Chapter 5

I don't own anything just playing in another sandbox. To those who don't think that Brynden's attitude is in character, this is in a mediaeval setting, I'm trying to portray a mediaeval man, and as unfortunate as it is a noble woman's only value is birthing babes during this time. Also Brynden is being slightly misled by what he's heard. He's also under a lot of stress and has been alone with his thoughts for a week, that's not healthy for anyone's state of mind. Also for those who know that Edmure is capable, Brynden spends most of his time in the Vale so has had very little to do with Edmure, so all he knows of him is what he was like as a child and teen not a man, we all know what people were like as a teen isn't how they are as adults. I will reiterate for the guests that I can't respond to yes this is heavily based on the Wizard of Harrenhal as I stated in the first A/U and what I think would happen after.

A/N2 I have only added a small bit to the Ramsey part of the chapter.

A man on a mission.

Edmure Tully

After his uncle left, the thoughts in his mind wouldn't stop. What his uncle said before he left didn't make sense, while everything said about Lysa he could understand. Lysa was never the most stable of women. What was said about his beloved sister Cat doesn't sound right. Catalyn Stark is one of the most duty-bound women Edmure knows, there was no way she wouldn't try to get along with Ned Stark's lords. Edmure didn't believe for one moment that Cat would yell at her husband so much and so loudly that Wintertown would hear. Even if it was over her faith. It has been three days since his uncle has left and nothing about what was said about Cat made sense so Edmure made up his mind to go straight to the source. He is going to visit his sister. Entering his fathers chambers where he has been bedridden since his Uncle Brynden had left.

"Father, I know you need me here but I need to go see about these rumours in the north. There is no way Cat is acting like this." Edmure says laying his hand on his fathers. Edmure has been running Riverrun for the last three years, since his fathers health started really getting bad. Both him and his father had decided to keep that fact hidden so that no one saw them as weak and decided it would be a good time to attack.

"Edmure you know I can't run the castle, I'm far too ill most of the time. who will run it while you're gone?" Hoster says with a pinched look to his face.

"Utherydes will be able to manage for a couple of moons father. I will go to Seagard and catch a ship to Torrhen's Square. That trip will only take a fortnight. Then I'll spend a moon in winterfell followed by another ship ride back. I wouldn't leave you while you are like this father, but needs must and I need to have words with my sister if she is truly behaving like uncle said." Edmure says, knowing in his own mind that there was no way that his sister was truly acting like that.

"Very well but I want you to take at least twenty guards, you are my heir. Also son if you find out the rumours are false like we both believe, go to the Bloody Gate and tell your uncle. I do believe I have never seen him that stressed before."

"Yes father. When I find that what we believe is true I'll send you a message in our code before leaving for uncle."

"Good lad. Now you have a trip to prepare for and I need my rest, be off with you and come see me before you leave."

"Yes father." Edmure says as he gets up and leaves.

While Edmure knows that his uncle doesn't believe him capable of anything the truth of the matter is that Edmure has been running the Riverlands for years while his fathers health declines. Just because he has poor archery skills does not mean all his skills were bad. Edmure can wield a sword just as competently as most men, while he would never be famed for his fighting prowess that didnt mean he is bad at it.

Edmure knows that his uncle only believes this because of Edmure's own actions, those actions of a reckless youth it does not mean that Edmure hasn't grown out of it. Like all men he just needed a small reminder that youth is felting and responsibility weighs heavily.

Hoster started small, giving Edmure small tasks to engrain work ethic and a sense of duty, Brynden only saw the start of that, not what the outcome of Edmure being given more responsibilities.

One of them being driving out bandits from the surrounding villages. At first he failed at the task, after seeing the consequences of his failure Edmure vowed to get better. Seeing half of a village slaughtered and the other half beaten or raped, Edmure swore revenge on behalf of the village, hunting down every single one of the men responsible for the atrocity, gelding them before executing them.

It took him the rest of the day to prepare for his departure. Talking over things with the castle steward Utherydes took up most of that time. There are very few people that know that Edmure is acting lord paramount, Utherydes is one of them. While he would be gone Utherydes would ensure the smooth running of the Riverlands and only take serious matters to Hoster.

