LIONS AND WOLVES | Robb Stark

16. Wishful Thinking 𓃬

THEY LAY TOGETHER FOR SOME TIME AFTER, their bodies pressed together. Joanna ran her fingers along Robb's chest while his played with her hair. She'd untangled it from its braids and it now hung loose around her shoulders. It was dark outside, with only the distant sounds of the night for company; the hoots of an owl, the howl from a wolf, the wind whipping through the trees. It was peaceful and Joanna wished that she could stay 

Robb's hand stilled and he released a soft sigh. Lifting her head, Joanna gave him a curious look. "Is everything okay?"

"I wish we could go home," he said. "I wish I could take you back to Winterfell so you and I could rule side by side without worrying about this war."

"I wish that could happen too," Joanna said, propping herself up on her elbow. "But our lives were never meant to be easy, My King."

"I wish they were, My Queen," Robb replied, brushing back Joanna's hair. "I wish we could-"

Joanna placed a finger over Robb's lips. "Please stop wishing for things that we can't have. Can we just appreciate what we have here, in this moment?"

Robb nodded. "Alright. I, um, I appreciate you and I wish it hadn't taken us so long to get to where we are."

"Ah, there's another wish," Joanna said, her tone playful. "Wishes are fickle things, but I also wonder why it took us so long, because in a way, we knew all along that this was going to happen."

"I'm glad it did," Robb replied. "I'm glad I found you."

"I actually found you," Joanna reminded him. "But that's just a technicality."

Robb chuckled. "Alright, no need to be pedantic."

"Oh, do forgive me," Joanna said sarcastically. "Would you like me to lay here and not question you at every given moment like a good little wife?"

"Then you wouldn't be the Joanna I-"

Robb paused and Joanna's eyes widened in surprise. "The Joanna you what?"

Taking a deep breath, Robb kissed Joanna gently before he said, "You wouldn't be the Joanna that I fell in love with."

She gasped. "You're in love with me?"

Robb smiled. "Should I not be?"

"I thought this was purely political," Joanna said.

"It was," Robb replied. "Until I was on my way back from the Crag and I realised that I missed you. I missed sleeping beside you and having you by my side during council meetings, regardless of how much of an arse you can be."

Joanna shoved his shoulder playfully. "You're not the easiest of people, either, but I do understand. Seeing you go off with Talisa did make me feel a little jealous, because I worried that you would feel like our marriage was a mistake."

"I would never think that," Robb replied. "At first, I'll admit it was political, but now I can see a future with you, Jo. I want you to be my wife until the day I die."

"And I want for you to be my husband until the day I die," she said. "And, as far as my feelings go, I do believe that I am falling in love with you as well."

Robb smiled. "Well, I'm glad to hear that, because it would have been a bit awkward if you weren't."

Joanna couldn't help but laugh. "Do you think we shall have children one day? My mother always told me that bringing a child into the world is something... magical."

"I would hope that we would," Robb said. "One day, when this war is over and won, you and I shall return to Winterfell and the halls shall be filled with children. I want to believe that dream."

"It sounds like a lovely dream," Joanna said, smiling.

From outside of the tent, Joanna heard Alden shout, "Joanna, there's a raven for you!"

Turning to Robb, Joanna rolled her eyes before sliding out of the bed. Robb groaned and dropped his head back against the pillows. "Can't you stay?"

Joanna pulled on a robe as she smiled at Robb. "I'll be right back." She moved to the entrance of the tent and leaned out. "Alden?"

"I hate to disturb you, Princess," Alden said. "But this just came from King's Landing. Your mother's seal."

"Thank you," Joanna said, taking the rolled-up parchment from Alden and ducking back into her tent.

As she made her way back towards the bed, she carefully broke the seal of the letter and unrolled it, her mother's words glaring back at her.

Joanna,

I heard the news of your marriage to Robb Stark, so I must first offer my congratulations. I hope you two are very happy together.

Second, my obligation as your mother is to remind you that should you continue upon this deviated path from which I have tried to steer you away, then I fear you may be slipping through my fingers and I shall lose you forever. Those in the Red Keep - your brother, the King, included - are infuriated that you would go to bed with our enemies and do so in such audacious manners.

Third, your grandfather has offered a counter proposal to you being tried for treason. He has declared that should you cease your affiliation with the Stark name and your marriage to Robb Stark be annulled, then you can return to King's Landing and we will find a husband better suited for you. It would not do to see the daughter of our late king and the sister of our current king hanged for treason.

The choice is yours, dear daughter.

Joanna crumpled up the letter and scoffed. "She has got to be joking?"

"What is it this time?" Robb asked.

"She has offered me someone else's hand in marriage in exchange for my return to King's Landing," she replied. "With Joffrey at the head of this operation, they'll no doubt set me up with some foreign lord and ship me off somewhere quiet and I shall never be seen again. Exile, is what it is, and cruel to boot."

"I won't let that happen," Robb said, getting out of bed to embrace Joanna. "You are my wife, from now until we die, and I won't ever let the Lannisters harm you again."

Joanna nodded. "I know. I knew she would be disappointed, but I often wonder whether she bears any love for me still. I am her daughter, after all. Her flesh and blood, but Cersei cares not for anyone she cannot control."

"And she cannot control you," Robb said, leaning down to kiss Joanna. "You are your own person. You will be my queen and you and I will rule together."

Joanna smiled. "I like the sound of that."

"Now, we have another hour or so before we have the lords dragging us out of bed, so why don't we make the most of it?" Robb asked.

"That, my King, sounds like an excellent idea."