Authors Note: So here is the long awaited reunion between Lyrina and Robb. I worked really hard on it, I re did it like four times. I hope you all like it. Thank you all for the reviews once again, the favorites and follows as well.
Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones or any of the characters from it. I own Lyrina and my plot. The lyrics below are from "Still here" by Digital Daggers.
Chapter 12: On your side.
"Love to turns to ashes with all that I wish I could say. I'd die to be where you are, I tried to be where you are." "When I awake you'll disappear, back to the shadows with I all I hold dear."
Lyrina's P.o.v
"If you scream I will slit your throat." The voice belonging to her captor was rough, and one she had never heard before. She fell limp in the mans arms, her knife was in her saddle bag there was nothing she could to defend herself. "Run and I will kill you."
The man took his hands off of her for a only a moment before he grabbed her arms forcing them behind her back. Lyrina winced in pain as the man pulled her arms roughly, tying her wrists tightly together.
"I am here with terms for your leader." Lyrina used her calmest voice, not allowing the man to see her fear. Emotions were to be left in private, she needed to remain calm.
"Shut up, Lannister spy." Lyrina heard a second voice come from her left, the panic began to set in more. What were these men going to do to her? Would they kill her without even bringing her to Robb? The man who tied her arms up began to push her forward. She understood he wanted her to walk so she slowly began to make a move forward.
"Did you find anything in the saddle bags?"
"A small knife, and some papers sealed with the seal of the Lannisters."
"They are terms.." She did not get to finish, the man holding her jerked her arms back as she tried to speak causing her to hiss in pain.
"I said be quiet." Lyrina felt herself slowly begin to slip, slip back into letting her fear show. She would not allow these men to get that kind of rise out of her. "Should we take her to Lord Stark or wait?"
"It is late, we should not disturb him with the spy. I am sure he will handle her in the morning." Lyrina felt herself panic more. She did not know what a night with these men holding her captive meant. She would have to convince them to let her see him, see someone who knew who she was. They were almost at the camp before the man who searched her horse commanded the other to stop.
"Did you check her for weapons? We can not have her in the camp if she can attack people." The man holding the rope to her arms jerked her around so she was facing him. He was an ugly man, short, and stout with greasy hair. She could tell he was no doubt a northern man. She still could not see the other man in their company.
"I will now, sorry, my Lord." So whoever the other man was, he was important. He was not just another solider but a Lord himself. Lyrina stood still as the man stripped her of her cloak throwing it to ground. He began to run his hands up her arms, along her waist, back and chest. He found nothing, and he knelt down to check her legs, Lyrina thought of kicking him but she remembered there was still another man. "She is clear."
Once again the man turned her around and began leading her again. She was about to mention her cloak, but she knew the men did not care if she was cold. It was snowing, and Lyrina was not dressed for the snow, she was freezing. The camp that once seemed full of life to her was dead as they entered it, only a few men now milling around the fields. They were all men with different banners, ones she recognized from her studies. All the men were loyal bannermen of Lord Stark, and now of Robb. The portly man kept shoving Lyrina forward, leading her no doubt to wherever they kept prisoners. The men took her to a small area where there was a makeshift cage, no doubt meant to hold Robb's wolf Grey Wind. She was thrown inside, her arms still tied behind her back.
"You can go, I will keep watch over this spy." Lyrina heard the voice of the so called Lord. She heard the other man grunt, and then she felt herself being untied. For a small moment she had hope.
When the man untied her Lyrina began to rub her wrists, which stung from the burn of the rope. She did not turn to see the man who untied her, but it did not matter he made her turn around. She looked up at the man crouching before her. He was not any man she knew, his eyes were cold grey and his hair was dark. He did not look like a nice man, he did not look like any men of the north she had met before. He just seemed as frigid as the weather. He grabbed her hands and tied them once more, this time securing her to the wall of the makeshift wood cage.
"You will stay here until the morning, Lord Stark will decide what to do with you before battle."
"No please, go get Lord Stark, he knows me." Lyrina was not begging, she kept her voice as diplomatic as possible. She was shaking from the cold. "Go get Lady Stark, or even Theon Greyjoy, please I know them."
"I am sure you do know who they are. You are a Lannister spy, now shut up." His voice matched the coldness of his eyes.
"I am.."
"I do not care who you are, your name means nothing to me girl. Now shut up before I make you." Lyrina did not like the man. He backed out of the kennel and locked it. She felt trapped, she could do nothing. The man stood beside her playing with knife he had found in her bag. She wanted to take it and stab the man.
