After all the fanfare of his return to the capital and his very public embrace with his wife, Robb found himself in the Small Council Chambers, surrounded by his councilors and kingsguard. Margaery, as always, sat at his right hand. She hadn't left his side since he had leaped off his horse and embraced her in the courtyard just outside the main doors to the Red Keep, and Robb didn't want her anywhere other than right next to him.
As Robb prepared to speak, he couldn't help but think back to his last conversation with Jon.
Flashback
As the captain bellowed orders to the sailors, Robb stood on the jetty with Jon. Both brothers had deep bags under their eyes from a lack of sleep, but they didn't care. They had taken the majority of the night catching up and sharing ale. Their conversations had roamed from the Wall to King's Landing to the Old Gods and everywhere in between. There had been no boundaries that the brothers hadn't crossed.
But there was one topic that had been practically skipped over.
"You know that I have to tell others about…." Robb said, glancing up at the mountainside where the dragons resided.
Jon nodded. "I know."
Robb and Jon stood in silence for a moment. Robb had already accepted the fact that he was going to have to divulge his brother's secret to others. He just wanted to make sure that Jon knew what needed to happen. It was all well and good for him to show up on a dragon and refuse to answer any questions, but Robb wouldn't have the same luxury. He had a council, and more importantly, a queen to answer to. Robb also wanted to have a strong foundation of support for Jon outside of just his family. There would undoubtedly be those who fear or hate Jon for a multitude of reasons, and Robb wanted Jon to have others he could lean back on and would stand up for him if need be.
Robb clapped his brother on the shoulder and embraced him once more. He knew that there wasn't much he could say to alleviate any of Jon's inner fears or concerns. All he could do was be there for his brother when he needed him and stand up for him when Jon couldn't.
"I'll see you in a few weeks when Uncle Benjen arrives," Robb promised. "Just try not to burn yourself while I'm gone."
Jon smiled. "Have fun getting your ear pulled by your wife when you tell her your brother is a secret Targaryen."
Robb jokingly made a horrified face before his smile broke through and the two brothers embraced again, this time in a happier mood.
Flashback
It took a little over a day for the ship to reach King's Landing, but Robb used every second to figure out what exactly he wanted to say. There was so much he had to say and explain and he had no doubt that there was a report as thick as a tree trunk waiting on his desk from Tyrion. The Lord Hand had many amazing talents, one of which was writing short, succinct reports, but Robb had been gone for months and reports tend to stack up at an alarming rate.
"I have much to say," Robb prefaced, speaking slowly as he collected his thoughts. "First, the Wall. There was a leadership crisis when I arrived. My father and Mance Rayder against Alliser Thorne, the Lord Commander of the Watch. Thorne was unwilling to see the free folk as his allies rather than his enemies. My arrival, I'm afraid, made the situation worse."
"You sided with your father in the argument," Tyrion said, briefly stepping in.
"Indeed." Robb sighed. "Thorne….snapped. He believed that everyone was against him. He sent assassins after my brother Jon and those who helped him open the gate under the Wall for the free folk. By this point, they were under my father's protection, and thankfully none were killed. Furthermore, Thorne tried to kill me himself. As always, I have my loyal kingsguard to thank for being by my side when I need them the most."
"Did you kill him?" Jaime Lannister asked. Tyrion had mentioned that the man had been named a temporary replacement for the Blackfish, who was away for a reason Robb still hasn't been told about. Either way, Robb didn't mind the man's attendance.
"Brienne did," Robb said, nodding to his commander. "The next morning, I worked with the other leaders of the Watch and had a new Lord Commander ready to fill the role who should be much more tolerant to the free folk as well as more aware of the situation."
"Who's been left in charge?" Lord Royce asked
"A ranger by the name of Qhorin Halfhand," Robb answered. "He's well respected and will hopefully serve for many years to come."
"Lord Stark has control of the situation then." Lord Mallister assumed.
"My father has things well in hand at the Wall, yes," Robb replied. "Now, this next subject is of the utmost secrecy for the time being."
A buzz went through the room when Robb spoke. A few councilors looked at each other curiously. Since they were on the Small Council, and such heard matters from all across the realm, there weren't many topics that required the king to order them to secrecy.
"It involves my brother, Jon, as well as the Lady of Dragonstone, Daenerys Targaryen." Robb started. "As most of you should be aware by now, both the Grand Maester and the Green Man have said that the Targaryen dragons will be our advantage in the war to come. Unfortunately, it's been brought to my attention that there must be two riders."
