Chapter 17: King Robert Baratheon

Last Week of the sixth Month of the Year 298

Winterfell

Robb Stark

Lively giggles briefly resonated within the walls of Robb's room. The young man looked up to the open window, recognizing the clear laugh of his sisters. He briefly wondered where they were headed at this time of the day, before looking back down to the small book in his hands.

One of Kyria's favorites. A study of several political situations by one of the many Maesters who served within the Red Keep. The last entry in this journal dated from the hour of the Wolf, which might explain why this was in the Stark Library instead of the Red Keep.

Where did she get that taste for southern politics anyway? Maybe the dreams…She had a talent for it, indeed. Or it seemed so to him when they practiced their little game in the library. It was a shame she couldn't fully express her talents in a position of true power. Sometimes he wished their roles would be reversed. She would make such a better Lord of Winterfell.

Robb sighed and shook his depressing thought out of his mind. He didn't have time for this.

The King had been spotted one day away from the keep. They were ready. Mother had even forced Theon and him to groom themselves for the court. Robb twitched his nose and rubbed his disturbingly soft chin. He didn't like it. He got used to his beard. Now he felt like a boy of ten all over again and this was not something he enjoyed.

But Mother had insisted. And no one was enough of a fool to deny her this when she was so nervous about this visit.

It surprised Robb at first. Why such a fuss? It wasn't the first official visit Mother planned in Winterfell. Yes, it was the King, but Mother had never been one to lose her composure when faced with her duty as the Lady of the Keep. On the contrary, it was in those situations she shone the brightest.

Maybe it was something else. This visit of the King was odd. Father refused to explain why it happened so suddenly, but Robb was no fool. Why now? He had years to come. He never bothered to come before, why now? What changed? What could he want from them?

There was something amiss. They were missing some information. But Father refused to say anything.

For lack of a better option, Robb marked his page, closed the book, and took the direction of the yard. He needed to empty his mind and nothing was more efficient than a good training session. And Theon was always happy to help that way.

Robb resigned himself to ignoring his friend's attempt to lure him into Wintertown's brothel for another kind of activity. It was inevitable. But he needed to hit something. And his mother would kill him if she ever caught him going with Theon in WIntertown. He liked living so this was not an option.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo-GOT-oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

He was still sweating from the intense exercise he forced himself into when a servant told him he was to meet his father.

With a tired sight, Robb broke into a run to join his room as fast as possible and -at the very least- change his shirt for a clean, sweat-free one. He was still smelly but at least he looked more or less presentable. Once properly dressed, he turned on his heels and whistled for Greywind. The massive wolf left his bed and followed him.

To his surprise, he found his brothers and mother spread on the solar, around the massive wolves. Lady Catelyn was eyeing Shaggydog warily as the huge beast nervously moved around the room. He didn't like being in such a closed space. Rickon, happily perched on his wolf looked as if in heaven, hidden in his friend's fur. Greywind didn't waste a beat joining his brother on the floor and nuzzled the little boy softly. Rickon shirked happily.

"Wind!" he squealed.

"Unfair! I wanted to bring Summer too!" protested Bran from his seat in one of the heavily stuffed chairs. The pillows seemed to swallow him.

"Children please," chastised Mother with a glance in their direction. She then turned her eyes in Robb's direction. "Robb, where are your sisters?"

Robb shrugged silently. He suspected them to train in the forest. But he was not going to be the one to say this to Mother, he wasn't dumb. Kyria would eviscerate him. Or worse. Look disappointed. He repressed a shiver. The disappointment was so much worse.

Rickon shrieked from his place on Shaggy's back. Robb moved an eyebrow. With a nod, Father sent the servant away, non-doubt to seek the remaining member of their family. The door closed, and Robb sat on one of the remaining chairs.

"What is it, Father?"

"Not until everyone is here," he answered, a hand holding his wife's.

The way that large hand twitched around Mother's waiste immediately draw Robb's attention. Why was he worried? Did something happen again?

