Robb

The knife scrapped against the piece of wood, taking off another slice. Robb lifted it up, looking over it carefully before nodding to himself, deciding that it looked good enough and he could move onto the next part of his carving.

"Someone is approaching," Venom stated. "Several someones."

Robb raised an eyebrow at that as his partner formed a gooey head upon his shoulder. "Can you tell where they are from?"

Venom slammed his head into Robb's own, covering his features and causing the two to merge together. At once Robb's nose filled with the cool autumn air and he sniffed as he tried to determine just what scents were on the breeze. There was old wood, which was rather common in the Wolfs Wood, as well as dirt. Animals all around. Roslin's nature scents which were far more enticing than any southern perfume she could have worn. And then the familiar scent of home that didn't bring the normal joy it should have.

He let out a huff and stepped away from the porch of the cabin that had become his latest residence, rolling his shoulders before declaring, "Come to count how many babies I've eaten, Jory?"

The head of his father's guard, along with several of the Snowcloaks that Lord Karstark had personally trained, gave up any attempt to be sneaky and instead openly walked towards the cabin. Robb merely watched them, doing nothing to leave his Venom form and make them feel comfortable.

"You know that isn't the case, Prince Robb."

"And we both know that is a lie," Robb replied. "Father does not send you out solely due to the kindness in his heart. He wishes to know what we are up to." He pointed right at Jory. "If not you then one of these men will scurry back to him and report on every action we make during this conversation."

"I do as I am told," Jory replied. "But that doesn't mean that I agree with it. You are the Heir of Winterfell. I will serve you after your father passes-"

"Will you?" Robb asked and even he wasn't for sure if he was questioning Jory's loyalty… or his hopes of remaining in his position once Robb took the throne.

Jory hid his wince well but it was still there all the same. "Your father-"

"We are not interested in his reasoning," Robb informed him. "We have discussed it already and we have accepted his decision."

Left unsaid was that while Robb accepted the decision that didn't mean he agreed with it… or would forgive his father for it. Robb understood that his father, being not just merely a king but the first King in the North in hundreds of years, had to weigh his actions very carefully. He couldn't risk allowing his familiar ties to cloud his judgment and harm his kingdom. Robb understood that.

But…

"Your father… he loves you," Jory said. "It hurts him greatly to not have you at his side."

"How many?"

"…pardon?"

"How many men has King Eddard killed?" Robb asked, turning his back on Jory and returning to the cabin's porch. "Do you think we haven't noticed it? His hatred of the Lannisters… it has made him blood thirsty. People call him "The Punisher" because of his actions after the Westerlands and their forces. He could very well drown the Neck with the amount of blood he has spilled. And no one denies it. Just as no one fears him for it, at least in the North. Yet while he is celebrated you come with armed guards because of something we have denied and you have no proof of."

That time Jory did wince.

"Prince Robb… please…"

"We believe we are done here, Jory. You can run back to his grace and tell him we have not died in some ditch so he can sleep well. Or would he have preferred it that way?"

Jory though took a step forward. "You dishonor your father by thinking so little of him. He loves you… this was the toughest decision he ever made."

"He would rather hide in Winterfell than clear his son's name," Robb replied.

"You do not know-"

But Robb laughed. "Oh… but we do. You think we do not have our own allies? Our own spies? We know far more about what is going on in Winterfell."

And that's when the growls filled the air.

Jory tensed as the wolves began to emerge from the forest that surrounded the cabin. Dozens of them, all staring at the Snowcloaks who suddenly began to reach for their swords only for Jory, with a violent slashing of his hand, to force them to not bare the live steel. Robb could see the fear in the Snowcloaks' eyes as they realized that the wolves had been there the entire time and they just hadn't noticed it. They were thinking of the ride to the cabin and wondering if the silence that had surrounded them had truly meant there was no danger around… or the danger had always been there, waiting to pounce. And at their head were Nymeria and Greywind, both glaring at the intruders.

