CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO – THE FALL
"Mostly it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things."
-Arthur Schopenhauer
Robb wondered what his sister would think of the mess he had made of things.
Ever since the moment their mother had released the Kingslayer, leading to Caryssa being kidnapped during the Maid of Tarth's escape with her prisoner, his control of this war had just slipped out of his fingers.
He had been winning. Three battles he had fought and won, forcing Tywin Lannister to go on the defensive. The old lion had fled back to King's Landing, destroyed Stannis Baratheon's forces at the Battle of Blackwater and remained in the Red Keep, consolidating his strength there.
Meanwhile, Robb had taken castle after castle in the Westerlands, up to the Crag.
Then he had lost the Kingslayer. And Caryssa.
Caryssa whom apparently was carrying the Kingslayer's child.
That had been unwelcome news.
During the panic that had ensued in the wake of discovering their prized prisoner was missing, along with his mother's sworn shield and their princess, Dacey had revealed his sister's secret. The she-bear apologized half a dozen times for keeping it from him, but also admitted she would do it over again, as it had not been her secret to tell, nor did she fault Caryssa's reasons for hiding her pregnancy.
Their mother had cried when he had told her that thanks to her meddling, her first grandchild was on its way to the lion's den.
Robb himself felt terrible that his sister, the other half of him, had felt so threatened by some of the Northern lords that she had felt unable to tell him that he was to be an uncle. He would have protected her and her child with his life, no matter who the father was, but perhaps becoming king had made him neglect his family in his efforts to do his best by his people.
That wasn't entirely true. It wasn't his people that had distracted him from seeing what his sister was going through, and even Caryssa had cautioned him about the true cause of his neglect.
Marrying Talisa after he had taken her maidenhead had been the right decision, not just because it was the honourable thing to do but because he loved her, but it had caused its own complications.
The Freys abandoned him. He had lost the Karstarks when he had had to execute Lord Rickard for murdering the two Lannister prisoners as revenge for the Kingslayer killing his sons. And then his grandfather had died.
At least that had healed the rift between him and his mother somewhat, but it left his Uncle, Edmure, as Lord of Riverrun, Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, and…the man was somewhat useless when it came to warfare.
Uncle Brynden had been a great help. The Blackfish had fought his fair share of battles and was renowned for his skill with a sword. His guidance was gods sent.
Yet, in his heart, there was only one person he wanted to turn to.
He had sent patrol after patrol after the Kingslayer and his mother's sworn shield, desperately hoping that at least one would bring Caryssa back, or at least news of her.
All the advisors he had at his disposal, but he still could not help but wish his sister were beside him.
Caryssa may have not fought in any great battles, nor had she won any renown in war, but she was as alike to their father as any of their siblings. She would give him the advice their father would have, and he knew it would be the right course.
He had ignored her warnings about Theon, about how he might be manipulated against them by his real father, and Bran and Rickon had paid the price for it.
Robb had honestly believed that he and Theon were brothers, that if push came to shove Theon would choose House Stark over House Greyjoy, because it was House Stark that had loved him, raised him.
Caryssa had been right, all along.
Theon had been brought to them as a prisoner of war, a pawn to keep Balon Greyjoy from launching another rebellion, and that loyalty to his blood, to his house, would win out. She had told him that she herself was now technically a Lannister, yet it was her family she fought for at the end of the day.
Winterfell had burned because he had trusted a Greyjoy, and his little brothers, the ones who had needed him the most, had been put to the torch and hung from the walls of Winterfell by the very man he had called brother.
That is why he needed Caryssa at his side.
She had managed to parlay with Stannis Baratheon, an altogether unlikeable and unmoving man, and brought Robb a promise of an alliance. If she had achieved that, she could win over Walder Frey and bring his forces back into the fold.
His sister was not here, however, and he would ride to the Twins in the morning for his uncle's wedding, praying that it would be enough to placate Lord Frey, and with the additional forces, they could take Casterly Rock.
He prayed that Caryssa was safe enough, even as she was taken closer and closer to the heart of their enemy, and that once he had taken the Rock, he could facilitate her release and the release of Sansa as well.
They would see each other again, they would.
The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives…
Jaime watched as Caryssa's swollen stomach rose and fell with each breath she took in her slumber.
It was dark, but for the small fire burning that illuminated her dirty face as she slept, using Rhaenyra as a pillow and her cloak as her mattress.
He could not tear his eyes away from her.
When Cersei had been with child, he had never been allowed to just look at her, to marvel at the life that they had made together as it grew inside of her, but this child was his. His and Caryssa's.
