Chapter 4: Family and Honor

Through letters, Tywin Lannister and Robb Stark agreed on terms of meeting. They agreed on how many men they would bring. They agreed on the place. Tywin sent spies to be sure he would not be tricked by the boy. Robb was far more willing to use tricks than his father in the field of battle. Tywin respected that to a point, but he would not fall for anymore of his games.

In this case, Robb Stark kept his word. From the hill, Tywin could see the few Stark tents pitched. It seemed to be the agreed upon amount.

Tywin had brought Jaime with him, mostly because he fully expected the Stark boy to lie and claim he had his son hostage still. Beyond that, he brought the best soldiers in his guard. And the girl.

She sat on a horse between him and Jaime. Her face was vacant and calm, as if she was not worried at all about the discussion to come, but Tywin could see the pale white of her knuckles as she gripped her saddle. She was afraid. For her family and for herself.

Tywin would not enjoy having to kill the girl, if it came to that. He would do it himself, and he would make it clean and quick. But it would be a shame to lose her as his cup bearer. Hopefully, the threat of losing a daughter would compel Catelyn Stark to see his side.

In his mind, he already knew how some of this negotiation would go. They would call him dishonorable, as most Starks did. As if honor had any place at all in war. But in the end, if they were smart, they would accept his terms.

Their lives-the survival of the Stark family-depended on this night.

It was the first time Tywin had actually seen Robb Stark, face to face. He looked more like his mother than his father, with hints of Tully red in his brown hair. He had the Stark eyes though-the cold grey of the North. Tywin recognized those same eyes in Arya Stark.

His expression was fierce when Tywin entered, but he remembered his courtesies. This was a truce and there would be no blood shed in this tent. It would be a tremendous dishonor if there was, and no Stark would break such a vow.

Tywin would if it suited him. So would the Freys and the Boltons. This meeting would determine if he needed their services.

"I was surprised to receive your letter," Robb Stark said. "You know my terms. Unless you wish to accept them, there will not be peace."

He took a hard stance to begin. It was smart and would intimidate most men. But Tywin Lannister was not most men. "I've read your terms. At one point, perhaps, you had the leverage to bargain for them. Now, you do not."

"We've won many victories against your armies," Robb said. "A few losses but nothing compared to yours. Why shouldn't we keep fighting and winning?"

"I suppose it depends on how much value you put on your sisters' lives," Tywin said.

"You may have my sisters, but we have your son," Robb muttered. "So careful about making threats."

There was the lie Tywin was waiting for. He spoke with such confidence that Tywin might have believed him if he did not know better. "Really? And where is it you are keeping my son?"

"I wouldn't tell you that, Lannister" Robb said.

"That's all right. You don't have to," Tywin said. "Because you don't have my son." He glanced over his shoulder and Jaime entered the tent, removing his helm. He looked more the part of Lannister now that he had cut his hair and shaved his beard. He was no longer ragged from his time as a prisoner, and he looked more than a little bit smug as he stared down the King in the North.

"Hello again, Lord Stark."

Robb glared at him and Catelyn Stark gripped the edge of the table. "Did your son also mention that I was the one who sent him?" she asked. "Or did he break that vow?"

"Always assuming the worst about me, aren't you?" Jaime asked. "Yes, as it happens, I did tell my father that you sent me, and what you wanted in return."

"And?" Lady Stark looked to Tywin. She wanted her daughters very much. Her love of them had driven her to a tremendously stupid decision that worked very much in Tywin's favor.

"And it is only because you returned my son that I offered this meeting," Tywin said. "To discuss the future of this war and your family in Westeros."

"Don't pretend you hold the cards here, Lannister," Robb said. "We still have more victories-"

"Victories on the battlefield are not the only way to win wars," Tywin said. "I assure you, that I know how to win wars without them. You've proven a capable commander, willing to take calculated risks. I respect your efforts on the battlefield, but I will not entertain them anymore."

"If you can win the war, then why offer peace at all?" Robb asked. "I know your history, Lord Tywin. You've broken many people who defied you and your family and you did so without mercy. If you wish to make peace with me, there must be a reason."

"Of course there is," Tywin said. "Keeping a Stark in Winterfell is always preferable. If I place anyone else at that seat, it will split the North. I'll have to handle the Greyjoy rebellion on my own as well. I'll do it, but I prefer not to waste more Lannister lives on those tiresome fools. According to your own words, winter is coming, and I don't intend to fight the north in the cold."

"Then perhaps you should give us our independence," Robb said. "And you won't have to do so."

"How well do you think you'd do in independence?" Tywin said. "The north has grown dependent on resources from the south during winter over the many years belonging to the realm. Since you have been in war, you have not been able to gather as many crops before they turn. Without help from the crown your people will starve. How will independence taste to them then?"

"I don't claim it wouldn't be hard," Robb said. "But north men are hard people, used to dealing with cold. We will make do."

"Perhaps you will, and when the summer comes again, my armies will be stronger," Tywin said. "This is assuming I let you live until the summer, which I would not."

"I cannot bend the knee to the boy who murdered my father. It is out of the question," Robb said.

"Then let me give you a reason to bring it back into the question." Tywin stood, snapping his fingers at Jaime, who opened the tent flap again. Arya Stark stepped into the room.

