This is three years down the road from the last chapter. Thanks again for your kind reviews and support. I appreciate the cheer your reviews bring. Take care and cheers!
Unexpected Future: Sascha
His hand on her lower back had her hips pressed tightly against his hips, and she could feel him against her, his firmness sent shivers down her spine. When he moved until he fit comfortably in the V of her legs, she nearly purred with pleasure. She felt him gasp slightly and held on tighter when he slowly ground his hips into her own. Her eyes glazed over and her head fell back even more until the hand that had been on her ribs moved to cup one of her breasts. Sascha felt like she was going up in flames. When she opened her eyes, she nearly gasped at the passionately possessive way Robb was looking at her. His eyes traveled from her eyes to her lips, to her neck, to her breasts, and then slowly back up again. Sascha moaned as she leaned forward and kissed her husband with every ounce of desire she felt thrumming in her blood.
It was then that they both heard it. Robb and Sascha pulled away from their kiss and shared a look of dismay, amusement, and frustration. The pitter-patter of tiny feet slapping against stones mixed with the telltale clicking sounds of paws running after them. There was a faint crashing sound and they both froze, waiting for the resounding cry, but instead, a peal of laughter echoed in the corridor outside, accompanied by the commanding voice of Arra. Husband and wife shared a sigh of relief.
"Arra is with them," Sascha purred as she pressed her hips up against Robb's, drawing his attention back to her, "we have some time before we HAVE to go out and check on them."
Robb didn't need any further encouragement. With a muffled growl, he retook his wife's lips with his own as his hips resumed their driving movements. Sascha did not reach her climax as Robb did some time later but that was not an issue for her. She knew her body well enough to know that little distractions—and in this case, three of them, the twins and Arra—were enough to switch gears in her head. Sascha still enjoyed the sexual relations with Robb, relished it, and did not feel disappointed when he managed to find his release but she did not. Her heart was so full from feeling his love, feeling cherished by him and respected and admired by him, that she would be a fool to equate alone physical climax with a sense of love.
"Good morning, wife," Robb tenderly traced his fingers over the curvature of Sascha's cheekbones and neck, "I hope you slept well."
Sascha smiled, "As well as can be expected the night before a journey like the one we take today." They heard more laughter, more commands from Arra, and two howls from the halfbreed pups they'd adopted a few months before. "It seems that the little ones slept even less than us."
"It is their first venture south. Even Arra, though born in the south, never traveled south after she became old enough to know directions." Robb kissed Sascha's cheek before rolling out from under the furs. "I remember the excitement and thrill I had at my first major journey with father and mother. We traveled to Riverrun for some festival I can't recall. It was only me at the time, and mother was pregnant with Sansa." Robb laughed as he set about his morning ablutions. "I'm fairly certain I never stopped speaking all the way to Riverrun." Sascha shared in his mirth as she too rose from bed. "It is a miracle either of my parents didn't leave me at an inn on the way."
"No doubt," Sascha spoke over her shoulder as she sponged away the night and their lovemaking from her skin, "we will also be tempted with at least one of the three if not all three."
There was barely a knock at the door, and both Robb and Sascha turned towards it just in time to witness it thrown open with the speed and violence of a giant's push. Through it came two blurs of color, the twins, followed by leaping and slobbering pups, and finally a tired but happy looking Arra stood in the doorway.
"They woke me up." The nearly six-year-old girl rubbed the heel of her hand against her eye.
Both Lyarra and Robar had made themselves at home in the middle of Robb and Sascha's bed, the pups whining on the floor at losing their playmates temporarily. They were large enough to leap onto the bed but the last time they'd done that unbidden Robb had scolded them severely, and both pups were smart enough to realize that some things had best not be repeated. The reddish one, named Hope, gave up whining faster than her brother and instead lay on her belly and expectantly watched the rest of the occupants in the room. The brownish one, named Honor, continued to paw at the bedcovers and glance between his sister and the top of the bed in the hopes that one of his playmates would return faster based on his whines. It had been a joint decision to get the pups for the twins to grow up with, and to name them with two traits that both Robb and Sascha prayed their children would grow up with having plenty.
