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Author's Note: Sorry for the late chapter, I had some hardware issues. I'll make sure to make it up to you this week.
Chapter 20
Robb Stark
Robb sat in Lord Lefford's solar, a few days after capturing the castle.
He had deemed it prudent to wait for Tywin's attempts to cross into the Westerland to be over before announcing their victory and heading back in, hoping to bleed his numbers further, and to see if his plan to trap the Mountain would work.
He knew beforehand that Tywin would choose to attempt to "liberate" his kingdom from his presence, and sufficient preparation would be enough to repel any hosts of significant size.
The only method for him to succeed in Robb's opinion was to find a weak point and secure it in advance. To do that you need fast moving cavalry and a formidable commander who's able to keep his men in line while behind enemy lines, the only one he could think of was the Mountain.
So he ordered Greatjon to lead the reserve cavalry and pretend to stay at Riverrun, after the first battle, he is to secretly move to Wayfarer's Rest, and have most of his men scouting the bank of the Red Fork for advance parties.
An unexpected variable was for Brynden to detect the same force from the other side of the river, but the Blackfish proved his reputation by splendidly baiting the Mountain's men out of their fortifications.
And so, the Lannisters were repelled, suffering great losses, and the Mountain was dead by Jon's hand, and word is Lorch was killed by Brynden's arrow. The Umber's hand had to be amputated though, but it was not his weapon hand and Robb was assured the man was quite happy for the trade.
Even now, toasts to Greatjon the "Mountain Slayer" or "Mountain's Bane" were given in feasts, increasing morale by a great deal. Most importantly, it further united Riverlander and Northern men, since Jon Umber took down their most hated foe.
'Oberyn Martell or Sandor must be fuming.' He thought. 'Both had desires for revenge against the man, revenge that was taken from them by another man.'
Before he could think further, he heard a knock.
"Come in."
A woman gingerly opens the door; she was a young, tall golden haired woman, with hazel eyes and sunlit skin. Her slender frame gracefully crept up to him, looking fearfully at him, the unfamiliar man in the familiar room.
"My Lord." She curtsies. "You wished to speak with me?"
Robb nods, mentioned with his hand for her to sit.
Alysanne Lefford was the last living child of Leo Lefford, who only had a bastard brother, elevated as castellan in his absence, and who Robb killed with an axe the other day.
Her situation was delicate, but came with a great opportunity for Robb. One, Lefford was known as a sour man, the reasons for his constant bad mood is unknown, what is known however, is that his wife -Cassidy Brax- moved to her parent's lands after a series of miscarriages, the only healthy babe born from their union being their daughter.
"First, I'd like to express my condolences." Robb speaks stiltedly. "I may not have known your father, but I have lost my own recently, I know how it must feel, and you have my sympathies."
Robb tests the waters, feeling through the force for her reaction. At the mention of her father, not only is there grief, but deep down he senses emotions of vindication and freedom.
His suspicions are probably correct then; the relationship between daughter and father may not have been very good.
"Thank you, my Lord." She manages to hide her emotions admirably. "My father will be dearly missed."
Robb nods.
Secondly, she has not sworn any oaths or pledges to the Lannisters, which means there is no conflicts of interest were she to turn her allegiance to the Riverlands.
"May I be frank with you, my Lord?" Alysanne takes charge.
Robb nods.
"I-uh… I have put much thought in my current… predicament." She says. "I know fully that you have captured this castle through mettle of arms, and in doing so, have a right of conquest over it." She takes a deep breath. "I know… that you could turn me to the silent sisters or send me into exile at some godforsaken castle, taking this castle as your own."
She stares at him, looking for a reaction, trying to gauge his mind. Unluckily for her, he couldn't show her anything even if he wanted, so she took another deep breath and steeled her mind.
"My father is dead, I have no siblings and my mother hates the sight of me." She explains. "I am unwed and unbetrothed. The only thing I have… The only thing I can offer you is my claim to the Lefford name and their lands and titles." She finishes. "I know this castle and these lands; I know how to run them, and how to defend it against enemies, with me by your side you'll no longer have to worry about your western flank."
Things couldn't have gone easier for Robb, and she explained his thoughts perfectly. He could simply banish her somewhere and have someone take her place; it would help very well to ingratiate himself further with the Riverlanders, but the Lefford name is practically ancient, they ruled these lands way back when Casterly Rock housed the actual Casterlys, predating the Lannisters.
Any man he puts forth will face difficulties ruling, the local smallfolk have long memories and are heavily traditional, so they would comply, but maliciously, and if the day comes when Alysanne is able to fight for her claim, they'd support her wholeheartedly.
"You will cooperate?"
She nods. "I will."
