The Wolf and The Doe || Robb Stark || Game of Thrones

~ ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔉𝔦𝔣𝔱𝔢𝔢𝔫 ~

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Letters. Sofya became to hate receiving letters. None of them were containing happy news and almost none of them were from Robb. Most of the letters from her husband were short and their purpose was for her not to worry about him. She understood that, of course, Robb was very busy. Her answers to him were short and simple as well. She was focused on trying to keep the whole castle together.
Late at night and early in the morning she was reading new letters that were coming to her. New ones every day.

"Dear Lady of Winterfell,
My grandchildren kept pushing me to write this letter. I am aware of the ambiguous situation between your husband and The Lannisters but my grandchildren consider you to be a part of our family. I believe you consider us your family as well. More than you consider Starks your kin. We both know your true nature - I am aware you must be missing home and you wish everything would be simpler like in the old times. That is what I am offering to you. Come to King's Landing and your marriage with the traitor will be annulled. You are always welcome home in The Red Keep.
King Joffrey is worried about you, My Lady, and he wishes to see you back home alive and well.
Sending greetings from your family and hoping we are going to see each other soon,
Lord Tywin Lannister,
Hand of The King Joffrey I Baratheon
PS - may this letter be a secret between my grandchildren and their mother"

Soyfa made wide eyes at the letter. Her heart squeezed in her chest as she realized that Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen must have been really worried about her. But she didn't hesitate to tear the letter and put it in the fireplace. She watched it burn while playing with her newly renovated dagger in her hands.
"My Lady?", Maester entered the chamber.
"Yes?", she turned around and hid the dagger inside of her dress.
"Tyrells finally answered. They are going to sell us the grain"
"Amazing news! I'm wondering what made them change their mind about us", Sofya smiled widely. The Tyrells were literally saving their lives.
"That's not everything. They only want half of the money we were offering them in return"
"Impossible! Is that some kind of a miracle? Have Gods listened to my prayers? Or is it some kind of trick...?", she exclaimed dramatically as she sat down next to Maester Luwin.
"I don't know, My Lady. But there was also a letter addressed directly to you from Highgarden", he handed her another sheet of paper.
No matter how many letters a day she was receiving, she was feeling anxious every time. Each letter could be the end of her or her family. As in Starks and Baratheons.
Sofya took the letter from Maester's hands, though, and started opening it with shaky hands.
"My Lady, may I ask what was in the letter from the King's Landing?"
She looked up and furrowed her brows. Maester Luwin was helping her all of the time and watching her closely every day. And yet he still didn't trust her fully. She sighed and pointed at the fireplace.
"Nothing important. Same old story. They want me to spy on my husband and offer me the annulment of my marriage", she stated looking straight into Maester's eyes, "Which I may start considering"
"Excuse me?"
"I'm kidding"
"It's not the right time for the jokes like that, Lady Stark", Maester sounded offended.
"It's not the right time not to trust your lady, Maester", she answered him and read the letter finally.
It was from Renly.
"Aha!", she smiled, "Now I know why The Tyrells are suddenly so nice to us. My brother is to marry their daughter, Lady Margaery. Which is...", she lowered her voice, "...quite disturbing"
"Why, My Lady?"
Sofya didn't answer to Maester, she only smiled to herself. She was aware of the fact that her brother was supposed to marry one day anyway - Storm's End needed a lady and an heir. And now he somehow wanted to become The King. He needed a Queen.
And Sofya needed grain for her people so she wasn't about to complain although it made her wonder. Why would Renly want to become The King? Was ruling Storm's End not enough for him? Why would he go on war against his own nephew?
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The problem was that Stannis wanted to become The King as well. Few days later Sofya received a letter from her brother which made her worried even more about the whole situation.

