Read. Enjoy. Review. (The reading and enjoying are for you, the reviews are for me!)
I own Lenora Baratheon, nothing more.
Ah! It's been so long and I have no excuse for it. Besides that this chapter was really hard to write. It didn't seem to flow like I wanted it to and I kept trying to fit more and more into it and it didn't work.
So, that being said, I have extended this story. It was originally 83 chapters, and then it was 84. And now it's 89. So, I know I made you guys wait a while (hopefully at least some of you are still here), but because of the wait I have given you five more chapters.
That counts for something, right?
Also ... just as a warning, there's some fun smut in this chapter. Just thought that I would tell you guys, in case anyone is sensitive about that kind of thing. (Not that it would make much sense, I imagine it is hard to be a fan of GoT or any kind of GoT fanfiction if you're sensitive about smut, but you never know.) So if you are, the final POV in this chapter ... you can pretty much skip over it. Yup, that's all for now.
Enjoy.
Chapter Seventy-Nine: Returned
Robb
It was just as he remembered it. The structures were all still standing, he could see the great keep and the great hall over the outer walls. The bell tower was there, the library tower had been rebuilt. The rookery and the Maester's tower. It was the home that he had grown up in, the home that he had been dreaming about since he had left. It was all so familiar, and yet, the longer he stared at it, the more foreign it seemed.
There were scorch marks on the old grey stone, remnants from when the Ironborn had set torch to the keep. Some of the stone on the walls and the high towers was newer, someone had begun work to rebuild the keep.
His body reacted strangely to seeing Winterfell for the first time. There was a lightness in his chest, a feeling of relief at the realization that he was finally home. But his breathing came faster, in quick, short bursts. Winterfell was not the same, no matter how much he wished it to be. He was not the same. What if, after everything that had happened within the keep, it did not belong to him anymore? What if, after everything that had happened to him, he did not belong to it anymore?
The imp spoke up then, giving him an unexpected comfort, "It's still your home, boy," the older man told him. "Dying and then coming back to life won't change that. Not for a Stark at least." There was the instinct to bristle at the comment, to take offense to the fact that the imp had called him boy, but the instinct died quickly. He could not be angry with the man who had brought him here, the one who sought to give him comfort when he hadn't even known to ask for it.
As far as Lannisters went, Tyrion Lannister was not the worst of them. He saw things, and what was more than that? He knew what to do to help without even asking. His anger at being called boy quickly settled into something close to gratitude.
He turned toward the man and nodded silently, hoping that he understood that he was grateful. Feeling grateful for a Lannister was one thing, voicing that gratitude was not something he was ready to do yet.
"Do you really think she's there?" Gendry asked from his other side, his grey eyes locked on the keep ahead of them. They were still a ways off, they had not even reached Wintertown yet, but they could all see Winterfell clearly, raised above them on the hill. He turned his head slightly, glancing at Robb and Tyrion with his left eye, while his right remained turned toward the keep in front of them. "You don't think that she has left or anything?"
Tyrion snorted, "It would be our luck for her to have left while we rode here," he told Gendry, his own gaze turning toward the castle before them. He watched it for a moment before he shook his head, "But I don't think so."
"Why not?" Robb asked, his heartbeat picking up in his chest. He had not thought that she might leave the keep. Until the imp had said something it had never occurred to him that they would arrive at Winterfell to find that she had left it. This entire time they had ridden north the thought of coming home to Winterfell and coming home to Lenora had been tied together. He could not separate them now. He would not.
Tyrion glanced at him, one of his eyebrows raised, he saw him again, he saw the panic rising in his chest and once again he sought to stop it. His face softened, "You've heard the whispers on the road," he told them, both of the younger men. "No one has seen her since the battle between Jon Snow's forces and Ramsay Bolton's. She has stayed within the keep. But one thing everyone does know is that both Jon Snow and Lenora Baratheon have returned to Winterfell."
He turned, his intense gaze locking on Robb's face, "I do not pretend to know your brother better than you do, Stark, but I did spend some time with him while we rode to the Wall. I respect him, there was a time when I considered us friends. The Jon I know would not let Lenora leave his side after everything that has happened."
Unbidden, the right corner of Robb's lips turned up into a smirk, "The Lenora I know would never let Jon, or anyone else, tell her what to do."
Tyrion chuckled at that and nodded, admitting that Robb was correct in his assumption. "Very true," he agreed. "They are both very stubborn. I suppose we will have to see who won out, your stubborn brother or my stubborn niece."
Robb shook his head, the smirk still on his lips, "You're wrong in that, Lannister," he told the older man as his gaze turned back toward the great keep in front of them. "We will have to see who won out, my stubborn brother or my stubborn wife."
Something crossed over Tyrion's face at that statement, something that looked surprisingly like pride. Robb could not understand it, he knew how much Lenora meant to both of her uncles but Tyrion seemed proud of the fact that Robb had claimed Lenora, he seemed pleased that even after everything Robb still considered the woman his.
This mystery did not last for long. Tyrion smiled at him and nodded, "I knew you still cared for her," he told Robb softly. "Hearing you describe her to Gendry was enough to know that. But it is good to hear that you still want her. I had worried."
Robb shook his head, there was nothing the man needed to worry about, he would always belong to Lenora. He could die a thousand times, forget who he was, be at war with her family - he would always be hers.
And she would always be his.
-.-.-.-.-
Lenora
"Are you so set on leaving us that I cannot persuade you to stay one more day?" Sansa asked, looping her arm through Lenora's as the two women walked through the godswood. Lenora turned, her gaze landing on the young woman beside her. Sansa had grown so much since the first time they had met. When she first arrived at Winterfell Sansa had been a girl, dreaming about knights and ladies, shorter than Lenora, soft. But now she was a woman, not as naive as she had once been, so tall that Lenora had to look up at her, hardened by everything she had seen and done in order to survive.
