Part IX: Catelyn
Everything, it seemed to Cat, happened at the inn at the crossroads.
How many years previous had it been that she had the Imp arrested there, believing him to have attempted to kill her son Bran? And what had happened since then – Ned had been executed by King Joffrey, her son had been declared King in the North and defeated the Lannisters before repelling the invasion of the ironborn, King’s Landing was sacked by King Stannis as she and Queen Roslin escaped, aided by a Lannister bastard and Prince Oberyn.
And now, they were back at the inn at the crossroads, breaking bread and forging alliances with those same longtime rivals.
“I will split my forces in two; the first will be commanded by my brother Kevan, the second by myself. While the bulk of your main army marches south, Stark, my brother’s army will pin Stannis’s forces down in King’s Landing, while I will march on Storm’s End. Join forces with my brother and retake King’s Landing; I want the Dornish army to meet me at Storm’s End.” Tywin Lannister leaned back in his chair and sipped his wine. “How does that sound?”
Robb and Oberyn nodded assent, but Catelyn was unconvinced. “But why should we trust you, Tywin Lannister?” She spat out his name like it was the worst curse in existence. “Everything you ever do is for your advantage! You had Jon Arryn killed – ”
“I did not!”
“ – waited to join in the rebellion until you knew that Robert Baratheon would emerge victorious – ”
“You had Elia raped, murdered, and her children killed!” Oberyn interjected.
“I thought we agreed to move past this for the sake of the alliance!” Tywin countered.”
“MOTHER! GENTLEMEN! PLEASE!” her son yelled. The room became silent, but tension still filled the room.
Lady Stark glowered at Tywin. “How can we trust you? How can I trust you?”
The Lannister patriarch laughed and took a sip of wine. “Trust. Trust. What a funny word, trust. You ask me how you can trust me, when in actuality, it is
I who should be asking if I can trust
you. After all, it is my children and my grandchildren who are dead, and not yours, Lady Stark, or have you forgotten that?”
“As is my daughter Sansa, who was raped and murdered by your grandson Joffrey, or have you forgotten that?” she countered.
“It is the Lannister way to rape and murder female relatives of royal families, it would seem,” Prince Oberyn pointed out.
“And all of my family was killed at the hands of your son here,” Tywin continued. He leaned back in his chair. “You deserved Joffrey, though. Raping and murdering your sister as his city fell….unfortunately that’s not even the worst of his crimes, if even half of what I have heard he did was true. Sadly, he was not only a bad king, but he was headstrong, too, and rarely listened to advice. It was my son Tyrion who saved the city from Stannis’s army – and from the crowds, too. Aye, if he had been king, he would have been the Mad King all over again. But Tommen, he would have been a good king. He had the right disposition for it; was killing him really necessary?”
Her son bowed his head. “Not really, I suppose. But it was war, King Tywin, remember that – and your family had killed my father, and had killed my sister.”
“And had killed Elia and her children.”
Tywin looked at Oberyn. “Can we please table this for now?” He then continued. “You want to know why you can trust me? Your daughter Sansa may be dead – but Arya is alive, is she not? She had served as my cupbearer for weeks. And you know what the last thing she told me was? Her name. I knew who she was, but I kept her alive.”
Lady Stark was incredulous at such a thought. “Why would you do such a thing? We were
at war.”
“Aye, we were. But after you trapped my army in the Westerlands and began to overrun Harrenhal, I knew the war was hopeless, and that King’s Landing would fall before I could reinforce the siege. You see, the Tyrell armies had also moved into the west; contrary to your belief, King’s Landing was virtually undefended, and would have fallen relatively quickly – although, I give you credit young man, you did better than I thought. Anyhow, back to the point. I knew the war was lost, so I returned home to Casterly Rock, and began plotting to restore the Lannisters back to power, as Kings of the Rock. Because although you may have swung the sword that killed my family, it was Stannis who had made fools of them, accusing my children of deeds most disgusting and vile; and while I could be ruled by a killer, for that I can forgive, but embarrassment, I cannot.
“And I knew that if I had killed the girl, and Joffrey had killed Sansa, as I had believed he would – correctly, it seemed – then there would have been no hope for peace and cooperation between us. Let that be my offer of peace and a token of trust, your daughter’s life.”
She did not want to believe him, but she could tell that he was telling the truth. “Very well, King Tywin, I believe you. Let us put aside our differences, and work together for the betterment of us all.”
Robb nodded his assent, and Oberyn smiled. “Let us dine, then, and compose our joint letter of alliance to the world, and send an ultimatum to this King Stannis, who is no king of ours.”
Hours later, they had composed the following letter:
King Stannis may be a King in Westeros – but he is not who he says he is. He is not, as he says, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm, for he is no king of ours! The North refuses to bow to southron kings, and the Lords of the Riverlands have joined themselves to House Stark. Casterly Rock and the Lords of the Westerlands refuse to swear allegiance to a King who betrayed his own brother’s offspring. The Martells of Dorne bent the knee to the Targaryens, now gone, not some Baratheon pretender, and so renounce their obedience to the King in Dragonstone.
From this day, he shall be known as Stannis, King of the Stormlands, the Vale, and the Reach, Lord and Protector of the Union of Kingdoms!
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Robb of House Stark, King in the North and of the Trident, King of Winter, Lord of the First Men, Lord of Winterfell, Protector of the Realm
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Tywin of House Lannister, King of the Rock, Lord of the Westerlands, Lord of Casterly Rock and Lannisport, Protector of the Realm
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Arianne of House Martell, Princess of Dorne, Lady of Sunspear, Protector of the Realm
As the meeting concluded, a knock came on the door, and a young man entered. Theon Greyjoy.
The ironborn prince bowed his head and approached Robb. “I am sorry, Your Grace. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he just would not listen. Here is the surrender.” He handed Robb a parchment, sealed by the Iron King. “As a part of the surrender I am to return to your service, Your Grace.”
Robb looked at him. “Well then, my old friend. What your father did…bloody hell, my mother was right, I never should have trusted him. I cannot let you off easily, however, at least, not for now. Go make me some dinner.”
And with that, the war council was adjourned, to be followed by a round of drinking and dining on Theon Greyjoy’s poor cooking. Only the Greatjon enjoyed the food.