Chapter 29: Tywin starts to make moves
299 AC
Jon
He walked to his room next to his brother's after another exhausting day. He had been making rounds in the army. On a normal day he had to secure the communication lines and the supplies for not only their main force, but some of the raiding bands as well.
Today he had wanted to get the troops morale measured and improved, if possible. The state of affairs was clear. The soldiers were getting bored and fat and the commanders restless.
In response, Robb had already created new bands to raid the Westerlands. Dom had already left with the Dustin and Bolton riders a few days ago. Although this alleviated some of the pressure, it was not enough. They would need to ride out soon. The men wanted another victory.
He planned to remind his brother of that in the morning. He knew how hard it was for him, as he was still mostly bedridden. He wanted to lead his men but was in no way able to do so. Still, they would need to march. His brother would need to appoint another as commander.
The Greatjon was situated around Ashemark and would do nicely. Galbart Glover was also on his way back from raiding and would make for a good commander. Robb would need to choose, but he would need to choose quickly. The men were becoming restless and he didn't like the Westerland family here one bit.
The children seemed fine, even the heir that had fought against them. The eldest daughter Jeyne seemed to behave weird around Robb, but she was a sweet girl in all. No, it was their mother and her crafty brother the Spicers that concerned him. They had taken this castle weeks ago, but in some way it still seemed like they ruled it.
At first, he had done his best to both accommodate them and curb their meddling. His efforts hadn't been successful, as they just seemed to ignore him for his birth. After a while, he had just let them be. Although he still watched them, as he knew something wasn't right. Ghost told him that, as his companion was always restless when they were near.
He walked through his brother's room and reported on the army before excusing himself and going to bed. "This early?" Robb asked. "Yes, I'm exhausted." he replied and his brother just nodded.
He entered his room and changed into nothing more than his breeches before laying on his bed. Ghost quickly made himself comfortable on the rugged carpet. He had grown way too big to fit on the end of the bed, although he still liked to try from time to time. He petted the wolf and thought silently about his siblings in Winterfell, before falling in a dreamless sleep.
He woke up a few hours later to the sound of people talking next door. It was clear that his brother had company. After a while he recognized the voice as Lady Jeyne's. He looked out of the small service window in the room and frowned. Wasn't it too late for a visit, even to check his wounds?
He sat up on his bed and listened in on the conversation. It became soon clear that the girl was flirting with his brother. A thing which seemed strange, as she seemed way too shy for that.
The more he listened the more he realized his brother's awkwardness even from behind the door. He decided to jump in and picked up a tunic. He quickly threw it over his head and tugged it in his breeches. He opened the door and walked into his brother's room.
The confusion on the girl's face was adamant, Robb's relief too. He saw how she was sitting much too close to his brother, on the side of the bed. Still something didn't feel right to him. The girl didn't look at ease either. As if she didn't do to that either, or at least that she was far too shy to be that forward.
He greeted his brother with a weak "I couldn't sleep", as he kept looking at Jeyne. He was just about to let the feeling of unease go, when Ghost walked towards the girl and slightly turned his head. His direwolf felt uneasy too. He felt that something wasn't right, but it looked like Ghost didn't know if it was Jeyne's either.
Then it started dawning on him … if it wasn't her fault and she had no malicious intent, who's was it? Who had anything to gain if Robb were to answer Jeyne's obvious advances? Her family could, as her being the mistress of the King could give them many benefits.
Still, it would create such chaos. When Harry returned and found that another girl than Alys was in Robb's bed, he would rage, and everybody knew this. If anything were to happen here, it could damage the alliance between Houses Stark and Karstark. That alliance itself was the glue that kept the North together. Everybody knew his foolish brother would be too much like father to put the girl aside. However, who would use this to their advantage?
He looked around and had to remember himself that they were still in enemy territory. The Westerlings and Spicers were their enemies. It was likely they wanted revenge for the loss of their troops at Riverrun and the loss of their castle. Breaking up an enemy's cause by using a young girl's feelings seemed harsh, but not unreasonable for a land that brought forth Tywin Lannister.
He looked upon the girl once more and when he saw a glimmer of fear go through her eyes he decided. He walked towards her menacingly and asked deeply. "Who set you up to this? Who wants you to seduce my brother?"
The shock on her face was only surpassed by Robb's. "Jon, what are you doing? Leave the poor girl alone." He said perplexed from atop his bed.
"No, Robb. I think there is more at stake here than you dashing Tully looks." he said as he turned to his brother. He turned back and repeating the questing to Jeyne.
"I … I don't know what you're talking about, Ser." she almost whispered.
"I am no Ser and I don't believe you. Who put you up to this?" he asked, rougher this time.
"N-n no one." she stuttered, but the way she looked at her feet betrayed her. Ghost had seen it to and bared his teeth slightly as he walked up to her.
"Stop this madness, Jon! You're scaring the poor girl. She is young and naive, that's all!" Robb shouted, but he paid it no mind.
He stepped forward and put a hand beneath the girl's chin, as he lifted it up slowly. "Who put you up to this?" he asked once more, this time he made sure to lace his voice with a lot more menace.
The girl was shaking in his hand as she tried to look away. "Stop this now, Jon! I command it!" his brother screamed. He heard the door unlock and saw Owen Norrey run in with his axe in hand. The man stopped when he saw the scene in front of him. After he made sure that Robb was safe, he looked confused between them as his brother shouted at him to stop Jeyne from getting hurt. He walked slowly towards him.
"Let the girl be, Jon. I don't want to hurt you for the sake of some stupid southern girl." Owen said carefully. He just put his hand up towards him to make him halt and turned back to the girl. He demanded of Jeyne "Answer me, now! Before anyone gets hurt." The girl started to cry. "It, … it was my mother." she said in between sobs.
"What?" Robb exclaimed, stopping Owen from moving any closer towards him. "What did you say?" his brother said, more loudly and commanding now.
Jeyne looked up at Robb, frightened at the side of him she had rarely seen. "Answer him," he said to the girl, "he will not hurt you when you tell him the truth. Nor will I, but you have to answer him."