"Your grace, Aegon Targaryen is dead. You slew him yourself." Lady Anya said. "Who will ride the other dragon?"
"Jon Stark will," Tyrion said, looking stunned. He seemed to have figured it out before everyone else.
Robb didn't dare meet Margaery's gaze, which he could feel burning holes in the side of his face. He knew how much it must have angered her to be hearing this now instead of earlier in their marriage. He instead nodded at Tyrion, who sat on his left and continued speaking, letting his gaze wander around the room.
"My brother Jon is not the bastard son of my father, Eddard Stark. He's the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen." Robb explained calmly. "He was raised in Winterfell as a bastard to protect him from Robert Baratheon's wrath. My brother, as well as myself and a small group of others, was made aware of this during the War of Five Kings. For Jon's safety, and at his insistence, we kept this secret."
The room was deathly quiet after Robb finished speaking. Thankfully, no one besides Margaery looked angry. Many were too shocked to show any other emotion. Robb couldn't blame them. Many, like lords Royce, Mallister, and Tarly had all fought in the war Rhaegar started more than two decades ago. This was world-changing information.
"Who else knows?" Lady Anya asked gently.
"My immediate family; Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon when he is old enough to know. My mother and father as well." Robb answered. "Lord Reed, as he was the only other person besides my father at the Tower, and finally….Samwell."
All eyes immediately turned towards the large maester, who was staring intently at the table.
"Sam was with Jon when he found out," Robb said. "Don't blame him for not saying anything. Like the rest of us, he knew the terrible possibilities of what might happen if word spread."
"Your grace," Tyrion said slowly, clasping his hands together as he leaned back in his chair. "Why tell us this at all?"
"Because there will be those who will see Jon atop a dragon when the fighting begins and will make the connection." Robb sighed. "Jon doesn't want any throne, he never did. He just wanted to fight for his family and to be a Stark. That's all he's ever wanted. But there will be those who will proclaim him king and others who will try to put a knife in his back. Those of us in this room who will be there must support his decision to remain who he is and put down any plots and schemes we come across."
"We'll keep the lad's secret." Lord Royce promised. "No harm shall come to him at the Wall or anywhere else."
Others in the room nodded and murmured their agreement, seconding Lord Royce's promise. Jon had sat in the room with them when Robb first became king of all of Westeros. He had fought side by side with his brother and helped free the North from the Bolton's. Jon's loyalty to not only his brother, the king, but his whole family was unquestionable.
"Thank you," Robb said, the sincerity in his voice obvious. "Now, that's all I have to report. What has happened here?"
An awkwardness fell over the room as the lords and lady looked at each other, wondering who would speak first. Even Tyrion, who was as bold as anyone, seemed unsure of whether he should speak or not. Beside him, Jaime glanced around the room before sucking in a deep breath and launching into the story.
"The queen was attacked," he said simply.
Robb's reaction was expected. His eyes lit up with fury and his face became as hard as stone. One hand flew to his sword while the other held his wife's hand. When he spoke, there was a very clear note of violence.
"Who!" he demanded. "I'll have their heads!"
"They're dead, sire," Jaime said quickly. "All culprits are dead."
"Thanks in part to Jaime." Lord Royce grunted. "As well as Lord Tarly and the Ser Loras and Ser Rolland of the Kingsguard."
Robb looked around the room. "Speak, someone, quickly. Explain what in the blazes happened!"
"It was an assassination plot," Tyrion said, "but I wish it was that simple. Euron Greyjoy and his crew snuck into the city using the tunnels created by Maegor I Targaryen. My brother noticed that something was wrong and we sought out Lord Tarly, who happened to be in the middle of fighting off his own attack."
"They failed." Lord Tarly deadpanned. "With yourself gone, there was only one person we thought to check on; the queen."
"Ser Rolland and I were on duty that night and sent a servant to fetch Commander Hawker when we saw the ironborn approaching." Ser Loras said, taking up the story. "We were driven back into the room by Greyjoy and three of his warriors. We slew the others, but Greyjoy refused to die."
"What do you mean?" Robb all but growled.
"We'll get to that," Jaime said, glancing at Tarly. "Tarly, myself, and Tyrion found a battle outside the room. Hawker and the Blackfish, as well as the household guard, against the rest of the crew. With our help, we slaughtered the crew, and five of us; Hawker, Tarly, myself, Tyrion, and Ser Brynden charged inside."
