DRACARYS: game of thrones seasons 1-8 (on hold)

kissed by fire

RAENA MARTELL knelt on the ground in front of the bodies of Martyn and Willem Lannister, the young boys who were so incredibly sweet and understanding. Raena swallowed back her tears as she stared at their bodies. "Bring them in." She heard Robb tell his mother's uncle who nodded. Raena moved from the ground and stood next to her husband as the door swung open. "Is that all of them? It took five of you to murder two unarmed squires?"

"Not murder, your Grace." Lord Karstark told the young King. "Vengeance."

"Vengeance." Robb repeated the word staring at the man hatefully. "Those boys didn't kill your sons. I saw Harian die on the battlefield and Torinn-"

"Was strangled by the Kingslayer." Karstark interrupted the Stark. "They were his kin."

"They were boys!" Hearing Robb shout was unfamiliar to Raena and csused her to jump. "Look at them."

"Tell your mother to look at them. She killed them as much as I." Raena moved over to sit beside the unmoving Catelyn and taking her hand. Catelyn looked over at the girl and smiled appreciatively.

"My mother had nothing to do with this. This was your treason."

"It's treason to free your enemies." Karstark reasoned with his King. "In war, you kill your enemies. Did your father not teach you that, boy?" Bryden Tully moved to hit the man across the face.

"Leave him." Robb ordered icily.

"Aye, leave me to the King." Karstark told the man while on his knees. "He wants to give me a scolding before he sets me free. That's how he deals woth treason." The man made his way to his feet. "Our King in the North or should I call him the King who lost the North?"

Robb said nothing and only stared at the man with a glare. "Escort Lord Karstark to the dungeon. Hang the rest."

"Mercy, sire! I didn't kill anyone! I only watched for the guards!"

"This one was only the watcher. Hang him last so he can watch the others die." Robb strode off towards his war table as the man began to plead once more. Raena closed her eyes and nodded towards Talisa.

"Cover for me." Talisa nodded as Raena moved to leave the room.

"Raena!" Robb called after her, but she never looked back and kept walking down the corridor.

******

AMBERLEE STARK had never met Stannis' wife and daughter until Stannis had introduced them to her. Selyse Baratheon was one of the most dedicated worshippers of Melisandre's beliefs than anyone she knew. Amberlee had her doubts, but when she had been praying to Melisandre's god with Selyse, she felt at peace. This was not to say that she believed in this god, but she was aware of the unknowns of the world.

Shireen, on the other hand, developed a firm friendship with both her and Ser Davos who both often visited her when they could. Amberlee found Shireen to be a light in the darkness and not at all like Melisandre's Lord of Light. It was in Amberlee's belief that Shireen was meant to lead and would accomplish many great things when she reached an older age.

Amberlee trusted Stannis and his family, which now, unfortunately, included Melisandre. That wasn't to say that Amberlee disliked the woman, which was the opposite, she was skeptical of her beliefs in the the Lord of Light. Amberlee preferred the traditional gods and goddesses, the Seven. In her point of view, Stannis didn't truly need this Lord of Light. Stannis just needed to trust in himself and in his armies and in her.

******

RAENA MARTELL was still seething at the comments Lord Karstark made. She was happy to hear from Talisa that he had been executed by Robb himself, but unfortunately for her, Robb hadn't come to bed. She left their room and padded to Robb's war chamber where she knew she would find him. "Come to bed." She whispered in an attempt to soothe him.

"You and Talisa were right. The Karstarks are gone." Robb took the piece of wood representing them and threw it behind him onto the floor. "Almost half our forces. Tywin Lannister knows what he needs to do to make us unravel." Raena took careful steps towards her husband. "Nothing, only wait."

"Don't let him." Raena spoke gently and her husband looked at her.

"What can I do?" Robb spoke with a hint of amusement. "Attack King's Landing? There's nothing he'd like better. He'd crush us in a day."

"We could ride North." Raena suggested with a small shrug. "Take your land back from the Greyjoys. Wait out the winter." Raena stepoed around the table towards her husband.

"Winter could last five years. Once my bannermen are home again, sitting by the fire, surrounded by their families, warm and safe, they'll never ride South again. When I gathered my Lords together, we had a purpose, a mission. Now, we're like a band of bickering children."

"Give them a new purpose." Raena advised the man.

"What?"

"I don't know. I don't even know where Winterfell is." Raena mused looking at the map. "You forget I haven't gone North until now."

"Yeah." Robb smiled softly as he took her hand pointing towards various locations on the map. "We're here. King's Landing." Robb seemed transfixed on the map and Raena noticed.

He let go of her hand to walk around her to look at the map closely. "What is it?"

"I can't force them to meet us in the field and I can't attack them where they're strongest." Raena could almost see the wheels in his head turning. "But I can attack them where they're not." Robb moved around several wooden pieces towards one spot. "And Casterly Rock can't run away. I'm going to take their home away from them."

"Can you do it?" Raena asked looking at the map and then her husband who held onto a wooden direwolf.

"I need men to replace the Karstarks who marched home. There is only one person in this kingdom with that kind of army who hasn't already sided with the Lannisters." Robb smiled at the irony. "The man whose daughter I was supposed to marry. Walder Frey." Raena's eyes widened at the realization of the situation.