Robb II

Robb sat in his father's solar with Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrick Cassel, and felt completely out of his element. This was the solar to the Lord of Winterfell and that wasn't Robb, not yet at least. His father's presence loomed large within the room, and would likely do so for the years his father spent in King's Landing.

They had been going over things for over an hour already, and Robb was hoping things were drawing to a close.

"Your father taking half of the guard only leaves us with one hundred men," Ser Rodrick said. "Not enough to defend a castle of this size."

Robb knew what Ser Rodrick was looking for in response and gave it to him. "Canvass Wintertown today, and tomorrow morning ride to the nearby farms and villages to gather new recruits to train. I'm sure the promise of hot meals and stone walls will sound tempting to enough men out there."

Ser Rodrick ginned at him, approving of Robb's answer. "Aye, I will head to Wintertown when we are finished here."

"Anything else?" Robb asked.

"Lady Arya has been skipping her lessons again," Maester Luwin said, his voice carrying the exasperation of a man who had dealt with his problem before.

Robb groaned. "Shouldn't that be something my mother handles?"

"The girl is becoming more willful. She heeds your mother for a few weeks and then goes right back to skipping them. You are her brother, perhaps you might have more sway with her."

Robb shook his head. If Maester Luwin was hoping one of her older brothers could get through to Arya, he was talking to the wrong one. Jon and Arya had a bond he would never have with his youngest sister.

"She's closer with Jon. When he comes back, I will ask him to speak with her about sticking with her lessons. In the meantime, let my mother know. She can keep Arya in lessons until Jon is back."

"If that is what you wish," Maester Luwin said.

"It is. Anything else?"

Neither Ser Rorick or Maester Luwin had any other business to discuss so Robb dismissed them. His relief at finally being done with all the day-to-day stuff was short lived as Jonos was let in by the guard. Jonos worked under Vayon Poole, and with the steward being away at King's Landing, the young man was stepping up as the Steward of Winterfell in his absence at Vayon's recommendation.

Jonos wanted to go over the stores, to let Robb know where they stood in regards to the winter that would eventually come. His father would still be in King's Landing by then, so it was on Robb to make sure they had more than enough to feed not only Winterfell itself, but to also supply Wintertown, whose population was going to swell by the thousands once the frosts of autumn began to creep over the land. The common saying was that a long summer was followed by a long winter, and the summer they were in had so far lasted almost ten years. To be on the safe side, they needed stores that would last equally as long but were still far from it because it was hard to keep food, even when properly preserved, for more than a few years. The cellars of Winterfell were not quite full but Jonos thought it best to start using up the stores that had been down there the longest, and preserving more of the food they were currently bringing in. Robb had agreed in bringing out some of the longest stored foods and working to preserve more of the new harvests and hunts, but he wanted to make sure people were still eating the fresh food. In a year or two, depending on how long autumn lasted, all they'd likely be eating would be pickled this and salted that, so it was best to let the people enjoy the taste of fresh meat and vegetables while they could.

As Robb looked over the books with Jonos, both for the stores and the family treasury, he noticed an amount off to the side, 20,000 silver stags.

"What is this?" Robb asked, pointing at the figure.

"That is the dowry for Lady Wynafryd. Your father asked it be set to the side, for you to use at your leisure."

Lord Wyman Manderly and Ser Wylis Manderly had already gifted him a dirk with an ivory handle, a pair of leather gloves lined with fur, a few casks of red wine from Volantis, and a pair of horses, both coursers. They had been more than generous in their wedding gifts. He had thought the coin for the dowry would be added to the family vault, but looking at the numbers of what the Starks had available to them, he could understand his father allowing him to have it for himself; the Starks did not lack for money, ven with all the projects his father had spent the past fifteen years on.

What did he want to do with the money though, that was the question. A question he didn't have an answer to at the moment. If Theon had the money he'd likely blow through it in Wintertown, at that brothel he slipped off to every couple of nights. Jon would likely sit on it to use when he reached such an age where he would feel compelled to leave Winterfell to make his own way in life.

