Great Hall, Winterfell - The North - Not Long After Visenya's Arrival
At last, the very first meeting of the allied houses could take place; now that every key player was present. They all gathered in the same Great Hall where Jaime confessed the truth about the Mad King and his actions all those years ago.
Once again, tables had been pushed at either side but had multiplied to fit all the Lords and Ladies that represented their Houses in the Great War.
The main table at the centre and head of the room was once again occupied by Daenerys, Jon, Bran and Sansa, with the councillors of the Mother of Dragons standing by her sides. Arya had chosen to remain in the corner, closer to the shadows, and was standing next to Brienne; partially hidden by the tall woman and Theon.
Samwell Tarly had also been present, closer to Jon but his eyes were mostly kept down; since he could feel the sharp glares of his father and brother from their respective positions. Truth be told, Sam was not sure when and how to address them but he knew he could not be running away from them forever, or keep avoiding them. Eventually, he would have to face them.
At the right side of the room, the tables had been pushed next to one another as all the Northern House Lords, Tormund, Ygritte and those of the Riverlands had taken their seats. Lady Mormont was the only female and also the youngest to represent her House, but her face might be the most judging one amongst everyone from her fellow Lords.
Across from them, at the left side of the room, the tables were filled with the Lords and Lady and Prince of their allies. Visenya sat with Tywin by her left and Oberyn by her right, being the closest to the central table. Kevan, Loras and Lord Mace sat on the other side of Tywin while Jaime and Trystan remained standing behind their parents respectively.
The other Southern Lords were occupying the seats at the rest of the table with their children or most trusted advisors standing behind them.
It was, perhaps, the very first time in years, if not decades, that all Lords of Westeros were present in the same room. Almost all, since the Greyjoys had refused to participate despite the best tries of Theon, making it clear that his family no longer saw him as worthy.
Needless to say, the tension in the room was thick and anyone could see it. Seated across from one another, glares were sent by the majority of the Lords. There was a lot of bad blood amongst them, lots of death caused by both sides and none were too willing to forget.
Some Northerners like the Lords of the Vale were glaring at the Lords of the Stormlands since once upon a time they fought side by side for Robert and now had pledged their allegiance to opposite leaders.
The Lords of the Riverlands had a similar hostility towards the Lannister Lions but also the Tyrells since it was their soldiers that burnt and destroyed their land during the War of the Five Kings; although that was mostly the Lannisters.
The Dornish seemed to be the only ones that did not openly hate someone but there were glares and looks sent towards Tywin but also the Stark children, due to the past that sealed Elia's fate.
The ones that truly seemed not in the mood to argue or bring back past actions, were certain individuals like Visenya, Barristan, Jon, Tyrion and even Sansa. All understood where the hostility was coming from but they also knew that it would get them nowhere, especially with the enemy advancing and covering ground day by day.
In the end, Jon decided to try his best and get the attention of everyone; hoping that if they focused on the real threat and the reason behind their alliance, it would prevent unnecessary bloodshed between the Lords.
However, his attempts quickly became futile as the Northerners had one last thing they needed to bring up; one that was at the back of their heads ever since Tywin Lannister crossed the gates of Winterfell.
"I am sorry, Lord Snow, but you cannot expect us to fight side by side with petty lions, not without them facing their crimes at the Red Wedding," Lord Tytos Blackwood said, standing up as he spoke.
To the surprise of many, Lord Jonos Bracken stood up as well. Many expected him to argue with his neighbour since that was what they always did, for many generations already. However, the man had other things to say on that historic day.
"I can't believe I am saying this, but I agree. The Lannisters burnt our lands, our crops and our houses. Yet you expect us to fight side by side with them."
Many other Lords from the right side seemed to agree, mumbling and muttering things while heads were being nodded. Of course, the left side was not so quick to bow heads or let any passive threats go over their heads.
"It was war, my Lords. It was what had to be done," Kevan argued, trying to defend the actions of his brother and good-sister when they decided to bully the Riverlands in order to draw Ned Stark out.
The Tyrells agreed with him. Loras, the young and always battle-hungry knight, went as far as to bring up their latest casualties when the Tullys and the rest of the Riverlands Lords killed their troops; while a big part of the Rose Army was fighting the Ironborn.
It did not take long for both sides to start arguing, the insults being thrown passively but the words and the tones were becoming more and more aggressive. It was chaos and sooner or later, blades would be drawn and blood would be spilt.
Jon tried his best to get the attention and calm down his allies but he was being ignored while his siblings watched him try but keep failing.
Daenerys was silent, watching exactly the chaos that was happening; a bright reminder of why a Targaryen needed to rule. If she were the Queen, she would not allow such arguments or war actions to go unpunished, to let her own Kingdoms fight one another in personal civil wars.
