EDITED: This chapter has been slightly edited, one aspect of the ending has been modified a little so this chapter no longer requires a trigger warning.
Song: Wars of Faith by Audiomachine
Fianna
The tension in the group was palpable as they gathered in the sept for the wedding ceremony, the ceremony itself would be entirely foreign to Fianna, who had never attended a wedding under the New Gods before. As Edmure and his bride worshipped the seven, their wedding would be carried out accordingly - Fianna and Robb worshipped the Old Gods.
Catelyn stood next to Robb with a troubled expression, mulling over the argument with Arya. She always knew that Arya would be wed eventually, she was the daughter of a high born family and now a Princess of the North. But the guilt she felt for failing to even remember a betrothal she herself had set up for her, was overwhelming.
Fianna stood on the other side of Robb, with the Blackfish next to her. She joked often with her great good-uncle, the two pondering what this Roslyn Frey would look like and remarking on the fearful look on Edmure's face.
Robb and Fianna hadn't spoken since he found out about the letter, although she did try in the hour since, but he was adamant. He was absolutely furious with her and to him it felt like a betrayal.
Edmure took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment when Walder began to walk down the centre aisle with Roslyn, her face was covered with a long, white veil as was customary. He wouldn't be able to see her just yet.
Robb turned back to look at the approaching bride, only to find the eyes of Roose Bolton meeting him. There was a tense moment where Roose didn't turn away, staring at Robb with an unreadable expression before finally looking to Roslyn as well.
Robb wondered in that moment what he was to do about the situation. Whether she withheld the letter or not, it still existed and it's words hung heavy over his head. Perhaps after the wedding he would send Roose back to Harrenhal and appoint a new right hand man, perhaps he should keep him close to watch him carefully. But that was to be decided tomorrow, or later. For now, the wedding came first.
Walder threw Robb a look before he reached Edmure, raising an eyebrow at him and assuming Robb was eager to see the girl he could have potentially married. Although Roslyn Frey's attractiveness was the last thing on his mind at the moment.
Fianna waited with a bated breath as Lord Walder turned to his daughter and carefully lifted the veil from her face. Roslyn's back was to the crowd, and she felt as eager as Edmure, leaning to the side to get a glance.
Edmure's fearful expression fell instantly, in shock or relief she was unsure.
Roslyn got down on her knees, a shake to her body and a quiver to her voice as she began to speak, "Lord Edmure, I hope I'm not a disappointment to you."
Edmure let out a breath of relief before reaching down and gently wrapping his hands around her elbows, encouraging her to stand. When she did, the crowd finally got to see her face as she stood to the side to face her new husband.
"You're a delight to me, my lady," he replied to her, happiness coating his voice and expression.
"That dog," Brynden chuckled under his breath, and Fianna gave him a small smile in response. In truth, she was overcome with anxiety. The events of the day had Fianna on edge and with Robb refusing to speak with her, Fianna panicked internally that he secretly wished he had married Roslyn instead.
Roslyn was a looker, there was no doubt about it. She looked the most unlike the Freys, with a small nose where theirs was characteristically big, and a sweet, innocent face. She held herself in a nervous, polite manner that would surely appeal to most men.
As Edmure began to cloak his bride and bring her under his protection, Roslyn looked towards Robb and he met her gaze, heartbreakingly so.
Fianna looked down to her feet, unable to watch any more. She almost wished the girl was hideous and unsightly, so as to qualm her worries. She banished the thought as soon it came.
She jumped at the sensation of a hand slipping into hers, and looked up to Robb in confusion.
"I wonder does he take it as a slight," Robb whispered to her, meeting her gaze with a softer expression than before.
"What?" She asked in confusion, watching as Robb's gaze dropped down her body before back up to her face.
"That the girl I brought to the wedding looks better than the bride," his mouth lifted into a smirk, and Fianna let out a sigh of relief. She knew she wouldn't be pretty for much longer, when her body would change along with her pregnancy and her belly would swell more. Now it was the smallest of bumps, looking like she ate a large dinner.
Fianna smiled gratefully at him, her heart swelling with the love she felt for her husband, as she lifted her free hand up and squeezed his arm, their hands still conjoined.
Edmure looked to his family with wide eyes, as if to say 'wow'. Catelyn raised her eyebrows in response, Fianna grinned encouragingly and Brynden rolled his eyes.
The septon bound their hands together with a string, and Roslyn and Edmure began to speak the words that would seal their houses together.