"Did you think our sisters would side against us?" Robb asked. "Sansa is rather upset with our father… and has been rather kind to lend us parts of her pack." He didn't bring up that they had worked out ways to communicate with one another, using Sansa as a translator of sorts to for Arya and Rickon (who went unmentioned only because Rickon had been the most vocal in calling out their father for his actions). He needed some surprises. "Our father has done little to clear our name. He has sent out only token forces to investigate the deaths attributed to us." He shook his head as Jory opened his mouth once more to speak. "Let us be done with this. Ask your questions, Jory."

Jory took a breath, steeling his nerves. "Could we go inside-"

"No," Robb informed him as the wolves slowly disappeared back amongst the trees. "Roslin is resting. I won't have you wake her up."

That was a lie. Currently Roslin was out hunting. But he felt no urge to inform Jory of that. Or his father.

Jory sighed and finally moved towards the porch, the Snowcloaks staying just close enough that they could hear what was being said and leap to his defense if Robb tried to do something. One of them kept glancing at the woods nervously and that had Robb flashing an even bigger fang-filled smile; good, he wanted them to be on their toes.

"Why are you staying here?" Jory asked, gesturing at the cabin. "Your father arranged for an entire keep for you."

It had been his father's final attempt at showing Robb some kindness. While he had been forced to leave Winterfell Robb had set out with very little; a simple chest filled with mostly Roslin's belongings. Venom had shown him that he could create pretty much any set of clothing he wished, having mastered the ability to shift his form into any clothing he wished. Robb wondered how Jory would react learning that.

Robb was actually rather naked at the moment, with only Venom there to form into all the garments that currently clad his body.

But there had been no need for him to bring all manner of fine clothing and he'd only brought Roslin's along because she had argued that anyone learning of Spite would only make him look more guilty.

'Spite,' Robb thought to himself in amusement. Roslin and her symbiote had been debating for months a name for her partner and gone through half a dozen ones. Currently they had settled on Spite… not for any particular reason but because the female symbiote thought it 'sounded powerful'. Or at leas thtat was what she claimed. He had a feeling it was much to do with her mood.

He huffed. His mind was wandering.

"Your father selected a keep for you," Jory continued on. "One that would keep you protected. Guards, servants, all of whom would aid you. They are still ready, waiting for you to arrive."

"A gilded prison like Jon finds himself in?" Robb asked. Jory winced at that and Robb knew it was a low blow but he didn't care. If wasn't even that much to do with his father… he was mad at himself for not going and freeing his brother. He and Roslin had discussed it with their symbiotes and they were all rather sure they were very close to figuring out how to produce a new symbiote from the two of them. Venom stated that the basic knowledge existed in all their kind but it was rather like a human… the instinct was there but not the knowledge. But they were close and when they could do it then Robb would to go to King's Landing and bond Venom and Spite's potential child with Jon, so his brother might be blessed with the same partnership Robb had been.

Jory shook his head though. "It was planned before all this happened. While it is important for you to be at Winterfell your father also wanted you to have a chance to understand rule on your own. The Targaryns had Dragonstone and Winterfell now has Wolfsrest."

Robb though huffed. "Give it to another. I am happy here." He turned his head away from Jory. "I will not be some wild beast kept in a cage for children to gawk at. My father can either accept that I have at least allowed you all to know I am staying here or he can continue denouncing me, declare I am no longer his heir, and then do as he sees fit."

"He would never do any of that."

'He's done more than enough already,' Robb thought darkly. He understood his father's actions. He truly did. But that didn't mean he'd forgive them. Even when he was proven innocent he would have to deal with the rumors and claims for all of his life. His father had weakened Robb's future in order to make the present easier on him. It was, sadly, something he had seen too much in his father's choices.

Jory got the hint that Robb wasn't in the mood to be 'convinced' to go to the prison his father had set up for him and instead said, "How did you get this cabin?"

The moment he asked Robb could tell Jory regretted the words. Saw how they came out. As such Robb merely flashed a dark smile, daring Jory to ask him who he might have killed to claim the cabin.

In reality Robb had purchased it from its owner, a hunter and his family who knew Winter was coming and the isolation of their little cabin would mean grave danger for them in the winter years. Robb had been more than fair with his payment and even spent a week helping the man pack; Ornest and his wife, Morya, were good people with Roslin becoming fast friends with Morya and wishing her well. Robb planned to keep tabs on the family and set them up well once he took the throne.

