Loki: Game of Thrones

Chapter 79 - Preparation for a Wedding

Loki knew that the festivities at the Twins would be starting soon. Again, they seemed to have neglected giving him an invitation to the shindig. Of course, that never stopped Loki before. He arrived in the Stark camp early in the afternoon. Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, and Talisa Stark had not left yet for the wedding of Edmure Tully (Catelyn's younger brother) to Roslin Frey, one of Walder Frey's daughters. "I wouldn't go to this if I were you," Loki said, stepping into the tent and stopping everyone where they stood. Talisa stood next to Robb and stared at Loki in awe. Of course she had heard her husband speak of the cunning sells-sword, and knew that Robb rather looked up to him. Robb (at least) had been down trodden when Tywin Lannister proclaimed Loki's death to the world. Now, faced with a live Loki again, Robb gasped.

"Loki! What miracle is this?!" Robb asked, crossing to Loki and embracing him.

"Curse more like," Catelyn muttered to herself, but Talisa still heard it. She raised her eyebrow at mother-in-law's harsh words, but decided not to let them ruin her husband's now happy mood. Loki slapped Robb's back a couple of times before they parted.

"We heard that you were dead," Robb said, almost disbelieving. He would have said it was all a dream, if it were not for the fact that he had just put his arms around Loki and knew he was real and actually present.

"I was exposed to Tywin Lannister as being a double agent. Needless to say, he was not very happy, and the Mountain scraped me up a bit. To their eyes, the injuries I had sustained were enough to kill me. However, they miscalculated," Loki explained, lightly going over his time being a bed ridden dependent on Sansa. He still smiled as he thought about her tending to his wounds. He then shook his head as he thought of her being drunk.

"Well, Robb's grateful that you're alive," Catelyn Stark said, suddenly cutting into the pleasant mood. "But, why wouldn't we attend my brother's wedding?"

"Because it's a trap," Loki said. Robb took a step back and raised his eyebrow. Talisa's mouth fell open for a second before she closed it. Meanwhile, Catelyn Stark actually laughed lightly.

"Ha! Why would it be a trap? This is a peace offering between the Starks and the Freys. My brother will marry Roslin Frey, and Walder Frey will allow Robb passage over the Twins," Catelyn said, so sure that that was what was going to happen. Loki shook his head and waggled his finger.

"Except for the part where he and Roose Bolton have made a bargain with Tywin Lannister. They mean to betray you. They kill you, your pregnant wife, and your mother this night during the wedding feast. They slaughter your men outside, and Frey gets his revenge on you for going against your word and marrying the Lady Talisa there. Once you are dead, Roose Bolton gets Winterfell, and the rebellion in the North is crushed. All pretty clean and easy when you think about it. At least it would be, if I wasn't here," Loki pointed out and he smirked.

"Why would they?! And break guest rite?" Robb asked indignantly. Loki chuckled dryly and folded his arms across his chest.

"Not everybody is as honorable as you think they are. In this world, there are three types of people: people who are good, people who are evil, and people who dance the fine line between the two. I'd like to think I'm the latter. Walder Frey and Roose Bolton are just evil," Loki said. Catelyn looked at Robb and saw that like usual, he was listening carefully to everything that Loki said. Catelyn could almost believe that Loki had Robb under some kind of spell, if it was not for the fact that whenever Loki was not around, he voiced his own opinions on the matter.

"How can we be sure that they mean to cause us harm?" Robb queried. Loki tilted his head to one side and his lips quirked up slightly.

"Are you doubting me, Robb Stark?" he posed in return. Robb made a face as he walked over to his wife and put his arms around her.

"When it comes the lives of my wife and mother, I cannot afford doubts," Robb insisted and Loki grinned.

"Good, Robb Stark. You are wiser than most men who are older than you. So, if you want proof that they mean to betray you, let me use my magic," Loki said and Robb frowned. "I create decoys of all three of you to appear at the feast. We allow things to proceed naturally, and you can watch from a safe place," Loki informed them. Robb glanced at Talisa and Catelyn, as if he needed their approval. "The most you're going to miss out on is the food," Loki added and Robb smiled slightly. Talisa nodded her head while Catelyn shook hers. Robb looked at his mother pointedly before he glanced back at Loki.

"Very well, we agree. You keep us safe, and we watch the proceedings from wherever you see fit," Robb said. He held his hand out, and Loki looked at it. It was all he could do to keep his tongue from running over his teeth with the sheer anticipation of that evening. Loki shook the Young Wolf's hand and smirked.

"We have a deal, Robb Stark. Now, you will watch from a safe place while I pull the strings and show you how faulty puppets work."

Hours later, Loki had closeted Robb, Talisa, and Catelyn Stark all the way back in Winterfell and set his plan in motion. First, he traded all casks of wine for the strong mead he had manufactured from memory. Once those were in place, he spread the word among the men of House Stark and all their banners (with the except of the Flayed Men of House Bolton) that Robb Stark had strictly forbidden them from drinking anything that night. They were to subsist on water until further notice. They were, however, not allowed to inform the men of Walder Frey or Bolton that they were not drinking. If somebody poured them mead, they were to toss it and get water if they were thirsty. The men complained, but Loki told them it was all part of a plan to draw out traitors. This made the real Men of the North determined not to disappoint their king.

Loki squatted on the parapets on the castle of the Twins, looking down at the campfires, and he heard the merry singing of the men. "And the gods released the wild dogs among the lambs. But the dogs have no idea that a serpent crawls in their midst. Beware! The serpent is wearing sheep's clothing!" Loki stood up and jumped down from the top of the tower, disappearing before he hit the bottom. "I always have too much fun."