The Way Of Winter | Robb Stark

ARYADNE - XXVIII

Lady Stark looked up from her sewing in surprise. "Your Grace," she said, cautiously standing up to greet Aryadne. Her red hair was long and loose about her, her eyes sunken from lack of sleep. "What is the matter?"

She became aware of a sharp pain between her eyes. A hand came up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she paced. "Your son."

The woman was beside her in time to stop her from losing balance, guiding her to sit at a desk strewn with books and papers. "What has he done?" she asked, unperturbed by the response. Robb had hardly been close with her since she released Jaime.

Though Aryadne could barely see past the blinding pain that came so suddenly, she forced herself to answer, "Stannis has sent an army to sack King's Landing, and Robb decided not to tell me."

An exasperated sigh reached her. "No doubt thinking to prevent any stress," Lady Stark muttered as she decanted some small ale for the girl.

She accepted the cup with a scowl. "Not you, too. I am perfectly capable of handling bad news, I am not a child."

"No, but we do not have easy access to a maester. It is best to avoid any complications in your fragile state — whilst that is not to say that you are fragile, your son most definitely is."

Drinking in short gulps, she began to calm. "He wants to send me away," she said miserably. Only now did it truly hit her. She remembered the pained look on Robb's face as he said it. As her fury began to wear off, guilt rose up in its place. "Robb, he— he said he would arrange for me to go to Riverrun."

"It would be safer for you there," she reluctantly agreed, though her lips pursed into a thin line. "You cannot make decisions purely for yourself anymore. The child must come first."

It was true, though she hated it. She sat back in the chair, smoothing over her belly. "I know. I know, but surely I can stay another month? I have work to do here."

Lady Stark gave a weary shrug. "I am afraid that is up to him to decide, as your husband. If he wants to send you away, he will." Hesitating, her features softened and she rested a hand upon Aryadne's shoulder. "You can try to convince him."

As the heat around her calmed, she began to recall her words. "After the things I said, I doubt that." Groaning, Aryadne hid her face in her hands. "Oh, he must hate me. I was awful."

Her temper had never gotten away from her like that before. The things she had said were so unkind, so ugly. She did not think herself capable of them. Still, she was certain of one thing: If anyone was to apologise first, it would be Robb.

As though reading her thoughts, Lady Stark spoke again, "Sometimes a battle must be lost to win the war. As a woman — especially a wife — you must be willing to accept the blame, unjust as it may feel. Words are your best weapon, my dear."

"But I don't want to hurt him." Faltering, she shook her head. "And yet that is all I seem capable of doing. I knew how he felt, I knew he would accept the proposal. I used him to keep myself alive. He was so blinded, it did not matter that his lords were against it, it did not matter that I had no proof of my virtue. I saw his attraction to me and I exploited it. Jaime was right, I am just like my mother." That was what truly broke her. Her lips pulled into a despairing smile. Then, they trembled and pouted, a dam that broke under the weight of it all. Curling in on herself, arms instinctively curling around her belly, she began to sob. She should have known. It would take all the effort she had, every chance of rebellion, and even then, she would never escape from the fact that she was her mother's daughter. The manipulation, the judgement, the mind games. It was in her blood.

Lady Stark said nothing, astonished by the girl's quiet breakdown. Clearly, it would take precision and care to calm her. She knelt, grasping Aryadne's hunched shoulders. "Hush, child. Hush, now. I am with you."