Chapter 7

Winterfell hall was a sight to see during a feast. Beautiful draperies hung from the ceiling in flowing silver and white, enough candles lit the room to make it seem as though it were still daytime. The head table was set with a shimmering tablecloth, the house sigil of the direwolf hanging directly in front of Eddard Stark's seat. There were seats just below the Stark table for special guests or visiting nobles. The rest of the tables were for guardsmen, house staff, and anyone else who had been invited to join the festivities. Normally these were first come, first serve seats and you could choose where you sat.

At Winterfell, Lord Stark ran things a little differently. There was a special table set aside for the Cassels; since he employed so many of them and appreciated their services, the family had its own table to sit at when they were called to a celebration. Since they were still commoners their arrival wasn't announced but it was still nice to have the small honor of their own family table.

Delylah always felt silly in fancy dresses. They were heavy and awkward to walk in; she preferred her light clothing she wore daily. She couldn't move quickly enough in the dresses she was supposed to wear to gatherings. It was one reason she was glad she wasn't a noble; then she'd have to wear fancy dresses all the time.

Though she had to admit, the dress she was wearing was pretty. The sky blue shade brought out the coloring of her eyes and the silver embroidery done by her mother was careful and delicate. It wasn't an overly gaudy dress, it was very simple, but it was beautiful. They had been running late, because of Delylah, so her mother was unable to put any jewelry on her so she was accessory free and all the happier for it. She was always afraid she would lose one of her mother's precious bits of jewelry.

As she sat at the Cassel table next to her father she saw Jon across the way. He was sitting at a lowborn table amidst men of the Keep Guard. Ghost was under his legs, keen ruby eyes watching everything around them, guarding his master. Jon was laughing at something the man next to him was saying, enraptured in the conversation at his table. Delylah had to grin at the sight; it was always nice to see Jon happy, having fun, and smiling. He had a nice smile.

The Stark family was announced and they came in by twos. First Ben came in, escorting Lady Stark. Benjen looked the same as Delylah remembered from before but his dark hair was tinged with more streaks of gray. He was putting on one of his forced smiles; she didn't think he liked these formal occasions any more than she did.

Next came Lord Stark escorting a noble lady that had been invited for the feast. She thought the girl had been announced as Lady Bobcat but that didn't seem right so she must have misheard. Either way, she was very beautiful, about Delylah's age, and held her head high with a sneering smile. Delylah despised her instantly.

Then came Robb with Sansa. Sansa was the prettiest one in the room, as always. Whereas the lady before her had a dark beauty, Sansa had a ,glow that shone from within that made her beauty radiate throughout the room. Her dress, her hair, her step were all light and graceful and her smile was genuine. Sansa and Delylah usually didn't get along; indeed she was probably Delylah's least favorite Stark child, but one had to concede to her beauty. Tonight she looked radiant.

And next to her, Robb looked lordly. He walked straight, standing his full six foot, his good cloak thrown casually around his shoulders. He was in his dress leathers, the same he had wore for his birthday not long ago but Delylah hadn't had a chance to see him at the actual gathering. He had a pleasant look on his face as he escorted his sister, not quite a smile because he was to be tough and strong, but since he was Robb he looked like he was on the edge of a grin. Maybe she could just see it in his eyes because she knew him too well.

She felt her heart rise and sink in the same moment. Delylah had never quite realized how handsome he was until she watched him parade in the hall. Her stomach did the butterfly thing but as she watched him walk past she suddenly felt nauseous. He was a noble, a future Lord Stark of Winterfell. He would never be with her.

Delylah saw the rest of the procession but didn't process any of what was going on. Her mind was lost in thought about her unexpected revelation. Even if she wanted to be with Robb she couldn't; how could she take that man down any amount of notches? He deserved to be with a noble, a lady who was highborn and knew the ins and outs of society and running a Keep. Delylah was none of those things. She would only bring him down, put shame on the Stark name. She didn't know if she was in love with Robb, she knew she loved him as a friend, but in that moment she made her choice.

She felt a calmness that she'd been lacking previously, since the kiss with Jon. The decision was made for her and the more she thought about it, the more she liked it. Jon would never go north to The Wall if he had a chance at happiness and a family here in Winterfell. He could be Robb's Captain of the Guard and the three of them could still be together; Robb with a noble lady worthy of him and she and Jon nearby. Why hadn't she thought about it before? It would be perfect.

Delylah didn't know if she was in love with Jon either. To be honest to herself, she wasn't sure what it meant to be in love. She'd never had to think about it before. All she knew was that she loved the two men as her best friends and she couldn't imagine how incomplete her life would be without them in it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She hated that they had to grow up.

