The Iron Thorn | Theon Greyjoy

33.

Massey

Dinner had become a less and less structured event. Where there was once laughter and lively conversation, there was now just hushed conversations contained to corners of the room. On this particular night, it was just Theon and I, which served my needs just fine. A few others were scattered, but Robb and the boys were absent. Theon seemed to have something further on his mind than what had happened with Osha. He had hardly eaten any dinner, even.

   "Has something happened?"

   He broke off a small piece of bread and cleared his throat before responding, his voice low and dignified. "Robb's received a letter from King's Landing."

   "Well, what did it say?" I urged after a long pause from him.

   He sighed, more so in defeat than annoyance, his hand tightening around his cup. "Lord Stark was attacked in the street, in broad daylight. Jory is dead, along with others."

   "What? By who?"

   "Jaime Lannister."

   I know that I couldn't hide the shock on my face when that was the name he said. My mind immediately shot to Broden, then to my father. Then, to Lady Stark.

   "Because Lady Catelyn apprehended Lord Tyrion?"

   Theon nodded, grumbling a few words about the Lannisters as a whole before voicing his opinion on how Robb should handle the matter.

   "Surely you can't mean for Robb to start some sort of fight with the crown?"

   "I do, and I've told him as much. Blood for blood," he said harshly, as though it were the easiest decision. "They've already hurt Lord Stark. What do we do, wait around for something worse to happen?"

   "You say these things dangerously casually. The King wouldn't allow anything more to happen, not to Lord Stark."

   "But, he'd allow Lord Stark to take a spear to the leg?"

   I grimaced at the image, becoming silent as I pondered what Theon had said. The truth is, I had no idea how to move forward against something like this. Certainly it couldn't go unanswered, but King's Landing felt a world away. I had no idea how the capital truly functioned. King Robert was a good man, a longtime friend of my father, but was he truly in control of everything happening in King's Landing? My brother had made it clear in his letters that there had been underlying tension there since his arrival. My mind drifted for awhile as I considered the implications of such violence in the capital. I struggled to ground myself with the positive things here in Winterfell.

   "I had more pleasant news, but now things feel a bit too grim," I finally mumbled into my plate.

   "No," Theon began, forcing a sympathetic smile onto his face. "Grim times are the best times for pleasant news."

   "Alright," I sighed as I met his eyes. "If you're ready, Maester Luwin has agreed to marry us tomorrow evening."

   "Massey, that's wonderful," he assured me with a more genuine smile. "Of course I'm ready. Are you?"

   "Think so," I answered. "It's all a bit nerve wracking, isn't it? Not knowing what'll come after."

   "It is," he agreed gently, reaching out to hold my hand on the tabletop. It was a small gesture, but in the open dining hall, it felt much larger. "But, we'll be there together. It won't be nearly as complicated as it's felt all this time. No matter what comes after, it's you and I."