Chapter 6

"People see what they wish to see. And in most cases, what they are told that they see"

-Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus

Sansa

Sansa left the tent after making sure her brother would watch over Myrcella. The younger girl's reaction earlier had scared Sansa, she had not realized the extent of the pain Joffrey had caused her. After grabbing Myrcella's and hers bags, Sansa started to head back tent. Pausing outside she heard Robb's rumbling laughter filling the tent. Peeking in Sansa could seeing Myrcella sitting on the giggling at something Robb had said. She had never seen the princess so happy and had never seen Robb so relaxed. She smiled slightly to herself and while she did not want to interrupt their moment she wanted to return Myrcella's bag. Many of the soldiers in the camp were not happy with the Lannisters and she did not want her stuff to be stolen or destroyed. Clearing her throat softly Robb quickly turned around almost falling off his chair and Myrcella's face immediately turned bright red as she averted her eyes from Sansa. Smirking, Sansa entered the tent, "Sorry to interupt, but Myrcella I thought you might like this." Sansa offered the bag to Myrcella, who hesitantly took it, her face still bright red. Robb still refused to make eye contact with anyone and was boring holes into the floor. Not wanting to stay in the silent room much longer, she decided to leave them alone. "I should go check in on everything, Myrcella do not hesitate to find me if you need anything. Though it does seem that Robb has been taking good care of you." smirking again Sansa strode out of the tent. Turning around she looked back and saw Myrcella's face became even redder than she thought possible and she laughed at Robb's wide eyed stare of disbelief. Laughing she continued to one of the other tents that housed Gendry and wondered what she could make of what had just happened.

Myrcella

After exposing all of her painful secrets to Robb the last thing she expected was for him to want to continue talking to her. She had expected him to be disgusted with her and the way her brother had attacked her. Instead he had struck up a light hearted conversation with her about the North and his life growing up there. She could tell that he was trying to steer her thoughts away from the South and how much she had suffered there. It was good to learn about the North especially since the two Starks in the camp were adamant about her returning to their home with them. The conversation was interrupted however when Sansa came to return her bag and the japes she had made towards them made her quite embarrassed and was worried that Robb would stop talking with her because of it. Despite the embarrassment Robb started up the conversation again after a few minutes of awkward silence. "Are you excited about coming to Winterfell" he hesitantly asked her, much more subdued than his confident manner from earlier. "I am, however I am worried about how your parents may react to my presence. I know the North is not very fond of my family." she replied. "You have nothing to worry about, you are technically seeking asylum. They cannot deny you safety. Besides my parents loved you when you came to visit years ago. They were surprised how polite you were especially due to you parents and Joffrey's behavior." Myrcella smiled slightly at that. Robb locked eyes with her and Myrcella was pulled into the deep blue of his eyes. After a few seconds he cleared his throat and looked away. Confused Myrcella stared down at her hands and hoped she had not done something wrong. Her past experiences with men had been confined to her family members and the pompous idiotic sons of the ladies at court. All of them had hopes to one day be part of the royal family and Myrcella had no intention of marrying someone like that. It was different with Robb though, he obviously was not using her to move up in society seeing as he was the heir to a great kingdom. When he talked to her he genuinely seemed interested in what she had to say. Earlier when he promised to protect her she had felt a fluttering in her stomach which she had never felt before.

The silence at that point was almost deafening and Myrcella decided that she should probably say something before he decided to leave. She would not admit it but the only reason she felt safe in the camp was because of him. "Can you describe the North to me? I have not been there since I was a child and I do not remember a lot of the details." Robb's face lit up as he launched into a vivid explanation on the Kingdom. The joy and pride in his face as he talked about the areas he loved and his family made her feel at ease. Maybe she could fit in, in the North. The information that he gave her sounded amazing, a far cry from the frigid atmosphere in the court. The irony on how warm it sounded in the Northern court amused Myrcella to no end. The North is often seen as a barren wasteland due to the weather but the pride and unity the people had made it far warmer in spirit than the hot temperatures of the South. She could only hope that the warmth extended to the Southern kings sister. Robb assurances that his family would welcome her put her at ease, but she had heard empty promises before. She just hoped that Robb was not the type of person that gives them.

A few people have brought up the fact that they would like longer chapters. I have been working on trying to expand the chapters, but since I am in school it is hard to write for long periods of time. I am on spring break next week so I will be able to work longer. Expect longer chapters! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and followed. Continue doing that! If anyone has any questions about the universe it is set in or even just where this is going feel free to ask I would love to answer. I am currently leaning towards Sansa/Theon for the ship because it will fit best in this story. However nothing will be set in stone until we reach Winterfell. Thank you!