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Chapter 12
Return of the Young Wolf
(Riverlands)
Ser Bryden Tully had not believed the news he had received a few weeks ago- ones that proclaimed his eldest great-nephew had been crowned as King of the North, Riverlands and the Vale.
Yet now it was proven true when King Robb Stark returned to his side with the might of the Vale behind him.
It was an astonishing sight for the 18,000 strong Northern and Riverlands army to watch the arrival of the Young Wolf with thousands upon thousands of Valemen marching by his sight. The infamous Vale Cavalry flanked their King with the infantry and a long line of supply wagons following after them for miles.
"How many are there?" asked the Blackfish eagerly,
"The Scouts say 32,000 or little more, my lord" reported one of his commanders with a wide grin,
"Summon all the Northern and Riverlords" commanded Brynden quickly,
In less than an hour, their King had arrived by their side and was greeted by all the Northern and Riverlords who swiftly knelt before him with the Blackfish taking the lead. Greywind looked at them with a judging gaze as they all pledged their oaths to Robb Stark as their King officially.
Edmure Tully having returned from a disastrous diplomatic mission to the Reach which had utterly failed was quick to swear the Riverlands to Robb's rule.
Lord Bolton and Lord Cerwyn lead the rest of Northern lords in declaring Robb as King of the North.
The Vale lords led by Lord Royce participated in the pledge once more to swear their fealty if only to reassure the Northern and Riverlords who had not been present when Lysa had swore her Kingdom to the young Stark.
With the formalities completed, Robb gave a firm nod of respect for the support before asking all the lords to rise.
He then made a statement which surprised most present.
"I received a letter from my brother-Jon last night. His Strike force has taken the Golden Tooth and completely crushed the second Lannister host that was being raised by Stafford Lannister. The way into the Westerlands is open" declared Robb, pride visible on his face clearly on the achievements of his half brother.
The plethora of lords especially the Northern and Riverlords who had not yet received word were jubilant upon hearing of the important victory, but Robb calmed them down quickly.
"As many of you know recently, the Reach has aligned themselves with the Lannister's now. That brings their combined fighting strength to more than 70,000 men atleast. Twenty thousand more than our own at present, a serious challenge" informed Robb gravely,
"Fucking roses! Didn't take them long to abandon Renly, no honor among the Reachmen!" cursed Lord Hunter from the Vale,
"What's done is done. We need to adapt our strategy to defeat the Reach and the Westerlands now. At present, they are tied down thwarting Stannis from taking the Capital. If he falls, their next target will be us. It will be folly to face their combined army in open battle so this is my plan of action. A twin Strike campaign" announced Robb decisively,
The King pointed his finger at the battle map placed before them all.
"Jon has opened the gates of the Westerlands for us, we need to use this opportunity to its full potential. I will take 30,000 of our men and invade it swiftly taking as many castles and its noble families hostage before marching on Casterly Rock. The seat of House Lannister will be put to siege, from there I will divide our host and take a quicker host through the Ocean Road first towards Old Oak to destroy it completely before striking at our real target" explained Robb, as he expertly pointed his way at the map.
"Highgarden" whispered Roose Bolton with a raised eyebrow, many other lords seemed surprised at the extremely bold plan.
"The Reach is the true strength of our enemies in terms of men, gold, resources and most importantly supplies that feed their armies. Sieging Casterly Rock is better than storming it unless I see workable plans when I am in the field, Highgarden on the other will be difficult as well but not impossible to capture. Smaller companies will be split from there to either seize or destroy the supplies feeding the Lannister-Tyrell forces from key Reach lands" answered Robb,
"Without constant supplies, their army would starve especially the cavalry which needs thousands of tons of fodder each day. With no supplies now possible to come from the Westerlands, the Reach remains their largest source of logistics and supply. Break it and you will cripple their army. If Highgarden falls, the Tyrell's will panic and send a sizeable portion of their forces to recapture it. You may not be able to hold them off" warned Brynden Tully,
"They can have their Castle back should the situation be too troublesome, minus all its riches and supplies. If that comes to pass, I will retreat back to the Westerlands where we would have built sufficient defenses to thwart any pursuers. The Invasion into the Reach is to cripple their logistics and supply network, the storming of the Westerlands is to take the Castles and lands of Tywin's bannermen alongwith their families hostage. Together, their force can defeat our own but break their supply lines and it will hurt them and make them split their forces which gives us greater chances of crushing them with the numbers on equal footing at very best"
Most of the lords looked quite pleased with the plan proposed by their King and nodded their consent, but Edmure had another question.
