Chapter 1

Man of honor

King's Landing

Minea Lannister was standing in the garden, looking at the ships sailing away from the harbor. She could smell the salty water and feel the wind on her face. There were also some other, more unpleasant odors, but she tried her best to ignore them. She had always loved the sea; it was one of the things she would miss the most. Not to mention the warmth, she had never really liked cold.

There would be very cold in the north, more ways than one. She would marry a man who most likely already despised her. Not the kind of future she had hoped for herself. She had spent most of her life in Casterly Rock and she wouldn't have minded staying there. Unlike many other ladies, she would have preferred staying unmarried and concentrate on her studies.

Of course her father would have never allowed that. He had never paid much attention to her or spent time with her, but he had never failed to remind her what her purpose was. Her life didn't belong to her, it never had, it belonged to her House. Right now her only purpose was to give birth to a son as soon as possible. A Lannister heir for House Stark.

"Sister."

Minea startled as she suddenly heard Cersei's voice, she hadn't heard her coming. Quickly she turned around.

"Your Grace."

Cersei smiled, she had two guards with her, as always.

"What do you think about the capital?" Cersei asked.

"It seems quite crowded."

"Yes, it is. I still remember when I saw it for the first time."

"Was that before you married the king?"

"Yes. Feels like a lifetime ago."

Minea had been a small child when Cersei had gotten married; she hadn't attended at the wedding. The truth was that she didn't really know her sister much better than she knew her father; they hadn't spent much time together. Sure she would have wanted to come and visit her siblings, her niece and nephews, but her father had wanted her to stay in Casterly Rock.

She had seen Jaime few times along the years when he had come to Casterly Rock with the king, but the sibling she was closest to was Tyrion. He had often visited her and always brought her new books to read. He had even played with her when she had been a child and called her the little lion cub. She hoped that he would come to visit her to the north sometimes.

"I was older than you are now when I married Robert," Cersei continued after a moment of silence. "Yet I didn't feel ready."

"I think I know what you mean."

Cersei observed Minea's face for a moment before speaking.

"Ned Stark was a man of honor. I have heard the same about his son."

Minea nodded and tried her best to smile. Yes, Ned Stark had been a man of honor and he was dead now. So was Sansa Stark. And Talisa Stark. Whether Robb Stark was a man of honor or not, Minea wasn't foolish enough to expect kindness from him.

Winterfell

Robb Stark stared at the tomb of the only woman he had ever loved. His beautiful Talisa. She had been buried in the crypt along with his father and sister. Robb came here every day, no matter how much work he had. He was the Lord of Winterfell and the High Lord of the North now. Not King of the North. That had been one of the compromises he had been forced to make.

Of course the Lannisters has had to make compromises as well, but that didn't really offer him much solace. He had lost his wife and his unborn child. It had changed him for good. Without his mother and Jon he wouldn't have been able to make rational decisions. He wasn't responsible only for his own life; he was responsible for the lives of his people.

Getting countless of men killed for the sake of revenge would have been madness. It was more than possible that they could have won the war, but the cost would have been high, so when the Lannisters had wanted to negotiate for peace, Robb had reluctantly listened to his mother and Jon and agreed. The negotiations had lasted for a long time, but finally they had reached an agreement.

Tywin Lannister had fortunately represented his grandson; Robb didn't think that he would have been able to control himself if he would have had to deal with Joffrey. What Robb had resisted the most was marrying Tywin's younger daughter, a half-sister of Cercei, Jaime and Tyrion. Just the thought made him sick. Betraying Talisa like that… Unfortunately he didn't have much choice. Their marriage would seal the peace treaty.

Robb knew nothing about Minea Lannister and he didn't want to know anything about her. According to Tywin, she would be a good wife.

No.

Perhaps Robb would have to marry her, but she would never be his wife. He would never care about her, how could he. It didn't matter; he would still have to do this. For his people and his family.

He needed to look after his mother, his brothers and his sister. That was what his father would want. The walls of Winterfell were now stronger than ever, the whole castle had been renovated after the war. This had been the home of his family for generations and it was his duty to past it on to the next generations. The next generations….

He clenched his fists and turned his head away from Talisa's tomb. His children would have Lannister blood in their veins. The thought was nothing but sickening. The last thing he wanted was a Lannister to be the mother of his children. He doubted that he could ever feel anything but hatred toward his wife.