The Way Of Winter | Robb Stark

ROBB - XVII

A WEEK ROLLED BY AND THE loss stayed the same. Robb rose each morning, hoping to wake from the long nightmare, but he never did. Eyes squinting as the morning light hit them, he shivered. His sleep shirt did nothing to protect him once the furs had dislodged overnight. Harrenhal was a cold, unwelcoming place, and yet he felt at peace in the moment.

Beside him, Aryadne lay on her side, her back facing him. Her hair stretched out in a black rope across the pillow. From there, he could practically see the tension in her muscles. There had been a time when he would wake as he did then, wrapped up in her embrace with nothing but the blankets and each other for warmth. He knew her body like a favourite book, every curve and dimple and mark documented diligently, scrawled on pages as pale as her skin. Her sighs echoed in the turning of pages, her scent wafting over him. He had each line memorised.

He had not known her in months. He wanted her like a drunkard wanted wine. To indulge in her, to seek forgetfulness in the reaches of her warmth. But it was more than that. It was more than desire, more than the ache he felt after long absences from her. This time, however, there was no absence. She was just inches away, and yet she was not there at all. He wanted more than her body. He wanted her eyes, her smile, the simplicity of his name on her tongue.

He turned onto his side and watched her shoulders rise, listening for every soft breath. His hand reached out. It moved tentatively, as though he wasn't sure if it would land on her or fall right through. But the linen of her nightgown shifted under his touch. Her waist felt warm and plush. The swell of her body that he had once thought beautiful had shrunk, leaving loose skin that she did everything to conceal from him. The last time she hid herself from him, she was newly pregnant and scared by the possibilities it brought. Neither of them had anticipated this one.

Shifting closer, he slipped his arm around her. She leaned back, still dozing. Their touches had always been instinctual on some level. Head falling against his shoulder, she sighed and tilted her body into him. The sound was like honey, sweet and soothing on his ears. He watched her rosy lips part, her eyelids fluttering as she continued to sleep. His hand rested securely on her belly. For a second, he imagined something forbidden, something that was. But that was all it could be, a memory. He willed himself to move, trailing up to rest over her heart. Then, to trace the strong line of her jaw. She had regained some colour, and the realisation bringing him comfort.

He could not help it. Dipping his head into the valley of her shoulder, he pressed his lips to her skin. Perhaps it was chance or the gentle disturbance that woke her, but she murmured and shifted further into his embrace. Her once steady breathing hitched for just a moment. The stormy blue of her eyes revealed to him slowly. With the skipping of his heart, one would think that he hadn't gazed into them for an age. It certainly felt that way.

Her kiss was a homecoming. She tasted just as Robb remembered, indescribable and essential. The hand on her jaw slipped to join with hers. Her fingers fit perfectly between his. She squeezed, he squeezed back. And he wished to the Gods that he could spend the rest of his life this way. The heat that slowly rose between them was not a promise to chase after as they had in the infancy of their marriage, but a guide. They let it move them. She was on her back, her fingers in his hair. The light tugs sent his mind into an echoing, blissful silence. He began to hike up her nightgown.

It was only when he looked down that he realised something was wrong, when he saw the red that stained her thighs. The sight shocked him back to his senses. Recoiling quickly, he knelt back, meeting her panicked gaze. He had seen it enough times to know what had happened. "Love..."

Aryadne was still in a daze, but his clear worry alerted her. She quickly got up to peer at the blotch where she had lain. Her speechlessness pained him. Having shared a bed with her for over a year, he was familiar with such surprises, and had almost figured out how to track her courses until her pregnancy disrupted it. Every time before had been met with frustration, but this was different. Now, it was another reminder, her body returning to normal. Such a thing seemed cruel. Coming to her side, he wrapped his arms around her as though he could squeeze the pain out of her if he willed it enough. One hand clutched at her waist, the other stroking her hair. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and said nothing.