The patience of some was running thin and in the end, it was Visenya that chose to put an end to all of this. She took a deep breath and placed two fingers in her mouth, before letting out a rather loud whistling noise.
She mentally apologised to Tywin and Oberyn, who took the full force of it due to their proximity to her. Yet, the loud and rather deafening noise made everyone go silent either by surprise or pain in their ears.
The Dragoness was now standing, one hand placed on the wooden table to support her weight as she withdrew her fingers from her mouth. It was in such moments that she was glad her uncle Duncan had taught her how to whistle that way.
That man simply had a soft spot for his youngest niece.
Now that everyone was looking at her, she chose to speak and put an end to this childish fight.
"Now, since I have everyone's attention, let us make some things clear because right now this will get us nowhere," she said, her voice calm but still commanding enough as it boomed across the room with ease.
One of the Northern Lords seemed not to like that and parted his lips to speak but she beat him to it.
"Let me speak, Lord Umber, and then you can say your comment. I do not advise you to interrupt me."
The House Lord of the Northern House looked offended but also shocked by how quickly she addressed him, let alone put him in his place. Her sharp gaze was on him and her intimidating glare eventually made him close his mouth and remain silent, allowing the famous Dragoness to continue.
Visenya gave a small head nod as a thank you for listening and she straightened her back, as she fully addressed the room but mostly was focused on the Lords at the tables across from her and of course, Daenerys and the Stark children.
"Let us all not lie to one another. We all have done something to upset another House. And no, this is not about what had taken place during the War of the Five Kings," she started, sending a small side glare to certain Lords from the Riverlands.
"Our Houses have been against one another for decades, if not centuries. They were enemies ever since each Kingdom had its own King and not a Lord Paramount. If we sit here, bringing back every single thing that took place in the name of war, pettiness, house feud and so on; then we better just open the gates and let the Undead army pass. Because we will never get to the bottom of this, we will never bring justice for all the things that our Houses and ancestors did to one another."
As she spoke, she turned her head so she was also addressing the Lords from her side; since some were more eager than others to start a fight over the smallest of things and she could not have that.
She took notice that everyone was paying attention to her, pulling faint faces or sending glares to their arch nemesis as she spoke, but none interrupted her or started an argument that would escalate once again.
"I am not saying that we should all just forgive one another because this will not happen. But right now, we need to temporarily call a truce in order to fight this common enemy," she continued, her hands barely moving as she emphasized certain keywords. "Look around you." She spread her hands slightly. "We are a group, mixed of more enemies than friends. And if you want me to bring examples—"
She cleared her throat as her eyes went to Jorah Mormont, standing right behind Daenerys. Their eyes met for the first time, for they had never met before but both knew each other's story; she knew his more than he did hers.
"Ser Jorah was exiled from Westeros and yet here he is, with an allegiance to a Targaryen from the East," she started, giving an example.
She quickly moved to the next one, not wishing to show favouritism to anyone.
"We went to war against the Starks and yet here we are, under the same roof. Lady Daenerys is here for the Iron Throne and yet the King sent his men to fight side by side with hers."
She could see people looking at one another, as her message was being passed across.
"Lord Jonos, Lord Tytos."
The two rival Lords that surprisingly sat side by side, like how their lands had been neighbours all that time, looked at one another; confused but also curious as to why she chose to address them specifically.
"You two have been fighting over lands and past disputes, and yet here you sit and even agree on a subject. Lord Gulian represents the Stormlands and we fought against one another when his support, as it was expected, went to Lord Stannis," she glanced at the said Lord and the other Stormlands Lords sitting next to him.
She let out a small sigh and shook her head faintly, deciding to stop with the examples and focus on what was important. A speech should never be too long, for one risked losing the interest of the audience and the speaker could always get carried away, if they did not stick to what truly mattered and was the main point that needed to be addressed.
"I could honestly go on but I do believe you all see my point. We all have past with one another, we all knew whom we would have to side with when we all agreed to rally our forces to fight this threat. All we have to do is accept one another for now. When this Great War is over, we can all return to fighting one another; but not now."
When no one else chose to speak or argue but just stare at one another, only then did Visenya sit back down. She took a deep breath, feeling a slight migraine forming at the side of her head; caused by all that argument that took place prior.
Her allies and her family looked at her, some with pride and others with respect; for taking command and solving the issue. Jon sent her a look of gratitude, as she managed to calm the angry spirits and remind them what was important, while Daenerys was passively looking at just how good her aunt was in giving speeches; and stopping arguments.
Honestly, Daenerys would have used her dragons to make them all go quiet and would have been a little more ruthless with her words.
"Well... thank you, Lady Visenya," Jon said and stood up. "We are all here, only because we face a bigger threat; that is all. Like it was said, we need each other if we wish to win this Great War—"
His speech was not going to be continued.
