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The Crippled Wolf-Stark SI: Ch.55
🕑 Added 2025-05-21 17:37:22 +0000 UTCChapter 55
EDDARD STARK
With each passing day, the Red Keep kept turning into a prison for him and his men, and it was no different today as he found himself in his solar, arguing with his Master of Coin.
“They are attacking the North, my land, and yet you ask me to stay here,” he argued with the old fat lord from White Harbor, and this was the first time a Manderly had broken faith with a Stark.
“Who am I to ask anything of you, my liege? I am merely advising you that it would not be wise for you to leave the capital right now,” he added, and Eddard ground his teeth as he tried to make him see some sense.
“But the Ironborn have attacked my kingdom, my people. What am I to do as their Lord Protector,” he argued, and there was sense in what Manderly was saying, but he did not wish to see it.
“It is not only the North that the Ironborn have attacked. Lannisport burns as well, though we are lucky that our message reached Lord Marbrand in time, and they were able to move most of their fleet away.” In a broader context, the Ironborn attacks had been a failure. Although they managed to sink a few ships, burn a few houses, and markets, their major force had not been allowed to land in either the North or the West.
But still, they had landed on smaller ships, and those savages were ravaging villages, destroying towns, and killing his people, and yet Eddard could do nothing to help.
“Young Lord Robb has already begun moving North, and the army will soon decimate the Ironborn scums. But you are the Hand, my lord. You cannot leave the Seven Kingdoms rudderless in these tumultuous times,” but he did not care for the Seven Kingdoms.
He was the Lord of Paramount of the North. They were under his protection.
“Robb is a child, he knows nothing of war,” he argued, but the fat man smiled and shook his head.
“All men are children once, but Lord Robb has fought in one war already, and I am certain that he will lead us to victory again just as he did before,” and one could hardly call what Robb had done now a war. There had been no battle, no bloodshed.
Renly’s forces had surrendered before the battle had even begun, as they found their King dead in his tent.
“Cregan does not need me here. He is a man grown,” and had fought in a real battle. He had even slain a King. He had no need of him here.
“You may think that, but he cannot see the preparations for his own wedding. And there are also the retinues from the Dorne and the Reach set to arrive any day now,” and Eddard rubbed his head as he thought of all that.
“Are we to still go ahead with the wedding?” he asked, for he had thought to postpone it given this new war with the Greyjoys.
“Yes, in my opinion, we should go ahead with the wedding. It would help cement the succession and bring much-needed stability,” he said. He had received many missives from Lord Tywin Lannister about the marriage, and it had been his idea to begin the preparations as soon as possible. However, that was all before the attack by the Ironborn.
Ever since he had come to Kingslanding, he had been thrust into one crisis after another. And just as the war of succession had ended, now the Ironborn had started another war.
A part of him regretted ever having sought mercy for those scum. He had even raised one in his own home, treating him like his own child so as to bury the grudges from the last rebellion, yet it seemed as if it was all for naught.
Theon had betrayed him, and the entire North.
“Is it confirmed that it was Theon leading the men?” he asked, and Lord Manderly’s face twisted as he nodded.
“Yes, Lord Flint confirmed it himself. Theon was the one who led the men during the attack on Sea Guard point, and he has been using his familiarity with the Land to escape the men under the command of House Dustin and House Mormont,” and so his fate was sealed.
“I treated him as a son,” he whispered, lamenting his own naivety.
“We all know that, my lord,” and Theon would sit with his family at the table, eat with his children, play with them, and train in the yard with them, all in the hope of fostering a sense of kinship in him. Eddard sympathised with the boy who had lost his entire family to the war.
Yet the Greyjoy blood in him still ran thick, and he had stabbed him in the back at the first opportunity, showing his true colors.
“This betrayal is no fault of yours, my lord. This was in his blood, and there was nothing that you could have done to prevent this,” and perhaps he was right. Perhaps, there was some power in blood.
“Though there is still the matter of their intentions, what is the boy planning now?” added the Lord of White Harbor as he drummed his fat fingers on his special chair.
“It is hard to tell. Gathering a strong and substantial force like this is difficult, and even if he succeeds, most of the castles must have already prepared for this attack,” and he had sent ravens at the beginning of this conflict to warn the lords along the shore, and had sent them again after Theon’s escape.
It was this later warning that also allowed Lord Marbrand to evacuate the ships from Lannisport and respond as quickly as he did to the disastrous invasion.
“Do you think there is a danger that the Reach and the Stormlands would join them in this rebellion?” and he hoped not, but there was always a possibility.
“We hold the Lord of the Reach and his daughter hostages, so I doubt that the Reach would join them in this. The Stormlands are divided at the moment and have no singular voice to rally behind,” so that made it somewhat difficult for them to go against them.
“But they would still try to use this opportunity to draw concessions from us,” added the Lord of White Harbor.
“That is why it is imperative that you are in the capital to oversee these negotiations on behalf of the Crown. The reach may have bent the knee, but their crime is egregious. They supported a pretender and rose against the Crown,” and he would much rather fight in a war than sit here and whisper words and promises.
