Good afternoon!

I rewrote this chapter half a dozen times to the point where I even have a complete alternative version of the ending. I found this chapter very difficult to write due to the chapter actually being one single scene (of 5000 words!), but mainly because it was difficult not to make Robb OOC (he didn't have much screen time in the show to get to know him well) and I'm not quite sure if I've succeeded in that. Let me know!

Also, I noticed I write lots of dialogue :O

-/-/-/-

"Do you know what, Carmel?" Narcissa commented pensively as she read through her notes on horseback. They weren't riding fast, she didn't want to tire the horse out so soon and most of all, her head started to turn when she tried reading while riding fast. There was also the fact that for some reason, she wasn't as excited to go home as she had thought. "I think the Kingslayer fucked us over." She added with a dry laugh.

They had ridden through the whole night and they had not encountered a single one of the villages Jaime had told her about. In fact, they hadn't come across much but endless meadows and rocky fields. She wasn't particularly surprised, Narcissa had half expected the Lannister would lie and that was why she had brought her copies of Robb's map with her.

"Let's stop for a break." She ordered the mare, spotting a stream nearby. Narcissa needed to observe the sun to figure out the direction. She looked up at the bright sky, the sunrays blinding her but she didn't cry. She had cried out all her tears during the night, and her eyes were dry now. Painfully so.

-/-/-/-

"I want scouts riding out in all directions!" Robb shouted loudly, and the council members winced a little at the sudden noise. "She cannot have gone far in just a few hours." He told himself, as his fingers traced the vastness of the Westerlands. They were in enemy territory, the Westerlands were ruled by the Lannisters and so far, they only controlled a couple of villages located at the border with the Riverlands.

"With all due respect, you Grace," Roose Bolton objected though his tone was far from respectful. "We cannot be splitting up our forces just to find your whimsical wife."

Robb slowly turned away from the map to look at the lord who had just defied him, but the older man remained impassive which only managed to anger him further. His father had always had a hard time trusting the Boltons, even going as far as to compare them to savage beasts given their habit of flaying their enemies. "She is not just my wife. She is your Queen and you'd do well to remember that." Robb Stark hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at the man until Bolton averted his gaze.

"I want the scouts ready to ride out in half an hour!" He ordered before rushing out of the tent, already needing some fresh air even though he hadn't been up for long.

Robb had woken up at the first rays of sunlight and just like he did every morning, he had turned to lay on his side to gaze at his wife for a few more minutes. Narcissa was a late sleeper and a night owl, and he enjoyed those few silent moments in the morning when the sunlight fell on her sleeping body, casting dancing shadows on her skin as the clouds moved in the sky. She looked very peaceful and serene then, and nothing in her appearance hinted at the strong temperament that resurfaced when she woke up. His wife was small, her feet rested at his knees' height when they lied next to each other, and her skin was delicate and alabaster-like, but Robb had come to learn that her fragile looks were merely an illusion.

Had they been given the choice, they would never have ended up married to each other. Narcissa had admitted to him during supper once that she hadn't ever really considered marrying at all, in the present or in the future. Robb knew she would not have gotten her way, even if she hadn't been involved in the deal for the bridge. Highborn and alluring as she was, Walder Frey wouldn't have had any trouble finding her a good match, quite the opposite.

He himself wasn't sure he would have chosen her for a wife either. Growing up relatively good-looking and as the heir to Winterfell, girls had started fawning over him at an early age. And once he became an adolescent, he had started enjoying the female attention and what came with it. Most likely he would have a married a beautiful and bland lady that would blush every time he just as much looked at her and who would be more than glad to be his.

Instead, he had married Narcissa. Her aloofness had subdued somewhat in the past few weeks but not once had he caught her seeking his attention or engaging in flattery. She didn't even have to. It had been the other way around. She didn't seduce him, he seduced her and he had been quite surprised to discover that she replied better to a playful banter over supper than to gifts of jewelry.

