[Spoilers] If He had retreated Across the Neck

The beginning of season 3.

Up until this point, Robb Stark and his army had won every last battle. He and his army proved so successful that the Lannister Army had gotten into the habit of avoiding conflict with it and instead harassing it where it could and retreating where it couldn't.

Robb Stark takes Harrenhal and instead of a fight he and his army desperately wanted, he finds only dead men. Northern and Tully bannerman lay rotting in the courtyard to greet them.

Robb quickly realizes that he's been outmaneuvered by Tywin. He may have a perfect record but the farther south he advances, the more precarious his situation becomes. Matters get even worse when news of Winterfell's capture by Theon reaches them.

If he cannot hold onto his own seat of power, how can he hope to take King's Landing?

At a crossroads, Robb Stark decides on a desperate gamble to take Casterly Rock. We all know how this turns out.

But there was another choice that Robb Stark could have made. What if Robb Stark had grudgingly made the decision to retreat across the neck over the Twins and retaken Winterfell?

He would have secured his ancestral seat and true base of power by retaking Winterfell. The Ironborn would have no choice but to retreat back into the sea. He could have better dealt with infighting among his Northern Lords and possibly even avoided needing to behead Rickard Karstark.

If Walder Frey had tried to stall or even refused Robb's second crossing, the option to take the Twins was always there. In fact, the only reason Robb didn't take the Twins and kill Walder Frey when he first crossed North to South was because he was in a race against time to try to save his father. That's a moot point now.

So either Walder Frey let's them cross or they take the Twins from him and end his House. Securing the Twins meant the option to once against march South at some later date was always there. Any Riverlands refugees could also be allowed to escape North to avoid any further conflict with the Lannister army while having a strong position on which to resupply Riverrun in case of a siege (they're connected by waterway).

Once back on friendly ground, it's possible and even likely that Robb would have faced some political backlash for retreating. Northerners would rather die than turn back from a fight. Once his Northern bannerman had settled back into their keeps and holdfasts many of them likely would not want to march South again without good cause.

But they would be alive for the events that would later unfold.

Season 3 could end with Robb retaking Winterfell.

The Hound could have taken Arya to Winterfell to reunite with her family.

Littlefinger could have done the same with Sansa.

When Stannis hits the Wall, he's welcomed into the North as a hero and treats with Robb.

Baratheon, Stark, Arryn and Tully come to an agreement. All will recognize Stannis as the one True King of Westeros, just as Ned Stark did, on the condition that House Lannister is completely wiped off the map.

Stannis marches through the North not weakened but strengthened by Northern volunteers and Houses committed to enacting revenge against the Lannisters and their allies.

The threat of the White Walkers is taken much more seriously with Robb still in control of the North and Stannis working quickly to unite all of Westeros to one day confront it.

The Boltons never have their opportunity for betrayal.

Theon lives long enough to be tortured by Ramsay but is quickly executed by Robb Stark upon his return to the North.

Daenerys comes to Westeros not to face a divided continent held together loosely by Lannister rule but a united reforged realm held together by the iron will of Stannis Baratheon. It's a much more interesting conflict and a more even match.

Submitted September 13, 2021 at 12:21PM by Axenroth187 https://ift.tt/3k94gxi