His son or daughter.
Jaime could gaze at her, be mystified by all the changes he had not noticed in her, and there would be no consequences. No threat of death, or exile. He did not have to feel ashamed either, as this babe was not borne from some secret, twisted affair, but from love.
The Golden Lion knew, no matter the conflict between them, that he had found his mate.
Did Ned Stark know what he had done when he had permitted the King to make the match between his loving and loyal daughter and a man he had dismissed as untrustworthy and without honour?
Did he know the changes it would cause in them both, to have one another, to love one another?
Because Caryssa had said as much to him, hadn't she?
Caryssa Stark had been in love with him, Jaime of House Lannister, at least until he had killed her friend and duelled her father.
Now she carried his babe.
Jaime still could scarce believe it.
Five days had passed, and every time he glanced over at his wife, he expected the bump to be a figment of his imagination. A cruel trick brought on by wishful thinking.
He had never wanted children with Cersei and, truth be told, he still did not have any.
Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen made have come from his seed, but they were not his. They never had been.
Cersei had coveted every moment of her pregnancies. Every kick, every bump, every fluttery feeling she had selfishly kept to herself, not even Robert had been allowed to touch her, not that he had put up much of a fight.
When they were born, Jaime had held Cersei's hand in the birthing chamber, but when the babes had been dragged screaming into the world, his twin had not allowed him to hold them. Not once. Not for any of them.
His sister slash lover had believed it would cause too much suspicion if he showed any undue attention to their children that they ceased to be his. He was barely their uncle.
Tyrion had more of a relationship with the three pure Lannisters than Jaime did, and he only spent half of his time in the capital.
But this child?
This child would know him as its father.
Jaime wanted a family now. With his wife, their babe, even the bloody wolf was welcome.
"What are your plans, Kingslayer?"
Only years of learning to stoically tolerate Robert's vile vitriol allowed Jaime not to startle as the giant wench broke her silence.
Brienne sat across from him by the fire, sharpening the heads of Caryssa's arrows for her while she slept, and part of him had felt her gaze on him, but the swell of his wife's belly had held him in a trance.
"Plans? What makes you think I have plans?"
"Because for all your bluster, I don't think you are stupid," Brienne replied, "Her Highness will want to get her sister and get out of King's Landing as quickly as possible. You will have a choice to make. I know that you know that. Do you stay loyal to your family, to your father and your…King, or do you choose your wife and your babe? Do you keep the oath you made to your goodmother, Lady Catelyn, and return her daughters to her?"
Jaime sighed.
"That is not really your business, is it, wench? What I choose to do about my family is my choice, and not yours."
The wench scowled.
"Princess Caryssa would never be happy in King's Landing, nor would she ever consent to leaving her sister in the clutches of your lover and your son-"
"Joffrey isn't my son. He is Cersei's son, not mine. And I will do what is best for my family, which is Caryssa and our child. Whatever Ryssa wants to do for Sansa is what I will do. If she wants to send her back North with you, that is what I will arrange. If she decides that it will be better to go to Casterly Rock and wait for her brother's army to come and lay siege to it, then I will do that. Whatever she wants."
"You really care for her, don't you?"
He did.
When he had discovered he was one of the frontrunners being considered to wed Ned Stark's eldest daughter, Jaime had considered it to be a way to annoy Stark and to get his father off his back about leaving the Kingsguard. That she was beautiful in a way that was difficult not to notice, the dark opposite to Cersei's golden beauty, was just a bonus.
Things changed as he watched her, however.
He loved how gentle she was with her siblings and other children, and how fierce she was with those who angered her. He admired her for how she spoke with anyone, regardless of their station, and gave them her full attention, and how much respect she gave to servants, those she had known her whole life in Winterfell and those she had known only a short while in King's Landing.
Jaime had never given staff a second thought before Caryssa. He was not particularly rude or hostile, he simply did not care about them. They existed to make his life easier, that was all, but his wife was genuinely grateful to those who helped her. She thanked them, even the coal boy, and he watched as they went out of their way to do things for her that she would never even think to ask of them.
She inspired loyalty in people.
He had seen it in how closely her guards would watch her when she would come to his cage in King Robb's camp; how they even stepped between her and Lord Karstark when she had stood against him in Jaime's defence.
Caryssa had even made him want to be loyal to her, and her only.
Her ugly would-be knight questioned if he would choose his family over his wife, but, for him, that ceased to be a choice for him some time ago.
Jaime refused to reveal any of that to Brienne, however.