"I am here trying to bring terms to your Lord, you would do wise to go get him. Now." Lyrina was using the best authoritative voice she could muster. "You are going to be sorry if you do not let me out."
The men just knelt down next to her face and glared her. He did not care who she was, she knew saying she was King Joffrey's sister would garner her no sympathy from this man.
"You will see Lord Stark in the morning, he has a battle to prepare for." The man was angering her, the longer she was locked in there the angrier she got. Lyrina could master controlling her sadness, her fear, almost anything but her true anger. She had her father's temper.
"You will get him now."
"I am not going to play games with you, girl. You should not have been spying for the Lannisters."
"I wasn't you fuck." Lyrina could see the anger flash in the man's eyes but he made move. "I was waiting till morning to deliver those letters, I needed rest. I have ridden almost a week from Kings Landing."
"So you come from the King? That makes you even more of a threat to Lord Stark."
"Of all the fucking people in this camp, I am the least threat to him and if you could go get him you would see that. If you stopped being a stubborn ass and got somebody from Winterfell you would understand that." The man was now angry, she could see that. She had pissed him off, and she did not care. She was cold, and she was angry that the man could not even go get Robb. He knew she came from Kings Landing, did he not put together who she was? Did no one from Winterfell speak of her?
The man stood up after that and refused to listen to Lyrina's words. She sat there planning how she could get someone else's attention, it was clear this man did not want to hear what she had to say. She sat there shivering in the snow, wishing she could scream but she feared what he would do. She was afraid if she screamed he would kill her. She was so close to Robb, he was no doubt somewhere near by. She was so close to him and she could not even see him.
"Who is this Roose?" Lyrina had her legs pulled up to her chest and her head resting on her knees, trying to keep warm. She had been sitting in the freezing cold for what seemed like hours when she heard the familiar voice. Lyrina picked her head up and looked out of the kennel to see Theon Greyjoy. She had truly never been happier to see him in her life.
"Just a spy we picked up."
"Theon." Lyrina's voice came out shaken and shuddering as she spoke. The cold had gotten to her, but she knew as the man knelt down her recognized her.
"Are you crazy Bolton, do you know who this is?" Lyrina heard Theon yell at the man as he opened up the kennel door. "Lyrina, are you okay?"
"She was spying on the camp, she had letters from the king." Lyrina was too shaken to speak at first, her voice caught in her throat, her whole body felt like ice.
"She is Lyrina Baratheon, daughter of the late king, former ward of Winterfell." Theon began to cut the ropes holding her ropes as she yelled at the man Bolton.
"She did not tell me who she was."
"I tried to tell him, he said he did not care. I told him to get Robb or you, someone." Lyrina was still shaking as she spoke, but Theon slowly lead her out of the kennel. She stood up and felt her body still shake.
"She is freezing. I understand you do not trust Lannisters, Bolton, but when someone demands to see Lord Stark you bring them to him. He has told you that before."
"He has a battle tomorrow against Lannister forces, I did not want to disturb him." Lyrina looked up at Theon, he seemed to have grown into a man since the last time she had seen him.
"I do not care. Hand me what you have taken from her, and I will bring her to Robb myself." Lyrina leaned against Theon, she found it hard to stand. "Her lips are almost blue, she would have been half dead by morning."
Theon took her belongings from the man and began to walk her away. Lyrina leaned on him for only a few seconds longer before she began to stand her own, still shivering from the cold. Theon took off his cloak and gave it to her, apologizing the man's behavior. He told her she should have sent word she was coming, Robb would have waited for her. Lyrina tried to explain she was waiting for morning to approach the camp, but the men had caught her hiding.
"Robb is in there, I will let you to discuss what you need to." He handed Lyrina back the papers she had with her but kept the knife. "Just in case you truly do plan on killing him."
"Theon, do you know?" Lyrina wanted to know if he knew of the marriage pact, and she knew if he did he would understand her.
"About what?" She shook her head before heading into the Robb's tent. She knew if Theon had known of the marriage pact he would have answered as such.
When Lyrina entered Robb's tent his head was down and he was working at a desk. She did not speak at first she just stood there staring at him. His hair had gotten slightly longer in the months they were apart, he had kept the stubble on his face, and he seem broader in the shoulders. She could not help but smile to herself at the sight of him. She had spent the week trying to down play the moment, trying to keep herself angry with him. And though the angry still bubbled inside her belly, happiness lived there as well. She had missed him, missed the sight of him, the smell of him and the feel of him.
