Chapter Three
The Young Wolf

"Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only." - Victor Hugo

The stables of Winterfell were much more grand than the stables of the Dreadfort. They were not much different in size, but they were much more spacious and much less gloomy than the dark, grim stables of her previous home. Kaina was fortunate to have found work as a stable hand, caring for the mares and stallions of the Starks themselves. Kaina grew fond of one horse in particular, a dappled grey steed with the name of Storm.

Kaina was brushing down Storm, stroking her hand along his neck as she did so to keep him calm. She spoke to him softly, looking at him with adoring eyes. Once she was done, Kaina turned to the door of the stall where she had left the saddle and bridle, intending to saddle him up for the ride that he was due to be taken on, when she noticed another presence in the stable.

"My Lord," Kaina widened her eyes in surprise, curtseying in respect. Even if she was not acting as a commoner, Robb Stark was still above her in rank, his father being Warden of the North. She carefully observed him, taking in the mop of auburn curls which sat atop his head and his smooth and youthful complexion. Kaina couldn't help but feel her heart flutter at the sight of the eldest Stark child.

Ros had informed Kaina of how the heir to Winterfell had been the one to find her buried in the snow, frozen within an inch of her life. As she recounted, Robb had been intensely worried for Kaina's safety and had sat with her until the very early hours of the morning to ensure that she did not fade away during the night. Kaina smiled at the thought, thinking that in another world they could have been married. In a world where her parents had not been slaughtered, or a world in which Ramsay had not taken her innocence.

"It is quite alright," Robb smiled at her. Robb couldn't contain his joy at finally speaking to the girl he had watched from afar for the past two weeks since he had found her. He had seen her with Storm before, giving him treats that she probably wasn't supposed to, and had watched her from the windows of the library tower as she passed under it, carrying saddles to and from the stable. He thanked the Gods for her swift recovery, but it was only now that he had worked up the courage to talk to her. Kaina felt as if she should wait for him to leave before continuing her work, as would be considered polite from someone of her station, but Robb did not. Instead he stood in front of his horse's stall, hands fidgeting nervously in front of him. "Storm does not usually let other people pick his hooves, usually I have to do it myself. He must like you."

Kaina was a little shocked that Robb had been standing there long enough for him to have seen her picking his horse's hooves, but was confident enough in her skill to not be unnerved by it. Instead she felt pride swell up in her chest, a small smile playing on her lips. This was the first casual conversation she'd had with a man, a boy, of his age in such a manner in so long. Ramsay's possessiveness had reached new levels in the weeks leading to her escape, and since the escape she had spoken to as few people as possible.

"I am fond of him, my Lord, as I suspect he may be fond of me," Kaina smiled, running her hand down Storm's nose as he pushed his head into her. She then approached the door, approaching him, and lifted the saddle from where she placed it. She had to step on the tips of her toes to throw the saddle over his back given his significant height, and even then she had trouble. She barely noticed when Robb opened the gate and stepped into the stall with her.

"Let me help you," he offered, standing on the other side of Storm and helping her to position the saddle correctly.

"Thank you, my Lord, could you please pass me the girth?" Kaina stuck her arm under the horse's belly but the girth swung out of her reach as Storm moved. Robb complied and Kaina was able to finish doing the saddle.

As Kaina was putting the bridle on his horse, Robb spoke up again, still in the stall with her. "Do you ride?"

Here, Kaina had to begin fabricating her story. "My father worked as a stable hand for many years, he taught me to ride from a young age," she informed him as she wrapped the reigns around each other so that they wouldn't get tangled before the ride, "I love to ride when I get the opportunity. I am used to riding horses just as tall as Storm," she smiled faintly at the memories of galloping through countless miles of countryside.

Robb was not convinced with her story. No simple farm girl wore garbs as fine as the ones he found her in. Still, he found himself laughing at the idea of such a small framed girl on a horse as large as Storm.

"Not many women I know of ride such tall horses, save from young Arya who is more than happy to steal Storm from me on the odd occasion," Robb laughed at the image in his head.

"I am not most women, my Lord," Kaina murmured.

"What is your name? I fear I will not sleep tonight if I do not know it," Robb asked, and Kaina felt a smile at how forward he was being with a simple stable girl. To her fortune, Ros had not informed Robb of her name. It had been a mistake to use her true name, but she hoped that was behind her now.

"My name is Evelyn, my Lord," Kaina lied, using the name which she had chosen for her younger sister, who as a babe had died her mother's arms.

"Evelyn..." Robb whispered to himself, playing with it on his tongue. "Please, Evelyn, call me Robb. It seems only fair, does it not?"

Kaina smiled fully this time. A part of her immediately wanted to befriend him, to learn everything about him, to perhaps even fall in love with him. But she knew that she could not be so foolish, as she had been with Ramsay in her youth. Even so, Kaina didn't want to refuse his offer. "Of course... Robb."

"I thank you for attending my horse," Robb said, taking the reigns and leading Storm from the stall. "I hope to see you again soon, Evelyn."

And so Kaina was left with a fluttering feeling in her stomach, feeling a warmth inside of her that she had not felt in many years.

The next time Kaina saw Robb was two days later when he sought her out in the stables once more. Kaina had been taking a moment to rest her feet, sitting on a bale of hale, when Robb approached her. "My Lord," she shot up, curtseying.

