It had been a fortnight since they sent the raven and ten days since they received their answer. Lord Walder Frey had agreed to a meeting with the King and Queen in the North at Riverrun.
"Will he be coming, your Grace?" Lord Edmure had asked when the letter from her Father was given to her the day it arrived.
"No." Dahlia shook her head from her seat beside Robb's after reading over the letter. "He apologizes for it, but reckons taking such a trip wouldn't be wise with his old age. All the better, I suppose... It's not like I was excited with the prospect of seeing my dear Father again."
"Does he say who he will send in his stead, your Grace?" The Blackfish asked, as Dahlia nodded, passing the letter off to Robb if he wanted to read it over as well.
"Yes." She nodded. "He says he'll send Black Walder and Lothar. Two of my half-brothers."
"Will they be easy to convince?" Robb asked, as Dahlia shook her head.
"Not quite, I don't think." She said. "Black Walder is a bastard and all he wants is to be legitimized by our Father. Lothar is not the oldest by a long shot so he has little chance of inheriting anything. They'll gladly follow our Father's every command to make sure they please him."
"Well, that is just fantastic..." The Blackfish mumbled. "How do we negotiate with two men who will refuse to bend to please their Papa?"
"We convince them to please me, instead." Dahlia said. "I am their sister, after all, and I am their Queen, am I not? Meeting my terms could come with a few advantages, I suppose, if one is smart enough to seize the opportunity."
And that was exactly what Dahlia meant to do that day. Robb and Lord Edmure had gone all the way to the entrance of the castle to receive Black Walder and Lothar Frey. Dahlia had wanted to go with them as well, but with her pregnancy and more protruding stomach, Robb had insisted on her doing less than the minimum. So, there was was, sitting in the Main Room with Catelyn on the chair beside hers, two empty chairs on her other side for Robb and Lord Edmure and, finally, the Blackfish on the third chair to her left.
When Robb and Lord Edmure walked back into the room, Dahlia, Catelyn and the Blackfish stood up. Black Walder and Lothar nodded at them, before walking toward the opposite side of the table from Dahlia was and standing just before their sister and the chair Robb was going to take soon, beside his wife.
"Your Grace." Black Walder smiled as he curtsied Dahlia a little. "You look well."
"Thank you, my Lord." She sais, smiling back at him as kindly as she could. "It is good to see you again. And you, Lothar."
"It's great to see you, your Grace." Lothar nodded, his eyes falling down to her stomach for a second before meeting Dahlia's again. "And how far along are you, little sister?"
"Five moons."
"Five moons, already?" Black Walder said. "Father will be delighted to hear."
"I would sure hope so." Dahlia nodded.
Around her, everyone could tell Dahlia was tense. So much so that Robb moved his hand to rest gently over the small of his wife's back as Grey Wind padded over to stand in between the two of them silently, glaring at the two men across from him on the table just as much as Dahlia was. Now, it wasn't as if Black Walder and Lothar ever did anything to Dahlia personally, but she had never felt comfortable around them anyway. There were very few of her brothers with whom she could say she felt safe with. Thankfully, her full-brothers were some of them and a few of the older ones were nice enough as well but some... Some weren't as kind to her. Actually, some of her so-called brothers were far too kind to her when she returned from Highgarden, constantly trying to get her favor. She could feel their hungry eyes on her and in more than one occasion, Dahlia had heard some of them whisper about her and what they'd like to do to her if she wasn't their little sister. So it was no surprise she didn't feel her best right then. Especially considering the two of them were still looking at her with somewhat suspicious looks in their eyes despite the fact that, not only was she pregnant, her husband was standing right beside her, clearly having noticing the undertones of those looks judging by the way his hand gripped on the back of Dahlia's dress.
So, yes, the tension of the room could be cut with a sword, but before Robb could draw his to defend Dahlia's honour, the girl spoke up.
"Well, then, shall we have a seat?" She asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.
At that, everyone nodded, taking their seats again. Dahlia could almost roll her eyes at the way Robb grabbed her hand in his and held it while she sat down as he stood beside her. Only when she was comfortably sat on her chair did he sit down on his and Dahlia could have reprimanded him for it, claiming she wasn't a child and she could still sit herself down, thank you very much, but now, the act brought a comfort to her that she couldn't really deny at the moment. So she let him, holding his hand over her lap underneath the table as they stared at her brothers in front of her.
"Thank you for riding here so quickly." Robb spoke up, as soon as he sat down, as a means to properly start the meeting. "I know travel isn't easy in these times."
"The roads are crawling with cutthroats and bandits." Lothar said, a smirk on his face that made Dahlia's skin crawl a little. "When the King and the Queen in the North summons us, we come."
"Our father has instructed us to tell you that his men will be at your disposal if his terms are met." Black Walder said, turning to look at Dahlia again.
"Very well." She nodded. "And those terms you speak of?"
"Lord Frey demands Harrenhal and all its attendant lands." Lothar said, as Dahlia frowned.
