"The way you slam your body into mine reminds me I'm alive, but monsters are always hungry, darling, and they're only a few steps behind you, finding the flaw, the poor weld, the place where we weren't stitched up quite right, the place they could almost slip right into through if the skin wasn't trying to keep them out, to keep them here, on the other side of the theater where the curtain keeps rising." -Richard Siken

Chapter 12

The feast was going off without a hitch. The king was more than obviously enjoying himself and the queen was making a good show of acting like she was enjoying herself. Mal let out a relieved sigh as she settled closer to Robb. Robb felt his wife move closer to him and stopped talking in mid-sentence and turned to kiss her on the head before returning back to his conversation with Theon. Robb was much more laid-back now that he had a few drinks in him. He was also feeling a lot more friskier and kept stealing heated glances and kisses. Admittedly it was fun to watch Robb let loose- the Stark version of letting loose, anyway. Mal glanced around and saw the Lannister queen and Lady Stark awkwardly try to converse with each other. When her good-mother's gaze fell on her, Mal pulled a face to show her sympathy. Catelyn smiled fondly at her good-daughter and returned to her plate. Mal eyed Jaime Lannister brooding about throughout the Great Hall. Before the start of the feast Lady Stark had informed her and Robb that he would have to accompany Princess Myrcella into the hall. Queen Cersei had offered to have the Kingslayer escort Mal into the feast but Mal would rather have eaten her own foot than be in a close vicinity with Jaime Lannister. Mal declined the offer with as much grace as she could, instead she had Theon escort her into the hall. As much as she disliked the Greyjoy heir she'd rather walk in with him than Jaime Lannister. The lesser of two evils I suppose.

"What are you thinking about?" Robb's whisper jolted her out of her thoughts.

She picked up her cup and grinned into the dark Dornish wine. "I was just thinking about how foolish you look when you're drunk."

Robb chuckled deeply in her ear. "Don't worry, love. I'm not that drunk. I'll still be able to perform tonight." He discreetly bit her earlobe causing Mal to blush deeply. Thankfully the lighting in the hall was dim enough to hide it.

Weighing her options Mal looked around the table where they sat. Theon was quickly becoming drunk off his arse and everyone else seemed to deeply involved with their conversations. Plucking up the courage Mal carefully placed her hand on Robb's thigh. Robb was deep into a bawdy story with Theon and was paying no mind to what Mal was doing. Smirking at her husband's obliviousness Mal slowly ran her hand higher on his leg. When her hand found it's resting place she felt Robb jerk and he looked at her with alarm. Giving him a coy smile she continued to stroke the growing bulge in his breeches. Clearing his throat Robb gave her one final look before returning to his conversation with Theon. Fortunately, Theon was so drunk he didn't even notice Robb's reactions. Feeling a surge of wicked pleasure Mal continued to slowly stroke Robb's growing erection. Robb squirmed in his seat as he continued to talk to Theon. Mal took this sign to apply more pressure to his crotch. Robb hid a groan in his wine cup. His hand reached down to grab hers and and place it back in her lap. He threw her a dark look that she returned with a loving smile and a kiss on his cheek.

The dancing started up with a loud roar from the king who swept up a kitchen wench and began a joyous dance around the hall. Almost immediately Robb all but dragged Mal onto the dance floor. He pressed his body close to Mal's allowing her to feel his reaction to her. With all the people on the floor no one noticed the young couple.

"You're a dangerous little minx," Robb growled into her ear as he pressed her lower body deeper into his. "You have absolutely no idea what you do to me, do you?"

Grinning brightly, she gazed into his darkening eyes. "I think i have some idea." she coquettishly replied.

Chuckling darkly Robb kissed her deep on the mouth. "What do you say we leave the feast early?"

"I'd say it's too early, people would notice we're gone. I don't think it would be appropriate for the future Lord of Winterfell to leave a feast earlier to tangle in the sheets with his wife." She teased as she noticed multiple eyes starting to take notice of the two them.

