Chapter 51: Robert's Rebellion: Pact

(1,200 words)

- Percival Bolton POV -

- Riverrun - Riverlands - Westeros - 283 A.D -

"It's good to see Lord Stark again" I said with a smile to Ned in front of me.

"I don't know if I can say the same" Ned replied to me with a grimace. Surprising Jon Arryn, and even a little to me.

We had met at Riverrun. Both my forces and those of Ned and Jon. For they were about to finalize their alliance with Hoster Tully to join his army with the forces of the Riverlands.

"Why is that?" I asked genuinely curious. "Because Ashara is in love with me?" I asked smiling, and Ned clenched his fist tightly as Jon Arryn watched the scene with a frown.

"It's not because of Lady Ashara," he said with annoyance in his voice. "My sister warned me about you at the royal wedding, but I wasn't going to believe something if it was just a hunch. But I heard the methods you used to take over the Free Cities. I don't like people like you," he told me frankly. He was a good, brave and honorable man, the opposite of me.

"It is not good to be guided by mere hearsay, Lord Stark. But who am I to correct Warden in the North" I said sarcastically and a bit mockingly.

"Lord Stark... Lord Percival..." Arryn told us. "We have other matters to settle" he repeated.

"You are right, Lord Arryn" I replied. While Ned only nodded with a frown.

After that unfortunate and uncomfortable encounter. The three of us entered Riverrun, where we were greeted by Hoster Tully and the Tully sisters. Catelyn and Lysa.

It was a strange phenomenon... Both Ned and Lysa had the looks of the TV series, but Catelyn looked nothing like her.

I mean yes, she had red hair and blue eyes, but she was incredibly beautiful. Not like the actress who was just plain hideous.

"Percival!" cried Lysa upon seeing me as she ran to greet me.

"It's good to see you, Little Lysa," I said with a smile as I stroked her head. I hadn't had sex with her as Littlefinger, so her obsession was not such. Besides, I didn't drive her crazy or against her sister. But I can say that, after Catelyn, I am the most important person to her. Even more than her father Hoster, or her stupid brother Edmur.

"Aren't you going to greet your guardian?" asked Hoster with a smile. And with an equal, etiquette smile, I took his hand. He knows the same thing Ned knows or more likely. That I'm scum by human moral standards. But I doubt he cares. He's a greedy man, otherwise he wouldn't rebel in war.

"It's good to see you again" I said smiling.

"Same here" he replied.

"Lord Percival" Catelyn said to me with a smile as she gave me a slight bow of politeness.

"Lady Catelyn" I replied with a smile.

After that, we began our Gathering to bring the Tully's to the side of the rebels.

"So what does Lord Tully propose?" asked Lord Arryn.

"The first thing is. As hard as it is, to resume my Catelyn's marriage to the Stark heir," Tully said, and Ned's face grew grim.

"Lord Tully, I don't think it is right to betroth my brother's betrothed," Ned said, his voice complicated.

"No... On the contrary, it is the right thing to do. Because of the pact the Stark and Tully family made. Without something as basic as that we cannot make an alliance" Hoster replied, and Ned clenched his fist to finally nod reluctantly. "Do you have a problem daughter?" he asked again, to Cat. Who looked complicated, but ended up nodding.

"So that's it then?" asked Jon.

"No" replied Hoster making Jon frown.

"I want you, you, Jon Arryn, to marry my daughter Lysa" he said.

"Father!" cried Lysa with annoyance in her voice.

"Daughter... It's a sooner or later thing" said Hoster as we watched the conversation uncomfortably.

"No! I..." she said as she looked sideways at me and a tear escapes from her face. The next moment she ran out of the place with a wrinkled-faced Catelyn following her.

"Lords..." commented Hoster awkwardly.

"That's unfortunate, I don't know if this marriage can be taken" I said with a stoic face.

"Lord Percival is right" Jon commented.

"Relax Lords, I just have to talk to her and everything will be settled" said Hoster.

"That's good" I said with a smile.

"So..." said Arryn with a serious face. "If Ned is betrothed to his daughter Catelyn, and I to his daughter Lysa. will Riverlands fight for us?" asked the man in a serious tone.

"That is correct," replied Hoster.

"Then... I guess we accept" said Arryn with a hint of annoyance, and the subject was concluded as we withdrew from the meeting hall to go to the dining room for some lunch after our exhausting journey.

I can't say I'm surprised by this, since it's the same as in the original story only even easier. Since I guess Littlefinger fucked Lysa Tully. Here she is a virgin, and a virgin woman is always more expensive than a "used" one. Speaking of nobility of course, since I doubt commoners care about that. Hell... In most inns, while the man works the wife, and sometimes even the daughter, are sold to the nobles or high military commanders in passing. They have to eat somehow. Or to bandits, to avoid looting. Although that's not very useful many times, as the bandits would obviously choose the double prize. Why fuck a woman, if you can fuck her and also earn money.

After our meeting, we stayed a few more days at the place, and organized all our troops to leave. Robert had fought at Summerhall, a region of Stormlands. That battle was basically the same as Gulltown. Clearing out the remaining loyal vassals of The Crown, so the battle had no great difficulty. After all it is a very small portion of the whole territory.

At that point everything was going well, and Robert started marching from Stormlands to The North to meet up with our armies. The problem is that between Stormlands, and The North along with The Vale, there was a lot of land in between. Crownlands, The Reach and Westerlands.

Crownlands were obviously out of the question, you couldn't move through that area alone. And they couldn't wait for reinforcements to arrive, as they would run into the same problem. Only Robert, by waiting, would have Dorne's forces in the south poking him in the ass. So he had to move quickly. Yes, they had battles, but they were not the bulk of the Martell forces. So movement was imperative. He left his brother Stannis protecting Storms End.

He moved to The Reach, and had small skirmishes with different houses along the way. But there was a big battle... At Ashford specifically, and he was defeated by Randyll Tarly, Lord of House Tarly and Lord of Horn Hill. He defeated Robert in a battle of pure strategy, as his numbers were much smaller. Not even the Tyrells had arrived at that time.

He was now wounded and weak at Stoney Sept. waiting for us.