We were surprised not to hear a timely reply to our ravens – either one. Nothing was said of the Lannisters and no comments in regard to Sansa and Will came from King's Landing.

Life seemed to settle into some sense of normalcy again. I spent time training. I found myself looking after Rickon and Bran much more than before while Robb fell back into his typical duties as Lord of Winterfell. I could tell, though, that behind his confident exterior, he was beginning to grow uneasy at the silence. If I let myself truly think about it, I too felt uncomfortable.

I found Robb in our chamber writing a letter to his father. I stood behind him, wrapping my arms around him shoulders as I leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"I need to write to Arya," I commented as Robb reached up to rub my arms.

"We should have heard from the King by now."

"He is the King, Robb. He will answer when he chooses. I'm sure the Lannisters have little to say either at this time with the evidence we have."

Robb raised a questioning eyebrow, "If I've silenced the Lannisters with a pen, then I am the greatest lord to ever lived."

I smiled fully, "You may be."

"Well, you are certainly the greatest wife to ever live with comments like that."

I kissed him softly for a long moment before standing and walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Robb called.

"Training with Theon. You'll be there soon?" I asked hopefully.

"Absolutely."

Walking to the courtyard, I tried to push the worries from my mind. All we could do was wait. After we'd been so proactive, it was physically painful, though. Robb and I could put on easy smiles for our people and families, but he was frustrated. Theon frequently offered to lead a group to King's Landing, and I threw myself into training, knowing I would need it. It was nearly impossible to keep myself focused, though.

In the back of my mind, I couldn't forget that we still held the men who had burnt our fields, I felt ill whenever Will was mentioned, and I had an uneasy feeling each time a raven arrived. All of this affected my concentration.

"You had this yesterday. Why are you so miserable now?"

Theon was not the kindest teacher, but he was effective.

I glared at him, "Well, yesterday, I only had it for a moment before you determined you were hungry and needed to eat. Then, you disappeared for the evening with some young woman."

Theon smirked, "Right. Well, pick it up. Your feet moved faster yesterday."

"You also were more focused," Bran offered.

"And a great help you are," I teased with an affectionate smile towards Robb's younger brother.

The boy returned it as I gave my attention back to the Ironborn. Theon hit hard and fast, but I was able to absorb and push it back to him. When he knocked the sword from my hand, I let out another sigh of frustration.

"You have to be better," Theon stated.

"I realize that!"

But as I turned to show him my anger, there was a softness in his expression. He had been giving me that look for days now. Ever since Robb had told him what I saw would happen to Will, Theon would look at me with this sympathy behind his eyes that was not only disarming but aggravating. I didn't want to talk about it. It would only make me cry, and now, I needed to be stronger, more adept, more knowledgeable. I needed to see more and to take on more. I needed Theon's fight, not his pity.

For some reason, though, nothing worked today. I shook my head, turning to leave the courtyard. As I did, I saw Robb behind me, breathing a sigh of relief as I set down the sword.

"Tomorrow," Theon promised.

Walking towards Robb, my head hung low.

"Bran was right," Robb stated.

"What?"

"Much as I hate to watch you do this. If you insist upon it, you need to let yourself fight with your emotions again," Robb instructed.

"My father said too much emotion will make you prone to mistakes."

"He is right, but I'm sure he also felt a total lack of emotion would prevent you from truly focusing and fighting. You have to fight for a reason, or at least, I know I need to."

"I cannot think about Will, not now."

"Then, think of our home. If we had not yet found those men."

"Or I could think of you."

Robb smiled sadly, "I hope you are never fighting for me."

"That—"

"My lord," Maester Luwin called, interrupting what I could already tell would have been the beginning of an argument.

"Yes?" Robb asked enthusiastically. Clearly, he too was not interested in our discussion.

"You must come quickly. The response from King's Landing has finally come."

Robb looked to me, his eyes alight with excitement and apprehension. He pushed that aside, putting on his voice of authority as he called over his shoulder, "Hal. Theon. Come quickly."

For a moment, as the men walked away, I felt confused, watching them. Since we had returned, he had spent so much time working alone.

"Ana," Robb called. "Are you coming?"

Shaking myself out of it, I realized my concern was ridiculous. Perhaps I was spending too much time with Theon; I was becoming moody.

"You've never felt the need to be asked before," Robb teased, but that good-natured smile disappeared quickly.

As Robb's eyes traveled over the message, his face grew paler with each line, but when he reached the end, the paleness began to turn to redness. His jaw jutted forward, and he met Theon's and Hal's eyes with fire.

"Robb?" Theon ventured.

"Call our bannermen. Every one," Robb stated.

"What's happened?"

"The King's dead. My father is imprisoned. We're marching on King's Landing."

Theon's expression turned from initial surprise to excitement.

"We may need your father's ships," Robb added.

"They are yours," Theon replied, turning out the door to reach out to the Iron Islands.

"Hal, let our men know, and we'll put out the message," Robb added.

As Hal left, I exchanged a concerned glance with Maester Luwin.

"Robb, have we thought this all through?"

"What is there to think about? They've imprisoned my father for treason! What treason would he commit? He is the most honorable man I have ever known; we know the Lannisters don't trust us. The king dies and suddenly my father is in prison!" He exclaimed, standing. "We are bringing him home, Ana."

"Do we know that the best way to do this is by calling our men?"

Robb started at me incredulously.

"Can we do this through negotiation?"

"That is what this is, Ana. You, my mother, and I have been summoned to King's Landing to declare our loyalty," Robb explained.

In his anger, he wasn't able to explain this clearly. I took the letter from him to read what was written: The king had died from wounds sustained while on a hunt. Eddard Stark conspired against the crown and was now imprisoned for treason. Catelyn Stark, Robb, and I were to declare our loyalty in their city, and we would have the opportunity to plead for Lord Stark's life.

Robb had boiled it down to the key messages, but I still felt the need to question this strategy. "So, we are going to arrive at King's Landing with all of our bannermen?"

Robb let out a loud sigh, "I need everyone prepared. I have no plans to lay siege to that city now, but we cannot go near there without support."

"We also do not want to pressure them into doing something foolish out of fear," I pointed out.

"I doubt the crown wants a war with the North," Maester Luwin spoke up. "Assembling our forces will show our strength and should encourage the queen to find a more amenable solution where Lord Stark is pardoned, and we can all return in peace."

I glanced towards Robb, who watched the elderly man with his blue eyes wide and bright, wanting to believe him. Truly, I did too, but again, the words seemed to ring hollow.

"We'll call upon our bannermen," Robb repeated to Maester Luwin, before standing and walking away.

I saw him run his hands through his curly hair in aggravation as he exited the room. Glancing back to Maester Luwin, he looked concerned but resolute as he left to make preparations. My stomach was beginning to twist and turn into itself as I stood paralyzed.

"We'll have a great many guests in a short amount of time, my lady," he reminded me.

I nodded with a soft smile, "I will preparations."

As I passed the elderly maester, I added quietly, "Thank you."

I needed some task to take me away from my nerves and to force me to move and clear my head. Only when I had calmed down myself, would I be able to work out what I thought our next steps should be.