Jon's POV
"I miss girls," Sam says as we stare out at the vast expanse north of the Wall. "Not even talking to them. I never talked to them. Just looking at them, hearing them giggle."
The wind blows hard on the top of the Wall, forcing me to huddle beneath my furs and tighten all my muscles for warmth. I try to block out this kind of talk, but Sam won't let me.
"Don't you miss girls?" he asks curiously.
"No, I don't miss girls," I mutter. "I miss a girl."
"Did you have someone?" he questions. "At Winterfell?"
"She wasn't mine."
"But you loved her," he presses. I continue to watch for any signs of life below, praying something will come so I can get away from this conversation. "What was her name?"
I've tried very hard to not think about her at all, yet it's impossible. She appears in my mind when I first wake up, when I close my eyes to sleep, and in most of my dreams. I didn't know how impossibly empty I would feel just from not seeing her every day.
"Jon?"
"Ellie," I say. "Eliana."
"Eliana? Are you talking about…the princess?" Sam sounds almost scandalized, making me scoff.
All those years of saying it, but it could never be true. She could never be just Ellie and I could never be just Jon.
"Aye," I confirm. "The princess and my brother's wife."
That leaves the man speechless for a moment, but Sam quickly recovers. "I've heard she's beautiful."
"She is, I've never met anyone more beautiful."
"Well, what is she like?"
What is she like? There's a million things I could say to describe her. Simple words like kind, funny, caring, or clever would all be appropriate, but they don't do Ellie justice. I don't think anything ever could. She isn't just a few things, she's everything. There's no one even remotely comparable to Ellie in any way which makes it difficult to explain with accuracy everything I love about her.
Blinking, I see her with that wild sparkle in her deep blue eyes. I hear her voice calling my name, her laugh warming the wind, and feel her making life not so lonely anymore.
"She…" I search for something to give my friend that could silence the rest of his questions. "She just made everything right."
"Did she know?" he asks quietly.
"I told her," I murmur. "Then, I watched her marry Robb."
"Did you ever kiss her?"
"No," but I wish I did.
I wish I kissed her in our tower or when I hugged her goodbye. It would have made me an even worse brother and friend, but I don't care. I can picture her smile now, her pink lips. I bet she tastes of honey because that's how she always smelled. There's a good chance I'll never see her again and if I do, it won't be for years. I should've kissed her so I could keep the memory forever since I'll never have her.
…
Robb's POV
"What have you done?" Ellie demands as she bursts through the doors to the great hall.
It's the first time she's been anywhere other than our chambers or Bran and Rickon's rooms since the raven arrived bringing news of King Robert's death. Even now, tears stain her cheeks and her blue eyes are rimmed red. The black curls that usually hang with such beauty are now pulled back in a sloppy braid and her dress in wrinkled from lying in bed for so long. Clutched in her fist is a handkerchief for the sadness threatening to spill over once more.
"Ellie," I begin, but her scornful look silences me.
"Do you think I'm stupid? All the ravens flying out at once?" she continues, quickly losing her breath in her anger. "You've called your bannermen!"
"Joffrey has arrested my father, accused him of treason," I say.
"So, you start a war?" she shouts incredulously. "Have you gone completely mad?"
"Your brother has him rotting in a cell, has my sisters as prisoners as well, and he expects me to come bend the knee!"
"Your father declared he wasn't the rightful heir! What did you think he was going to do?"
"Do you think my father is really guilty of treason?" I question in shock.
"My father, the king, is dead. My brother Joffrey is his eldest son, the heir to the Iron Throne. What possible doubt could Lord Stark have over those facts?"
I gape at my wife in disbelief as she trembles beneath her layers of clothing. Her eyes burn with a fury and a fear I've never seen before, but she seems so certain. My own wife defending my father's imprisonment, claiming the people she's distrusted her entire life are suddenly innocent. We've never been on opposite sides like this, I'm not even sure how to react. Everything I wish to say gets stuck in my throat the longer I stare at her flushed face.
"I trust my father, Ellie," I finally manage. "I do not trust your brother."
"You condemn us all to war," she murmurs in disdain. "One side will lose, you know that? One side will lose and who will suffer either way, Robb?"
"I have a duty, but you must believe that I will do everything to prevent your suffering," I promise. "Your pain is the last thing I ever want to cause."
The doors to the great hall open once more, but a less familiar face barrels through this time. I recognize him enough to know he joined my father when he left for King's Landing so I'm confused as to how he's still alive. The letter from Sansa said all his men were butchered when Father was arrested.
The man rushes forward, bowing quickly before wiping the sweat from his brow.
"My lord, my lady," he greets.
Ellie's glare melts to an exhausted stare as she shifts her attention to him.
"Lord Stark sent me with this letter," the man says, showing the rolled parchment in his hand as he meets my wife's gaze.
"Give it here then," I tell him, stepping forward.
"Forgive me, my lord, but Lord Stark instructed me to give this directly to the Princess."
"The princess?" I repeat in surprise. Why would my father call her by the title that was replaced the moment we were wed?