"Dear Sofya,
You probably know already that Renly wants to become The king after Robert's death and he is even planning to marry Lady Margaery Tyrell. I don't know about you but I find his actions very reckless. I am the oldest of us all and I shall become The King after Robert's death.
Why? Because Joffrey is not his son.
I don't know how much do you know, how much does your husband know. I don't know if the news have reached The North. But the reason why Lord Eddard is in prison is because he found out the truth about Cersei Lannister and her twin brother Jaime. Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen were born because of their incestous relationship and that makes them bastards. Lannisters' bastards. But they are not Robert's children.
I know that may be difficult for you. I know you love them and treat them like family and probably nothing will change that. But be honest with yourself, you've known it already, haven't you? Their golden Lannister hair made you wonder not once, not twice.
I have met an amazing woman lately, she's The Red Priestess from Asshai. Lord of Light is the one she serves. I have converted to that faith and you should, too. Lord of Light will show us the way to win this war and find the best solution.
Please, tell your husband to swear fealty to me and together we may win this war. My intention is to keep the union between House Baratheon and House Stark alive and well - as it should always be.
Your dear brother King Stannis I Baratheon"

All the disturbing informations from the letter were battling inside Sofya's head which made her stand up quickly and pour herself some wine although it was early in the morning.
Incestous relationship between Cersei and Jaime? Her nephews and niece not being her family? Lord of Light? KING Stannis Baratheon?
"What in the seven hells is going on there?", she asked Maester entering his chambers without knocking.
"My Lady... What... What do you mean?", he jumped in his place seeing her out of nowhere.
"This letter... This letter", she handed him the sheet of paper, "I can't believe this... I won't... No, no, no...", she kept shaking her head trying to make all the thoughts to disappear.
"Please, calm down, Lady Sofya", Maester put his hand on her arm and helped her to sit down.
He could smell alcohol on her but decided to ignore that. Instead of that, he focused on the letter. His eyes became as wide as hers when he finished reading it.
"It seems like my brothers and my husband are all at the war. And they're not even in the same team. Important things are happening down there and I am locked in here, where I can't do anything about it", Sofya hissed, "I hate that"
"You should write to Lord Robb about your brothers and the situation between them. I think the alliance between Lord Stark and one of them would be..."
"That's the thing!", Sofya interrupted him, "How am I supposed to choose one of my brothers?! And how am I supposed to keep living with the fact that my nephews and niece are..."
She didn't finish but hid her face in her hands.
"My Lady...", Maester Luwin sat next to her. He had no idea what to say to make her feel better.
"My brother... Robert... He left nothing after himself", she sniffed and looked up. Oh, how she wished Robb was there with her. He would hug her and she missed his hugs more than anything even if they haven't been hugging much. That had to be changed after his comeback. If he was ever going to come back, "Nothing... Few bastards all over the King's Landing, that's it. That's all he left. He died thinking that he was the winner of this game - he got rid of The Targaryens, he won The Rebellion, he made Baratheons the Kings and he fathered two sons. It was all a lie. He left nothing. One big mess and no heir"
"But he's got two brothers who are going to fight for his honour. And he's got your father-in-law. His best friend who risked everything for the truth"
"I hate it. I hate to sit here and do nothing"
"You're not doing nothing, My Lady. You're running the castle..."
"Oh, come on. We both know that you do it, not me", Sofya hissed at Maester, "I am just receiving letters and crying. I don't want to find out one day that my brother killed my husband or that my husband killed my brother"
"There's no reason for Lord Stark and your brothers to battle against each other"
"Really? It looks like even my brothers are against each other", Sofya noticed.
They were interrupted by Rickon who ran inside with Shaggydog behind him.
"Sofya, I've been looking for you", he whined and sat on her lap, "Please, spend some time with me"
"I can't now, darling. I have to write the letter to Robb", she smiled caressing his head but young Lord made an angry face.
"You stopped caring about me, Sofya. You don't like me anymore, right?"
"It's not like that and you know it, Rickon. Please, stop saying that. It breaks my heart", Sofya's voice sounded sad as she was about to start crying again, "I'll write the letter and we can play, alright? For a little while"
"Alright", Rickon shrugged his arms but he was still disappointed.
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"Dear Robb,
I hope you are doing fine and well. Please, send greetings to your mother from me and her sons. We all miss you both terribly.
I have received few important letters lately. My brothers, Stannins and Renly, are both wishing to become The King after Robert's death. (I believe you already know about my nephews and niece  being bastards).
I don't know what to do with the fact that my brothers are against each other. And I don't know how to feel about you being in the middle of it all. Stannis wants you to swear fealty to him. And so does Renly. Maester Luwin insisted that I should tell you about it but the fact is that I can't choose between them both. I need time to think about it. But you don't have to listen to my advices, you can decide on your own. I am offering my help, though. I just need time.
Sending lots of love from Winterfell,
Your loving wife
PS - Stannis wrote to me about The Red Priestess from Asshai and converting into some new faith which may be important for you.
PPS - Please, kiss Grey Wind 's nose from me. I mean it, do it"

