More than two sennights later
At the end of another boring court session, his Master of Coins approached the throne and officially requested a private audience with his Grace. Upon hearing that the main subject was the current financial state of the Kingdoms and some questions Lord Lannister had after completing a thorough screening of all the books, Dany begged off and Jon set a time for the morrow. Tyrion was invited to join the King and his Hand in his study after they had finished their daily briefing.
The next morning, near the end of Davos' daily briefing, Irri entered to warn the Queen that she was late for her next appointment. Daenerys excused herself and Jon looked at Davos. "Was there anything else? It must be later than we realised."
Davos replied by handing Jon a scroll with a broken seal. It looked weather worn. "You might want to take a look at this."
"What is it?" Jon questioned as he opened the dirty scroll.
"It was hardly legible when it arrived. It was found near the border with the Riverlands still tied around the leg of a dead raven. Luckily a loyal man found it and the fact that it was destined for King Aegon the Sixth of his Name was still distinguishable. Sam and Maester Pylos dabbed it with some powder to make the letters a bit more visible. Then they wrote with ink over the letters again or something."
Jon who had started reading during Davos' explanation looked up again. "Hoster Tully died and was buried a sennight ago? Uncle Ned left for Winterfell the day after the burial which was…", Jon quickly calculated, "… yesterday."
"That is what we think it says, anyway. The next sentence mentions that Princess Catelyn stayed behind and will eventually return to the capital to reunite with her daughters after her brother's wedding."
"and enjoy court life some more." Jon made a face.
"Most likely the Princess will expect a banquet with music and dancing at least once every sennight." Davos teased.
Jon ignored Davos' words already thinking of the repercussions of this news. "We must send out our condolences immediately and explain why these will arrive somewhat late. This also means we will have no way of contacting my uncle anytime soon."
"Perhaps we do, son. As a father myself, I would find it strange that Prince Stark would not stop by Greywater Watch to visit with his son for a few days on his way to Winterfell. Young Bran and Lord Reed are still at Greywater Watch, I trust?"
"Yes, now that you mention it, Lord Reed intended to wait for Bran's parents to return north before starting their own journey."
"He is a father as well. Of course he knew to expect a visit." Davos stated matter of fact. Then he added playfully, "One doesn't have to be a greenseer if one is able to apply a bit of logic."
"This will delay Lord Edmure's wedding with Lady Ruthermont with at least three moons." Jon continued to consider the fall out. "I wonder why the Queen has received no news from her former lady-in-waiting? We must ask Lord Varys to find out if our messages are being intercepted or sabotaged. I hope this is just a fluke but it does no harm to have him check it out."
"I'll take care of it, son." Davos promised.
Jon made a mental note to find Dany at the earliest opportunity and inform her of the demise of Lord Hoster of House Tully. Perhaps they could attend the wedding of Lady Ilsa after all. Three months of deep mourning would be the minimum period for a Lord Paramount to wait before holding the elaborate feast that they all expected. Jon reckoned knowing that Princess Catelyn was in charge of organizing the festivities that his aunt would settle for nothing less. A modest wedding so the young couple could start their wedded life sooner would not be to her liking. Perhaps it was for the best. That way Lady Ruthermont could get to know her future husband first before she had to bed him. Jon forced his thoughts in another direction. "Do you think Lord Tyrion will have been waiting outside in the hallway for long?" He asked his Hand. "Our briefing ran longer than usual."
"I asked him to wait next door, where Sam is supervising the copying of this sennight's messages and marking where they should be filed. I'll ask for him to be sent in."
"Wait one moment longer. I just realised, If Princess Catelyn will not return to the capital before her brother is wed, that means that the Blackfish might not be back in time for our confrontation with Stannis Baratheon. I had counted on him to be there."
"We can discuss that tomorrow, Jon. Let us not keep Lord Lannister waiting any longer than we already have." Jon nodded and Davos hurried over to the door.
A bit later, Tyrion Lannister showed up carrying a large book and a few scrolls. "Your Grace, Lord Hand," Tyrion started.
"Please, Jon and Davos will do, Tyrion." Jon had lost count of all the times he had to tell his inner circle to drop the formalities behind closed doors. "And may I remind you that there are other ways to approach me for a private audience? I do not recall ever having refused a request from you to speak with me. You need not force my hand before the entire Court to be allowed in my presence." Taking in the dwarf's stiff posture, he suddenly felt apprehensive. He had been sure an honest friendship had been developing between him and Tyrion over the last moons. He was the first to admit that it had been a slow and hesitant process since he did not have a lot of leisure time to spend in Lannister's company but he had thought that they were well on their way. If Tyrion felt it necessary to act so formal, the coming conversation might be about more than just the state of the Crown's coffers.
