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[The crowd applauds. RENLY gives BRIENNE a small wink. LORAS continues to stare at RENLY, clearly irritated. BRIENNE stands as SER COLEN makes his way across the sand towards where RENLY is seated. CATELYN follows.]
"Your Grace, I have the honour to bring you Lady Catelyn Stark, sent as an envoy by her son Robb, Lord of Winterfell."
"Lord, still? Is he not King now?" Jon asked with a small smirk. Which grew when Robb punched him in the shoulder.
"Lord of Winterfell and King in the North."
"Lady Catelyn. I'm pleased to see you. May I present my wife, Margaery of House Tyrell?"
"You are very welcome here, Lady Stark. I'm so sorry for your loss."
"You are most kind."
"My lady, I swear to you I will see the Lannisters answer for your husband's murder. When I take King's Landing, I'll bring you Joffrey's head."
[The crowd roars and LORAS glances around, ill at ease. CATELYN closes her eyes as she takes a breath before continuing.]
"Heh," Robert clicked his tongue, "good luck giving them that now, brother."
Renly looked just as ill at ease as his future self did.
"Has your son marched against Tywin Lannister yet?"
"I do not sit on my son's war councils. And if I did, I would not share his strategies with you."
"Your mother doesn't sound too happy about that" Jon whispered to Robb.
Robb leaned back to look at his mother, who looked quite the usual.
"Maybe she's not" Robb shrugged.
"If Robb Stark wants a pact with us, he should come himself, not hide behind his mother's skirts."
"Knights these days, all talk and no thought. Who did he squire for that he doesn't know something as simple as not sharing vital information?" Robert grunted.
Renly flustered beside him.
"My son is fighting a war, not playing at one."
Many in the room whistled in appreciation. Olenna Tyrell was giving the Stark matriarch an appraising look. Perhaps she had more fire in her than she gave credit for.
[RENLY chuckles and stands. He leaves the dais and walks over to CATELYN.]
"Don't worry, my lady. Our war is just beginning."
[RENLY and CATELYN leave. MARGAERY watches, annoyed.]
Olenna clicked her tongue and gave her granddaughter a look.
"I know, grandmother" the Lady sighed.
[IRON ISLANDS, THRONE ROOM]
"The plans are made. It's time you heard them."
[They look over a map of Westeros.]
The mood in the room plummeted and Robb threw a betrayed look over to Theon.
The Greyjoy boy did not dare to meet his eyes.
"The wolf pup has gone south with the entirety of the Northern army at his back. While he's tangling with the lion in the Westerlands, the North is ripe for the taking. The Ironborn will reave and pillage, as it was in the old days, all along the northern coast. We'll spread our dominion across the green lands, securing the Neck and everything above. Every stronghold will yield to us, one by one. Winterfell may defy us for a year, but what of it? The rest shall be ours, forest, field, and hall."
"Balon Greyjoy has to be the dumbest Lord I've had the displeasure of hearing," Oberyn said with a laugh, to the displeasure of Theon and Yara. "You have the rich Westerlands right there for the taking with most of its men too caught up in a war, but you choose instead the barren North? I am sorry Lord Stark but given the choice the Westerlands is a much better place to loot, plunder and conquer than the North."
"My father is still sour about the last rebellion and me being taken as ward" Theon tried to defend his father, only to be glared at by every Stark and the King present in the room. Even Robb was looking at him with anger and betrayal.
"Then your father is dumber than I assumed him to be" Oberyn snapped. "Petty personal vendetta over profit, he is unfit to be called a Lord!"
Theon stood up in outrage.
"Take it back!"
Oberyn sat in his seat and watched with cool amusement.
"No."
Yara stopped her brother before he did something stupid, pulling him back down.
"He's bad-mouthing Father!"
"And? Do you think you would stand a chance if fighting was allowed here?" Yara asked
"No, but since we can't fight, I can say whatever I want" Theon retorted
"You're as much an idiot as Father if that's your reasoning." Yara said
Theon looked outraged once more.
