32 Whom to Support?

299 AC, Riverrun…

No one stopped them until they came upon the castle gates as refugees were common sight in these parts of the Riverlands. Besides, the camps were brimming with men-at-arms so trying to do some foul thing would only be met with a swift death.

Two men, two women and a young boy arrived before the castle gates which were open with several guards standing before it.

"Oii, this is off-limits for you lads. The free food is given at the end of the western camp, go away." said one of the guards who looked like a Riverlander with his weasel face.

"Are there any Northerners amongst you?" Rody asked with a stiff voice. He was tired because of their journey and he had no intention of trying to reason with these Southerners.

"Northerner?" said another guard, raising one of his brows. He looked at his friends who stood beside him with irritated looks. "Those fuckers only know how to drink and eat, Gods would celebrate it if they can see them standing guard."

Rody clicked his tongue, "Call a Northern noble then, I have a gift brought here for Lord Stark himself."

"And what gift that may be?" asked a guard.

"This boy," Rody said while pointing to the prince who was laying on the sledge.

"A crippled child? Of course, mi'lord." A guard who looked like the youngest of them spoke with sneer, "Would you like bread and salt as well?"

All the guards laughed in unison. However, Rody did not join their laughing and only looked at them with a stoic face. After seeing the attitude of these guys, he realized that even if he announced his identity, these Riverlanders wouldn't recognize him or his title and just mock him more, thinking him as a beggar.

"I will say this only one more time, the rest is up to you. Call a Northern noble here." Rody said with the same stoic face, not caring about anything.

Hunter put his hand on his shoulder, trying to stop him. However, Rody silked his hand away while shaking his head.

Meanwhile, the guards stopped laughing at Rody's words. "And this is your last chance, boy. Go away before we have your arse shagged by an ox." The youngest of the guards stepped forward and stood before Rody. "And I will be taking this sword as a compensation for your disrespect."

The young guard extended his hand to take Rody's sword out of its sheath but that was a mistake he shouldn't have done so, for Rody grabbed his extended hand and twisted it so hard that the young man cried in pain and knelt on the ground.

Seeing their friend's state, the other guards furrowed their brows and pulled out their swords. They stepped forward to save their friends but Rody's group did not also stay idle as Hunter took out his bow to knock an arrow while his dogs showed their teeth, barking at the Riverlanders.

"Leave him alone boy, this is your only warning or else you will meet your end at the spot you are standing." said a guard with a full beard.

The guards were not the only ones who were surrounding him as more men came from the camps as well after hearing about the commotion.

"What is this, another beggar came to beg for food?" asked a man who was wearing the blazon of Brackens.

"He does not look like a beggar, look at his armor. But he may be a sellsword looking for a job." said another with twin castles on his armor.

"Huh, if he is looking for a job, he is out of his luck. He would be lucky if he did not die today." A man with an eagle on his armor laughed.

Rody was looking around, trying to find some Northerner around but it was to no avail as most probably, the camps close to the castle were occupied by Riverlander houses.

"What is going on here?!" Just at that moment, an old man with a leaping black trout on his chest came out of the castle.

The surrounding men made disappointed sounds because of losing their entertainment while the gate guards stood aside to allow the old man to come forward.

"I said what is going on here?!" The old man asked once again after eyeing Rody.

"That young man demanded to speak with a Northern noble, saying that he brought a gift for Lord Stark." said the oldest guard.

Another guard scoffed and said, "The gift he says is a crippled boy." The oldest guard hit the one who spoke just now to silence him.

"I am Ser Bryden Tully," The old man said after turning his eyes to Rody. "Explain yourself, young man. Or I will have to consider putting you into the dungeons."

Rody pushed the young man he was holding by hand away and stepped forward, standing tall before Lord Brynden Tully, the Blackfish, and his guards. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"I am Rody Greyguard, vassal of Lord Stark, captain of the Greycloaks and I have brought a prisoner of war," Rody said, his voice steady and firm.

The guards and men around them were silent for a moment, taking in the information. But then, they began to murmur amongst themselves. Although the name of Rody was nothing only by itself, when it was combined with the house name of Greyguard, it was something that made everyone respect as it was that person's name who defeated the renowned knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Ser Barristan Selmy.

