"Twenty," Robb said for the third time, putting as much utter finality in his voice as he could. "Ten representatives of House Tyrell, of which at least five must be no more than a generation apart from Lord Mace, and no more distant to him than a nephew or an uncle. And the same proportion allotted to House Lannister. One hostage will be released each year, alternating from which house they come."
The wind billowed around the bridge, splaying all flags wide and proud, the fabric stretching, the poles bending. Only Robb's demands were immovable.
Lord Tywin held Robb's gaze longer than most. In the darkening day his green eyes reflected what little light remained in the sky. "Very well then, twenty," Lord Tywin said."However, only ten will be delivered immediately." Ser Kevan Lannister seemed to have already accepted this, but Ser Garlan Tyrell, the representative of the Queen's House, could not hide his fury at the idea that members of his house would be made hostage in Winterfell.
"That is not acceptable," Robb replied immediately.
"We are negotiating peace, Your Grace," Lord Tywin said. Over the weeks of negotiations Lord Tywin had learned to mask the venom in his voice when he said those words at the beginning of the negotiations. "But we are still at war with Stannis Baratheon. My cousins and those of Lord Mace, are our able officers and commanders, we need them to lead the war against Stannis Baratheon. I do not need to remind you that our defeat will render whatever terms we agree invalid in Stannis Baratheon's eyes."
Robb could feel the Greatjon tense at the words. He wouldn't be happy, but on this occasion Lord Tywin was correct. He had to weaken the Lannisters to the extent they couldn't immediately renege on their word, but not so much that they would be swept aside by Stannis. When they had moved on to the matter of hostages to assure good behaviour, Tywin's first demand was that Robb would, upon the signing of the peace, pledge that he would only recognise King Joffrey and his heirs upon the Iron Throne and hold no negotiations with any other. Any easy request to agree to, given what Robb had been able to extract in return, total control of all shipping into the bay of crabs, feeding Maidenpool and Saltpans. No warships of the southern kingdoms were to access those waters or be based along them. Robb had even managed to secure the transfer of the Gullrocks, four small islands around the tip of Crackclaw Point. Formerly these had been crown domains, but now he could base ships there, and build towers to keep an eye on any potential activity in the area. It would be a dreary post, but a necessary one, once he had time to dedicate resources to the construction of fortified towers and docks.
"Very well, ten upon the signing of the peace, ten when your war against Stannis Baratheon is finished." He felt the anger flair from Greatjon from one side and the satisfaction from Edmure on the other. Greatjon wanted revenge for Robb's father and glory for the north with the harshest terms possible. But Edmure was lord of the Trident, a kingdom caught between so many others. Security mattered more to him than anything else.
"Then it is agreed," Tywin said, shutting the books that had been lying open before him. Ser Garlan Tyrell got to his feet, making to turn away.
"Just a moment, Ser Garlan," Robb said, raising a finger. "We aren't finished for the day yet."
Ser Garlan turned very slowly back to the table and sat down. The open anger from the other side of the negotiations was growing more and more palpable. They were both receiving reports from the war and every one made the position look worse for the Lannisters. No news had come from the Reach, where the Lannisters and Tyrells were surely trying to reopen the Roseroad. The news that came from Crackclaw Point was of fallen castles and towns, of brigands hanged under the justice of another king and warbands put to flight. And the worse their position became, the harder Robb drove.
"You just said that the matter of hostages was settled, King Robb," Kevan Lannister said.
"It is. But we need to finish discussing the matters we were talking about last week. It never was resolved."
"It has been a long day, King Robb," Ser Garlan replied, forcing a level of calm into his tone.
"Winter is coming and the days are only getting shorter, Ser Garlan. So let us resolve this issue now, shall we?" Ser Garlan sat back down and turned to him. "Taxes owed." Robb said. Now he felt Greatjon slump.
"By law and rights, as we discussed King Robb, you are still a vassal of the Iron Throne until the Iron Throne recognises your independence. This war has gone on for nearly two years, what is owed is owed," Ser Kevan said, just as he had the last week.