"Fairly," he replied.

Jory finally shook his head. "You can choose not to believe me, my prince. You can think I am against you. But I have known you for nearly your entire life. My uncle trained you in the yard, taught you how to use a sword. I am loyal to you."

"You are loyal to House Stark. None can deny that, Jory." He grew quiet after that, the message very clear.

Jory reached into his breast pocket and pulled out some letters. "You have allies."

Robb merely took the bundle, knowing based on the first one and its seal that they were from his family. He wondered if his father had included a letter; he also wondered if he would be able to read it or if he would toss it to Roslin, letting her decide if they should just burn it.

The Snowcloaks and Jory made their leave and it wasn't until he could no longer hear them that Robb looked to his left, letting Venom slowly slide back into his body, hidden away. "You can come out now."

He heard the flapping of wings and then Shireen Baratheon appeared, Jane Seaworth beside her with a judging look on her face. "We don't get the honor of you remaining in that form?"

"The Snowcloaks see me as a monster. Why should I try and remove their doubts?"

"And that's the only reason?" Jane asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"The only one I am giving you two," Robb stated as he moved back towards his seat on the porch. "Now then… what brings you two out here? I am not used to so many guests come to gawk at the beast."

"To see you," Jane said with a shrug. "Things are rather tense in Winterfell at the moment, as I am sure you've figured out, and we thought it might be wise to get some fresh air."

"And if that includes you gaping at Ned Stark's Disappointment I suppose that is just a bonus?"

"Don't do that," Shireen said sternly. "Do not dishonor your father that way. He doesn't see you as a disappointment."

"He has a funny way of showing it," Robb pointed out, taking up his whittling knife once more. He was still undecided just what the wood might become; at that moment he was more allowing his blade to find the shape within, rather than trying to force the wood to become what he desired. It was something Jon had taught him and while it hurt to do it because it reminded him of his brother it also helped him center himself and remember who he was. 'Any man can do this,' Jon had once told him. 'Poor. Rich. Simple Farmer or powerful lord. A trueborn son or a bastard. The wood and the knife don't care.'

Jane though walked over to him and shook her head. "Walk with us."

"Why?"

"Because soon it will be too cold to do so."

'She has a point,' Venom told him and Robb rolled his eyes before getting up, setting the wood aside along with his knife… only to grab his sword and strap it to his waist along with several knives and daggers. Shireen watched him and while her face remained stony he could sense that she was pleased with him arming himself.

"Do you really need all of that?" Jane asked him as he finished up. She gestured at his chest. "I mean, that partner of yours makes you a living weapon right?"

"Considering that most people are looking at us like we feed on babies and wash that down with virgin blood I'm trying to be careful with how often I got out in our true form. Outside of my father's dogs, of course." She frowned at his choice of words but frankly Robb didn't care; he felt truly himself when he and Venom were one and wasn't ashamed of that.

Shireen spoke up before things could get terribly awkward. "That sword… there is something different about it. I can taste it on the air."

Jane nodded. "Yes… it reminds me of Thor."

Robb shrugged and pulled the sword two inches from its scabbard, the metal at once beginning to crackling with lightning. At once both women leaned forward and before he could tell them not to both reached out and touched the blade, the lightning leaping out and snapping at their fingers. But rather than jump back and cry out in pain from the touch the two women merely stared opening at the sword, Jane in particular looking utterly fascinated.

"That explains why its so familiar," she murmured. "How did you manage to do this?"

"I didn't," Robb said and Jane pouted. "This was a sword carried by an Iron Born raider. They attacked Winterfell and held it for less than a day; Rickon and the Guardians helped me take it back. I took this sword and made it my own." He slowly slid his sword back into place.

"So the scabbard insolates its, so that it doesn't shock you… clever. Very clever. But the metal… there must be something that is allowing it to conduct the lightning. And generate it, of course."

"Magic," Robb said as they started out.

That made Jane scoff. "Magic is just what the clueless call reality when they can't explain it."

"Isn't your father known as the God of Magic?" Venom asked, popping out of Robb's shoulder.