The girl sobbed and nodded. "M-my mother noticed that I liked His Grace and started talking about it with uncle Rolph. After, … a while she came to me and asked me outright if I liked His Grace. When … when I said yes, she encouraged me to make a move on you. She said that it would be good for our house. I, … I didn't care for any of that. I just like being with you and was glad that my mother approved." The girl explained, totally red from embarrassment after having to admit her feelings for Robb.
His brother looked perplexed. His gaze went from the girl to him and back to the girl. "Euhm, encouraging a daughter to … befriend a king is no crime Jon." He managed to get out at last.
"No, it isn't. However, these families are still our enemies Robb. Jeyne here is clearly innocent of any crime, but I wouldn't count her mother and uncle out that quick." he said seriously.
"What would they possibly have to gain against me with … with this?" he said as he waved his non-wounded arm in the air.
"Revenge, for taking down their lord, men and castle for starters." he responded dryly.
Robb scoffed and pointed at Jeyne, who had cowered away in a corner. "Really, you think they'd go that far?"
"Yes, this far and even further if it would help bring you down." he responded without a ounce of doubt.
"Phah, I don't believe it Snow." his brother tried to wave it off.
"If I may, Your Grace?" Owen Norrey said, the man had bound his axe back on his back and was watching the exchange between them.
"Of course, Owen. Say what you want." Robb said. "
"Well, your brother speaks true, Your Grace. These Southrons are not like us. They plot and scheme and half of them only regard us as savages. The pretty maid's mother is one of those. She hasn't looked at or talked to any of us since we captured the castle. She only talks to that brother of hers and he is a sly one. Talks with a silver tongue but his eyes look on everyone with contempt. If I were you, I'd check it out Your Grace. If you wish it so, I will do it for you." the clansmen said, brutally honest as always.
This had his brother taken aback, as he clearly didn't suspect this. "You really think they would do this?" Robb asked.
"No, I think they could and that's more than enough for me to check it out." he replied honestly. At this, his brother nodded. "Fine, I give you leave to check out anything on Lady Westerling and Ser Spicer. Check any of the household if need be but leave Jeyne and her siblings alone. I also don't want anyone to get hurt, do you understand me?"
"Loud and clear, Stark. I will get on with it immediately." he responded as he marched back into his room to get dressed.
He picked out some better garments and wore his basic armor. It wouldn't hurt to look a little more threatening. He adjusted his sword to his belt and left.
He went straight to the nearest barracks that housed Stark troops and woke some twenty guards. He promised them all a silver stag out of the coffers of the Westerlings if they did their orders quickly and without complaint. All joined him eagerly.
Some men were sent to Ser Rolph Spicer and Lady Westerly to get them into custody. Furthermore, these men had to search their rooms and look for all of their correspondence. Maybe they were talking to other to other houses in the Westerlands. Better to cross of every possible treachery at once.
Some men were sent to guard the Westerling children's rooms. He would never touch them, but Lady Westerling didn't know this. It was never wrong to put some more pressure on his target, Lord Wyman had taught him this. Other guards were sent to get the head servants. They would be interrogated, as it was likely that they knew more if something was up.
He himself and the last four guards walked to the Maester's quarters. Even if all of this was for naught, he didn't care. He would do anything to protect his brother from danger, perceived or real. Besides he didn't like these people anyway. They treated him like dirt, just because of his birth. Maybe this would teach them.
Three times he knocked on the Maester's door. It had been hard and decisive, or so he hoped. After a while, the Maester opened the door. He was clearly still sleep drunk and looked at him with contempt. He pushed past the Maester and the guards followed him. "Look through everything. Anything that is correspondence you take with you. He might have hidden it, so you look behind, under and above everything." His men nodded at him and got to work.
"What is the meaning of this? You can't be in here and definitely not at this hour!" The Maester screamed out. He ignored the red-faced man and walked over to the man's desk. He looked over the papers on the desk and saw they were well organized. Good, that might make this a lot easier. He picked up the letter that was laying in the middle of the desk to start reading it.
"Put that down! You can't be in here! Put that down!" The Maester screamed, as he tried to push him away from the desk. He pushed back the Maester and called out for one of the guards. "Bennard, escort the Maester out. I fear he will interrupt with our work."
"Of course, Lord Snow." the man said, as he grabbed the Maester under the arm and dragged him out. "You can't do this, bastard! Wait until my lady hears about this. You will rue the day your father impregnated your whore of a mother!" the Maester screamed, but it quickly stopped once Bennard punched him in the face. He should give that man a raise from out of his own coffers, he thought amusingly.
He looked down and saw that the letter that he had wanted to read had fallen on the ground. He picked it up and started reading. He immediately understood why the Maester had lost it like that. The first letters read "To Lord Tywin Lannister".
(The next day)
Robb
He couldn't believe his eyes when his brother had returned yesterday evening, less than two hours after he had allowed him his search. He had acted swiftly, that was sure. Lady Westerling and her brother were already in custody and the Westerling children detained in their chambers.
Jon told him that nothing had been found in their chambers. They had probably burned any evidence against them. Their Maester wasn't so intelligent, it seemed. A letter had been found, clearly written by the Maester's own hand. It was addressed to Tywin Lannister, but more important was that it was signed by Ser Rolph Spicer. It was meant to be sent first thing in the morning.
The letter clearly showed both Lady Westerling and Ser Spicer's involvement in a plot. They wanted him to put aside, or at least betray, his wife for Jeyne. The letter made it clear that Lord Tywin was behind this and Jon had immediately gone to the dungeons, even before seeing him. He had interrogated both culprits. Ser Rolph hadn't said a word, but Lady Westerling had admitted everything after Jon had threatened to feed all her children to Ghost.
He knew his brother well enough to know he would never have done such a thing, but bluffing seemed to work out for him. The story that Lady Westerling told was even more shocking. Tywin wanted to break the North's resolve from within. By breaking up his marriage he wanted to break the Northern unity and rob him of the possibility to have an heir. Lady Westerling told Jon that after Jeyne would be allowed in his bed, they would give her herbs so no child would come of it.
The girl didn't know any of it and he was disgusted by it. Who would do something like this to her own child and why? Well, the last question could easily be answered. The Old Lion had apparently promised Castamere to Ser Rolph and House Spicer. Besides that, he promised good and honorable marriages for the Westerling sons, even hinting at Lannister cousins.
