Riverrun

Riverrun, the ancient stronghold of House Tully, stands at the confluence of the Red Fork and the Tumblestone, its walls rising from the rivers that give it a natural defense on three sides. For centuries it was the seat of the Lords Paramount of the Trident, a symbol of Tully power and the heart of the riverlands' resistance during the War of the Five Kings. Its fall marked the final collapse of the Stark-Tully alliance and the consolidation of Lannister-Frey control over the region.

Siege and Surrender

Following the Red Wedding, Riverrun was held by Ser Brynden Tully, the Blackfish, who refused to yield even after his nephew Lord Edmure was taken captive. Jaime Lannister, leading a Lannister army, laid siege to the castle. The siege was a tense standoff; the Blackfish's garrison was determined but outnumbered, and the castle's defenses were formidable. Jaime, however, possessed a decisive lever: Edmure Tully, the rightful lord, was his prisoner. Rather than storm the walls, Jaime forced Edmure to order the surrender, threatening to hang Edmure's unborn child if he refused. Edmure, broken by the choice between honor and his family's life, capitulated and commanded the garrison to open the gates. The Blackfish, refusing to be part of the surrender, escaped the castle by swimming the moat, becoming a fugitive.

Aftermath and Transfer

With the castle yielded, Jaime Lannister honored his word: Edmure was sent to Casterly Rock as a captive, and his wife, Roslin Frey, was permitted to remain at the Twins until their child was born, after which she and the babe would join him in exile. Riverrun itself was not kept by the Lannisters. As a reward for the Freys' role in the Red Wedding, the castle and its lands were granted to Ser Emmon Frey, Lord Walder's second son, who was married to Genna Lannister. This transfer marked the end of Tully rule at Riverrun, a bitter conclusion to a war that had begun with the riverlands rising for Robb Stark. The castle, once a bastion of rebellion, became a symbol of Lannister-Frey dominance, a prize paid for with blood and treachery.

Narrative Significance

Riverrun's fall represents the final extinguishing of the military threat posed by the Stark-Tully alliance in the riverlands. Its surrender, achieved through coercion rather than conquest, underscores the theme of broken oaths and the brutal pragmatism of the post-Red Wedding world. The castle's fate—passing from the Tullys to the Freys—cements the new political order, while the Blackfish's escape ensures that a spark of Tully defiance remains alive, a potential source of future conflict.