Capítulo 34: Chapter 34
As the golden pillar of light gathered the attention of the surrounding people.
Back in the north Roose Bolton had noticed the movements of the Stark family. His spies had informed him that all Starks of any note or worth in his eyes were no longer in Winterfell. The only ones left in Winterfell were Caitlyn and Rickon, he knew attacking Winterfell was fool hardy. Even if he captured Winterfell he wouldn't be able to keep it, all Ned would need to do is bring the southern army north and Benjen Stark held Moat Cailin so getting the army into the north would be no issue. That would be if the other houses didn't launch an assault on his own house in retaliation before reinforcements came to assist with retaking Winterfell.
What Roose had in mind was much more subtle, he would go after the heirs now that they were traveling outside the safety of Winterfell. He knew they could easily send an elite squad in with ruffian soldiers dressed as bandits. Even if they could kill one or two it would damage their cohesive abilities. Roose Bolton saw the potential threat the Starks truly brought.
With so many healthy heirs the Starks could wed so many houses both in the north and south making it impossible for his family to ever gain enough power to accomplish their goal of taking the north.
House Bolton has rebelled a few times thru history, they have come close to winning against the Starks but ultimately were beaten. Loyalty of the other northern houses always won the war for the Starks, especially after the Stark magical power became nonexistent. It had always confounded the Boltons, they couldn't even get houses to just remain neutral. Always remained neutral till the Starks asked for help, never hesitating.
Now Roose Bolton had even brokered a deal with Lord Walder Frey, when offered the girls weight in silver as a dowry he made sure to choose to fattest of his granddaughters, Walda Frey as his wife. He needed the money for an army and cared not for her looks, he had plenty of pretty young servants to choose from if he wanted pretty. He could always have her killed once her usefulness was up.
He was approached by a skilled assassin who had told him he was sent by the Lannisters even showing a Valyrian steel dagger as proof, he offered to train his most loyal knights and soldiers. Roose wanted to mimic Tywin, his team led by the Mountain did covert missions for Tywin, and missions normal knights would refuse. Gregor Clegane had no fuss killing women and children, never once did he issue a complaint, for he enjoyed it.
Although Roose's men were loyal and had no problem doing such things, they were still few and far between and most of them were bottom level knights. Very few talented and skilled knights participated in that activity especially so willingly. So he decided to ambush the Stark children that headed toward the Wall, he had ordered them to follow and to kill any male Stark but to capture any female Stark. He knew they were the key to holding the north, so he made sure that they were left unsoiled. He had plans for both of the Stark girls. He would wed Sansa securing House Bolton as Warden of the North, Arya would go to Ramsey Snow which after legitimizing him as a Bolton his marriage to Arya would secure his line even if Sansa didn't bore him a child which he felt unlikely considering what her mother was capable of.
He knew his bastards ambition, Sansa would be the heir after all others were dead and he wasn't going to let Ramsay have the power. The only reason his was legitimizing him was due to necessity, he didn't want to wait till having an heir from Walda Frey. It would be too late by then, the Stark children would've either been married with children or engaged at the very least and their power would be seven folds greater at the least. He knew what Tywin really wanted, he preferred the Starks due to their power. That was why he wanted to capture the Stark girls himself, he knew Tywin would be after them and he would lose the north. Tywin would wed Sansa to Joffrey to secure his reign the most, a union of the north and south hasn't ever happened.
If that happens even if Ramsay married Arya the Boltons wouldn't truly hold the north, it would still be Stark but with Lannister being the true power.
So with pressure on due to the upcoming tourney, Roose had felt the need to impact any engagement by killing as many as possible in the dark. When he rescues the girls after all other Starks are dead, they wouldn't be all the wiser that the bandits who captured them and held them captive, worked for him the whole time.
Little did he know the assassin wasn't with the Lannisters, he was sent by Littlefinger to stir up trouble since getting into Winterfell undetected was impossible due to their extra caution. So rather than do a direct assault he chose to use this chance to accomplish his goals while still being able to blame Lannisters. His assassin would bring the girls to the Vale rather than Dreadfort, while Roose would think the assassin brought them to Casterly Rock. That way it would guarantee a war with the north and lion no matter if Stark or Bolton held power, Petyr would get his war and having his Cat's daughters in the Vale he could get her to come to him, where he could protect her from harm while she became all his and they would wait in the Vale while the rest of the world burned. Once both sides have weakened, his army would conquer the rest and he would use his new wife and her old connection to the north and her daughters to rule the north and use the gold he embezzled to buy the south.