"Robb." Her voice betrayed her emotional state and she wanted to kick herself. She wanted it to be formal, she wanted it to be distanced from the past. The man lifted his head as she spoke and as their eyes met she knew what he was feeling. His blue eyes began to shine and he was out of his seat before she could speak another word.
"Lyrina." He was in front of her before she could blink, he was inches from her. She smiled despite herself, she smiled at him as he smiled back. "What are you doing here? You didn't run away did you?"
"No, I came to give you terms from my mother." Lyrina held out the papers to Robb, her hands still slightly shaking. He took the papers from her and threw them toward his desk. They missed the desk and landed on the ground, they both let out a small laugh.
"You do not know how happy I am to see you." He went to hug her but Lyrina stepped back. "What's the matter?"
"We can't Robb, I can't get close to you. I will wait for your reply to the terms and then I will leave." She was back to hiding her emotions, acting just like her mother. She could not let him see her heart racing in her chest, the happiness in her.
"Lyrina, you do not need to act this way around me. You don't need to pretend." Lyrina become shocked, she did not understand how he knew. They had spent months apart, and yet he knew she was hiding her emotions. "Lyrina in all the time I have known you, you have never hid your emotions. So when all of a sudden you are not letting them win, I know you are pretending. I am not your family, I am not the people of Kings landing. I am Robb, you do not have to hide from me."
"Why not, you hid from me." Lyrina felt the anger rise once more. Who was he to tell her not to hide from him when he hid stuff from her. He hid the fact that he knew of their marriage, he hid the fact that he could have kept her in Winterfell.
"Lyrina, I explained to you in the letter why I did that. You need to understand."
"I didn't read it, if you are talking about the one you sent through a rider. It is still sitting in my room hidden, I never read it. It came the same day your father told me about the marriage." Her words were strong, and she knew there was some venom in her tone. She was angry, and she was mad about what had just happened to her.
"I am sorry you found out that way, I tried telling you sooner. I just, I couldn't and I am sorry." She knew he was sorry, she wanted to forgive him. She wanted to jump into his arms and never leave them but she couldn't. "If you go back to Kings Landing you can read the letter, if not I will explain it all to you."
"I have to go back Robb, there is no if. If I do not return back to Kings Landing my mother will throw your sister in the dungeon alongside your father. I am sure Joffrey will kill her if I am not home." Lyrina could see the color drain from his face, he would never risk Sansa. Robb turned his back on Lyrina and for a moment she let herself breathe freely. She was fighting so hard not to get close to him.
"Okay, okay. You will go back but that does not mean we can't talk like we used, it doesn't mean we have to pretend like we are strangers."
"It does, because I won't want to go back." Robb still had his back to her and Lyrina wanted to cry. She was so well together in front of others, but in front of Robb she felt herself turning back into that girl. To the girl who let him see every little vulnerable piece of her. Jon and Robb were the only people in her lift to see every side of her.
"Come sit down, Lyrina." Robb had sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him. Lyrina hesitated a moment before she found herself next to him. "I have to go to battle tomorrow."
"I heard when the men brought me here, and when they locked me up." Robb looked at her as she spit the words out of her mouth.
"What do you mean?"
"I was waiting for morning to come bring the terms to you, but these men grabbed me and dragged me here. One locked me in a kennel which I assumed is for Grey Wind, and he was adamant about me staying there until morning. If Theon hadn't come by, I fear I would have froze all night."
"Did you ask for me? Did you tell them who you were?" She could hear the anger in Robb's voice.
"I asked for you, I told them why I was here and when I went to tell the man my name he told me my name did not matter to him." Lyrina looked over at Robb and she could see his body tense.
"Who was he? Did he tell you his name?"
"I think Theon called him Bolton, maybe. It is no matter now Robb, I am here and I can tell you my mother's terms." Lyrina reached for Robb's hand and held it in her own. She knew he was angry, and she did not wan him to be irrational on her behalf.
"I go to battle with your uncle tomorrow Lyrina, he is attacking my Grandfather's men." Lyrina did not know of her families movements. She did not know of her families efforts in the war.
"I am sorry, I didn't know that my mother's family was marching against your own truly. I heard whispers but.." Lyrina was kept out of the loop in the whole war. Her mother never told her, and she was sure even Joffrey knew very little of it.
"I just want to go home, Lyrina. I just want my family, I want it to all go back to the way it was before your family came to Wintefell." Lyrina smiled to herself. She wanted that too.