It took a couple of silent minutes for the three girls to arrive. Repressed giggles and flushed cheeks were a welcome sight. Lady Catelyn frowned disapprovingly at the disheveled sight of her three daughters and the reprimand was immediate.

"Where have you been again?"

"Into the woods Mother. We wanted to go for a walk," chirped Kyria innocently.

She sold her little act by discretely pushing herself in front of Sansa, whose glass face would have betrayed any lie she might think to add to cover their little activities. The action wouldn't have been noticed if not for Robb's observation. She was getting good at this little game.

Not good enough to fool Mother, unfortunately.

"Are you hiding something from me, young lady?"

Yes. Not convinced. Too bad, it was a good attempt.

"Nothing." squeaked Sansa.

…Sansa needed to work on her lying face. And voice. And everything in fact. Though, thinking about it, maybe Sansa with the ability of lying wasn't the best idea.

"We are here for another purpose Cat, you can question our daughters another time."

There was no way Father was not protecting them with this sentence. Mother's face talked for her, as she was forced to drop the subject and await for Father's announcement. For his sister's sake, Robb hoped she would soon forget about this.

"The King will be arriving on the morrow," announced Father promptly.

The children around exchanged meaningful glances. Bran jumped out of his sit with energy and grabbed Father's hand.

"Really?! I'm going to see the knights?!" he asked cheerfully.

"Knights!" agreed on Rickon from his throne on top of Shaggy.

Robb spared a glance around him to the silent girls. Kyria looked pensive. Sansa was excited and Arya seemed to be vibrating out of her skin.

"I know this is all very exciting for all of you," added Father, "but I do hope I can count on all of you to behave as you should in front of the King."

Robb hoped this was not going to be yet another lesson on decorum and court behavior. He had those already far more often than he liked to count.

"Father, do you know why the King chose to come to visit us? Why now?"

Ned Stark blinked and stopped in the middle of his lecture. His face morphed into different emotions. Surprise, anger, sadness maybe? Or grief. Something painful. Robb was not sure he wanted to hear this answer. Dread pooled in his stomach.

"The Hand of the King is dead."

The children were confused. Robb's blood left his face so quickly that he felt dizzy for a moment. He would have been embarrassed to confess he almost fainted had he not been worried about Kyria suddenly dropping the goblet of water she had in her hand. Her face had the color of death.

They exchanged a look over the pressing question busting from different corners of the room. Both of them knew what it meant.

Robb more or less tuned down the rest of the discussion. His mind was working fast. The Hand of the King. Jon Arynn. Robert Baratheon had only been close, really close, to two people in the world. Jon Arynn and their Father. With the former dead, Robb didn't need to think much to guess what he wanted.

Gods…It was as they feared… They both knew it had been a possibility, there weren't many reasons why the King would come here after so many years. But still, he had hoped it wouldn't be like that…

When Father let them go, Robb didn't spare a second to run to Kyria, but she was quicker than him. By the time he reached her place, she was gone, and Robb was met with Sansa's sparkling eyes who begged to talk with him about knights and Kings blessing Winterfell with their presence. Her blue eyes shone brighter than ever and Robb was trapped before he could even think of an exit route.

He only manage to find Kyria when he joined everyone else in the dining hall, Sansa still babbling at his arm. Unfortunately, he didn't share Jon's talent for fiding their wandering sister everywhere in the keep no matter how.

She stubbornly refused to meet his gaze, still pale from earlier and entirely focused on Arya who was discussing animately next to her with an equally enthusiastic Bran. The dining hall was not a place to discuss these matters but Robb had wished to at least ask Kyria to spare him a moment after their meal. Alas, this couldn't be done.

Robb ate with a twisted stomach, stealing glances at Kyria far too often without any result.

Father asked for him in his solar as soon as the meal was over. He kept him there for most of the evening, preparing him for what was going to be his role once the court arrived. Robb listened impatiently. While he understood Father's desire to prepare him for his first interaction with the King as an heir and future Lord Paramount of the North, his mind was to his sister and the revelations they both had.

