To right-brainer. Thank you for your kind words, I was really feeling self-conscious about this story and you made me feel better.
And to booksareforescaping for reviewing.
Annalys waltzed trough the great hall, answering swiftly and kindly the thousand questions that her subjects were posing her.
"No, I will not send more men into battle" she found herself repeating once again "We need most of them here, to produce the weapons".
"Please" she said to another "Do not ask of me to tell you what Lord - King Stark's - war plans are".
She had never felt so overwhelmed in her entire life, when news that Robb Stark had become the King in the North broke out, all of her subjects had fallen into a frantic panic, a fear that she herself knew all too well.
"My lords" she raised her voice, dozens of eyes turned to her, she smiled "I have told you all you need to know for now, but do not despair, I value your power and loyalty, I will order a meeting if the situation will call for it".
Everyone nodded and bowed, starting to crowd around the exit of the great hall, Annalys sat back on her wooden chair.
She smoothed her light blue dress, she soon found herself deep in thoughts. She was worried for her men, she was worried for the North, but most importantly -and she hated to admit it even to herself- she was worried for Robb, the boy whom she had grown up with, the boy she adored, the boy who she once had dreamed of marrying.
She mentally scolded herself, trying to pull her pieces together, I don't have time to be foolish.
"Lady Woods" she recognized the voice of her maester, Annalys readily stood up, she grabbed her heavy gown and wobbled to him, the tiredness making her vision blurry.
Maester Volarik handed her an envelope, he stared at her in waiting, scanning her face in search of some emotion as she maintained a stoic expression while looking at the sigil of a direwolf.
"Thank you" she muttered sternly, gripping the letter in her hand as she hurriedly exited the room.
Climbing the stairs two at a time she found herself at the top of her tower, in her bedchambers.
She closed the chamber's heavy wooden door with force, the sound of it slamming against the jamb echoing in the entire hallway.
Annalys sighed walking to her bed, a million ideas running in her mind. She felt extremely overwhelmed, Robb had wrote her, only two days before, that he would refrain himself from sending her letters, unless it was vital.
Examining the letter she run her thumb over the dark grey direwolf made out of wax, she was too familiar with it, having seen it her entire life from the letters that she exchanged with the Starks siblings.
Once I open this, she told herself, I can't go back, all the secrets that this letter holds will become true.
She opened the letter with lightness, trying not to ruin the wax symbol, then scanned it briefly searching for key words.
One caught her eye, marriage.
The lady gasped, was it Robb's or hers?
She decided to read the entire letter.
Annalys knelt in front of her two sisters.
"I'll be back my loves" she said patting each head with fondness "It will just be for less than a month and then we will have a party, like the ones mum used to love".
The two girls giggled, happy.
"I'll miss you more than a man in the middle of Dorne's desert misses water" she said kissing their foreheads, then she parted from them, approaching her grey horse instead.
Her squire hurried to her, helping her up on the equine.
For the first time in her life, she was wearing riding clothes. For the first time in her life she would leave her beloved North for she was to be riding south for seven days, in order to meet Robb at his camp near the Riverlands.
She, twenty of her most trusted men and two handmaidens trotted out of the fort, the early morning breeze making Annalys shiver, she was tired from the few hours of sleep she got each night and, even though they had been at war for a mere month, she was awaiting the end of it all with joy.
They rode for hours, the trot that, in other situations, would have been almost a stroll, this time had turned into a full gallop.
Annalys tried to find things to keep her mind occupied, going at such a high speed she couldn't converse with her handmaidens, unless she wanted to scream, and she couldn't even let her mind run free, because she knew she would end up thinking about him.
She tried to focus on the landscape that was passing by, her beloved mountains covered in snow started to morph into green hills.
She felt her horse slowing down alongside all of the others, and she started looking around confused, trying to mask her disorientation as curiosity.
"My lady you have to get down" she heard one of her men say, making her concern grow even more.
"Why? What's going on?" she asked, gripping the rails of her horse harder.
Her man raised an eyebrow pointing at the river in front of them "We're taking the horses drinking, my lady" he grabbed her waist, helping her to the ground, without saying another word he was off, guiding her horse to the river.
Annalys took a deep breath, she was growing more paranoid as she parted from her Woodsteep.
They cannot see me crumble she told herself, under her breath If they see I'm upset they will be too.
She started walking by the river, playing with her sleeves, pulling the threads out of her riding uniform. She had never felt so helpless.
In his letter Robb had talked about his upcoming marriage with a Frey girl and had also mention the possibility of hers.
"Enough of being scared" she said "Enough of this self-pity" she stopped, staring at her wobbly reflection in the water.
"Enough" she said, raising her voice.
She adjusted her hair, stood straighter, like a proper lady in charge.
"Enough of being scared" she repeated, nodding her head.
"My lord, lady Annalys Woods is here" said a man, Robb nodded.
"Let her in" the man opened the curtains of the tent and Annalys walked in, head held high, despite her dirty clothes and the fact that she was wearing breeches instead of her usual dresses, she looked fierce .
