Being the King of the North had its advantages, especially when it came to carefully choosing his crew for a considerable journey from the North to Dragonstone. That's why Jon Snow chose members of the Free Folk who had traveled with him from Hardhome, northern crew members who had never set foot in Winterfell, and women. He would never consider that any crew member could surprise the princess of the Amazons, but he preferred to take other crew members as a way of proving his point once again. If he wanted the northern women to be prepared to at least defend their lives in the war that would happen at some point in the near future, he could never again surround himself only with men.

Besides, Jon Snow was going to seek help from the Mother of Dragons, the Breaker of Chains, the Stormborn. Nothing more coherent than also counting on and trusting the work of other women to lead him to his destination. Nothing that would cause any problems for the White Wolf, after all. Nothing that would impact his convictions, after all. Robb Stark felt resentful again for being a kind of burden to be passed from Stark to Stark, but he kept the feeling to himself and preferred to thank his half-brother for his gesture by returning to the sea without worrying about hiding his identity.

In fact, none of the crew really cared about yet another of the King in the North's advisors and were limited to doing their respective jobs. And he could observe very closely Diana's admiration for actually sailing. The trip they made from Themyscira to the northernmost point of the Ice Wall had not been as impressive as being on a genuine vessel for weeks. He understood the admiration for conquering the world again, specifically the seas as the primary setting.

Hippolyta's daughter approved of the change of scenery and the chance to see more of Westeros after so long confined to Winterfell, however, no excitement for gaining new horizons could prevent her from noticing the opposite situation in her main companion since leaving home. Diana could understand the dilemma experienced day after day by those she brought back; in a way, they even shared this pain.

She stirred in the cabin she occupied on the ship and woke up when she heard the stillness of the night. She wanted to sleep, but she noticed his absence – more than it had been since boarding – but her mind would not turn off. She left the place and went to the bow, surprised to find him standing there looking at the water. As if sensing her presence, he turned and smiled at the corner of his mouth.

_ Sorry, I wasn't spying. I can't sleep anymore and I imagine you didn't even try.

_ Am I that easy to decipher, princess? – he returned to stare at the calm of the endless sea.

_ The truth has another meaning when it comes spontaneously.

_ I thought this feeling of not being worthy of this world would diminish when I got away from Westeros, but it seems to be getting stronger and stronger.

_ I know that feeling. – she acknowledged, being looked at by him skeptically – I've already told you how I was forged in clay by my mother, haven't I? – Diana took a deep breath and received the slight nod of her traveling companion as a yes – I was the only Amazon to be born in Themyscira. All the others were forged in battles and tested in combat before deserving their home on the island. Many Amazons never approved of my mother's attitude, I know that many think I shouldn't exist. At least, not in Themyscira.

Perhaps she understood less than she imagined. On the island, Diana had always known that her failures were more significant than those of the others. However, she also knew that she would be the owner of her achievements. If she ran fast enough, fought hard enough, thought fast enough, her sisters would respect her victories. The young warrior put her arm in his.

_ This helps me understand things a little better in your home. And it also doesn't make your desire to make a difference in this world and prove your worth any less honorable. We all want the chance to be great in some way. - replied the eldest Stark, now looking up at the sky.

_ And wanting more than a little? You get a little, you look for more. How do you recognize the right spot and be satisfied? It seems to be a truth that is not widely spread in this world - Diana took a deep breath. Robb then looked at her, with a common sadness in his eyes.

_ You want to find meaning in an insane world, and I wanted to understand the Gods' will to play with my life. If I could, I would like to remake my story. Build something that I understood. I think deep down I still want to.

_ I guess we are doomed to fail in our missions, then. - She is almost startled by his bitter laugh.

_ Another one for the list, I'm getting too used to this. I just feel sorry for dragging you along with me.

The Amazon resents failing at something as basic as offering comfort to someone who was visibly suffering. A lot. She understands at once that her feeling of not belonging was miles away from the pain of not feeling worthy of a world for having made mistakes and dragged others with her. Robb still didn't understand why he had returned or even how he could live with that for the time he had ahead of him.

