. Of course there are some things that the man does not know within his own city. For one his maester has long been in my pay and as such reports most if not all the goings on of court. And it is no secret within the merman's court of what Wyman Manderly intends to do." Roger states.
Before she can speak her father cuts in. "That is neither here nor there. The boy would be half wild and savage at that. If it is the one I am thinking of, the other one is a cripple. Little to no use for anything other than being a figurehead. There is the bastard but he is sworn to the Night's Watch, there must be some way of getting to him."
Barbrey feels an old twinge then, when she thinks of the bastard. Ned Stark's bastard, oh she knows things about that child she wished she could tell her family, but she swore not to. And she intends to keep that promise. Her hand rests briefly on her stomach and then she says. "The bastard was supposedly legitimised before his brother's death was he not?"
"That is the rumour going around yes." her father says curtly.
Barbrey looks at her father and smiles. "Then we take use of that, and bring the bastard to Barrowton."
Greywater Watch
Lady Maege Mormont
Greywater Watch was a strange thing for Maege, even now after all these months. She did not know how it could operate in the way it did, and further still how people could continue to survive here on this damned moving castle. Of course Howland and his people had been of great help to her and their king, still she ached for Bear Island and for her girls, there were things that needed to be done now though, and she would not balk from her duty, she was not Jorah, she would not run now, not when destiny was calling her.
"Word has come from White Harbour my lords," she begins. "It seems Wyman has finally begun actively searching for our king's brothers."
There is silence a moment and then Galbart asks. "And what is he doing to look for them? One would have thought that such a thing would have become a bit more pronounced knowing that fat man."
Maege laughs slightly. "You truly do not give him enough credit Galbart. He is a clever man and he knows what he is doing. Riding parties are being sent out from White Harbour in order to find out more about a supposed bandit problem his bannermen have been speaking of. Of course we all have reason to suspect he is actually going to be going to the Haunted castle."
"Why would they go there though? I do not understand." Galbart says once more. "That castle has been abandoned for centuries, why go there now?"
"Because something obviously called them there. It is no great surprise to me that they would have gone there. It was a favourite haunt of the Old Man of the North and his eldest son, and the youngest boy is named after Rickon Stark, it makes some sense that he would go there." Howland answers.
"How would he know where to go though?" Mage muses aloud. "He is but a babe, and that wildling woman would not know where to go unless someone else told her."
"The wolf, it must have been the wolf. Something about those wolves has often made me wonder about where they come from and why. There must have been something pulling them there." Howland responds.
"Or someone could well have led them there. Though why not simply take them to White Harbour is another thing. Could the other boy truly have suspected Lord Wyman that much?" Galbart asks.
"Truth be told can you blame him Galbart? He had just been forced from his home because of the actions of a man he grew up with, and another man who was supposedly nobody. His levels of trust must be quite low right now. And even then they would have been very low." Maege responds.
The man nods. "True, very true. The king must be told of this."
"He already has been, I sent word when the tidings came. His Grace shall know of it all soon enough." Maege says.
There is a long moment of silence and then Galbart speaks. "What do you think has made the king decide on this course of action? Surely there must be a desire for revenge within him? The whole war was fought on that damned premise."
Maege has no answer for that but it appears Howland does. "And what makes you think that by doing as he is doing, and by asking us to do as he has asked us, that he is not trying to get revenge?"
"Because he is hiding in the twins and is allowing his kingdom and his people to get torn into fighting a hopeless war amongst themselves." Galbart responds.
"And when he returns, the north will heal. We all know that, the Starks are essential to ensuring the north's peace. And the king is the only one who can truly bring that about. None else can, not his brothers, nor his sisters." Howland states calmly.
"Howland's right Galbart. The king knows what he is doing, we must try and ensure we do our roles to the best of our ability. The rewards will come." Maege says.
Silence falls after that, and Mage finds herself thinking more about the Haunted Castle, no one knows where it is exactly, well no one apart from the Starks. For it seems that that is a tradition that all Starks know where the haunt of one of their greatest lords and his heir is. The heir who was taken far too soon, the heir whose death caused a struggle that is still being felt in the north to this day. She finds herself wondering at that, whether or not this struggle now could have been avoided if Rickon Stark had never gone to fight in Dorne. What troubles might have been averted had the young heir to Cregan Stark never gone south.
Her thoughts are interrupted when Galbart speaks once more. "Soon enough we shall need to deal with all that is happening and has happened within the north. Bolton's bastard knows his supposed Stark bride is missing now. He will come looking for her, and with Baratheon here as well, gods alone know what he will do."
"Baratheon cannot last long here. The Karstarks will betray him before he ever gets close enough to mount a sizeable challenge or even unite the north. The fact that Jon Snow refused his offer will dent his confidence and increase that of the Karstarks. Who knows what might come from that." Maege states.
"Stannis Baratheon will fight, and he will fall, but whether that happens now or when the king returns I do not know. I do know one thing for sure. Regardless of what happens, that red witch of his will continue to be a problem." Howland says.
"What do you know of her Howland?" Maege asks.
"That there is more to her than meets the eye, and that Stannis Baratheon is dealing with a force of nature that is more than I think he even truly realises." Howland responds.