"I understand you wanted a word with me, but, before that, could I have a word with you?"
Robb had just stepped foot inside his tent when Dahlia stood there, in the middle of it, looking at him, a mixture of apprehension and worry in her eyes. Robb frowned then, but nodded his head anyway to let her know he was listening.
"Of course, love." He said. "Would you like some water? A bit of wine, maybe?"
"Wine would be good." Dahlia nodded, smiling at the offering and taking the goblet of wine that Robb poured for her from his hands with another smile. "Thank you."
"Of course." Robb said, pulling out a chair for him as he pointed at the bed in front of him so Dahlia would take a seat as well. "Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Dahlia sighed gently, then, looking down at the goblet in her hand as she sat at the foot of Robb's bed - the same she had been sleeping in some night with him as well - before lifting her eyes back up in search of Robb's.
"I understand you want to send Theon to Pyke." She said, biting her lip quietly when Robb stiffened.
"It wasn't my idea." Robb admitted. "But he's right, you know? I mean... Ships would go a long way in helping us take King's Landing. And who better to sail ships than the Greyjoys and their men?"
"It's true." Dahlia nodded. "No one sails like the Ironborn. I know for a fact half of my Father's men have never seen the sea before, let alone step foot on a ship."
"Have you?" Robb asked then, a small smile on his lips, as he detoured from the conversation a little. "Seen the sea, I mean?"
"Yes." Dahlia nodded, a smile of her own forming on her lips. "A few times. At the Reach. They had beautiful shores down there. Lord Mace took his children once to visit the Blackcrown. Lord Mace and his son Willas had matters to discuss with Lord Bulwer at the time, but Margaery, Loras, Garlan and I were allowed to explore. Marge and I ended up, somehow, in one of the cliffs overseeing the shore of the Whispering Sound. We sat there for hours, just watching as the sun hit the water and how the wind whistled when it blew. No one truly believes how loud that sound is until they hear it for the first time."
Robb's smile grew fonder the more Dahlia talked and as her words echoed all the memories she had had at her time at the Reach, the more Robb was reminded why he was even doing what he was doing. So that the war could end and they could all march home. So that he could free his sisters and reunite with his brothers so that all of them could have a chance of a proper childhood as he had. So that he could take Dahlia to Winterfell and, hopefully, make it as much her home as it was his. So that any children that they might have in the future, could fall in love with the beauties of the North, the same as Dahlia had fallen in love with the amazements of the Reach.
"Maybe we can go back there and you can show me the shores of the Whispering Sound, when all this is over." Robb offered, a gentle chuckle rattling his chest when Dahlia widened her eyes at him.
"Would you want to?" She asked, an excited shimmer in her eyes. And, just like that, Robb knew she could ask of him anything and there wouldn't be much he would deny her.
"I would love to."
Dahlia smiled again, her lips curving up in the most endearing way and Robb had to fight the urge to kiss her. It would not be proper anyway and she had been meaning to talk to him before. He suspected it had nothing to do with the shores of the Reach. So, settling for grabbing her hand in his instead, Robb reluctantly turned serious again.
"But you wanted to talk to me, before?" He asked, as Dahlia nodded, taking the rest of her wine in one sip before placing her goblet down. "Is this about the Greyjoys?"
"Less about the Greyjoys and more about Theon, instead." Dahlia said, watching as Robb furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Robb, darling... You have to understand... Sending Theon back to Pyke... It's a dangerous move."
"Everyone tells me the Greyjoys are not to be trusted." Robb sighed. "Yet, I trust Theon."
"This is not about the Greyjoys, love." Dahlia shook her head. "Seven hells, everyone says the Freys are not to be trusted and yet, here we are..."
"I trust you, Dahlia."
"I know." She smiled at the constant reassurance Robb was never short on giving her. "And I think you're right, about trusting Theon. But I think you're right about trusting Theon when he's close to you."
"What does that mean?"
"Sending him to Pyke... You're putting Theon in a delicate situation." Dahlia explained, her voice gentle, but her words surer than Robb had ever seen them be. "I believe he loves you. I believe he sees you as a brother and as King. But once he's back to Pyke, back with his family... I'm not sure he'll be as loyal to you and he is here."
"Why not?" Robb asked, as Dahlia shrugged her shoulders, just barely.
"Because it's not easy to turn your back on family." She said. "No matter how much or how little you know them. No matter how good or how bad they are... They are your family. You share a name and blood and words to live by. And, sure, Theon had been pretty much raised by your Father, but he was a ward and he grew up in fear of being executed everyday, should his Father rebel. Much like I did."