A loud purring sound had both Sascha and Robb looking back towards Arra, and they were quick to spy Arra's cat. At this time, the half-grown cat was the same size as the three-month-old wolf-dog pups. Neither Sascha nor Robb had realized that this particular breed of cat could grow as large as a medium-sized dog, with a thick coat of greyish black fur ideally suited for cold climates, and giant paws equally suited for walking atop deep drifts of snow. Though long and limber, very fluffy, and already dense, these facts did not convince the cat that it was not a small kitten that was easy to be carted around. No, the cat loved to be close to humans, loved to be carried by humans, and its favorite place was draped around the neck of its humans as they walked around doing their work. Already it was nearly too big for Arra to carry, with either its front paws or back and always its tail, being dragged along the floor whenever she tried to pick it up.
"Ser wants to come with us." Arra knelt and set about petting her cat and nearly getting knocked onto her rear with the cat pressed itself against her legs and increased its purring. As if to punctuate the reality of Arra's sentence, Ser leveled its green eyes on Robb first then on Sascha, daring either of them to blink first.
"Arra, sweetie," Sascha moved first, catching Lyarra before she rolled off the bed and set her back into the middle of the bed. Both three-year-olds had the combined energy of the heat of the sun in the Dornish desert. "Hope and Honor aren't coming with us either. They all need to stay here to protect our home while we are away."
"But," Arra momentarily buried her face in Ser's fur, and when she spoke, her voice was muffled, "what if they forget about us? We're going to be gone so long."
Robb was at his daughter's side and kneeling beside her before she raised her face from her pet's back. He reached out and joined Arra's hands in petting the giant cat, his eyes soft and his smile equally so. "We will only be gone for a few months. The journey is too long and dangerous for a young pet like Ser, and Hope, and Honor. They will be happier and healthier if they stay here." Robb held out his hands, and his smile grew when his daughter willingly walked into his embrace. He spoke again as he stood to his feet and moved towards the bed, "Besides, you're going to meet your cousin Eddard and your other cousin Joanna. I know they're both very excited to see you. You were too young to remember Eddard when he was here, and you've never met Joanna."
"Jo, Jo, Jo," Robar chanted as he bounced up and down on top of his sister, earning himself a swat from her that nearly had him toppling off the bed, though a prepared Sascha caught him before too much damage could befall him.
"Let's go eat, and then we can help each other get ready to leave." Sascha picked up Lyarra and placed her on her shoulders before grabbing hold of Robar and holding him on her hip. Robar was more likely to squirm and try to launch himself off her shoulders than Lyarra.
All of them dressed in their bedclothes, the family descended to the hall to break the fast with Lady Catelyn. She was the only other family member still living at Winterfell. Lord Bran had left Winterfell barely a year after awakening from his strange slumber. He had since been at the Citadel in Oldtown. While at first he'd been seen as more of an apprentice among the maesters, he had since risen in ranks to become the Grand Maester of the Citadel. They sent more ravens than they received from him, but from what they could tell, Grand Maester Bran was in good health and good "spirits" as he, with discretion, imparted the knowledge and skills he'd received on his adventures north of the Wall to others.
Lord Rickon had also taken his leave of Winterfell, though he left only after he'd grown accustomed to the mechanical legs Sascha had made for him. He was now the kennel master at Castle Black. He'd never quite recovered from the torture Ramsay Bolton had put him through, nor had he ever quite gotten over the loss of his dire wolf. Even after he'd learned to speak again and other such human activities, Rickon had always preferred the company of animals, namely canines. And they too seemed to share an affinity for him. Within a short time of his recovery at Winterfell, he'd made a reputation for himself as a wolf tamer and dog trainer. Soon enough, all the noble houses of the north were requesting him to train dogs for them for protection purposes, and then Jon had asked him to join him at the Wall. Rickon hadn't even blinked at the request. He'd left within days of receiving it and only Lady Catelyn cried and felt it might not be a good idea. Both Robb and Sascha believed that it was something Rickon needed to do to maintain his sanity and soul.
