Loras Tyrell is arrogant, short-tempered, and impetuous. When his anger gets the best of him, he'll act way before he thinks.

Robb IX

The comet had appeared in the sky sometime before their ambush of the Kingslayer. Some of the men had seen it as they lay in wait to spring the trap, but most of them had been too concerned with what was happening on the ground to pay any attention to the sky above them. It looked like someone had cut the heavens and left a bloody gash in the sky behind.

Everyone declared it a blessing from the gods, some said the old, while others said the new. No matter which gods sent it, everyone agreed it could only mean one thing; that their cause was righteous and they would be granted victory by whichever of the gods they believed in. The gods were blessing the Wolves of Winter, the Young Wolf and the White Wolf, who had led them to victory and captured the Kingslayer.

Directly after the battle, Robb had the five hundred infantry start cleaning up the battlefield. That meant collecting their wounded for the few healers they had, stripping the dead of valuable armor and weapons, and gathering the prisoners. They hadn't just taken Ser Jaime Lannister prisoner, they had captured Lord Quenten Banefort, the heir to Hornvale Ser Tytos Brax, Lord Regenard Estren, Lord Garth Greenfield, Lord Gawen Westerling, and three of the Kingslayer's cousins - Cleos Frey, Tion Frey, and Willem Lannister. Plus another two hundred men who were a mixture of men-at-arms and sellswords. The rest of the force had been killed, either in the battle itself or afterwards as the assigned men moved through the carnage and killed the Lannister wounded who suffered from more than minor injuries.

He led the cavalry a half mile to the south and had them set camp for the night. Though camp was too strong of a word as they didn't dig ditches or set up stakes. They didn't even set up the tents and cots. Shifts were assigned for guard duty and then they slept on the ground, some men falling asleep while still in their armor.

While the infantry stayed behind with the wounded and prisoners, the cavalry would continue onwards. Riverrun was still over half a day's ride and he wanted his men to get as much sleep as possible, something they haven't had a chance to get since leaving the Twins, with the hope that they'd be good and rested in time to descend upon the besiegers by tomorrow evening.

When the morning dawned and the sun began to creep into the sky, Robb had found himself dragged from the land of dreams. He sent Grey Wind to wake up Jon and Theon, and then sent them to wake up the other nobles of his war council. Despite the sun starting to chase away the darkness of night, the comet was still visible, looking to be in about the same place in the sky it had been last night before he had drifted off to sleep. As he waited for everyone to gather he used a stick to draw in the dirt a representation of Riverrun and the three hosts that besieged it. Normally he'd have a table and maps but those had been left behind with the infantry when he left the Twins.

"This is Riverrun," Robb said, tapping the center of his drawing once the leading lords and knights were gathered. "We can hit the northern camp tonight after sunset, and if we're quick about it we'll be able to meet the eastern and western camps when they try to cross the river to come to the northern camp's aid."

"May I make a suggestion?" Uncle Brynden asked.

"By all means Uncle, this is the land of your family after all."

His great-uncle drew his sword from the sheath and extended the line in the dirt that was supposed to be the Tumblestone farther west. "There is a ford you can use to cross the Tumblestone about four leagues upriver from Riverrun." An X was drawn to indicate the ford. "Been there since I was a boy."

Robb stared at his dirt drawing for a moment, his mind spinning with possibilities. "I imagine they'd be keeping Uncle Edmure in the western camp, since that's the quickest retreat to the Westerlands. So we'd want to hit it, and prevent them from leaving with their prisoners. Or worse, executing them before fleeing."

"So we cross at this ford?" Ser Patrek Mallister asked, eye's focused on the X drawn in the dirt.

Robb shook his head. "No, and yes. I will take a portion of the cavalry and cross at the ford. Uncle Brynden, you will be in charge of the main host of the calvary. Tonight, after dinner, I want you to hit the northern camp. Shortly after you do so, I'll hit the western camp."

Ser Ryman Frey looked at the dirt drawing with a frown. "Will you be able to get your cavalry in position in time?"

"It will be close but if we leave now, we can do it."

