Blood and Winter

The Dragons

Chapter LXIX - Scheming Wolves

As the lords slowly trickled out of the room, Robb remained seated, looking upon the letter silently. Around the room, only Ned Stark remained having dismissed both Gendry and Harold away so that he could remain with his son. Both were sitting in silence, neither saying anything to break the silence. Ned himself looked upon his son and not for the first time, marvelled at how much his son had grown.

A man not even older than his second decade, yet bearing a burden of Kingship and doing so well. The Lord and ladies, listened to him, whether out of respect or fear, it didn't matter. In fact, Ned would wager that it was a healthy mix of the two. Some spoke of him as the second coming of Aegon the Conqueror, some as Tristifer IV Mudd. Others as Theon "Hungry Wolf" Stark, or Cregan Stark, the Old Man of the North reborn.

Robb's achievements and his young age made his legend grow. Ned cared little for that, he was proud of his son's achievements, but above all that, he was just happy that his son was alive and well. He held scars from his battles, his frame was tense and his face looked weary from long hours of planning. Yet he remained firm as he fought and planned for a future.

His frame was bulkier than he remembered, always possessing a stocky build but one that seemed bigger than before. His red-brown hair was long now, a thick beard framing his face, but his bright blue eyes stood out amongst them.

His leather tunic, thick fur cloak and sword at his hip made him look like a Warrior King. One that Ned was almost reminded of when he had once looked upon Robert during Robert's Rebellion. But Robert had always been brash and hotheaded, never growing out of that mentality as the war progressed, yet Robb didn't seem the same. Even now he was calm and collected and Ned could see his mind working to figure out what to do.

Ned then looked down to Grey Wind, the beast has grown immensely from the small pup he remembered. Patches of his fur were worn, some areas of his skin possessing scars much like Robb. Both man and beast were battle-worn yet remained strong and fearsome figures.

Yet as if sensing his gaze, Grey Wind looked up and reflexively, Ned reached out with one hand. The Direwolf paused, sniffing the fingers before leaning into the hand allowing Ned to stroke its fur.

"Do you believe the Targaryens intend to negotiate or is this just a ploy?" Robb asked after a moment and Ned looked up to see his son watching the proceedings.

"What do you believe?" Ned replied.

Robb placed the letter back upon the table. "I would like to believe it. I never had any intention of becoming King in the North, nor the Riverlands or anywhere else for that matter. However, I have accepted that duty because if I do not, this war will continue and more blood shall be shed." Ned nodded in agreement. "But in turn, I am aware of how risky it is to allow the Targaryens to still remain in Westeros, especially if Queen Daenerys does possess Dragons as she proclaims."

"I believe we should meet with them all the same," Ned said and Robb hummed in agreement. "This war has gone on long enough. Negotiations will help us secure the south so we can return to the North."

"Aye, you're right about that." Robb paused before nodding his head with a sigh. "I'll agree to this meeting, but I will still be marching my army south towards Kings Landing. I want to be prepared should these negotiations break down. In the meantime, I'll wait until Randall Tarly returns to the Riverlands. With him we'll have a force of over a hundred thousand, that should give us the impact necessary to turn negotiations in our favour."

"What do you intend to give them? From what you said, the two Targaryen forces are not working together and most of Westeros has declared for you." Ned probed curiously.

"Nothing," Robb answered simply. "The Stormlands, Dorne and what remains of the Crownlands are theirs for the taking. Let them fight for it amongst themselves. However, the North, Vale, Riverlands, Reach and the Westerlands as well as many of the Crown Lords have declared for me. They are now my people and I will defend them nor will I dishonour their loyalty by trading them like paltry pieces on a board."

Ned hesitated, face twisting as he both understood yet couldn't understand why. "Is that wise?" Ned questioned and Robb looked at him. "I understand your duty, Robb. But if these Targaryens, Daenerys and Aegon came to claim Westeros, they will not like what little they have. The North alone is larger than the rest of Westeros combined. The Westerlands are rich in gold, The Vale rich in iron, the Riverlands are rich in trade and the Reach is rich in food. They will not allow those to go without a fight."

