She Wolf • |Book 2|

• Chapter Six •

"He is a traitor, you wish to marry a traitor?"

"My marriage to Robb Stark will serve as a treaty. As your father's ward, it is his responsibility to find me a husband and he did. It was once agreed upon that I would marry the eldest Stark, perhaps even to avoid all this. If I marry him now, we can put an end to all this, get Jamie back and return the girls. Joffrey can marry another and all can be as we want it."

"Except it can't and you're a fool if you believe that. I did not raise a fool."

"Exactly," she replied. "That is why we would benefit from my marriage, and Robb loves me, he would do anything for me."

"You don't love him, you love the bastard. How long do you think Robb would go on before he started to spite you for it?"

"Robb is not Robert."

"No," Cersei said, "Believe it, if you wish, but I once loved Robert with my every being, but he loved another."

"Robb is not you."

"That he isn't but how long before he grows tired of hoping that one day you will love him as he loves you? You will and can never love him. It will be doing the entire realm a favor if you two do not wed."

Cersei had been wrong, Rhaella thought as she stood there looking down into the yard as Jon Snow laid blow after blow to Ramsay's face. She had loved Robb Stark, and she loved him well. But now he was gone.

She turned away, walking toward the stairs that led her down into the yard. Voices shouted, echoing loudly off the castle walls. The pounding of fist against flesh had ceased and she knew why. With her last step, she looked up to meet his dark eyes.

"Rhaella," he rose slowly, hand freshly covered in the blood of Ramsay Bolton. Jon took a step forward, careful to miss Ramsay as he did.

"Jon," she breathed, overcome with emotion at the sight of him. She was safe at last and reunited with the one man she never thought to see again.

"I can't believe it." His face had said it too.

"Neither can I," she replied, closing the gap between them. "You're not entirely in black, however."

Jon laughed, "No, I broke my oath."

It was her turn to laugh, though shaky, she lowered his eyes to his chest, "How unlike you." Tears filled her eyes as she recalled their youth, the innocent days of when they thought their most wicked crime was their love for one another.

Jon's arms wrapped securely around her, holding her tightly to his chest as he buried his face into her hair. Her tears flowed, forming a small pool on his armor before trickling down his soiled leathers. In his arms she always felt safest, and to be in them again after these years.

"I've missed you," Jon whispered, his fingers combing through her hair. "There wasn't a day when I wanted nothing more than to leave the wall and come back for you."

She wept harder, clutching to him out of fear and guilt. Guilt for not always thinking of him and nearly forgetting him, and fear, fear of losing him again. She never wanted to lose him again.

"You took my chambers?" Jon entered his old room to find she had already taken up residence.

"Can you blame me?" She shrugged her shoulders and walked in behind him. "I knew Ramsay would be in Robb's..."

He turned around to face her, "I remember the day I got his letter, told me he finally married you and that you were now safe. Said I had nothing to worry about."

"He was good with words, just never following through with them. But I suppose in the end he did keep his promise. Even with my enemies I was safe. Roose, Ramsay... they wanted things from me, I'm sure of it, but they never did anything to me. They treated me like I were a queen."

"I believe, by marriage, you are."

"Don't be a fool," she smiled softly, "I hear those men of your's, you're the king now."

"But I don't want to be." He replied.

Rhaella stood up, having sat down near the hearth. She approached Jon, taking his hand into her's and smiling as she held his hand in her own, "You can not control your destiny, Jon. You can not fight fate, only accept it. If these people want you to be their king-"

"They don't want me, some chose me and others followed. I can never be king, I wasn't born for it, I'm only a bastard."

Her smile grew as she laced her fingers with his and looked up into her brown eyes, "You're not a bastard, Jon. Don't let a word hold you back from protecting these people. They follow you because they see something in you that you refuse to see yourself."

"How do you know so much about kings?" Jon wore a smile of his own, his hand cupping her chin.

"May I remind you, my husband was one."

His smile faded. Jon pulled away, leaving her there as he walked over toward the window. Rhaella sighed, lacing her own hands together as she lowered her eyes.

"Robb is not the only king I've known. I was also raised up in Robert's court, and I was there when Joffrey reigned. I've seen my fair share of kings and watched how they all ruled."

"And now where are they?"

"Exactly," she replied, taking a step toward him. "They didn't listen to their people." Jon turned to her. "Even Robb stopped listening. He put me first, me above his people. When you have the lives of others to consider, your queen comes second, not first."

A knock sounded at the door. Jon and Rhaella turned just as it opened to reveal a red haired man.

"Your wolf has returned," he said, "and he's found himself a woman."

"What?"

"Winter!" Rhaella hurried out the room, Jon not far behind her.

She reached the yard where two white direwolves stood and people cowered away. She came to a stop in the yard and turned to the men following behind her.

"No one came with them?" She asked.

"No, just the wolves."

"Rhaella, what's wrong?"

"My sister is missing!" Tears filled her eyes.

She felt arms wrap around her, keeping her upright as tears cascaded down her cheeks. Sansa's gentle words filled her ear, but they went out the other, lost to Rhaella who could think of only the worst.