Alright. It's a short chapter but a lot does happen. Lots of drama again.
white seprent: I have every intention of continuing this, so don't worry! Glad you're enjoying it!
Bella-swan11: Raya will learn to trust Robb soon. First, though, some drama has to happen. And the Starks are very fertile. *wink wink*
Enojoy!
Robb is strangely content when he wakes the next morning. It takes him a moment, but he remembers the events from the day before. His head is aching from the wine he'd drank at his wedding and his muscles are aching from their consummation. He rolls on his side, finding Raya asleep still, her back to him. He reaches out, running his fingers along the smooth skin of her shoulder, trailing them down her arm, taking the furs with them. He pauses as he uncovers a mass of lines on her back. They're dark and thick, criss-crossing in an x-shaped pattern. He runs his fingers across the rough skin. They almost look like whipping scars.
Raya is awake as soon as she feels fingers on her back. She feels panic flood through her and she nearly falls as she jumps out of bed. There's a deep ache between her thighs but she shoves that pain aside as she hastily pulls on a shift. "You weren't supposed to see that." She says, searching through the wardrobe for one of her dresses.
"I'm your husband, Raya. What did you expect?" She can hear him moving around the bed.
"I expected you not to pay attention." She hastily laces up her dress to avoid any more confrontation.
"Raya, I want to know what happened." He comes up behind her, a frown marring his face.
"It doesn't matter." She tries to push past him.
"It matters to me." He grabs her arms to keep her in front of him but he suddenly finds her fighting against him.
"Let me go!" She shrieks, tearing herself from his grip. She stumbles back a few feet, her eyes wide with fear, her breaths coming in short gasps. They stare at each other, Robb in shock, Raya feeling petrified with terror and guilt. Despite this, she's the first to recover. "I'll let your family know you will be down shortly to break your fast."
She turns on her heel, nearly flying out of the room. She passes a few maids on their way up, no doubt to collect the bed sheet for proof for her father she did her duties. She's aching immensely between her legs but she forces the pain down, as well as the panic. She hadn't meant to be so careless, to let her new husband see them. At least not yet.
She slows her walk from the Keep to the Great Hall, breathing slowly to calm her racing heart. She can't let her goodfamily know something is wrong now, not even a day into their marriage. The guards open the Hall doors for her, her goodfamily along with Jon and Theon all turn to look at her as she enters. She holds her head high, walking towards the table.
"I didn't expect to see you this morning. Much less alone." Theon says.
"Robb will be down shortly. He had a matter he had to attend to before he could join us."
Thankfully, no one raises any fuss about it, Lady Stark greeting her as she takes a seat at the table. Robb follows not five minutes later, Theon smirking at him as he comes in, taking his seat next to his wife. Raya doesn't even look at him as he enters, only acknowledging his presence to pass him food.
Catelyn knows there's something amiss with the newlywed couple as soon as they walk in the door. Raya comes in first, obviously in pain but she hides it well. Only one who has felt that kind of pain would know there's anything strange about the way she's walking. That's to be expected. But it's the fact she's alone that bothers Catelyn. Robb had accompanied her to every meal she'd eaten with them before their marriage. And now on the first day of their married lives she comes in alone. Not only that, but it's silent between them. She remembers the first day after her wedding to Ned. It had not been the most comfortable, but there had not been such a wedge between them. She can only wonder what happened and what went so wrong to drive them apart so quickly.
Raya goes to see her father once she's done breaking her fast. He'll be leaving soon wanting to get back to the Dreadfort after so long away. She knocks on his door, opening it when she hears him call for her to enter. He's packing the last of his things, dressed for the road. She doesn't quite know what to say to him. There had been times growing up when she would have given anything to be away from the Dreadfort. But now she'd never see it again, and she almost feels melancholy.
"You did your duties last night like I told you." He says, fastening his saddlebag. "You will continue to do them and send a raven as soon as you are certain you are with child."
She nods. "Yes, Father."
He grips her chin in his hand, forcing her face upwards. "Don't look so miserable. It is not becoming of you. You're the future Lady of Winterfell. Start looking like it." He releases her face, stepping around her to the door. "I'll send word to you if anything of importance happens. I expect you will do the same."
She nods again. "Yes, Father."
He nods, stepping out the door without a goodbye. She passes her father's men entering the guest quarters to fetch her father's things. She doesn't want to see them ride off, instead deciding to take a walk around the castle, needing to clear her head. It had been an eventful morning, and the last thing she wants to do is face her father or her husband. But instead she finds worse.
She's passing a dark cut off corner when a hand reaches out, pulling her in. She's shoved up against the wall, her vision going fuzzy from the force of the shove for a moment. But she's not dazed enough to not recognize Ramsay's face in her line of sight. His hand covers her mouth before she can scream, his body pressing up against hers so she can't fight.
"Not going to come see me off, dear sister? How insulting!" She struggles against him, but it's no use, tears clouding her vision now. Ramsay laughs at her. "You've got no fight left in you. Did the young wolf fuck it all out of you?" She feels his free hand roaming up her side. "It's a shame. Such a waste. Oh well. The next time we see each other, I'll be the legitimized heir of the Dreadfort and you'll be fat with the young wolf's pups no doubt. I will miss you, dear sister." He presses a gentle kiss to her forehead, making her skin crawl. "Until next time."
