A raven from Audelia had arrived, saying that the Mormonts had agreed to an allegiance, as well as the Free Folk. Now they were heading to talk to House Glover I presumed. I didn't know every House of the North, I never really thought I'd end up here. But I would not be anywhere else.
"That is a sorry attempt at a siege", remarked Bronn as we watched from afar the army of the Freys surround Riverrun.
"Good, we need the Tully's", replied Brienne.
"How do you propose we get them? Waltz in and say 'Hello Lord Tully! We are friends with your niece, Lady Stark. Will you help them?'", I asked sarcastically, Bronn smirked and Brienne just rolled her eyes.
Our whole journey here reminded me a lot of when she was set to bring me to Riverrun as a prisoner. Now I am here with her at Riverrun, but not as a prisoner, as a friend.
"Something like that", she replied.
"We have to get rid of the Freys before the Lannister army arrives. Later when the North is returned to the Starks, we call all fight together to retake Riverrun", proposed Brienne but I shook my head.
"If the Lannister army isn't here by now, they will never come. Cercei is not interested in helping the Freys. She is most likely more interested on how to get more control over the Kingdom, now that my uncle, Kevan Lannister is Hand of the King", I replied.
"The Tully's could easily defeat the Freys if they had a little more men", added Bronn.
I suddenly got an idea, and began riding forward.
"What are you doing? You are going to get seen!", whisper yelled Brienne and as if on queue, two Frey riders rode up to us.
"Kingslayer, pleasure to see you here!", greeted one of the riders. I clenched my jaw but held myself together.
"Where is the army?", asked the other.
"I was send to assess the situation by the King", I reply, lying through my teeth.
"May we see the order?", asked the Frey soldier. I raised my eyebrows and laughed.
"Are you saying I would lie? Are you saying I would commit treason against my King, my nephew?", I asked, sounding offended.
"O-of course not, my lord. We were just-", stumbled the Frey.
"What he means is that we heard you left King's Landing out of nowhere, and were proclaimed traitor to the crown", continued the soldier.
"You listen to the vile rumours? That is low. People love to gossip, who doesn't? Now let's start over, and forget this happened", I continued, faking my smile. "I was sent by the King with my two companions, to assess the situation, and talk to the Blackfish, and hopefully get a truce".
"Then you won't mind if we write a raven to the King asking him that?", asked the Frey and I had to refrain from slapping him across the face.
"Go ahead, but don't blame us when the King doesn't send help to you to retake Riverrun", said Bronn as he rode closer.
"Is that a bloody woman?", asked one of the Freys and I turned to him.
"You have exactly one minute to allow us to pass through your very funny attempt at a siege and talk to the Blackfish", I threatened.
"Or what?", challenged the Frey son.
"Or the King will send troops here but not for the reasons you think. He doesn't need the Frey's. He gave Riverrun to the Freys to hold Riverrun. But if we have to ride North every time you lose it... why do we need you?", I asked rhetorically.
"Very well", said the Frey bastard, the one that inherited the brains in this family. "Follow me, Ser".
"Smart, very smart. Perhaps you aren't the stupidest Lannister after all", whispered Bronn in my ear as we rode behind the Frey riders and into their camp.
"If they find out-", began Brienne but I interrupted her.
"They won't", I assured her but she looked unsurely. Her eyes followed one of the Frey guards who was riding in another direction to the main camp, where their commander possibly resided.
"We don't have much time", whispered Brienne.
"Then we have to act quickly", I replied.
The raven would arrive in mere hours, maximum a day. And the troops would be send out, but an assassin probably first. We had to convince the Blackfish quickly and leave before the Lannister troops arrive.
We rode up to the castle, there was a platform and on it stood a grimy, man with a dagger to his throat.
"Lord Edmure Tully...", whispered Brienne.
They had a prisoner. This would complicate things a little.
"After all of this is over, I expect my part of the deal", whispered Bronn as we waited patiently.
"Yes I know. I will be resigning in Winterfell, and you will get whatever you desire, that is in my power to give", I assure him.
"You promised me a castle, a lordship and a Highborn Beauty for a wife", reminded me Bronn.
"And you'll get all three. A Lannister always pays his-", I began but he interrupted me once again.
"Don't say it, don't fucking say it", he whisper yelled and rode away to give his horse to one of the squires.
I shook my head, trying not to laugh and did the same. Then we stood, waiting for the Blackfish to appear.