As Lady Mormont stood up from her chair, a sign that she wished to speak. She had supported Jon and was from the very first to accept him as the King of the North, although she had been disappointed when he brought Daenerys over and bent the knee to her.
She had heard the speech, and she understood it but like the Northern Lords by her side; she was not satisfied just yet.
"I believe before we can even discuss about fighting with one another, we should address the topic that started it all," she said, her pre-puberty voice sounding and standing out against all the voices that had been heard so far. "The Red Wedding."
The other Lords nodded their heads, clearly agreeing with her and supporting her decision. Many were bitter by the events and even more were appalled by the savagery and what happened to Robb, his mother and his wife.
Tywin rolled his eyes, finding that the timing was the worst one for that particular topic to be discussed. He knew the Northerners eventually found out about the Lannisters being behind it, evident by the looks he had been receiving since he arrived at that damned dark and cold castle.
Lady Mormont continued.
"You allowed the Kingslayer to confess to his crime, you listened to his story and postponed his trial until the end of the Great War," she reminded Jon, Sansa and Daenerys.
This new piece of information made Jaime lower his head and let out a heavy sigh, already feeling the sharp glare of his father. Tywin had not been informed that Jaime had confessed, unaware of what exactly had taken place in that throne room that day, but he was not happy about it.
No son of his was going to confess and let others trial him, not when all he did was get rid of a dangerous plague that was infesting the whole Continent with its existence and its madness.
"Therefore, I demand the beginning of a trial for the Red Wedding."
Her eyes went to the Lannisters, glaring at them with hatred that only a Northerner would be able to master at such a young age.
"I demand the Lannister that planned it to come forward. You can say your piece but I want to know that a trial will take place when all of this is over and justice will be served for the Starks."
Sansa and Jon exchanged a look, finding it hard to argue with that.
Truth be told, they too wished for revenge and justice. When they found out what had happened to their mother and Robb, they were saddened but also angry; Jon most of all.
It took both of them months before they found out who had planned it all along; who was the one to give the order to Lord Frey. One might say they could have summoned him present but Lord Frey was long dead, as were his sons and most of his descendants, killed by a mysterious person that no one had been able to identify.
The Lion pride exchanged a look, none knowing how that information got out. Yet again, they would not be surprised if Roose Bolton had spoken before he was killed and exposed them all. However, they could not help but wonder how much he said since they did not call a specific Lion out.
Visenya was afraid that this would happen and she had been dreading it for a long time. Looking at Sansa and Jon, seeing the need for justice for what happened to their family; she could not help but feel guilty once again.
She was about to move when Tywin beat her to it. He stood up first, moving his chair faintly back as he eyed the room; his chin held high with all the Lannister pride he always possessed.
"I was the one that planned and gave the order for the Red Wedding," he said, not a single hint of remorse or guilt evident. "If you expect some heartfelt apology, do not bother to wait. I will not apologize for doing what I must to end this war and I do not regret it."
People gasped, with many exchanging looks before they turned their glares and hatred towards the Old Lion, who kept standing proud despite openly and even cockily admitting to a bloodbath and the ruthless murder of innocents.
Some were not surprised, pretty much a lot of the Lords expecting it, but now they openly showed how much more they hated him, compared to before.
Trystan kept looking at his father, partially surprised but yet again; not so much. His father was a ruthless man, as evidenced by what happened at Castamere. A full bloody song had been written about it and was proudly played in almost every big event.
Jaime looked faintly confused, mostly because he knew the truth. He did not expect his father to so openly take the credit but yet again, he realized he was covering Visenya; taking the full blame.
Other times, Jaime would say he only did it because he enjoyed taking credit, which showed how ruthless he was and how people needed to fear him, but after everything he had found out; he knew that was not the case at that moment.
Tyrion looked with surprise at his father, because he knew that it was not him the mastermind behind the Red Wedding. He just could not understand why he so openly accepted it, since he earned nothing but more hatred from the men across from him. He even increased the odds that someone would stab him during the Great Battle to exact revenge.
Visenya craned her head to look at him, eyes wide and lips parted. She did not expect him to act that way, let alone speak in such a way that only made himself look guiltier. She knew why he was doing it but she could not just sit there and let it all unfold.
She knew the risks that were coming with such decisions but she had grown tired of carrying the guilt of that cursed wedding. She had long come to terms with what would happen if people were to truly find out and she accepted what was next.
"No," Visenya said as she slowly stood up, drawing the attention of everyone on her. "It was not him that planned it all," she argued, ignoring the glare Tywin was sending her as he realized what she was doing. "It was me... I planned and gave the order for the Red Wedding..."
