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Part 1

she wore ice on her skin as diamonds while the heat in her veins kept her from freezing

Vitoria had been all but asleep when he came. She had given up on waiting for him after an hour sitting by the fire, but she knew it was him just by the smell and the way his feet hit the ground. She had dismissed Rena and Lexa earlier and was glad to have done so. She did not want an audience if she and Robb were going to scream and yell at each other. It was enough that Allard and Andrei were going to hear them as they were guarding her door that night.

She had not been expecting him, not when things between them had soured so badly in the past months and he spent more time in the whorehouse than with her. She had also not been expecting him to climb into her bed and wrap her in his arms. That was quite possibly, one of the last things she had expected, so she tensed without thinking and she knew he felt it.

"I am so very sorry, Vi," he finally spoke and she thought he sounded to be on the verge of tears, "I have not been the husband I should have been. I have not been the man that I promised to be, I see that now."

Vitoria did not know how to answer to that, but she knew just by the tone of his voice that he was serious and as she looked at him she felt tears well up in her own eyes, but she did not let them fall. She had to be strong now, she could not forgive him so easily, not after all he had put her through. These past few months had been hell for her. She would not dishonor herself by forgiving him so easily.

"We were happy," her voice shook slightly, "I loved you and I love you still, but your love is fleeting. You knew I loved you and you threw it back at me, parading your whores and your visits to the brothel. I won't stand for it, Robb. I won't stand for it any longer."

"I know, Vi, I know please forgive me. I know that I did not treat you as you deserved, but I want to make things right," he was pleading with her now, begging her to take him back into her heart. Robb didn't care how weak he looked or sounded, he wanted them to be happy again, to be the way they were. The way they were always meant to be.

"So you are finished with this then?" Vitoria asked coldly. "No more? No more heartbreak, no more harlots, no more visits to the whorehouse when we argue?"

"Yes," Robb said immediately and he meant it, "there is only you, now and forever, I promise you I will honor our vows until the day the gods see it fit to tear us apart."

"Do you know what my father said before I left Dorne?" she laughed drily, not even looking at him before answering herself. "He said that my siblings were all steel. They are strong and well liked and they can be easily molded. But he said I wasn't simply steel. Valyrian steel, he called me. Strong and light, more coveted than normal steel and unable to be changed. It was one of the few times I felt as if he were proud of me. But you proved him wrong, didn't you? You hurt me, Robb and I can't go through that again."

Robb pressed a kiss to her forehead as his finger grazed the curve of her cheek. "I will be better. I will be the husband you deserve, Vi. I swear it. On the Old Gods and the New."

She simply nodded her head. She did not trust herself to speak. She could not forgive him yet, but she could accept him back and see if his actions would mirror his words.

Vitoria walked quietly into the stables, seeing Theon take Osha's face tightly into his hands. It looked as if he were about to kiss her when she cleared her throat.

"Theon, I would like a moment alone with our guest," she said pointedly, ignoring the glare the Ironborn shot her as he stormed out of the stables.

"My apologies for Theon, he has never been one to understand what no means."

"I've dealt with worse," the wilding woman said simply, brushing aside her words.

Vitoria accepted that, and knelt down with a sweet smile on her face, before she grabbed the woman's face. "Listen here," she began in a threatening tone. "You tried to kill an innocent boy. I don't like you and I never will. And despite what you may think, I have nothing against Theon. You're here by my husband's grace and I can't act against his wishes. But how can I know you won't find a way to kill me, my husband and the children as we sleep?"

"Wouldn't really be much of a point in doing that now, would there?" Osha questioned, wincing as the dornishwoman's grip in her face became tighter. "After all, your husband did let me live."

"That does not mean —" her words were cut off when Maester Vaith came into the stables and saw what was happening.

"Vitoria!" the man scolded her, "That woman is our guest. Let go of her."

She did as asked. Despite the fact that she outranked him as the lady of the keep, the maester had been present in her life since her childhood and that warranted her respect.

With one last glance at Osha, she stormed out of the stables.

Grand-méré,

I hope this finds you well. Has nonno's health improved?

