Lady of Winterfell

Chapter Thirty-Six: Saying Goodbye

"Are you sure about this?" Catelyn asked looking towards Sanira, she couldn't imagine how hard this was going to be for her; Karlon was barely a week old and she was going to have to let him go. 

Sanira was silent as she held her son in her arms, she had no idea when she would get to do this again and she prayed that this war would be over soon; it was the right thing to do sending him away. 

Karlon would be in terrible danger if he remained with his parents and this was the only way that they were sure that he would be safe away from everything that would happen. 

"I am certain," Sanira whispered holding her son for as long as possible, she wanted to remember everything about him before she had to hand him over to Catelyn. 

Her good-mother would be traveling with Karlon, Rickon and Aiana to Beckton to stay with Sylvina Tremaine while the war continued on; they would be safe there away from whatever happened to the rest of the North and the Riverlands. 

Catelyn didn't say a word only nodding her head, she didn't blame Sanira for doing whatever it took to keep the little prince safe; if there was a traitor in camp then Karlon would be an easy target. 

"You'll take good care of him, won't you?" Sanira asked looking up from her little boy, she couldn't imagine how big he would be when she saw him again; she was sure he would look so different when they met again and Sanira doubted that it would be soon. 

Karlon slept peacefully in his mother's arms, completely unaware of what was going to happen and the fact that he might be separated from his parents for years to come. 

"I will protect him as if he was my own," Catelyn promised knowing that she would not let anything happen to her grandson, she would protect him no matter what happened.

Sanira nodded her head before looking back down at Karlon, he was her everything and she knew that Robb would never allow any harm to befall their son; it was for the best that she said her goodbyes now. 

Sanira was going to remain with Robb and his army, she had to do so to make people believe that the little boy had been lost; they couldn't risk Roose Bolton sending men after Karlon while they were fighting a war. 

The tent flaps opened and Robb stepped into the tent, his eyes eagerly seeking out Sanira and Karlon; a smile formed on his face at the sight of his wife and son. 

"It's time," Robb murmured moving towards them, he hated to interrupt this moment but they didn't have much time; they couldn't allow Roose Bolton to learn what they were doing. 

The man was distracted and only those who were completely loyal to the Starks knew what was planned for that night; they had to sneak them out of camp before anyone realised what was going on. 

Sanira nodded her head and pressed a tender kiss to the top of Karlon's head, the tiny hairs on the top of his head tickled her as she did so and she had no doubts that he would look like Robb when he was older. 

Carefully handing her little boy over to Robb, Sanira felt a lump form in her throat at the fact that this was happening and she had never felt like this before. 

Robb held his son close, he had no idea when they would meet again but he was sure that he would do anything to ensure that Karlon was cared for when he was staying with Sylvina Tremaine. 

Handing Karlon over to Catelyn, Robb nodded his mother and moved to comfort Sanira; they were doing the right thing and that was what mattered. 

Sanira could barely control her tears as she watched Catelyn leave the tent with her son unsure when she would see him again.

***

Sanira took a deep breath as she walked out of the tent, she had barely slept after watching Catelyn take Karlon away; it broke her heart that she'd had to send her baby away but it was for the best. 

The last thing that Sanira wanted was to put her son in danger, he was safe away from camp and that was all that mattered; her dream still haunted her and she was determined to stay away from Roose Bolton. 

The man made the hairs on her arms stand up and Sanira didn't know what it was about him that made her nervous but she didn't trust him for a moment. 

Sanira kept her head held high, she wasn't going to let these men see her as weak; even if she knew next to nothing about fighting, she wasn't going to cower away now. 

Heading towards Robb, Sanira wasn't sure what to expect anymore and she just hoped that being around the army wasn't going to cause any issues. 

Robb was talking with some other lords and he smiled at the sight of Sanira, they were preparing to move on and he didn't want her hiding away after what had happened. 

They would be heading towards Harrenhall and Robb knew that it would be quite a trip, he had never thought that Sanira would be by his side for any of this. 

"Stannis Baratheon's army was defeated," Greatjon Umber revealed approaching his King, the news had just arrived by Raven and he had been surprised to hear it himself. 

Sanira stopped by Robb's side and looked towards Greatjon Umber, she was surprised to hear that Stannis had been defeated in battle; everyone had been so sure that he was sack King's Landing when he arrived there. 

"Apparently the Tyrells have sided with the Lannisters," Greatjon Umber stated with a shake of his head, this was the last thing they needed but he wasn't surprised with the news. 

From what they were hearing Lady Margaery Tyrell was betrothed to Joffrey Baratheon ending his engagement to Sansa; which was seen as good news from the Stark point of view even if Sansa was still a hostage.

Robb nodded his head, the last thing that they needed was the Lannister army gaining any supporters but it wasn't a surprise to hear House Tyrell had joined the Lannisters when Margaery had originally been married to Renly before his death. 

The family clearly wanted her to be Queen and since the Northern already had a Queen then there was nothing that House Tyrell wanted from them. 

"We have a problem... the Freys are marching home," Galbart Glover announced walking over to the group, this had not been what he had expected when they were meant to be marching for Harrenhall; he almost couldn't believe that Walder Frey was pulling this stunt. 

The lord of the Crossing had been oddly silent since it had been announced that Sanira had not died in Winterfell as had been suspected; now however it seemed like Walder Frey was playing his cards now. 

Having his army march home at this vital stage in the war was not what the Northern army needed; with the Lannisters and Tyrells united the North and the Riverlands needed all of their men to defeat them. 

Sanira felt a little lost on why a lord would do such a thing, Walder Frey still had one of his son's marrying Arya, another was acting as Robb's squire and two of his daughters would become handmaidens to Sanira when things calmed down. 

It didn't make any sense to her while Walder Frey would withdraw his support of Robb when her husband hadn't done anything wrong nor broken his promises. 

Robb frowned it seemed that Walder Frey was truly upset that Sanira had survived because it meant one of his daughters could not take her place.

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Author's Note:

That's the end of Season 2. On to Season 3...