Warning, there is some sensitive material in this chapter that may offend/bother people.

Carry on :)

Chapter 30

Lust was a powerful thing.

It could wreck marriages, ruin friendships and most of all, consume those who felt it.

Lust was a representation of weakness— of ones soul— in particular and more often in men.

The amount of times Everra had seen men— married, widowed, unmarried— fall under lusts spell had gradually turned into a daily occurrence and she had felt tempted to laugh at their stupidity— at their idiocy because couldn't they see? Lust ruins.

She had trained herself to smother any of her emotions— to think with her head and not her heart— to train herself against any sort of desire that could bring about her destruction. She had been doing that ever since she was left motherless.

That is why, thirteen years later, in a middle of war she is completely and utterly furious with herself.

Desire kills, she repeated to herself, desire has no place for people like her.

But that obviously wasn't true? Was it? she asked herself furiously, pacing up and down her tent, you fool.

She stops in her tracks, a coldness seeping upon her skin, fear crawling up her spine as she places a hand on her lower stomach and glances down.

Damn you Edwin.

How had she not known? Not noticed? She relied on the fact that he was in love with her mother as proof of his loyalty. Hell, he had even helped her murder her father and frame someone else for the crime. How had she not even suspected his betrayal? His framing of Lord Gilbert and his family?

Not that she felt sorry for killing them, it would have happened sooner or later. Everra can feel Lady Gilbert's blood under fingertips, can feel her knife stabbing into her neck and feels nothing except anger of not having killed Lord Edwin as well.

But then her thoughts come to a screeching halt as her hands rubs her stomach, and she can feel feel her legs begin to ache, a rare fear creeping up her spine.

"Oh," she whispers softly, drumming her fingers against her stomach.

It had only been a few hours. . . .

But still, Everra could not help the bile suddenly rising in the back of her throat, her heart pounding against her chest.

What have I done? she thought, sitting down.

Everra vowed to herself in that moment that she would wait a few days before going to a Maester, in order to avoid suspicion. . . But what was she supposed to say? Are there any 'remedies' you can give me to end a pregnancy? That would raise too much suspicion, though she could threaten them. . . That wasn't good enough. Her reputation was at stake due to a mistake she had made.

Once.

Everything she had worked so hard for, would be for nought.

Because of—

Everra felt the anger within her threaten to break through the surface, she felt a savage urge to throw something or break something, if only to vent out her frustrations and anger.

Youngbird could be sent. . .

She quickly dismissed the idea from her head, there would be too many questions asked, too much suspicion, the healer would quickly deduce whom it was for. If she went around killing healers and Maester's it would draw to much attention and that would mean someone would go looking for answers.

Not only did she have this. . . . problem to worry about, but now she had to plan a way to get her home back. She expected a raven would arrive at any moment from Redrun, imploring her for her help.

We don't know how they knew about the passages it would say and Everra felt anger coil in her stomach at the thought of how cheated she was.

By both Edwin and Anna.

Everra frowned at the latter's name in her head, drumming her fingers in thought.

Jon would never forgive her if she had her killed. Never. She knew this.

Yet in that moment, she did not care.

All sympathy she might have had for the girl vanished with a flick of her hand, a cold anger she had not felt in years erupting in her veins.

If there was anything Everra hated more in this world it was traitors, especially those she had once helped.

Jon would simply have to learn to forgive her.

Everra reached for some parchment nearby, grabbed a hold of a quill and began to write.

I, Lady Everra Legrath, Head of the Legrath House and Leader of the Bloodlands, do nearby command the execution of the traitor Anna Riche, my former handmaiden. She is to be executed by beheading immediately and without question. The head of the course should be stuck on a spike as typical of traitors within my household.

She then signed the letter and sealed it, her hands moving swiftly and without hesitation. She would show no mercy to traitors, regardless of the 'relationship' she once had with them.

She sunk back into her chair, her eyes landing on the small, folded piece of paper.

Like mother, like daughter, she mused, linking her hands together.

The irony of it almost amused her. Her father had Anna's mother killed and now she was doing the same to her daughter. Though at least she was justified in her command, her father had been a blood thirsty madman.

Or perhaps it should be like father like daughter? She thought, a rare bitter smile appearing on her lips.

After all, madness seemed to run in the family.

When the sun rose the following morning, Everra peered up from where she lay on her bed, rubbing at her eyes before sliding out of bed, Andromache purring in protest.

