Bleeding Ivory l Robb Stark

Lannister or Starks

Joanna sat in her chambers too afraid to leave. She had no courage to face Catelyn after her violent actions. She looked to her bandaged hands that old Nan helped her with. She could still see it, his body lying at her feet.

She could still hear the scream he made when she stabbed holes into his legs - Joanna shuddered in thought of what she caused. It seemed so against her nature to act out of violence. It wasn't her and though as valiantly as she fought she felt ashamed. Ashamed that she had taken so much repressed anger out on him.

Three knocks at the door. Joanna rose from her bed , praying it was just a maiden to bring her food that she in any case would not eat. Joanna looked to the door to see it was Robb, hoping she would grant him permission to enter which she did.

"I haven't seen much of you in a week. Even Old Nan grew worried about you Joanna." He said as he approached her bed. Joanna held the fur covers hoping to avoiding his stares to her bandaged hand. Robb didn't understand why she felt ashamed. She was a hero in his eyes. To be able to fight off a mercenary unarmed - she was proving day by day that she was a true warrior.

"Joanna - I want you to know none of us think any less of you. In fact my mother can't stop singing praises of how selfless you fought. Had it not been for you and my brother would be dead. I'm in debt to you." He tried reassuring her but she didn't reply. Robb grew worried at the sight of her. Her skin was pale and eyes empty and void.

No one understood what was going through her mind. Joanna thought less of herself. Her whole life she preached to act out of diplomacy and humanity and cast aside violence but where was her logic the night she killed that man. If she closes her eyes she can still see him lying in a pool of blood as her dress continued to stain. It wasn't the fact that she killed him but the fact that she enjoyed it. It felt like she was giving into her Lannister ways and if history has proven anything is that Lannister blood is violent blood.

"Joanna, please say something. All I want is to hear your voice and to know you're fine." Robb explained as he reached out his hand to remove the fur skins. His eyes widened when he saw she'd removed the bandages and had stained the sheets with blood. Her dagger lying in her lap as the scars were deeper cut into her hands. He looked to her alarmed but it didn't faze her.

"I killed someone Robb. I don't deserve your care." She choked on her words as tears gleamed in her eyes.

The realisation hitting him only now. Robb had to take into account that she was a princess. Raised in a castle all her life, not even allowed to run up and down in the Red Keep. Cersei not even allowing Joanna to ever see a nosebleed or scar on anyone's body. A first kill would traumatize anyone - no less a princess

"Joanna, he was a mercenary. He planned to kill Bran."

"I could've stopped when I stabbed his legs. I could've called for help and he'd be lying in a cell, serving a sentence or taken the black. Robb, this was a man - mercenary or not. What if he was a man who only did what he did to provide for his family? What if he had a wife and son that were dependant on the money he was given to taken lives? What it - " She rambled as the thought of a young child waiting by the door for their father to arrive flood her head.

"A wife now suffering under poverty because their only source of wealth was now stripped away." Robb shook his head, not in disapproval but at how much she reminded him of Sansa. They seemed to live a infantilised life where if they were good enough people they'd live a happy life.

Robb shifted his body closer taking hold of her freezing cold hands. He enclosed his with her providing them heat. Robb couldn't stop staring into her broken blue eyes. It hurt him to see her this way

"Joanna, what if he was a rapist or murderer? What if he killed out of pleasure. I understand what you're saying but you can't punish yourself from stopping a murder." Joanna turned her face but Robb gently used his hand to stroke her cheek allowing her to look back into his Tully blue eyes.