Robb left most of the northern cavalry with his uncle because garrons weren't the fastest of mounts. He selected two hundred of the Stark cavalry that used coursers, and would take with him the Riverlands cavalry of the Freys, Mallisters, and the eighty cavalry that Ser Marq and Ser Damon had left from the Battle of Riverrun. Combined with those who acted as his personal guard he had about 1250 cavalry.

He made the northern members of his personal battle guard who rode garrons swap out the smaller, more sure footed horses for the larger and faster coursers and destriers, which included Jon, despite his reluctance. Jon's garron had been a gift from the Umbers at the end of his fostering with them.

They rode hard for hours, and hard riding left little room for conversation. Robb wouldn't let them rest until they found and crossed the ford Uncle Brynden had mentioned. It took them just after midday to find it. It was deeper than expected, the water coming up to their feet. It was a good thing he had them switch out from the northern garrons, who would have struggled crossing the water and had their riders soaked up to their knees.

Once across they stopped for the midday meal, hard bread and strips of dried meat washed down with watered down wine. The horses were allowed to graze and drink from the river. Some of the horses took the opportunity to lay down along the banks, but the rest was short-lived. If they wanted to arrive to attack the western camp shortly after Uncle Brynden attacked the northern camp then they would need to continue at their frenzied pace so despite their tired mounts, Robb pushed on.

Hours later, with the sun having already set, Robb could see the flames of campfires in the distance. He brought the entire column to a stop and strained his ears. It was hard to hear anything over the panting of the horses but the old gods were good to them as the moon was bright in the sky and there were few clouds to block it's light, giving them enough to see clearly.

"Jon, see if the attack on the northern camp has started."

Jon didn't respond, but he did move his horse forward at a slow pace, Ghost moving silently at his side. After a few moments both his brother and Ghost disappeared into the darkness.

As the horses caught their breath, Robb thought he could faintly hear shouting. They were still a distance away, but if he squinted, there was definitely movement in the camp. Dark figures kept moving in front of the flames. There was activity, he just didn't know what kind.

He wondered if they had arrived too late. If the battle was already over and the western camp was on high alert it would be foolish to attack. All he would get was his men needlessly slaughtered.

Ghost appeared from the dark, startling a few of the men. Jon was right behind his direwolf.

"It started," Jon said, voice solemn. "Men from the western camp are trying to cross the river."

"Then we arrived just in time. Move out!"

He kicked his heels into the side of his horse and started forward at a walk, Jon falling into line with the rest of the cavalry behind them. As of sensing what needed to be done, Grey Wind and Ghost took off ahead of the horses.

As they drew closer, Robb could see that Ghost and Grey Wind had each killed one of the sentries that guarded the gates and were already bounding towards others who instead of sounding the alarm were running in terror. Most of the attention from the Lannister men was turned toward the northern camp, where a fierce fight was taking place, and even the sentries had forgotten their senses and duty.

Robb urged his horse, and the cavalry behind him, into a trot. The camp was defended with two lines of trenches and stakes. During the day there were gaps between the trenches and the stakes that allowed one to pass into and out of the camp. And the gaps in the two lines of defenses were not in a straight line. The second one was twenty feet to the left of the first one. At night, the gap in the stakes was filled with a movable row of stakes to prevent cavalry from rushing through at night, like they planned on doing

A few dozen men rode ahead of the rest of them, some falling on the other outer sentries, while the rest moved to the gap in the trench. They dismounted from their horses and worked as a team to move the stakes out of the way. More poured through the opening in the first line of defenses, some too eager as their horses fell into the second trench or tried to jump the trench only to be impaled on the stakes behind it.

Soon the second section of stakes was moved out of the way. Robb commanded his men to move slowly between the two lines of defenses but once they passed the inner defenses, they could run free.

And run free they did. Even though shouts went up about their presence, and many of those who had been waiting to cross the river now turned toward them, armored and fairly organized, it wasn't enough. Not when the drawbridge over the moat was dropped and men from Riverrun rushed into the rear of the Lannister forces, pinning them between two forces.

It quickly became a rout and Robb was reminded of the battle from last night. Those who tried to flee found themselves hemmed in by their own defenses. Some jumped into the Tumblestone as a way to flee but found themselves sinking beneath the water because of their chainmail or plate, the current dragging them downriver.