Tyrion made a formal bow hugging the large book close to his body. "I'll keep that in mind, Jon. I just surmised that since this was official court business, I had to go about it in the formal way."
"Official business that you want to discuss with me in private instead of just putting it on the agenda of our next small council meeting?" Jon looked dubiously at the dwarf who had climbed on the seat with some difficulty after putting the heavy book on the large desk in front of him. The two scrolls Tyrion had quickly tucked away in his pocket.
Tyrion looked a bit uneasy. "I wanted to give you the opportunity to hear my findings first so you still had the choice whether to bring these matters out in the open or not."
"I am but a simple man, Tyrion." Davos interfered when he saw Jon grow impatient. "Perhaps you might come to the point instead of keeping us guessing?"
"Of course." Tyrion took a deep breath. "As you know, I took up my duties on day fifty of your reign. Today we are day eighty-nine." He paused.
"We can calculate simple things like that ourselves, thank you very much." Davos intervened before his King could. "That gave you thirty-nine days to familiarize yourself with the finances of the Crown. So please, by all means, give us an account of your findings or do you intend to make us guess?" Davos raised his eyebrow and stared the Master of Coin down.
Tyrion swallowed. "I had the opportunity to go over all your expenses since becoming King. Some of the information seems to be uh missing?"
Jon was about to dismiss this out of hand when it dawned on him. "You are talking about the expenses for the extensive royal fleet posted at several locations."
Tyrion nodded relieved that the King mentioned the irregularity so calmly. "Yes, the wages for the crew, the cost of the equipment, food and the necessary training to turn each crew into the small armies that they apparently are as I heard boast on more than one occasion during our council meetings by the Lord Commander. I also cannot find a single trace of any expenses that I know to be necessary to prepare a campaign to change regimes. I know yours was bloodless, but you still had people in your employ, informants, messengers, guards and soldiers to feed. Someone needed to be paid to make all those banners, sigils and many other things I will refrain from enumerating just now. Certainly this is enough to get you to understand what I am asking?"
"We do." Jon looked at his Hand and made a small gesture for him to speak.
Davos started to explain. "Prince Stark, myself and other Targaryen supporters have been preparing for a long time to put King Aegon on the throne, some as early as the day that he was born. We had ample time to collect funds from sympathisers but the bulk of our coin was provided by House Stark. That is the reason why our King granted the North exemption from taxes for the first twenty years of his reign. The northern Kingdom almost singlehandedly funded his entire campaign, his fleet, his guards, the wages of our loyal servants, all those details you just mentioned and more.
"Thank you, Davos." Jon smiled at his Hand. "Does this answer your question or are there other issues we need to clear up for you, Tyrion?"
Tyrion frowned. "This vaguely answers my first question. I understand that you might prefer to close the books on what happened before you ascended the throne. It is honourable to keep the expenses of your campaign separate from the finances of the Crown. But as your Master of Coin, shouldn't I know the scale of what has been provided by the North and other benefactors since, or at the very least be told the exact amount of the funds that you still have available? Is there a reserve that you can still draw from? More importantly, I estimated the cost of the fleet stationed near King's Landing as well as the ships on Dragonstone and the Driftmark for the duration of a full moon. Since your reign started, not one demand for wages to be paid or bills for food have been put before me and not a single trace of any prior transfer of coin for these purposes is mentioned in the books. You must have had expenses to maintain the royal fleet these last eighty-nine days? Are you keeping separate books, or will we have to compensate a benefactor who will come forward with an exorbitant claim spanning several moons? The only other possibility that I see is that you are keeping silent about the fact that this fleet belongs to another Kingdom that is loyal to you and that it is in fact not actually a royal fleet?"
Jon looked at Davos and both men were at a loss for words for a moment. Jon felt slightly guilty when he remembered the origin of their generous war fund. Lord Tywin of House Lannister had bought his life by signing over ownership of all the gold the members of the conspiracy could dig from a recently discovered, separate gold vein a bit out of the way from the main shafts of the Lannister gold mines. The crimes that the Lord had committed against House Targaryen, more specifically his role in the murder of Jon's half-siblings and their mother, justified taking the man's head as a traitor to the royal House that he had sworn to serve. It had been an unexpected development at the time. But a condition of the bargain that the Conspiracy had struck with Lord Tywin of House Lannister all these years ago was that under no circumstances, these details could be revealed to a member of House Lannister or anyone else, except for the few members of the conspiracy and some miners that could not be prevented to be in the known and who were all sworn to secrecy. It had been Tywin Lannister's desperate attempt to keep up appearances and save the legacy of his House. Jon had solemnly promised his uncles that he would keep the secret. Davos shook his head slightly and Jon knew that he needed to find another way to placate Tyrion's questions.