He kissed the top of her head before resting his chin on it. "With a wife like you I think they would understand, my little Dornish hellcat."

Mal smiled lovingly and cuddled closer to Robb as they moved slowly around the hall. After the dance the two returned back to their seats. Mal spied Sansa speaking with the queen. Poor dear, having a Lannister as a good-mother. She has no idea what she's in for.

An intoxicated Theon was much more bearable to Mal. She even laughed at some of his jokes. The laughing ceased when Arya took it upon herself to fling food at Sansa causing the Stark heiress to yelp. With a look from Lady Stark Robb composed himself and went to retrieve Arya and help send her to bed. Mal sent a small sympathetic smile to Sansa, she knew that Sansa wanted to make a good impression on Prince Joffrey. Septa Mordane had managed to calm Sansa down and was speaking to her in hushed tones. Theon had stumbled away to dance with a few of the queen's handmaidens, leaving Mal by herself on her side of the table. She wasn't alone for long, from the corner of her eye she watched as a head of blonde hair sat down next to her.

"Have you grown tired of shit and snow, Lady Stark? I must say i'd go mad here. It is so dreadfully dull." Jaime Lannister drawled.

Stiffening in her seat Mal grabbed her wine glass and took a big gulp of wine. "I'll admit it's not as glamorous as the capitol, Ser Jaime. But I can promise you there is never a dull moment."

With a roguish grin Jaime leaned in closer. "I have doubts about that," he gave a small chuckle before lowering his voice. "I was under the impression that you and I were supposed to walk into the feast together?"

Mal returned his smirk with one of her own. "I didn't think it was fair for me to escort one of the queen's brothers and not have an escort for the other." she nodded her head towards Tyrion Lannister who had finally shown his face and waddled into the Great Hall.

Following her gaze Jamie frowned. "No I suppose not." he slowly told her. Looking around the hall Jaime quickly moved away from her as though he were scalded. Standing upright he took her hand and kissed it lightly. "Thank you for being such a gracious host, Lady Stark. I hope we meet again."

"Funny, I was thinking that I hope we never meet again." Giving her a terse smile. Jaime briskly walked away. Raising a brow Mal turned to see what Jaime was looking at, she saw Queen Cersei glaring in her direction, Mal gave her an odd look but Cersei had already looked away. Before she could think about it further Robb reappeared grinning. "My uncle Benjen is here." he gestured towards a corner of the hall where Lord Stark was conversing with a lean man with lupine features and dark clothes.

"Would you like to meet him?" Robb softly asked her.

Giving him a warm look Mal smiled. "I'll meet him tomorrow. The feast is finally starting to slow down. Why don't you and I get out of here? Torrhen's wet-nurse is watching him for the entire night and I don't know about you Robb Stark, but I don't intend on wasting any time." She discretely kissed him hard on the mouth which Robb eagerly accepted.

The two left the Great Hall and quickly returned to their rooms. Robb was shaking as he bolted the door shut so no one could interrupt them. Mal was shaking as well but mostly from nerves and not from excitement. The courage that the wine had given her was slipping away and her reservations were building again. Her body wasn't the same as it had been before she became pregnant with Torrhen. There were a few marks and scars from her pregnancy and labor and she was embarrassed over them.

Robb had shed his clothes as quick as lightning, but he noticed Mal's hesitation. As naked as the day he was born Robb strode across the room and held her close to him. "What's the problem, love. Is it too soon?"

Shaking her head, Mal fought away some tears. She could feel her cheeks burning as her embarrassment kept growing. "I do but I-I don't look the same as did before... before I had Torrhen." She quietly trailed off.

Robb said nothing but continued to stare at Mal with an indescribable look on his face. Slowly, he led her to their bed and laid her down with him following close behind. He kissed her eyelids, cheeks and nose before finally placing a kiss on her lips. "You are the most beautiful woman to me. As bright as you are I can't believe you would ever think I would not find you attractive. The fact that you gave birth to my son makes you even more attractive in my eyes."

