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A Song of Fire and Ice does not belong to me, nor do any of the images shown. This fic was created by me for entertainment purposes.

NA 1: This is a translation from Spanish, made with a text editor, so spelling and grammatical errors are possible. My apologies to all.

NA 2: If anyone wants to help with corrections or translations, and serve as an editor, please send me a private message. Again, my apologies to all.

Robb 4

Seven horrible days later, at sunset, they were finally ambushed to fish out the Kingslayer in the Whispering Woods.

Robb awaited the Kingslayer along with a small army, and his army of battle guards, now numbering over thirty, including Dacey Mormont and the two sons of Rickard Karstark whom Robb did not intend to let die in this battle, so he waxed the string of his sacrilegious crossbow under the gaze of his guards, who every time they saw it, took the trouble to explain to him why such a weapon was unreliable and how they could shoot five arrows with a bow, in the time it would take to reload a crossbow.

Theon, a staunch defender of the bow, was the most insistent, constantly demonstrating his skill with the bow. His only support was Dacey Mormont, the only one of his guards who heeded his request and also carried a crossbow. So Robb had explained to her his creeping plan to take care of the Kingslayer as soon as he was spotted.

…

As night fell, the screams began. Jaime Lannister had taken the Blackfish's bait and was pursuing his men into their ambush, away from his army, which would ensure his capture. What the Lords did not know was that Robb had his own plan and was certain that Jaime Lannister would not emerge from this ambush unscathed. It was his health or Robb's life, and he would always choose his own life. Knowing that Jaime Lannister would not be easily captured and would lunge, for nothing had changed to prevent it, Robb was not about to let him kill Rickard Karstark's sons and put a nail in his own coffin. No, the Kingslayer was going to suffer if he decided to resist capture.

…

After some comings and goings of his messengers, Jaime Lannister, sheathed in golden armor, arrived at his position in pursuit of his bait. He was accompanied by some horsemen who were surprised by dozens of men, falling under the overwhelming force of numbers.

Jaime Lannister, seeing his men falling at great speed, ignored the cries of "Surrender, Kingslayer!" and decided to throw all caution to the wind. He launched himself at Robb's army of battle guards in an attempt to kill him, but barely made it about five yards when two crossbow bolts struck the arm he was raising next to his sword, making him a perfect target for both him and Dacey Mormont.

When the two bolts struck his arm, the force was such that the Kingslayer was dragged backwards and fell from his horse. For a few seconds silence reigned and Robb feared that he had broken his neck when he fell. But after a few seconds, the slayer stirred and began to shriek as he writhed in pain on the ground. Robb sighed in relief.

"We have our quarry! Pick him up, pack him up and take him to my lady mother! We have a siege to sweep up! "Robb ordered his shocked guards, who had been preparing to stop the Kingslayer's onslaught with their lives.

…

As Ser Jaime Lannister was dragged close to him and the torches they had lit, Robb saw how his arm had been struck by both bolts. One passed through his armbands and another near his elbow. The bolts were stopped by his armor and their penetration was minimal, but as he fell, his forearm had been fractured and looked quite ugly. Robb didn't know if he would heal, the bones could heal, but if his muscles or any arteries were damaged, he might be crippled or his arm would have to be amputated. He could also die from infection.

After Ser Jaime passed him, his entire guard looked at him with horror and some disgust.

"Did you do it because he used that hand to hurt your father? "Theon asked in a whisper. He was the only one of his guards who dared to treat him familiarly, though Dacey sometimes teased him. Robb blinked in genuine surprise, earning a horrified look from his guards.

"I'm actually surprised by your question! "Robb chided, seeing that everyone had misunderstood his gesture. I only meant to defend my life in a moment of danger, not to ruin your arm," he explained calmly as he understood all the implications his actions could imply.

His guards looked at Dacey Mormont, armed with another crossbow, and from their glances around, Robb understood another detail he had not given importance to: both he and Dacey had only one bolt.