"Is that it?" Robb asked ten minutes later, his vision swimming with numbers.

"Yes m'lord, that is everything."

Robb stood and stretched, feeling something pop in his back at the effort. He had been sitting way too long. Jonos gathered the books he had bought, and clutching them to his chest, carried them from the room. Looking out of the window, Robb figured he had enough daylight to get some sword training in, and maybe go for a ride, based on the position of the sun.

He didn't have as much time as he thought. After he finished sparring with Wayn, one of the guardsmen who remained at Winterfell, he saw that the sun was already beginning to set and that dinner would likely be ready soon. So instead of going for the ride, he instead went to the baths to wash the stench of sparring off of him.

When he exited the baths, feeling fresh with damp hair and a new set of clothes, he almost ran face first into his wife. They blushed at the sight of each other, still in the "doe-eyed phase" of their relationship, as his mother referred to it. They had only been a husband and wife for a few nights but those nights had been spent getting to know each other, mostly in a physical sense, and for the first time Robb thought he understood why Theon spent so much time at the brothel.

"Are you on your way to dinner my lady?" Robb asked.

"Yes my lord."

Robb held out his arm, and she took hold of it. His mother told him there would come a time in the coming weeks when they would stop greeting each other so formally, where their familiarity with each other would allow them to forgo the polite manners they had been instructed to use when dealing with other nobility. Together they walked to the Great Hall, each of them sharing about their day. While Robb had been stuck in his father's solar getting caught up to date on the runnings of Winterfell now that his father was heading south, Wynafryd had spent half the day with his mother to see first hand what it meant to be the Lady of Winterfell, and the other half of the day with her family, who was set to leave for White Harbor on the morrow.

They sat together at the high table, Robb in the seat normally reserved for his father and Wynafryd on his right, and his mother at his left. The Manderlys were still in Winterfell, at least for one more night, so Lord Manderly and his lady wife sat at the high table with them.

As he ate dinner, Robb couldn't help but notice the sullen look on Arrya's face as she pushed around the food on her plate. She sat at the lower table in front of theirs, sitting with Rickon, Ser Wylis Manderly, his wife Leona, Ser Wendel Manderly, Ser Marlon Manderly, and Wylla Manderly. While the Manderlys chatted all around her, with even Rickon joining in, Arya did not even appear to hear what was being said around her.

Robb had a realization then. Bran was off serving Ser Robar Royce as a page. Sansa, along with her friend Jeyne, had accompanied their father to King's Landing. Jon was accompanying Tyrion Lanister to visit the Wall. Rickon was a child of four, and Robb was spending most of his time being the Stark in Winterfell.

The only person he could think of around Arya's age was Beth Cassel, but she was a dreamer more interested in songs of princesses and knights than anything Arya was interested in. That left Arya by herself a lot, and Robb figured it might be one of the reasons she was skipping her lessons. He remembered his time at Karhold, in the company of Harrion, Eddard, and Torrhen, and thought it might be best to invite the daughters of some of their vassals to be fostered at Winterfell.

He knew Maege Mormont had two daughters around Arya's age. It was hard to remember but he believed one of them was a few years older, and the other a few years younger. His wife's younger sister might also be an option. He looked at his good-sister, with her dyed green hair that Arya had been fascinated by when the Manderly retinue at first arrived.

"Wynafryd, how old is your sister?" he asked, speaking in a low voice.

"She just turned fourteen. Why?"

"Do you think your father would consent to having her fostered here for a few years?" he asked. "Though I should probably ask to make sure it's okay with you too."

Wynafryd's face brightened at the mention of her sister fostering at Winterfell, her lips curving into a smile that made Robb's heart skip a beat. "Of course it's okay with me, why wouldn't it be?"

Robb made a face as he remembered all of the fights his two sisters had gotten into over the years. "Sansa and Arya don't really get along. They argue more than anything."

"You have no worries about that with me and Wylla, she's my closest friend."