There was a beauty to this religion, particularly to the marriage ceremonies, Fianna thought. But then again she supposed that her marriage to Robb was magical in itself, regardless of religion.
Brynden momentarily looked behind him to see a number of women giving him looks, smirks on their faces as they shyly waved. He immediately turned back around, eyes widened after seeing that image.
"I think the Frey women have it out for me," he murmured to Fianna, causing her to bite her cheeks to hide her amusement.
"It's about time you'd marry, you big virgin," she teased in response, causing him to look to her with a disgusted face.
"Who said I was-"
"That's enough, Brynden," Robb cut him off before he could finish that sentence.
As the crowd slowly began to trail out of the sept after the ceremony had finished and towards the dining hall, Fianna and Robb were the last to leave before she tugged him back by the hand.
"Can we talk?" She asked quietly, almost nervous but thankfully he nodded his head in agreement.
They stood waiting for the place to empty out before they were left alone, an awkward silence falling over them.
"I can't believe Arya didn't come at all," she commented after clearing her throat.
"Yeah, she was mad though, so..." he replied, nodding his head and looking away from her.
"I'm sorry..." Fianna told him sincerely, her hand cupping his cheek and forcing him to meet her eyes.
"I know. I just don't understand why you would keep that from me," he told her, his posture slightly stiff.
"I was scared, I knew you wouldn't believe me so I wanted to wait until I had proof to bring it to you."
"I'm your husband Fianna, I would have believed you," his words caused her to raise her eyebrows at him and smile softly.
"You're a stubborn northerner with a pie for brains, no you wouldn't have," she retorted sarcastically, which he rolled his eyes at but laughed anyway, draping his arm around her shoulders.
"Come, before they wonder where we are. We'll figure out what to do with Roose after this is over, okay?" He used his arm around her to lead her towards the door and into the night air, but she stopped in her step again to lean up, tug his cheek to the side and press her lips to his.
"I love you," she told him, her voice fierce with honesty.
"I love you too."
She wasn't sure why, but Fianna felt the need to tell him that then. They said it to each other multiple times a day, but there was something more sincere about this moment.
Robb watched, sipping from his cup of wine, as Fianna laughed loudly with glee. She was dancing with Brynden, who had been brooding in the corner enjoying the flow of wine until Fianna had approached him, forcing him to dance.
Robb was shocked when he agreed, probably only because he was slightly tipsy and because Fianna was extremely persuasive. Instead of dancing properly, he spun her around wildly until her head was dizzy and her hair was a mess.
The feasts were well underway, the sound of music and laughter filling the air as they all enjoyed a brief respite from war and politics.
Robb let out a loud laugh when Brynden gathered Fianna in his arms and dipped her down low, her squealing in shock and then proceeding to bat at his arms playfully until he stood her upright.
Ser Mick approached his lady then, she wasn't a Bua any longer but he had sworn to protect the heir to Baelfort and her marriage did not change that. He was a father figure in her life now and genuinely cared for the girl.
"Mind if I cut in for a dance with the Queen?" He asked Brynden who sighed in relief, gently nudging her towards him.
"Thank the gods, I'm off for a piss," he groaned before stalking off towards the cup of wine he had left next to Catelyn to finish it before he departed.
Before he could leave, Catelyn beckoned him to lean in so he could hear her over the music.
"He complained about this marriage the entire ride from Riverrun, now look at him!" She pointed out, nodding her head towards Edmure who sat next to his lady at the top table, laughing all the while.
"The god's love to reward a fool," Brynden replied with a smirk.
"Uncle!" She scolded, smiling none the less. Brynden noticed she looked more like Cat, the small child who used to play without a care in the world, than Lady Catelyn, a scorned widow.
"What?" He retorted, raising his eyebrows, "he's my nephew. I love him. And he's a damned fool."
Catelyn, to her dismay, was sat next to Roose Bolton. She didn't miss the way he covered his cup to prevent a serving girl from pouring wine into it. Nor did she forget the words Fianna told them. She wasn't surprised, in truth, that he could possibly be a traitor. The man was self-absorbed at best, with eyes that held an evil she had never known to look into. A sly, cunningness that reminded her somewhat of Petyr Baelish.
"Don't you drink, Lord Bolton?" She asked curiously.
"Never do, my lady. Dulls the senses."
"That's the point," Brynden drily commented.
Gods. He was a rather dull man none the less, Catelyn thought.