The woman had given up her eldest daughter in favor of her sons and brother. When he heard the news first, he went to check it and spoke to both of them. When confronted with his sister's confession, Ser Rolph only scoffed. He called them nothing more than bastards and savages. It didn't matter, his guilt was clear to see.
Afterwards he called for Jeyne and told her everything. The girl was clearly in shock. He allowed her to join her siblings in a joined room. That way they could be there for each other. All of them would be unharmed and travel to Seagard, to join in comfortable captivity with their father. However, he made it clear that both her mother and uncle would be punished severely.
The time for that punishment had come now. He was helped into the courtyard by the Smalljon, although at times it seemed more as if his giant friend was carrying him. Arriving there he was immediately seated in the middle of the yard. Before him in the dirt sat the Maester and brother and sister on their knees.
Around them, the entire servant staff had gathered, together with many Northern nobles and soldiers. "We will make this swift, as evidence against you is clear." he said with as clear and commanding a voice as he could muster.
"You have been proven to spy and plot on the orders of Tywin Lannister. All of this, after oaths have been sworn when you surrendered the castle. You plotted to break up my marriage to destabilize the North. You also told Lord Tywin of our numbers and strengths and possible internal division. The punishment for these offenses is clear." he called out their crimes.
"First is the Maester. You are sworn to serve the master of the Crag. After my men and I took the castle, you were sworn to serve me. Instead you betrayed me and continued to serve your old masters to bring me harm. This cannot be tolerated." he said decively against the man.
"I, I couldn't serve you Your Grace. You were wounded and barely ever let me have an audience with you. You preferred that Lady Jeyne took care of you." the man said, trying everything to get out from getting punishment.
He scoffed at that. The reason he had preferred Jeyne was because Grey and Ghost hadn't liked the Maester from day one. It seemed they had been right. "I clearly instructed you to direct everything to my brother. It was you who didn't listen and betray me. For this you will be stripped of your position at the Crag and be sent to the Wall. The Night's Watch has an urgent need of Maesters and you will do fine." he responded with contempt at the weak man in front of him.
"That, that bastard?! You want to send me to that dreadful place to watch snarks and grumpkins after you insulted me with sending me to that baseborn savage? You, you can't be serious!" the man shouted out.
This made him angry, nobody talked about his brother that way. He heard Grey Wind growl loudly as the direwolf moved slowly towards the man. He tried to calm himself and simply responded "Oh but I can, and I am serious. The letter to the Citadel has already left this morning. Besides if I hadn't decided on this already you would be sent to the Wall because of your words now. No one speaks about my brother in that manner!"
He waved at one of the guards "Take him away and find him the most uncomfortable cell you can find. He will stay there until we move him to Riverrun with us." The large guard nodded and dragged the Maester out.
Now he looked at the knight in front of him. His knees up through the mud, but defiant as ever. "It was clear why you did it, Ser. You would have gotten Castamere as your seat. Well was it worth it?" he simply stated.
"I would do it all again with pleasure, Your Grace." Ser Rolph responded, clearly mocking his title.
"That's that then. The only regret I have is that your House won't end with you here, as you still have one living cousin in Lord Tywin's force. If we're lucky the man will die on the battlefield when the Old Lion finally stops hiding in Harrenhall. He has been behaving like a scared little cat instead of a lion for far too long and the South can do with a few less treacherous houses." he said, and all his men started laughing.
"Ha, you think the Lion is scared of you? Soon Winterfell will be nothing more than a rubble. All that will be left will be a song to remember Lord Tywin's wrath. Maybe they could call it 'House Spicer's vengeance'." the knight scoffed.
Now his men all started shouting and screaming at Ser Rolph. The man was even hit with one or two things, as the first voices were already calling for his head. He held up his hands and simply responded. "You seem to have forgotten that your precious cat has lost about every battle in this war. Besides, it doesn't matter as you and your House will not be there to see it. Ser Rolph for your crimes against House Stark and breaking your oath I sentence you to dead."
Immediately two guards pulled up the knight and put his head on a block of wood. His man started to cheer as they thirsted for blood. They had been cooped up here for too long. "As is custom, the one who passes the sentence must swing the sword. However, as I am incapable due to my wound, my brother will do it in the name of House Stark." He continued, as he looked over to Jon. His brother simply nodded.
He walked over to the block and got out his sword. "No, Jon." he simply said. His brother looked at him in confusion, not knowing what he meant. "Do it with this." he gestured as his squire Olyvar Frey brought out Ice. Jon looked at him with shock and fascination in his eyes. He looked at the sword for a while, before nodding and taking it from Olyvar.
He took the sword out of its scabbard and lined it up in front of his face, admiring the Valyrian steel. His brother looked at him with a face full of emotions, but without saying a word. He turned to Ser Rolph Spicer and demanded loudly "Do you have any last words?"
"Piss off, you savages. The Westerlands will have their revenge!" the man spat out, as he put his head down. Mere seconds later, Ice cleaved through the air and the head came clean off. It hobbled in the dirt towards his feet and he signaled a guard to take it away.
"Lady Sybell Westerling, you stand guilty of the same accusations. For this, you will be sent to the silent sisters. You will be allowed to say goodbye to your children one more time. For their sake, not yours. On the morrow you will be transported to their nearest convent. This will be all." he declared loudly.
The guards dragged the sobbing Lady Westerling away and the Smalljon came to help him back inside. Jon walked up towards him. "I … I think I need to go pray." he mumbled.
"Just like father, when he took a life. Go, you know where the Westerlings old Weirwood tree is." he responded, and his brother nodded solemnly. Jon took Ice with him, probably intend on cleaning it like their father had done numerous times in Winterfell. He didn't mind, he would ask it back after. He was really grateful that the Westerlings were of First Men descent. It wouldn't have been right for Jon without a Weirwood to pray to.
"Come Smalljon, we need to get back inside." His friend only grinned at this, as he grabbed him up in his arms.
(Two days later)
Robb
He sat in his room, with his most trusted nobles around him as he opened the letter again. His father-in-law had sent word at last and they needed to know. He read the letter out loud.
"King Robb,
In your absence I have led an attack on a sellsword company arriving in Maidenpool. With my own Karstark men, aided by some Freys and a company under Harmond Umber, we have destroyed the small Essosi force. We managed to completely surprise them. We killed almost all of them, numbering around nine hundred men. Our losses numbered just over a hundred.
