There were mixed reviews for the previous chapter, but believe me, the last thing I pretend is to make you hate Robb, because I really like him as character. You must also understand that even if these characters play important roles, they are still teenagers facing very difficult scenarios. Also, I apologize if you thought Robb's reaction was violent against Daenerys but you know this is set in a different universe and time (in which is okay to call someone a bastard or a cripple, words that are quite offensive in our time).

Keep in mind that I have plans, and it might take a while for you to see the results but there are plans. This is not over yet.

Chapter 24 : Children

Iagan wiggled his arms and legs as he lay next to her in bed. He seemed so fascinated with his freedom granted because of the warmth inside her chambers that she couldn't help but smile and giggle at him. Those little whining noises he made out of frustration or happiness made her own heart fill with warmth. After what she had gone through with Robb, she needed every drop of it she could get.

There was still a deep wound in her heart, an ache she couldn't get rid of despite the couple of days since his departure. She knew she had done wrong and had insulted him without wishing so.

Lately she couldn't rest much. Thinking about why she hadn't been able to trust his judgment, to discuss plans with him; it didn't allow her to sleep. They had been both fools believing that the other wouldn't understand. But what she regretted the most was to have picked on his wounds, poking him on the spots that hurt the most.

"My sweet boy," Dany cooed as she dragged the back of her hand against Iagan's soft cheek in a light caress. "He still loves you. Your father will forever love you because you're blood of his blood. Blood of the wolf." She carded her fingers through the short and thin white hair of the babe.

How had it been possible for her to be so weak when it came to Robb yet so cold-hearted with everyone else? Was it because she loved him? She had felt so hopeless when she faced his fury. She knew in that moment she had been mistaken and should have gone to him but things were already done.

"Maybe we can do something to mend things," she spoke to herself but also playing with Iagan's little hands. His blue eyes trained on hers as if he wanted to voice his opinion. "After all, your father shouldn't be fixing this for me. And I need his trust back."

There was a knock at the door and Dany soon replied to grant her permission. Lately, very few people visited her; mostly her handmaidens and Rickon who always felt quite bored and loved to learn Valyrian with her and Iagan. And even if Bran was extremely busy as a Lord, he made sure to make his presence known by letting Summer wander around.

She still remembered one particular afternoon in which Doreah had been terribly scared when she found Iagan cradled between Summer and Shaggy, all of them peacefully sleeping like brothers. Iagan was a true Stark, but also quite obstinate and brave like his parents.

"You are here," said Theon as he pushed the door open.

"Was I supposed to be somewhere else?" she snapped back with all the venom she could muster. He hadn't been particularly cruel with her, which she believed was because of Robb's order of not hurting her, but he wasn't kind either. "If I remember correctly, I'm not allowed to leave my chambers without a reason."

Theon scoffed. "Are you playing the victim after what you've done to Robb and the Kingslayer?" That smirk on his face provoked her to slap him, but she refrained from it in case he decided to take out his frustration on one of her handmaidens – it wasn't a secret that Theon enjoyed of Doreah's company at night to warm up his bed.

Taking Iagan in her arms, Daenerys stood up and looked at him in the eye, daring him to challenge her. Despite everything that had happened, she still wasn't afraid of him.

"As much as you want to believe, you and I aren't so different, Theon. We both love Robb and we both have done wrong to him. But you seem to forget the only reason why he gave you a reprieve is because of me." She breathed in deeply, feeling Iagan's little fist hooking on the collar of her dress. "I'm still your queen and I do want what is best for the North and the Seven Kingdoms. Most importantly, I believe Robb should be King."

"So you can be the rightful queen?" he hissed.

"Yes," she replied with no hesitation because she knew it was her place to take, a role she had prepared for all her life. "So we can rule together and so our children will inherit our titles. Names won't be forgotten and our parents won't have died because of nothing. We will take what belongs to us."

"You sound so sure and yet he can't even look at you." Theon chuckled almost evilly.

"He loves me." Dany brushed her lips against Iagan's forehead and sighed softly. "If he did not, then why keep me? He could have many more suited wives; Margaery is a widow and she could provide him many allies. Why choose me if he doesn't love me? Why choose you if he hates you as much as he pretends? You're brothers and he's my husband. If he hasn't killed us yet is because we mean more to him than he lets on."

Theon looked at Iagan and those much too bright blue eyes. "I've never seen eyes like that before." He gulped and tried to ignore what she had said so far. In fact, he looked almost scared at the sight of Iagan. But by doing this, he only achieved to put more ideas in Dany's head. "They say the Others, beyond The Wall, have eyes like that. Cold like blue stars."

"You think I've given birth to a monster?" The eerily calm tone said it quite well. She was furious at the implications of Theon's words and if she hadn't slapped him before when he had tried to insult her, she would do it if he dared to speak badly about her son.

"No," he muttered. "I'm saying that he looks like a boy who will be king one day. A legend, mayhap."

If her eyes widened when she heard him, Theon decided to ignore it. He only ducked his head with the hint of a somewhat honest but small smile on his lips. Months before, this small peace offering would have been very unlikely but perhaps now that they stood almost at the same side of Robb's affections, they were finally seeing one another from a different point of view.

"If you excuse me, Your Grace," he drawled with sarcasm, as if he still couldn't respect her as his queen. He had every right to resent her after what had happened with his father's army weeks prior. "I just came to let you know Lady Catelyn wishes to see you," he finally said.

She graciously responded that she was willing to welcome Catelyn, and also added that he could send Irri in since she was thirsty. His blood boiled every time she gave him an order, that was why she did it whenever she could.