After a small pause, Jon spoke up. "As Davos told you before, the expenses made before I reclaimed the Iron Throne were mostly covered by a war fund provided by the North. They will be compensated for this by a tax exemption that will last for twenty years. This is a most convenient way for the Crown to pay back such an extensive debt since this way we won't be crippled financially during the early years of my reign. Since I consider this matter closed, I won't trouble Prince Stark to provide you with the exact amount of coin we spent over the past seventeen years."
Tyrion wanted to interject something at this point, but Jon raised his hand. "Hear me out first, if you please. Yes, there is still a reserve, a rather healthy one. The small councils gave Prince Stark permission to keep that separate from the Crown's finances. It will be used to pay for the war against the dead since most of that war effort will have to be carried by the North. But don't worry. Expenses will soon be flowing in. We will bear the cost of the campaign against Lord Stannis of House Baratheon ourselves. And your remark about the ownership of the fleet in the vicinity of King's Landing is a valid one. We will discuss this in our next small council meeting. It is a pity that Lord Manderly and Prince Stark have left the capital. I am sure that my Master of Ships has two separate lists one for the Crown's fleet and one for the Northern one. I'll ask him to send a copy of the one detailing the royal fleet, enumerating the names of the ships, the captain and the number of crewmembers for each vessel as well as the harbour they are normally stationed when not deployed." Jon gestured to Davos.
Davos smiled at Jon. "Nicely put, my King." Then he addressed Tyrion. "The fleet stationed on Dragonstone and the one at Seagard in the Riverlands are for one hundred per cent a part of the royal fleet. The ships that are docked in the ports of Bear Island will be about sixty or seventy per cent royal fleet, the rest belong to the North. These royal ships will be reassigned to a more southern port once the army of the dead has been dealt with. Most of the royal fleet that was stationed at White Harbour has sailed to King's Landing or Dragonstone after being deployed at Hardhome. The ones still stationed at White Harbour and further north are mostly part of the Northern fleet and will be needed to honour the new trade agreements the north has recently sealed with the East, the Ironborn and the Free Folk. Only a few of the ships currently docked in Blackwater Bay are part of the Northern fleet normally stationed at White Harbour. The entire royal fleet dispersed over several ports of the Seven Kingdoms is about 300 ships strong. I agree that as a Master of Coin you need to have access to the necessary documents that define the ownership and number of crew for each vessel."
Jon nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised that Sam has a copy of the list detailing the royal fleet. I will ask him. Well, Lord Tyrion, this means that you can put this item on the agenda for the next small council meeting. We have to make sure that the captains of our ships know where to send their expense accounts from now on. All the costs for the royal fleet that have been paid by our War Fund until they receive these new orders will not need to be repaid by the Crown. The tax exoneration will cover these as well. I reckon this is satisfactory?"
Tyrion nodded, clearly not one hundred per cent satisfied but Jon's tone made it clear that this was all the answer he would receive today.
"I trust the rest of the entries were in order?" Jon asked his Master of Coin.
"They were, your Grace, uh Jon. I was pleasantly surprised with the results of my survey. The tournament appears to have financed itself for the most part. The total amount of taxes that the street of steel, the taverns, the brothels and the food stalls had to pay, exceeded my expectations. They all had to pay the normal percentage on their profit but since the tournament was delayed time and again and attendance was extremely high since more nobles than ever visited the capital to swear allegiance, they all had record turnovers. And this state of affairs continued for weeks after the tournament ended. Only recently have the taverns owners been able to advertise that they have rooms available for unannounced visitors. Consequently after all expenses the Crown invested to organize the tournament have been paid, there was a positive balance that partially covered the prize money for the champions."
Jon smiled. "I know. I entered some of that personally in the books. Since we proved that holding a tournament doesn't necessarily bankrupt the Seven Kingdoms, I was rather surprised to learn of the large debt that the Crown is still obliged to repay the Iron bank in quarterly instalments. I'm afraid I was rather harsh when I questioned Lord Varys. During our debate I forced him to reveal to me the exact amount of the debt that House Lannister was forced to forfeit. I never would have guessed that it was so substantial. Robert Baratheon's spendthrift exceeded even my wildest imagination."
