-Chapter 41-
-POV Robb Stark-
The cold walls of Riverrun offered no comfort as I stood by the window, scanning the landscape for signs of the Lannister and Connington armies.
Tension was palpable in Riverrun ever since I learned that Ronnet Connington had left the city with reinforcements for the Lannister army.
My army, along with my bannermen, was agitated, tired but resolved to fight to the death if necessary.
The news that Bran and Rickon had been killed by Theon, someone I had considered my own brother, someone I had almost loved more than my real brother, was a crushing blow I had not yet come to terms with.
'I loved that person so much.'
A noise at the entrance of the war room made me turn my head; it was my uncle Edmure, his face grim, holding a missive sealed with the emblem of the Connington - a red griffin.
"From Ronnet Connington," he said, tearing the seal with barely concealed brutality and disgust.
"What does Lord Connington have to say to us?" I asked, trying to hide the anxiety in my voice since Arya and my mother were in his hands, a considerable asset for him given that if he managed to kill me, he would only have to marry his brother to Sansa to "claim" the entire North in the name of the last Stark.
"Talks, as expected. He boasts of his recent victories and requests a meeting before he reaches Riverrun. He also mentions that Arya and my mother are in good health and well-treated, and that they will remain so as long as we remain reasonable," he read, his voice trembling slightly at the end.
'Basically, he's ordering us to negotiate or something might happen to my sisters and my mother.'
I struggled not to let my emotions overflow and said, "We know he has the advantage, Uncle Edmure, but we have a cause. We must not forget that the North remembers."
Lord Karstark, his face hardened by the rage of losing his own sons at the hands of the Lannisters, stepped forward:
"Why talk? Why not attack them head-on and reclaim what is ours?"
The table was clearly divided into two camps: some, like Lord Umber, agreed with Karstark's sentiment, while others, like Maege Mormont and Ser Wilys Manderly, thought it better to be cautious:
"We have lost enough men and shed enough blood. If we can recover Arya and Lady Catelyn without further losses, we must do everything we can to achieve that."
"So what do we do? Are we going to crawl before this man and beg for mercy for our own lands, for our own people?" exclaimed Lord Glover, pounding his fist on the table. The room was a whirlwind of emotions and loyalties.
"We crawl before no one!" I retorted. "But we are not blind either. With the Lannisters and Connington allied against us, that's a force of over 100,000 men attacking us. Do you have the soldiers to fight back? Make no mistake, our position is precarious, I would even say critical. We must be smart. Sansa is in King's Landing, Arya and my mother are with Ronnet Connington. We must think of them first."
"And the North? Are we forgetting the North?" said Lord Bolton dryly, his pale eyes fixing intensely on mine.
"Never!" I replied firmly. "We will reclaim the North, but not if we are all dead here in the South."
There was a tense silence before the Blackfish spoke: "Ronnet Connington may have a large army, but he does not have our determination, nor our cause. He is arrogant, and arrogance can be exploited."
I nodded: "We will respond to his request for talks, but we must be prepared for all eventualities."