Kailasa was dressed in a lavender colored gown with a corset on the outside when she greeted the Starks to her home. She wore a solemn expression the entire day. Her hair was twisted into a halo around her head, making it look like a silver crown sitting on her head. She had her hands folded in front of her, and her eyes cast downward. Many would think she was still in mourning of her father, but she felt as if she was mourning for her father at the same time she did for her mother; she was an orphan long before her father's heart stopped beating.

The moment that the Starks entered the courtyard, Arya had to be stopped from running to Kailasa by her sister. Pleasantries were given, introductions were said.

"Well, it's good to finally see the faces in the stories my sister would tell." Callum had told Lord Ned with a smile.

"I hope they were all good ones."

"They were," he told the lord of the North. "Now, come on inside."

"Hello Kai." Robb said, walking up to her as he smiled brightly.

The corners of her lips turned up slightly. "Hello, Robb."

"I'm sorry about your father." He told her.

"And I am sorry I had to leave in the middle of the night." She replied, if she hadn't then everything would have been taken care of. She wouldn't be in this situation.

"It was out of your control." Robb told her.

She nodded, just as Arya ran for her, flinging her arms around Kailasa's neck.

"You're going to be my sister." She said, as Kailasa wrapped her arms around the young girl's waist.

"It's good to see you too." Kailasa told her, squeezing her lightly as she closed her eyes tightly.

"Arya, come along." Sansa said harshly.

Kailasa let Arya go, and the girl frowned as she followed after her elder sister towards the inside of the palace. She took that moment to look around for another of Stark blood. She found none. She could feel a stabbing in her chest, but not one that she was used to; this one was worse. She couldn't let it show, not even a moment.

She didn't know what to do now, so she would hide behind her manners. She overall felt utterly lost...she thought he would come. Where was he? He was supposed to be there.

"Come on," she told Robb. "I'll show you to your room. After all, you showed me to mine at Winterfell."

"Okay," he held out his arm for her to take, and she did.

"This place is just like you described it." He told her after a moment.

"Are you enjoying the heat?" She asked, looking up at him.

"I honestly don't know how you live here, it's like always being by a fire, and then at night it gets rather cold. It's confusing." He said.

Kailasa laughed. "Welcome to the Coast. You should see some of our storms."

"You said it usually rains everyday."

"That doesn't count." She told him. "Those last an hour at most. I'm talking about storms where we are stuck inside our homes for a complete day. Where trees topple over, and where we have to rebuild homes. We've opened up our doors often to shelter the children in the orphanages."

"And you look forward to those?" He asked.

"No, not really, but it is a sight to see." Kailasa stated. "It's amazing to see how people help each other when we are rebuilding after a storm. It makes me feel like people actually care about each other."

"And you open the palace doors for children."

"Always."

"What a philanthropist you are."

"I don't think so." Kailasa said. "It is only the right thing to do." She led him up a grand staircase to the second floor of the palace, lifting her skirt with her free hand so she did not trip over it. "The best thing about this castle is it is rather hard to get lost in. It is rather wide open, so if you make it to a staircase you can make it anywhere in the castle."

"Unlike Winterfell, where every turn looks similar." He said.

Kailasa nodded. "Exactly, but here's a hint that you're going in the right direction." She pointed at the wall, where a trident was on the wall. "It points towards the grand hall, so if you follow them you can always make it there."

"Who made that happen?"

"My father did it for my mother. They're all different metals too. The gold ones are all downstairs."

"And where are the silver ones?" He asked.

Kailasa smiled sadly. "Many metals can look silver, Robb."

"But surely there are silver ones for his only daughter."

"And copper ones for his son." Kailasa told him. "The silver ones are in the tallest tower."

"Is that where your room is?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yes."

"Do you like being in the tallest tower?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I do actually. I can see everything from up there, I can see ships coming and going. I can see people approaching Goldenbirth, and people leaving Goldenbirth."

"Did you see us approaching?" He asked.

She nodded. "It would be rather hard to not see the Stark banners when you were coming towards us."

"Yes, we don't exactly travel in a small group, like you." He said.

Kailasa shrugged slightly. "If you travel in small groups, you tend to get places quicker."

"Sure, but what about the journey to get somewhere?"

"Sometimes you don't want to remember the journey." She replied, stopping in front of a light blue door. "This is your room."

He nodded.

"Okay." She said.

"Okay." He repeated.

"Well, I have to go now." Kailasa said, backing away a bit.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I have a few things to take care of." She told him.

"Okay, well just wait a second." He said.

"Hm?"

He took a step to her and kissed her. She wasn't surprised she had no right to be. They had kissed before, but it had never felt so wrong to her. She didn't want this. She didn't want him. Yet she was born for this. She was born to be married for political reasons, even if it wasn't purely political for him.

She loved someone else. A man who was born beneath her. A man that her brother would never forgive for if she married him.

A man that promised he would come for her, but didn't.

It only took a moment for Kailasa to come up with her excuses, and made her leave, knowing that she would cry at some point. And when she made it to her room, Meara was already there waiting for her, lounging on her bed.