Hundreds threw down their weapons and surrendered. Robb made sure the Riverlands prisoners were secured and guarded so nothing would happen to them, whether from the Lannisters or accidentally by Robb's own men. It could be hard to discern who was an enemy and who wasn't in the dark, and the last thing they needed was one of the Riverlords being mistaken for a Lannister and cut down in some hedge knight's blood lust.

As the northern camp and the western camp were put to the sword, the host at the third Lannister camp grabbed what they could and retreated into the dark. With another victory secured the cries from the cavalry echoed into the night.

"Young Wolf! Young Wolf! Young Wolf!"

While others like Jon and Ser Patrek Mallister oversaw everything that followed a battle, such as the securing of prisoners and the gathering of the wounded, Robb was given rooms inside the castle and went to bed. When he awoke, it was to the news that Lord Andros Brax had died while trying to cross the Tumblestone to aid the northern camp during the start of the battle last night. The raft he had been on had overturned after being attacked by Tully men from the battlements of Riverrun and the man's heavy plate had dragged him to the depths of the river. The noble prisoners they had taken were Sers Burton and Marlon Crakehall and Ser Melwyn Sarsfield. The rest of the nobles for the force had either been with the Kingslayer during the previous night's battle, killed during the chaos of the camps, or had been a part of the eastern camp that had retreated into the night.

As he broke his fast Robb had been given heart warming news. A raven that had arrived a few days ago letting him know that Sansa had arrived at White Harbor and after resting for a few days was safely on her way back to Winterfell. He sent a raven to White Harbor thanking Lord Wyman Manderly for not only the news but for his hospitality toward his sister, and another to Winterfell to let them know of his victories.

Sansa being home safe and not in the clutches of the Lannisters, gave them an even stronger foot to stand on when it came to negotiating the release of his father from King's Landing.

Before midday outriders had easily spotted the surviving Lannister camp, the one to the east that had retreated during the night. They were marching south toward Pinkmaiden. Robb was informed that the Red Fork was calmer the farther upstream one went, and there were half a dozen fords between Riverrun and Pinkmaiden they would be able to cross at in order to retreat back down the River Road and into the Westerlands. Lord Blackwood, who led the defenders of Riverrun during its besiegement, believed the eastern Lannister camp had about four thousand men, give or take a couple of hundred. Robb considered riding along the west bank of the Red Fork and trying to catch the Lannister host as it crossed at whichever ford they chose to cross at, but he had pushed his men hard since leaving the Twins. They needed a few days of rest to make up for the two weeks of hard riding before setting out again. Though he did have the outriders keep an eye on the force, to make sure they did retreat back west and didn't try to besiege Pinkmaiden or Wayfarer's Rest.

Later in the day the infantry men they had left behind in what was being called the Battle of the Whispering Woods, had arrived with the wounded and prisoners from that battle.

"Why is the Kingslayer gagged?" Robb asked, gazing upon the man who had a piece of cloth tied tightly around his mouth as he was led with the others down into Riverrun's dungeons.

"He doesn't shut the fuck up," Hendry Bracken, nephew of Lord Bracken and the one to lead the infantry, replied.

The noble prisoners would have to be given nicer rooms eventually, as befitting their noble birth, but no one was in any rush to make such accommodations for them.

The number of Riverlands nobles had grown to include Lord Tytos Blackwood, Lord Jonos Bracken, Lord Clement Piper, Ser Lewys Piper, Lord Theomar Smallwood, Lord Lyman Goodbrook, Ser Garse Goodbrook, and of course Uncle Edmure. Two days after the siege had been lifted, after the wounded and dead had been sorted, there had been a small feast held to thank the northmen for coming to their aid. It felt good being able to sit, relax, and enjoy a good meal, something Robb hadn't done since they left Moat Cailin.

After the feast they had gathered in Uncle Edmure's solar to work out what to do from there. It was a bit strange for Robb to no longer be the sole most powerful voice in the room, now sharing such a position with his uncle. It was easy to see the relation between Robb and his uncle, as they both had auburn hair, blue eyes and the same high cheekbones, though his uncle sported a thick beard that partially covered said cheekbones.

