Hey guys. Me again. It's been a while since I've updated, but there's been too much stuff going on in my life. Anyways, I found the time to do this, and also, it's kind of a special occasion. This time, last year, I first published this story. Yup, it's been a year. I'm not gonna lie, I did not plan to drag it on as I did, but it's better not to force anything, right. Anyways, thank you for sticking with me, and here we go, present number 1. And, of course, present number 2: I have published another GOT story, called Running up that hill. It's Robb/OC again, but it's been going really well, probably even better than this one. After all, practice makes perfect. But I won't forget about my baby, this story is still going! Anyways, enjoy, and check out Running up that hill if you'd like. Love you all!

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For the most part, we were quiet.

At the beginning, it was nice. Both Catelyn and I had our own worries. As close as we are, there comes a time when you just appreciate the silence more than you ever thought you would. Only, that was how it was in the beginning, for the first few days. Now, it was starting to get annoying.

When we did talk, however, it was never too enjoyable, mostly because of the usual topics. How am I feeling, am I in pain, what are we going to say when we speak to Renly, what is possibly going on in the war camp, whether or not Theon has started his journey, what will we find once we do return… too many questions, with too many possible answers. It is not a nice feeling, not at all.

I wished Jon was here. I truly did. We have all changed our minds a thousand times about this, and what we did decide on was for him to stay with Robb and the army. That was the best decision, but I was being selfish now, thinking only how he would be nice company. And we couldn't bring Gendry with us, obviously. Still, that did not prevent me from feeling even more homesick than I already was.

At least we are close to it. We are close to Renly's war camp and we are close to a decision, whichever it may be. After all this time, we are actually doing something useful. We were all sick and tired of all the waiting, but our moves needed to be planed fast, and luck was not exactly on our side most of the time.

"Do you believe it will be over soon?" Catelyn asked me, and I wondered how that had never crossed our minds, or how it never was a topic of conversation amongst us. We were prepared for acceptance and for a negative answer, but we never considered the length of our possible stay at Renly's camp.

"I imagine he would need time to consider our offer, but I doubt we will wait long. Renly was always the hot headed brother out of the three of them. Definitely the most impulsive. I suspect we will stay a day or two." I told her. He must have thought of us as allies, even if he did not make a move in making it that way. While he is impulsive and theatrical, Renly is a smart man. In my opinion, he does not have what it takes to be a good King, but he surprised me before. Who's to say he won't surprise me now as well?

"I fear we have put more faith in this than we should." Catelyn admitted. It had crossed my mind as well. What if we do not succeed? What are we to do then? I always waved it away, having faith that it will, in fact, work, and that we will succeed in our intentions. Still, there is always the other option.

"I do not. It does not mean that I am right and you are wrong, but I believe Renly will make a good decision, for himself and for us. And if it that does not happen, I am afraid I will be at a loss on what to do next." I said. While Stannis is still an option, there is one too many obstacles. The biggest one being his pride. He will be insulted alliance was offered to his younger brother first, and that would be more than understandable. I will not dwell on that, not now, at least. If and when the time comes, we will come up with another solution. Now, all my faith is focused on Renly.

"As long as we are doing something. Anything." Catelyn said, and I could understand where her irritation was coming from. There was nothing worse than standing still; moving nowhere. It felt good being on the road, making a move. At least now it feels like we are fighting a war, and not simply waiting.

"That is the downside of making calculated moves; it takes time. Sadly, it is beginning to feel as if we are running low on it." I said. As if we didn't already feel like our days were numbered. And it doesn't matter anymore. First of all, we are making a move. And second of all, we are not in over our heads. That is, if all goes well with Theon and his family.

I can't help myself; I worry about that probably more than about anything else. With all that has happened, and with our history with Greyjoy's, my worries seem reasonable enough. While I still have my doubts, I have no other choice than to trust Robb's judgment, and hope that it is not wrong.

"I still say that it is better to wait than to rush it all."Catelyn said.

"I couldn't agree more." I said, and for a little while, that was it from our conversation. There are always new topics; the ones we already went over, the ones that are yet to come, and those we dare not speak of. The silence speaks for itself.

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I did not love my husband when I married him. It took me a while to love him, even longer to realize it. However, once I did realize it, the love simply kept growing. With each passing day, he became more and more important to me. He was my family; my everything. Well, he still is.

Had we started this was a year before, I cannot say for certain if I would have been able to do what I am doing now. Being away from him was pain; genuine, physical pain. A year before, I was a gullible girl who did not know any better and I honestly believe I could not handle being away from him.

Now, I am stronger. I have found a way to not miss him to the point where I cannot do my obligations properly because of it. I still feel pain, but I have managed to ignore it. Unfortunately, one pain could still not be ignored. I was still very much away from my son.