"You alright, daughter?" Jory asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

Delylah's eyes snapped open and she looked at her father curiously. "Yes, why?"

"You haven't said a word at all this evening, just stared at your empty plate in silence. That worries me."

Delylah forced a smile. "I'm okay. Just a lot to think about lately."

"I've noticed. You're distracted all the time lately." Jory didn't look pleased. He grumbled something under her breath that she didn't catch but as she didn't want to get swept in a discussion with her father about her thoughts, she excused herself from the table to go find a drink.

What she really wanted was to get out of that stifling room. The Hall was large but when you put dozens of people in it, the room shrank fast and the temperature heated quickly. She ducked into one of the vacant corridors and began walking away from the feast. There was a balcony at the end of the hallway, a small one, just built there to have an open window that kept the hallway full of fresh air. She leaned out on her forearms and took a long gulp of the icy night. The moon was full, the sky clear and cloudless, and the darkness quiet. She much preferred this to the chaos of the feast inside.

"You left the party." A voice behind her said. She smiled but didn't turn and he came up beside her to lean over the balcony. "I agree. Iit's much more pleasant out here. Too many people back in there."

Delylah grinned at Robb, stepping back into the hallway from the balcony. "You know me, the social butterfly that I am."

Robb returned the smile, following her back inside. "You'd rather be down there swinging a sword, just like me."

"Or out in the woods on a horse." Delylah agreed. "Large groups of people make me nervous."

"Me as well." Robb nodded tightly, walking past her a bit.

"You'll have to get over that." Delylah reminded him. "Some day it will be you hosting these feasts and parties."

Robb turned back to her, lips curving downward at her words. "Did you have to remind me?"

Delylah shrugged then leaned against the wall of the corridor. "It'll happen soon enough." We're not kids anymore, she added mentally but she couldn't force the words out of her mouth. She was holding onto the sliver of a hope that he still was still seeing her as his childhood friend, not as a woman whom he almost kissed.

That hope was crushed when he stood in front of her, inches away, looking intently into her eyes. The look startled her; she had never seen Robb so serious before. Her escape was blocked; he was literally right in front of her. She felt her mouth go dry; she tried to swallow but was unable to. All she could do was look into his eyes.

"I got something for you." He spoke softly.

Delylah blinked at the unexpected words. "Got something for me?" She managed to squeak out.

His serious expression softened as a smile lit his eyes. "Your name day is coming up. I know it's early, but I can't wait any longer to give it to you."

She looked at him as though he were crazy. He was being all intense and up her face to give her a birthday present? She had thought for sure he had been about to kiss her. She felt like a fool.

Until he lifted his hand and she saw her present. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. It was the sapphire necklace she saw at the market back in Renheim weeks ago. Robb looked delighted at her reaction and moved to put it on her. Delylah wanted to stop him but her body wasn't listening to a word her brain was telling her. "It's too much!" She finally managed to get out.

He gave her a strange look. "No it's not. You liked it, I could afford it, and you deserve it. You're kind to everyone yet expect nothing in return; a trait most people don't possess. This time, you get something in return." He finished fastening the necklace but Delylah couldn't look away from his face.

"I'll lose it." She said faintly. She was always losing small things.

He chuckled and looked down at her. "You won't." He promised. He reached up and brushed a flyaway strand of hair from her forehead. He was all serious again.

She knew he was going to do it before he did it. She wanted to stop him but at the same moment she wanted him to do it. That side won out because when he leaned down to kiss her she pushed up on her toes to meet her lips with his. His lips were warm and his breath sweet with wine. This kiss was less awkward than her one with Jon but then it seemed like this was Robb's plan all along so he had been more prepared.

Jon. Robb. Jon! What was she doing kissing Robb? She had already made her decision and she was about to ruin everything if she let this go on. Reluctantly, she pressed her hands against Robb's chest, pushing him away. Surprised azure eyes met hers, his expression wounded. "Was it unpleasant?"

"No!" Delylah responded before thinking. Shaking her head she tried to sidestep away but she was trapped with her back against the wall. "I mean, no it wasn't unpleasant, but we can't." She repeated in a softer voice.

He looked perplexed. "We can't?" His voice bordered on amusement.

"No, Robb, we can't." She decided it best to duck under his arm to get away from him. She needed to space to breathe. With him so close she was having a hard time forming complete thoughts.

"I don't understand." Robb turned with her and gently grabbed her upper arm to face her back toward him. His face told her he wanted to comprehend why she was turning him down. There wasn't a trace of anger anywhere in him.

Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly. "You're a highborn, a noble of the house Stark. You need a lady, someone with better blood than me to be with." Her eyes searched the floor, unable to look at his face while she spoke. "I am just a commoner."

There was a moment of silence then an uncomfortable chuckle. "Rubbish."