Harrenhal? What did her Father even want with Harrenhal? She had been there for a few weeks and vowed never to come back there. For all she cared, Harrenhal could stay lordless for a while, but if her Father wanted to cast his banners down on the walls of the damned castle, then so be it. She nodded her head once, ready to concede to those terms, but Lord Edmure didn't seem all that keen in offering Late Walder Frey another keep for himself.
"I don't think that's..."
"We are fighting for the North." Robb interrupted him curtly, as Lord Edmure bit his tongue quietly. "Harrenhal is not in the North. It is his once the war is over and we have no further strategic need for it."
"And there's something else." Black Walder said.
"And I do not think our Lord Father's next request will sit well with her Grace." Lothar said and, just like that, Dahlia felt her stomach drop a little.
Everyone in the room turned to look at her then, expecting a reaction, but Dahlia gave them none. Instead, she kept her chin up and her face as neutral as possible. To anyone who didn't know her, it must have seemed as if the words hadn't affected her at all, but Robb knew better. And if he was to go by the way her hand gripped his in her lap, he could guess she was as nervous as he thought she would be.
"We will do whatever we can to give Lord Frey what he needs." Dahlia finally spoke up, though her jaw was clenched and the words tasted bitter in her mouth. Lothar smirked a little again.
"Not what, whom." He said, and, when his eyes feel on Lord Edmure across the table, Dahlia knew her suspicious were right.
Her Lord Father wanted yet another marriage for one of his daughters and, unless he was planning on marrying off her sister Tyta - which he had probably given up on already - there was only one more Frey girl who could be offered. And the thought alone made Dahlia feel sick.
"What?" Lord Edmure asked, when all heads in the room turned to look at him. "Hum, no."
"Our father requires Lord Edmure to wed one of his daughters." Black Walder said, as Lothar nodded.
"Which one?" Dahlia asked, even though she knew the answer to that already.
"Roslin." Lothar said.
"Roslin is fifteen." Dahlia argued, hoping to the gods that her voice didn't sound as fragile as she thought it did.
"She's old enough to marry." Black Walder shrugged. "She had her flowering two years ago. It's high time she starts contemplating marriage proposals."
"This will not do." Dahlia shook her head and she could tell the Tullys and Robb were all looking at her apprehensively, but this was her baby sister they were throwing around like some breeding mare or another and that Dahlia could not have. "Lord Edmure can marry one of Father's nieces."
"Who?" Lothar asked, a hint of amusement behind his tone that made Dahlia want to punch him across the face. "Fat Walda? Maybe he would like to put Tyta out of her misery and marry her instead?"
"Roslin seems like a good fit for Lord Edmure. Father said so." Black Walder argued as Dahlia shook her head in annoyance. "She's pretty, she's smart... She's your sister. You should know she would make a good fit for our liege lord."
"Roslin is a child." Dahlia insisted.
"She's fifteen, little sister." Lothar said. "Woman enough for a marriage."
"Besides, weren't you sixteen when you married?" Black Walder asked. "One year more, one year less... What difference does it make?"
"I was married off to someone my age!" Dahlia growled, before taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes to try and not to lose her cool just yet. "I mean no disrespect, Lord Edmure."
"You have given none, your Grace." The man assured, clearly as unhappy with the prospect of this marriage as she seemed to be.
"I will not have Roslin married off to someone twice her age."
"Those were the terms Father sent us to give you, little sister." Black Walder said. "If you don't meet them..."
"I know what happens if I don't meet my Father's terms." She interrupted the older man with an icy glare to her eyes. "Harrenhal and a marriage for 3,000 men. Are those the terms Father sent you with?"
"Yes." Lothar nodded.
"Well, what if we give you another marriage?" She asked. "Let Lord Edmure see the girls for himself. Let him pick. Robb was offered the chance, why shouldn't your liege lord?"
"What does he want with seeing the girls?" Lothar asked, almost in a scoff. "He wants to count her teeth? You know Roslin is the prettier of the bunch. After you, of course, your Grace."
Dahlia stiffened then, her grip in Robb's hand tightening a little at her half-brother's words. Beside her, Grey Win growled, noticing her shift and Black Walder and Lothar trembled a little. They recovered and, soon enough, Black Walder was speaking again.
"Word of Perwyn's death reached our Lord Father, little sister." He said and just the mention of his name brought a sour taste to Dahlia's mouth as she frowned a little. "He has been told some of his men have been killed as well."
"This is war, brother." Dahlia said. "Men die all the time."
"Yes, they do." Lothar nodded. "But you can understand Father's worry, can't you, little sister? If from the 500 men he sent with you the first time, only 300 still stand, how many more will die if he gives you the 3,000 you requested?"
Dahlia bit her lip quietly then, unsure on how to respond, but she could feel her blood boil underneath her skin. As if her Father was worried about the lives lost to this damned war. She could hardly believe he cared much for Perwyn's death at all. Still, she didn't know how to put that without offending her Lord Father, so she said nothing instead and let Black Walder take the word again.