He might admire the giantess for all she was doing for his wife, but he wouldn't let her know that either.
"She's my wife." He offered as his only answer.
Brienne did not push him.
She simply returned the arrows to the princess' quiver and moved to lightly shake the young woman.
"Your Highness? A new day is breaking, and we should reach King's Landing by midday, if we keep up a good pace."
Caryssa groaned, both from being torn away from her slumber and from having to heave her body upright.
Jaime had noticed how each day it appeared to become more and more difficult for his wife to simply move without a wince or an inhale of pain, and he was becoming more and more eager to reach the capital.
Regardless of what Caryssa wanted, Jaime knew that he would not allow them to risk travelling again until after their child was born, which could only be a month or two away if the swell of her belly was any indicator.
If she wanted to take her sister to Casterly Rock, or to Winterfell, it would not happen until she had given birth and both she and the child declared fit and healthy.
Jaime moved quickly to Caryssa's side and held out his hands, waiting for her to take them so he could lift her to her feet.
He rolled his eyes when he saw her jaw clench in annoyance.
"The quicker you're on your feet, the quicker we can get you to Sansa, yes?"
"I hate when you talk sense," Caryssa grumbled, begrudgingly slapping her hands into his and allowing him to carefully haul her up. It wasn't graceful, and she'd given up on caring what she looked like. A month of travelling without any comforts had left them all filthy and bedraggled, and there was little any of them could do to change that now. The bloody wolf was the only one who'd managed to maintain any semblance of grooming. "Gods, this child is always pressing against my damned bladder. Get the horses ready, I'll be right back."
Jaime resisted the urge to traipse after her into the cover of the trees, gesturing to her furry companion to follow her instead, because he knew that he'd get hit upside the head if he refused to let her go for a piss alone.
His wife wasn't one to be coddled, even as a heavily pregnant woman travelling on the road, which meant that he had to tamper down his most protective instincts.
Soon, they'd be in relative safety in the Red Keep.
Relative because the capital was as dangerous as the road, but at least he knew where the danger was coming from in King's Landing.
Or who it was coming from.
When the gates to the Red Keep came into view, Caryssa breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew she was still in danger, but even that knowledge couldn't override her longing to simply sit down on a chair and just stay there for longer than an hour.
The babe was getting bigger every day and Caryssa felt it. She couldn't know how large the babe truly was, but she would swear it felt like she carried a twenty-pound stone tied to her abdomen.
She felt heavy and full constantly.
Adding to that, her pup had begun to use her insides as sparring partners; tiny elbows and feet stole her breath as they knocked into her ribs and stomach and left her feeling battered and bruised from the inside.
The princess winced, stopping in place as the babe gave her another swift kick and then flinched when hands gripped her arm and waist. Her body relaxed when Rhaenyra, always at her side, merely blinked lazily up at her, and knew it was only Jaime.
Flea Bottom vendors and others huffed as they were forced to go around them, but Jaime was unconcerned with anything but her.
"Are you alright?"
"No. I don't know what to expect and my worrying has the babe all excited and fidgety," Caryssa answered, moving Jaime's right hand to the spot where the baby was beating a rhythm against her belly. She did it without thinking but knew that it was the right move when pure wonder and amazement filled his face and his emerald eyes glittered with unshed tears. "It's an incredible feeling, isn't it?"
Her husband nodded, his eyes fixed on her bump almost as if he were afraid that if he looked away, the kicking would stop.
Sometimes, when they had stopped for camp, Caryssa would do the same thing.
For her whole life, she had dreamed of being a mother. She saw how happy she and her siblings made her parents, how much joy her mother took from having them in her life, and she wanted it for herself.
She took to caring for her siblings, calling them her pups and little wolves, because, in all honesty, she had been afraid to start a family of her own after what had happened to her on her seventh namesday. She mothered Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon as they were children and her mother had other responsibilities as the Lady of Winterfell, and to a certain point, she doted on Robb and Jon as much as they would let her get away with, but now she had a babe of her own growing inside her and part of her couldn't believe it.
So, when Brienne and Jaime slept and Caryssa and Rhaenyra kept watch, she would stare at her stomach, a hand pressed against it to feel every flutter, every accidental tap or kick.
"Does it hurt?"
"Sometimes. Mostly it just takes my breath away," She smiled, until she glanced at Brienne and her thoughts turned to Sansa. How would her little sister react to her being pregnant with Jaime's child? She had been a hostage of the Lannisters for so long, would she hate her for it? "I'm worried Sansa won't react well."
