the king in the north

robb stark. king in the north.

[ladyfayes-blog]

are you still mine | faye + robb

After her first meeting with Lord Warren, Faye was restless. She was told that her brothers and Robb were all meeting with Walder Frey that night so she was stuck in her tent without anyone to talk to. It was quite literally only yesterday when Robb and her were talking about their plans for the future. They would live up North, run Winterfell, be at peace after the war. But somehow, in a blink of an eye, her world had turned upside down. She was to marry an Arryn and Robb a Tully? It made no sense at all.

As the night grew deeper, Faye found herself in front of Robb’s tent, not knowing what to do or what to say. She had every intention of speaking to Damon first but her feet led her to where her heart wanted to go–to him. And so she waited in front of his tent, pacing back and forth, mind racing, heart about to burst. This was not at all like the life she had imagined when she was younger, when everything wasn’t falling into ruins.

[northernwolfking-blog]

The day had grown so long; even as the shadows changed and the sun set Walder Frey had kept Robb and his council at his table, endlessly going over possible terms for their crossing the Twins. Robb was exhausted - he hated these political discussions, he was useless at them and Walder Frey was an endlessly aggravating man. Robb had been attempting to negotiate their deal so that he could regain the freedom to marry Faye, but Walder was presenting a stubborn front. Robb had been ready to run a sword through him by the end. But gods, he had to believe this could work, that they could convince him. He would not accept anything less; his heart knew what was right, and that was marrying Faye. Not Frey’s daughter.

As he approached his tent, he was surprised to see a familiar form outside of it. “Faye,” He said, softly, her name reverent as always upon his lips. As tired as he was, his pace picked up, eager to be at her side. Even with everything going on - the sight of her was a comfort to him. It was as if something in his soul clicked into place when he saw her. “It is late. Have you been waiting here long?” He glanced behind him before reaching out, his hand gentle on her waste. “Come inside. If someone sees us outside my tent...” He frowned. “They will talk.” Robb ushered her inside and let the flap close behind them. “I’m sorry. I wish it didn’t have to be like this.”

[pinklights]

“I’ll always be with you, even when I’m not.”

[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.”

[northernwolfking-blog]

Rob grinned at her crass words, although his eyes spoke of weary frustration at the thought of Walder. He couldn’t let that vile man take anything from him and his family. He’d clearly been causing trouble for his cousin for years already.  “I wish I had known Lord Fegus well. He was undoubtably a great man.” Robb swallowed around a throat tight with emotion, and nodded. He couldn’t let his mourning for his father get in the way of what he needed to do as King, but gods, he missed him so. He had replayed their last interaction a million times in his head - the goodbye that Robb had never suspected would be their last. 

“My Lord father was a noble, brilliant man. He had so much faith in others, in their goodness. He expected complete honor out of  everyone.” He breathed in deep. “That was a mistake, in the end. But I will do everything I can to live up to who he wanted me to be - who he wanted everyone to be.” He nodded. “We will find a way.”

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[northernwolfking-blog]

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.”

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.”

[northernwolfking-blog]

the wolf and the raven | robb and damon

“You sure you don’t mind sparring with me?” Robb asked, facing the array of weaponry laid out on the bench before him. He usually trained with his father’s great sword, but he knew he needed to be well-rounded and proficient with all weaponry, in a pinch. That was why he’d asked Damon to come train with him this afternoon. He needed someone he trusted and was comfortable with. His men could not see him practice at a weapon he was unskilled with - they could only see him perfectly in control.They needed to have faith in their King. But he’d grown up around Damon; the other Lord knew who he was and would not judge him for any weakness. “I haven’t long to train. I have another meeting with Walder Frey at dusk. But I cannot afford to be idle.” He sighed. He only hoped this meeting would work out; perhaps he would then be able to tell Damon that he’d asked for Faye’s hand in marriage. He hoped her brothers would be happy for them. They were practically family already.

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[northernwolfking-blog]

“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.”

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.”

