Author's note: I normally would do a chapter for my other story but I felt the need to get Robb's point of view out as soon as I could. So here it is.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Game of Thrones. I own Lyrina
Chapter 26: Gone
Robb Stark's p.o.v
Robb Stark was a jealous, insecure and angry man when it came to his wife. He had always been bitter over the relationship Jon had once shared with Lyrina, he had always longed for that back in Winterfell and now he was ruining what he did have. When he learned she was a princess he did not think she would ever think he was good enough for her, ever think a simple Lord of Winterfell was good enough for a Princess. He did not think she would want the marriage, but she did and now they loved each other. He would burn cities to the ground for her, kill any man for her and yet he cut her down with words. He let his anger win again and now she no doubt felt broken in his absence.
He had gone a foot from camp when he wanted to turn around and run to her but he didn't. He had made it leagues from camp before he regretted not turning back to see her. He knew that when he returned to camp she would be either happy to see him or angry and he could not blame her. He was angry at her, and at himself, he was angry at his father. Lyrina had lied to him for months about his father's death, let him cry to her for his father and he was alive. His father didn't see fit to send word of his whereabouts, and now he was not even going home. Robb had to fight his war alone while is father sat at the Wall.
He spoke to no one, he looked at no one, he was too angry to even think straight. How could he leave the woman he loved like that? She would hate him, he was beginning to hate himself. He was going to let the lies Joffrey spread, the vile games the child played destroy the love he had built. If they were in Winterfell, if they never continued this war they would be happy, and madly in love. He would have never messed up, this biggest mistakes he would have made would have been naming their children.
He fought a battle against her family's men and each one he cut down, each ones whose throat his slit was just another step closer to Joffrey. That bastard King would die, he would march into Kings Landing with iron born, with Stannis and Renly, they would take back the realm. They rip it from the Lannisters hands, he would save his sister and free his wife from the thumb of her bastard brother. He would make sure her family never hurt them again, he would make sure he never hurt her again.
They were on their way back when they were met with a rider from camp, sending word from Kings Landing. Robb was served with a letter and as he read it the fire in him lit once more. He looked to Gendry as he read the letter, everyone in their camp knew who he was and everyone knew what significance he too held to Robb.
"Gendry, we must speak in private." Robb dismounted his horse and took Grey Wind with him as he led Gendry to a private spot.
Once Robb was sure they were alone he looked at Gendry with worry.
"You are wanted man Gendry, Joffrey has murdered every bastard of his father's in Kings Landing. They are looking for you."
"If you want to turn me over.."
"Never, your sister would murder me in my sleep that is not why I am telling you this. They do not know you are with me, they do not know you were how Arya got out of the city. When we return the following nightfall you will take my sister and you will return to Wintefell. You will be safe there.."
"Yes, your Grace."
"Gendry, you could be King that is why he is after you."
"My sister is Queen and she will do much better than I, as will you."
Robb looked at Gendry and how much faith he had put it in Lyrina. Robb had known Lyrina for years, his faith was strong in her but Gendry's was blind faith. They shared blood but did not know it until recently and yet he believed in Lyrina better than Robb did. He could learn a lesson from his brother by law, and he could learn to listen to his wife more.
"The King will pay for everything he has done, your Grace, but not by sitting here now. We must return to camp, build your army and get your sister back. When you have her, you kill the child murderer, he slayed innocents by killing my father's bastards, do not let him get away with it."
They rejoined the men but he did not speak of what he did with Gendry. He would tell them of Joffrey slaying King Robert's bastards but not yet, and only to the men he trusted. The circle of his trust was beginning to shrink and he could only imagine by the end of the war it would be even smaller. Everyone loves their King until they are losing the war.
When they reached the camp it had been a week since he had left, and he knew that last thing he needed to do was rush to see her. He wanted nothing more than to take Lyrina into his arms, and make love to her as they did before but he could not. He first needed to sort out matters with her family, and then he would find her. He would find her in their tent and he would keep her in his bed for days until every ounce of anger they had toward one another was gone. He first needed to be a king.
On the arrival to the camp he was informed that Stannis Baratheon had made his claim to the Iron Throne, the raven also backed his father's claim of incest. Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms was now aware of what Cersei and Jaime Lannister had done, it was no loner Robb's cross to bear. He just hoped he could convince Stannis to back his niece, Lyrina had the real claim and with her family's help they could take it all. After stripping of his armor, he decided he would pay a visit to Jaime Lannister, it had been some time since he spoke to the King slayer. He wanted the man to know that what Lyrina had told him was true, he wanted the man to know his son was sick perverted freak.
He found the man where he left him rotting in a cage in the middle of camp, just another prisoner for his men to mock. Jaime Lannister was a shadow of the great man he once was, so painted, so polished and now he was just a dirty,filthy mess. When he opened the cage the man looked up at him with distaste.
"You move me around with you from camp to camp, is my niece not enough for you Lord Stark? Do you want my company as well? Hate to break it to you but you can't corrupt us both."
