Dance Away My Broken Heart / Podrick Payne (2.3)

21. Smack Talk

"We can't defend the north from the walkers and the south from the Boltons. If we want to survive, we need Winterfell and to take Winterfell, we need more men. "

"Aside from the Starks and the Boltons, the most powerful houses in the North are the Umbers, the Karstarks, and the Manderlys." Davos remarked.

"The Umbers and the Karstarks have already declared for the Boltons, so we're not doing so well there." Jon reminded them.

"The Umbers gave Rickon to our enemies. They can hang." Rieka declared venom on her tongue, darkness in her eyes.

"But the Karstarks declared for Ramsay without knowing they had another choice." Sansa offered

"I beg your pardon, my lady, but they know that a Stark beheaded their father. I don't think we can count on them either." Davos remarked.

"Boltons are all awful tortured and imprisoned my family, Freys are monsters as well, dont get me started on greyjoys... Theon might have given Sansa some redemption but..." RIeka shrugged, she wasnt ready to forgive him yet. "I think the Stark name is still very upstanding compared to the rest." Rieka decided. "So tell me how well do you know the North, Davos?"

"Precious little, my lady. My father always said Northerners are different. More loyal, more suspicious of outsiders." Daovs offered.

"Thats true." Brienne agreed looking to Rieka.

"I get along just fine with Podrick, its you I'm still suspicious about." Rieka remarked honestly. Brienne rolled her eyes, would they ever be civil?

"They may well be loyal, but how many rose up against the Boltons when they betrayed your family? I may not know the North, but I know men." Davos declared. "They're more or less the same in any corner of the world and even the bravest of them don't want to see their wives and children skinned for a lost cause." he went on looking to Jon. "If Jon's going to convince them to fight alongside him, they need to believe it's a fight they can win."

"So because the BOltons are monsters and Starks are honorable we lose because we dont strike fear into others." RIeka clarified. "Thats it? We need to be monsters to defeat the monsters? Lose our honor because the good guys never win." 

"Thats not-"

"That is what you said. You just tried to say it pretty." Rieka informed him.

"There are more than three other houses in the North-- Glover, Mormont, Cerwyn, Mazin, Hornwood. Two dozen more. Together they equal all the others. We can start small and build." Jon remarked.

"The North remembers. They remember the Stark name. People will still risk everything for it, from White Harbor to Ramsay's own door-"

"I don't doubt it" jon rasped.

"But Jon doesn't have the Stark name"

" No, but Sansa and I do. And my Jon is every bit as much Ned Stark's son as Ramsay is Roose Bolton's." Rieka declared and jon had felt so much pride. "Expect Jon is a great man and Ramsay is the devil." Rieka thought of Podricks cousin Illyn. Illyn payne was the royal executioner and that was why Podrick was spared and sent to the capital to squire for Tyrion. His evil killer of a cousin, but Podrick was the opposite, he was a good man. Blood didnt mean everything but it held weight. 

"And there are also the Tullys."

"They're not Northern, but they will back us against the Boltons without question. I didn't know the Tullys still had an army. My uncle the Blackfish has reformed it and retaken Riverrun." Sansa remarked.