She quickly slipped out of her nightgown, and reached for another dress, slipping it over her shoulders. She ran a brush through her long raven locks carelessly, trying to slip on her shoes at the same time.

The moment she put down her brush, a frantic voice called out to her from outside the tent, "My lady!" Young bird called, "We have received a raven from RedRun."

"Come in!" Everra called back, rushing forward to meet Youngbird and snatched the letter from his hands.

She ripped open the seal, her heart beginning to pound faster in her chest as she read its contents.

As she expected, it detailed their confusion of Stannis's knowledge of RedRun and implored her to send some men to the rescue. It detailed where precisely Stannis was and her skin grew cold as they admitted they wouldn't be able to last longer than a few weeks. She re read it a few more times, before becoming aware of Youngbird staring patiently at her.

"Young bird," she commanded, her eyes snapping up from the paper, "Release Jon from his cell and bring him to his grace's council meeting." Young bird nodded at her and just as he turned on his heel to move away she added, "You will join as well."

He paused in his steps before turning to address her once more, "Yes, my lady."

He then left the tent, his footsteps quickening. Everra calmly folded her hands together before casting a look at Andromache, whom was still perched on the bed.

"Lucky you," she muttered, gripping the letter tightly in her palm.

She then called in one of the guards standing outside her tent and instructed him to carry a heavy chest to his grace's tent.

When the pair arrived outside Robb's tent, she paused outside the tent for a moment and addressed the guards, "Is his grace ready for visitors?"

The guards— she noticed they were the same ones from yesterday— looked at her warily before nodding, with one of them muttering, "Yes indeed my lady, he mentioned that he expected you would be visiting him shortly."

Everra froze at their words for a split second, before quickly regaining her aloof composure.

"Wasn't that nice of him," she muttered under her breath.

She motioned with her hands for the guard to enter the tent, following behind him.

Everra briefly wonders as to what to expect from him. How do they move forward from this— he knows the truth now. Perhaps not the whole truth but the truth nonetheless. He was angry with her fro it, rightfully so she supposed. But this was not the time for petty thoughts.

She nearly did a double take at the sight of Lady Catelyn watching her from beside Robb. Everra had known they looked alike beforehand, but now with them both looking at her seriously, their matching blue eyes narrowed in distrust, Everra was slightly unnerved, but was careful not to show it.

"Your grace," she says to Robb, her voice even and formal.

She curtsied quickly, watching as the guard quickly placed the chest onto the table and hurried out of the tent.

"Lady Catelyn," she then acknowledged, nodding her head at the older woman, who returned the sentiment.

Robb did not speak too her.

"Lady Everra," Catelyn stated, motioning her to take a seat at the long table, "I understand we have a battle to plan. Quickly if I might add. The other Lords shall be joining us shortly I presume."

Everra eyed her for a moment, before quickly sitting down, choosing not to ask questions.

Robb had not looked at her since she had acknowledged his presence.

Time seemed to go by slowly, the silence becoming so thick it became hard for Everra to breathe properly, the tension building with each passing moment.

Did she know? Everra thought but then quickly dismissed the idea. If Catelyn Stark did know of her and Robb's. . . indiscretion she would have not been quiet about it. Everra suspected she would have made much more of a scene if she had known.

"I received a raven from RedRun," Everra stated, turning to head to look at the two of them, "They won't be able to prevent Stannis from sieging RedRun for at least another few weeks. All Stannis has to do is wait them out. Their scouts say they have men in the Blood Mountains which is where one of the passages leads. I believe that this may be an opportunity to eliminate Stannis."

Catelyn shot a quick glance at Robb, whom was at least facing her direction but was determinedly not looking at her.

"If we eliminate Stannis there will be no one else to claim the Iron throne," Catelyn started, her eyes started to gleam suspiciously as she looked at her, "Unless you wish to—"

"No," Everra interrupted firmly, "I have no desire to sit on the Iron throne."

Silence followed after her words.

"According to the late Lord Edwin you know someone who does desire the Iron throne."

It was the first thing Robb had said to her all morning. He still did not look at her.

She was aware of Catelyn glancing at her curiously, with the older woman demanding, " Who?"

"Daenerys Targaryen," she stated, staring her in the eye.

Catelyn visibly swallowed before regaining her composure, "Is it true she has three dragons?"

Robb snorted loudly, bitterness sketched onto his face, making him look older than his years, "She was the one who gave them to her."

Everra glared at Robb from across the table, fury boiling in her veins, "I gave them to a Magister who in turn gave them to her as a wedding gift. I indirectly gave them to her."