She was no longer a younger sister, but a companion - an equal.
She interlaced her fingers with Sansa's and squeezed her hand gently, "I never thanked you," she told the girl. "For what you did after," she paused, looking for the right words, "after Littlefinger. I never thanked you."
Sansa smiled softly and inclined her head, "And I never thanked you," she countered. "You were the one that was strong enough -"
"Stupid enough, you mean," Lenora interrupted.
"Brave enough," Sansa corrected with a gentle smile that made her look so much like her mother that Lenora's chest tightened. "He was a danger to the Seven Kingdoms, he was a danger to everyone at Winterfell, to our family. And you were the only one who saw that clearly enough to do something about it." She sighed and shook her head, "You can thank me for coming to your aid, but it is unneeded, I know you would do the same for me, it is what sisters do for each other."
Lenora's chest tightened again, in their brief time together at Winterfell before the war had started she and Sansa had spent very little time together. Then they had been separated for nearly two years, they were together now, closer than ever, but it had never occurred to her that Sansa thought of her as a sister. The girl was kind, but more reserved in her affection than Jon or Arya. She shook her head, "Are we?" she asked, hating how surprised she sounded. She meant to sound confident, but her Lannister confidence had failed her. "Sisters?"
Sansa smiled at her and drew her closer to her side, "You were married to my brother," she told Lenora. "You loved my brother. And he loved you. After everything that happened you, your first thought was to find Arya and me, to bring us to Jon, to take back our home. You may have been born a Baratheon, but you are a Stark as far as I am concerned. You're a Stark and you are my sister."
Lenora watched the redheaded woman for a long moment before she sighed and shook her head, a smile found its way onto her lips as she whispered a quiet curse word, "Now I have to stay for at least a day," she told Sansa softly. "It would be unkind of me to leave after that."
Sansa smiled and nodded, "Good," she told Lenora as she turned them on the path so that they could head back toward the entrance to the godswood. "Arya and I stayed up all last night practicing our speeches, hoping that one of them would make you change your mind. We will need to tell her that you are staying before she starts in on hers."
A laugh escaped Lenora's lips as she shook her head, "Wicked girls," she teased, squeezing Sansa's hand to soften her words. She was quiet for a moment as her laughter ended and then she turned to Sansa, "You do understand that I will have to leave," she told the younger woman. "Sooner rather than later. The days are growing shorter, colder, Winter is coming and I need to be on my way to King's Landing when it does."
"Why?" Sansa asked, studying her intently. "What is waiting for you in King's Landing? Your mother?" Sansa shook her head, "I know that no matter what you will always love your mother," she told Lenora, forgiving her for the sentiment, "but she will not welcome you back with open arms. Stay. Stay here with us. I know Jon has asked you to stay and continue to be the Lady of Winterfell, Queen in the North. It's what you were meant for."
Lenora shook her head, "It's what you were meant for, Sansa," she told the younger woman. She nodded toward the keep, appearing high above the walls that surrounded the Godswood, "This was only ever meant for me when Robb was alive, when we were together. It doesn't belong to me, not anymore."
Sansa shook her head again, "You've been betrothed to Robb since you were a young girl, since your fifth nameday. You've been preparing for this nearly your entire life. Winterfell is your home. And it always will be."
Lenora squeezed the woman's hand, "I'll bear that in mind the next time I head north," she promised the redhead. "It is good to know that no matter what I will always have a place in the North to call home."
Sansa watched her closely, "It's your mother, isn't it?" she asked softly. "You're leaving because of your mother. It has nothing to do with whether or not you think you belong here. It isn't about Robb or me or Jon, or even you. It's because of your mother. You think that you have to stop her."
"I know that I have to stop her," Lenora corrected. She stopped moving so that she could turn around and face Sansa. "You cannot tell me that during your time in King's Landing you did not realize that there was something wrong with my mother." She shook her head, "I don't know what's wrong with her, but all she has done in the last two years is cause harm to the Seven Kingdoms, it is time that someone put an end to it. It is time that someone saves her from herself."
"And you think it has to be you?" Sansa asked, getting straight to the point.
Lenora nodded, "I'm the only one who understands her," she told Sansa, hoping that the young woman would see why it had to be her. She could not keep having this conversation, first with Jaime and Jon and now with Sansa. It would break her if she had to have this conversation again with Arya. This was why she had to leave, and soon. The sooner she left the less likely it was that the Starks would be able to change her mind.
Sansa watched her for a long moment before she nodded, "Arya will be upset," she told Lenora truthfully. "She's grown accustomed to having a large supply of teachers at her command. But when you leave your uncle, Bronn, the Hound, and Brienne leave with you. She'll have no one."
"She'll have Jon," Lenora countered. "I saw him on the battlefield, Sansa, she will not be lacking in a good tutor, trust me on that account."
Sansa smiled, she opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a long, loud, desperate howl. Grey Wind. Lenora turned toward the courtyard, tense, she could only imagine what the wolf had seen or smelled that would cause that sort of reaction from him. He had been quite quiet since Ramsay Bolton's death. "What's wrong with Grey Wind?" she murmured, turning to look at Sansa as if the younger woman might have the answer.
Sansa shrugged.
"Riders!" one of the scouts on the outer wall called out, warning the Winterfell inhabitants. "Three riders from the South!"
A moment later Jaime was running toward them, across the Godswood. His golden hair was disheveled, his cheeks were flushed, but his green eyes were bright. "Len!" he called to her, catching her attention. "Come with me. You'll want to see this."
He was excited. Whoever these three riders were, they did not pose a threat to those who lived within Winterfell's walls. Whoever they were, her uncle was excited about them. This could only mean one thing, Lenora glanced toward Sansa for a moment before she turned back toward Jaime. "Tyrion?" she asked him, her heartbeat picking up as she gathered her skirts in hand and began to move quickly toward her uncle.
