Riverrun is situated at the confluence of the Red Fork and the Tumblestone rivers.
With the Kingsroad running right through it, it is the strategic hub of the entire Riverlands.
Whoever controls Riverrun controls most of the Riverlands.
The castle boasts high white walls and blue spires.
The two rivers to its north and south teem with trout, which is why the trout became the sigil of House Tully.
But this city had recently experienced great joy and great sorrow in short order.
The joy was that the grandson of the castle's lord, Robb Stark, had led an army to liberate Riverrun from the Lannister siege.
Furthermore, Jaime Lannister, son of Lord Tywin, had been captured.
It was an undeniable, glorious victory.
The sorrow was that Robb had lost his father forever.
And the Northern lords had lost their Lord of Winterfell.
Inside the Great Hall of Riverrun, a debate about allegiance was unfolding.
With Ned dead, King Robert's brothers had each declared themselves king.
Both demanded the fealty of the North and the Riverlands.
Catelyn Tully favored siding with the seemingly stronger contender: Renly Baratheon, Robert's youngest brother.
Renly was Lord of Storm's End and had served as Master of Laws, holding significant power.
Now, he had also allied with the wealthy and powerful Highgarden.
He seemed poised to take the throne.
Allying with Renly would also give Catelyn a better chance of rescuing her two daughters trapped in enemy hands.
"Highgarden has already mobilized, and Storm's End goes without saying. If we join Renly, Lady Lysa won't hesitate either. Six of the seven kingdoms would support him," a shrewd knight argued. "Before long, we'll have the Queen Regent, the Boy King, Lord Tywin, the Imp, and all the Lannisters in one fell swoop! Less than a year, my lords! We just need to join King Renly!"
Catelyn looked at him with hope in her eyes.
Stevron Frey, Catelyn noted.
She had never found a Frey so agreeable until now.
However, her hopes were dashed by her own son.
Robb, seated high at the head of the hall, spoke slowly:
"Renly cannot be king. By law, Stannis is the true king! Just as Bran and Rickon cannot inherit Winterfell before me."
Since his great victory, Robb no longer needed political maneuvering to cement his authority.
As a military commander, victory was the ultimate authority.
When he spoke now, he truly embodied the Lord of Winterfell—or more accurately, his father.
But adhering to "Ned-style" honor and stubbornness now would cost them a powerful ally and turn him into an enemy.
It was a hard road, one Catelyn did not wish to walk.
Yet, asking the North and Riverlands to bow to Stannis was a tough sell.
"Or we could wait and see. Let the two kings fight it out, and then decide? Of course, I imagine Lord Tywin would be willing to pay a hefty ransom for peace," Stevron suggested again.
Predictably, his words drew immediate fire. "That is cowardice!"
The Greatjon roared, his voice drowning out Stevron's suggestion.
"Begging for peace is weakness!" Maege Mormont of Bear Island added.
"Fuck peace talks!" Rickard Karstark reacted even more violently; two of his sons had been killed by Jaime on the battlefield.
"No peace!" declared a Riverlands noble.
"Why not?" Catelyn asked, her voice pleading.
In her view, no amount of victory would bring Ned back.
But clearly, the Northern and River lords disagreed.
The Lannisters had gone too far—raping, pillaging, and conquering across the Riverlands.
Until they reclaimed their lost lands, the River lords would never agree to peace talks.
And the Northern lords, having marched so far, demanded tangible gains—greater power, more prestige. They wouldn't settle for anything less.
"Peace talks are fine, but we won't accept a superficial peace," said Catelyn's uncle, Brynden Tully.
Years ago, Brynden had refused a marriage arranged by his family and left Riverrun, calling himself the "Blackfish."
His words reignited Catelyn's hope.
With Renly, she could save her daughters sooner. With peace talks, she could save them immediately. Both were acceptable to her.
"If we sheath our swords now only to prepare for another war soon after, what is the point of peace?"
So we still have to fight. Catelyn lamented inwardly, slumping back into her chair.
Brynden's stance won over most of the room.
"No easy peace!"
Amidst the clamor, a surprisingly childish voice piped up.
Catelyn looked towards the sound and saw a boy not yet ten years old.
House Darry, she realized.
Not long ago, Lord Raymun Darry—the boy's father—had been killed by The Mountain.
Catelyn looked at Robb, but he seemed undecided.
Her son was the commander of the army now; his word was law. Even as his mother, she couldn't interfere.
Suddenly, a massive figure leaped forward and shouted, "My lords, hear me out!"
It was the Greatjon, looking fierce and imposing.
"Stannis! Renly? Pah!" The Greatjon spat on the floor. "Highgarden, Storm's End, Lannister—it's all horse shit! What do they know of the Wolfswood or the Wall? What do they know of the Old Gods? Let them fight however they want, I don't care. But I say, we can rule ourselves!"
He drew his greatsword and pointed it at Robb.
"If I must choose a king, then him! Robb Stark is my King!"
The Greatjon's declaration stunned the room.
Even Robb couldn't hide his surprise and excitement.
The Greatjon threw his massive, ugly sword to the ground with a clang.
"Long live the King of Winter!"
The heavy thud of the sword on the stone floor crushed Catelyn's last hope.
After a moment of commotion, someone said, "If that's the case, then aye." It was Rickard Karstark.
"Long live the King in the North!"
Maege Mormont stepped forward.
Just as she was about to follow the Greatjon's lead and lay her weapon before Robb in submission, a thunderous shout came from the hall entrance.