"Rody Greyguard?" Blackfish creased his brows, "Unless you came back from the Seven Hells, you cannot be here. Do you have anything to prove your identity? You know Lord Stark is here, lying is not something you should adhere to right now."

Rody also furrowed his brows. He remembered the Valyrian steel dagger he was carrying but that was a secret only known by him and Lord Stark. Then, he turned his head to look behind him. He saw Hunter looking at him with wide eyes and a mouth agape. However, his gaze did not linger long on him as it turned to the boy lying on the sledge.

Rody was hesitant to speak about the boy's identity as announcing it like this might have brought trouble to both him and the North. However, the news was going to be released soon enough and there was no need to delay them either. Announcing the boy's true identity as the son of Cersei Lannister and the brother of Joffrey Waters was going to bring a huge change to the balance of the war because according to the Lannisters, the boy was the heir of their king.

Taking a deep breath, Rody made his decision. "The gift I brought is enough to prove my identity,"

"The gift? You mean the boy on the sledge? Who is it?" Blackfish asked, eyeing the young boy on the sled.

"He is the youngest son of Cersei Lannister." he said, his voice ringing out among the silent men.

There was a moment of stunned silence, as everyone tried to process what they had just heard. Youngest son of Cersei Lannister, that was the brother of the one sitting in the Iron Throne. However, it was said that the boy was lost in the woods.

"A fucking Lannister!" A man from the crowd broke the silence and soon, shoutings resounded everywhere.

The prince looked around with fear in his eyes. However, Rody quickly moved beside him and put his hand on the pommel of his sword, lest anything untoward happens.

Lord Brynden Tully raised his hand and the commotion dimmed a bit. He stepped forward, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he looked at the boy. "Tommen Waters, you say?"

Rody did not give in to the man as he did not know what sort of person he was. "Aye, Lord Stark can be the judge of that. After all, he lived with me in Red Keep for months."

The Blackfish hardened his stare but after a moment, he nodded his head. "Very well," he said, gesturing for the gates to be opened. "Bring the boy inside."

"That man and the two women are with me. They helped me on the way. I would wish them proper lodgings for a week, considering their help." Rody nodded his head towards Hunter.

"So be it." Blackfish nodded his head.

Rody was grateful that they were being allowed entry. He motioned for Hunter and others to follow him. Two guards came beside him and began pulling the sledge inside. As they passed through the gates and into the castle, Rody couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. They had made it inside, and now it was up to Lord Stark to decide the fate of the young prince. He had no obligations towards the boy anymore.

Hunter and others left their group as they were escorted to a different part of the castle. Meanwhile, Rody and the prince followed the Blackfish.

Finally, they reached the Great Hall, where the lords were gathered. As they entered, Rody could feel all eyes turning to them.

He was able to see some familiar faces at last. Lord Greatjon Umber, Lord Rickard Karstark, Lady Catelyn, Master Galbart Glover and, also, Theon Greyjoy which he was least happy to see.

"Lord Stark, there is someone who wants to have an audience with you." Blackfish stopped at the head of the table and spoke.

"Uncle, we are in the middle of a meeting." A man with auburn hair said.

"Since Blackfish himself brought him here, it must be important. Let's hear it." Lord Stark cut in, "What is that you want to speak about, young man."

"My lord, did you already forget about me?" Rody stepped forward and raised his eyebrows as he asked.

Lord Stark looked at Rody in silence for a moment but then, his eyes grew wide as he stood up from his seat. "Rody?"

Whispers and murmurs grew louder in the hall. Rody could see the shock and disbelief on Lord Stark's face as he took in the sight of him.

"Rody!" A young man rose from Lord Stark's side. Rody turned his eyes to him and saw Robb. He had some beard growing from his face but unlike him who was in a shitty condition because of his long journey, there was nothing new about him. "How are you here, father said you died."

"Here I am standing before you in a hale condition, my lord." Rody said as he moved aside and pointed towards the sledge the guards brought in. "And I brought you a gift."

"A gift?" Robb asked with confusion. The only thing he was seeing was a bald boy laying on the sledge.

"Aye, the one and only Tommen Waters, brother to Joffrey Waters." Rody said with his head held high.

