Different Paths to Destiny [Game of Thrones]

12: Dirty Paws

"I never realized I would miss her so much. You don't know how much a person means to you until they're gone."

"Isn't that the truth," she said. She looked out the window at the river.

"I'll let you have your peace," I told her. She smiled sadly as I left. I bumped into Brynden in the hall. "How did the chat with Edmure go?" I asked.

"Oh, I got a chance to speak my mind about his mistake, it went well."

"If only he weren't so careless. Strategy is more important than force, especially with our numbers."

"Something I've learned about Edmure, he'll always be careless. It's in his nature."

"I'm going to find Robb. You should talk to Catelyn. She could use some family right now."

OoOoO

"I would have given Edmure a harsher punishment," I told Robb when I found him.

"He's Catelyn's brother."

"And that makes him less incompetent? That isn't a quality we can afford to have in our armies," I noted. "Brynden would make a much better Lord of Riverrun."

Robb smiled. "Does anyone still call him Brynden besides you?"

"I've never cared much for nicknames." I shook my head. "If it were not for Edmure, we would be another step closer to defeating the Lannisters."

"I know."

"And the closer we are to defeating the Lannisters, the closer we are to winning this war."

"I know," he repeated.

"We need more men. If we had the Tyrell army, things would be so much better. Last I heard, Margery had been swept off to King's Landing to marry Joffrey."

"You don't think I've heard this before, Amina?" Robb asked sounding frustrated. "I listen to this from our scouts, from my bannermen, from my mother. I don't need to hear the same from you too."

"I'm sorry. It's just that I want this war to be over so much, I forget that I'm not the only person affected by it."

"I'm sorry too. I did not mean to yell at you." He reached for my hand, I let him lace his fingers with mine. "I don't want you to feel alone."

"Where there is unity there is always victory."

OoOoO

"There you are, I've been calling you for ages," Daenerys said.

"Sorry, I was dealing with some family issues," I told her.

"We have a meeting with Kraznys to discuss the buying of the Unsullied."

"So you decided then?"

"We're still considering our options," Jorah said. Daenerys gave him a look that said he should stop trying to speak for her.

"Well, we should be going then," I said. Jorah and Ser Barristan fell in behind us.

"How is the war on your front?" My sister asked me.

"It would be better if my uncle wasn't incompetent."

"Uncle?" She asked.

"My foster mother's brother. I refer to most of her family as my own."

She nodded slowly. "Do they know about you?"

"Hoster, Catelyn's father, did. But we just laid him to rest this morning."

"I'm sorry," she offered her sympathy awkwardly, but I appreciated the effort. "Will they help us when I arrive?"

"I don't know about Cat's brother, but her uncle will I'm sure. Having Brynden on our side is worth a thousand Edmures. I told Robb about you, he was confused but he wasn't upset."