Within two days, the grim news arrived: Deepwood Motte had fallen to the Ironborn. Lady Glover and her children were taken captive, and the castle was now occupied by raiders from the sea. The dire reports confirmed their worst fears.
Panicked, Lady Catelyn immediately wrote to Robb, urging him to lead the army back north without delay. With its defenders away at war, the North was vulnerable. If the Ironborn continued their advance, even Winterfell could be in danger. Maester Luwin sent the raven, and upon its arrival in Riverrun, a rider was dispatched to find Robb in the Westerlands.
By the time the message reached him, Robb's campaign in the west had already stalled. The Northern army, laden with plunder from their successful raids, had lost its appetite for war. From the highest lord to the common soldier, every man was eager to take his spoils and return home. Their minds were no longer on the battlefield.
The news of the Ironborn invasion shattered what little morale remained. The Northern lords, whose own lands were now under threat, could not sit idly by. They had brought the bulk of their fighting men south with Robb, leaving their castles and holdfasts nearly defenseless. If the Ironborn came for their homes next, all would be lost.
Many cast sympathetic glances at Robert Glover, the heir to Deepwood Motte. His brother, Galbart, was stationed at the Neck; the news that his home had been taken would surely drive him mad with grief and rage.
Robb understood the situation perfectly. His men were exhausted, and his lords were terrified for their own domains. The will to fight had evaporated. With a heavy heart, he gave the order to withdraw. They would march back to the North to deal with the Ironborn pirates.
During the war council, Robb said little about Theon Greyjoy's betrayal. He needed to maintain his authority as the King in the North and couldn't afford to show weakness or admit to such a colossal error in judgment. The other lords knew the truth—that Robb himself had allowed Theon to return to the Iron Islands—but they held their tongues. Theon's treachery was Robb's failure.
They were all grateful that Jason, the Lord of Starfire City, had been a guest at Winterfell. His presence had saved the Stark family and the castle itself from falling into Theon's hands.
In private, however, Robb was consumed by a cold fury. To be betrayed by someone he had trusted completely, someone he had loved as a brother, was a wound deeper than any sword could inflict. Yet, he knew that at least half the blame was his own. He had made the decision, and he had to live with it. To protect the authority he had fought so hard to build, he kept his pain and his guilt hidden.
Returning with Robb's army was a beautiful young woman he had met in the Westerlands named Jeyne Westerling. She had captivated the young king, and for the first time, Robb was lost in the sweetness of love. The Northern lords paid her little mind; it was common for men, especially a young king fresh off a victory, to take a lover.
But when the army returned to Riverrun, Robb learned that Jeyne was pregnant. Overjoyed, his love for her deepened. Unwilling to let his child be born a bastard, Robb made a fateful announcement: he would marry Jeyne Westerling.
The news sent shockwaves through the Northern camp. His lords were horrified, many of them pleading with him to reconsider. He was already betrothed; he had a sacred marriage pact with the House of Frey. To break it now would be a grave insult to a powerful and necessary ally.
But Robb possessed the same stubborn honor as his father, Eddard. That, combined with the arrogance of a young man who had never lost a battle, made him deaf to their counsel. Even his uncle, Edmure Tully, could not sway him.
The Freys who had marched with Robb's army confronted him, demanding to know if he truly intended to break the marriage contract. Though he felt a pang of guilt, the thought of his beautiful Jeyne and their unborn child solidified his resolve. He would break the pact with the Freys and marry the woman he loved.
Enraged, the Frey contingent immediately abandoned his army and returned to the Twins.
When the news reached Lord Walder Frey, he flew into a rage and ordered the gates of the Twins barred to all Northern traffic.
In Winterfell, Lady Catelyn was aghast when she learned what her son had done. For a woman, he had broken a sacred vow, a promise she herself had brokered. It was a humiliation of House Frey, effectively pushing a powerful ally into the arms of their enemies. The Lannisters were the true foe, and the war was far from over. To create a new enemy out of an old friend was the height of folly.
Catelyn was furious at Robb's recklessness and at the Westerlands girl who had bewitched him. "I cannot let this happen," she declared. "As King in the North, his word must be his bond. This will poison his relationship with all his vassals."
Knowing the danger, Catelyn resolved to act. She asked Maester Luwin to assist Bran with the management of Winterfell, took a dozen guards, and set out at once for the Twins to plead with the Freys. From there, she would find Robb and demand he give up this disastrous marriage.
While Catelyn rode forth in desperation, Tywin Lannister, upon hearing the news, was overjoyed. Robb's youthful folly had given him the perfect weapon. He immediately sent a secret letter to Lord Walder Frey. In it, he made an offer: help him kill Robb Stark, and in return, Tywin would make House Frey the new lords of the entire Riverlands.
Lord Walder, still stinging from the insult delivered by the "yellow-haired boy," considered the offer and agreed. The two cunning lords began to plot Robb Stark's destruction.
Tywin's plan extended further north. He set his sights on House Bolton, the second most powerful family in the North. Millennia ago, the Boltons had been kings themselves before being defeated and subjugated by the Starks. Their ambition had never truly died.
Tywin sent a secret envoy to the camp of Roose Bolton, promising him the entirety of the North if he helped orchestrate Robb's demise.
Roose had once been impressed by Robb's military genius. But for the young king to cast aside a crucial alliance for a girl from a minor house was an act of sheer stupidity. Such a foolish boy was not worthy of ruling the North. Perhaps, Roose thought, this was the opportunity his own house had been waiting for centuries to seize.
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