"I'm glad that things have changed for the better." Tyrion offered lamely.
Jon nodded knowing that they both were thinking the same thing. Cersei Lannister was not an innocent party in this matter. "Now that you raised the subject, I had been meaning to talk to you about ways to expedite the reimbursement of the Crown's still outstanding debt to the Iron Bank. I aspire to rule these Kingdoms free of debt. Dany, I mean the Queen has taken it upon herself to make an inventory of all the ornaments that we stowed away shortly after we arrived in the Red Keep. Many decorations were so ostentatious and in such bad taste that it hurt our eyes to look at them. Varys mentioned that some of these objects are very valuable and bought at the express demand of former Queen Cersei who was obsessed by anything that projected wealth. He also showed us rooms full of items that she had replaced when she grew bored of them and fancied something new. If we can trade all these items for coin, he estimates that we could clear at least a quarter if not half of the debt we owe the Iron Bank in one fell swoop. That way the interest we need to pay the Iron Bank each quarter will diminish as well." He fell silent hoping he had not further irritated Tyrion by overtly blaming a large part of the debt to his elder sister. Tyrion's next words reassured him though.
"I will ask Queen Daenerys if I may assist her. I have several connections in Essos who are always willing to pay a nice amount for objects that showcase wealth. And tastes vary. The fact that the previous owner was a Queen in Westeros will only raise their value." Tyrion smiled hesitantly.
Jon nodded encouragingly. "I am convinced that together with Daenerys, you will succeed in no time. Perhaps include Lord Varys in this. He also has many contacts in Essos. I will expect a progress report every moon, Tyrion. You can make mention of your interest in this project in the next small council meeting. I will forewarn the Queen later today. As you probably will have guessed, Davos and I want the Crown's finances not only to be balanced but also to be governed in such a way that we can start building up a reserve again."
"Filling the royal coffers again!" Davos supplied nodding with enthusiasm.
Tyrion relaxed visibly and the smile on his face was more confident. "Any Master of Coin would appreciate that. I won't disappoint you, Jon. If I may, there still is the matter of Stormlands. It seems King Robert never collected the correct amount of taxes. His brother paid a symbolic amount each quarter and the rest was acquitted. What they actually paid was far too little to be fair to the other Kingdoms. This has been going on for nigh on eighteen years. I calculated what they owe us in back taxes nominally, with which I mean without adding interests or a fine. The amount alone would help us repay another quarter of our debt to the Iron Bank."
Davos shook his head. "It will not be realistic to ask them to come up with the entire amount in one installment. Most probably we will have to draft up a payment plan."
Jon rubbed his chin. "That makes you wonder what role Lord Baelish played in all this. As King Robert's Master of Coin, he allowed all of this to go on for years. He took out loans from the Iron Bank, accepted money from House Lannister and was starting to approach House Tyrell. If not for Lord Stark striking a deal with your house while he was still acting as King Robert's Hand in Winterfell, effectively annulling that part of the Crown's debts, not to mention all of us cutting back expenses the moment I ascended the throne and recuperating some of the funds that Littlefinger embezzled, the realm would have been bankrupt in a matter of years, perhaps even sooner if the Iron Bank had decided for some reason to call in these debts? How could that have benefited Littlefinger?" Jon mused.
"It is no use racking your brain over bygones," Tyrion advised. "It won't change our current situation. Besides, I also came bearing good news. I brought you the first reports on the exploitation of House Lannister's newly discovered gold vein. The Crown will benefit substantially from the reformed tax decree." He retrieved the two scrolls from his pocket and after checking which one was the right one, he handed it to the young King who held it open in front of him so Davos could read it simultaneously."
"You did indeed hold back the good news till the end of the meeting." Davos grinned when he read the amount. "You are a most diligent Master of Coin. Do you have a report detailing the future prospects as well?"
Tyrion nodded proudly and presented him with the other scroll. "Soon, House Lannister will be one of the richest houses in the Seven Kingdoms again, Davos."
"If not the richest." Davos nodded pleased with the figures he read on the report.
"I'll have you know that this makes me feel much better. After learning the exact amount of the loan you were forced to forfeit, I felt rather guilty." Jon admitted. "It is very convenient that you are our ally and have sworn your loyalty to me. You soon will have the means to buy the services of all the sellsword companies in Essos and depose me."
