The door to my room swung open. I jumped up, surprised. I was prepared to snap at whoever was on the other side. But when I saw her, the words died in my mouth. Amina sniffed and rubbed at her already red eyes. Her sleeves were tear stained. "Can I come in?" She asked.

I nodded and motioned for her to come sit on my bed. She sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. "What happened?" I asked after a moment.

"Ned told me who my parents really were," Amina whispered.

"He knew?" I asked surprised. She nodded. "Isn't that something you always wanted to know?" She nodded again. "Then why are you crying?"

Amina mumbled something that I couldn't make out. I leaned closer. "I'm a Targaryen!" She said, much louder this time. Then she burst into another round of tears. "The Mad King was my father."

"All the Targaryens were killed in the war."

"Not me."

For a moment I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to comfort her. I'd never seen Amina cry before. "Well, that means you're a dragon. Who would have thought?"

"What if I go mad?" She snapped. "What if I'm like my father?"

"You are not like Aerys," I said confidently.

"But how can you know?" She pressed.

"You're my best friend, I know you."

She was quiet for a long time. "Can I stay here? Just for a little while?"

I nodded. She turned and laid her head down in my lap. "You can stay as long as you want."

Five Years Later

"No, not like that," Amina said, through her laughter. She guided my fingers into place on the knife, and then drew my arm back. "Alright, now throw." I flung the knife and it hit a barrel behind our target. It didn't even stick; it just clattered to the ground. Amina's face turned purple from laughing so hard.

"We might as well face it, I will never be good at throwing knives."

"You can say that again." She looped her arm around mine, and laid her head on my shoulder.

"In his defense, throwing knives is really hard," Theon said. I looked over where he and Jon were leaning against the rail. "I don't know how you do it, Amina."

"Jon, you're the only one who's never tried," Amina said. "Want to give it a go?"

"I think I'll stick with swords, Ami."

Theon gave him a shove. "Go on, let us all laugh at you for a change." Amina let me go and walked over to Jon. My skin tingled where she'd just been holding on.

Amina grabbed Jon's hands and pulled him toward the target. She pressed one of her knives into his hand, and positioned his fingers. "Alright, now pull back and throw. Follow through with your wrist." He did as she said, and the knife hit the target and bounced off. She nodded. "Not bad, not bad at all. Your release is a little late; start letting go the moment your elbow starts to extend. Then guide it straight with your finger, but don't think about it too much!"

"How am I supposed to do something without thinking about it?" He asked.

She made a face. "Do you think about every move when you're using a sword?"

He tilted his head. "Okay, I see your point." He tried again, this time the knife did stick, but just barely. Amina threw her hands in the air. Theon actually clapped.

"You know, you might just have potential here," she told him. She looped her arm through his, like she had mine. "But, I wouldn't go giving up the sword any time soon."

He looked down at her. "Oh, don't worry. Knives are your forte. I won't steal that. As long as you don't go beating me in a sword fight any time soon."

"Oh, one day I'm going to beat you in a sword fight. You just wait." She ruffled Jon's hair. I felt a tightness in my chest as I watched.

"Amina!" Sansa cried, her voice was shrill. "Mother says you have to come inside!" Amina rolled her eyes and let go of Jon's arm. "Now!"

"I believe I am being summoned. Wish me luck. If you don't see me again, know that I love you all." She put her hand across her forehead as if she were growing faint.

"Oh Gods, your even more dramatic than Sansa." Theon laughed. Amina smacked him on the arm as she walked by. I watched her until she disappeared through the doors. When I turned back to Jon and Theon, they were both looking at me.

"Who wants to be beat in a sword fight?" I asked.

Jon laughed. "You wish!"

OoOoO

I knocked on Amina's door. It took her a moment to answer. When she did, she looked tired. But, she hadn't changed into her nightgown yet, so I knew I hadn't woken her up. "Archery contest?" I asked.

"Robb, it's the middle of the night." I held up the lantern I brought with me. She laughed. "Sure."

