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

~ ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔥𝔦𝔯𝔱𝔶 𝔖𝔦𝔵 ~

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Lady Catelyn was right, of course. The Karstarks were gone before the supper. Sofya could feel her Lady Mother's unpleasant looks all the time. She was pretending that she was unaware of them but it felt terrible to lose Lady Stark's friendship once again.
Lady Gwyn was sitting next to The Queen but she was only playing with her food while staring blankly at the plate.
"Gwyn, my dear, please eat something", Sofya leaned in and whispered.
"I'm not hungry, Your Grace"
Sofya sighed and fixed few of her servant's loose hair strands. Gwyn refused to believe in Willem and Martyn's death and Sofya couldn't blame her for that. Everyone around them was in bad mood anyway.
"Where's my husband?", The Queen asked one of the kitchen girls.
"The King wanted to eat in the war room, Your Grace"
"Mhm", Sofya nodded her head and sighed.
She tried to imagine what would Tywin Lannister do. She knew him quite well and you have to predict your enemy's actions to win. That's what Robert used to say. Poor man had no idea that his own wife was probably his greatest enemy.
Sofya knew who her enemies were. They were people she considered family for many years. Which was making everything easier and harder at the same time.
She knew Tywin and Cersei Lannister well but they knew her, too. They knew her weaknesses and her flaws. They've been already trying to use them against Sofya and The Starks.
The Queen looked at the empty chair next to her and finished her meal quickly. She wanted to join her husband already.
But when she stood up, Lord Torrhen approached her with a sad smile.
"Your Grace, I believe you'd like to talk about this... Come with me", he whispered and caressed his sister's head.
"What is it?"
"It's... Let's go outside, shall we?"
"Yes, of course", Sofya followed him to the courtyard, "What's the matter?"
"There are things... Left... After Willem and Martyn Lannister. What should we do with them?", Lord Whitehill asked softly.
"Oh... I think we should send them to their family", Sofya answered, "With their bodies"
"Alright. Your Grace... What will happen now?", Torrhen lowered his voice.
Sofya furrowed her brows. She was just a young girl who had no idea about anything and one of her husband's bannermen and an excellent warrior was asking her about their future. She didn't know what to say. The truth or the lie?
"I have no idea. We must believe in Robb"
"With all respect, it's getting harder... I'm sorry", Lord Whitehill looked down shyly.
"It's alright, Lord Torrhen", Sofya smiled at him and put her hand on his arm, "There must be some rain before the sun"
"It's more like a storm"
"And there's sun after each one of them"
"Maybe the sun won't shine for us", Lord Whitehill noticed, "Don't get me wrong, I just... I don't want my sister to die in this war. This is not her war"
"I don't want your sister to die neither. But it's the war of every Northern Man and Woman"
"I don't think it is anymore. It's just a war between The Starks and The Lannisters and... There are Lords who don't like it this way"
The Queen got angry at his words. She was glad that he trusted her and answered her honestly but his words still made her feel hurt.
"These Lords have chosen my husband to be their King. If he is their King, they are obligated to fight for him and his honour. To die by his side if needed"
"I want you to know it is not an opinion I share with them but... Some people whisper that it could have been a bad decision. They expected King Robb to be more like his father and he's... He's not what they wanted"
"Some people, some people!", Sofya exclaimed and then lowered her voice, "Who exactly? Tell me", she ordered.
"That I won't say. I just wanted to warn you, Your Grace"
"Defending traitors makes you one as well, Lord Whitehill. Are you like your father?", The Queen squinted her eyes.
Now it was him who looked hurt by her words.
"No, I am not. But they are not traitors, they are just tired and miss their homes. That's it. I don't want them to be in trouble for missing their families, My Queen", he answered harshly.
It suddenly hit Sofya how many things have changed. When she came to her husband's camp, they were treating him with admiration and respect. Now they were scheming against him and it reminded her of the King's Landing. Robert came there as The King and all the Lords kneeled in front of him. But every day was a fight for him. Not even with his enemies, but with his own people trying to get rid of him.
"I understand", she said trying to sound nice and nodded her head, "Excuse me, Lord Whitehill, I must go"
"Your Grace", he bowed his head.
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Sofya eventually decided not to bother her husband in the war room but after laying few hours in their bed alone, she went downstairs quietly. It was around midnight and the whole castle was dark and quiet. She felt like a ghost wandering in the corridors in her white nightgown while humming a song softly.
"Under the sea, the birds have scales for feathers, I know, I know, oh, oh, oh", her words were like whispers but they echoed in an eerie way all around Riverrun, "It is always summer under the sea, the merwives wear nennymoans in their hair and weave gowns of silver seaweed, I know, I know, oh, oh, oh", Sofya knocked upon the door and opened them without waiting for an answer.
Robb was surveying the battle map with his brows furrowed and he didn't even notice his wife entering the room. His shirt was untied and his face looked weary.
"Come to bed, I miss you", she whined with a smile and he finally looked up.
"You said that if The Karstarks are not lawful we don't need them. But we do", he threw an army piece down and sighed, "Almost half our forces are gone now", he stated.
Sofya could hear frustration and even a hint of desperation in his voice and it broke her heart. She's never expected to see her husband being so vulnerable. Even when she was despising him in the very beginning, when she hated the thought of marrying him - he still seemed to be like a rock. Strong, solid, serious and unchanging.
