KINGDOM FALL | ROBB STARK [1]

51

KINGDOM FALL
— 51. To War it is

     That same day, Annalys walked along the walls of Casterly Rock beside Jeyne. "Are you scared?" She suddenly found herself asking her queen, breaking the silence between them.

"Of what?" Annalys frowned, not understanding what there was to be afraid of.

"Going to war against Robb." Jeyne responded, but by the look on Annalys' face, Jeyne knew her queen was anything but afraid.

Annalys laughed softly, shaking her head. "I've been to war before, Jeyne. It doesn't scare me. Never has. Never will." She explained, earning a somewhat uneasy look from her handmaiden.

"It should, knowing it'll only end if one of you are dead," She pointed out to Annalys, who tried her best not to look uneasy, "Robb Stark is the only man alive who can even come close to besting you with battle strategies and tactics."

Annalys slowly turned to Jeyne in concern, knowing she was right.

"Do you still love him?" Jeyne questioned Annalys curiously.

Annalys remained silent, nodding her head. She hadn't spoken about Robb like that in a long time. She didn't dare admit to anyone that she still loved him. However, Jeyne was different. She trusted Jeyne more she trusted anyone else who wasn't Jaime.

Jaime was the only person in Annalys' life who knew more about the Lannister woman than Jeyne did. "I don't think I'll ever stop loving him," She admitted softly, looking down in shame, "I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. I loved him for many years. I think apart of me even loved him when we were children and didn't know what love was yet."

"It's not a sin to love him. He's the father of your children." Jeyne tried to assure Annalys, who still remained doubtful.

"But is it a sin to lay in bed at night and dream of being reunited with him once more, even though it means the demise of my family?" She confessed in a hushed tone, causing Jeyne's eyes to widen in utter disbelief.

"You can't, Annalys," Jeyne argued in a low tone as she shook her head.

"I know. And a part of me believes that Euron will come back. With Theon Greyjoy," She explained to Jeyne, recalling Maggy the Frog saying she would try to love a king, which could have meant Euron, "I have a feeling I'll have to marry him in due time."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?" Jeyne suddenly asked, causing Annalys to turn to her and frown.

"How could that ever mean a good thing?" She questioned Jeyne in confusion.

  "Euron has the Iron Fleet. As he said, you can defeat Stannis in King's Landing, Daenerys Targaryen in the East, and Robb Stark in the North with those ships. Unlike Euron, we know Robb isn't in the North. We might not be able to defeat him with the Iron Fleet, but there is someone in the North we can." Jeyne explained to Annalys, who was immediately caught by surprise.