"Lyra and Jory are with our mother," and The Great Northern Conspiracy

[Lost Melnibonean]

Duh! I never noticed the significance that Mors has the future of House Umber outside the walls on Stannis's side (green boys), while Hothor has it's past inside with Bolton and Frey (greybeards). 

[LiveFirstDieLater]

2 hours ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

Duh! I never noticed the significance that Mors has the future of House Umber outside the walls on Stannis's side (green boys), while Hothor has it's past inside with Bolton and Frey (greybeards). 

The North Remembers!

Great Old Topic comes back for more! 

I was just refreshing myself reading the OP and I realized that of course Mance knows Jeyne Poole isn’t Arya... he saw Arya at the feast welcoming Robert way back in Game. 

And yet he sends Theon and Jeyne over the wall anyway.

I’ve also always been intrigued by the long talks Stannis had with Mance before the fake execution.

Also, Manderly with his beloved little girl has every reason to be searching for Rickon, on top of plain old loyalty and hating Freys.

The Clans probably know Bran is alive.

As you pointed out the Umbars seem to be keeping their youth outside on the winning side...

And, despite Lady Dustin’s words, I think she’ll end up being as true a Northerner as anyone else.

So is it possible that the Northern conspiracy, the great Norther Houses and the clans, betray not only the Bolton’s but Stannis as well... the Pink letter is then sent to Jon for one simple reason, what better way to test his oath.

The North Remembers, they presumably have Rob’s will, and at this point seem to be aware that Theon didn’t kill Bran and Rickon... might they be trying to force Jon into making a choice?

After all, the North has every reason to call Stannis a false king, not just the Boltons.

And for some reason it reminds me of this quote, which if nothing else supports your idea that the old men are intentionally the ones with the boltons:

(not to mention the previous talk of using Mance’s skill to drink from)

Quote

That seemed to amuse the northman. "I want to live forever in a land where summer lasts a thousand years. I want a castle in the clouds where I can look down over the world. I want to be six-and-twenty again. When I was six-and-twenty I could fight all day and fuck all night. What men want does not matter.

"Winter is almost upon us, boy. And winter is death. I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned's little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks. No one sings songs of men who die like that. As for me, I am old. This will be my last winter. Let me bathe in Bolton blood before I die. I want to feel it spatter across my face when myaxe bites deep into a Bolton skull. I want to lick it off my lips and die with the taste of it on my tongue."

"Aye!" shouted Morgan Liddle. "Blood and battle!" Then all the hillmen were shouting, banging their cups and drinking horns on the table, filling the king's tent with the clangor.

 

...

 

"Half of them, and only if I meet this Crowfood's price," said Stannis, in an irritated tone. "He wants Mance Rayder's skull for a drinking cup, and he wants a pardon for his brother, who has ridden south to join Bolton. Whoresbane, he's called."