273 AC.

Riverrun's Great Hall was full of lords and smallfolk alike, as Lord Hoster Tully, Lord of the Riverlands heard the pleas and complaints of his vassals. It had been a long and stressful day, but as the sun sank over the Red Fork, it was finally almost over. With the last of the petitioners dealt with, Hoster sank back into the lord's seat of Riverrun and wearily nodded to his steward.

Utherydes Wayn stepped forward and cleared his throat; "Let any man who has unresolved business with the Lord Paramount of the Trident come forth" he stated in a bold, clear voice.

The hall remained silent, and Lord Hoster breathed a sigh of relief, before nodding to Utherydes again. Utherydes raised his arm and banged his iron-shod staff on the floor. "In the name of the Lord of Riverrun, I declare this session closed."

Slowly the hall emptied, but just before Hoster was about to leave, a man at arms in the livery of House Tully strode across the hall and bent to Lord Hoster's ear. "My lord, a woman waits outside the gates with a babe in her arms. She asked to meet you, she says it's about what happened in Pennytree last year." Hoster was suddenly glad for the lateness of the hour as his face paled to chalk white, unseen in the sunset's dim glow. He knew what this woman wanted.

Last year, when his dear Minisa had died, despite his still-present grief, his duty had caused him to leave the Riverlands in Brynden's hands a few months later while he took a journey to Seagard to congratulate Lord Jason Mallister on the birth of his son and heir, Patrek. On the way back to Riverrun, heavy rain caused him to take refuge in the small village of Pennytree, under the roof of one of the smallfolk. Upon talking to her, she admitted that she herself, had been widowed a few weeks previously when her husband drowned after falling from a bridge on the Red Fork.

As the night progressed and the rain continued, as they talked more, they ceased to become Lord and vassal and simply became grieving widow and widower. One thing led to another, and they comforted each other that night. When the dawn came and their senses returned, Hoster cleaned up and apologized for taking advantage of her grief, as any lord should, before returning to Riverrun, where he put the incident out of his mind, having done what was expected of a lord who slept with his vassals.

While he had been reminiscing, the woman in question had been led in, with a babe almost a year old in her arms. A quick glance around verified that none were present who couldn't be trusted to hold their tongues, and Hoster stood from his chair, before swiftly crossing the hall and standing before the woman and child.

She bobbed her head as she was unable to bow while holding her babe, and offered Hoster the child. As he took it, the babe looked up and Hoster found his gaze meeting a pair of innocent, bright-blue eyes, and mentally kicked himself.

The only woman I sleep with since Minisa passes, and I forget to give her tansy tea. Others take it!"

Looking at the few strands of red hair poking out of the infant's wrappings, Lord Hoster Tully felt the slight weight in his arms, and just for a second, the thought flashed through his mind of how easy it would be to dash the babe onto the stone floor, painlessly shattering the tiny skull in an instant. Or if he didn't want the mess, he could simply step over to the window and let the bundle fall into the Red Fork, watch the water fill the tiny mouth as it sank to the bottom of the river to rest with its Tully kin, taking the stain on his honor with it. The mother wouldn't be an issue, one call to a guard, a nick with his own dagger and she'd be killed instantly for trying to assassinate the Lord of Riverrun, eliminating the problem.

Even as he drew breath to shout for the guard, the cloth shifted and he found himself staring into a pair of eyes the same bright blue that himself and his children shared, eyes that seemed to stare into his very soul. Instantly, he felt cut as if to the bone and was deeply ashamed of himself. Bastard and stain on his honor or not, he would not murder a mother and her child for his honor. However, that still left the problem at hand. He looked around the room and stared into the portraits of his ancestors hanging in the Great Hall, every Lord and Lady of Riverrun, from Axel Tully who built Riverrun during the Andal Invasion, all the way down the family to his own lord father.

What would you do, Father?

He followed the gaze of his father's painted eyes to the other wall where a Tully banner hung, the silver trout proudly leaping over the three forks of the Trident, muddy soil between them. As he gazed at his family's sigil, he felt his family's values come to the forefront of his mind and he knew.

Taking a second to harden his resolve, Hoster Tully turned back to the woman standing there patiently, and handed her back the babe.

"What is it you hoped to gain by coming here today? Are you asking me to take her to live with my family, you must know I cannot do that."

The abrupt jerk of her head was his answer. "No, milord, I wanted you to acknowledge her. She deserves better than the life of an unknowns bastard, milord."

Hoster Tully felt the shame burning in his chest like a fire, which confirmed his choice of action for him. "Very well. I have made my decision. Take her back to Pennytree and raise her there. I will have a house sufficient for a mother and child built for you, send to you each month a certain amount of coin which will help raise her, as well as people to teach her what is necessary for a Tully as she grows older, and nameday gifts each year. I will also acknowledge if asked that she is my daughter, though I will not offer that information if not.

For this, I ask only one thing. Never come to Riverrun again. I will have a few ravens kept in the village so you can reach me should the need be desperate, or you can send word with a merchant heading this way. But do me and my family the respect of keeping her away from Riverrun until she is old enough to travel on her own and understand the consequences of what she is doing, both good and bad."

The woman sank to her knees in gratitude. "M…milord, thank you. This is more than I ever could have expected."The mother shifted her babe so the cloth covered it more fully and smiled at Hoster. "You're a good man milord, thank you."

A small smile crossed Hoster Tully's face at this praise, before it turned to stone. "Just make sure not to inflate her head about her rights. That usually leads to bastards attempting to kill their siblings and or usurp their inheritances; and I'd rather not have to have her killed." He said, stroking her red hair. "Speaking of whom, what is her name?"

The mother bobbed a ragged curtsy. "Well, my mother was from the Vale, milord, so I named her Alyssa, after the weeping woman."

Hoster Tully nodded, and held out his arms for the child again. Her mother passed her over, and he held her up to the light. "Alyssa, Alyssa Rivers." He handed the child back and the woman left. Hoster sat in thought for a second, before he noticed Utherydes approaching from the side.

"Very generous of you, my lord" the faithful steward said, "but why if I may ask, are you going to such trouble?"

Hoster Tully sat in silence for a second before he answered. "She is my blood, Utherydes." The Lord of Riverrun's face was set. "Besides, this might be a message from the Seven. There are only five Tullys left, and all reside in Riverrun. Should it fall, House Tully could be wiped out. Having a spare child of Tully blood hidden somewhere may well prove the salvation of our House."

A light of understanding flashed in Utherydes' eyes as Hoster continued.

"Besides, the Book of the Mother says mercy will be rewarded in time, maybe", he said, looking thoughtful, "this one small act of kindness will help House Tully far more than I can imagine."

Utherydes nodded and excused himself, and Hoster departed for his solar, and some well-deserved rest at last.