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Alone, by herself she built the kingdom that she wanted.
Ella watched as a mouse scurried past her feet when she stepped out of the tub. She barely flinched at the rodent. Last night, she became very familiar with the lower spectrum of the food chain. It dehumanized her, made what little self worth she had feel pitiful. But she was made to feel that way all of her life, her mother made sure of that, so she was used to the empty feeling that grew and grew inside her chest.
Her yellow hair fell down her shoulders and naked back as she wrapped the towel around her lithe body. The floor creaked underneath her feet as she entered the warmth of the bedroom, a hearth crackling in the fireplace, reminding her of the fireplace in his own bedroom. To her surprise, a neat pile of clothes were sat at the corner end of the massive bed. Inspecting them closer, Ella found they were brought for her, as her current clothes were dirtied and torn. Betraying her, she felt her heart swell with something pleasant at the kind gesture, but immediately pushed it aside when she remembered his expression when she was dragged through the mud, nothing but shock across his face as he stood there piecing together the scene with his cobalt blue eyes that reminded her of Blackwater Bay.
Biting the inside of her cheek, she dropped the towel and began dressing, checking the door as she pulled on the undergarments and pale green dress. As she ran a hand through her hair, her attention snapped to the door as it opened. Robb stood there, dressed in his evening clothes with his dark auburn hair glinting red against the fire's light.
"Ready for dinner?" He asked.
Ella simply nodded as he closed the door behind her and they fell in step as they walked toward the dining hall, chatter and laughter resonating throughout the thick walls of Winterfell. When Robb entered, everyone fell silent for a moment, their eyes darting between the young Lord and the freed prisoner. Women eyed her with jealousy and men with lust. Gulping to catch her bearings, she silently followed Robb to the front of the room and sat down where his father would have been sitting if he wasn't in King's Landing. Robb motioned for her to sit and the room erupted back into its boisterous talking.
Ella couldn't help herself when she saw the food that was dished out before them. Her mouth salivating, she grabbed a chicken leg and a gigantic clump of mashed potatoes, plopping it down onto her plate and taking a huge bite out of the chicken, closing her eyes in pleasure at the juicy taste. Chuckling could be heard from her left. Opening her eyes, she swallowed as she stared at Robb.
"Hungry?" He teased her.
Rolling her eyes, she dug into more food, not caring if she looked like a savage animal. She had never had such fair food in her life, besides from the small portions of Tiana's cooking. Throughout the dinner, Robb tried to make conversation with her, but all she could focus on was menacing glare from a few young boys that sat near the far front of the room where the light of the candles couldn't reach. She didn't want to tell Robb in case he made a scene, so she kept her mouth shut and prayed he didn't leave her alone the rest of the night; no matter the fact that she hated being in his presence.
"Ella?" Robb nudged her arm with his elbow, catching her attention. He smiled at her when she looked over at him, "you seem . . . distant. Are you alright?"
Ella wanted to slap him upside the head. No, she wasn't fine at all. She was stuck in the North and her enemies were in the South, and the only way she could leave was if she attempted to escape, but if she got caught she would only further the suspicion that she was part of Bran's incident.
She smiled at him, her face stinging as her bruised skin stretched, "fine. I think I'm done eating."
Robb nodded and put down his fork, "good, I'm feeling a bit tired myself so I'll walk you to your room."
They both stood up and everyone watched as they left the way they came, Ella trying to avoid the boys who gave her dirty looks. Once they started walking to her room, she found herself thinking about Cersei and her unknown father, a frown falling upon her lips.
Robb watched her from the corner of his eye, thinking of a way to distract her from her thoughts. She was always stuck in her head. As they reached the door to her room, Robb looked around to make sure the hallway was empty before reaching out and grabbing her hand in his, snapping her attention to him. Her blue eyes burned holes in his head as she ripped her hand from his grasp.
"What do you think you're doing?" She seethed, her hands balled into tight fists.
Robb's brow creased, "trying to get you out of your head, you're always thinking about something and it's quite difficult to enjoy your company when you make as much conversation as a corpse."
"Then don't enjoy it," she rolled her eyes.
Robb laughed lowly at her, "you really are something else aren't you, Ella?"
She shrugged, "you could say I'm not your typical maid."
"I agree," Robb nodded his head, "but you're different in a way I can't explain."
Ella, who was getting annoyed with the back and forth chatter, opened the door to her room, turning around to tell Robb to go away was stunned by what he did next.
Swooping down, he pressed a light kiss to the corner of her mouth, a gentle hand cradling the side of her unbruised face. His facial hair that was growing back quickly from when it was shaved tickled her face. She gasped as he remained close to her, his eyes searching hers for the light at the end of the dark tunnel. Her stomach clenched as she grabbed his shirt and was about to shove him away, before whispering to him to get her point across, "I don't trust you."
Robb pulled her closer, the contact of their bodies causing Ella to suck in a sharp breath, "and I don't trust you," he said thickly, looking down at her with something she couldn't put her finger on. Was it lust? Hatred? Passion? She wasn't sure, but she knew that tonight wouldn't be the night she found out. Because somehow, she found the strength to finally push him away.
They both stood opposite each other, carefully analyzing what the other was about to do next. Ella bit her tongue just before saying, "goodnight, Robb."
Robb's eyes traced her lips briefly, knowing well that she was watching him do so. He took another step back and bowed his head slightly, "I'll see you tomorrow."
Ella closed the door then, leaning back against it and pressing a hand to her chest, finding her heart pounding. Her blood rushed in her ears as she came down from the intense moment with Robb. She never thought he would do that. She knew he cared for her, but damn she didn't know he cared that much. She wasn't sure he was telling the truth about not trusting her, but she knew that if he kept this act up, she wouldn't be hating him for much longer and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.
A/N:did you guys miss me? i'm so sorry i haven't updated in awhile but i've been so busy getting ready for college that i haven't had time to gather enough inspiration to write any of my stories. i know that i'll be kinda busy in college so i'm making sure to update them all before i go away to school! i know this story is slow but i hope you're enjoying it as much as i am! thank you to those of you who are reading still, i'm truly grateful! xx