Dinner passed with Robb hearing more about his wife's childhood, and what it was like growing up in White Harbor, the only city in the north. Robb knew the Manderly's were more southern than the other houses of the north, and hearing his wife describe things that seemed foreign to him drove that point home; the kind of games the children played, the weekly prayers in the sept, the gossiping about the latest tourney that had taken place in the Reach, etc.

After dinner had concluded, Robb had approached Lord Manderly before the man could rise from his seat.

"Ser Wylis if you could please join us," Robb called down to his good-father.

As the others left the hall, Ser Wylis approached his father and Robb. "What can we do for you Lord Robb?" Sere Wylis asked.

"Tomorrow your party is to head back to White Harbor, is that correct?"

"Yes, after we break our fast we will make the journey back."

Robb felt his heartbeat speed up and he forced himself to take a deep breath. If he couldn't handle making simple requests of his good-father and one of his vassals, how could he ever handle being the Stark in Winterfell and Warden of the North? This was nothing compared to conversations he would likely have to have, so allowing himself to get worked up over it was foolish. He took another breath and did his best to steady himself.

"Lady Wynafryd is new to Winterfell, and to help her in adjusting to life here I thought it would be a good idea to have Lady Wylla foster here for a few years to give my wife a familiar face. I am also hoping Lady Wylla can have a positive effect on Arya. I'm not sure if you have noticed but my youngest sister is a bit of a wild one. This is all if you would approve of course. And if Lady Wylla would be okay with it."

Ser Wylis and Lord Manderly exchanged a look that Robb was unable to interpret. Reading people had always been more of Jon's thing than his own. He wondered if he had said something wrong, or maybe offended the men by asking such a thing.

"It warms my heart that already you are thinking of my granddaughter's interest. When arranging marriages, there is always a fear of the type of man you are betrothing your daughter, or in my case granddaughter, to. And I am happy to see that you are already proving yourself the type of man any grandfather would want taking care of his granddaughter."

Robb felt his cheeks becoming warm under the praise. He did his best to keep his gaze level, and not let them drop to his feet in embarrassment. "Wynafryd is my wife and I will do all that I can to make sure she is happy and loved."

"Your father did a good job raising you," Ser Wylis said with a large smile. "And I think Wylla fostering at Winterfell is a good idea. I will speak with her tonight, and if she is agreeable to it, she will stay here in the morning when we depart."

"Given that we are likely to have a long winter, I think it would be best if she stays at Winterfell until the late autumn snows start to fall, by which time she can come back to White Harbor for winter."

That made sense to Robb. If Wylla was at Winterfell by the time winter fell upon the land, it would be beyond difficult to travel through the winter snows that would cover the ground. His father had told him about a three year long winter, where the snow had fallen taller than a horse.

When Robb arrived for the morning meal with Wynafryd at his side, he found his mother was the only other person in the Great Hall.

"Good morning mother," Robb greeted, sitting down next to his mother.

"Good morning Lady Catelyn."

"Good morning you two." His mother smiled at the both of them as they sat down. She turned her attention to Robb, her smile dropping. " I overheard Lord Manderly saying that his granddaughter Wylla will be staying with us?"

"Oh yes! I forgot to talk with you about it last night. There are two reasons I would like to have Wylla stay with us. The first is for Wynafryd, so she can have a familiar face during her first few years adjusting to Winterfell."

Wynafryd beamed at him, and he smiled back at her. Wynafryd was overjoyed at the companionship her sister would provide during her first few years at Winterfell, and had shown her appreciation last night. If that was how Robb was rewarded for doing things that pleased his wife, he vowed to do it as often as possible.

"The second is, well, I'm not sure if Maester Luwin spoke with you yet but Arya has been acting out and skipping lessons again. I figured with Sansa and Bran gone, she might be a bit lonely. I wanted to have girls around her age here to hopefully influence her."

"And these were things you could not discuss with me first?" his mother asked, a frown on her face.

Robb bowed his head. "I'm sorry mother. The idea came to me last night, and I wanted to speak with Lord Manderly before it was too late."