"Didn't you marry a Frey girl yourself?" Brynden asked after remembering a rumour he had heard a few weeks before.
"Aye, Lord Walder let me choose any of his granddaughters," Catelyn raised her eyebrows at this, "he promised me the girls weight in silver as a dowry. So I have a fat young bride!"
She supposed he intended it as a joke, but she felt nothing short of disgusted and even sympathetic towards the girl who was twice cursed with Walder Frey as a grandfather and Roose Bolton as a husband.
"I hope she makes you very happy," she replied politely, masking her discomfort.
"Well she's made me very rich," he told her smugly, and she couldn't reply to that.
Brynden finally downed the remnants of his wine before taking off out of the hall with the intentions of finding a tree or pot to piss in, leaving his niece alone with Roose.
Fianna was growing tired from the dancing. Pregnancy, she discovered, was beginning to make her wake up later and go to sleep earlier. But this particular day had been long and tiring.
"Excuse me, Ser," she excused herself to Mick, who nodded politely, "I have to go accompany that King of mine."
Fianna approached Robb with a small smile, which he responded to with one of his own. He reached over and pushed the chair she was about to sit in out for her and when she sat, he moved his hand to hold hers.
"You look tired," he noticed, she sarcastically rolled her eyes at this.
"Thanks," she responded drily, gently nipping him on his arm.
Robb nodded with his head towards the table across from them, which sat his mother and Roose Bolton alone.
"I don't trust my mother alone with him," he remarked, eyeing the older man carefully. "Perhaps I should go and get her."
Fianna tugged on his arm to keep him in place and gave him a stern look, "your mother doesn't need protecting. She's aware of what's going on. You don't want to make a scene here, we agreed to deal with him tomorrow."
Robb nodded, worry still etched on his features. He decided to let it go for that moment and enjoy the festivities as he said he would.
"Perhaps you don't want me to save her," he joked, giving her a playful smirk, "I thought you two were getting along now?"
"I wonder does she regret sending me away now, knowing that I'm giving her a grandchild," she pondered, nibbling her lower lip. Robb found his gaze trailing over her face, admiring her features.
"Maybe she wants a Frey grandchild instead," he murmured, looking towards Roslyn and Edmure as his new good-aunt fed Edmure fruit as if he were a child. Robb rubbed his hands over his face dramatically, looking to Fianna with wide eyes, "I've made a terrible mistake!"
Fianna let out an offended gasp, lifting her leg to kick out at Robb but he caught her by the knee skilfully, using his hold to drag her chair closer to his until their faces were close.
"It's treason to hit your King," he told her, for perhaps the millionth time.
"And treason to hurt your Queen," she replied back smartly, Robb's hand tightening on her knee as he began to lean in to press a kiss to her mouth.
Fianna stopped him quickly, putting her hand over his mouth, "not here, later on?"
She smirked as she spoke, raising her eyebrows to insinuate to him that what would happen later would be too inappropriate to say in the presence of company, his cheeks flushed in response from excitement.
"Your grace!" Lord Frey calls out suddenly, no doubt watching the interactions between King and Queen. Robb and Fianna pushed away from each other respectfully.
All those who were seated in the room began to pound their fists on the table excitedly, knowing what was coming.
"The septon has prayed his prayers, some words were said and Lord Edmure has wrapped my daughter in a cloak," his sarcastic words caused a chorus of laughs from the Frey party attending. "But they are not yet man and wife. A sword needs a sheath," he began, causing everyone in the room to laugh except Fianna, Catelyn and Robb, the latter two sharing a look of disgust, "and a wedding needs a bedding! What does my sire say?"
Everyone began to pound their cups on the table, not caring for the spillage of wine it caused as they shouted out a chant of "TO BED! TO BED! TO BED!"
Robb shut them all up by merely standing up, taking a few steps to approach the top table.
"If you think the time is right, Lord Walder, by all means, let us bed them," he consented. Fianna hated this part. It was degrading, cruel and Fianna thanked the gods every day she didn't have to be put through it.
She was forced to sit and watch as Roslyn was lifted into the air and carried off, her clothes being stripped by the hands holding her as her husband was bounded on by the women, dragging him along behind her.
As the chanting continued, Robb began to clap encouragingly along with it, forcing Fianna to smack him harshly on the arm.
"Ouch!" He complained, whirling around to see her.
"Don't clap!" She hissed at him, fixing him with a glare.
"It's tradition!" He smiled brightly at her, causing her to roll her eyes.