"I told you to call me Robb," he smiled broadly at her, "Most of the staff in Winterfell say m'lord, they are not as well spoken as you are." Kaina didn't know whether Robb was trying to compliment her or if he was questioning her, so she simply offered him a small smile.

"Is there anything that I can do for you, Robb?" Kaina offered.

"Actually, I came to ask if you would like to go out for a ride with me later today," he asked, catching her off guard entirely. "You spoke of riding with such longing the other day, I thought it would be cruel to deny you the opportunity."

His generosity was foreign to her. She almost caught herself searching for a hidden motive. Had Robb been Ramsay, the ride would likely have been some form of game. Instead, Robb seemed to genuinely want to spend time with her. Kaina found herself smiling, but she knew that she shouldn't accept his offer, no matter how much she wanted to. "It would be inappropriate..."

"Would it really be so inappropriate? Not if I were to claim I simply prefer to ride with a companion than solo," Robb, usually the image of confidence, began to display signs of his nerves. After all, he was but a boy. His desire for this girl caused him the most exciting of nerves. "You could even ride Storm."

She couldn't deny that she was extremely tempted. "Who would you ride in that case?"

"My father's horse will be more than satisfactory," Robb countered, "What do you say?"

Kaina looked at her feet shyly for a moment, before meeting his eyes, "Okay."

Robb, true to his word, was there for Kaina at the end of her shift. She had just returned from the fields, having turned two horses out for the night, and was met with the eldest Stark with two horses at each side. He had taken the liberty to saddle Storm, his father's horse having already been saddled, and was patiently awaiting her arrival.

Kaina grinned when she saw him as Robb brought his horse over to her. Like a gentleman, he lifted her onto the horse with little difficulty and helped guide her feet into the stirrups once she was seated on Storm, his fingers lightly grazing over the skin of her ankle as he did so. Once he was on his own horse, they took off into the woods, steadily walking down the path that left Winterfell.

"Most of the castle's workers refer to me as 'm'lord'," Robb told her suddenly. Briefly, Kaina felt a horrible pang of rejection. Did he no longer want her to call him by his name? Seeing her confusion, he continued. "But when we met you called me 'my Lord'."

Kaina smiled pleasantly. "Do you have a point, m'lord?" she giggled, knowing her question was out of place for her station but she knew Robb would not care.

"I was simply wondering," Robb smiled back, "perhaps you are a noblewoman in hiding?"

She knew he was joking, and that there was no possible explanation for Robb knowing of her heritage, but still she felt her heart plummet.

If Robb noticed her panic, he didn't let on. Instead he flashed her another dazzling smile, and Kaina felt her worries dissolve once more.

In fact, Robb did notice her panic. He had no reason to truly believe that she was noble or hiding from something, but his mind would not let him forget the expensive finery he had found her in and his curiosity got the better of him.

"I am no noblewoman in hiding," Kaina laughed airily, feeling her heart continue to race in her chest. "Though I do imagine that might be quite exciting," she smiled widely at him and kicked her horse into a canter and raced ahead of him. Robb grinned after her, kicking his horse on and attempting to catch up with her.

"Would you tell me of your family perhaps?" he asked of her when they slowed their horses to a steady walk.

"My family?" she furrowed her brows. Why would the young lord be interested in a lowly commoner's family? Robb's smile encouraged her on. "I don't really have much in the way of family, besides my elder brother but I haven't seen him in a great many years," she admitted truthfully. "My parents were killed when I was barely past by ninth name day and my brother and I were separated from then on."

"Killed?" a brief look of horror flashed across his face before it settled into a look of sympathy, "My deepest sympathies-"

"It's alright, it's not quite so painful any more," Kaina interjected. It was in fact quite painful, to think of what could have been... Perhaps if they had lived her parents might have betrothed her to someone more honourable than Roose saw fit.

"And your brother? Do you miss him?" Robb thought of his brothers and how it would pain him so to be apart from any of them, even Theon.

"Sometimes," Kaina said, a look of sad reflection on her face, "He is older than me by nine years though, he had many duties and thus had very little time to spend with his sister. I do have some fond memories of him though. I remember once being very young and I sat on his knee as he read to me stories of Brandon the Builder and the like."

"Can you read, then?" he inquired, and she nodded. Robb was amazed by this girl. She claimed to be a simple commoner yet the stories she told him were not the ones he'd expect of her. What was more, she could read! What peasant girl could read?

Kaina hadn't realised how foolish she had been. Had Robb's father received any word of her disappearance then it was likely Robb would have deciphered who she was simply by the information she so willingly gave. She feared some sub-conscious drive of hers pulling her back towards Ramsay, as if she wanted to get caught. However, the feeling of comfort she felt with Robb was much stronger than any ties she still held to Ramsay, and it was so easy for her to lose herself in his gaze.

"Now," she looked up at him, the morose expression faded to an inquisitive smile paired with gleaming eyes, "You must tell me something about you." She was met with a dazzling smile from the Stark heir as he erupted into speech, pouring his heart out to her.

Things are beginning to look up for Kaina. I love writing scenes with Robb, I miss him being on the show.

Thank you so much for your continued support, it means a lot! As always, please let me know what you thought. I love to read your reviews and I try to reply to most of them.

I have a quite a few chapters written already and a good idea about where to direct the story, but I'm still very torn on what to do about the Red Wedding. If you have any hopes or suggestions for that, do let me know. I also have a Jaime/OC fic in the works. The OC is very different from this one and I love writing her story, so if you're interested let me know and I might post the first couple of chapters.

See you next chapter.