We burned down their few ships and brought everything of value with us to the Twins. More and more sellsword have come from the east unchallenged and this had to change. However, Lord Mooton never left his keep to assist us. When we proposed to bring him back with us, he refused. We dismantled the harbor at Maidenpool to make sure no new sellswords will arrive this way.
In response to our attack, Tywin has sent a force to destroy Maidenpool. The lord and its castle are no more. Although his house remains, as one of his sons is staying in Riverrun.
After this, Lord Tywin has started marching west. Your uncle, Ser Edmure, has ordered me and all our men to go south and take Harrenhall. Against orders, I have left two thousand men under Robett Glover at the Twins. I don't trust the Freys and they could be useful in ridding Moat Cailin of the ironborn. Ser Helman will join the march. He asked for action after the news of his son's death and I granted it to him.
Your uncle plans to stop the Lannisters from going west. He has called the rivermen to arms. By the time this reaches you, it will be too late to change this but you ought to know.
Your father-in-law
Rickard Karstark, Lord of Karhold."
"Tywin's finally coming west then." the Smalljon said with a smile.
"Yes, but there is nothing to laugh at. Either they never get west or we unnecessarily lose a lot of Rivermen for it." he answered, his annoyance clear in his voice.
"Why can't that boy never just do as he's told." Ser Brynden sighed exasperated. "He had one task, to hold Riverrun and stay put. He isn't supposed to stop the whole Lannister army."
"Indeed, uncle. This messes up our whole plan. Do you think he'll be able to hold of Tywin?" he asked his most experienced commander.
"That's difficult to say really, but it is very possible. I hope Hoster and I at least learned the boy something. If I were him, I would hold them at the Fords overhere." The Blackfish said as he pointed on the Riverlander map. "He could hold a defensive position and do some damage. The problem with it is that he could never deal out a decisive defeat. So, even if Edmure is smart and he wins, Tywin will still be out there."
He cursed silently under his breath. His other uncle would simply make his trap useless. The Greatjon had already found a field of battle close to Ashemark where they could have ambushed the whole Lannister force if needed. Otherwise they could have just led them on a chase while Lord Stannis captured King's Landing.
"What do we do then? What are we doing here, if it's likely that Tywin won't be able to come west." Dacey asked.
"We could spread out more and loot more of this gold infested country. I would fancy myself some more gold. Last Hearth could do with a bigger glass garden coming winter." Smalljon replied with another grin on his face.
"We still don't know that." Jon simply responded. "The Lannisters could still break through Ser Edmure's defenses and be on us in weeks. The Golden Tooth still stands defiant and it could provide them with a place to rest and resupply their army before marching on us. It would also provide them with more men and information than he has right now."
"Jon's right." Ser Wendel joined in. The man looked pensively over the others as he continued. "We can't act on the premise of something we don't yet. It would be safest if we laid out two plans. One for if Lord Tywin were to get through and another for if he doesn't. That way we won't be surprised."
He looked over his group of friends and close advisors and saw almost all of them nod in agreement. "That's a good idea, Ser Wendel." He joined in. "I propose we keep the plan for if the Lannisters were to break through. It is solid and everyone agreed to it before." he looked questioningly at the room, but no one objected.
"That just leaves us with what to do if he doesn't come west." He summarized their situation. "We could either go back to the Riverlands or remain here."
"Why go back to the Riverlands? To do what? Sit on our asses and wait for the lions to make a move? Here we have the initiative, why give that up?" Owen stated fiercely.
Most of his Northerners seemed to agree with this. To his surprise Ser Brynden also nodded. "Master Norrey's right. The only problem is that we don't know where Tywin would go to. If he marches back on Harrenhall, the foot under Lord Rickard might be in trouble." His veteran uncle responded, already thinking two steps ahead.
"Good point. I will wright a letter to Lord Rickard to state that he is to retreat back to the Twins if that happens. If everyone wants to stay here, where do we go?" he continued.
His uncle looked at the map of the Westerlands on the other table. "As I see it, we have three courses of action. The first, and the simplest, is to keep doing what we are doing now. Raid the countryside, take castles and towns of Westerland vassals. We break the aura of Lannister invincibility in the west as we enrich ourselves. Try to turn his lords against him by taking their homes. If we follow this path, the Banefort in the north, Kayce and Feastfires further west and Sarsfield in the center are our prime targets. This would alienate Houses Banefort, Kenning, Prester and Sarsfield and give us control of a third of the Westerlands in total. It would also completely cut off the Golden Tooth, which has its benefits."
He nodded at this, as this plan had already crossed his mind. "The second possibility is to take the Golden Tooth. The castle is a mighty fortress and would be a great blow to Westerlander morale. It is a rich castle with its own mines, it would be worth it only for that but more important is that it is also the gate to the west. If we garrison it, it would give us the possibility to freely move reinforcements back and forth and get our spoils of war into the Riverlands more easily. It would also mean that if we had to go back to Riverrun we could easily come back to resume our campaign if we wanted to." His uncle continued.
"The third and most ambitious possibility is to go for Lannisport. Casterly Rock is sadly unassailable, especially with our numbers now. However, Lannisport is not. It would shatter Lannister invincibility to sack the economic center of the West under their own noses. This plan comes with its difficulties. First of all, there are still a few enemy castles between us and Lannisport, Sarsfield first among them. It would take weeks to take all of these and if we don't, we risk getting cut off from our supply lines. The second problem is the small Lannister army amassing in Lannisport. We expect there to be some two thousand men now, but it could grow quickly. If they are smart, they stay inside the city and man the walls with the city watch. It could be hell to get through that. Because of their connection to the sea, we could never siege them out and we would have to assault. It could be a bloodbath." his uncle finished up.
All nobles looked at the map in thought. After a few moments of silence, Jon spoke up. "It seems to me that the key to all three plans is Sarsfield. It could help lower morale of the Westerlands and give us the spoils we want. It could help isolate the Golden Tooth and it could pave the way for our march on Lannisport. Why don't we attack there first and decide later?"
Everybody looked at the map with new interest, tracking Jon's words. "That could work." Ser Brynden said. "Aye, but we would leave ourselves open to possible reprisals by Houses Kenning, Prester and Banefort. If they try to disrupt our communications or supplies, we could be hard pressed." The Smalljon countered.