"We depart for the Twins in the morning." He said. "We need an answer before we leave, and a wedding not more than a fortnight thereafter or this deal is over."
"Your father does realise we're in the middle of a war?" The Blackfish asked as Dahlia nodded.
Having a marriage now would be stupid. Maybe if she could push the wedding off just a little... Just until the war was over... Maybe then...
"Father is old." Lothar said. "It will put his heart at peace if he could see her wed to a good husband. And considering he couldn't attend Queen Dahlia's wedding, he was hopeful at least Lady Roslin's marriage he would be able to attend."
Robb could see Dahlia wanted to speak up against it again, but before she could, he squeezed her hand in his and spoke up himself.
"He has every right to be." He said, as Dahlia turned to him with a hard glare. "Please excuse us while we discuss it."
And just like that, Black Walder and Lothar walked toward the door they came through, probably to be escorted by some chamber Robb had made for them in preparation for their visit, satisfied smiles on their faces and Lothar with that stupid limb he's had had since he was a boy from a sparring accident from one of his own brothers. As they walked, no one spoke a word, but as soon as the door after them was closed, Dahlia harshly stood up from her seat, her chair scraping against the ground, before falling back as Catelyn winced a little from beside her daughter by law.
Dahlia started to pace as soon as she was up and Robb wanted nothing more than to reach out to her and comfort his wife, but how could he? What could he possibly do or say to make this even remotely better? He didn't know. So, instead, he turned to look at his Uncle, who seemed almost as distressed as his wife. One problem at a time, Robb thought to himself. If I fix this now with Uncle Edmure, I can take some time to talk to Dahlia later. Alone.
"Her Grace is right." Edmure complained, as Dahlia continued to pace around a little, ignoring the gentle whines Grey Wind sent her as he sat nearby and watched her intently as she moved. "Why should I let that old ferret choose my bride for me? At the very least, I should be offered the same choice you were. I'm his liege lord."
"From the looks of it, he offered you the best girl he still has." The Blackfish commented, looking down at the glare he received from Dahlia then. Not that he was scared or threatened by the girl, but she was his Queen and she deserved his respect. "Forgive, your Grace."
"Fifteen, you say?" Lord Edmure asked, as he turned to look at Dahlia, who only nodded her head. "My answer is no."
"Listen to me and listen very carefully." The Blackfish said, as he leaned closer to his nephew. "You..."
"The laws of gods and men are very clear." Lord Edmure argued. "No man can compel another man to marry."
Yet, a Father can compel a daughter to marry, Dahlia thought. She almost laughed then. Those gods... They truly had a wicked sense of humour, didn't they?
"The laws of my fist are about to compel your teeth." The Blackfish threatened his nephew, as Robb sighed.
"It's all right." He said, his words gentle knowing Dahlia wouldn't like what he was about to say, but having to say them anyway. "You heard him. If you refuse, we don't get the Frey men we need."
"He's wanted me for one of his daughters since I was twelve." Lord Edmure argued. "There were talks of him marrying me off to her Grace before. He's tried with pretty much every daughter and niece he's ever had. He's not gonna stop trying now. When I say no, he will come back and offer me a daughter of my choosing."
"You're willing to risk our freedom and our lives for a chance at a prettier wife?" Robb asked, as Dahlia sighed quietly, stopping with her pacing and choosing to, instead, lean against a wall and sulk there for a moment. "I have a war to fight. We can't win it without them. I have no time to haggle. You said you wanted to make amends for the Stone Mill."
"You recall that heroic engagement?" The Blackfish whispered at his nephew, almost teasingly.
"I had something less permanent in mind." Lord Edmure said, after a second of hesitation.
"I've won every battle, but I'm losing this war." Robb said and, for a moment, he sounded so scared Dahlia could almost forget of her own fears to focus on his instead. "If we don't do this and do it now, we're lost."
There was another moment of silence in the room and Lord Edmure took a second to look at every face in the room before looking back at Robb.
"I'll marry her." He said, as him and Robb exchanged a nod before the older man stood up from his chair and walked over to stand in front of Dahlia instead. "I shall love and care for your sister as is the duty of a good husband to his wife, your Grace. She shall never have to worry about anything with me, I swear it, by the old gods and the new."
At that, Dahlia nodded, her eyes still void of emotion but a pretty smile coming up to her lips anyway.
"Thank you, my Lord. And I truly hope my sister can make you happy. She is as sweet and beautiful as my brothers made her seem." She said, her words sounding hollow to everyone in the room, especially to her. "Now, with that settled, I shall take my leave."
"Love..." Robb whispered, watching as Dahlia rushed out of the room and sighed, before turning to his Uncle again. "I'll remember this, Uncle. Now, with your excuse."
Without waiting for anyone's permission - not that he needed to, he was the King after all -, Robb stood up from his chair, quickly following Dahlia out with Grey Wind behind him, whining quietly with their every step and hoping to whatever god was out there that Dahlia had decided to retreat in their chambers instead of rushing to Jeyne so he could talk to her and, maybe - hopefully - appease her worries, even if just a little bit.