More importantly, why is he only writing to my wife?
Ellie appears just as confused, but takes the letter anyway, breaking the Stark seal as she opens it. I watch the phases of her expression as her eyes scan the words my father wrote and her fists tighten over the parchment. When she's finished, the heat in her eyes returns full force and the messenger nearly stumble backwards when my wife turns the glare towards him.
"What is this?" she asks in an eerily calm voice.
"My lady, I did not read it. Lord Stark sent me here by ship, told me to travel as fast as possible, and give it to you."
"What does it say?" I question.
"It's an outrageous lie," Ellie growls in reply. "A made-up notion, a disgusting accusation. It's no wonder you've gone mad, you clearly take after your father!"
"What the hell does it say?" I demand in offense, snatching the letter from her hand.
"I'm my father's only child," she says as I read it for myself. "My brothers and sister are bastards fathered by my Uncle Jaime."
"That's why he said Joffrey isn't the rightful heir," I mutter. "Because you are."
"He's wrong," she argues. "He may not be lying, but he is mistaken, Robb. You can't tell me you believe this."
"You're the rightful heir, Ellie. You –"
"No, I'm not!" she shouts as her tears escape. "Joffrey is the king. My father is dead and I will not disgrace my mother by listening to such – such filth!"
Shaking her head rapidly as if trying to repel the truth, Ellie stumbles backwards, spinning on her heel, and running out of the great hall. I call after her, but get no response. Turning to the man who brought the letter, I thank him and then follow the path my wife took. I find her in our chambers, curled up on our bed and weeping. Sighing sadly, I stare at her as sobs shudder through her body, visible even beneath the thick, unneeded cloak. Then, I realize something.
Ellie believes my father.
She wasn't trying to convince me that he was wrong, she was trying to convince herself. If she truly thought him a liar, why would his words break her heart this way?
"Ellie," I say gently, moving to sit on the edge of our bed.
"It's not true," she insists, her voice muffled by the covers where her head is buried. "It can't be."
As much as it pains me to hurt her, I must force her to admit the truth. Our enemies are in the south and I cannot have my wife siding with them. She promised to stand against them when the time came, but this is something we never could have imagined. Her mother has committed a terrible crime and to cover it up, she arrests my father and holds my sisters hostage. A boy born from incest sits on the Iron Throne which belongs to the only true-born child of Robert Baratheon.
My wife is no longer going against her uncle for hurting my brother, she's against her entire family to protect mine. It's a difficult thing to ask, but I'll do it anyway.
"I know it's hard to believe," I murmur. "But think about it, Ellie. Look at my brothers and sisters, we all share similarities. We all look like our parents, a mixture of them. You have the Baratheon look, black hair, blue eyes. Yet, you have your mother's features. Your brothers and sister look nothing like your father. Yellow hair, green eyes, not even the same nose as your father. They look like their father."
Ellie lifts her head to reveal the trails of tears streaking her cheeks.
"Hard to believe," she scoffs quietly. "Not three months ago, we were just getting married. The only thing that scared me was Sansa having to marry Joffrey. I only feared that because my brother is a cruel, little brat. Now, my father is dead, my father-by-law is imprisoned, my mother lays with her brother, and my own brother is a bastard. And worst of all, my husband prepares for war. Hard to believe."
"My father has never lied. He trusts you, believes in you," I say, holding the letter up for her to see again. "Putting all that aside, though. Forgetting who the Iron Throne belongs to, forgetting what your mother has done, think about this, Ellie. My father and sisters, people who you love and who love you in return, are being held in that castle. My father has been arrested and charged with treason. You know the sentence for treason."
She squeezes her eyes shut, hoping, perhaps, to block out my words.
"If we don't march on King's Landing, they will execute him. They will kill my father and gods know what they'll do to my sisters. You'd let that happen?" I question. "You'd let that happen just because it's hard to believe?"
"What do you want me to do?" she asks shakily. "Take the Iron Throne? Rule the Seven Kingdoms? Kill my brother and my mother?"
"No," I answer firmly. My hand finds her cheek, my thumb sweeping away tears. "I want you to stand by me as you said you would. Stand by our family."
"We were so happy for such a short amount of time," she whispers brokenly.
"We'll be even happier when this over. I promise you that, Ellie."
"Okay," she sighs.
"You'll stand by me as my wife?" I ask. "Now and always?"
"Now and always," she agrees.
…
Eliana's POV
"Eliana!" Robb comes bursting through our door, calling out loudly. His eyes flash with frustration when they meet mine.
"Robb?" I greet plainly, glancing at the other person in the room.
My husband's gaze follows and he nods in acknowledgment. "Maester Luwin, would you mind if I speak with my wife alone?"
The maester looks to me, clearly not wanting to leave before finishing our conversation. He came to discuss my health again even though I continue to dismiss his concerns. I assure him it's nothing more than stress and I can tell he still doesn't believe me, but he nods anyway. He bows to both of us and exits the room, softly shutting the door behind him.
"What's the problem?"
"You told the boys you're staying here?" Robb demands.