Jaime grinned, a chuckle escaping his lips, "You always were more intelligent than I," he told her as he led her out of the wood. "You got that from him. I had to stare at the stunted rider through a spy glass for much longer than I'd like to admit before I realized it was him."
He took three steps backward and grabbed her hand, pulling her along behind him when she did not move fast enough. Lenora allowed a chuckle to escape her own lips. It was strange enough for her uncle Jaime to have found her outside of Winterfell after she had escaped from Ramsay. It was even stranger for Tyrion to have found her as well. How did he make it north all by himself? Who were the two other riders?
Jaime pulled her to the outer wall so that she could use the spyglass to look at them herself. Sure enough, the one on the right was short, stunted, a dwarf riding in a special saddle - one he had designed himself. Lenora felt her chest tighten at the thought of how uncomfortable the long ride must have been for him. It would have all been for her.
The one on the left was tall and strong. Built like a soldier. But his face, one that was blurry in the spyglass, they were still a great distance away after all, the features she could make out were young. She was sure that she had never seen him before in her life, but there was something about his broad shoulders, his strong chest, that felt familiar.
Sansa arrived on the wall, panting slightly from her run, just as Lenora turned the spyglass on the third rider. He was in the middle, riding slightly back from the other two. Unsure and hesitating. "Is it really your uncle?" Sansa panted out as she came to stand beside Lenora.
Lenora wanted to answer the girl, it was only polite. But she couldn't speak. She couldn't even nod. She felt stuck, frozen in place as she stared at the third rider.
It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. That was what she told herself in an attempt to slow her heartbeat down, but it wouldn't listen. It felt as though her heart was clawing at the inside of her throat, attempting to choke her. His face was blurry, but she was certain that she knew the third rider. Certain that she had loved him.
She knew the way his shoulders would feel underneath her hands. She knew the way his arms would feel wrapped around her. She knew his heartbeat. She knew his voice. She knew the way he breathed. She knew him.
"Robb," she breathed, the spyglass dropping from her hands and clattering to the ground at her feet.
"Lenora no," Jaime countered, stepping quickly to her side, his hand falling down to her shoulders. He shook his head, "It's not possible, love," he told her gently. "Much as you want it to be, much as I want it for you. It's not possible."
"Jon died and came back," Lenora argued, turning to look at her uncle. "It is possible. Jon is living proof of that."
"A red witch brought him back," Jaime told her, trying to soothe her, to quiet the excitement thrumming in her veins. "There would have had to be a red witch there at the Twins. You were there. Was there?"
"No," a quiet voice sounded from behind them. Lenora turned, not surprised to see Arya there. She had been following Jaime around since they had returned to Winterfell. "There was a red priest though, Thoros of Myr and a man that he brought back to life. I saw it with my own eyes."
Lenora's heartbeat hammered in her ears. Beside her Jaime was trying to temper her, to bring her back down to earth, but in front of her was Arya, telling her that it could be Robb.
She needed to know.
"I have to see," she told Jaime, pushing past him.
-.-.-.-.-
Robb
She was running toward them. They had just ridden north of Wintertown when the south gate opened. He expected a group of guards, all on horseback to ride out, to surround their small group and escort them to the keep.
He might have even expected Lenora, with her blonde Lannister uncle and Jon riding at her sides.
What he had not expected was to see his small, stubborn wife, running down the hill toward them. He could hear Tyrion laughing beside him, but all he could see was her. Her brown hair flying behind her as she tripped over her gown and tumbled to the ground.
He felt his lips turn up at the corners as she pushed herself back up off the ground and continued running toward him. Riding would have been faster, but he dropped down from his horse and ran toward her. Tyrion, to his credit, stopped riding, he even reached out and grabbed the reins of Gendry's horse to keep the boy back so that Robb could see her first. Alone.
The space between them seemed to both stretch on for an eternity and disappear much too quickly. One moment he was convinced that he would never reach her, the next he didn't have enough time to decide what he wanted to say to her when he got to her.
His heart was in his throat blocking his breath, but it was also in his ears, thundering and louder than anything else around him. His feet were heavy, but he continued to run, like the winter wind colliding with Winterfell's walls and crashing waves hitting the shore. Like ravens soaring across bright, clear skies and a herd of horses racing through fields.
He didn't know what he was going to say to her when he reached her, he didn't even know if he would have the voice to say anything. This entire time he had been so focused on finding her, he had never thought of what would happen when he did. But it didn't matter. He didn't know much, but he knew one thing - forward. He had to keep running forward. Not stopping for anything.
Except her.
Except for Lenora.
-.-.-.-.-
Lenora
It wasn't until they were running across the field toward each other, almost within reach that she allowed herself to think about what would happen if she was wrong. If this man, with auburn hair and familiar shoulders was not Robb.
She felt a sob rise up in her throat and she swallowed, hard, forcing it back down. She had already lost him once, she could not lose him again now. It had to be Robb. She would not survive this if it wasn't.
They were getting closer, she would be able to call out to him at any moment. But her throat was closing up, she could feel it. She was certain that when she opened her mouth she wouldn't be able to speak at all.
"Robb!" she gasped out, her voice little more than a whisper as she continued rushing forward in her desperate need to get to the man. "Robb!"
They crashed into each other with enough force to send her stumbling backward, her hands flew behind her, preparing herself for the fall that never came. His hands settled on her hips, holding her steady on her feet for a single moment before he pulled her forward, sending her crashing into his chest as his hands left her hips so that his arms could wrap around her, one arm around her waist, the other wrapped around the back of her neck, both working to keep her pressed against him.
