So, this is rather overdue, and for that, I'm sorry. But, er, better late than never, eh? I don't know why I had so much trouble with this chapter. I knew exactly what was going to happen in it, but it just wouldn't come out! Well, no matter, because it's here now. Enjoy!

VII

"Hurry, Ana, hurry!" Ella urged, hopping carefully on her good leg. Analysa hurried over, carefully pulling her mistress's arm around her shoulder and helping her hobble to the bed. Ella sat quickly, pulling her legs onto the bed and tugging the furs over her, smoothing out any wrinkles that might hint that she'd been out of bed. Analysa handed Ella a book and moved back to the fire quickly, taking her sewing in her hands and continuing where she left off. Ella opened the book to a random page, pretending to be reading with rapt attention just as the door opened.

Robb stepped in, oblivious to the happenings that occurred moments before. His gaze moved from Analysa to Ella, and he seemed pleased that she was still sat in bed. A moment later, she looked up from her book, looking surprised that he was there.

"Oh, Robb," she greeted kindly, offering him an innocent smile. "I didn't hear you come in."

"What are you reading?" he asked, discarding his boots and placing them on the hearth before moving over to the bed and sitting on its edge.

She hesitated. What was she reading? "Something terribly boring," she replied smoothly, but a second glance at the title etched on the cover told her that it was, in fact, one of her favorite books.

"Would you like me to fetch you something from the library?"

"Oh, no." She waved her hand dismissively. "No, thank you. I was just about to take a nap."

Robb looked distracted. "Did you change?"

"Oh! Yes, I took a bath earlier this morning."

"You shouldn't be out of bed," he said, and she held up a hand to stop him.

"Don't fret, it was only to bathe and then Analysa tucked me right back in. I'm sure you wouldn't want to come to bed when I stink, now would you?"

"You don't stink."

"No, because I took a bath."

He shook his head. "Yes, well. Maester Luwin will be up soon to change your dressings and give you your medicine. Did you have lunch yet?"

"Not yet."

"Analysa," he turned to the maid, "could you bring her lunch, please?"

She bowed her head, curtsying slightly before scurrying from the room. Robb shifted to sit more fully on the bed, taking the book from her lap where it was sitting, closed, and examined the leather cover. "The Warlock in the West? What's this about?"

"A Warlock who finds out he's the rightful heir to the throne of his kingdom," she said, and just as she was about to launch into a full-fledged explanation of the plot, she caught herself, remembering her lie moments before. "It's rather drab. Very unrealistic." It hurt her to say such fibs about her favorite book, but perhaps one day she could amend her lie and say that, upon finishing the book, it turned out to be a masterpiece of literature.

"Hmm." He looked at the book thoughtfully, then set it aside. "How was your day?"

"Boring," she replied. "There's not much to do when stuck in bed. I wish I could be out practicing archery."

"When your leg is healed, you can go outside as long as you'd like. Unless," he added, "you get sick again. Then I'll have to consider keeping you inside forever."

He was joking, but she gave him a hard look. "That's not funny," she proclaimed, pouting.

"Of course it is," he countered, moving over to the fire and shoving on his boots again. "You're just not laughing. I'm going to go down and get a quick lunch, but I'll join you again when I'm finished."

"And you couldn't dine with me?" Ella asked with an eyebrow cocked, not entirely sure where the words were coming from. Robb straightened, left boot half-on his foot.

"I suppose," he said after a moment, then recovered. "Of course. I'll fetch my lunch and bring it up so I can eat with you."

And so he did. Moments later, he returned with Analysa, who was balancing two trays of food on either side of her hips. Once in the room, Robb took his tray and the other was soon placed in Ella's lap.

"Oh, I forgot our drinks," he frowned just as he'd gotten settled.

"Shall I get that, Milord?" Analysa asked, and Robb shook his head and held up his hand.

"No, thank you," he replied. "You've done enough these past few days. Go ahead and relax, I'll bring the drinks."