We walked out to the yard, and I put the lantern on the rail so we could see. Amina collected our bows, and sat a quiver of arrows between us. For a while we just shot arrows in a comfortable silence. Amina shot her last arrow, and it just barely hit the target. "Gods," she cursed under her breath. "You win."

I laughed. "It's not like you to miss a shot."

"I'm tired!" She insisted. She hoped up onto the rail, and I sat next to her. "Why'd you want to come out here?"

I shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to spend time with you. Without Jon and Theon around, I mean." I looked over at her. "Is that strange?"

Amina smiled. "We're going to be married one day, I don't think that's strange at all." She laid her head on my shoulder. I intertwined my fingers with hers.

"I'm glad," I whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad that it's you, and not some girl I don't know."

She sat up and looked at me. "We'll be a good Lord and Lady of Winterfell." For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then Amina leaned in and kissed me. It caught me off guard. We'd never kissed before. She leaned back and smiled. "Do you think any Dornishmen will come to the wedding?" She asked, as if nothing had happened. "I've never met someone from Dorne, but I hear they have the best food."

"I don't know if father knows anyone from Dorne," I said with a laugh.

She shrugged. "Ned knows everyone."

"Maybe Lord Martell?"

"Prince Martell," she corrected. Always the one to be on top of her studies. "We should go inside. It will be morning before we know it, and Sansa will be banging on my door ready to drag me to my sewing lesson."

I walked Amina back upstairs to her room. She stepped inside, and then turned around in the doorway. She leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. "Goodnight, Robb."

"Goodnight," I whispered, as she closed the door. I stood outside for a moment, grinning like an idiot. I practically floated back to my room.

Two Years Later

Amina swung her sword hard and fast, as if she actually meant to strike Theon. He just barely blocked her blade. Theon looked as if he'd just run to Castle Cerwyn and back, whereas Amina had barely broken a sweat. Finally he held up his hands, "I yield, I yield!"

"Oh, come on. Don't make it easy for me!" Amina said disappointed. She tried tapping his sword arm, but he just tossed his sword aside. She pretended to pout. "You're the only one I can beat in a sword fight, I just want one last good win before you go."

"I think you've taken my ego down enough, just with that reminder." She laughed. "Anyway, I'll only be gone a few weeks. Maybe these two will knock you down a peg while I'm gone." He gestured at Jon and me.

"Ser Jaime Lannister himself couldn't knock down Ami's ego. And, they say he's the best knight in the Seven Kingdoms," Jon noted.

Amina pretended to look offended. "However will I go on, knowing my best friends think I'm so self-involved?"

"We're your only friends, so I suppose you'll just have to accept it." Theon laughed as he gave her a squeeze. "I should be getting back inside, I haven't finished packing yet."

"You leave in the morning!" Amina said, eyes wide. "I'll come up and help."

"You may be a good fighter, but you are a shit packer, Amina. Don't think I missed Catelyn refolding all your dresses the last time you went to visit one of the liege lords."

"Oh, go on then," she said, waving him away. "I didn't want to help anyway."

He laughed as he headed back inside. Jon excused himself too, and Amina started to head toward the door. "Amina, wait up!" I called after her. She stopped and turned around. "You know we're only teasing, right?"

She smiled. "Of course, I know I'm not that vain." She shrugged. "Only when it's warranted. Like that time I beat Theon in an archery contest. Which has only happen that once."

"And that's the reason you only challenge him to sword fights."

Amina laughed. "Exactly." She put her hand on my arm. "Don't worry about me, I'm not so fragile. I grew up with you lot, I know when someone's messing about and when they're actually serious." She tilted her head. "Now, if you tried that on Sansa…" We both shook our heads. "I'm going to go inside, I want to sit with Theon while he packs. Though he is right, I couldn't fold a shirt to save my life."

She turned to leave again, but I reached for her hand. "Would you like to go into town tomorrow, after Theon leaves? I hear there's a traveling merchant, the servants have been talking about how nice his wears are."