"STOP!!!"
Everyone turned in annoyance to see a familiar figure standing at the door.
It was Eddard Stark's bastard, Jon Snow.
The attitude of the Northern lords toward Jon had shifted drastically over the past few months.
At first, they saw him merely as a dutiful son wanting to save his father. Mostly goodwill.
Then, he helped Robb enforce discipline and displayed formidable martial skill. That earned their respect.
Later, when they learned the details of the Battle of the Green Fork, curiosity took hold.
Turning a certain defeat into a victory showed a strategic mind that was likely top-tier in all the Seven Kingdoms.
When Westerosi lords chose heirs, martial prowess was a crucial factor.
One must be strong!
Many lords pulled their hair out over unworthy heirs.
Yet Ned had two!
And both were top-tier!
This made many people incredibly envious.
But now, just when they had found a direction everyone could agree on, he jumped out to stop it. They couldn't understand why.
Robb, seated at the highest point, saw Jon first.
His bastard brother had performed well at the Green Fork.
But seeing his moment of crowning glory interrupted still stung a little.
The Greatjon, still kneeling on one knee, was left hanging. Seeing the attention shift and his built-up emotion finding no release, he was extremely displeased.
He turned and growled in his gruff voice:
"Jon Snow, we Northerners are about to rule ourselves. What's your problem?!"
Jon didn't answer. He walked into the hall, observing everyone out of the corner of his eye, until he stood before Robb.
"I believe we should recognize Stannis's claim. He is the rightful king."
Jon looked into Robb's eyes. If Robb showed greed for the crown, Jon would immediately initiate his "Plan B"—switching employers.
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Author's Note:
To help everyone understand, let me clarify two key future battles in the War of the Five Kings for context.
First: The Battle of the Fords (Red Fork).
In the original story, Robb invades the Westerlands, prompting Tywin to march back to defend his home.
Robb orders his uncle Edmure to hold Riverrun. He expects Edmure to fail or simply hold, allowing Tywin to pass and fall into Robb's trap in the West.
If successful, Tywin would be surrounded and destroyed.
If that worked, the Starks would not only unite with the Riverlands to dominate the North but also carve out the Westerlands to deter Highgarden.
Unexpectedly, Edmure actually repelled Tywin at the Fords. (Though it's also possible Tywin realized the real threat was King's Landing and withdrew, sacrificing the Westerlands temporarily).
This allowed the "Lion-Rose Alliance" (Lannister and Highgarden) to form.
The next decisive battle is the "Battle of the Blackwater."
Stannis's fleet is destroyed by Tyrion's wildfire.
Although he nearly takes the city, Tywin and the Highgarden army arrive just in time, forcing him to retreat.
With the Lion-Rose Alliance fielding 100,000 men and Robb having at most 30,000 (plus his home being sacked by Ironborn), the momentum is lost.
Add Roose Bolton's betrayal and the Red Wedding, and the North is crushed and leaderless.
The protagonist's motivation for supporting Stannis is this:
If Robb supports Stannis, they can negotiate a semi-autonomous status ("Listen to orders but not propaganda").
Jon can then help Robb execute his plan to ambush Tywin.
As Robb's most trusted and capable brother, Jon would be sent to the Westerlands.
There, he can build his own power base using the Westerlands' resources.
This is the most efficient path, avoiding a direct confrontation with Roose Bolton for now.
With Tywin dead, the Lion-Rose Alliance might crumble, allowing Stannis to take King's Landing.
Stannis can deal with Highgarden however he wants; the Stark North remains secure.
Stannis would have no reason to attack the North.
If Stannis loses, Jon can bring him to the North.
Find a way to remove Stannis later, and install his daughter Shireen as Queen.
Control the puppet queen to command the lords, creating a North-South standoff.
Highgarden has numbers, but with Dorne to their south, they wouldn't dare commit everything to fight the North.
Even in a stalemate, the Wall would get support from at least half the Seven Kingdoms.
But if Robb declares himself King:
Jon can still help ambush Tywin, but they lose the moral high ground and legitimacy.
Whether Stannis wins or loses, the Iron Throne will eventually war with the Starks. (If Stannis wins, he fights the Starks; if he loses, Joffrey and Highgarden fight the Starks. If Robb doesn't declare King, and Stannis wins, no war. If Robb declares King, war is inevitable).
This contradicts the protagonist's goal of ending the war quickly to save the world.
If Jon plans to switch to Stannis, he must help him win the Battle of the Blackwater (he must win, or the story can't proceed).
After winning, Jon can act as a buffer between the Iron Throne and the North, playing both sides.
If Stannis wins, Tywin is trapped (Stannis in King's Landing, Robb in the West) and will eventually be destroyed in the Riverlands.
Highgarden might even turn on Tywin to make up for picking the wrong side.
And so, the Westerlands becomes...
Okay, no more spoilers.
Although the protagonist has Targaryen blood, at this point, no one but Howland Reed would believe it.
He has to climb, step by step, as a bastard. He has to become... uh, wrong channel.
Jon has followers now, but they are a hodgepodge of veterans and temporary troops.
He needs to become a regional warlord and cultivate his own strength.
Anyway, that's the direction of the story.
To the readers willing to stick with me, I will do my best to polish the story.
To those who think this direction is wrong...
I'd hate to see you go. Give this humble author a chance; maybe the future twists will interest you?
I've only given a general direction here; the logical details will unfold in the story.
If you have questions, please keep reading!
Respectfully, The Little Guard with Fat.