ROBB
It took all Robb's willpower not to run through the halls of Ashemark on his way to Amina. His outriders had found her near Sarsfield and brought her to the hilltop castle he'd captured. Robb had been afield, and it had taken nearly a day for word to reach him. He'd returned as soon as he'd been able.
When Robb opened the door to the rooms he'd claimed for himself, Amina was sitting in the window. She was dressed in green. Her hair was freshly dyed and fell loose around her shoulders. Briefly he wondered who she'd trusted enough to procure the dye, with his mother so far away in Riverrun. But then Amina turned, and he ceased to think of anything else.
She'd been crying, and as she stood, she all but stumbled into his arms. "Amina," Robb whispered into her hair. He'd gotten taller, and she fit more easily under his chin. "Mother sent a letter from Riverrun, she said you weren't with her. We all thought–"
"We argued, I stayed in Bitterbridge when she went to Storm's End." She looked up at him and he could see the exhaustion and fear of the past few weeks reflected in her eyes. "Renly's dead. He was so confident, so sure. And no one knows who killed him. One moment he was alive, and then..."
Robb pressed a kiss to Amina's forehead. She melted against his chest. "It made me realize how easily you could have been in his place." Amina put her hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes. "If anything happened to you–" He didn't allow her to finish the sentence, cutting her off by pressing his lips against hers.
Amina froze, and for a moment Robb worried he'd overstepped. But then she kissed him back fiercely. Her hands found the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Robb reached for the laces on her gown, and she laughed softly as he struggled to pull them free. Finally, he won the battle, and she shrugged the dress from her shoulders.
They looked at each other for a moment, both half-dressed. Robb ran a finger across Amina's face from one cheek to the other. "You have freckles." His men had told him of the state Amina had arrived in. She'd been sleeping in the woods for weeks and spending hours under the sun. He wished she hadn't gone, that she would never go away again. That he could have her by his side for the rest of his life.
Amina put her hand on his bare chest and ran her fingers up to his neck. Robb scooped her up, and she let out a squeak as her arm went around his neck to hold on. He placed her delicately on the bed. Amina bit her lip as she looked up at him, and he couldn't help himself from kissing her again.
Amina tangled her fingers in his hair as he explored his body with his hands. She let out a soft moan as he left her lips to press kisses along her neck. "Marry me," he whispered with his lips against her skin. Amina shivered. "Be my queen." She hooked her thumb under his chin and pushed him back. Robb looked at her, the knowledge that she loved another pushed into his thoughts. She was quiet as she ran her hands over his shoulders and rested them on his neck.
So many battles that he'd already lost count, yet none had scared him more than the prospect that Amina might say no. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she bobbed her chin once in a tiny nod. Robb didn't trust himself to speak. Amina bit her lip and then whispered, "Yes, Robb, I'll marry you."
Robb kissed her with fervor, and Amina laughed softly against his lips. "I love you," he whispered. She knotted her fingers in his hair, but didn't repeat his words. It was all right, she was his and there would be time.
The Crag had fallen easier than expected. Smalljon Umber and Black Walder had scaled the walls with their men, while Robb had broken through the main gate. Ser Caswell, Amina's new sworn sword, had fought alongside him. The man was skilled, that was certain. But throughout the battle, Robb's mind was only on one thing. When the weapons were down and the castle was surrendered, he'd met Amina in the Godswood.
It was a pitiful thing, the Godswood of the Crag. The stump of a heart tree was all that remained of the First Men's legacy. But it was located in a garden overlooking the sea, and the clear skies bathed them in moonlight. Amina's grey and silver gown seemed to glow as they said the old words with Ser Caswell and his uncle Brynden as witness.
Then he'd placed the crown on her head. A tiara of bronze with iron spikes in the shape of longswords, a smaller version of his own crown. It sat on her forehead as if it were meant to be there. Before the gods, he'd proclaimed her Queen.
Amina stood in their rooms, in the Crag, holding that crown in her hands. She ran her fingers gently over the swords. "I had it forged with mine and held onto it," he told her. "Just in case."
"You wouldn't have given it to that Frey girl?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. They hadn't spoken of it yet, that he'd broken a promise to Walder Frey. They would have to find a way to appease the old man, but he was sure Amina would think of something. But Robb couldn't bring himself to worry about them now, they would have to wait.
She sat the crown back on the table and joined him in bed. "We should keep it to ourselves until I return. It wouldn't do to send the men running while I'm unable to do anything about it." Robb sighed, but he knew better than to argue. Amina was returning to Winterfell, to confront Theon who'd seized the castle.
They both knew it was useless, talking sense into Theon Greyjoy. They'd known him far too long to hope he'd listen. But they both knew that Amina had to try. Neither of them would forgive themselves if she didn't. And then there was the matter of Bran and Rickon, prisoners in their own home.
Despite all that, Robb still wished she didn't have to go. He'd only just gotten her back. But Amina was decided. She would leave with Ser Caswell in the morning on a trading galley bound for Torrhen's Square.
Amina reached out a hand and intertwined her fingers with his. "I'll be back before you know it. I should think the war will keep you busy in the meantime."
Robb pulled her toward him and kissed her softly. She rested beside him and put her head on his chest. "My wife," he whispered. Amina smiled up at him. He still couldn't believe it was true. At any moment he expected to be shaken from the dream and brought back into real life.
"I'm sorry that I pushed you away," Amina said. She didn't look him as she spoke, just drew shapes on his chest with her finger. "I wanted it to be easy, you and I. But one day, you stopped being my friend and started being my betrothed. I wished you wouldn't try so hard. You didn't need to; we were best friends."
Amina paused and Robb thought back to that day. He knew the day she meant, but he'd never thought about it that way. Robb had woken up, gone down to the training yard, and found Amina throwing her knives. He'd never felt nervous around her before, but that day he had. They had both always known his father meant for them be wed one day. But she was a princess, and who was he? A lordling who only had her due to circumstance?
"I'm sorry," Robb told her. "I only ever wanted to give you everything."
Her lips parted for a moment, and then she smiled. He thought there might be tears in her eyes. "You get your heart from your mother. Cat means well, but sometimes she loves so much it's hard to breathe." Amina squeezed his hand. "I was wrong to want this to be easy. Perhaps some things aren't meant to be, perhaps the best things take time and effort."
She still wasn't saying everything, there was still the secret that loomed. But it was far more than Robb had ever gotten from her before. It was a good omen, a sign that their new life ahead would be a good one.
"I love you, Amina Stark," Robb whispered. She ducked her head to hide the smile that bloomed over her face. Though she didn't say it back, Amina pressed her lips to his, and for him that was enough.