"Oh, It would be nice to get out of the castle for a bit." Amina smiled. "Promise to buy me something nice?"

"Of course." I kissed her on the cheek. "See you at supper."

OoOoO

The next morning, we said our goodbyes to Theon and my father. Amina looked positively exhausted. "You look like you hardly slept," I noted. "You know, they're just going to Torrhen's Square, not Highgarden. You shouldn't fret so much."

She made a face. "I wasn't fretting, I leave that sort of thing to Catelyn. Theon and I just stayed up talking until almost sunrise."

"He didn't look too tired."

She raised an eyebrow. "Theon practically thrives on sleepless nights. If it isn't me keeping him up telling stories, it's a whore keeping him up by other means." I snorted. She did have a point. I noticed something in her hair, and reached up to grab it. It was a twig. She looked embarrassed. "We went on a walk," she said quickly. "I guess I ought to brush my hair more often."

"Do you still want to go to the market? You can stay here and sleep if you're too tired," I offered.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't been into town in ages. I'd like to go." She looked up toward her window. "But let me run upstairs and brush my hair first." I nodded and she hurried off. As I watched her walk away, I noticed a black ribbon, tied in a bow, on her finger.

Amina returned quickly, with her hair braided. I waved her over to the wagon, and helped her in. "We could have walked, or taken the horses," she noted. "Myst has been dying to get out of the stables."

Winter town wasn't far away, and the ride was short. We left the driver, and walked through the market. Amina stopped at a few stalls to look at everything from necklaces to knives. She held up a silver handled knife. "Do you think Arya would like this?" She asked.

"Arya is ten," I reminded her.

"And? I was throwing knives at ten. Who says she can't learn too?" I shrugged. She was right, but mother wouldn't approve. Amina bought the knife and slid it into her knife belt.

"You brought your knives?" I asked.

"I always bring my knives," she told me. "But I only brought the belt this time. Figured the knives in my boot and the one in my sleeve were a little overkill for a trip to the market." I laughed. Even though we spent almost everyday together, Amina never ceased to amaze me. I had never met another girl quite like her.

We continued further down the streets. Finally Amina stopped in front of the Smoking Log. It was a gritty looking alehouse. I'd been in once with my father. Amina turned to look at me; I recognized the mischievous glint in her eye. "Let's have a drink." Before I could say anything, Amina was dragging me inside.

It was loud inside the tavern. A minstrel sang a drinking song, while several patrons sung along. A few men shouted at each other. Whores tried to win customers with soft, sultry voices. Amina went straight to the counter. "A tankard of mead," she told the barkeep.

She looked at me, expectantly. "Oh, uh, the same for me." The barkeep brought us our drinks and I paid, while Amina found a table. It wasn't long before I felt the effects of the drink. We drink a glass of wine with supper most nights, but that was about as much as I'd ever had. Amina, on the other hand, looked as if she'd done this all before. I wondered if she'd been coming to town with Theon. "Do you come here often?" I asked.

"What?" She shouted, over the noise.

"Do you come here a lot?" I tried again. She shrugged and nodded. Amina looked over my shoulder, at a particularly loud table. She grinned. The men launched into an off tune rendition of Six Maids in a Pool.

"Oi, Garrett, shut the bloody hell up!" She shouted, standing up. I'd never heard Amina sound as common as she did right then.

"Piss off, Quicksilver!" A man, presumably Garrett, shouted back.

"You know them?" I asked. Before she had a chance to answer, the men joined us. Amina hopped up on the table, so she'd be eye level with them. Her legs dangled over the side.

"Where's Theon? That wanker owes me fifty silver stags."

"Out of town," she told him. "I'm afraid you're never getting that money. He'd rather shoot an arrow through your eye than admit he lost a bet."

The men laughed. Garrett looked me over. "Ah, this is the lad then. He is a pretty boy, isn't he? All those curls." Amina ran her fingers through my hair. She reached for her mead and took another swig. I had no idea how she'd managed to almost finish it off in such a short amount of time.

