Robb was hunched over his map, staring at all of the pieces, his hand clenched the table underneath. He knuckles grew whiter the longer he held on. I had an overwhelming sickness in my stomach almost the same as when I lost my father.
Quietly, I approached, standing next to him, but not touching him. Before us sat his mother, my brother, the Lords Karstark, Umber, Whyte, Glover, Bolton and Mormont. I did not want him to feel weak, just to know I was there.
"Give them pardon," he stated coolly.
"Your grace, you cannot—"
"All but Theon. Give them pardon if they turn him over," he ordered.
The Greatjon spoke up, "None of them deserve it."
"We need Winterfell back. If your son can get it," Robb stated, glaring at Bolton, "Then, yes, I will allow the Greyjoy men to live if they turn over Theon alive. He will pay for killing my brothers."
It was understood the men were dismissed at that point, but Lady Stark remained as did Bolton. Robb turned to me for a moment, "Did you try to help the Kingslayer?"
My eyebrows furrowed at this surprise.
"Did you try to help the Kingslayer?" he repeated and my eyes fluttered open.
I was in bed staring up at the ceiling of the tent. Finally, I realized Robb stood near the doorway, Grey Wind at his side, demanding an answer.
My mind was moving quickly, trying to piece together the dream and the moment at hand. It was far too early of an accusation for the morning. I had not yet even gotten out of bed after a night of sitting with my brother, talking, reminiscing and making the other promise one hundred things if anything were to happen to the other. That was enough to make my head spin, but it was even fuzzier now as I felt the tug deep in my chest, remembering Robb's words in my dream.
I pulled my eyes to meet Robb's. He stood over me with utter disbelief in his expression and a hurt in his eyes that I felt was unfair.
"His hand needs mending," I returned simply, trying to bring myself back to this time and place.
"His family killed my father."
"And he was no where near when that happened."
"You support him?" Robb demanded.
I sat up, "I am simply stating a fact. You have seen to the wounds of other men."
"And we saw to his," Robb interrupted.
"That wound needed closing, Robb. I did half of it before he was an idiot, broke our agreement, and walked away."
"You shouldn't be making agreements with men like that."
For a moment, I looked aside, working up the appropriate words to say what I was thinking.
"Am I your wife, Robb?" I demanded.
Robb looked confused, "Of course you are."
"Do you consider me your equal?"
"Of course I do," he returned in frustration.
"Then why can you not trust me? Or is it just that you do not trust me with that man?"
"He's unpredictable, vicious –"
"-You have not liked him since he flirted with me in Winterfell," I accused.
"And maybe you have liked him too much," Robb countered.
With a sigh, I tossed the blankets aside and got out of bed. The ice in Robb's eyes melted a bit as his eyes traveled down my body.
Biting back my smirk, I replied simply, "You know it's you I love, your grace."
"Do not start," Robb returned, his smile breaking through.
A few moments later, he had me in his arms, kissing me as we sat back down onto the bed. My heart rate started to rise, and I slid my hand down his chest, just beginning to touch the clasps on his doublet, when a few thumps of a sword came on the tent.
"Damn you to hell, Theon!" Robb yelled but with a good-natured tone.
"Theon? He certainly is not this polite," Will called out, still waiting on the other side.
Robb chuckled, "More likely that he would be less scarred than you if we were not out of bed yet."
"I would likely go insane," my brother agreed.
I managed a smile, but hearing Theon's name drove back all of the thoughts I had upon waking up. This must be why Theon was not at the Twins with us in the future; however, my hopes that he was far away and safe were quickly replaced with a bubbling of anger for something he had not yet done.
"I had better train," I stated, getting up to put on my clothes.
Robb's watched me put on my smallclothes with a wistful look.
"You could not train…" Robb began.
I cast a doubtful look, "We are pushing further, and I somehow do not expect that to be easy."
Robb said nothing as I pulled my dress over my head and began to set at the ties. I placed my hand on his shoulder and kissed him softly. "I will see you soon."
Robb nodded, adding with a smile, "You will."
"I have this theory," Will stated as he kicked up the hilt of a sword for me to catch.
"What is it?" I asked, taking a few practice swings to warm up.
