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Chapter Twelve: A Beautiful Man

The man kneeling before me was one of the most beautiful men that I had ever seen. His eyelashes were long and dark, striking against the green of his eyes and his face was made almost delicately. Long blondish, white hair tumbled around his face, accentuating the sharp slope of his cheekbones. Somehow, I found myself comparing him to Robb… And finding that I liked the wild, ruggedness that made up my husband's hard jaw and arctic eyes. This man… he seemed almost lost, fragile in some inner way that had nothing to do with his appearance or emotional width but his constitute.

There wasn't any kind of fragility to my husband.

"What is this about, my King?" There was a slight tremor to his words that made Robb's eyes narrow from where he stood in front of the young man.

I hadn't been noticed yet and I took a moment to gather my bearings, smoothing a hand over the dark ebony of my gown. Where there was an attack, there always seemed to be a war tent and that's exactly what had occurred after the ambush. They had dragged the wounded and all of the resources that hadn't been burned, setting up camp a mile or so away from the area that it had all happened, on the slope of a hill that was high enough for a strategic position on the landscape.

However, even my mind was working enough to realize that there was a slim chance that they would attack again. The group hadn't been organized or large enough to have enough backing to strike a second time so quickly. Most of the attackers had been slaughtered, the rest being hunted at this very moment. Briefly, my mind wandered. Why would they have attacked? What could they have possibly gained from such a slaughter? It would have had to be someone with a way with words to get that many people. Someone who knew the ins and outs of a new kingdom.

I gasped, biting off a yelp as my ribs crackled in pain. The corset dug into the skin there, making my pain near constant. The maids had powdered on a thin layer of rouge to give my face more color than gray. Now I could feel it streaking, a dribble of sweat rolling down my temple even as a breeze ruffled the trees. I wanted to curl into a ball in a dark, dark place until I felt anything other than this feverish sort of pain.

For a moment, I felt the ghost of my brother - felt the brush of his palms along my forehead like when we were children again and winter had brought gusts of sickness down upon the Twins. I could almost smell the cloves that always seemed to follow him about. You look even more like our father by the day, bird brain. Mother would have roasted sage over you by now to expel the demon that's making you look like such an absolute beast. Corlin… I wondered where he was. Was he still in those Towers? With our brothers that he couldn't stand and our sisters who he found peckish and solitary? He had always wanted so much more - or perhaps I had wanted that for him.

There was a murmur from the men inside - a rabble of voices that sounded oddly ominous. Quickly, I peeked inside the tent once more.

A large round table separated stood behind Robb and the beautiful man who knelt before him, spread messily with crinkled papers and maps. The servants hadn't put down anything to cover the dirt of the ground beneath the tent. Craggy men crowded the wide space, making it seem small and tense. Just against the wall, I caught a flash of dark hair and a glimpse of Lord Greyjoy. All had similar expressions and I suddenly realized why my husband seemed so controlled. Distantly, as if I was suddenly noticing the mountains of the Vale that outlined the horizon - like something that you had stared at for so long and only suddenly taken stock of.

This was what these men expected of my husband. No weakness. No hesitation. Somehow, sadly, they were still stuck with the ghosts of these past years. Inaction would get you killed. And hesitation would make your men lose faith. How many hard years had beaten this into my husband? Had he been softer before? A lump formed in my throat. Had Talisa seen the gentleness seep from him? Or perhaps he had let her take it willingly like a rose that could be picked from his chest.

Desperately, I shook these thoughts away. I couldn't think about this right now. I needed to be strong. I needed to be his equal. Not some sniveling girl, following at his coat tails.

The dark blue of the top of the tent fluttered a bit as the wind picked up. Suddenly a dozen sets of eyes were snapping over to where I stood in the doorway, the flap held open by a silent guard, whose face I could barely see through the helmet that he donned. It was moments like this that differentiated the women that I needed to be from the one that I felt cowering at all of the hard stares.

What had they whispered to Robb while I was with the healer? Worse, what had they whispered in the company of each other when wine and whores took away all of their inhibitions?

The wind picked up for a moment, the heavy ebony skirts whipping up, tugging at the bodice enough that my ribs gave a stab of pain. It was that that got me moving again. I had spent enough time dawdling with the maids as they put this odious dress on me, claiming that it was the only black dress in my wardrobe. Nevermind that there were startling pink blossoms that coiled up the hem, sparkling in a ludicrous way that made me feel like I was going to a ball instead of a war room.