They left the next morning after a quick farewell to his father. Only stopping at night and staying at none of the keeps they passed and travelling over the countryside it took them half a sennight to reach Seagard. Sending men to charter a ship for them, Edmure goes to the keep of Seagard.

Upon entering the keep he sees one of his best friends Patrek Mellister the heir of the house.

"Edmure, what has caused you to come all this way?" Patrek all but yells at his friend.

"I'm travelling to see my sister in the north, Patrek. I only came to see your father to make sure he knows that I'm making this trip in some haste, to make sure I don't leave my father only in Riverrun for too long. Why without me he will have no one to talk to." Edmure says in forced joviality.

"I've always wanted to see the north, if father agrees will you let me come?" Patrek asks in his usually happy way, while leading Edmure to his fathers solar.

"I would be happy to have you along." Edmure says, anything but happy on the inside while not letting it show on the outside. No one could know the real reason behind the visit.

Once granted entrance into lord Jason Mellisters solar, Edmure explained that it would only be a short visit, while Patrek almost begged to be allowed to go with Edmure. Jason Mellister is a very shrewd man and has picked up that there was something else going on, but if Edmure isn't going to outright state that Patrek couldn't go, Jason will allow it.

The man that Edmure sent to go charter the ship returned an hour after Edmure arrived at the keep. He tells Edmure that the ship would be ready to leave on the next tide in little over three hours. Using the remaining time Edmure makes sure Patrek knows when they will be leaving and goes about the town acquiring more supplies and some warmer clothes that would do until they arrive at Torrhen's Square, where there will be clothing suited for the colder weather of the north.

While travelling to the north Edmure has more time to think about the things that his uncle has said. Edmure has heard some of the rumours before but never put any more thought to them since they were from the small folk, and the small folk usually try to make their lives feel better by dragging down the nobility. Though Edmure also knew that sometimes there was a grain of truth in what the small folk has to say, such as the brutality of the old lion. With that in mind Edmure no longer knew what to believe.

Edmure's predictions were almost correct on how long it would take them to arrive at Winterfell. It had taken them three sennight to arrive due to a storm hitting off of the Flints Fingers. Aftering sending a raven from Torrhen's Square the Stark family knew to expect them and are all waiting for them in the courtyard when their party arrives. Looking over the gathered Starks he's glad he can put at least one of his uncle's worries to rest. There was no way that these children are not starks all but Sansa looks like a Stark in all but colouring.

"Lord Edmure, welcome to Winterfall. Have some bread and salt and be welcomed as guests." the gruff lord of Winterfall says as a servant comes forward with the plate. After partaking of guest right Edmure greets the lord in return.

"Lord Stark it is good to see you again, and sweet sister you are looking as lovely as ever." kissing his sister's cheek before going down the line. His first stop being his nephew Rob.

"Nephew, you may have our colouring but you look just like your uncle Brandon." Rob puffed out his chest at this. Edmure isn't lying either, the only differences between the two is Rob's hair and eyes. Edmure was very happy with this, having only seen his nephew when he was a toddler it had been hard to see any Stark features.

"I'm glad that someone in your family sees the Stark features in him. My wife is constantly wishing he looks more like a Stark." Ned Stark says with a smile on his face.

"My sister is a worrier, Lord Stark. She will always worry about everything." Edmure says with a smile on his face. "In fact out of all your children the only one that looks like a full Tully is Sansa, but that's because she's just as beautiful as her mother." Sansa beams at the compliment from her uncle, while Catalyn blushes.

"Oh hush, Edmure. You will give away all my secrets." Catalyn says "come you must be tired from the road. I have had rooms made up for you and your party."

The next day after breaking his fast with the Stark family Edmure asks for some time alone with his sister and her husband. Lord Stark invites them to his solar so they can talk.

"So what's the true reason you are visiting Edmure?" Ned asks less formally now they are away from listening ears.

"There are some disturbing rumours floating around the Riverlands. I came to seek the veracity of them, Ned."

