A/N: This chapter takes place right after the news of the Boltons taking over Winterfell reaches Robb Stark. Now he has to fight a battle against the man he had always seen as his brother, while Yara has to choose her final alliance. Will her Ironborn heritage shine through or will her love for the Stark man (the question is which one?) win?
"Arrrrgh, this can't be true!", Robb shouted, trying not to look like a four-year-old stomping his foot heavily against the floor, but a mixture of anger and disbelief had completely taken over his mind. They were about to leave another inn in the early morning not far away from Winterfell. Yara and the men were standing by him but gave him his distance.
"And Theon doing this?", he continued. Yara had been looking down, standing with her arms crossed, trying to avoid Robb's gaze, but now she knew that he was looking at her. She knew that all the men were looking at her and she knew exactly what they were thinking. She could hear the echoes of the word traitor in the form of all their voices. Finally, she looked up but did not have an answer.
"Why, Yara, why can he do such a thing?", Robb then asked, approaching her and putting his hands on her upper arms. She felt awkward.
"I don't know. I really don't know what to say. I really can't believe...", Yara said, but Robb cut her off:
"That he has betrayed my trust, made an alliance with the Boltons, letting them into Winterfell and allowing them to kill my mother", he laid it all out. It sounded awful and Yara did not feel proud of their family relation.
"I don't understand", she just said, and Robb let go of her.
"We need to get to Winterfell immediately. We need to take Winterfell back and kill them all", Robb said to the men, trying his best to cover up his sadness due to the loss of another family member. His words affected Yara, and she felt the dilemma.
"Get the horses ready", Robb kept on shouting and the men left them.
When they were alone, Robb approached Yara again. He looked at her with his sad eyes and did not even try to hide the fact that several tears had fallen from them already. He put his hands on her shoulders, caressing her collarbone.
"I can't do it, Robb. I can't kill him. There must be an explanation for this", she then said with authority and looked him straight in the eye.
"He is the reason my mother is dead, and what about Sansa and Rickon? What have the Boltons done to them? I have heard rumors of his bastard son, and he is supposed to be the worst kind a man can be. Someone who loves to torture and kill just for his own pleasure. Think about what he will do to Sansa", Robb pleaded, trying hard to gain Yara's allegiance.
"He is my brother", she then said harshly, pulling herself away from him. It did not anger him.
"I understand that, but I need to know that you have my back?", he then said. Yara gave him a fierce look.
"You're questioning my loyalty?" Her eyes shot lightening, and the silence afterwards sounded as loud as thunder. He looked down with his usual sad eyes.
"No, Yara, I'm not, but I need to look after my family". He tried to approach her again, and she sensed that he needed comfort. Therefore she reached out for him and took him in her arms, pressing his head against her neck.
"I know, Robb, but I have to look after mine too. Theon is my brother, and he is the only relative of mine that I even know", she said in a milder voice and stroked the back of his head. She could feel his tears soaking her clothes.
"I already miss her", Robb then said, and even though Yara did not like Catelyn, she understood how the loss of a loved one could feel. She had felt the same way the day the news of Ned's death had reached them. For a moment, she had felt like life could not go on. She had wanted to throw herself into the sea, letting the Drowned God embrace her and take her, giving her peace as an Ironborn, but she had doubted that the Drowned God would allow her into his realm if she had mourned a Stark so much that she willingly had thrown herself into death.
"I know you do, and I have no words to console you. I can't say anything that will bring her back. These fights have cost too many lives. It has to stop", she said and kept on holding him tight. His body did not feel like Ned's body, as Ned had been bigger and heavier. She still remembered the times that Ned had taken her into his arms. Even though he rarely showed it to people outside the family, Ned had been a very caring man who did not mind expressing the love for his children, or for her for that matter. When she was a child, Ned had sometimes held her when she was sad or homesick, and as she grew older, he had sometimes just hugged her when she had done something good or if he felt like she needed it.
She still remembered the time, a little over a year ago, when she had won a small tournament inside Winterfell's walls where she had beaten both her brother, Jon and Robb in sword fights. Ned had been sitting in his chair, laughing and enjoying seeing the fights. He had cheered every one of them on, Theon too, and his forceful laughter had made them all feel his love. After Yara had beaten Jon as the last one, Ned had stood up from his chair and proclaimed her the winner. He had taken her hand and raised it while his fingers had warmed hers between them. Then he had embraced her and lifted her up, which had given her the opportunity to secretly feel his body since he was not wearing his armor. She had been all ecstatic and dizzy, as she in that moment had felt that she wanted him. Wanted him in a way that was impossible.
When she was standing here with his son, she felt so close to Ned again and she felt obliged to fight for his legacy.
