Game of Thrones: Frozen Fire

Enemies

"Please. Rest," he uttered in a voice full of sorrow. He regretted letting her come with him, not listening to her when she told him how she felt about Walder Frey and the wedding; at least the bride had not been part of the plan, as the poor Roslin had not stopped crying since she had found out about everything.

"We can't! I can't!" she demanded before coughing. Her throat was dry and she was weak.

Reaching for a cup and the fresh water Irri had brought, he poured some and offered it to Dany, tipping it slowly so she could take small sips.

Dany's eyes opened a little wider as she met his gaze. It was soft, like a caress. She looked sad, upset. Her eyes welled with tears, but with anger she clenched her jaw and pursed her lips.

"Dany-"

"I should not be here!" she cried in outrage. "We should be on our way to the South, visit our allies who are waiting for our arrival. We should be planning the next attack. What we are going to do about Stannis."

"Please," Robb called softly, gently wiping away a stray tear that had rolled from the outer corner of her eye.

"We should be ending this war so we can go back to our son and rule these kingdoms."

Robb did not know what to say to comfort her; actually, he did not think that was possible. He also missed Iagan and could only imagine how big he was now, how much he was missing of his son's life, but it was a sacrifice they had chosen to make so they could give a better life to him and everyone else in the future.

Leaning forward, Robb pressed his lips against her forehead. He wasn't expecting her to wrap her arms tightly around him, to hold onto him as if she needed his strength; he would gladly give it to her if that got her to be healthy again. She was passionate and strong, a woman who always took the things she wanted. That moment reminded him of a girl who had been hurt, who needed someone to protect her.

He could not remember a moment in which she had let herself be seen this way, in which she needed him. And so, he just held her back and said nothing, only comforting her the way she wordlessly asked him to.

-o-

"It'd be wise for you to join Randyll Tarly now that he's fighting against the Tyrells," adviced one of his bannermen, but Robb seemed too lost in his own thoughts. There was much to be done and said about everything. "We need to prove them we are worried about their well-being and that we support them."

"I know."

"You also need to decide who will be the new lord of the Twins," Roose Bolton commented, at which Robb lifted his gaze furrowing his brow.

"Do you have a suggestion?" Robb dared him to answer. It had always been clear to him that Roose Bolton was a greedy man, but cunning enough not to show it openly. His father had never been an admirer of the man, and so Robb had his suspicions about Bolton's intentions.

"Well, I believe we cannot blame Walder's poor decisions on all of his sons. He was a very old and sick man."

Robb snorted. "Do you want a weak-minded, manipulable man in front of the only crossing point over the Green Fork? No. I don't think so. My uncle Brynden will be in control of it until I say differently." He looked at the weathered warrior and knew that if he needed him, the Blackfish would always help him. It was one of the few men left in which he could trust blindly.

"As you wish," Brynden replied, without his usual gruff manners, but with no words of gratitude either. Robb did not take it badly as he knew Brynden had never wanted to be imposed with duties he did not wanted to perform in the first place.

Roose Bolton did not seem to agree with the decision but at that point it was the last thought in Robb's mind. And everything suffered a turn for the worst when Gendry arrived, interrupting all those men who did not take kindly that a bastard dared to spoke as he did. Even so, Robb listened.

"A raven arrived from Widow's Watch." Gendry handed him the piece of paper. "Lady Lyessa Flint says Stannis' fleet was spotted going north."

An immediate silence fell over the room, but soon this became a battle of who spoke the loudest expressing their fears and advices.

"He must have realized the Lannisters should be the least of his concerns!"

"They will attack Winterfell directly, knowing our men are away."

"We need to attack before they know it!"

Robb was not one to raise his voice, but then his men sometimes were too loud and opinionated to do anything else. "Silence!"

Everyone turned to him expectantly, hoping their king would give a solution to their problems, and in fact he had to. It was his duty, even if when he had decided to take the title, he never imagined having so much against him. A small part of him had hoped Stannis could see reason, but he also knew that the man would never let a Targaryen back into the Red Keep; his marriage to Dany had basically made him Stannis' biggest enemy.

"We'll need to postpone our visit to our allies in the South, and let them know about what we found out of Tywin's plans. In case they need help, we'll make sure to provide it." He studied the map and focused his eyes on the North, as he had not done for so long. "If I'm right, Stannis will use Weeping Water to make an entrance, since he already avoided Whiter Harbor."

"Are we to expect Bolton's bastard to go against an entire fleet?" Greatjon bellowed with disdain, not refraining himself from looking at the Lord of the Dreadfort with disgust. Everyone knew the perverted ways of Ramsay Snow, bastard son of Roose Bolton, but few dared to speak ill of him in front of the lord himself.

"We'll go back north and defend our lands. I'm sure the South will be in capable hands until we return," Robb said. He had thought about sending Daenerys with his mother and Arya but now he would need to go back with them.

He never spoke aloud about his plans to let Dreadfort fall if it was needed so he could take the fight in land, where he knew the territory better than anyone. If he could achieve that, Robb was sure he would win against Robert's brother. Believing they could fight Stannis on water was ludicrous; there was no chance to destroy them in their own game. They had practically no fleet and Robb knew little about the sea and ships.

It was horrible to see how after so many victories, things were falling apart, his enemies picking the right time to inflict damage, so his chances of winning were reducing drastically. Going against one enemy was difficult, but fighting against many sometimes felt impossible.

The men lost at the Twins could not be replaced and he had no one else to turn to now. Robb would need to trust in his instinct, as he could not rely on Dany at the moment. She needed to recover quickly, so soon her political savvy could help them to work on their plans.

That night he sat yet again next to her bed, watching her and smiling when she held his gaze for a long while. A little color was bathing her cheeks and, according to Irri, she had woken up in the afternoon with a healthy appetite. Of course, Daenerys still had trouble moving and still hated to feel helpless and vulnerable, but around him she seemed more at ease.

"What's troubling you?" she wondered softly.

Robb shook his head, dismissing her worry for him. There was no desire in him to tell her what was happening. He wished he could live in the blissful state of ignorance, but there was too much to do, too much to take care of.

"Speak to me," she demanded. "I know you."

"Could you be my haven?" He received no answer. "Do not ask me anything. At least for tonight." He kissed her lips softly and pressed his forehead to hers, blue meeting violet as they looked at each other. "We need to go home. We leave for Winterfell tomorrow."