"Would the Tyrells kill you if your Father surged against them?" Robb asked, as Dahlia smiled, reaching up a hand to rub her thumb along his jaw.
"Of course they would. That was the whole reason why I was there, anyway." She said. "They would take me hostage. Use me as a bargaining chip. We all knew that. I knew that, all along. And yet, it didn't stop me from loving those who were meant to be my captors."
"So if you love them... If you had had to choose. Freys or Tyrells. What would you have chosen?"
"That's my point, love." Dahlia sighed. "I'm not sure. And I'm not sure Theon is either."
Robb stopped for a second, his forehead creasing and his eyebrows furrowing, deep in thought. Leaning away from Dahlia's touch, he shook his head.
"No." He decided. "I trust Theon. He promised his sword to me as a King and as a brother. He won't betray me, I know it."
"I don't mean to stop you from doing what you want to do, Robb." Dahlia said. "All I'm saying is that, if you mean to send him, at least don't send him alone."
"Who am I going to send with him? Which one of my Lords would even be willing to go with Theon to Pyke of all places, trade with Balon Greyjoy of all people..." Robb wondered, out loud, as he stood up and started to pace around the tent for a moment. Dahlia bit her lip again, unsure on how to respond, but before she could, Robb shook his head as he turned to look at her again. "No. I thank you for your advice, my Lady, but I will send Theon alone."
"Of course." Dahlia nodded, pushing aside her worries for that decision, but hoping that Theon would choose Robb over his Father if that choice ever came to be.
"I trust him, Dahlia. As much as I trust you." Robb said, his face softening a bit when he noticed the confusion flashing over the girl's face. "I've been meaning to talk to you as well."
Dahlia nodded then, watching as Robb sat back down in front of her and reached for her empty goblet, filling it with wine again and taking a sip from it himself, not particularly caring that it had been Dahlia's cup just seconds before.
"I wanted to ask you something." He said, placing the goblet down as he reached to grab both of Dahlia's hands in his. "I wanted to ask if you were willing to ride South for me."
"Ride South?" Dahlia frowned. "Where to?"
"The Stormlands." Robb answered. "I was thinking of sending you and Mother to treat with Renly and his lady wife in my stead."
"You want me to go because Margaery is his new Queen?" Dahlia asked, as Robb nodded. She smiled just barely then. "I don't suppose your Lord are very supportive of that decision you are making either, are they?"
"No." Robb admitted, a small smile on his face when he noticed the little playful undertone to Dahlia's words. "They worry you might side with them instead, since you are a Frey raised by Tyrells. The Crossed Rose, they keep calling you."
"Is it meant to offend me?"
"I suppose."
"Huh." Dahlia hummed, slightly amused, as she ran a hand through Robb's curls of hair. "And why don't you listen to your Lords?"
"Because they don't know my Lady like I do." He answered, without hesitation. "They don't trust you like I do."
At that, Dahlia smiled. Her hand in Robb's hair ran down his face before falling over his lap as she played with his fingers for a moment.
"Could I take one of my brothers with me?" She asked, as Robb smiled.
"I'd let you take Grey Wind with you, but I figure I need him for our next battle."
At the mention of his name, the wolf lifted his head from where it had been laying in between the two of them's feet, tilting it the side a bit as Dahlia giggled.
"I'd never let you ride into battle without Grey Wind." Dahlia shook her head then, reaching over to caress the wolf's fur. "He's a part of you just as you are a part of him."
Robb smiled at those words then, his urge to kiss her again flaring up in his chest, but before he could even start leaning into Dahlia, she spoke up again.
"I'll go." She said. "I'll trade with Renly and Margaery for you."
"Thank you, love." Robb smiled.
"Does you Mother know?"
"I sent for her so we could talk." The boy explained. "Olyvar is aware of the circumstances, so he might have told her what this was going to be about but I am not sure if..."
Before Robb could say anything, however, the flap of his tent was pushed open and in stormed a very angry Lady Catelyn.
"You cannot mean this seriously, Robb!" She raged, not even taking notice at the way both Robb and Dahlia stood up when she entered.
"I think she knows." Robb mumbled over at Dahlia, who just smiled and bit back a laugh before nodding at a very wide-eyed Olyvar to let him know he could leave.
"You don't want Balon Greyjoy for an ally." Lady Catelyn said, as she poured herself a cup of water for herself, clearly shocked by the news she had received an unsure on what to do what the moment.
"I need his ships." Robb argued with a gentle sigh as Dahlia sat down again at his bed and he sat in his chair again, her hand back to caressing Grey Wind's fur gently. "They say he has 200."
