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Hoster Tully receives news that his grandson through sweet Cat's line is declared the King in The North.
He thinks he can die peacefully. Hoster calls in Dennet, the smith to create a crown so majestic that it should remind people that Starks were once Kings of Winter and now, they have risen again, through Catelyn Tully's womb.
Mother to a King, his darling Cat, who looked so much like Minisa.
//
When Hoster was 12, he heard crying from the far end of the castle, where there was one isolated room. His father explicitly warned him not to explore that particular wing and yet, he went.
That was the first time he met his Aunt. Aunt Celia, the one who would have been Queen if the King had not broken their betrothal.
Not many people mentioned her in front of his father, all he knew was that she was his father's younger sister, a women of 26 years, and yet, unmarried. Some say that she is heartbroken over King Jaehaerys's dismissal, thus she has refused all offers in hand for marriage.
So when she stopped crying and told him to come nearer, he obeyed.
"So you are the Heir eh? Come closer boy, I want to see your face. Hmph, you have your mother's features. So how is Old Elston? Haven't talked to him since he ordered me to marry some Mooton"
Hoster was flabbergasted. He thought his Aunt would be some sniveling women who is lost to the past, and yet, here she is, asking about his Father, and talking about how she chased away the Mooton Lord.
That was his first lesson. To never judge anyone before actually talking to them.
His second lesson, though, was more important. He learned the Game of Thrones from Aunt Celia.
She often lamented, "Pah! I wasn't love struck over that fool, Jaehaerys! Half the time, he looked sickly, like he was going to die right in front of my face. Always had to made sure my eyes were ready enough to spill some tears, if he ever did. I wanted the Throne boy. I wanted to make sure that a Tully would sit on that blasted chair. All I had to do was to whelp out a few sons, preferably with the white hair and purple eyes, and our House would be recorded in history."
His Aunt Celia, had almost lived quarter of her life in the court, so she knew the viper's nest and how they worked.
(When he grew older and people started whispering about how cunning and shrewd he was, he smiled internally, thanking his Aunt. Everything he learned, he learnt it from his Aunt)
People forget that women are one of the most powerful pieces on the board. Men are mostly dull, well except a few rare gems like Hoster, but yes, mostly dim. So when Minisa cried about only giving him 2 daughters and not a son, he told her not to worry.
//
One can say that his disgust for Targaryens were planted by Celia. Failure after Failure. Jaehaerys was Useless, led by his cock, Aerys was Mad, and Rhaegar seemed to show potential in the starting but his obsession with prophesies made him no better that Aerion.
"I will make Catelyn a Queen, as close as she can be. Starks were once the Kings of Winter, I'll betroth her to Rickard's first son, Brandon. She will want for nothing", he tells Minisa.
After Minisa's death, everything seems to go shit for Hoster.
Lysa's betrothal fails since Tywin's boy gets appointed into the Kingsguard and his stupid daughter comes to him saying that she is pregnant and wants to marry her lover.
While Cat was polite and courteous as Minisa, she also had the ruthlessness of Celia. Lysa was a different breed altogether. Head filled with dreams but was not brave enough to reach them.
So he murdered that child with moon tea, with tansy and mint and wormwood, a spoon of honey and a drop of pennyroyal. His second daughter almost died, but he remembers: Family, Duty, Honor.
Lysa is still his daughter, his family first. she has not fulfilled her duty yet and a bastard will stain her honor.
Rhaegar kidnaps Lyanna Stark like a Wildling, Aerys kills Rickard and Brandon off and sweet Cat is now passed to the second son, Eddard.
Hoster feels like such a fool.
The Realm will not stand for Targaryens anymore, that's for sure and the next in line is Robert Baratheon, who had Dragon blood through Rhaelle Baratheon.
Cat was so near to being Queen.
Hoster can't just go to that boy, Ned, and ask him to separate the North from the Seven Kingdoms so that his daughter could become Queen to at least one Kingdom.
He is too honorable, he would never betray his brother all but in name.
Lysa is married off to Jon Arryn
(He feels guilt for a second there, marrying his daughter to man already in his 60's but he relents. It's her duty. She will listen)
//
King Robert I Baratheon dies and Tywin's grandson, the blond boy, Joffrey requires his presence at court to swear allegiance to him. He is bedridden when Riverrun is besieged by Jaime Lannister and his only son, Edmure, is captured beneath the walls. Brynden and Cat's boy break the siege during the Battle of Camps.
Hoster already knows that his time is nearing, he can finally lay in rest with his wife.
He is only able to mutter a few feverish words and wait, is that Lysa?
"No Father, it's me, Cat."
"That stripling ...wretched boy...do not speak that name to me, your duty ... your mother... she would ... Oh, gods forgive me, forgive me Lysa. I had to do it"
Catelyn and Edmure write to Lysa asking her to visit her father before his death, she never responds to the ravens.
Hoster was ever a fighter. A stubborn man.
He had died a week after his predicted due date.
Hoster had no last words but the look on his face said everything - not happy exactly, but proud, proud to have gotten this far.
(I have beaten you all, Ha! he seemed to be saying, I win! Tully blood on a throne, Celia! I did it!)
//