"Your grace," the craggy, bearded man that I had first seen when we were leaving the Twin rumbled, sending everyone bowing.

I plastered on a smile, giving a laugh that sounded obnoxiously bright to my own ears. "Oh dear! Rise - we're all friends here." I swept into the room with another jingle of laughter feeling like some heavy doll being twirled around by an over-excited puppeteer. When no one moved, I clicked my tongue. "Well, if you insist on bowing then I might as well take it as a great honor."

Robb's eyes darkened as I drew nearer to him, placing a hand to his arm and leaning up to plant a kiss of his cheek. His face betrayed little of his inner thoughts, that tough mask firmly in place. It was the slight twinkle in his eyes that gave me the courage to keep going. "My darling," I gushed, turning with a flippant smile to face the room. "Thank you so much for allowing me to attend this meeting."

"You're in fine spirits," he murmured, his eyes still intent. I could almost read his thoughts. What are you planning, you vicious beautiful thing?

I didn't entirely have an answer to that. All I knew was that these men responded to pure force. They didn't respond to sentiment and tears. Perhaps that would make them stick around later but… Not right now. Right now they were still hungry - hungry for blood like animals that had sensed the weak. And if I was being openly criticized they viewed me as just that.

Everyone had stood at this point, their eyes curious and skeptical.

"My lady," a crass older man murmured, his eyes flicking around uncertainty before they were back on me. He had a salt and pepper beard, wrinkles around his eyes suggesting that he smiled. He wasn't smiling at the moment. "How are you? We had heard that the middle of the party - where you were at - was hit heavily."

"Oh, I can take care of myself," I murmured, letting the heavy implication of the words lay as they were. And something about that seemed to unsettle the men around me. I let out a laugh, turning to Robb once more. "Look at me - taking up all the talk! You must be fuming, my darling."

"I wouldn't entirely use that word," he rumbled and I wanted to flick him so much for the sly tip of his lips and the way that his eyes roamed freely over the slope of my neck down to the heavy amount of cleavage that the dress allowed. His fingers skimmed along my hand - a fleeting touch that barely even registered to anyone. Anyone but me.

I resisted the urge to flinch away in embarrassment at the open display. It was… somehow too revealing. Like every man could see the kind of power that Robb had over me. But Robb was already turning back to the man kneeling before us, his eyes suddenly going remote.

"We've found some documents in your possession, Lord Trinner." Casually, he reached behind him to take up some papers that had been stack neatly on the large table behind him. Although they had obviously been handled with care, they were still crinkled and mud smeared. I resisted the urge to recoil as I caught the unmistakable splatter of blood. "The content is rather interesting." A smile curled his lips as he stared down at the man who was now quivering. "Would you like to elaborate? Or shall I just read verbatim?"

"Please, your grace," Lord Trinner whimpered and I was surprised to see tears gather in his eyes as they flicked all around at the imposing figures of all who had gathered. "I - I was told that no one -"

"Don't insult me further by lying," Robb hissed and his shoulders tensed even as his whole body leaned farther over the cowering lord at his feet. "Are you stupid or did you find it amusing to use no code when conversing with whoever would eventually attack our party?"

"I would - Your grace, I never meant to hurt you," he whispered, his words wavering even as his eyes snapped over to hold mine. So he had only wanted to kill me. How charming.

Some of the men shifted and stilled in obvious alarm, their eyes snapping to me. It was a rather bold thing to insinuate and for a moment I debated on whether my husband was right or not. Lord Tinner was either a man who liked to be amused or someone who was beyond stupid. Briefly, I met Robb's eyes silently pleading for a moment to address the man at our feet. For a moment, he simply held me there, his eyes still cold as an arctic breeze. This could either go horribly wrong for me or… perhaps I could salvage this interaction in my favor.

Robb nodded, a near imperceptible tip of his chin.

"I suppose I should thank you for finding me to be such a great threat," I murmured, forcing a smile. "Do you know how many of my servants you aided in killing today?"

"I would kill every one of them with my bare hands if I could." His face twisted into something ugly and dark, red and purples flashing across his face as veins popped at his temple. Against the chains binding his wrists, his shoulders strained to be released.

