"It is time we all part."
The King embraced Ned and Catelyn, rustled Rickon and Bran's hair, nodding to Arya and shaking Robb's hand. Then he paused before Lynara, his gaze piercing her. She seemed a little unnerved but tried her hardest not to show it. He looked dazed as he reached out for her, nearly grazing her pale cheek with his calloused hand. She backed away from him at the last moment, her smile short and brief. "My King," she said, giving him a courteous bow.
Both Jaime and Cersei watched her closely. Cersei's pride was damaged, it showed, but she took it all in stride. She stared at the King's back in complete distaste. Jaime shared a look with the Queen and soon whispered in her ear; they exchanged a few words before she glared at her husband and entered her carriage.
Jaime grasped his golden Kingsguard helmet as tight as possible, hopping on his readied horse and gripping the reins, undoubtedly ready to leave.
Robb stood tall even though he was livid. He wondered if his father was just as angry and as outraged as he himself felt. He wondered if Ned's oft-sombre face was marred with upset.
"Robert," Ned finally said, Robb hearing the blatant restraint in his voice. The King turned to him, his blue eyes and furrowed brows revealing his fierceness.
"Should you ever change your mind, Ned, send a raven for me," he said, throwing his father into a fierce embrace. "No other man would be a better Hand. I hope you change your mind soon."
"Safe travels, my King," Ned muttered, returning the hug albeit very stiffly. They shared a long stare, then the King got on his horse and started his leave. Though...not before he cast a final glance at Lynara. Robb noted that though his eyes were harsh, they were full of longing.
Obsessed with a ghost of a woman.
Sansa rode in the carriage with Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella. She kissed everyone's cheeks and hugged them before departing, even Lynara's. She waved happily as she neared the carriage, tears running down her face.
Then they were leaving the castle, and Robb felt troubled. There was something wrong about a wolf surrounded by a pride of lions.
For the first time, she sat with the Starks and not at the smaller table with the commoners.
Everything was back to normal but didn't feel any less strange when she was beginning to get used to the King and his entourage's presence. Used to the loudness, the large feasts, the music. Everything was grandiose and though she was not fond of the Lannisters, sparring with Ser Jaime was fun. She found him to be a challenge and she could most certainly appreciate that.
Robb tried his hardest not to glance at her every five seconds, she knew. Her hand grazed his when they both reached for the same fallen utensil and her body tingled with the touch. The Lady Stark did not watch her as closely as she initially expected, and she was grateful for that.
She had to admit that it felt strangely empty without Sansa's presence. She was usually the one to sing songs and laugh about love. She already missed Arya teasing her and throwing food at her when she grew annoyed at Sansa talking about knights and princesses.
"Will Sansa be okay?" Rickon asked.
"Of course she will, Rickon," Lady Catelyn reassured him. "The role of a husband is to take care of his wife. She is in safe hands."
"But they're Lannisters," he retorted. "They are not good people."
"Even Lannisters know not to cross such boundaries," Robb interjected, looking straight at his little brother. "We will not take kindly to mistreatment of our own."
"Even still," Lynara said softly, "not all Lannisters are bad people. Entire families are not black and white; there is some grey in-between with everyone. Each person is an individual and should be treated as such."
Lynara looked to Ned, who gave a nod. She leant forward in her chair to speak directly to Rickon as she spoke. "Let's talk of this no further. She will be safe. That I can promise you."
She resisted the urge look over because she instinctively knew that his eyes were rested on her. She wondered if the Lord and Lady saw what she felt.
He knew that she was deliberately avoiding him at the table, but he couldn't stop staring. Every time he saw her, his mind went back to the previous night, when they were so close to kissing but he pulled away just before it could happen.
Gods, so close.
He jolted out of his thoughts and met with familiar purple eyes.
"Hey, what are you doing?" She asked in curiosity.
"Just thinking, really."
"Oh yeah? About what, if I may ask?"
"It's not important," he replied, shutting his eyelids and waving his hand. "It's nothing worth noting."
"Ah," she nodded. "Well," she fixed her breeches, brushing off Ghost's snow-white hairs from her legs, "would you like to walk with me? I'm just going to take a walk around the castle, nothing more."
He thought about it. It could be a way to just have a nice discussion, perhaps talk about what happened last night, or simply speak of anything. "Sure," he agreed.
.
Their walk was slow and they haven't said much to each other, but it made him appreciate the effort put in to build such a masterpiece. Truly meant for kings, though there haven't been any here since Aegon's Conquest.
"You didn't look at me when we had our sup," he finally told her. "Why?"
"We...we almost...kissed, Robb..." Her gaze rose to meet his, and she could barely hold it.