"Why did you give him such a possession?" Catelyn asked, struggling to hide her shock.

"To apologise for rejecting Viserys Targaryen's marriage proposal," She replied flippantly, her gaze still focused intently on Robb.

"Did you not deem this piece of information important enough to inform us?" Catelyn asked coldly.

"You never asked about my travels in Essos my lady," Everra retorted, her eyes leaving Robb's face for a brief moment to glance at her.

"This is not just an offhand piece of information—"

"She did not know mother, that she would be supplying a seeker of the Iron Throne with dragons," Robb said, cutting her off before glancing at her for a brief moment, their eyes connecting.

They seemed to glare accusingly at her, seemingly asking her Or perhaps you did know?

"Your demonstration of forgiveness your grace is truly appreciated," She said, knowing the words would sting.

The reaction was obvious. Robb's head snapped up to look at her, his blue eyes glaring at her furiously, with an anger that Everra had not known Robb to be capable of. It was even worse than how he had looked when confronting her the day before.

Catelyn noticed the change as well, her eyes darting back and forth between the two.

"Robb," she murmured, inching closer to him, "You need too—"

She was cut off by the sound of two people entering the tent and the fury on Robb's face suddenly evaporated, replaced by a cool, aloof mask like her own. She watched as his rose from his chair and titled her head to get a glance of the two people who had entered the tent.

It was Jon and Youngbird.

Jon was shifting warily on his feet, glancing up at Robb every once in a while. Everra tensed at the interaction and before she fully comprehended what she was doing she rose from her seat, though she did not move forward to greet the pair.

"You calm now?" Robb asked, addressing Jon.

Jon nodded at his words, his cheeks flushing as he murmured, "Sorry I punched you."

And then as an after thought he added, "Your grace."

Robb let out a small chuckle at his words and replied— almost cheerfully— "Not to worry brother, it didn't even bruise."

Everra could see Catelyn withdraw into herself, a cold, aloof mask slipping carefully onto her features. Her eyes— which had grown wide with shock— now narrowed in disapprovement at the interaction between the two brothers.

"Are we. . ." the words drifted from Jon's lips, an uncertain look appearing on his face as he glanced at her warily, his brown eyes shining with a small sliver of hope.

"Yes we are preparing for the attack on Stannis," Everra replied and she almost felt guilty at the loud sigh of relief Jon let out. His head sagging on his shoulders. Everra could see Robb tense from behind her, could see his gloved hands begin to twitch as he glanced at her quickly, before looking away the moment he realised she noticed.

He deserves to know her mind whispered. Everra narrowed her eyes in concentration, sitting back down her seat.

"Jon—"

"Take a seat," Robb interrupted, cutting her off harshly.

Everra stopped short in her speech, careful to maintain her detached composure. Jon looks between the two of them, confusion evident on his face, before taking a seat next to Everra, with Youngbird following in his footsteps.

"Let us begin shall we?" She said, clasping her hands together.

"If we come from above we will have the higher ground—'

"Yes, but if we come from around we will have the element of surprise—"

"Forgive me Lord Greatjon, do you not understand how difficult it would be to march thousands of soldiers along a narrow path?" Everra snapped at the grey-haired older man.

She smoothed her hands over the map once more, biting on her lower lip in thought.

The sun had long since risen since they began, the Lords trickling in every hour. They all surrounded the table, their voices raised from where they had yelled or conversed with one another. Sweat trickled down a lot of their faces, the heat in the tent was almost suffocating. They had come no closer to figuring out a plan in the past few hours.

They glared at each other, each of their tempers rising. The rest seemed to sense the tension as they quickly shuffled forward and one of them called out to Lord Greatjon, his words a weak warning.

"Perhaps if she had known how to defend her home we would not be in this situation," he muttered under his breath, though loud enough for her to hear.

Everra did not care what he thought of her, her mind to frustrated to even fully comprehend what he had insinuated, "I did not expect for one of my people to betray me Lord Edwin."

"There seems to be a lot of that going around with your people isn't it?" He shot back, his face undoubtedly smug.

"Apologise!" Young bird hissed, reaching for his sword.

"Stand down!" she commanded, her voice firm, "We have no time for childish bickering."

The two men stood down, but continued to glower at each other.

"How many men did you say Stannis had in the mountains?" Jon asked, his voice quiet.

Everra snapped her head towards him, watching his rather unsure expression grow more strong, his belief himself growing.

"A couple of hundred," she replied, watching him carefully, "why?"

