King of my Heart // Ned Stark // Jorah Mormont

16. Your Fire

''Your grace?''

''Your grace...''

Maeves eyes flickered open and a pained breath escaped her lips.

''What... happened?'' She rasped her fingers slide out from under the blankets and touched her head her face cringed with pain at the lightest of touch.

''You don't remember?'' Ned questioned gently.

''No.'' Maeve answered softly but Jorah saw the shaky breath maeve released and the way her eyes turned down away from them as she said it.

''Lord stark. Perhaps its best if the queen has some time alone.'' Jorah offered maeve curled into herself her back to them.

''If you need anything your grace...' ned offered as he took slow steps to the door. Jorah rested his back against the door as he closed Ned out, he watching maeve shake as she cried.

''Oh your grace,'' he whispered and she rolled around to face him as he sat down at the edge of her bed she pulled him to her. He held her gently as she cried. ''I'm so sorry. I thought I lost you...' Jorah remarked laying down next to her. ''I was so worried when you didn't... I didnt know if he had... Maeve let me get you out of here.'' Jorah offered

''And go where?'' She whispered. ''He would hunt me down and kill me. You too.'' She remarked softly.

Maeve he whispered gently kissing the top of her head.

''You shouldn't have to live in fear.'' Jorah countered

''Just stay.'' Maeve requested her fingers fisting his shirt keeping him with her.

''I'm not going anywhere.'' Jorah assured.

+

Ned paced outside of Maeve's room but she refused to come out for the next week. Jorah assured him Maeve was alright but she preferred her solitude. Ned understood of course but as he sat across from Robert at council meetings he couldn't help but want to bash his head in.

"I thinks that's enough for today," Robert remarked. Nothing had gotten done but no one questioned the king. That was the problem, no one told Robert that he was wrong and that he needed to stop. Everyone just did as Robert said because he is the king. But every day that passed Ned felt himself tense up at the thought of even just sitting next to Robert enforcing his will and his ways when he knew that he had made a mistake stepping down from the iron throne. But he never wanted a throne. He never wanted a crown. But day by day he saw how ignorant Robert really was about the ways of ruling. Robert was a good fighter, a great warrior, but having strength and ruling did not go hand in hand.

+

'I got you a book from the library your grace.'' jorah said stepping into her room. ''I thought you might enjoy it.'' Maeve smiled over at him.

''Thank you. '' Maeve replied in a small voice.

''Care to come out of your room today?'' Jorah wondered. Again that smile. ''Figured that much.'' Jorah agreed.

''Come... sit.'' She told him patting her bed she lay vertical to him her head in his lap as he draped his hand over her stomach moving ever so slowly over the fabric of her dress. She propped her book up over her head as she read him a passage of the book she was reading.

''There can be no pacts between men and lions. I will make you pay in full for the grief you have caused me.''

'The iliad.' Jorah remarked. 'The sense of destiny you have, you are meant for more don't let stags or lions or any of them steal your fire your grace.''

''Thank you.'' She sat up looking over at him as his hand rested on her thigh. 'Ser jorah?'

'Yes your grace?'

'Call me Maeve.' She requested and jorah smiled over at her. ''I was a bastard a few years ago then a princess and then a queen. All so quickly. A prisoner queen but still...' she added softly. 'I like just being Maeve when I'm with you.'

''I would like that. You being you around me.'' Jorah told her.