Two weeks later

The wind was bitterly cold causing everyone to huddle together frigidly. Pale, forlorn and shivering we hanged our heads down clad in thick black coats. While we were still in spring there wind was an unmistakable reminder that winter is coming. The coldness, however, was not just physical, everyone had icy spirits, frozen by the pang of loss and grievance.

Numb, I stared at the mahogany caskets before me. Some minister was giving a speech but I couldn't bring myself to listen. I scrutinised the carefully polished timber, the plaque on it with Robb and Jeyne's names engraved onto them. They are gone. Gone.

I will never hear Robb's drunken cackle again. I will never be victim to his insults and relentless jeers ever again. Yes, they will remain alive in our memories, but, that is all. They no longer represent a form of human life. They are dead.

I raised my head to look across at Catelyn whom was barely recognisable, there was no colour left in her face, even her hair had somehow seemed to grey over the last fortnight. She clung onto Ned weakly and it looked as if her legs were about to collapse under her. Ned held his wife, his lips pressed in a tight line, he was not crying but the hollowness in his eyes reflected his emptiness. Next to him Jon has his fist pressed to his mouth as he holds in his tears. My eyes continue down the line of desolate, lugubrious Stark family members until my eyes met Arya's.

Her eyes were puffy, blood-shot and her skin was as pale as freshly fallen snow. Her lips had gone purple and her hair was a frazzled mess. She held Rickon's hand loosely as he sobbed uncontrollably whimpering his brother's name. She quickly diverted her glaze away from me to the casket. I knew what she was thinking.

Life is arrantly fragile. One moment changes everything. One decision alters you entire life. One mistake and you could be dead. Human's are not strong. We are not resilient. We die. We die young. Our lives are dainty, flimsy little frail things. She is afraid, because she knows we all must die. She cannot even fathom the pain of losing someone else, but she knows this is only the beginning of the pain which is to come in her life.

The minister finished his speech and each family placed a blue winter rose on the casket and whispered our goodbyes. I waited until the broken family had started to walk away to say goodbye. I dropped the rose onto the caskets causing the thorn to make a faint scratch on the timber.
"Robb, I'll look after her. I owe you so much, and I never had the chance to repay you. My biggest regret is that I couldn't even ask you for your blessing to look after her for you." I took a deep breath as I started to feel the pressure build in my chest, "You were one of the first people I ever allowed myself to trust. You always gave me hope, you made me feel worthy of this life. I'm going to live for the both of us now." I then dropped a second rose on Jeyne's casket and swiftly turned away, a part of me will be buried with Robb Stark never to breathe again. Suffocating, it will fade, but I refuse to let him down.

I started to head towards the reception when a cold hand grabbed me and pulled me behind the building.
"He's gone." Arya whimpered, her grey eyes shone with tears, but then something flickered and her expression turned to anger. "I'm going to find out who caused this accident and I'm going to get justice. I'm going to..."
I cradled her hand and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, but she pulled away.
"Gendry," she paused with a look of desolation and took another step away from me, "I, I, don't think we should see eachother for a while."
"What?" I stepped towards her and tried to hold her again but she continued to back away.
"Robb is dead," she looked into my eyes, "I don't know whether he would have been okay with his bestfriend dating his little sister, it feels wrong now." Her eyes welled up as tears began free-falling down her pale cheeks, "It's wrong. Robb might not have wanted this."
"A-arya..."
She cut me off, "I'm sorry... I... I need some space... I..." She began to walk away from me, "I just can't right now." She then disappeared behind the building leaving me with a throbbing heart and a tormented soul, alone in the cold.