"I promised your father to always stand behind you, Robb, and I will honor my promise to him", she then said, and finally he reappeared from her embrace. His eyes were clear and a wondering smile occurred on his face.
"You were really fond of him, weren't you?", he then asked, easily remembering the love he himself had felt for his father. Yara felt like she blushed.
"Well, he was a good man, your father", she answered diplomatically. Talking about Ned made her go down a two way street of emotions, as she felt warm inside talking about him, but she was also afraid to reveal the secret by her choice of words and display of body language.
"You don't have to lie about it, Yara. It is okay for you to like him", Robb almost laughed as Yara acted weirdly. She shook her head.
"I am not lying about anything". She knew instantly that her snappy reaction might cause suspicion, but Robb did not perceive it that way.
"Yara, it is completely okay for you to see my father as your father. That will not make you less of Balon Greyjoy's daughter, and it will certainly not make you less Ironborn", Robb then said, and she felt relieved that he was on the completely wrong track. She just nodded.
"You are right", she said while leaning in to kiss Ned's son on his lips. He tastes just like him, she thought to herself and did not remove her lips. Her passionate kiss caught him by surprise, but one thing led to another, and soon they were all caught up in each other, each seeking their own kind of love: Robb grieving after another great loss, and Yara lusting for the ghost of Ned Stark.
Silence fell as both Robb and Yara were brought back to reality. The intimate act had caused them to forget reality for a while, but it hit them again now with a vengeance as they sat undressed on the floor of the inn.
"Let's ride now and reclaim Winterfell", Yara then said and turned around, facing Robb. She did not feel shy being naked. She knew that he looked at her but it did not bother her. She leaned in and kissed him on his forehead. "But no one harms Theon until we find out what is really going on", she continued, and feeling relaxed and satisfied, Robb nodded.
"That is a deal. We storm the castle and kill the Boltons. We have every advantage as we know the castle inside out. We go to the western tower and sneak in through the wooden, hidden door behind the wine in the cellar", he said. Yara nodded, gave him another glimpse of her sweaty naked body and got dressed.
Moments later, Robb and Yara had changed their desire for each other to the desire of violence and justice. They started riding and did not talk much. They rode for a couple of days before finally eyeing Wintefell in front of them. They had disguised themselves as Bolton soldiers as they had encountered and killed a couple of them in the villages. The habitants had easily recognized their true rulers, and they had told them that Sansa and Rickon were still being held as hostages. Shortly after the murder of Catelyn, Lord Bolton had arrived, and he had proclaimed himself the new ruler of Winterfell. Ramsay Snow had been given the title of second in command, while Theon Greyjoy had been refused any ruling part for now. He just moved around freely, acting as Ramsay's pet. Lord Bolton had appeared in front of the citizens of Winterfell to explain the new rules and he had presented them with the head of Catelyn Stark too, while her eldest daughter and youngest son had been displayed in front of everybody in chains, but both of them seemed to be unharmed.
After getting the disguise, Robb, Yara and the men proceeded to the western tower where they found the entrance unguarded and free. They moved in quietly and followed the path to the private quarters. Standing in front of the door that separated them from the Boltons, Theon, Sansa and Rickon, Robb took a deep breath and took out the key while squeezing his other hand around his sword.
"Now is the time. The main focus is to free my brother and sister, and then we kill the Boltons. All of them", Robb said. Yara looked at him.
"And no one harms Theon. If he acts hostile, you can knock him out, but no one kills him". There was great seriousness in her voice and maybe a bit of fear too, as she knew how Robb's soldiers felt about Theon. He had never even tried to be liked; it was as if he preferred to be disliked by everyone he met, which Yara had never understood. And it was not as if he was being feared instead. Most people thought of him as a weak, stupid boy with too much power, and Yara knew that he was. Still, he was her brother. Standing there, next to the people that brutally took her away from her family when she was just a little girl, Theon's ideas started running through her head: the ideas of the Greyjoys taking over Winterfell and for once showing everybody that the Greyjoy line was not dead but very much alive. At some level, it appealed to her and her heritage, but even if she had wanted to, there had never been an opportunity to do so. Not until now at least. Ruling as a Greyjoy was a thought she found attractive and it warmed her heart, but she knew what that would mean. Surely Theon had done some of the work, but she doubted that it was possible. She looked again at Robb who smiled at her.
"Are you with me?", he asked, but he did not sound like he doubted the answer. She looked at him for a moment and saw in his face the man that she could never have. The man that had died and the man she would never have been allowed to have. Inside her body that made her angry and for a moment, she just looked at Robb without giving her final consent...
A/N: So the final battle is about to happen. The questions are many: Does Robb stand a chance? Has Yara had a change of heart? And will Theon stand firm on his allegiance, betraying everything he has known once and for all, or will his love for Sansa prevail? The answers will be revealed soon!