𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 | Attacks

{ Eliza }

✧✦✧

"𝕴 do no wish to hear it." Robb seemed stressed, his arms resting atop the table as he stared down at the large map beneath him. Eliza hummed, entering his Small Council tent anyway and staring down at the map.

"Torrhen's Square was attacked." Eliza stated, as her husband looked up at her, eyes narrowed.

"You were right, is that what you wish to hear?"

"No, for I wish I was not." Eliza sighed. "Robb, please. Will you now listen to my suggestion?"

"Eliza, I have just found out that my brother has gone back to a house that has betrayed me, attacked Torrhen's Square and I am too far South to send help." Robb snapped, before slumping into a chair. Eliza paused, before finally sitting next to him. "I am only ten and eight, I do not know what to do."

Tentatively, Eliza reached her hand out, squeezing his as the pair sat in silence for a moment.

"That is why you have me, and other more knowledgeable advisors." Eliza murmured. "We can help, but you have to let us."

"How do I know if I can trust any of them? My brother has, most likely, betrayed me. What do I know that they will not do the same."

"Me and Anceron will not. We're family." Eliza pointed out. "The other lords are all indebted to your father. Northern houses are loyal to a fault, we will not betray that trust."

"Theon was a Northern house."

"He was a Greyjoy." Eliza replied, before sighing. They could bicker about this later. "He is misguided. I do not think he knows who he is at this moment, whether to be loyal to your or to his true birth father."

Robb said nothing, before Eliza broached the other topic of news that she had just heard.

"There is another thing. Renly has been killed."

"What?" Her husband turned to look at her with sharp eyes, his face concerned. "How?"

"They do not know. Some say it was his guard who killed him, others believe that it was witchcraft sent by Stannis Baratheon." Eliza shrugged. "Anceron learned of this and told me. I believe he knew that I would see you before he did."

"That changes things."

"Does it truly?"

"There is one more king out of this war. His allies will turn elsewhere, his soldiers will disband."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It depends." Robb hummed, looking down at the map as he thought. "It depends where they are distributed, who's forced they join. I will have to speak with the Small Council."

"Do you want me to ask my brother to round up the other lords?" Eliza questioned, before noting that there was still a pressure in her hand. Robb squeezed her hand once more before he stood.

"No, it is alright. I wish to speak with your brother first about where he learnt this news, then tonight, the council and I shall talk." Robb stopped by her side, finally noting that their hands were still entwined. "I am sorry for snapping at you."

"It is alright." Eliza nodded. "I know that this must be difficult for you."

"Yes, but I should not have snapped. I am sorry." Robb leant, pressing a swift kiss to her cheek. "You will be at the meeting tonight?"

"If you wish for me to be."

"Aye, I do." Robb nodded. "You have the best mind for strategy of all the lords."

"That is because I think before I speak." Eliza joked, before squeezing his hand one final time and watching as her husband left. Greywind slunk into the tent, finding Eliza and curling into her side as she hummed. "I do believe that your master and I might finally be seeing eye to eye."

The wolf snuffled for a moment, before pushing his head into her lap so that she could make a fuss of him.

"You are still my favourite wolf, Greywind, of that there is no doubt."

✧✦✧

"Your Grace." Eliza looked up at the title, still not used to it. Her horse whickered gently, and Eliza placed it's foot down as she twisted. "I see you are well."

"Lady Catelyn." Eliza bowed her head at the sight of the auburn haired woman. "We had not thought to see you so soon. I am glad that you are well." 

Her horse snorted, shoving the young queen as the woman tried to talk.

"I travelled back as quickly as I could after..."

"Renly's death." Eliza cut her off, before wincing internally as she realised what she had done. "We know. We heard the news the day before last, and have been trying to think on what to do ever since. Robb, my...your son, believes that we should try to rally some on Renly's troops, draw them to our cause."

She had almost called Robb her husband. Despite having called him this multiple times before, it now felt different. Something had shifted between them, especially since the Whispering Wood, and now Eliza did not know quite how to feel.

"And what do you think?" Lady Catelyn watched the girl, who stepped away from her horse and the remainder of the Bare cavalry.

"That we should not interfere that far down South as of this moment." Eliza tilted her head, though her voice remained soft. "We still have much ground to cover, and it would serve us better to focus on our own soldiers from the North and the Riverlands, than spread our forces too thin."

"You've been learning." Catelyn stated. 

"I was always quick at that." Eliza finally took note of the tall woman in armour that stood behind Lady Catelyn.  "May I ask who else you have brought to camp?"

"This is Brienne of Tarth." Lady Catelyn explained.

"Your Grace." The woman was tall, and her armour and sword were muddied, which was always the sign of a good knight, who had fought well. "I have heard good things from the Lady Catelyn."

"That is truly kind of her, my Lady." Eliza smiled quickly. "On behalf of the king, I welcome you to camp."

"Yes, where is my son?"

"He is in the infirmary, speaking with the wounded. I think he hopes to keep their morale boosted." Eliza muttered to herself, before nodding back at her mother-by-law. "Come, the layout of camp has changed since you were last here. Let me show you."

"I could not draw you away from your own work."

