AN: I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! To make up for it the story will progress quickly from this chapter onwards because if you're anything like me you're already bored. I hope you can forgive me! (: There will be a slight plot twist soonish ;) and Jaime fan girls you will swoon! Ooh!
Oh! And I'm making a new cover for this story! Anyone have any requests for who you guys think should play Igraine? I need your brains and how you see her!

She sat within her room, quiet and contemplative. Within her palm she fingered the Lion broach. The metal was cold against her skin. To anyone else this may seem like an easy choice, but to Rae… it was the most difficult decision of her life. Yes, her family had mistreated her but they were still her family and she wouldn't wish see them dead .Jaime without his jokes ,Tyrion without his wit and the rare, slight smile Cersei would give when she believed nobody to be watching. All those qualities gone—Wiped from the earth. She then thought upon her new family…The Starks.

Arya's playfulness, Sansa's innocence, Jon's kindness, Catelyn's guarded yet motherly glance, Bran's courage and bravery, But most of all Robb's smile—Gone. All of those assets. The family she'd always wished for and dreamed about—gone. This thought brought a pang of pain to her heart and then the moment lingered for much more than a moment as they often do. Silence took over in both her body and mind—she had made her decision.

…

"So what say you Igraine Stark? Do you pledge your allegiances to my house?" Eddard's loud voice boomed out across the council chambers these moons spent back home had been good to him he was nearly back to his full strength though his leg still hadn't fully healed. She glanced up and to his right side, to where Robb stood beside his siblings his eyes sad and those blue pools of ocean held both pity and strangely accepting for the decision she would make.

"I…" Her eyes closed as she thought upon her next few words, these next few seconds would shape her life. It was funny in a sadistic way, these two measly words would change her world forever but most of all they would lose her a family. She stared up then and spoke the two words she had been dreading. She would embrace her destiny. "I do." A collective sigh of relief sounded throughout the Stark children.

"I will take your word, child. I know this choice is not an easy one and I apologise, I really do."

"You need not apologise Lord Stark. You did what any lord should do." She nodded and curtseyed before turning and departing from the hall.

Rae ran, where too she didn't exactly know; but somehow she ended up in a dusty old library. She sighed and closed her aching eyes. Slowly she sat down in an old chair, it creaked from her weight. Leaning her head back in the chair she exhaled deeply. Her lips parted as she was left alone to her thoughts and the guilt weighed heavily in her stomach as she warred with her demons. Slowly she felt herself slip into a deep sleep as the day's events weighed heavily on her heart.

.

.

Hesitantly her eyes peeled open as she took in her surroundings. Rae was in her bed chambers—How she got here was beyond her. Though she suspected it had something to do with her sleeping husband. Suddenly her stomach dropped. She shot out of bed her bare feet slapping against the wood as she fell to her knees and began vomiting into a chamber pot. She felt Robb's presence behind her stroking her back in comfort. She was exhausted even though she'd just woken up. When she was sure she was finished he lifted her up like she weighed nothing at all. Her head rested upon his defined muscles and her arms were wrapped firmly around his neck, though she battled mercilessly to keep her eyes open.

"Sleep Love." He whispered his voice rumbled in his chest soothing her. And so she did. For the second time that night she fell back into the land of dreams.

.

.

The next time she woke, it was morning just after dawn by the looks of things. Rae woke to her husband's obnoxious but rather endearing snoring. Her stomach jostled and she lay clutching her belly. Somewhere in those two hours she lay awake, Robb's eyes opened.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't exactly know…" She trailed off unsure.

"Let's take you to the maester."

The pair dressed and began the long journey to the maester tower Grey wind following closely on their heels.

"Maester Luwin?" Robb called out into the dark room.

"Over here my boy."

The duo walked over, Igraine's heels clicking as she did so.

"What seems to be the problem?"

Igraine then launched into her tale before the Maester asked her to lie upon the table. He began to gently prod at stomach making sure to take care.

"Well, my girl. It seems you are with child."

"What? Really?" She asked with a smile. She quickly turned to Robb who beamed back at her, though she saw the uncertainty linger within his eyes for a fraction of a second.

"This is great news! Truly." He told her, though this only added to the uneasy feeling at the pit of her gut.

.

.

"We are riding out tonight."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Igraine insisted, her small hands coming to rest on her stomach upon the bump that resided there. The past two moons calling the banner men had taken its toll upon her body and she now had a round shape to her belly. Both her and Robb's relationship had been strained, though the cause was still lost to her. He was just very distant, as he had been before they'd been together. She'd also caught him staring at Jeyne longingly once or twice and her hormones weren't doing anything to defuse the situation.

