Among Lions and Wolves • |Book 1|

.chapter eleven.

She slipped past the guards, Jon Snow's direwolf trotting at her side. Only one bothered to stop her, however, only to ask where she was off to before glancing down at the direwolf and warning her to stay safe. Even against a group of men, Ghost would not be enough to protect her.

However, she felt she was safe still, with the wolf by her side. He could give her warning if need be, and she would take off running back for Winterfell.

But for now, she would put aside all thoughts that were not good. She would forget the queen, her intended's cold mother, and all other troubles and she would set off for this unicorn she'd see just days ago with Jon Snow.

The odds of actually finding this unicorn? Very slim, but it was the thought alone that motivated her. That and desperately needing a breath of fresh, crisp cold air.

"Don't wander too far, boy," she called out to the wolf as he began to venture ahead of her, his black nose low to the ground. He stopped only to lift his leg and mark his territory... which just so happened to be every tree and bush in the forest. 

She watched Ghost, her arms crossed tightly across her chest beneath her cloak for warmth. He was quite a comical creature. She adored the way he'd run ahead, stop and sniff, then pee on a tree, and after he'd look back at her and wait for her to catch up. Often he'd unearth a small critter, chase after it and allow it to escape. 

Rhaella tripped once, too busy laughing at Ghost to realize there had been a tree root sticking up out the ground. She fell forward, Ghost stopping and turning around to see what happened. The white wolf quickly trotted back and sniffed her before licking her face. 

Tears welled in her eyes as she fought to push aside his massive head while choking on her laughter. She sat up, freeing her foot from the root, and stopped laughing. Her foot felt as if someone had set fire to it, the tears in her eyes were no longer of joy but of pain. She wanted to grip it to stop the pain, but only touching it made it worse. 

Ghost licked her face, trying to dry her salty tears and whimpered. "Go get Jon," she managed through gritted teeth. The more she thought about the pain in her ankle the worse it got, making the tears fall faster than ever. 

The white wolf pinned back his ears, lowered his head and whimpered softly. He didn't want to leave her, not while she was vulnerable. He sat back, his head tilting back as a howl pierced through the silent forest. 

Her tears kept flowing but all thoughts of the pain in her ankle had been lost by the tune that Ghost played. It was a familiar tune, she wasn't sure why or how, but she had heard it somewhere once before. 

She looked over her shoulder at the wolf, her eyes sparkling with tears. He stopped howling, his ears perked up and looked at her as if he understood. What it was he understood, she hadn't truly known and wouldn't find out, not yet at least. 

Ghost sprang forward, jumping clear over her and barking just as a flash of gray came into view. Both wolves turned for Rhaella, Ghost running to her side while Grey Wind pranced around before turning back and darting off. 

She shared a look with Ghost, who had sat back down and then turned her attention back the way Grey Wind had run off too. He came back again, this time with Robb breathlessly behind him. 

"What's happened?" he managed out, hunched over with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He stood up straight, his blue eyes on her sitting on the ground. "Are you hurt?"

Tears spilled over again as she nodded her head. Never in her life had she ever felt so horrible. Here he stood, Robb Stark, the man she was to one day wed, here to help her and she did not want him. She wanted Jon. She had specifically asked for Jon, yet here Robb stood. 

He knelt down beside her, his gloved fingers brushing aside hair and dirt from her face, "I'm here now," he said to her as if his words would stop the tears. It had only made it worse. 

Robb felt clueless, all he knew is that she was hurt somewhere, but hadn't a clue where and then she was crying. He didn't know what he could do to make it stop. How did one stop a woman from weeping? 

"Can you walk?" he then asked her, realizing it was probably best to get her out of the woods and back to Winterfell. Rhaella sobbed harder but still shook her head. Robb nodded his own head slowly and knelt into a position that would be easy to rise from once he lifted her up into his arms. 

Robb didn't get far before another figure emerged, his dark curls covering his face. Both stopped, Jon looked up, his brown eyes landing first on Rhaella who'd pressed her face into Robb's chest, sobbing still. 

"Is she alright?" Jon asked, his voice gruff. "I heard Ghost..."

Robb glanced down at Rhaella, her sobbing had ceased, but she still struggled with hiccuping. "I don't know what happened. I'm taking her to Maester Luwin now."

Jon nodded his head slowly, his brown eyes falling to the white direwolf standing before him, "Come Ghost," he reached out for the wolf.

"Ghost can stay," Robb said quietly when Ghost refused to follow Jon. "we will be there soon." 

Jon turned back to his brother and then to his wolf, and then finally he looked at Rhaella. She had been watching him, her blue eyes red and puffy from crying. He sighed softly and nodded his head.

Robb glanced down again at Rhaella and then his brother, "I'll go and fetch Maester Luwin," he spoke softly, his eyes never leaving ber face. "Do you think you can carry her back?"

"Me?" Jon stared at Robb, bewildered by his question.

"I can get there faster and he's more than likely with Bran..." he let his voice trail, not bothering with the obvious. If Maester Luwin was with Bran, that meant Lady Stark would also be there as well.

Jon nodded his head and turned all the way to face Robb as she came forward, his arms holding Rhaella out for Jon. He took her in his arms, careful not to touch anywhere she may have been hurting.

Unlike with Robb, Rhaella wrapped her arms around Jon's neck and held on to him.

Robb stepped back, there was a small pain in his chest that he ignored as he stared at Rhaella. She looked content in Jon's arms, like she was meant to be there. It pained him to see her in the arms another, she was to be his. He looked up at Jon, his brother looking crossed between uncomfortable and remorseful.

"Robb..."

"Just be careful with her," he turned to Grey Wind. "Come."

__________________________

Not entirely what I wanted...
But it does play into why Robb suddenly has a change of heart 🙃

Friendly reminder that this book is practically dedicated to DaydreamsDoComeTrue and arianna_pendragon for being awesome readers and help motivating me 💕