Deep in the North, Winterfell slept beneath another night of falling snow.
The ancient castle stood silent and solemn beneath the dark sky, its stone walls wrapped in frost while cold winds swept across the battlements. Snowflakes drifted quietly through the air, coating the courtyards and rooftops in pale white.
Maester Luwin hurried through the castle grounds with a torch in hand.
The elderly maester was thin and slightly stooped with age, his gray hair and tired eyes reflecting years of service to House Stark. Though old, he moved with remarkable urgency tonight.
The snow gathered upon his shoulders and robes, yet he paid it no attention.
He crossed beneath the shadow of the library tower, passed the training yard, and quickly approached the main keep of Winterfell.
The guards stationed outside immediately noticed him.
Before they could even ask questions, Maester Luwin spoke first.
"I need to see young master Robb immediately."
The guard blinked in surprise.
"At this hour? Young master Robb retired some time ago—"
"I just received a letter from Lord Stark in King's Landing," Luwin interrupted anxiously. "The contents are extremely important. I must inform Robb at once."
Without waiting for permission, the old maester pushed past the guards and entered the keep.
Hearing that the matter involved Eddard Stark himself, the guards did not stop him.
One of them quickly grabbed a torch from the wall.
"I'll go inform him first!"
The young guard immediately ran ahead, climbing the winding stone stairs toward Robb Stark's chambers.
Reaching the door, he knocked heavily.
"Young master Robb! Young master Robb! Maester Luwin has urgent news from King's Landing!"
Inside the dim chamber, only faint moonlight shone through the narrow windows.
Grey Wind had already awakened the moment footsteps approached.
The massive direwolf rose from the bearskin rug near Robb's bed, ears raised high and golden eyes fixed on the door.
Then the wolf barked loudly.
"Woof! Woof!"
The barking instantly dragged Robb Stark from sleep.
He opened his eyes abruptly, still groggy from exhaustion.
"Grey Wind? What's wrong?"
Then he heard the urgent knocking outside.
As soon as Robb stirred awake, Grey Wind stopped barking and leaped down from the rug.
Outside, the guard heard movement within the room and shouted again.
"Young master Robb! Maester Luwin is here! He says there's an urgent letter from Lord Stark in King's Landing!"
"Maester Luwin? King's Landing? Father?"
Those words immediately cleared Robb's remaining drowsiness.
Without hesitation, he threw aside his blanket and climbed out of bed bare-chested.
Though Winterfell was cold, Robb Stark carried the blood of the North in his veins. Like his father, he cared little for icy air.
Besides, winter was approaching quickly, and supplies needed to be conserved. There was no fire burning in his room tonight.
Using only the pale moonlight to guide him, Robb strode toward the heavy oak door and pulled it open.
"What happened?"
Torchlight from the hallway illuminated his face.
At that moment, Maester Luwin finally caught up, breathing heavily from the climb.
"Young master," he said urgently, "a letter from your father has arrived."
Robb's expression immediately tightened.
"What does Father say?"
He had rarely seen such anxiety on Maester Luwin's face before.
Ever since Eddard Stark traveled south with King Robert, Robb had effectively become acting lord of Winterfell.
For more than half a year, he had managed the castle and much of the North's affairs himself.
The burden had been enormous.
After the recent war and the suppression of the Lannister rebellion, the North had only just begun recovering. Armies had returned home, lands were rebuilding, and every noble house was already preparing for winter.
And winter, everyone feared, would be long.
The summer had lasted too many years.
In the North, that was never a good sign.
Meanwhile, Catelyn Stark had taken Bran, Rickon, and the others south to King's Landing, leaving Robb alone in Winterfell.
Because of that, Maester Luwin would never rush here in the middle of the night unless something truly serious had happened.
Robb's heart tightened immediately.
"Did something happen to my family?" he asked quickly. "Is it Bran?"
Ever since Bran's fall from the tower, Robb constantly worried about his younger brother.
"No, no—not Bran," Luwin replied quickly.
Finally catching his breath, the maester handed the letter over.
"It concerns King's Landing."
Robb quickly accepted the letter, but before he could open it, Luwin continued speaking.
"King Robert is dead."
Robb froze.
"The new king… King Karl Baratheon… was also assassinated shortly after ascending the throne."
"The letter suggests Tywin Lannister may be involved."
For several seconds, Robb simply stared blankly at Maester Luwin.