The effect was immediate. Catelyn stood abruptly and Robb Stark's mask dropped. He had hit a nerve with both of them, and thus it revealed their weakness.

Now, it was time to see how useful a pawn Arya Stark could be.

It had been nearly a year since Arya had seen her mother and she wanted nothing more than to run to her. The moment her mother stood, she stepped forward on instinct. But Tywin grasped the scruff of her tunic and forced her to his side. His hand was like a vice and she could not hope to squirm away.

I will not be afraid, she told herself. I will be strong.

Yet her hands shook.

"Arya." Her mother's voice cracked, and tears rose to her blue eyes. But those tears burned like fire when she looked up at Tywin. "If you have harmed her-"

"Calm yourself, Lady Stark. I haven't harmed her," Tywin said. "You can ask her yourself if you wish."

Robb clenched the edge of the table hard, looking like he wanted to overturn it. But he stayed seated. "Arya… have you been mistreated at all?"

"No," Arya replied. "I'm all right. Promise."

"There, you see?" Tywin said. "You can't say the same of some of the Lannister hostages you took. Your men killed them."

"And I punished them for it, as you might have heard," Robb said.

"I know. Which is why I did not punish the girl in kind," Tywin said. "Now, let us be clear: I hold every card. I have two Stark daughters, one in King's Landing and one here. I have a larger army, now that we have allied with the Tyrells. I have more resources for when the winter comes. This is my last offer." Arya felt his grip tighten on her tunic. "If you do not accept my terms of peace I will keep Sansa Stark as a hostage. I will kill this one. And I will destroy your house."

Arya's mother looked as if she might leap across the table and claw Tywin's eyes out. "My daughters are innocent of any wrong. You will not -"

"Wars are full of innocent casualties. If ending the war means less Lannister lives lost, I will gladly kill an innocent," Tywin said flatly. He was calm as ever, but inevitable as a storm. There was no bluff in his voice. He would kill Arya. Whether he "enjoyed her company" or not, he would slit her throat if her brother rejected his terms.

Robb .

Arya looked up at her brother. Robb used to help her practice with the bow and arrow when Septa Mordane wasn't looking. He always complimented her needle work even when it was awful. When she was little, he used to take her for rides on his horse because she loved riding.

Now she was being used against him and she hated it. She hated Tywin Lannister for making her his pawn. She could see the pain in Robb's eyes as he mulled over the awful decision. But if he did not take it… it wouldn't just be Arya's life. He would die too. Her mother would die too. She had no doubt that Tywin Lannister had a way to destroy them.

"What are your terms," Robb finally said. "Exactly."

"You will end this rebellion and renew your pledge to Joffrey as Warden of the North," Tywin said. "You will take your soldiers and destroy the Greyjoy rebellion. If you accept the terms, I will return Sansa Stark home."

"And Arya?" Robb asked.

"I will take Arya as a ward to my house, to ensure your loyalty," Tywin said. The words fell on Arya like a death sentence of sorts. She had known all along that this was his plan, but the notion frightened her none the less. "She will be treated well enough, but if I hear any more talk of northern independence, she will suffer for it."

Her mother let out a shuddering breath. She must have known that a hostage would be part of the terms. None the less, it seemed to deflate her.

"How do I know that Joffrey will not kill me like my father if I go to King's Landing?" Robb said.

"He will not," Tywin said. "I will be present this time. My daughter could not handle him but I can. If you bend the knee, you will return to the north unharmed."

"King Aerys said the same thing of my grandfather and uncle," Robb said.

"I'm not king Aerys," Tywin said.

"No. But you're a Lannister. I don't trust you either," Robb said. He shot an icy glare at Jaime. "You lie and plot. You break oaths."

"What an awful oath to break, wasn't it," Jaime muttered. He had been largely silent during this debate, letting his father handle the negotiation. He was the eldest son, but he did not quite command Tywin's raw power. "A shame I killed such a kind man. King Aerys, the kindly king."

"You are still without honor," Robb retorted.

"Honor." Tywin laughed once. It was an utterly joyless sound. "Honor is idealistic nonsense, boy. A trick that men use to justify their actions. A trick they use to justify going to war. But the world does not operate by rules of honor. It never has. The reason why the Lannisters have endured for so long is because we recognize that. I suggest you do the same."

Robb's jaw tightened. He looked from their mother to Arya to Tywin. She could see his honor and his devotion to family tearing at the corners of his mind, threatening to pull him apart.

"Robb," Arya murmured to get his attention. Robb looked down at her. "Father died for honor too. You need to live. The north needs you."

Robb closed his eyes, resting his forehead against his closed fists. Tywin did not say a word. He did not need to. He truly had all of the cards in his hand, ready to play no matter the response.

"I…" Robb exhaled. "I would like to request some time to think on your proposal."

"You have until dawn," Tywin said. "No longer."

"May I speak with my sister alone?" Robb asked.

"No," Tywin said. "You may speak with her after you have given me your answer. For now, I'll keep her with me."

Arya's mother gritted her teeth together. "You truly are a monstrous sort of man, Lord Tywin."

Tywin looked back to her, unmoved. "Yes. That is why I'm still alive." He steered Arya toward the tent exit. "I'll return at dawn."