XXXVII

And who are you, the proud lord said, that I must bow so low?

The words rang out in the quiet hall, the victorious army smiling smugly down at the corpses that littered the halls of Casterly Rock. All of the corpses would soon be gathered up and disposed of. Burned, tossed in the ocean, what did it matter? They would be gone, their bodies nothing more than the remnant of another army who fought and lost at Casterly Rock.

So the song began. As final insult to the Lannisters, the Rains of Castamere was the first song that was played when the celebrations began. It was not traditional to celebrate a victory, but this was not a battle fought in some field. What did it matter now that the Kingslayer had been returned to King's Landing? The Lannisters had no place to run and hide. They no longer had the option to cower behind their Rock. Casterly Rock had fallen, the Lannister soldiers overwhelmed by the combined forces of the Stark and Baratheon army, and it would not be long before the army turned their sights to King's Landing itself.

In the meantime, however, the two Kings made themselves comfortable in Tywin Lannister's hall. It was lavish, as was expected of the richest man in Westeros. And though the keep was warm and secure, both Robb and Renly found themselves feeling ill at ease. Casterly Rock was theirs, but they would not sleep easy under its roof until Tywin and all his spawn were dead. When the battle was over, Robb had assured Renly that Casterly Rock was his. House Stark wanted nothing to do with the place once it had been won.

It did not sit well with Renly that most of the Riverlands had declared for Robb. Robb sought only to rule the North as a separate kingdom, but with Houses Stark and Tully so closely allied, the Riverlands wanted less and less to do with southrons as the war waged on. When the celebrations were over and he was better rested, Robb knew he would need to speak with Edmure and his mother about convincing the houses of the Riverlands to side with Renly, or to find a way to convince Renly to continue the alliance even with the Riverlands declared for Robb.

When they had spoken of this briefly before the battle, Catelyn had mentioned her sister in the Vale. Throughout the entire war, House Arryn had remained neutral. If Robb could persuade his aunt to rally her banners to his cause, it might change the tide of the war. Even with Casterly Rock under their thumb, the Stark and Baratheon armies were still evenly matched with the Lannister-led forces that remained. As it was now, an attack on King's Landing had a fair chance of going either way.

"Your Grace?" Olyvar Frey stood in the doorway with his hands clasped behind him.

"What is it, Olyvar?" Robb asked softly, muscles aching all over when he lifted his goblet of wine to his lips.

"Queen Ellanor's envoy is approaching."

Robb swallowed. "When she arrives, bring her here to me."

Olyvar was a good squire, or good enough, Robb supposed. He did as he was instructed, bringing Ella to his chambers and then bowing out. Ella nearly ran to him when she saw him, dropping to her knees before his chair and clutching his hands. Robb pulled her up, settling her in his lap. She buried her face in his neck and he encircled her shaking body with his arms, holding her tightly against his chest.

"I'm here," he murmured softly, tangling his hand in her hair. She pulled away and kissed him deeply, the tears trailing down her face wetting both of their cheeks.

"I've had enough of this war," she muttered, pressing her forehead against his. "I hate it. I hate letting you walk off into battle."

"I know," he said deeply, clutching her against him. He took her chin in his hands, bringing their lips together, and said before kissing her deeply, "I know, Ella. I'm sorry."

His body was still battered, from the attack and from the battle. Even still, he held his wife tight against him, one hand on her neck and the other played across her hips. He pulled her closer, squeezing once she was close as he could get her. He deepened the kiss, and when Ella pulled away, he trailed kisses down her jawline and her neck.

"Robb," she breathed, "your wounds –"

"Are healing." He returned his lips to hers, arms tightening around her as he rose from the chair. He carried her to the bed, setting her down on the heavy blankets. He placed his body over hers, placing one hand on either side of her head and locking her in place, his hips against hers. Even through layers of leather and skirts, she could feel the warmth of his body against her. When the clothes were gone, his skin was hot, and his breath was hot, and she lost herself in the heat of him.

The sun rose red in the western sky, casting a sharp glare over the glittering ocean, so Ella shielded her eyes as she watched the ships sail away from Casterly Rock. The Mallister and Manderly banners were waving upon the sea wind, growing ever smaller each passing moment. With Casterly Rock taken, and with the aid of Renly's army, Robb finally had enough soldiers to spare to send to the North and root the Ironborn from their land. Renly, in a gracious show of alliance, had offered one of the Tyrell banners to accompany the ships to the North to put a stop to the rebels. After all, Renly told them, when he won back his rightful throne, the Iron Islanders would have to answer to him.