And it was him. She knew it. He smelled different, but the way he held her was so familiar. And she knew the way that he breathed, was so familiar with it that her own body was hurrying to move in time with his, her own chest rising and falling at the same rapid pace as his own. Her hands were pressed against his chest, pinned between their two bodies. She could feel his heart beating beneath her right hand.
A sob bubbled up in her throat, escaping her lips as she began to push against him. She didn't want him to move away from her, but she needed to be able to move her hands. She needed to feel skin underneath her hands, warm and whole and alive. He seemed to understand what she needed without her saying the words because he loosened his grip just enough for her to move her hands off of his chest and onto his cheeks. "Robb," she gasped out, her voice barely a whisper the moment her hands touched his face. She couldn't look up at him yet, an irrational fear building in her that it wasn't him, that she would look up and the face in front of her would not be her husband's. "It can't be you," she whispered, though everything in her wanted it to be.
He chuckled, they were pinned so close together that she could feel his laughter building in his chest. It was deep and warm, just as she had always remembered it, though there was a hint of darkness, of steel that she did not recognize. "Look up, Nora," he whispered, his voice caressing her name as it always had. "Look up, and see for yourself."
It was him.
-.-.-.-.-
Robb
It was not fair. For months he had been set on finding her. For months he had known that he would see her again. It was not fair of him to show up unannounced like this with no warning. She did not have time to prepare. But Lenora was doing remarkably well, there were tears in her voice and she seemed half likely to persuade herself that he wasn't entirely real, but she had not fainted yet, as most ladies would.
Though he had expected as much. Lenora Baratheon was not like most ladies. She was stronger than that. She had survived on her own, and now she would survive this. With or without him, his Nora would have been alright.
Even with his own preparation, this was more difficult than he had anticipated. He felt his breath catch in his throat, tears blurring his own vision when the woman in his arms lifted her head off of his chest and brought her gaze to land on his face. She was more beautiful than he had remembered. Her grey eyes were liquid silver as they scanned his face, looking for any injuries. She wouldn't find any there. He had injuries, plenty of them, but Walder Frey and Roose Bolton had left his face alone. Her eyes dropped down to his neck, checking for a scar that would not be there. No doubt she had heard the rumors that they had cut off his head and sewn on Grey Wind's in its place.
Her eyes lifted back to his own. It was odd, the feeling when their gaze met. He felt light. As if he could float to the sky. His breath found its way out of his mouth, escaping in a gush of air. His entire world seemed to shrink, until it was just him, until it was just her, until it was just them. There was a sharp pain in his chest, it almost made him wince, but it slowly faded, it felt as if his heart was finally beating again, as if it had been waiting for her to start again.
"It's you," she whispered softly, still staring at him, her hands pressed against his cheeks, holding him there in front of her just as much as he was holding her. It was of no use, she needn't have held him so. It had taken him months to get back to her, but now that he had arrived he did not plan on straying. He would follow her to the ends of the earth. She would never be without him again.
He smiled, a rueful twist of his lips as he turned his head to press a kiss against the inside of her palm. "It's me, Nora," he whispered against her palm, kissing the soft skin after each word. "It's me. I'm here."
It was those words that did it. Those words that broke her. Her hands faltered against his face, almost falling away before she brought them back, pressing tighter against him as if to make sure that he was truly there, to make sure that she had not simply dreamed him up in her desperation to see him. The tears that had turned her eyes liquid silver were now sliding down her cheeks, dripping off of her chin. When she inhaled it was shaky and broken. "I thought I had lost you," she whispered, even her quiet tone rough with emotion.
"Oh love," Robb told her, reaching up to wiper her tears away. "You never could have. And you never will. I made you a vow."
Her smile was timid, as if she was uncertain that she would be allowed to smile at all, a giggle bubbled up in her throat, but died on her lips. "But I saw -" she started.
Robb shook his head, "Do not think on what you saw," he told her, leaning forward so that he could press his lips against her forehead. He had been with her for too long without kissing her, it was her lips he wanted, but he would not rush her. This would be difficult. "I am here. That is all you need to know." It wasn't all she needed to know, but it was enough. For now.
She seemed to agree because she took a deep breath and nodded, still staring up at him as if he were about to disappear.
From behind them he could hear the dwarf chuckle, "Are you going to stand there all day and talk to her or are you going to kiss her, boy?" the dwarf taunted. "I thought you wolves were brave."
-.-.-.-.-
Tyrion
He felt Gendry stir beside him as the Stark boy finally leaned down to press his lips against Lenora's He knew that the boy beside him was growing impatient, that he had been longing to meet his sister since they left King's Landing together. He was too, he had been separated from his niece for too long. He knew, bone deep, how the young bastard boy felt, but he still reached out, his hand landing on Gendry's shoulder in an attempt to still him, to keep him from riding forward and interrupting the scene unfolding in front of them.
"Leave it for now, boy," he instructed him. "No doubt she will want to meet you, but now is not the time for it."
Gendry turned to look at him, his brows furrowed, "Do you not want to see her, Lannister?" he asked, tempting the older man.
Tyrion nodded, "Of course I do," he assured the boy. "But look at them," he nodded toward Robb and Lenora who were still kissing. "Now is not the time for bastard brothers or dwarf uncles. Now is the time for the two of them." His gaze moved on, drifting over the couple toward Winterfell rising against the grey sky behind them. "Though, I daresay there are people in that keep that will have time for the two of us."
He was thinking of Jaime. Perhaps even Jon. He doubted that Sansa would care to see him, but a man could hope. And as for Gendry, during their travels the boy had told him many stories about his travels with the youngest Stark girl, Arya. He did not doubt that Arya would want to see the boy.
Gendry seemed to understand that Tyrion meant that Arya would be waiting for him. He shook his head. "We did not leave on the friendliest of terms," he told Tyrion honestly. Tyrion turned to look at the boy, his eyebrows raised, the boy was making excuses, the truth of it all was that he was afraid. Gendry sighed, no doubt understanding Tyrion's silent judgement. He glanced back toward Robb and Lenora. "She'll want to see her brother," he tried again.