Back at the Twins, his mother told him how her marriage to his father had been arranged for political reasons too, but that despite all that, they had managed to build affection and even love over time. "Give the poor girl a chance," Catelyn whispered into his ear just before he had spotted Narcissa walk down the path to the heart tree. She had looked ethereal then, elegantly out of place in the middle of the forest and Robb hadn't found it difficult to give her a chance. And he was glad he did.

But as he now moved to look at her, he was surprised to find that he was alone in bed. In her stead lay nothing more than a feather pillow. He sat up at once, scanning the room only to find a carefully folded letter written in elegant calligraphy sitting on his desk. At first, Robb had expected to find some loving words but as he read through the lines, incomprehension washed over him until he read the final words – Goodbye Robb and do farewell– and vexation took over.

He had won all the battles so far and yet, all the rest in his life was crumbling. His sisters were still in King's Landing, he was forced to send his most loyal friend away in order to get the ships he desperately needed and his mother was negotiating with a potential ally he didn't even want in the first place. Now on top of it all, Narcissa had deserted him in the middle of the night. How was he supposed to be a good king if he wasn't even able to keep an eye on his wife.

Robb felt the stares of his men dig into his back as he walked past them. Word travelled fast around camp and the fact that he had asked to round-up volunteers didn't help keep it quiet either. He marched over to the scouts faking a confident mine though internally, he was in a state of turmoil. Mounting his black horse, he promised his men that whoever found Narcissa and brought her back to him safe and sound, would be generously compensated. All the scouts nodded in unison in the restraints of their armors and Robb wasn't surprised to find her usual card games companions had volunteered to go and look for her.

He was ready to send them off when two soldiers came rushing to him. "Your Grace," a young soldiers panted, out of breath after running through camp. "This one says he can help you."

Robb looked down at the filthy Lannister with disdain but motioned for him to speak nonetheless. "And how would you be of help?"

"I can tell you where that lying whore of yours went." Jaime Lannister spat out.

-/-/-/-

The mountainous path slowed her down, but that didn't diminish Narcissa's pride at having been able to figure out Jaime's trick so soon. It was midday, her stomach was quick to remind her of that and she bent down to grab an apple from the satchel. She had plucked it earlier, tall enough on horseback to reach the branches of the high tree and Carmel had enjoyed the fruits too.

The sword strapped to her back was beginning to hurt her shoulders but she decided against discarding it. Jaime was most likely right on the usefulness of having a weapon even if she was barely able to hold it steady with one hand, let alone wield it properly. Narcissa knew she would be nothing more than a deadweight in a battlefield but then, the glimpse of an idea crossed her thoughts. Robb had never lost a battle so far, and yet he was no closer to defeating the Lannisters and getting his sisters back. Maybe, it wasn't on the battlegrounds with swords that you won a war, Narcissa mused thoughtfully. Perhaps wars were won in exchanges of hushed voices in narrow alleys in the darkness of the night.

"Stop." Narcissa urged the horse who immediately complied. Two men were walking in her direction though they hadn't noticed her yet. Squinting her eyes, Narcissa recognized the red chest plate of the Lannister armor and concluded that they were most likely soldiers sent out to spy on Robb's army.

For a quick second, she thought about leaving the trail and heading into the woods but before she could make the decision, the men had spotted her and it was too late. Narcissa took a few deep breaths before continuing to ride as if they weren't there. Mutual avoidance was a bliss and she hoped they'd share her opinion on that.

"And what is a lady doing all alone out here?" The tallest one jested, gesturing at their surroundings as the smallest one rudely grabbed Carmel's reins. Narcissa had expected to find some unpleasant company along the road, but none quite so open about it.

"Exercising my right of innocent passage, obviously," Narcissa replied through gritted teeth before trying to pull the reins back to her but the man resisted and Carmel neighed in protest, growing tense.

"A fancy lady with fancy words." The tallest one sneered with amusement looking at his friend with a wink. "We've been walking for hours, I think we deserve a treat."