"Whatever you say, my king," she stood up and gripped onto his hand, beginning to walk backwards, half dragging him, to the open space used for dancing. "Dance with me?"
"I'm not a dancer," he moaned, but she didn't listen, standing in position and curtseying to him as the next song began to play.
Robb nodded his head in response as Fianna rose, lifting her hand up to hover in front of his. They began to turn, their hands not allowed to touch and their eyes not allowed to break from their gaze as they carried out the steps they'd been taught since childhood.
Finally, they were able to touch. Their eyes never drawing away from each other's, Robb placed one hand on her hip and lifted her other hand into the air, stepping around with her across the dance floor and occasionally twirling her.
"You're starting to show," he murmured to her quietly, so only they could hear. Briefly, he lifted his gaze from hers to look pointedly down at her belly.
"Well, he or she has a big head. Much like their father," she teased, raising her eyebrows as Robb lifted their conjoined hands high and twirled her again.
When she was turned around to face him, instead of continuing the dance, he slithered his hand that was placed on her hip to rest on her stomach lovingly.
"Boy or girl?" He whispered to her, his eyes shining in happiness.
"I'm not psychic, my love," she replied, completely uncaring that they were both sharing a moment in the middle of the dance floor, which was now only occupied by them as the hall began to empty.
"Fine then, one or two? Twins run in your family, I hear," he asked eagerly.
"I only have the patience for one so you'd better hope not," she dramatically widened her eyes at him, causing him to chuckle.
"If it's a boy he'll have a Stark name."
Fianna scoffed, "the baby will have a Bua name!"
"What if it's twins? Can we name one a Stark and the other a Bua?"
"We can name them both Buas or you can run and catch up with Roslyn Frey!"
Robb rolled his eyes playfully, smiling down at her she felt compelled to continue, "I already know what to name him if he's a boy."
"Oh, do you? What weird Bua concoction have you come up with then? He'll be first of his name, I'm sure."
Dotingly, Fianna lifted her hand up and cupped his cheek, "Eddard. Eddie for short, perhaps. Or Ned. How's that for 'first of his name' for you?
The look on his face was priceless, his teasing smirk has dropped and Robb was looking more emotional instead. The love he felt for the woman in front of him was indescribable and he realised he would have done anything for her. Even died for her, if necessary.
"I love you, Fianna," he whispered, placing his forehead against hers. She smiled widely, tears springing in her eyes.
"I love you so much more, Robb."
He would have kissed her until he couldn't breathe just then, but deciding to ultimately be respectful in a house he had previously insulted, he instead began to lead Fianna back to their table and off of the dance floor.
The door shut with an echoing sound, and a new song began again. A song that set a chill in Catelyn's bones. She whipped around to look up at the music bringers, narrowing her eyes at the familiar song notes.
Elsewhere in the castle, Arya had fixed a mannequin in her room, and was hacking at it for the past hour or so with needle. She never washed off the dirt from her face, or attempted to fix her hair because she didn't care. Her mother would surely pass out upon seeing her again.
Grey Wind and Chroi's ears picked up at a sound unheard of to her, the two animals rose to their feet from where they lay next to the fire and bounded over to the door, starting to whine and scratch at the wood with their paws.
Arya looked at them suspiciously, wondering why they were acting like this. The wolfhound and direwolf had been tense since arriving to the Twins but she wasn't aware of why.
The small girl, fastened her sheath to her hip and shoved Needle inside of it. Suspicious, she peered out the window to look at the camp below, which seemed as merry as ever.
Back inside the hall, Catelyn was a ball of anxiety. Panic began to flood through her as the events of the day started to play in her head, desperately she was nitpicking at every moment that seemed strange to her.
Lord Walder raised his hand, effectively cutting the music off and called out, "Your grace!"
Robb, who was sat next to Fianna, pushed his chair back and stood up to respond. Catelyn reluctantly sat back down next to Roose Bolton, her eyes flickered about the room nervously.
"I fear I've been... remiss with my duties," Walder began, as Catelyn's eyes drifted to Roose. She wished she wasn't sat here, she would rather be next to Fianna at this moment.
"I've given you meat, wine and music but I haven't shown you the hospitality you deserve," his words set her body alight with fear as Roose turned his head to look at her. Those eyes, she thought. Those damned eyes that looked so cold and dull and cunning, were filled with a new emotion. Amusement.
Those same eyes flicked down to his arm that rested on the table, with shaking hands she lifted her fingers over and peeled back the cloth that covered his arm, revealing the chainmail laying underneath.