He releases her, strolling out of the secluded area like nothing had happened. Raya can't hold herself up anymore, sinking to the ground. She curls in on herself, silent tears falling down her cheeks. She hasn't let herself cry in a long time, telling herself she's stronger than that. That crying fixes nothing. She had believed it for a long time. But now she can't hold it in any longer. She thought she would be happy once she was finally free of her father. But they hadn't even left the castle yet, and she was already breaking down. The strength her father had forced on her had all been a lie. Perhaps Lord Stark had made a mistake in thinking she was strong enough to marry Robb.
It's near mid-day when Raya finally moves. Her goodfamily will be eating their midday meal soon and she knows she has to join them. She gets up, her whole body aching now instead of just the place between her thighs. She looks around where she is, on the opposite side of the guard's quarters from the Keep or the hall. The fastest way around is to cut through the training grounds. Robb and the others will have finished by now, she thinks. But she's wrong.
"I think you were right, Jon." She hears Robb's voice, and she quickly flattens herself against the side of the building. They're still sparring, Robb and Jon at least.
"About what?" Jon asks.
"Raya's father hitting her. This morning I saw scars on her back. They looked like whipping scars." It's silent between them for a moment. "I tried to ask her about them but she got defensive. I grabbed her to keep her from leaving but she got scared. Terrified. All I wanted to do was help her…" Raya doesn't want to hear anymore. She'll take the long way to the hall.
She's nearly cleared the training grounds when she runs into Lady Stark coming out of the guest quarters. She hastily wipes her eyes with her sleeves, trying to make it seem like she's alright, but Lady Stark knows better.
"Lady Raya, are you alright?"
Raya sniffles. "Yes, yes. I'm alright."
Lady Stark frowns, gently cupping her face. "You don't look alright. Has something happened?"
Raya wants to break down again, but she holds her composure. "No, my lady. I just...simply realized I am now alone. The lone flayed man in the wolf's den."
Lady Stark smiles at her. "Better than being the lone fish in the wolf's den." Raya can't help but smile. "Come. It is almost time for us to eat again."
Raya avoids Robb for the entire day, aside from their mealtimes. Even then she hardly looks at him. She knows Lady Stark is suspicious, but thankfully Rickon keeps her attention, and Sansa and Arya keep Raya's. Robb leaves with his father after their dinner to take care of some last-minute business, letting Raya have some time alone in their room. The fire is alight again, the candles on the mantle burning just as they had the night before. She's not sure what to do now that she's by herself.
There's a knock at the door. It's a maid, bringing hot water for a bath. She's grateful for that, letting the maids fill up the bath before she climbs in, letting the warm water relax her muscles. She closes her eyes, letting her head fall back as she lets the steam clear her head. She almost doesn't hear the door opening, her husband coming in. She keeps her eyes closed, listening to him move about the room. She hears him climb into the tub with her and she finally opens her eyes, sitting up straight.
"Enjoying yourself?" He asks her, his voice quiet.
She nods. "I wasn't aware I needed a hot bath until I got in."
He smiles, lathering a cloth with soap before cleaning himself. "I want to apologize for how I acted this morning. I did not mean to frighten you."
Raya shakes her head. "I should not have acted so childish. You were only doing your duty as my husband."
"I am sorry if I made you feel as if I was pushing you to discuss something you are not ready to. We hardly know each other and we've only just been married. I want you to be comfortable with me."
She nods, keeping her gaze down. "You're a kind man, Robb, and an honorable husband. You deserve better than me."
Robb frowns. "You are a strong woman, Raya. You are brave and kind. I could ask no more from my wife than what you already have."
She's silent for a moment. "Thank you. Do you...do you wish for me to pleasure you again tonight?"
Robb shakes his head. "No. You are sore, no doubt. I would rather have our next coupling be pleasurable for both of us."
She nods, letting herself relax. Perhaps her father had been wrong about him. She had wanted to think Robb was a more noble man than her father made him out to be. Maybe they could find happiness after all.
Raya watches as Robb climbs out of the bath. He dries himself with a cloth before putting on his night clothes. She waits until he has his back turned before she follows, drying herself before slipping on her night dress quickly. It's stuffy in the room, damp from the steam of the bath water so Robb cracks the window open to let in some cool air. He calls for a maid to empty the bath, watching as his wife sits at her vanity, combing through her hair. He sits on the edge of the bed, the maids dutifully emptying the bath before taking their leave. He locks the door behind them, not missing the way his wife's shoulders tense at the sound.
He climbs into the bed, laying under the furs. He stares at the flickering light of the fire on the ceiling. It had been a long day. Not at all what he had pictured the day after his wedding to be like. He had always pictured himself waking up with his wife in his arms, curled together for warmth. Spending the day with her, happy and in love. Instead, he had terrified his wife by trying to push his help upon her and spent the day with his father. He had tried to force the sight of her scarred back out of his mind but he couldn't. They were old scars, starting to fade but the thicker ones were still rough and dark. The need to know what happened had been eating away at him all day. He had created so many scenarios in his head, each one more awful than the last.
He's pulled from his thoughts as Raya joins him in bed, keeping her distance from him as she curls up under the furs. She has her back to him again, but it's covered by her night dress this time. He's scared to touch her, scared he'll frighten her again, so he instead turns his back to her letting his eyes drift closed.