Chapter 7.1 Celebration

In the great hall of Barrow Hall, many prominent families were celebrating the name day of one of the prominent families of the North, however, behind that joy, much envy lurked behind the eyes of the lords.

"Lord Dustin" greeted a man with long brown hair, and a bit of a beard, just entering the hall.

"Lord Glover" smiled Wolfgang in reply "It must have been a long journey from Deepwood Motte".

"It was, believe me it was" nodded Galbart, and continued on his way to a specific side of the hall, where other prominent Lords were meeting and chatting amongst themselves.

Wolfgang, after greeting Galbart Glover, began to walk in quite a different direction from the brown-haired man. Young Dustin was tall, quite tall for his age, but he still looked small next to these northern lords. However, despite his short height, his handsome black-as-night fur coat and doublet with gold accents covering his torso made him stand out in the crowd.

"How was Lord Galbart?" asked a long-haired man in a low voice, almost inaudible because of all the noise flooding the hall.

"Unfortunately I didn't get to speak too much with him, Lord Bolton. He seemed in a hurry."

"In a hurry to join his own" added another voice, belonging to Lord Stout.

"Well, we have ours too" replied Roose Bolton, and looked around.

The banquet seemed to be divided into two large groups, the first being the one to which Galbart Glover addressed, and the second to which Wolfgang Dustin, the master of the house, went.

In addition to Lord Dustin, Lord Bolton and Lord Stout, that group included Lord Ryswell and, surprisingly, Lord Halys Hornwood.

Halys apparently had some resentment against the Starks, who took territories from his grandfather, so he saw the current scenario as an opportunity to change sides, and join the Boltons and Dustin.

Around the group of five lords, other figures stood, their squires or family, for example. Domeric Bolton was talking to Barbrey with a smile on his face.

Neither Lord Stark nor Lady Catelyn had arrived in the hall, so although they were smiling and chatting amongst themselves, the faction behind the wolves had a touch of coyness in their actions, looking sideways at the wolf's enemies.

The division was becoming clearer and clearer, and the rest of the arriving lords were only passing by Wolfgang's group to give him their greetings for his eleventh onomastic.

"Still no Lord Wylis arrives," commented Barbrey Dustin. "Nor Lord Stark."

"Speaking of" Wolfgang muttered, as he watched the door open, and Wylis Manderly enter the hall, along with his daughter and two other lords; Lord Ramsgate and Lord Locke, both sworn houses of the Manderly's.

All eyes focused on the Manderly man, who had complicated eyes. He looked between one side and the other, and both parties were smiling brightly at him, waiting for him to join them. The two lords behind Wylis just looked at him expectantly, waiting for what decision he was going to make, but the son of Lord Manderly still looked doubtful, moving his eyes between the two large groups formed and ignoring all the independent actors in the place, like Petyr Baelish or Ser Stevron Frey.

Finally, Wylis felt a slight tug on his sleeve, and looked to his right. Wynafryd Manderly, his beloved daughter, was looking at Wolfgang with a shy smile, while Wolfgang gazed lovingly at her. The young White Harbor girl started walking toward the left side, and was pulling her father with her.

Wylis gave a heavy sigh of resignation, blood seemed to be the most important thing, come what may. 'But my father will not be at all happy about this, he is fiercely loyal to House Stark, and we are flirting with his supposed rivals. I suppose, though the North remembers, it is inevitable that times will change' Wylis thought with a twinge of guilt, but he did what he thought was right for the future of his family. House Dustin would only get stronger and stronger over time, thanks to the discovered gold.

Seeing everyone's decision, Wolfgang Dustin and Rodrick Ryswell's smiles grew wider, while Roose Bolton showed a bit of surprise in his eyes; he did not expect such a decision from House Manderly.

Thereupon, as Wyman walked on, the Lord of Dreadfort glanced sideways, and saw how Wolfgang Dustin's figure was the most forward in the group, ahead of his own. Neither Lord Ryswell, Lord Stout or Lord Hornwood seemed bothered by these, though Halys also showed surprise at Wylis Manderly's movement.

Across the room, many smiles faded, or at least dimmed a bit. No one expected this move. Many even looked frightened. House Manderly had begun selling them quite a bit of food, and at a much more reasonable price than The Reich was selling at, so only a few houses in the North were still buying from the Tyrells and their minions. If House Manderly went over to the other side, they feared they would have to squander their money to, once again, fill the coffers of the Southerners.

The confident faces of the lords of the wolf faction grew more and more hesitant, looking at each other, except of course for the most loyal, who did not waver. These were House Umber and House Glover. The mountain clans were also quite loyal to the Starks, as were House Mormont and House Tallhart, but none of these were invited.

"Lord Wylis, it is good to see you again," greeted Dustin with a smile. "Lady Wynafryd, you look even more beautiful than you did this morning."

