Having been given the best guest rooms for her personal chambers, Rhaena sat beside the fire and simply watched the flames as if she might see something within them. Her wound had been dressed and was already healing, Rhaegal exploring the North as he wished whilst the bannermen and Houses of the North answered the summons of their king, Robb, to answer to him for their actions, whether they were treasonous or neutral. Rhaena felt tired. Her magic had drained her but it was a good sensation, like the ache after a long, laborious but productive day. Robb Stark was Lord of Winterfell once more and still King in the North. The House of Stark was safe. Looking into her flames, Rhaena wondered if Ned Stark was watching them. Taking a deep breath, Rhaena rose to her feet and donned her cloak, taking a candle with her through the darkened halls of Winterfell whilst the rest slept. She went out into the courtyard and crossed down into the catacombs, guarding the flame as it flickered against the wind and the falling snow until she was descending the steps. This was the first time she had entered the catacombs of Winterfell, but she remembered Bran telling her about the statues of the ancient kings and lords with their iron swords, some of them so old they had rusted away. With the light of her candle, Rhaena lifted it higher to cast long shadows, looking to the statues as they lined the walls and tombs.
Bran had not lied. Some of the swords and stone had eroded away so much that you could no longer tell their features. Any memory of their likeness now forgotten and irretrievable. It was not the ancient kings Rhaena wished to see, however, so she moved reverently passed them before coming to a halt before the man she wanted to see. Lord Eddard Stark. Beside him were his brother, sister and his father also, but Rhaena did not look upon them. Lifting her candle to banish the shadows, she looked upon the likeness of Ned Stark as he had been carved in stone. Her brow furrowed. It was not quite right. Close, but not quite. His expression had always been kinder, gentler.
The stone made him appear harsh and unfeeling. Yet this was only stone. Ned Stark would never again look upon her and smile, but at the very least she hoped that his soul was now laid to rest. "I could not save you, my lord, as you once saved me, but I have saved your children." Rhaena began to speak softly, her voice filling the emptiness of the catacombs. "Most of them, I must still find Bran, but if he is alive then I shall bring him home to Winterfell to be with his siblings. We still have more enemies to face, and an army of the dead marches upon us, but I swear I shall not forsake them. If we are destined to die, then I shall die beside them, my lord. Should we live, then I hope you that my debt to you is repaid. You saved my life as an infant. You showed me kindness and fatherly affection. It is only right that I repay what you have given me." The flame flickered and for a moment Ned Stark's face fell out of focus but then it returned, seemingly clearer than before. As the flame jumped, Rhaena could almost believe that the stone before her was smiling.
"My father would not want you to consider yourself in his debt." Jolting sharply, Rhaena turned in order to see Robb standing there, a torch in his hand. She had not even heard him enter, so focused upon Ned Stark's statue as she was. "Have you come to see him too?"
"Yes," murmuring softly, Rhaena turned her attention back to the statue. "I am glad his bones were returned. They belong here, with his family, in his home. It is just a shame that the statue does not do him justice. It feels…smaller than he was." Unable to help herself, Rhaena lifted her hand in order to brush her fingers against the unyielding stone façade. Watching Rhaena as she gazed at the image of his father, Robb drew closer towards her in order to look also. He had not yet seen the statue and upon inspecting it contemplatively, found himself in agreement with Rhaena. It did not do him justice. Then again, nothing would ever compare to the real image of his father. Not even himself, his firstborn son.
"I wish he were still here." It was spoken quietly, barely more than a whisper, and it was the wish of a boy, not a man. It was the desire of a child who missed his father, who wished he was still alive to take back the mantle that had been placed upon him far too soon. "I wish I could hear his voice." Listening to him, Rhaena withdrew her hand from Ned Stark's statue in order to turn and study Robb instead. True his colouring was that of a Tully, but everything else about him was his father, even if he did not realise it. Rhaena could see it in the shape of his jaw and the slope of his nose, the press of his lips and the lines which had begun to crease his skin from the wear of woe and grief. Ned Stark still lived through his children, of that Rhaena was certain, but more so, she could hear him even now.