"They say a million rats live in the sewers of King's Landing." Lady Catelyn yelled, sitting down in front of her son, clearly disgusted he had been even entertaining such an idea. "Shall we rally them to fight for us?"
"I understand you don't trust Lord Greyjoy."
"I don't trust Lord Greyjoy because he is not trustworthy." Lady Catelyn insisted. "Your father had to go to war to end his rebellion."
"Yes." Robb nodded once. "And now I'm the one rebelling against the throne. Before me, it was Father. You married one rebel and mothered another."
"I mothered more than just rebels." Lady Catelyn mumbled as she stood up to pace around the tent. "A fact you seem to have forgotten."
"If I trade the Kingslayer for two girls, my bannermen will string me up by my feet." Robb said, causing his Mother to stop and turn around to glare at him.
"You want to leave Sansa in the queen's hands?" She asked and just by the light twitch in Robb's face, Dahlia could tell he was outraged by the accusation, but refused to let it show. "And Arya... I haven't heard a word about Arya. What are we fighting for, if not for them?"
"It's more complicated than that, you know it is!" Robb yelled, his voice booming around the tent, causing the two women around to flinch just barely as Grey Wind's ears perked up at the tension.
Dahlia breathed out quietly when her surprise wore out and resumed her ministrations in Grey Wind's furs, knowing very well how having all of his siblings away from him was killing Robb inside. Dahlia knew it was killing Lady Catelyn as well. Probably more, considering she was their Mother. And she was clearly growing tired of it all.
"It's time for me to go home." Lady Catelyn decided, as she stood up. "I haven't seen Bran or Rickon in months."
At those words, Dahlia turned to look at Robb, knowing what was coming next. She could tell he was nervous, but when she sent him a small nod of her head, he knew she had her support and instantly felt slightly better.
"You can't go to Winterfell." He said, as Lady Catelyn turned to her son with a glare. For a moment, Dahlia couldn't really tell if she was angry or confused. Most likely a combination of the two.
"I beg your pardon?" She asked, almost in a scoff.
"I'll send Rodrik to watch over the boys." Robb said. "Because tomorrow you'll ride south to the Stormlands."
"Why in the name of all the gods..."
"Because I need you to negotiate with Renly Baratheon." Robb explained, before his Mother could even begin to protest. "He's rallied an army of 80,000 after he married Margaery Tyrell. You'll go with Dahlia to talk to them. You know Renly. You know his family. And Dahlia knows Margaery's."
"I haven't seen Renly Baratheon since he was a boy." Lady Stark argued. "You have a hundred other lords..."
"Which of these lords do I trust more than you?" Robb asked, standing up, his arguments already made since he knew he would have to be doing some convincing on his Mother's part. "My Mother... My wife... Who, if not you, am I supposed to trust? If Renly sides with us, we'll outnumber them two to one. When they feel the jaws beginning to shut, they'll sue for peace. We'll get the girls back. Then we'll all go home, for good."
Lady Catelyn sighed and Dahlia could see a thousand different emotions bubbling at once behind her eyes. So many, the girl couldn't even begin to care about the fact that Robb had called her his wife at that moment. But Dahlia could see Lady Catelyn understood Robb's position and, albeit reluctantly, she agreed with his plan. The woman sent Dahlia a short look and the girl responded with a curt nod of her head. And, at that, Lady Catelyn conceded. Robb was right after all, and, siding with Renly Baratheon really did seem to be their best choice at the moment.
"We will ride at first light." Lady Catelyn decided and Dahlia opened a small smile of her own when Robb breathed out in relief and pulled his mother in for a tight hug.
"We will all be together again soon, I promise." He whispered at her and Lady Catelyn's eyes watered as soon as the words left his lips.
"You've done so well." She whispered, caressing his hair with a small, bittersweet smile. "Your father would be proud."
Robb only nodded at that, but both women in the room knew he was grateful for the comment. Noticing the smile Dahlia was sending her son, Lady Catelyn decided she had nothing else to do there.
"I'll take my leave for the night, then." She said, nodding at Dahlia when the girl stood up.
"My Lady." She bowed her head as Lady Catelyn smiled.
"I'll see at sunrise, I suppose, Lady Dahlia." She said, as Dahlia sent her a smile.
"I hope not to bore you in our ride south, Lady Stark." She smiled, causing Lady Catelyn to chuckle.
"You could never bore me, sweetling." She assured as Dahlia breathed out in relief. "Now, have a good night, you two."
"Give Lord Renly my regards." Robb said, as Lady Catelyn sighed when she moved to walk out of the tent.
"King Renly." She corrected. "There's a king in every corner now..."
