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SECOND CHANCES

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Lady Myrcella Stark's screams could be heard all the way to King's Landing. Or at least that was what Cersei Baratheon, her mother, thought as she watched anxiously as her daughter screamed in pain while being pushed into a sitting position. She had entered the birthing bed more that ten hours ago and she was still struggling to give birth to her baby. And Cersei, who had given birth to three children herself, still couldn't bare to see her beautiful Myrcella suffering that way.

Apparently, her husband couldn't either.

She couldn't deny her amazement by the sight of the Young Wolf, as Robb Stark was often called, sitting behind his daughter, holding her upper body carefully while murmuring encouragement words in her ear as well as apologising for the pain he was putting the girl through. For the pain that their pleasure had brought. And looking at her only daughter, a dark part of Cersei thought that it was the very least he could do.

'At least he decided to stay with her instead of running away like other men.' she thought, feeling respect for the young Stark heir who, uncaring of what anyone advised him, had entered the birth chamber as soon as he had known his beloved wife was bringing his child into the world. 'Just like his father.' She thought fondly.

"Push, Lady Stark!" – the midwife told the blond future mother, who held onto her husband's forearms as hard as she could and did as she was told.

"Ahhhh!" – she yelled, falling against her husband tiredly. – "I can't! It hurts too much!" – she cried. – "I can't do it anymore!"

"You can do this, Cella! Just a little more, my love. Please, just a little more." – promised Robb, crying alongside her. He hated seeing his beautiful, always composed wife reduced to a crying mess on the bed. That was not his Myrcella.

"Robb..." – Myrcella whimpered.

"Come on, Cella! Just a little more and we will have our baby with us."

"Push, my lady!" – she was told again and against her exhaustion, she pushed with all her might. – "I see the head now, my lady. Just a little more."

Cersei watched the scene unfold without saying anything, knowing that if she did, she would end up crying and begging the Gods to spare her daughter. Or she would start cursing her goodson, blaming him for the state her daughter was in. She bit her lip, nearly drawing blood, and continued wiping her only daughter's forehead and wet cheeks.

"Robb... Robb... if I don't ... make it..." – Myrcella started.

"Don't talk like that, I beg you. Don't say that." – the redheaded boy cried, hiding his face in Myrcella's hair.

"One more push, my lady."

"Robb... my love... listen to me..." – she tried again, but another contraction distracted her and holding her husband's hands in a strong grip, she pushed with all her might.

"I can see the head, my lady" – cried the midwife, excited. – Push!"

Myrcella pushed as hard as she could once more, screaming so loud that a heartbroken Cersei was sure she could be heard even beyond the Wall. Moments later an infant's cried filled the room, making the young couple cry too, filled with awe for the new addition to their family.

"What is it? I want to see my baby!" - exclaimed a very tired Myrcella from her position sprawled on Robb's chest.

No one said anything for a few minutes, while Cersei, who had been the one to receive her grandson, took him quickly to an especial basin to give him his first bath, marveling at the tiny person in her arms. This little baby with very dark hair and skin as pale as snow. Her Stark grandson.

'He could have been mine.' She thought sadly and hurried to wash him and wrap him in a soft blanket before taking him to his mother.

"You have a healthy son, my darling." – she said to Myrcella, smiling once more. She gently placed the baby in his new mother's arms and stepped back to watch her daughter with her family.

"Robb... he's… so beautiful." – she whispered in delight.

"He is." – he agreed, running his hand over the baby's head. – "Thank you. Thank you so much." – he said kissing her.

"He looks like your father, my love." – Myrcella commented and her husband could only nod, agreeing with her. He did look like a miniature of his father.

Moments later, Cersei and the midwife cleaned the new mother while Robb paced the room with his son in his arms. Cersei couldn't help but smile hearing her goodson talking of all the things he was going to teach him and how much he and his mother loved him.

"Thank you for not yelling at my husband, mother. I know you wanted to." – Myrcella whispered so they wouldn't be heard by the husband in question. Despite the pain she had been in while birthing her child, she had noticed the looks her mother had thrown her husband.

"He stayed. That alone was enough to grant him my respect." – she confessed while braiding the young woman's hair again.

"Still... thank you." – she smiled.

They didn't talk more. Once Myrcella was settled on the bed, Robb returned and put their child back in her arms. Cersei only smiled when she saw Robb hug his wife's shoulders while she breastfed him for the first time.