It was a given, for the crossbow had only one use and no more than one shot to save the Karstark brothers, who, according to his knowledge of the future, would be killed in the onslaught of the Kingslayer.

If the first shot missed, there was no point in trying others, as it would all happen in a matter of seconds. So he had only one bolt and Dacey another. Seeing him now, all his explanations were meaningless and, in fact, it was irrefutable proof that, from the beginning and according to the imagination of these men, he, the Winter Wolf, with malice and malice aforethought, had planned to maim the Kingslayer, one of the most renowned, or perhaps the most renowned swords in the Seven Kingdoms. Everyone criticized his lack of honor, but accepted that his talent with the sword was unmatched.

And now, he had left this sword god crippled out of sheer vengeance. In the eyes of these men, he had a plan and also the ruthlessness to have planned such a thing, as well as the intellect to predict that the Kingslayer would not surrender when surrounded and attempt to ram him. Robb realized that no matter what he said, no one would believe him, so he just grimaced helplessly.

"I only complied with my lord's strict orders and aimed for his sword arm as soon as he charged," Dacey Mormont excused herself unhappily.

Robb blinked at her. He already knew that those grimaces she made when he explained his plan to her were not normal. She also believed in that warrior's creed and shooting the best swordsman in Westeros in the sword arm was sacrilege to her as well, but since he was her lord and ordered her to do so, she obeyed.

Robb shook his head and did not bother to excuse himself further. He didn't even take into account the Kingslayer's fight with his father or the wound it caused him. He was only thinking of saving his own life and the life of his mother by preventing the Kingslayer from killing Rickard Karstark's two sons and being forced to confront the grumpy old man, lest he ruin his plans for salvation and try to take revenge on the Lannisters, as well as preventing the loss of a thousand or so men that House Karstark was bringing to his cause.

"Stop staring at me, I have ordered the advance! Robb scolded, and his battle"guard jumped back and hastened to form ranks.

…

A few hours later, they were attacking the three siege camps led by Jaime Lannister. The camps were divided by rivers, for the castle of Riverrun was not so named by chance. It was a castle defended by rivers on both sides and they could add another flow when besieged, raising a kind of dam and forcing anyone besieging them to split into three camps and have to cross the rivers if they wanted to support each other.

It was a genius of a castle for their military defense. Unfortunately, for this family, their last generation was disastrous, and they were falling lower and lower. Their ancestors must have been turning in their graves and cursing Hoster Tully for having sons who were worthless in a world of madmen and power"hungry murderers.

With the enemy camp, already outnumbered by his own, divided into three, Robb split his own army in two and attacked the two least defended camps. Due to his attacks to provoke the Kingslayer, the very gullible had reinforced the camp that received the hook attacks to the maximum and had left the others with weaker defenses, making it even easier to sweep them away.

Robb did not hold back and, without any fear, marched at the head of his men, sheathed in chain mail and steel armor.

This battle was not a clash of enemy lines against enemy lines; it was a cavalry charge against an unguarded camp in the rear. They had not even dug ditches, and the horses rode through the camp unhindered.

Robb led his thirty"plus battle guards, charging in formation against terrified men trying to flee, while a few tried to form ranks. But it was useless, for the uproar his army had caused gave the impression that they were ten times more numerous, and most of the men in the camps under attack thought only of fleeing.

Robb faced a few ranks of enemies, but they wore no armor, at most they wore a hastily fitted breastplate, which was no problem for his full steel armor. Sometimes Robb felt a small blow somewhere, but it was cushioned by the gambeson under the armor, and the only loss he suffered in battle was his own stamina, for when he finished, his body was shaking with exhaustion.

…

Some time after his attack, Robb watched as the enemy army did not care for the darkness and galloped off into the nearby woods. As long as they could get away, they cared nothing. However, Robb could hear some cries of pain and wondered if anyone had fallen or if they were already wounded.

Robb looked to the other side, where the rivers were, and where some overly crazy guys, belonging to Jaime Lannister's army, had sunk like rocks to the bottom of the river as they tried to cross it with their armor on, sailing small boats to get to the battle. Their deaths were grisly and Robb preferred not to think about it, as his body trembled with exhaustion and he tried to catch his breath. He looked at Grey Wind, who stood beside him and did not seem to have suffered any wounds.