A deep silence ensued in the hall as words lost their meaning at that moment. However, a moment later a round of different voices filled the hole. Everyone was saying another thing. However, most of them did not enter Rody's ears as Lord Stark slammed his fist on the table and yelled for silence.

"My lords, I believe it would be better if we listen to Lord Greyguard's story first." Lord Stark said, eyeing to the gathered lords.

"Meanwhile, the boy you brought in will be our honored guest. Have our maester look at his foot, we wouldn't want to have his leg cut because of bad treatment." Lord Edmure said as the guards bowed and moved the boy out of the hall.

Both the Riverlander and the Northern lords grumbled but followed his words as they silenced themselves. By the time the gates were closed, all the people in the hall were looking at Rody with great interest, waiting for his next words.

Lord Stark helped himself back on his seat and asked, "Now, tell us. Where were you until now and why, pray tell, did you feel the need to kidnap a young boy and bring him all the way here to Riverrun?"

Rody felt like he was being questioned while standing in the middle of the hall and everyone was looking at him. He turned his eyes around the table and saw questioning and curious looks directed to him.

His eyes slowly turned towards the high table. He saw Lord Stark, Robb, Blackfish, Lord Edmure and finally, Crag who was standing behind them. He took a deep breath and words flowed out of his mouth.

"My lord, after you escaped from the capital, I stayed behind with the clansmen in the tower. However, when things got worse, one of them pushed me inside the tunnels." Rody began his tale. "But I lost my way and got stuck there for a few days. I was lucky to find one of Varys's birds."

"I threatened the boy to show me the way but the child did not know our language and had no tongue to speak either. He led me to the boy's bedroom." Rody said, remembering his encounter with the prince. "I didn't know it was him and by the time I realized it, he was already awake and my dagger was on his throat. Meanwhile, Varys's bird escaped from my hands. I decided to take the boy with me, lest he informed someone after I was on my way out of the castle."

"Good choice, boy!" said Lord Bracken and raised his cup in his honor.

Rody nodded his head to him and continued his words. "After we were out of the city, I decided to head south, thinking that they would look for us up in the Southern Riverlands, considering the mute boy I met in the tunnels. We headed into the Stormlands because I thought Lord Renly would help us but on the way there, I learned that he was crowned king."

Several lords groaned in annoyance from which it became apparent that Lord Renly's kingship was not well received in these parts of the kingdoms.

"I was in the midst of enemies, surrounded by all of them so I did the most unthinkable thing, I decided to move through the Reach and enter the Westerlands." Rody said.

"Westerlands?" Lord Edmure's eyebrows raised just like the tides of the Narrow Sea. "How did you survive there?"

"Well, I had many bounty hunters on my back during my journey through the Reach as Lord Renly and the Reach lords knew about who I was with. So I can say that passing through the Westerlands was easier but not without any fault." Rody traced the wound on his face which stretched from his mouth to his cheekbone. "I got this fighting against a bandit. The bastard nearly got me."

"You should have it looked at by a maester as soon as possible." Robb said.

Lord Stark nodded his head as well, "Yes, Lord Edmure can surely offer his maester's services."

Edmure nodded his head in agreement. "Any man who slays a Westerlander is welcome in this castle."

Voices of agreement sounded through the hall but the most prominent of them were Riverlander lords who had enough Westerlanders roaming through their lands and burning everything.

"We came upon the Stoney Sept after leaving Westerlands. We were planning to leave after a day of rest but the boy fell sick and our stay was extended." Rody said.

"Stoney Sept? I heard it was burnt to the ground nearly a week ago." Blackfish said.

"Aye," Rody nodded his head. "During our second day, the town was raided by Lannisters. We fought back but their numbers were greater and the men of the town did not have proper weapons. So we escaped thanks to a man named Hunter and made our way here. That man also came with me and was very helpful during the journey."

"I will make sure he is rewarded generously… But why is the boy in this state?" Lord Stark asked.

Rody sighed heavily. "He tripped on the way here and sprained his ankle so we had to make a sledge to carry him."

Lord Stark nodded his head heavily. However, instead of him, it was Robb who spoke up. "What are we going to do with the boy, father?"

Lord Stark looked around the table at the faces of the lords. "The boy has little influence on how the war will continue. However, he is still second in the line for the Iron Throne, according to the Lannisters, which means we have their heir in our hands. That could be a potential bargaining chip for us."