He felt almost numb when the time finally came for him to go back to his room. On his desk, laid the book he had abandoned earlier. Mocking him and his fate with the irony of the situation. Tales of the South brought back by a Stark of the North.

With a shiver down his spine, he finally allowed himself to think about the truth he heard behind his father's words. Another Stark was doomed to dip their toes in Southern politics.

"Shit…" he cursed.

Greywind whined and nudged his hand. Robb looked in the eyes of his companion, tightened his fists, and went for another room. Greywind followed him silently.

He rapped his knuckles against the wooden door.

"Yes?"

Robb's eyes first found Frost, displayed like a lazy overgrown cat in front of the fire, obviously enjoying the flames warming his paws. He was snoring in his big paws, Summer's equally big head pillowed on his back, looking as asleep as he could without actually sleeping. Blurry yellow eyes spared him a look before snorting and pushing his head farther within his brother's thick fur. Greywind didn't even bother looking at his master before joining his pack on the comfortable floor. It was humorous in its own endearing way, how those giant predators looked like overgrown lapdogs spread on the floor like that.

There was little space left to navigate around the room, with the three of them laying like that, but Robb supposed he had to manage anyway Kyria was pushed against her pillows on the bed. Against her, rolled in a little ball, was one of his siblings. The puff of short dark hair as well as Summer's presence sold the identity of the ball pretty easily.

"Bran?"

The ball whined. A little fist grabbed on Kyria's nightshirt and two large worried eyes looked up at him from the mass of hair and fabric where it was previously hidden.

"What's wrong Bran?"

A tear-filled eye blinked open within the sea of dark brown hair pushing up every single alarm within Robb's brain.

"I had a nightmare..." confessed the little boy.

"What happened? "

Kyria gave him a look and patted the boy's head without a word. Right… not really the smartest question.

"I dreamed of a big raven. With three eyes. He was scary."

Kyria's hand froze in his hair, her face paled two shades whiter. she looked truly frightened, as her eyes searched for his own. After a second of stillness, she resumed her petting, but her movements were stiff and quick. She was nervous. Robb could relate, nightmares were a bad omen, in this room especially.

"Do you want to stay with me tonight?" she asked with a gentle voice.

Bran nodded silently, his mouth a stubborn line on his face. A line Robb was familiar with, his little brother didn't want to admit what he took for weakness,like the proud little boy he was.

In a matter of minutes, the little boy was buried under the furs of the bed, only eyes and hair visible. Kyria let him take all the place he wanted, merely curling around him protectively, one arm behind his head. Her braided hair was slowly losing its tight, spreading long curly lock of hair around her back that shone under the dim light of the fire. Robb sat on a free corner of the bed one hand on what he thought was his sister's feet.

"What do you think about the King? What will happen when he'll be there?"

"I don't know" lied Kyria, her eyes on Robb. "But I know one thing."

Robb felt a growing sense of dread creeping around them, as Kyria's eyes lost their focus.

"I'd rather have you walk like a wolf than fly like a bird little brother. Try to remember that, when you dream about crows, will you?"

Bran was confused, and Robb was even more, but there was no answer for any of them, as Kyria closed her eyes almost immediately with a painful expression on her face.

"Did you want something brother?" she asked.

Robb didn't find the words he had wished to say moments ago. He shook his head and stroked the furs.

"It doesn't matter. You rest, sister, we will find the time to talk tomorrow."

Kyria merely blinked.

"We certainly will."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight brother."

"Goodnight Robb," mumbled Bran sleepily.

OoOoOoOoOoOo-GOT-oOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Unfortunately, they didn't get to talk before the King's and court's arrival. Their morning was a blur of last preparations, dressing up to impress, chasing Rickon and Arya to get them to behave, and finally, convincing all of the kids to agree to lock up the wolves in the kennels for their arrival. Not everyone was happy with this. But Mother would not be moved.

