Rumplestiltskin stood in the grand, ornate main hall of Riverrun. The room was adorned with banners of House Tully. Robb Stark stood alongside his mother, Catelyn Stark, his wife, Talisa Maegyr, and a few trusted advisors, their faces etched with concern and sorrow. Together, they grieved over the tragic fate of the two Lannister boys brutally slain by Lord Rickard Karstark and his followers.
Robb's uncle, Brynden Tully, stood by his nephew's side, sharing the weight of the grim moment. He glanced up at him. "Bring them in," Robb commanded, and Brynden stepped forward, his armour clinking softly, and turned to address the massive oaken doors leading into the hall.
With a commanding presence, Brynden ushered in Lord Karstark, flanked by his remaining men and encircled by Northmen guards. Robb's eyes narrowed as he studied Lord Karstark, his face a mixture of anger and disappointment. The weight of leadership rested heavily on his young shoulders, and he knew that this moment demanded a just and measured response.
"Is that all of them?" Robb inquired as his gaze pierced through Lord Karstark and into the hearts of his men. "It took five of you to murder two unarmed squires?"
"Not murder, Your grace," Lord Karstark replied. "Vengeance."
"Vengeance?" Robb repeated. "Those boys didn't kill your sons. I saw Harrion die on the battlefield, and Torrhen …"
"Was strangled by the Kingslayer," Lord Karstark interrupted. "They were his kin."
Robb's nostrils flared. "They were boys!" he roared. "Look at them."
"Tell your mother to look at them," retorted Lord Karstark. "And that foreign bastard." He gestured to Rumplestiltskin. "They killed them as much as I. They robbed me of my revenge against the Kingslayer!"
Rumplestiltskin stepped forward as he looked at Lord Karstark. "I remember I told you to give up your obsession with vengeance. That it would never make you happy. And now, your quest for vengeance has consumed you."
Lord Karstark glared at Rumplestiltskin. "You know nothing of my pain," he spat. "My sons were everything to me, and they were taken from me by the Lannisters and their lackeys!"
Robb stepped forward. "This was your treason," he told him. "And yours alone."
"And it's treason to free your enemies," Lord Karstark retorted. "In war, you kill your enemies. Did your father not teach you that, boy?"
Brynden stepped towards Lord Karstark, and with a sudden punch, he sent the Lord of Karhold sprawling to the ground. "Leave him!" he warned.
Lord Karstark looked up at him. "Aye. Leave me to the king. He wants to give me a scolding before he sets me free. That's how he deals with treason. Our King in the North." He rose slowly and glared at Robb. "Or should I call him 'the king who Lost the North'?"
Rumplestiltskin looked over at him. "Oh, he didn't lose the North, dearie. I got it back for him. If it weren't for me, Winterfell would be a pile of rubble. But it stands."
"Yes, you did," Lord Karstark replied bitterly. "You had to fix his mistakes."
Robb glared at Lord Karstark. "Escort Lord Karstark to the dungeon. Hang the rest."
The Northmen began to drag out the other Karstark men while one tried to resist. "Mercy, sire! I didn't kill anyone. I only watched for the guards."
"This one was only the watcher," Robb said. "Hang him last, so he can watch the others die."
"Please!" he begged as he was carried out. "Please, no. They made me do it! They made me! They made me!"
Once Lord Karstark and his men had been escorted out of the room, Robb sighed and turned to sit at his desk. Edmure Tully looked over at him. "Word of this can't leave Riverrun," he told his nephew. "They were Tywin Lannister's nephews. The Lannisters pay their debts. They never stop talking about it."
"Would you make me a liar as well as a murderer?" Robb asked.
"It wouldn't be lying. We will bury them and remain silent until the war is done."
"I'm not fighting for justice if I don't serve justice to murderers in my ranks, no matter how highborn. He has to die."
Catelyn moved forward. "The Karstarks are Northmen. They won't forgive the filling of their lord."