"What of the Riverlands? With you and a good portion of our armies in the West and the Reach, it will weaken our position here!" warned Edmure gravely,
"Lord Brynden will take up command of the remaining 20,000 of our forces to maintain our hold in the Riverlands. Lord Edmure will defend the Red Fork and Riverrun, while Lord Bryden will hold the lines at Harrenhal. Your objective is to push back the Lannister's if they try to rush back into their lands. I will leave small reinforcements at the border of the Westerlands, my brother Bran has also positioned a sizeable Northern force at Moat Cailin. These two forces will be ordered to march to your aid should the Lannister's break through" answered Robb decisively, leaving no room for further questioning of his orders with a stern gaze at Edmure and all the other Riverlords.
"Speaking of Harrenhal, I still see Lannister banners flying over it" commented Roose Bolton,
"The Lannister's left 500 men under Amory Lorch and the Brave Companions to defend it. I didn't wish to waste precious men assaulting it until reinforcements arrived from the Vale. The 18,000 men under my command were the only force standing between Tywin and his lands as well as the Riverlands" replied Bryden tersely,
Robb was not pleased but accepted the decision knowing until recently the support of the Vale was still in doubt. His great-uncle had taken a reasonable, if not a conservative decision.
"I have not been sitting idle though, we have heavily fortified our positions across the Red Fork and bolstered Riverrun's defenses greatly. We have also built Siege engines and towers to storm Harrenhal when our reinforcements arrived which they have now" added Bryden Tully, if only to placate some of the Vale lords who were looking at him with contempt.
"That was a good call, Ser Bryden. Give a few hours for our forces to rest and inform the enemy garrison that should they not surrender the Castle before sunrise tomorrow, then we will storm their gates and put all of their heads on spikes. We have 50,000 men now- they may hold for a few hours but a concentrated assault from all directions will crush them" ordered Robb,
"You cannot allow the Brave companions led by Vargo Hoat to surrender. The man butchered hundreds of innocent Riverland smallfolk, raped our women and burnt our fields alongwith the Mountain!" protested Edmure fiercely, earning firm nod from many of his bannermen.
Robb sighed but knew there was some truth in his Uncle's protest, he could not execute prisoners after they surrendered even vile ones like Vargo Hoat and his men under his name. His eyes then landed upon Lord Roose Bolton...
"I am tired from my long journey, my lords. We will decide on the fate of the prisoners should they surrender, if they do not then they shall pay with their lives by tomorrow. Get some rest before we start working on the campaign, I will have a detailed set of orders regarding everyone's role by tonight" ordered Robb,
Understanding the dismissal, all the lords and some of their heirs who were present started filtering out.
After an hour, he asked one of his guards to summon Lord Bolton as discreetly as possible. The Lord of Dreadfort didn't take long to arrive and looked at him with his ever calm if unnerving gaze.
"Lord Bolton, I would like you do me the honor of negotiating a surrender with the enemy garrison in your name. You will be given custody of the Lannister's alongside Vargo Hoat and his men afterwards should they lay down arms" said Robb seriously, and looked the lord straight in the eye.
"And what should I do with them afterwards should they surrender?" asked Roose carefully, making Robb clench his fists.
"Nothing immediately. But prisoners sometimes attempt a breakout and I remember your House's words quite well"
Our Blades are Sharp.
For the first time in this entire war, Roose raised a surprised eyebrow and looked at the Stark King with great curiosity.
"Most certainly, Your Grace. Though some of the more honorable lords may not look at my actions favorably afterwards. My word may also be questioned by a select few who have no love for my House" said Roose frankly,
"Your sacrifice will be remembered and repaid in full, my lord"
Roose looked at the young Stark in a new light for a long moment before nodding. Robb closed his eyes and seemed distraught for a moment until Roose said something which surprised him.