"Minus Lord Tyrion, we fought Euron in the middle of the room, but something was different. He was possessed." Lord Tarly scowled.
"How could you tell?" Robb asked.
"I put my axe in his chest and he pulled it out as if nothing had happened," Eyan answered grimly. "It was only when Lord Tarly cleaved his shoulder with his greatsword is when the bastard died."
Robb looked at the Grand Maester. "Explain."
"We knew that he had been possessed, presumably by the Drowned God, but we weren't sure," Sam admitted. "Jaime was sent after the Green Man, who was on his own mission of sorts, as we felt he had more knowledge and could perhaps confirm our fears."
Robb rubbed his face. "Jaime."
"Three idiot lords had captured him for religious reasons." Jaime sighed. "To keep the story short, they're dead and I explained what happened on the ride back."
"The Green Man confirmed that it was an ancient practice used by worshippers of the Drowned God." Sam continued. "It's a lost art and Euron probably found out about it while in exile."
Robb looked at his wife. "You weren't harmed?"
Margaery shook her head. "No. Ser Loras and Ser Rolland fought bravely to defend me and Mira before the others arrived." the queen hesitated before continuing. "It was….traumatic, to say the least. I handed the power of the throne over to Lord Tyrion while I collected myself."
"Her majesty is well now, sire, thankfully," Tyrion added. "She has recovered fully and even submitted herself to be examined by the Grand Maester. Her mind and body are strong, as is the prince. The guards who died have been replaced and the entire unit is currently under examination by Ser Brynden and my brother. As for Euron, his body was burned as were the bodies of his crew and his ship with wildfyre."
Robb looked around the room. "Thank you, all of you. I wish I could say more to show my gratitude, but words cannot accurately portray my emotions."
"We're always happy to be of service, your grace." Lord Tarly said with a slight head bow.
"Anything else I should know?" Robb asked.
Tyrion shook his head. "The lords of the Vale, the Crownlands, and the Stormlands have begun streaming into the capitol. The dornish lords should also be on their way. Lord Willas has reported that there seem to be no other signs of a religious uprising in the Reach. The Riverlands, the North, the Westerlands, and the Iron Islands have all been quietly preparing for war."
"Forgive my interruption, Lord Hand, but your grace, have we learned anything of the attack?" Lord Mallister asked. "When will it take place?"
Robb grimaced. "I wish I had an answer for you, my lord, but I just don't know."
"Why don't we start sending men and supplies now?" Jaime offered. "How many castles are currently active at the Wall? Three? We'll need soldiers up there preparing fortifications all along the Wall."
"Besides, when the Long Night does come, how will we be able to move our armies through that snow?" Tyrion added. "Better to have a thin defense at all castles than none at all."
Lords Royce, Mallister, and Tarly all nodded in agreement with the former knight and the Hand. Robb nodded as well. Their reasoning was sound and there were realms outside the North who knew of the attack. But, there was also something else that the lords weren't considering.
"Mance Rayder has a hundred thousand wildlings close to the Wall," Robb said. "If need be, we will begin sending men north, but I hope to wait before the wight has been seen by all. Lord Mallister, send some ships to Dragonstone as well as more workers to mine dragonglass. There are hundreds of barrels there that need to be heading to the Wall where they can be made into weapons."
"I will see it done," Mallister promised.
"Then that will be all," Robb said, ending the meeting. As the others got up to leave, Robb leaned over to his wife, speaking quietly. "I must speak with the Green Man. I will return shortly."
Margaery nodded as Robb strode out the door, flanked by Brienne.
Line Break
"You've returned," Bryn called. The green-cloaked man was kneeling before the heart tree, totally still. He hadn't turned around when he spoke to Robb.
"You told Daenerys that another rider was needed and she made me give up my brother." Robb scowled, stopping a few feet from the kneeling man. "I'm not particularly pleased about that."
"It needed to be done." Bryn sighed, getting to his feet and facing Robb. "We needed two riders for two dragons."
"Yet my brother's life is now in peril." Robb countered. "You may not have noticed as you have been hidden away on your isle, but every noble south of the Neck plays the Game of Thrones and my brother has just joined it because he was forced to."
"No one forced your brother, my lord," Bryn replied calmly.