Tyrion chuckled, "And it will be the same for him as it is for Lenora. Now is not the time for little sisters, wild or ladylike, or bastard brothers named Lord of the keep. Now, tonight, there is only time for her. She might want to see her brother, and he'll want to see her, but they need to spend time reacquainting themselves with each other. Tomorrow the Starks will all shut themselves away for their reunion and she'll come to see me, and perhaps even you, but tonight - they'll only see each other."
He turned once more, watching his niece for another moment before he glanced at Gendry and smirked. "You are the son of Robert Baratheon," he told the boy. "You are supposed to be of braver stock too. Do not let yourself be frightened by a little girl."
Gendry snorted, "How long has it been since you saw Arya Stark, my Lord?" he asked, half-jesting. "There is much to be frightened of."
-.-.-.-.-
Lenora
She supposed that they passed her uncle, his sisters, Jon. She could not remember, it had been impossible for her to look away from his face as he held her, pinned tight to his side, and dragged her through the keep. If they had passed anyone it was rude of them not to stop, but she was so thankful that they didn't. All she could think of was him.
She was so wrapped up in him, what he looked like, what he smelled like, what he felt like, warm and alive next to her that she didn't even notice that he had pulled her to his old bed chamber until they had already entered the room and the door slammed shut behind them. It was only then, looking around that she realized where she was.
For a moment she panicked, her heartbeat quickened, her breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide as she glanced around the room, looking for Ramsay. But he wasn't there, only his ghost, and a moment later Robb was in front of her, pressing her back against the door, smelling of the Wolf's wood in the rain and leather and so much like the past that her eyes filled with tears.
This was everything she had wanted since the day of the wedding at the Twins, everything she had hoped for and now she was terrified the she was imagining it all.
The only reason she was aware that the tears had spilled from her eyes and begun to slip down her cheeks was when Robb's lips landed on her skin, kissing the tears away. "I'm right here, Nora," he whispered to her without pulling away. "I'm right here."
"What if you're not," she whispered to him, terrified that she had imagined it all, her escape from Winterfell, finding Jon at Castle Black, the battle, Ramsay's death. What if it was all her imagination? What if she gave into it and the next morning when she woke up she would be back in reality, with Ramsay breathing down the back of her neck?
"I am," he told her, pressing his hips forward, into her, as if that could convince her of the truth. "I swear it." He kissed her again, this time his lips fell onto hers, he moved his lips against hers, slow and familiar, all their previous rush from their trip through the keep forgotten. As if by showing her that they had all the time in the world he would be able to convince her that he was there to stay. "Open your eyes, Nora," he bid her again when he pulled away from her. "Look at me."
She opened her eyes and looked up at him, her grey eyes locking onto his blue ones, and then she nodded. Robb nodded too before he lowered his lips back to her own. "Keep your eyes open," he ordered, his lips moving against hers with each word. His hand lifted to her face, his thumb gently pressed down on her chin to open her mouth and let his tongue dip inside slowly, teasing her.
Her eyes closed when a low moan vibrated in her throat. This couldn't be her imagination, it was too real. Too familiar. And too foreign. All at the same time. She forced her eyes open again as she lifted her own hands to the back of his neck, her fingers threading through his auburn hair as her kisses grew bolder. His left hand lifted to her head, wrapping around her dark hair and clenching it into his fist. He pulled gently on her hair, pulling her head back as he moved away from her mouth, his lips working their way over her jaw to her throat.
"Robb," she whispered, breathless as he moved down to the skin above her collarbone, sucking the skin into his mouth for a moment before he released it. She waited until he lifted his face from her skin and looked at her, his own eyes wide with desire, his gaze drifting over her body as if she was not the only one who needed to assure themselves that they were together. "Please."
His blue eyes darkened, his jaw clenched. There was something cold in him that she didn't recognize. If all of this was real, if Robb really was there in front of her, there was something about him that was unfamiliar. Something in him had changed. But she could not fault him for it, she had changed as well. They were both different. She would not allow this difference stop them from knowing each other. Not tonight.
Slowly, as if it were painful for him to look away from her he turned his gaze toward his bed. She watched it too, over his shoulder, waiting for the panic to set in again. But it did not come. This chamber and that bed were no longer frightening to her, not as long as he was with her.
His hands slipped from her hair, falling to her hands. He lifted each of her hands up, pressing a kiss against the inside of each palm, before he interlaced their fingers and turned, leading her toward the bed.
When they were standing next to it, he pulled her to him, kissing her swiftly before he lowered her onto the mattress, following quickly behind her, covering her body with his own. She forced a smile onto her lips when he braced himself on one elbow, lifting his free hand to tuck her hair behind her ear so that he could see her face.
She looked into his eyes, expecting the softness she had come to expect whenever he looked at her, but his blue eyes were still steely and cold. She swallowed. He must have sensed her fear because he blinked and the ice disappeared, his gaze warm and soft again as he leaned down and brushed his lips to hers, his tongue peeking out to flit against her top lip.
Without any hesitation she opened her mouth and allowed his tongue to dip inside again. He groaned into her mouth, his hips pressing down against hers, when she brought her tongue to meet his, battling for dominance. She lifted her right leg, hooking it around his waist to keep him close as her hands fisted into his jerkin, pulling him closer.
He pulled back until he was sitting, dragging her with him. One of his hands reached behind him to keep her leg hooked around his waist, while the other reached behind her, untying the laces on her dress so that he could take it off. Lenora helped him, the moment the laces were undone she pulled her arms out of the sleeves and hastily pushed the fabric down to her waist, baring her chest to him.
