What would Robb do if Ned took the Black?

[Angel Eyes]

So if Ned had taken the Black, what would Robb do? Go back North with Jaime as captive and pick up his Frey bride? Would he try to ransom Jaime for Arya, Sansa and Ice? Would he still face trouble from Rickard Karstark demanding vengeance for the deaths of his sons Torrhen and Edd?

[Canon Claude]

Ransoming his sisters and Ice for Jaime sounds like the best deal Robb could expect if Ned was sent north to take the black. Though Ned was going to die of that infected leg no matter what happened to him.

[Ylath's Snout]

I imagine that the timing of Ned's taking the black would matter a lot.

He would still want Arya and Sansa back but unless he has Jamie I don't know how he would go about doing that.

The politics in such a scenario would be interesting although Robb would be pretty hamstrung by Walder Frey and his unreasonable demands.

[ChuckPunch]

Well the hostage exchange seems likely. But then you need to figure out where Ned will be when he succumbs to his aforementioned infected leg. Will he still die in Lannister hands? Will he die on the road to the Wall with Yoren? These could factor into Robb's next move and the likelihood of success for the hostage swap. War seems unlikely without a public execution so at least that should turn out better.

[Valyrian Lance]

There are a number of things that could happen. If Eddard is allowed to take the black, he may have terms (though he isn't in a great bargaining position). At the very least, he may play a role in negotiating the peace with the trade of Sansa for Jamie.

He likely will die from his leg wound before reaching the wall, but if he is allowed to send a raven or speak to Sansa, this could staunch any retaliation that would come from his dying on the Kingsroad.

[Hugorfonics]

Sansa would still marry Joffrey. A trade for Arya and Jaime could happen, but I doubt Robb would do that. Karstark may still want vengeance, but he's not gonna get it. Robb would probably keep on fighting to annul Sansas marriage, plus after WW, no reason to stop, still gotta free Edmure and Hoster

I don't see why Ned would die, or even take the kingsroad. Janos took a ship when he was sentenced from KL to the wall.

[Ylath's Snout]

1 hour ago, Hugorfonics said:

Sansa would still marry Joffrey.

Maybe but IMHO that match was mostly Robby B's idea. With him dead who would champion it? It could be used to seal the peace, however marrying the daughter of a treasonous Lord Paramount that is forced to take the Black to the King might be seens are a pretty bad match.

I'm having a hard time seeing House Stark being willing to support the Lannister-Baratheon side after all the shit they pulled during AGoT. Especially once Joffs nut-bag nature becomes apparent.

1 hour ago, Hugorfonics said:

I don't see why Ned would die

He has a highly infected and untreated leg wound with a broken bone. That shit could kill you today, never mind in Westeros.

[Angel Eyes]

20 minutes ago, Ylath's Snout said:

Maybe but IMHO that match was mostly Robby B's idea. With him dead who would champion it? It could be used to seal the peace, however marrying the daughter of a treasonous Lord Paramount that is forced to take the Black to the King might be seens are a pretty bad match.

I'm having a hard time seeing House Stark being willing to support the Lannister-Baratheon side after all the shit they pulled during AGoT. Especially once Joffs nut-bag nature becomes apparent.

He has a highly infected and untreated leg wound with a broken bone. That shit could kill you today, never mind in Westeros.

So why was Sansa still betrothed to Joffrey after Ned lost his head?

[Kandrax]

Robb would stop warring with Lannisters. However, even if Ned wasn't executed, that wouldn't guarantee stoping conflict between RL and WL. Riverlord would want Gregor's head.

[LindsayLohan]

33 minutes ago, Angel Eyes said:

So why was Sansa still betrothed to Joffrey after Ned lost his head?

Easier to call a 13 year-old girl "Joffrey's betrothed" instead of "Cersei's hostage."  Appearances, homie.  Once Robb called his banners, Sansa was never going to be married to Joffrey.

[Ylath's Snout]

47 minutes ago, Angel Eyes said:

So why was Sansa still betrothed to Joffrey after Ned lost his head?

@LindsayLohan made a good point about keeping up appearances, however farcical that become when you are dealing with Joff. In addition to that they dropped the Sansa-Joff match as soon as they got a better offer without any resistance. 

26 minutes ago, LindsayLohan said:

Easier to call a 13 year-old girl "Joffrey's betrothed" instead of "Cersei's hostage."  Appearances, homie.  Once Robb called his banners, Sansa was never going to be married to Joffrey.

Mmmhmm, you hit the nail on the head here.

