When the Riverlands delegation left Winterfell, the grey sky was calm and still, with fine snowflakes drifting down.
Lord Stark urged his brother-in-law to wait for better weather before leaving.
However, Edmure explained that they had already stayed for over two weeks and did not want to overstay their welcome.
Their schedule was tight because they still needed to visit the Vale to pay their respects to Jon Arryn—Lord Paramount of the Eyrie, Warden of the East, and their relative and ally.
The Starks knew that Ser Brynden “Blackfish” Tully was visiting the Vale as an official envoy, but his real goal was to secretly form a military alliance against House Frey.
Eddard wrote a letter to Lord Arryn, his foster father and brother-in-law, to clarify his own position: the North had agreed to send troops.
This endorsement made it much easier for the Riverlands to invite the Vale to join the war.
Although Edmure believed it was very unlikely that Jon Arryn would refuse the alliance, he still sincerely thanked Eddard for his help.
Young Catelyn was feeling sentimental.
She did not ask her brother and uncle to stay, but in the final days before their departure, she occasionally cried softly.
Her sadness infected everyone around her.
Edmure’s mother had died when he was young, so his eldest sister, Catelyn, had raised him like a mother and cared for him deeply.
When she came of age, she married into the cold, harsh North, carrying the heavy responsibility of strengthening House Tully’s alliances.
Because of everything she had done, Edmure felt a strong need to protect her interests.
He had originally thought about waiting a few years until Robb was eight or ten, and then bringing him to Riverrun to serve as a squire.
That way, Catelyn could visit her old home for long stays.
However, Edmure realized she would probably refuse.
Leaving Eddard’s bastard son, Jon, alone with him in Winterfell might threaten the bond between Robb and his father.
Edmure had also considered taking Jon Snow to Riverrun as a squire instead, but he knew Eddard would never send a child with such a sensitive lineage down south.
Besides, Edmure remembered that Jon Snow seemed destined to fulfill a prophecy and save the world.
He did not want to risk changing the boy’s path.
On the night before they left, Catelyn gave Edmure a coat made of blue, lapis-colored silk.
She had always been skilled at needlework.
Fine silver thread formed trout across the fabric.
Whenever the silk moved, it shimmered like water, making the trout look alive and ready to leap from the stream.
While the two were alone in the guest room, Edmure gave her some advice.
“Sister, have you heard that almost every generation of House Stark has a son who joins the Night’s Watch?
Take Lord Eddard’s brother, Benjen—he is a ranger officer at the Wall right now.” “I know Benjen joined voluntarily,” Catelyn said, surprised.
“But Ned has never mentioned a family tradition like that.” “It might just be a rumor, but you don’t need to worry.
If Lord Eddard ever brings it up, you could suggest sending Jon Snow.” To Edmure’s surprise, his sister hesitated.
Ever since she had learned that Jon was not actually her husband’s bastard, her attitude toward the boy had completely changed.
“Once someone joins the Night’s Watch, they can never marry, have children, or inherit titles and land.
They must wear black and guard the Wall for the rest of their life.
They can never leave until they die.
Is that really fair to Jon?” Edmure realized he had made a mistake.
In the original timeline, Jon chose to join the Night’s Watch partly because of Catelyn’s coldness and rejection.
Edmure had been so focused on bringing peace to the family that he had forgotten this crucial detail.
From a practical standpoint, sending Jon to the Wall served House Tully’s interests.
It stripped the boy of any inheritance rights, meaning no one could challenge Catelyn’s children for power, and every future Lord of Winterfell would carry Tully blood.
Edmure knew he had to ensure Jon joined the Night’s Watch so he could fulfill his destiny.
“Sister, would you be willing to send your own son to the Wall?” Catelyn shook her head.
Coming from the South, she did not share the Northerners’ respect for the men in black, and she could never bear to send her own child to live in such harsh conditions.
“If you can’t bear to send your own son, you can be kinder to Jon.
Just don’t overdo it, and definitely don’t suggest the Night’s Watch to Lord Eddard yourself.” “I will be careful,” Catelyn said quietly, lost in thought.
If Jon did not have a unique destiny to fulfill, Edmure would have happily taken him in, trained him, and helped him make a name for himself in the South as a talented ally.
As they rode away, the outline of Winterfell faded into the snowy horizon.
Leaving behind the warm castle with its underground hot springs, the cold air wrapped around them once again.
Edmure pushed aside his stray thoughts and focused on reviewing what their trip to the North had accomplished.
The results were impressive: The Northern lords had agreed to lend troops for a war coalition.
Trade between the two regions was growing well.
Relations between House Tully and the Northern lords had improved.
He had found a potential marriage match for his uncle.
The local tension surrounding Jon Snow had temporarily calmed down.
He had warned Lord Eddard in time about the coming threat of the Others and the changing political situation.
Overall, the delegation’s visit had been a complete success.
Edmure had achieved almost all of his major goals, leaving only minor details behind.
All the goods they brought from the Riverlands were sold out.
Even after subtracting production and shipping costs—and paying the heavy toll at the Twins—they had made a large profit.
Edmure’s noble companions were thrilled.
Many had invested their personal savings into the trip, and the thousands of gold dragons in profit were split based on their investments.
The payout left them eager for the next trading trip.
Now that the nobles had a taste of these profits, it was only a matter of time before they refused to tolerate the Freys’ excessive tolls at the Twins.
The returning caravan was only half the size of the one that arrived.
Edmure had sold fifteen wagons and nearly sixty mules in Winterfell’s winter town.
The remaining ten wagons carried furs and return gifts from House Stark and other Northern lords.
Due to its harsh climate, the North produced the richest variety of animal furs in the Seven Kingdoms.
Edmure had gathered ten lizard-lion skins at the Neck and skinned dozens of winter wolves along the road.
With the wolf skins given by Northern lords, he now owned over a hundred of them.
He also had a large supply of black sable, some white sable, a few rare purple sables, about a hundred seal skins, twenty or thirty bear skins, and a few valuable snow bear furs.
These furs were worth a fortune in the North, and their value would rise even higher once brought to the markets down south.
To show their appreciation, the Northern lords also gave Edmure ten fine warhorses bred for the snow.
These were heavy armored horses built for battle.
Among them was the grey horse that had won nearly twenty consecutive matches for him in the jousting arena.
When Lord Stark handed the horse over, he explained its background and promised it was the best of the ten.
Edmure named the grey horse “Thunderhoof” to remember the moment it kicked Bronn’s mount during the tournament.
Bronn had complained about the incident for a while, though he had only suffered minor scrapes and bruises thanks to his quick reactions.
After riding Thunderhoof a few times, Bronn had to admit it was a fantastic horse—strong, fast, smart, and clever.
While the horse had a fierce temper, its drive to win was so strong that it actively attacked rival horses in the arena.
Since Thunderhoof was not yet five years old and still too young for war, Edmure avoided riding it every day.
Instead, he took the horse out briefly each morning to exercise and build a bond with it.
The delegation now consisted of sixty men, thirty horses, forty mules, and ten cargo wagons.
The wagons were light, carrying only the gifts for the lords of the Vale and basic supplies like food and fuel for the trip to White Harbor.
Supplies in Winterfell’s town were scarce and expensive.
White Harbor, on the other hand, was the North’s main port city, making it a much cheaper place to buy supplies.
Traveling light would allow them to reach the port much faster.