Mal's eyes diverted from Robb's. "But the marks?"

"What do I have to do to prove to you that they don't matter?" Mal shrugged her shoulders but Robb smirked widely.

Carefully, as if not to scare Mal away, Robb moved down her body. He gently removed her clothing and started kissing every inch of available skin. Her breast were tender and sensitive due to breast feeding Torrhen. Robb softly nibbled and kissed on one breast before alternating to the other. Mal felt zings of passion jolt her lower body. When he was done adoring her breasts he continued his journey down her body. When he came to her stomach he lovingly kissed everyone of her marks making Mal giggle each time. "When a man receives scars in battle it only shows how brave he is. I think these scars show brave you are to carry a child and to give birth. I thank the Gods everyday for sending you to me because without you I would never have Torrhen. You two are the greatest joys in my life."

Sitting up Mal passionately kissed Robb. "I thank all the Gods- old and new - for delivering me safely to you." Running a hand over his face Mal pushed Robb on his back and climbed on top of him. "Allow me to show you how much you mean to me."

After kissing him deeply, Mal ran her tongue down his neck causing him to groan loudly. She ran her hands down the muscled pane of his chest. She nipped at the muscles in his abdomen, smiling as she watched his muscles jerk away from her sharp nips. She moved down even farther until she was eye level with Robb's cock. She tentatively put out her tongue and gave the head of his penis a lick noting with satisfaction the slight twitch his member made. Grinning up at Robb's flushed face Mal opened her mouth and sucked on Robb. Her tongue ran over the vein on the underside of Robb's cock causing Robb to let out a strained yelp. She continued to work his cock, sometimes letting her teeth to lightly scrape him which released the most funny sound from Robb. Soon enough Robb had enough of her teasing and grabbed her before rolling them over. Mal let out another giggle as he growled into her ear.

"Dornish minx." He kissed her so hard that she was sure her lips would be bruised in the morning. The two kissed for a few moments to help cool down Robb's ardour. When Robb was ready he set himself between Mal's thighs he continued to kiss her softly as he rubbed her thighs soothingly. Pulling away he whispered lowly to her. "You'll tell me if it hurts?"

Feeling frustrated Mal placed her hand on his cheek. "I'm more than ready, in fact if you don't get to it, Stark, I will castrate you."

A chuckle escaped Robb's throat. Taking extreme care he slowly pushed his member into her vagina. The initial pain made her hiss, it hurt worse than her wedding night. Sensing Mal's pain Robb stopped mid-way. He began to pull away before Mal's stopped him.

"It's fine. Just go slow." she cautioned. Robb nodded went about starting a rhythm again, only this time going much slower and gentler. It took awhile for a Robb to find an appropriate rhythm but when he did Mal started to relax and let the waves of pleasure course through her. Sensing that she was more comfortable Robb began speeding up. The waves of pleasure became more and more pronounced as Robb went faster and faster. Robb's harsh pants echoed in her ear, she felt herself getting closer to the edge. Her own moans and pants being muffled by Robb's shoulder. When she reached her climax she lifted her head and bit Robb's earlobe-which was also a weak point for Robb. Right on cue Robb's groans reached their precipice, his thrusts became short and jerky as he spilled himself inside of her. After he was finished Robb rolled off of her and gathered her to him. Mal laid her head on Robb's shoulder sighing happily. They were quiet as they felt their bodies cool down.

"So do you think we made another little pup?" Robb teased.

Mal lightly smacked his chest. "Hopefully not for a little while."

Playing with her hair lightly he let out a deep sigh. "I wouldn't mind it if you were pregnant again. Maybe this time with a girl?"

"Maybe one day, but for now I want to enjoy our time together. You me and Torrhen, in a couple of years we can expand the family."

