Loki: Game of Thrones

Chapter 60 - The Twins

Robb Stark sat on his horse with his mother, and Ser Rodrik, looking down at the castle that stood over the river. This castle, the Twins, was under the command of Walder Frey, the head of House Frey. Robb Stark had made a deal with him: Walder Frey would give him free passage over the Twins, in exchange for a political marriage between Robb and one of his many daughters. However, that option was now out of the question. "Buggered this up something righteous, haven't you?" a voice asked, and they all turned. Loki walked by them, his hands behind his back, and the wind picking up his hair. Robb Stark sighed, knowing that Loki was right; while his mother gave him her ever typical glare. "You look beautiful, as ever."

"Watch your mouth, rogue!" Ser Rodrik Cassel warned, and Loki rolled his eyes.

"Puh-lease! Like you could do anything to stop me. But, I am not interested in engaging in a barbed conversation with you. I'm here to discuss a very real problem." Loki glanced at Robb Stark as he continued, "The problem where you made a promise to Walder Frey that you would marry his daughter; and then you turn around and marry the Lady Talisa of Volantis." This did make Robb Stark frown. "Don't get me wrong, she's a gorgeous woman." He ran his fingers through his hair, and gave Robb a knowing, mischievous smirk. "Which is probably why you thought with the other part of your anatomy, rather than your brain."

"Insult my son again, Ser Loki, and I will-!" Catelyn Stark started to say, before Loki held his finger up.

"You'll what? Stitch my mouth closed? Cut my head off? Chain me to a rock? Already been done," Loki said, and everyone exchanged surprised/concerned looks.

"But what did you come here to say, really?" Robb Stark asked, maintaining his patience, only because he knew how useful Loki was to their cause.

"You're in a bind." The statement was simple and to the point. Loki could be very colorful and beat around the bush and drop hints when he wanted to. But sometimes, he needed to be blunt. This was one of those moments. "You promised Walder Frey that you would marry one of his daughters. You turned around and married the Lady Talisa. I understand the importance of a marriage of love, not a marriage of duty; but, in war, you have to tread lightly," Loki said. Robb Stark nodded, before he sighed.

"I understand that, but my mother wants me to apologize to Walder Frey, and offer him another marriage," Robb Stark said. Loki gave Catelyn Stark a sly glance before he looked back at Robb Stark.

"Don't do anything until I have scouted out the terrain. I have never met this Walder Frey, but he sounds off to me. Once I do my reconnaissance, I'll tell you what to do," Loki said.

"Why do we need your permission?" Catelyn asked. Loki sighed, and shot her a bemused look.

"Because I'm a disinterested party. If anybody can get clear advice, and come up with a logical solution, it's me. Now," Loki said, still pacing in front of them, "you go back to fighting the Lannisters. I'll do what I do best, and I'll check back in with you." With that, Loki saluted them, disappearing into a cloud of green mist. All three of them blinked a few times to make sure they had seen what they had just seen.

Walder Frey was an old, rather sick man, sitting in his oak chair, in his high, cold hall. His fur trimmed robes were bunched about him, trying to keep him warm. A weak fire was in the hearth, and a young girl, certainly too young for him, was sitting next to him on the dais. Cloaked in invisibility, Loki watched the old man as he coughed and spluttered. Loki smirked. Just a weak, old man trying to be young again. Pathetic! Loki thought to himself. He eyed the young girl, and saw the rather uncomfortable look on her face that she was not too keen on her position. She clearly had no say in the whole affair, Loki noted, but that was when the doors of the great hall opened, and Loki turned around. He raised his eyebrow when he saw Walder Frey's visitor was Lord Roose Bolton, of House Bolton, the Flayed Men. They were bannermen, under Robb Stark, which of course raised Loki's red flag as to why they were there. He had told Robb to not approach Walder Frey until the man had undergone his scrutiny. So why was one of Robb's underlings traipsing into the castle? Loki's eyes narrowed drastically as he watched the scene unfold before him.

"You bring word from our friends down south?" Walder Frey asked, his voice sounding as old and as cracked as him.

Friends in the south? Two possible choices...

"Yes. They have decided on the plan, and say when a wedding is announced, to make it official," Roose Bolton said.

Official? Wedding? With Robb Stark married to the Lady Talisa, who else could they hope to have a marriage with? Even more curious...

"Good. But now I must ask you something else," Walder Frey said, and Roose Bolton cocked his head to one side. "What of this sells-sword I've heard so much about? They say that he is a mage of sorts, but I don't believe it." Loki had to restrain his snicker. He was so much more than just a mage.

"I have never seen him perform anything magical while he's been in the camp. He comes and he goes at his leisure. But, Theon Greyjoy said he did see him vanish once. Into thin air," Roose Bolton answered with a snap of his fingers. Walder Frey frowned.

"Impossible! No warlock in the history of Westeros has ever possessed that kind of power," Walder Frey said.

I'm not like your warlocks. I'm better than your warlocks, Loki thought. If they kept talking about him, he was going to get bored. Not that he did not like people wondering who, and what he was, but... that did not solve the immediate problem of how to get control of the Twins to allow the Starks to continue marching south.

"Anyway, I've been in communication with somebody from Kings Landing. They're working on a plan to remove the sells-sword from the equation, permanently," Roose Bolton said. This made Loki's eyebrow go up. Oh, this kept getting more and more delicious. The majority of Loki's enemies were in Kings Landing: Petyr Baelish, Cersei, Joffrey, Grand Maester Pycelle, Ser Meryn, and the Hound. But the only people who could qualify as real threats to him in Kings Landing, were Petyr Baelish and Cersei Lannister. And that was because they had brains, and knew how to use them. So, one of them was working with Roose Bolton to undermine the Starks in the North.

Well, this is fascinating. Looks like Robb Stark has a traitor in his midst. I must wait though to reveal his treachery, Loki thought. With that, he decided he had gathered enough information for that day. He withdrew from the great hall, and a breath of cold wind blew after him. It put out the weak fire, and the little torches that were hanging on the walls. Roose Bolton and Walder Frey glanced around quickly. "Beware the fate of traitors," an almost inaudible voice whispered in warning.