The solar couldn't fit everyone so the amount of people was limited. Robb had invited Greatjon Umber, Maege Mormont, Helman Tallhart, Theon, and Jon, who Uncle Edmure had gazed at with suspicious eyes. From the Riverlands was Uncle Brynden, Tytos Blackwood, Jonos Bracken, Ryman Frey, and Clement Piper.

Between the levies who had retreated into Riverrun to defend it, and the few hundred that had been freed from Lannister clutches, they had another eighteen hundred men to add to their forces. Men they would need for what Robb planned next.

"I mean to march on Tywin Lannister," Robb said to those around him. "If I only do so with the northern cavalry at my back, then I will. Though the North will be honored if the Riverlands marches at our side."

Uncle Edmure quickly agreed, and Robb thought him eager for a victory after the defeat he had suffered and the weeks of being a prisoner. Unfortunately for his uncle's need to prove himself a capable ruler, they found out hours before they were to march that such plans were no longer needed.

A raven from Harroway's town arrived two days later, shortly before midday, telling them that Tywin Lannister and his host had retreated back in the direction of Harrenhal after a brief skirmish with northern forces; a skirmish that never should have happened. Robb had instructed Lord Bolton to lure Tywin Lannister north but to avoid battle. He had picked Lord Bolton specifically because the man was cautious in his decision making. Though that would have to be dealt with at another time.

If Tywin Lannister did retreat to Harrenhal, which made the most sense, then going after the Lannister host was no longer the smart move. Between Harrenhal's towering walls and the nearly eighteen thousand men to defend it, Tywin Lannister was untouchable. Now the decision moving forward became a lot less certain.

Then on top of all that, word came that Renly Baratheon had also declared himself king and was backed by the Reach and most of the Stormlands.

"That's three Kings now."

"We need to sue for peace with King Joffrey," Lord Bracken said.

That was met with jeers by most of the men there, especially Lord Blackwood. Even in the north the infamous feud between the Brackens and the Blackwoods was well known.

"Peace? The Riverlands burn because of the Lannisters!" Tytos Blackwood responded, voiced raised in anger.

"And if we agree to peace we free up old Tywin to march to the defense of King's Landing," Greatjon added. "I'd much rather keep him in the field and let one of the Stag brothers burn that wretched city to the ground."

"We can't keep fighting Tywin Lannister," Ser Ryman Frey said. "We all know what that man is capable of; the Castameres, the Tarbecks, and now the Lollistons."

"Let's besiege Harrenhal and starve the Lion into submission."

"And get flanked by a host from the Crownlands?"

"Demand restitutions," Helman Tallhart said. "Lannister gold to pay for the damages they've done to your lands and people."

"We should pledge to one of the Baratheon brothers."

"Stannis is next in line."

"Bah, Stannis is a miserable cunt. Renly has a far larger army."

"From the Lannisters we ask for peace but make ready for war," Robb voiced over the others, getting nods from a few. "We demand restitutions, prisoner exchanges, and troop withdrawal but we continue to gather our forces to strike should our demands not be met. As for the Baratheon brothers, there's no need to rush into pledging our loyalty to either one of them yet. Stannis claims Joffrey and his siblings are illegitimate, which would make him the legal heir, but if they are truly King Robert's children then Joffrey is the rightful king."

That brought scowls to the faces of all of them. If they were outside Robb knew the Greatjon would have spat at the mention of Joffrey's name. No one wanted to pledge loyalty to Joffrey and his Lannister relatives.

"Lorch, Clegane, and some Essosi sellsword company that calls themselves the Brave Companions still run amok in the Riverlands," Clement Piper pointed out. "While we wait for peace they continue to kill our smallfolk, steal our crops, and burn our villages."

"We'll send men to deal with them," Uncle Edmure promised. "And to take back Darry."

Darry had been under siege when Robb had left the Twins. Sometime between leaving the seat of House Frey and lifting the siege of Riverrun the castle must have been taken. The walled town of Maidenpool had been sacked as well, and Lord Roote, lord of Harroway's Town, had thought his town would be next if the northmen led by Lord Bolton hadn't lured the lions north.