"Thank you My Lord" said the girl, and her cheeks were slightly pink.

"The thanks would be mine if you would later grant me a dance."

"I shall be honored, my lord."

A few minutes passed, and the shyness of the wolf side increased, and her voice grew lower and lower, until the door opened once more, and all eyes were turned upon her, interested in who would enter the great hall. The result was unexpected.

For who entered was a burly, broad-shouldered, thick-waisted man with short blond hair and a very short yellow beard following the line of his massive jaw. His eyes were green and his skin fair. These were not the features of a northerner.

'A Lannister' was what everyone thought, and looked with annoyance. Some glances turned to Lord Dustin quickly, but young Dustin had already begun to act.

"Excuse me Lord, are you a Lannister? It's quite a long way from home."

"Well, it's cold," Kevan said with a serious face. "Did Lord Tywin's letter not reach you?".

"I'm afraid not. Even in winter some ravens can't find their way north, so I'm as surprised as the rest of the Northmen at his arrival" Wolfgang replied loudly, making sure everyone heard him.

"Well, certainly the idea was to make it more discreet, but since the letter did not arrive, I will introduce myself. I am Ser Kevan Lannister, and I come to speak to you on behalf of Lord Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport and Warden of the West."

"That's a lot of titles," Wolfgang murmured, "But, as I said, I am surprised at your arrival, Lord Kevan. One would expect a representative of the Warden of the West to speak to the Warden of the North. After all, Lord Stark's best friend, His Majesty Robert Baratheon, is the husband of Lord Tywin's daughter. Their relationship is much closer than ours."

Several Northern lords nodded at those words, finding reason in what Wolfgang was saying. Though some more perceptive ones, like Rodrick Ryswell or Roose Bolton, saw all the flaws in the dialogue just exchanged. It is impossible that Wolfgang Dustin did not know of the Lannisters' arrival; after all they had already gained access to the great hall of his castle; clearly someone let them through here. Kevan himself realized that the other party did manage to receive his brother's letter, but he would not say anything either.

"But House Dustin is known for its members being good hosts, so of course, Lord Kevan, I open the doors of my home to you."

Kevan Lannister nodded, but without giving the onlookers time to rest the doors opened again, revealing Eddard, Catelyn and a young Robb Stark, plus a few men behind them, such as Ser Rodrik Cassel.

Eddard looked in surprise at the person in front of him, of course he knew her. Catelyn had not seen him personally, but it was clear to her that the one standing in front of them, in the middle of the great hall, was Ser Kevan Lannister.

"Lord Stark."

"Lannister," the Stark murmured, but then raised the tone of his voice. "Ser Kevan, were you invited to this feast as well?"

"I'm afraid I invited myself," Kevan replied, letting out a chuckle through his teeth, and promptly began to blend into the crowd, though his gold silk suit made such a task quite monumental.

With the Lannister out of the spotlight, all eyes were on Ned Stark and his family, and Ned's eyes also roamed the hall, being able to easily recognize the two groups that had formed.

Ned's grim face, and Catelyn's, deepened as they saw Wylis Manderly beside his daughter in the group of the Boltons and Dustin, but they had no time for much reflection as they saw Wolfgang Dustin walking towards them. Ned could see his mother behind, who had stayed with the rest of the group, but despite talking, her eyes were on Lord Stark; glaring venomously at him.

"My Lord, it is a pleasure to see you again. I was only a few years old the last time I saw you."

"Yes, you have grown well, Lord Dustin."

"I apologize for not being able to come and greet you."

"Yes, apparently you had quite a few more important things to do than greet your Lord," Catelyn said from the side, looking at him in annoyance.

"I beg your pardon, Lady Catelyn" the young man said with a big smile. "Having so many tasks at my young age is quite complicated, I have very little time. Besides, I had to make sure to present a good feast for Lord Stark and the rest of the guests."

"Don't worry about that, Lord Dustin," Eddard said, trying to change the subject. "You did a good job, it looks well... decorated the place" added the Warden of the North to say the least.

"I'm glad it's to your taste. So, Lord Stark, welcome to the great hall of House Dustin."

All the lords went to greet and pay their respects to Eddard Stark, he was still their lord after all, but Catelyn could not wipe away the annoyance on her face, which intensified as the lords of the anti-wolf faction approached to greet them. Her gaze showed betrayal at the sight of Wylis Manderly and Halys Hornwood.

"Mama, what's wrong?" asked little Robb, only a couple of years younger than Wolfgang, not quite understanding what was going on.

"Nothing for you to worry about sweetheart," Catelyn answered him, but her concern grew louder. For a moment, the woman compared her son Robb to Wolfgang Dustin, and knew instantly that Wolfgang's maturity and intelligence was much closer to her own than her son Robb's, despite only being two years apart.