"My horse was being needy, that is all. The farrier feared he had thrown a shoe, but he had not." Eliza shot her horse a fond look, before leading Lady Catelyn through the maze of tents. Soldiers bowed their head at the king's mother and the queen, and Eliza still shivered with the uncomfortableness that it caused. "Here."

They entered the infirmary tents, which was somewhat filled with soldiers. He was standing at the far end, speaking with someone, and Eliza's eyes narrowed as she saw that it was the nurse from the battlefield. Talisa, her name was.

"Robb."

The man twisted, smiling at the sight of his mother as he hurried to embrace her. 

"Mother."

Eliza's eyes narrowed, still watching the nurse who was staring at her husband's back, before a hand found hers and Robb was by her side.

"Eliza." She smiled gently, pressing a swift kiss to his cheek as he squeezed her hand. When she turned once more, Talisa was gone once more, and that filled Eliza with some joy. "I thought your horse had thrown a shoe."

"No, he was just being dramatic, thankfully." Eliza mumbled, growing quieter the more she talked about her horse. Robb seemed to notice, drawing the conversation away from her as the girl tried not to think too hard on why Robb was talking to the nurse. 

"Your Grace, Your Grace." Roose Bolton's voice had the girl shrinking further in on herself, still not trusting the man in the slightest. "My Lady. News from Winterfell."

He held out a scroll, allowing Robb to take it. The man was quick to read through it, his entire demeanour shifting as he handed it to Eliza, despite his mother holding her hand out for it.

"I want a meeting of the Small Council." Robb demanded, as Eliza's eyes went wide. She passed the letter to Catelyn, before Robb turned to her. "Find Anceron."

"Of course." 

✧✦✧

The tent was filled with lords once more, all talking between themselves about what they knew to be true and what was not. Anceron sat to Eliza's left, thinking to himself as the woman merely watched. Greywind had curled around her feet, his chin resting on her thigh as she scratched behind his ear.

"The Greyjoys are treasonous whores!" One of the lords called out. "We should put them to the torch."

"My brothers?" Robb twisted, his eyes narrowed as Eliza's heart faltered at the thought of Bran and Rickon. They were mere children, the same age was her own little brother, and Theon had betrayed them so deeply.

"We've heard nothing of them. But Rodrick Cassel is dead." Anceron spoke up, his eyes narrowed. "That much is fact."

"I told you, never trust a Greyjoy!" Lady Catelyn had not stopped pacing since this meeting had started and it was putting Eliza on edge. Everyone was too loud and she wished to think.

"I must go north at once." Robb shook his head. "We must return to Winterfell, to aid my brothers."

"There's still a war to win, Your Grace." There were various statements similar to that one being thrown around, as Eliza felt a headache coming on. She rubbed at her temple still trying to think. It was too loud.

"How can I call myself king if I can't hold my own castle? How can I ask men to follow me if I can't-"

"You are a king." Greatjon Umber thundered. "And that means you don't have to do everything yourself."

"Let me go and talk to Theon."

"There should be no talk. He should die for this." Roose replied, before a hand touched her own. Eliza paused, as suddenly everything went silent. Robb was watching her, his eyebrow cocked.

"What do you think?" Eliza's eyes narrowed as the lords went quiet, waiting to hear what the queen had to say. "Do we go north, or do we continue on our path?"

"The choice is c-"

"I asked my wife." Robb twisted, glaring at anyone who dared to interrupt. "Let her speak."

"Send Perseus, and Cayden." Eliza spoke softly. "They are still north, with the Bare guards at Faymont. It will take them a while to get to Winterfell, but Theon is not stupid enough to kill the crown princes of the North. It would be suicide, and quite frankly, I do believe that he would be able to kill children."

"Your Grace, Theon is blinded by rage." Lord Glover turned to the woman. "He might not wait. He may wish to cause the most pain to the king that he can."

"He has a crew with him, does he not?" Eliza looked between her brother and Roose Bolton. They pulled faces of agreement. "Aye, a skeleton crew, but still a crew. I will guarantee that there will be someone more knowledgeable with him, someone who understands battle. They will know that it is better to use the boys as a bargaining tool, to keep them alive and trade for peace. They must know that there is no way out should an army barricade them in. My brother will have enough for an army, and a cavalry force will be able to run them down should they attempt to escape. They, they will be able to deliver Theon to us easily."

Robb smiled.

"My wife speaks sense." He turned to the other lords, who were nodding in agreement. Eliza let out a sigh of relief, releasing her grip on her brother's hand as he patted it gently. "A message shall be drafted to Perseus, to tell him that Bran and Rickon's safety is paramount but the rest of the Greyjoy invaders should be put to the torch. Theon Greyjoy shall be brought back to me so that I may learn why, and then I shall behead him myself."

"Your Grace, may I suggest that my own bastard at Dreadfort." Roose spoke up. "He can raise infantry to help the Bare cavalry remaining at Faymont. He could be of use to keep the Greyjoy force trapped inside of Winterfell until Lord Perseus arrives."

"It is a plan. Let word be sent immediately." Robb commanded, as the tent became loud once more. 

Hiya,

Eliza is such a sweetheart, and I love her dearly. She hates speaking in front of people, but is also getting used to the idea that Robb is her husband. Also, wouldn't be surprised if she finally starts being spiteful towards Talisa, which we love to see.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx