"You think you can outrun me?" Robb yells, sprinting through the woods. Caroline is ahead of him, holding his quiver of arrows. She turns around and taunts him before continuing to run. She'd been in Winterfell for six months now, and was fitting in wonderfully. Everyone loved her, even Caitlyn, despite some reservations she had that Robb didn't understand. He saw Theon hiding behind a tree ahead of her and, expecting him to take the quiver and return it, he said nothing. She ran up to him, and they engaged in a quick conversation. Robb caught up, and right before he tackled Caroline, she handed the quiver to Theon, and he ran off. They landed on the ground with a thud. Caroline was laughing hysterically below him, the snow having broken her fall. He looks down at her bright green eyes, the eyes that had entranced him from the moment he saw them. Her smile warmed his heart, and he forgot about the quiver.
She met his gaze and stopped laughing. "What?"
She suddenly realized the position they had fallen in, and how close Robb was to her. She secretly really liked Robb. He comforted her when she first lost her home. He helped her replant her garden, with the seeds she saved from her burning house. He was there when they first started sprouting, and he seemed to match her excitement about it. Being this close to him made her heard beat faster, and her cheeks flush. He seems to notice this, as his cheeks flush even deeper.
"Uh, I apologize." He gets up and offers her a hand up. Theon is standing aways away. "Come on guys, enough already. Everyone knows you're to be married."
The two kids laugh at his comment, unaware of his seriousness.
"Yeah, okay." Robb brushes him off. "Are you gonna give me back my quiver?"
"No." Theon grins, before running off again. Caroline runs off after him, and he hands it back to her. She waves it tauntingly at Robb again, inviting him to come get it. He chases after her again, eventually catching her by her waist and lifting her up. She giggles and he sets her down gently.
"You win." She says, handing him the quiver.
"Of course I do." Robb replies with a smirk that makes Caroline roll her eyes.
"You're so aggravating sometimes." She says, not in an annoyed way, but more of an affectionate way.
"As are you." Robb replies in the same tone.
Caroline blushes unintentionally, making Robb smile. He can't help but smile when she blushes. It's cute, and it makes him feel warm inside.
"Do you want to go practice archery now?" Robb asks her. Theon had run back in the direction of Winterfell.
"Okay." She smiles. He offers her his arm, something he had done so often, it wasn't a formality anymore. She takes it gratefully and they walk back in the direction that Theon had gone, back towards home.
~
"Good morning father." Robbs voice startled the Lord. He knew that Robb was usually the first of his children to wake, but this was early, even for him.
He looks at his son, and can tell there's something on his mind.
"Is something bothering you, son?" The father of the boy becomes concerned. It was rare for his son to come to him with problems.
"I heard that you and mother want me to marry Caroline."
Edd is shocked for a moment. He hadn't expected his son to know about this.
"It's not necessarily that we want you to marry her. You seem to have taken a serious liking to her. I thought, maybe you two would be happy together. Was I wrong?" Edd watches his son carefully. Robb seems taken aback
"I do like her." A look of realization falls across his face. "I like her a lot."
"Does she feel the same?"
"I'm not sure. Sometimes it feels like she does." Robb is hit with a sudden realization. Was he falling in love with Caroline?
"It's only been six months, and you two are still young. Give her some time, then ask her."
Robb nods and begins to walk off.
"And Robb." Edd calls after him. His son turns to look at him. "I think she'd make an exceptional wife to you. It's clear she cares a lot about you."
