"House Frey. They're a tough nut to crack," said Great Lord Hoster. "And this time, they're late again."
Ser Edmure had already summoned his bannermen to defend Riverrun.
By rights, Lord Frey, as a vassal, should have marched to Riverrun with his troops long ago to join the Tully host. Instead, he stayed put, as if reenacting the Battle of the Trident.
Great Lord Hoster's distrust of the Freys was genuine. The Freys had always been on good terms with Casterly Rock, and one of Old Walder's sons had even married Tywin Lannister's sister. The real problem was simply that House Tully lacked the strength. Not every house had the Lannisters' foundations or Tywin's ruthlessness.
"The Freys swore fealty to you. Since they are refusing to obey their liege lord's command, that is rebellion," Gendry said.
In truth, House Tully had already managed a massive mobilization this time, because Tywin had gone too far. He had burned, killed, and pillaged across the land so coldly and brutally that the Lords of the Riverlands were now largely backing House Tully instead of remaining as scattered and divided as before.
"It is rebellion," Great Lord Hoster said with a nod.
The courtesies between a liege lord and his bannermen had always depended on who held the stronger hand. Old Frey's attitude was clearly one of mockery and defiance. He was making it obvious that he looked down on House Tully.
"But House Frey has already gathered quite a force and stationed it at the Crossings, and The Twins is a strong castle," Great Lord Hoster said worriedly.
"I naturally have a way to take The Twins."
"Good." He nodded. "In that case, let me be the villain this once. I've spent my whole life being a good man."
"I will declare the Freys rebels."
"I'll pull out this thorn as a gift." Gendry was very satisfied with Hoster's attitude.
The aged Hoster waved a hand. There was grief and pain in him, along with a trace of relief at having survived the worst. But right now, he had no choice but to give up on Lysa and move against the Freys.
"It is only because I am incompetent. I failed to see my own daughter clearly, and I cannot even manage my own vassals. My son does not seem all that promising either." Hoster's sigh was sincere. A house's survival depended on a worthy heir, and House Tully's three children were all something else. Catelyn, Lysa, and Edmure.
If only Edmure had some command ability and were not so hopeless, the Lords of the Riverlands would not be flocking to support the younger Young Wolf instead of their long-suffering uncle. The Riverlands were never a natural geographic unit. They had always been trampled by multiple great powers and had always bowed to the strong. The Stormlands, the Ironborn kingdom, the Dragonlord.
"Y-You mean to deal with The North?" he could not help asking.
"If Lady Catelyn and her heir Robb have a little sense, they will have no trouble passing through Twins. I bear them little ill will."
"I understand." Hoster immediately saw the point. Twins controlled the road along the Green Fork. If The North wanted to march south without taking The Kingsroad, they could only pass through Twins. Whether they meant to advance or retreat, they would have to deal with the lord of Twins. At bottom, it was simply a matter of offering loyalty as a gift.
"My men are also keeping watch on the situation in King's Landing and will do their best to rescue poor Lord Eddard."
"Good." He nodded. "I'll have the maester notify Catelyn shortly." Even if Catelyn and the northern army continued south, they would still need to speak with Gendry.
The situation was changing far too quickly. Gendry's army had already rescued Riverrun, and that achievement, along with the people's support, would naturally go to the rescuers. Power was power. Whoever saved Riverrun and had the strength to crush the Lannisters would be the leader.
"I have agreed to all of this. All of it," Great Lord Hoster said. "Now I wish to hear the King's promise."
Lord Hoster had been wisely cooperative with Gendry's will in both matters. The first was the issue of Lysa Tully. The second was the matter of House Frey at The Twins.
"I will protect House Tully and Riverrun. I promise you that," Gendry vowed.
"Some oaths rely on paper and ink. Others rely on the heart. I am old, and I believe I stand before a true king," said Great Lord Hoster.
"What about the Lord Paramount of the Trident," Great Lord Hoster said again, hope shining in his eyes.
"Each generation has its own fate. Winter is coming, and the situation will be far crueler than you imagine," Gendry said to Great Lord Hoster. "With the matter of Lysa Tully and the Riverlands' position, the title of Lord Paramount of the Trident will not be easy to hold onto. If the Lannisters win, let alone the Lord Paramount of the Trident, even Riverrun will not be spared."
"Well, well. Edmure has his limits. He was never cut out for war, though he can still manage as a lord." Hoster gave a bitter smile. "I plotted for so long, only to end up with nothing, right back where I started. Still, if I can see old Frey fall before I do, that damned weasel, then at least I will have won something."
"Is winter truly coming?"
"The height of summer has already lasted about ten years. Once winter arrives and the snow begins to fall, no one can survive alone."
"Survive. So long as we survive." Hoster muttered to himself, whether he meant himself or his house, no one could tell.
Gendry looked at Hoster. He did not want to deceive the old man. In the cruel long winter, the collapse of order would be nothing unusual. If events followed their natural course, House Tully would only end up worse off.
"I'll have Edmure come in first. He is already grown, but there are some things he may not be able to accept right away."