Now, standing straight in the middle of the courtyard, in front of the main gate, wrapped in the finest doublet he owned Robb finally allowed himself a look at his siblings. Like him, they were all dressed up in their finest clothes, heavy cloaks draped on their shoulders with wolf and fox pelt on the rim and collar. His three sisters were dressed in different shades of blue much to his amusement, and their pretty dresses seemed to mirror each other. Did they plan this? It was kind of cute… even more so when seeing Arya so obviously uncomfortable in her own light blue dress. Sansa's matched the color of a clear summer sky and Kyria, in the darkest shade, looked like she was dressed in the water of a river. They all had their long sleeves embroidered with silver and glittered softly under the sun. They looked like winter princesses.

Arya kept looking around curiously, only held back by Sansa's hand holding hers. Bran, acting all mature in his grey doublet, kept puffing up his chest for some reason. The only one who didn't really seem to care about what was happening was Rickon who was attached to Mother's skirt and looked gloomily in the kennel's direction. Yes, mee too little brother…

He couldn't help but keep watching them, it soothed him somehow. Kyria's tense body right next to him was no use for his own nervousness, but saying it would have been insensitive of him. She was standing closer to him than what would normally be expected and Robb felt more than once her finger brushed his hand. He didn't dare take it, it wouldn't be proper.

"How long are we going to wait like that?" complained his youngest sister.

"Arya, behave." scolded Sansa with a roll of her eyes.

Arya pouted.

"I still think it would have been better to wait outside like the rest of the guards."

"It is not our place, Arya." scolded Mother, "you are to welcome our guests with the family."

Arya rolled her eyes with a loud groan forcing a smile on her sister's face.

Bran nudged her shoulders, and she pushed back. The children's bickering stopped when the first guard trotted inside the yard. Kyria sucked a strangled breath, her cold fingers gripping Robb's tightly. He hissed and looked down. So she grabbed it? What was happening inside that head?

The horses' hooves brought Robb's attention back to the parade happening in front of them and he watched as bright red cloaks trotted in large circles within the courtyard. Why red cloaks? Why not Baratheon men? The king was a Baratheon, not a Lannister…

But it wasn't only him. They were all Lannisters… the entirety of the King's escort was made of red cloaks. Why would the King use his father-in-law's resources and allow such power to slip through his fingers? It made no sense… and it was incredibly dangerous…

Well, he was Tywin Lannister's son-in-law so he must be somewhat protected…but still.

The bright white cloaks of the first Kingsguard distracted Robb from his musing. Who was he? Which one? Somewhere on his side, Robb heard Bran's little squeal of excitement, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from the member of the most famous order of the Seven Kingdoms. He was like a boy again, seeing with sparkling eyes the real incarnation of all his childhood fantasies. A knight in shining white armor. The man rode elegantly his snow-white cloak blinding in the sun and the gold lining his armor even more sumptuous than anything described in books or painted.

An imposing figure on a tall dark horse caught the periphery of Robb's vision, forcing his attention away from the white. The helmet, shaped like a snarling dog identified the man as the Hound, Sandor Clegane. But who was the blond boy in front of him? The prince? Robb raised an eyebrow. He was far from what he expected… He looked almost girlish in his rich silks and velvet cloaks. His shiny blond curls and vivid green eyes were the complete opposite of what Robb pictured in his mind. Though he was pretty… he supposed. If one was into that sort of…thing.

Kyria twitched next to him and Robb briefly looked down. She looked paler than ever, her ice-cold hand gripped his like one of those vicious vines they had in the Mountains. He bit back a wince. Was she shaking?

"Kyria?"

She shook as if startled and hunched her shoulders a little bit higher as if to push her head between them, before straightening her back once more. Her eyes were hidden by a heavy lock of hair Mother had braided tightly. What was happening?

To his utmost frustration, he couldn't ask now. The loud fussing of horses massively entering the yard forced him to look back up again.

A monstrous wheelhouse was slowly dragged inside the yard by four massive horses. Until this very moment Robb didn't know such a big thing could exist. And move. What kind of monstrosity was that thing and what in seven hell was it transporting? An entire castle?