Though they'd never rebuilt the Wall, the noble houses of the north maintained a contingency of men at the Wall to monitor the comings and goings of travel to the far northern reaches as well as along the shorelines. They had also developed more posts along the wall between Eastwatch and Shadow Tower that could be used for monitoring and protective purposes. The postings were self-sufficient, and those posted had to be just as good as farming and animal husbandry as they were at fighting. And what they did not need for themselves they sold at markets. In fact, there was much more versatility for those posted and more opportunities to earn pay beyond the regular wage given to each member of the Night's Watch, which was partially supplied by each contributing and benefiting noble house in the north. Lord Commander Jon Snow had reshaped the purpose and training for the Night's Watch, and now many from the north, and even some from the south, voluntarily traveled to the Wall to be a part of the Lord Commander's forces.
It did not surprise Sascha that some from the south would prefer service in the cold of the north to the continued disarray that was in the south. They were nostalgic for a life that was no longer possible in the south, not now that the monarchy had been disbanded. In the three years since the Night King fell, much change had occurred in all of Westeros, and even in Essos. Everything from Reed lands at The Neck and northward was still relatively unencumbered by the changes in the south. They all looked to Winterfell as the seat of power with each major house, and even minor houses, sending representatives to Winterfell to sit on the small council to decide on any matters that would affect all those in the north. Lord Robb Stark was still the Warden of the North, though some whispered "king." The only collective "governing" force of the north was the Night's Watch, with all houses supplying a small contingency of men and supplies. Aside from that, each house governed its own fealty as it saw fit, and there were open traveling and trade rights between all the houses. On occasion, small skirmishes occurred but then the Warden and the small council would meet to discuss the matter and if need be the Night's Watch was called in to end the skirmish if a more amicable solution could not be had.
Of the south, however, the story was entirely different. Those houses that did not want to participate in the new government of the south were made to pay either by being overrun or by being isolated and forced to be fully self-sufficient or forced to crawl to the governing council of King's Landing to beg for a seat on it. For that was what had happened. The faction that had done away with the Dragonborn Queen had been funded by Olenna Tyrell and her surprising ally Varys. Sascha knew that Olena Tyrell had suffered much at the hands of the Lannister's and then also at the hands of the Targaryen queen. All of her children were gone, and she was the last direct descendant of the line. She'd decided to fund the faction, and also finance the purchase of the Golden Company for Vary's purposes, out of vengeance but also out of a desire for profit and the continued life of the Tyrell family line. So long as they could be the "bank" for the Golden Company's services, those who supported the new government would ensure the survival of the Tyrell family. And so far, this had happened.
Varys motivations were lesser-known, but perhaps he had believed a Westeros without a monarchy was a better future than one with the threat of a dragon-wielding queen of a less than stable personality. It was under his manipulations, and others like-minded to him, that slowly, one-by-one, the noble houses of the south caved in to the pressure that came from King's Landing. Having secured the Golden Company as their on-land enforcers, with the remaining Dothraki riders quickly joining in with this group, this new government had made an alliance with the Iron Born and also the seafarers of Braavos and thus had naval enforcers on both the eastern and western shorelines. None of this was done out of loyalty or a common belief in a government by the people and for the people. It was all done for profit and a desire for equal shares in this new profit scheme.
Each house, be they a large landed one or a smaller one, was expected to have a representative on the governing council which resided primarily in King's Landing but that could meet in other larger cities when necessary. Each house, regardless of history or land size, had one vote on any decision made by the council. Each house participating in this governing council was also expected to give a tax of sorts, be it money profits or goods, to sustain this new system of government. There was no more noble hierarchy according to this government, no more lords and ladies; no, they were all citizens of Westeros and were all expected to serve and sacrifice to ensure its survival. The fact that those without land, the merchants and farmers, had a better quality of life and there was greater peace in the land now than there had been for decades before, helped this new government solidify its hold on the minds of the common folk.
The Vale, the Crownlands, the Westerlands, the Riverlands, and the Reach all actively participated in this new government. But some houses and regions thereof had refused to join and they were thus cut off from the trade benefits so enriching those who participated in this new government. They were forced to either become fully self-sufficient and be content with being cut off from the rest of the known world, or they took to under-the-table dealings and acts that would be considered thievery or piracy by the governing body in King's Landing. Dorne did not break with their tradition as outsiders, and while they were willing to be trade partners with this new government, they did not send representatives nor end their own noble hierarchy. The Stormlands also chose not to join, and instead became trade partners with other Free Cities in Essos as well as maintaining close relations with Dorne and places like the Sapphire Islands.
