Song: Anachronism by Crywolf
Fianna
The usual time came around, as did Roslyn. Fianna prayed to all the Old gods that she had pulled through, the shackles were beginning to rub harshly on her skin and even if she managed to escape, she wouldn't make it far with these restraints.
The door opened agonisingly slowly as Roslyn appeared behind it, her face solemn so as not to raise suspicions with the guard. She was carrying her usual tray of food and when the door closed behind her, closed, not locked, she kneeled down next to Fianna.
The second the door closed she broke into a wide, youthful looking grin. Immediately, she kicked off her shoe and dove her fingers inside of it, yanking out the key she was keeping hidden inside.
Fianna forced a smile in return, feeling a lot more hopeful than she had in a week now. Roslyn reached down and inserted the key into the lock on her wrists, swiftly opening it and then grabbing the shackle before it should fall to the ground with a bang. She then repeated this for the ones around her feet.
"Thank you," Fianna acted as if the weight of the world had been lifted by this action, but she wouldn't feel at ease until she was far from here. And not even then.
"You're welcome," Roslyn answered shyly, looking proud with herself as if she had done a great deed, rather than made a colossal error. Gently, she placed the key into Fianna's palm and smiled encouragingly. "You will put them back on when anyone should check on you? Won't you?"
"Of course I will," she lied through her teeth, she was never wearing those chains again. "I'm forever in your debt for this."
Keeping up with the rouse, she reached down and began to hungrily dig into her food, moaning as if it was the tastiest thing she had ever eaten. She stopped when she was halfway finished, which prompted Roslyn, who had been waiting patiently, to reach down to lift the tray.
"Wait," Fianna stopped her, "can I keep the rest for later? I'm full now but now that I can eat again, I will surely want the rest later tonight."
"Of course," Roslyn agreed politely, standing up and dusting off the front of her dress where she had been kneeling.
When she left and was out of sight, Fianna actually finished off the food. Not out of hunger, but out of necessity.
-
Ramsay
"W-" Robb Stark barely mumbled before Ramsay hushed him quickly, slipping back into a routine he had already done before, he rushed over to the table Robb laid on with a worried expression.
"Nobody knows you're in here," he whispered to him, his eyes wide and a finger over his lips. Robb blearily opened his eyes, squinting immediately. It took all but a minute before panic set in.
He shot up immediately and flailed around as he tried to get upright. Ramsay immediately gripped him harshly by the shoulders and all but threw him back down to lay again, hushing him once more.
"What's going on?" Robb asked suspiciously, his voice hoarse with his blue eyes anxiously looking around the room.
"Everyone was trying to cut your head off and put it in a bag but thankfully, I managed to pull your body back inside. One more minute out there and you'd have bled to death," Ramsay falsely informed him, he had spent an extensive amount of time on what he was going to do to Robb Stark and this was only the beginning.
"What happened? Where's Fianna?" He asked in a rushed voice, his eyes wild with panic and anxiety.
"You.. you don't remember?" Ramsay asked, feigning shock.
"Remember what?!" Violently, he shoved Ramsay's hands off of his shoulders and attempted to get back up again. When he was sitting upright, he moved to hop off the table but Ramsay's next words immediately halted him.
"You killed her, Ike..."
With interest, Ramsay studied Robb's reaction to this. At first, his expression didn't change apart from a twitch of his brows. Then he began to shake his head in denial, his expression growing increasingly angry.
"Killed her? What the fuck are you talking about?!" He jumped off this time and immediately shot out for Ramsay, his hands reaching for the other's neck as he hauled him against the wall. The Bolton bastard allowed him to do so, it was all a part of the act anyway.
"At the wedding!" He grunted, his hands held in the air weakly in defence. "You poisoned King Robb, Queen Fianna's and Lady Catelyn's cup?"
In a burst of absolute rage and shock at what he was hearing, Robb roughly gripped his jaw and squeezed it harshly.
"I am Robb Stark, fool! Why would I kill my own wife?!" He practically spat the words out. Ramsay to this, tutted and shook his head sympathetically.