Dahlia took her seat by Grey Wind again and sighed. Lady Catelyn was right, after all. Lord Renly was not Lord Renly anymore. He had declared himself King of the Seven Kingdoms soon after marrying Margaery. And Robb had asked Dahlia to go along with his Mother because she knew Lady Margaery. And she did. But did she know the Queen Margaery now? She didn't have much time to dwell on it, however, because just before Lady Catelyn could leave, Robb spoke up, his voice sounding weaker and a bit less sure than it had just seconds ago as he discussed his plans for the war with Dahlia and Lady Catelyn.
"Mother?" He called out, as the woman stopped and turned back around to face her son. "Could you stay around for a while longer?"
"Of course, son." She nodded, her eyebrows furrowing in worry, much like Robb's did as well. "Is everything alright?"
"It is, I just... I have something else I'd like to discuss before I let you go for the night."
"Do you need me to leave?" Dahlia was quick to ask, standing up from the bed as Robb shook his head and reached over to her to grab her hand in his.
And just one look at the way Robb's eyes softened at Dahlia's confused expression told the Lady Catelyn everything she needed to know. She smiled.
"No, love." Robb assured quietly, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand to comfort the girl. "It's important that you stay, actually. What I have to say concerns you the most."
"Me?" Dahlia asked. "Why?"
Robb hesitated for a moment then, turning to look at his Mother, who just smiled at him with a nod of her head. With her approval, Robb felt lighter and his smile as he turned to Dahlia again had seemed truer to the girl.
"Before I say anything, I'd like you to know that you can refuse." Robb said, his tone gentle, yet still assertive. "You do not need to agree with anything I say, you understand me, love?"
"Yes." Dahlia nodded, placing her full trust on the man in front of her, but still apprehensive due to her confusion. "I understand."
"Good." Robb smiled gently then. "I have been thinking about this for a few days now, but the right opportunity never truly presented itself. It took me a while - and a conversation with my Mother - to realize that a right opportunity would never really come, so, as much as I know this is not ideal, I just... I figured..."
"Robb?"
"It would please me very much if you went to treat with Renly as my Queen and not simply my betrothed."
The words came out of his mouth in a rush, almost as if he had spat them all before he could change his mind. And as Dahlia stared at him - wide eyed and mouth agape - and took notice at the faint blush of his cheeks, she could tell that had been exactly the case.
"R-Robb..." She breathed, unsure on what else to say. "Robb, darling, I..."
"You can say no, love." He assured her again and as Dahlia smiled gently at him, Lady Catelyn found herself with watery eyes all over again. "I just... I just really want to make you my wife, Dahlia. I want you to be Dahlia Stark. I want you to be my Queen. And I want to it now. But if you don't, I..."
"I do." Dahlia interrupted before Robb could continue. "I want to be your Queen. And I want you to be my King. Mine, before being the Kingdom's, I want you to be my husband."
"You do?" Robb asked, a grin breaking into his face. A grin Dahlia could only describe as wolfish. "Do you want to? Now?"
"I... Yes." She giggled, rather nervously, as Robb just pulled her into his arms with a laugh of his own. "I do, but... But we don't... We don't have anything, I... I mean, do you want to marry under the light of the Seven or... Or the Old Gods, I... We don't have a heart tree, but we can..."
"Slow down, love." Robb chuckled quietly. "I have it all sorted out, actually."
"You do?" Dahlia smiled, as Robb blushed again.
"I do." Robb nodded, his hands resting over Dahlia's waist as the girl blushed in return. "I have been thinking about this for quite some time. All I wanted was for you to say yes."
"Well, I did." Dahlia smiled. "But we don't have anything ready for the wedding, my love, and I really wanted a Stark cloak to remember this day by. That is, unless you have that sorted out as well?"
"No need to fret, sweetling." Lady Catelyn smiled, noticing how Robb spluttered a bit under Dahlia's playful glare. "I have the cloaks sorted out."
"You do?" Dahlia asked again, suddenly feeling a bit stupid, considering both Lady Catelyn and Robb had been planning this thing for a long while. Still, she was touched. After all, if they had been thinking and preparing for it, it meant that they had wanted it to happen. So she smiled. "Thank you."
Robb squeezed Dahlia's hand in his then, causing the girl to turn to him with a sweet smile and watery eyes.
"So, would you follow me, my Lady?" He smirked a tiny bit, chuckling again when Dahlia gasped.
"Right now?"
"Right now." He nodded. "If you want."
"I do." Dahlia smiled, without a second of hesitation. And when Robb smiled, Lady Catelyn felt her whole body relaxing. "There is nothing I want more."