"I would've thought that you would go crazy for a little Elia?" Robb teasingly asked.

"One day, we'll have a little Elia. But i'm patient, I can wait for her."

Robb snorted. "The Princess of Dorne, patient? That truly is a miracle." he finished with a laugh.

This time Mal slapped Robb's chest harder which caused Robb to laugh even louder.

A few days later Mal found herself near the stables with Torrhen. The king had an itching to go hunting with all the men so she brought Torrhen along to show him the fanfair. He was a fast learner and extremely curious. His eyes went wide as he watched the men saddle their horses. Mal looked around for Robb but he was nowhere to be seen. She did spy her good-brother Jon Snow sitting on a bench trying to put on his riding boots. When Torrhen noticed his uncle he let out a loud squeal that caused Jon to lift his head.

"Pup's getting bigger." He observed as he opened his arms for the baby.

Mal took as seat next to Jon and passed Torrhen over to him. "He grows fast, he barely fits inside of his swaddling clothes anymore." she loosened the restricted clothes a bit to demonstrate.

"It's good, he'll grow up strong." Jon reassured her as he played with Torrhen's hands.

"It's the Tully blood in him," she reasoned. "Starks are more leaner, like you, your father and uncle. Robb's a lot more stocky and it seems like Torrhen's the exact same way."

Jon nodded absentmindedly. Mal let out a soft yawn and rested her head on Jon's shoulders. She felt him tense up but soon relax. Together the pair watched the men get ready for the hunt. Finally, Mal lifted her head to address him. "I met with your Uncle Benjen earlier." She started innocently.

Jon's face never faltered. "How did you like him?"

"Oh, I liked him just fine. He's a wonderful storyteller. The things he's seen on The Wall, I have no idea whether he's telling the truth or having a jape at me."

"My uncle Benjen is no joker. If he told you something it must be true." he subconsciously winced as the words left his mouth.

Mal's face became dark and stormy. "That's what I thought, but I had hoped there was some japery in him. Especially when he told me that you were planning on taking the black."

"It's no jape, when my Uncle Benjen returns to the wall i'll be joining him." Jon stated proudly.

"Gods be good, that must be the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Mal cruelly told him.

"For what reason should I stay, Mal? One day, you and Robb will become Lord and Lady of Winterfell-with Torrhen following after you. My brothers will be lords of their own keeps and my sisters will be great ladies-Sansa is going to become the next Queen of Westeros. What will become of me? I'm a bastard, I can own no lands, i'll receive no glories. Any child of mine will carry the name "Snow". So what else is there for me?"

At that moment Torrhen let out a cry as if sensing the tension between his mother and uncle. "Torrhen should know who is uncle is. There are many things you can do around Winterfell. You could be a steward, a master of arms even a maester for Gods sake. There's no need for you to go marching off to some giant piece of ice with dreams of glory stuck in your head."

Jon began shaking his leg to appease Torrhen. "If I could I would stay here for Pup. You don't understand, the NIght's Watch is a noble calling. It's an honor to join." he said with a finality in his tone that Mal knew she would never be able to make him change his mind.

"You Starks and your stubbornness, it'll be the death of me." She shook her head defeatedly

Jon shot her a terse smile. "I'm a Snow, not a Stark."

Mal, Jon and Torrhen sat together until Robb came upon them informing Jon that it was time to leave for the hunt. Robb was in a sour mood. He and Prince Joffrey had not gotten off on the right foot and he wanted nothing more for them to leave. But he knew that when the royals leave so would half of his family. After bidding the party goodbye, Mal took Torrhen and went back to her room to retrieve Grey Wind. The direwolves weren't allowed outside of their rooms for the little prince and princess frightened of the rapidly growing wolves. Mal saw no harm in letting him out for a little while. Together, the three of them went deep in the Godswood. Grey Wind happily sauntered about sniffing at the ground and chasing after the forrest mice that occupied the woods. Mal rested near the giant heart tree she released Torrhen from the sling she used to carry him around and took off his binding swaddling clothes. Torrhen welcomed the freedom as he started to move his legs and arms.