At least she knew there would be plenty of time to discover which were Theon's true intentions and feelings. She had nowhere else to go now, so why not study Robb's former best friend?

-o-

The look on Catelyn's face when she held Iagan in her arms was of pure joy, as if he could bring hope and comfort to her soul. Dany knew he was able to do that, to take her to a perfect place full of love and void of worries.

"When Robb was born, he was this little babe screaming so loud his face was redder than his hair. I was so afraid to hold him," Catelyn told her in a hushed voice as Iagan looked at her, his tiny fists in his mouth. "He looked so fragile and now he's off, fighting wars. He's giving me grandchildren." She smiled thoughtfully. "And I still see him as that same babe in my arms, the one with the easy smile and gentle character."

Daenerys welcomed Iagan in her arms, when Catelyn handed him to her. Robb's mother cupped her cheek with a hand, forcing her to look into those sad and motherly eyes.

"My child," she whispered, "He had never done that before and I believe it's partly my fault. All of this. There's much weight upon his shoulders, duties that forced him to become a man before his time." She pursed her lips in a thin line, clenching her jaw out of frustration and anger. "He has not only to avenge Ned's murder but he has to think about his sisters, about the North, the realm, Westeros and us. And like his father, he believes he has to do everything himself."

Until then, Dany hadn't realized she was crying until Catelyn gently wiped the tears away. "I still love him."

It was strange to have a mother figure like the one she had always wanted, especially one like Catelyn who excelled at being a mother, who put her family first always. It was comforting to have someone like her to talk to, someone who understood.

"Loving him doesn't make you weak," Catelyn sentenced. "It can only make you stronger but only if you realize that you need each other." Sighing, Catelyn sat gracefully on a chair, waiting for her to sit on the bed so the two of them could face one another. "While Ned and I were together, we were incredibly happy and strong." She chuckled softly at the memory of her husband but Dany also saw how the older woman wiped her own tears away. "And do not think that just because he was called the Quiet Wolf that meant he didn't have a temper. All wolves growl at some point. That doesn't mean they don't love us."

"But it felt like that. If I didn't know him better, if I hadn't seen how kind he was to me before, I do not believe I could have held any hope." Dany buried her nose in Iagan's hair and let herself breathe before she spoke again. "I had never seen him like that. He was not himself."

"He was not,"Catelyn confirmed.

"He made me feel like someone I hadn't been in a long time and I did not enjoy that," she said through gritted teeth, a mix of anger and sadness laced to her voice. "What if this is who he has become? What if-"

"Daenerys, do you know who Jon Snow is?" Catelyn asked in a stranged voice, one who seemed bitter but also void of emotion.

"Robb's brother," she replied at which Catelyn responded with a small smile.

"Brother they call each other." Catelyn clasped her hands over her lap, as if looking for something to entertain her mind and take away her nervousness. "He is Ned's son. A bastard born after we married, while he was away, fighting Robert's war. When he brought that boy with him, I couldn't believe what he had done to me. Ned brought the only symbol of his betrayal to our marriage and asked me to let him live here, amongst our children. I accepted because he was my husband and eventually forgave him."

"The thought of Robb being with another woman…" Daenerys trailed off, eyes filling with tears of pure frustration while her heart beat wildly in her chest out of rage. "That's something I'm not sure I could forgive."

"I'm not saying you should. What I wanted to prove was that we do strange things for love and that the ones we love don't always make the right decisions according to us."

Nodding, Dany felt more at ease after receiving advice from Catelyn, knowing she wasn't the only one who had had a difficult marriage. Playing the game of thrones and keeping a family and a relationship was nothing but hard work.

During the conversation, Iagan had fallen asleep in her arms, so she carefully placed him in his bassinet next to the bed.

It was strange but when Catelyn offered to brushed her hair, to braid it like she had done with Sansa many times before, they both found comfort. It was something that helped them bond. Dany had never experienced the love of a mother, and in that moment she realized Catelyn would be the closest thing she would ever have, which didn't make easy for her to apologize.

"I'm sorry if my actions put Sansa and Arya in danger. It was the last thing I wanted," she murmured.

A gentle hand fell upon her shoulder. "In this moment, I have doubts that anything we do can bring my daughters back, unless we win this war." She silently braided the platinum blonde hair for a moment before adding, "We would need to get into the Red Keep to bring them home. And right now that's impossible."

Daenerys was attentively listening to the words when suddenly an idea came to mind. "There is a way."

"Child, please don't get in more trouble."

"No!" she stood up quickly. A smile had bloomed in her face. "I don't know why I had forgotten, but Ser Jorah confided me that he had been working for the Spider, that at first he had sold information about me and my brother. He wanted a royal pardon and that's how he returned to Westeros. He swore to me that he had not told the truth to Lord Varys. But that is why I kept my distance from him, like Robb asked me to." She moved around the room very fast and paced frantically just like her mind was working.

"What are you saying?" Catelyn's eyes followed her but she didn't move, being reserved about her reaction.

"He could offer his services again and get into the Red Keep to rescue Sansa and Arya. Silently. They could be safe soon. With us."

"You must write to Robb and tell him," Catelyn said, taking Dany's hands in hers while the young woman shook her head.

"No. He won't accept it. You must do this. You must ask Maester Luwin to send a note to Ser Jorah on my behalf."

"The less people know about this, the better."

"The Spider won't like this."

Catelyn nodded. "You're right. But will Jorah Mormont be willing to risk his life for my daughters? For Robb?"

"No, but he'll do it for me. And we can't really wait much longer. They will be back in Winterfell before the Lannisters realize they are gone."

The two women smiled at each other and clasped their hands together.

"May the Gods be with us and bless you, my child. We must make this work."