This time, there were audible gasps and those did not come from the Northerners and the Lords of the Riverlands. Those came from her allies as well as even her own family members, who had been unaware of the dark secret she carried.
The Dragoness kept her head high but did not dare to let her eyes roam.
She could feel the glares from the Lords across from her, especially Blackfish; who was ready to jump over the table and stab her.
She did not dare to see the eyes of Sansa and Jon or even the hidden Arya, who did not believe that she was the reason their family was dead; even after she treated them so well and clearly cared for them, looked after them even.
She did not dare to turn her head and see Trystan; who was gawking at her with surprise and shock. She was the perfect sweet and caring mother to him but now she openly admitted to a horrific war crime that had managed to shake every single House across Westeros.
Tywin, of course, was the only one who was truly furious and did not hide it. He grabbed her wrist, in a futile attempt to pull her down but she resisted him.
"What do you think you are doing?" he hissed, his voice low and his glare threatening.
She did not mind the strength of his fingers around her wrist, nor did she feel intimidated by his gaze. She knew he was not going to forgive her for that, heck she would not blame him if he did not talk to her for weeks but she was not going to back down.
"What I must," she argued back, her voice stable and calm. "I have let you take the fall for me one too many times. Not this one," she confessed and with one sharp and quick move, she had managed to free her now bruised wrist from his grip; a move she had never done before.
It shocked the old Lion but her gaze said it all.
"I am done lying."
She turned to face the room again, one hand holding her bruised wrist and trying to hide the marks that would soon form. She kept her head high and turned to face the Starks, her eyes not hiding the guilt within them.
"I did plan it all but not the way it was carried out," she informed them, deciding also to shed some light on everything. "My plan was for Robb Stark to get a single arrow, nothing more. Your mother, all the Northern Lords present and even Lady Talisha, were not supposed to be harmed, just taken prisoners," she explained, surprising some that she knew the name of the girl Robb married and loved.
"However, I made the mistake of not being clear enough with my instructions. I underestimated Lord Frey and my words gave him too much confidence, eventually making him take his own decision and cause the unnecessary bloodbath."
Her voice not once quivered, not once changed tone.
Her facial expressions did change with her emotions; since the topic brought quite the reactions from her. Yet, she kept her unique eyes on the Stark children but she could sense that everyone was looking at her; some glaring and others just looking.
She was not talking to gain their sympathy or their remorse, because she knew she did not deserve them nor she would get them in the very end. However, if she were to eventually be trialled for that, she wished to say her part; just as Jaime had done when he had to face his past actions.
"I do not approve of what Lord Frey did. I had planned for a different outcome, hoping that no more innocent blood had to be shed in this war. However, I know that my words do not justify the idea either way or what eventually happened during the Wedding at the Twins.
For the sake of this alliance, I ask not to be trialled directly. Once the big threat is dealt with, then I will face proper trial and I will accept whatever verdict and punishment is bestowed upon me."
There was a sudden silence in the room, the Stark Children not once looking away from her. Brann was the most indifferent one, for he had witnessed it all with his visions.
Sansa and the hidden Arya were the most betrayed, with the primer truly hoping that Visenya was lying and was simply defending her husband but the look of guilt she was giving confirmed that she was saying the truth.
She was not sure what to believe and in what depth, because it just did not truly seem like her character. She was honestly kind and cared for her while in King's Landing, so to hear that she planned something like that... it did not sit well.
Even though she explained her original plan and how Lord Frey had changed it, that did not fully change the fact that she had given the order to kill her brother.
Jon was the most surprised but also the most furious one. He would never forget when he learnt of the news, of the fate his mother and brother suffered at the hands of the Frey. Now, to hear the confessions from the Lion's mouth; almost literally, he was not sure what to feel first.
He understood the need for this alliance and he reminded himself of the huge numbers Visenya brought in terms of manpower, but he also could not help but feel... angry.
He had lost three members of his family to the Lannisters, and one guilty Lannister was right in front of him.
He felt the need for this trial, one that the verdict would only lead to the result that everyone in the room knew; guilty. However, he knew that he could not ask it, not now. As she had said, the alliance needed to stand.
If he dared to harm the Dragoness, they risked losing the full support of the crown.
In the end, when he felt all eyes on him, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes momentarily.
"The trial will be postponed until after the War. If you, Lady Visenya and Ser Jaime Lannister, survive the upcoming battle; then you will face a trial for the crimes that you committed against my family and the family of Her Grace."
The Dragoness understood although she did not agree with the trial for Jaime. She did know, however, that there was not much that she could do at the moment.
She nodded her head.
"I understand. Thank you, my lord, my ladies," she said and sat down, her husband doing the same but not once did he stop glaring at her.
She knew that the two of them would have some discussion to do once this was all over.