Will grinned, "That if you saw me die in the hall of the Twins, I must be invincible for the time being."
I leveled a warning stare at him, much like the one I received that morning from Robb. "Will. That is absurd."
"What? Are you suggesting that your visions are wrong?"
Without warning, I brought my sword next to my elder brother's neck. There was still some distance, but it was enough to make him flinch and cry out.
"Seven hells, Analysa! What are you doing?"
"Do you think it would not draw blood?" I returned with irritation.
Will, however, managed another easy smile, shrugging his shoulders flippantly, "You would not actually hurt me, and I think I have little to worry about as we are not likely to be out of the Riverlands soon."
I gave a long sigh, "You are mortal, Will, and I believe my visions can change. They already have in parts. Do not tempt fate."
"Try me again. I won't be surprised this time," Will stated, nodding towards my sword.
I raised it, standing at the ready, and began to fight with him with the same anger I did when we were children and he had just played some trick on me. I could barely fathom how he felt invincible. He had just ridden into battle, just watched men fall around him, heard their dying screams. How could he be that foolish?
"Gods, Willem, you're letting your sister get the best of you," Theon taunted.
"She has always been a handful when she's angry," Will returned, looking at me.
"What did you do?" Theon asked.
I shook my head, "Nothing. Will is simply being Will."
My brother's brown eyes darted towards mine, regarding me coolly.
"I've had enough for today," I replied, sheathing my sword.
I was frustrated with Will, but even more than that, thoughts of Theon killing Robb's brothers swirled through my head. It seemed impossible. More than impossible, but I had seen it. And after seeing it, it was impossible to pull it from my mind.
"The giant bear woman says she will train with you tomorrow," Theon called after me.
I turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Tomorrow?"
He nodded, "Yes, get ready. She is literally a beast. Let me know if you need me to come in to save you."
I forced a smile, pushing away the hollowness in my chest at his words. In what world would Theon ever hurt the family he grew up with.
"I will let you know," I returned with a nod.
I cast one more glance at my brother, who stood with his arms folded over his chest defiantly. Theon's expression was full of curiosity. I never let him make such comments without giving him some sort of attitude, but I walked away before he could question me.
I wouldn't know what to say. The last thing I wanted was to talk to Theon about this now, but I also had no idea who I should turn to. Robb and Will were angry with me, and I did not feel comfortable enough to discuss this with Catelyn. Instead, I kept to myself for much of the afternoon, seeing to what preparations I could before we were to move the next day.
That evening, I slumped into a seat next to Lord Whyte, who looked at me with slight disdain. I took that as a complement, and even more of one when he chose to speak first.
"Your idiot brother," he began. I grinned, knowing this would inevitably continue on well. "Is going about as though a sword would break on his skin, not his skin on the sword."
I raised my eyes to the gods, praying silently to bring him some sense. "He believes in what I have seen."
"And do you?"
"I don't want to."
Lord Whyte cast a suspicious glance at me. "Your father never complained so much."
"He was always laughing."
"He was always laughing to keep others in good spirits. That is what you should be doing, rather than moping about because your brother may die or your husband is angry with you for helping the Kingslayer. You are a fool for doing that by the way."
"Noted. I just…I am trying to determine how to stop every thing, and I feel like my attempts are constantly being thwarted or questioned or…I wonder sometimes if I am doing any good being here."
Lord Whyte looked supremely irritated. "For someone who wants to be so meddlesome, you surprisingly lack confidence. Your father never waited for orders, nor cried when someone questioned his path—"
"—I am not crying; I am—"
The elder man was not interested in any excuses, "He did what he needed to and said what he needed to. He did not go around telling people what their future seemed to hold, but he said enough to make them think more carefully. He used what he saw to encourage us to move men around more strategically. Maybe the outcome was the same, maybe it was different, but regardless, he acted for himself, according to his own beliefs of what was right. He did not wait for Kings or would-be Kings to agree; he acted in a way they could not question."
"So your excellent advice is to stop waiting for encouragement and just start doing whatever I will."
"You Samelsons have always been busybodies and meddlers, but you're intelligent meddlers. You're here, Ana; you better start to do something."