Narcissa was focused on the short man's ugly laugh when she felt a hand grab her calf, hoping to force her down the horse. Almost on instinct though with little grace, Narcissa drew the sword from the sheath on her back and pointed it at tall soldier's throat. Immediately, the shorter one took out his own sword and Narcissa panicked internally. One man she might have been able to outthink and overpower, but two?

"Do you even know how to use that?" The first soldier snarled though she could sense the fear in his words as the tip of her sword grazed over his throat and a fine red line appeared. Damn, that thing was sharp, Narcissa discovered with shock but realized bluffing was her only way out of this mess.

"Do you really want to find out?" She said daringly, cocking her brows.

She had braced herself for an attack when the soldiers collapsed in front of her, falling to the ground with an arrow sticking out the back of his head. Carmel panicked and jerked suddenly, almost throwing Narcissa off as the remaining soldier let go of the reins at once. Narcissa quickly scanned her surroundings with fright until her eyes fell upon Clive, bow in hand and ready to shoot another arrow through the second soldier's head as well.

"Don't!" Narcissa screamed out, and Clive stilled for a second before turning his head right. Narcissa did the same only to find Robb on his black horse, flanked by two other members of his cavalry. She tried to make out his expression but he was too far away and her eyesight was worn out by too many reading sessions late into the night. "He's a Lannister spy! You should bring him to camp and question him!" To her surprise, her throat wasn't as dry as she had expected and her voice carried over to them.

"Tie him up!" Robb ordered Clive who immediately jumped off his horse and walked over to her. The Lannister soldier was shaking, holding his hands up in the air and babbling words she couldn't make out. She would have pitied him if he hadn't wanted to subjugate her just a few minutes earlier.

Narcissa tried to catch Clive's eyes when he had restrained the Lannister soldier but it was as if he was purposefully avoiding eye contact. This made Narcissa grow increasingly uneasy as she slowly came to terms with was happening. If her friend couldn't even bear to look her in the eye now, she didn't dare imagine Robb's reaction. Clive left with the new prisoner without saying a word, dragging him over to his horse and fastening the rope to his waist so the short man couldn't try to escape.

"Go on!" Robb ordered his men and slowly, she listened to the trotting noises of the horses fade away.

She stayed put on her horse, facing away from him but she sensed him approach, heard the his stallion's hooves on the soil as the distance between them melted away. Soon however, she felt him come to a stop behind her and then everything was silent but for the leaves blowing in the wind around them. Narcissa knew he was looking at her, she was almost certain she could feel his stare on her back but he didn't say anything for so long, she wondered if he was really there or if she had just been imagining it. Did she want to imagine it?

"Come Narcissa." Robb finally spoke and Narcissa tried to find the anger in his voice but his tone was unreadable. "We need to go now if we are to reach the camp before nightfall."

Narcissa gulped and looked down at the stony ground. She had expected him to be furious but this was worse. His voice was cold and she couldn't detect any emotion. "I can explain." Her voice had come out so weak, she doubted he'd even hear it.

"We'll have time for taking later," Robb replied curtly with growing impatience and Narcissa bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood in her mouth.

"I can't go-"

"Narcissa, we are at war and each second we spent out here in the open, we risk being attacked."

His tone was firm, just like it had been when he gave out orders to Alton Lannister a few nights ago. But that is not why Narcissa turned her horse around. It was not how he said it, it was what he said. He was a king in enemy territory and she was putting him in danger the longer she kept him waiting for her.

Robb waited until she was at his side and then they rode back together, following the three soldiers who led the way. They advanced silently, side by side, for hours but she never dared look up at him, instead keeping her eyes on the road.

Many thoughts crossed her mind as the sun descended lower in the sky and its rays no longer warmed her back. She wondered if she ought to apologize then, while they were still separated by a few feet, each one on their horse and she could look away if she was too weak to stare at the hatred in his eyes. After giving it much thought, she decided against it. What she had done was despicable, no doubt there, but she still believed her reasons for doing it were right and she still had to go home even if only to see her mother one last time.

"How did you find me?" Narcissa asked before even realizing that words had left her mouth.

