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One Man to Rule them
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299 AC
Winterfell
"Your brother died a king, and that makes you both princes at least former princes. I professed my loyalty to the crown. I professed my loyalty to the king the same man your father and brother fought against. But the war was ending, and Robb was losing, and eventually he lost by default. Betrayed by the Freys. Yet still, here I am, and here you are. I have been made Warden of the entire North, but do you know what that means?" I said to Brandon Stark and his younger brother, Rickon.
They both nodded their heads slowly, but nervously.
"It means that you two shall be under my wardship. I will see to your care until you come of age until you, Brandon, are grown enough to inherit and rule this castle and its lands ." Domeric professed to the two gloomy boys.
The news of their mother's and brother's deaths had done them no good.
Sansa was still trapped in King's Landing, married off to Tyrion Lannister no less. Arya Stark was still missing, and my scouts couldn't find her, and at this time only the gods knew where she was, and the oldest Stark male was stuck at the Wall. He would soon need to deal with the matter of the wildlings that the brothers of the watch had been keeping at bay.
Ser Jeor Mormont had been kept alive by my intervention, though I could not say the same for the daughter-fucker Craster and the lot who tried to betray their Lord Commander.
There was also the matter of Bloodraven. That decrepit creature…, man or whatever he was, he would cause issues for him down the line if he was not dealt with.
"You may retire to your quarters," I said, waving them off.
"Maester Luwin," I called to the surviving maester of Winterfell, the old man would have died in another telling of events. In the show he did but here he was.
"My lord," he said, bowing his head as he stepped forward.
"Send a letter to the Wall. Inform the Lord Commander that I will be making a visit within the next week. These messages from the Wall have been… concerning. Undead creatures attacking men, do you take Lord Mormont for a liar?"
"It is a curious affair, my lord, but Lord Mormont is not one to lie. Nor has he ever been prone to be deceitful," Luwin replied.
"I see. Get it underway nonetheless. And have accommodations been prepared for my clerks and administrators from the Dreadfort?"
"Yes, my lord. All necessary rooms and space have been prepared for their tenure here," he replied blandly.
It was clear Maester Luwin did not like me one bit. He was not foolish enough to believe the official tale of what happened at the Twins, but he held his tongue. At this point, he did not know what to make of the story, though his suspicions lingered and he believed I was complicit in the deaths of Robb Stark and his mother.
He was right. But he would never hear that from my mouth.
What he cared about now were the Stark boys. Their safety was his sole concern, and he would do everything in his power to ensure it.
I had informed him days ago that I bore no ill will toward the remaining Stark children. Killing them would gain me nothing, only open rebellion.
Lord Wyman Manderly as well was a man in doubts, he too had grown quiet since his son Wendel returned to White Harbor. He, too, would piece together what had happened or try to. At this point, I was ready for any resistance my dear "business partner" might enact.
-———————
"Lord Bolton will not be pleased," the man said.
"Fuck Lord Bolton. I don't answer to him. You think you can come here with your gold and silver and bribe us? The other cunts might doubt it, but I don't. I know what he did that night, and I will never forget it . You Boltons are a pack of traitorous cunts!!"
"False accusations!" the messenger snapped. "Rumors spread by Lannister spies. And to think you would sit there and believe them, you, a northern lady."
"Say another lie," Lady Maege growled, "and you'll return to your lord without a tongue."
The man recoiled, but he was not deterred.
"Lady Maege, we ask that you reconsider. Lord Domeric Bolton has been adamant about forging a more connected, cohesive North. The King might be dead but there is still hope for a stronger north, look back an previous events and meditate on this, war in the south has reduced our martial strength and drained our resources. We could never have won with the blunders that befell us. The agreement with the crown was the only path left one made for the good of the people."
Maege Mormont leaned forward, her eyes hard as iron. "You mistake the good of the people for the manipulations of that coin counter of a lord. The North remembers, messenger, and it does not forgive so easily. Go back to your master and tell him Bear Island bends the knee to no butcher who hides behind lies, coin, crowns, paper nor treachery."
The hall fell silent.
"And tell him," she added coldly, "that the day Bolton banners fly unopposed in the North will be the day every true son and daughter of this land is dead.
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One Man to Rule them
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