"They really are as mad as they said you were..." he mused, sighing softly. "You're not Robb Stark. And Fianna Bua was never your wife."
"This isn't a joke any more! Take me to my wife and mother now!" At this point, he was seething in anger. His face had turned a bright red as the veins in his neck began to pulsate, flecks of spit would fly out of his mouth with the ferocity with which he spoke.
"They're dead!"
Finally, Robb released Ramsay from his grip and stumbled a few step backwards. His eyes were downcast and his face wore an expression of absolute and utter shock.
"No, they can't be..." he'd whisper, and Ramsay fought back a smirk as he rubbed his neck to soothe it.
"This needs to stop, this madness. She was never yours and now she never will be," he said as if he was comforting him. Reaching out to place a hand on Robb's shoulder, Robb roughly shrugged his arm away from his reach.
"They can't be dead," he said in a stronger tone, but his demeanour was breaking.
"You killed her-" Ramsay began again, but he had pushed too far too quick and Robb lashed out accordingly by roughly shoving him backwards and darting towards the door.
"Ike, don't!" He began to shout, using Robb's new identity which he had decided upon himself.
Robb wrenched the door open and took off like an arrow down the hallway, uncaringly shoving people out of his way. He barely noticed how people would gasp in shock at the sight of him and immediately step backwards as the former King of the North, presumed to be dead and rumoured at the Twins to be alive, ran barefoot in a frantic manner through the halls.
Although Robb Stark conveniently had little remembrance of the wedding, probably due to the condition he was in thereafter, he remembered the direction towards the dining hall surprisingly well.
His heart pounded in his chest, his Fianna wasn't dead. His mother wasn't dead. He'd know if they were dead. The bond he shared between his wife was so different to his bond with his mother yet still, they both defied the parameters of life and if either one had passed on, Robb would have known as soon as he woke up.
Dramatically, he all but kicked open the wooden doors to see for himself. He knew no other place that was better to start looking for answers than here, where his most recent memory was held.
He didn't know what he was searching for, perhaps for Fianna or his mother themselves. Maybe he would walk in as the celebrations were rife, but he knew that wouldn't be right. The day was light outside, and his men were nowhere to be seen. No wedding or celebration of any kind was being held today.
What he did see upon entering though was a small servant girl, dressed in a grey, plain dress and on her knees on the ground. She was brutally scrubbing at something on the ground that was invisible to his eye from his perceptive. He slowly began to inch forward to see, watching as the girl struggled to clean whatever was there. She would routinely sigh in exasperation.
He was a few feet away when he saw it, clear as day settled into the small fissures of the stone and dried brown from the passage of time was a large blood stain. There was no denying that.
Robb's heart clenched in his chest, someone did die in here recently. Who it was, he was unsure of but his hope was beginning to dwindle.
He barely noticed when a hand gripped his shoulder for reassurance, Ramsay's damning words whispering into his ear.
"You slipped the poison in the jug of wine the King, Queen and King's mother shared. It was a violent sight to behold, that stain right there was the blood that spewed from Queen Fianna's mouth."
He barely finished his sentence before Robb whirled to the side and began to loudly dry heave, wanting to vomit to relieve himself of the disgust and nausea, but his stomach was empty. His eyes watered, but it wasn't the dry heaving that caused that.
"You have a problem, Ike. You slaughtered a whole family because the Queen didn't want you, because of your obsession with her," Ramsay's words continued to torture him.
"No, we were together-"
"No you weren't!" Ramsay said in a hushed tone, pretending to glance around to make sure no one was listening. "They know your name, but only a few know your face. Where did you think those wounds came from?"
To tell the truth, Robb hadn't even noticed them before now. But after he mentioned it, he felt the sting of fresh wounds litter around his body and only just noticed the bandages encircled around him.
"Come along," he tugged on his arms, Robb was so broken he actually allowed him. "I'll tell you the story of what happened."
-
Fianna
Hug the wall and listen carefully, she would tell herself over and over. She informed Grey Wind when he made his nightly visit to her small window and hoped the direwolf would listen.