"A King's word is of great importance, sometimes he needs to give orders that maybe less honorable. For such occasions, loyal vassals can be always called upon to answer to protect their King's honor over their own. The fact that you do realize this fact speaks well for your future and this War" said Roose carefully,
"Only under the most exceptional circumstances and these hyenas in the form of men fit the bill. Do keep that in mind, my lord" replied Robb frankly, earning a curt nod from the Lord of Dreadfort.
"I have one request though, Your Grace. If you may consider" said Roose, and judging from Robb's knowing gaze he knew it was anything but if he were to ask Lord Bolton to sully his honor.
"Name it"
"We are at War. Should I perish, my house would too since my trueborn son-Domeric unfortunately died in an accident sometime ago. I have a natural son by the name of Ramsey- I would request you to consider legitimizing him so my line doesn't end with me. As King now, you have the power to safeguard my House's future" spoke Roose curtly, surprising Robb further.
"Are you sure about this, my lord? You are still in good health and should the War go in over favor, a good marriage offer might be coming your way as the second most powerful family in the North. Any trueborn children you may have afterwards may face great trouble. I would hate to be the one bringing any conflict within your House" answered Robb carefully,
"Your concern is appreciated, Your Grace. But until such time, I do need to secure my House's future. Ramsey is the answer to that"
Robb wondered over the request for a long moment, granting Roose this request might go a long way in strengthening his faith. A marriage for Roose may take a while and it was possible the lord could die in the War, he may even not have children even if he married or not have sons and have daughters instead.
But not all bastards were like Jon, and he had heard some disturbing rumors of the Bolton Bastard in the past from some of his bannermen.
Refusing Roose outright would be an insult, certainly after what Robb was asking him to do.
"I would like to meet your natural son. If he is to become the heir to one of my most powerful vassals, I will measure the man first and his conduct. Should he not be worthy, I will personally see that you have a marriage pact with a considerable dowry from a bride from a respectful noble house so that your line and House may continue into the future" decided Robb,
"My bastard is in the North, Your Grace" pointed Roose, with not a hint of an emotion present on his face.
"He may join us in the campaign into the Westerlands and the Reach. I believe one finds their true friends and allies on a battlefield, a worthy place to measure a man's mettle. Certainly of a powerful House like yours, my lord"
Roose looked at him for a moment before nodding as the two men came to an agreement.
When the older lord departed, Robb saw only then Greywind slightly relax a little from his corner making him smile a little. It would seem his direwolf shared his concern towards the former enemies of their House.
(Next Day)
The sight of 50,000 men surrounding you was a horrifying sight, Robb thought.
The threat of everyone of those men attacking you at once and butchering you was a death sentence. The Lannister Garrison was outnumbered by 100 to 1 and the sight of Lord Bolton's banners of a flayed man at the front unnerved the defenders even further.
Under the flag of parley, the Lord of Dreadfort delivered the terms of surrender and assured the defenders his personal protection.
Should they refuse, the Stark King would order their slaughter immediately.
The sight of siege engines and long towers for the assault expertly placed by Ser Bryden all around the mighty castle, in good view of the defenders was enough to drive home the message.
By the time the morning rays of sunlight had reached the Riverlands- the mighty castle of Harrenhal had been surrendered.
It was mostly due to the fact that Vargo Hoat and his men turned upon their Lannister allies, most of Tywin's men were slaughtered including their leader- Amory Lorch.
Robb looked on in disgust when Vargo Hoat proudly presented their severed heads to Lord Bolton while also proposing to join the Stark forces. He was content when Roose didn't acknowledge the offer and took the Brave Companions prisoner with the message of relaying the offer to the Stark King at best.
It only strengthened his decision over the fate of these Essosi sellsword scum he had decided with Lord Bolton yesterday. Not only had they slaughtered innocents but also betrayed their employer and former comrades without hesitation.
These men must die and Lord Bolton would see to that.
He allowed himself a brief smile when his entire army cheered when the Stark banner was raised over Harrenhal as Robb marched through its gate with a considerable protection detail.
His good mood didn't last long when he was informed of the slaughter a dozen Northern and Riverlander prisoners from the Battle of the Green Fork. Their butchered bodies were left to rot by the Lannister's and their sellswords.
The most notable being the corpses of Ser Wylis Manderly- heir to White Harbor, alongwith three Frey's- Jared, Hosteen and Danwell.
