Chapter 15
Kailasa knocked on Robb's door, and he opened it quickly enough before seeing her and slamming it closed again.
"I can't see you before the wedding." He called through the door.
"I need to talk to you." Kailasa said, wondering why he said that. It must be a Northern custom.
"Can't it be discussed later?" Robb asked. "We have the rest of our lives to speak."
"We need to talk now." Kailasa told him. "Now open this door Robb, or I will make it open."
The door opened slowly, to Robb covering his eyes. "All right. Come on in, Kai."
"Robb." She groaned. "Please, Robb. Look at me."
"I can't. It brings bad luck." He told her. "Just say what it is that you need to say, Kai."
"I can't marry you." She told him.
Robb froze, his hand slowly leaving his eyes as he looked at her. "What?"
Kailasa looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry. Please, can we talk?"
"Why can't you marry me?" He asked her. "What happened?"
Kailasa closed her eyes a second. "Maybe we should sit down." So they did, and Kailasa explained the situation up to last night. She told him of her father's death, and the fate her brother decided for her. She told him that she didn't want to marry him, and the only thing he could say in reply was, "why?"
"It's nothing you did." Kailasa told him. "It's all me. It truly is."
"What made you choose him?"
Kailasa paused. "Someone once told me that when I met the right person things would change. Things changed when I met Jon. I didn't really know how much it did until after I thought I lost him. I thought he would come with your family, and I thought we would explain together."
"He didn't come with us. We left him behind with Theon." Robb said. "But now you've decided to do this alone?"
Kailasa shook her head. "Not alone. He's here. A captain I trust greatly brought him here."
"Why?"
"Because he loves me." Kailasa said. "He knew what I wanted, and he helped me get it."
"And it's not me?"
"I'm sorry."
"Kai, that doesn't make sense." Robb told her. "I can give you anything you want. Do you want to stay in the South? We can stay at Silversheet for a while."
"It has nothing to do with where I want to live." Kailasa told him. "I'm sorry. Right now I don't even know if I'm going to get Silversheet. My brother could take it from me, and I could have to fight to get it back."
"But you're still going to do it?"
Kailasa nodded. "If anyone's going to mess up my life it's going to be me. This is for the best, Robb. You have to trust me on it."
"I can't." Robb told her. "You know, before you first came around Theon, Jon, and I, we were talking about you." He paused. "We were all trying to convince each other that we were going to win you over. Not Jon, really. Theon and I actually tried to get him in on it."
"And?"
"And Theon said he would be lord of Pike one day, and sailing is in his blood, just as it is in yours." Robb told her. "I said that I would be lord of Winterfell one day, and all you had to do was fall in love with the North and you'd fall in love with me."
"And what did you think Jon had?"
"I didn't think he had anything that would matter in the end." Robb told her honestly. "I didn't think you'd ever choose him over me. Not really. I thought maybe, maybe, you would want him to stay around, be your friend. I thought he may love you enough to stay around a while longer. I never thought you would marry him, or want to. I thought it'd be me."
"I'm sorry." Kailasa said, again. "I am so sorry Robb."
"You're not." Robb told her. "You're still going to do this." He looked up. "And seven hells, I'm going to help you. What are we to do about this?"
Kailasa forced herself not to smile. She didn't know if he was actually going to help her do this. "We need to gather your father and my brother. We don't have much time."
XXX
Kailasa waited for them to come in. She had word sent to her brother to meet his study. She just hoped her brother would not be the first to arrive, or they would not be alone for very long. She didn't have time to get Jon-and if she did, she wasn't going to. He may not leave the room with everything intact if her brother found him there.
Kailasa saw the marriage contract on Callum's desk. Her fingers brushed over it. Where their father's signet ring would be pressed into wax. Her name was already on it. So was Robb's. Names would be signed while the feast would be held. The houses Merrin and Stark would be united.
Not anymore.
"There's our bride to be." Callum said happily as he walked into the study with Ned and Robb. "You're glowing this fine morning, now what would you like to speak of? You have a wedding to prepare for."
Kailasa turned around, and looked at her brother. "Robb and I are not to be married."
Callum laughed without humor. "Yes, you are. Do not remain on this, Kai."
"Remain on what, Callum?" Ned asked. "Is there something you are not telling me?"
"I do not want to marry Robb." Kailasa told Ned, walking straight up to him, knowing he had not heard her story yet. "I have tried to get this taken care of for many weeks now, and my brother has refused to let me say it. I have not agreed to any marriage publicly, and only one privately. We never got the chance to come out and say it because I was taken from Winterfell in the middle of the night." Kailasa took his hand. "You, yourself said I was welcome to marry either of your sons. I promised Jon I would marry-" She was cut off my her brother grabbing her arm and pulling her away.
