✓ | 𝑾𝒐𝒍𝒇'𝒔 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒆 (R.STARK 1/3)

Chapter Fifteen::Fight Me.

He watched her, as she circled the ring with eyes set on the target, with a weird sense of pride. It was a look Raina had grown accustomed to seeing when they were younger, when they used to spar together at Winterfell, with Theon watching from the sidelines and interrupting their moments; but the sudden overwhelming feeling Raina received, from the King's watchful eye, had her fumbling with her sword, not entirely sure what she wanted to do next. In that split second she wanted to come clean, tell him everything, and at the same time she wanted to run as far away as possible, in fear of him having already figured it out. Instead she thought of her father, how mad she felt towards him and how she wished he would leave soon; it was the only thing that managed to distract her from her lies, from all that had happened and how she still felt about Robb. She felt it, burning away inside of her, a withheld rage that her father had caused; and using that to source her fighting spirit, she finally readied her blade, before flaying it in Robb's direction, and so they began.

Diving, dodging, ducking, slashing, clashing, falling, fighting, all out comes of their ongoing fight - Raina was getting good, but so was Robb. She'd forgotten his tendency to lighten up on his new 'subjects' when training, in fear of doing real damage, she should have known that he didn't know who she was, or how well she could actually fight, not back when they started anyway. Now he had a pretty good idea just how skilled she truly was with a sword. And just to ensure he did, she slid beneath his blade, upon the ground so that it flew above her head, giving her the chance to swipe for the back of his legs and bringing him to the ground quickly. She held her blade to his throat, reaching for his hand to prevent him from reaching for his blade, in the predicable case where he would distract her, like he used to when they were younger. "Well done," he chuckled, smiling up at the proud figure that lent over him. She smirked down at him, pleased with herself and her accomplishment. Stepping back, she leant out her hand, assisting him with getting up - which he gladly took. They were both covered in mud, from the repeated moves across the floor, and made it look as though they'd been playing in the dirt like children. Their appearances only making them laugh at one another, a peaceful moment Raina wished to remember. The fear that haunted her, still ever present in the pit of her stomach, reminding her to make every moment count, so that when the time came and she was dragged kicking and screaming back to Deepwood Motte, she still had these moments to make her smile through the otherwise treacherous life that awaited her back home.

"Ray!" A familiar voice called from behind the King, causing the moment, in which they had just been smiling at one another, to end abruptly, as they both turned to find the source of the voice. Stood on the other side of the fence was the familiar face of an innocent squire, Gared, whom held a solitary parcel, wrapped haphazardly. "This arrived for you early," He called, bowing his head to the King, who merely smiled towards Raina's friend. "Thank you, Gared." Ray nodded, running over to the fence where she would retrieve the package. "Perhaps you will practice with me again soon?" The King asked, a small, hopeful, smile spreading onto his stubbled face, as he wondering along behind Raina, reaching the fence and leaning casually against it. "If you want to be beaten again, I'm happy to oblige," she teased, looking at the King as she went to untangle the binding string of the parcel. Upon it was no seal, or signature, that gave any indication as to who had sent it, leaving Raina struck with curiosity and cautiousness. The King turned, placing the blades back in the rack and giving Raina time to open the parcel without his prying eyes. And in the moment he faced away, she ripped the bindings apart, eager to know what lay inside. And to her upmost surprise, carefully hidden beneath brown paper, was a lonely, gold coin, with a foreign symbol etched into it. Raina's face brightened quickly, as though the symbol was not well known to her, she knew it could only be one person sending it. And her suspicions were soon confirmed as she looked to the paper, where written, clearly on the paper in scruffy handwriting, were a few words:

Don't miss me too much, Glover.
-A

The smile continued to spread, the sudden sad tinge in the happiness making the urge to cry conflicting tears, consume her being. She knew it was Asher. She knew almost instantly. And she missed him, she couldn't speak of it to anyone but Rodrik, who wasn't fond of hearing of it, but he did know. All the Forresters, and her family, knew how close she had once been with the exiled Forrester, and so they understood her deviation when he was sentenced to be banished. Those had been the last words he had said to her on the day of his leaving, and since she'd tried her hardest not to think of him, finding herself to be otherwise preoccupied by the King's company; but the letter only served as a reminder of how much she wished she had him here, to confide in, where Robb could not.

"Everything alright?" The King asked politely, his voice distracting Raina from her resurfacing memories of Asher, and bringing her back to the real world. "Yes, fine, thank you." She stated abruptly, turning to find him watching her with a strange look of concern. She felt it again. The sudden urge to tell him and run, conflicting in her head as she gazed in awe at him. She missed his company, if only as a friend, she wanted it back, their bond, she needed it. She couldn't do it alone, fight off her father, refuse Ramsay, she wasn't strong enough, not anymore. But at the same time, she wasn't strong enough to tell Robb, she wasn't sure she wished to risk it all for something that could so easily falter. After all, he was the King. And she wasn't even a Glover in his eyes. Not anymore.