I blinked. So he was just an oaf. Whoever had gotten in his ear was a very good judge of character - and deadly if he had only persuaded him through letters.

"56," I clarified, straightening up until my spine popped and my ribs cried out. Like a child, Lord Trinner kept his jaw squared, an annoying pout making his face almost unbearable for me to look upon. "Although my husband had a significant number of casualties, the people from the Twins made up a little over a third of the dead. While I grieve for those of Winterfell, the servants from the Twins were made up of volunteers from my father's home. Their blood is on my hands and I would like to have a reason when I write to their families to tell them of their sons and daughters, mother and fathers, brother and sisters - I would like to give them an explanation on why they were killed so brutally without any regard."

I felt something savage and twisted curl my lips, an unexpected viciousness that made something coil up inside of me tight. From somewhere in the tent I heard a gasp but I couldn't look away from the watery green of Trinner's eyes, how they widened far enough for me to see the red veins there pop. "Why did you kill my people, Lord Trinner?"

I could barely hear the breath of the people in the tent over my own heartbeat. Something inside of me cracked at the thought of all the men and women that were being buried in unmarked graves just a few paces from this tent. And this man - no - this child had thought it amusing to kill them. To aid in their slaughter like a little boy with his toys.

"I - I -" Briefly, his eyes flicked to some spot over my shoulders and then slithered over to Robb like a drowning man. "I fought with you."

For a moment the room spun, throwing me off balance enough that I reached a hand out for the edge of the table to steady myself. My throat felt raw as if I had been screaming for hours.

"Your father fought with me, Lord Trinner," Robb whispered, and for a moment I saw such sadness there that it brought tears to my eyes. "I remember his sacrifices quite vividly, I assure you."

"Give us some kind of evidence for your innocence, boy," a graying man with a muscular build pleaded, his face pinched as if he was watching something particularly painful.

"I'm not a boy!" Lord Trinner squealed, his face reddening. Across the room, I caught a glimpse of Lord Greyjoy's face. There was a sad sort of recognition etched into his face. Something that made him look older than he actually was. On the ground, Lord Trinner's shoulders shook with rage, angry tears gathering in the lashes that I had admired from the entrance earlier. He was just a boy. And suddenly I felt very sad for him. His father had fought with Robb in the war. Had he died in the war as well?

Desperately, Lord Trinner's eyes jumped around the tent, searching… And finding nothing. Wild eyes burned into mine and for a moment I reared back as they seemed to flash red. But that wasn't possible. I gulped, resisting the urge to mop a hand across my brow to get the sweat that I could feel running down my neck and back.

"Your whore - all you do is open your legs and all of a sudden your a fucking queen instead of the two-bit little tramp that got fucked by her father-"

"Enough!" Robb didn't yell. He didn't even raise his voice above a snarl but there was something rabid in his eyes as he stared down at Lord Trinner that made my blood run cold. The depths of his eyes were endless and freezing. Beside him, Grey Wind's hackles raised as he took a step forward. I thought Lord Trinner was going to pee himself.

The whole room had gone silent. And for a moment, I was in complete awe of my husband. He had a wild kind of power - the kind that made men want to kneel before him.

But…

"I would like him to finish," I whispered, turning my gaze back to the quivering man kneeling before us. A few of the men inhaled sharply and out in one of the far corners I caught the tilt of Lord Greyjoys lips.

"My Queen, please, this isn't-" One of the stouter men began, his cheeks reddening.

"With all due respect," I started slowly, keeping my eyes firmly with Lord Trinners. "I would like to hear why he slaughtered my people." I paused, trying to work around the words that were about to come out of my mouth. They stung my tongue. "I believe you were at the part about my father fucking me into queen-hood."

There was an audible gasp from the room and beside me, Robb's eyes darkened even further with barely contained rage. Lord Trinner's eyes widened and then narrowed, his cheeks reddening with… shame? Embarrassment? Wounded pride? I raised an eyebrow, trying to coax the rest of whatever was withering around inside of him out.