"The battle guards, who experienced their first charge, seem to be trembling," said Big Jon, approaching his group with another group of lords behind, who were coming to check on their sons.

None of these men looked tired, but like them, they had been riding all over the place. In fact, it could be said that they had been given the easy part of the battle.

"It's the excitement! "said Torrhen Karstark.

"It's the excitement! "supported the rest of his battle guard with a determined tone. His lords looked at him as he continued to try to catch his breath.

"I just need a place to lie down and die," Robb said sincerely, for even sitting on his horse seemed too exhausting at the moment.

Great Jon began to guffaw, and the lords laughed with him. Of course, Robb was the lord, and there was no time to lie down and die, for he had to count his losses, see what supplies had been stolen from the enemy camp, send a raven to Bran to try to save Ned Stark's head, and visit his lord grandfather, who thanks to his sons was forced to endure a siege in his convalescent state.

The elder Hoster Tully had only praise and kind words for him, telling him how much he resembled his mother and how proud he was to be his grandfather. This old man, according to Catelyn Stark, had been a good father to her, but always prioritized what he believed to be the best interests of his two daughters.

With Catelyn, he was right. Even if she had married Brandon Stark, who had a reputation for savagery, the Starks were honorable. But with Lysa Tully, he was dead wrong to have her miscarried and married to Lord Arryn. It could be said that Lysa was right and that her father only had eyes for Catelyn, ignoring Lysa completely.

Later, Hoster Tully also tried to marry off his brother, which ended in a quarrel that caused him to leave with Lysa for the Vale of Arryn. Robb suspected that it was this quarrel that caused the fan of marriage and family alliances in Hoster Tully to regret his actions. In Robb's opinion, he should not have done so and raised his heir freely and without any responsibility, which resulted in a disaster with legs as soon as he was handed over the helm.

…

Robb fell asleep as the sun was rising, but in mid"morning, he awoke to a cry of anguish that filled him with terror, apprehension and helplessness, and which had not been uttered by him.

"Shit! "Robb shrieked, jumping to his feet as the Grey Wind rushed away. He already knew what had happened.

His guards entered his room with swords drawn, looking for some sneaky assassin, but they only looked at him with dark circles under his eyes and tousled auburn hair as he adjusted his belt to run off to the crow tower, wherever it was.

…

As robb ran, the desperate shrieks of the ravens reached his ears. It was a mixture of wailing and wailing that made the rest of the castle, who had not risen from their initial uproar, now stand wide"eyed with fright.

"Kill anyone who tries to enter! Robb ordered his twenty guards, after having dragged the maester out of the raven"tower.

The maester demanded explanations for his actions, but shut his mouth and turned away at his command. Robb passed into the tower beside Grey Wind and closed the door behind him.

"Bran! Calm down, you'll kill the ravens," Robb said as he saw the ravens screeching in despair, but he knew it was Bran behind them, crying and screeching.

"They killed him! "Joffrey sent his executioner to cut off father's head and no one did anything to help him! "Bran cried in his mind. Robb closed his eyes for a few seconds, he didn't know this would happen as soon as the taking of Riverrun was done. He was not prepared.

"Bran, please calm down. Everything will be all right…

"Nothing will be all right. They killed father! "Bran shrieked, and three ravens fell dead to the ground.

Robb wondered if this boy could do the same to him. He knew Bran was capable of doing horrible things with his magic, including taking possession of a body, and from the descriptions of his power in the books, it was possible he could also expel a person's consciousness from their body.

Robb wondered if he hadn't made a mistake in teaching this child to use his magic. The truth was that so far, his magic had been extremely useful in making his plans one hundred percent successful, but it wasn't worth it if he was in danger….

"Bran, here," he heard Maester Luwin's voice, including a frightened Hodor who kept repeating "Hodor" with nervousness and fear.