I find myself worrying more and more with everything happening on this side of the sea, if I speak truthfully. My goodfather went south to serve the Usurper and took my two goodsisters with him and I fear for them. The poor girls will not be safe in that cesspit. Things are changing in Westeros and I do not know if we are ready for this change.

Lord Stark and the Lady Catelyn did not even see it fit to arrange for the girls' household. I myself came to the North with a great entourage. I only let go of gradually and I came into a land known for its honor, I can only fear what those girls shall go through in the court of the lions.

My father has not answered my most recent letters and what Tio Oberyn has written are short responses. I detest asking this of you, but could you see if your daughter has heard about my father?

Your little sun,

Vitoria

Artos squealed with delight as the horse trotted slowly around the enclosure, thrilled to be riding a proper horse for the first time.

His pony was dull next to this!

Robb kept a firm grip of his son with one arm, holding the reins in the other hand as he guided their mount. Artos's plump fists clutched the reins tightly but the horse was too well-trained to be distracted by the touch of anybody save his master, and ignored the boy's light tugs.

After dealing with a man from Wintertown whose grain supply had been robbed, he felt that he needed to be with his wife and children, out in the open air. Unable to enjoy his usual sports, he had decided that today would be Artos's first riding lesson.

Vitoria watched from just outside the enclosure, applauding lightly whenever they passed her by, every so often adjusting Leila in her arms or crouching down to whisper something into Alia's ear who was tightly grasping her mother's skirts.

Artos was delighted to have an audience, blowing kisses to his mother and bouncing in the saddle whenever they came near her, despite Robb's gentle admonitions to sit still.

To his credit, he was doing his best to remember everything Robb told him, sitting up straight, keeping his head held high, as his father did, and always holding the reins with at least one hand.

When he was younger, Robb thought that, when he became a father, he would be the one to teach his sons to ride, something his father never did for him. Once his father left to serve as the Hand, however, he soon learned how great the demands on his time would be and knew that he would not be able to do all the things he wished to do with his sons. He cherished the moments like this, when they could be a family without pressing matters dampening their time together.

Knowing that it would thrill the little boy, Robb guided his horse into a canter, circling the enclosure a couple of times. Artos squealed in delight, his little fists tightening around the reins.

When the horse slowed to a stop, Robb dismounted, lifting his pouting son down from the saddle.

"I wan' 'o again!" Artos protested, dismayed that their sport ended so soon. Aunt Rena caught his eye, giving him a reproving frown to remind him to be on his best behaviour around his Mama and Papa, so they would know that he knew how to behave as a big boy should. He subsided but he thought that his Mama's friend couldn't understand why he was cross.

He was going to be a man soon and a man needed to be able to ride a horse!

"Tomorrow, if you are a very good boy and do as Aunt Rena tells you," Robb promised. It was also more than a little chilly today, and he told himself that he shouldn't keep Alia standing outdoors too long. And it looked as if Vitoria needed to go inside as well, with how pale her complexion looked.

297 AC

Vitoria couldn't help but think that this hurt more than anything else she had felt in her life. And that was counting giving birth to twins, having a miscarriage and dealing with her wounds from training. It had already been over two days since her pains begun, but she still had not succeeded in bringing her son into the world and she knew, despite what everyone said to reassure her, that if the babe did not come out soon she would die. She was too weak for things to go any other way. She could feel the blood gushing out of her and knew that she would not last much longer.

"She is losing too much blood —"

"The babe is in breech —"

"I will die today," she moaned, the pain becoming more unbearable as she felt something tear.

"You will not die," Lexa soothed her, "you are strong. Your son is strong."

"Do not let my son die," Vitoria pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "Do not let him die. If you have to choose, choose my son."

"Both of you will live," Lexa sighed out.

"You must push, your highness," Maester Vaith spoke up and Vitoria groaned in response, heaving for breath as she did her best, but there did not seem to be a change.

"Lexa, Luna, I need you to help move her. The babe is stuck and moving her can speed up the process. Slowly bring her closer to me until she's at the end of the bed," Maester Vaith ordered.

Once Vitoria was in position, Maester Vaith inspected her better and sighed out at seeing the tears at her lower regions. He would need to stitch her up once the babe was born. "Push again, your highness. Harder."

"What do you think I am doing!" Vitoria groaned, "he's tearing me apart from the inside out."