"Jaime Lannister told us everything." Robb replied, and just like his wife, he kept on looking straight ahead. Marching out with the scouts, he had expected to feel nothing but hatred when he set his eyes on her again. Instead, he had seen a man touch his wife without her permission, and his blood had boiled. Despite what she had done, his first instinct had been to protect her and instead of hating her, he hated himself for it.

"Took you rather long to find me then, considering you knew exactly where I was going." Narcissa pointed out snidely, recognizing the rudeness in her own voice but hoping it would hide her conflictual feelings.

Much to her surprise, she suddenly heard Robb chuckle next to her but the sound stopped just as abruptly. "You went West instead of East." He said flatly before looking at her for the first time that day. Her hair was uncharacteristically covered with a veil that only just revealed her face which remained poised like always. Though focusing on her cheekbones, he knew her jaw was clenched. "You were headed to Casterly Rock instead of King's Landing."

"How did you know I would get lost?" Narcissa inquired quietly, the offense obvious in her voice.

"Because you get lost walking up to our tent each time we set up a new camp." Robb pointed out and she was almost sure she had spotted the ghost of a smile on his face before it vanished in his otherwise stoic expression. Narcissa had been offended at first but even her pride couldn't make her deny the truth in that statement – She did get lost frequently. "Your lack of orientation, that's really one of your two shortcomings."

"What's my first one then?"

"Your inability to be honest with me."

The words stung more than she was willing to admit but she reckoned she deserved them all the same and didn't press the subject. They rode for hours with very little breaks but still, they didn't manage to reach camp before nightfall and she noticed Robb and the men become anxious at that. Maybe riding out alone in times of war wasn't such a smart idea after all, Narcissa admitted to herself. If even trained soldiers were wary to do so, she never even stood a chance to make it to King's Landing on her own.

The war camp was alit with small fires when they arrived. Night had set in already, but it wasn't that late and Narcissa realized she had indeed been riding in circles in they had managed to get back to camp so quickly, to the point where she really felt embarrassed at her foolishness.

Soldiers greeted the party of five at the edge of camp and two men helped their Queen for her horse but didn't move aside once her feet were securely on the floor. Most men were glaring at her, their despise barely hidden from their faces and she knew she wouldn't be very popular around camp now. Robb appeared next to her suddenly and wrapped his arm around her waist though she knew better than to assume it was with affection. Most likely, he believed she was bold enough to try running away again despite all eyes being on her.

"What are you going to do with him?" Narcissa said softly so that only Robb would her. In front of her, Jaime Lannister was being dragged away from his pen by two men. Suddenly the prisoner turned his head and she was sure he recognized her even with the veil for the hatred in his eyes chilled her to her bones. Was there anyone in Westeros who didn't hate her at this point?

"As a reward for helping us find you, he'll be offered better accommodation." Robb answered with no particular emotion. Narcissa noted drily that helping her still had benefitted Jaime in some way. He wasn't free, but he wouldn't be sleeping outside in a pen anymore.

Robb halted in front of their tent and pulled open the flap so she would enter. He followed her in but the two guards remained put by the entrance. Narcissa found it exaggerated and ridiculous but didn't point it out.

"I didn't expect we'd share a tent after this," she commented more to herself than anything else, walking over to the small mirror on the desk and removing her veil. Through the reflection, she noticed Robb was staring at her while struggling to take off the armor by himself.

"This is not a fancy castle and there is not an unlimited supply of tents," Robb sighed with annoyance but Narcissa didn't take offense in his tone. Instead, she walked over to him and started undoing the clasps on his pauldrons. He had intended to pull away from her but she had been too quick and he wasn't able to take them off on his own and needed her help. Robb stared down at the her, at the way her hands swiftly unfastened the holdings on his shoulders and couldn't put off asking the question that had been burning his tongue since he had found their tent empty in the morning. "Why didn't you tell me who you were?"

Narcissa grabbed the pauldrons and walked away to put them in his trunk. "Tell me, what do you think of my family?" She said, almost tauntingly.