"I have men north of the Trident. The North will take back Darry," Robb assured. "I will send a message to Lord Roote, who can send riders to deliver a message to Lord Bolton."

Robb didn't know how far north Bolton retreated after his ill-advised skirmish with Tywin Lannister but he would have Bolton retake Darry, leave a garrison behind for the castle and then set up camp on the northern banks of the Trident to act as a foil to Tywin Lannister. More than likely Lord Darry and his family had been sent to Harrenhal before the Lannister host had headed north across the Trident. Hopefully some members of Lord Darry's household were still alive and within the castle who could act as castellan until Lord Darry was exchanged for another prisoner.

Uncle Edmure bid Lords Bracken and Blackwood to each form a group of eight hundred men to hunt down the groups of Lannisters led by the Mountain, Amory Lorch, and the Brave Companions. There was a host of about six thousand rivermen in the south near the Stoney Sept, led by Lord Shawney. They were supposed to have met up with a force from King's Landing and attack Tywin Lannister's host back when it was still marching on the Tower of the Rush, but that had been when Ned Stark was still Hand of the King. No one knew where this force was or what they were doing. Lord Piper was sent with a couple hundred men to find them.

Between Blackwood, Bracken, and Piper, that was almost all of the Rivermen they had gained upon freeing Riverrun. The rest of them would wait at Riverrun and continue to build up their forces. They would expect the 3550 Frey and Mallister infantry in the coming days and Lord Karstark's force of 3000 in about two weeks or so. Uncle Edmure expected more men to pour in once word of Riverrun's freedom became known. Robb didn't hold out as high a hope as his uncle and expected a few hundred at most, which would put their numbers close to twelve thousand once everyone arrived.

The terms for peace they wrote up were simple. The immediate withdrawal of all Lannister troops from the Riverlands. The payment of three million gold dragons to the nobles of the Riverlands to rebuild their lands and to compensate the smallfolk for the horrors inflicted on them by Lannister brigands. The exchange of prisoners of equal status, starting with Ser Jaime Lannister for Lord Eddard Stark, and the ransoming of any other nobles to their families as appropriate.

They made no mention of swearing fealty to Joffrey. Robb would wait for his father to make such a decision, and Uncle Edmure would hold a grudge against the Lannisters for the rest of his life.

With the raven sent out to Harrenhal Robb planned his next moves should peace not be an option. He sat with Jon and Theon in the rooms provided to him within the castle of his uncle, just the three of them as it has been for months at Winterfell, and looked over a map of southern Westeros.

"Once they find out where this southern Riverland host is, we can march south along here," Theon pointed to the land west of the God's Eye, "link up with them and then come upon King's Landing from the Gold Road. We leave Bolton to keep Tywin Lannister at Harrenhal."

Robb made a noncommittal noise at Theon's plan. It was like Theon, brash and bold but not much thought went into it. Even if they linked up with the six thousand men near the Stoney Sept, that would only give them eighteen thousand. Not enough to take King's Landing by force. And that would leave them vulnerable to any other force out there.

"We should march south, but instead of turning east we should turn west," Jon said, his finger showing what he meant. "Travel around the southern tip of the mountains and come upon the Westerlands from the south. Silverhill, Cornfield, and Crakehall could all be ours before the Lannisters know what hit them."

Different than the usual cautious and reactive plans Jon came up with, but still not bold enough for what was needed. Robb knew his brother was looking to avoid needing to pass Golden Tooth and Deep Den but it would take months for such a move to payoff, time the Lannisters could potentially build a new host they would have to contend with. Even though Robb thought the plan lacking he was glad to see Jon willing to change his tactics up.

Robb had a different idea.

A/N: It might be a bit before the next new chapter. I'm going to take some time to try to organize this story into easy to read notes for myself on the timeline, character status, and where each character is supposed to be as I progress throughout the story. The world of ASOIAF is huge and full of hundreds of characters and I know from previous experience I tend to lose track of characters. It will also make it easier for me to keep track of original characters, houses, keeps, customs, etc.

I also plan to go back and re-write the earlier chapters. Most of them will probably be only minor changes but some of the chapters I consider to be weaker ones, like Chapter 17 when Jaime attacks Ned, I'm hoping to make big changes to in order to strengthen the story.