Robb smiled and assured Renly that the Iron Islands would be his, before he suggested that they move back into the keep to discuss such matters further. Ella and Margaery trailed closely behind, arms linked. The men deliberated, but the women listened closely. As Queens, these were their lands, too. The Queen was in charge of more than just the household and the parties. Robb and Renly stood over the tactical map, wives peering over their shoulders.

"If I can convince my Aunt Lysa to call the banners of the Vale – declaring for you," Robb added hastily, "– then we would have a force almost certainly large enough to sack King's Landing."

"There has been no sign from the Vale regarding their loyalties. In times like these," said Renly, "we must assume that their neutrality signifies loyalty to Joffrey."

"It's only Lady Arryn who wishes to remain neutral in the war," Ella spoke suddenly, moving forward to examine the map. "Many Houses have urged her to take action. My aunt is Lady of House Redfort, they've been very vocal about their support in our favor."

"Does House Redfort hold any sway against Lady Arryn?" Robb asked. Ella shrugged, frowning.

"In times as dire as these, anything is worth a try."

As they deliberated, more and more people began to file into the room. First it was Catelyn, followed closely by Lord Umber and Lord Glover, and then Robb's personal guard: Dacey Mormont, Olyvar Frey, Smalljon Umber, the Frey sons, and several others that Ella didn't know the names of, but who all fought beside Robb in battle. Ella had hardly had the chance to speak to any of them, but she saw in them a fierce loyalty to Robb and his House. When a pause came in the discussion, Robb looked up from the table at his mother. She looked so grave lately, so fraught with worry. After a moment, he stood straight with his shoulders squared.

"I will send my mother to the Vale," he said firmly. Renly stood to his full height, too, as though to challenge Robb should he disagree with the other King's terms. "And my wife will write to her aunt of House Redfort. If, by these measures, we cannot get Lady Arryn to agree to raise her banners in our favor, then we will be left with no choice but to march on King's Landing alone."

Renly nodded solemnly. "Then, Lady Stark," he said to Catelyn, who had her lips set in a straight line. "I should wish you the best of luck."

She rode for the Vale two days hence, kissing Robb firmly on the forehead and holding him closely before she pulled away and gave him a long look. Catelyn left accompanied by a guard of one hundred men, several of Robb's personal guard included. Just as they watched the ships sail away until they were flecks of black on the golden sea, they watched Catelyn and her guard ride across the plains until they crested a hill and were gone.

When Robb and Renly returned to the solar, Margaery took Ella's hand in hers and invited her for tea on the balcony. Margaery was very pleasant, and Ella took to her quite well, though she felt as though there could be a fakeness to Margaery's kindness at times. Regardless, Ella was glad for Margaery's company; she had very few friends nowadays, even fewer female friends, given that Ella was too intimidated by Dacey Mormont to say more than a few words to her. Though Margaery's kindness could seem superficial at times, there were times where she could be very genuinely caring, and Ella was grateful.

Margaery was also a great deal braver than Ella was. As they walked through the halls of Casterly Rock towards Margaery and Renly's chambers, they were stopped in their tracks by Lord Bolton, who had rounded the corner coming their way. His eyebrows rose marginally when he spotted them, and he had just opened his mouth to say something to them when Margaery very quickly spoke over him.

"Good morning, Lord Bolton," she said without breaking gait, continuing on around the corner without a second glance toward the man. When they were further down the hall, surely out of earshot of Lord Bolton, Ella gave a shudder.

"What a dreadful man," she said under her breath. Margaery smirked.

"No wonder at all that the Bolton's call their home the Dreadfort," she remarked. As they sat for tea on the balcony, overlooking the sea, Ella was brought back to her home. Her last visit had been unpleasant, but the one before – oh, the one before, she had sat on the warm sand and listened to the roar of the waves. The sound of the ocean always brought her fond memories of home. "What are you thinking about?"

"The Cove," answered Ella with a soft smile. "My home before Winterfell."

"What was it like there?" Margaery leaned in and seemed very involved in what Ella had to say.

"A lot like here, only colder, and less grand."

"And Winterfell?" she asked. "What was it like there?"