"Your family refused my father a loan during the past winter. Thousands of Northerners died because they couldn't afford to buy crops from the Reach before the cold set in." Robb spat out but she didn't flinch. She had expected this reaction and it was why she had withheld the information from him in the first place. Every lord in Westeros had been denied loans by her father in the past, with more or less dire consequences for their prosperity and they took it personally.

Narcissa walked back to him and helped him take off his chest plate. The clasps were on the back and he couldn't reach them himself. It had actually become a habit: Olyvar would help him into his armor in the mornings and she helped him out of it in the evenings. "I wouldn't have held you accountable for your father's actions," Robb confessed, shrugging out the rest of the plate and moving away from her.

Behind him, Narcissa chuckled crisply before walking over to the table and pouring herself some wine. "I would have done the same thing he did," Narcissa confessed, bringing the goblet to her lips. "There was no guarantee your father would be able to pay it back within reasonable time. It wouldn't have been a wise business decision to agree to it." She looked up from her drink to find Robb was glaring at her with daze though it went beyond that. "That is how I was taught to think my whole life. Though I now admit I will be looking at things differently once I get back."

Somewhere along the way, Narcissa had decided to wait until after her mother passed away to join the Thinkers. Having been away from home for so long now, waiting a few more months, maybe if she were lucky a year or two, would be worth it if she could spend it with her mother. She had witnessed the relationship between Robb and Catelyn, and she envied them. Sure, Narcissa loved Amara and Amara loved her daughter back, but Narcissa had always been closer to her father due to them being more alike. But seeing the way Catelyn loved her children made her want to experience the same thing.

"What did you say?" Robb exclaimed loudly, pulling her back from her thoughts. The armor was resting on the trunk next to him, and Robb was only wearing a grey shirt and breeches now.

"After seeing how life here in Westeros is, I suspect I will be less strict when deciding whom to grant loans to once I'm home again." She'd never bankrupt her family's bank, her father and his father before that had put way too much work into it for her to do that, but once or twice, she would show kindness.

"Your home is Winterfell now." Robb said sternly and Narcissa span around to look at him with surprise but his impassible façade didn't falter.

"Surely you can't mean to want me to stay after what I did?" Narcissa blurted out a little too loudly before remembering the guards posted outside. "I understand you'd bring me back to ask my father for a ransom, but you can't possibly expect me to stay." She stated yet her voice reached a higher octave as if it were a question.

Robb scoffed before closing in the space between them and helping himself to some wine too. The conversation wasn't going the way either one of them had expected. "Narcissa, you are my Queen and you are my wife. Your place is by my side." He didn't look at her when he said those words, couldn't, not after what she had done but it didn't rob them of their truth.

Narcissa felt her hands tremble and quickly set the cup down before he'd notice, trying to ignore his words. "I thought about it while we were riding back," she sighed, leaning her back against the wooden pole. "You should write to my father, tell him about my situation. He'll offer you money to get me back. You'll send him a counteroffer asking for sellswords and ships instead." That was the smart thing to do, she had thought long and hard about it.

"I'm not going to trade you for a few men and a handful of ships!" Robb shouted as his body shook with anger and wine spilled to the ground from the goblet in his hand. Narcissa was taken aback and slightly frightened by his reaction. They called him the Young Wolf but she had never seen him this furious, at least not in her presence. And yet, regardless of that, she still had half a mind to point out it wouldn't just be a 'few' men and a 'handful' of ships. "Didn't you listen to what I just said?" Robb asked, his voice quieter this time around but still as harsh as looked at her with a frown.

"You're the King in the North now! Girls were already all over you when you were just the heir to Winterfell." Narcissa bolted before averting her gaze and staring at her feet for a second. Catelyn had told Narcissa all about Robb, how he used to be before the war broke out. "When I leave, you can have any girl you want and make her your queen."

"I don't want any girl!" Robb blurted back just as quickly.

"Fine, any woman then!" Narcissa almost shouted, surprised he'd pay attention to semantics now. Instead of replying in a louder voice, she lifted her face to find Robb's expression had somewhat changed. His blue eyes weren't as icy as they'd just been moments ago, but they were still far from soft.