After spending countless nights thinking about nothing else, I have come to a conclusion which split my heart in two. Despite all she has said and done, Cersie truly was a better mother than I am. She would do anything, anything at all for her children, and she will never leave them. The same cannot be said for me. Of course, I was well aware that I the choices I made were for the best, but after being on the road for this long, I am not certain if I even believe in that anymore. Is it the truth, or is it just a lie I keep telling myself in order to stop myself from turning around and going straight to Winterfell?

The silence did not help at all. There was nothing there to keep my mind engaged, working, far away from my son as possible. I may very well be on a pivotal mission for our side, but my mind was not.

That could turn out to be a grave mistake, since we are close to Renly's war camp now. Too close for me to have any other worries on my mind.

"Will you do the talking?" Catelyn asked. It was so quiet for such a long time that we all snapped in surprise; including the horses, who became restless, if only for a second.

"I am certain that Renly will speak to us both. He may not know what he is doing, but he is quiet the gentleman." I said, smiling slightly. Flamboyant, outspoken, noticeable. That was Renly Baratheon. While he is decent with a sword and a spear, that is not his talent. His words are, always have been. Just with his words, he managed to convince quite a few noble houses to turn their back on his elder brother and join Renly's cause. But words cannot win a war; neither can one spear. Unless he kills us all on sight, I have no fear of Renly Baratheon. And he is not the host who kills his guests.

"I understand. But, perhaps, because of your past friendship, the two of you would reach an agreement more likely without a third party." She said.

"I believe there will be a chance for me to speak to him in private as well; I will ask for it. Only, Catelyn… do not consider yourself a third party. We shall do this together." I declared, and she smiled at me. This, this brief exchange of words gave me the courage I was lacking. While I am nowhere near calm, I do have more faith in the two of us. If anyone, anyone at all could do this, it is Catelyn and I.

"Your Grace, My Lady." Ser Rodrick called, and both Catelyn and I focused our attention on him." I believe we are here." He said. Soon enough, I realized why he thought just that; on a hill in front of us was a banner. A Baratheon banner; barely visible, only if you pay attention. And luckily, someone has.

"What should we do now?" Catelyn asked. How do we prove that we come in peace? If they are smart, they will ask questions first, but what if they do not?

"We should part ways; ten guards should join us and the rest should wait behind." Ser Rodrick said.

"Well, you heard Ser Rodrick." I said. As calm as I may seem, I am far from it. My hands are shaking, and I am positive my legs would fail me if I was walking." Ser Rodrick, lead the way."

Renly's men noticed us, but I believe they were not as efficient as I hope our men are; if we were planning an attack on them and we bothered hiding, Gods only know how long it would be before they would notice us. Now, we were not even trying to go unnoticed.

"Who are you?" One of them called out. The banner of House Stark was not enough for them.

"Queen Elena Stark and Lady Catelyn Stark request the presence of King Renly Baratheon." Ser Rodrick spoke. Call him King; it is better off to not start this negotiations by damaging his ego.

There was a long silence among us. Clearly, Renly did not assign his best and brightest to keep watch. It would have been better if we would be declined. This way, they are just contemplating what to do.

"Call for Loras Tyrell." I said, after the silence had become overwhelming." We shall wait for him." I said, and the relief Renly's soldiers felt was quite visible. One of them left us, and I turned to our men." Loras will know what to do." I said to them.

I was never close to Loras Tyrell, but I have known him ever since we were both children. He was a nice talk during boring feasts, but that is as far as our friendship went. I did live in the same castle as Renly; it was only logical that we had a closer friendship. I knew Loras is Renly's right hand man; if Loras knows we are here, so will Renly. And then, hopefully, we might have a chance to enter their war camp.

"This is unacceptable." Ser Rodrick murmured, but I heard him. In a way, he is right." A Queen and a King's Mother wait in the woods for a knight. Disrespectful. Very kingly of him." He added.

"It matters not, Ser Rodrick." I said with a kind smile." If we must wait, than we shall wait."

And wait we did. It took the soldier quite a while to return, but once he did, Loras was by his side.

It is safe to say that Loras was surprised to see me; I wonder if they even told him who was approaching the war camp. His mouth dropped, as if he'd seen a ghost. He did nothing to great us, but I did not take it against him; as shocked as he was, I should be surprised if he can even manage to speak.

"Greetings, Ser Loras. It has been a while."

"That it was, my Lady." He said.

"Your Grace." Ser Rodrick corrected him. I must remember to remind him not to do that; I take no insult if someone does not call me by my title. And it does not bring any situation to an ease.

"My apologies, Your Grace." Loras corrected himself, and I nodded." What may I do for you?"

"We wish to speak to King Renly." I announced, my voice sounding incredibly confident; much different than I expected it to." We come in peace. The war we fight is not against you."

"You are not the enemy, Your Grace. And you…" Loras said, turning to the soldiers who were keeping watch." You will be punished. Leaving a Queen to wait in the middle of the woods, while she should be greeted properly. Idiots, that's what you are." He said.

"Punishment will not be necessary Loras." I said, wanting to spear those boys from any harm; they were boys, younger than me, just old enough to be considered soldiers." I simply wish to speak to King Renly."