"You can go home Robb, my mother is offering you that. She says if you pledge fealty to my brother, and march home your father will be pardoned for his crimes." Lyrina was hopeful, if Robb really wanted to go home she could make it happen.
"What crimes, what did my father do that anger your family so much?" Did he really not know? Lyrina could not imagine that he had not been told of his father's actions.
"Robb, your father claimed in front of a lot of people that my brother had no right to the throne." Robb looked surprised and Lyrina could understand why. His father was not the type to make such claims without proof. "That is treason Robb."
"Why would he say that if he didn't have proof? I don't understand Lyrina, my father would not lie like that he has too much honor."
"He believes that my mother and uncle Jaime had relations resulting in the birth of my siblings. Your father does not believe that my siblings are heirs of my fathers, that I am the only one." Robb let go of her hand and stood up. She could see the wheels turning in his head. "It isn't true Robb, I think someone mislead your father."
"You don't believe him? My father would not be so easily mislead Lyrina, he would not just state something like that without his facts checked. He would not risk his life, unless he thought it was true."
"I am sorry Robb, but I am telling you not even my mother is sick enough to sleep with her brother."
"I disagree with you, it makes sense to me." Lyrina felt angry, she felt angry that he could think that her family was that messed up.
"That's sick Robb, not even my family is that sick. I know my mother hated my father, and I do not think she was faithful but sleeping with her own brother is disgusting." Lyrina felt her voice raising. Who was he to judge her family?
"Lyrina just think about it though, everyone of your siblings look like your mother and you don't. Don't you think that is just a little odd?"
"No, things like that happen. Sansa has red hair, you have hair like your mothers while everyone else looks like your father. Does that mean your mother slept with her brother?" Lyrina was angry, and she did not mean what she was saying, but she could see anger flood over Robb as well.
"That isn't the same thing Lyrina, you aren't listening to me."
"I am listening, I am listening to you try to tell me my family is okay with incest. I am listening to you tell me that my mother committed incest because my siblings don't look like my father." She was sure people could hear her yelling, and his voice was not too quiet either.
"Fine, you can sit there and believe your mother." She was fuming, and he was as well. Lyrina did not want her time with him to be a fight anymore. Once she had seen him she gave up on being angry with him, but now she got what she had planned.
"Are you going to accept the terms, Robb? You can go home, your father can go home, all you have to do is pledge fealty to my brother." Lyrina watched Robb go and pick up the papers he had thrown earlier. He held them tightly in his hand before tossing them into the small fire he had going.
"What about Sansa? You mention my father but not her." Lyrina knew it would come up, she knew her mother was not going to let her go.
"I believe my mother is going to keep her as a ward, or to marry my brother. She will be used to ensure you do not rise against the crown again." She was sure it was all written in the terms he had just set on fire.
"No, Lyrina, no. My sister comes home with my father, or there is no way I am going to bow to that prick you call a brother." Lyrina shrank back at his tone. She knew why he was angry, she understood everything.
"Robb, I can keep her safe in Kings Landing I can protect her. And when the time came I could take her out of there like I did with Arya, it will just take some time." Lyrina wanted Robb to take the agreement, war was not going to benefit anyone.
"I know you can Lryina, but I don't want you in Kings Landing either. I want you with me, you belong with me." Lyrina felt her body cover in chills as he spoke. You belong with me. Joffrey would tell her the same things when he would come into her room. Constantly reminding her that she could never leave, that she belonged to him, to her family.
"I belong to no one."
"Lyrina, I did not say you belonged to me. But you belong with me, you know that and I see it in your eyes." She wanted to be with him, she wanted it more than anything.
"There is no way for it to happen Robb, we won't get that chance back. My father is gone, your father is in prison and my brother would never allow it." Robb came to where she was sitting and he knelt in front of her.
"I don't care about your brother, or your mother Lyrina, I care about you. Do you want to marry me? You love me right, you trust me?" She looked into his blue eyes and saw that he was genuine. He cared for her, loved her.
"Robb, we can't. We need to accept that, and do what we can to help your family." He took her hands in his own as she spoke, and she felt herself losing control of her emotions. He had such a power of her that no one else did. After months of feeling herself slip into being like her mother, he pulled her right back to who she used to be.
"I will get you out of Kings Landing, I will get my family out of there. I promise you." Lyrina felt the anger rise again, she did not want his promises.
"Don't make promises you don't plan to keep." Lyrina spit her words at him. He didn't move, he just held her hands in his.
