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 TWENTY SIX - BEARER OF BAD NEWS
After taking Harrenhal and removing all of the dead soldiers from the courtyard, the Stark army had decided to stay there for a short while before they moved onto their next mission.
Hera was standing inside her temporary chamber with Robb, smiles on both of their faces. Robb softly placed his hands on top of her stomach, his bodywarmth instantly making Hera feel warm too. He couldn't keep the grin off his face, no matter how hard he tried. It was so hard when you were that happy.
"What do you think it will be?" He asked her, curiosity in his eyes.
Hera laughed softly. "It's too early to say, Robb." She gave him a soft smile. "I've only been with child for a couple of weeks."
Robb's face reddened slightly in embarrasement, but he smiled nevertheless. "I think it's a boy."
Hera raised an eyebrow. "Oh, do you now?" Robb nodded, his grin growing even bigger if that was even possible. "And what if it's a girl?"
Robb shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me if its a boy or a girl, as long as the child is healthy. I will love it no matter its gender." Hera answered by giving him a small kiss on the cheek, while also brushing away a small curl that had fallen onto his face.
A knock sounded at the door, breaking up their moment. They both sighed in slight irritation, but Hera quickly walked over to the door and opened it. Maester Edgarth stood on the other side of the doorstep, holding a letter in his hands. "What can I do for you, Maester Edgarth?" Hera asked kindly.
The old man gave her a smile. "This letter arrived for you earlier this morning," he told her. "The man who gave it to me was very strict that it had to be delivered to you directly, and that no one else could read it before you did."
Hera's eyebrows furrowed together, and she slowly took the letter into her hands. It was without a seal, which made her even more confused. "Um.. Thank you, Maester Edgarth." She mumbled distracted, walking back into the chamber.
She instantly started opening the letter, not noticing that Maester Edgarth had left and that Robb was standing beside her concerned. Hera felt her heart racing. She was panicking on the inside, but she didn't know why. It was just a letter, surely it couldn't be that bad?
Her eyes widened as she started reading the letter, and not long after, they filled with tears. Her heart shattered into millions of pieces in just a couple of seconds. The letter slid out from her hands as she fell to the floor onto her knees, sobs racking through her body. She felt like her heart had just been ripped out from her chest, and she couldn't breath. She took deep breaths, but each breath resulted in a new sob rising in the back of her throat. Hot tears streamed down her face, making her hair stick to her skin.
Robb stared in shock at his weeping wife. He had never seen her cry before, and the sight broke his heart. He hesitantely bent down and picked up the letter so he could read whatever bad news was written on the white paper. And the more he read, the more his heart broke for Hera. He felt shocked by the news, but he reacted quickly. He fell to his knees beside Hera, bringing her into his chest in a hug, letting her cry into his cloak.
"She's dead," Hera managed to stutter out in between her sobs.
Robb shushed her and gently stroked her hair as he planted a soft and warm kiss on her forehead. He rocked her back and fourth slowly, trying to help her as best as he could. "Lexa's dead, and I never got to see her," she voiced, her tear filled emerald eyes focusing on his face. The look on her face was enough to make him want to weep as well, for he had never seen her that heartbroken before.
So he held her as she cried and screamed for her dead sister. He held her for what could have been minutes, or even hours. He didn't know how long they had been in each others embrace on the floor, but he didn't care. All he cared about was to make sure that she was okay.
*
Hera felt numb as she held the letter in her hands. After finding out about her sister's death, she had wept for hours, only stopping after Robb had comforted her for a long while. She couldn't believe that her sister was gone. Just the thought of it made tears appear in her eyes, and as she blinked, they slowly slid down her face.
She never got to see her sister again. When she had met Derron in the woods a short time ago, she had been so sure that she would reunite with Lexa again too, but she had never gotten the chance to. But that wasn't the saddest part. What truly broke Hera's heart was that Lexa was still so young, with her entire life waiting for her. She was only fifteen, and it was unfair that she was taken away from the world so soon.
Hera was scared to read the letter again, but she knew that she had too. Reading it again would truly confirm it, for a part of her hoped that she had been hallucinating earlier. But in her heart, she knew it was real. She took a deep breath and slowly unscrolled the letter, letting her eyes wander over the ink filled parchment.
Dearest Hera,
I write to you with a heavy and broken heart. It pains me to write this, but you must know what has happened. Our sister, Lexa, has passed from a sickness that came from nowhere. This pains me, because I know how heartbroken you will become when you read this, and for that I am sorry. You must know that Lexa wanted me to tell you how much she loved you, and to not be sad, for she will always be in your heart.
Hera stopped reading, for she knew that she would burst into tears if she continued. Some of the ink were smudged on the paper, and Hera knew it was her brother's tears. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to see her brother, to hug him and tell him how much she loved him.
*
A/N: IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: I'm so sorry for not updating on Thursday like I normally do! I've been under a lot of stress because of school and life in general, so I haven't had much time to write. I've been writing this chapter throughout the week at any opportunity I've had, like in the car etc. Sadly, updates might not be as frequent as they have been anymore. I will still try to write as often as I can, but it is hard to find time to write when school is taking all your time and energy. I really don't want to force myself to write, because then the chapters won't be that good, and I'll do something that I don't want to do. So instead of updating every week like I used to, it might take around two weeks or sometimes longer in between updates instead. I hope you all understand.
