ROSLIN
Roslin finished her prayers to the Mother. Since Maester Luwin had confirmed that she was carrying Robb's child, she had been praying to the Mother in the sept everyday. She prayed first that Maester Luwin would deliver a healthy child. Secondly she prayed that the babe would be a boy, so that she could give Robb an heir when he returned to Winterfell from like Lady Catelyn had given Lord Eddard after he returned from fighting in Robert's Rebellion. Thirdly she prayed that she herself would come through the birth safely. Her own lady mother had born four healthy sons but then died giving birth to Roslin, her only daughter, so Roslin had never known her own mother. The stepmother that her lord father had married following her mother's death was concerned only with herself and her own children, so Roslin had never had known any kind of mother until Lady Catelyn became her goodmother. Roslin was as thankful to the gods for her goodmother as for her husband; ever since Robb had chosen Roslin for his bride, Lady Catelyn had done everything to soothe her fears and make her feel at home in Winterfell. Her goodmother too had once been a young bride from the South in a new and unfamiliar home in the hard, frozen North, though Lady Catelyn had missed Riverrun far more than Roslin missed the Twins. Robb had told Roslin about how much his parents had loved each other, even though they had not met until their wedding day, the day after which Lord Eddard had gone to Dorne and did not return until Robb had been born a year later. Lord Eddard had also returned with a bastard, Robb's half-brother Jon Snow, who was now part of the Night's Watch. Roslin wondered how Lady Catelyn must have felt when the husband she barely new retuned after being gone for a year with a bastard and refused to even say who the mother was. Not, of course, that she would ever ask her goodmother about that. Somehow Lady Catelyn and Lord Eddard had learned to love each other anyway. Roslin and Robb had been getting to know and love each other until Robb had been called to the Wall to fight, Since then Roslin had prayed every day to the Mother to protect him, and to the Warrior for him to defeat the Others.
Roslin had been surprised to find that King Robb and his lady mother seldom wore silks or velvets and that her husband's crown was made of bronze and iron rather than gold and gems. But, as Robb had pointed out, bronze and iron are far stronger than gold.
When her lord father had announced to his eligible female progeny that King Robb would choose one of them for his bride, Roslin had been certain that he would pick a different girl, probably Fair Walda, as she was the comeliest of the lot. She remembered how nervous she had been when the king and his lady mother had each interviewed her personally. Before she actually met Robb she had been unsure whether she even wanted to become his queen or not, but once she saw that the Young Wolf was everything a king should be she had prayed to the Seven for him to choose her as his queen.
When Robb had announced that he would marry her Roslin thanked the gods but was nervous as well. Would it hurt when he took her maidenhead? How would she survive in the frozen North? She remembered how uncomfortable and exposed she had felt in her wedding gown, so tightly laced that it squeezed even her tiny waist and left not only her arms and shoulders but the tops of her breasts exposed for all to see. She had wanted to be wed in a more modest gown but her lord father had insisted that the tight bodice and low neckline would make her breasts look larger and "more appetizing." "A man's fires need to be stoked, heh," he'd cackled, making Roslin feel as if he were putting her on display like a piece of meat. After being carried along and undressed by a crowd of men shouting bawdy jokes Roslin had been stiff with terror by the time she and Robb were bundled naked into the bed. But Robb had understood even though she was unable to speak. He had gently caressed and kissed her and then made her wet with his mouth so that when he slid his manhood into her it only hurt a little bit as her with his mouth so that when he slid his manhood into her it only hurt a little bit as her maidenhead was broken. They had made love many times since then and each time they both got better at it.
Roslin had dreaded going to live in the frigid North at the onset of winter, which many feared would last as long or longer as the last summer had. That would mean people dying not just of cold but of starvation as well. Roslin's lord father had given her a new sable cloak for a wedding gift, but even with it she just kept getting colder and colder on the long journey from the Twins to Winterfell. She was relieved to find that inside Winterfell it was always warm, due to the hot springs that were piped throughout the vast castle.