"I understand your anger, but you will understand soon. I love you Lyrina, you have to know that." She nodded, she knew that. She knew that she loved him too, and she knew love was never simple.
"I should go, you need to rest and as do I if I am going to head back to Kings Landing tomorrow." Lyrina went to get up but Robb held her hands in his still.
"Stay the night." He wasn't asking.
"Robb it will only make things harder on both of us. If I stay, we won't want to let go." Lyrina knew she would want to stay, she was already falling apart. She wanted nothing more than to stay.
"It's already going to be hard to let you go, please it's just one night."
"What happens when someone comes in the morning? What if one of your men find you in bed with the enemy? What if your mother comes in?" Lyrina was sure his men would lose respect for him, sleeping with the kings sister.
"Lyrina, you are not the enemy you are my betrothed. No one is going to take that away from us, and when this war is over it will be made official. I do not care what my men think, and my mother will speak nothing of it." Lyrina knew he was not going to sway on the subject.
"One night Robb, but only because it's better than sleeping in the cold." She did not want him to know she wanted to stay with him. She knew that he knew but she wanted to imagine he didn't. She wanted to think that she was good at hiding herself from him.
She slipped into his bed waiting for him, watching as he stripped himself of most of his clothing. Lyrina felt herself blush as she watched him strip to nothing but his breeches. She had seen him that way before, but in the moments alone with him it felt so intimate. She was still dressed, afraid to let herself be close to naked in front of him. He slipped into bed beside her and got comfortable looking at her, waiting for her to make the first move. With a deep breath Lyrina laid her head on his bare chest feeling his warm skin against her.
"I missed this." He whispered as he kissed the top of her head. Lyrina smiled and wrapped her arm around him.
"I did too, I've missed you. I know it mustn't seem like it with the way I have been acting, but I did really miss you Robb." Lyrina's voice was quiet, finally letting her wall come down completely.
"I know, and it is okay Lyrina. You have been through so much, and I can't even imagine what it was like for you in Kings Landing. I am sorry about your father, I didn't say that, but I am so very sorry." He kissed her head again, and Lyrina felt herself melt into him.
"It isn't your fault, it was his own. His drinking always got the better of him. I am sorry about everything you've been going through Robb. How did it come to be such a mess?" Lyrina whispered against his chest.
"I let you go." Lyrina just squeezed him, she did not wish to think about that. It was still a bitter thought for her, but she would read his letter upon her return maybe she would find peace in it.
"It's in the past now, you need to get some rest. You go into battle tomorrow, I do not want to be a distraction." With that Lyrina closed her eyes, and it took only seconds for her drift off happily. She had no worries laying in his arms, no one could hurt her. Her brother couldn't touch her, or try and kiss her, she was safe.
Robb's P.o.v
He had her in his arms, she was right there laying her head on his chest. Robb was not dreaming as he had for the months she had been away, she was real. Lyrina was laying on him breathing steadily as she fell asleep, safe with him. Robb had dreamt of the moment he would see her again, he imagined it in his head a million times but nothing compared to the real thing. It was heated, angry and full of emotions he could not explain. He knew she was mad at him for not telling her about the marriage pact, he knew she was mad at him for believing her mother would commit incest but none of that mattered. Anger gave way to their love, and the two of them lay together in peace.
She felt so fragile in his arms, he was afraid he could break her. While he had gained more mass over their time apart it had seemed she had lost it. Her frame was slimmer than it had been when she left, her body had developed in other areas, making her more shaped like a woman than she had been but she looked frail. He saw she still wore the necklace he had given her, and it made him smile. To him it was more than just their two house sigils, it represented who they were to each other. He knew he should sleep, he knew he should rest but he couldn't not with her in his arms. He was afraid that the moment his closed his eyes she would be gone.
"Robb, are you awake?" Robb looked up to see Theon coming into his tent.
"Hush, she is sleeping." He kept is voice down, the last thing he wanted was to wake her. She felt so nice laying against him.
"Sorry, I waited until the screaming match died down. I wanted to see how she was doing, when I found her she was frozen." Robb thought back to when Lyrina had told him about the man who had her kept prisoner. His men knew better, he had told them if someone asked for him they were to be taken to him directly.
"She told me it was Lord Bolton, is that true?" Theon nodded, and Robb felt anger boil in chest. He had no love for the man but he was a loyal bannerman to his father. "I will deal with him tomorrow, he needs to learn."
"He said if he had known she was the princess he would have brought her to you. I don't believe it, he didn't give the girl a chance to say who she was."