"I agree, my lord," Blackfish said. "We must proceed with caution as we still did not decide who to support."

"What is there to decide!" one of the lords with a close-cropped salt-and-pepper beard, a hook nose, and long hair stood to his feet, slamming his tankard on the table. "Renly has the support of the Stormlands and the Reach, and with us on his side, there is no enemy that cannot be defeated!"

"Piss on Renly." Another lord stood up. "Stannis is older than him. He is Robert's only heir."

"We all know what Lord Stannis did on his god-forsaken island. He consult with that fucking fire bitch and her Fire God. He is forcing people to convert." The one who offered his support for Renly yelled back in return. "Will you be bending over when he comes to burn your Seven statues and our heart trees as well?!"

"I will not have a Blackwood bad mouth me." the man who seemed to be Lord Bracken yelled.

"Huh, what would you expect from a Bracken, you lot are always ready to serve your betters." Lord Blackwood mocked once again.

"Enough!" Blackfish raised his voice. "Save your biting words for our enemies. If you want to quarrel, do it somewhere else, not here."

While everyone was watching the two lords with amusement, they nodded their heads and took their places.

"Nevertheless, we need someone to rally behind, the men need to know who they march for." Lord Edmure said.

Another round of agreement sounds came from the lords. The lords continued discussing who to pledge their swords.

Meanwhile, Rody sat at the far end of the table amongst the lowest rank of nobility. He did not know the current situation of the war. However, from the looks of it, Lord Renly was continuing his campaign of usurping the throne while Lord Stannis went out of his way to worship some fire god. Rody was no genius in politics but this conversion and burning statues of Gods was the most stupid thing he ever heard.

Lord Stark was adamant to support Lord Stannis during his time in King's Landing but now, Rody could see that his eyes did not have the same determination when the topic was Stannis.

After all, nearly all of the Northerners, except for Manderlys, followed Old Gods and someone who burns the statues of Gods would not shy away from burning weirwoods as well.

While Rody was lost in his thoughts, someone nudged him on his side. He turned his head and saw Daryn Hornwood, heir to the House Hornwood. Rody knew him from his time when he roamed throughout the North to clean it from bandits. They fought side by side with Daryn so they were considered friends.

"It is good to see you alive," Daryn said, whispering to him. "It must have been tough on the way."

"Aye, but I survived and I see you have a nice trophy like me." Rody grinned looking at Daryn's non-existent nose.

Daryn sniffed and puffed out his chest, "I lost it while fighting against the Kingslayer in the Whispering Wood. The cunt sliced it off, if not for your Greycloaks' commander, I would have lost my head."

"Commander?" Rody raised an eyebrow, "You mean Jon, he is here?"

"Aye, he stays with his Greycloaks in the camp. I heard the Tullys won't allow him entry to the castle." Daryn silked his shoulders. "Still, I owe him my life. He was the one to take down the Kingslayer. He and his men surrounded him and knocked him out. I heard Kingslayer downed at least 7 of them."

Rody thought that he should visit him after this meeting as he still remembered deceiving him and sending him back to the North during their journey to the south.

"Let me tell you, with the bastard in command of those monsters and Robb at the helm of the army, there is no one stopping us." Daryn continued. "You should have seen Robb's strategy during the battle. Kingslayer jumped on our lap and offered himself to us."

"Wait a minute, Lord Stark does not command the army?" Rody was confused.

"You don't know anything that happened, right?" Daryn slapped himself on the forehead and said, "We did not know what happened to Lord Stark until we had arrived at Riverrun. Apparently, he was stuck in the castle under the Kingslayer's siege. Until then, Robb was in command of the Northern army. The only downside was him promising his hand to those Freys."

"Ohh," Rody nodded his head and looked up to the high table. The discussion about the possible course of the Riverlander and the Northern alliance was escalating.

"My lords!!" At that moment, a voice was raised amongst the Northern nobles and silenced everyone else. Greatjon Umber raised himself to his feet, towering over the others.

*****

AN: Hey, I cannot decided who will Starks support during the war? Should they declare independence, pledge for Stannis, pledge for Renly or PLEDGE FOR BALON GREYJOY?!!

HELP MEE!!