The Freys were akin to the Reeds in this new Westeros in that they did not declare themselves one away or another. Though they leaned more towards profit than loyalty than the Reeds, and they did have a representative in King's Landing, they also had a member on the small council in the north. They seemed as eager as ever to play both sides. It was in these lands between Seagard and Moat Cailin that the mercenary group Brotherhood without Banners maintained an active presence. They functioned more or less similar to the Night's Watch in the north. Only here they made sure that the government spies of the south did not make it alive into the north, and they made sure that no one in the north attempted to destabilize the government in the south. It seemed that Lord Beric Dondarrion's new mission was to maintain the status quo as it were in Westeros. This did not surprise Sascha. After what they'd had to live through at the Wall, it was only fitting that Dondarrion would rather a strange peace in Westeros than no peace at all.
And thus far, there was a begrudging peace between this government in the south and that in the north. Perhaps they were too intent upon securing this new government system, ensuring the belief in its success must be securely rooted in the people for longevity to occur. This took much time and attention, so they did not bother with attempting to fight northward into an area that was as keen on a change in government as it was warm in weather. If this was so, Sascha thought this a reasonable choice. Any efforts to end fealty in the north as it was now would result in further bloodshed, and it did not take a trained maester to explain that.
It was thanks to that tentative peace that they were even able to travel south to visit family. They would first meet with Arya and Eddard at White Harbor, the Baratheon's choosing to sail northward instead of traveling on land in the hopes of avoiding any unnecessary hindrances that could be tied to political differences. Gendry would be unable to join as he was at a small council meeting, this time joined by Tyrion's representative Jamie Lannister.
The meeting was on the topic of joining or maintaining independence from this new government. No one knew for sure why it was the Baratheons had chosen to remain independent of this new government. Some speculated it was due to Gendry's loyalty to the Starks in the north, as well as his Stark wife, and others said it was because he would rather be independent and set himself up as a makeshift king in his own fiefdom than join a noble-less government, keeping true to his father's personality. In any case, as the Lannisters had chosen to join and were profiting from the connection, Tyrion felt it necessary, due to familial ties, to encourage Gendry to make an equally profitable decision.
He'd sent Jamie as his representative since Tyrion was required in King's Landing for another government session and also because Jamie had been driving Tyrion mad—at least it had been explained in this fashion to Sascha in Sansa's recent letter. Though Jamie had joined Tyrion in his journey south to Casterly Rock and had in the years since lived there and taken his role of Tyrion's representative somewhat seriously, he'd also been listless and only a husk of his former self. His brooding had only increased with age, and it had been out of a hope that extensive travel would push him out of his brooding that Tyrion had sent Jamie instead of going himself as had been the original intention.
Because of this Joanna and Sansa without Tyrion would meet Robb and Sascha at The Twins. It was unfortunate that the whole family could not join together again as they had in the past, but it was enough that there was enough freedom of movement and enough peace that they could see each other as it stood.
Sascha's mind was adrift with these thoughts as they all ate together. Though mentally preoccupied she was quick to catch the cup Lyarra nearly dropped on the floor and also with it enough to wipe away the mess Robar made with his potatoes before he could paint her arm with the remains. In the standard chaos that was their meals these days, Sascha made eye contact with Robb and shared a smile. This was not quite the future either of them had expected for their family, near and far, but Sascha was thankful that it was a future she could share with Robb.
Unexpected Future: Robb
The journey to White Harbor had been without incident and the time spent with his sister Arya and her son Eddard had been much better than expected. Arya had mellowed from marriage, motherhood, and age. Yes, she was still as much Arya as ever, but there was a tenderness to her now that had never been there before and Robb found it startling as well as a welcome change. That Eddard and Arra took together as quickly and readily as they did was a blessing as it seemed now that Arra had a playmate of her own age the twins were seen as the enemy and more than once one of the parents had to step in to save the twins from being the victims of a prank orchestrated by either Arra or Eddard.
Before Robb could grow angry with his daughter, or Arya with her son, his mother had been the one to point out to that them that it could be much worse. They could have children that absolutely hated one another. They could have no children whatsoever. Or they could all be dead, so there was much more to be thankful than upset over. This sort of balanced wisdom coming from his mother was no longer surprising to Robb. Over the years she'd grown less and less contentious and more amiable, far quicker to offer a word of comforting advice than ridiculing critique. Robb wasn't quite certain what it was or when it was that this change had happened but he thanked the gods that it had.