A moment later, Ser Edmure entered the tent and looked at his weary, withered father.
"Remember our house words. Family, duty, honor. Catelyn forgot duty. Lysa forgot honor. I hope you remember both," Great Lord Hoster said to Edmure.
"What brought this on?" Edmure asked, bewildered. He had House Tully's reddish-brown hair and a medium build. His beard had once made him look imposing, but now he seemed utterly bedraggled.
"Kneel, child, before your liege lord. Obey the king's command, submit to the king's will, and carry on our house," Great Lord Hoster said as he looked at Edmure, sudden light flaring in his eyes.
"Long live the heir, Gendry." Ser Edmure did not defy his father's will. He knelt and placed his sword at Gendry's feet.
Gendry helped Ser Edmure to his feet, this melancholy, sorrowful heir of House Tully.
"From now on, every word I say, you must remember," Great Lord Hoster said to Edmure.
"Your sister... Lysa. Because she is involved in certain vile matters concerning Lord Jon, I am severing ties with her. From this day on, she is no longer a member of House Tully." Hoster looked at Ser Edmure, his eyes seeming to spit fire.
"Father, what are you saying?" Edmure was stunned. Great Lord Hoster's very first words left his head buzzing.
"Certain vile matters. Must I really make it that plain? Lord Jon's death is inseparable from Lysa and Littlefinger."
"This..." Edmure's mouth fell open, his mind reeling. He might be ineffectual, but he was still a normal man. He knew quite a bit about that sister of his, but he had never imagined it was this terrible. It was not only a matter of offending the Vale, it had implicated House Tully as well.
Ser Edmure felt as if he had fallen from the joy of being rescued straight into an icy abyss.
Gendry looked at Ser Edmure, a lost fish, a lonely young man.
"Damn it all! Littlefinger should die! Lysa should die! I should die most of all! I am the Lord, and I am Lysa's father... but I can only abandon her. My time is short, child. From now on, House Tully will depend on you. Your ability is not quite enough, so you can only be loyal to your king and rely on your uncle, the Blackfish."
Edmure looked at his father with dry eyes. "I will remember those words. Family, duty, honor."
"I'm going to kill Littlefinger, for honor!" Ser Edmure cursed.
"If your sister Catelyn asks, I hope you will explain it to her."
Ser Edmure nodded with difficulty. "Understood."
"All right, enough of this. Let Lord Tytos come in."
Lord Tytos hurried into the tent. He saw Edmure, Great Lord Hoster, and Gendry.
"Prince Gendry, Great Lord Hoster, have you finished your discussion? We should summon the bannermen and take revenge," Tytos said. He assumed the two had been discussing the war toward Harrenhal. "I believe we should capitalize on the momentum from the Battle of the Whispering Wood and end the war as soon as possible. We need to march toward Harrenhal, and we also need to gather forces from the North or from across the Narrow Sea to swallow up Tywin."
Lord Tytos would not listen to any cautious proposal. Aside from his fiery temper, it was likely also because his own castle had been burned, leaving him in a towering rage.
"We did indeed discuss war," said Great Lord Hoster. "But not to the south. To the north."
"What?" Lord Tytos was greatly alarmed. "Tywin's forces are clearly south of Riverrun."
"Lord Tytos, our target is not Harrenhal, but the Twins. It was House Frey, the old Frey, who betrayed me. He never sent troops to support me. I remember every bit of it."
"But Lord Hoster, this is not the time for spite. Even if Lord Frey acted that way, he is still an old man. We finally have strong momentum on our side. We should summon the bannermen and strike south in one blow."
"This is not spite. This is betrayal, Lord Tytos," Gendry said. "Loyalty that is not absolute is contempt for one's liege lord. This is naked betrayal, a violation of the sacred oath sworn to one's liege lord."
"Yes..." Lord Tytos glanced at him and answered awkwardly. He understood the general idea. But Tytos did not dare contradict Gendry. Gendry seemed to carry a palpable current of authority and strength, and the aura of victory around him was enough to make a man feel suffocated. It was Gendry who had easily crushed the Kingslayer and lifted the siege of Riverrun. Without this fierce warrior, the Riverlands lords alone would seem all the more weak.
"This is not merely a fit of temper. It has strategic value as well. If the Freys refuse to obey us, then those four thousand soldiers could cut off our line of retreat and also prevent reinforcements from the North from marching south. I cannot take that risk. Lord Frey is always mocking my incompetence, so let me bear that name."
"How many letters have you sent to the Twins?"
"Many," Ser Edmure said. "I sent letter after letter, but Lord Frey will never move unless he catches the scent of victory. I have not seen a single soldier."
"Yes." Lord Tytos nodded. "But attacking the Twins would be too difficult, would it not?"
"Difficult, yes, but not impossible to take," Gendry said with a smile.
"We have ravens. We have the news that Riverrun was under siege. We also have Lannister sellswords."
"All right, Prince, Lord Tytos," said Great Lord Hoster. "Forgive this old man for fearing the cold. I think we should return to Riverrun and discuss it carefully there."