Til Death Do Us Part...

Life with Robb 16

Ilva pushed the front door of their apartment open with her shoulder. She carried two bags of groceries in her arms, but despite the weight paining her muscles she was humming one of the million songs on repeat in her head. Of course she knew that she wasn't a different girl all of a sudden, but it seemed that people did notice that something had changed.

Margaery had asked her if she and Robb had found some secret fountain of happiness. Rickon had told her that she started looking like a true princess more and more each day and Sansa had just rolled her eyes when she had seen Ilva gleaming from head to toe. She really didn't wanna know.

And Ilva couldn't blame her for it. After all, the juicy details of Ilva's new found sex life did involve Sansa's brother, which made the conversation already quite uncomfortable to begin with. She'd have to find someone else to talk to.

Someone who still dared to sit down on the comfortable chairs after knowing what had happened there. Someone who understood why the bathroom with the bathtub was a private area and off limits for visitor. Someone who'd sit on the edge of their seat when Ilva would tell about the whipped cream and the strawberry sauce. Or the ice cubes, although the ice cubes hadn't been that much of a success actually.

Ilva placed the paper bags on the table and with her hands now empty she walked back to the mailbox to see if the mailman had finally found their home. So far the amount of cards they had received was rather depressing and even though Ilva knew it was because of the digital possibilities, which were way easier and way cheaper, she liked to think that somewhere the "congrats with your new home" cards were piling up.

The one letter in the mailbox however didn't look much like a fancy card with some cute animals and a set of keys on it. The official looking enveloppe was actually quite heavy and the logo of the national army on the front looked quite official.

Ilva furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed Robb's full name on the front of it. Although talking had not been their main form of communication lately, she had actually thought that they would at least tell each other the important things. But maybe this letter was simply something all children from death soldiers received, no matter how old they eventually grew.

When she entered the apartment again she placed the envelope on the table in the living room and safely put away all the groceries before Robb would come home to empty the bags of crisp before she had even had the time to store them.

"Good afternoon, beautiful."

Ilva let out a scream when she felt a pair of strong arms around her. It didn't happen often, but she had not heard him coming in and for a moment she was afraid that her heart would break her ribs and chest bone at once.

"I hope your day has been a lot better than mine." He kissed her temple and tightened his grip while he buried his nose in her hair.

Ilva shook her head and turned around to wrap her arms around his neck. "This morning I've attended two long classes about the most common themes in classical literature and the characteristics of the Greek and Roman Gods and their differences." Her lips kissed his. "Then I had lunch with your dear sister, who told me to remind you that she still existed too, even though she wasn't after having sex with you." The tip of her fingers tapped his nose. "And then I spent a few hours in the library to study, where I talked to Margaery who seemed to know something about your hidden talents, but told me that I'd had to ask you about it."

Robb rolled his eyes and after kissing her mouth a few times he let his lips brush the sensitive skin of her neck. "It might have happened once or twice, when we were both lonely and in need of some quality company with no demands or expectations." He moved his hand under her shirt and touched her back. "There is no need for her to be so secretive about it and no need for you to worry about it."

"I'm not worrying about it." Ilva leaned back and placed her hands firmly on his shoulders. "It's not a shocker that you've had a life before me and it doesn't matter either. It happened before you knew me, not while we were already dating, right?"

Robb looked up and raised his eyebrows. "You don't really think I am capable of cheating on the love of my life, do you?" He sighed relieved when Ilva shook her head. "No matter how long we would be parted and how far away we would be, you will be the one and only for me for the rest of my life."

Ilva smiled, but then she remembered the letter on the table. "There was a letter from the army for you. Is it something about your father?" Ilva stepped back, but when Robb's cheeks coloured reddish she realised that maybe he had kept some secrets from her.

"Actually..." Robb placed his hands in her sides and bit his lip. "I've asked them if they could send me more information about joining the army and serving our country, like my father did."

"O..." Ilva swallowed. "Why?" The smile on her face disappeared and she cocked her head.

"Ilva..." Robb closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened them again. "I'm afraid I'm really not made for those jobs as bartender, barista or whatever they call it these days."

"But, the army..." Ilva thought about Ned and all the stories Cat, Robb and his siblings had told her about him. She had never even met the man, but she sometimes missed him already. She couldn't even begin to imagine how Cat and the others felt. "What if you're sent away on some mission like your father? What if you never come back?"

"Do you prefer me suffocating and dying here because I'm forced to work jobs I find literally no pleasure or validation in?" The back of his hand touched her cheek. "I am not made for college, but I am not made for a job that makes me feel constantly as if I've failed in life either."

"This world needs baristas and people who don't mind taking night shifts at the McDonalds...."

Robb placed his finger on her talking lips. "I know. And I will never look down upon them, but..." Robb sighed. "I'm not working those jobs because I actually enjoy them. I'm simply working them because we have bills to pay and I want to take care of you and be a husband you can rely on." He moved a little closer towards her. "Let us just read the information they've sent me and then we can still see if I will really do it or not, okay?"

Ilva nodded, although she saw in his eyes that he had already made his choice and that nothing she would say would really change anything.

His pride and his stubbornness. Maybe one day they'd become his death. Literally.