Sofya perfumed the letter before giving it to Benygne. She was always perfuming her letters to her husband even if they contained informations about the grain and the castle's state. She wanted him to smell her every time he was reading the letters from Winterfell written by his Lady Wife. That was uncommon thing for The Northern ladies to do, and the fact that all the lords had to raise their eyebrows every time Robb was receiving a letter, was making Sofya smile to herself. They were treating her like she was a stranger, like she was an intruder. But the fact was that they wouldn't mind a Southern Lady for themselves. All these manners, fancy dresses and perfumed letters had to make them feel jealous that Robb married such a woman.
That didn't change the fact they would never want her to rule Winterfell.
As she promised, she joined Rickon in the courtyard to play with him a little but her mind was off and young Lord noticed that which made him angry at her.
"Rickon, you can't be angry at me. Look, the whole castle is on my shoulders now! Do you even know how old I am?", she asked trying not to lose her temper in front of her favorite Stark.
"No", he admitted looking up at her with angry expression on his face.
"I'm one year younger than Robb. And Winterfell is one of the most important castles in the whole Westeros. And the most important one in The North. And I have to rule it by myself, Rickon. By myself! Maester Luwin is helping me but the truth is that if I fail at something, I will be the one to blame. At the same time Robb's at the war and he may die any day...", she stopped herself for a moment. It was not a good idea to scare Rickon like that but it was too late anyway, "My brothers are at the war as well. I have plenty of people to worry about. And the whole castle. And I am not much older than you, for gods's sake!", she finished screaming which made him take a step back, "I'm sorry, I'm not angry at you. Just... In general. I was screaming at the world, not at you. Please, come here and hug me", she opened her arms hoping he wouldn't stop liking her.
"Will that make you feel better?", he asked carefully. Rickon didn't understand much from her monologue but he finally realized how stressed and terrified Sofya actually was.
"Yes, darling. Your hugs make everything better", she sniffed and her brother-in-law ran into her opened arms.
"What do you mean Robb may die?", he mumbled into her dress while being pressed to her body in a hug.
"I shouldn't have said that, he's going to be alright. He's going to come back to us"
"How can you know that?"
"Because he's made a promise"
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"Dear Sofya,
Yes, I have found out about your nephews recently. I am worried about you and how this affected you.
The decision between Stannis and Renly (if any) will be made soon. Your opinion on that matter is very important for me and of course I will listen to your advice but I can't wait for it forever.
The war is going great. I have to inform you that we have captured Jaime Lannister and he's our  hostage now. We are planning to make a deal with The Lannisters and return Jaime to them if they give us Sansa and Arya back.
My mother is sending lots of love to you and her sons. I kissed Grey Wind like you wanted me to. Fortunately, no one saw me kissing his nose.
I love you and I hope to be home very soon,
Robb
PS - Are nights so difficult to you as well? Some nights I am so tired I fall asleep quickly but the on the other nights I lay in my bed and can't sleep missing you next to me. Which makes me even more sure that I am in love with you indeed"