"I am just thankful you stopped by, if not I fear what would have happened. Lyrina has been through a lot, she won't tell me what has gone on in Kings Landing but I can see how she has changed." He leaned down to kiss her head again, he could not get enough of her laying there.
"She looked frail, at first I thought it was from the cold, but I doubt that now."
"She is, she has gotten thinner than the last time we saw her. She has changed in many ways." Robb worried for her, sending her back to Kings Landing. He could see how strong she had gotten though, no longer the frightened little girl he let go.
"I am sure it's all for the best. What did she bring you as far as terms went?" Robb considered Theon to be his second in command, his best friend and his brother he knew he could trust him.
"I could pledge fealty to Joffrey, and my father could return home with us." Robb knew the terms sounded good, but he could not leave Sansa in the queen's hands.
"You aren't going to take them are you?" He knew Theon understood it wasn't a matter of pride, but of honor. How much honor could he have if he left his sister with the prick?
"No, I told Lyrina if I couldn't have Sansa back I didn't want to accept the terms. I told her I didn't want her in Kings Landing either."
"Robb, I know you care for her but she is the enemy. She is just as much the enemy as Joffrey is, her family is causing all this. You would be smart to keep her as a hostage, gain some leverage." Theon didn't understand. Lyrina was no enemy, not to Robb. Lyrina was his future wife, the future mother of his children. She was also the one true heir to the throne, whether or not she believed it Robb did. He believed his father was right about the incest, which would leave Lyrina as the only child of Robert Baratheon.
"Theon, what I am going to tell you next stays between us and us alone. Do you understand me?" He needed to trust Theon, and he needed Theon to trust Robb's motives. It was not only out of love that he was going to protect Lyrina, she was valuable.
"Of course, Robb you know you can trust me."
"My father was arrested because he believes that Cersei Lannister conceived three of her children with Jaime Lannister." It disgusted Robb to even think about. Sisters and brothers should never be that close.
"For fucks sake." His voice was louder than Robb expected and he felt Lyrina move against him. He shot Theon a warning glance before slowly running his fingers along Lyrina's back to keep her calm.
"If this is true, which I believe it is, Lyrina would be the sole heir to the iron throne. She would be in danger in Kings Landing, she is the rightful leader Theon. But she is not the enemy either, she is my future wife." Robb watched Theon's face contort into confusion,and spekulation.
"Future wife? Robb her family would kill her before they would let her marry you. If she is the sole heir to the throne, she would be a valuable asset in war against the crown." Robb knew she was valuable but he did not want Theon to think of her as just a means to an end. Lyrina was still a person, a person he would do anything for.
"We were promised to each other as children, I still do not believe her mother knows of it. I found out when her father came to Winterfell, Lyrina only found out before my father was arrested. I do not care what her family says, we will marry one day. I do agree with you, she would be valuable but we can not keep her here."
"Why not?"
" If she does not return to Kings Landing, her mother will throw Sansa in jail or her brother will kill Sansa. I am not going to risk my sister's life for leverage." Robb would never put Sansa in harms way, and Lyrina would not either.
"I understand. I know that you trust her, but is Lyrina on our side Robb? Has she grown to close to her real family to let them go? I don't know what your head is thinking but you can't let your notions of love ruin your plan." Robb looked down at the girl with her head on his chest. He had no doubt she was on his side, he knew she was on his side. She saved Arya, she stayed behind to protect Sansa, and she loved his family just as much as he did. He knew she would do anything for them, and he would do anything for her.
"She is on our side Theon. She saved Arya, my sister is safe at home because of her. My sister will never have to worry about being threatened. She stayed behind when she should have left to make sure my other sister was taken care of. She knew she was believed to be the rightful heir to throne, whether or not she accepted it, and she stayed there for Sansa. If she wasn't on our side she would not have done any of that."
"She would if she was playing you Robb." Theon gave Robb one more glance before he exited the tent. Robb refused to believe she was playing him. Lyrina was not someone who would play a game like that, she would not go through all of that just to betray him. He held her closer to him and closed his eyes. He loved her, and he would trust that she felt the same way. He would trust that everything she was doing was out of love for him and his family. He could not believe that she would do it for any other reason.
Catelyn Stark had gotten little to no sleep the night before her son rode off to battle. How could she sleep knowing her eldest son was going off to fight a war, a war she only hoped he could win. The Lannisters were no laughing matter, and she could only pray for her son. All she could do was pray to the Gods for her family. She was thankful three of her children were home safe in their beds, she was grateful for Lyrina saving Arya. But she had a daughter in the hands of the queen, and her husband was locked in a cell for something she didn't even know of. She was not a defenseless woman but she was not a woman who could fight in a war, it was up to her son to save them. Her young son, he was not even the age of eighteen yet, close but he was not there yet. He was her first born, her little boy, and yet he had become a man so fast.
