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It was a dark and cold night.
In the Riverlands the weather was alwyas chilling, despite winter still being far, the long lasting rain storms left a chill that seemed to penetrate even the thickest leather.
The camp was surrounded by Nothern men, the sound of metal clinking and men drinking and laughing, celebrating their current victories against the Lannisters filled the air. Yet for Robb who walked through the long camp after a tedious meeting with the Lords about war strategies, all that crossed his mind was the warm embrace of his wife.
The meeting had run late again, Lord Karstark was far from patient. War was a sensitive thing and the Karstarks were men moved by grief and blood. His loud voice still ringed in Robb’s head as he rubbed the bridge of his own nose, trying to wipe away the headcahe that had been pulsing in the back of his head ever since that afternoon. The mud clinged to his boots as he approached his tent, the squelching wet sounds barely acknowledged by him as he remembered what awaited for him in the privacy of his tent.
Robb was already picturing the scene in his mind, the beeswax candles casting soft shadows across the fabric of the tent and iluminating the room with a warm yellow light, the iron brazen heating up the space and finally the beautiful picture of his wife. She was likely reading one of the old books they carried, a story about the ancient conquests or perhaps she’d simply be brushing away the tangled knots of her hair, waiting peacefully for him. He imagined how soft she’d be on that nightgown, her smooth soft skin, and the swell of her stomach, pressing against the silk, full of his child.
His babe.
The thought brought a soft smile to his face, they had yet to know if it was gonna be a boy or a girl, he’d be happy regardless, all he wanted was to create a big healthy family with her, something to bring him joy when times got hard. That same thought drove him to eagerly push the fabric of the tent open, but the sight inside caused his face to fall comletely.
His wife was nowehere to be seen.
Out of all the ways he expected to find his queen inside the tent, he had never considered the possibility of not finding her there at all. He froze, and his gaze fell to Grey Wind, the furry beast clearly seemed confused too, his snout all over the blankets, attempting to track her scent. Robb’s heart seemed to stop completely, and his mind which was previosuly consumed by good thoughts, was now drowned in all the awful things that could’ve happened with his darling.
Had the Lannister kidnapped her? Had a merchant or perhaps a soldier killed her? Had any of his enemies found out about his wife's pregancy and were now plotting against him? Robb couldn’t tell, his mind was clouded with despair.
He gathered Grey Wind and immediately stepped out of the cabin, there was only one thing on his mind, finding his beloved and ending whoever dared to lay a finger on her pretty face.
The knights were quick to follow him, a Queen missing was nothing to play about, not for Robb and the people who kneeled before him.
Grey Wind was extremely sharp, sniffing the ground as if he could visualise the very steps she had walked on, and the more the wolf walked through the deep woods near the camp the more Robb began to worry, until he heard something.
A soft humming sound, a beautiful song falling from someone's lips, but it wasn't just anyone. Robb recognised that tone anywhere, it was the same soft voice that whined in his ear whenever he did something deemed stupid, the same voice that would hum that very song in his ear after a long tiring day.
He held his breath as he followed the sound to a weeping willow tree by the Red Fork, and there was his beautiful wife, not a hair harmed in her pretty hair, she had her back to him, looking at the river as she picked flowers from the ground, fingers working with dexterity as they braided the plants into a beautiful crown of bellflowers and blood-moons.
Robb was upset, but he couldn't bring himself to be angry, not when the moonlight was shining in her, and she looked so utterly beautiful distracted in her own thoughts, like the wicked ways of life were unable to reach her. Not only was his wife irresponsible for fleeing the camp without any sort of warning, but she seemed far too uncovered for such a cold night. Silently, Robb moved behind her, suddenly surprising her as he wrapped his own cloak against her soft body.
The slight gasp that feel from her lips was adorable, but when she turned to see him, she gave him the most precious smile he had ever seen, it was like falling in love all over again. Despite the dark night, the soft white light of the moon highlighted the color of her skin in a way that made her look like an ethereal glowing angel.
Grey Wind immediately cuddled close to her, laying his pretty little head against her lap as if he felt the need to ensure the baby was okay. Robb kneeled down to her height, his eyes tracing every soft line of her face, brows furrowed in a way that said he would definetly scold her, but that lingering softness in his gaze, and the way his pupils seemed to dilatate showed he was just glad she was safe.
“Sometimes the most beautiful sights are hidden far beneath the heavy layers of the forests, don't you think?” She said softly, looking to the nature that surrounded them.
It was a rare beauty. The stars could be seen brightly in the sky, the river flowed with a soft woosh, still carrying away the sediments from the heavy rain a few hours prior, and the sound of the crickets filled the silence with a different form of tranquility, not one of the soldiers who were safely celebrating together but one of intimacy and the privacy of the moment.
“Darling, you mustn't give me a heart attack, not when you are so vulnerable to any of our enemies.” He said, gently grabbing her hand, his own was heavy and firm, causing the weight of his words to really sink into her mind. “You are far too precious for the cruelties men are able to commit… and so is our little one.” A gentle kiss was place against her knuckes.
The woman smiled, the look of worry on his face was far too precious. Robb held himself differently he was by her side. The young wolf held himself with an intense form of deportment in front of the lords and the soldiers, but in the secrecy of his closest ones, he allowed himself to just be a boy. His wife's lips pressed into a soft kiss against the furrow of his brows, letting the lingering lines of frustration fall away.
“I'm sorry my love, it was never my intention to worry you. The camp was far too loud, and I was growing bored of the tent's walls, I just wanted to take a walk.” She said, and he smiled softly.
Robb visibly softened at her gentle kiss, and he sat down next to his queen, sighing as he let the previous stress slip away. He made sure to pull her closer to him, keeping her warm from the lingering humidity on the air. His hand pressed softly against his lover's stomach, so gently one might've thought she was made out of porcelain. It became a habit now, whenever he was near, he loved pressing his palm against her bump, knowing that the life he dreamed off with her was growing right there against his hand.
“Next time you wish to escape from the camp, at least take a soldier with you? Or perhaps Grey Wind, the world is not a gentle place, my love. Tell me, what have you got there, you seemed unwaveringly focused when I first found you.” He said, taking an interest in the flower crowns she had made.
She gently grabbed one of the flower crowns by her side, being there for a long time now meant that she had made a few. She placed one on top of Robb’s head, then one in her own, a smaller one on Grey Wind who just hummed without protest and finally one atop of her stomach. The young wolf completely melted at the sight, to have his whole world right there in his arms, beneath a willow tree made any title he had be forgotten, as beneath those very leaves he was loved.