The crown prince, Joffrey, trotted in front of the wheelhouse, like a peacock fussing his feathers. He was looking at them. No, he was looking at his sisters. Protectiveness pulsed out of Robb like a wave of heat who pressed his mouth close to stop himself from baring his teeth. No. Just, no. The pretty boy's gaze went from Kyria who was doing everything she could not look back, to Sansa who batted her eyelashes prettily. Which… no. Not gonna happen. Ever.

Finally, the last part of the escort arrived, surrounding one last monstrous horse who seemed ready to just give up and die under the weight of who was on top of him. Robb barely spared a look to the… person on top of the horse before the movements around him forced him on his knee, in tandem with the rest of the yard.

The King. This was the King.

Robert Baratheon, first of his name.

Eaten by his curiosity, Robb tried to look at his king between the thick locks of his hair.

He was imposing. As fat as a man could be while still standing on their own two feet. Or mount a horse apparently, which, from what he could guess of the poor beast had more to do with the man's stubbornness than actual skill. Poor thing. He had vibrant black hair and a thick black beard eating half of his face. The other half was puffed up to the point Robb could barely distinguish his eyes from where he was. Beyond the vague shape of red, wet, shiny globes. This was not the face of the man Robb expected, the one he dreamed about as a child when Father would tell his stories of the War and the battles he fought by the King's side. This was… disappointing.

He watched as the King's boots slowly climbed down the little stairs one of his guards had to bring to have him go down from his horse, and pity and disappointment flushed in his veins.

Robb remained pensive as the King stopped in front of Father, wondering what could have happened for a man such as Robert Baratheon to finish in such a state. He who once was so great and powerful…

The silence was growing heavily around the yard. From the corner of his eye, Robb spied the King's hand moving, ordering Father to stand back up. Which he did immediately in a smooth movement the fat man in front of him would never have been able to pull. Robb did the same along with the rest of the yard. He couldn't help but notice the shaking in her sister's arms as she hid them behind her cloak. What was going on with her? Was it because of the King? Why would she be scared of a fat old man?

"Your Grace." greet the Lord.

"You got Fat." responded the King.

…Seriously?

Silence weight between them for a moment, then both men broke into a wide smile as they embraced each other.

Soon enough, the men let go of each other, and exchanged a couple of pleasantries, before the King moved on to Rickon who jumped on his toes as the man rubbed his hair energetically.

Then he barked his mother's name, embracing her. Robb blinked owlishly, confused. Was the King his mother's friend too? How come she never mentioned it?

"You must be Robb."

Robb blinked and bowed as was expected of him.

"Your Grace."

Robert boomed.

"What a good lad!"

His watery eyes turned on Kyria who was shaking slightly next to him. It was barely visible, but their joined hands betrayed her. Robb pressed her hand, hoping no one would notice the tremble in her arm.

"And what have we here? You didn't tell me you had twins, Ned."

Robb blinked, pleasantly surprised. It had been years since the last time someone took them for twins. He forgot how pleased it made him, to be thought of as his sister's twin. Robert Baratheon was studying their faces with attention, and Robb stood taller.

"This is Kyria, your Grace," Kyria dropped his hand and bowed perfectly, fingers pinching the sides of her wide skirt. "Our oldest daughter. She is younger than Robb by almost two years."

"Two years huh?" mumbled the King, pensive.

He then boomed a loud laugh that vibrated through his tripled chin and heavy belly. The wobbly movement was kind of hypnotic in a strange way.

"Ned you sly dog!"

Mother blushed embarrassingly and Father snarled his white teeth in a show of aggressivity Robb didn't know he was capable of. It lasted a moment, but the implications and the King's crude comment weren't lost by anyone present. He was starting to like him less and less by the minute. In the blink of one's eye, Father's face was back to normal and he was merely watching the King as he laughed.

Baratheon then carried on with his inspection of the many Stark children, much to Robb's growing annoyance. He wasn't very fond of being observed like livestock by this boorish man who dared embarrass his parents in such a way.