"As if Strickland would make a move against you, Jon." Tyrion retorted. "He would rat me out instantly. Besides, your dragons could destroy the Lannister gold mines in the blink of an eye. It is I who is lucky to be in your good graces. I wouldn't like to be reduced to poverty yet again."
Then let us drink to a lasting alliance between our houses and a genuine friendship between you and me, Tyrion."
Tyrion eyed the pitcher of water with a pout. Davos smiled and walked to the door. He stuck his head out into the hallway. "Renny, run next door and fetch a pitcher of wine, if you please. Joni will surely have prepared one for us.
Moments later, Tyrion happily raised a cup filled to the brim with Arbor Gold. "To friendship!" He exclaimed proudly.
"To friendship," Davos and Jon echoed, before the three of them drank deeply. It was a fitting end to a most satisfying meeting.
***
Interlude 46: Princess Catelyn of House Stark
Catelyn sighed when her father asked her to tell more details of how House Stark had successfully raised a Targaryen King and helped him ascend the throne without bloodshed. Ned and King Aegon were his new heroes. It seemed that the fact that his daughter was now a Princess and through her they were related to the ruling dynasty had revived the frail old man. His will to stay alive had returned and his cheeks had regained a bit of colour.
When Catelyn had arrived at Riverrun with her husband, the Maester had warned them that in all probability her father had only days to live and was hanging in there because he wanted to see his daughter one last time. That had been more than a sennight ago. Catelyn had been shocked to see how thin and frail her father had become. She had immediately put aside her resentment for leaving her children and the royal court behind for the time being and had insisted on nursing him herself.
She had barely seen or spoken to Ned since they had arrived at her childhood's home spending the majority of her time at her father's bedside. She had yet to forgive her husband for putting his foot down and giving Sansa and Arya leave to stay in King's Landing at the first time of asking. Catelyn had easily agreed where it concerned her eldest daughter. She had seen her beautiful Sansa shine at court. Princess Sansa was now a lady-in-waiting to the Queen and not only the highest ranked, but also the most admired maiden at the royal Court. It would indeed have been a shame to take her away from all that. It was bad enough that Catelyn couldn't enjoy her own moment in the spotlight, her duty calling her away to her family in the Riverlands.
She worried most about Arya, that wilful girl, had shamed her more than once already with her impudent behaviour. And instead of berating her and keeping her away from official functions, not only Ned but also King Aegon had encouraged her youngest daughter by ignoring most of her trespasses or laughing about them benevolently within Arya's hearing. She was scared of what Arya's might become if unchecked but Ned had overruled all her arguments and they had left her youngest daughter at the royal court. If not for Arya's perfect behaviour at the farewell feast, Catelyn would fear the worst. Each time she started to despair, she recalled the kind words the King had spoken to her. Perhaps all would be well. Her royal nephew had promised that he would personally monitor Arya closely and help her learn how to behave. Even if Catelyn sometimes felt jealous of how Arya followed every order the young King gave her in his gentle manner, in this case it would work in her favour.
She could forgive the inexperienced King a small breach of protocol here or there. King Aegon still needed to learn a lot himself about living at court since her rough northern husband had of course neglected that part of the young man's education. If only Ned had involved her earlier. She would have seen to it that the handsome King would have grown up with impeccable manners. He showed so much progress already. She could have seen to other things as well, but that ship had sailed. It was a pity really. Her Sansa would have made a beautiful Queen.
She would have forgiven her husband sooner for leaving her daughters behind had he not allowed Bran to leave for Greywater Watch with Lord Howland of House Reed instead of accompanying her to Riverrun first. Her husband had used King Aegon's wishes in that regard as an excuse but Catelyn knew better. There was no way that the young King would voluntarily separate a young boy from his mother. He had more than once told her how much he regretted not having his mother or his father by his side while growing up.
Nothing had gone as she had expected. Even though the King did give her preferential treatment and she had always been assigned a seat at the high table no matter how many nobles attended the stately dinners, she had not been allowed enough time to truly put her mark on the royal court. She had been forced to leave the Red Keep a mere sennight after her arrival with only her husband, Uncle Brynden and a fraction of their houseguard. At least Sansa's first letter had been reassuring and she had to admit that Arya's behaviour had been impeccable not only during the banquet thrown to honour her and her husband but also the next morning at the farewell breakfast and in the courtyard. Perhaps all would be well as the young King had tried to assure her.