When Roslin had first learned that she was carrying Robb's child she was full of both joy and fear. She'd prayed to the Mother every day in the sept for the safety of both her child and herself and for the babe to be a boy. Roslin's mother Bethany Rosby had born four healthy sons and then died giving birth to Roslin. According to Roslin's oldest full brother, Perwyn, Father had not even mourned his sixth wife and had quickly remarried his seventh wife Annara Farring. Roslin's half-sister Arwyn was born only a year after Lady Bethany had died, and then four sons and another daughter, including Princess Arya's betrothed, Elmar. It was rumored at the Twins that Lady Annara had been sleeping with Black Walder. Perhaps that was why when Lady Annara had died Father hadn't mourned her either. Instead he had married Joyeuse Erenford who at five-and-ten was young enough to be his great-granddaughter. Annara's children had mourned their mother though and had bitterly resented Lord Walder for his indifference to her death.
Neither of Robb's sisters were friendly to Roslin; when she'd asked Lady Catelyn if she'd done something to offend her good-sisters Lady Catelyn had sighed and said that they both resented Robb and Catelyn for their unwanted betrothals, with Sansa being especially bitter after her captivity by the Lannisters. If they were unfriendly to Roslin it was only because she was Robb's queen.
Roslin could see why Princess Arya wouldn't want to marry Elmar, but Prince Willem was comely and chivalrous and heir to the richest kingdom in Westeros. Lady Catelyn had explained that after what Joffrey had done Sansa hated all the Lannisters. Her good-mother had looked sad as she told Roslin how sweet and gentle and courteous Sansa had been before her father's murder. Roslin had said that she would pray for Sansa, and Lady Catelyn had thanked her.
Roslin was shocked to find that the late Lord Eddard had given Princess Arya permission to study sword-fighting, and even more shocked when Robb agreed to let her continue. He also allowed her to wear breeches most of the time, making her look even less like a princess. Roslin wondered what her good-sister would do when she came of age. Perhaps she would enter Robb's service like many younger brothers did. She'd have to marry Elmar, but he was a weakling who Roslin doubted could ever stop Arya from doing what she wanted.
Roslin hadn't only feared for Robb's safety while he was away, she'd also sorely missed having him by her side. Lady Catelyn was always kind to her good-daughter but much of her time was taken with her two younger sons. Rickon had been very hostile towards Roslin when she first arrived at Winterfell, probably because he felt that she was stealing Robb from him. He'd even kicked her in the shins once. His behavior had improved considerably once Robb and Grey Wind had started playing with him and his direwolf, but Roslin had feared that while Robb was gone Rickon would become unmanageable again. Rickon's behavior wasn't as good as it had been before Robb left, but at least it wasn't as bad as it had been when Roslin had first arrived at Winterfell. Knowing that Grey Wind's absence was as important to Rickon as Robb's, Lady Catelyn had instructed her middle son Bran to make sure that his dire wolf played with Rickon and his dire wolf every day. This helped, but Rickon kept asking when Robb would be back and was constantly demanding his mother's attention, which was bad for Roslin because with Robb gone her goodmother was the only person at Winterfell she could really talk to.
Roslin always kept far away from her goodbrothers' direwolves, even Bran's who was not nearly so wild as Rickon's. When Robb had left she still was still deeply afraid of Grey Wind as well and made Robb promise never to bring him near her. She knew how much this displeased her husband, and she felt very guilty about her demand, but she was simply too afraid of the direwolf, which she'd heard had killed countless men in battle. Grey Wind had supposedly only killed Robb's enemies, but what if the direwolf had developed a taste for man-flesh? She also feared for her child when he was born—what if one of the direwolves tried to eat him? She knew that if she were to truly be Robb's wife and queen and if they were to truly love each other she would at least have to be able to approach Grey Wind, but she was simply too craven. She then decided that she would start praying to the Warrior for courage for herself, not just Robb. A brave king needs a brave king.