KINGDOM FALL | ROBB STARK [1]

61

"We need to keep moving and find shelter, before the sun sets." Annalys quickly changed the subject, turning away from Robb before she began to head west.

Robb sighed in defeat, clearly wanting to mention the fact that Annalys had kissed him. He felt as though he would never get to, not if Annalys wanted to forget about it. And in all honesty, it seemed like she did.

____

That night, after finding shelter in the woods about a quarter mile away from a small lake, Annalys knelt in front of the fire she made, trying her best to keep warm. Robb watched Annalys intently, impressed that she had been able to make a fire on her own.

"Where did you learn all of this?" Robb found himself asking Annalys curiously.

"My father." Annalys answered in annoyance, not even bothering to turn to him as she spoke to him.

Did he forget that he already asked that or was he just trying to avoid the awkward silence? Annalys presumed it to be the latter.

Robb was silent for a moment, thinking hard on what she said. It seemed as though she learned everything from Jaime. He wondered how the hell he didn't realize how close Jaime and Annalys were until he arrived at King's Landing over a year prior. It confused how he spent more than three years at Annalys' side, yet never bothered to learn about the relationship she had with the Lannister family. It was foolish of him and he would forever regret it.

Not just because it was the cause of Annalys' betrayal in the first place, but also, it made him realize that he never knew Annalys as well as he thought he did during their marriage.

"You really love him, don't you?" Robb questioned Annalys, who was silent for a moment as she tried to figure out the reason why Robb was asking about Jaime.

"I do," Annalys confessed without hesitation, "More than anything in the world."

"But why?" Robb asked without thinking of the consequences and Annalys turned to him, an offended look on her face, "Haven't you seen what he's done? He broke an oath to his king. He stabbed the Mad King in the back. The king he was sworn to protect no matter what."

"Would you have preferred if it had been in the front, Robb?" Annalys asked as she turned to Robb, looking furious after hearing his stupid question. "Just, please. Stop talking about it. I don't feel like talking about it." She pleaded, clearly in no mood to have an argument with Robb about her father.

She was tired of defending Jaime against Robb. If she was able to tell Robb the truth, she'd be able to win the argument easily. Of course, though, she promised Jaime she wouldn't tell a soul. That meant Robb as well. Because of that, each time she defended Jaime, it only made her look like a fool who was blindly loyal to an oathbreaker. She usually didn't care, but at that moment, she was far too tired to argue with him.

"You know something that I don't, don't you?" Robb suddenly asked Annalys, clearly knowing he was missing something, "Why can't you tell me?"

"I promised I wouldn't," Annalys admitted, her voice a mere whisper, but Robb was still able to hear her.

Robb found himself smiling in amusement at Annalys response, "When have you ever kept a promise?" He questioned, clearly meaning it in a joking manner.

His smile, however, immediately faded when he noticed how saddened Annalys looked by his words, "I'm sorry." He quickly apologized, feeling guilty for how much his words had hurt her, "I didn't mean it like that."

"That's the problem, Robb," Annalys argued with Robb in a cold tone, standing up from kneeling near the fire, "You did."

Robb sighed in defeat, noticing how Annalys seemed to be walking away, "Where are you going?" He asked her in concern.