“Cregan can do that all on his own,” he replied, rubbing his head.
“Yes, he can. But Lord Cregan is still young, and Lady Olenna is as old a lady as any, and you are the only one who can keep the Seven Kingdoms together,” and it was true, and Eddard hated that.
“I understand,” he whispered, his shoulders sagging in despair as he realised that he had no real choice in the matter.
“Well, take some solace that your daughters are on their way. Lady Sansa and Lady Arya are coming to the Capital with Lord Cregan.” Yet, even now his family remained scattered across the Kingdoms, for Sansa, Arya, Brandon, and Rickon may be coming to Kingslanding, but Jon and Robb were going to war without him.
“I never should have become Hand,” he whispered, and for some reason, the Lord in front of him chuckled lightly, and as he raised a brow, he explained.
“You say that every time we meet, my lord. But there are many who envy the position you are in, many would give their lives to be the Hand of the King to a young and naive King and Queen,” and he scoffed.
“My son and the Princess are not naive,” though they were young.
“Indeed, but they still need a stable Hand to guide them through these initial years, and there is no one better than you for this job in the entire realm,” and he knew that.
“I know. I know....”
0000
MYRCELLA BARATHEON
Myrcella Baratheon had never thought that she would be all alone after leaving her home, yet that was what had happened. Myrcella Baratheon had left the Red Keep, happy and excited, as she journeyed with Cregan to meet up with her dear friends Sansa and Arya.
She had come to Riverrun happily, hoping to see the famous castle of Harrenhall which was to be her home in the future, even though Cregan had thought it to be unworthy of her as he went along on his own, but she was with Sansa, Arya and Lady Catelyn all of whom liked her, paid attention to her and listened to her unlike her own mother who spent most of her days with Tommen.
And before Joffrey’s death, it was her and Tommen who would spend most of their days together, but after Joffrey had died, her mother had begun keeping Tommen to herself, robbing her of her brother.
Cregan would still come and play with her, tell her stories, but even she could see that he was busy helping his father, the new Hand. She had been alone then, but this was different.
Now, they were all gone. All of them. Her mother, her father, and her brother. All of them are gone, leaving her all alone in this world. Her uncle Stannis had killed her father and her brother in the burning of the Sept, and then her mother and her new sister had taken their own lives just to protect themselves from his soldiers, leaving her all alone in this world.
She had cried so much in the last few moons that her eyes had dried and had no more tears, and though she saw other girls look at her with envy for she was to be the new Queen, Myrcella would give it all up just to have her family back.
And now, just as she had come to accept this new reality, war had reared its head once more.
“Another war?” she gasped as Cregan and she walked in the Godswood, and he was leaning on his cane a bit more than usual, and his condition spoke of another sleepless night.
“Yes,” he answered, and her heart sank. Perhaps that was why the entire castle had been bustling ever since morning, she had thought they were making preparations to depart for Kingsladning, but she had been wrong.
“The Greyjoys attacked the North and the Westerlands yesterday, and Lord Balon Greyjoy has declared himself a King,” and so it was the Greyjoys that had attacked, but hadn’t they done so years ago?
She remembered her own father putting down a Greyjoy rebellion.
“But didn’t they try this before?” she asked, stopping as they reached the Heart Tree in the middle of the Godswood.
“They did, and your lord father put it down. But the Greyjoys think us weak and want to plunder our lands for all they can,” and she gulped down, tired of all these wars.
“Are you going away again?” she asked weakly, her eyes dropping to his knees, for she did not wish to show him any weakness. It was one of the things her mother had once mentioned, and it was strange how life worked that now that she was gone, Myrcella found herself clinging to what little memories she had of her.
One of which was something from years ago, from the time when the Greyjoys had rebelled for the first time, and she must have been unhappy at seeing her father go, and so she remembered the words of her mother from back then.
‘A good woman never cries when her lord husband rides to war. Tears of a woman can bring bad fortune. So be brave, little one. He will come back. Your father, he will come back,’ and so she held back her tears, determined to follow the words long forgotten.
“No,” and her head snapped up at that answer as she asked again.
“You are not going?” she asked, and Cregan shook his head.
“I am not. Lord Tywin and his men are heading towards Lannisport, and my brother Robb will go North along with Jon and all of the Northern armies,” but that did not matter to her.
What mattered to her was that he was not going away.
“You are not going,” she repeated as he gave her a small smile and patted her head.
“I am not. I will be riding with you to the capital. Afterall, I cannot go to war and miss my own wedding,” and her face flushed at the mention of their marriage,” and their grandfather had explained to her how the match was necessary to secure the realm, but not that she cared.
She had wanted to marry him for years, as a Princess, and had not desired it to change even after she had become the Queen.
And as he pulled back his hand, she noticed the bandages wrapped around it, and reached out.
“What happened?” she asked, for she did not remember him having them yesterday.
“Nothing,” and he was lying, for he had winced when she had touched his hand.
“You are lying,” she huffed, looking at him angrily, and he gave in quickly.
“I am not lying. The servants made a mistake and heated the water too much,” he said, pulling it back.
