Chapter Ten: The Unknown

It was dinnertime and as Lord Stark requested Aemili had shown up. The guards and Jon had yet to return as well as Baislie. Aemili tried not to show how concerned and nervous she was but with every step she took towards the table she would be sitting at she felt more and more like crying. She sat at the long table Lord Stark's lady maid had told her she would be seated at. To her left was Theon, who she still felt bitterness at, and to her right is Julian, who was so focused on watching those around him that he would be no source of conversation. Aemili might as well be back in her room alone.

She ate in silence, keeping her face down. Theon chatted happily with the men around him whereas Julian was so busy watching everyone he hadn't even touched his food.

Aemili elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Ow!" He hissed.

"Eat." She dropped a roll on his empty plate.

"Pardon me. Here I am trying to make sure nobody tries to kill you and you are throwing rolls at me." He scoffed but picked up the roll anyway.

"There are more important things to worry about then my impending death." She started spooning various foods onto his plate as he wolfed down the roll.

"Your sister will be fine." Julian whispered once the roll was swallowed.

"I should have told him sooner. If anything had happened to her I will feel awful."

"Nothing has happened. It is Mags; she gets lost so easily. They will likely find her wandering the forests trying to find her way."

"What if she wanders right into a group of wildlings?" Aemili asked as she fought back tears.

"That is not the case." Julian put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into a hug.

Aemili was just feeling better when a guard came rushing in, his hands covered in blood.

"Lord Stark!" He called as he ran to the head table. Aemili was out of her seat without even thinking. She ran to the guard with the bloodied hands, who was whispering urgently to Lord Stark.

"Have you found her?" Mags shouted frantically. She tried hard not to notice the sneers she was getting from Cersei.

"My Lady… I…" The guard trailed off. Her nose started to sting, her eyes welled up with tears. She could not catch her breath.

"Is she… dead?" Aemili feared uttering the words would make it true.

"No, but she is just barely alive."

"Take me to her." Lord Stark commanded as he rose from his seat. Aemili followed after them but Lord Stark stopped her. "You mustn't come." He ordered kindly.

"The hell I won't! That is my sister!" She yelled.

"Theon, take her to her room and do not let her out. Julian, come with me."

"Yes M'Lord." Both men replied. Aemili sprinted after them but Theon caught her in his arms.

"Let me go!" Aemili screamed. If the bloodied guard had not gotten everyone's attention Aemili's screams of protest had it now.

"Come along." He carried her from the hall. He had his arms wrapped around her body; her arms pinned tightly to her sides.

"Theon, please! She might be dying!" Aemili begged as she tried to kick herself free.

"Let them take care of her. You will only get in the way." He struggled to walk up the stairs which was a quite a challenge.

"Do not do this to me again! First with Bran and now with my own sister. Please Theon." Aemili begged.

"Aemili, you must stop!" Theon shouted as he started walking up the stairs backwards.

"Unhand me Theon Greyjoy! Unhand me now or I will pull us both down these stairs!" She threatened.

"You could try and if you should succeeded I would merely land atop you, having no harm come to myself. You however, you would likely die or be seriously injured." They were almost to the top of the stairs.

"I hate you!" She screamed as he pulled her down the hall towards her room. One of the guards to her room opened the door for Theon since he had his hands full. "You cannot keep me in here! I will get out!" She swore as Theon threw her onto her bed and rushed to close the door, locking himself in the room with the wild beast known as Aemili.

"You must clam down!" He urged as he stood in front of the door.

"Do not make me hurt you." She snapped as she rose from her bed.

"Do not make me hurt you." He repeated.

"You will not hurt me, you cannot." Aemili approached him slowly, getting ready to pounce on him. He was expecting it though. She jumped from two feet away, arms outstretched, ready to claw, slap, pinch, bite, kick, or punch her way out of the room. Theon caught her wrists in his and wrestled her to the floor. He managed to lay her on her back, arms held above her head, sitting on her abdomen. "I cannot breathe!" She hollered. "Help! He is trying to kill me!"

