Chapter 15

The good wife

Minea walked tensely towards her chamber, she was struggling to look calm. The last thing she wanted was some unpleasant rumors. She couldn't let anyone see how upset she was. All she wanted was a moment alone. She needed to calm down and pull herself together. Unfortunately she didn't have a moment.

"My lady," her husband's voice called, forcing her to stop. Reluctantly she turned to face him. He certainly didn't look pleased.

"May I have a word with you?" he stated coolly.

"Of course, my lord," she murmured.

He led them to the library and closed the door behind them. She swallowed, feeling fear. Was he going to strike her down for disobeying him?

"Tell me something," he started. "What are the duties of a good wife?"

"My lord…"

"Answer my question. What are the duties of a good wife?"

"Loyalty," she replied quietly. "Respect. Obedience."

"Yes. Would you say that you were obedient a moment ago?"

"I…"

"No, I don't think that you were. You refused me my right to have an heir."

"That was not my intention."

He crossed his arms and looked at her harshly.

"What was your intention then?"

She straightened her back and looked at him.

"I believe I also have the right to ask respect from you, my lord. I am your wife and…"

"You feel I have mistreated you? Have I been violent? Cruel?"

"No, you haven't, but…"

"From now on I expect you to fulfill your duty as my wife. Am I making myself clear?"

She forced herself to look at him, although she felt humiliated. Clearly she wasn't anything more than a breeding mare to him.

"Yes," she stated, keeping her voice free from emotion.

"Good. I will see you at dinner."

Thankfully he left without demanding her to fulfill her "duty" right away. Apparently she was supposed to allow him to take her body whenever and wherever he felt like it. The thought was nothing but humiliating. He demanded respect and obedience from her, but he treated her like she would have been nothing more than his whore.

How could she change that? She couldn't force him to care about her or even respect her. How could she…? Her thoughts were cut off by a sneeze from behind the shelves. She froze, there was someone else here. Someone had heard every word. A flush was rising in her cheeks, she was mortified.

"My lady," Lord Jon's voice said as he appeared from behind the shelves. "Please forgive me, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was looking for a book and… Forgive me."

"That's alright," Minea murmured, she couldn't face him. "Excuse me."

She left the room as quickly as she could, praying that he would be discreet. She had experienced enough humiliation for one day.

Jon closed his eyes and sighed after Lady Minea had left. He felt like an idiot, he should have said something right away. He should have let her and Robb know that he was here. Why hadn't he then? He wasn't completely sure. The whole thing had happened so fast and he hadn't wanted to embarrass Lady Minea. That was exactly what he had done now. She probably thought that he had done the whole thing on purpose.

Poor girl. Robb had been way too harsh on her. Granted, Jon didn't know what exactly had happened between them, but he could guess. He wanted to talk to Robb, but he wasn't sure at all if that would be a good idea. This was a private matter between a husband and a wife. Yet he couldn't help but to feel sorry for Lady Minea. Robb could at least pretend that he cared. Surely that would have meant a lot to his wife.

Jon didn't like seeing that lost and hurt look on her face. There was something very fragile about her, probably because she had lived such a sheltered life. She was too delicate for her own good, but yet many men would probably feel protective of her. Jon couldn't deny that he was one of those men. He felt sympathy for her.

Surely she would eventually adjust to her life here, but should she really have to become cold and harsh in order to survive? Robb had become cold and harsh after Talisa's death, but Jon had hoped that the change wouldn't be permanent. He had hoped that Robb would one day love someone again. Or at least care about someone. Tywin Lannister's daughter didn't have the best chances to soften Robb's heart, but hopefully Robb would eventually see past her name. She was a sweet girl who could no doubt make Robb happy, if he would give her a chance.

Catelyn sat at the dinner table next to his son who had given her his undivided attention. Robb had barely greeted his wife who sat at his other side, silently eating her dinner. It seemed that the girl had somehow angered him. Catelyn couldn't help but to feel some kind of malicious delight. She had tried her hardest to tolerate her son's wife, but every time she looked at her, she saw her daughter.

Her innocent little girl who was dead now, just like her beloved husband. All because of the Lannisters. And this girl, a Lannister, would one day be the Lady of Winterfell. She would give birth to Robb's children, Catelyn's grandchildren. The thought filled Catelyn with bitterness. This girl didn't deserve to be here. She didn't deserve to be called her son's wife.

A part of Catelyn knew that the girl hadn't been the one who had tormented Sansa or murdered Ned, but she was still a Lannister and Catelyn hated her. Was that fair, perhaps not, but it was the way she felt. She would be polite when she had to and she would teach the girl when Robb wanted her to, but she doubted that she could ever stop hating her. To her all Lannisters were like poisonous snakes and she would have liked nothing more than to see them all dead.