"I don't want to! They've killed father! "Bran shrieked.

Robb tried to see what was going on, but he wasn't Bran. It was an achievement that he could hear something of what was happening on the other side of the raven connection, but he could imagine what was happening.

"Bran, listen to Maester Luwin, you need to calm down. You are endangering everyone. Father wouldn't want that, remember what I told you, we must be strong, Bran! And now that father is gone, we can't let his death be in vain. We must survive and be brave," Robb said calmly.

"But father was killed," Bran cried doubtfully.

"And we will avenge him. Now we must overcome! "Robb consoled, looking at the ravens, who looked calmer and no longer seemed to be under attack.

"Bran? "Robb asked.

"Robb? "he heard Maester Luwin's voice. Robb tensed, he didn't know how Maester Luwin could hear him.

"Maester Luwin, can you hear me? "Robb asked.

"Robb, is that you? Move a wing, say something," said Maester Luwin. Robb grimaced, he had thought too much. He could not hear him, surely the ravens had also made a fuss at Winterfell and Maester Luwin was not an idiot, he was already suspicious of them.

"Robb asked if he could hear him! Said a high"pitched, tearful little voice.

"Rickon? "Robb asked.

"Robb, Bran says they killed father," Rickon shrieked. God, Robb thought. Now he really didn't know what to say.

"Rickon, you must be brave," said Robb, feeling very stupid to say that to a baby.

"Robb, kill them all and bring mother back! "demanded Rickon. Robb blinked in surprise.

"Robb, if you're there, I've put Bran to sleep using the milk of the poppy, we need to talk when he wakes up," said Maester Luwin with a low tone and some implied warnings in his voice.

"Rickon, take some of this," said Maester Luwin, who had already put Bran to sleep and seemed to want to do the same with Rickon.

"Rickon, obey Maester Luwin! "Robb ordered.

"I will, but kill them all," Rickon ordered again.

"I'll do my best," Robb said with a sigh.

"And bring mother back," Rickon said. He did not forget his priorities.

"I will, Rickon," Robb promised. A few seconds later, the ravens had calmed down completely, but there were six of them dead.

…

When all was quiet, Robb leaned back against the wall and let his legs lose their strength until he lay back with a sigh of frustration and helplessness.

"So that was it," Robb thought. He thought he remembered that a few days had passed between the capture of the Kingslayer and his father's death, but not a day had passed, not even half a day. His father was doomed from the start and war could not be avoided, which meant the threat still loomed over his head and that of the rest of his family.

Robb thought about his next moves. Even if he did not break his pledge to them, blindly trusting the Freys was folly. Fortunately, he held an army of them hostage, and as long as he did not let them go far from him, he would be safe, for the old wretch valued his own.

Lord Bolton would soon lose his head if he dared to present him with any report that did not meet his minimum requirements for the performance of the assigned task. He did not believe the leech lord was stupid, but if he was, his head would roll and he would be one less problem. If not, he would be someone to bribe and also keep an eye on. For the bribe, Robb had to think of something big that would satisfy this lord's ambition a little. Fortunately, they were at war and their enemies were numerous, so there was loot all around.

Another of his problems was the King in the North. If he allowed himself to be crowned, he would be dead. The North simply did not have enough men. The Riverlands would look out for themselves and the Freys were not idiots, they would not sacrifice themselves for him. So his next step would be to reject the crown and put the minds of his lords in its place.

The next step was to find a king to serve. Without a crown on his head, they would all be eager to have him on their side. Joffrey was out of the question, as he was their current enemy. Renly was insignificant, and Stannis would soon kill him. Stannis was their safest candidate, but he had to keep in mind that Daenerys Targaryen would arrive sooner or later along with her dragons, and there would be no army capable of standing up to them. Of course, those dragons were babies now, if they were even born yet, and Daenerys would still have to overcome many difficulties to reach the Seven Kingdoms. Still, he didn't like the idea of surviving only to die singed by a dragon….