"I am staying here," I tell him. "Is it a secret?"
"You are not staying here, Ellie. I thought that was clear."
"Why would I go with you to fight a war? What good will I do on the battlefield?"
"You're not going to be on the battlefield, but you will march with us. You're Lady Stark and the only Baratheon princess, you have the only true claim to the throne. You know the Lannisters better than anyone else, you know King's Landing, I need you," he insists.
"Robb, what about the boys? I'm not just going to leave Bran and Rickon here alone."
"They won't be alone," he assures.
"I'm not leaving them," I repeat.
"We're not bringing children with us, we can't."
"Then, I'm staying here."
"You are not," he argues.
"I am," I tell him through gritted teeth. "Stop telling me what to do."
"You're my wife."
"So, you own me now, is that it?" I demand incredulously. "We're married so you get to dictate what I do?"
"We're leaving tonight," he says. "Pack your things, Eliana, or I'll send someone to do it for you."
Robb leaves with a warning glare that silences the rest of my argument. I'm left in utter disbelief at my husband's attitude change. Everything is putting a strain on our marriage, but I made my choice. I chose to put being his wife above all else, so why is there still a rift between us? And since when does he treat me like property rather than the woman he loves?
…
"You said you were staying," Rickon argues.
"I thought I was, love, but I have to go with your brother," I sigh.
"You said you were staying, you promised! You're leaving just like the rest of them!"
"We'll be back soon," I swear. "With your mother and father and your sisters. You and Bran will be so busy taking care of Winterfell, you'll hardly notice we're gone."
"You're not coming back," he predicts solemnly and a chill runs down my spine from the six-year-old's words. "None of you."
"Rickon," I begin, but the words get stuck in my throat.
Tears well in his sweet eyes as he stares up at me like I've betrayed him. My own fear surfaces as all the dangers this decision holds escape the chest I've stuffed them in under lock and key. Instead of giving him more words he won't believe, I pull him into my arms and fight the sob building in my chest as I hug him close. Rickon's little arms return the embrace, making it even harder for me to leave than it already was, but I have no choice.
Pulling away, I kiss the top of his head and leave him with another parting promise.
Outside his bedroom, I can no longer choke back my cries. I practically have to run out of the castle just to ensure that I'll actually leave. As we pass through the walls of Winterfell, my horse trotting beside Robb's, a terrible cold sets into my bones. The life I always wanted had finally begun and now I abandon it knowing I can never have it back. Whether we win or not, nothing will be the same and the childhood fantasy I clung to for so long will never exist again.
…
Small flakes of summer snow sprinkle the ground, decorating my hair and dress. I sit on my cloak laid out on the grass and stare at the river. Listening to men talk of battle plans inside a grey tent has already grown tiring and we've not been away from Winterfell three weeks yet. At least, Robb and I are in a better place. My anger towards him for forcing me to leave his brothers behind has faded and he hasn't commanded me to do anything more. Funny enough, I actually enjoy watching him command everyone else.
"You'll catch a fever without your cloak on," a familiar voice chastises kindly. Glancing up, I take in the sight of Lady Catelyn smiling fondly at me.
"Cat!" I greet in relief, climbing to my feet. "I didn't think I'd see you here."
My mother-by-law pulls me into a tight embrace, warming my skin. "I did not think I'd be here."
"I'm glad you are," I murmur.
"I'm so sorry about your father, Eliana," she tells me genuinely, pulling away to meet my eyes.
"I should be sorry. My family's crimes –"
"Are not yours," Cat finishes.
"It feels like they are," I admit.
"That's because you love them and you are not expected to stop," she says, cupping my cheek with a reassuring smile. "Come on, get your cloak back on."
Lady Cat picks up the thick, grey fabric and drapes it around my shoulders, but as her gaze lowers, her hands go still on my arms.
"What's this?" she questions, suddenly touching my stomach.
"Uh, my belly?" I mumble in confusion. I've noticed it's not as flat as it used to be, but I thought I'd just been eating too much.
"My sweet girl, how long has it been swollen like this?" Cat asks.
"I don't know," I answer quickly, self-consciously shielding it from view with my cloak. "I haven't gained that much weight."
"This isn't weight," she says with a tearful smile. "This is a baby."
Hey again!
So, I actually didn't intend to have three POV's in this chapter. I hope it wasn't too much. Originally, it was just Robb and Eliana, but I had a request for a scene with Jon and Sam. I'm not sure how good it came out so let me know what you guys think! Also, there was a request for another Ned POV, but I wasn't able to fit that in and I apologize for that. I love requests, though, so keep sending them to me and I'll do my best to fit them into the story.
To answer the two questions asked, Theon will take Winterfell, but I'm still working out the details for the Red Wedding. It obviously won't happen the same way it happened in the show, but something like it will be coming.
I'd really like to hear what everyone thought of Ellie's reactions and her fights with Robb. I'd also like to know how you all feel about the baby!
Thank you so much, as always, for reading. Special thanks to everyone who reviews, favorites, follows, and continues to come back! I appreciate you all so much!
See you next time,
-V :)