"I hear him." Rhaena said softly, placing her hand to rest against Robb's chest. "I hear him in your voice, your words. Everything that your father was now lives in you and through you. He would be proud of you, Robb. I know it." Giving him a smile, Rhaena took hold of his hand in order to lead him away. "Come. Let the dead rest. They endured enough in life; we should not disturb their slumber." Allowing himself to be led away, Robb case one final glance to his father's image before going with Rhaena out of the catacombs. Neither were yet ready for rest nor able to find sleep, so Robb placed his torch back into the brazier and instead walked with Rhaena about the castle, familiarising themselves with what they remembered and comparing to how it looked now. The walls were scorched black from fire, but the stone still stood strong, more distinct against the snow which had since stopped falling. Despite the cold Rhaena felt no chill. Her fire kept her warm and as she held Robb's hand, she passed her internal flames along to him so that he too would not feel the coldness of the night. Winter was now here. They would need all the warmth they could get. Together they found their way to the godswood and to the weirwood tree, the carved face still weeping the red sap which seemed as deep as blood. Wordlessly, they both knelt down, though neither knew what to pray.
"Do you still keep the faith of the Seven?" Robb found himself asking as they knelt side by side, still holding hands.
"More out of habit than anything else. Whether I believe in them or not is another matter. Part of me believes that there are no gods, only mysteries that will never be solved. Another part of me believes that the gods are true, because only a god could find such suffering entertaining to watch. Gods are cruel, and any mercy they proclaim to possess is nothing but a lie." Her words were spoken not with venom but tiredness, as if all the faith had simply bled from her over the years. "I keep faith in other things now. Myself. My sister. In Rhaegal…in those I love. They are my faith and my light. I need nothing else. The gods can go fuck themselves." Unable to help himself, Robb bit out a laugh to hear Rhaena cuss so bluntly. It was refreshing to hear, she had always spoken so properly and courteously before now. Now unable to look away from her, Robb found his hand moving before his mind could process the motion. He touched her hair, a white wisp trailing over her shoulder, paler than snow and moonlight. Without turning her head, Rhaena's eyes followed his hand as it trailed through her hair before then reaching for her cheek, feeling the leather of his glove against her. Each motion was slow and measured, even when Robb lifted his hand to his mouth to bite his glove and pull it free so that he could feel her with his own skin. The warmth of her magic continued to spread through him, warm enough that he did not even feel the cold upon his bare hand as it began to trace the contours of her face.
"Am I one of those whom you love?" He dared to ask, looking to her intently.
"It depends what manner of love you refer to. There are many ways to love a person." His fingers now trailed against her jaw up to her ear, following the curve of her neck downwards before sliding his hand against the back of her head. Since she did not draw away or reject him, Robb felt emboldened by her allowance of his touch.
"We felt something for one another once. Do you remember the day you left? In that room in the tower?" A nostalgic twist tugged on her lips, unable to forget. It had been her first kiss after all. Sweet and uncertain, clumsy in some ways. In those days, Rhaena had felt something towards Robb and he towards her. Perhaps if they had been allowed to remain close, those feelings of first love would have flowered into something deeper and stronger, but separation had cooled those flames into dim embers. Yet still, when they had found one another again, those embers still burned quietly, tender and gentle. Rhaena did not know how she now felt towards Robb. She loved his family, his father, his mother, his home, she loved him, but as a man? She was afraid of the answer, because she feared that the truth would hurt him. She loved him, it was impossible not to, especially after all they had endured, but Rhaena could not bring herself to love him as he deserved. Something held her back from such emotion. Whether it was the impending chance of death or simply because Rhaena had never allowed her love truly in all her years as a hostage, she could not say. Things she loved had a tendency to be taken away from her. Did she dare allow herself to love Robb Stark?
