Final Agreement

"And you would keep to your oath?" Stannis wondered as he and Robb stood across from one another.

They were once again exposed in the open snowy fields laid out before the Wall and between the vast army that was under the command of the Wolf King. Each stood alone with their horses' reigns in one hand as they rested the other upon the tips of their handles. Though they came under the pretext of peace, neither man had fully let their guard down, each prepared to move in an instant should they feel their lives were being threatened.

"I would." Robb agreed. "You have my word."

The offer was tempting, Stannis could not deny that.

Nor could he deny the sense in which Robb spoke either.

Yet it was precisely for that reason he disliked it.

Robb as King had the support of most of Westeros beside the handful of Lords who had sworn their oaths to him. In order to face the Others and prepare for the Long Night that was to come, Stannis knew he needed the power of the nobles and their armies. Without them, Westeros would be doomed and Stannis as the Azor Azhai would not allow that to happen.

It was his destiny to save Westeros and defeat the Others.

He needed to wield the power of the nobles in order to do that.

However, Robb possessed their loyalty, not him.

So long as Robb remained in the picture, Stannis would be unable to earn their oaths of loyalty and wield that power to emerge victorious in the Long Night. Yet at the same time, Stannis knew earning said loyalty even without Robb present would be an incredibly difficult task to achieve. Stannis held faith that he could succeed, but the Starks, the Tyrells and the Targaryens would each stand in his path and fight him every step of the way.

That was not something Stannis could afford either.

The War of Five Kings had already cost Westeros dearly and it would take many years to fully recover and begin the steps to prosperity. Should the war continue even more which it would should he and Robb come to blow and Stannis emerge victorious as was prophesied, then Westeros would take even longer to recover.

However, should Stannis accept this offer, then Robb would remain King in title only while as his Hand, Stannis would hold all the real power. Any decision he made for the betterment of the realm and any hard sacrifice he must take to prepare for the Long Night, all of it would be placed at the feet of Robb. The Wolf King would bear the blame and the fault, he would be the target of assassinations and the noble's ire all the while, Stannis would be able to move freely in the shadows as the true King of Westeros.

During his time in Robert's Small Council, Stannis had seen the disgruntlement and even hatred of the decisions they made had created. The discontent and anger the nobles felt when perceived snubs were given as well as lost favour and stolen rewards they believed theirs. All of it had been directed toward Robert who had been wholly absent from said decisions.

To prepare for the Long Night, Stannis knew with the realm in the state it was, it would require many difficult decisions to be made. The commonfolk and the nobles alike would be united in their discontent and anger, all of it directed toward one singular figure.

The King.

If Stannis bore that title.

Then it would be he who was blamed and he who would be at risk.

Yet, should it be Robb?

Then Stannis would be free of it all.

However, despite seeing the sense, Stannis still distrusted it.

"Your word?" Stannis murmured, looking upon the son of Eddard Stark closely.

In some ways, the two bore a resemblance yet in others they were entirely different. Not simply in the bright red hair and piercing blue eyes that the man possessed, but in the way he held himself. Eddard stood tall and proud, yet never overbearingly so. Robb Stark, on the other hand, he too stood tall and proud, but the firmness of his gaze made his presence almost overbearing as he stared upon whoever had his attention. Stannis was a man of pride and he did not back down, yet the blue gaze that bore into him was unflinching and unmoving.

Robb Stark held himself like a King.

A conqueror.

A warrior.

He was not like the Quiet Wolf who could disappear easily.

There was no hiding for the Wolf King.

When he made his presence known it was impossible to ignore him.

"And I am to believe something as simple as that?" Stannis wondered. 'If it had been your father, but you?'

"The choice is yours." Robb did not flinch in the face of his questioning. "Believe me or not, it matters little to me. We both know what resides beyond the Wall and what they seek. You know of my prowess on the battlefield, the things I have accomplished. Do you truly wish to deprive yourself of a valuable commander? Do you truly wish to continue this war and plunge Westeros further into chaos that might risk you never being able to recover in time?"

Stannis did not know when the Long Night would begin again.

But one thing he did know was that Robb Stark had survived thrice when his death was prophesied.

Stannis believed firmly in Melisandre and R'hllor, yet he could not deny that he was wary when prophecies pertaining to Robb Stark left him doubting. Perhaps this time, the prophecies would hold true and Robb Stark would die, yet what if they were wrong? What if Robb Stark survived a fourth time?

War would begin anew and the destabilisation of Westeros would continue.

"As we speak, both Daenerys and Margaery are securing their positions in the south. The Tyrells have my heir to rally support behind whereas Daenerys has her lineage and Dragons. Meanwhile, the North in which you reside currently is my home, ruled by the Starks and steadfastly loyal." Robb continued. "Even should you emerge victorious here and defeat me, my death will accomplish nothing. We both know you will suffer heavy losses, enough so that you will not be able to even venture south of the Neck without being killed by the Northmen under my father's orders. Yet should you succeed, you will then have to contend with Daenerys and the Tyrells."

Stannis knew this already and his frown deepened.

"You may believe in your victory here." Robb told him. "Yet can you say that you would be able to continue beyond that point? Why risk everything now when I am offering you the opportunity to gain what you seek now? If defeating the Others is truly what you desire, same as me, then we should be allies. Not enemies."

"You would keep to your oath?" Stannis repeated and Robb nodded his head firmly.

"You have my word."