Everyone leaves something behind when they return, apart from one of the phrases said by Melisandre in their last meeting before her untimely departure from Winterfell. Robb Stark seemed to be dealing with the opposite effect, however, he brought everything with him and everyone's pain as well. Something even similar to the chain that unites all the Amazons, everyone's pain is shared. In Robb's case, he felt and considered himself – right to a certain extent – responsible for so much suffering.

_ Diana – Robb said, taking her out of her reverie. When all this is over, if Westeros survives, will you return home?

_ Honestly, I don't know.

Diana believed that after all that, even if she were successful and the world wasn't condemned to a Long Night, she could be exiled or even find her way back. And time flowed differently in Themyscira. Besides, even if she decided to live with them in a time of peace, would that be able to ease the pain of losing her home? Of never seeing her mother and sisters again?

_ This is the first time I've heard these words being said by you, princess of Themyscira. And yet, I think it's the best answer we could have at this moment.

_ Not being sure of the outcome of things and still moving forward is something I envy in men. You've created ways to cross the seas, decipher unknown languages, cure diseases and sow the land even in a terrifying winter like in the North. Humanity is capable of greatness, especially when it shares its achievements despite its differences. This is a different kind of courage than the one I always found at home, but that the Amazons have abandoned over time. We should not live so far removed from humanity.

_ I do not judge your people, Diana, because I know exactly what mine can do. But the fact that you were born in Themyscira may have made a difference. If you were different from the others, you made a difference. You saved me, you saved my family, you saved my home and you are allowing us to have one more chance to save our world. If only Jon and the Free Folk were willing to fight, now we have the North and who knows, the Mother of Dragons on our side in a few days.

Comforting was something new to her. That is why Robb Stark's words seemed to make such a difference. Definitely, this unrestricted support for his people in such a human, so deadly way was different from anything she had experienced in Themyscira.

Neither better nor worse. Just different, as someone was becoming increasingly important to her, she had defined it so well. When thinking about her situation with the Young Wolf, she had never spent much time in definitions and not knowing was genuinely good.

Robb Stark had spent some of the other nights at sea without being able to sleep, revealing some of the regrets he had carried in that extra time. Diana chose to listen more and allow sharing to become a common thing between the two. "I sent 5,000 men to their deaths in a battle for strategy. I did not find that victory assuaged the weight of my decision then and now much less so."

War strategies could only be made with soldiers, sacrifices and someone making a decision. She said that one did not need to rule alone, but someone always needed to make the final decision. Robb was haunted by decisions of victories and massacres, and the princess wondered if the same afflicted her mother from time to time.

In those moments, Diana understood that she could be the daughter of Hippolyta, princess of the Amazons, but she was not made to reign. She wanted to make a difference on her own, where she was needed and not held back by a series of obligations and decisions.

Dragonstone was an inhospitable setting from a distance and Jon Snow feared that this could extend to his relations with the Targaryen queen. The King in the North needed to decide who would accompany him on the landing and who would remain on the ship. For him, the most coherent thing would be to keep Robb on the high seas, mixing trusted men and women at his side with Diana, the Onion Knight and Ghost, of course.

It would be, but the White Wolf also knew that it was a losing battle to demand that his brother keep his distance for an indefinite period of time, so he would remain in the most distant, discreet position and would not participate in the meeting upon arrival.

Such zeal was rewarded when they disembarked and were promptly received by Tyrion Lannister. Robb lowered his hood even further, kept his eyes on the ground and said nothing when approached
by the Dothrakis. Despite this, he could have sworn that Tyrion had stared at him more than once. He could have sworn that his identity had been discovered when he took his first step on Dragonstone and Tyrion could have sworn that he had seen a ghost disembark on his island.

Another Ghost, in addition to the gigantic white wolf faithfully at the King in the North's side. The dwarf shook the thought from his head and greeted the King in the North. If Robb Stark were here and alive, he would be shaking his hand and not that of his bastard brother. No, that would be impossible.