The following day, having heard the news that Jaime Lannister had escaped during the night, Robb Stark burst into his mother's tent, hoping to hear that the rumours about her releasing Jaime were not true. But, instead, he looked to where his mother sat, glaring at her. "Tell me this isn't true," he said, but Catelyn didn't answer. Instead, she looked up at him, the previous night's events still fresh in her mind. "Why?" Robb continued.

"For the girls," Catelyn answered. Every moment Jaime Lannister stayed a prisoner with them was every moment Sansa and Arya Stark was captive in King's Landing. She wanted to see them again. She knew she had betrayed her son's trust, but she hoped he would one day understand her decision.

"You betrayed me."

"Robb …" Catelyn began.

"No!" Robb interrupted. "You knew I would not allow it, and you did it anyway."

"Sometimes war is about making hard decisions," Rumplestiltskin said. "Tell me, dearie, when have you ever faced a hard decision? You're still in a better position against the Lannisters. You have their army retreating. And when Brienne of Tarth makes the deal to swap poor old Jaime Lannister for the girls, they will hold no leverage over you." And it was better to have them out of King's Landing before the army of Stannis Baratheon laid siege to the city.

"You let Jaime Lannister out with your personal guard?" Robb asked his mother. "How do you know you can trust her?"

"She's a trained fighter. She's proved herself loyal to me," Catelyn said.

Lord Karstark glared at Catelyn and then at Rumplestiltskin. "I lost one son fighting by your son's side. I lost another to the Kingslayer, strangled with a chain. "You commit treason because of your children?"

"I made a promise to Lord Eddard Stark. One I intend to keep. I promised that his children – his daughters – will be safe," Rumplestiltskin said. "And this is the best chance to do so."

"I don't care about what you promised," Lord Karstark spat. "I want my vengeance! And you stole it from me."

Rumplestiltskin walked towards Lord Karstark. "Why don't you give up this obsession with vengeance? It will never make you happy."

"Yes, it will."

Rumplestiltskin laughed. "It won't bring your children back from the grave. Dead is dead."

"But my son's killer will be dead. I can live with that."

"But you can't have everything. It's high time you learned that lesson."

"You've weakened our position," Robb said. "You've brought discord into our camp. And you did it all behind my back. Your actions have brought danger to us all. Make sure they're guarded day and night."

Catelyn nodded, understanding the severity of the situation. "I will see to it," she said. "And I will accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate."

"Your punishment is that you have lost my trust," Robb said, his voice filled with disappointment. "And that is something you will have to earn back."

Catelyn knew that the road to redemption would be a long one, but she also knew that she had made the decision she believed was best for her family. As for Rumplestiltskin, he had his own motives for releasing Jaime Lannister, but he couldn't deny that he wanted the girls to be safe as well. After all, he promised Ned Stark that they would be safe, and with the impending attack by Stannis Baratheon, something had to be done.

Robb then looked at one of his knights. "How many men did we send in pursuit of the Kingslayer?"

"Forty, Your Grace," the knight replied.

"Send another forty with our fastest horses." Maybe he would be able to recapture Jaime Lannister.