The Guardian of the North (Robb Stark) Completed

The cursed castle

"Everyone creates the thing they dread." Ultron, Avengers: Age Of Ultron

"I don't like it here, at all." Steven sighed when they entered Harrenhal. All the stones were scorched and the towers were all destroyed. Once this was one of the greatest fortresses in Westeros. Now though it was just a ruin. The dragon fire had casted a curse on it most people would say. If you would walk into the castle you could feel this presence everywhere no matter where you went. It was like it was haunting you but never did it show itself.

"We should check if anyone is here." Robb instinctively wrapped his arm around Elena's waist. He looked around as he frowned when there was no one inside the castle. It was abandoned, no sign of life anywhere. Something must've happened to his men here in the time they had left. The only thing they found though when they searched the castle was some blood spatters here and there, nobody or corpse to be seen.

"Bring him to the dungeons." Damon nodded at the guards who held Gillian in their arms. Damon walked up to Elena and Robb, looking at how Robb was trying to protect her from the haunting feeling the Castle brought.

"We shouldn't stay here too long." Damon said while looking at Robb. "When Steven says he doesn't like something, it means that something is absolutely and definitely wrong."

"We need to regroup our men, need to get ready for the next journey." Robb sighed and looked around at the broken towers and black stones. "It will probably take a few days. We'll also need to decide how many men we'll leave behind here. If we'll leave anyone here at all."

"If you ask me I'd rather just stay somewhere in a camp in the midst of the forest than here." Elena took in a deep breath. She crawled closer against Robb's chest while looking around, searching for whatever was in this castle.

"Elena is right, your grace." Steven said. "Your men must've left here for a reason. Maybe they're somewhere in the forest close by. We need to find them to know what happened."

"We'll send a party to search for them."

"Then I'll lead them" Steven proposed and already began to pack for the journey. "I'll find some good men and I'll be gone before sundown. If I'm not back in 5 days, don't come back searching for me."

"But Steve-"

"I'll be fine." Steven smiled at Elena and stroked Ella's hair when she hugged him tightly to say goodbye. "Probably finer than you when you stay here too long."

"Try not to get killed." Elena smiled at him.

Steven chuckled as he mounted his horse again. "I will try."

~

"Damon?" Elena entered the room he was in during the night. She saw him standing there, staring out of the window while in deep thought.

"Is everything okay?" Damon glanced at her with a concerned frown on his face.

"I'm fine, I just... I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me for what, exactly?" Damon looked down at her when she came to stand next to him.

"For bearing with my shit." Elena chuckled and looked at the landscape before them. "I know I've been a handful the past few days, denying the fact you're my brother, getting angry at you for nothing. Most of all though, being an ungrateful little shit."

"It wasn't that bad." Damon chuckled lightly and put his hand on Elena's shoulder. He looked back out of the window and noticed Aidan with his daughter walking there. "You've been worse. When you were little you used to cry a lot. Not just crying though, you screamed your lungs out for everyone to hear."