Fianna Stark's back was flush against the cold, moist wall. She was shivering from the coldness of it, but her determination kept her fiery. Her mind briefly flashed back to the time she was held prisoner at Harrenhal and how she escaped from there.
The tray Roslyn had foolishly left was clutched tightly to her chest and the keys to her shackles were tucked into her bodice, just in case. She had instructed Grey Wind to slaughter all the guards blocking her path to the outside after Roslyn had entered. It was insane how much the direwolf understood human command, and even more insane how much he listened to Fianna when it was Robb he was sired to. Was.
She could hear the small greeting Roslyn and the guard gave each other and pressed herself tighter against the wall next to the cell door. When the door would open, she would be momentarily concealed behind it as it opened out.
Just as planned, the door opened and Roslyn stepped inside. The girl barely looked around to make sure Fianna was there, she just trusted that she was and turned to close the door. That's when Fianna struck out.
Gripping the sides of the tray tightly, she whirled around and walloped Roslyn over the head as harshly as she could. The Frey girl immediately sank to the ground, passed out or dead Fianna wasn't sure and didn't have time to check.
This action alerted the guard, who whirled around and reached for his sword quickly. But Fianna was quicker. Throwing the tray to the ground, she rushed forward and kicked her foot at his reaching hand, simultaneously throwing her fist out to bash against his cheek. It wasn't as hard of a punch as it could have been, but Fianna was weak and pregnant.
The guard stumbled back from the hit but mainly from shock. While he was stunned, she lifted her fist to hit again but he had recovered quickly - grabbing her fist in his hand and squeezing it hard enough to crack her knuckles.
She grunted in pain as her free hand pawed at his to get it off, the glint of the hilt of his sword shone in the corner of her eye and she shot out to grab it but he only let go of her hand to push her backwards.
Fianna fell back a few feet and lost her footing, sailing down to the ground she threw her hands out to break her fall and protect her belly instinctively.
This time, when he grabbed his sword he removed it entirely from its scabbard and held it at his side. Fianna was running out of options fast and had no choice but to scamper backwards into her cell with panic.
With every inch she moved backward, he would stalk towards her menacingly with his sword gleaming proudly. He began to raise it into the air, ready to strike her with it.
Fianna quickly shut her eyes to prepare for the hit, surprisingly she wasn't frightened now. The prospect of meeting Robb again bloomed through her mind as she accepted her fate.
But the Gods decided it wasn't time for them to reconcile, it seemed. As at that moment, two large furry forms scampered down the hallway and hurled themselves into the air at the guard's body, knocking him to the ground.
"Chroi!" Fianna cried out, a sense of happiness, albeit small, filling her that she never thought she'd see again. As Grey Wind devoured the guard, Chroi trotted towards his master quickly and began to lick her face. She soon stopped him when she realised blood soaked his teeth and tongue.
A wide grin took over her face, she thought her best companion was dead for sure. He must have found Grey Wind and followed him.
Just as Fianna was pushing herself up to get up and leave quickly before more guards arrived, she hadn't realised that the figure laying next to her was getting up too.
Drawing a small blade from her boot that Fianna wasn't aware Lord Frey insisted she carried when visiting Fianna, Roslyn Frey-Tully's innocent demeanour fell to reveal the underlying ruthlessness her family was known for. Fianna's betrayal had pushed her over the edge, so she shot her dagger-holding hand out and sliced through the closest thing to her.
Fianna whipped her head around as Chroi let out an agonising whine, a scream falling from her lips as her most trusted companion collapsed to the ground, fresh blood practically pouring from his side.
Her eyes glanced up to spot the perpetrator and a rage she didn't have the body capacity to hold fuelled through her. Wasting no time, Fianna dived toward the girl and knocked the knife from her hand. She wouldn't need a knife for what she was planning on doing.
Her vision turned red as Fianna settled her body on top of Roslyn's and wrapped her fingers around her throat, digging them harshly enough to cut off her air supply.
Roslyn's fingers clawed at Fianna's hands, leaving scratches with her finger nails but the former queen didn't even notice as only tightened her hold.