Catelyn was praying for the coming battle when she heard someone enter her tent. She looked up to see Lord Bolton had come to pay her a visit. The man disgusted Catelyn, the rumors his house to still flayed man made her look upon him with disgust. A man without honor,was what she saw. Nonetheless he was a loyal bannerman to her husband, and now he was willing to fight alongside her son.
"I am sorry to disrupt you Lady Catelyn, but last night a woman showed up in camp and I believe she spent the night with your son. I can confirm she was a spy from Kings Landing." Catelyn was filled with worry. She knew her son was not stupid, but if he had willingly taken a spy into his tent alone, she worried what would have happened.
"What were the circumstances that this woman came into our camp." She stood up from praying and brushed her dress off.
"I found her along with one of my men last night, I had her locked away planning on delivering her to Lord Stark in the morning. She was telling me to get him, calling him Robb, but I refused to indulge the spy. She was taken from my custody by Greyjoy, claiming he knew her." Catelyn could only imagine one person who Theon would take from Bolton, only one person from Kings Landing Theon would vouch for.
"Was her name Lyrina? The daughter of the late Robert Baratheon?" Catelyn was getting closer to the exit of her tent, if Lyrina was in the camp she had to see her.
"That is what Theon claimed but I could not imagine the queen sending her daughter to you." But Catelyn was not listening to Bolton, she was headed for son's tent.
If it was Lyrina, she needed information about what was going on in Kings Landing, she wanted to know her daughter was safe. The last word she had gotten from Sansa was the raven sent with the queen's words. She waited a moment outside Robb's tent unsure if she should enter. If the girl had stayed the night she did not want to interrupt them, but she needed to see her.
"Robb?" Catelyn called to her son to see if he was awake. She heard a reply from inside so she entered.
Robb was sitting at his desk eating while talking to the dark haired girl on his bed. Catelyn looked the girl over and smiled, it was Lyrina. Her dark hair had grown longer, her body seemed thinner than she remembered but other parts of her slowly had grown into a woman.
"Lyrina." The black haired girl turned her attention away from Robb and to Catelyn. The smile on her face was one Catelyn hadn't expected to see. Lyrina got up and embraced Catelyn before she could think about it.
"Lady Catelyn, I am so glad to see you. I did not know if I would get the chance before I left."
"You are returning to Kings Landing?" Catelyn worried for the girl's safety there but she could not deny part of her was thankful she would be there.
"I must, I was just here to deliver terms to your son. I was taken in by two men and kept until Theon found me freezing." Catelyn could only imagine how frightened the girl had been. She was there expecting to see someone she cared for instead she was treated as a threat.
"I heard about that, I am sorry, for the way those men acted. I am sure my son will take care of that." Catelyn looked over at Robb who nodded. She knew her son would make sure they paid for their treatment of Lyrina. "What were the terms, if my son does not mind me asking?"
"My mother is offering your husband pardon for his crimes, if your son pledges fealty to my brother and.."
"He's not the true king, Lyrina."
"Robb we are not arguing about that again, I am speaking to you mother." Catelyn couldn't help but smile at the strength she saw building in the young girl. She no longer seemed scared and docile, she was truly growing into a woman. Robb let a deep sigh and stood up from his desk.
"I have to go talk to my men about the plan." Catelyn watched as her son kissed the girl on the cheek, and smiled as her face turned red. "Send me a raven when you get back please, I need to know you are safe."
"Of course, know go lead your men into battle, and come back to camp safe. If I hear you are hurt, you don't want to know what I will do to you Robb Stark." The two laughed, and Catelyn watched them with a smile but she worried. She once loved a Stark man who went to free his sister, and he never came home. She loved another Stark man who went to Kings Landing and was now held prisoner. She knew what it meant to love a Stark, and she only hoped Lyrina did too.
"So please continue to tell me of the terms, now that my son is not here to interrupt us." Both women took a seat, Catelyn at her son's desk, Lyrina on Robb's bed.
"My mother said that if Robb will pledge fealty to my brother, and return to Winterfell your husband can return home pardoned for his crimes." Catelyn felt relief flood through her, but she knew by her son's previous tone he was not accepting the terms.