Jane waved the symbiote off. "My father is clueless too." That made Robb and Venom share a look before the two shrugged and Venom retracted back into Robb's body. "I don't suppose I can look over that sword. I'd love to work out how it works-"

"No," Robb said flatly.

"Come on… I bet I could make more of them!"

Robb though turned to look at Shireen. "I thought you were supposed to be older than her."

Shireen let out a bemused smile, a smile tugging on her lips. "This is her having mellowed out."

"Well…" Robb really didn't have anything else to say and Jane was annoyed that they weren't taking her quest to understand the mysteries of the universe seriously. "You aren't concerned about the pack?" he finally found himself asking. He assumed that Jane and Shireen had seen him and Venom call forth Sansa's pack and thus it struck him as odd that they were willing to go through a walk through the woods with him.

"Even if I did worry that you would send them against us…" Shireen reached down and patted her axe hammer and at once Robb got the message.

The Wolfs Wood was a peaceful place, so long as one knew where to walk. More wild and savage than Winterfell's Godswood and honestly that made Robb love it all the more. While his father did almost nothing to rein in the Godswood he didn't allow predators to room. Didn't allow the great deer and elk within the city so they might rub against the trees and nibble at the leaves. There were no well worn paths in the Wolfs Wood save for the game trails and those were nothing like the walkways that he and his siblings had darted through as children, being as silent as possible so they might not disturb the gods. The woods were a sacred place that deserved silence. The Wolf Woods, however, were a wild place that demanded shouts and cries as much as they did silence. Sometimes Robb felt the urge to roar into the sky, just to fill the air with his bellows and let the Wolf Woods know that he understood that savageness of the place. But other times he wanted to silence even his own heart beat, so not to disturb the place.

"I assume you don't have much to ask when it comes to Winterfell?" Jane asked. "What with the contacts you've maintained."

"I am told enough," Robb stated. "I am more concerned about what is occurring beyond our borders."

"Your brother," Shireen stated.

"He remains a prisoner of the Lannisters. That is not something I can allow to continue for much longer. I am staying my hand at the moment, only so that perhaps a better plan may be drawn up. But should the snows come I will go and retrieve him myself."

He and Venom, along with Roslin and Spite, had discussed the idea in detail. Winter would make it virtually impossible for armies to travel and even a sole rider on horseback would have trouble. But he and Venom had been testing themselves in the Wolfs Woods, seeking out deep snowbanks from the fall showers to see how easily they could move through them. He had regretted them leaving by boat from Beyond the Wall as that would have allowed them to better understand just what they could do. But he was confident that Venom and him could easily make it through the deepest snowfalls that would slow down a grown stallion. They would kidnap Jon and they would bring him home and then Robb would do what his father had been too scared to do: he would ensure that he had a home forever in Winterfell, as a Stark. Even with their cousin Tony giving Jon the Stark name Robb would legitimize him…

'And if father has a problem with that then perhaps it is time for him to step down,' Robb thought darkly.

Shireen, as if sensing his thoughts, spoke up in that moment. "There is more than you realize going on, Robb. Far more many plots and plans."

"And I find myself and my family caught in the winds of these plots," he replied. "But we are not leaves. We are wolves. We snarl and snap at the wind."

"Even when the wind aids you?"

"I have not felt a touch of support from these schemes," Robb retorted. "I have only seen my family suffer. Arya is half Essosi at this point thanks to Mother and her plotting. Sansa isn't even human anymore. Bran is missing because Father had his eye on Southerners that still look down upon us. And Jon is now a prisoner of the Lannisters."

"And you have been unjustly exiled," Venom added, popping up once more.

"I can survive that," he told his partner. "I will never forgive father for this but I can survive it."

"I wish I had handled it better."

Robb started and whipped around, part of his arm already merged with Venom as he glared at his father, who had emerged from his hiding spot amongst the trees. Unlike how he had grown used to seeing him his father at that moment was not dressed in the finer garments that were required of him as king. No, much like Robb himself (or, at least, how Venom was allowing Robb to look) his father was wearing sturdy traveling clothes, designed for the muck and the slime and the slush rather than the mincing and simpering and sycophantic comments that were found even in the Northern court. For a moment… just a moment… Robb was able to believe that time had reversed and they were back to before Robert had come to Winterfell and ruined all their lives.