[northernwolfking-blog]

blood brothers | robb and jon

[northernwolfking-blog]

Jon’s expression fell into a frown. He hated seeing Robb like this, shoulders and head hung so low one could practically see the world that had become his burden to carry. There was little he could do to help relieve that weight as well, a fact which bothered him. He was meant to be his Hand and here he was useless to him. Jon stood and moved to pour Robb a pitcher of ale, if there was anyone in this camp that needed a drink right now it was him. “You did it because you knew what was necessary for the sake of this House and everyone that has sworn allegiance to you.”

When Robb had told him that he had proposed to Faye and that she had agreed, Jon was over the moon for him. It was about time of course, but he knew that there were no better people for either of them. The sky was blue, the North was cold and Robb and Faye belonged together, no question about it. To see the overjoyed Robb that had a stupid smile on his face when bringing that news was vastly different to the defeated one he now had sitting in his tent. Robb was always meant to lead, but this was truly a sacrifice like none other for him. It was unfair. Jon walked back and held the drink he had poured in front of him.

“I’m not sure what I can say that you haven’t already thought through yourself. On one hand, Faye would eventually come to understand, you would likely get a good beating from Ruby, but we would have passage without any bloodshed - except maybe yours.” He tried to smile but it mostly came out as a hollow laugh, “On the other, you deny Walder Frey, we’re stuck on this side and he likely switches allegiance to the Lannister’s as fast as you can say ‘Winter is coming’.”

“Or…” Jon added, taking his seat across from Robb once more, a small smile playing at his lips. “You let myself and Ruby take a group of armed men sneak around and take the castle in the dead of night and open the gates ourselves. Frey’s men are hardly a challenge, and you know Ruby’s itching to get going already. Present company included.” Jon knew Robb’s answer before he even finished, but it was just another way to let Robb know what Jon was ready to do whatever he asked, whatever was necessary for him if it meant relieving some of the weight he carried around with him.

“Is it wrong that a part of me want to give up their allegiance for the sake of her happiness? I knew this crown would be heavy, but I never knew it would steal more family from me. I was supposed to don it in order to get my sisters and friends returned to me, to see justice for our Lord father and freedom for the north. But in the end - will I be left defeated and hanged? Will I lose more of you?” He drew in a deep breath and sat back on the stool, gathering himself. “I apologize, brother. This self-pitying attitude will get us nowhere. I only thought - well, nothing is certain anymore. Not since they murdered our father. But some part of me has always known I would marry Faye. It is hard to believe I may have to give that up. I made her a promise, Jon.”

Robb laughed, dry and humorless. “I would deserve the beating. It is not right to ask a woman’s hand in marriage and then leave her for another offer...even if it is for the good of my people. It does not feel honorable. Even if you and Ruby are the only ones who know, how can Faye ever truly forgive me? And how can I be around her, knowing we can’t be together and I must remain loyal to my wife?” He pressed his lips together. “Walder Frey is certainly a changeable and untrustworthy man. He will sell us out as soon as he can, if we are not useful to him.”

He arched an eyebrow, watching the smile play out across his brother’s face. He barked out a small laugh, and shook his head, though he was grateful for the offer. “You know we cannot. If I am to defy Frey or challenge him, it must be out in the open, with honor and courage.”

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[northernwolfking-blog]

“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.”

“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.”

[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.”

[northernwolfking-blog]

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.”

[meridatully]

the waters edge | merida + robb

[northernwolfking-blog]

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.”

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.”

[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. 

[northernwolfking-blog]

“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.”

[northernwolfking-blog]

blood brothers | robb and jon

[northernwolfking-blog]

Sometimes Jon thought back to the day that Robb asked him not to go to the Wall. It was a heavy decision for him, on one hand he wouldn’t have to deal with the looks or the hushed whispers that surrounded him whenever he walked around Winterfell, and on the other he would still be by his family’s side. Both were choices for the benefit of his family. In the end it was his selfish desire to remain by Robb’s side that won out. It was by pure dumb luck or a harsh coincidence that led Jon to be certain that he had made the right choice. His aid was better served here among Robb’s men than it ever could have been had he gone to the wall.