"My king has married and I owe my new queen a wedding gift!" Walder droned on in the background, his words caused Fianna to perk up. She doubted she wanted any gift coming from Walder Frey.
It took Catelyn all but a few seconds to realise what was going on, and all but a few seconds to realise what Tiernan had meant in his letter to Fianna.
Don't trust the flayed man.
Immediately, she stood and ripped her arm up, hitting him across the face and desperately shouting out, "Robb!"
Fianna's hand slipped down to one of the daggers she had hidden in her boot, just in case. Weapons were forbidden at a wedding, but she wasn't going anywhere at the Twins without something.
She heard the unmistakeable sound of a blade leaving its scabbard from behind her, and immediately ripped her own out from next to her ankle.
Turning to meet the assailant she knew would be coming, Fianna lifted her boot out and kicked the Frey son that was gunning for her straight in his privates, causing him to double over. Wasting no time, she stood and whirled her hand through the air, slicing the dagger along his throat and inducing a spray of blood to follow it.
Fianna turned quickly back to meet the eyes of her husband, who was too in shock to even move. A flicker in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she noticed the band that provided the music were now drawing their crossbows instead of instruments.
"Robb! GET DOWN!" Too in a daze to listen, he turned around instead, so his wife lifted her knee and rammed it against the underside of the table until it flipped on its side, the table contents spilling onto the floor.
It was too late unfortunately, as one single arrow pierced Robb's shoulder before she could reach him. He stumbled from the impact, and she reached up to grab him by the arm, dragging him down to the ground and behind the safety of the flipped over table.
Fianna reached into her other boot and handed him the other dagger she carried, looking at him with wild eyes as he reached his free hand up to his impaled shoulder.
At that moment, the band turned their crosshairs onto the rest of the Stark party, sending arrows through their necks, chests and heads and one even managed to drive through the shoulder of Catelyn Stark.
Walder Frey watched smugly, sitting back down with his cup of wine that didn't give him near as much satisfaction as the sight before him did.
It was a slaughter happening. The Northern lords stood no chance, they were butchered under the hands of the Freys, rendered utterly defenceless by their lack of a weapon as those that survived the onslaught of arrows were immediately stabbed.
Fianna turned her attentions to Robb as this was happening, quickly inspecting the arrow and determining that it was not in a dangerous enough spot to attend to at that moment.
She didn't see the figure approaching her from behind, nor did Robb who was blinded by pain and shock. She only turned at the sound of a body hitting the stone ground and saw Ser Mick standing with a bloody dagger. He had saved her, as he swore he would.
"Mick!" She cried out, causing him to crouch down behind the shelter of the table.
Arya, unable to listen to the noise of the animals any more, grunted and stood from the window seat, pounding over to the door and wrenching it open.
"Fine then, go if you really want to!"
Immediately they shot off down the hallway, sprinting towards the stair case. Arya scrunched her eyebrows as worry began to fill her, checking that Needle was still fastened at her hip, she began to run after Chroi and Grey Wind.
The sound of voices gave her pause, and she wrenched Chroi back by the small rope around his neck that Fianna used to lug him about when he was being naughty.
Grey Wind still soldiered on as Arya hid behind the corner of a wall, desperately trying to hold onto Fianna's wolfhound.
"Where the bloody hell are those beasts?!" A man began to yell, and Arya realised with a jolt that they were next to the pen that had been holding in Chroi and Grey Wind.
She sneaked a peak around the corner and her eyes zoned in on the crossbows they held in their hands.
"Grey Wind!" She whispered desperately, but the direwolf already knew. He appeared from behind the wooden pen, growls erupting from his throat. Desperately the four men began to load their crossbow with an arrow, but it was too late. Grey Wind lunged through the air at one of them, immediately tearing his throat out.
The shock had loosened her grip on his rope, and Chroi shot off towards them just as Grey Wind took another man down. Arya, pushing aside the tormenting fear that overcame her for her mother, brother and friend, followed, drawing out Needle.
As Chroi ran up and bit a man in the balls, causing him to howl in agony, Arya sneaked up on the final man by coming out from the other side of the pen and ramming needle through his throat.
When the men were down, she looked around and gasped aloud in horror at the bodies littering the ground, bodies that wore clothing all too familiar and bearing sigils that she had grown up learning and relearning.