"He was forced to because duty demanded it, damn it!" Robb growled. "I'll say this once, Highsmith. If my brother dies because of this, it'll be on your head."
"You seem almost certain he will," Bryn noted calmly. "Why?"
"I don't trust humans," Robb called over his shoulder as he strode angrily out of the godswood.
Gendry Baratheon
Gendry, Edric, and Ser Brynden moved carefully through the forest. All three were armed with hunting spears and daggers and wore clothes suited for their task. A little ways behind them, two Baratheon guards, both avid hunters, crept. Both men were armed with hunting bows with arrows fitted on the string. If anything went awry and someone's life was at risk, their job was to shoot the creature dead.
While both Ser Brynden and Edric had hunted before, it made an inexperienced hunter like Gendry feel a lot better.
Two servants walked behind the guards. Both were strong-looking and one held two stout poles in his hands while the other had a length of rope. It was their job to carry one of the stags while Edric and Gendry carried the other.
Ser Brynden laid a hand on Gendry's shoulder, stopping the boys. He pointed through the trees at a wild buck scratching his antlers against a tree. He stood at about four feet tall at the shoulder, with his antlers and head adding at least another four feet after that. His fur was a nice, rich, reddish-brown color and looked soft to the touch.
"Edric, he's yours." Ser Brynden said. "Gendry, watch."
Gendry could only nod as his brother crept forward a few more feet, reversing his grip on his spear as he prepared to throw it. When he felt like he was within throwing distance, Edric stood and raised his spear until it was just above his shoulder. Just as Gendry remembered Ser Brynden showing him the night before, as Edric's hand came forward, he stepped forward with his opposite foot, adding power to the throw.
The spear sailed through the air before impaling the beautiful creature in the side, tearing through its ribcage and lungs. The buck wailed in pain as it fell to the ground, but Edric was on top of it in an instant. He straddled the creature's body and slid his knife across its throat, killing it quickly and efficiently.
Ser Brynden clapped his hands as he and Gendry moved forward. "Well done lad," he praised. "Ben, Karron, get this beauty on one of the poles."
Gendry was surprised by how much Ser Brynden was enjoying hunting. The old knight's eyes were alight and there was a slight smile on his craggy features. Gendry wondered if the man preferred the woods and the wind instead of the confines of a castle. Although, he could see why the men like Ser Brynden enjoyed hunting. It was thrilling for Gendry, hunting and tracking a beast before feeling the savage energy when it was slain.
"My lord!" one of the soldiers cried, bringing his bow up as another stag burst through the trees, its head down as it charged Edric, who was helping the two servants tie his kill to the pole.
The two soldiers each fired at the deer, but neither brought the creature down. Gendry, acting on instinct, placed himself protectively in front of his brother, holding the spear with both hands. He thought briefly about throwing the spear, but he knew immediately that he had no chance of bringing the buck down. He braced his feet and lowered the point of his spear as the buck closed in.
When it reached him. Gendry roared and took a step towards the buck, wagging the steel point of his spear at it. The buck made a weird moo-ing sound as it rose on its back legs, lashing out with its front hooves. Gendry ducked under them, nearly having his head knocked off in the process, and shoved his spear where he remembered Ser Brynden telling him where the heart was. Blood rushed down the shaft and splattered on Gendry's hands and arms as the beast went down. When it was on the ground, Gendry gave one final shove for good measure before pulling the spear out. The buck gave a shuddering final sigh and whined before going still.
Edric clapped Gendry on his shoulder excitedly. "Gendry, that was amazing!"
"Well done indeed." Ser Brynden said, kneeling and inspecting where Gendry's spear had entered the buck. "Clean kill. Shoved your spear right through its heart."
"I just remember what you told me," Gendry said, blushing slightly.
"Aye, but I never told you to take on a charging stag." Ser Brynden said, rising to his feet. "That took courage and you protected Edric the process. It's something your father would have done and would be damn proud that you did so." the old knight looked at the two brothers. "We'll take these two back to camp, field dress them, and roast one over the fire. You both showed that you are Baratheons this day with your kills. It's been my honor to witness them."
Edric gave a slight bow. "The honor is ours, Ser Brynden. You have our thanks for accompanying us."
"You remind me of your father during the Rebellion." Ser Brynden said, planting his spear in the ground and grabbing them by the shoulder. "Gendry has his strength and Edric has his voice. I'm sure the king will be pleased to hear that House Baratheon will be in good hands for a very long time."