It wasn’t a decision he came to regret. No matter the side glances Catelyn gave him whenever she spotted him roaming around the camp. In the battles Robb had won since marching out from Winterfell for his father and his sisters, the soldiers around him began to treat him more like their own, not the outsider they had heard him to be. People had warmed to him, finally. Except for Catelyn, though that was no surprise to him. She could send him icy glares all she liked, here with Robb, fighting with their house and those sworn to them, this is where he belonged.

Jon set down the bracer he’d been cleaning when he heard the flap to his tent being brushed aside and grinned when the devil he’d been thinking of himself appeared. “To what do I owe the pleasure of His Lordship’s company?” He teased, grinning brightly as he tossed the cloth he’d been cleaning with aside and turned to face him. He heard rather than saw how tired his brother was, though his exhaustion could also be seen in the way he walked. “You look terrible.” His tone remained teasing. Jon was bored and wanted to give the man more grief but when he saw the way he sat and the look on his face he knew that it wasn’t the time. Jon walked over to sit on his bed, effectively sitting opposite Robb and waited for him to speak.

When he did speak Jon tried his best not to look thrown. Marriage? He thought he’d just gone for a meeting with the small council. How long had he been cleaning his armor? “I… Say again? Did you say ‘marry the Frey’?” Even as he spoke realisation dawned on him. It was bloody Walder Frey after all. “Are those the terms for passage?” Jon’s expression was grim, suddenly understanding Robb’s sullen mood.

“I am terrible. How could I even begin to agree with this, knowing what I promised Faye?” Robb grimaced, rubbing at his temples. A pounding headache was looming, threatening to rob him of the rest he so direly needed. Jon and Ruby were, so far, the only people he and Faye had told about their engagement. His brother was the only person he could talk to about this. Ruby would probably kill him just for considering the marriage alliance, although he wouldn’t blame her. He was wretched, to consider this. But he had the North to consider - he wasn’t sure he could put Faye and his own selfish happiness first anymore. Not if he wanted his sisters and his cousins safely returned home. 

“Yes. Walder Frey wants me in return for passage through the Twins. He wants his daughter instated as Queen in the North. He wants to have a bloody hold over all of this, for as long as I am able to hold on to this miserable crown.” Robb shook his head. “He says I can have his prettiest one. As if they’re cattle. As if I care. None of them are Faye. If I am to do this, to be a King, I need her...and I will lose her when this becomes official.” He breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. “I see no way around this. But it’s a rotten deal. He can’t be trusted, and he doesn’t care enough about his family that having his daughter by my side would afford us any extra protection.”

[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?”

[northernwolfking-blog]

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?”

[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.”

[northernwolfking-blog]

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.”

[northernwolfking-blog]

blood brothers | robb and jon

He’d made a terrible mistake. Or - no, not a mistake but - the situation was disastrous. All he’d wanted since he’d been fifteen years old had been Faye Salvatore’s hand in marriage. It had taken him too long to ask, too long to work up the courage, but he had. Gods, he had, and she’d said yes - she wanted him too. But the very day after his council had promised him to the Freys, sold him away for passage across the Crossing that his army so direly needed. This feud - now blossomed into a war - had taken so much from Robb. His father dead, his sisters and his cousins kidnapped, his lands in turmoil, and now the ability to marry the woman he loved was snatched away for the sake of a flimsy alliance. He wasn’t sure how much left he had in him to give, to lose.

Robb pushed aside the flap to Jon’s tent, moving swiftly inside to hopefully escape notice of any of his council, or his mother. He couldn’t take five steps nowadays without being bombarded by petitions or suggestions or questions. Gods, he was tired, and too young for this by spades. He was no Lord, not like his father had been, and he was certainly no King. “Jon,” He greeted, warmth in his voice even through the exhaustion. “Finally, a friendly face I can trust. I grow weary of war councils.” He sat down heavily on a small stool, running a hand through his auburn locks. “Jon. I cannot marry the Frey girl, but we cannot move forward without my promise to do so. What am I to do?”