"Your mother's right," Talisa stated. "If you do this, the Karstarks will abandon you."
"You tended to their wounds," Robb said. "You brought them supper. Now they're dead."
"And more boys will keep dying until this war is over. You need Karstark men to end it."
"Spare his life. Keep him as a hostage," Catelyn added.
"Or exile him," Rumplestiltskin suggested. "Strip him of his lands and his titles. Make it so he is forbidden to return to the North."
Edmure nodded. "Tell the Karstarks he is exiled, and if they raise arms against us again, he will be executed. It's a middle ground that may satisfy their sense of justice while keeping them as potential allies."
Robb looked at Edmure, then at Rumplestiltskin as he listened to them. They made some good points, but he knew what to do. He still had to show the rest of his bannermen and his men what would happen if they disobeyed orders.
The following day, Lord Karstark was escorted to the courtyard. It was raining heavily, and the raindrops ran off their hair and faces. Robb looked over at him, standing with Talisa, Catelyn, Rumplestiltskin and Edmure, before walking out to meet him.
"The blood of the First Men flows through my veins as much as yours, boy," Lord Karstark declared. "I fought the Mad King for your father. I fought Joffrey for you. We are kin, Stark and Karstark."
"That didn't stop you from betraying me, and it won't save you now," Robb declared.
"I don't want it to save me. I want it to haunt you to the end of your days."
Robb felt the weight of his decision, but he knew he couldn't waver. "Kneel, my lord."
Lord Karstark kneeled on the ground in front of Robb, leaning over a small wall in the courtyard. Robb looked down at him and drew his sword. "Rickard Karstark, Lord of Karhold, here, in sight of gods and men, I sentence you to die. Would you speak a final word?"
Lord Karstark looked up at him. "Kill me and be cursed. You are no king of mine."
Raising his sword, Robb brought it down swiftly, severing the last ties between the Starks and the Karstarks. The head rolled to the ground, and a heavy silence settled upon the courtyard.
On the outskirts of Astapor, Daenerys walked with the Professor over to where Missendei stood with some of the Unsullied. Daenerys looked over them, then at Missendei. "Are these the ones?" she asked.
"Yes, Khaleesi," Missendei said. "The officers."
Daenerys turned to look at them. "You did not choose this life," she told them in Valyrian. "But you are free men now. And free men make their own choices. Have you selected your own leader from amongst your ranks?"
The Unsullied parted to make way for one who stood in the middle. He stepped forward and thrust his spear into the sand.
"Remove your helmet," Daenerys ordered in Valyrian.
The Unsullied officer removed his helmet. "This one has the honour," he replied in Valyrian.
Daenerys smiled at the Unsullied officer. "What is your name?" she asked in a warm tone.
"Grey Worm," he answered.
"Grey Worm." She turned to Missendei.
"All Unsullied boys are given new names when they are cut," Missendei explained to both Daenerys and the Professor in the Common Tongue. "Grey Worm, Red Flea, Black Rat. Names that remind them what they are … Vermin."
Daenerys turned her attention back to Grey Worm. "From this day forward, you are no longer vermin. You are a free man, and you will choose your own names," she proclaimed. "You will tell your fellow soldiers to do the same. Throw away your slave name. Choose the name your parents gave you or any other. A name that gives me pride."
Grey Worm looked taken aback by the offer. "'Grey Worm' gives me pride," he stated. "It is a lucky name."
The Professor was curious about the name's meaning. "Lucky?" he questioned.
Grey Worm nodded. "The name this one was born with was cursed," he explained. "That was his name when he was taken as a slave. But Grey Worm is the name this one had the day Daenerys Stormborn set him free." He nodded to her.
Daenerys' heart swelled with emotion, touched by the significance of his choice. "Then so be it, Grey Worm. May it continue to bring you fortune and freedom," she told him, reassuringly touching his shoulder.