Princess Catelyn knew very well that the young King had used his good standing with her youngest daughter to convince her to behave especially on the last night under her mother's scrutiny. Perhaps leaving her behind would work out for the best after all. The young King had promised and Ned had told her more than once that his nephew was a man of his word even more so than Ned himself. Not that a good outcome would help Ned's case. If leaving Arya at Court would turn out to be beneficial for her daughter's future, her husband could take none of the credit for it. It was her unwavering efforts that were finally paying off, helped by a tiny nudge in the good direction from her dearest most esteemed nephew, King Aegon the Sixth of his Name.
She smiled when she recalled how the heir to the Stormlands had looked longingly at Arya for the entire duration of the dance that her youngest daughter shared with a handsome Lord from the Reach. One of the Tarly's if she recalled correctly. Perhaps Arya would make a grander marriage than Sansa. She would have to think about that some more. It was time to concentrate on Sansa's marital prospects. Perhaps she had overlooked someone. It was a pity that Lord Willas of House Tyrell was wedded and bedded. If only Sansa had met Lord Tyrell before she had fancied herself in love with that Lord Dayne. The young heir to the Reach had stayed in their home for two moons and they had let him slip through their fingers. It had been such unfortunate timing. Catelyn was brought back to the present when her father coughed. She quickly finished her story.
"It helped a great deal that my husband, Prince Eddard has uncontested power over these rough, stubborn northern Lords. He made sure that each and every one of them would heed the True King's call for support and they all kneeled to the son of Lyanna Stark without protest. In King's Landing, I witnessed with my own eyes how they worship the ground my nephew walks on. I've never known the northern Lords to shower anyone in presents. Well, they brought the largest trunk I had ever seen in the North and it was filled to the brim with rare items of great quality. I might have dropped them a hint or two to help them along but it was their own idea to bring the new King that they consider a fellow northerner due to my husbands influence, a token of their esteem. The King was most pleased and accepted the gesture with grace. King Aegon is a very well behaved young man even if he was raised in secret in a little backwater village on an obscure island amongst predominantly smallfolk. I assisted my husband where I could to complete his education on court protocol on the rare occasions that our dear royal nephew visited Winterfell incognito. King Aegon has turned out to be a benevolent, intelligent ruler with impeccable manners."
If she had to tell the story again and again, nobody could blame her if she slightly enhanced the role of her husband and even her own negligible part in the unexpected success story that featured their Targaryen nephew. She conveniently forgot all the times that she had warned or cautioned her husband over the years. At one time she had even used real tears to plead with her husband to drop his doomed schemes that put their entire family in jeopardy.
"Princess?" A servant had entered the room without her noticing. She nodded for the man to proceed. "Lord Edmund and Prince Stark ask for your presence in the Lord's solar."
Catelyn nodded pursing her lips at the slight. The servant should have announced that Prince Stark and Lord Edmund requested her presence. She would tell the castellan to instruct his personnel to adhere to the correct protocol. Her husband outranked her brother by far. She kissed her father's forehead. I'll return after lunch, Father. Try to sleep a little in the meanwhile." She rose elegantly from her chair and dutifully tucked her frail father in so only his head was visible. She sighed when she looked upon the hardly noticeable frame under the thick covers. A servant walking past the open door of the sickroom throwing a hasty look on the bed might mistakenly think that it was empty. Now that her father had closed his eyes, tired from her prolonged visit, his face looked as pale as the pillow that his head rested upon.
After one last glance about the room to check that she left everything in good order, she motioned her father's nurse to enter and hurried downstairs to the grand solar of the Lord of Riverrun. She had not often visited this room. It was oval shaped and had been a late addition to the castle. It had large windows in both walls facing south and west that provided a splendid view of the gardens and creeks. She envied her brother this room. Winterfell had nothing even close to it.
Upon entering she greeted her brother with a kiss on his cheek and spared only a cold look for her husband. They had slept in separate rooms ever since their arrival. She knew her strong reactions to his edict to leave her children behind had been coloured by her disappointment of having to leave the royal Court only days after she arrived. She had only been present at one grand royal banquet where she had been the guest of honour. But as a Tully she could not neglect family, duty and honour. Her father was dying so she had not hesitated and had bid the King and the royal court farewell for the time being. Still that had been no reason to arrive without Bran or Arya. Catelyn couldn't remember a time that she did not have a single one of her children close to her since giving birth to Robb. She kept her posture stiff when she addressed her brother and husband. "You asked for my presence?"