"My lords" she curtseyed in front of Robb and all of his men "My lady" she nodded her head to lady Stark.
"May I have a word with Lady Woods alone?" the young wolf asked, keeping his gaze on the girl, everyone left.
He tried to hug her, she looked at him with her warm eyes "Why am I here Robb?" she demanded, avoiding his touch.
"I need your help" he said "there are men in my army that I cannot trust".
He motioned her to get closer, she obliged. She fought the urge to cross her arms on her chest like she always did in uncomfortable situations, for she did not want to look childish. She decided to grip her breeches instead, knuckles turning several shades lighter from the pressure.
"Especially Roose Bolton" Robb continued, voice lowered to a minimum.
"Roose Bolton? Why is he even in your small council?" she said in a hushed tone "The Boltons have never truly been loyal to the Starks. Seven hells Robb, what are you doing?" she raised her voice slightly looking him straight in the eyes. Bickering with him like siblings, curtsy and manners long forgotten.
"I do not need your lecture, Annalys" she sent him a death glare "I need you to marry hi-".
"I am not marrying Roose Bolton" she whisper-shouted, slamming her foot down, her boot digging in the grass. He grabbed a hold of her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks.
"I need you to marry his son".
"No" Annalys said, her voiced raised "Never in a million moons will I become a Bolton".
"He is not a Bolton, Annalys, he is a bastard, he would take your surname" he half grinned, proud of himself.
"I am not marrying anyone, I won't be a stupid puppet in your game" she shouted, voice at full force, arms flailing in the air.
"Yes you are" he screamed back. He wasn't angry, he just knew that, sometimes, screaming was the only way to get Annalys to really listen "everyone is Annalys, I am too".
She shook her head, bewildered.
"Is it because you're forced to marry one of Walder Frey's daughters?" she gesticulated, eyes open wide "You're taking out the frustration of not being able to choose your wife on me?".
"Annalys" his hands slid from her shoulder blades to her forearms, grabbing them slightly in an attempt to calm her down.
"I am not marrying a bastard, Robb" she spat, her voice back to a whisper "Seven Hells I am not marrying Ramsay Snow out of all of them, have you heard what they say about him?".
He stared at her with a small smile gracing his lips, he wasn't a fool, he had gone into this argument knowing fully well what the lady's reaction would be.
"You do not have to marry him" he said finally "Just agree to the marriage".
"And then what? Your grace?" she spat mocking him, annoyed "The day of the marriage I run away?".
"No, you will wait until war is over, who knows what will happen then" he grabbed a hold of her hand, pulling her in the center of the tent "I will do the same and when I will defeat the Lannisters and take the throne I will marry you".
Annalys raised her head to meet his gaze, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
"You will become my queen".
"Robb" she exclaimed "I don't...". her heart was pounding, the sound of it beating in her ears.
"Please, Annalys". She didn't love, he didn't love her, but it seemed like the best opportunity she had.
She sighed "What if you don't make it?".
"Let's not think about that" he said touching her cheek lightly.
"Alright" she said, grabbing his hand tightly "I agree".
"I will not leave my fort" she dictated, hands on her hips, voice clear and strong "I will stop at the Dreadfort to collect your son and then we will progress to the Woodsteep, together".
She was standing near Robb, facing Roose Bolton, lord of the Dreadfort; scattered around the tent were a few of Robb's men, extremely interested in the exchange.
"When the war is over you will have your fort and part of my dowry and, finally, your son will take my surname" since you didn't give him yours, she wanted to add, but bit her tongue instead.
Roose Bolton nodded, it was clear he didn't like talking.
"I'll write a letter to my son, then" he came closer to Annalys, taking her hand and kissing it "It will be a pleasure to have you as a part of the family, my lady" he then looked at Robb "now, if you'll excuse me, my king".
Annalys watched Lord Bolton get out of the tent, then turned to Robb, giving him a small pleased smile.
"So you're getting married aye?" she turned around, Theon Greyjoy was staring at her with his usual grin, she chuckled.
"So it seems" she looked him up and down, he was also dressed in riding clothes "Going somewhere my lord?".
He smiled cheekily "I'm going to Pyke to negotiate with my father, we need more men and more alliances".
"I see" she reciprocated the smile "Have a safe journey, my lord".
They hugged.
"You too, my lady".
I'm back!
Finally the story starts to kick in! Next chapter we'll finally see Ramsay, but it'll be a while before we will see his true self.
ALSO, if the titles of the chapters seem odd to you I swear they make sense, they will all be lyrics from Marina & The Diamonds' song, Power & Control, I'm not gone completely mad (for now, at least)
Thanks to the two lovely people that reviewed, and thank you to the two that put this story in the favorites (I love you) and to the six that decided to 'follow' this story (I love you, too).
So yeah, I already have another chapter fully written and I'll probably upload it the day after tomorrow but I'm not too sure…
ANYWAYS, let me know what you think of this chapter, and the possible mistakes that I made.
Love you,
Nicole.
[this chapter has been re-edited on 1/05/19]