“It is just a small scald and will heal in some time,” and she nodded, as she complained.
“Don’t lie to me,” she whispered.
“I don't like it,” she added, and he remained silent for some time.
“I won’t make a promise, but I will try not to lie to you, your grace,” and that was better than a false promises.
“Do not call me that,” she pointed out.
“What?” he asked.
“Your grace,” she repeated, and already her friends, lords, and ladies had begun referring to her as the Queen, which only ever reminded her of just how alone she was.
“You are the King, you need not be formal with me,” and Cregan was quiet for a second, before he began.
“That is one reason I brought you here,” she said, looking up, frowning, and saw him glance to the side at the giant Heart Tree. It was an old oak tree that had withered down, and there was a face carved in its thick trunk.
“Do you know what this is?” and she nodded.
“It is a heart tree,” she replied as Cregan agreed.
“Yes, it is, and do you remember the story I told you about the Heart Trees?” she asked, raking her mind to try to recall what he was talking about, as he had told her a thousand stories.
Seeing her trouble, he began himself.
“In the North, it is told that a man cannot lie in the front of a Heart Tree,” and he had mentioned it before, when she had visited the Godswood of Winterfell with him.
“And so, I brought you here because the truth is that circumstances have made our marriage much complicated,” and she knew that.
“We are to marry each other, and this match shall bear the weight of the entire Seven Kingdoms. We are to be King and Queen, and if we cannot trust one another then the entire realm will be the one to pay the price,” and that was a heavy burden to carry, one that she had never imagined would fall onto her shoulders.
“There will be people who will try to sow discord among us, to divide us and turn us against one another. They might be outsiders, or it could even be our own families, but mark my words, it will happen,” he whispered, as she bit into her lip.
“I won’t let that happen,” she replied as he smiled.
“And neither will I, that is why I brought you here, for I am of the North, and we keep to the Old Gods,” and with that, she saw him wince as he knelt down on one knee, and held one of her hands.
“And so, in front of this Heart Tree, I make a vow to you that I shall do everything in my power to protect you and our marriage, but in return, I seek only your trust and support for without it will all fall apart,” she said, her face hot and flushed as she gulped nervously and looked him in the eye.
“I trust you,” she whispered back, and she did. He had already put his life in danger because of her and had slain her uncle.
“I promise that I shall try and protect you and this marriage as well,” she repeated nervously, before gulping down as she wondered if she should voice it out here.
He seemed to have caught onto her hesitation and whispered back.
“If you have something to say, then say it,” he encouraged her, and so she nodded as she looked him in the eye, as she began slowly.
“I..I don’t want you to become like father,” she whispered, and as much as Myrcella loved her father, she was not deaf to the insults he dished out to her mother. And she wondered if it was not for his behavior, then maybe things would have been different.
Ever since she was a little girl, she had seen how her mother had suffered because of her father’s infidelity. The whispers and gazes that followed her at every tourney and feast, they cast a great shadow on them all, including her own legitimacy.
She had read Stannis’s proclamation, read how he had called her a bastard born out of incest. And though she hoped that he was wrong, she hated that there was a sliver of doubt in her heart regarding her own birth.
“We are to be married,” she continued with some courage, as she tried to make it clear.
“So, I am willing to satisfy your desires, but you should not sleep with anyone else, like your father,” she whispered. She had heard from a few maids how men had needs, and how, as a wife, it was her duty to take care of them.
“You don’t need to ask something like that,” he answered with a small chuckle, as she looked to the ground in embarrassment.
“But, if it eases your mind, then I promise you in front of the Old Gods that I shall share my bed with no woman besides you, as long as you promise to do the same,” and she nodded.
“I promise...”
0000
And as the armies departed, the Royal Retinue stopped at Harrenhall for a night, and the castle was still undergoing repairs, but its main tower had been rebuilt enough to accommodate the young King and Queen.
And the young King vanished to meet his castellan, who was shocked upon hearing the new directive.
“But my lord, that is more than half of our coffers,” he asked, hesitant about spending so much of the gold.
“I know, but I am the King, and I doubt that I will be lacking Gold, but this is necessary,” the young man replied, and he seemed set in his decision.
“But my lord, what are you planning to do with all this gold?” he asked, and he hesitated before he answered.
“I am going to even the battlefield....”
0000
Comments
Tank45
So is it just Sansa and Arya going South or is it Bran and Rickon as well? Curious to see where they end up, Sansa may beg to stay South and Bran might as well if he can get to be a squire. It would do well for him. Sansa, maybe she finally takes a step forward here and gets to learn everything from Cregan about playing the game and maybe even confides in him about a direwolf dream and learns skin changing and such. Would be fun to see how she fares with her twin. Robb and Jon fighting together, maybe Robb learns the truth from him.
Radiant Tiefling
Thank you for the chapter.
FallenMetalGod
Thank you. It looks like Eddard is going to forever stay south of how things are going for him. I did enjoy the conversation between Cregan and Myrcella, which was quite good. Great job, as always, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
f_2004_nashef
Thx for the chapter
Beta117
It’s funny how Edd sees Robb and Jon as children still but not Cregan.