The frown on his mother's face softened. "No, you don't have to apologize. With your father gone you are the Stark in Winterfell. I'm just not used to my baby boy being all grown up, and being able to make these kinds of decisions without me. I have not yet spoken with Maester Luwin about Arya but I agree that having some noble ladies around her age might have a positive influence on her."

"Despite her hair, my sister is a proper lady," Wynafryd winced, "if a bit sarcastic."

"Sarcasm is good," Robb assured her. "Arya doesn't like prim and proper. She is the opposite of Sansa in that respect."

"Who else were you going to invite?"

"Maege Mormont has two daughters around Arya's age. I was going to send a raven to her after eating."

"Would that be wise?" his mother asked. She saw the questioning look on his face. "Maege Mormont is from Bear Island. She is a fierce woman who wears ringmail and carries a mace. She leads her men into battle herself. I imagine her daughters will be similar. Not exactly the kind of influence you are looking to have on Arya."

Before Robb could respond, Arya herself walked into the Great Hall. Only a few paces behind her was Lord Manderly.

"You might be right," Robb conceded.

"Let's wait to discuss this further until after I have a conversation with your sister about skipping lessons."

Late that morning, Robb knew when his mother decided to talk with Arya about skipping lessons because he could hear the yelling from his father's solar. Grey Wind sat on his haunches, head tilted as the yelling voice of his sister drifted through the window. That meant Arya was in the godswood, when she should have been at lessons with Maester Luwin.

Shortly after the yelling stopped, his mother entered the solar and sat down across from him.

"That child grows more and more willful everyday," she said with a sigh. "I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to get her to stay in lessons, especially with your father gone."

"Jon might be able to help when he's back."

A dark look overcame his mother's face at the mention of his half brother. "I do not know why your father has insulted me as he has by insisting that boy remain here."

Robb decided it would be best to ignore the comment. "Arya is closest to Jon. If she'll listen to anyone, she'll listen to him. We just have to try to keep her in line for the next few weeks until he is back from the Wall."

His mother let out a shuddering breath. "While the Mormont girls might be … rough around the edges, if they're anything like Maege then they won't shirk lessons like Arya. If Maege is open to it, I will welcome them at Winterfell."

Robb grinned, pleased his mother came to agree with his thought process. "I will send a raven to Lady Mormont as soon as Maester Luwin is done with the morning lessons."

"Will you invite any other ladies?" his mother asked. "What of Alys Karstark? You fostered with her family for five years, it would be a good way to honor Lord Karstark."

A look must have come over Robb's face. His mother looked at him with some concern.

"What is it? I thought things went great with the Karstarks. Your father was very pleased with the updates Lord Karstark sent him."

"They did," Robb assured. "It's just, uh, Alys had a bit of a crush on me when I was there and, well, she was my, uh, first kiss."

He could only describe the sound that came out of his mother as a giggle, though he had never heard such a sound come out of her before. She looked at him in amusement.

"And you are unsure how Alys will behave around your wife?"

"Yes," Robb responded, feeling his cheeks aflame in embarrassment.

"Jealousy can make people do strange things," his mother said, gazing at the far wall for a moment before shaking her head. "Alright so no to Alys Karstark then."

"Doesn't Lord Reed have a daughter around Arya's age?" Robb asked, face scrunched in thought.

"Lord Reed has a daughter named Meera, who is your age. And given the amount of times your father asked Lord Reed to come to Winterfell, and was declined, I doubt he would acquiesce to his daughter coming here."

If his father had dealt with the declining of an invitation to come to Winterfell from any of the other northern lords as many times as he had from Lord Reed, there would be anger and suspicion cast upon the lord. Yet when it came to the crannogman his father had a soft spot, a blind spot, or a combination of the two, depending on who you asked. Robb had heard about how Lord Reed had been the only one to come back with his father when he went in search of his sister after the war, and his father had claimed Lord Reed had saved his life. He imagined that gave the Lord of Greywater Watch a lot more leeway than would otherwise be granted.