Robb shook his head. He had to concentrate on surviving right now and not think about what would happen in three or four years, since his death was predetermined for this very year. Now, Stannis was his best option, so he had to devote his resources to helping him win the war.

Having decided which king he would rely on, Robb must now organize what he knew to seek alliances. The Tyrells were foolish and overly ambitious, they would never support Stannis with the throne within reach, they didn't care if Joffrey was a bastard, as soon as Renly died, they would side with Joffrey. There was no way to lure them to his side without crowning himself and breaking his oaths to marry Margaery Tyrell. In that case he would not have to fear the Freys, though he might become another victim of Melisandre's magic, so that was not a good option if he wanted to live longer. For all these reasons, the Tyrells were out of the question.

The Martells… straight out. The Seven Kingdoms could burn and Doran Martell would continue to make convoluted plans destined to fail, because they had no seriousness behind them. The Martells were also out of the question.

Then there was the Vale. Lysa Arryn, the madwoman who killed her husband. He had information about her and also knew how to get the most out of her. But his lady mother would suffer and his convalescent grandfather would die in agony, both mentally and physically. He had to think about whether he would profit from it and when he would need those forces.

The Lannisters, of course, were out of the question. He liked Tyrion Lannister and even the Kingslayer, but there was no chance of reconciliation between their families and he would lose the support of his lords if he spoke of peace, and these were the ones who held his head together with the rest of his body.

Finally, there was Balon Greyjoy, an enemy, and like the Lannisters, there was no reconciliation possible with the Ironborn, which would lead to a war to the death with them.

Robb sighed. His allies and enemies decided, he now had to review his strategies. For Stannis to take King's Landing, three things were vital. First, to prevent the Tyrell"Lannister alliance from coming to fruition. Second, to keep Tywin Lannister in the Riverlands. And finally, to confirm Tyrion Lannister's strategy to use Valyrian fire to sink Stannis' fleet. If these three points were met, victory would be automatic. If he failed on one of them, victory would cost him more. If he failed on two, his life could barely be spared, and if he failed on all three, he was doomed.

Now he had to think of his sisters, Sansa and Arya, and how he should bring them with him. The Kingslayer was also still in his hands and was a great bargaining chip….

Grey Wind growled menacingly as someone knocked on the door.

"My lord, your food is ready. Your uncle is waiting for you in the dining hall," said the voice of the Bear Woman, Maege Mormont. From her tone, it sounded as if nothing had happened and she was calling him for breakfast. Robb gave a half"smile and stroked Grey Wind's head, who stopped grunting.

Robb got up, fixed his disheveled hair that was a bit long, ran his hand over his face and noticed that a bit of facial hair had grown back. He decided to call his barber later, he wasn't going to make a fool of himself wanting to sport a beard when he didn't have much hair to show for it. If he only had fuzz, then he'd rather wear his face smooth. If anyone underestimated him for it, that would be a good thing for him. Besides, his lords seemed somewhat frightened of him and tended to misinterpret his actions, so it was best not to give them any more reason to fear him.

Robb adjusted his pants and realized he was barefoot and wearing a sleeping tunic. He grimaced and walked to the door to open it to find his guards being intimidated by the Bear Woman. However, because of their pride, they had formed a semicircle around her to make it clear to the other lords beyond that they were not afraid of them. The rest of the lords beyond the guards were led by Rickard Karstark and Great Jon. The Bear Woman smiled sympathetically at the sight of him, which made Robb assume that they already imagined what had happened, or at least suspected it.

"A raven has come. My lord father has been executed in King's Landing and peace is no longer a possibility," Robb reported in a neutral tone.

The Bear Woman approached and embraced him. Robb was going to push her away, but found that he did not have the strength to do so, as his feelings overwhelmed him.

Robb did his best to maintain his dignity in front of his lords, holding back tears and keeping his arms still without reciprocating the embrace. To anyone who accused him of being weak, he would say that the Bear had knocked the wind out of him and the matter was settled.

As the Bear released him, Robb was glad to retain his lucidity.