"The Baneforts are no threat. If we garrison the Crag here, they couldn't get south without taking it back. The Kennings and Presters can be countered and slowed by our raiding parties. They would need their men to stabilize the region after our men left and they would lose soldiers, wealth and materials in the attacks themselves." Jon said, more and more confident.
"Aye, but what poor bastards would we leave here in the Crag?" The Smalljon responded, clearly not wanting the job.
Jon looked at him with a smile and he smiled back. "The Freys of course, who else?" his brother said with a huge grin. Now all around the table chuckled and nodded.
"Good, are we all in agreement? We will await the result of the battle in the Riverlands and act accordingly. In the meantime, more raiding parties will be sent west to harass the Kennings and Presters. I plan to send the Ryswells there in the coming days. Maybe a Frey detachment or Lord Deddings as well. I will make sure they will be back in time if House Lannister breaks through." He finalized the discussions.
All nodded. "Then there is only one more thing I would like to discuss. Tywin's plot needs to be answered. Some of you have made it clear the past few days that if I don't respond to this, the plots will keep coming. I cannot allow this to happen, how long will it be before he tries to target my family?"
"Aye, we agree but how will you strike back?" Dacey asked.
"I intend to finally use our Lannister hostages to send him a message. I will make him see what happens when he plays by his own rules. We will start with Ser Jaime and I hope he gets the message, as I have no intention of killing children." He responded, as he thought about the blond-haired boys in the dungeons of Riverrun and Ashemark. They even had his sister's sons as well, if need be. Officially they were Freys yes, but in truth they were Lannisters in all but name.
"You would send the fucker the Kingslayer's head?" The Smalljon asked, an eyebrow raised. The Umber heir was clearly not against the idea, but it seemed like he was sceptical about him following through on it.
"No, not his head. His sword hand will do. To make sure he never lifts up arms against the North again. I don't want you or your families to experience what Daryn, Edd or Os had to experience." He said grimly and he could feel the room harden. Many here had been friends with either one of the boys in question or their fathers.
"You sure, Robb? If you do this, Tywin's wroth will be immense." The Blackfish asked.
"Yes, I am. They unjustly killed my father, uncle. The man in question killed my brother-in-law. Still now, they are plotting my demise in the shadows. This needs to be answered. Otherwise how long will it take before I find daggers in my or my family's rooms at night." he said with hardened resolve.
His uncle looked him in the eye for a long while, before agreeing. "It is time that gold prick is put down from his self-acclaimed pedestal anyway."
He looked around, but all seemed in silent agreement. Most had wanted him to take his head before, so it was not that surprising. "I still think his head would be a better message and I think Harry and Os would agree, but I think his sword hand is a nice start." Torr finally joined in.
He looked at his brother-in-law and nodded. "I will send the raven on the morrow. Now that is all for today." All men trickled out except Jon.
"There is someone who wants to meet you. A captain under Dom's command. One of the commanders appointed in the Dustin company."
"Yes, Dom said something about that. Why didn't he join the raiding force?" He responded.
"He was injured on the shoulder in the taking of the castle. He is still recovering." His brother explained, as he motioned his hand through his newly grown beard.
He nodded in response, knowing exactly what that was like. "Help me in a chair here and let him in." he said. Dom had wanted this to happen for days, there should be something he needed to hear. "Do you want me to stay?" Jon asked.
"No that's fine. Grey Wind is with me and Flint is at the door, I'll be fine." he responded. Jon merely nodded. After he was seated on the chair and had received some extra cushions to make his position easier, Jon let the captain in. After sharing a look with him, he left and closed the door.
The man that entered seemed to be in his late thirties. He had a mop of light brown hair that was clearly combed for the occasion. He wore a nice yellow tunic and black pants, the Dustin colors. On the front was emblazoned a coat of arms. The arms were quartered. The top left and bottom right showed the axes and crown of the Dustins. The bottom left showed the grey stone hand of the Flints. The top right showed a running black wolf.
As the man entered, he immediately went to one knee and said. "Thank you for accepting my audience, Your Grace."
"Greetings, captain. Please, stand up. It is always with pleasure that I meet a loyal Northman, especially someone who has fought and bled for our cause. Although you do have me at a disadvantage, as I do not know your name." He responded, still a little awkward about the devotion his men showed him.
"I am Roderick Dustin, Your Grace." The captain responded.
This peeked his interest. "Dustin? As in Dustin from Barrow Hall?" He asked curiously.
"Yes and no, Your Grace. Yes, I am a descendant of that family, although I myself am from a lesser branch." Roderick responded.
"How much lesser?" He asked. The Dustin family running through his mind. He knew Lady Dustin was only a Dustin by marriage. To his knowledge, the late Lord William hadn't had any brothers, uncles or cousins to speak of. This was why his father had allowed her to keep in power. This and to placate her and her father Lord Ryswell. He had heard there were still some distant cousins in Barrowtown, although he never heard anything specific.
"I am a fourth cousin from the late Lord William, Your Grace." The man simply replied.
"Are you the eldest remaining Dustin relative, master Dustin?" He asked, trying to figure out why Dom would want him to speak to this man. It didn't make any sense. To all accounts, this man was a pretender to his aunt's titles.
"No, Your Grace. There is another family. They are also fourth cousins, but from a more senior line." The captain responded, as dutiful as before.
Now he was even more confused. He would need to get to the bottom of this. "Please sit, good man." He said, as he waved to the chair in front of him.
"Thank you, Your Grace." The man said, as he did so.
"Now, I must say I don't know the family tree of House Dustin intricately enough to understand all this. Would you care to explain? How many Dustin cousins are there?" He asked, giving the man a small smile. Hopefully that would help him to relax a little. It would do him good to learn more of this situation, as the Dustin succession would probably have to be dealt with during his reign.
"There are around five more families with male line Dustin descent, Your Grace. My family and the family I spoke about are closest. The others are further away, one even going to a ninth cousin or something." The man replied.
"Didn't any of you make a claim when Lord William died?" He asked surprised.
"One of us did, the former head of the aforementioned family. He tried to rally the warriors of the Barrowlands against Lady Barbrey, but most didn't want to fight after coming back from the Rebellion. The help Lady Barbrey got, militarily and financially, by Lord Ryswell did the rest." Roderick explained and he wasn't that surprised.