"Because I did not wish to worry you."

"I'm coming with you."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no. You are to stay here."

"I heard what you said. Where do you get off thinking you can actually order me around?!" She uttered at him her voice dangerously low.

"We are husband and wife. You carry my child within you. It is the right I have."

"Oh you think you can order me around, well your sorely mistaken."

"Am I now?"

"Yes. Because if you're thinking I'm going to stay here while you go off and fight my family while I stay and knit booties you married the wrong woman."

"I'm starting to think I did." He muttered as he turned to walk away.

The paintbrush she had previously been using fell from her finger tips and skittered on the floor. Slowly she turned her eyes narrowed to slits. Suddenly as if all these cuts he'd given her had, had their scabs violently torn off she exploded. All of this pent up anger and irritation left her.

"Oh. That's rich. You think I wanted to marry you? Really? I think someone needs a reality check. Because I only married you because it was convenient for me, not because I held any semblance of love for you. You hate me don't you, that's why you've been like this, because I got in the way of you and that maid. I've kept my mouth shut about that for long enough, little boy.

You treat me like this, because you wish it was her. Her—who is round with your child, Her—Who will spend the rest of her life with you. But guess what. It's not. Because she's no noble she's a common servant and I'm the one who's stuck with you for the rest of my life." She went to turn away and storm out, But his hand came up and grasped her wrist, it pulled her back into his chest.

His eyes were as dark as coal, no longer the pools of grey she'd fallen in love with. He was tightly strung and his muscles were stiff. Part of her wanted to cower away, he was so much taller than her. Her upturned nose only met his jaw. Though she knew he'd never strike a woman, let alone her who was full with his child.

"You know nothing!" He hissed and turned, departing the room swiftly.

It was then once silence fell upon the room Igraine allowed herself to be lost to the misery. She crumpled to the floor and began to sob.

She only had another five moons until their baby came, what kind of life would it have if she continued to be foolish. She had been stupid—so terribly foolish. She was alone in this world and it was a lesson she would always have to remember.

Wiping away her tears, she stood and pulled out the chest from under their bed. It had been the one she'd come to Winterfell so long ago with. Sluggishly she began packing her warmest pregnancy dresses (which Catelyn had kindly given her) and cloaks. She was placing the last of her canvas' and paints away into another chest when a knock sounded at the door. It was pushed open to reveal the last person she ever expected to see—Catelyn.

"My Lady…"

"None of that! You must call me mother. For we are family."

"…Mother?" She spoke quietly testing the word, for never had she spoken it as a name before this day.

"Robb is very confused. He has been talking with Ned. I happened to overhear some of the conversation."

"Mother—I "

"Don't worry. I'm not here to berate you. I'm here to applaud you if anything."

"I—I don't understand…"

"It took a lot of courage to face the subject head on like that."

"Jeyne." She sighed.

"I was always concerned about his relationship with that girl. Neither me or Ned had the heart to stop it though." Catelyn revealed to the girl, rubbing her forehead. "Though I must admit, I haven't seen him glance the girl's way since you were married. From what I gathered from my sons conversation, he has doubts about becoming a father. He believes he is unworthy to be blessed with a baby."

"Oh… I thought…"

"I know. Your human, Igraine. You're allowed to make mistakes. But what is important is that you learn from those mistakes."

"Oh. God. I shouted at him. I was so cruel—I was like…" A tear rolled down her cheek as she cupped her mouth. "—Cersei. I try so hard to not be anything like her. But I am. Oh Gods. I'm exactly like her."

"No you're not." Only this time it wasn't Catelyn's voice that replied. It was the hard bristled one of Robb, Her good-mother was nowhere in sight.

"How can you say that? After all I said to you."

He walked forward, though there was a large distance between them.

"Because I know you. Your kind, though you want people to think you don't care. You bite your lip when you're nervous. Your brow creases when you can't decide what to paint. But most of all, you tell me you hate me because you're scared what it would mean if you did love me." He had closed the space between them and his hand rested upon her swollen stomach.

"And that is the truth of it. I love you and our child—I'm no longer afraid to admit it."

"I think—I might feel the same." He smiled showing his brilliant white teeth to her.

"I was worried, though my father has calmed these nerves. All I want to be is a good father for our child. I want to be their hero, I want to fix it all for them. But what if I can't. What if I fail and they hate me." She stared up at him, Her lips parted.

"This baby is half of me… It could never hate you."

And for one gleaming moment—One shining second everything was well with their world. Though—Things don't stay well for long when at war.