He smiled at her urgency, but she could feel his own desire pressed against the inside of her thigh. He smiled, but he did not fault her for it. He was feeling the same sense of hurry. He reached down between them, pushing the fabric of her dress over her hips, the fabric tearing in his urgency. She winced at the noise, remembering the night she had been forced to marry Ramsay, he had ripped her dress too.
Her thoughts were quickly pulled back to Robb when his lips fell to her own again. He was not Ramsay. This was not that night. She reminded herself of that as she kissed him back, her hands lifting to his jerkin so that she could help him take it off, quickly followed by his shirt, and his pants.
Before long there was nothing between them, they were pressed together, skin to skin. And tears were filling her eyes again when she realized how long it had been since they were together.
He kissed the tip of her nose, her cheeks, her lips, her chin. He was working his way down her body and she smiled when she realized where he was going. As his lips worked their way down her throat, his left hand left her hip and began to slide up her stomach. Even though she knew what he intended, she still gasped, her back arched, when his lips fell to her breast, his mouth enveloping her nipple while his fingers teased the other.
When his teeth grazed her nipple, biting down gently, she cried out, her leg tightening around his waist, pulling him closer to her as her hips rolled against him. He released her nipple, his tongue lapping against it, soothing it. Then he switched, administering the same attention to her other breast as her hands moved down his back, dancing down his spine.
Just as her hand was going to slip over his back and between them, he reached back, his grip closing around her wrist. "Not yet," he whispered to her, shaking his head. He squeezed her wrist again, a silent warning before he released her wrist and allowed his own hand to travel down, tickling over her stomach before sliding down to the apex of her legs.
Her thighs tightened instinctively, but he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She took a deep breath and relaxed as his fingertips moved lower. She watched him, her gaze heavy as he caressed up, his index finger slipping into her folds. She could tell that he had meant to tease her, that even he had been surprised at how wet she was, how ready she was for him. She saw his jaw clench as he held back a moan, withdrawing his finger for just a moment before he allowed two to slide into her, separating them once they were deep inside of her in an attempt to stretch her out for him.
She rocked her hips against his fingers, answering his moan with one of her own. His lips landed on her own, his tongue darting into her mouth, chasing after her moan as if he meant to taste it as his fingers continued their slow, torturous dance, sliding in and out of her.
Soon, it was too much for either of them. He pulled his fingers out of her, reaching up with both of his hands to cup her face and press deep, desperate kiss to her lips before he reached down between the two of them, lining himself up against her. His tip was pressed against her opening and when she rolled her hips against him he began to slide inside.
Her inhale came sharply. His fingers had not been enough to prepare her for his thick, swollen length, it had been so long since they were last together. He pressed a kiss against her lips, a comfort, before he took hold of both of her hands and threaded their fingers together. Another kiss against her forehead as he raised their hands above her head, holding them, pinning them down to the mattress as he finished pushing forward, buried inside of her.
It hurt. It felt strange. And yet it felt right and familiar. She knew that the discomfort would go away soon enough and so even when he paused, an attempt to help her recover, she rolled her hips against his and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, her own hips lifting slightly off of the mattress in order to do so.
When he still did not move she glanced up at him, expecting to see him watching her, waiting for her to tell him to go ahead. What she found was something entirely different. His eyes were closed, his jaw clenched. He looked as though he were fighting some internal battle, one that she was not privy too.
"Robb?" she asked him, wriggling one of her hands free from his grasp and reaching up to cup his cheek with her hand. He winched slightly at the sound of her voice, but she did not allow that to hurt her. He did not seem to mind her voice, it was more as though it surprised him. "I'm right here, Robb," she promised him. "Look at me."
His eyes opened at her command and he stared down at her for a moment. Then he nodded, "Your here," he agreed, turning his head to press a kiss against her palm. "Right where you belong."
She nodded, "Right were I belong," she agreed with him, rolling her hips against his with each word.
And finally, finally he began moving. He rocked forward, thrusting into her with a slow, steady pace. She nodded, never taking her eyes off of him as her hips rose to meet each push, twisting her hips as he pulled out of her. She wouldn't close her eyes, that much she was certain of. She would keep her eyes on him the entire time, if only to ensure that this was real.
That he was real.
He began to stroke into her harder, pressing his hips down, to grind against her, quickening his pace as her fingers tightened around him. "Robb," she whispered as her body started to tremble.
He continued his pace as he let go of her hands only to allow one of his arms to slip underneath her. He lifted them, so that he was kneeling on the bed, holding her up as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and tightened her legs around his waist. The next time he thrust it was at a new angle, he hit something deep within her that caused a cry to escape her lips as she tightened against him, finding her finish just as he found his own and spilled himself inside of her. Her name on his lips.
For a moment they remained still, wrapped tightly around each other. Their foreheads pressed together, their chests rising and falling rapidly, their eyes closed.
They opened their eyes at the same time, each of them seeking reassurance that the other was there, that they had not imagined what had just happened.
Lenora smiled at him, warm, and suddenly tired as he allowed his grip on her body to loosen enough for her to slide away from him, to lay down on the mattress behind her. A moment later he followed, laying on his side, using his arm as a pillow as he watched her, his blue eyes dancing over her face, memorizing her.
"You're taking all of this very well, Nora," he mused, leaning forward to press a kiss against her forehead. She arched an eyebrow at him, silently wondering what she was taking so well. He smiled, "My coming back from the dead," he clarified.
She shrugged as she shifted closet to him, pushing him onto his back so that she could curl into him, her head on his chest, her ear above his heart so that she could hear his heartbeat for herself. "You are not the first dead man returned to life that I have met in my lifetime, Robb Stark," she told him, keeping her voice light.
He chuckled, thinking that she was joking. "No?" he asked her, disbelieving. "And who else have you met, love?"
"You should talk to Jon tomorrow," she told him, turning her head slightly to press her lips against his chest. "And after that I will take you to the Gods Wood, there's someone there you will want to see."
