I'm still amazed by your interest and feedback. Thank you for not only your support, but also for your ideas and advice.

There's a lot to cover regarding stories and characters, so I'm sorry if I can't cover as much of it as you wish, but it would probably take me even longer than it has taken GRRM to write the books.

Chapter 36 : Enemies

It was the third day since after the wedding, since Robb had found out about the betrayal of one of his alleged allies, of a man who had sworn loyalty to his grandfather. And not only that, but he had lost houndreds men who weren't ready to fight that night and then, when he realized Roose Bolton had disappeared from the great hall, he sensed he could not trust the Lord of the Dreadfort.

"I've sworn loyalty to you, Your Grace," Roose Bolton said in the same unwavering tone he always used, a tone that was so firm Robb could not tell if he meant it or not. "I would have defended you if anything had happened. That man did not deserve to live, you were justified."

"Why did you leave us?" Robb asked, brow furrowed with doubt and confusion, but anger overall.

"I did not," the man replied without pause. "I had just left the party for a minute, but by the time I returned, guards were blocking the door. I could not get inside and come to your aid."

"You weren't fighting with Ser Barristan either."

"I thought you needed me. I tried to look for another way in."

But words were just words. Robb did not have the certainty of what had happened, and therefore he could not take the extreme measures he wanted; he needed the men and the allies after this unfortunate incident. If Roose Bolton decided to abandon him and their mission, then he had more troubles to face.

He was currently facing many issues, like injured soldiers and the loss of supplies, and even more. Now half of one of The Twins' towers had fallen due to the damage done by the dragons' fire, blocking the Kingsroad. It would take days to clear up the way, for his mother and sister to return home, for them to be free of guarding their lands.

Sighing, Robb let his head fall onto his hands. At the moment he sat on an armchair next to a window with a view of the Green Fork; but he was facing the bed where Daenerys lay, still weak and sleeping like she had done for days, only strong enough to sip the broth Irri carefully fed her each time.

They were losing time and that could translate into giving an opportunity to Tywin to plan a more careful strategy to attack and retake the Westerlands. It was certainly unsettling to hear the rumors about Joffrey, or more likely his grandfather, hiring slave soldiers called the Unsullied. Ser Jorah's explanation about who they were did not help him feel any calmer or ease his fears. According to the Master at Arms, the Unsullied were soldiers who did not know anything but to obey and fight; they were raised to do everything their master told them and felt no pain.

Arya heard attentively the story about the Battle of Qohor, in which three thousand Unsullieds killed twelve thousand dothraki. Robb had just listened to what he was supposed to fear and, after, he was trying to come up with plans to destroy them.

"Robb?" a whisper woke him up from his reverie.

His sweet queen, the woman who had fought fearlessly next to him just a few days prior, looked paler than usual. Dany's lips were dry and had lost their lovely pink color. Robb could see her struggling to open her eyes to search for him.

"Here I am," he murmured as soon as he was at her side, taking her hand in his, brushing a thumb over her knuckles. With his other hand, Robb pushed her platinum hair off her forehead tenderly, allowing himself to cup the side of her face.

As stubborn as she was, she tried to sit up even after the countless time him or Irri, even his mother, had told her to stay put. She winced and huffed when she felt her head touch the pillow again.

"What have we said to you?"

"We need to go back. We have to show them we're not defeated. Robb-"

"Please. Rest," he uttered in a voice full of sorrow. He regretted letting her come with him, not listening to her when she told him how she felt about Walder Frey and the wedding; at least the bride had not been part of the plan, as the poor Roslin had not stopped crying since she had found out about everything.

"We can't! I can't!" she demanded before coughing. Her throat was dry and she was weak.

Reaching for a cup and the fresh water Irri had brought, he poured some and offered it to Dany, tipping it slowly so she could take small sips.

Dany's eyes opened a little wider as she met his gaze. It was soft, like a caress. She looked sad, upset. Her eyes welled with tears, but with anger she clenched her jaw and pursed her lips.

"Dany-"

"I should not be here!" she cried in outrage. "We should be on our way to the South, visit our allies who are waiting for our arrival. We should be planning the next attack. What we are going to do about Stannis."

"Please," Robb called softly, gently wiping away a stray tear that had rolled from the outer corner of her eye.

"We should be ending this war so we can go back to our son and rule these kingdoms."

Robb did not know what to say to comfort her; actually, he did not think that was possible. He also missed Iagan and could only imagine how big he was now, how much he was missing of his son's life, but it was a sacrifice they had chosen to make so they could give a better life to him and everyone else in the future.

Leaning forward, Robb pressed his lips against her forehead. He wasn't expecting her to wrap her arms tightly around him, to hold onto him as if she needed his strength; he would gladly give it to her if that got her to be healthy again. She was passionate and strong, a woman who always took the things she wanted. That moment reminded him of a girl who had been hurt, who needed someone to protect her.