"Speak your rumours and I will try to put them to rest." Ned says.

"Let's start with the easiest. Cat, did you force Ned to build you the Sept?"

"What, no. I didn't even know Ned was going to, until he told me he was." Cat says with a confused look on her face.

"Edmure if that's the easiest I hate to hear the harder ones." Ned says looking pensive. "I built the sept because I knew that Cat is a very faithful woman and I didnt want her to have no place to practise her faith. While I did not love your sister at that time, I had the hope that love would grow between us. I thought that the best way to do that was to ensure my wife would have a place to worship her gods. That and as a sort of apology for having my base born son raised here after his mother died." at that Cat looks shocked.

"She's dead? You never told me this. All this time I worried that every time you went into Winter Town it was to see her, and that you would come back with another child." as Cat says this a sheepish look appears on Ned's face.

"My apologies, my love. I truly thought I had, that I explained that was the reason I was taking him in. That he has no other family left in Westeros." Edmure contemplated that news before going on.

"Well the next rumour is to do with your base born so let's continue there. Ned, do you lock my sister in her rooms when she argues with you about him?"

"No never. The only time we have argued about him, I was the one that left the room, and yes it was her room, but she only stayed there because she was heavily pregnant and about to give birth to Sansa." That was one more rumour cleared up at the very least.

"If I may ask what the argument was about it might clear up another rumour."

"Jon was sick, very sick. The maester didn't know if he would survive. Cat wanted me to send him away so as to not get Rob or herself sick. It's the first and only time Cat has ever raised her voice to me." That explained much and did clear up one rumour that must have been the one argument the small folk said they could hear in Winter Town.

"It does clear up one rumour. That rumour said that Cat was yelling at you to order you to build her a sept, and that it could be heard all the way down to Winter Town." Ned rubbed at his bearded face upon hearing this.

"While Cat's yelling was loud. Very loud, near made my ears ring, it wasn't that loud. Her birthing screams however, those could be heard down in Winter Town. The birth happened the next day. I wonder how the small folk got it so wrong. I'm now starting to feel very uneasy about the next rumours, Edmure." Ned says his face becomes a serious mask.

"You wont like this, seven hells I don't like this. The lords of the north think of Rob as a wet fish and would rather your base born son Jon become the next lord." Cat became very white after hearing this.

"No. Absolutely not. The only one that thinks that is Bolton, and that's because the man is a cunt. Yes the lords like Jon, and they want me to give him the Stark name but only because they want another wolf in the moat, not because they want me to replace my heir. In fact if I was to follow a plan lord Manderly outlined for me, Rob would marry his granddaughter, Bran would get Sea Dragon point and with Wyman's help build a keep and fleet on the west and form a new cadet branch. While Jon would marry a Reed and rebuild the moat." Edmure let out a sigh of relief at these words, now knowing that all of the rumours are false, if lord Manderly wanted Rob as a goodson then all of the north wanted him. Cat also has a relieved look on her face. She did not know that lord Manderly had plans for her sons, but she hopes that Ned will at the very least consider them. Looking at the weary looks on Ned and Cat's faces Edmure didn't want to continue, but he has to put the last few to bed.

"There's only a couple left. Cat has managed to alienate all your lords." At this Ned laughs.

"The only one alienated is Roose Bolton. The rest of the lords love her, with the exception of maybe the GreatJon as he hates her faith. I don't know about the small folk, but the lord's yes. I know that some of the small folk see her as too southern, and trying to bring too many southern things here, but the changes Cat has brought to the north are all good things for the north. Cat has been the driving force of getting more glass houses for all the keeps as it's easier to feed our people in the winter without overly relying on the south."

Edmure was not shocked to hear this. His sweet sister cared about the small folk, she also never believed in relying on others to help when needed.

"Last one. The lords have been calling Rob a wet fish, why?" Both Cat and Ned couldn't help the laughter at this. It took a moment before both got their composure back. This time Cat answers.

