Game of Thrones || The Sword of the Morning

"You hold the reigns"

~~Robb Stark~~

The war is going well for the Young Wolf. Go now, at least. Three battles and three victories. Robb Stark feels like he is on top of the world. But he knows that he could fight the Lannisters in the Westerlands for 50 years and they'd never surrender. He knows this deep down but he still hopes they'll except his terms of peace.

He finds himself walking to a cage in the middle of the night.

"King in the North."

Jaime Lannister mocks as he shifts a bit, trying to get comfortable even though the chains on his body refuse to grant that courtesy.

"I keep expecting you to leave me in one castle or another for safekeeping, but you drag me along from camp to camp. Have you grown fond of me, Stark? Is that it? I've never seen you with a girl."

"If I left you with one of my bannermen, your father would know within a fortnight, and my bannerman would receive a raven with a message, "Release my son and you'll be rich beyond your dreams. Refuse and your house will be destroyed, root and stem.""

Jaime raises a brow.

"You don't trust the loyalty of the men following you into battle?"

"Oh, I trust them with my life. Just not with yours."

"Smart boy. What's wrong? Don't like being called "boy"? Insulted?"

He mocks with a smirk and Robb looks behind Jaime's cage. As Jaime nervously strains to look behind him, Grey Wind growls, making his way around the cage slowly.

"You insult yourself, Kingslayer. You've been defeated by a boy._

With Grey Wind now fully in view, Jaime loses his brave facade.

"You're held captive by a boy. Perhaps you'll be killed by a boy."

Grey Wind enters the cage, eyeing Jaime.

"Stannis Baratheon sent ravens to all the high lords of Westeros. King Joffrey Baratheon is neither a true king nor a true Baratheon. He's your bastard son."

"If that's true, Stannis is the rightful king. How convenient for him."

Jaime says, sounding like he's trying to convince himself that everything is alright when indeed it is not.

"My father learned the truth. That's why you had him executed."

"I was your prisoner when Ned Stark lost his head."

"Your son killed him so the world wouldn't learn who fathered him. And you... you pushed my brother from a window because he saw you with the queen."

"You have proof? Or do you want to trade gossip like a couple of fishwives?"

"I'm sending one of your cousins down to King's Landing with my peace terms."

"You think my father's going to negotiate with you? You don't know him very well."

"No, but he's starting to know me."

Robb says with a smile in the shadows.

"Three victories don't make you a conqueror."

"It's better than three defeats."

Robb nudges Grey Wind towards Jaime and leaves the cage. Grey Wind growls in the Kingslayer's face and comes close to biting him. Jaime closes his eyes in preparation, but when he opens them back up, Grey Wind is gone.

~~Evelyn Dayne~~

"He wasn't wrong about the three victories part."

"No, he wasn't."

I say as Robb rubs his eyes.

"I'm tired. This war's only lasted a few months and I'm exhausted, Evelyn."

I take his hand gently and comfortingly.

"I'm not going to say it will get any easier, because it won't, but things will be better soon. We're going to beat them, brother."

He nods, petting Grey Wind who strolled up and laid down next to his chair. He sighs again, looking back up at me.

"The Whispering Woods... I couldn't have done that without you. And the last two battles, the Camps and Oxcross, were hard. But you were there to pull us through."

"I was doing my duty to my King, Your Grace."

I

joke and Robb sighs but with a smile.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

He says.

"I'm sure you will."

"Sure."

It's silent for a long time, the two of us just sitting in silence, the wind occasionally blowing outside the tent.

"Many of the men love you, Evelyn."

He suddenly says, almost making me jump for I almost forgot he was even here.

"How so?"

"They think you're a strong and confident leader. Someone to look up to."

I shake my head but Robb stands from his seat.

"I believe it as well. I'm making you Commander of one of our armies."

I stand up in shock, my eyes wide.

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure you heard me."

He smiles and I sit back down, still in shock. I rub my forehead.

"Why?"

"Because the North needs you. The North called us all to war. And I trust you to help lead that war."

I spring up and quickly hug Robb, making him chuckle and hug me back.

"You better go pick your officers and captains, Evelyn. You have the reigns."

I smile brightly and nod, before quickly turning and leaving the tent.

~~~~~
A/N

Hope you all like this one. Evelyn's certainly moving up in the world right now.

Hope y'all enjoy!