"Were..." He tried to convince himself it didn't hurt to ask, "were you troubled by it?"
"No!" She replied hastily, and he visibly relaxed. "Gods, no. But we are not siblings, yet we were still raised as if we were. Does this not bother you?"
"We were raised as if we were siblings because Father wanted to protect you. But you are my cousin, Lyn." Robb placed his hands on her shoulders. "No, it does not bother me, but I do understand if it does you."
"I am not one to deny things that are right in front of me, Robb," she stopped him in his tracks, hands at her hips. "I felt so much in that short moment…but I wonder what would Lord Stark say? How would he take it knowing that the girl he's raised as his daughter is in love with his son?"
Robb gave her a solemn nod.
"I remember when we were but seven years old. We hid in the godswood and played for well over an hour, and when we came back you overheard a few of the commoners speaking ill of you," he stared at her, and there were many emotions swirling in her eyes, many of which he could not name. "I chased you. I chased you through the halls until I found you collapsed on your bed. I let you cry on my chest when I promised to wed you so those people would no longer belittle you."
The memory is coming back to her; he could tell by her widened eyes. It caused a ghost of a smile form upon his lips. "That was how I knew how much I loved you," he continued. "I would do anything for you."
But my feelings always went beyond that.
"I cannot deny that…that there is something," she whispered slowly, desperately. "…something between us and how close we have always been has caused it."
"I am quickly becoming a man grown. I'm going to have to find a lady to wed…a lady who will produce heirs to continue the Stark name." He took his hands in hers and she looked in the other direction, not knowing what else to say. "Some day soon Father will invite all the ladies of Westeros to dine with our family, and he will force me to choose between them so I can have a proper wife when it is time for me to become the Lord of Winterfell and the Warden of the North."
"I don't want you to wed anyone." He knew full well that she sounded like a pouty child, but she almost made him break out into a large grin. But the weight of the conversation was enough to refrain him from actually doing so.
"Do you honestly believe that I have aspirations to wed someone that I barely know? No, Lyn, I don't." I want to marry for love and not for duty. I want to be different; I want to be…
"Robb," she began, but any words she wanted to say never slipped past her lips.
"My father doesn't want to give you away to any random lord," Robb stated matter-of-factly. "You will not be safe if it is found out that you are who you are, you must know that. He wants you here to ensure your protection, and what better way for you to be safe than to be with me?"
She said his name again, her hands dropping from his. He curled a finger under her chin, pulling it upward so their eyes could meet once more. His gaze casts down to her perfectly shaped lips, and he thought of how badly he wanted to kiss them...
His eyesight reached her own once more, his mind expelling those thoughts so he could continue.
"The one I care to wed is before me right now, and you'd be the best person to be by my side when those titles are bestowed upon me." He saw the hesitation in her purple hues. "I want you to be my lady, Lynara. Who can I trust more than you? Who would be a better companion for me than you?" He paused again, the flashes of his words from years ago replaying in his mind. "Tell me...tell me that this feels as right for you as it does for me."
She met his eyes again, and he felt taken aback about the raw emotion in her steady gaze. "I love you…"
She's going to say something else. "You know, Father once told me that nothing someone says after the word 'but' really counts."
"There is no 'but,'" she stated, her gaze shifting, searching for something in his eyes. "I love you, Robb Stark."
The white puffs of smoke from their breaths merged together again as he snaked an arm behind her waist and pulled her closer, bending down to nearly meet her lips with his own. She sighed in expectation, no doubt wanting this as much as he had.
Close the gap…close the gap…
"I love you," he whispered, and Lynara's head tilted to the left, zeroing on his, her aquiline nose brushing against the side of his own. Her full, smooth lips puckered for her, her breath quickened in anticipation. "Robb," she pleases, grasping his doublet to pull him closer, and he knew that she loved the way his hands ran over her body so desperation. She gasped, moaning into his mouth, and he growled, kissing her harder. He could taste the sourness of the ale she drank earlier on her breath but all it did was excite him more.
Gods, everything was beautiful. It was perfect, it was new, and everything burst into life as she kissed him some more, releasing her grip on his leather cloth to kiss him with a ferocity Robb never knew was within her.
Her hands made their way around her neck and each movement of her fingertips sent a current of pleasure down Robb's spine. He snaked his hands down to her waist, gripping her hips in urgency as she moaned even more.
He didn't want it to end so quickly, but Lynara pulled away, a heavy blush on her cheeks as they struggled to breathe. "It's not me you need to convince," she started, her stare so intense, "it's your father."
"Father will understand. He has to, Lyn, he has to."