"…What?"
"King Robert is dead?"
"And the new king was assassinated too?"
Maester Luwin could only nod grimly.
"Yes."
"King Robert died during a hunt in the Kingswood."
"They say he was drunk when a wild boar mortally wounded him."
Robb looked utterly stunned.
A boar?
The mighty Robert Baratheon—slain by a hunting accident?
The words barely made sense together.
Cold wind swept through the corridor, causing Luwin to shiver slightly.
Robb finally recovered enough to step aside.
"Come inside first."
"Tell me everything."
Turning toward the guard, he ordered, "Light the candles."
The guard quickly entered the room and lit several candles one by one before retreating outside again.
Once the chamber brightened, Robb pulled on a heavy coat and began reading the letter carefully.
The deeper he read, the darker his expression became.
After a long silence, he lowered the parchment slowly.
"Father wants me to summon bannermen and investigate Castle Black…"
His voice was heavy.
"But the war only just ended."
The letter explained the situation in King's Landing in detail.
The bastard boy who once visited Winterfell with King Robert—the same young man who exposed the Lannisters, saved Bran, and changed the outcome of the war—had now become King Karl Baratheon.
Yet Robb barely had time to think about southern politics.
Because now responsibility had fallen upon him.
Maester Luwin waited patiently before asking,
"What are your thoughts, young master?"
Robb walked toward the window and looked out at the snow-covered darkness beyond Winterfell's walls.
"The threat must be investigated," he said quietly.
"If Father's suspicions are true, then we need to prepare before danger spreads."
"And this order comes not only from Father, but from the King as well."
Still, uncertainty filled his expression.
The North had only recently finished mobilizing for war.
The noble houses had barely returned home.
Winter preparations had already begun, and many regions lacked manpower and supplies.
As acting lord, Robb understood the situation better than anyone.
That was the problem.
This issue was neither small enough to ignore nor large enough to justify fully mobilizing the North again.
After several moments of thought, Robb finally turned back toward Luwin.
"First, send a raven to Castle Black."
"I want confirmation regarding Tywin Lannister and the current situation there."
Maester Luwin nodded, though he quickly added a warning.
"Young master Robb, if Castle Black has truly fallen under hostile influence, then any reply we receive may be false."
Robb smiled faintly.
"I know."
"That message is only meant to buy us time and cloud their judgment."
His eyes sharpened.
"I have no intention of blindly trusting ravens."
"What we truly need is independent confirmation."
Now Maester Luwin looked pleased.
"And how do you plan to achieve that?"
Robb answered immediately.
"I'll send word to House Umber at Last Hearth."
"They are closest to the Wall. Their men can move quickly and confirm the truth far faster than a raven."
"If there's truly danger at Castle Black, the Umbers will discover it first."
Hearing this response, Maester Luwin finally relaxed slightly.
Robb was thinking carefully.
He wasn't panicking or rushing blindly into action.
The old maester nodded approvingly.
"I pray Castle Black remains safe, and this entire matter proves to be nothing more than a misunderstanding."
Even now, Luwin still struggled to believe Tywin Lannister would truly attempt rebellion again.
The previous war had devastated House Lannister.
Tywin had surrendered only after realizing every path to victory was gone.
In exchange for preserving the Westerlands, House Lannister had lost nearly everything else.
Most of the men responsible for atrocities in the Riverlands had already been sent to the Night's Watch.
Tywin himself had eventually been exiled to Castle Black as well.
And the Wall was not a place where armies could easily rise again.
The Night's Watch lacked resources.
Food was scarce.
Weapons were limited.
Horses were precious.
The North itself had only barely managed to provide supplies for them after the war.
Even if Tywin somehow wished to rebel again, what army could he possibly build?
The frozen wilderness beyond the Wall was unforgiving.
Southern soldiers unfamiliar with northern winters would die long before they ever reached Winterfell.
No matter how clever Tywin Lannister was, surely even he understood that.
That was why Maester Luwin found the idea difficult to believe.
Still…
The deaths of two kings could not be ignored.
And if there truly was a conspiracy unfolding at Castle Black, then the North needed to act before it was too late.
Snow continued falling quietly outside the windows.
Inside the warm chamber, Robb Stark stood silently holding the letter from his father.
For the first time since becoming acting lord of Winterfell, he truly felt the weight of the North pressing onto his shoulders.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)