Without another word, Robb exited the room. It was silent for a moment, but then Ella's curiosity got the best of her and she called over the little maid sitting by the fire. Analysa obliged, coming to sit at Ella's side.

"Yes, Milady?"

"What did he mean, you've done enough?"

"I've been checking your wounds for the Maester while you're asleep," she explained. Ella smiled and chuckled a bit.

"Your kindness truly knows no bounds," she laughed. Analysa's cheeks became pink with flattery.

"Well, thank you, Milady, but I was only doing my duty."

"It is the Maester's duty to check my wounds. You were being kind." When Analysa shook her head, she said, "Admit it!"

She laughed. "If I admit it, will you let it go?"

"I will."

"Then yes, I was being kind. Now, was this what you wanted to speak with me about?"

Ella shook her head. "Not originally, no. I meant to ask you for counsel."

"Anything, Milady."

"I've been thinking of asking Robb to allow me outside."

Analysa frowned. "I don't think he'll let you," she said.

"Oh, but it's worth a try, isn't it?"

"Well, I suppose. The worst he can say is no."

"Precisely!" Ella grinned. "Then I'll ask him today!"

"Ask who what?" Robb asked from the doorway, seeming distracted by the goblets he was holding. Holding back a sigh, Analysa rose from the bed and took one of the goblets, moving around again to set it on Ella's tray.

"Speak of the devil," the chuckled. "We were just talking about you."

"Saying kind things, I hope?" he asked, smiling softly and settling himself on the bed.

"Only the kindest." He began to dig in to his lunch and Ella took a sip from her goblet, thinking. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

Robb met her eyes. "You can ask me anything."

"Good." She hesitated for a moment, but there was no reason to beat around the bush. "I want to go outside."

He paused, looking up at her, and when he saw that she was completely serious, he sighed and put his fork down. "Two days ago, you were thrown off of a horse, and you expect me to allow you to move about and go outside?"

"I'll only be sitting," she replied. "Please? Fresh air should do me good."

"Your leg -"

"Doesn't hurt! Well, it does, but only if I try to move it."

"And moving it is exactly what you'll do if you go outside." He half-turned to her, balancing the tray of lunch on his lap. "In a few days, perhaps, we can move you to the sitting chair and you won't be bed-bound."

From across the room, Analysa stifled a laugh behind her hand. Robb's attention was drawn to her, and then he looked back to Ella with an incredulous look. "Have you already been out of bed?"

"To take a bath!"

"And to sit by the fire?"

"No!" But her answer was too quick, and there was no fooling Robb. He placed a hand on her arm.

"I know you hate being confined inside, but your leg must heal before you can move outside," he told her gently. She furrowed her brow in frustration.

"The chairs are only a few paces away."

"You need rest. Soon, you can get up and move over to the chairs, but until then, please, rest. The sooner you heal, the sooner you can practice archery with Bran."

She offered him a small smile. "How's he doing?"

"A bit of a slow learner," Robb admitted with a chuckle, "But he'll catch on." He gathered his things on his plate, set it off to the side, and stood. "Three weeks?" he offered. "If you can stay inside for three weeks, you can come outside. How's that sound?"

"Three weeks, hm?" she thought for a moment. "Livable," she decided. "You have a deal."

"Good." He bent to press a quick kiss to her forehead. "The Maester will be in soon."

And then he left.


At first she didn't look up when she heard the door open.

"I brought you some comp-"

"Ella!"

She looked up just in time, and Rickon came colliding into her. She grunted, the wind knocked out of her for a moment, and peeled him off of her chuckling. "Aren't we active today?" she giggled, settling him next to her. "How are you, little wolf?"

"Bran said you were going to die!" the boy cried, bouncing a little on the bed. That made Ella laugh some more.

"I'm not going to die," she soothed, smoothing her hand over his hair. Robb closed the door behind him, coming over to join them on the bed.

"He asked about you every time he saw me, so I thought I'd let him see for himself."

"I'm glad you brought him to me. I was getting quite lonely in here."

"The others will be in soon," Robb said. "Bran and Arya are eager to hear what happened. They seem to think that my account is far too dull to be true."