Ella paused for a moment, frowning. "Beautiful. A strange sort of beauty that you have to get used to. At first, it's cold and dreary, all of the colors are muted and the birds don't sing. Everything is dead and frozen. But there's something very beautiful about the stillness of it all."

"It sounds wonderful," Margaery sighed, and Ella felt again that she was lying to appease her. Nonetheless, she enjoyed the chance to reminisce about her home before it had been torn asunder by the Ironborn. Soon, she hoped, the Mallisters and Manderlys would send word that Winterfell had been seized, and that the Ironborn would soon be rooted from their land. Then one day Winterfell would be rebuilt, she hoped, and there she and Robb would return with Arya and Sansa and the boys. Nothing would be normal again, not ever, but Ella imagined a life of normalcy and peace, if only to get her through the harrowing days of war.

She looked out again over the sea, drawing in a long breath. Beautiful though Casterly Rock was, she couldn't help but to feel ill at ease within its halls. She would be glad to leave the place.

"What will you do with Casterly Rock?" she asked, turning her gaze to Margaery. "When all is said and done. There will be no Lannisters left to rule it."

"Give it to someone deserving, I'm sure," Margaery sighed. "Renly makes these decisions. He doesn't often include me in them."

Ella found it quite easy to forget that Margaery and Renly were married. They both held themselves very well as King and Queen separately, but together, there was so little affection between them, so little interaction at all, that it was as though they were rulers of two separate countries. She wasn't surprised at all to hear that Renly excluded her from such business.

"Or perhaps we'll use it as a vacation home," she chuckled briefly, before her expression turned stony. "Or perhaps we'll destroy it."

Ella hadn't realized the feeling of threat that Joffrey had held over all of their heads until he was gone. She could hardly believe the feelings warring in her upon the news. There was joy and relief at the news that he was dead, finally dead. But along with it came fear and dread at the rumors that accompanied it: his new bride, their Sansa, had disappeared moments before Joffrey had died. Rumor had it that she and Littlefinger had orchestrated the King's death, and Cersei wanted her dead. Ella couldn't say how much truth she believed there to be about the rumor regarding Littlefinger, but she was sure that Cersei wanted Sansa dead. Cersei wanted all of them dead.

She didn't remember very much about Tommen. It had been nearly two years since she'd met the royal family in Winterfell, and most of their visit, she had been so preoccupied with caring for the children after Bran's fall that she didn't bother to pay much attention to the royal family. She remembered getting the impression that Tommen was a young, sweet little thing. But being raised under the wing of Cersei, she was sure that he was no longer sweet and innocent. Even if he was, it just meant that he was an easier pawn for his mother to use.

Robb had nearly worked himself up into a fit at the news. He was glad that his sister was free of Joffrey – a marriage unconsummated and ended by death was basically a marriage annulled – but if Cersei believed that Sansa had killed Joffrey, then she would search for the girl with a vengeance. Ella couldn't bring herself to believe that Sansa would kill Joffrey. She couldn't bring herself to believe that Sansa would kill anyone. It didn't make sense, not considering the sweet little girl that she knew so well. Littlefinger, on the other hand…Ella had only ever heard stories of him, but from what she understood, he schemed and plotted like a spy. She could believe that he would kill Joffrey.

She had to calm Robb and assure him that Sansa was safe. Of course, she didn't know that, and could do nothing but pray, but Robb needed a level head. So while he strategized to keep his mind from his sister, Ella went to the Stone Garden, knelt before the weirwood, and prayed. She prayed for Sansa, and prayed for Catelyn, and hoped that for once, the gods would hear her.

This took way longer than I meant for it to, sorry. I'm still hoping to get this story done by the end of May, so hopefully that shapes up.

Anyways, in response to GhostGlowLight who reviewed on chapter 3, Ella has brown hair and hazel eyes. I try to squeeze her description into the text when I can, but I find descriptions to be a bit awkward so I tend to leave them out. Sorry! I am trying to care more about little things like that but at the moment I'm just focused on getting the plot out and making it not shit. Heh.

A very, very huge massive thank you to DarylDixon'sLover, darkwolf76, saderia, dancewithdragons, WhatsGoingOn, Soccer-Bitch, The King in White, and alia00 for the reviews on the last chapter! Some of the things you guys said made me tear up, I was so touched and happy. Every single one of your reviews mean so much to me, I appreciate all of your support so much.

Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Until next time,

Rex