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, "I was thinking that we split the army, we send one half to the mountains to defeat Stannis's group there and someone on the inside can open the passage door. We can then attack Stannis from both the inside and the back and he wouldn't have even noticed."

Everra frowned at him, though she could see some other Lords looking at each other in slight surprise.

"Yes but if Stannis does manage to siege RedRun by the time we get there, he will have all the passages he knows of guarded. Heavily. We wouldn't be able to sneak men in without alerting the entirety of his army."

"Yes but what if he hasn't taken it yet?" Jon retorted, staring back at her, rolling up his sleeves.

"So what?" she asks, "We rely on luck and chance for victory?"

The Lords and Jon deflated at this her words resonating with them.

A voice quickly followed her words, "Maybe we might have to, my lady. This is the best chance we have of defeating Stannis," Robb finished, his eyes glancing briefly at her.

Everra looked down at the map of her home once more, a heavy feeling settling on her chest.

"I suppose you are right, your grace but we must determine the amount of men and supplies we can sacrifice to this cause in relation to the upcoming attack on Casterly Rock."

Robb shook his head at her, his curls falling over his forehead, "Once. . . If we defeat Stannis Baratheon, it will be only us and the Lannisters left. If we can defeat Stannis it will bring the tide of the war indefinitely in our favour. We would be able to gain more allies, a lot more easily."

She could see a small, minuscule gleam in his eye that softened as he looked at her and muttered, "Casterly Rock may wait."

For one brief moment it felt like it had before— before their mess, their mistake but the moment quickly vanished with a blink of his eyes and Everra inwardly cursed herself for her weakness.

"How many men?" she asked eventually.

"I beg your pardon my lady?" Robb asked.

"Men," she clarified, "How many men will you spare me to go to battle?"

Robb looked taken aback by her question before quickly responding, "What makes you assume that none of us will accompany you to battle against Stannis?"

She glanced at him for a moment, her green eyes fierce and responded, "If we lose against Stannis— if I lose, you will be able to continue on. If you spare me a few thousand men and we all die, you and your cause will be able to move forth onto Casterly Rock and defeat Stannis another day. If you come with me or whoever else goes to the Bloodlands and we lose, you will die. And all of this, will have been for nought."

The room grew silent at her words, each of them sending glances and nods towards each other.

Robb glanced around the room, his blue eyes a steel mask against her words.

"And if you win?" he asks, "If you manage to kill Stannis what will that make of us?"

The tone of his voice had shifted, from comforting to bitterness to accusing— the implication of what he was saying was not lost on her.

"A skilled strategist who managed to defeat one of the greatest generals in the whole of Westeros, who managed to wipe out his family."

"What if you change your mind?" Robb snaps at her.

The tension in the room grew after the words left his lips.

Everra stared at Robb with a cold harshness in her eyes, her jaw tightening, "Your grace?"

They glared at each other furiously from across the table, before Robb cleared his throat and commanded, "Lady Everra and I have some important matters to discuss. This meeting has ended."

Everra stood there silently, resisting the urge to clench her hands into fists.

When the room finally cleared, Robb turned to look at her.

"What I meant was—"

"What in all the seven hells are you doing?" Everra asked, cutting him off.

Her hands were shaking as she spoke and continued to shake as she waited for a reply. Her breathing had increased and with it her chest rising more and more rapidly.

Robb blinked at her, taken aback by her tone.

"My lady—"

"Are you trying to ruin me?" she asked him furiously, "Or does it just come naturally for you to act like an angry little boy?"

"Excuse me?" Robb asked incredulously.

"Your excused," she snapped back, rage pounding through her veins, "But please tell me your grace, what would I change my mind about?"

Robb blinked at her a few times, a small flush of pink appearing on his neck.

"What if Stannis changes your mind?" he questioned, "People of your house and banner men have changed their allegiances before, what if he manages to change yours?"

Everra blinked at him, once, twice before laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

She placed a hand on her chest as she shook with laughter.

"You- think- that—" she erupted into laughter once more, watching as Robb shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," she said, after her laughter had finished, swiping at her eyes, "You think that he'll change my mind?"

Robb did not respond.

"No offence or anything Robb," she said, a giggle escaping her throat, "but if I wanted more riches and power I would have sided with the Lannister's and not with you." At this all pretence of laughter and giggles disappeared from her face.

"For all I know you could still be plotting with them to kill me," Robb muttered.

Calm yourself. . . .

"If I had wanted you dead I would have killed you long ago," she snapped at him.