Determinedly, with Chroi and Grey Wind at her feet, she began to run towards the dining hall that she knew the feast was being held in to warn the others. Upon pushing, to her misfortune, she discovered the doors were locked, she began to pound desperately on them, Chroi and Grey Wind following suit.
Fianna and Robb's heads snapped up and the sound of Grey Wind and Chroi's echoing howls sounding from the entrance.
"We have to get out of here," she whimpered, clutching the dagger tighter in her hand and desperately looking over to Robb.
"You're right, we do," a voice sounded from beside them. Roose Bolton began to approach them in a crawl, his own dagger in hand that was already coated in blood. His eyes were wide with desperation, and it fooled them all for a minute.
The minute was short lived as even while he was shooting Fianna a desperate, panicked look, he was simultaneously burying his dagger through Mick's back.
Fianna let out a cry of shock as the only father figure she had left in her life fell flat on the ground. She began to scamper backwards, pushing Robb to move away, who was still incoherent with shock. She lifted her foot and kicked it out at Roose, but he only dodged it.
She stood up to meet him head on, her heavy skirts weighing her down and preventing her ability to fight effectively as she raised her arms defensively, her blade clutched in her fist.
Until now, Robb could only watch and not react. But this image had snapped him out of the dazed shock he had been in under as he gripped tighter the dagger Fianna gave him and sent it through the chest of a man who was approaching him. He picked it back up again and looked back to Fianna, who was exchanging laboured blows with Roose.
Robb moved to help her, but in a harrowing moment Roose balled his free fist and set it sailing towards Fianna's stomach, causing her to let out a cry of agony and pain.
Robb rushed to catch her as she was beginning to fall but Roose did instead, reaching for the top of her head he hauled her to her feet by his grip on her hair. Fianna dropped the dagger in an attempt to get free, but Roose only tightened his grip.
Stomping her foot down on his and using that momentary distraction to send her head flying towards his in a head butt that left his nose bleeding and her head aching, Fianna ripped the dagger from Roose's hand and rushed to Robb.
The two stood back to back, the blades they each held raised high as they prepared to fight off anyone that approached them. Robb had no idea where his mother was, but he couldn't afford to look now.
Lord Walder held his hand in the air, and the men he had that were in the midst of butchering the rest of Stark men immediately stopped what they were doing and stood waiting for their next command. Not one yet approached the King and Queen.
"The King and the Queen in the North," he called out mockingly, his hands gesturing towards the couple who didn't take their eyes off of the men surrounding them.
"How about another song?" He suggested, nodding his head towards the band who immediately reloaded their crossbows and aimed them directly at Robb and Fianna.
There was no getting out of this, Fianna realised. They were going to die tonight.
"No!" Robb shook his head, pushing Fianna behind him to protect her and standing facing the balcony that held the archers.
"I'll tell you what, drop the daggers and accept your fate and I'll let your whore of a wife live," Lord Walder smirked, knowing there was no way Robb would deny any chance to save his pregnant wife.
"Robb, don't," Fianna whispered from behind him. Their backs were still against each other, Robb facing the band and Fianna facing the Frey men.
Robb's expression crumpled. He didn't know how much he could trust Walder's word, but he knew that he would die for Fianna Bua. He knew it from the first moment he kissed her on that battlefield. He never thought he would have to, but he knew that he would die ten times over to ensure that she would be safe with their child.
So with tears in his eyes, Robb Stark accepted his fate and dropped the dagger onto the ground. At the sound of this, Fianna whipped around with wide eyes.
"Robb! No!" Fianna cried out, hers still in hand. Robb turned to her, the tears freely flowing from his eyes now.
"I love you," he whispered to her, his words felt like a blanket of ice had been wrapped around her.
"No, no, please don't do this, we can get out of this, Robb please!" She began to beg, tears of her own bursting from her eyes as a sob began to build in her chest.
As Fianna begged her husband not to give up, Catelyn Stark emerged from underneath a table, an arrow still lodged in her shoulder as she approached the young girl Lord Walder had married himself to, who cowered like the child she was under the table.
Catelyn dragged her by the hair out from the table, holding her against her body and held a knife she recovered from the table up to her throat. Lord Walder's eyes flickered to look over at her, looking almost bored by the sight.
"Lord Walder, enough!" She shouted at him, voice hoarse. "Let it end! Please! He is my son!"
Robb didn't look over to his mother as she pleaded for his life, he knew it was the end and he wanted to look into the grey eyes of the love of his life for a few moments more.