She looked at him then and his expression was one of amusement. He let go of her arm and crossed his in front of his chest. That's all he was going to say about it.

"Your mother will not let you wed a commoner." She pointed out. She had to burst his bubble somehow, make him see that she couldn't be with him.

"My mother is not in charge of my life. My father will not care who I marry, as long as I'm happy." Robb countered.

"I won't make you happy, Robb. You'll lose respect for your house, you may even lose your standing here in Winterfell. I'm not worth it."

He frowned at that, the first sign of anger flashing in his eyes. Good, she was getting somewhere. His response floored her, however. "You're worth it." He took a step toward her and she retreated an equal step. She wasn't scared of him but she needed to keep distance between them. She didn't trust herself not to let him kiss her again. "I've met dozens of girls in the past few years, all nobles, all girls my mother is trying to marry me off to. They are all boring, stale, empty headed girls that I have nothing in common with, nothing to talk about too. And talk! They always have to talk, to have something to say. They don't appreciate quiet, or stillness, or just being. I don't like any of them."

Delylah swallowed the lump that was building in her throat. She could see the anger brewing just under Robb's eyes; not directed toward her but still just as scary. Robb's fury was the one thing she tried to avoid when around him. Willing tears back, she knew she had to set him straight. "It's not a matter of liking. You have a duty, a responsibility to Winterfell, to the north. As such, you don't have the luxury of choice."

Robb smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. It was almost a frightening look, insincere. Within it she could see the hurt, the pain her words were causing him. "My father says I do. I have until my twentieth name day, you know this. He would have me choose for love rather than political gain. He says life it too short to be forced into something so important too soon."

Delylah did know that Lord Stark had said those words to Robb. She had been in the next room and overheard them. Still, she knew he had meant it for Robb to be able to choose which highborn girl he wanted to wed, not any girl in the Seven Kingdoms. But Robb had just said something that sparked an idea in her head. The one thing she could say to get him to back off right now. It would hurt him, but it would be for the greater good of them all.

He was looking at her desperately, wanting her to say something, anything. She backed away from him slowly, not wanting to crush every feeling he had with her words but she needed to make him see. She wasn't good enough for him, she wasn't worthy of being a Stark. Her words were quiet, but in the stillness of the corridor they echoed plainly. "I love Jon." Her breath caught in her throat as she waited.

At first she didn't think he heard her. He seemed frozen in place, staring at her with a piercing gaze that cut through her soul. Slowly, the fire died in his eyes and he seemed to shrink a few inches as he nodded and looked to the floor. He looked like a scolded child in that moment, disappointment plastered into his features.

Delylah's heart hurt knowing how much she just trampled the feelings of her best friend. Her automatic response was to go comfort him but she remained frozen in place, unable to move. She was dreadfully worried he now hated her and would never want to see her again. She had turned him down, crushing his heart beneath her boots as she did so. It wasn't her intention to wound him but it was too late, the damage was done.

"Have you told him?" Robb's voice was surprisingly calm. He brought his eyes back to hers; there was still hurt in their depths but also an understanding. Delylah shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. "You should."

"You're not mad?" The words were past her lips before she could stop them. His demeanor was curious to her.

Robb gave her a tight smile. "Furious. Disappointed. Abashed." He looked at her longingly. "But I get it. And if I was to lose you to anyone, it should be Jon. He's a good friend, a good brother."

Relief swept through her like a warm ocean breeze. This might still turn out okay. Hope began to bud in her heart and she allowed herself a small smile. "You're a good man, Robb Stark. You'll make someone a fine husband some day. Someone worthy of you."

"Don't say that." He held up a finger toward her, a small hint of anger back in his voice but his expression still soft. "You're worthy. You just didn't pick me."

"You can't tell the heart who to love." She wanted desperately to hug him for being so gracious, for being her best friend. She knew that would add insult to injury so she stayed her ground. She reached up to unclasp the necklace. "You'll want this back."

"No." He shook his head turning away from her. "Keep it. Birthday present, remember? It's yours." He began down the corridor away from her. "I'm returning to the feast."

When he had disappeared into the Hall, Delylah's knees gave out and she sat abruptly on the ground. The tears she had been fighting streamed down cheeks unchallenged. What was wrong with her? She was an emotional mess. Turning down Robb was the right thing to do; she knew it in her head. So why did it feel so wrong in her heart?

A/N: I orginally intended to put the part with Jon in this chapter as well but it was already getting long. Characters tend to have longer conversations on paper then they do in my head in the planning stages. Next chapter is already written but I won't post until tomorrow afternoon. Starting on Chapter 9 now. All your reviews make me smile, thanks for taking the time to post them. :)