Loras is no idiot; he knows why we are here. We did not travel this far to reminiscence past times.

"Of course. Follow me, Your Grace." He said.

Catelyn, Ser Rodrick, ten soldiers and I followed Loras's lead. Soon enough, I realized why it took them as long as it did to bring Loras to us; the war camp was more secluded than we initially thought.

But Loras led the way, and once we entered the camp, I felt relief. Which disappeared only seconds later. Renly is not the foe, but we cannot know whether or not he is a friend. For as long as we are here, we are not safe. We are not safe anywhere anymore, not even in our own war camp.

However, in our own war camp, soldiers did not question our presence. They knew very well who we are and why we are here. But these people, these soldiers, they know nothing of us. I felt their stairs as we rode through the camp, following Loras.

I doubt they even know who we are. There is no crown on my head, no Queens' guard behind me; simply a girl on a horse with ten soldiers by her side. Not a Stark, not a Lannister. Simply a stranger.

I imagine we were somewhere close to Renly once Loras stopped and turned around to us.

"Your Grace, if it does not trouble you, I will take you to the council tent and King Renly would join you shortly." He told me. I turned to look at Catelyn. Do we do this together, or do I do this by myself? I wanted her by my side but it might be easier for me to reach Renly if we are alone. Ultimately, it should be her decision, since I could work with both options. She nodded her head, and that was enough for me.

"Very well." I said, looking back at Loras now." I will wait for him."

"My Lady, you and your company will be given refreshments and a place to rest." Loras said to Catelyn.

"Thank you, Ser Loras." She told him.

With one last shared look, Catelyn and I parted ways. She, Ser Rodrick and the rest of our men followed one squire and I followed another. He took me inside one big tent; once I was inside, I could see that this is probably their version of a council room.

The difference from our war camp was visible at once. We need fire, a nice place to sit, food in our belly's and that's about it. Renly, on the other hands, needs a bit more. Animal furs, wooden chairs with fine details, candles everywhere. Already I know that he didn't change one bit.

"Would you like some wine or food, Your Grace?" The squire asked me, and I nodded my head.

"I would, thank you." I said. I can't remember when is the last time I ate; probably yesterday. We did not want to waste our time buy building a fire and having a lavish feast in the woods. Not to mention that we did not have the proper ingredience for a lavish feast. And all of the nearby inns were not a good idea; there, we could not be safe. We ate on the go, only when we had to, and we slept only when we could not keep our eyes open any longer. There was nothing royal about that.

Renly is playing war. I can tell, just by looking at the layout of the tent. The tent Robb and I shared, it was full with maps and war plans, as was the tent we gathered the council in. This place? This place looks as if Renly's going to a tournament and is bringing a lot of people to cheer him on.

Stannis might end up being a better option. At least he is not a boy with a crown on his head.

"Elena?" I heard his voice even before I could see him. He truly was a boy with a crown. Robb never wanted to wear one, I have heard that Stannis doesn't wear one either. Joffrey does, I do not need to see him with my two eyes to know that. And so does Renly. A child in a man's body.

"Renly." I greeted him. While we were not that close, we were never that formal either.

"It is… it is so good to see you." He said, and I smiled at him. Now, there's the Renly I once knew. Before I was even aware of what he was doing, he hugged me. Again, we were never that close.

"It is good to see you as well." I said, pulling away from him. He always was charming and kind; he knew his way with people. I really shouldn't wonder why did all these people follow his lead." I must say, this change suits you." I said, not sure myself whether I was being ironic or not.

"And you too look different then the last time I saw you." He said, and I smiled, barely and with great effort. That was not what I wanted to hear. Some things are not worth remembering." Gods, we were children, weren't we? And look at you now. A wife, a mother. A Queen, as I hear." He said, smiling at me. As charming as he can be, sometimes he is an incredibly annoying fly you wish to squash.

"You hear well. There seems to be a lot of Kings and Queens running around Westeros these days." I said, looking at his crown.

"Too much, if I might add." He added, and all I could do was nod my head. Why did I not expect this? I know him, I have known him for years. I should have expected him to act this way; it's in his blood." If you don't mind me being up front, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked. Smug idiot.

"I believe you know that very well, Renly." I said. He seems to have forgotten what I am like, just as much as I forgotten about him. He will not push me around; I will not allow him. He should have known better, and he probably does. But I am not one of his pawns. He will not take me down easily.

"I can imagine." He said, still smiling. For a non-violent person, I truly wanted to punch him." And we shall speak. Only, I suggest you rest first. Perhaps even get some sleep; some food and a bath. You were on the road for a long time, and I can assure you, our troubles are not going anywhere." he said.

Our troubles will not go anywhere, that is certain. While I need my rest, I want this over with, as soon as possible. On the other hand, I need to consult Catelyn about everything. A little time might not be a bad idea. If only it didn't play well for Renly as well.

"I agree." I said, managing a small smile.

This is going to be long. Long and painful. I won't be going home anytime soon.