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Three moons later Cersei was still in Winterfell.

Despite her desire and her husband's order for her to leave for King's Landing a moon before, her daughter had pleaded her to stay. She had stated that although she trusted her lord husband's household servants, she needed her own mother. So Cersei had caved in and stayed.

Currently she was in the nursery, watching her grandson sleep. She had dismissed the woman that took care of him when Robb and Myrcella needed some time alone or when they had to perform their duties as future Lord and Lady of Winterfell and Wardens of the North. 'They are probably practising for when they have to give this one a little brother or sister.' she thought smirking. She knew better than anyone that despite their three years of marriage, Robb was as besotted with his wife as the day they got married and vice versa and how they could never get their hands off each other when they were alone together. Of course, she had experienced that first-hand since she had found them several times in compromising positions around the castle.

"Good morning, Your Majesty." – a familiar voice behind her saluted her.

"Lord Stark." – she replied, smiling slightly before turning to see the baby again. She felt more than saw the Lord of Winterfell stand very close to her.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" – he asked.

"He is."

"Robb, however, would have like him to look more like Myrcella."

"He is still happy, though. He looks so proud whenever he carries little Rickard around the castle." – she commented. They stayed in silence after that.

"He could have been ours." – Ned said, shocking her and making him look at him. He was looking at her too.

"My Lord..." – she began.

"You've always called me Ned in private." – he tried to joke.

"Those were different times. We were different people." – Cersei reminded him, not really wanting to discuss that topic. – "We didn't realise our wishes would not be the same as our responsibilities."

"I fought for you, Cersei!" – he refuted her, raising his voice slightly.

"Don't yell, Ned. You'll wake Rickard." – she placed her hand over his mouth and then opened her eyes really big when she realised what she had done. Immediately she tried to lower her hand but he was faster and took it in his.

"I fought for you, Cersei. You have to believe me." – Ned repeated in a lower voice.

"I believe you." – she sighed, freeing her hand only to bring it to his cheek, caressing his beard softly. – "Just as I fought to be yours. But it wasn't meant to be."

"I wasn't supposed to marry Catelyn."

"And I wasn't supposed to marry Robert. I wasn't supposed to be queen. But alas, you are married to her and I to him."

"I have never loved her like I loved you. Like I still love you." – he swore, making her smile slightly again.

"And you have always been the only one in my heart, Ned. Only you." – she confessed. – "But we couldn't avoid our families and our obligations to them."

"We could have escaped like we once planned." – he reminded her.

"We could have. And then what?"

"We could have been happy in the Free Cities, where no one would have bothered us again."

"I would have been happy anywhere with you. But then it all happened." – Cersei remembered everything that had made her change her mind about escaping with her soulmate.

His younger sister's kidnap. His father and older brother being killed by the Mad King. The war starting. Robert killing Prince Rhaegar and taking the Iron Throne only to hear that his first betrothed, Lyanna, had died. And Ned becoming the last living stark. Becoming the new Lord of Winterfell. No longer free but with a huge weight on his shoulders to protect and guide his people. No longer free to run. No longer free to be just hers.

So she had had to let him go. And if her pain hadn't been enough, her father had secretly arranged her wedding with that horrible Baratheon king just like it had been arranged that he was to marry... her.

How could she asked him to leave with her when so many people depended on them?

"I had to let you go." – she told him, knowing that he had understood her reasons all those years ago. He had always understood her, after all. Even when she hadn't understood herself.

"But now we have been given a chance." – he said. – "A chance to join our houses just like you always wanted to. Like we always wanted to.

"Yes, Rickard is the child we were denied. But here he is now, in front of us, proof that the Gods, Old and New have not abandoned us. That they have granted us a way to be together. – she whispered, turning to see the baby again.

Ned did the same, putting his hand on top of hers on the crib. She moved her fingers so they were intertwined with his and rested her blonde head on his shoulder.

Both smiled.

And Robb and Myrcella, who had been witness to everything said in the room, looked at each other and smiled too before leaving the nursery quietly to give the star-crossed lovers a few more minutes of shared happiness.

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A/N: New story yeeeeiii!

Please forgive any mistakes, English is not my native language.

I hope you really enjoyed it, as much as I enjoyed writing it (I love Robb/Myrcella as much as Ned/Cersei). And don't forget to let me know what you think :)