She heard Robb's intake of breath as he opened his mouth, prepared to ask her who could be waiting for him in the Gods Wood. But the answer came before the question, as if the wolf could hear their whispered conversation from where he was in the wood. Robb's question was interrupted before it could begin by a loud, seemingly unending howl from outside the chamber. Lenora felt her lips turn up at the corners, this one was so different from the others, not sad and haunted, but triumphant.
He knew his master had returned.
Robb's hand fell to her back, rubbing up and down her spine. "I thought it would be harder," he told her quietly, a whisper, to come home. "But it feels as if nothing has changed."
Lenora felt her lips twist up into a bitter smirk, plenty of things had changed, but she did not have the heart to tell him any of it. Instead she turned her head, pressing another kiss against the warm skin on his chest. "Thank you," she whispered to him, her lips brushing against his skin with each word.
"For what?" Robb asked, his hand stilling on her back.
"For finding me."
He leaned down and pressed a kiss against the top of her head. "I'll always find you, Nora," he promised. And she knew, bone deep, that he meant it.
Author's Note:
There you have it. The big, long awaited reunion. I hope that it was worth the wait. There is still much that Robb and Lenora will have to work through, but for now, at least, they are happy. They are together. They are in love.
What did you think? (I'll just be sitting here with my fingers crossed, hoping that you loved it!) Please let me know in your review!
Speaking of reviews ... a HUGE thank you to everyone who has reviewed the last chapter and waited (somewhat) patiently for this new update. YOU are the reason that I keep writing. I'm not even kidding. This story has 895 reviews! That is amazing! So thank you, thank you, thank you for each and every one of them!
RHatch89: Thank you friend! I hope that this (long awaited) update was just as enjoyable!
The Three Stoogies: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope that you enjoyed this one too! The move south got postponed a bit, but I suppose you cannot blame Lenora for that.
ZabuzasGirl: Thank you! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!
HPuni101: I'm so glad that you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope that you enjoyed this one as well! There is still a bit before the mother/daughter reunion, but I hope the reunion in the chapter and the ones that are sure to follow in the next will tide you over until then. But I think it is safe to imagine that she will have many allies when she finally makes her stand. As for the Twins ... you will have to wait and see. :)
purple-pygmy-puff16: Sadly, my Avengers stories are not published anywhere yet. They are still trapped on my computer where they will stay until they are perfect. But they are coming (probably after I finish this one), but that might change.
StarkTeller: I'm happy to hear that the last chapter was a breath of fresh air for you! I hope this one was equally as refreshing. (There was a whole lot of Robb in it ... and a whole lot of Robb and Lenora ...) I forgot how much I enjoyed writing them together. This felt a lot like coming home for me. I hope that it felt like coming home to you guys too!
Ah! Avengers! I saw it like four times opening weekend and I balled like a baby all four times. It was AMAZING!
Pinkbeachlulu: Aww! Well then, I hope that this alert was a welcome one! I'm sorry it took so long, summer's always a busy time for me, but I'm going to try to update at least once a month if not more. You wanted to hear from Robb? You wanted a reunion? Your wish is granted! I hope that you enjoyed it!
JanaOliver: I hope that this chapter was another perfect end to your weekend as well! Apparently Sunday's are my new update days! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well! Thank you so much for reading (and reviewing!)
MaddHatt: Oh that's dangerous! Because if every chapter is better than the last, eventually I'm going to reach the top of that mountain the chapters will just coast (or worse ... get worse!) But I'm so glad that you've been enjoying them so far and I hope that this chapter does not disappoint. I'm glad you're enjoying the relationships between the characters, especially Jon and Lenora (I figure that they are about the same age). They're some of my favorites.
darkwolf76: Hello friend! I love reading your reviews because you pick up on things that a lot of people don't. There was a reason that both Lenora and Cersei were featured in the last chapter. It was so that people could see the difference between how they recovered. And you saw that! So thank you!
And I'm glad you like my depiction of Cersei better than the show. That was one of my complaints when Tommen died on the show, she was clearly insane (both on the show and in this story) so of course she might not feel his death like one would expect a mother to, but the show kind of glossed over most of her pain and instead crowned her in some triumphant moment for her. Of course it is triumphant, but it came at the expense of her son and I wanted to make sure to drive that point home.
Next chapter we'll get to see how Robb and Jon interact after everything that has happened. But knowing those two, it won't be nearly as dramatic as when Cersei and Lenora meet again, honestly, I could see either of the boys basically just handing the crown over. So we'll have to see.
As for your question, I don't think this story will have a sequel. With the extra six chapters I've added, and how I've changes some things around in my story plans, this one is going to end (in ten chapters) fairly neatly, not completely, but it's Game of Thrones so I can't be blamed for that. But depending on the ending, and the response to it, I might be persuaded to write a sequel. I know that after all of this, I'm going to need a bit of a break, some time to breathe before coming back to Robb and Lenora, but I might miss them. (correction: I will miss them.)
Guest (1): Oh! I made you wait forever! I'm so sorry! But finally, they have reunited. What did you think? I hope you loved it!
dvali: Thank you dear! I'm glad that you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope that you enjoyed this one as well! I'm so happy that you enjoy my writing (every time I hear that I'm honestly a bit surprised, you guys have been wonderful in boosting my confidence!). As for Lenora and Cersei ... there will definitely be a reunion. And it's going to be AMAZING! I promise!
A song of Fire and Gold will be updated. I promise. Right now I'm focusing all of my GoT writing energy on this story, but that one will not be forgotten!
Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967: Thank you! I hope you loved this one too!
