THEY WALKED UNTIL THE smell of burning Stark flags was a distant memory, but none of them could forget what they had seen. Those memories would linger in the backs of their minds for the rest of their lives, however long the Gods saw fit to give them. Joanna walked alongside Alayna and Alden, no destination in mind but trying to put as much distance between themselves and the Twins as possible. North, they went, because it was all they'd ever known. But that wasn't all she knew now.
Robb Stark was dead.
He was murdered by Roose Bolton.
The Boltons and the Freys betrayed them.
The Lannisters killed her husband.
Her family tried to kill her too.
The thoughts kept coming, an onslaught in her head of memories and facts and things she could hardly make heads or tails of. All she knew was that Robb was dead. The man she was never supposed to marry but grew to love. The man who willingly sacrificed a sworn oath to protect her.
Fleeing from the Twins and what remained of the Stark army ached the same way it did when she fled King's Landing. She had been chased out of every home she had ever known, this time without Robb's arms to run into for safety.
What was her destination now?
Where was she to go?
The North was in chaos, Boltons and Freys and Lannisters all staking their claims, so nowhere would be safe for them now. If people knew she was still alive, there would be bounties on her head so high that she would be dead the moment she was recognised. She had nowhere to go that was safe.
When they finally stopped, miles from the Twins and in the darkest depths of the woods, Joanna collapsed against a tree and put her head in her hands. Her husband was dead, her husband was dead, her husband was fucking dead.
How was she supposed to go on living when the only man she had ever loved was taken from her so cruelly? The image of Robb's body atop that horse would haunt her the same way the last kiss they shared would linger on her lips for the rest of her days.
And, Gods, she was supposed to give birth any day now. How was she to give birth to a child when their father would never get to see them grow up? All Joanna wanted to do was give up, just lay down in the dirt and let the earth swallow her. At least that way, she would be with Robb once more.
She knew, though, deep down, that dying was a coward's way out. She had to fight through this pain and avenge her husband's death. She had no idea how, because she had no army, no men, no way of knowing which way was which and who was where. She was completely, utterly lost.
Alayna and Alden didn't seem to know what to do either. They were slumped down in defeat, Alayna on her back in the dirt with her hands covering her face and Alden leaning his forehead against a tree trunk. Alayna had paused only long enough to wrap his shoulder in a strip of fabric torn from her skirts, binding his wound to slow the bleeding.
Robb had been a friend to all of them. He had been a good man, a good friend, and a good soldier. He had never wanted to hurt nor scorn anyone, always doing what he thought was right. He did not deserve to meet his end the way that he had.
Joanna swore, in that moment, with the bitter stench of defeat lingering in the air around them, that she would do whatever it took to ensure that she survived. She would raise Robb Stark's son or daughter with the knowledge that he was watching over them from above.
"Where do we go now?" Alden asked, lifting his head. His eyes were glassy.
Alayna pushed herself upright, sitting with her knees bent. "We go as far north as the North goes."
"You don't mean-"
"We go to the Wall."
"Alayna, we can't-"
"Jon's there."
And that was settled. There was no room for argument, and although Alden thought it dangerous to make the trek, there was no dissuading his sister. There were thousands of miles between them and the Wall, but she would brave that perilous journey if it meant they had the slightest chance of seeing Jon Snow again.
Joanna agreed with Alayna. Jon was the closest thing they had to family. The Wall existed beyond the laws of Westeros. They would be safe there. Reluctantly, Alden agreed. With a hand cradling her belly - protecting the last of Robb Stark's legacy - they began their journey north, hoping and praying that they made it there alive.
Her mother had been right all along. Lions and wolves did not make good playmates. Robb and Joanna had come close; they defied expectations and forged a bond unbreakable, even in death. It did not matter though. The Gods knew it was unnatural and let it exist only for the briefest time. Then they reclaimed order.
The Young Wolf died, and the Lioness ended up alone once again.
The End.
𓃬
Joanna Stark will return in Black Blood.
Alayna Oscura will return in Black Blood.
Alden Oscura will return in Black Blood.
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LIONS AND WOLVES | Robb Stark
Fanfiction"And so the lion fell into the den of wolves. What a tragedy it wrought." - In which the Little Lion meets the Young Wolf and they form an unlikely alliance. [Game of Thrones S1-S3] [Robb Stark x OC] [Book One in the Lions and Wolves Duology]