"There is a connection between us, Robb. That I cannot deny." He was leaning towards her now, drawing her head closer as she whispered. "I desire you. I want you. I do love you, but not as deeply as you deserve. There is a passion, a fire, but I do not know what it means." Drawing her own glove away from her hand, Rhaena began to stroke at Robb's beard, enjoying the coarse feeling against her fingers. "All I do know is that soon we may die, and that winter is here. I do not wish to leave this world with any regrets." Their foreheads met and pressed firmly against the other, breathing in one another's presence as clouds of white touched the air and merged together. "Lie with me, Robb."
"Rhaena…"
"I am consenting. Lie with me. Touch me. Make love to me." Not wishing for his previous courage to falter, Rhaena lifted her face in order to seal his mouth from making any protest, taking away any argument Robb might have made against her. When Robb felt the tender lips of Rhaena against him, desire flooded him like wildfire and all sense of honour fled from him. Drinking her in, Robb tightened his grip upon her and pulled her closer so that she was drawn onto his lap. What had begun in tenderness soon gave way to ravenous want and need, fingers scraping against clothing and grasping desperately at one another in their impatience. Robb removed Rhaena's cloak and tossed it backwards before lying her down upon it so that she was not settled upon damp earth and grass, hearing her gasp and moan as his kissed at her neck and felt the curves of her frame. His own cloak was soon unclasped from him, sliding to the side as Rhaena's magic continued to keep them from growing cold. Not that they would have needed it. Robb was certain that the passion between them would have fought off any chill no matter how deep the winter around them. By the gods he had longed for this, ever since he had seen her again in Riverrun. Even when he was married. He had loved Talisa, but Rhaena had been his greatest desire, his first love, still his love. In the cold and empty nights, it had been her face he had seen when all else seemed bleak and hopeless. Gods forgive him, but he wanted her.
When her hand came to touch the aching swell of his member, Robb had released such a guttural sound that Rhaena had smiled and gripped all the more firmly, near enough sending Robb over the edge there and then to spill in his britches. Seizing hold of her hand, Robb removed it as he covered her mouth with his and nipped at her lips until they were red and swollen. Gods, she was the loveliest thing to look upon, gasping and swollen. He had done that. Those were his marks he had placed upon her. Robb kissed her again, stroking her tongue with his as he instinctively rocked against her so that she could feel the press of his arousal upon her sex. The whimper of sound she gave him drove him near to madness. Fingers were soon pulling apart his doublet and removing his shirt with it so that his bare torso was exposed to the night air, but still, he did not feel cold. Heat was burning through him like a fever, and Robb had no intention of cooling it. Wanting to see her, Robb sought out the laces of her dress, tugging at them until he found the tie which secured the bodice. Pulling upon the string, Robb then slid his hands underneath Rhaena's back as she arched herself away, allowing him the space to pull apart her dress so that she could slide her arms from the sleeves and slip down her smallclothes so that they became little more than a crumpled mass of fabric around her waist.
Pressing down upon his hands so that he was raised above her, Robb stared down upon Rhaena who had bared herself before him. She lay there, breathing deeply but watching him look upon her with a half-smile upon her lips, hair spilled around her head as she gently brushed her fingers against his wrist. She did not need to ask him. Rhaena knew her figure was pleasing. Slim yet toned with muscle and bearing a pair of full breasts, she did not think any many would deny that she was desirable. Watching Robb, she felt a blush of pleasure at her own form to see him gazing at her with such admiration. With a small chuckle, he seemed as if he would continue staring for the remainder of the night. "Touch me." Prompting him lightly, Rhaena took his hand in order to cup it to her breast. "Wherever you like. For tonight, I am yours and you are mine. Do as you will with me as I shall with you." The mellow murmur into his ear stimulated Robb once more, flaring his desire as his grasp tightened upon her breast and began to rub, settling upon his knees so that his other hand might take the other. Enjoying the sensation of his fondling, Rhaena then gasped when Robb lowered his mouth to suckle at her teat, twisting beneath him as his other hand ran down her body to press against her abdomen where the centre of her warmth continued to build.