"My lords, it has been a long night for all of us, and now my father is dead. As your ancient lord, I ask you to keep this day in his honor. I will do the same in the Forest of Gods…" Robb looked at his appearance. After my morning grooming. Lady Mormont, please notify my Uncle Edmure of this news and that I will not be attending the dining hall today," Robb ordered and began to walk.

His guards hurried after him and Grey Wind snarled at all who tried to bother him.

…

"In this damned forest, there isn't a heart tree," Robb complained, though he thought he remembered that all the heart trees in the south had been cut down.

"If it is to communicate with you, there is no need for a heart tree, young Wolf," said a voice in his head, and Robb looked up to see a small yellow bird looking him in the eye. You have made a great mistake in not thinking of the consequences of training a child in a magic he cannot even control," added the deep voice. Robb assumed he was talking to the Three"Eyed Raven and leaned back against the tree trunk to sigh.

"It was just an outburst, Bran is sentimental and he's seen his own father's head cut off, he'll calm down," Robb said confidently.

"He will! "But because of what happened, the eyes of darkness have fallen on him. Had it not been for my intervention, they would also have reached you and seen what you are doing, so your efforts would be useless by now. Did you think that using magic to your advantage would not come at a cost? "asked the voice.

""From what I've heard, there were strange things going on around you in your day, too, and you seemed to know a lot of things you shouldn't," Robb accused.

"In my day, we didn't have an army of White Walkers lurking in the north and waiting for disaster to take this world," the voice chided. Still, magic always has a price, even your own magic. Just because you can't see it doesn't make it any less real," the voice warned.

"Is Bran in any danger? "Robb asked. It seemed strange to him to lose contact with Bran so quickly, but it had been this suspicious old man who had intervened and calmed his outburst.

"The darkness could not mark him, but now he knows he is there and will be watching for him. Another outburst like this and I won't be able to stop them from getting to him," he said. Robb grimaced.

"Old man, are you asking me to put a blindfold over my eyes? "Robb asked.

"What you are doing and what you intend to accomplish is for the benefit of all. However, using an eight year old boy to spy for you in a brutal and merciless war, where he will see his loved ones suffer, is not only a morally questionable decision, but also a very stupid decision if you already know his power and know what could happen if his path goes awry or he goes mad.

"First of all, you, who do not possess even a small part of his magic and who have opened your mind to his, will be the first to die. Then your brothers, sisters, mother… And everyone else will follow. Each death will be a step closer to madness, and the darkness will take advantage of that, creating an avalanche of deaths around it and taking it further, to eliminate the light of those few people who might oppose it," the voice explained. Robb grimaced several times.

"If he's so dangerous, why didn't you stop me before I showed him? "Robb asked suspiciously, although he had already been convinced initially.

"Because you wouldn't have believed me and would have gone ahead anyway, considering me an enemy and causing the boy to raise defenses against me. In that case, you would now be dead along with many others, and humanity would be doomed.

"No, the way forward was to make you face your own death face to face, so that you would understand that even the magic you possess can cause your doom," he explained. Robb reluctantly accepted her statement.

"And what do you think I should do now? "Robb asked.

"Cancel the instructions you gave the boy about me. Let me teach him and watch what he does, because you clearly can't do it. The boy simply ignores you and has been using his magic everywhere. Half the world knows about him by now," the voice reported.

Robb grimaced more and felt like crying. He had involved an inexperienced boy in a magical world where he was like a god, but it was impossible to control him there. He even felt a little envious of the lying, cunning little bastard who had promised not to go beyond the boundaries set by him. Of course, Bran Stark was famous for making the same promise to his parents every time they reprimanded him for climbing, so he was the stupid one for trusting the little spawn.

"How can you help me with Bran? "Robb asked.

"I can watch him for you and teach him control, but if he resists, it will be impossible. There is no magic that can make a child behave if he will not obey," the voice said. Robb sighed. It was just the deal he had hoped for. He would use the suspicious old man to watch Bran obey him. That meant that if this suspicious old man did anything to the lying little spawn, it would be his fault.

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