Anastasia sat in the sun on a stone craving the final touches into the war hammer, she'd already scribed his name on the back of it. Anastasia had had a lot of practice at the art, she held the silver bracelet on her wrist up to the light she wore it almost everywhere the wooden charms dangled. Anastasia had saved a place right next to the dragon for the war hammer that she knew would swing there one day. Robb looked down on her as she worked. "Enjoying the sun?"

"Yes might as well get as much as I can now. The summer's nearly over and the coming winter will be long." She looked down and continued with the final touches.

"You believe in that superstition." Robb laughed.

"Yes it comes from the people, and I am their princess."

"You take that seriously."

"Yes, they count on me to be there and I will when we take king's landing I shall stand close at your side and tell them all is alright; as is my duty."

Robb looked at the charms which covered her wrist for the first time. "Who are they?"

Anastasia looked down and touched the charms. "They are the ones I've loved and lost, the dragon is my mother, the little sword is my brother, the rattle is my sister, the crown is my grandfather, the big sword is my uncle and this." She held up the war hammer. "This is my father. The rest are friends or lovers of mine it would take too long to tell you all the stories. I keep them around my wrist so I never forget them and they're always close to me." A horn sounded in the distance. "We're under attack!" She yelled.

Anastasia scrambled to her tent to prepare she already had her swords and knives on her but she stopped long enough to grab her bow and a quiver of arrows. Anastasia raced through the camp to where her people were assembled her stallion already saddled and ready. "Move it!" She yelled indiscriminately at those running past. "It's a fucking war not a tea party." She mounted her stallion in one jump; she'd always belonged in the saddle. "Alright hold formation watch your partners back and protect the northern bastards. They already don't like us let's show them what we're made of."

Yells of fury erupted all around her. Anastasia galloped up to the front of the pack, she met Robb all geared up and ready for a fight. "Your grace maybe you should stay out of this."

"No, this is a war I started and I will not ask men to die for me without being with them."

"Fine then." Anastasia brought her horse to stand next to him. "I'll make sure you don't get yourself killed." She caught a small smile from him in her peripheral vision.

The battle broke out around them all; there was blood and guts on the ground before she had picked a target. She rode her horse full steam ahead following Robb into the thickness of war. She whirled around to find Robb with an arrow jutting out of his side and slumped in the saddle. "Cover me!" She yelled as she pulled him onto her horse and tried to keep him out of harm's way. Anastasia found her way off to the side away from the majority of the fighting; she laid him down on the ground, they were relatively safe from fire and sight with the thick trees around. "Come on you can't die on me." She said as she looked over him pulling the arrow out. Robb groaned and opened his eyes slightly. "So the royal idiot has decided to grace us with his presence, I tell you not to get yourself killed and what do you do go charging cock first into a battle with your royal banner clear as day and get lined up nicely by an archer." Anastasia worked on his side stitching it up. "How did you survive without me?" Anastasia heard a twig snap. "Shush." Anastasia stood and raised her bow. Thirteen men appeared from the forest. "Step away." She said raising the bow and stringing her arrow.

"Look what we found lads; the wounded wolf pup and his little dragon bitch protecting him." Before the words had been out for more than a second he had an arrow through his throat and another notched in her bow.

"Who's next?" A smug smile played across her lips.

"Watch the girl, we want her alive. Tywin Lannister wants her thoroughly raped by every man who fights for him before he kills her for the dishonour she's brought to the name Lannister."

"Oh good to know I'm so popular boys." She straightened and took a more covering stance over Robb. "But I'm not being raped today." Before any of them could move Anastasia had shot off three more arrows, two spearing men in the neck and the third I pinning one to a tree by the shoulder; the others tried to charge her but she was prepared the first one to reach her found himself with her foot in his chest, she felt the bone crush inward and vaulted herself back into a tree and kicking her back. Anastasia found herself crouched in front of her king, there were still eight of them. Anastasia held herself and waited for them to come to her, like they always said keep calm and carry on. Anastasia drew the knife from the waistband at the small of her back. Anastasia held the blade in an assassins grip and waited; the first one copped it through the throat a clean slice his blood spurt all over her, the next found himself with the blade through his chest.