"Are you lot finished ruining everyone's night with howl you call a singing voice?" She slammed her tankard back down on the table.

Garrett leaned forward, putting his hands on the table on either side of Amina. "You tell your friend Theon, I'd like to see him try to put an arrow in my eye."

Amina looped one arm around the man's neck, catching him off guard, and flipped him onto the table. I jumped up out of the way, as my tankard spilled over. Amina drew one of her knives on him, it just happened to be the one she'd bought at the market. "New blade, Quicksilver?" As the lamplight, glinted off the sliver blade, it hit me why they called her that.

She smirked. "A gift for a friend. She won't mind if I break it in first." Garrett was at least three times her size, and he easily pushed her off and straight into a beam. He took a swing, and she ducked. He hit the beam, and she sliced him across the chest.

I grabbed my tankard off the table, and slammed it into the man's head as hard as I could. He crumbled to the ground. Amina looked at me wide eyed. Quickly she jumped in front of me, as Garrett's friends turned toward me. "Jace, Abel, let's be civil here. Robb's never been here before, he doesn't know." She held the knife out, threateningly.

"Fine," one of them said. "Frankly it was great to see someone knock Garrett on his ass. But, Garrett is going to be in a fighting way next time you're in, Quicksilver."

She smirked. "I'm counting on it. Tell him I'll have Theon and his arrows next time, that'll have him keeled over in tears." Jace and Abel both laughed heartily. Amina sheathed her knife and turned back to me. "Come on, we should go home."

Amina didn't say anything as we walked back to the wagon. "Are you upset with me for some reason?" I asked her, eventually.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know what I expected. I shouldn't have taken you in there."

"That man was going to hit you."

"He missed," she reminded me. "And I got a good graze in before you ruined my fun."

"Fun?"

She sighed. "Everyone knows the bar fights are all in jest. Well," she paused. "For the most part. Down a few tankards of ale, sing some bawdy songs, and punch someone or someones." I must have still looked horrified, because she just shook her head in defeat. "I don't need you to play knight and shinning armor. I am not made of glass. I can take care of myself.

When we arrived back at Winterfell, Catelyn was waiting for us. "It's been hours, I was starting to get worried." She looked between us. Amina's dress had been caught on the table edge and torn, my shirt was mead stained. "What in Seven Hells happened?"

OoOoO

I walked down the hall to Jon's room. I'd wanted to spar all day, but no one had been around. Theon and Ned wouldn't be back for weeks, and Amina had left early to take Myst for a ride. Jon was my last hope, even though I knew he'd beat me in a fight.

When I reached his door, I realized it was open just a bit. Inside I could hear voices. "You should have seen him last night! He practically bludgeoned a man to death to defend my honor. I started the bloody fight!"

"You shouldn't be starting bar fights, Ami," Jon warned her.

"I have heard it enough from Catelyn, I do not need it from you too. I'm practically barred from ever going to town again. Though, it isn't like anyone has ever noticed before."

There was a pause. "He was just looking out for you, I would have done the same."

"No, you wouldn't have. You and Theon would have been making bets on who'd win. Theon would have bet against me, and then he would've owed you fifty silver stags." Jon laughed quietly. Amina sighed. "I can't live up to his expectations, I'm not perfect."

"Are you sure you aren't?" Jon teased.

"Jon, I'm being serious! He's put me up on this pedestal, and I- I cannot be that person. I do not want to be the Lady of Winterfell, I want to be the Queen." She gasped. "I've never said that out loud before."

"We all knew," he told her. "You'd be a good Queen."

"Sure, minus the part where I may go mad at any moment."

"Ami, you-"

"But if I were queen, I would be able to dictate my own destiny. Shouldn't I have some say?" There was a long pause. "Maybe I'm already mad."

"You're not."

"I should be happy. Robb loves me, being Lady of Winterfell is a good title. I'm trying to be happy. But as hard as I try, I cannot love him the way he loves me." Another long pause. "I think I'm in love with you." Through the crack in the door, I could see her lean in and kiss him. I backed away quickly. Feeling as if my heart had just been ripped out of my chest.