"Former head you said?"
"Yes, the man died two years later from an illness. Bad tongues say Lady Barbrey poisoned him, but I don't believe that to be true. He had been a third cousin and confidant of Lord William's father, although the late Lord William didn't like him and had dismissed him after his father died. His claim was taken up by his two young sons. They are now in their early twenties and travelled with the foot. Although I heard the youngest one died in the battle of the Green Fork." The Dustin cousin explained.
He mused over this information. After a while he continued his questioning. "Do any of these brothers have children?"
"No, Your Grace. Both are married to women of the local nobility, but none have any children." The answer came.
"So, if let's say Lady Barbrey was to die tomorrow and I would follow the Dustin inheritance. That would make you the heir to Barrow Hall?" He asked, eyeing the man for any reaction on this comment. If the man was greedy and wanted the titles, he would know. He heard Grey Wind shift forward as well, as if he knew he had to watch for dishonesty.
The man seemed perplexed by his question. "Well … I mean … I suppose so, Your Grace. I never really thought about it. We have always been so far away from the succession that it didn't really matter."
The man's surprise seemed honest. He decided there that he liked the man, after he looked at Grey for confirmation. The direwolf nodded and as such he had no reason to doubt him.
It still didn't make sense why Dom sent him here. Did he want him to make this man his aunt's heir over the other one? Why? Lady Barbrey might try to push one of her brothers or even Domeric himself as heir, although he could never accept that. Still it made for a weird situation.
He looked at the man in thought, until Roderick finally spoke. "If I may, Your Grace?"
"Yes of course, speak." He said, hoping the Dustin would clarify thing for him.
"Lord Domeric didn't ask me to speak with you on account of my father's family."
"He didn't?" He interrupted the man.
"No, Your Grace. He wanted me to speak of my mother's family." The captain replied.
"Your mother's family? Who is your mother?" He asked. The man was so far down the line he doubted his mother could have been very highborn. Maybe some cousin of another noble house in the North? Why would this concern him?
"My mother's name was Lysara Dustin, Your Grace. However, before she married my father, she was called Lysara Stark. She was named after her grandmother." The man replied.
Lysara Stark? He had seen that name before. Somewhere in the Stark family tree. He tried to think where he had seen it, but it didn't come as quickly as he had hoped.
The man helped him, before he embarrassed himself, for which he was glad. "My mother Lysara Stark was called after her grandmother, Lysara Stark formerly Karstark. She was the wife of Artos Stark and mother of her two sons Brandon and Benjen Stark."
Now he knew who they were talking about. He remembered the names from the family tree, even the son's names. "You are a descendant of Artos the Implacable?" He asked, completely stunned.
The man in front of him chuckled a little. "Yes, he was my great-grandfather, although my mother told me he never liked that name. My grandfather was his youngest son Benjen."
He looked at the man once more and only now he fully observed the man's grey eyes. All other parts of both his build and facial characteristics were plain, but the eyes were unmistakably Stark grey. They had the exact same color as his father's and Arya's. Jon's were a bit darker, but still unmistakably related.
"The … the eyes." he mumbled to himself. At this the man smiled. "Yes, I have my mother's eyes. Stark eyes she called them." The man said proudly. Suddenly he saw the man look at him in shock and embarrassment, clearly realizing that the Stark King he had spoken those words to did not have this trait.
"Yes, Stark eyes indeed. Don't worry Roderick, everyone knows I favor my mother in coloring. It's nothing to fuss about. Inside I am all Stark, the rest doesn't matter." He laughed it off. The man was clearly relieved by his reaction and bowed his head a little.
"Now let us continue. I know the story of Artos, I have even seen his statue in the crypts. Quite unusual for the brother of the lord to have a statue. I also knew he had two sons and my father once told me I had distant kin in Barrowton, but I never put them together. I know nothing of the story of your grandfather and his brother, let alone their descendants, would you care to tell it to me?" He got the story back on track. He was very interested in this story. How did Starks happen to end up in Barrowton and were there any Starks left?
"Of course, Your Grace." The man smiled, clearly happy with his interest in the matter.
"After Artos returned from the battle at Long Lake, he was immensely popular. He served his young nephew Lord Edwyle dutifully as regent for a few years before he died. In recognition of this and his victory, Edwyle had a statue build for him in the crypts. He was urged to do this by his other uncles Errold, who was a member of the Night's Watch, and Rodrik, the Wandering Wolf, another ancestor of yours."
"After his dead, a power struggle over the regency broke out between Artos' sons, Rodrik and Lord Edwyle's mother, Lady Melantha."
"She was a Blackwood." He responded, remembering his family tree.
"Indeed, she was." Roderick smiled, before continuing. "Lady Melantha won out in the end and a rift between the branches of House Stark was made. Errold seldom visited Winterfell after and Rodrik went to Essos and joined the Second Sons, a tale you will probably know."
He nodded, as the story of the Wandering Wolf had been a favorite of his Jon's, of Arya as well. "Errold died at the Wall and the rift between Rodrik and Edwyle was later mended through the marriage of Edwyle's only son Lord Rickard to Rodrik's daughter Lyarra."
"My grandparents, …" He mused. Roderick nodded. "Yes, they were your Lord father's parents. However, the rift between Artos' sons and Edwyle's line was never mended. After Lady Melantha became regent, both left for Barrowton. They were welcomed there, as Lady Dustin had been a sister of their mother Lysara."
"Artos Stark had amassed some wealth during his service for his lordly brothers and nephew. The brothers split this amongst themselves. Brandon, being the eldest, got the largest part. Brandon, with his share, bought some lands on the border between Dustin land and that of their vassals the Stouts. He married a cousin from House Ryswell and had three children, two sons and a daughter."
"His eldest son Artos was betrothed to a niece of Lord Ironsmith but died in an accident when he was twenty. His younger brother Donnor had taken his vows with the Night's Watch only a year before, but there was no way back. He died on a ranging around a decade later. As such the male line of Artos' branch died, as my grandfather had only daughters. Brandon's daughter Arsa inherited his lands and married the brother of Lord Stout. She died a long time ago, but they still have descendants. One of her sons, Benfred, died in the Rebellion, the other Ronnel Stout, still rules the lands and has sons of his own who have joined you on your march south." Roderick continued.