"Let them go and I swear that we will forget this! It is I who knew about the betrothal, not him! Let them both go and take me! I swear it by the old gods and the new we will take no vengeance!" She desperately begged, Lord Walder's expression unwavering.
"You already swore me one oath in this castle, you swore by all the gods that your son would marry my daughter!" He shouted, the most emotion she had ever seen erupt from him.
"Take me for your hostage! But let Robb and Fianna go!" She screamed at him, turning her head to look at her son who still had his back to his mother. "Robb! Move! Take Fianna and get out! Please! Please!"
At the sound of Catelyn's begging, a sob erupted from both her and Fianna's throats. Robb wasn't listening to her. He knew what he had to do.
"And why would I let him do that?" Lord Walder drawled, from the corner of her eye Fianna saw Roose Bolton stand up straight.
But Catelyn straightened too, holding the dagger tight to his wife's throat she swore yet another oath in his castle.
"On my honour as a Tully, on my honour as a Stark, let him go or I will cut your wife's throat!" She swore.
Finally, Robb brought himself to turn away from Fianna and face forward towards his mother, his wife still begging from behind him silently.
"I'll find another," Walder smirked, sealing the fate of the three in the room forever.
"Mother," Robb called to her and she looked with bleary eyes and a distraught expression over to him, just as the band finally released their nocked arrows that went straight into Robb Stark's body at all angles. Not a single one hit Fianna, for he was standing in front of her.
Fianna had swore she would protect her liege lord, but in the end it was Robb who had protected her, just like he always had.
His body slumped to the floor and an ear piercing scream fell from Fianna's lips, echoing around the entire castle. Arya stopped her pounding on the door, there was only one thing that could make Fianna Bua scream like that.
Consumed by agony, Catelyn let out a roar. In her grief, she immediately slit the throat of Walder's wife and let her newly deceased body fall to the ground.
Roose Bolton, with a new blade in hand, started to approach Fianna from the side, who was staring blankly at the body of her husband. Her eyes were fixed dead on his face, searching for a sign of life.
When he was close enough, she whipped her arm out and slashed the dagger across his face, cutting him from jawline to eyebrow. He let out a howl of pain and veered backwards, away from her.
Catelyn had shut down completely, she already looked dead as she looked down to the ground, just waiting to die.
Fianna looked over as Black Walder approached Catelyn from behind.
"No- no- leave her please!" She shouted, but it fell on deaf ears as the Frey son slit Catelyn's throat from ear to ear.
Instead of the catatonic screaming state she was in before, Fianna broke. Tears fell from her eyes and sobs fell quietly from her mouth as she dropped to her knees, overcome with trauma.
She closed her eyes as she cried and cried, the rest of the room looking at her with amusement. It was not a sight one would often see, a broken Fianna Bua. But at that moment, she had lost everything.
Outside the hall, Arya knew what had just happened. She knew her family were dead, and her body was running on basic instinct now. Grey Wind had took off sprinting down a hallway when Fianna screamed, probably trying to find another way inside. Chroi continued to scratch furiously at the door.
Arya reached down and wrapped her nimble fingers around his rope and started to drag him along with her.
She was in a state of shock, she couldn't feel sad because she couldn't feel anything. Half dragging Fianna Bua's wolfhound, she set off towards the woods. Alone again.
Fianna's cries had still continued after a few moments when Roose had stood up again, the cut to his face sure to cause a scar.
"The blood will be a nightmare to wash out of the stone," Walder joked, taking another sip from his cup as he looked out over the disaster.
Roose lifted his foot and stomped down on Fianna's hand, which held the dagger underneath. She immediately let out a howl of pain, hearing a definite crunch indicating a broken bone.
Now that she was weaponless, he placed his hands underneath her armpits and hauled her to her feet, which she didn't protest. She was hoping this would be the moment he'd kill her.
"Don't worry, Fianna," Walder tutted falsely, "I keep my promises. You'll get to live." He then looked to Roose with a raise of his eyebrows, "you still taking her?"
"Lock her up for now, we leave in a few days back to Winterfell," Roose told him and Fianna's heart dropped. She somehow wished he would just kill her instead of taking her prisoner.
"Come on, little princess," Black Walder called to her mockingly, clutching her arm roughly, he and another of Walder's sons began to drag her backwards towards a room for the night.
She couldn't even bring herself to protest, she struggled in their grip and that was the only effort she could put forth as she was taken off.