"Lyrina was never corrupted by me, only defiled by the filth you call family, King slayer. Your father put hands on her, your son tried to force himself upon her and I have no doubt you've looked upon her with lust as you have her mother." Robb would not the man get to him.
"I have never looked at my niece in such a way, and what my father did was reprehensible but she was always a stubborn child."
"And of your son?"
The King slayer did not speak again, but Robb saw the way his jaw clenched. He knew the King Slayer did not approve of what he son had done, and here he thought the man didn't believe her.
"Now you believe Lyrina? I heard when she told you the truth about your son you denied it, called her mad."
"She is not mad, but neither is Joffrey."
"All of the Seven Kingdoms will soon see your family for what they are, King Slayer, perverted, lying, abusive and incestuous."
"The Targaryans married their siblings for generations, and if you think this is the first war my family has lied in or cheated to win then you are so wrong, boy."
Robb did not like being called a boy, he had become a man. He may have been young but he was more of a man than the King Slayer sitting before him.
"Don't like being called boy, insulted?" The tone the King Slayer used only fueled his rage. This man was just as bad as the rest of his family.
Grey Wind appeared behind the cage growling, the hair on the back of his neck sticking up as he walked arounf the cage toward Robb.
"You insult yourself. You were defeated by a boy, captured by a boy and maybe you shall die by a boy."
"You are still just a boy even if you kill me. You know she won't be with you much longer, once you lose this war she will be back where she belongs."
"She is where she belongs, Lyrina was always meant to be with me and if you think I will let her go, you are more foolish than your father."
Robb would not let him rile him up, he had calmed himself enough to face Lyrina the last thing he wanted was more anger. More anger directed at her family which he would only use against her because he was blind and foolish.
"I am sending my terms to Kings Landing, hopefully your son wants you alive."
"My father will not negotiate with you."
"I hope for your sake someone does."
Robb left Grey Wind behind in the cage to frighten the man, he had places to go. He would send his peace terms to Kings Landing and then he would find Lyrina. He would find her and lay with her until everything else faded away.
The boy Lannister boy before looked frightened as if Robb would cut his head off for just standing there, and in a way it pleased Robb. He did not mind the respect he had earned on the battlefield despite not wanting to be a King.
"Your cousins will return my sister, Sansa, to me and my family unharmed. Joffrey will stop all attempts to free his sister from this camp, she is now my wife and my queen. The King and Queen regent must denounce all claim to the dominion of the north, from this day until the end of days we will be a free nation."
His men spoke up, chanting King in the North but it died quickly. His council trusted him, and they looked to him as a real king.
"King Joffrey nor none of his men shall ever step foot in our lands again and if they do he shall suffer the same fate as my father. Warn him I don't need a servant to do my justice for me." To speak of his father as if he were still dead was more comfortable than excepting he was alive.
"These are..?
"These are my terms for peace with your family. If they do not agree and seek peace I will litter the south with Lannister dead."
"The King is a Baratheon, my Lord."
"The only true Baratheon child is married to me, so be careful how speak." The boys face held shock and Robb was surprised he had not heard the men around camp speak of it. "You leave in the morning, ride safe."
When everyone left Robb was alone with Theon as he usually was. He was used to being alone with his friend, and in that he found comfort. He could not tell the man that his father was alive, he was instructed by the letter to keep it in the House Stark and even though Theon was raised with them he was no Stark. His friend found him standing in the entrance of the tent looking out at the camp before him, working up the courage to find his wife.
"They won't accept those terms, and we can not win until we take Kings landing, you know that."
"We sent word to your father, Theon, as you asked of me. We must wait." The last thing Robb had wanted was the iron born fighting for him, but he needed the ships. He needed any ships.
"Let me go there and speak to him, I am his only son. I am not a Stark but your father raised me to be honorable Robb, my loyalty lies with you."
"We will see, if we get no word by tomorrow I will send you in three days time."
Robb left Theon and made his way to his own tent only to be stopped before he could reach the entrance. A guard asked him to go see his mother, that she was in need of seeing him. With a sigh Robb made his way to his mother's tent, he just wanted to fix things with his wife and everything was getting in the way. He had been gone almost a week, and he did not doubt Lyrina had informed his mother of his father, he was sure that was what she wished to speak on.
"Why are you negotiating wit the Iron Islands?" He was wrong, his mother wished to speak of war.
"How did you know I intended to broker an alliance with them?" He had not told anyone outside of Theon of the plan, he had even kept it from Lyrina.
"We received word from them and when I brought them to you I found only Lyrina."
"What did they say?"
"We will get to that Robb, you can not trust them." He could tell his mother was hiding something from him, she was on edge.
"We need their ships mother, we can not win this war without their ships." He was stern, he would not let her convince him otherwise. "If I am to get Sansa back then I need ships."
"Trade the King Slayer, give them whatever they want for Sansa."
"What if it is Lyrina? Would have me hand over my wife to them? My men won't let me hand over the King Slayer, they would kill me themselves."
The silence fell between them and his mother's eyes grew more worried. He could see her hiding something from him, he was getting sick of people hiding things from him.
"I should go home to Bran and Rickon, maybe convince your father it is safe now."
"So you were told."