It was over in about a minute, Roslyn's flailing body was falling limp and her struggles decreased significantly until she stopped altogether. Her eyes were wide open, dead and unblinking and Fianna finally removed her hands.
Fianna Bua was a warrior, but this was by far the most gruesome and horrific murder she had ever committed.
She surprised herself by how little she cared, her gaze trailing over the dead girl's face momentarily before a whimper from the dying animal next to her had awoken her from her daze.
Fianna clambered off of Roslyn and fell to her knees next to Chroi, a sob ripping through her throat as her hands desperately tried to cover the open wound. It was pointless she knew, his breaths were laboured and he wasn't able to get up.
Her sobs echoed around the cell room as she buried her face into his fur, guilt and loss filling her and she didn't know how her heart could possibly break twice in a week. She waited for a few minutes, not caring if the guards were coming for her because she wasn't going to leave him now.
Eventually, Chroi passed away. Even still, Fianna couldn't bear to tear herself away until Grey Wind began to tug at her dress. Reluctantly, she stood up and forced herself away from the wolfhound so she could make her escape.
And as she left, Grey Wind quickly running ahead to scout for guards that were surely coming for her by now, Fianna swore to herself she would never get attached to anyone or anything ever again.
-
Robb
The man, although Robb was altogether unsure of his name and wasn't bothered in asking, had settled him down in a different room than before with a cup of hot milk.
Robb didn't say anything, rather waited for Ramsay to speak. He searched his mind for Fianna and his last memory of her, which he thinks was a kiss they shared after Edmure's wedding. Everything was fuzzy after that, he wasn't sure what had happened to either of them and he wasn't even sure if the blood soaked ground was the blood of his own family. But he had a feeling this man knew, so he was going to listen anyway.
"My father is Lord of the Dreadfort, we travelled here for Edmure Tully's wedding," Ramsay began, "we arrived some time after Robb and Fianna did, although by that stage you were already in love with her."
"But I am Robb Stark, Fianna is my wife," Robb insisted, looking at Ramsay in annoyance.
"No, you're not," Ramsay shook his head, "your name is Ike Rivers. You're the baseborn son of Herald Clearwater, the kennel master here at the Twins. When he passed, you were his only heir and you were allowed to take over his job. You fell for Fianna Stark the second you saw her arrive and in your head you drew up this elaborate fantasy that you and her were together, but it would never happen. She was married to the King, and a Lady in her own right.
"You made a pass at her, and when she refused you, you poisoned the wine at the wedding feast. They're calling it the Red Wedding."
"You're trying to fool me," Robb grunted before standing up, his posture stiff, "I have a life's worth of memory, there is no way I could have made it all up."
"Tell me. Do you ever remember an instant where poor Fianna Stark was in her bed alone at night until a man entered her room and resorted to attempting to rape her?"
Yes, Robb remembered that night extremely well. It brought Fianna and him closer together. He chose not to answer Ramsay, but the boy could see it on his face anyway.
"That was you, Ike."
"No, she killed her assailant and it wasn't me. I comforted her that night over it-"
"No, Robb comforted her while you ran like a coward after she screamed for help," Ramsay himself seemed to grow annoyed that Robb refused to accept this.
"I AM ROBB!" Robb broke into a shout, his fists balling up as he prepared to either run again or attack Ramsay.
"Tell me then!" Ramsay stood up and stalked across the room, pulling a blanket down off of a mirror Robb wasn't aware was being hidden from his view. "Does Robb Stark look like that?!"
Robb rolled his eyes in frustration and stepped forward to leave until the figure in the reflection caught his eye. His breath hitched as he immediately stomped over, his eyes roaming over the figure. He touched his cheek and the person in the reflection mirrored his actions, confirming the belief that it was him.
But it wasn't him. Where Robb's hair fell in luscious Tully red locks, it was now chopped short, almost bald save for the closely shaved hair surrounding his scalp. Hair that was black in colour, not brown with a red tinge from what he could see.