He tried to let all of it sink in. There were no male Starks left, but from the female line he had cousins, more than he could have imagined it seems as this was only Brandon's line.
"What about your grandfather's line?" he asked, very interested in this story. He would have to meet all of them. However distant, they were sort of kin.
"My grandfather married a cousin of House Flint of Flint's Finger. My grandmother was a feisty woman and she hated ironborn above all else. With his inheritance money and dowry, my father bought multiple shops in Barrowton and established himself in the city. The businesses did well and so he expanded in trade after a while. Nothing big, but he used the family connections to trade between Dustin, Ryswell and Flint lands." His distant kinsman started explaining once more.
"My grandparents got three daughters. The eldest, my mother, married my father Denys Dustin out of love. My grandfather only allowed it because of his Dustin descent. My father soon joined my grandfather in the business and became his right hand for dealing with trade. He also served as a favorable link to Barrow Hall after the old Lady Dustin had died." The story continued and he had to think about his father's ideas for infrastructure and trade in the lower regions of the North. Benjen Stark's family seemed to embody everything his father had wanted, albeit on a much smaller scale.
"Due to their name and considerable dowries, my aunts married well. The second daughter Berena married the third son of Lord Tallhart and established trade with Torrhen's Square. However, she soon died in childbirth and the link with House Tallhart disappeared, although the trade stayed. The youngest daughter Aregelle married a younger brother of Lord Slate. She had one daughter Margaret Slate, before dying from a sickness. The daughter married a vassal of House Slate and she has children, but I am not in contact with her. "
"Finally, my parents had three children, two sons and a daughter. My brother Benjicot Dustin died fighting at the Trident. My sister Berena married a barrow knight named Ser Helman Hornblower. Ser Helman died in the Greyjoy Rebellion. He was struck down as he saved my life. They have a son named Cregan, who is squiring for one of his father's friends. He joined with this knight on Lord Domeric's raid."
"It saddens me to hear so many of your family have died in service of my House. You honor me by still coming south when I asked." He replied, shocked to see what the recent wars had done to this man's family … his own family. He supposed all Northern families were like this. As he remembered that a lot of his friends had lost family in the Rebellion or on the Iron Isles. Now here they were, fighting another war and losing good men, where would it end …
"No honor is greater than serving Winterfell and House Stark, Your Grace. Especially a Stark King. The only thing I regret is that my father and grandfather aren't alive anymore to see it. They would have wept with joy. House Dustin and House Stark have lost a lot in the South, just as the whole North has. To finally free ourselves from their shackles is worth the pain the South has caused us twice over." The man said to him and he looked dead serious. It took him aback a little, but he silently vowed to never let the North be chained again, as long as he lived. He couldn't do that to these people who had lost their family for it.
"And you? Tell me about yourself? Do you have a family?" He finally asked, as the silence became too long.
"I do, Your Grace. I married a woman named Lyessa, from House Greybarrow. They are another sworn house sworn to the Dustins. They aren't particularly large or wealthy, but they are old and respected. My wife gave me two sons, William and Denys. The oldest, William, is twelve and Denys is nine. They are both safe in Barrowton. I took over the trade network from my father and grandfather. We still own some of the businesses, but some have gone to the Hornblowers as part of my sister's dowry. Our main focus is trade now."
"They have good and strong Dustin names." He smiled at Rockerick, who smiled back. "Yes, Your Grace. They were named after the late lord and my father respectively."
"If I may be honest, Your Grace. I served your Lord father in both his wars, as I serve you now. I am proud of it too, but after this war I hope for peace. War is bad for trade and I would like to see my sons raised without the need for them to take up a sword." Roderick said honestly and he could see both the resolve and the hope in the man's eyes.
"I hope so too, Roderick. My Queen is high pregnant now and I hope my child will know peace as much as yours." The Dustin man nodded appreciatively but remained quiet.
"You have given me a lot to think about, Roderick. If you would be so kind to hand me a family tree of Artos' descendants in the next few days, it would be greatly appreciated. I would like to know this distant family of mine. If your nephew or any of your cousins come back to the army, I would appreciate it if you sought another audience with me. I would like to meet my distant kin.
The man bowed low. "Me and my family are deeply honored to be considered as such, Your Grace. I will do as you ask. How may I deliver you the family tree?"
"Give it to my brother, if you see him. He will like to see it anyway. You are his kin as well." He responded simply. Happy because of the man's story and loyalty. Nonetheless he was becoming tired.
"Of course, Your Grace. I will deliver it soon." The man said with another bow as he left the room.
He appreciated the silence the room gave him, as he looked upon the wood of the small oaken table in front of him. He thought about his family tree. His family had just gotten a whole lot bigger. He tried to remember if there were any more branches he should be aware of. After long thinking he decided to map it off at Beron Stark, William and Artos' father. After that, most of the North was family.
All he could think about was some distant Royce cousins he didn't really know about and he vowed to ask Lord Yohn in his next letter. Besides that, only family from the female lines existed. Houses Locke, Flint, Blackwood and Royce came to mind and he would ask around for that. Bran had already told him about the Blackwood connection and his father had said some words about his grandmothers, but he would ask for more. They had just managed to free Ser Donnel Locke in a prisoner exchange, so he could ask him when he rejoined the foot.
He felt tired and laid on the bed. He turned on his side and put his right hand beneath his pillow. He quickly fell asleep. He dreamed of House Stark having a big family and being connected to most of the North's houses. Many youths and children were running around and some of them sported his red hair or blue eyes. He smiled in his sleep, as he was pulled even deeper into his dreams.
This is it for this chapter!
The longest one yet and a lot happens. The plot between the Spicers and Tywin is discovered and the Spicers are no more. Tywin is still untouchable, but his golden boy isn't. Ser Jaime will feel the cold vengeance of the North and be made an example of at last.
The war in the Riverlands continues. Lord Rickard didn't feel anything for allowing Tywin to grow his army with sellswords unchallenged. He achieved a minor victory, but more importantly cut off the harbor of Maidenpool. Reinforcements from Essos will only be able to come to Duskendale now and that is close to the Baratheon fleet. This will severely limit Tywin's ability to buy sellswords from now on.