"Are you blaming me?", she asked in a whisper and approached the table.
"No. How could I? But Tywin Lannister knows what he needs to do to make us unravel. Nothing. Only wait", Robb explained to his wife and stood behind her to be able to put his chin on her shoulder and place his warm hands on her abdomen.
"So... What will we do?", Sofya asked playing nervously with an edge of the map.
"I don't think there's anything we can do. Attack King's Landing? There's nothing he'd like better. He'd crush us in a day"
"No, I don't mean attacking King's Landing... Stannis has been defeated there not so long ago... We wouldn't stand a chance neither"
"Exactly", The King kissed his wife's cheek and she smiled gently, "How can you sleep with this little fella moving so much inside of you?", he asked suddenly and Sofya laughed, "Stop bothering your mom, man"
"Or woman", she reminded him, "And I can't sleep"
"Doesn't matter man or woman, stop being such a brat", Robb said looking down with a smile but it was cracked and broken. He tried very hard to sound cheerful but he failed.
"The child's like that after their mom, you must admit"
"Like what? A brat? Oh yes, indeed"
"But this kid will be spoiled even more"
"Even more? How can you be spoiled more than The Princess of King's Landing?", Robb asked with a chuckle.
"By having parents", Sofya explained and her husband stopped smiling.
"I hope it's going to be this way"
"And how about coming back to Winterfell?", Sofya proposed looking at the map, "I miss home, Robb. Let's go there, restore the castle and just stay inside. We'll have a battle if Lannisters come to our gates. If not, we will wait out the winter peacefully. Let them all kill each other in The South and let's go home. We'll find some other ways to bring the girls back"
"Winter could last five years. Once my bannermen are home again, sitting by the fire, surrounded by their families, warm and safe, they'll never ride South again"
"Maybe they won't have to anymore"
"Lannisters will never let us be independent, they will never let us be, Sofya. You know that more than anyone here", Robb placed a gentle kiss on her neck, "Speaking of home, you smell like it", he mumbled.
"I smell like Winterfell? I don't know if that's a compliment, to be honest..."
"You smell like every morning in our chamber. I used to wake up earlier and stare at you before leaving the bed"
"Stop these lies, we were avoiding each other", she giggled.
"So? I liked you more when you were sleeping. So peaceful and with your mouth shut", he confessed.
"Robb, there's something I must tell you...", she changed the topic in a worried tone and it made him furrow his brows.
"Yes?"
"Lord Torrhen was being very honest with me today after the supper and... And The Karstarks may only be the beginning... Many Lords are disappointed... I don't understand why, though. We're trying so hard and we have won so many battles, why can't they just... Why can't they just trust you? In every war there are better and worse times", she sighed.
"When I gathered my Lords together, we had a purpose, a mission. Now we're like a band of bickering children", her husband explained and caressed her head.
"I know what they're hungry of", Sofya said, "Victory"
"What do you mean?"
"It's been a long time since the last battle. You need to give them a victory. Even a small one. But it's going to raise their morale. That's what they taught me"
"Well, Robert really paid attention to your education. I don't think there's a possibility of any victory in the future, though, my love"
Sofya looked at the map once again and saddened.
"I want to be here", she placed her finger on Winterfell, "Even seeing the name of our castle on the map makes me want to cry"
"I want to be there as well but I've explained to you already that...", Robb started.
"Here I don't want to be", Sofya interrupted him and placed her finger on King's Landing, "Because being there means we lost and I am their prisoner. They're all there. All of our enemies", she smirked and Robb furrowed his brows at his wife.
"I have a feeling that you're trying to come up with a plan"
"And that's a good feeling, my love", she winked at him and placed her finger on Storm's End, "That's where my home was supposed to be but it belongs to our enemies now. And here", she pointed at Riverrun, "Is where we are. Pretty safe but not for long. There are no Lannisters in The North and there are no Lannisters in the West. They're all in The South, pretending to rule Westeros like they're oh-so-great, fucking bastards. But they've made a terrible mistake, my dear", she turned around with a witty smile.
"You're so chaotic, Sofya", Robb sighed.
"Ah, what's the saying about a Stark and Winterfell?"
"There must always be a Stark at Winterfell", Robb said.
"Shouldn't there always be a Lannister at Casterly Rock as well?", she asked him and he finally understood what she meant.
His face brightened up and The Queen smiled widely out of happiness and pride. She managed to make him feel better and it was even more important than coming up with a good plan.
"You... Sofya Stark, you're wonderful!", Robb raised her from the ground and spinned her around while she laughed.
"Robb, stop! I'm too heavy for this!"
"Well, yes, your excellent brain is quite heavy indeed", Robb chuckled and put his wife back on the ground.
He approached the map again and moved one piece on it just to take another one in his hand with a smile.
"We're going to take their home away from them", he stated.
"But is it possible without The Karstarks?", Sofya asked biting her lip.
"Well, I need men to replace them. And there is only one person in this kingdom with that kind of army who hasn't already sided with The Lannisters", he told his wife.
"Robb, I don't want to team up with Stannis..."
"I'm not talking about him, my love. There's a man who's one daughter will be my aunt soon and a second one will call Winterfell her home one day. A man who's made a deal with us long time ago - Walder Frey", he placed a final piece on the map and smiled at himself.
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