Then, the Queen appeared and Kyria, already tense, became stiff as a board. He barely heard what was said around him as he watched the breathtaking woman slowly walk to them. She looked regal. Truly beautiful in a way he never expected to see in his lifetime. And yet there was something fundamentally cold around her. A barrier that stopped him from feeling or thinking anything pleasant beyond the perfection of her face and the shining gold of her mane. A Queen. Not a woman or a Mother or anything else she could have been, not even something his young mind could have desired. Just a Queen. With a crown and a Kingly husband. That was it.

"We've been traveling for months, my love. Surely the dead can wait." said a voice to her left.

Immediately, Kyria's hand grabbed Robb's. He looked down as her shaking made his own arm tremble. She was pale, her head down again, and lips pressed together as if to stop herself from talking, or throwing up maybe. Her lashes flustered rapidly like the heartbeat of a rabbit, quick and hard as she took several quick breaths through her teeth. She mumbled something and Robb had to stop breathing to hear it.

"The gods have no mercy, that's why they are gods."

What? What was that supposed to even mean? Why talk about gods now?

"Is everything alright Kyria?" whispered Sansa to her right.

Robb looked at her. Finally, she had stopped batting her lashes at the pretty prince on his pretty horse. Took her long enough.

"Yes, Sansa, don't worry."

"Are you sure? You look pale..."

"Yes, I'm alright. I- I didn't eat this morning that is all," said Kyria without looking at her.

Robb moved to get the red-haired soft child his attention and, as she looked at him, he smiled reassuringly. He knew the importance Sansa was putting into this visit, and even though he liked it less and less, he wouldn't let her worry herself out of what was certainly going to be the most exciting meeting of her life. She had admired the queen since she was a little girl after all. He could take care of Kyria while darling Sansa could enjoy the company of what was supposedly the most beautiful woman of the realm.

Sansa smiled back and with one last squeeze of her sister's arm looked back around her with a beaming joy. Kyria pressed his hand and he looked down at her. She was practically hidden by his cloak at this point. Not for the first time he wondered what was happening inside that head.

"Where is the imp?" asked Arya, looking around with eagerness.

"Arya, not that loud," whispered Sansa.

Robb snorted. Of course, Arya would break the tension around Kyria like a warm knife in butter. Still, as the attention was taken from their side of the yard, Robb whispered to his sister's ear.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, her eyes on Sansa as she gently scolded Arya for the volume of her voice.

"It's a lot to take in…" was his only answer.

He nodded. He couldn't really understand, she was very evasive, but he could imagine the struggle her gift would give her, surrounded by so many people important for their country.

"Your grace, if you please. I would be honored to take you to your room. I assume you must be tired after such a journey."

The Queen turned around to give his mother her entire attention. Before she could say anything else, however, a loud bang echoed in the yard. What in-

The kennels?

Oh shit.

Around them, the red cloaks draw their swords, ready to defend their Queen and the royal family.

"What is the meaning of this?" thundered the Queen.

"Ser Rodrick?" called Mother.

Robb looked over, soon joined by his siblings, who each looked in the direction of the noise. The wolves? Why now?

Kyria gasped softly on his right and Robb understood. Frost of course. He must have felt her distress and wished to protect her. He wasn't sure this was a good idea…

"My Lady," intervened Ser Rodrick, "It seemed like your children's companions found a way to… escape their accommodations."

In other words, the wolves were set loose.

"What is that supposed to mean?" demanded the Queen.

"What, the Stark have pets?"

Sansa gasped and grabbed Kyria's dress, intimidated by the Prince's sudden attention.

"My Prince-"

A loud snarl stopped Mother mid-sentence. With hardly repressed pride, Robb admired the display the pack made, a show of strength, more obvious and impressive than anything the fat King could have done with his Lannister guards and his pretty, polished son.

They came one after the other, and at this moment they were gorgeous, noble, and like nothing else could have been in this yard.

"What is this?!" shrieked the Queen.

Voices raised around them, questioning the nature of the monsters coming toward them. But Robb ignored them, concentrating his attention on his own faithful friend.

"Greywind," he called loudly, his chest puffed and his back straight.