"Seven hells, Kailasa." Callum said. "Are you trying to ruin everything?"
"I'm trying to do what you should have done weeks ago." Kailasa tore her arm from her brother's grasp. "I am not a dog! You cannot tell me what to do."
"I am your brother, yes I can." He said.
"Obviously not." Kailasa told him. "You haven't gotten away with it since I was ten years old. You used to be my ally. You used to agree that it was stupid that Father would send me from castle to castle so the lord's sons can look down my dress and bet on if they will be able to bed me before I marry one of them. You used to be on my side."
"And now I am the head of the family." Callum said.
"Enough." Lord Stark said. "And Robb, what have you to say about all this?"
"I do not want a wife that is unwilling." Robb said, though he looked like he was keeping his features schooled.
Just then, the doors burst open to two guards came in, holding each of Jon's arms. He had a bloody lip, and he was only half dressed with his shirt completely undone.
"A chambermaid found him in Lady Kailasa's chambers, my lord." They told Callum.
"Unhand him this moment." Kailasa said, making the guards drop his arms. She walked towards him as Jon stepped away from them, flexing his back.
"I should've locked the door." Jon said softly as Kailasa looked over his face to see what other damage they had done.
Kailasa shook her head. "The chamber maid has a key."
"Well, then-"
"In your chambers Kailasa?" Callum demanded. "Tell me that you are still virtuous."
Kailasa looked at her older brother, then at Jon, then down at herself before looking at her brother once more and shaking her head.
Callum took a step towards them, and both Jon and Kailasa tried to push the other behind them.
"Isn't this already decided?" Robb asked. "She's going to marry him. They already planned it, she told me so herself."
"If she does, she's not getting her lands." Callum said.
"I'll fight for them." Kailasa said.
"No need." Lord Stark said. "There are lands just south of the Wall that I have been trying to fill with some of the population. One of the holdfasts needs a lord...and a lady." He added, nodding to Kailasa. "Until it is ready, they could stay with us."
"Are you saying there would still be an alliance between our houses?" Callum said, calming down.
"Unless you cast Kailasa aside." Ned said. "I would wish that none of my sons would be able to do such a thing to their sisters."
Kailasa looked at Callum. "What do you say brother? Would you like to lose an ally or gain one?"
Callum swallowed. "I believe we have some names to change, and I did pay for a wedding, it will be done tonight."
Ned nodded. "Agreed."
"Kailasa, go do whatever you should be doing."
"Sorry, brother. I don't know if I should leave."
"Why ever not?"
"Because I know your temper, and I would rather not be surprised with what happened in here later." She told him.
"Then perhaps the three of you should leave." Ned said. "Surely you all have things to do. Especially if two of you are getting married."
The three of them nodded, before leaving the room, pushing the guards out of the way as they did so. After the door closed behind them they all looked towards each other.
"Well, it looks like you'll be wearing my clothes, Jon." Robb said. "Good thing we're pretty similar sizes, otherwise you'd be fucked. Oh wait. You already were."
"Robb." Jon said.
"Just a question, when did you know she was going to try to stop the wedding, before or after?"
"Before." Jon said.
Robb nodded. "That's better than the other way, I guess."
"Robb." Kailasa said. "Thank you. I know you're not happy, but thank you."
Robb grimaced. "Well, I wasn't going to get you either way, was I?" He asked.
"Sorry."
"You're not, actually." Robb said. "But that's okay."
"You'll be happy this happened one day. You're going to find the girl of your dreams, and you are going to forget all about me." Kailasa told him.
"Yeah, sure." He looked to his brother. "Come on. Wouldn't want to make you late for your own wedding."
Jon nodded, looking at Kailasa. "I'll see you soon?"
"You sure will." She couldn't help but smile. "I'll be in blue."
Jon smiled. "I can't wait to see it." He kissed her lightly on her forehead, before going with his brother.
Kailasa turned around, still smiling as she walked to her room, where her maid was waiting.
"Well," Elena said. "Now that you have the bridegroom of your dreams, shall we make you the prettiest bride in Westeros?"
"We shall." Kailasa smiled.
XXX
The gown was layered, but with strips of different shades of blue fabric than actual layers. The bodice was beaded and tied around her neck. It suited her very well with the low neckline and the long skirt. The top half of her hair was pulled from her face into a braided bun on the back of her head, though the bottom half was left down, covering her back. A silver tiara was placed on her head that was covered in pearls. She looked like a siren.
When Kailasa stepped out of her room, her sister-in-law was there to meet her.
"Are you ready to be wed?" Meara asked her, looking like she was rather uncomfortable, and Kailasa couldn't blame her.
"I am, no thanks to anyone but the Starks and Captain Jones." Kailasa said. "Please tell my brother I will walk into the sea alone. I never needed his protection to begin with."