With Lord Stark now on their side, the pro-wolf faction was once again as cheerful and lively as at first, drinking all manner of liquor and laughing amongst themselves, while the anti-wolf faction was more serious, talking earnestly amongst themselves. That is until one of the outcasts of the party approached Wolfgang, cup in hand.

"Lord Dustin, I would like a word with you and your mother."

"Oh, of course Ser Kevan" replied the young man, and told Barbrey to approach. 

Kevan was struck by how the one who seemed to be the leader of the dynamic was Wolfgang, despite being barely 11 years old. Most of the lords also treated him with the same respect they would treat a grown man, especially those in the anti-wolf faction.

"I'm going to speak plainly, young man. I don't have the lip that everyone in my family has, so I'll get straight to the point. The Lannister family is the gold producer of the Kingdom, and now we have competition. My brother wants us to unite our families. He will give you the hand of the Lannister you want in exchange for 50% of your gold production."

Wolfgang's eyes flashed, and he glanced slyly out of the corner of his eye. He saw that someone was looking at him tensely, seeming to have heard the proposal. This made things easier for him.

"Ser, to marry into the Lannister family would of course be an honor, but I fear I am already betrothed. If there is one thing more important than any wealth, it is the value of one's word."

"Engaged? To that Manderly girl?" asked Kevan, and glared at the girl, who was currently talking to some girls her age from other houses.

Wylis, who was watching the action, squeezed his hand tightly; at the strong contempt for his daughter.

"Ser Kevan, Wynafryd Manderly is my betrothed, and my next wife, I would ask you not to give her such looks, not in my house. House Manderly is a valued ally and friend of House Dustin, do not disrespect them" Wolfgang Dustin replied, and made sure to raise his tone, now everyone in the room was looking at him in surprise. A snotty Dustin talking to the brother of the Lion of Casterly Rock like that? You had to have balls.

"We can see another way, but half of that one will have to belong to House Lannister, My Lord. You don't want Lord Tywin to take more... forceful measures" Kevan replied, but his tone was lower. By now, however, nearly everyone was listening, as even the bards' music was played lower.

Lord Catelyn watched with a smile from a distance. 'You get that from biting off more than you can chew.

'And what measure would that be? The Iron Bank is one of House Dustin's great exporters, Ser Kevan. They will not be happy if their supply is cut off."

"You are confused about the Iron Bank boy, they have no attachment to House Dustin, only to their gold. If their gold changes hands, they will have no problem."

"Is that a threat My Lord, a southerner dares to threaten to occupy our lands? This is the North!" vociferated Lord Dustin, and everyone nodded, no matter which side they supported. "Moat Cailin can withstand an invasion of 10 times the number, and House Lannister does not have 80,000 soldiers. With what does he intend to materialize his threat Ser? With his fleet?" at such a question, all the Northerners present laughed, and gained a new respect for Wolfgang Dustin, as they mocked a lion to his face.

"These lions don't know their place," muttered Galbart Glover.

"They're arrogant bastards" added Jon Umber.

"And they're treacherous ones, to boot, and plunderers. I still remember the state of Kingslanding when they attacked the city" said Wylis Manderly.

Catelyn began to frown, this whole situation that would seemingly put House Dustin's back and wall against him had only earned him the goodwill of the North.

"Ser Kevan, House Lannister does not have the power to threaten whomever it wishes in the North."

"You do not know the power of House Lannister, you are a child," Kevan said with annoyance, and turned his gaze to Barbrey. "You are his mother, you should have taught him more caution, but now it is too late. I guess we have nothing more to talk about. Enjoy your name day party," the man said, and finally withdrew. It was already dark, but he would still depart with his escort, he wanted to get the news of his failure to Tywin as soon as possible.

"You've got some good balls, lad," Greatjon Umber said, as he patted Wolfgang's back hard.

"The balls of a good Northerner, there may be tensions and even strife, but we are all of the North after all" replied the young man, and Greatjon gave a merry laugh.

Eddard sketched a small smile at the young man's words, but Catelyn did just the opposite. In all the discussion against Kevan, who even threatened to take his forces to the North, Eddard did absolutely nothing. He just stared at the situation. Wolfgang on the other hand, a young boy of only 11, confronted him head on. That did not go unnoticed in the eyes of the lords.

Roose Bolton was another who showed his displeasure at the situation, though he hid it from everyone's eyes. Wolfgang Dustin was gaining too much influence for his liking. It was no longer the Bolton faction, it was the Dustin faction, and the Lord of Dreadfort did not like that.

Eventually the party resumed, but now everyone was mingling with everyone else, smiling at each other. Even the outcasts had joined the mass, like Baelish, who was talking cheerfully with some lords.

