Riverrun
Two weeks passed, and Eddard was prepared as best as he could be. The entire Tully family came to send him off for Harrenhal. Due to his frequent training, he had made friends among the household guards who were now accompanying him. His reluctant expression, however, showed that his married life had been a bliss so far.
The couple's sweet moments were shattered by the over-enthusiastic brother-in-law. "Take care in the melee; be prepared for the worst. Play with a calm mind—even if you break a few bones, I can mend those. Retreat with a generous demeanor. In the jousting, if you are assured of victory, do not use the armor I made. It is an unfair advantage, and an assured winner does not need to muddy the tales with such a scandal. I've packed a variety of soothing balms for the horses; be weary of foul play." Everyone simply looked at the babbling Edmure and shook their heads.
Princess Elia mocked him by imitating his voice: "Why are you looking at me like this? Don't you know the world only revolves around me? The famous heir of Riverrun?" Eddard broke into laughter; even he had heard the tales circulating that the Tully heir liked to sew. He could not match the boy of the rumors with the boy who possessed incredible gifts from the Old Gods. Lady Ashara had been diligent in spreading Edmure's fame across all her admirers. After saying goodbye, Eddard took the Tully men and rode west to meet his family.
"What do you know? I was trying to cement the relationship with the North. So, one day, I could roam freely in both realms as if my family owned them. I have certain plans beyond the Wall in the next ten years that will require the support of the Starks. Why not start early and make a good impression?" Edmure defended himself, seemingly under the delusion that he was capable of making a good impression.
"Yeah, genius, but Eddard is the second son. Now that the Starks are aware of their fate, Brandon will inherit the realm," Elia spoke, not wanting to appear weak, airing the inner secrets of the rebellion in the open.
"Maybe. We'll treat Brandon as an experiment to see if the world has a set fate. If he lives, then it's a small inconvenience; if not, then we're better informed," Edmure spoke carelessly. Hoster failed in his attempt to stop his foolish son from ruining Elia's mood.
Elia heard all of that and understood the implication. To Edmure, the lives of others were sometimes just objects—no emotions, not even basic decency—but things to be understood. She put herself in Brandon's position and realized just how easily her life was decided in these halls. "Get out; don't show me your face. Hoster, how did you raise this child? He is this dispassionate at such a young age? What do you want, a monster to prove Tully mettle?"
Edmure was stunned by the outburst but did not want to undermine her authority in public. He simply complied and rode out alone. His casual attitude infuriated Elia further; she beckoned Xanda. Lady Xanda pulled her bow and took aim at Edmure's ear. She nocked the very arrow Edmure had made and shot.
Edmure's stats had come so far that even he did not know his own limits. Noticing the incoming arrow, he teleported from his saddle, appeared near the arrow mid-flight, caught it barehanded, and then teleported back onto the saddle. All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Edmure showcased a masterful synergy between threat detection, teleportation, reflexes, and his familiarity with his horse.
As Edmure rode away after this stunt, everyone stood stunned. Hoster decided to ease the atmosphere and show his support. "Princess, you are the future lady of this castle. We will do as you say. As for the boy? Let him be; if needed, we will chain him. House Tully will be your greatest support; I give you my word. I will have Vyman work for you; all correspondence from this castle will be at your discretion." Elia understood the gravity of such a public promise; for all intents and purposes, her standing was now at least on par with Catelyn's, if not higher. Not wanting to remain angry, she nodded and took her retinue inside.
"Hoster, you never change. You're still playing your tricks. How are your actions any different from Edmure's? At least he has the decency to expose his poison in public; you hide yours behind a play," Brynden shouted in protest. To him, such triple-layered schemes within the family were incongruous. "What will her letters change? The Starks would have already taken all the caution they could by now. Your act is merely observing Brandon and Elia's actions from afar while having no skin in the game."
Hoster did not explain. He just watched the eastern horizon. Behind them, Desmond was too green for this political arena. Only the venerable Lord Grell looked at the brothers while squinting. His face showed a determination as if a sacred vow had been uttered, one to be understood by the world, not mortals. He looked at Desmond and then faced the direction where Edmure had left.
Edmure, riding without a care, flinched for a moment; he could sense that something had happened. It was as if the gods had taken an interest—even more incredible was that the way of the world had created a locus nearby. These extremely subtle feelings seemed related to him, but he checked himself and found no discrepancy. "Curious. I've been avoiding the Godswood in the castle. The only holy places I've visited so far are Stoney Sept and the Great Sept in the capital. So why now?"
Harrenhal
"The King will arrive today; we will have to surrender the guard duties to the men from the capital, lest we draw his ire." Lord Whent rubbed his eyes and spoke to Shella, his wife.
"What can we even do? I just hope that this tourney passes without event. This place is cursed as it is. But the future seems tough even after this; many of the surrounding nobles are supporting us to take the paramountcy of the realm. I just hope things don't get ugly."
"Such is the life of nobles; personal relations contradict political winds. I hope that, no matter what, everyone keeps this in mind and the relationships among families don't get too sour." Walter spoke his deepest emotions without clarifying his stance. Shella understood the implication and simply hugged her husband.
Sunspear
The council was in a tense atmosphere as Prince Doran revealed the Tully plans informed by Elia. Everyone was caught off guard by the Tully gall, but seeing that the other Great Houses in the North were also pitching in, they felt the situation was delicate.
"We will stay out of the matter unless someone is foolish enough to poke at us. In the meantime, we will prepare for coastal raids. Send the Orphans of the Greenblood to inform everyone. The Spider in the Red Keep does not have his birds among them. Oberyn, keep an eye on what's happening in the Narrow Sea. The last thing we need is Essosi mercenaries flooding into a Westerosi conflict." Prince Doran adopted the strategy of a coiled serpent—taking a defensive posture but ready to deliver a deadly strike at a moment's notice.