"For someone as clever, I thought you'd have figured it out by now," Robb snarled, shaking his head slowly as if in disbelief. Narcissa just stared at him with a puzzled expression. "I don't want any girl or any woman. You are the only Queen and the only wife I want." He admitted for the first time, but the sharpness in his tone didn't match the content of what he had said.

She froze at his words, instantly. She hadn't expected he'd want her to stay, she thought he would bring her back just so he could scream at her before sending her on her merry way. "It's not that simple, Robb," Narcissa faltered before exhaling deeply, hoping doing so would help keep herself together. "I have a duty to my City, to my father, to family."

Robb strode over to her and before she knew what was happening, his hand was on her neck, tilting her face upwards so she was forced to look at him. "What about your duty to me? To your husband?" He bellowed, daggering her with his eyes as the pressure on her windpipe became a little too tight for her to breath properly but he didn't seem to care when he pressed his lips to hers in a kiss.

Narcissa pushed him back instinctively, using both her hands and he stumbled backwards, managing to catch his balance just in time. Robb had been caught off guard by her push, though tenacious as she was, he hadn't expected this.

Narcissa was furious. King or no king, husband or no husband, she wouldn't let herself be treated like that. Her fury now matched his but when she finally caught her breath and dared looking at him again, she noticed that there was something beyond anger in his blue eyes now, in the way he looked at her and realized the mood had changed entirely. The laces of his shirt had come undone and his chest was heaving, and Narcissa found herself acutely aware of what was transpiring between them now.

When Robb charged at her again, she didn't him push him back. His kiss was ferocious and their teeth chattered against each other. He didn't wait for permission as his hands unfastened the laces of her dress in a hurry to expose her breasts to him before proceeding to pull up her skirts around her waist and remove her underclothes just as quickly. He had never been like this, this bloodthirsty and aggressive, and yet she felt the arousal between her thighs. "Robb, stop," Narcissa's mind protested weakly, "the guards outside."

"Let them hear us," Robb panted against her ear, before grazing his teeth on her neck and pushing himself into her without a warning. She hadn't even noticed him untie his breeches in the first place but now, she found herself lifting up her legs and pressing the heels of her feet on the back of his thighs while he thrust himself into her mercilessly.

It felt different, the way he kissed her, the way he held her. He pressed against her more forcefully, he clutched her buttocks more tightly in his hands, in a wont she knew would leave bruises on skin. Robb was angry and it showed in the manner he fucked her.

The pole shook and the canvas rustled around them each time he pounded into her, to the point Narcissa would have worried the tent might collapse had she been able to properly think at all then. She found herself screaming out each time he slid out of her just to enter her again, farther and harder than the previous thrust. She would usually have been embarrassed by her vociferousness, but Robb was being just as loud, groaning against her neck like a wolf. And at this point, it wasn't just the two guards who'd hear them.

His pounding was just as painful as it was pleasurable to her and she found her nails clawing away at his nape, inflicting him the same kind of torture. It resulted in Robb increasing his pace and soon, the fire pooling low in her abdomen spread like wildfire in her body, igniting all her nerves as Narcissa cried out and Robb covered her hand with his mouth when he pulsed and spilled inside her.

-/-/-/-

And they lived happily ever after. The end. (I'm kidding!)

The smut at the end was inspired by the sex scene in S1 E6 of 'The Medici: Masters of Florence' where Cosimo (Richard Madden, aka our Robb Stark) and his wife, Contessina (Annabel Scholey) make up after having been cross with each other for more than a year. If you have never watched the show, try watching that scene. You can find the episode here (scene starts at minute 37): www1.

I can't recommend the show enough as a whole! It's brilliant, Richard Madden has lots of screen time and the storyline is awesome. To be honest with you, Narcissa's personality is inspired by Contessina's! Do watch the whole show if you can, if not, just watch the scene.

PS: I promise I'm not usually this weird.