She closed her eyes, trying to think about her daughters and how they needed her.

"He's here!" Maester Vaith exclaimed, "push, your highness, push!"

Vitoria nodded weakly, grasping the sheets around her body and pushing, letting out a relieved sigh when she heard an infant's cry and collapsing back onto Luna.

Vitoria loved the hot springs in the godswood. She had been cautious when she first came to Winterfell. She was a sun of the desert and a phoenix of the hills; she was used to cold water in order to hydrate herself and avoid falling due to a heat stroke. In Dorne and even more in Norvos, bathing in hot water would be a situation only acceptable during an illness. But things were different in a land of perpetual winter. She had initially resisted Arya's and Sansa's pleads for her to accompany them, deeming them to be much too warm for her to be comfortable in them. By the time she had finally agreed to go, she had grown too large with the twins and could not make the trip unassisted, so it was nearly a year after she became a Stark that she swam in the hot springs and realized what she had been missing.

They fascinated her, water which never cooled, water hotter than any bath she had ever taken inside the walls of the keep. Since she recovered from her first childbirth, every chance she got, she would slip away to the wolfswood, one of her guards hidden amongst the trees to keep her safe, and soak in the waters. As always, she shed her clothes quickly, slipping into the water to keep the winter's chill away; it was starting to become colder, the merest hint of winter approaching.

Vitoria let herself relax as the heat began to sink into her tired muscles. Running the keep and caring for five children was a tiring task. Robb had been gone for the past fortnight, having gone to the Karhold to catch up with his foster brothers and then on a hunting trip, and she missed him horribly. The children missed him as well, especially Leila, and Vitoria felt as if her days were spent alternating which child to hold while using her other hand to run the keep. Things had improved between them since that night, nearly a month ago when he had pleaded for her forgiveness, even if she remained guarded.

She allowed herself a few minutes of quiet, thinking only on the feel of the water against her skin as she felt it wash away her worries. She allowed the water to rejuvenate her as she had not done since the first time she submerged herself in these very springs. It had been years and perhaps it was time for her embrace her roots once again. Yet, the wind started to blow harder, rustling the leaves and her concentration was broken.

The children were growing, she mused, her hand ghosting over her stomach as she floated the waves of the spring. Soon, she would have to think about their betrothals. Northern matches would be the best, but perhaps she could also sneak some dornish ones as well. The bannermen in both kingdoms were restless, being slighted now for two generations. Her children might not be Martells in name, but they had Martell blood and marrying them to a bannermen might soothe the aches of the nobles.

Vitoria was not sure how long she had been in the hot springs when she heard the sound of hooves crunching on the snow. Sinking down until the water just covered her breasts, Vitoria waited to see if it was Emmett, if there was trouble, when Robb and his horse stopped at water's edge, a dazzling smile on his face.

"You're home!" she cried as he all but leaped from his saddle, already stripping off his clothes.

"Finally. I swear, I was drunk half of the time I was there; we had to make a stop at an inn and Theon and Harry kept insisting I match them drink for drink. It is a wonder I remembered the way back," he smirked as he looked at her gliding in the springs, the water doing nothing to hide her body. "I did miss you."

He dove into the water, reaching her in a moment, pulling her tight against his body. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pushed against the water to meet his kiss, his hands brushing aside wet ropes of hair before settling themselves on the top of her thighs. His mouth was hungry against hers, more desperate than it had been before he left, and already she could feel his hardness growing against her stomach.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," he groaned between kisses, trailing them down her body as she drew her legs up and wrapped them around his waist, his hands settling on her ass. "I dreamt of you."

Vitoria trembled at the feel of him pressing into her, shifting her hips to try to hasten his actions. It was not until he was deep inside her, his breath hot against her cheek, that Vitoria remembered they were not alone in the godswood.

"Emmett will hear us!" she gasped as Robb began to kiss her throat, his hips moving slowly as their bodies found their rhythm once again.

"As I'm sure he has before, what with how you carry on."

Vitoria gasped, nipping his shoulder with her teeth, drawing a laugh from his chest. "Me? You are the one who shouts."

"Then make me shout," he challenged, bringing a smirk to her lips. And make him shout she did.