"I was, Lyrina told me after you left. What did you do to her Robb?"
"It is a matter of marriage mother, I will handle it. You can't go home yet, I need your help first."
"I beg your pardon?"
Robb needed his mother, she was his mother. He did not wish to take her from his siblings but he would send Ser Rodrick, Gendry and Arya back home. He would send word to father to go home, but he needed his mother to help him win the war.
"I need you to go south to the Stormlands, convince Renly Baratheon to side with us, to fight for Lyrina's claim to the throne. Without his men, without him we do not have much of a chance." He did not wish to rely on his wife's family but he must. "You know him, you can reason with him please."
He knew there was a possibility that Renly Baratheon had tried to kill his wife once before, but Robb had to trust Lyrina in the fact he did not. Robb needed both Baratheon men on his side, and he would convince Lyrina to speak to her uncle Stannis, he would no doubt listen to her, listen to his blood.
"I have not seen Renly since he was a boy, I have no more sway than your other Lords. I belong home."
"I trust you more than anyone else in this camp, mother, I need you to do this. With Renly on our side they won't stand a chance, they will back down and give me Sansa back. With Sansa safe we will march home, you will see father and the boys. You will be a grandmother and I will be a father, please do this for me."
He was desperate.
"I will go at first light."
"I promise you mother we will all be together soon, we all be home together and happy. No one will ever take us apart again." He kissed the top of his mother's head, feeling his emotions break through him.
"You have done so well, my son, I know your father is proud of you. You must forgive him for what he is doing, he will be with us soon."
Robb just looked at his mother, he had not forgiven his father. He had not forgiven anyone for the way they had lied to him but he would push it aside and try. He would try to mend the rift with his queen, and one day with his father.
"I know, I must go see Lyrina."
"Robb wait."
The tone in his mother's voice betrayed her emotions, something was wrong. He began to worry for Arya, or he began to worry that Lyrina had truly run back home. He had given up the thought of her going back even when he told her to but as he spoke to his mother he wondered. Had she truly run away again? Had she left him alone?
"The terms from the Iron Islands, they demanded to see someone in person to discuss the treaty. I told Lyrina that they were seeking Theon to go, but he was not here, you were not here. She is gone Robb, she rode off to the Iron Islands to get you the ships needed to win."
Robb did not know if he even understood what his mother said. His head was filling with things that could happen to her alone on the road, he did not trust the iron born and he did not want his wife to go there. He had sent her away, it was his fault she had gone.
"How long ago?" Maybe he could catch her.
"The night you left, she left at nightfall. Once she catches a ship it won't be long Robb. I tried to stop her, I don't know what happened between you two but you must fix it."
He left the tent with anger and worry boiling in his skin. How could she go without his permission? How could she go to the Iron Islands alone? She did not know how to fight, she had no way of defending herself. She was going to get kidnapped, or held for ransom, they would give her over to her family. Robb's head was thinking of a million things that could go wrong. Why did he have to get angry with her? Why did he have to tell her to return to her brother? If he hadn't she would still be there in their tent waiting for him.
When he entered his tent everything was as he left except for the parchment left on their bed. It was like when she left for Kings landing, the way she had left him a note to say she cared for him. They were never good at saying goodbye and no doubt that was what the letter was. He picked it up and felt guilt wash over him.
My wolf.
I know you are angry at me, and I know that when you see this if your anger is gone it has no doubt returned. I know I should not be going off on my own to Iron Islands, I know how much you are cursing me right now but this is my duty. I am your Queen, I am the heir to the Iron Throne, and I am my father's daughter. I used to be afraid of everything, of everyone and you taught me that I never had to be afraid any longer. Because of you, your father and your family I have become a stronger person, so let me be that person. I know you sometimes still see me as that fragile fawn, the fragile girl you held in Winterfell but I am not that girl anymore. I made a choice when I decided to be your Queen, I decided to let my family go for you. We will win this war so let me help. If you feel so horrible about me being in the Iron Islands alone, send Theon. Robb, I will be back soon and I love you. I love you when you are crude, annoying, funny, stoic and angry. When I chose to marry you it was for the rest of our lives so it shall be, no matter what you say when you are angry. I will be home soon, in the mean time take care of Grey Wind, look after my brother and don't let Arya trick you into letting her stay. She needs to be safe at home.
Fawn.
He knew she was no longer the girl, Rena, he once knew that he had began to fall in love with. She was Lyrina Baratheon, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne and a girl who he had seen grow into a woman. She had changed so much in such a short time, and he had been a part of that but she had helped him grow as well. She taught him he did not always have to be right, always have to be serious. She was the woman he loved, and planned to love for the rest of his days. She would be the mother of his children and she would be his Queen. Maybe she was not his Queen, maybe he was her King. She took charge by going to the Iron Islands and he should have been proud of her for growing up and becoming strong. He could not hold her back, not from what she was supposed to be. She was her father's daughter, and her father was a solider, she was raised by his father an honorable man. She was both, and he was lucky to have her.
He would not send Theon after her, he would have to trust she would return to him in one piece and if not he would burn the islands into the sea.