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Catelyn
As the host trooped down the causeway through the black bogs of the Neck and spilled out into the riverlands beyond, Catelyn’s apprehensions grew She masked her fears behind a face kept still and stern, yet they were there all the saue they crossed Her days were anxious, her nights restless, and every raven that flew overhead made her clench her teeth
She feared for her lord father, and wondered at his ominous silence She feared for her brother Edods would watch over hislayer in battle She feared for Ned and her girls, and for the sweet sons she had left behind at Winterfell And yet there was nothing she could do for any of theht of theth for Robb, she told herself He is the only one you can help You must be as fierce and hard as the north, Catelyn Tully You must be a Stark for true now, like your son
Robb rode at the front of the colu white banner of Winterfell Each day he would ask one of his lords to join hiht confer as theyno favorites, listening as his lord father had listened, weighing the words of one against the other He has learned so ht as she watched hih?
The Blackfish had taken a hundred picked men and a hundred swift horses and raced ahead to screen their movements and scout the way The reports Ser Brynden’s riders brought back did little to reassure her Lord Tywin’s host was still many days to the southbut Walder Frey, Lord of the Crossing, had assembled a force of near four thousand ain," Catelyn murmured when she heard It was the Trident all over, dahts, Lord Frey should have gone to join the Tully host at Riverrun, yet here he sat
"Four thousand ry "Lord Frey cannot hope to fight the Lannisters by himself Surely he means to join his power to ours"
"Does he?" Catelyn asked She had ridden forward to join Robb and Robett Glover, his couard spread out behind the forest of lances and banners and spears "I wonder Expect nothing of Walder Frey, and you will never be surprised"
"He’s your father’s bannerman"
"Some men take their oaths more seriously than others, Robb And Lord Walder was always friendlier with Casterly Rock than my father would have liked One of his sons is wed to Tywin Lannister’s sister That reat many children over the years, and they must needs marry someone Still"
"Do you think he means to betray us to the Lannisters, ravely
Catelyn sighed "If truth be told, I doubt even Lord Frey knohat Lord Frey intends to do He has an old"
"We must have the Twins, Mother," Robb said heatedly "There is no other way across the river You know that"
"Yes And so does Walder Frey, you can be sure of that"
That night they s, halfway between the kingsroad and the river It was there Theon Greyjoy brought them further word from her uncle "Ser Brynden says to tell you he’s crossed swords with the Lannisters There are a dozen scouts on’t be reporting back to Lord Tywin anytirinned "Ser Adda back south, burning as he goes He knohere we are, more or less, but the Blackfish vows he will not knoe split"
"Unless Lord Frey tells him," Catelyn said sharply "Theon, when you return to my uncle, tell hiht, with orders to bring down any raven they see leaving the battle word of my son’s movements to Lord Tywin"
"Ser Brynden has seen to it already, my lady," Theon replied with a cocky sh to bake a pie I’ll save you their feathers for a hat"
She ought to have known that Brynden Blackfish would be well ahead of her "What have the Freys been doing while the Lannisters burn their fields and plunder their holdfasts?"
"There’s been so between Ser Addam’s men and Lord Walder’s," Theon answered "Not a day’s ride fro the crohere the Freys had strung theth reh"
That bore Walder Frey’s seal beyond a doubt, Catelyn thought bitterly; hold back, wait, watch, take no risk unless forced to it
"If he’s been fighting the Lannisters, perhaps he does mean to hold to his vows," Robb said
Catelyn was less encouraged "Defending his own lands is one thing, open battle against Lord Tywin quite another"
Robb turned back to Theon Greyjoy "Has the Blackfish found any other way across the Green Fork?"
Theon shook his head "The river’s running high and fast Ser Brynden says it can’t be forded, not this far north"
"I"Oh, our horses ht be able to swim the river, I suppose, but not with armored men on their backs We’d need to build rafts to pole our steel across, helms and mail and lances, and we don’t have the trees for that Or the ti north" He balled his hand into a fist
"Lord Frey would be a fool to try and bar our way," Theon Greyjoy said with his customary easy confidence "We have five times his numbers You can take the Twins if you need to, Robb"
"Not easily," Catelyn warned thee, Tywin Lannister would bring up his host and assault you frolanced fro none For a er than his fifteen years, despite his mail and sword and the stubble on his cheeks "What would my lord father do?" he asked her
"Find a way across," she told hi it was Ser Brynden Tully himself who rode back to them He had put aside the heavy plate and helhter leather-and-mail of an outrider, but his obsidian fish still fastened his cloak
Her uncle’s face was grave as he swung down off his horse "There has been a battle under the walls of Riverrun," he said, his rim "We had it froslayer has destroyed Ed in flight"
A cold hand clutched at Catelyn’s heart "And my brother?"