Anastasia looked around the six who still stood looked around one of them piss bolted for the battlefield, Anastasia wondered what salvation he hoped to find there. There were still five of them they all charged Anastasia ran forward to meet them she threw her blade it went straight into the eye of one he was down and didn't look to be getting up any time soon. Anastasia pulled another one of her knives out and slide under one who nearly grabbed her cutting along his thigh, the outpouring of blood was disgusting as it pooled over her face. Anastasia closed her eyes as the red liquid trickled down her face. The man fell and that left three as Anastasia rolled back into a fighting stance one grabbed her from behind, but luckily she was in kicking distance of a tree she ran her legs up it and vaulted herself onto the man's shoulders, she twisted her foot just right and heard the satisfying crack as he fell to his knees. The other two remembered they were not alone and headed for Robb, Anastasia ran at them full tilt throwing herself at one, she caught him by the shoulders and spun herself around putting her foot in his stomach and throwing him over her head, he flew just past Robb and into a tree the other one was leaning over Robb. "Say your prayers wolfie."

Robb looked up at the man and threw his arms up just in time to see a blade sticking through his throat. Anastasia moved the man away. "Are you okay?" She knelt down and checked Robb.

"You mean apart from the arrow wound." He smiled.

"Yes." Anastasia stood. She moved around and checked the men for signs of life; she found the one who she had kicked his rib cage in panting for life. He couldn't speak but Anastasia could make out the word he mouthed. In the aftermath of battle mercy was on the lips of many men both living and dead, Anastasia drew her knife and held a hand over his mouth as she slid the knife over his exposed throat quickly. There were two others in need of her knife's gift. Robb stayed silent as she did what she had to, Anastasia collected her weapons from the men's bodies. Good arrows and fine steel were hard to come by.

Anastasia helped Robb to his feet. "Thank you." He said as she helped him onto the horse. She swung up in the saddle behind him. "You don't need to rid double with me."

"Yes I do, when we reach the edge I'll dismount and you need ride to your men it'll be painful but it will keep you with a throne." Anastasia ready to jump as they neared the edge of the tree lines, she grabbed the reins and started to lead her horse. "Don't ever mention what happen back there alright."

Robb looked toward the field where his banners streamed and nodded. They entered the camp to cheers the healing woman Robb had been interested in came running up looking at Anastasia covered in blood. "Don't worry about me, I need a cloth not a nurse." The woman persisted, wiping at it. "None of its mine but some of it's his." She looked at Robb as Anastasia helped him dismount.

Anastasia had finally found a nice place to wash herself. She was upstream from all the men, the water running over her face. She checked the area before taking her tunic off, she wasn't shy but she didn't want men staring at her tits all the same as she washed the blood out. She heard rustling in bushes as she appeared. Catlyn walked out of the shrubs and so did Brienne, the lady knight looked envious at Anastasia's chest, Brienne was almost as flat as a boy. Anastasia knew what it was to want to feel both woman and warrior, unlike Brienne she had grown into her femininity. "My son tells me what you did for." Catlyn stated looking of into the trees ignoring Anastasia half naked and kneeling by the creek.

"He shouldn't have, it will do him no good. Men don't value a weak man and any man who needs to be saved by a woman will be considered weak."

Catlyn glared at her, Anastasia knew it was tough for her to admit she was wrong especially to a bastard, she was like Cersei in the fact that she hated bastards with every fibre in her body. "Why did you do it?" She accused.

"Because he is my king and I'll never have my revenge if he dies. The north needs a stark to rise and your other boys are too young."

Catlyn's eyes narrowed as she tried to see if Anastasia was lying, before she stormed off into back to the king. Brienne stayed behind. "My lady." She called as Anastasia went back to her shirt.

"I'm no lady Brienne." She answered simply. "If I was I'd not be kneeling by a creek trying to get at least six different men's blood out of my shirt."

"You fought for your king as is right, I would gladly have you at my back in the field." Before Anastasia could answer the big woman was trudging back to her mistress.

"Well that one's a piece of work."