I Can Do It With A Broken Heart / Joffrey Baratheon /Rieka Stark (2.6)

14. Falling for You

"This isnt awkward." Rieka agreed as robb and joffrey were in a stare off. Rieka punched Robb in the shoulder. His gaze shifted to her. "Be nice. We are ending a war."

"Marrying... him?" Robb scoffed. Rieka nodded.

"We have an understanding." Rieka agreed. "Robb you need not make things harder. Joffrey and I are getting along. I want to end this war. Father agreed a union between-"

"Sansa and joffrey. Not you." Robb countered. Robbs gaze grew even more deadly and rieka Didnt understand why until she followed his gaze. joffrey had grabbed her hand. Rieka hadnt noticed. He had been doing that more and more recently.

"Robb," rieka begged her twin.

"It ends the war." Robb agreed looking to Tywin. Not joffrey. Joffrey hated that robb didnt respect him but Rieka gave his hand a squeeze. Strangely he found comfort in it. In her.

"Hello again, Lady Catelyn." Tyrion offered. "Lovely to see you under better circumstances." Catelyn turned her cheek.

"I marry joffrey and we handle the real enemy." Rieka instructed. "Stop fighting each other. "

"What is the real enemy?" Robb countered.

"The night king." Jon answered coming up behind them. "I got my pardon, hope you dont mind, I brought a few friends." Rieka relsased joffreys hand and hugged Jon.

"I missed you but Daenerys Targaryen is the real enemy. Who are you talking about?" Rieka countered.

"Targaryen?" Robb questioned. "I thought-"

"She's an impending problem." Rieka assured. "Jon?"

"Night king. Hes... I dont really know what to call him. Hes not alike. Hes not dead. He has an army rieka. Hes coming for us." Jon answered.

"Which problem is getting here first?" Joffrey pondered.

"Where is your night king?" Rieka questioned.

"North of the wall." Jon answered.

"Where is your Targaryen?" Robb questioned.

"Across the narrow sea. " rieka admitted. "Alright you win." Rieka assured "for now. But we will handle her."

"Agreed." Joffrey added.

"Oh Jon," rieka held him. "You handsome idiot." He chuckled into her.

"Can you pardon me?"  Jon questioned. "From my vows..."

"You are here aren't you?" Rieka countered.

"Arya." Jon whispered as she ran towards them. He picked her up spinning her around. "Rickon? Gods you got so tall- is bran-"

"Your monster is beyond the wall." Rieka looked to rickon. "Bran is too. Let's handle your monster quickly."

"Why is bran beyond the wall?" Jon demanded.

"Rickon can explain it best."

"So wedding planning into high gear!" Cersei squealed.

"I'm still highly against this." Robb added.

"Wedding? Oh you weren't lying." Jon mused. "Your future grace."

"Wonderful a feast will be prepared tonight and we will get everything into action now that you all are here." Cersei looked to rieka for confirmation. Joffrey looked to her as well.

"I don't need a fancy wedding." Rieka reminded them. "I'm free tomorrow." Joffrey nodded eagerly.

"Lets not be hasty." Robb countered.

"Lets be hasty." Joffrey corrected softly.

"It's your wedding dress it has to be perfect!" Catelyn declared. Her and sansa were much more invested than rieka and arya for this final step of planning.

"Red. I won't let anyone else wear the color." Cersei assured.

"Shes a stark. A deep grey or dark blue." Catelyn suggested.

"I think i know riekas sense of style better than you."

"Do you? I'm her mother." Catelyn corrected. Rieka remembered the time when catelyn wanted nothing more than to impress the queen. Make the very best impression, including trying to turn her eldest daughter into a mini me. Some thing she failed and doing. She remembered how embarrassed her mother was her when the royal family first came to Winterfell. Now look at her mother, she grew a backbone.

"You two have nothing in common." Cersei corrected.

" and you two do have something in common?" Catelyn sassed.

" we much closer friends than you and her yes. I think I know her better than you." Cersei agreed. Rieka poured a tall glass of wine she tucked her legs under herself, sitting cross-legged on the couch.

" I sent a challenge -a competition!" Arya shouted. " who knows rieka best!"

" let's not-" rieka countered.

" she's my daughter-"

" and you sent her away. She's become my family." Cersei said confidently.

"As much as i love you two fighting over me- thanks for finally showing me you care mother-" she added. "But-"

"I care!" Catelyn objected "you are my daughter of course i care!"

"Again. Thank you but i dont care what I wear. I just want carrot cake and some of that fancy white wine. I want robb to walk me down the aisle and then we handle the night king."

"So the dress?" Catelyn held up a blue dress while cersei shoved a red dress towards her.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe"

"What are you doing?" Catelyn demanded.

"Picking a dress." She closed her eyes pointing a finger between them "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Mother said to pick a dress and I pick-"

"Rieka!" Catelyn demanded. "Take this seriously!"

"Was jaime a terror with your costume for tomorrow?" Rieka pondered pulling at the soft insides of the fresh warm bread.

"Costumes?" Joffrey countered with a laugh. She groaned leaning into him.

"Being a woman is so difficult. Be glad you are a boy."

"Man." Joffrey corrected.

"You are a man when I say you are a man." Rieka corrected. His eyes darted from her eyes to her lips.

"Big day tomorrow."

"Whats tomorrow?" Rieka mused.

"Ha, ha." Joffrey countered.

"I think im busy." Rieka added. "Super duper busy."

"I think we need to practice something. So we dont look like fools." Joffrey offered.

"Oh dont go sounding like your grandfather." Rieka countered. "We dont need another dress rehearsal-"

"I dont know your brothers might try to kill me."

"I will talk with them again." Rieka assured. "Let them know the kill plan- whoops. Im so bad at keeping secrets."

"Great." Joffrey agreed. "Kill me gently please."

"Please?" Rieka leaned in. "Who are you?"

"Your husband as of tomorrow."

"Thats going to be weird."

"Only because we havent kissed yet." Joffrey countered. He didnt give her time to make a sassy comment before kissing her.

Rieka had been kissed before by a few boys but never by a boy she was sure she hated a few moons ago. His hand wrapped around the back of her neck holding her to him. His hand slipped around her waist pulling her flush to him.

Robb stopped and stared he couldnt believe rieka was okay with this. That she was voluntarily marrying him. Kissing him. Robb watched her lips pull slightly from his and rested her forehead against joffreys. Her eyes peeled open slowly. The words joffrey spoke shocked Robb.

"I have fallen for you Rieka."