But then the vision was gone and Robb, while returning his arm and hand to normal, still stood apart from his father. No move to embrace him or greet him. No hugs or clasping on hands. Robb instead merely glanced at Jane and Shireen.

"I will remember this," he said darkly.

"I hope you do," Jane said smugly, clearly dreaming of a time when Robb would thank her for the lies that had forced the meeting to occur. But as he continued to stare at her the smirk faded from her lips and the woman began to edge her way behind Shireen, who merely raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

Robb wondered just who would win in a fight between the two of them.

"We can not have division," Shireen said sternly. "Thanos will not sit by while we feud amongst ourselves. We are already weakened thanks to the War of the Five Crowns… we can not afford the North to be engulfed in civil war."

"There won't be," Robb said. "I make no move against my father… and he has ensured none will ever follow me."

"Robb…" his father said softly.

"You have branded me a monster that slaughters the innocent, father… even those that followed Lord Bolton's deranged bastard son would never follow me into battle." He shook his head in disgust. "You have ensured a strong North that I can never rule." Robb turned to glare at Jane and Shireen but found that they had quickly retreated; he didn't know if that made them cowards and geniuses.

"We will prove that you didn't do these things."

"How can you prove that when you question my innocence?" Robb snapped. "I see it in you and mother's eyes… you think Venom in influencing me. Oh, perhaps I didn't do it… but my partner did. Used me like a puppet as I slept. Venom would never do that."

"We don't know-"

"I know," Robb spat, wanting nothing more than to back away and gather himself… or to just disappear so he didn't have to deal with the man again. "I have told you and you don't believe me. How can I ever rule as king when our subjects know you don't trust me. You are Aegon the Unworthy, destroying your heir-"

"That is not what we are dealing with right now; I do trust you," Ned said forcefully. He shook his head. "I should have handled things better. I should have discussed it with you in more detail. I know that you didn't do these things. This was never about casting you aside. All of this has been about protecting you."

"I feel utterly protected," Robb said with a scoff. "And do not lie to me again, Father. This has been about one thing… the only thing you have ever cared about: the North."

"Of course it is about the North," his father said. "There is a threat out there, a creature or a beast or a foe of some kind that is slaughtering the innocent. As Warden, as Lord, or as King I must protect our people."

"And you protect them by sending the monster away."

"I do not see you as a monster."

That made Robb laugh. "Venom and I have two heads, father, yet you do so well talking out of two mouths. You can't claim that you trust me while in the same breath as you cast me aside to please your Small Council!" he threw his hands up in the air. "This is how it has always been with you! Claiming one thing while doing another! Putting the North ahead of all of us!"

"I have NEVER focused on anything more than this family," his father said darkly, the wolf's blood at long last beginning to stir. "Exile? I was setting you up in Wolfsrest, so you might be able to be with Roslin and live without your mother and I hovering over you. It was supposed to be a chance for you to show the North your maturity, that you could lead without relying upon me. They remember well that the only other time you ruled on your own Rickon disappeared, Bran disappeared, and Winterfell nearly fell to the Iron Born!"

Robb grit his teeth at that. He HATED that his father was right when it came to his comments. He knew that there were still people in Winterfell alone who blamed him for the attack by the Ironborn. Never mind that they had used weapons none of them had been prepared for and he, along with the Guardians, had driven them back. He had still been the Stark of Winterfell and nearly let the Capital of the North fall.

"They also remember that before that I captured the Kingslayer," Robb retorted. "And isn't it convenient that you only come up with the idea of Wolfsrest when you need to cast me aside. Why was it father that you never mentioned this to me? Or anyone else? You expect me to believe that you came up with this and it was only poor timing that made that place into my prison."

"Believe what you wish, it won't change the truth. Wolfsrest was always meant to be the seat of the Heir of the North, so they might showcase their ability to lead. But rather than going to Wolfsrest and demonstrate to all that you were not some savage you ran off to this… place." He gestured around him. "You only make them believe that you killed those people."

