CHAPTER 173: RUMORS

Chapter 173: Rumors

Beyond the Wall, True North

POV of Robb Stark

Robb rode his horse at the front of his own men, a little lost in his own thoughts.

A few days ago, Theon had informed him that Lord Bolton was probably sleeping with the Ygritte girl.

He knew the girl. They had met each other for the first time when his father brought him and Jon to Dreadfort.

At that time, Ygritte was a young girl. She was full of spirit, like them. The casual and crass way in which she spoke to them raised his hackles at first. Jon seemed especially uncomfortable around a girl who could be so forward with a boy. Talking with them about having small cocks when they didn’t play with her as if she was talking about breakfast.

But both Jon and he came around eventually. Finding the forwardness and honesty of the girl was refreshing, if not endearing.

The only girls around his own age he had spent any amount of time with before that were Sansa, Jayne Pool, and their friends. All of them were proper ladies or at least trying to act like one.

Arya was the only one who went against the norm.

He remembered often looking at Ygritte and wondering if Arya would have been similar if she had not been stifled by their mother and the septa who had been sent away a few years ago for some reason.

Even back then, Ygritte was a great archer. But now, it would be no understatement to say that she was as good with her bow and arrows as Varko was with his swords.

Jon had fallen hard for the girl, having developed his first crush but being too honorable or too scared to admit it.

Back then, they were young children, unaware of the realities of the world.

Even now, he didn’t know much about the world. And he would admit that.

But he did know that Lord Bolton, having an affair with a girl while being betrothed to his sister, was not a good thing.

He wondered if he should confront Lord Bolton about this.

If Theon were wrong, then that would be an embarrassing conversation, but if he was correct, then he didn’t know what he was going to do.

And Theon and Lord Bolton were definitely not on good terms. Especially after their conversation in the tent the night they were raided. This might have led Theon to prejudge Lord Bolton and conclude that he was having an affair with Ygritte.

After all, Theon hadn’t provided him with any proof, and without it, there wasn’t much Robb could do.

Right now, everything was just rumors, and Theon was the one who had spread the rumors.

Perhaps he should speak with his uncle Benjen. Or maybe he should talk with Ygritte instead?

How would his sister take it if he told her that her beloved had a lover of his own?

How would his mother take it when she heard this news? He shuddered just thinking about such an event.

Sansa would be absolutely devastated. All she had been talking about lately was Lord Bolton, Dreadfort, and how she would one day become Lady of the Dreadfort. If it were discovered that Lord Bolton was having an affair, it would surely be the end of their betrothal.

After all, Lord Bolton would be breaking his promise to House Stark, and the consequences of this could be severe, not just in breaking off the betrothal agreement.

Aside from the potential repercussions for Houses Stark and Bolton, Robb was more concerned about Sansa. He knew fully well what this possibility would do to her, and he feared she would lose her will to live. And Robb couldn’t think of anything to comfort her.

And his mother, Catelyn, would storm out if the rumors were true. If that were the case, Robb would rather be here, North of the Wall, than in Winterfell, because Winterfell would be colder than here.

Although his mother might storm out, Robb knew she wouldn’t do anything without his father’s permission. So he wasn’t too worried about that. But he couldn’t predict what his mother might do if the news affected Sansa and affected her health, as Robb suspected.

He didn’t think even his father would last long against his mother in that situation. When it came to her children’s health and safety, his mother was one of the most vicious people he’d ever met.

Of course, these were all scenarios that could have occurred if Lord Bolton’s affair had been real.

At the time, everything was just rumors. And while rumors might stir discontent within House Stark, they wouldn’t be enough to end Sansa and Lord Bolton’s betrothal. At least not until proof emerged, or Lord Bolton himself admitted the affair.

And frankly, Robb sincerely hoped this was all just a rumor. He didn’t want to think that Lord Bolton, someone he idolized, would do something so dishonorable, and more importantly, he didn’t want to confront Lord Bolton about it.

On the other hand, he had also heard that many lords and nobles in the realm were engaged in affairs. It was especially common in the South.

His father’s best friend, King Robert Baretheon, now King of the Seven Kingdoms, had become known by the nickname "Whoremonger" despite being married.

And although he found what Lord Bolton had done dishonorable, his father, Lord Stark, had also had an affair in the past, and Jon had become his brother as a result of that affair. Could he now accuse Lord Bolton of dishonor, given that his father had done the same thing?

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of hoof beats coming from behind him.

He turned around and saw Jon riding his horse with an urgent expression on his face, his direwolf Snowric having grown a bit more since the start of this journey, easily keeping up with him.

"What is it, Jon?" he asked as soon as Jon stopped near him. Jon looked at him seriously and said, "We’re being followed."

---------------

Hey folks. You can get a 30% discount on my Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Mithril

level Patreon memberships with the code 10VAN2025 until the end of October.

---------------

Author’s Note: You folks can also read up to +55 Chapters on my P@treon Page as an early access privilege.

You can also read "+2 Free Chapter" and see some pictures as aFree Member.

www.patreon.com/vanguard_v

P@treon Page Name: V For Vanguard

Next Chapters’ Name:

Ch.174: We Are Being Followed

Ch.175: The Enemy is Weeper’s Army