"To the babe? Why wouldn't she? Neither you nor our child have had anything to do with how she's been treated here, and I was your hostage longer than she's been my family's," Jaime reasoned. "I don't think you need to worry about Sansa. It's my sister who is more likely to cause a scene."
"Keep Cersei and Joffrey away from me or I won't be held responsible for my actions."
"Duly noted. Let's get this over with, shall we?"
Jaime led Caryssa, Brienne and Rhaenyra into the Red Keep, only being stopped by guards once due to their dishevelled appearance and the sight of a giant direwolf, but once they recognized the Lion of Lannister, they were quickly escorted through the castle.
Well, not that quickly.
Being so heavily with child slowed Caryssa down some, especially since the Red Keep was hill after hill and then staircase after staircase, but eventually they came to the Tower of the Hand.
Caryssa felt apprehensive.
The last time she had been in this tower was when her father had been Hand of the King, when he was still alive and well, and her family hadn't been torn apart by death, betrayals and war.
The guards guided them to the Small Council chamber, the whole time nattering to Jaime about the Battle of Blackwater and the Tyrells and all sorts of things that had happened since they had last been in the capital, but Caryssa heard little of it.
Her heartbeat was in her ears. Her mouth had dried up. Rhaenyra was bristling at her side.
They entered the council room.
"Robb Stark is dead! Him and his bitch mother!"
Around the council table sat Tyrion, Lord Varys, Grand Maester Pycelle, Lord Tywin, Cersei and Joffrey stood gleefully beside his mother as he waved a small scroll in the air.
An odd high-pitched moan filled the room.
Heads turned to face them.
Rhaenyra began to whine.
Jaime was suddenly in front of her, his hands gripped her shoulders, and he shook her, not violently but just enough to try and catch her attention.
"Caryssa, it's alright. You're alright! Caryssa!"
Caryssa shook her head at him, and she heard the noise again.
It was her.
"Robb- No, it can't be," She mumbled, as Jaime held onto her tighter. Her head felt heavier than her body, her legs weak, and her vision began to ebb. Part of her noted Brienne holding onto Rhaenyra, restraining the wolf who was snarling at the guards who came close to them, even noticed that Tyrion and Varys had risen from the table to attempt to help her. Mostly, she attempted to focus on Jaime, who was trying to get her to breathe. It didn't work. "Not dead."
The room went black, her body went slack, and she gave into blessed oblivion.
A/N:
So...are you guys happy I'm back? *ducks behind furniture*
It's been seven months since I last updated, though I totally thought it'd been a whole year, but I guess the pandemic has ruined all notion of time for me. It's been a tough seven months, I won't lie. I lost a couple of distant relatives and family friends to COVID, my dad basically lost his job since no one was really getting into taxis and the schools were shut down, my mum was working overtime since she's the manager of a hospital ward, so it was a lot to get used to. But there has been good too! My brother and sister both got puppies with their respective partners, both are adorable, I turned 25 last month, and my dad got a new job this month! So wins and losses, but that's life, right? I hope all of you are faring well, keeping safe and healthy, and haven't taken too many hits in this pandemic.
Anyway, I hope you guys aren't super pissed at me for the end of this chapter. When I started this story (on December 31st, 2013! It's been seven and a bit years since I began this journey, crazy!), this was always the plan. Robb and Catelyn were always going to die, just like in canon. I know plenty of you wanted me to save them, to keep them alive, but hopefully when the story is finally finished and the bigger picture revealed, you guys will be happy with how it all turned out.
I hope you enjoyed the rest of the chapter, regardless! There were some cute moments, right? I tried to do a couple different POVs in this chapter, but I'm not sure how they turned out. I'm super rusty, so writing Robb and Jaime was hard and I struggled with it big time.
Thank you to all my reviewers! I'm always so happy to see your comments on the story, how you think it's going and what you think is going to happen, so please keep it up, even though I'm a major slacker with updates!
Thank you to NicoleR85, DarylDixon'sLover, Sparky She-Demon, MusesOwnMyMind, hateme101, smilin steph, Courtney (Guest), BrittStar1199, Violet97mc, ZabuzasGirl, sarah-rose76646, lovesaphira, IKillYouForKlondikeBar, Bella-swan11, loveoninmemory, HPuni101, animexchick and IsaLaw-AL for all of your reviews! I love and appreciate all of you!
I've already started the new chapter, but I won't make any promises of when I'll update next, but I hope it's soon!
Thank you again for reading, hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
Stay safe, wear a mask and be kind to each other,
Sophie xx