There were also a small group of smallfolk who were apparently tortured to death.
"Monsters...all of them" cursed Robb furiously,
"We should inform Lord Manderly of the death of his heir as well as Lord Frey for his own kin. Their bones must be returned, Your Grace" informed Lord Royce sadly,
"Yes, we should at once. The smallfolk are also to be given a proper burial. Lord Bolton!" snapped Robb, making the older lord stand firm.
"Find out who is responsible for this inhuman massacre from the enemy prisoners. Should they still be among the living- Make them die painfully by sunset, if they are dead then let their corpses be feasted on by crows for they gave no such respect to these prisoners and innocent people. Our dead will be avenged!" ordered Robb icily,
Lord Bolton nodded swiftly and as he went out to carry his orders, the Northmen and Riverlanders alike stepped forward somberly to collect the dead for last rites joined by men of the Vale.
Robb could only watch the proceedings with a heavy heart, the brief victorious feeling of capturing Harrenhal now disappearing from his heart.
"Your Grace, your direwolf has found another set of prisoners who are still alive if barely!" informed Lord Redfort, as he came rushing towards him. Robb nodded and followed after the Vale lord with his guards marching alongside him considering he had not yet decided to appoint a Kingsguard of his own. Another problem for which many of the lords were pestering him to accept their second or third sons, even distant cousins.
Dismissing that from his mind for now, he followed Lord Redfort and soon enough came upon the still alive prisoners. All smallfolk being urgently attended to by his men.
He frowned when he saw a distraught Grey Wind looming over a small body, possibly a boy or a girl who looked beaten and starved severely.
His eyes widened in horror when his direwolf shifted a little to lick at the child's wounds and gave Robb a glimpse of their face.
"ARYA!"
His guards and Lord Redfort were surprised over hearing his anguished cry as Robb shoved them aside and rushed towards his youngest sister madly. Uncaring of the filth all around him, he crashed by her side and swept her in his arms.
He was aghast upon seeing the bruises upon her body and could barely hear a heartbeat, there was a fat boy and a burly lad with coal black hair nearby who were in even worse condition. The stronger of the boys looked at him weakly...
"Vargo...did...this..."
The boy collapsed after whispering those haunting words as tears arrived in Robb's eyes as he frantically looked at his men as the life seeped out of his sister's body.
"Get a healer, NOW!"
Mya Stone had been urgently summoned alongwith all other capable and trusted women in the camp to aid the best healers they had available. Their sole patient was the newly found but on the brink of death Princess Arya Stark.
The King was by his young sister's side for every moment, looking completely broken and grief struck like never before.
There were tears in his eyes as he looked at the state Arya was in, the Stark King was filled with blood rage and already the Brave Companions were being put to the sword quite painfully under the crude command of Lord Roose Bolton who for once was freely allowed to carry out his House's grave methods of ending lives.
None in the army dared complain or raised a word of objection, certainly not after witnessing what these Essosi sellswords and Lannister's had done within Harrenhal and learning what they had also done across the Riverlands.
After several hours, a Volantene healer strangely in the Stark camp and currently leading the care of Princess Arya Stark approached Robb.
"Tell me" said Robb worriedly,
"She and her companions were badly beaten, Your Grace. They have also been severely starved as such there is great damage within her body which is still very young. We have done all we can for her" said Lady Talisa compassionately,
"You cannot let her die! I will not allow it!" ordered Robb furiously, earning only a sympathetic nod from the healer.
"We will do our best, but the odds of her survival are less"
Mya had to jump in and personally step in the way and prevent Robb from doing something untoward in his rage and grief towards the healers. That act alone and the fear he saw in the woman's eyes within the tent made him look away in shame over his conduct.
"Forgive me, my ladies. Please do all you can for my sister! I will give everything to see her saved" said Robb almost pleadingly, as he walked outside to get some air with a furious Greywind following after him.
The true cruelties of war were explicitly laid before Mya which shocked her to the core.
"The King will not forgive this. If the Princess dies..." said Lady Talisa hesitantly,
"The Westerlands and House Lannister will burn alongwith her corpse to ash" whispered Mya in dreadful realization,
Robb stood within one of the vast dungeons of Harrenhal having just received news that the Fat Boy found beside his sister had died. The other boy who had revealed Vargo Hoat and the Lannister men's inexcusable crime was near the brink of death- the same as Arya.