Sofya opened her mouth a little reading the letter. Jaime Lannister being anyone's hostage sounded impossible. He was one of the best knights she has known and he was the one who killed King Aerys. The thought of him being a hostage, especially Robb's, was making Sofya feel uneasy. But so was the thought of him having an affair with his own sister. And fathering children that she considered family for so many years that it was impossible for her now to stop loving Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen just like that. They were only innocent children and Robert loved them as their own as well. Sofya still wanted nothing but the best for them.
Maybe except of the crown. She didn't want Joffrey to be The King anymore. She was sure that Robb should team up with one of her brothers. Hopefully, both of them.
"I will try to make my brothers cooperate", Sofya mumbled to Maester Luwin who was sitting in front of her by the table. He was in the middle of reading the letters about the grain deal with The Tyrells.
"Do you think that is possible, My Lady?", he asked trying to sound as nice as he could, "Also, is that a right thing to waste your energy on?"
"I know I should focus on Winterfell only. But they're my family. Apparently my only family", she sighed, "Except The Starks, of course", she added quickly.
He didn't answer but came back to reading his letters as Sofya was about to open the next one addressed to her - this one was from Lady Catelyn and it made her feel even more anxious than usual.
"Hmm, what's that?", Maester asked suddenly, "Another letter from Lord Robb to you, My Lady. I don't know why it's in my things, I'm sorry, Lady Stark"
He handed Sofya another letter from Robb as she furrowed her brows at that.
"Werid. Two letters?", she asked.
"Maybe something happened", Maester was as curious as Lady of Winterfell was. He stopped reading his things because he couldn't focus on them anymore.

"Dear Sofya,
I know my previous letter is probably still on its way to you but something important is going on  and I need you to help me as fast as possible.
I don't know how much do you know about Lord Walder Frey but he's quite difficult to deal with and we need to cross the Trident. He is eager to offer us the crossing and even his men, though. But he wants something in return...
My mother offered her brother, Lord Edmure Tully, to marry one of Lord Frey's daughters, but it is not enough for him. He wants me to promise our first son to one of his daughters (that are not yet born as well, he's got himself a new, young wife).
I know how it sounds like and I know your opinion on forced marriages, but this decision may cost us everything. We really need Lord Frey to be on our side. Please, Sofya, I am begging you.
If you don't agree on that, I won't do it of course. But please, once again, I am begging.
Robb
PS - Frey's daughters are... Quite interesting. I mean, they are not the prettiest ones and some of them are... different. I think it may be an important information to add.
PPS - Please, don't change your opinion of me after this letter, I know it's not right and I know it's disgusting for me to do"

"And?", Maester asked.
Sofya didn't answer to him. Her heart was beating so fast she was afraid it would break any moment. She opened the letter from Lady Catelyn as fast as possible with her shaky hands. She was sure the letter from her mother-in-law was about the Frey situation as well. She wasn't wrong.

"Dear Sofya,
We had no time for your answer, I hope you can understand that. Also, your decision on that matter wouldn't change anything as there was only one right thing to do.
I forced Robb (and I want you to know that it was me who forced him) to agree to Lord Frey's demands. Your future son will marry Walder's future daughter. The deal is signed.
I know you may hate me for that. I understand. But please, don't hate my son. As you can see, he's so devastated (and maybe a little bit scared of your reaction) that I have to write this letter to you instead of him. I don't want your marriage to look like it had looked before. I don't want this act to ruin everything between you and my son, especially when it's already so fragile.
If you are full of anger right now, direct this anger at me. But don't you think I am heartless or that I do not care. I am as devastated as you are. I don't want to force any of my grandchildren into marriage. Especially after seeing how much pain forced marriage has costed my son (and you).
Please remember that my brother is sacrificing himself as well for this case. And that we promised Lord Frey your son, not your daughter. Both of us left home to marry men from different part of Westeros and both of us understand how much it makes the whole situation better.
Lady Catelyn Stark,
Your mother-in-law"

"My Lady?", Maester started worrying seeing Sofya's face turning from red into white. She looked so pale that there was no difference between her skin's colour and the colour of the sheets of paper laying on the table between them.
Sofya opened her mouth but no sound escaped her lips although she tried to say something.
"My Lady, what happened? Did someone die?"
"No", Sofya clenched her jaw and drawled out weakly, "Not yet"
She stood up violently and took few heavy breaths.
"Lord Stark and his mother have sold my unborn son for some river crossing", she hissed as Maester furrowed his brows, "I have made my decision, Maester. I've been thinking about it for quite long time but the decision is made now"
"What decision?", he asked scared that she wanted to make a deal with The Lannisters.
"I shall leave Winterfell. I can't sit here and only read letters about my brothers fighting with each other and my husband making decisions that may affect our whole lives without me by his side. I'm going South. I'm joining Robb"
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