"I hope you burn," he hissed, tears spilling down his cheeks. "Your father's a piece of trash and would have let all of us rot if he wasn't able to unsaddle one of his worthless daughters for that goddamn bridge." I tried not to register the hurt that lashed through me. Secretly, maybe I thought he was a bit right. Beside me, a low growl rolled from Robb. "My father died just near your bridge. We had asked for supplies during the beginning of the war but your family wouldn't give them to us until we agreed to that fucking marriage proposal. How dare you stand next to our King in those borrowed clothes when you didn't have to suffer as my father did? All you had to do was open your legs and everything just dropped into your lap."

There was silence at the end of this. Such deep silence that for a moment I was lost in it. His words hurt more than I thought they would.

"I am sorry for your loss," I finally said, trying not to register the croak in my own words and how they shook. For a moment, I stared down at him, wanting to be stronger than I was pretending to be. "I'm sorry that you've decided to end your life with such a ludicrous plot." Red and purple seeped back over his neck and cheeks. "And I'm sorry that your wife and house will be known as traitors because of your actions." His eyes widened for a moment, flinching. He hadn't thought of his family. How typical. My voice picked up strength. "You have failed in your attempt to kill me. And now you will more than likely be tortured for information before being dumped in a shallow grave - more than likely with piss and bile ruining your pretty little outfit."

His face went pale at the prospect. I forced a smile to curl my lips, pushing as much delight as I could into it. "I am just sorry that I won't be able to attend it."

When I finally looked away from him, I was surprised to see that everyone was very still. Perhaps if I wasn't so exhausted, I would have been in ribbons at the thought of having mucked it all up. Perhaps they would all come and find me when I was alone and slit my throat right then. But… there was something in their eyes. It looked a lot like fear.

Something about that made me turn to stare up at my husband. I was tired. And seeping into the corners of my vision, I could see darkness. All I wanted to do was kneel down right there and go to sleep.

"Take him out into the woods and get any information that you can," Robb snapped and two guards that had been waiting against the wall moved forward. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a rather portly, graying man moved with them. He was silent as a cat and had eyes the color of starlight. I blinked. That couldn't be right. Did starlight have color? "My darling."

I gulped, trying to swallow around the cotton that seemed to be clogging my throat. Robb had extended his arm in an offer and I all but stumbled over my skirts to take it. I could feel the powder that was clogging my pores turning into sludge as it seeped down my face. This little show of strength had seeped away any resistance that I had put between myself and the pain of my ribs. Everything seemed to be induced by some feverish dream, the tent wobbling almost comically as we made our way out.

"Willa?" I barely heard Robb as he took more of my weight, steering me away from the war tent quickly. His arm was strong and I whimpered as it dug further into my side.

"I-" I tried to find words, blinking away the sweat that had dripped into my eyes. Something was moving in the corner of my eye, creeping closer until it tickled along my bottom lashes. My mother had always told me not to focus on those shadows. She had- "I'm fine."

But it came out as a cry. I was sobbing, shaking in his grip. "Willa - what did - What do I need to do-"

I gurgled, barely turning my head before I was retching up spittle and water onto the nearby tree trunk.

Look to the book. I flinched, slipping from Robb's grip. His fingers cupped at my jaw as I craned to look into the line of trees. Blue. Baby blue like the flowers that used to bloom in the corners of my room.

"Mama," I breathed, shaking myself from his grip as I tried to crawl my way to the elegant figure of my mother standing just there - just at the edge of the tree line. "Mama," I sobbed. "It's been so hard."

"Willa." Robb's voice was shaking as he clutched me to him, trying to keep me from flailing away from him. "Willa, please look at me. SOMEONE GET ME SKIPPERTH!"

I left you what I could, my little, wild bird. I let out a desperate shriek as hands cupped my face. They were so cold. Like ice. Like freezing water slowly trying to take me over. Like winter. The book. Don't lose the book and don't lose the necklace.

"Mama!" I shrieked, clawing out as she turned her back. No, she couldn't leave. She wouldn't leave me here to this wretched, awful uncertainty.

"Hold her down!"

Sugar popped along my tongue and I gagged, trying to force it out of my throat.

"This will help. Willa, please - you have a fever. Just please drink." Something cold and salty splattered on my temple and I let out a breath, still staring at that spot just beyond the forest line that she had disappeared to. Robb - was that his voice? Why did it shake so much? And why was it raining?

But who really cared about that? Who cared...

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