Trials and Tribulations of the Oathkeeper

Chapter 119: What Comes After

―At Winterfell―

There have been tensions been high: those who fought for Ramsay Snow and survived the Battle for the North were being held on trial by the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. House Bolton was extinct, the Dreadfort was razed to the ground, and punishment was to be meted out. Lord Ludd Whitehill of Highpoint along with his two sons Torrhen and Gryff were killed in battle fighting the Starks at the hands of Lord Rodrik Forrester of Ironrath. Among the enemies slain were Harald Karstark and Smalljon Umber, leaving their children Alys and Ned; all three were standing before Robb and Sansa Stark.

"The Karstarks, Whitehills and my traitorous bastard boy all betrayed the North!" the Greatjon Umber bellowed. "Their castles should be torn down with not a stone left standing."

"The castles committed no crimes, Lord Umber," Sansa countered. "But in the wars to come we'll need every fortress we have to stand against it." She turns to her brother. "Robb, we should give Karhold and Highpoint to new families – loyal families who supported us against Ramsay."

The hall likes this idea by the sound of it.

"Lord Stark, Your Grace," Gwyn spoke up, "whatever my father and brothers have done – the rest of House Whitehill had no part in his treachery. I beg you to reconsider—"

"But do you think that's fair?" Theon interjected. "Is it wrong for the sons and daughters to be punished for their father's crimes when they themselves had nothing to do with it?"

"Theon," Robb noticed.

"When my father was killed... when the Iron Islands were destroyed and my family almost wiped out, I vaguely recall you and Sansa both standing up for me when King Daveth clearly wanted to destroy House Greyjoy root and stem. I'm not a Stark or a Northmen like the rest of you, I know that. But your father raised me to be an honorable man. And let me be the first to say that what you're thinking right now would be a grave mistake in the long-term. I don't know much about the Whitehills, but the Umbers and Karstarks have fought beside your family for thousands of years. They've kept faith for generations—"

Then interruption and arguments are sent flying.

"And they broke faith," Lyanna Mormont interjected rather loudly.

"What do you know?! You're a bloody ironborn!" shouted Lord Manderly.

"So you'd propose no punishment for treason and no reward for loyalty?" Rodrik implored. "Lord Stark, Rickard Karstark and his sons Harrion and Torrhen both died fighting for you in the Second Greyjoy Rebellion, but Harald died fighting for Ramsay as did Smalljon Umber! Reward those whose men died fighting for you!"

"Strip them of their lands and titles and fortunes and give them to someone worthy of—" Lord Glover concurred before being interrupted.

"Hey!" the Greatjon glared down at the child. "My son's already shown himself a turncloak and he paid for his treasons, but my grandson is an innocent lad!"

"How do we know he or that Karstark bitch won't end up like their fathers?!"

A loud groundswell of support and heated words goes up in the hall in response. Lucius, Brienne, Stannis and Davos glance at each respective Stark. They were waiting for Sansa and Robb to each make a move, though the Queen felt faint and looked pale. The Young Wolf noticed his sister massaging her belly and asked if she was sick. When she replied no, Jon decided this was the time to intervene.

"Robb," he spoke up, "when I was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, I executed men who betrayed me. I executed men who refused to follow orders. Our father always said that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword, and I've tried to live by those words every day since my stay at Castle Black." He glanced at Theon. "But Theon is right. You must not punish a son for his father's sins, nor should you take a family home away from a family it's belonged to for centuries."