His father was right, of course. Robb could see that. But his anger at that, and the situation at hand, would not allow him to apologize. So instead… he lashed out.

"All of this… all of this is just you yet again not thinking of your children. Believing that you know best for us even as we suffer for your repeated mistakes. You exile me and say I should be grateful."

"I have not exiled you. If I were to exile you then you would know it. You remain in the North, do you not?" He took a step forward, waving his hand wide. "I do not blame you for your anger but do not act as if you are the only one to ever exerienced it. I know what it is like to feel like you have been cast out of one's home!" His father ran his hand along his jaw line in frustration. "Do you forget how I met Robert? My father sent me South, to lands I had never known, away from my family, just to feed his ambitions. I would only be allowed back when he deemed me ready and then I would be sent someplace else. And I was half your ages when I was told that I would be leaving Winterfell! You have a wife… I hope at some point you have a child. I was giving you a chance to live your life away from the madness that is our rule!"

"And how easy it is now, after I have been told I must leave my home, the only one I knew because you refused to foster me as your father and your father's father and all the Starks have done down the line, because "people are turning their eyes towards you, Robb. You have done little to prevent this." You make it my fault that this is happening… that I am blamed for crimes I never did!"

His father shook his head at that as Robb panted. "I… shouldn't have worded it like that."

Robb cut him off before he could continue with his weak wristed apology. Assuming his father even attempted one. "You are always concerned with others and how they view us rather than your children."

"How… how can you say that?" Ned said, aghast. "I have only thought of you all!"

That brought a huff to Robb's lips. "You denied me a chance to know of the North… when you were imprisoned by the Lannisters I nearly had open rebellion because none of the Lords knew me as anything other than a green boy. I was never allowed to go to tournaments or to travel to other keeps and castles… you kept me here. Lord Manderly told me that there had been fears that I was slow and stunted and you were hiding me away out of shame. Others thought I was far too Southern because of Mother's hand in my education and I wouldn't even know how to properly use a sword."

Winterfell had never been one to hold the lush banquets and feasts like the South. Robb knew that his mother had tried more than once to convince his father to hold a tourney in honor of Robb or Sansa's namedays but their father had always denied her, seeing them as a waste of money. He remembered well that it had been a tourney that had led to the near downfall of their house. And while he understood that logic he also knew that it had only hurt them all that none of them had been allowed to display themselves to the other Lords of the North.

"You allowed Sansa's head to become so full of Southern knowledge that she betrayed Arya to that monster Joffrey. All because you didn't want to upset Mother and dash her delusions that the North could be turned into the South. You saw that Arya was not some sweet little girl that would become a quiet wife and yet you still allowed mother and the Septa and Sansa's friends to mock her and belittle her. Jon-"

"I made mistakes with Jon," his father admitted.

"Is that what we are calling it now?" Robb said with an annoyed grunt. "You kept him close with one hand and shoved him away with the other. He wasn't like the smallfolk but he wasn't one of us either. Let everyone know he was yours, that he was my brother… but then forced him to wear the shame of the name Snow." He took a step forward. "He was never a bastard. He was legitimate but because you cared more for Robert you allowed your nephew to be tormented every day!"

Ned narrowed his eyes. "Jon… is my son. He might not have been born my son but he became my son the moment I took him in my arms."

Robb silent conceded that point; after all, he saw Jon as his brother. Would never stop seeing Jon as his brother. He, Sansa, Arya, and Rickon had all discussed it recently when his siblings had snuck away from Winterfell to check in on him and make sure he and Roslin were still fine. All of them had agreed that Jon was their brother, no matter who his parents were. Arya was nearly as driven as Robb was to bring him home and Sansa mourned the time they had lost. Even Theon, when he had visited him, had admitted that he wished to make amends with Jon for, in his own words, 'being such a massive ass'.

"And Jon led a far better life than most bastards. Do you know how they are treated in the south? I met Gendry Waters in King's Landing; his mother had been a tavern girl, his father a King. He grew up tucked away in rooms, told to keep quiet while his mother worked long hours to try and provide him with a bit of food. When she died he was reduced to begging for a sip of brown and hiding in doorways to sleep until he was found by Lord Varys. Jon never went hungry. Was never cold."