They'd remained at White Harbor for nearly a month before traveling south again, Arya and Eddard back to Storms End by boat and their party on the Kings Road towards the Twins. They had always known it would be a bit risky and were thus prepared when a band of the Brotherhood caught up with them just three days shy of the Twins. Thankfully the leader of this group recognized Sascha from her parlay with Lord Beric all those years ago prior to the Battle at the Wall. From that point forward they'd been escorted by the Brotherhood to the Twins where they waited nearly three weeks for Sansa and Joanna to join them.
Their journey northward had been hindered by multiple tolls, now a common feature of traveling anywhere along the Kings Road in the south, as well as by poor weather between Riverrun and Stone Hedge. But thankfully they'd had no skirmishes or threatening incidents. The skirmishes that were to happen would but during the visit and they would be primarily verbal. Though Joanna and the twins got along as well as any young children their age would, it was the political differences among the adults that kept the visit from being as peaceful as it could have been. Sansa was as staunch a supporter of this new government as Tyrion was and did not hesitate to make known to her northern relatives of the many benefits that came from being a member of it. She spoke as a mother whose child had a more secure future, or seemingly so, with this government. She spoke as a wife whose husband had voting power and was respected by this new government. And she spoke as a woman who was never in want. She was not keen on seeing the many drawbacks that such a government held, especially if it tried to expand into the north. And thus it took only a few days for Robb to make a rule between himself and Sascha: they would never again talk politics with Sansa or Tyrion. He was more interested in maintaining family ties and affection than he was on being seen as the "winner" in politics.
Though they'd originally planned on having the same length of time with the Lannister side of the family as they had with the Baratheon, neither Robb nor Sascha felt much sadness when a raven arrived from the north and the details of certain events required Robb to return to have a meeting with the small council. It seemed only his mother was saddened by this news and protested so much that Sansa offered to host their mother at Casterly Rock. While at first, this surprised Robb at the same time it wasn't so surprising; Sansa had always been the closest in personality and emotion to their mother and it made sense that she would want their mother with her now that she was a mother herself. Robb and Sascha promised to have some of her things sent south and then they departed.
It was as they were journeying north that Robb turned to Sascha with a look of genuine surprise. At his look, she raised her eyebrows.
"Did we forget a child?" She looked around at their humble carriage to make sure all three children were crawling around somewhere. "What is it?"
Robb shook his head, "I just realized that this will be the first time I will have been without my mother in years." He looked back to Sascha. "And it will be the first time we will have lived as husband and wife without her."
"And," Sascha had an expression of calculating curiosity, "this is a good or bad thing?"
"I don't know. It is just something I realized." Robb settled back against the seat and put his arm around Arra's shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. Sascha sat opposite him in between the napping Robar and the finger-playing Lyarra—a habit she had when she didn't want to sleep. "I truly hope that mother can feel at home at Casterly Rock and give Sansa the support she needs. I can only imagine how isolated she's felt all this time."
Sascha smiled at him, "I'm glad you realized that some of her stubbornness came from those feelings. I know I had to remind myself of that numerous times in order to keep patience and my mouth shut."
Husband and wife shared a smile. When politics entered familial relations things were never simple.
"Have you received any ravens from Gendry?" Sascha asked as she continued to stroke her fingers through their daughter's hair, a ploy to aid in sleep inducement.
Robb shook his head, "No, and I can only assume you haven't received anything from Arya." Sascha shook her head. "I suppose we will hear soon enough what the verdict was from the meeting." Robb turned his gaze to the passing countryside. "I would never presume to know what's best for the Stormlands. I've never visited there and the gods did not place me in a position to rule there. I only hope that there can be assured peace for the family's sake."
Sascha nodded, her smile growing bigger when a soft snore came from Lyarra, signaling Sascha's triumph. Robb shared her smile, even when he felt Arra's drool dampen a spot on his breeches. If it'd been possible to touch Sascha without waking the children, Robb would've taken her in his arms and kissed her. As it was, however, he did his best to convey his love to her through his smile. Her returning look told him the message had been received.