Impatience took hold once more as Rhaena lifted her knees and shifted herself more securely underneath Robb, pulling back her skirts to expose her womanhood to him. Robb kissed her, felt her guide his hand before he went of his own accord and touched her where she was seemingly aflame. A long, strained moan pulled from her throat and Robb found himself grinning. "You like that?" His voice had grown husky and deep, now watching Rhaena's face as he began to stroke and play with her to see what she liked best, rubbing at her most sensuous areas and even sliding his fingers between her folds. When he clenched his hand to grip her tightly, she had bucked and cried out as she panted, telling him that she liked it and wanted more. She near enough begged him, and as much as Robb wanted to feel her clench around him, he also wanted to see more of her reactions to his pleasuring. It gave him a strange sense of pride to watch Rhaena unravel before him, to moan and thrash whilst whispering his name so sweetly. As he watched he too ached, throbbing until he felt he would burst out of his own breeches. His fingers stroked harder, sliding against the sticky wetness that had gathered at Rhaena's centremost part. "Do you want me, Rhae?" Lusty eyes looked at him.
"Yes…yes Robb…I want you…"
"What is it you want from me?" Slowing his hand, Rhaena shuddered and groaned loudly as her fingers scraped against his arms, gripping at him tightly as the other found the rim of his breeches and the cord that held him.
"If you dare make me say it, then I shall bite it off." Grinning at her broadly, Robb leaned over her in order to capture her mouth with his, withdrawing his hand in order to loosen his breeches and push them down so that his manhood, thick and hard, sprang free. Rhaena drew her skirts back further, now a misshapen cluster around her middle as Robb made to take hold of himself, but Rhaena brushed his hand away and instead wrapped her hand around him. He bit out a curse and drew in a sharp breath to control himself, pressing his eyes shut but this only made him more aware of Rhaena's hand wrapped around him. "Just for tonight. Only for tonight." Whispering to him, Rhaena then guided Robb's manhood to where he would fit against her, then lifted her legs to wrap around his waist and hooked her ankles together with her arms draped around his neck so that she fully enveloped him. Choosing to look directly into her eyes, Robb lifted his face so that they were parallel to one another before giving them the sweet relief of their desire, sheathing himself inside her. It was hot and wet, smooth against him and when Robb felt her clench around him, he thought he might die. It took every ounce of his self restraint not to release into her like a green boy. "Robb…" The whisper of his name stirred him, and soon Robb was moving rhythmically with her, murmuring her name as she whispered his.
It was over far sooner than Robb would have wanted, but he could only hold himself back for so long. His honour demanded that he withdraw before his finish, but Rhaena had locked herself so tightly around him that she would not let him go. He tried to tell her, to warn her, but Rhaena merely kissed him against his protests and hushed him, calling him sweetly and telling him that it was alright. Feeling the end approaching, Robb clenched his eyes shut and bit down upon his teeth, his entire body tensing as with a final, certain thrust he spilled his seed into Rhaena as she gasped and moaned pleasurably. Too soon. Too soon for her to find her finish, but Robb returned his hand to her sensitive area after withdrawing and resumed his stroking and touching, rubbing against her until Rhaena too found her peak, crying out Robb's name and convulsing around his fingers until she lay back, panting for breath and her chest heaving. Robb kissed her. Kissed her lips, her eyelids, her jaw, the sweet spot just above the crease of her breasts. Then he pulled her towards him and wrapped his muscular arm around her as he pulled his cloak over them both to rest, his own chest rising and falling deeply. There were a thousand and one things to worry him, but in that moment of time Robb cared for not one of them. All that mattered was Rhaena, resting in his arms as snow began to fall around them once more, the flakes disappearing into her hair as her heavy lidded eyes gazed at him. She smiled, placed a chaste kiss upon his chest then closed her eyes to sleep with her hand resting over his heart, her magic still working through them to keep away the cold, and there they slept in sight of the weirwood tree who continued to weep, though perhaps now in sight of young lovers, not entirely from sadness any longer.