Fire And Blood

Westeros III

Robb

When he had first called the banners and began his march south, Robb was unsure of what to expect. A child of summer, born and raised in times of peace – save for the Greyjoy rebellion that was – never would he have expected himself to be leading his father's – his – men to war so soon.

And yet, here he was, somehow managing to not make a fool of himself. His first battle included, Robb was learning every day, with every skirmish exchanged with Lord Tywin's outriders across the Riverlands. Harsh lessons they were, but lessons he needed if he were to bring as many of his men as possible back to their homes alive. Too many grim tidings from the South had reached Northern families already, and he felt terrible for it, but it was a war that had to be fought.

Justice for their late liege lord, for his father, Eddard Stark, had to be claimed. Granted, Robb had no proof that he was actually murdered but Lord Stannis's pamphlets alone weaved a damning tapestry. Even if one were to ignore the Lannister secrecy, his father's bones had yet to reach the crypts, their ancestral Valyrian steel sword, Ice, had yet to be returned to him and his sisters had yet to be escorted by the Stark household back to Winterfell – after several moons that had gone by already. There was too much coincidence for there to not be some plot involved and Robb had wasted more than enough time waiting for King's Landing to provide answers.

House Stark demanded justice. If the Lannisters refused to give it freely, then he would take it by force – with the might of the entire North behind him. He had gained the loyalty of his men so far and he was glad for it. It was, after all, an arduous role he had been thrust into. It was not just war he was waging. Almost more important than wielding swords and shields and plotting strategies for the battlefield was the daily diplomacy required to keep the loyalty of his bickering bannermen together.

And by the Old Gods, the squabbles reminded him too much of his siblings whenever they argued about some inconsequential thing or another. More often than not, one side was left unsatisfied once a resolution had been reached. Robb wondered how his father had not torn his hair out from dealing with it all.

It was a dangerous balance to strike, a dance, a battlefield of its own and one he found tiring and draining, even more than the actual battles.

He missed Roslin.

A recent raven from his mother eased his worries with the certainty that his wife had reached Winterfell safely and without troubles. Yet still, a selfish part of him wished for her to be with him. He wished for her to distract him and comfort him in ways only a woman's touch could do to a man.

But alas, he had made his bed and would now have to lie in it alone. Until this war was over, and the Old Gods only knew when that would be, Robb would have to content himself with being deprived of a woman's touch. Mayhaps it was for the best – the sound of his wife's soft moans and her gentle caresses would be too much of a temptation for him to do anything worthwhile.

Especially now that his army had passed the Golden Tooth and the path to the Westerlands lay ahead of him, proper and unmolested. Grey Wind and Ghost had proven to not only be fierce and fearless in battle but incredibly clever also, for it was the direwolves who provided them with hidden paths and trails when Robb had merely meant to offer an enticing target for the Lannisters by attempting to look as if he'd marched his entire cavalry west to storm the castle. Once Theon confirmed the reports of Stannis Baratheon's impending attack on King's Landing, Robb had brought forth the idea of splitting Lord Tywin's attention by besieging the Golden Tooth. After all, with the Greatjon focused on gaining a foothold in Harroway's Town and the remaining Riverlands army in recovery, Robb's forces would be left on their own should the Lannisters march from Harrenhal in chase of them. But that would mean leaving King's Landing open for Stannis and Robb doubted Tywin would ever let that happen. So it was likely he'd be forced to choose: either maintain his strong position in Harrenhal, march south to the capital's defence or attack Robb's vulnerable forces outside of the Golden Tooth. Large the Lannister army may be, but even they couldn't be everywhere at once. Robb would have been content had Lord Tywin chosen any of the three or, even better, split his army to deal with all problems at once.