Kailasa slowly closed her door behind her. "He didn't come."

"I know." Meara said. "I noticed."

Kailasa looked down at her hands,and began playing with her nails. "I feel bad that I really do not want to marry him."

"You cannot help it." Meara said softly. "You feel what you feel."

"He doesn't deserve this." Kailasa said.

"And you deserve what you were promised." Meara replied. "The world is unfair, make the best of it."

"So I get married tomorrow night?" Kailasa asked. "I say my words, and maybe one day tell him of this?"

"No. You will never tell him of this." Meara replied, her face suddenly serious. "He must never know."

"So I pretend I love him? I pretend I chose him?" Kailasa replied. "You're telling me to lie to him."

"Yes." Meara said. "It will make your life easier."

"Is that why you're not standing up to my brother?" Kailasa asked. "Is it because you don't want to make your life harder?"

"That's unfair."

"Tell me, do you agree with him or me?" Kailasa replied.

"I agree with neither." Meara replied. "I see both sides of the argument."

"You're a liar yourself." Kailasa said. "Get out."

"Pardon?"

"Get out of my room." Kailasa told her. "I don't want to see you right now."

Meara didn't move. "You hate me, don't you?"

"You have until I reach ten to get out of here, unless you want purple on your pretty face." Kailasa told her, darkly. "One. Two. Three."

Slowly, Meara rose, and walked towards the door.

"Four." Kailasa stood to the side. "Five. Six." When she reached seven, Meara was gone.

But Kailasa's fist still met the wooden door with a thud.

XXX

"You don't seem like yourself." Arya told Kailasa later that evening when Kailasa snuck away from everyone. Arya was the only one that noticed the girl leaving. She was the only one that felt like finding the girl, who sat on a stone at the edge of a pool with her dress hitched up to her thighs so her legs could get wet. Her shoes were discarded as if they were thrown away from her.

Kailasa smiled sadly. "Sorry."

Arya sat down next to Kailasa, sitting back on her heels with her legs folded under her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, little wolf." She smiled, brushing hair away from Arya's face. "It has just been a rather hard few years."

"Can I ask you something?" Arya inquired softly.

"Of course."

"Why didn't you pick Jon?"

Kailasa looked away from her, and to her hands that were laid in her lap. She didn't answer. She couldn't answer.

"I thought you would." Arya went on. "You were always together. He looked at you...and you looked at him like you never looked at Robb."

"Did he come with you here?" Kailasa asked softly.

Arya shook her head. "Mother didn't think he should come, and so he didn't."

Kailasa nodded slowly, not even knowing what she was thinking herself. She didn't know what to say. She just sat there, her feet kicking in the water. The soft lapping of the water melded with the sound of the breeze. Arya waited for a response, though. She needed one.

"Kai..." Arya said. "Why did you choose Robb?"

I didn't.

Kailasa stood suddenly, and black dots filled her vision. She felt lightheaded. She stumbled backwards, reaching for something to hold onto.

"Kai!" Arya cried, jumping up to help Kailasa, but her back already hit a tree, and she slid down it, her eyes closing.

Kailasa could barely hear the girl, like Arya was whispering from across the room. She could feel her heartbeat, but not much else. By the time she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by her brother, Meara, Elena, and her nurse.

"Did I-?"

"Kailasa Merrin, have you eaten anything today?" Meara asked.

"Piss off."

"Kailasa!" Her brother reprimanded.

"You can piss off too." Kailasa said, turning to her nurse who was dabbing at her forehead with a damp cloth. "Might I have some water?"

"Of course," Rebecca, poured some into a glass for her, and handed it to her, as Kailasa lifted herself onto her elbows so she could drink. She felt like she could sleep for a while, fainting always took everything from her, even if she didn't want to admit it. She looked at her brother and his wife with a storm brewing in her eyes. "Leave."

"You can't starve yourself to get out of this marriage." Callum told her.

"I forgot to eat. What's the big deal?" Kailasa asked.

"The big deal is that you are getting married tomorrow, and I swear to the gods, if you faint, I will never forget or forgive you." Callum told her.

Kailasa glared at her brother. "I didn't mean to not eat. I just can't stomach being around you. Go away."

"I'll tell the Stark boy that you are just nervous." Callum said. "I will also have some food sent up."

Kailasa rolled her eyes. "Do as you wish. It makes no difference to me."

"You are an ungrateful child, you know that?"

"It's a part of my charm." Kailasa bit out.

Callum just rolled his eyes before leaving, with Meara following, but she paused at the door.

"We're not your enemy."

"No, you're worse. You're my family."

A/N:

babiluv22: Kailasa's dealing with it in her own way. She knows she has to do this a certain way because she does care for Robb, but she doesn't want to marry him. She's also a bit in shock in this chapter because she thought he would be there. Thank you for your review!

xxxRena: Thank you! Nope. Nothing is fair, if it was certain people would be still alive. Thank you for your review!

Queen of Timey Whimey Stuff: Thank you! Not much of it was seen in this chapter (because this is all from Kailasa's perspective, so that will be coming up more later. Thank you for your review!

It's my birthday today…can I get a review as a present?

Kat