bravery is a choice

Lady Merida of House Tully. Currently in the Riverlands.

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[meridatully]

@northernwolfking

Robb sat up a little bit straighter, surprised by Merida’s sudden enthusiasm. He laughed, ducking as she swatted him. “Merida - cousin - calm yourself. We’ve barely been engaged a week, and I wasn’t sure we even could announce it, when Walder Frey’s demands surfaces.” He shook his head lightly, stopped  from moving when Merida grabbed his face in her hands. He acquiesced to her, recognizing the serious glint in her eye. It reminded him a lot of his lady mother, when she was feeling particularly stubborn.

“I love her as much as I have ever loved my family, but in such a way that - I cannot describe. What I feel for her is larger than the gods or the heavens.” He confessed, his tone almost reverent. “I know that I must do the honorable thing. The right thing. But there is nothing more right for me than her, and nothing more honorable than making her happy. I must find a way to do so.” He smiled faintly, eyes dropping. “Tully men, eh? I’ve never been called a Tully before.” He paused, pressing his lips together. “You must miss your father.”

“Fuck Walder Frey,” she spat angrily. She was so damn tired of him taking away everyone’s happiness. She quieted though, still staring at him, listening as he confessed just how much he loved Faye Salvatore. She didn’t think she would ever find someone to love like that, or be loved by in return. Merida gently kissed him on his forehead, a few tears sliding down her cheeks as he spoke about her father. “I do,” she answered, pulling back and not looking him in the eye. “I know I have had time to miss him, while you only just lost your own Lord Father, but my heart still aches.

She sat down on the ground at Robb’s feet. “He would tell you you already know the way,” she said. Merida remained quiet for some time, letting herself calm down and remember her parents. She had to be strong now, for them, for her remaining family. “We have to find a way out of this place.”

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[meridatully]

@northernwolfking

Robb let out a surprised breath of air, eyes widened, before his expression resolved into a grin. “Is it that obvious? Cousin, I have loved Faye since we were both children together. It has been impossible not to express it -” He shook his head, sighing. “We have been as discreet as possible. I am sure my men would have spoke to me about it if they’d noticed, but…it’s difficult. Faye and I - Merida, we are already engaged.” He ran a hand over his face, relieved to confess it but still worried that he may not be able to marry Faye after all. “I asked for her hand just days before Frey demanded I marry one of his daughters. I know I must resolve my dealings with him or - or lose her. It’s an impossible task.”

Merida had a smirk on her face, confident in her ability to read people. “It’s not terribly obvious,” she answered, trying to comfort him. She just had better perception than all of the men in the camp. “She seems like a lovely girl, I do admit. And I hope I get to--” Stopping dead in her tracks, Merida dropped her piece of bread and stared directly at Robb. He was already engaged? What was he thinking? Reaching across the table, she swatted him on the backside of his head. “Robby!” she cried, getting up so she could be on his side of the table. “What are you doing? Oh, cousin. Why didn’t you say something sooner? I would have worked harder to come up with a better solution, or I could have tried to secure you another route or...” she fumbled her words, suddenly feeling a deep sense of worry grow in her stomach. Robb could be in danger if the wrong people found out he was planning to marry someone else and not Lady Katherine. Taking his face in her hands she stared him in the eye for awhile.

“You have so much love for this girl, don’t you?” she asked him quietly. It practically radiated from him now as he spoke of losing her. “You won’t. Lose her, I mean. You won’t lose her. We’ll push harder for Frey to take Edmure instead. We’ll get you past his blockade and we’ll be on our way and then you can marry the Salvatore girl. Because I can see the choice has already been made. Now we just have to follow you to that point.” When she was young, Merida remembered seeing Lady Catelyn hold her father’s face much like this, speaking gently to him to calm him down. She felt a pang of loss and smiled at him. “Your mother would visit us and talk to my dad like this. I think you Tully men are just too stubborn for your own good.”

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[meridatully]

@northernwolfking

“I must reunite my family. For my Lord father’s sake. It’s all he would have wanted, at the end - for his children and family to be safe. And together.” He nodded decisively. “I will speak to Edmure, and the Council. I will propose this new plan to them. Hopefully they will support me in taking it to Walder. I suppose they’ll be happy to keep my hand in marriage as a potential bargaining tool but -” He paused, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. “When I am free of this, I must confess I have…other plans.”

“Well if they have any sense, they’ll listen.” She watched him and smiled. “Oh? Do you? What are they?” Merida let his hands go and went back to eating her meal. “You plan on finally marrying that Salvatore girl you been eyeing since you got here?” She grinned at him and finished her tea.”Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone else has noticed. Your secret is safe. For now. But you should take care of things before you get in too deep with the Freys. I love you but you could be making a huge mistake here.”