"What did my son mean by your brother is not the true king." Catelyn so Lyrina shift uncomfortably, it was clearly a subject that bothered the girl but she saw her sit up straight and put on a fake face.
"Your husband is convinced that my mother had an incestuous affair with my uncle Jaime. I do not believe it, but if your husband is correct my siblings are not of my father." It made sense to Catelyn. It made sense on why her son was pushed from the tower and almost killed, Bran had seen them together.
"Lyrina, if this is true, that would make you the heir to the iron throne." Lyrina sighed, dropping her calm demeanor for a moment, but she quickly picked it back up.
"I understand that, but I truly believe your husband was mislead. He also named my uncle Stannis as the true heir to throne, he did not believe I could fight for the crown if I wanted to." Catelyn knew Ned would never lie about something so important, and she knew he was right. Lyrina was just a girl, not yet even sixteen, she could not fight a war against her family.
"I know you do not believe your mother is capable of such a sin, and I will not argue with you on the matter. I have some more questions if you do not mind me prodding?" She needed more answers.
"Lady Catelyn you have done so much for me in my life, more than my own mother, you may ask anything you wish." She saw the girl relax more once the subject of incest was dropped.
"You did not mention Sansa in your mother's terms, what would come of my daughter if my son accepted?"
"I could tell you exactly if your son had not burned the papers, but it is my understanding my mother would keep her as a ward, or to marry my brother. Either way she would use Sansa as leverage so that your family would never rise against them again." Catelyn had suspected as much, and she knew why her son would refuse the agreement. He would never leave his sister in her hands. " I tried to tell Robb I would protect Sansa, and keep her safe until we could flee the city but he would hear none of it."
"I can see why my son does not want that, Lyrina. He wants his whole family back together, and he does not wish for you to be in Kings Landing either. I am going to assume you were informed from him about the arrangement between your fathers?" She watched Lyrina's face shift at the mention of that as well. She could see the girl trying to mask her emotions, something she had no doubt learned in Kings Landing.
"Your husband informed me shortly before my father's death, it was a very complicated time. Robb and I have discussed it."
"I am sorry you had to find out that way, I am hoping everything will work out in the end."
"I am too, I love your son even when I can not stand him." She saw the girl smile, and Catelyn could understand. She knew love was not only in the good times but in the hard times as well, even when you could not stand to speak to your partner.
"I wanted to thank you for getting Arya home safely. It means so much to me to have her safe and sound. And I hear from Bran the boy you sent with her is a lot of help around Winterfell."
"Of course, when Lord Stark asked me to get the girls out I did my best. When I knew I could only get Arya, I made the decision to stay. I could not leave Sansa there alone I was lucky that Gendry was even in the stables. I took a chance on him, and I am glad it worked out."
"I am too, I can not thank you enough for helping her. I could only imagine what would have happened to Arya, she is not nearly as complacent as her sister is." Catelyn watched Lyrina smile to herself, as if replaying a memory of Arya. The two had grown close over the years, and she knew they looked at each other like siblings.
"I worry for Sansa, I worry she is beginning to believe my family. I do not wish for her to think her father is a traitor just so she can marry my brother. She truly believes she is in love." That was Catelyn's worry, her daughter's head was filled with fairytale ideals of what love was. She did not know what real love was, just her silly dream of marrying the prince.
"I worry for her too, please Lyrina look out for her. I want my daughter back."
"I will do everything in my power to get your family back to you Lady Stark, everything." She could see the desperation in Lyrina's eyes and she began to worry. She did not want the girl to put herself in harms way for her family, it would not be fair.
"Thank you, Lyrina." The two women stood up and embraced, Catelyn knew it was coming time for the girl to go.
"I am truly glad I got to see you before I left. I worried you would hear rumors of a girl sleeping in your son's tent, and then begin to think he was entertaining strange women." The girl's face was red as she spoke and Catelyn couldn't help but laugh. Lyrina for all that she had been through had still retained the innocence of a child.
"I am glad we got to speak as well, now have a safe journey home. And Lyrina I am sorry about your father, he was not the greatest man but I know he loved you." Catelyn saw the sadness in her eyes despite the smile upon Lyrina's face. She thanked her and before she knew the girl was gone. Catelyn stood alone in her son's tent with a smile, she knew she could worry a little less with that girl on their side.
A/N: Don't fret this will not be the last of them being together. Lyrina has plans. Also I liked writing how Catelyn sees them together as opposed to how they see each other. Also Theon is a dick. Next chapter is going to contain some graphic things and creepy Joffrey stuff so beware.