lady marla ashwood
IT'S BEEN MONTHS SINCE MARLA AND ROBB HAVE REUNITED, and they were truthfully some of the best months of her life. A war was waging outside the safety of Riverrun's Keep, and she was praying to the old gods and new that Robb's forces could pull through. In those few months, Robb and Marla managed to work up the courage to announce their marriage to Robb's advisors. Word spread quickly, and soon the entire Seven Kingdoms knew of their union. Robb still hadn't told Marla of his old betrothal to one of Walder Frey's daughters, afraid of what her reaction would be. He would never want her to feel betrayed by him. Instead, the king kept it to himself and ensured she never would find out about it. He would make it up to Lord Frey, and Marla would never have to know about that small inconvenience.
As Marla tucked herself into bed that night, she found Robb already asleep. She curled up next to him and pulled the fur blanket overtop of her husband, wrapping it around herself as well. A few flames were crackling in the fireplace, although it wasn't too cold this particular night in the Riverlands.
As she shut her eyes to sleep, Marla couldn't help but notice the nauseous feeling in her stomach as well as a pounding headache. It was hard to ignore but she squeezed her eyes closed and tried her best to disregard the pains.
________________________________
Early the next morning she woke up to the same awful symptoms she fell asleep with. Her mouth began to water as bile was rising in her throat.
She jumped out of bed and ran over to her chamber-pot right as the awful taste of vomit spewed from her mouth. The rotten flavor of last night's soup was lingering in her mouth for minutes after. She washed it down with some lukewarm water and rubbed her tired eyes.
She suspected she was suffering from the common stomach bug, so she crawled back into bed to muster in a few more hours of sleep.
Beads of sweat were forming on her brow and she wiped them away irritatedly, shifting her position around multiple times in an attempt to get comfortable.
After nearly an hour of staring at the wall with no luck of sleep, Marla decided to ready herself for the day. Once she changed into a simple and plain gown as well as tying her hair back, she exited her and Robbs' chambers to visit the maester for some milk of the poppy.
She wasn't usually one to be overdramatic, and she definitely didn't like asking for others' help, but the pain was pesky and making her irate, so she figured a small dose of medicine would ease her discomforts.
Luckily for her, Riverrun's maester—Maester Vyman—was already wide awake at this hour and bustling around his chambers.
"Queen Marla, what can I help you with?" He asked while shuffling through a stack of papers in his hands. It's been months of her marriage to Robb, but it still felt strange to be called queen.
"I was hoping for some milk of the poppy. I've recently suffered from some stomach and head pains," she admitted.
The gray-haired maester grabbed a small glass bottle of the white liquid off his desk before making his way closer to Marla. "Would you like for me to give you a proper examination and see what the problem is?" He asked concernedly.
She shook her head quickly. She hated when people made a fuss over her. "No, no. I'm fine, really. Just a small dose of the milk and I'm sure I'll be back to normal in no time."
The maester hesitantly handed her the vial, "Alright, Your Grace. But if in the next few days your illness doesn't subside, I want you to see me at once."
"Of course, Maester Vyman."
Marla had always been stubborn—ask anyone and they'd tell you that was her defining factor. But nothing could prepare her for what she was going to endure these upcoming weeks.
For starters, her stomach cramps, vomiting, and headaches never quit. Quite the contrary; they were getting much worse. She threw up every morning from that day on. And instead of consulting Maester Vyman, she let the pain continue.
Not to mention she had missed her moon blood. Which inclined her to assume the obvious—that she was pregnant. Marla missed her blood every so often, but her paranoia was kicking in. Marla loved children, yes, but she didn't want her own. Not just yet, anyway. Not during this war. She believed that one day she'd be a wonderful mother, but not anytime soon.
That night, her handmaiden was bathing her and noticed Marla's stomach was beginning to bulge out. The handmaiden assumed Marla had been eating more, so she didn't say anything about it as to be rude. But when Marla missed her moon blood and was constantly throwing up, she decided to speak up.
"Your Grace, you missed your moon blood, yes?" The handmaiden asked while she added soap to Marla's hot bath.
Marla's eyes went wide for a spilt second. "Well...yes, Nadia. But no worries, it happens every so often."
"You are getting sick every morning as well, aren't you, Your Grace?" Nadia—the handmaiden—added, scrubbing the soapy water into Marla's hair.
"It's just a small illness. Maester Vyman said it'd pass in a few days," Marla replied quickly. She knew her handmaiden was catching on, and sooner or later—if she really was pregnant—her belly would start to show, and there'd be no hiding it.
"Are you sure?" Nadia perked an eyebrow, sensing Marla's lies. "Your Grace, I think you should see the maester again."
Marla stayed silent, but knew Nadia's words had some truth to them. She knew she needed to see Maester Vyman again. She couldn't avoid this impending problem forever.
________________________________
The next day, Marla woke up before the sun breached the sky and while Robb was still dead asleep. Even clueless Robb Stark had taken notice of her unexpected mood swings and strange behavior. Now that her husband was suspicious, she must be much more careful in her activities. If she was pregnant, she'd have to make the decision if she wanted to keep it or not. She'd rather make that choice without Robb hovering over her like he always does. Although she loved him greatly, he could be a bit clingy at times. But it was only because he was absolutely terrified of losing her again.
Marla's reasoning for awakening so early, was for her going to see Maester Vyman again; after all, if she wasn't with child, at least he could solve her sudden weight gain and vomiting.
She tapped on the doors to his maester's chambers, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently.
The door swung open seconds later, and the older man welcomed her inside. "Your Grace, have your symptoms worsened?" Vyman asked worriedly, "You look pale, child," he proclaimed, touching the back of his hand to Marla's cheek gently.
She stepped inside the room, absentmindedly clutching her stomach. "The milk of the poppy helps, but the pain always returns," she confessed.
"I'll examine you and we'll take a look at what's wrong."
After a good fifteen minutes of a very uncomfortable examination, Maester Vyman came to a conclusion. Huffing out surprisedly, he said, "Well, congratulations, Your Grace. You're with child."
Though Marla suspected this already, she felt her heart leap into her throat. And just like that, she was unconscious.
________________________________
EIGHTEEN! ✔️