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[meridatully]

@northernwolfking

A spark of hope lit in Robb’s chest, and he leaned forward. “Do you really think so?” He said, a touch of relief flooding his voice. “Uncle Edmure has been looking for a wife and would agree to the marriage, I think, if we can persuade the Freys of his importance to me.” Robb shook his head firmly. “We’ll not marry you off like cattle. Not to the Freys. I know you have little interest in marriage, and…gods, that sort of arrangement is the reason my sister is in the clutches of the Lannisters. She was almost forced into marriage with that monster and his incestuous family.” He gritted his teeth. “No. I won’t ask that of you.”

Robb squeezed her hands and nodded. “Thank you.”

“It could work,” Merida said, getting a little more hopeful as well. “His name would come with land as well. The Tullys and the Freys would finally be united, which is something he has wanted for sometime.” She didn’t want to think about the future of that marriage, but she knew that once this was over, she may not even head back to the Riverlands. “We’ll get your sister back, don’t worry. She’ll be safe and sound, along with the Salvatores. They’ll all come home.” Gripping his hands, she nodded. “Like I said, we’re family.”

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[meridatully]

@northernwolfking

He took in a deep breath, and paused in his reply long enough to take a bite of bread. “If I marry the Frey girl, I will have to sacrifice something I desperately love. A future I’ve dreamed of since I was a lad.” He nodded. “But you’re right. I have no privilege here. I must marry the woman who is best for my people, and make do with what I’ve got. But…I feel strongly that this Frey girl is not what is best for my people, as I wish to rule equally with my future Queen.”

“Surely he needs somewhere to put them all.” Robb jested, half-heartedly. He put down his dinner and looked up at Merida, gaze firm with gratitude. “Thank you, cousin. I am proud to have you on my side.”

Merida’s frown deepened some. Robb would do anything for his men. “Katherine Frey will not be good for you, or the North. Listen to me, cousin. I know I said you had no choice but... you do. You always have a choice. You make your own fate and you already know what you have to do. We can find another way to appease Lord Frey. Perhaps he can be persuaded to accept another fine noble. Uncle Edmure is unmarried, if he wants to get rid of a daughter.” Merida tensed, feeling sick in her stomach. “I am of marrying age as well,” she offered, her voice a little hoarse. She would do what she had to if her King asked it.

Reaching across the table, she grabbed his hands. “I am proud to follow you, Robby. We are family, the most important thing that I’ve got. This deal with House Frey will be done and we will be on our way. It’s going to be fine because we will make it so.”

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[meridatully]

@northernwolfking

“I wouldn’t mind forcing my way through, but we’d lose good men and a potential alliance just for my stubbornness and refusal to marry. My men wouldn’t trust me anymore, if they don’t think I’m willing to sacrifice for them. For the North.” He sighed and reached for the loaf of bread, ripping a chunk off. He wasn’t eating enough lately, between council meetings and training, and it was wearing on him. “So you think we can’t trust his daughter? That she might work against me even after we’re…married?” He frowned in distaste, staring down at his bread. Even the most beautiful of Freys - and he wasn’t sure any were - wouldn’t tempt him. He loved Faye only.

“I could suggest it to him. I’m not sure it would be enough, the promise of land or a keep we don’t yet have. I don’t think Frey thinks we have any chance of winning. Not really.” Robb scowled. “He’s no better than the Lannisters and their games, I think.”

Merida thoughtfully ate another piece of bread, glad Robb himself was finally eating as well. She’d notice he was getting thinner, but it wasn’t her place to tell him to eat. “I would trust you to be honest. Marrying a girl for safe passage isn’t a sacrifice.” Frowning, she stopped eating and sat up a little straighter. “No. She may not care for her father’s interests, but she’ll have an agenda of her own, rest assured. But I’m no king. You don’t get the privilege of marrying for love now, do you?” It made her sad to think everything Robb did now had to be for everyone but himself. While she loved her people and would do everything for them, he had the entirety of the North to think about.

“There are keeps, he could have Harrenhaal. It’s a right mess but it could be cleaned up by his thousands of bastard children.” Sighing, she stared into her tea. “There is no winning here, Robb. Not really. But whatever you choose, I will back you. This branch of House Tully swears it’s allegiance to you and to the North.”

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[meridatully]

@northernwolfking

Robb laughed softly, and nodded. “Perhaps they have never seen women like the ones I know, so fierce and formidable. I know you can handle them.” He nodded and took a sip of his tea, letting it warm him. Though they were moving further south, the cold still seemed to bite at him. Maybe it was just a symptom of the symbolic crown resting on his head; maybe he’d never feel warm and at ease again. It was just as well - Starks always needed to be ready for the winter to come.