"They don't have a choice!" Robb snapped. "I will not trade my people like paltry gifts, they deserve better than that for all they have given to our cause. I have a force of over a hundred thousand men at my command. They have less than that, even if they combine forces. Not to mention their Dragons are young. We bent the knee to the Targaryens and look what happened, rebellions and wars between them ravaged Westeros for centuries. Madness is a curse that runs through their blood, how long until another Mad King arises?"

Ned remained silent, listening calmly to Robb's venting.

"Have you forgotten what happened to our family at the hands of the last Mad King?" That got a reaction, both Ned and Robb going still. "I apologise, I am just stressed."

Ned didn't snap, he didn't get angry, he just remained calm. "I have not forgotten what happened to my sister, nor my brother or father. And I understand where you are coming from, I truly do. I am just afraid of what could happen if you refuse them everything they ask. Perhaps offer them the Crowlands and the Iron Islands at most."

"I, I see the sense in that. But it all depends on how much they ask, even that might not satisfy them."

"If not, then negotiations will dissolve and war will begin." Ned placed one hand on his son's shoulder. "Then we rewrite history, just as you said." Robb nodded his head, shoulders loosening lightly as he fully relaxed back into his chair.

"I'd like you to return to Riverrun, oversee the search for Petyr Baelish through the Riverlands with Tytos Blackwood," Robb muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "No doubt Garlan has sent riders to scour the eastern coast and sent ravens to Lord Tarly in order to search for Baelish. But I'd like you to secure a proper search."

"How many men will we have?" Ned asked. "There are five thousand men in the Riverlands currently."

"They'll remain there," Robb responded. "However, you'll be taking ten thousand men from my host to search. In the meantime, I'll have Olyvar compile a note of all the suggestions and contributions brought forth by the lords on how to deal with the Targaryens and their Dragons. That should give us a starting point on who to look at first as a potential traitor."

"You purposefully turned their attention away from Littlefinger?" Ned questioned, piecing together what Robb meant and had done. "You focused all their attention upon the Dragons so they would come up with ways to win."

"And those that bring little to the table will be the ones we look at first. Not only as potential Targaryen loyalists but also as traitors who helped Baelish escape. I'd like you to focus on the Vale lords, and also provide Willas and Olenna with similar information. They'll look at the Riverlands and Reach Lord respectively."

"What of the Crownland and Westerland lords?"

"They have nothing to offer nor pose much of a threat. They know that so I am confident that should they be revealed as traitors they won't be able to cause much trouble. However, our main priority is the Reach and Riverlands for potential Targaryen loyalists. The Vale as potential Baelish sympathisers."

"Hmm." Ned nodded his head. "I'll speak with Lord Royce, one of the main problems we faced in gathering support in the Vale was the fact that many were in debt, something Baelish used to his advantage."

"Keep it quiet and the number of people in this investigation minimal. The fewer people know about it the better. People will still raise questions, but at this point in time, as far as anyone is aware, we have too much to handle to focus upon potential traitors and spies." In war there would always be such people amongst your compatriots, the chances of finding them, especially amongst a number as large as were gathered under the Young Wolf's reign was small.

Plus with the pressure from the Targaryens, attention would be focused upon them. Then it would be focused on the situation in the North. As far as many would-be concerned, there was simply too much going on to find them.

Or at least, that was what Robb wanted people to think. He'd be around people like Garlan, Margaery and people more politically able than he that he'd learnt more than a few tricks. If he was to be King, he couldn't just be a warrior and a general. He couldn't just move from one battle to the next, he needed to think long term.

No matter what it took, no matter how much it cost Robb would win so that his family would never be torn apart again. Twice now it happened, first in Robert's Rebellion and nowhere in the War of Five Kings. But never again, House Stark had bent the knee and it had cost them greatly.

Now it was their turn to rule just as the ancient Kings of Winter had.

So, another chapter is done and I hope you all enjoyed it. Anyway, please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.