Robb nods. "Good." He says. "When we head back to Riverrun, you will swear fealty to the Tullys, from now on, you are a Riverlander."
She winces, but nods anyway.
"Obviously, you will need to marry someone of high blood, preferably from the Riverlands." He explains. "But in exchange for your cooperation, you will become Lady of this castle in word and spirit, I will allow you unfettered rule over your holdings, and you can choose who you'll marry." He finishes. "You will be Lady Lefford in truth, as long as you follow my lead."
He could see the heat creep up to her neck, his senses picking up on feelings of trepidation and excitement.
It seems he's got her profile on lock, a repressed woman whose ambition makes her desire power of her own. He felt guilt at exploiting that weak point, even making use of his force powers to reinforce her emotions of gratitude, but that is what it means to rule.
"May I ask, my Lord?" Robb nods. "If those people succeeded in their mission, and managed to send that letter, what then?" She asks.
Robb looks up to her, his scheme to send a group of criminals with a false letter was a calculated risk that worked. He'd waged if it didn't, they would have been detected before they could scale the wall.
"Then whoever is in charge will be incompetent, not defending the only way for your castle to be bypassed is a stupid move, and such stupidity would also affect the wall's defense." He explains. "I would have succeeded either way."
"I told my uncle that there was something fishy about that letter. The messengers spoke too quickly, and it didn't sit well with me that you'd send criminals to undergo such a sensitive mission." She says. "But I was superseded, and half our garrison was sent to the eastern wall."
"Then, we may not be having this conversation in the first place." Robb answers.
Alysanne nods and stands. "Indeed, good day, my Lord." She makes for the door.
But before she leaves, she turns around one last time.
"One last thing, I have seen Lady Mormont train with the men." Her face reddens. "May I do so, also? I wager it would be easier for other men to accept my Ladyship if I become adept in manly matters."
Robb tilts his head. "This is not my castle, is it?" He says. "And I am not your father."
Alysanne understand the gist of his reply, so she smiles and curtsies before heading back out.
'So she's that type, huh.' Robb inwardly shakes his head. 'Another falling at the wily hands of the warrior lady.'
Dacey was a beautiful, elegant woman. She bashes men's head on one side and waltzes gracefully in dance on the other. That dichotomy has a way of swaying people's heart. Last I heard, she'd put Black Walder down in a duel once he insinuated something about her, and then proceeded to do the same to others who laughed at him.
What a woman.
*-*-*
Robb's day went as expected afterwards. From inspecting the baggage train, reading reports about the war in the riverlands, forging connections with his lords, and drilling the men for combat, it went as routinely as expected.
Taking inventory of their new riches was going well, although slowly for precision, Robb wagers they'd be able to feed the war effort for at least another six months before having to touch their own reserves. And his lords were kept happy with generous sums of gold, jewelry, and all sorts of material rewards.
The reports were also promising; the Lannisters made a hasty retreat back to Harrenhall, much too fast, in truth.
Robb expected them to take their time raiding and foraging for foodstuff, making sure to leave nothing of substance in their wake or attempt to raise morale by forcing a minor victory. But he suspects that news of Renly's assassination reached them before they did them, so it became imperative for them to keep a force close to the Crownlands.
His lords had mixed results, yet mostly positive, the Northmen were firmly loyal to him at this point, and Robb made sure to keep their heirs close by as his battle guard. It was ironic that his reason was more about their own protection than his, any deaths this early on would be detrimental, the only reason they marched for him was respect for his father after all.
Again, the Riverlands were mixed, houses like the Blackwoods, Mallisters, Pipers and Vances were agreeable, but others like the Brackens are hesitant and only follow due to the existence of a common enemy, the moment the Lannisters threat is over is when Chaos is going to ensue once again.
The Freys were a work in progress, they're usually separated in two camps, the first faction looks up to Stevron Frey, based on his beliefs of family first, they're smaller but are truly united, Ryman Frey, Stevron's oldest grandson, is an incompetent fool, but his younger brother Black Walder is a competent warrior and despite his many rough qualities, he is immensely loyal to the family name and his own father. Robb saved both grandfather and grandson on separate occasion, buying much favor.
The other faction is made up of other sons and bastards fighting for their Lord Walder's favor, most of them are greedy and unscrupulous people, so Robb figures that he's to pit them against each other.
This much thinking drained his mental strength, so he made for the bed in order to sleep.
Except, he feels a strange tugging in his mind, closing his eyes in meditation, Robb finds a pulling sensation from the other side of his force bond, the one he built up in order to communicate with Sansa.
'Strange.' He thinks. 'Neither she nor the bond is strong enough for another dreamwalk.'
He allows his mind to be pulled in, falling deep into the realm of dreams.