KINGDOM FALL | ROBB STARK [1]

78

KINGDOM FALL
— 78. Kill the Boy

In Castle Black's library, Robb sat at the desk, eying the scroll he grasped in his hand. Maester Aemon had given it to him just moments before, claiming that a raven had sent it for him. The Targaryen man had been told by Sam that Robb's name had been written on the front of it, which told them it was for the Stark king without having to open it.

"Anything in that scroll that may help you in your quest to find Annalys?" Maester Aemon suddenly asked Robb, whose eyes widened in shock.

"How did you--" Robb began to ask, only to be cut off.

"Words spreads quickly throughout Castle Black when it is learned that the Queen of the Westerlands has traveled North of the Wall, alone with a wilding prisoner," Maester Aemon informed Robb in a calm tone, "Some believe that they're lovers and Annalys plans to live North of the Wall with him for the rest of her days," He paused, earning a loud scoff from Robb, "But we both know that isn't true."

"It isn't," Robb admitted, finding himself confiding in Maester Aemon, despite not knowing him all that well, "The things she does...it truly scares me sometimes. She just doesn't care about how reckless she's always being. She doesn't care what people think of her. She does what she wants and doesn't care if it's frowned upon. When she believes it's right thing to do, she does it."

"And you love her for it," Maester Aemon pointed out, much to Robb's dismay.

"I do," Robb admitted truthfully, "I love how carefree she is. I love that she refuses to let being a bastard or even a Lannister define her. She does what she wants and in the end, it almost always save everyone's ass. She does what is right, no matter the costs. And despite everything she's done to me, I will always love her. I don't care if that makes me a fool, either. In a way, though..." He trailed off, letting out a sigh in defeat, "It feels like it might kill me."

Maester Aemon chuckled, smiling at the thought, "I was in love once," He informed Robb, whose eyes widened at the thought, "Before becoming a maester, I met many girls as Aemon Targaryen. A future king always does. Some of them were quite forward in their attempts to win my affections. One of them succeeded. I was very younger."

"Who was she?" Robb questioned Aemon, a curious look on his face.

"I could tell you everything about her. Who she was. How we met. The color of her eyes and the shape of her nose. I can see her right in front of me. She's more real than you are," Aemon confessed, a smile forming on her lips, "She was different than any woman I had ever met. She was defiant, difficult, and always spoke her mind, not caring who might hear it. I loved her more than anything and she loved me, too. Though, she had a better time hiding it than I did. She was beautiful, many men wanted her hand in marriage. She only had eyes for me, though."

"What happened to her?" Robb asked and immediately noticed the way Aemon tensed up.

"What did the scroll say, Stark?" He suddenly asked, purposely changing the subject, much to Robb's concern.