"Wounded and taken prisoner," Ser Brynden said "Lord Blackwood and the other survivors are under siege inside Riverrun, surrounded by Jaiet across this accursed river if we’re to have any hope of relieving them in time"
"That will not be easily done," her uncle cautioned "Lord Frey has pulled his whole strength back inside his castles, and his gates are closed and barred"
"Damn the man," Robb swore "If the old fool does not relent and let me cross, he’ll leave me no choice but to storm his walls I’ll pull the Twins down around his ears if I have to, we’ll see hoell he likes that!"
"You sound like a sulky boy, Robb," Catelyn said sharply "A child sees an obstacle, and his first thought is to run around it or knock it down A lord must learn that sometimes words can accomplish what swords cannot"
Robb’s neck reddened at the rebuke "Tell me what you mean, Mother," he saidfor six hundred years, and for six hundred years they have never failed to exact their toll"
"What toll? What does he want?"
She smiled "That is e must discover"
"And what if I do not choose to pay this toll?"
"Then you had best retreat back to Moat Cailin, deploy to s I see no other choices" Catelyn put her heels to her horse and rode off, leaving her son to ponder her words It would not do tohis place Did you teach him wisdom as well as valor, Ned? she wondered Did you teach hidoms were full of brave men who had never learned that lesson
It was near ht of the Twins, where the Lords of the Crossing had their seat
The Green Fork ran swift and deep here, but the Freys had spanned it rown rich off the coin e was a ons to pass abreast; the Water Tower rose fro both road and river with its arrow slits, enerations to coe; when they were done they’d thrown up stout tiht cross without their leave
The tiiven way to stone The Twins--two squat, ugly, fore arching between--had guarded the crossing for centuries High curtain walls, deep ates protected the approaches, the bridge footings rose from within stout inner keeps, there was a barbican and portcullis on either bank, and the Water Tower defended the span itself
One glance was sufficient to tell Catelyn that the castle would not be taken by storm The battlements bristled with spears and swords and scorpions, there was an archer at every crenel and arrow slit, the drawbridge was up, the portcullis down, the gates closed and barred
The Greatjon began to curse and swear as soon as he sahat awaited thelowered in silence "That cannot be assaulted, my lords," Roose Bolton announced
"Nor can we take it by siege, without an army on the far bank to invest the other castle," Helreen waters, the western twin stood like a reflection of its eastern brother "Even if we had the time Which, to be sure, we do not"
As the northern lords studied the castle, a sally port opened, a plank bridge slid across the hts rode forth to confront them, led by four of Lord Walder’s many sons Their banner bore twin towers, dark blue on a field of pale silver-grey Ser Stevron Frey, Lord Walder’s heir, spoke for them The Freys all looked like weasels; Ser Stevron, past sixty with grandchildren of his own, looked like an especially old and tired weasel, yet he was polite enough "My lord father has sent hty host"
"I do" Robb spurred his horse forward He was in his armor, with the direwolf shield of Winterfell strapped to his saddle and Grey Wind padding by his side
The old knight looked at her son with a faint flicker of a whickered uneasily and sidled away from the direwolf "My lord father would be most honored if you would share meat and mead with him in the castle and explain your purpose here"
His words crashed areat stone froued, shouted down each other
"You must not do this, my lord," Galbart Glover pleaded with Robb "Lord Walder is not to be trusted"
Roose Bolton nodded "Go in there alone and you’re his He can sell you to the Lannisters, throw you in a dungeon, or slit your throat, as he likes"
"If he wants to talk to us, let hiates, and ill all share his meat and mead," declared Ser Wendel Manderly
"Or let hiht of his ested his brother, Ser Wylis
Catelyn Stark shared all their doubts, but she had only to glance at Ser Stevron to see that he was not pleased by what he was hearing A few more words and the chance would be lost She had to act, and quickly "I will go," she said loudly
"You, my lady?" The Greatjon furrowed his brow
"Mother, are you certain?" Clearly, Robb was not
"Never libly "Lord Walder is irl He would never offer me any harm" Unless he saw some profit in it, she added silently, but so, and some lies were necessary
"I am certain my lord father would be pleased to speak to the Lady Catelyn," Ser Stevron said "To vouchsafe for our good intentions, my brother Ser Perill remain here until she is safely returned to you"