His wolf raised his massive head, observing the intruders with intimidating gold eyes, then slowly turned his body to join Robb's extended hand. He bumped his head against it and slowly circled around him so his flank would rest against the hip as opposed to his sword.

Kyria mumbled behind him, echoing his own call and Frost obeyed faithfully. Every single one of them was soon flanked by their wolves. Frost, Nymeria, Lady, Shaggy, dwarfing Rickon so much it was ridiculous, and finally, Summer.

The silence in the yard was deafening. The eyes of every newcomer were on them, heavy and demanding and Robb stood even taller, daring anyone to even whisper something in their direction.

The Queen was the first to find her words again.

"Would someone kindly explain what those beasts are about?" there was an edge in her voice that made him grit his teeth. Was she afraid?

"Those are our children's… companions." offered Mother unsurely, "They raised them since they were pups and have trained them to obey their every command."

Prince Joffrey snorted in the background, but it was ignored on behalf of his mother's curiosity.

"I thought the Direwolved were only seen behind the Wall these days."

"Not all of them." He might have been showing off a little…but really who would blame him?

"What are those?"

The King was back.

Not pleased with the sudden sound, Shaggydog growled loudly, fangs on display and ready to bite at the first opportunity.

"Shaggy. Down," he ordered.

Rickon imitated him and pushed his wolf's head down with a pout on his little face.

"Bad Shaggy. We don't attack the King."

Shaggydog's growl lowered, if barely.

"My children's companions." informed Father to his warry friend, "they weren't supposed to be here."

"They wished to greet our guests' father," confessed Kyria with a soft-spoken voice.

The King's loud laugh dissolved the tension immediately.

"Ned you old fool! Giving wild beasts to your children!" he laughed.

He was very quick to forgo any potential threat his Queenly wife could have voiced against her person or any of her children. Not that he seemed to listen to her anyway. Their relationship, from the little Robb, was able to witness, was very different from his own parents. There was little love or respect between them. A complete opposite to what Robb had seen in his own life between his parents.

The handmaiden around them fussed over the guest, guiding them to their room with a quiet efficiency Robb was used to and soon enough they were the only ones in the yard. Mother cut them with a severe look, going through each of their faces.

"The King will be celebrated tonight in a great feast," she announced. "Each one of you will make an appearance and I count on you to control your wolves. I don't want to see them tonight, are we clear?"

"Yes Mother." They chorused obediently.

She watched a moment longer, then dismissed them with a stiff nod of her head. No one thought of protesting. Not even Arya. A stressed Mother was a scary Mother.

He dragged Kyria away from their sibling, taking the advantage of the opportunity the excitation bubbling around was offering him.

"Are you well?"

Kyria nodded without a word.

"Kyria."

"I don't know." she confessed finally. "This is all… too much."

"Did you have…" he didn't dare finish that sentence, nor did he need to.

She nodded again. "I think so. It was… it felt a lot like that day, when we were riding with Jon. Like visions, but- I was awake. And every time someone was talking it felt like- like too much information in too little time. Like I was going to faint."

Robb nodded and dragged her closer to him. She went boneless against his arm, her fingers gripping tightly into Frost's fur as the imposing wolf kept pushing her with his nose worrily.

"It's going to be alright Kyria. They won't be there long. And maybe it'll only happen on your first meeting? You met them now, it's done."

She nodded and Robb sighed. What a day… and it wasn't over yet.

TBC

NOTE: What is it? Two chapters in a row? An author alive after months of silence? My oh my!

I am sorry for the delay, I know most of you must be fed of with me at this point. To be completely honest I totally forgot to post last month. And this month too... I am working on a project and it takes a lot of my time.
Still, I should have remember! Shame on me. I will try to be more reliable for the next chapters and I hope you liked the little double update.
Don't forget to comment your thoughts and to leave kudos if you enjoyed it! I also take the time to remind you that I have a discord server where you are all invited to come yell at me if I forgot to post again xD the link is here: discord. gg/Er jA7Wzx just remove the spaces
See you next time!