Back in Highgarden within the Reach, the true head of the House Tyrell is looking at some reports during her time in her gardens. She preferred to think and strategize from her garden rather than the solar used by most heads of the family. She had even already allowed her son Mace Tyrell to occupy it, she still made all the important decisions and right now she is in a serious conundrum. She had gotten all the reports both from the north and south as well as Essos.
It was the first time in a long time she felt such hesitation, the last time was during the rebellion. House Tyrell was always loyal to the dragon, they were the last house to bend the knee to Robert and they have suffered for it. Even though they were the second wealthiest family in Westeros that wealth had greatly diminished due to the north buying less and less food over the years alongside their treatment from other southern houses.
Her spy network had also plummeted in the north when most all Maester were removed. Although she never used her relationship with the Citadel and the Maesters against other houses, after all her house donated quite a lot to the Citadel, besides the Hightowers no other house contributed as much. She mainly used them as a way to ensure accurate information on major events throughout the realms. She understood the benefit of accurate information.
She watched the decisions made by her children, the only one she approved of was her grandchildren Willas and Margaery Tyrell. The rest of her family were ignorant fools who are using any means to try to rebuild favour from the other realms. They had lost much due to being the last house to bend the knee, but although they lost favour with the ruling class they were able to recover fairly quickly. The reach held some of the brightest minds in the realms, after all the Citadel was stationed in Old Town and they held the most fertile lands. Much like Lannisport, Old Town was Tyrell's main source of income both within Westeros and outside it.
Recently she has received disturbing news, Selyse Baratheon had summoned her House Florent to come to Dragonstone, many say it was to announce she was converting to the Old Gods. Word had spread of Cyrus Stark curing and healing Shireen, Selyse had been praying to the Seven for years due to her first three sons who were stillborn and Shireen having grayscale. Many even knew she kept the bodies of the three stillborn children in crystal jars where she visited her Petyr, Tommard and Edric regularly and prayed for the Gods to grant her a son for Stannis.
Olenna was getting a massive headache from the Citadel, upon finding out of Selyse intentions the Citadel called upon her to put a stop to Selyse converting from the Seven. House Florent was a major vassal of House Tyrell, and a major house in the Reach especially one who has been faithful believers for so long to just leave and follow the Old Gods would hit a blow to the Faith of the Seven like non other.
Olenna knew if what the stories said were true, there would be no stopping Selyse herself from converting, she too was a mother and could imagine the hardships the women went through. She herself would be doing the same had she been in her place, having another God or Gods answer your prayer while your own remained silent would push any rational person towards whichever God or Gods did answer them.
So to satisfy the Citadel Olenna decided to send Willas and Margaery, her two best grandchildren in her view, to Dragonstone to attend the gathering to find out the truth of the matter and to try to get House Florent as a whole to remain with the Seven in case it was true she planned to convert. She wouldn't try to stop Selyse herself, she knew the woman was desperate and would definitely convert, what was most dangerous would be to try to stop her from converting like what the Citadel wanted. She knew that would be the dumbest thing to do, trying to stop a newly fanatic religious person would not only cement their conversion but would also draw in new fanatics and more damage could be done. She focused on the house rather than the individual, one leaving the Seven was much better than a whole house.
However what really had her mind going was the individual centered around not only the situation with Selyse but with multiple big events surrounding one individual. Many times she has heard the call from not just the High Sparrow, but from the Citadel as well for the Stark boys head. She didn't believe many of the stories in the beginning of being blessed by the Old Gods and communicating with animals, but as years went by and more and more stories were heard she realized there was something to the stories.
Especially upon hearing of the 'Red Wedding' as those in Essos had called it, she didn't believe for once the tale in it entirety but she did sum it up to Cyrus Stark rescued the last known Targaryen princess and had her in his hands. She wanted to know if the girl was alive and if being held against her will, if so they would rescue her and bring her to the Reach. They have always truly been loyal to the dragon, and if she has willingly submitted to the wolf then the Rose would follow. But she knew it would be a hard sell, the Reach has made much gold from selling food at much higher prices to the north.
It would cost a lot to set things right with the north but if the wolf is truly backed by the dragon and has three dragons now it would be worth the cost, fire and roses don't match well against each other.
She normally never went to Kings Landing, she hated the place. Particularly the smell, it always did have a smell but since Roberts Rebellion the smell of shit has exponentially gotten worse since his reign. However this tourney she was looking forward to, she knew the Stark boy wouldn't bring the Targaryen princess, but he would definitely be there. Like many she wanted to get a measure of the wolf herself, and if he does measure up to the stories a marriage would be needed to guarantee the survival of her house.
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