"He is our father!" Theon said
"And he's making a stupid choice. What of it?" Yara sirf
"You seem to be okay with it up there" he motioned to the wall.
"Because I know if I complain, he'll set me aside and do even stupider things! You haven't known him like I have, brother. Our Father has more pride than he has a mind. Unless you wish to follow his footsteps, I suggest you keep shut and hold your seat."
Theon scowled at his sister but held his tongue.
For now.
[THEON looks at his father and BALON meets his eyes, holding his gaze for a moment before continuing.]
"Yara, my daughter, you'll take thirty longships to attack Deepwood Motte."
"I've always wanted a castle."
"And what's my role in all this?"
"TRAITOR!" Arya shouted.
"That is my father-"
"Who doesn't give a rat's ass about you" Robb snarled. "Look at how he treats you! Unlike us who accepted you into our house, invited you to eat with us, play and fight with us!"
"I was a prisoner!" Theon hissed out. "I had no choice in the matter! I was abducted from my family and brought to the North!"
"And who's fault was that?" Robert stated, oddly calm, which made Theon shiver. "If not for Ned Stark you'd be either dead or wiping the decks at Castle Black. You should be kissing his feet and thanking him for giving you a future."
Theon turned startled eyes to Ned, who was looking at him with disappointment.
"We do not harm others for the things they have yet to do" Ned said calmly and Theon felt slightly calmed, "but it is clear where your loyalties lie. We'll deal with you once this is over."
Theon's heart raced frantically. He turned to his sister for support, but she did not look remotely interested in doing so.
"I told you to keep shut, little brother" she ground out with a shrug.
Theon leaned back and let his situation sink in. He was fucked.
"You'll take a ship to raid the fishing villages on the Stoney Shore."
Robb snorted disdainfully.
"That is the father you chose over the one that cared for you like one."
Theon remained silent.
"A ship? You give her thirty and I get one?"
"The Sea Bitch. We thought she'd be perfect for you."
[THEON moves to the other side of the table to stand closer to BALON.]
"Father, I fought with Robb Stark. I know his men. He won't give up the North so easily."
"They won't even know we're there until it's too late."
"What do you know of it, woman? I'm a proven warrior."
"Funny you should say that, brother. How many men have you killed till now?" Yara crooned, "Because I can assure you, my swords and axes have tasted more blood than any cloth has between my legs."
Theon grits his teeth but remains silent. He has had no kills to boast of, none yet anyway.
"Your brothers were warriors, both of them dead at the hands of those you seem so eager to protect."
"I'm not protecting anyone. I just wonder if it's not wiser to wait. Why risk going against the North if they would be our allies? Rise against them and they could destroy us. But if we pledge fealty to them, they'll give us Casterly Rock."
"Oh Theon" Yara shook her head, "you never learn do you."
"I-" Theon swallowed. Even he saw the mistake he made. Give them Casterly Rock, how foolish was he being?
"What are our words? Our words?"
"We do not sow."
"We do not sow. We are Ironborn. We're not subjects. We're not slaves. We do not plough the fields or toil in the mine. We take what is ours. Your time with the wolves has made you weak."
"You act as if I volunteered to go. You gave me away if you remember. The day you bent the knee to Robert Baratheon. After he crushed you. Did you take what was yours then?"
Robert smirked at the words. The kid didn't have a filter to save his life.
[BALON backhands THEON, who falls back. BALON starts to exit the room.]
"You gave me away!"
[BALON stops.]
"Your boy! Your last boy! You gave me away like I was some dog you didn't want anymore. And now you curse me because I've come home."
Yara grew slightly soft.
"It wasn't on him, to send you away or not. He rebelled, he lost, he had to pay the price" Yara said softly.
"Yeah well, he doesn't seem to understand that, does he" Theon muttered.
Yara pursed her lips and patted Theon on the shoulder.