The oak doors of the study slammed shut heavily.
Inside the room, silence reigned like death itself.
But after only a brief stillness, Edmure was the first to explode.
"Why?!"
He slammed his fist onto the desk, causing several papers near the edge to scatter onto the floor.
"Robb! Why won't you agree?
Whether uniting the Riverlands or marrying into House Tyrell, both are stable solutions!
I already agreed to humble myself and seek marriage from that old bastard Frey. Why can't you do the same?!"
Edmure ground his teeth, his voice overflowing with fury.
He simply could not understand Robb anymore.
He himself had already lowered his pride and agreed to seek marriage from one of his own bannermen for the sake of the greater cause.
Even if old Walder gave him an ugly wife, he would have accepted it.
So why, when it came to Robb, could he not do the same?
"Are you really going to watch our homeland be destroyed because of that Westerlands woman?
Or are you planning to abandon the Riverlands entirely, retreat to the North yourself, and leave us behind here to resist the Iron Throne alone?!"
Edmure's accusation instantly changed both Catelyn and Robb's expressions.
"Edmure!"
Catelyn immediately rose to stop her brother from adding fuel to the fire.
But then she turned toward her son, blue eyes filled with tears and confusion.
"Your uncle didn't mean it that way, Robb.
But for the sake of a girl... the daughter of a Lannister bannerman... are you truly going to abandon all of us?
Abandon vengeance for your father, abandon Arya and Rickon's lives, abandon the tens of thousands of men who followed you across the Neck?"
Being questioned and doubted by his closest family caused Robb's young face to flush crimson.
He suddenly stood and roared toward his mother,
"Honor!"
Robb looked around at the family members who failed to understand him.
"Father taught me since childhood to value honor and never betray my word!
I am king. I swore in the name of House Stark that I would protect Jeyne for the rest of her life!
If I abandon my oath, then what right do I have to sit here calling myself king and condemn the false king upon the Iron Throne?!"
But Edmure refused to retreat.
"For the sake of your own honor, you violated the agreement your mother made with the Twins. What about her honor?!"
Robb clenched his teeth, unable to answer.
He knew his actions had deeply hurt Catelyn.
But unlike him, Catelyn cared nothing for honor itself. Once again, she tried to preserve her son's dignity.
"I am a woman. Honor has never done anything for me." She paused before pleading again. "But Robb, promise me—let that woman go."
"Galon's proposal is correct. You must secure our chance at victory through marriage alliances. That is what you must do as king.
As for Jeyne... if you truly care for her, you could keep her like your father..."
Robb stared at her in disbelief and interrupted immediately.
"Mother, are you telling me to make Jeyne my mistress?! What kind of man do you think I am?!"
"What's wrong with that?" Edmure instead thought the suggestion excellent. "King Robert had lovers everywhere, and he still died a king!"
"Uncle Edmure, you..."
"Enough!"
An aged yet iron-hard voice abruptly cut through the escalating argument.
Brynden Tully—the Blackfish, veteran of countless battles—had remained silent in his chair from beginning to end.
Now, at last, he rose to his feet.
His eyes were calm, yet both Robb and Edmure instinctively fell silent beneath that gaze.
"Arguing solves nothing. It only gives our enemies something to laugh at."
He slowly walked to the desk and picked up the papers that had fallen to the floor.
"Galon's strategy was brilliant."
"He is right. From a purely strategic standpoint, Robb, you made a mistake severe enough to become fatal."
Disappointment flashed through his eyes as he looked at Robb's anger-filled face.
Then his tone softened slightly.
"But now you are King of the North and the Trident. You are the pillar supporting all of us.
If we descend into chaos ourselves first, then Tywin Lannister can win this war without moving a single soldier.
We cannot afford internal conflict."
He calmed the emotional Edmure and Catelyn before once more turning his gaze toward Robb.
That look carried both an elder's guidance and his final expectations.
"Boy, a king cannot act solely on impulse.
Galon Glover is Sansa's future husband. He is your sharpest sword and your wisest eye.
He was not forcing you just now. He was giving you choices."
Only after seeing Robb gradually suppress his temper did Brynden finally offer his advice.
"Now, put aside your pride and go find him. Act like a king. Find a path that can preserve both your honor and our survival."
"Go."
Under the Blackfish's unquestionable gaze, Robb tightly gripped the sword at his waist.
In the end, still wearing a face full of struggle, he hurried out of the study.
At the same time, Galon, who had already left the room, was leisurely walking along Riverrun's riverside corridor.
The river wind fluttered his cloak and thoroughly cooled the heat in his mind left over from his performance moments ago.
Everything remained firmly under control.
Leaning against the battlements, Galon looked down at the rushing waters of the Tumblestone River below, his heart utterly calm.
'Robb... you truly did not disappoint me.'
'The honor of House Stark is truly the sharpest weapon in the world... and also the easiest to exploit.'
He replayed every detail from the conversation.
Aside from the first proposal, either of the remaining two plans would have guaranteed success.
As long as Robb abandoned Jeyne Westerling.
But he simply could not let her go.
'Originally, I planned to help Robb expand his advantage further, then use Stannis as the blade to dispose of him afterward.'
'But now, since Robb refuses to abandon Westerling, only the original path remains.'
Looking toward the endlessly flowing Tumblestone River, Galon gradually formed a new plan.
'Robb still needs me to continue advising him.'
'In that case, next I should simply propose replacing him with Edmure in the marriage alliance with the Twins.'
'With old Walder's temperament, combined with Roose Bolton's involvement, the Red Wedding will unfold exactly as it did in the original story.'
'And through that, I can justifiably eliminate Bolton, the Freys, and all the others in one sweep.'
A sharp light flashed in his eyes as he continuously refined the plan in his mind.
'The situation is different now. If the Red Wedding is to happen as before, I still need one crucial chess piece.'
'A pair of eyes capable of watching the Twins.'
'I need someone who can monitor everything there, allowing me to adjust my plans at any moment.'
'Someone who could even open the gates of the Twins for me at the critical moment.'
Galon sighed softly.
'If only I could skinchange into the heart tree at the Twins...'
The moment he thought of "eyes," he inevitably recalled his ability to skinchange through weirwoods.
During the journey from Seagard to Riverrun, he had attempted to use his skinchanger abilities.
But nothing had triggered.
He did not know whether skinchanging truly could not function outside the North—or whether some vital condition was missing.
Just as Galon sank into thought, a burst of mocking laughter filled with malice drifted from a nearby courtyard, interrupting him.
"Well, look who it is. The late-arriving Frey."
"Patrek? Didn't we already have a Patrek before? Too bad he ran away."
"Haha... do all Frey men spend so much time in bed that they can't even think up different names..."
Standing atop the battlements, Galon looked down below.
In the courtyard beneath, several Tully knights were surrounding a lone figure and openly humiliating him.
The man trapped in the center was none other than Patrek Frey, who had accompanied Galon here.
Patrek's face was flushed red from humiliation. His fists were clenched tightly, his body trembling with rage.
Yet he endured it all silently, refusing to say a word.
'Patrek... Frey...'
Thought flashed through Galon's eyes.
'He's only a distant branch member of House Frey. His ties to old Walder are weak, and he's dissatisfied with his current position.'
'Then perhaps... he truly could become useful to me. Perhaps he really can serve as the eyes I need.'
Watching the Tully knights continue mocking Patrek, Galon did not immediately intervene.
Instead, he silently observed him.
Judging whether the man before him could truly shoulder the responsibility Galon intended to place upon him.
A moment later, seeing that the knights were beginning to get physical while Patrek still restrained himself completely, Galon decided to give him a chance.
"Enough!"
Galon shouted coldly downward before quickly descending the battlement stairs and arriving before the group.
"It seems the knights of Riverrun have quite an abundance of energy."
His voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority.
"The enemy stands outside our gates, watching us closely, and yet you have the leisure to bully a true knight who has shed blood for the North?"
The moment the knights recognized Galon, the mockery froze on their faces.
Galon's arrival at Riverrun earlier that day had caused a tremendous stir.
Nearly everyone in the castle already knew his identity was both special and important.
Thus, faced with Galon's questioning, the knights no longer dared behave recklessly.
Galon ignored them afterward and instead walked directly toward Patrek.
"Stand straight, ser."
"Honor is never earned through the mouths of others."
Gratitude flashed across Patrek's eyes as he immediately straightened his back.
Galon watched him for a moment before turning and coldly addressing the flustered knights.
"Ser Patrek is my honored guest. I do not wish to hear anyone mock my guest again."
"Otherwise... I will make them pay in blood."
"N-no... of course not..."
The knights turned pale with fear, waving their hands frantically before scrambling away toward the far end of the courtyard.
"My lord... I..."
Patrek was so emotional he could barely speak.
"There is no need to say anything, ser."
Galon patted his shoulder naturally, the gesture full of trust.
"Though we have only known one another for a few days, I already understand your character and abilities.
No matter how others view you, in my eyes, you are a knight worthy of respect."
Galon's praise made Patrek feel as though he were drinking chilled wine beneath the blazing summer sun.
At that instant, the long-frustrated Patrek could no longer suppress himself.
Hope appeared on his face as he prepared to ask Galon if he might serve House Glover instead.
But just as Patrek opened his mouth, Robb—who had left the study in search of Galon—spotted them.
"Galon!"
Robb's urgent shout interrupted the words Patrek had been about to speak.
Galon turned toward the voice, nodded to Robb first, then looked once more toward Patrek.
"Get some rest, ser."
Galon had already seen through Patrek's intentions moments earlier.
Thus, his tone became meaningful.
"Perhaps... very soon, we will have the chance to let you appear before the world with a brand-new identity."
With that, he no longer lingered and instead turned to walk toward Robb.
Leaving Patrek standing alone in the courtyard, repeatedly turning over the hidden meaning within those words.
And within Patrek's heart, a dangerous yet intoxicating thought slowly began taking root.
__________
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