"Lord Blackfish! Come out! We have your nephew Lord Edmure! Yield your castle or we'll hang him!", yelled one of the Frey sons, as he looked up at the castle wall.
I looked up as well, putting my hand in front of my face to see better. I saw a dark, tall figure walk down the wall, and then stop, looking down at us.
"This is your last warning! Yield the castle!", yelled the Frey.
Silence followed and the men looked around each other. Bronn tried to conceal his laughter.
"Now I understand why the Northerners think the Southerners are a joke", he whispered through laughter to me. I had to agree there, but at the same time, not all Southern Houses were this pathetic. The Lannisters were no joke, neither were the Tyrell's.
"You think I won't do it, old man?!", yelled the Frey son. He was losing patience. He put a knife to Edmure's throat and looked up at the wall.
"I'll slice your niece's throat from ear to ear!", yelled the Frey soldier and I had to catch Brienne's arm before she went and did something we would all regret. She was loyal to Catelyn Stark. And to her daughters. So was I. But the Frey's would pay in their own time.
"Where were you, running and hiding?! Like a fucking coward!", continued the Frey.
That was a mistake. Oh that was a big mistake.
"Yield the castle or I cut his throat", threatened the guard and Bronn sighed, stopping laughing.
"This is not funny anymore. This is just sad", he said, putting his hands on his belt as he looked around.
"Go on then. Cut his throat", I heard the Blackfish say, and he walked away.
Seven Hells.
I could see how Audelia was related to him.
"Get word to the Blackfish", I ordered. "I want a Parly".
"A Parly, or a fight?", asked Bronn.
"He is an old man. He can't do anything anymore", said the eldest Frey son, Walder.
"Do as I say", I command, looking down at him.
"This siege is under the Frey's command", argued the younger Frey.
"Shall I report that to the King then? That the Frey's think they are better than to receive the help of the Lannisters? That they are better than the Lannisters?", I asked forcefully. "Only a fool would make those kind of threats and remarks".
"Apologies, my lord", replied the Frey son right away, but the elder Frey pushed him out of the way.
"For all we know, you are a traitor. There is no army, no letter from the King. Why are you even here?", asked the Frey son.
I slapped him hard across the face. So hard he fell to the floor.
"Do as I command, or the next time you get into my face, I will do far worse. Something stitches won't fix", I threaten.
"Do as the Lord commands", said the younger Frey, helping his brother up.
I walked away, with Bronn and Brienne trailing after me.
"They send a letter to the King, didn't they", whispered Brienne.
"Yes", I replied. "We don't have a lot of time".
"What should we do?", asked Bronn.
"The first obstacle is to somehow convince the Blackfish to our side. That will be the hardest part, then we get his nephew, and get rid of the Freys", I reply.
"Huh, sounds so easy", joked Bronn.
"If we don't leave soon before the Lannister army arrives, we will be worse than dead", seethed Brienne.
"I know. But I learned from my father that I should never make a decision out of fear, only out of spite", I replied.
"Well Greed always worked for me", replied Bronn and I rolled my eyes.
Brienne gave me a short overview of things not to mention to the Blackfish, like the time I killed Lord Karstark's son, or the time I hit my cousin to death, or the time I pushed his nephew out of the window.
"Are you sure about this?", asked Brienne as the drawbridge began lowering.
"Not really", I replied truthfully.
"Nice pep talk", she complimented.
"Bloody inspired", mumbled Bronn.
I huffed, and didn't say another word as I walked down the bridge to where the Blackfish was waiting for me. I took in a deep breath. I did not only need to get him to fight for the Starks against the Boltons, I also needed to get him to tolerate me. According to Audelia, if I were to be in her life forever, her uncle had to at least somewhat accept me, for me to be able to survive in the North. If the Blackfish accepted me in the family, then the rest of the North will follow, with reluctance but nonetheless.
"Kingslayer", greeted the Blackfish.
"Blackfish", I greeted back and instantly slapped myself in my mind. I should have been more polite. But the hatred from the Tullys to the Lannisters was the same from the Lannisters to the Tullys. It would take a little while to relearn that aspect.
"I assume you are here to fulfill the vow you gave my niece", he began. "I don't see either Audelia, Sansa or Arya".
"Audelia and Sansa are safe in the North with their brother, Jon. They are gathering support to fight a war against the Boltons", I replied, making my tone a tad more friendlier.