He stood alongside Lord Bolton as the Dreadfort men were busy torturing the sellswords while Vargo Hoat was made to watch as his men died horribly.
"Your Grace, you need not be here" suggested Roose calmly,
"These men tortured my sister, our men and the people of these lands. They will not get a quick and painless death, I cannot help Arya but I will see the ones who harmed her pay with their blood" replied Robb with a cold rage the Bolton Lord had never before seen in the Stark King, not even one when Ned Stark was executed.
"Some of the Lords won't be comfortable with this harsh order" warned Roose,
"I don't care! What these hyenas did to my sister will not go unpunished. That is my decision!"
Roose didn't say anything more as the screams got even louder and Robb wondered that if his honorable father would approve of such an action if he had been in Robb's place.
"Jon will never forgive the Lannister's for what they did to our sister" said Robb grimly,
"He will seek vengeance even more than His Grace despite being a bastard?" asked Roose curiously, earning a sharp look from the King.
"He may not be trueborn son of my father, but the same blood flows through his veins. He and Arya were very close, he will seek the blood of the Westerlords for the blood of our sister" answered Robb in a grave voice,
"Do you wish me to issue any commands on your behalf to him?" asked Roose seriously,
"First see to it that these scum die painfully and assemble all the lords once it is done. I have a declaration to make" ordered Robb, before turning around and walking away.
Lords from the North, Riverlands and Vale had been assembled by Roose upon the King's command. Most looked grim after the events of the day and the sentence carried upon the criminals who had harmed their Princess.
The severity of the crime and the barbarism of Tywin's men had ensured not a single lord raised a word of the way in which the prisoners were tortured to death by the Boltons on Robb's own orders.
Not that they could when they saw the fury in their King's eyes still burning hot.
"The Lannisters murdered my Father and his men alongside Lord Jon Arryn in the Capital to cover their crimes, they still torment my sister Sansa, and tortured as well as starved my sister Arya to near death, crippled my brother- Bran, butchered our men taken as prisoners including the heir of one of my bannermen, raped and pillaged upon the smallfolk of the Riverlands...there is no end to their crimes" began Robb harshly,
"This goes beyond anything we have ever seen except what was done by the Mad King, Your Grace" agreed Lord Royce bitterly,
"I agree which is why I have sent men to rescue Sansa from the Capitol. If I hear news of their success, then the ravens will fly from Riverrun immediately to all castles across the Seven Kingdoms with this decree in my name as King:
House Lannister is hereby stripped of all lands, incomes, titles and rights for all their crimes which will also be published in every letter we send to each lord. They will no longer be regarded as Lord Paramounts of the Westerlands under my reign. Their family will end one way or another and the very first to face my justice will be the Kingslayer himself followed by the rest of his treacherous kin.
Any bannermen of theirs who continue to support these monsters shall meet the same fate. House Tyrell and the Reach lords may face similar consequences should they not abandon Tywin and Jofferey at the earliest.
Both the Westerlands and Reach bannermen sworn to these Houses who bend the knee or choose to stay neutral atleast by exiting from this war at the earliest will be spared.
We will destroy House Lannister root and stem so that their stain never touches upon the Seven Kingdoms again.
This war will be fought to the bitter end.
Eery silence reigned across the tent as all the lords looked at their King in shock for there had only been one true monarch in the history of the Seven Kingdoms who had truly ordered the destruction of an ancient and great House which had ruled for thousands of years.
Aegon- The Conqueror.
"There will not be any going back once we do this, Your Grace" said Edmure hesitantly, some fear clearly evident on his face.
"Aye, there won't"
The Northmen stood firm upon hearing that firm reply from their King without hesitation, many of the Riverlords and few from the Vale did the same.
"Send Jon the quickest available reinforcements he has asked for in the Westerlands at once. I will join him with my own host soon once I have seen that Arya recovers. Tell him of what has happened in full detail" commanded Robb,
"And what shall be your orders for him, Your Grace?" asked Ser Brynden carefully, and earned a cold glare from the King.
"Unleash the fury of winter in the West!"
Author's Notes: End of chapter.
Hope you guys liked it.
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Until Next Time,
Blackwolf501