Two Years Later

Amina found me in the woods outside of our camp. "Catelyn told me you were out here," she said. I watched as she stepped over my discarded armor and my ruined sword. She slumped down against the tree next to me. "Are you okay?"

"No," I whispered.

"Me neither." Amina opened her arms and pulled me toward her. I buried my face in the crook of her neck. She ran her fingers through my hair soothingly. "Ned was a good man. He took me in and raised me as his own, when anyone else would have thrown me out the nearest window."

"He was a great man," I said. "A better man than me."

"Well, you're hardly a man yet, you still have time to live up to his legacy," she whispered into my hair. I reached out and found her other hand, intertwining my fingers with hers. "We will get the girls back, and we will avenge Ned. The North will rally behind you, they never forget a betrayal."

We stayed there in silence for a while. Finally, I looked up at Amina. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being here. You could have stayed at home. But, you came with me. Sometimes I wish you were safe at Winterfell, but I'm glad you're here."

She shook her head. "Of course I came with you. Someone had to make sure you didn't get yourself killed, right?" I smiled, just a little bit. "No matter what, I will always be here for you. That's what best friends are for."

I saw the pain in her eyes. Sure, she meant what she said. She would always have my back, but she would never see me as more than a friend. If she could chose she would be with Jon right now. But, the choice had been made for us all, before we were even old enough to know what it meant.

She would marry me, because it was what she had been told to do. And she would be faithful and caring, because that was the person she was. I knew I could let her go, but I loved her too much to lose her. And with Jon at the Wall, I let myself believe this was the best way.

I stood up quickly, startling Amina. "I should go back, I've been gone for a long time." She stood up and kissed me on the cheek. I walked back toward camp. As if sensing that I needed the space, Amina stayed behind.

OoOoO

I didn't see Amina again until that night. I had convened the Northern Lords to discuss what our next move would be. Amina was late. She took her seat next to me. "Sorry," she whispered. I didn't know where she'd been, but I had a pretty good idea what she'd been doing. Just because she never let anyone see her cry, didn't mean that she never did.

"The course is clear," Lord Braken was saying. "Pledge fealty to King Renly and move south to join our forces with his."

"Renly is not the king," I reminded him.

"You cannot mean to hold to Joffery, my lord. He put your father to death."

Amina looked like she was having a hard time holding her tongue. I nodded at her. "We are Northerners and we should not have to bow to any Southern usurper," she said. "But, if Renly will fight alongside us, we could use the help. There's time to figure out the matter of king later."

"Fighting with Renly, will turn Stannis against us," I reminded her. "And Stannis has the stronger claim to the throne."

"Do you mean to declare us for Stannis?" Lord Glover asked.

"I will not bow to Stannis Baratheon. He isn't even liked by his own family," Amina muttered under her breath.

Lord Umber stepped forward. "Amina is right, why should we be forced to bow to a southern king? Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis neither. Why should we let them rule over us from some flowery seat in the South?" Amina looked pleased that someone had actually listened to her. "What do they know of us, and our traditions? Even their gods are wrong! It was the dragons we bowed to, and now the dragons are dead. Why shouldn't we rule ourselves again?" He pointed his sword at me. "There sits the only King I mean to bend the knee to." Lord Umber turned and knelt before me. "The King in the North!"

For a moment, I was frozen. Amina leaned over and whispered, "Go on, it isn't me he's on about." I stood, still dazed.

"Lord Umber's right," Lord Karstark said. "They can keep their iron chair and their red castle." He dropped to his knee as well.

Several more Lords followed. "The King in the North!" Lord Umber shouted. The others joined in, chanting. I looked down at Amina, bewildered.

She gave me a soft smile. "The King in the North," she said affectionately. I put my hand on her shoulder, and squeezed. Maybe she would never feel the same way I felt about her. But, I would make her Queen, and I would try my hardest to make her happy.