32 minutes ago, Kandrax said:

Robb would stop warring with Lannisters. However, even if Ned wasn't executed, that wouldn't guarantee stoping conflict between RL and WL. Riverlord would want Gregor's head.

You raise an interesting point. Could Robb really sit on the sideline and watch his uncle lands get pillage by a complete monster? Seems like that would be a very painful position to extract yourself from with any sort of dignity intact.

[Boarsbane]

1 hour ago, Kandrax said:

Robb would stop warring with Lannisters. However, even if Ned wasn't executed, that wouldn't guarantee stoping conflict between RL and WL. Riverlord would want Gregor's head.

Tywin would probably ease off the Riverlands and focus on Stannis and Renly. His entire purpose in having Gregor raid the Riverlands to start with is to draw Ned out so he can capture him and use him to make peace with the North and Riverlands. He says he always considered Stannis the biggest threat so he certainly wouldn't want to continue a war with Riverlands, Edmure might want to keep fighting for prides sake but Tywin and Jaime were pretty handily crushing him before Northern intervention so he might have to accept peace. Gregor isn' worth going to war over.

[OneEyed-Aegon]

Robb would do his best to send joffrey to take the black

[Ylath's Snout]

31 minutes ago, OneEyed-Aegon said:

Robb would do his best to send joffrey to take the black

I don't think that would happen unless something else completly ruined things for the Lannister but it would be hilarious.

Jon's rough start at the Wall would be nothing compared to Joffs. Even if the incest thing is kept secret he has a horrible attitude and mistreated the Stark. Not a great combo.

Although the NW makes use of torture on occasion to extract info from wildlings and that might be a "good" job from Joff.

[867-5309]

Robb will have no choice but to accept the decision.  Ned will take the black and live at the wall for his remaining years with his bastard son.  He becomes LC if he lives long enough after Mormont.  Robb will have to withdraw his troops and go back home.  He will renege on his oath to Walder Frey, both for himself and for Arya.  It's something he didn't want to do and would have found a way to break his oath.  The Lannisters will get their boys back and Sansa goes back home.  Two fathers, Karstark and Frey, will be pissed at the Starks.  

The situation is better at the wall and in Winterfell.  Hell in King's Landing because Joffrey remains in power.  Stannis and Renly will continue to go at it.  Balon will stay home and nurse his bitterness.  Theon remains a hostage of the wolves.

[BRANDON GREYSTARK]

Eddard would have order Robb to make peace . Robb would have obeyed . Sansa would have married Joffrey then she will see that life is not a song . The battle in the Whispering Woods would not have taken place .

[Anck Su Namun]

So if Ned was allowed to take the black a peace could be possible between Stark and Lannister.  Such a peace will mean Robb goes to KL and kneels in front of Joffrey to swear fealty.  The wolves will be humbled but they may get to keep WF.  

[Corvo the Crow]

And what makes you think he'll take it if given the chance? He can just say he will take the black but on his way to the wall he'll get rid of his escort if he even has any. Or he can just leave after arriving at the watch, remember going to the watch even with the intention of becoming part of it, whether as punishment or voluntarily, doesn't make you a member. You have to say the vows first and it takes sometime. His honor can prevent him from pulling any tricks but the same honor can also prevent him from letting the murders of his second father, foster brother and household and attemptet murder of his son and attack on his ally and good brother go unpunished. And even if he should take the black to chill out with Jon and Ben, he can just order Robb to aid Stannis getting the throne and punish the lions.

[Boarsbane]

6 hours ago, Corvo the Crow said:

And what makes you think he'll take it if given the chance? He can just say he will take the black but on his way to the wall he'll get rid of his escort if he even has any. Or he can just leave after arriving at the watch, remember going to the watch even with the intention of becoming part of it, whether as punishment or voluntarily, doesn't make you a member. You have to say the vows first and it takes sometime. His honor can prevent him from pulling any tricks but the same honor can also prevent him from letting the murders of his second father, foster brother and household and attemptet murder of his son and attack on his ally and good brother go unpunished. And even if he should take the black to chill out with Jon and Ben, he can just order Robb to aid Stannis getting the throne and punish the lions.

He could do all those things but it wouldn't go over very well for poor Sansa, though maybe he's willing to sacrifice her to spite the Lannisters. 

[Ylath's Snout]

22 minutes ago, Boarsbane said:

hough maybe he's willing to sacrifice her to spite the Lannisters. 

I have a very hard time believing that Ned would endanger his child like that. If he somehow was sure they will harm/kill her anyway then he might break his word but other than that no way.