"It wasn't dull at all," she snorted.

"So will you tell us?" Their heads turned, attention going to Bran and Arya in the doorway.

"If you want to hear it, I suppose. I'm not sure how much I remember." The two hurried over, sitting on either side of the bed.

"That's barbaric," Sansa said, coming in behind them. "How could you ask her to retell such a horrible thing?"

But she sat on the bed nonetheless. "I don't mind, really," Ella assured. "Well," she paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. For her, it was a somewhat traumatic experience, one she'd rather not think about, but to the children, it was something exciting, a story that they'd remember and retell, and she didn't want to dishearten them. "I never suspected that she was rabid. Perhaps I should've. She was very finicky when she was saddled, but I only assumed she was eager to be ridden. She used to do that sometimes. But when we'd ridden far enough away, she was still very agitated."

"And then what?" Bran urged, bouncing eagerly. Sansa shushed him harshly, muttering about being rude.

"Robb came up to help me off. I swung my leg over to jump down, but the movement scared her and she took off into the forest. And then…" she trailed off, thinking. "I don't remember much of what comes next."

All eyes turned to Robb. "Tell us, please?" Arya begged. Robb ran a hand over her hair, thinking.

"The horse leapt over a log and Ella fell off," he said. "And there's not much more to tell. You know the rest."

The children marveled up at her. "You must be invincible," Bran murmured, prodding her bandaged leg gently. Ella winced.

"Be careful." He withdrew his hand. "I'm not invincible at all, don't you go thinking that," she chuckled, but there was a sincerity in her voice, almost a warning.

"You need rest," Robb said, standing and looking to the children crowded on the bed. "Come on. Let's leave her be."

"But we just got here!" Arya whined.

"You can come back tomorrow," Ella assured. "I'll be wanting as much company as I can get. It's ever so boring in here, and Robb is such dull company!" She sighed dramatically, and the children laughed. "And," she lowered her voice, "I'm sure you'll all want to get out of lessons, won't you?"

"Where were you when I wanted to get out of lessons?" Robb frowned, lifting Arya from the bed.

"Sneaking away from my Septa, most likely," she replied, grinning mischievously at them, and then Robb ushered them out into the hallway.

"I'm going to have lunch brought up for you. Rest. I'll be back soon." And then he left as well.

Ella settled in the bed, closing her eyes and preparing for a nap. The door opened again, and she didn't think anything of it until there were footsteps pattering on the floor and someone jumped on the bed beside her.

"Ella!"

And there was Rickon again, smiling down at her. "What are you doing here, little wolf?" she chuckled.

"I snuck away from Robb," he said. "You sat with me when I was sick, I want to sit with you, too."

That made her smile. "Well, that's very kind of you. I'm just going to take a nap."

Rickon thought for a moment. "Then I'll nap, too." He climbed in beside her, boots and all, and pulled the furs all the way up to his nose, so it was only his wide, round eyes peeking out at her. "Do you think Robb will mind?"

"No," she chuckled, "as long as your boots aren't muddy."

He lifted the sheets, peering down at his feet. "No," he said. "They don't look muddy."

"Then you'll be just fine." He curled on his side and smiled at her, then his eyes drooped closed and he fell asleep.

Just before she fell asleep as well, she reached to peck a kiss on his forehead, then burrowed down in the blankets, too.


Her painting was coming along nicely. She got the blue to mix with white just so to make the sky look just like it did in real life. It unnerved her slightly how difficult it was to paint the scenery around Coldcean Cove from memory, but the ocean - oh, the ocean - that she remembered without a problem.

"It's been three weeks."

She lifted her gaze briefly, smiling at Robb, then refocused on the canvas sitting in her lap. "Three weeks since what?"

"Since I told you that you could come outside if you stayed resting."

She beamed. "That's right, isn't it? I told you I could do it!"

"I never said you couldn't," he chuckled. "But you're not going out just yet. I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? What is it?"