Edmund cringed when she didn't use the normal courtesies to address them but her husband kept a stoic attitude. He was a man of the North and was made of sterner stuff. Besides he was more familiar with her occasional bouts of ill temper. If she was honest, she had to admit that she rather liked the fact that he didn't bow to her every whim. He was exactly as a man should be. Perhaps she should let him back into her bed soon. She secretly enjoyed how he dominated her during their make-up couplings as if to make his final point after she had caved and they had reconciled.
She studied Edmund some more. She rather pitied her brother's future wife if ever he made the effort and proposed to one. Ever since her brother had reached adulthood, his short letters and the accounts she received from her father had made her wonder about her brother's capabilities. Even if it went against her upbringing and against her loyalty to her family, she had to admit that in difficult times, she would prefer to have her husband's protection over her brother's. So it was no surprise to her that it was her husband who answered her question.
"We have need of your organisational skills, my dear. Only you can put together a wedding feast worthy of the Lord of Riverrun at short notice."
Catelyn turned to her brother and didn't hide her surprise. "You are getting married, Edmund? I didn't hear you mention any betrothal. Pray tell me who is to be the Lady of Riverrun?"
"Lady Ilsa of House Ruthermont." Her brother gave her a hesitant smile.
At least Edmure seemed favourably inclined to the match if his reaction was anything to go by. Catelyn watched his small smile turn into a broad one when she nodded approvingly. At least Ned had not pushed through on the stupid idea of marrying her sophisticated brother to a half wild parody of a lady of that strange northern house of Bear Island. She had strongly opposed that idea the first time she had heard it being mentioned. She smiled encouragingly when she addressed her brother again. "Lady Ruthermont was introduced to me at the royal Court. She seems like a nice, accomplished Lady. Congratulations, Brother. When do you plan to hold the ceremony?"
"We would like to hold it as soon as my bride arrives. We expect her and her family to be here in a sennight at the latest. It is our intention to hold the ceremony the day after. We hope Father will still be alive by then. If not, we will need to wait out the period of deep mourning before we can marry in all decency."
"I see." She turned an accusing look on her husband. "Did the Maester impart information to you regarding the health of my father that you chose to withhold from your frail wife, dearest?" She saw her brother startle at the cool, bitter tone she employed when she addressed her husband.
"Behave, Catelyn! If only not to embarrass your brother. I thought I married a well-mannered southern lady. To answer your question, the Maester just informed us and we sent for you the moment he left the room."
Catelyn's cheeks turned slightly red but she ignored her husband and turned to Edmure. "I apologize, Brother. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Please don't keep me in suspense. What did the Maester tell you about Father's health?"
Edmure took both her hands and guided her to a chair. Both siblings sat down in opposing chairs. Ned hadn't moved from his earlier position and was still leaning against the large fire place that was not in use for the moment. "Even though Father had the appearance of doing a lot better, his heartbeat has remained weak and irregular. Where before he let himself go, now he is fighting to live but it will only buy him a few sennights at the most. We must prepare ourselves, Catelyn."
Catelyn nodded and let her brother caress her hands. She hated herself for feeling somewhat relieved at the news. She had thought she would be stuck at Riverrun for an indefinite time. Her father was old and had lived a good life. She did not wish for him to die but the man that lay in that bed upstairs was not her strong father anymore. She had witnessed how he suffered when the nurses needed to wash him or change his bed linens. She had prayed for him to get better but if that was a hopeless request, then she would prefer things would speed up so she could return to King's Landing. Every day she spent here, she regretted missing the opportunity to revel in her family's newly obtained status at the royal court. She almost felt jealous of Sansa. She raised her head and presented a teary countenance to her brother.
"Then I will start the wedding preparations at once. Father will see his heir marry with all the pomp and circumstance that is your due. Even if I hardly have any time to do it justice, I will move the seven Heavens for you if that is what I have to do to give you a proper wedding, Brother."
***
Later that night, Ned visited her bedroom before retiring. "I'm sorry about your father, Catelyn. I know you got your hopes up."
"Some of the children should have been here to say goodbye to him." She pursed her lips. "Have you heard from Bran yet?"
"No Catelyn. It is too soon. I thought you would be pleased with the bride that was chosen for your brother."
"I am." She sighed. "I am pleased. At least you heeded my advice in that regard."
Ned took a step closer. "I always listen to you if you speak sense."
"Not where it concerns Arya." She bit back.
"Catelyn, Arya is my sister reborn. You can't cage her. That will only backfire. Trust me. I have a plan for our youngest daughter. We will get her a good husband, one worthy of our house and our standing."
She looked up at him. "Lord Gendry?"