“We’ve arranged the deal so I won’t marry the girl until my army has crossed the twins.” He breathed in slowly, glancing off to the side. Faye was always on his mind, glaring and obvious, the biggest flaw in this whole plan. How could he marry one of Frey’s daughters when he’d already asked for Faye’s hand? “I know he could just as well stab me in the back once we leave the Riverlands. He’s a man who’ll side with whoever he thinks will win or whoever he can wheedle something out of. I can’t count on his loyalty.” He nodded. “My lady mother doesn’t trust him either. She thinks we should try to offer him something else - that my hand in marriage is too valuable to trade to the Freys, of all people. She doesn’t think Walder or his family should be allowed so close to the throne. I agree, but I - well, what else do I have to give them?”

Merida finished her bread, smiling to herself. She hadn’t grown up with Robb or the Starks, but from the moment they had arrived she’d felt a connection. They were family after all. Catelyn’s visits had slowed down as time had gone on, but she remembered when her aunt would show up, young Robb in tow. He’d grown so much since the last time she’d seen him. And he looked so tired now. It pained her to know he was weary from something he didn’t have a choice in.

“That could be one way to get past him,” she said. Walder Frey was relentless though. She had heard terrible stories about the people of King’s Landing, but she had lived through the Frey’s tantrums all her life. “A swift kick to the ass would be a good start for him. But having an alternative to your hand in marriage would be a good idea.” Walder had many children, most of them ugly as sin. She wasn’t sure how they had grown so much. “Granting them too much power is all that would come from this marriage. He would have an in, and once he got you out of the way...”

Trailing off, Merida took a sip of her tea. It was too warm for her tastes but it must have brought Robb some comfort. “We could give him land,” she finally offered. There wasn’t much land to give now, but she was sure something could come up. Land could be valuable. Maybe not as much as Robb, but it would protect everyone else from Walder Frey’s meddling. 

[shiroyoshidas]

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[meridatully]

@northernwolfking

Robb raised his head as his cousin entered the tent, offering her a weary smile. His family was always allowed the freedom to enter his tent, even when he barred others after the strenuous hours at council or in training his knights. “I’m sure you’re not wrong.” He said, sighing. He stood in order to pull up a stool for her at his table, where he was set up with some bread and tea for the night’s dinner. “Please, sit. We haven’t had enough chance to talk, I know. I appreciate your discretion at Council meetings - they’re most of them good men, but very poor when it comes to listening to women, I’m afraid.” He frowned. The men on his Council had fought even his mother, the widow of their beloved liege Lord. They’d have to learn to trust women eventually - Merida, Faye, and Ruby were all people Robb trusted with his life and with important decisions. His army would need to trust them too. Especially since he planned on offering Merida a place leading her own group of soldiers. “We’ll have to change that.”

He shook his head. “I know Walder Frey isn’t a good man. He’s untrustworthy and selfish and vile. But I’m not sure what else to do.” Robb sighed again. “I have so little to offer my men. They want me to be a King, but I don’t even know how to be a Lord. I don’t know how to win this war. I’ve taken a step forward but it comes at a cost.”

Merida nodded and leaning her sword against the table, took a seat. It had taken some time to get used to holding it, as it was almost as tall as she was. But now she knew she looked even more fearsome when wielding it. “Good men, aye, but a bunch of idiots. I can handle them thinking I’m nothing more than a series of holes for their pleasure.” She laughed, relaxing completely. “But I trust you, Robby, I know you. You’re a good man like your Lord Father.” She frowned some, but grabbed a piece of bread. “They’ll learn to respect a woman though. I’ll make sure of it.”

Taking a bite, she chewed thoughtfully as he spoke. “Everything comes with a price.” Her tone was very matter-of-fact, but gentle. “There is no easy way about this. I’m not saying you shouldn’t marry this girl just to keep your honor, but only to keep an eye out for Walder. He’s a slippery bastard.” Frowning, she looked down. “He is asking a lot from you and there’s no guarantee he will even keep his word. Have you spoken with Aunt Catelyn about this?”

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

Merida leaned on her father’s greatsword, letting it prop her up as she stood inside of Robb’s war tent. No one else was around and she knew they needed to be alone if she wanted to speak freely. “My Lord,” she teased as soon as her cousin entered, looking weary, and shot him a smile. “I just wanted to tell you... you’re a fool to trust any Frey.” Though she wasn’t being loud, she still let her eyes slide around the tent, as if looking for any sign that someone was listening. It wasn’t her nature to be paranoid, but war did things to people.

“I know we require them to pass the Twins, but I’ve lived here my whole life and they’ve done nothing but cause trouble for the rest of us. He’ll skin you as soon as help you.” She frowned, lifting up some and keeping a grip on the sword. “Please, just, watch your back out here. I’ve only got so many arrows.”