Catelyn loved the rain in the Riverlands. It was fine and misty, falling on her face and body like a mother's gentle caress.
As for the rain in the North... Seven hells, that was like ice water freshly melted from a block of ice. Catching it in your hands, you could feel the chill biting into your bones.
Her time at Riverrun had brought back some memories of her childhood. However, lately she found that even the rain in the Riverlands wasn't so gentle anymore. She used to be able to stay out in the rain for a long time, not fearing getting soaked to the bone.
But now, she couldn't stand it after just a short while. Catelyn didn't know if the weather had grown colder, or if she had simply grown older.
Just then, a maid's voice rang out: "My Lady, the lords have arrived in the Great Hall. His Grace is waiting for you as well."
"Mm." Catelyn replied softly, unaware that a fierce argument had already erupted in the Great Hall.
"Who does Stannis think he is? And Jon Snow is even more of a traitor! Last Hearth will never surrender! I recognize only the King in the North, Robb Stark!"
"Right! Northerners do not stand with traitors!" Lady Maege Mormont chimed in.
Many Northerners felt that the North could not produce another "King Who Knelt."
When Torrhen Stark decided to surrender, he faced Aegon the Conqueror and three giant dragons. What did Stannis have?
A shattered fleet and an army nearly wiped out. On what grounds?
However, compared to the time they crowned Robb, not as many people were voicing their support.
Last time, Rickard Karstark had been the second person after Greatjon to declare Robb the King in the North. But this time, he remained motionless.
When Harrion returned, he brought back not only thousands of Northern troops but also the full story of the war.
From Jon's mutiny at Harrenhal to his capture and defense of King's Landing, Harrion had participated in the entire process. through his eldest son's account, Rickard understood just how terrifying Jon was.
Not only did he possess military strategy on par with Robb, but his political acumen was sharp and vicious.
If Jon hadn't killed Joffrey in King's Landing and secured Tommen and Myrcella, the Lion-Flower alliance would still exist, and they would be stuck in Riverrun with no way forward or back.
Now, at least they had a choice—albeit an undignified one—that could preserve them: abandon the title of King in the North.
Rickard first noticed Roose Bolton sitting there like an old god, not saying a word. He had thought that after Harrion brought back the Dreadfort troops, Roose would "perk up," but he remained as passive as ever.
Considering Roose's consistent strategy of "preserving his own strength," he definitely wouldn't agree to go to war with Stannis.
Rickard suddenly noticed a group of Riverlands nobles surrounding young Lyman Darry, asking him all sorts of questions. He recalled what Jon had said when he tried to stop the lords from crowning Robb: The crown is like a boat, and the people's hearts are like water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it. That saying seemed like absolute wisdom now.
Although Rickard didn't say anything upon seeing this, Greatjon couldn't stand it. He bellowed at the whispering Riverlands nobles, "Hey brats! What are you chatting about? Is there something we shouldn't hear?"
Greatjon didn't realize that his words had invisibly divided the nobles supporting Robb into two factions.
Before the other Riverlands nobles could speak, the less-than-ten-year-old Lyman voiced his dissatisfaction first: "Big Brother Jon is not a traitor! He saved me! He saved House Darry! If Big Brother Jon hadn't killed the Mountain, more of us would have suffered!"
Lyman's voice swayed even more Riverlands nobles. Truth be told, when the Mountain died, every single one of them had breathed a sigh of relief.
As if to echo Lyman's sentiment, a sharp, jarring voice came from a corner: "Our enemy is the Lannisters, not Stannis!"
"Who?! Who said that?!" Greatjon's eyes bulged wide, looking like a bear rearing up on its hind legs, eager to drag out the fellow shaking the army's morale.
Brynden watched the conflict about to explode. His nephew Edmure seemed eager to join the fray. Brynden glanced at Queen Jeyne and her father and brother—Gawen and Raynald Westerling. The father and son were taciturn, stone-faced, a perfect match for the icy Starks.
