Among Lions and Wolves • |Book 1|

.chapter thirty-two.

Finally, Rhaella slept peacefully in his arms, the tear tracks on her flushed face drying now that the flow had stopped. He held her close to him, rocking her back and forth, his own eyes closed.

Memories flooded his mind. Winterfell, the time he held Rhaella for the first time. She had fallen asleep in his arms then too. Exhaustion finally putting a stop to the never ending flow of tears.

Those tears then had been for Jon Snow, his bastard brother. The tears she had shed moments prior were for a whole other reason, one Robb had hated himself for.

He had made a lot of mistakes, it seemed, but none could ever compare to this. If only he hadn't been so quick to let her go when his gut told him something wasn't right. If only he had listened to Talisa sooner. If only.

What would have happened if he had arrived sooner? He rode alone with only his direwolf to protect him. He left camp without notifying a single soul except for Talisa. The most he could've done was take out a few men while his direwolf took out a few more. Perhaps they would have saved her. They could have.

He hated himself even more. This was his fault. He failed her again. How many more times would he fail her until he learned his lesson?

Jon would have never failed her. She would have never turned away from Jon. Robb wondered what Jon would have to say if he learned of what happened. He had trusted him, and Robb had failed him too.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed quietly, tears fell into her hair as he pressed his face to the top of her head. "I promise to do better. I promise."

  When his tears had dried and he convinced himself to do better by Rhaella, he lifted her sleeping form onto the back of a well-rested destrier.

It showed no sign of discomfort as Robb mounted up behind her, and made no sound as he readjusted Rhaella into a comfortable position while he rode back to camp.

By now Grey Wind was on his feet and walking beside him. The white wolf trotted on ahead, her nose low to the ground. Robb wondered if the white she-wolf would continue accompanying them or if she'd return to the pack she came from, Nymeria's pack.

His thoughts strayed from the wolves to his sisters, one in King's Landing and the other Gods know where. He arrived back to camp faster than when he left. A part of him feared his men would wake Rhaella, but they had not. Not even when they drew near to question his sudden disappearance.

His mother had been among them, her features twisted with worry. Robb felt for her. He had left in such a haste, she must have feared the worst. Abandonment perhaps. Perhaps they had all feared it.

But as they drew closer, they fell silent. His mother was first to spy the white direwolf while the men were quick to see the sleeping woman in his arms.

"Talisa, mother," Robb called them forward. Talisa had understood and came immediately, but his mother was hesitant.

"What has happened?" She asked when her steel blue eyes observed the cloak wrapped around Rhaella.

"I was too late," he replied, jumping down from the horse. "Take her inside my tent. Try not to wake her." Robb turned from the women to his men. "There are more horses west of here. Take whoever is willing to go, you will  retrieve those horses and the supplies those men had and you may burn the bodies if you like."

A group of men left, while the lords were quick to ask questions Robb had no intentions of answering. Not just yet, anyway.

"How is she?" He asked upon entering his tent.

"What happened out there?" His mother demanded before Talisa could respond with an answer to his question.

"They raped and beat her," he spoke softly, his eyes on Rhaella. "They were dead before I even reached her. Nymeria now leads a pack of wolves. She got there before I did and she stayed there with her."

"I take it Nymeria had pups of her own then?" Catelyn's eyes fell to the white direwolf standing beside Robb.

"It's the only logical explanation," he turned to Talisa. "Can you clean and dress her without waking her?"

"I can try," she stood up. "But it will be very difficult. Robb, you must understand that what has happened will change her. She will never be the same."

Robb stared at the sleeping woman on his bed, she looked very much the same aside from her untidy hair and the bruise that was now turning a light purple, "She is worth it," he said out loud.

"Is she really?" His mother had always been so quick to voice her dislike about Rhaella. It had a great deal to do with her lineage and who raised her more than it had to do with Rhaella herself. "The Lannisters clearly want her dead and will stop at nothing to see to it that she is. We are already at war with them and they have your sisters! How will this affect them once the Lannisters find out?"

"If she was meant to be dead, she would be already," Talisa had knelt back down to tend to Rhaella. "It appears there are other plans for her."

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Ofmgbsjdbd!
Spoilers below!!!

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Anddd DaydreamsDoComeTrue
I am reconsidering on making our Queen a Stark and giving her a little Stark baby 🤔
Thoughts on the matter?

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Nymeria has a white wolf and a black wolf in her fucking pack. I basically died! Because in my story she does too, but they are her offspring and the only dire wolves.

Oh right, none of you know about Shadow.
Fitting name for a dire wolf that sees all but is seen by none. Legit opposite of Winter. Truthfully I have no clue as to when he surfaces. All I know is that he is there and he keeps unseen.

And my queen is going homeeee!

Super sorry if you've yet to see the show, but if you have seen tonight's episode, just know that Rhaella is going too 🤗

P.s. strongly considering call book two Among Dragons and Wolves.
Kinda also want a shorter title.
Kinda also really want Cersei and Sansa dead.

^ By this I mean even though I want it to happen, it will least likely happen.