Arya ran through the woods, Chroi finally starting to run along with her. When they were far enough from the camp, Arya began to cry too. Tears leaking from the corners of her eyes as the wind whipped against her face. She imagined her new look had held a factor in her escape from the Twins. She couldn't stop. She had to keep running.
Faces ran through her mind - her father, her mother, her brother. They were all gone and she was unlucky enough to be mere feet away when they were executed.
She told herself before she was returned to her family that the gods were cruel, but she didn't realise just how cruel. That they would allow her to be back in the arms of her mother only to kill her a few months later, just when she was finally comfortable and safe again.
She would have married the Frey boy, she would have wore dresses and grew her hair long, she would have done anything to bring her family back but for now, she had no one.
In the room she was being held, her hands were tied with rope and a metal collar hung around her neck, keeping her tied to the wall like a dog. She didn't cry or scream again that night, any tears that fell, fell silently. Perhaps if she had caused a ruckus, she would have roused her husband from his slumber mere rooms over.
Roose closed the door tightly behind him, watching as the maester applied poultices to the fresh wounds littering Robb Stark's body.
"The arrowheads didn't pierce anything too major, mainly muscle," the maester informed Roose, who hummed.
"You just don't want to die, do you?" He muttered to the seemingly lifeless body, approaching him from the side and marvelling over how peaceful his expression looked. "Will he wake up?"
"It's hard to say," the maester replied, "he's lost a lot of blood. If he doesn't develop an infection, I would say it will be a matter of days."
"That's enough time then."
"Enough time for what, my lord? If I may ask."
"For my son to get here, of course," Roose told him as if he should have known already.
SIKE! As if I would EVER have killed Robb off. This is a Robb/OC story and I've talked since the first chapter about the butterfly effect coming into play with Fianna's presence. I know so many people are gonna say what I did was stupid here, or just a cop out to keep Robb alive, but let me explain. Talisa wasn't a fighter, Fianna is. Talisa wouldn't have stood a chance against any of them but Fianna was trained to fight and could have definitely made a difference. Roose probably would have stabbed him in the heart had Fianna not fought him off, and in Game of Thrones world we've seen that a few arrows isn't enough to kill someone. Hell, Jon Snow survived being in icy water and pulled himself back out, if he can survive that it's not hard to think Robb might survive a few arrows.
So yes, now you all know FINALLY what direction this book is going in. Robb and Fianna will be separated for a while (I have to warn you, it's a long while) and while they're both still alive, Robb will be tortured by Ramsay Bolton much like Theon was. Although it won't be to the same extent, he won't become Reek. I can totally understand if some of you choose not to read from this point on, but I think this is a new approach to a Robb survival story that hasn't been tried before, one where Robb survives and is tortured. In case it wasn't obvious either, Fianna is definitely still pregnant.
I put so much bloody effort into this chapter, it's over 7000 words which is by far the longest one yet. I wrote it while dying with the flu and I watched that episode 5 times in total to get it just right. I really hope you all liked it because it is by far the most daunting chapter ever to write because it's one that everyone has been waiting for. This book isn't even close to being finished, I would say this is probably a halfway point. GAH. I'm so nervous for the reaction to this.
purple-pygmy-puff16 - Everyone forgot about Arya's betrothal! But yes, you were spot on about her changing her appearance it kind of shielded her from running away. Grey Wind has run off and the dog is with Arya for now! I hope you liked this chapter!
jean d'arc - You're absolutely right! I was kind of giving a nod to a moment with Ned and Arya back in the day where he told her it was her duty to marry a Lord and she was adamantly against it. I'm so sorry that I couldn't save Catelyn! I didn't see a chance to save her and I still wanted the chapter to have as much shock value as the show. But Edmure will be like the canon story and be held a prisoner, Grey Wind hasn't been shot (because NO, THAT WAS ONE OF THE SADDEST DEATHS FOR ME), Robb and Fianna also survived so I hope that you like that aspect of the chapter at least!
Shannan - I laughed at that, you're so right he probably CAN smell a pregnant woman by now the big creep. I reallllly hope you liked my approach to the Red Wedding and the changes I made!
RoseAmeliaSarahNoblePond - On the shit side, Catelyn died, Robb and Fianna will be tortured. On the bright side, Robb survived! I truly hope you like it, well as much as you can like something so bloody and dark!
Guest - ROBB SURVIVED DON'T DIE PLEASE!
RHatch89 - Robb and Fianna survived! We can all relax now for a little bit! aha x
reaganrose115 - I feel you, I'm crying too