Hera's family was murdered in cold blood by their enemies. Hera got away and went to Winterfell, where the Starks lived. She knew she would be safe there, because Ned Stark and her father were close friends. Now, years later, she still live there...
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN - THE KING IN THE NORTH
The world seemed like a darker place than it had been before. Hera had always known it, but she hadn't realised it until now. The wind had turned colder, the sun had dimmed down and everything had gone quiet. It had all happened in the short timespan of a couple of hours. Everything had changed when a letter came from King's Landing. It was not good news.
The whole camp was grieving, and whenever Hera looked at someone, they always had a grim look on their face. They should have seen it coming. They all knew what a big tyrant the new king was.
Hera hadn't seen Robb in hours, and she feared for him. As soon as he had heard the news about his father's beheading, he had dissapeared in a flash. She worried that he would do something rash. Something that would hurt him or hurt the camp.
Hera felt sad about Lord Eddard's death, but she didn't cry or grieve like everyone else. The man had always treated her kindly and he didn't deserve to die, but still, Hera didn't shed a single tear. Maybe it was because she was already used to people she cared anout dying, and she knew that she couldn't weep about it every time. The death of her family and Lord Eddard had made her realise something. Life is short, and you never know when it will come to an end. In this world, you can't afford to be weak. Being weak will get you killed.
Hera rushed over to Lady Catelyn when she spotted her emerging from the wood, a somber look on her face. Hera knew she was grieving, and she felt pity for her. "Robb", Hera started to say, but it seemed like Lady Catelyn knew what she was about to ask, because she silently nodded her head towards the forest. Hera gave her a small sympathetic smile, before she started walking towards the wood.
It took some time before she found Robb. He was sitting against a big tree with his head resting on his knees. The tree had marks on it, and when Hera spotted his sword lying by the foot of the tree, she understood that he had been taking his anger out on it.
When her foot stepped on a stick and broke it, Robb looked up. He had red puffy eyes, and tear marks down his face. Hera frowned and slowly walked over to him. When she got to him, she sat down beside him against the tree. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he softly rested his head on top of hers. They didn't speak, because they didn't need to. Just being in each other's presence was enough to make them both feel better.
*
Later that day, when the sun had gone completely down, a big gathering were held in the camp. All the lords sat at different tables, while Robb, Lady Catelyn, Rodrik, Theon and Hera sat at the one in the middle. They were all heavily dressed in furs, because it was colder than it had been in a very long time.
"The proper course is clear! Pledge fealthy to King Renly and move our forces south to join with his!"
"Renly is not the king!" Robb exclaimed in answer at the Lord's statement.
"You cannot mean to hold to Joffrey, my lord! He put your father to death!"
"That doesn't make Renly king, he's Robert's youngest brother!" Robb stated. "Bran can't be lord of Winterfell before me, and Renly can't be king before Stannis." He was right, and everyone knew it. Hera knew that no one wanted to join forces with either of the two parts. Robb's statement made a discussion break out between the Lords.
"Do you mean to declare us for Stannis?"
"Renly is not right!"
"My lords!" Everyone's gaze moved to Lord Umber who stood up. "Here's what I have to say to those kings!" Everyone went quiet and waited for his next words. None came, instead, he spat on the ground. The other Lords started laughing, while Lord Umber smirked.
"Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis either!" he voiced loudly. "Why should they rule over me and mine from some flowery seat in the South? What do they know of the Wall or the Wolfswood? Even their Gods are wrong!" At his last statement, everyone laughed again, Hera included.
"Why shouldn't we rule ourselves again? It was the dragons we bent to and now the dragons are dead! There sits the only King I mean to bend my knee to!" Lord Umber suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at Robb.
"The King in the North!"
As he kneeled, Robb slowly stood up.
"I'll have peace on those terms!" Another Lord spoke as he stood up as well. "They can keep their red castle and their iron chair too. The King in the North!" He held his sword out as he knelt in front of Robb as well. Hera looked at them with wide eyes.
Suddenly Theon stood up. "Am I your brother, now and always?"
"Now and always"
Theon unsheathed his sword and bent down in front of Robb. "My sword is yours in victory and defeat, from this day, until my last day."
As soon as Theon uttered those last words, the rest of the Lords unsheated their swords and stood up to pledge their loyalty to their King. Hera followed, all while smiling proudly at Robb.
"The King in the North! The King in the North!"
Their chant could be heard from miles away, but no one cared. Because they had a King to follow, and it was a King they all believed in.
*
After the gathering, Hera walked away from the rest of the group to clear her head. Thoughts swarmed her mind, and she needed to go somewhere quiet to think.
They had all just declared fealthy to Robb, which Hera knew was risky. It didn't matter though, because she would always stand behind him. They would get Sansa and Arya back from the King and Queen, she knew they would. And then they would kill every Lannister that had any part in Lord Eddard's death. That was a promise.
She had been thinking so much that she hadn't noticed where she had been walking. As she looked around herself, she realised that she was in the woods. She couldn't see that much, because the darkness consumed the forest like a thick blanket. She turned around to go back to camp, when a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder.
Her hand instantly went to her sword, and in a couple of seconds, she had the sword pinned to the person's throat. The person held their hands up in surrender, and that's when Hera noticed how he looked.
She dropped her sword in shock and stumbled away from the person. There was no mistaking who he was. She could recognize him anywhere, even in the darkness. She saw his dark curls and his brown eyes and she instantly knew it was him.
"Derron?" Hera asked lowly, shock written all over her face. It shouldn't be possible. He should be dead. Yet, there he stood.
