The Crossed Rose - GoT - R.S.

Blueberry pie

Robb Stark was furious. As he rode back to camp as quickly as possible, he ignored any man who approached him that morning. As he kept on marching straight to his Mother's tent, Lord Karstark joined on his way. Of course he would, Dahlia thought, as she too struggled to keep up with the velocity and determination of her husband's stride. Lord Karstark had been adamant on killing the Kingslayer ever since they had gotten their hands on him, but Robb had insisted they kept him as a hostage. He was much more valuable alive than dead, after all, but now, if what they had been told was true, any leverage they had was now gone.

"Tell me this isn't true." Robb demanded as he stormed into his Mother's tent, unceremoniously.

Dahlia stood a few feet behind him, just beside Lord Karstark, who was glaring at the woman in front of them just as much as her son. Lady Catelyn was sat in her chair and she didn't need much more than a few words to know what her son wanted to know from her. And Robb needed even less words to know her answer, if her shameful silence was anything to go by.

"Why?" Robb spat at her then and Dahlia almost flinched. She had seen him use that tone of voice before, but only to enemies and prisoners. Never to his Mother.

"For the girls." Catelyn said, her voice cracking as she stood there, under the harsh stare of her eldest son.

"You betrayed me." Robb said.

"Robb..."

"No!" The man interrupted her before she could even say anything else. "You knew I would not allow it and you did it anyway."

"Bran and Rickon are captives in Winterfell. Sansa and Arya are captives in King's Landing." Catelyn argued. "I have five children, and only one of them is free."

"I lost one son fighting by your son's side." Lord Karstark said, his voice sounding almost as threatening as Robb's. Almost. "I lost another to the Kingslayer, strangled with a chain. You commit treason because your children are prisoners? I would carve out my heart and offer it to the Father, if he would let my sons wake from their graves and step into a prison cell."

"I grieve for your sons, my Lord." Catelyn said, as Lord Karstark shook his head.

"I don't want your grief." The man said. "I want my vengeance. And you stole it from me."

"Killing Jaime Lannister would not buy life for your children, but returning him to King's Landing may buy life for mine." Catelyn said.

"Jaime Lannister has played you for a fool." Robb spat at his Mother then, as the woman turned to him with a frown, shocked by his tone, but not by his reaction. "You've weakened our position. You've brought discord into our camp. And you did it all behind my back."

Catelyn didn't argue then. She couldn't, because Robb was right. She knew it and it shamed her. But her daughters... Her sweet, sweet daughters... They had been so long at the hands of the Lannisters... Who knew what they could be doing to them. And now, with the Iron Born at Winterfell, what would be of Bran and Rickon? She couldn't bear the thought of losing any of them, let alone lose them all. So, if there was a slight chance of buying her girls their freedom, then she would take it. No matter the cost, she would take that risk. She had, and she knew she would've done it again, if she had to.

But she knew Robb wouldn't agree with her.

"Make sure she's guarded day and night." Robb said, and, as soon as the words left his lips, both Catelyn and Dahlia gasped quietly in surprise.

"Robb." Catelyn pleaded, but Robb just turned around from her and started to make his way out of her tent.

"How many men did we send in pursuit of the Kingslayer?" He asked, one of the guards that had accompanied them all to Catelyn's tent.