"A man can have a full belly and still starve," Robb argued. "Can be in the warmed room and still shiver. If he is lacking love and safety then he will never be comfortable. Mother ensured that Jon was always seen as the enemy to the servants."

"Your mother… had her issues," his father admitted. "Ones she is working through due to her-" He stopped and Robb knew exactly what his father had almost let slip: because of her Southern Ways. "She was wrong in her treatment of Jon. But he was never an enemy of the servants."

Robb threw back his head and laughed at that, so loud that Venom, who had been quiet for the entire conversation, slowly retracted back into his body. "Then you are a fool, father, if you still do not know what happens in your own castle. You believe yourself the master of it but mother had the true control of the servants. Oh, you would make an order of course… but then mother would demand they find ways around your orders and they would do so. Happily. Septa Mordane-"

"We will not speak ill of the dead."

"Why not? Because they died they do not deserve scorn? Are we to preach how wonderful the Mad King was? Joffrey?" His father's jaw clenched at that but Robb didn't care; the fact that his father hadn't said a word to dispute what Robb was saying made clear that he realized he was right. "Mother told the servants to watch Jon every moment of every day to make sure he wasn't plotting to harm me. I remember the two of us playing in the yard and washwomen suddenly stepping forward if Jon got a bit too rough. But if I struck him down no one cared. I had to hide if his blows hurt me so he wouldn't get in trouble and with Ser Rodrik I had to fake checking my swings so that he didn't go scampering off to mother telling her that Jon was getting a bit better than me; if I forgot that was when Jon suddenly had a task he had to perform or a favor for another servant that couldn't wait only to be yelled at for falling behind.

"I noticed that by the time I was six. Jon was seeing it far longer. You think he brooded and was solemn because of his 'Stark Blood'? No… it was because he knew that he could never truly relax. Never truly be himself. That Winterfell was a dungeon full of traps. You made him fear his home but you refused to allow him to go out and make a name for himself beyond being 'Ned Stark's Bastard'. He could have been a knight or a sailor. A maester or a blacksmith. He could have become a great hunter or a farmer. Anything. But you clung to him, refusing to let him go but also refusing to give him a chance to be a Stark!"

His father stared at him for a very long time.

"I am… trying to make up for that," he admitted. "Shireen and Jane have made me think upon things. Jon was robbed of his birthright… when Winter passes I will see it returned to him."

Robb found it now his turn to stare at his father in disbelief.

"…are you mad?"

"No," his father stated. "Jon-"

"Doesn't want to be fucking king!" Robb roared and he sensed even Venom startled by the outburst. "Do you know ANYTHING about him!? Jon has lived his entire life knowing if he dreamed of even an ounce of power he would risk mother's wrath. He once made the mistake, during our playing, of declaring he was 'the Lord of Winterfell'. It killed me to silence him… he didn't see the maid glaring at him. You were off visiting the Umbers… you would have returned to him dead had mother learned that. She would have ordered him beaten like a dog or thrown him down a flight of stairs because he childishly called out one of his ancestor's names during a game! And now you want to put him on the Iron Throne?! Jon might kill himself the moment you utter the words, his terror would be that great!"

"I think you embellish things too much-"

"And I think you don't know your family," Robb retorted. "You certainly don't know me." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You didn't come out here to discuss my childhood. What is it you desire, your grace."

"Do NOT take that tone with me," Ned warned, pointing a finger right at Robb. And despite everything… despite the battles he'd fought, the enemies he'd defeated, and the symbiote at his command… he felt a shiver of terror go through him at his father's tone and at once he was a child again, caught being naughty and cringing at his father's disapproval.

"..what is it you want, father?" Robb said, removing a touch of the aggravation from his tone.

Ned sighed at that but finally nodded his head in acceptance. "There is a way that you can not only help prove your innocence but also show the North your dedication, your strength, and cunning. A way to remind all the lords that you are not someone to be trifled with." Robb raised an eyebrow at that. "Barbery Dustin."