"My lords! No matter what, we are gathered under King Robb's banner. We need unity." Brynden quickly stepped between Greatjon and the Riverlands lords, trying to quell the dispute.
But he inadvertently caught Rickard's gaze and couldn't help but look away.
Fortunately, at that moment, the herald announced from outside: "All rise for Robb Stark the First!"
Hearing Robb had arrived, Greatjon reluctantly returned to his seat. Roose Bolton glanced back and then sat up straight. Lyman and the other Riverlands lords also tidied their appearances. Brynden stepped forward to welcome him.
The Great Hall, which had been on the verge of an argument or even a fight, quieted down. Soon, Robb entered with Catelyn and his newly pregnant wife, Jeyne Westerling.
As Jeyne passed by one of the lords, she heard someone mutter something about how it "should have been Margaery." Her heart grew heavy.
She still remembered the massive storm and controversy that erupted among the Northern army when Robb announced he would marry her as his Queen. She remembered the immense pressure Robb had withstood for her sake.
Hearing that Robb's bastard brother was engaged to Margaery, everyone believed that if it had been Robb engaged to Margaery, they wouldn't be in this dilemma now.
Jeyne felt guilty and aggrieved. Guilty because perhaps she shouldn't have met Robb that day, shouldn't have gotten so close to him. Aggrieved because she didn't know any of this back then; she only knew she had married the man she wanted to marry.
She would rather not be this so-called "Queen."
When Robb took his throne, and Catelyn and Jeyne had just sat down, Greatjon started shouting again: "Your Grace, we absolutely cannot surrender to Stannis! On what grounds? His army isn't even bigger than ours! If the Freys dare block our way, we'll smash right through them!"
With that, the guy stood up again: "I heard that Stannis has even abandoned the Seven and started believing in some bullshit Lord of Light! We absolutely cannot support such a King!"
Watching Greatjon jumping up and down, Robb couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. Greatjon was indeed his capable right-hand man on the road, a trustworthy general on the battlefield, but aside from that...
Sometimes he even thought, if only it were Jon. Not only reliable on the battlefield, but he would handle everything else properly too.
At this point, Brynden also stood up and said, "Your Grace, we haven't reached a dead end yet. Tywin hasn't surrendered to Stannis, so we don't need to either! Besides, Lord Eddard's blood debt has been paid. We can use the hostage for an exchange, perhaps—"
Brynden was still thinking about trading Jaime for an alliance with the Westerlands. In his view, as long as they returned Jaime to Tywin, Tywin would likely be happy to join them against Stannis.
"Perhaps what?!" A low, gloomy shout rang out. It was Rickard Karstark. "My two sons died at the Kingslayer's hands. Is that debt not a debt?"
Questioned by Rickard, Brynden was momentarily at a loss for words. The King's vengeance, the lords' vengeance... if they kept pulling at this thread, wouldn't they also have to avenge the knights, the commoners? It would never end.
He also knew Rickard was still angry at him for letting Tywin escape.
But Brynden couldn't say anything harsh. He hoped the North would stay to back up Riverrun, because he knew that if the North withdrew, Stannis might not be able to touch the North, but he would suppress Riverrun. The Tullys would have a hard time then.
While the Northern and Riverlands lords whispered among themselves, a squire ran in and said, "Your Grace! Jon... Jon is here. And Lady Sansa and Lady Arya are with him."
The lords in the hall cared that Jon had arrived, but Catelyn cared about her daughters. Hearing that Jon had brought her daughters back, she shot to her feet.
The other lords erupted into heated discussion, sounding like a hundred crows speaking at once. Jon's arrival was simply too sudden; the news they had received said he should still be at the Twins.
"That traitor? How many men did he bring?!" Greatjon grabbed his ugly greatsword and demanded.
"He brought an envoy of Stannis, a guard, and a squire. No one else."
"Your Grace, let me take off that traitor's head for you!"
"Enough!" Robb finally stopped tolerating Greatjon's shouting. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"Go, bring Jon here—and be polite."