Stubble that had decorated his cheeks he refused to shave because Fianna would lovingly roam her fingers over it and he would rub his cheek against hers to annoy her, was now completely gone. Showcasing gaunt cheekbones in its absence.
A cut stretched across his cheekbone that more than likely would scar. He even looked thinner, the only thing that Robb was holding onto was the bright blue of his eyes. That hadn't changed.
"You see, Ike? You're not Robb Stark-"
"I'm still me..." he insisted, his voice small and feeble and filled with confusion
"You never were you," Ramsay squeezed his shoulder in reassurance before stepping backwards to grab Robb's cup. Robb never lifted his eyes from his reflection, perhaps if he had he'd have noticed Ramsay slipping a concoction into his drink.
Basilik's blood. A favourite of his, just enough to mess with his mentality, not enough to send him into a fit of violence.
Handing Robb the cup and watching him sip slowly on it, Ramsay couldn't help the smirk lifting up his lips.
-
Fianna
She scoured the halls quickly, Grey Wind on high alert. He was leading her instead of her leading him, she was assuming he was taking her towards the exit he entered by.
Fianna was pushing aside her grief and shutting off all of her thought processes, so perhaps it was a good thing that Grey Wind was taking charge. Although his behaviour was making her somewhat suspicious, every now and then he'd let out a small whimper. Perhaps it was because of Chroi.
Her suspicions were thwarted however when Chroi, instead of leading her to an exit, darted towards a door with an agenda in mind. It was a closed door, probably leading to a chamber of some sort, and Grey Wind was whining and scratching against it. His nose twitched repeatedly as he was smelling the people on the other side.
"Grey Wind, please," she whispered, knowing he would hear her as Fianna went further down the hall in search for a way out.
When she turned around and noticed he still wouldn't move, tears of panic rose to her eyes again. Chroi's death wouldn't be for nothing, she would not be sent back to a cell or even worse, she was imprisoned last time without offence. This time she had killed the favourite daughter of Walder Frey.
"Grey Wind," she begged quietly, the prospect of having to escape alone and defenceless looming over her. Grey Wind looked up in response, his ears flattened against his head in what appeared to be sadness.
Sensing Fianna's heightened distress, he looked back at the door once more before reluctantly moving away and back towards her. His master was so close to him, only a door separating them both, but Grey Wind didn't have to be human to sense that Fianna needed him more at that moment. Robb would have wanted Grey Wind to protect her first.
Eventually, with little effort, they found the exit to the outdoors. Miraculously no guards were encountered, save for the trail of dead bodies Grey Wind had left littered around - most likely having ripped their throats out deep enough to sever their vocal chords and prevent them from screaming.
It was easy. Too easy. The gate out of the Twins was even lowered. This made her feel eerie and paranoid, but perhaps the Gods had decided she had lost too much that to dangle an escape in front of her and take it away so abruptly would be a step too far in terms of cruelty.
It had been all but a week, and she had lost her husband, her wolfhound, her good mother and the only father figure left in her life. And very nearly her child.
Stepping over the threshold to the green grass the Freys didn't own, Fianna was eager to leave the horror behind her, and wasted no time in running towards the tree line. She was going home, finally.
-
Oh my god is it bad I cried writing Chroi's death? I was so calm writing the red wedding but killing a dog oh my GOD it broke me. It brought my mood down so much but it had to be done!
On a side note, basilik's blood is a genuine poison in GoT that sends those who ingest it insane.
Now to elaborate on Chroi's death, my view on it is that the pets in GoT world are directly connected to their owner. For example with the Stark family, the mother direwolf was killed and so was the Stark parents, Robb died and so did Grey Wind, Arya is alive and so is Nymeria, the same with Jon and Ghost, Shaggydog died and then so did Rickon, Summer died and essentially Bran died and became the Three Eyed Raven. Lady died in season one so I think, well I theorise, that Sansa may die too. So that is why Grey Wind survived here, as did Chroi for a short time. But Chroi dying symbolises a part of Fianna dying, rather than the physical version. Because I'll warn you now, Fianna's character is going to get extremely dark!Fianna from here on out.