Maidenpool got destroyed in response and Tywin marches west. Lord Rickard warns Robb of Edmure's plan for the battle of the Fords, but communication lines are probably too long to change the plan. The host plans for all possible outcomes in the Westerlands. Lord Rickard keeps the Twins garrisoned so they can't plan any funny business for now.
Robb meets an unlikely kinmen and the Dustin family is enlarged as I build up another few minor characters. I have played with this idea for a while, after messaging with one of you. The non-described issue of Brandon and Benjen always intrigued me, as well as the undescribed Vale cousins Robb and Catelyn talked about.
As most of the next chapters will be action packed, I really enjoy some character and family building in this fic. I will never create something mayor (here all actual Starks are long dead, so it's not that big a deal except for Robb wanting to connect with interesting distant cousins). Some more family building will happen, as Alys Stark is to give birth soon.
Hope you enjoyed this!
Fannic
Reviews:
- Kingmanaena: Thank you! House Umber will be out for blood yes, both in the north and the south.
- George Christian810: I don't understand this? First of all, the method they entered by is the same as in canon. I didn't change any of that. The swimming/climbing is all Martin for you. In addition, buildings can be burned down from the inside.
Second of all you stated in chapter 16 that you didn't like the story and were 'out'. Now you keep giving me bad reviews? I don't understand this. It is okay to not like a story, but why try to break down someone's work?
- Fahri Uchiha: Thank you!
- Miguelgiuliano co: It is … but in war people die. Theon is wanted by House Umber, that's for sure.
- Time Parad0x: In canon it has been stated they scaled the least manned portion of the wall and killed a guard on the wall in his sleep. They could do the same here.
The ironborn are expert swimmers and a lot of them don't wear heavy armor. Still less than a dozen climbed the wall, the other 120 were let in by the same gate as in canon.
Winterfell is huge and was almost taken. Only because it is so huge and has different barracks all over, it managed to fight back. They took half the castle unaware, the other half rallied and fought. If Arya hadn't fought than Theon would have dragged Alys and Bran into the courtyard to have them surrender the castle and it would have fallen. Theon only nearly failed, but he still managed to kill a lot of men and did a ton of damage.
The North is very cold. Inexperienced guards would have been standing around the fires. This would have blinded them to oncoming enemies until it was too late. Most guards' throats would have been slit. Possible dangers further off could be eliminated by throwing axes or bows. A lot less difficult when four guys shoot at one man at the same time.
Why they took most of the experienced ones? Rodrik was going into battle and had need of the men, while in his eyes Winterfell was as safe as it could ever be. No enemy had been spotted within a hundred miles of Winterfell, only Halys' paranoia after the Hornwood saved House Stark.
You ignore the fear factor these beasts might cause. Not one of the ironborn expected them, they expected to easily round up some nobles. They didn't come prepared and trickled in piece meal. Besides that, they did almost kill Nymeria and she was only freed by Lady and is still so wounded she is out for weeks.
Storm's End is a totally different castle and smaller than Winterfell. They also weren't surprise attacked while in perceived safety.
The garrison of Torrhen's square was very low, some went with Robb, some died with Benfred, as such it could work. The siege was mostly meant as a distraction for Theon, as in canon. In canon Dagmer Celfjaw also got away after the battle with a portion of his men. Here it is the same, although he brought more men and more died.
It is also clearly stated in the letter that Rodrik didn't pursue them too much. The ironborn probably broke at first contact and many of the kills were those that were chased and ran down. The Northmen didn't chase all of them, on orders of Rodrik and Halys.
- Greatazuredeagon: Thank you! Arya will always have a wild streak, even if she's a lot better behaved now.
Catelyn will have to come to grips with the fact that she has no actual power in Winterfell anymore, except for the power won by respect and habit over the years and what Robb gives her. As Robb hasn't even been North, let alone gave instructions, there is a lot of doubt by the nobles and staff on who to turn to now.
We'll see what Catelyn does, now she has dropped almost all responsibility to care for Arya, like she did for Bran in canon.
- Supremus85: Moat Cailin wasn't fully repaired at all. It still has no walls, the clearing of rubble might have made it even easier to take for now. No one was looking/scouting to the west and they were totally surprised until they were almost under the towers. Still the garrison was big and the fight fierce and they managed to kill a lot of ironborn due to the fortress' build and the archers positioned in the three remaining towers. Besides the ironborn are usually unruly, but the men from the ironfleet less so!
- Kuman: They killed/maimed some 12 men. They couldn't freely attack all of them due to the tight space. The Umbers, her father and brothers but also her (great-)uncles, will definitely want to avenge her.
The way they got into the castle was 100% canon. I didn't change any of that. Martin knows his castles better than I ever will so I will respect this. Theon did know every weakness of the castle.
- The Prussian Gamer: Thank you! ;-)
- Force Smuggler: Rodrik will be home soon a lot earlier than canon, as he doesn't have to amass a force to retake the castle.
- Wolf's Pizza: Thank you! Both are crafty and will have their parts to play.
When Lady came, they had severely wounded Nymeria and had her trapped in a corner. She broke loose because of Lady's help, but without the waves of guards helping, they would have been killed. The wolves managed to get some relief and in a better defensive stance all the time the guards fought, without it they would have been overwhelmed and the ironborn knew this.
Theon will resurface.
Doran would not get Dorne into this war for nothing. They have nothing to win with either Lannisters or Baratheons and the Starks are too far away. Besides, for now it still looks like Stannis will wipe out King's Landing so the Martells will be too late anyway.
Oberyn will always obey Doran and knows of his plans, Arianne does not. So, problems will come from her, if any come at all. Doran will still want his children on the Iron Throne and hope for Daenerys to come to Westeros.
Jon will come out of his shell even more in the next two chapters.
- Poly19hum: Thank you!
- Osterreicher97: They still managed to distract most of Winterfell's defenses. Theon's party with which he attacked Winterfell was also over four times as big as canon, so he dared more.
- Wolflord456: Yes, Brienne is dead. House Caron might go extinct, but maybe (as Rolland is dead already) Bryce might plan his succession beforehand as he is going in to war. Maybe some cousin, far off bastard, … might be appointed to keep the House alive.
- Guest1: Wow!