"Well, if I told you, I don't suppose it would be much of a surprise." He moved to stand behind her, peering over her shoulder at the painting and placing his hands on the back of her chair. "I'll send Jon up when it's ready. I'd come myself, but I'm afraid your surprise requires some…um, handling." He paused for a moment. "What are you painting?"

"The ocean. I used to wake up every morning to a view like this."

"Do you miss it?" His voice was soft.

"A bit." She took a moment to think. "But I like looking out the window and seeing the courtyard. Part of me prefers it over the ocean."

"I'm glad to hear that." He pressed a kiss into her hair. "Jon should be up soon. Make sure to put on a cloak before you come out. There's a chill today."

True to his word, Jon was up in her bedroom moments later. They hadn't interacted much, only speaking briefly at meals, but she hadn't seen him at all since she'd been injured. Standing carefully, she placed the unfinished painting on the seat and took his arm, and he assisted her in hobbling towards the wardrobe. Her cloak was quickly put over her shoulders, and Jon hesitantly slipped his arm under her knees and pulled her into his arms.

She was amiable as they made their way downstairs, but Jon was quiet, seeming almost embarrassed, until they reached the courtyard and he set her down carefully on a makeshift bench.

"Thank you," she smiled. "Have you any idea what this surprise is?"

"Robb would gut me if I told," Jon laughed, "but I think you'll like it."

"I'm sure you will," another voice said, and it was Lord Stark, coming up behind Jon. "I helped Robb pick it out myself."

"Pick what out?" Ella asked, and turned when Jon and Eddard motioned somewhere behind her. Her hands came up to her mouth as she gasped.

Robb held the reins of a big red gelding, leading the horse over to where Ella was sat. When they stopped, she reached up to run her hand over the horse's nose. "Who's this?"

"The stable hands have been calling him West, but it's up to you if you want to rename him."

"Oh, no, no. That's a perfect name. Oh, he's so big! How old is he?"

"Three years, I think. He's just begun his saddle training."

"And he's yours," Eddard added. She grinned up at him.

"This…" she trailed off, looking back at the horse and reaching up to brush her fingers through his mane. "This is the best gift I could've asked for. Thank you."

"It was the least we could do, after the…trouble with your former horse," Eddard said.

"And when your leg is healed, you can ride him. Until then, you can watch his training down by the stables."

She grinned up at the horse, then at all of the men. "Thank you," she repeated. "Thank you so much."

So there you have it! Things are finally going uphill for Ella.

Is is just me, or is everyone OOC? I know I'm probably just being paranoid. I just always feel like I can never get the characters right. It's just about the most annoying thing in the world. Please review and let me know if I'm getting the characters right and just not feeling it, or if the characters really are out of character. Bleh. One of these days I'll stop being so anal about it.

Mulisha Maiden: Ella's very lucky I took mercy on her! Hehe. We see a bit more bonding between Robb and Ella this chapter, and there'll be more in the chapters to come. I've got a very firm grasp on how I want the plot to play out, now. Analysa's a little worrywart, isn't she? I never intended for her to be as big of a character as she is now. We'll see more of her, definitely. I think Catelyn and Ella are going to have a strong bond, but that might just be me getting ahead of myself. (I've been doing that a lot lately.) You were right! More Rickon in this chapter. Poor thing always seems to get overlooked. I had to include more of him in this chapter, I just had to.

I'm finally feeling like I have a firm grasp on where this story's going. I always knew, but now I'm really sure of it, and it's given me a lot of drive to write. Hopefully chapter 8 will be out soon!

As always, a huge thanks to everyone who's reviewed/alerted/favorited/etc. Every time I see a new review or alert or favorite it really pushes me to keep writing. Knowing that I'm doing something right is such a good feeling, you don't even understand.

Don't forget that constructive criticism is my best friend. If you see something I can improve on, or something that needs fixing, or any tips/suggestions, I'd love for you to let me know! I'm writing this to the best of my ability, and if you have any ideas that will make yu enjoy this story more, I'll gladly take them into consideration.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)

Until next time!

-Rex