"They send me to talk to you", I continued and he raised one eyebrow.
"You? A Lannister? Either you are naive and stupid enough to think I will believe this, or you are playing some kind of mindtrick. I am inclined to believe the first one", he replied. I smiled and looked at the ground, trying to organize my thoughts. He was making me nervous, why was he making me nervous?
"Pity. Do you wish to resume your captivity?", asked the Blackfish and I faked my smile. I shook my head silently.
"Then why are you here? To buy time for your army to show up?", asked the Blackfish and I sighed.
"I just told you why I am here. What can I say to prove to you that Audelia did in fact send me?", I asked and pulled out the letter that she send me. "Here, her handwriting, assuming you know what it looks like".
He looked down at the letter.
" She calls you 'Lion', you look more of a scared cat to me", he said and I clenched my jaw, looking up at me.
"Not important", I whispered, feeling my face start to turn red from embarrassment as I had forgotten she used the nickname for me, and she said she loved me in the letter.
He read through the letter, and handed it back to me.
"Let's assume I believe that she send you. How do I know that when I leave Riverrun to help my niece with the war, my home does not get taken by the Lannisters?", asked the Blackfish.
"If it were going to, an army, a real army would be here, not this joke", I replied, pointing at the scattered Frey army. "Cercei has no interest here. The Tully's, no offence sir, pose no real threat to the crown or the realm, and the Frey's are too weak and dumb to take back the castle. She doesn't need weak and dumb allies. She won't spend any more of her time helping said weak and dumb allies".
"I never thought I would see the day when a Lannister turns against a Lannister.", he said and I huffed.
"We are facing a different problem. You could end the siege quickly. Defeat the Frey's, and move North to help Lilibet-, I mean Audelia- Lady Stark", I stumbled over my words. He looked at me amused.
"So what the letter said is true. My niece is in love with a maimed, dishonorable lion", he insulted me and I clenched my jaw as I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Yes. And she needs your help. To take back Winterfell, to take back the North. She was previously married off to Ramsay Bolton-", I began explaining but he interrupted me.
"The Bolton bastard? Don't tell me he rules Winterfell now", he seethed. His whole mood changed and I could tell he was angry.
"Yes, he does. His father murdered your King, Robb Stark", I continue.
"Yes, he betrayed the North. And joined the Lannisters", he sneered and I tried not to be insulted by his comment.
"Help us, help your nieces to take back what is rightfully theirs", I urge him.
"And I am supposed to trust the Kingslayer? The Oathbreaker? The Man without honor?", asked the Blackfish, watching me carefully.
"I am not that man anymore", I assure him.
"Let me ask you this one thing. Do you truly love my niece?", he asked, genuinely wanting to know the answer.
"With all my heart", I reply, and he nods.
"Very well. What do you propose we do?", he asked.
"We need to get rid of the Frey's quickly, and leave before word reaches the King. One of the Frey sons send a raven. Before long, an assassin and some troops will come to stop us. I am not exactly favoured in King's Landing, or the South anymore", I reply.
"You just said Cercei is not interested in retaking Riverrun?", he replied, trying to catch me in a lie but I wasn't lying, nothing to catch me in.
"But if she finds out that we are taking the troops North, to retake Winterfell, and kill her most trusted and loyal allies. She will try to stop us. She can't risk getting the North rallied up against her again".
"Your son is on the throne, yet you always refer to your sister, or is it your lover?".
"Aye, Tommen is my son. But I was never his father. Cercei made sure of that. And if you honestly believe that Tommen is commanding the Seven Kingdoms, and not his mother, then you are a fool", I reply and he nodded slowly.
"You are better than I expected, Kingslayer. I am pleasantly surprised", he continued and I smiled.
"I am glad. So, what is your battle plan?", I asked.
"Give us until nightfall. When the sun is down, get out of camp, further away and wait. We'll have it handled", he assured me, turning around to walk away.
"What does that mean?", I asked but he ignored me, walking away.
I walked back to Bronn and Brienne and the rest of the Freys. I shook my head at the Frey soldiers, who looked disappointed but not surprised and they walked away, giving orders and whatnot.
"What'd the old boy say?", asked Bronn.
"As soon as the sun is down, leave the camp. They will find us after. He said he had it handled", I replied and shrugged.
"Great", murmured Bronn.
"Then we wait", announced Brienne.
I sighed deeply.
I either just fucked up, or I got the army I promised.