He could not remember a moment in which she had let herself be seen this way, in which she needed him. And so, he just held her back and said nothing, only comforting her the way she wordlessly asked him to.

-o-

"It'd be wise for you to join Randyll Tarly now that he's fighting against the Tyrells," adviced one of his bannermen, but Robb seemed too lost in his own thoughts. There was much to be done and said about everything. "We need to prove them we are worried about their well-being and that we support them."

"I know."

"You also need to decide who will be the new lord of the Twins," Roose Bolton commented, at which Robb lifted his gaze furrowing his brow.

"Do you have a suggestion?" Robb dared him to answer. It had always been clear to him that Roose Bolton was a greedy man, but cunning enough not to show it openly. His father had never been an admirer of the man, and so Robb had his suspicions about Bolton's intentions.

"Well, I believe we cannot blame Walder's poor decisions on all of his sons. He was a very old and sick man."

Robb snorted. "Do you want a weak-minded, manipulable man in front of the only crossing point over the Green Fork? No. I don't think so. My uncle Brynden will be in control of it until I say differently." He looked at the weathered warrior and knew that if he needed him, the Blackfish would always help him. It was one of the few men left in which he could trust blindly.

"As you wish," Brynden replied, without his usual gruff manners, but with no words of gratitude either. Robb did not take it badly as he knew Brynden had never wanted to be imposed with duties he did not wanted to perform in the first place.

Roose Bolton did not seem to agree with the decision but at that point it was the last thought in Robb's mind. And everything suffered a turn for the worst when Gendry arrived, interrupting all those men who did not take kindly that a bastard dared to spoke as he did. Even so, Robb listened.

"A raven arrived from Widow's Watch." Gendry handed him the piece of paper. "Lady Lyessa Flint says Stannis' fleet was spotted going north."

An immediate silence fell over the room, but soon this became a battle of who spoke the loudest expressing their fears and advices.

"He must have realized the Lannisters should be the least of his concerns!"

"They will attack Winterfell directly, knowing our men are away."

"We need to attack before they know it!"

Robb was not one to raise his voice, but then his men sometimes were too loud and opinionated to do anything else. "Silence!"

Everyone turned to him expectantly, hoping their king would give a solution to their problems, and in fact he had to. It was his duty, even if when he had decided to take the title, he never imagined having so much against him. A small part of him had hoped Stannis could see reason, but he also knew that the man would never let a Targaryen back into the Red Keep; his marriage to Dany had basically made him Stannis' biggest enemy.

"We'll need to postpone our visit to our allies in the South, and let them know about what we found out of Tywin's plans. In case they need help, we'll make sure to provide it." He studied the map and focused his eyes on the North, as he had not done for so long. "If I'm right, Stannis will use Weeping Water to make an entrance, since he already avoided Whiter Harbor."

"Are we to expect Bolton's bastard to go against an entire fleet?" Greatjon bellowed with disdain, not refraining himself from looking at the Lord of the Dreadfort with disgust. Everyone knew the perverted ways of Ramsay Snow, bastard son of Roose Bolton, but few dared to speak ill of him in front of the lord himself.

"We'll go back north and defend our lands. I'm sure the South will be in capable hands until we return," Robb said. He had thought about sending Daenerys with his mother and Arya but now he would need to go back with them.

He never spoke aloud about his plans to let Dreadfort fall if it was needed so he could take the fight in land, where he knew the territory better than anyone. If he could achieve that, Robb was sure he would win against Robert's brother. Believing they could fight Stannis on water was ludicrous; there was no chance to destroy them in their own game. They had practically no fleet and Robb knew little about the sea and ships.

It was horrible to see how after so many victories, things were falling apart, his enemies picking the right time to inflict damage, so his chances of winning were reducing drastically. Going against one enemy was difficult, but fighting against many sometimes felt impossible.

The men lost at the Twins could not be replaced and he had no one else to turn to now. Robb would need to trust in his instinct, as he could not rely on Dany at the moment. She needed to recover quickly, so soon her political savvy could help them to work on their plans.

That night he sat yet again next to her bed, watching her and smiling when she held his gaze for a long while. A little color was bathing her cheeks and, according to Irri, she had woken up in the afternoon with a healthy appetite. Of course, Daenerys still had trouble moving and still hated to feel helpless and vulnerable, but around him she seemed more at ease.

"What's troubling you?" she wondered softly.

Robb shook his head, dismissing her worry for him. There was no desire in him to tell her what was happening. He wished he could live in the blissful state of ignorance, but there was too much to do, too much to take care of.

"Speak to me," she demanded. "I know you."

"Could you be my haven?" He received no answer. "Do not ask me anything. At least for tonight." He kissed her lips softly and pressed his forehead to hers, blue meeting violet as they looked at each other. "We need to go home. We leave for Winterfell tomorrow."