Game of Thrones: Frozen Fire

The Distance

It was as if the weather had followed him from the North. The sky was filled with dark clouds, ready to rain on them at any moment. It was the only thing that brought him comfort but also made him miss home.

He knew his reaction to Daenerys' doing hadn't been the best. Never before had he felt so angry but also so conflicted. After a few days of thinking about what had happened, he realized Dany had tried to do what she thought better for their family, to defend them. It was difficult to believe that she saw them as her family when a year ago she hated them with so much passion a few times he thought she was going to murder him in his sleep those first months.

Now he missed her terribly. She was the only one who he could talk to openly because she understood; just like him, people believed she was their salvation. She was blood of the Dragon and the true heir of the Iron Throne. He was King in the North, the true heir of the lands beyond the Neck. The weight over their shoulders was heavy and sometimes threatened to crush them; he didn't want to even think about the expectations on his son.

Planning war was a very lonely task. Being king was a very lonely job. Even if Robb had his uncles and his bannermen, people he had known since childhood, he could feel the pressure of being in command.

Thousands of times he thought about ending the war once and for all by calling for the aid of the Prince of Dorne and the families that lived at Cracklaw Point, to siege King's Landing while he fought against Tywin Lannister. The fear of his sisters being murdered while he attempted this was too big, though.

Was it that same fear that had driven Dany to cut the Kingslayer's hand?

She had seen him grief-stricken after receiving the news of his father's death. Perhaps she loved him as deeply as she claimed and wanted to prove herself to him. But did she not also know how much he disliked other people fighting his wars? The first thing he had learned from his father was to do everything by himself, because no one but him needed to face his enemies.

"Do you miss her as much as I do?" Robb wondered in a murmur as he petted Grey Wind, patting his head a couple of times before he picked up a piece of raw meat for Rhaegal. "Dracarys," he called but the dragon was already aware of his food being placed for him to eat.

Robb chuckled as he watched the dragon cooking the meat before eating it. He was strangely drawn to Daenerys whenever she spoke in Valyrian, when she taught him the words correcting him with tender patience but also laughing when he became frustrated.

Had they reached a point of no return, a break in their relationship that could not be fixed?

Grey Wind nuzzled his hand as if he were reading Robb's mind and his doubts.

"She said she loves me, did she not?" Robb sighed. "And no matter how much I keep trying to forget her, seems it is an impossible task. This doesn't erase the good things she did and the love I have for her."

-o-

There were things Robb Stark had never felt comfortable about. Dancing was one of them but suddenly he found himself moving to the rhythm of music with one of his hands in the waist of his partner and the other holding her hand. She was smiling at him.

"My Wolf," she whispered and he felt his face turning warm, feeling very aware of his clumsy feet and movements while she gracefully moved trying to conceal the jerky moves of his legs. She giggled when he sighed heavily.

He felt her pulling him closer and soon, even if he pretended, she was leading the dance.

"Dany," he murmured, attempting to chastise her but failing when he saw the mischief in her eyes. He only chuckled, bowing his head to press their foreheads together. "You're trying to make me look like a fool."