𝓗is chambers in Riverrun felt cold, but the autumn chill was not the culprit. They had laid Hoster Tully to rest in the Mander that morning. The night before a raven had arrived with news of Sansa's marriage to Tyrion Lannister. In the window, Amina was slowly ripping the letter into tiny near invisible pieces. Grey Wind lay under the windowsill. "I should have gone with them when Robert asked," she murmured.
"What good would that have done?" Robb whispered.
Her focus stayed fixed on the shredded paper. "I could have helped Ned navigate that lion's den. I could have kept an eye on the girls. I don't know." She let out a sigh of exasperation. "I could have put a knife in Cersei Lannister's heart."
"And then your head would be on a pike next to my father's," Robb concluded. "There was nothing any of us could have done."
"There were plenty of things I could have done," Amina said, shaking her head. "But I didn't do them, so now we'll never know. It's what we do next that matters now."
Robb paced the length of the room as Amina continued tearing the letter into bits. "My mother wants me to bend the knee, to take whatever scraps the Lannisters deem fit to give us. How can she ask that of me? They killed my father."
Amina tossed the paper out the window and watched it drift away on the wind. "Bran and Rickon are dead, Arya is lost, and Sansa has married the Imp. What more can they take from us?" She asked, swinging her legs to the floor. Grey Wind nudged her hand, and she placed her palm to the top of his head. "All Cersei wants is to save her children. In a generation the war will be forgotten, as old and trivial as Robert's Rebellion once seemed to us."
Robb huffed and turned to face his wife. "You would have me bend the knee as well."
"I would have you live to see our child grow old," she retorted. "Do you think I like the idea of surrender? I hate it. It makes my blood boil. If my sister could hear me, she would send Drogon to burn my nose off. But we do not have dragons, nor an army of Unsullied. We are losing men by the day. I want to go home. It is not craven to turn around, not if it is to drive the Ironborn from the North. We are not the only family to lose castles to the Greyjoys. The Glovers and the Tallharts are just as eager to return to their homes."
His mother had said the same. They had no choice but to return to Winterfell and see what was left of it. But to linger too long meant abandoning the Riverlands and admitting defeat. Before Robb could say any of that, Amina ended the discussion. "We can revisit the issue after Edmure's wedding," she said calmly. "After the Greyjoys are dealt with."
Robb sighed, knowing this would not be the end of it. Amina did not simply let things go, and if she believed they should make peace, she would try her best to win him to his side. And Amina could be very convincing when she set her mind to something.
♔ ♔ ♔ ♔
The road from Riverrun to the Twins seemed twice as long on the return trip. Every day spent camping in the woods was another day wasted in this never-ending war. Though it pained him to leave the Riverlands, he knew there was no other choice. His men were losing faith. They needed to see their wives and free their castles from Ironborn. But winter was drawing nearer with each passing day. When the first snow fell, there would be no returning south.
From the way Amina dragged her feet, Robb thought that might very well be what she was hoping for. He had requested his wife stay at Riverrun, but Amina would hear nothing of it. "You may be stubborn, but I am more stubborn by half," she'd said. Robb had opened his mouth to protest a half did not come close but realized that would only drive her point home. "I will not remain in Riverrun while the rest of you march North. I am pregnant, not an invalid and I miss my home."
Robb had not been the only one to discourage Amina from the trip. His mother had suggested Amina's appearance might be construed as a slight and warned she would need to contend with Walder Frey's insults. But Amina insisted she was a Northerner and her skin was thick. Ser Aylward had all but begged her to remain at Riverrun with him as her guard. The man had lost one king and did not intended to let his queen march herself into danger. Amina was softer with him, but still her answer had been no.
In the end, Robb was glad she'd come. Amina had been more herself these past few days than she had in all the weeks beforehand. It's the North, he thought, she feels the pull, same as I. But perhaps it was her sister too. Amina would wake with stories of lands far away and whisper them into his ear in the dead of night. When she smiled, he hoped his promise had been forgotten. If her vision were to come true, if this war were to end with him losing his head, Amina would not die by his side. She could hate him for it if she wished, but she would live.
Robb told her knight as much, and they made plans. Ser Aylward would give his life for Amina, and if any attack came, he would see that she made it to safety. These were the plans he made behind his wife's back, but with her he made other plans as well. "Seagard is as safe a place as any, the castle has never fallen to the Ironborn, and it's been untouched by the Lannisters."
"And Cat wouldn't be lonely there. Lord Mallister's daughter is there raising her son." Robb nodded. Lyman Darry's castle had been taken not once, but twice. He'd hardly managed to escape the second time, but he had. His wife and his heir were safe, while he and his remaining men fought alongside the Northmen.
"We'll send Lyman with her; it would do him some good to see his boy."
"We left Lord Darry at Riverrun," Amina reminded him. Of course, he'd given the man leave to stay behind. Lyman was no Northman. He had no business fighting Greyjoys when his castle was occupied by Lannisters. "But we could send a raven from the Twins." Robb nodded absently. Amina gave him a soft, fond, smile. "Where is your mind?"
"There's something I need to ask you, about the matter of heirs." He shifted uncomfortable. This was a conversation he'd avoided for years, and even now with Amina as his wife, the question still scared him. "If something were to happen to me, you would be our child's regent. The lords and ladies believe in you as much as me, so I can't imagine they would trouble you, but if–"
"I do not want to have this conversation," she said, curtly. It took him a moment to remember her vision, to remember the promise he made that he would never keep.
Robb took a breath and tried again. "If we are gone, our son will need a regent, and an heir, until he comes of age."
Amina did not look any happier about this line of reasoning, but she nodded. "Sansa would be the reasonable choice, if only she weren't married to Tyrion Lannister." She looked at him for a moment. "You have someone in mind."
He held out a folded piece of parchment, she took it warily and opened it. "I'd like you to sign it as well, in the event that your sister does take the throne." Robb had to admit he was not as convinced as Amina in her sister's ambitions. But still, he was king, and he had to plan for everything. "The North would remain a sovereign kingdom, out from under the control of the Iron Throne." He was rambling, to fill Amina's silence. Her eyes were staring at the parchment as if she'd forgotten how to read.
"This is...This legitimizes Jon," she whispered. "You've legitimized Jon."
"If I die, you should take another husband, and I think it should be Jon." He took the parchment from her fingers. "Now you can. Just like you always wanted." It took half a moment for Amina to register his words, when she did her eyes flicked up to his, wide and confused. "I've always known."
"Oh, Gods." Amina looked horrified. "Robb–"
"It's all right," Robb assured her. "Sign the letter."
"We were kids, we were senseless. Or at least, I was. I suppose in the end, Jon was the only one who had a clear head about it. I'm beginning to realize that I have a tendency to rush into things, at least in matters of the heart. I asked him to run away with me over and over, until finally he ran away from me. Even if I'd been able to offer him that letter then, I don't know if he would have taken it."
"But you loved him," he pressed. Amina did not deny it, so he continued. "Then give yourself a chance at the future you wanted before all this. I want you to be happy, no matter what happens to me."
"You promised," she reminded him.
"Amina, I would fall on my sword if it meant saving your life. I made you a promise I never intended to keep, and for that I'm sorry. But I will not apologize for loving you."
She was quiet for a moment, and then finally she took the letter from his hands. "I'll sign, but not because I still dream of that future. I haven't for a long time. But if something were to happen to you, and to me, Jon is the only person I trust to protect our child and our home. This is the right choice."