Among Lions and Wolves • |Book 1|

.chapter thirty-one.

"Come back with me," Robb Stark pleaded.

Rhaella was seated on a fallen tree trunk, her eyes on the pile of dead men. Men that had been sworn to protect her under the orders of Tywin Lannister. Men that had stolen her innocence and left her to rot.

Fresh tears fell, warming her cold cheeks. It was not until she could bare it no longer that she finally closed her eyes and looked away.

Robb stood by his mount, his hands dangling at his sides while he watched her weep. For the first time there really was nothing Robb could do to stop her tears. She would not allow him within a foot of her and he was already dealing with the consinquince of his previous action.

Grey Wind was better now, though still gravely injured. Rhaella had occupied herself with patching up the direwolf while he had set off to clean up the mess the wolves had made. It was all Robb really could do to keep himself occupied while the woman he loved was hurting.

"At least let me hold you," he spoke softly, the sadness he felt was noted in his tone.

Rhaella kept her head turned, "Leave me," she wiped at her face, it had still been covered in blood and dirt and now a bruise was forming on her right cheek.

Robb hated looking at her in this state, it pained him to see her like this. His blue eyes flickered toward the pile of corpses left behind by the pack of wolves his baby sister's direwolf commanded. A part of Robb despised the wolves for killing them, depriving him of his newfound thirst for vengeance. And then he remembered something, something about the men that had done this.

"I will make them pay!" He swore to her. "Every single one of them, the queen mother, her son, that bastard! Every single one of them, I promise you!"

She continued to dry her face, this time with the help of his cloak she still wore. Rhaella cleared her nose, trying to regulate her breathing so that she no longer had to breath through her mouth.

"Those are just words," she whispered weakly, "they mean nothing."

Robb curled his fists, his nails digging into the palms of his hands. He bit his bottom lip, forcing himself to keep from shouting. He was angry, not at her, but at himself. She was right, they were just words. Mere words that held no true meaning even if he had wanted them to.

He was already at war with the Lannisters. He had already fought them in battle and even though he won, he lost. And still he was losing.

"We have Jamie Lannister," Robb suddenly said, "We will start with him. The lords already want his head, we will let them cut it from his shoulders and send it to his father."

"Jamie has done nothing," she looked up at him, her eyes red and dry despite the intense amount of crying she had been doing. "His only true crime is that he is a Lannister, nothing more."

"Jamie Lannister is not innocent! He's the one who pushed my brother from a window! He's the one who stuck his sword in the Mad King's back!"

She tilted her head to the side, "There is nothing you can do," she said. "Just leave me, please? If there is any love for me in yo-"

Robb came forward, he ignored the warning snarls from the white wolf and knelt in front of Rhaella, "Don't you dare finish that!" He growled, his frustration finally showing. "I love you Rhaella, I always have! Why can't you see that? I have done nothing but try to make you happy!"

He didn't care that the white direwolf now stood beside him, teeth exposed and ready to sink into his throat. He did not care that she tried to cower away as he grabbed her arms and pulled her to his chest and he held her.

"I have done everything you have ever asked of me," he murmured against her hair. His eyes closed shut as his own tears fell, "to question if I love you..."

She sobbed in his arms, her entire body trembling. The snarling had stopped and now the white wolf laid in front of them with her head at Rhaella's feet.

"I will always love you," he pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I am in love with you."

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This gif makes me want to do things. Those eyes 😍
Ffs Richard Madden has some beautiful blues.

P.s. new episode tomorrow 🙌