Anera hadn't thought she would fall asleep in Theon's bed. But, there she was, entangled in his arms and blinking away the remains of sleep as the light of morning filtered through the windows, casting the room in dancing shadows. For a moment she savored in the warmth of his skin against her own. She hesitated a moment before she closed her eyes, burying herself beneath the blankets. She could go back to sleep like this, and perhaps she would have, had it not been for the sound of the door opening. She jumped despite herself, and Theon's eyes flew open.
His gaze darted to one of the Greyjoy men stood in the doorway. "What is it?" he demanded.
The man didn't even seem surprised. "My prince, there's something you need to see."
Theon glared, fumbling to free himself from the blankets. "I'll be out in a moment," he said, and the man left without another word.
His eyes landed on Anera. "You'll stay here," he said.
She nodded, sitting up just enough to kiss him on the cheek. "Of course, my prince," she whispered in his ear.
He seemed to hesitate before he got to his feet. "No distractions. The castle is mine, now. I have to do my duties."
He dressed in silence, Anera watching from the bed. He would lock her in the room, she knew that for certain. And she also knew why he was needed. The Greyjoy men had found the body by now and realized that Osha, Bran, Rickon, and Hodor were missing. They would need their Prince to tell them how to proceed.
Once Theon left the room, Anera let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She settled into the bed, letting her head fall back onto the pillow. She had lost her mind, sleeping with a man she hated. Or did she even hate him anymore? A part of her didn't even know, and that was, frankly, a bit frightening to think of.
She hadn't even realized she had fallen back asleep until the sound of the door opening startled her awake. She looked up to see Maester Luwin, and quickly she pulled the blankets around herself. "What's happening?" she asked.
His eyes were frantic. "Rickon and Bran are gone. Your friend is with them. I need to know, do you know anything about this?"
Anera swallowed hard. "I helped them escape. Why? Is everything all right?"
"I fear Theon will kill those boys if he finds them," Maester Luwin replied, and at that she stiffened.
"He's hunting them?" she asked.
"He's got hounds and all his men terrorizing farmers for information."
She nodded stiffly. "I won't tell him anything. I don't know where they've gone, but I have to protect myself, and he'll kill me for helping them."
Maester Luwin nodded at that. "You cannot say a word."
Theon gathered everyone in the yard that morning. Anera was among them, quiet. "I told you what would happen," Theon stated. "All of you- - I told you what would happen if you served me loyally, and what would happen if you did not."
Two guardsmen dragged Maester Luwin into the crowd as he demanded, "what are you doing? What have you done?"
Theon continued from in front of all the people. "If there's still any who question whether your new lord means what he says, here is the answer to your question."
Behind him, two men hauled ropes up the wall. Anera's eyes went horribly wide at the sight of two children, bodies blackened and burned. Gasps escaped the crowd and a sob caught in Anera's throat. "No!" Maester Luwin cried, the sound seeming to echo through the yard.
Theon tried his hardest to keep a satisfied smirk on his face, but Anera saw it fall away for only a moment.
When the guardsmen dragged her back to Theon's room, she found herself sobbing. Her hands were shaking with rage and anguish. It was as if all of the air had escaped her lungs. She couldn't breathe. The moment Theon returned, she flew at him, slapping him hard across the face. Before she could hit him again, his hand curled around her wrist. "You killed them," she said, voice strangled with tears.
Theon seemed to hesitate a moment. He loosened his grip on her wrist. "It's not Bran and Rickon," he said.
She blinked through her tears, confusion evident in her expression. "What do you mean?"
"It isn't them. Just two farm boys. I couldn't find them."
She didn't know what to say. He looked crestfallen, tears starting to well in his eyes. Before she could stop herself she was leaning close, kissing him softly.
She didn't understand what she was doing, but as Theon kissed her back, she decided that perhaps he wasn't as bad as she had thought before.