Wolfgang had already ruled out any future deal with Baelish, the Lannisters would find a way to ruin him, and he would not let Baelish have the power to give it to them. He would only keep the current deal to reduce the tariffs at Gulltown.

"Lord Wylis," said Catelyn Stark, who had been out of the way the whole time until now. Robb was holding her hand. "In front of all these fine lords, I would like to make you an offer."

"An offer? Then the least I can do for Lady Stark is to listen to her" replied the man patting his belly as a smile graced his face. Just remembering how young Dustin had defended the dignity of his daughter and house brought him pure bliss.

"House Manderly has always been very loyal to House Stark, so I would like to see our houses united in blood."

At Catelyn's words, all fell silent. Wylis frowned, and Wolfgang frowned as well.

'Is she going to ask me to break off the betrothal to Wolfgang Dustin?' thought Wylis Manderly with conflict. 'I can't do that, not after the boy defended the honor of our house, and my daughter, against those damned lions.'

'I fear your first daughter is already betrothed, to Lord Dustin, and I don't know if he is willing to call off that betrothal.'

"My Lady, while I have no doubt that Lord Robb will be a great warrior and lord when he grows up, it would be shameless of me to do such a thing. My daughter is already betrothed, and not even the harshest winter can change that."

At Wylis' words, Catelyn showed a slightly surprised face, but not especially at the rejection, since she had already expected it. Ned meanwhile looked with utter surprise at his wife, for making such an important decision without consulting him.

"Lord Wylis, I'm afraid there was a mix-up. I wasn't talking about my son Robb, I was talking about our little Bran, born a little over a year ago."

Catelyn's words were a slap on her cheek. 'Does the woman think it is better match a son who will inherit nothing against the heir to one of the lands with the potential to be among the richest in the realm? Is this a joke? An insult to House Manderly?'

"But I must insist, Wynafryd is already betrothed."

"And what about your other daughter, Lord? Wylla Manderly."

"I'm afraid the age difference is too much. My daughter is almost eight years older than your son Bran. By the time the boy is of marriageable age my daughter will be quite old."

Catelyn frowned; the implication was clear. The only possible way was for her son Robb to marry Wylla Manderly, but Catelyn Stark would not give her son to the second daughter of a vassal house, Robb was reserved for a prestigious southern house, not the North.

Wylis Manderly frowned just the same, he noticed that his lord's wife despised his thing as well, and he couldn't feel the annoyance bubbling through his body, especially given the situation just experienced with Kevan Lannister.

"So..." muttered Catelyn, thinking what to answer. She looked around, and saw that everyone was giving her hard looks, both for her scorn of House Manderly for not wanting to betroth their heir to them, and for hinting at her intention to break the betrothal between House Manderly and House Dustin. Ned was also part of the group, his eyes full of seriousness.

'Stupid woman' thought Wolfgang, as the situation was even more favorable to him.

"Doesn't your brother have any children?" the woman asked, and Wolfgang decided to take some initiative.

"My lady, I'm afraid Ser Wendel Manderly is not married, therefore, he has no children to marry his son Bran."

"Lord Bran to you!" exclaimed the woman with a venomous tone.

"Well, Lord Bran," said Wolfgang with a smile that to Lady Catelyn seemed mocking and demonic. "But I don't understand, My Lady - what's to stop you from marrying your firstborn Lord Robb to Lord Wylis' other daughter? I can attest that he will make a fine father-in-law."

Ser Wylis laughed, though that laughter did not reach his eyes. He walked over to Wolfgang and patted him gently on the back. "I appreciate your words, Lord Dustin, but there is no need to press Lady Stark any further. I suppose compromise is simply... not possible. She will have her reasons."

"But..." was about to say Catelyn, but a voice interrupted her.

"Catelyn," Ned Stark said, his voice serious, and he stepped to the center of the hall. His eyes flicked to the master of the house, and he said in a heavy tone, "I'm sorry for this, Lord Dustin. This atmosphere was not our intention."

"You need not apologize, Lord Stark, you have done nothing" Wolfgang replied, and a couple of lords understanding the double meaning of young Dustin's words, mocking their lord's passivity.

"Ned..." whispered the woman, her tone almost choked.

"We're leaving, Cat. You've done enough," Eddard replied, his eyes now riveted on Ser Wylis. "The same as I said to Lord Dustin, I excused my wife's words" Ned said, but Lord Wylis only nodded, he was more resentful than Wolfgang himself, as he was disrespected more than young Dustin.

The banquet went on, but gradually everyone went to rest in their chambers, many lords had much to think about, and reconsider. Wolfgang, despite his newly won feud with House Lannister, was quite content. He knew that the moment he discovered gold in his territory, resentment from the lions was inevitable.