"Stop this!" Theon commanded. The door opened slightly, one of the guards poking their heads in slowly. "Only preventing her from hurting herself." Theon explained. The guard nodded and left.

"Are you an idiot!" She screamed. "He is going to kill me! Help! Help me!"

"Do I need to gag you?" He threatened.

"I cannot breathe Theon." She sobbed. "She is my sister, please let me go to her." Aemili could not stop the tears now. She truly could not breathe but it was not form Theon sitting on top of her. "Why do all the awful things have to happen at the same time?"

Theon released her wrists and removed himself from her body. He cradled Aemili in his arms and took her to her bed. "Everything will be all right." He hushed as he pulled her blanket up to her chin.

"They arrive, I'm sick, then Bran, Jon is leaving forever and now something terrible has happened to Mags. How is it that life was so… great and it has so quickly turned to rubbish? How is that possible?"

"Sometimes the Gods will make horrible things happen because great things come from it."

"The King brought them here and is taking Lord Stark and the girls away from their family. Bran will never walk again. Mags might die!" Aemili protested. Yes, Theon was trying to help her see the light at the end of the dark and terrifying tunnel but there really was no silver lining to all of the chaos this time.

"Lord Stark could have said no."

"You and I both know that you cannot say no to the King."

"Bran is not dead."

"He will never walk again Theon. Imagine what that will be like for him?"

"Mags is not dead."

"Not yet."

"You need to stop being so negative!" He snapped.

"Negative things need to stop happening!" She snapped back.

"What you think about, you speak about. What you speak about, you bring about."

"Are you trying to tell me that every horrible thing that has happened is my fault"

"I can see this is a hopeless conversation."

"As is trying to keep me contained in my room while my sister is somewhere among these walls dying."

"She will not die." Theon said with determination.

There was a timid knock at the door. "Who is it?" Theon called.

"Robb."

"Don't let him see me like this." Aemili whispered quickly.

"Come in." Theon called with a playful gleam in his eyes.

"I am thinking awful words at you right now." Aemili whispered as the door opened and Robb stepped in. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Aemili asked as she sat up in her bed.

"Just checking up on you."

"Perfectly demented in every way possible." She smiled sweetly, her tone very sarcastic.

"Screams were heard down in the dining hall."

"Mags?" A lump formed in her throat.

Robb grinned. "Yours." He answered.

"Oh." She could feel the heat I her cheeks. "Sorry."

"I maintained control." Theon declared proudly.

"He sat on me until I calmed down." Aemili explained.

"I would have just picked you up and dropped you in a tub of freezing cold water."

"That would have been my next resort had the former failed." The two laughed at her expense.

"To the hells with both of your." She pouted. "Have you been to see Mags?" She asked Robb.

"No. Father has instructed that no one enter or leave her room."

"Has anyone said what happened?" Aemili was desperate for some information about her sister.

"He also won't reveal any details."

"What of the guards who found her? Surely one of them will say?"

"They have orders not to breathe a word of what happened at the moment."

"Let me ask one of them. They cannot deny me."

"I have orders to keep you in your room." Theon interjected.

"Then Robb shall bring them here." She liked her plan, she liked it very much, but the look on Robb's face told her there was not going to be any follow through. "Why are you denying the right to know what has happened to my sister?"

"It is probably better that you don't know anything. There was a lot of blood." Robb was in no way defending his case.

"I am less likely to worry if I simply knew what they have seen. She might be missing all of her body parts with only her torso and head remaining, or maybe she has gashes scattered all over her body and is slowly bleeding out, maybe some animals attacked her. How can the unknown be better?"

"Because everything you think is outrageous therefore when you find out the truth it will not be as bad." Robb replied.

"You said it yourself, there was a lot of blood. I do not think whatever the outcome it will not be 'as bad'." She was certain that whatever happened to her sister, it was not good. Hopefully, for her sanity, and her families sake it was not fatal.

Authors Note: Massive thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, and alerted this story! It would be nothing without you! -Julie Xx