Mal smiled down on the little babe. "Feels good, doesn't it." Torrhen let out a squeal of approval which made Mal laugh.

Tenderly she carried him over to the edge of the dark pool of water at the foot of the heart tree. She set him on his tummy with a hand on his back making sure he would not fall in. Torrhen joyfully slapped at his reflection in the water again and again. All the while Mal rubbed his back and played with his tuft of red hair. Torrhen's eyes color had changed to their permanent Stark grey but he had her complexion making his grey eyes even more striking.

"What a pretty boy you are," She told him. "We'll have no trouble finding a bride for you."

Torrhen's eyes followed his mother's mouth he was transfixed on the way her mouth moved and the sounds that came out. "Perhaps, one day when Sansa is queen and has children all her own we'll marry you to one of her princesses. Would you like that?" Torrhen gurgled sleepily in reply. "Don't worry it won't be for a few years yet." she finished jokingly.

At that moment Grey Wind came rushing out of a nearby bush. His ears were perked up and he seemed anxious over something. He quickly went to Mal's side and started whining

She had never seen Grey Wind exhibit such strange behavior. "What is the matter with you?"

Grey Wind started to become more antsy and started yelping right in Mal's face. Huffing an annoyed sigh Mal worked to put Torrhen back in his swaddling clothes and placed him back into the sling so he was safely confined to her chest.

Getting up to her feet she placed her hands on her hips to address the manic direwolf. "Go on then, let's see what you're so eager to show me." Probably some rabbit he's hunted down. She thought cynically.

Mal had to quicken her steps to follow Grey Wind at the pace he was going. He led her out of the Godswood and around the great keep to the other side of Winterfell where the old tower stood. Robb had told her that the tower had been part of the keep once but now it was abandoned. As they got closer to the tower Mal heard the mournful howls of another direwolf. Feeling her heart start to beat faster, Mal picked up her pace. That's when she saw the little wolf pup howling next to a broken lump on the ground.

"Bran!" Mal cried brokenheartedly. She rushed to his side careful not to disturb a now-sleeping Torrhen. Her hands gently cupped Bran's cheeks, she took great care not to move him. "Bran, can you hear me?"

The boy made no movement at all. His face was so pallid Mal couldn't be sure that he was alive. She looked around trying to come up with a plan. It was obvious that he needed the maester but she didn't want to leave him to fetch him. She turned to see the two direwolves lying down next to each other.

"I know you're smarter than you look. I need you two to go back to the keep and find someone, anyone. I don't care if you have to bite them, get them back here- quickly."

The two litter mates stared at her and then stared at each other seemingly confused. A groan of frustration rumbled deep in her throat. She about to leave and find someone herself when the wolves jumped up and ran as fast as they could back towards the castle.

I've put the fate of one little boy into the hands of two animals. She knew these animals were different. She could tell by the way to looked at her and how they acted, she just prayed that they would be able to find someone in time.

Turning back to Bran she ran a hand through his hair. He had yet to make any movement or sound, but Mal still made it her mission to comfort him. She began humming a song her mother use to sing to her back when she was no older than Bran. Though it may not have comforted Bran it did help comfort her as she looked down helplessly at the boy who looked so much like her own son.

Oh so sorry to have ended it here. I hate cliff-hangers as much as anyone. Although, it's not really a cliff-hanger because we know what happened on the show. Thanks so much for being patient. I had a rough semester and had to put all my time into my class work. But summer's finally here so now I have time for this story. Thank you again for all the support you've given me. You're all the highlight of my otherwise lame life. In case any of you were interested I created a twitter for the story EMTML. I use to keep people updated on the story. Give out little tidbits and factoids and now that it's summer I'll be live-tweeting GoT and posting random GoT/ASOIAF feelings.