LIONS AND WOLVES | Robb Stark

02. Whispered Promise 𓃬

"SO IT'S TRUE THEN?" Joanna turned at the sound of a female voice, spotting the woman in the entrance of the tent. "The daughter of Robert Baratheon joins forces with the wolves of Winterfell."

The woman was blonde, with her hair pulled back in an intricate series of braids that were all interwoven with one another and hung down her back. Her eyes, piercing blue and staring directly at Joanna, were sparkling with amusement as she stood with her arms folded and one hip jutted out. She was wearing a set of worn armour and had a sword strapped around her waist, tucked beneath a cloak of thick fur. Even though Jo hadn't seen her in a long time, she hadn't changed a bit.

"Alayna. It's been a while."

"You're telling me," she replied, dropping her arms and strolling towards Joanna. "Since when did you wear armour?"

"Since it's going to be the only thing between my organs and a Lannister sword," Joanna replied.

"I respect that." Alayna sat down beside Joanna on the bed of furs, clasping her hands in her lap. "I hear we're sharing a tent. Are we going to cuddle at night?"

"I seriously doubt it," Joanna replied.

Alayna shook her head. "Don't come crawling to me when your toes get cold, you little summer child."

"Shut up."

With a laugh that petered off almost immediately, Alayna's smile was replaced with a more serious look. "I hear Ned Stark's dead. Is it true?"

Joanna nodded.

In all the time that Jo had known her, she had only seen Alayna cry once. Even growing up, Alayna never let any of them see her weep, but the day she said goodbye to Jon Snow and watched him leave for the Wall was the day that she hadn't been able to keep up appearances. Joanna had stood with her after Jon rode through the gates without looking back and comforted her friend, because she knew how much Alayna cared about Jon and his leaving had hurt her.

"I'm so sorry," she said, reaching for Alayna's hand. "I know he was like a father to you."

"He was my father," Alayna replied. "I never really got the chance to know my own, so all I ever had was Ned." She took a deep breath, tilting her head back to the canvas above their heads with her eyes closed. "Gods, I can't believe he's gone. Did you see it happen?"

Joanna nodded. "I did. My brother gave the order."

"How did you escape?" Alayna asked.

"In the chaos right after Ned died, I managed to get out," Joanna replied. "I rode north because it seemed like the safest option."

"Your options must have been pretty dire for this to be your best bet," Alayna said.

"Well, when you're legally the heir to the throne and run away from your responsibilities, your options dwindle drastically," Joanna said.

Alayna huffed. "Heir to the throne. What a load of shit."

"Joffrey can have it," Joanna said, shaking her head. "I didn't quite fancy my chances in the city."

"No, I suppose the odds of you getting murdered are pretty high," Alayna said. She pulled out a dagger and pressed her pointer finger against the tip gently before she held it up. "I'm going to stick this through Joffrey's eye and out the back of his skull."

"Good luck with that," Joanna said. "He's got an entire Kingsguard protecting him now."

"I can handle a Kingsguard," Alayna replied. "And what about you? I see you carry a sword now. What happened to the pretty dresses and extravagant jewellery?"