"Oh gods, that got all the way to the Riverlands. Our poor father, no wonder you're here. They call him a wet fish only some of the time, they mostly call him the young wolf. He's only called a wet fish because during the harvest festival when he was four there was a summer rain. My Rob decided it would be a great idea to play in the rain. When he finally was convinced to come back inside by old nan, he ran up to Ned and yelled for everyone to hear, look father, I'm as wet as a fish nan says so. All the lords in the hall just about broke their ribs from laughing so hard." Edmure chuckled at that.

"So in short all of the rumours are very wrong or misinterpreted. That is very relieving to hear. However there is one more thing we must talk about and Ned I beg you not to get mad at this it is being dealt with." Ned once more became very serious.

"What truly prompted me to come put the rumours to rest is that Lysa has done something very stupid. Jon Arryn doesn't want this spread around which is why there has been no ravens about it." Edmure takes a breath before continuing. "Lysa tried to poison Jon, she failed obviously, but not completely. It seems that she got Petyr Baelish with the poison meant for Jon. We don't know the reason why she tried. Except that perhaps she thought that if Jon was dead she could marry Petyr like she always wanted." For a moment there is a look of pure rage on the lord of the north face, before it is hidden by his stony mask of control.

"Are you sure that there isn't another reason that Jon isn't spreading this? A reason why he hasn't set Lysa aside?" Catalyn asks.

"As far as we know there is no other reason. Perhaps because of the alliance between the North, Vale and Riverlands but uncle Brynden didn't say anything to this. It's because of uncle Brynden that we know. Jon Arryn has sent Lysa to the Eyrie, while she was passing the Bloody Gate she said somethings to uncle that sent him to Kings Landing then on to us at Riverrun."

"Jon is in good health?" Ned says as he finally manages to get his thoughts in some semblance of order.

"As healthy as ever according to my uncle." Ned looks greatly relieved upon hearing this.

"You have given me much to think on Edmure, for one I think I have some rumours to settle with the small folk and perhaps sending a letter to my foster father. If you would give me some time, that would be welcomed." Catalyn looks at her husband before saying

"Come Edmure we can go see the children. I'm sure they would love a visit from their uncle to get them out of lessons." She guides her brother out of the room. The rest of the day is spent between playing with her youngest children and watching the spar between Rob and his bastard brother Jon. After eating dinner that night Edmure writes a note for his father.

Father

UB is wrong. TL loves red, is in fashion. Wet fish 4 loved rain, fish now y/wolf. TL other plans for B, at M/C. Only second is a cat. L/M wants first for GS. Going to the Gate.

Love Edmure.

Edmure stays at Winterfell for sennight before making plans to leave the north. Patrek left with his own guards to travel the north more, wanting to see the wall. Ned also adds more men to his guard. A report of banditry arrived two days after Edmure. Neither Catalyn nor Ned wanted to take any chances with the heir to the Riverlands.

Ramsay Snow

Ramsay left the Dreadfort with Myranda after hearing the news that Edmure Tully was in Winterfell. Myranda made an excellent addition to his hunts. Ramsay thinks she's beautifully vicious. He wants to see the man that was either really stupid or a decent ruler depending on who you heard it from. Having heard it from his father, Ramsay is inclined to believe that the heir to the Riverlands is a bit of an idiot. Upon arriving at Winterfell he was just in time to hear that the man was going to go visit his uncle at the Bloody Gate, and that due to the banditry of Ramsay's men, the Bastard Boys as he has named them, Ned Stark the man of no humour, was adding guards to Edmure's party. Ramsay got himself placed into the party as a hunter and tracker, he also convinced them that his so-called wife Myranda would make a good addition as a cook. Having tasted her meals Ramsay truly did believe she would make a good camp cook. However that isn't the only reason that he wants her along. After they leave, Ramsay has time to talk to Myranda.

"Did you bring it?" he asks, looking at her.

"I did. It's in my bag. They searched me but I have so many spices and oils on me they didn't notice it." a big smile appears on his face at this news.

Short visit from Ramsay to lead up to his entry into the Vale. Ramsay will not be in the next chapter as the old lion will be arriving in the capital next