Robb snorted at that in disbelief and though Everra knew he was angry and hurt— perhaps rightfully so— she snapped. Before Robb could comprehend what had happened she had moved swiftly forward and he felt a sharp pain in his ribs and a hand on his shoulder and with a surprised yelp he was turned swiftly into a lock, both of his arms pinned behind him with a knife to his throat.

Their faces were so close together that their breaths mingled, their chests rising together in sync.

"I could kill you within a blink of an eye Stark," she snarled at him, her green eyes flashing, "Don't forget that."

"Do it then," he challenged, "You don't care about my home and you sure as hell don't care about me, so do it. Kill me."

A cruel smirk appeared on her lips and a coldness that Robb had never witnessed with her before appeared in her eyes. He had never seen her like this. She had always been cold and aloof but he had never seen her be cruel. In that moment, he understood why people were so terrified of her father.

"I've put too much effort into this war for me to kill you now," she said instead, loosening her grip on him.

"Why not?" he asked her, "It would make it a lot easier for you."

She shoved him away from her, her green eyes furious as she raged at him.

"Your right, it would be a lot easier for me if I killed you. It would be a lot easier for everyone in this room if I killed you. You are an emotional child who acts like a man and clings to these ideals of honour and greatness and is too damned stupid to realise that there is NO PLACE IN THIS WORLD FOR HONOURABLE MEN! None. That's why your father's dead and your uncle and your grandfather, heck I reckon even honour killed your aunt too."

"And what killed your mother and father?" Robb retorted, anger boiling in his veins, "Sel-pity and drunkenness."

Everra's eyes flashed at him from across the room, her voice rising.

"Is that supposed to make me feel bad huh? Is a petty remark about my parents supposed to turn me into an obedient, silent woman? Sorry to rip your head out of the snow your grace but I really don't give two fucks about what you think about my parents. Did I kill my father? Yes, yes I did. And I did the whole of Westeros a favour when I shoved that knife into his neck, the same way my mother did me a favour when she flung herself from the battlements, leaving her brain splattered on the floor of the courtyard."

Robb glared at her and felt like no words could describe the anger he felt in his stomach.

"Shut up," he snarled at her, his fists clenching.

"What?" she asked, taking a step towards him, "Am I hurting poor little sensitive Robb's feelings? Am I making him angry? Do you want to hit me Robb? Huh? Come on Robb, hit me like a man."

She took a few more mocking steps towards him, goading him all the while and gestured to herself, "Come on, hit me."

Robb shook his head at her, taking a step towards the table.

"Hit me," she hissed.

Robb ignored her.

Everra let out a small sound of satisfaction as he continued on ignoring her.

"I would be the greatest queen Westeros has ever seen. I would be greater than you or any other ruler who came running for the throne. I would rule with an iron fist, I would make the kingdom great once more. I could still do it if I wanted to. All I would have to do to eliminate any competition from the east is have my spy's kill the Targareyn. Getting rid of the rest of you would have been as easy as baking a cake. But I won't. Because underneath the crown and the jewels and the pretty castle, a king or a queen has nothing. No power. They're like a puppet for the people, with invisible strings attached to the back of them, always keeping them in line, always telling them what to do. That puppet, is you. The ones who really have the power are the ones who pull the strings, who are the kings and queens in everything but name. Who have the power, the wealth and the mind to be a real ruler. A crown is merely an illusion for the puppeteers."

By now she had reached him and cupped his cheek with her cold hand, her green eyes pouring into his blue ones and what she said next made the hair on his arms rise and a jolt of lust down to his stomach.

"And in case you haven't noticed Stark, I am pulling your strings."

"I am your king," he said firmly.

"Yes and I am your queen in everything but name," she retorted, her eyes stuck on his, "And it is time for us to finish planning the demise of an entire house your grace."

A/N DUN DUN DUN! We're out.. . . now this chapter I'm sure will be controversial and thats good because it was meant to be that way. I wanted to demonstrate how-for lack of a better term- low Robb/Everra's relationship has gone. Everra is fed up with playing nice with him and acts scarily like her father. The words they both say to each other will burn and haunt them for a while. Especially Robb. Their relationship is both unhealthy and healthy for them both- good for them when they are on good terms and destructive to all those around them when they are not. They both . . . . change each other and it is up to them to decide whether or not its for better or for worse. Coming up next, The Battle of the Blood is coming. I'll try to upload the chapter as soon as possible.

Till next time! :)

Fionakevin073