That made Robb frown. "I… I have never met her." He knew of her, certainly. It was well known that her husband, Lord Willam Dustin, had gone with Robb's father to the Tower of Joy to retrieve Lyanna. He had died along with all but Robb's father and Lord Reed and his father had been unable to bring back his bones for a proper burial, thus earning Lady Dustin's eternal wrath. "She sent very few men to me when I summoned the banners."

"And she continues to do so," his father stated. "She does not fly the Direwolf flag over her keep and she refuses summons to swear fealty."

"…what else as she done?" Robb pressed. He knew there had to be something else, something his father wasn't telling him.

His father's nostrils flared and he let out a harsh breath. "She has… she has sent ravens to the Lannisters. To Lord Tywin. She seeks to betray us. To rally the North against us."

Robb's eyes widened at that before they narrowed, a blast of hot air leaving his nose. "So she is a traitor to all the North."

"Aye. When I heard the news I desired to call the banners and in 3 weeks time march on Barrowton and rip her from it like a maester yanks a tick from a leg. But I was advised that such an action would lead to too many deaths."

Robb slowly nodded at that. "Even if they disagree with her many in Barrowton will side with her, if only out of loyalty to her husband. Especially if she has replaced the guard with those faithful to her. And she has had plenty of time to do that."

"Exactly," Ned said. "We must be… more cunning… when it comes to dealing with her."

And at once Robb saw the answer, his eyes widening. "My exile."

Ned nodded. "You are now the black sheep of the Starks in the eyes of some… and for one obsessed with me, seeing me as a thief and a blackheart who stole Brandon's seat and denied her the right to be the Lady of the North she may very well see you as an ally."

"At the very least she would consent to meet with me," Robb said. 'I wonder… did father always mean for this? Did he truly believe I wasn't to blame and in my anger I left before he could explain?' He wanted to believe that was the case… and also believe it wasn't. He had been so angry with how he had been treated but learning that he had made a mistake and blamed his father for no reason was painful to him. Embarrassing too. Even though he longed to know that his father had always had faith in him he also wanted his father to have doubted him, so he could maintain he was the wounded party.

"That is my thought, yes. She may very well not trust you… you are, after all, my son. And more importantly your mother's son." When Robb stared at him in confusion Ned sighed. "Barbery hated your mother before Willam's death. She loved Brandon and thought herself destined to be Lady of the North. She sees in her a thief who robbed her of her birthright."

"Then won't she hate me as well?" Robb asked. "I am your son… a reminder of the child she never got to give Uncle Brandon." His face twisted. "Can't we send Uncle Brandon to her?"

"No," his father said. "Even if she would believe that Drax is Brandon come again… I can't trust him with this." Robb smirked but his father shook his head. "No… not as you might think. He is… enraged… by her actions. For as mirthful as he has become the wolf's blood is still strong in him and he has not taken this betrayal well. Same with Gamora and Yondu. Rickon has taken them to look over the sites of the attacks, to prove your innocence, least Drax go to Barrowton and deal with her himself." Robb winced, his earlier anger now tasting vile on his tongue. "I… have other matters to deal with as well. It must be you."

Robb though shook his head. "But I can't. She will be smart enough to offer me guest rights. I won't be able to deny her. If I kill her then I will be forever branded as honorless." And, he left unsaid, this crime would have actually been committed by him.

Ned nodded. "Yes… but will she be wise enough to offer it to Venom?"

At once Venom popped up. "She will not! I can kill her easily! Guest rights and then head bitten off! Unless the salt in her blood will-"

"No," Robb said sternly, looking at his partner. "I won't have you dishonored too. People will see you as not being your own person…" He frowned, knowing that wasn't quite the proper way to put it but unable to think of any better words.

"Let them. I do not mind."

"I do," Robb said. He looked to his father. "It is a good plan but I will create a better one. I will talk with Roslin and we will figure out a plan… I will capture Barrowton for you, father."

"Do so," his father said. "As you work on that Rickon will clear your name and I will work to soothe the lords. You will return home my heir, Robb. And all will know your honor."

It was a good strategy.

Now he would just need to figure out some way to pull it off.