"The Iron Throne lost any claim of right to those taxes when King Joffrey murdered my father," Robb said. However much it disgusted him, he still made himself call Joffrey King.
"Do you truly wish the first act of your new independent kingdom to be to refuse to honour it's debts?" Garlan asked.
"Debts can be paid in more than just coin. Half of my kingdom has been ravaged by your armies."
"You saw what your brother did to the Reach!" Garlan growled.
"And you have not seen what your allies did to the Riverlands, for no Tyrell army has dared try to challenge me there."
Garlan half rose and the Greatjon rose to meet him.
"Enough," Tywin cut across them. They remained standing, staring each other down, Ser Garlan not intimidated for a moment by the giant standing over him. Tywin shook his head in annoyance and turned back to Robb, leaving Garlan and Greatjon to glare daggers at each other. "Perhaps a compromise."
Robb inclined his head, inviting Tywin to continue. "What you owe us in taxes is a considerable amount. And repayment for damages done to the Riverlands is also a considerable amount. If you agree to pay us the taxes you owe for the Iron Throne, we will pay you the same amount in turn for the damage done to the Riverlands in this war."
Robb paused. Thought. And agreed.
Now it was Edmure's turn to bristle in anger, but he held it in, not questioning Robb's decision.
They spent the last of the sunlight hashing out the details on what those values were and then departed with the fall of night. As they crossed their end of the bridge they paused to retrieve their weapons while a wall of spearmen made a wall of shields covering their end.
Back in their camp outside the town, Robb stood with his lords and noble representatives and, as he had every day, updated them on what had been agreed at the negotiations. They were his new Kingdom, he needed them to at least accept the terms under which it would be born. He didn't tell them about what was under negotiation. What was agreed was agreed and all but sealed, it would weaken him on all future negotiations if he had to retract an agreement because his lords demanded too much. But their perspective on what had yet to be decided could help him push towards.
"Have you raised the issue of the castles yet?" Lord Piper demanded.
"I have not, but what you would demand, I will not ask," Robb replied calmly. Where the issue of hostages had raised the tensions of the northern lords, the matter of castles was felt most strongly among his new southern ones.
"Our southern border is open and flat, Your Grace," Edmure said. His uncle had well come into his own as a representative of the Riverlords. "Any castle the Lannisters build there would be a staging ground for a future invasion."
"I cannot demand that they leave our affairs well alone while also dictating what they can and cannot do on their own land. Even a ten year freeze on castle building might push them too far. I intend our victory here to bring us peace for all our days, that we may mourn our brothers and fathers and sons lost to this war. Even were such demanding terms agreed now, one day, the Lannisters will be strong again, and in twenty years time, when I have sons of my own, I will have to lead them to fight another war."
Besides that, the demand was unenforceable. A ten year freeze on building castles and fortifications within ten miles of the Riverlands border would require him to ride south every time a stone wall was erected in order to put an end to it. That might work for a year, maybe three, but five, seven? When the Lannister and Tyrell armies had been rebuilt, would they still hold to the treaty. Or would they man a castle with soldiers and dare him to try and tear it down, requiring him to march onto their territory, where they would have the home advantage and, unlike his attack on the Westerlands, and Tristan's raid on the Reach, they would be waiting for him. Kingdoms could be born in war, but required peace to temper them. Robb had forged something new here. He intended it to last.
And so he countered. He spoke honestly and earnestly to his lords about what the restrictions on fortifications would mean, not just for the Lannisters, but for them as well, what they would be committing themselves to were they to go down that path. He didn't sway all of them, but enough of them that they agreed that, at least for now, with the military situation as it stood, they would not push for a ban on castle construction. He made promises to invest in the defence of the south. Already he had identified some ideal sites for new castles and for those castles that needed more defences, he would invest in new walls and towers. Other plans he kept to himself for now, for he had to develop them in his own head a little more before sharing. But by the end of the day, the Riverlords were convinced that, even without the ban, they would be defended.
And so, Robb notched another victory in the talks, against Lord Tywin and his own recalcitrants. He pulled the furs over him that night, ready to go out tomorrow to do it all over again.