Arianna Le Fay: The North could follow Lenora, but I don't think she would ask them too. Right now what she is battling is that she does not feel like she belongs to the North, no matter what the Starks say. And after Ramsay ... she might not want to. And yes ... Cersei can't be queen with Lenora alive, but no one has told her that yet. :)
Prodriguez123: Awww! I'm so happy to hear that. You seriously have no idea how much it means to read that you guys are enjoying this story, or that it is some people's favorite GoT fanfiction. I started this story because I was sick of reading ill-thought out, cliched, boring Robb/OC fanfictions - so it was mostly for me. I thought it would get a few readers, but everyone's response to it has been so much more than I imagined. So thank you! I hope that you enjoyed the reunion and that it was worth the wait!
Padfootette: I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! Did you love this one too?
Guest (2): NO! I could never have done that! From the very beginning (despite the poll on my homepage meant to throw people off the scent) Lenora and Jon were never going to be together. They were going to have a strong brother/sister relationship from the start. This was always about Robb and Lenora. So, I'm thrilled that you're enjoying it and that you love Lenora as much as I do!
PsychoBeachGirl88: I'm so happy that you enjoyed the last chapter! I'm also thrilled that no one saw Tommen being in the Sept until we got there. In the show Cersei is very much to blame for her son's death, but here, for my own selfish purposes I wanted to make it very clear that Cersei was entirely at fault, even if she didn't mean for him to die. Her son died as a direct result of one of her actions. And that's going to play with her mind for the rest of this story. As for the Twins, that's going to be exciting too! I can't wait for you guys to see how it plays out!
Guest1995: Glad to be back my friend! Even though it was another month between updates! I have been reading and rereading reviews whenever I had a chance and they have been a great motivation to keep coming back to this chapter. Even when it proved to be more difficult than I wanted it to be!
I hope that Robb and Lenora's reunion (or at least the beginning of it) was everything you hoped it would be! And Gendry and Lenora? That's in the next chapter and I've already written at least that part of the chapter because it was supposed to happen in this one, but Robb and Lenora kind of ran away with me. Ditto for Lenora and Tyrion!
Thank you so much for your review and support! I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much!
unichick21: Don't worry about the Spicers, they'll get what's coming to them. They were under house arrest, but with Robb's death they were left to their own devices again. Lenora will soon find out that it was not her fault that she could not get pregnant, and when she does ... the proverbial shit will hit the fan for several houses in the Seven Kingdoms.
adidi778: Aww! Thank you! I'm so glad that you are enjoying this story and that Lenora feels like she could be canon. As far as I am concerned that is the only way an OC should feel. They need to change things, but they also need to blend in enough that when you watch an episode you look for them! So I'm thrilled to hear that you sometimes wonder where she is!
As for Cersei and her descent into madness. It came quickly, but I feel like that was always the way it would go with her. Ever since the beginning when she tried to kill Lenora, it's been waiting just under the surface for her. Between the death of Joffrey, her father, Jaime leaving her (even though she ordered him to, she felt like he would fight her on it and he didn't so that would feel like a betrayal) and then Myrcella's death - those were all triggers. Pair that with the drinking, and the fact that she has no one there to tell her no, to speak reason to her ... it progressed quickly, but still hopefully somewhat naturally.
As for Robb, you'll have to wait and see what sort of trouble that causes for the North.
ericaphoenix16: You're welcome friend! I'm sorry it took so long for this update to come out as well, but I hope that it was at least sort of worth the wait!
shinigami-karin: Hello Alex! Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad that you're enjoying this story so far and I am only too happy to give you more of it! And I'm so glad that Lenora is one of your favorite OCs. That is really amazing to hear! You asked for a reunion and I gave you one! I hope you enjoyed it!
Guest (3): Here you go! The next installment of this story! I hope you enjoyed it!
Guest (4): I missed you guys too! Trust me, I didn't spend the last month running around saying "screw this story!" I thought about it every day, sat down and wrestled with it whenever I could. And swore every time I read a new review that I would most definitely come back!
ReyloLove: Hello new friend! I'm so glad that you have enjoyed this story so far! And as always, I'm thrilled to learn about another binge reader! (Those are some of my favorite kind of readers!) StarkTeller told you about this story? Aww! That is very sweet! She's a favorite of mine as well! I'm so glad that she recommended it to you and that you took a chance on it!
Guest (5): Aww! Well, you are the sweetest! I don't think anyone has ever wished one of my stories a happy birthday! Thank you so much! Damn this story is two years old already? Time flies!
Guest (6): Thank you! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well!
sltsky96: I'm so glad that you enjoy Jon and Lenora's interactions. There's been a lot more of them than I originally planned because of how much I love the two of them together (in a completely non-romantic, platonic way) so it's great to hear that other people are enjoying them too!
GOOD! You should be feeling anxiety over Lenora and Cersei's reunion. It's going to be a shit show! In the best (and possibly worst) way possible. But it's one of those bright, shining points in this story that keeps me motivated to keep going because it's going to be fantastic. Even with Jaime and his one hand. :)
That is one of my favorite things about this story. It's a Robb/Lenora story. Even when Robb was dead Lenora still clearly loved him. But when you think about it and do the math, they've really only been together for like half the story. So, as much as this story is about Robb and Lenora, it's also really just about her.
But they're finally back together and I hope that it was fantastic.
And hopefully it won't take either of us a month to update/review again!
Guest (7): That is actually exactly what I did. I spent the last couple evenings watching episodes from season 1 to remind me why I loved this story so much! and then yesterday and this morning ... I finished this chapter!
Guest (8): I DID NOT LIE WHEN I SAID I WAS FINISHING THIS STORY! The wait between chapters might be a bit long, but the next one will always come! I promise!
Guest (9): I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story! And I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well!
That's all I've got for now friends. I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Please let me know!
Now, I'm going to throw myself into fanfiction writing to distract myself from #LebronWatch because I will not be able to take it if he leaves us for the damn Lakers.
Until next time,
Chloe Jane.