The Songs of Winter | Robb Stark

Chapter 25

Robb and I stand over the lifeless bodies of Martyn and Willem Lannister, their faces pale and still against the cold stone floor. The heavy doors of the hall burst open, and the Karstarks are forcibly marched in by a squad of guards.

My eyes, burning with fury, lock onto Lord Karstark as Robb's voice cuts through the tension. "Is that all of them?"

The guard nods solemnly, and I can't help but scoff in disbelief. "It took five of you to murder two unarmed boys?"

"Not murder, Your Grace. Vengeance," Lord Karstark responds, his voice steady but devoid of remorse.

"Vengeance?" Robb's face hardens, his eyes narrowing. "Those boys didn't kill your sons. I saw Harrion fall on the battlefield, and Torrhen-"

"Was strangled by the Kingslayer," Lord Karstark interrupts, his tone bitter. "They were his kin."

"They were boys! Look at them!" Robb's voice rises, filled with incredulity and sorrow.

Lord Karstark shifts his gaze towards Lady Catelyn. "Tell your mother to look at them. She killed them as much as I did."

I step forward, my voice sharp. "Are you not man enough to stand by your actions, Lord Karstark? This was your treason, not hers."

Karstark's eyes snap back to me, blazing with defiance. "It's treason to free your enemies. In war, you kill your enemies." He then turns to Robb, his expression taunting. "Did your father not teach you that, boy?"

Before anyone can react, the Blackfish steps forward and delivers a brutal punch to Karstark's face, sending him crashing to his knees.

"Leave him," Robb commands, his voice cold and resolute.

Slowly raising his head, blood trickling from his mouth, Karstark sneers. "Aye, leave me to the king.
He wants to give me a scolding before setting me free. That's how he deals with treason. Our King in the North. Or should I call him the King Who Lost the North?"

Rage boils within me, threatening to spill over, as Robb declares, "Escort Lord Karstark to the dungeon. Hang the rest."

The room erupts in chaos as the condemned men are dragged away, their desperate pleas echoing off the walls. "Mercy, sire! I didn't kill anyone. I only watched for the guards."

Robb's glare is fiercer than l've ever seen, his voice a low growl. "This one was only the watcher. Hang him last so he can watch the others die." He turns sharply, striding to his seat with a finality that brooks no argument.

The men's cries grow more frantic, filled with terror. "Please! Please, no. They made me do it! They made me! They made me!" The hall reverberates with their desperation.

As the condemned men are dragged away, their desperate cries echoing through the hall, I turn to Robb and approach him, urgency in my step. "Word of this can't leave Riverrun. They were Tywin Lannister's nephews. The Lannisters pay their debts. They never stop talking about it," I warn, my voice low but intense.

Robb looks up at me, a storm brewing in his eyes. "Would you make me a liar as well as a murderer?" he asks, his voice edged with both pain and accusation.

His words catch me off guard, but I quickly recover. "Of course not," I reply, my tone firm.

Lord Edmure steps forward, his face drawn with concern. "It wouldn't be lying," he insists, moving closer to Robb. "We can bury them and remain silent until the war is done."

Robb's expression hardens, his jaw set in determination. "I'm not fighting for justice if I don't serve justice to murderers in my ranks, no matter how highborn. He has to die."