"Yes, but that will only work if she believes that she chose him herself. Trust my word on this, woman and stay out of it. The King is our ally in this."
"I don't like it if you call me woman." She pursed her lips.
"And I don't like it if you question my authority in public nor if you insist on keeping me at arm's length because I have our children's best interest at heart. I am still your Lord Husband. You better not forget that again. I also came to tell you that I intend to travel home from here. If you want my permission to return to Court to join our daughters and stay there until Robb reaches King's Landing, then you will start giving me the respect that I am due in public. If not it will be a very long time before you see the Red Keep again."
Before Catelyn could react, Ned had handed her a scroll and then turned around and left the room without uttering another word. She should have learned her lesson by now. Ned was not one to let his honour or his authority be questioned by his wife in front of others. She knew he would make good on his threats. She would have to start mending their relationship even if it meant losing face. Her goal was worth the humiliation she would suffer though. The only thing she wanted was getting back to the royal Court after things were resolved here of course. She would do her duty to her family first. She would organize a grand wedding, and a stately funeral. And then, with the consent of her husband, she would leave Riverrun and head in the right direction: south east.
She sighed and sat down when she recognized the broken seal. It was a letter from Robb. She immediately started to devour it, yearning for the news of how her eldest and youngest son were faring. After she finished the long missive, tears ran over her face. She wiped them off and started to make plans. If she played her cards right, perhaps Rickon could accompany her eldest son when he came south.
***
Two moons later, Catelyn had successfully reached her goal. She had fought tooth and nail to get them to ignore the period of deep mourning and had held the wedding after six sennights cutting the customary mourning period in half. She had not been willing to remain stuck in the Riverlands for three moons after her father's demise. Even though Lady Ilsa now of House Tully made an adequate Lady of Riverrun, it had not been easy for Catelyn to relinquish her position with the household staff. Her bags were packed and she would leave as soon as they alerted her that the horses were saddled and ready.
She envied her husband and wished for the umpteenth time that she could have been born a man. Then she would have inherited Riverrun. Now the Riverlands would be run by someone without Tully blood. Lady Ilsa led her brother by the nose. That much had become clear to Catelyn only days after his bride had arrived. If only Catelyn had been born a male, she could have left before the wedding. Her husband hadn't stayed and waited for the six sennights to pass so her brother could wed with a minimum of decency. No, her husband had set of barely a sennight after her father had died. The moment that word came from King's Landing that the King could not attend, he had decided he could be missed as well. She huffed. She should be grateful that he had at least stayed a few more days after the burial.
The only positive thing was that they had reconciled two nights before the burial ceremony. She had convinced him to come to her bed each of the few nights they still had together before he left. She had seen to it that he spent the entire night in her bed. It had not been so hard to swallow her pride as she had presumed. She had enjoyed their couplings. She remembered their last night especially. Her husband was a most considerate lover if he applied himself. It was a pity that Maester Luwin had declared that Rickon would be the last child her womb would ever bear. The next morning she had noticed Ned's seed sticking to her thighs when she got up. She would miss their couplings but not enough to induce her to leave the royal court before she saw her two eldest children properly betrothed, perhaps even wedded in the Great Sept of Baelor.
Ned had left together with Uncle Brynden. They had planned to travel in each other's company until they reached the crossroad where her Uncle would turn south and Ned would turn north. Catelyn had counted the days until she could depart as well. Now she was finally able to return to the King's Landing. Upon her arrival, Catelyn would start her quest to find the best possible bride for Robb. Ned had tasked her to keep a keen eye on Lady Margaery of House Tyrell and a few other Ladies. At least he trusted her enough to let her handle the matter. And after Robb, it was Sansa's turn. It really was a pity that Lord Willas of House Tyrell had married. She had quite liked the quiet, polite heir to the Reach when she had gotten to know him at Winterfell. Ned had vetoed Prince Quentin of House Martell and when he had stated his reasons, she had immediately agreed wholeheartedly. If Sansa was still partial to Lord Edric of House Dayne, perhaps she should put him back on the list of possible husbands. She would prefer a scion from a ruling house but considering the young Baratheon for Sansa was out of the question for the time being. Lord Robin of House Arryn's health was questionable and he was rather young for her Sansa. Still she would keep him on the list. It also would do no harm to ask Ned who was next in line if the young Lord didn't recover. Anyway she looked at it she found no match for her eldest daughter that equalled the one they had in mind for Arya. Perhaps she should keep a close eye on the young Baratheon. The moment he strayed from Arya, he was fair game for Sansa.
*