Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/8838496. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage Category: F/M Fandom: Game_of_Thrones_(TV), A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire_-_George_R._R._Martin, A Song_of_Ice_and_Fire_&_Related_Fandoms Relationship: Robb_Stark/Sansa_Stark Character: Robb_Stark, Sansa_Stark, Petyr_Baelish, Robin_Arryn, Yohn_Royce, Jon_Snow (mentioned), Various_Characters, Original_Characters, Starks_(mentioned) Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced_Rape/Non-con, Sibling_Incest, Falling_In_Love, Explicit_Sexual_Content, Sexual_Assault, Hurt/Comfort, male_rape/ referenced, Littlefinger_is_awful, Secret_Identity, Loss_of_Identity, Sexual_Tension, Alternate_Universe_-_Canon_Divergence, Implied/Referenced Torture, Coercion, Emotional_Manipulation, Warging, Molestation Stats: Published: 2016-12-13 Completed: 2017-02-10 Chapters: 13/13 Words: 33376 ****** Broken and Ruined Before You ****** by vivilove Summary Robb is captured at the Red Wedding to be sent to Kings Landing for execution. Sansa is hiding in the Vale with Littlefinger. Littlefinger has Robb rescued and brought to the Vale in secret to give his bastard daughter, Alayne Stone, a brother for company. Notes This is pretty dark in places and not going to be everyone's cup of tea. ***** Chapter 1 ***** ROBB-   Talisa lay on the floor with half a dozen stab wounds in her womb. The light had already left her eyes. Mother was screaming. He’d been shot at least five times by the crossbows. ‘Let me die,’ he thought. Death would be a relief. Lord Bolton approached, sword drawn. Mother had stopped screaming. They had silenced her screams. ‘King Joffrey has demanded he be sent to Kings Landing for execution,” Lord Bolton said. Someone approached from behind and there was a pain in his head. All went black.   Robb awoke in the cell once more. He’d been there for days now. He had not the slightest idea what time it was. It was always dark in the dungeon and no one told him what time it was or how many days had passed. The only time they spoke to him was when they were hurting him. Was this what it was like for Father when he was held prisoner? He hoped his father had not been treated the same as him though. Walder Frey had been furious that he had not been allowed to complete his revenge. He’d wanted Robb to die that night, probably more than Talisa...probably more than his lady mother. But Roose Bolton was not a man to be told no. But, while Lord Bolton slowly arranged for a party of men to take Robb to Kings Landing, Lord Frey had his guards torment him. “The King in the North,” they’d chant derisively every night when they came to break him. They had treated his crossbow wounds. They didn’t want them to fester. Couldn’t let him die before he could be sent to Joffrey. They left different wounds instead. They’d thrown his wife and mother’s bodies into the river, stripped and dishonored. They’d killed his men. They’d killed Greywind. But they wouldn’t kill him. No matter how much he fought them, baited them, tried to get them to lose their heads and kill him already, they wouldn’t do that for him. He’d tasted the lash every night since they brought him down to his cell but they’d wash his back when they were done. It stung terribly. His back would be raw and bloody and then cold water mixed with wine sloshed on his back. They’d broken a few fingers. They’d smashed a few toes. Lord Frey was not a courageous man. He would only allow them to go so far. Joffrey wanted his prize to be executed before the masses at Kings Landing. So, he only allowed them to go so far… They had decided a few days ago to break him another way. Three guards would hold him down across the table. His breeches would be shoved down past his knees as the other guards took turns. Not all of them were willing to participate in this. Robb fought but he was weak. They gave him little food or water. He lay on a cold stone floor shivering through the night. No blanket or straw in his cell, just a bucket to piss and shit in. Sitting was impossible, just the thought of trying to take a shit right now made him feel lightheaded. He was weakened and they always finished what they started. He tried not to cry out. He’d nearly bit his tongue off trying to not give them the satisfaction but sometimes he couldn’t help it. My wife, my mother, my wolf, my honor, my body…they take all. Why won’t they just take my life? Joffrey wanted to see him executed. Joffrey reportedly wanted to present his head to his sister, Sansa. Poor Sansa…what have they done to you all this time? They’d married her to the Imp after Joffrey had ended their betrothal so he could marry the Tyrell girl. Robb could barely stand to think of her. I should’ve bartered for you when I could. I should’ve ended this war and bent the knee to get you back. You must hate me…let me die.    =============================================================================== SANSA-   Mother was dead. Robb was a prisoner and was to be executed in Kings Landing. Lord Tyrion had come to their chambers to share the news but she’d already heard. Tyrion was not a bad man. He’d been very good to her but, at that moment, he was only another Lannister and she hated the sight of him. He felt the hate in her gaze as clearly as he saw the tears on her face and he retreated. ‘Let me die,’ she thought. She didn’t want to be here to see Robb’s execution. Were the gods this cruel? She’d already seen Father’s beheading. Must she witness her brother’s, too?   Sansa woke from her dreams with a start. She felt a momentary relief when she realized she was no longer in the Red Keep but that relief was tremulous. It wasn’t quite real. Joffrey had died at his wedding and Ser Dontos had taken her to the harbor, to his ship. Poor Ser Dontos. Lord Baelish had planned everything so carefully. He had plotted in Joffrey’s murder. He had certainly been responsible for her escape, although her flight also implicated her involvement in Joffrey’s death. She had been involved…she just happened to be unaware of it at the time. She wondered if Robb had arrived in Kings Landing yet. It would’ve been so sweet to see him once more but not for that. I couldn’t have stood to be there for that. “Call me Petyr,” he had said before he kissed her. She had cried in his arms in the snow that morning for her brother, Robb. She wished fervently that some loyal Northmen would rescue him, take him back North. Lord Baelish had stroked her back and dried her tears before he took her face in his hands and looked at her with an intensity that frightened her. She was a maid still and only 14 but she knew there was something in his look that she should fear. “Lord Baelish…” she began, trying to push away from him. “Call me Petyr,” he had said. Aunt Lysa had went through the moon door soon after. And then Sansa…no…Alayne had told her lies to defend him. There was an uneasy truce between Littlefinger and the Vale lords. He hadn’t kissed her again but he came to her chambers often. He’d touch her face and hair and whisper words to her. Sometimes she couldn’t tell who the intended recipient of those words was supposed to be…Alayne Stone, Sansa Stark or her mother.   “I’m going to give you a gift, Alayne,” he said at dinner in the hall one night. “A gift, Father?” she queried. He smiled at her…Littlefinger’s smile…not Father’s smile, not Petyr’s smile or even Lord Baelish’s smile. He has so many masks. She felt a chill of apprehension run through her but she kept her own mask in place. “I think you tire of being an only child, my daughter. Perhaps you’d like a brother…” Alayne is a bastard. She has no brothers. “Yes, Father,” was all she said though. ***** Chapter 2 ***** Chapter Summary A reunion. Chapter Notes Character ages- Sansa is 14 Robb is 17 ROBB-   They had set out a day break. A dozen Bolton men-at-arms formed his escort on the river. He was grateful to be following the Trident by boat. His hands and feet were bound. He couldn’t walk, he couldn’t sit and he certainly wouldn’t have been able to ride. His send off from Lord Frey’s guards had been torturous, more than usual. But on the boat, he could just lay on the deck out of the way and watch the blue sky and clouds pass overhead. He thought of Talisa’s smiles and the warmth of her touch. He hoped to see her again once this was all done. He had been raised with the Seven and with the old gods. He had followed his father’s gods in the end but he didn’t know what to expect when his end finally came. His hair was getting longer and his beard was shaggy and long as well. He could feel vermin crawling on his skin beneath his ragged clothing and in his hair and beard. It would be delightful to sink into the water and wash but for now, laying on deck and watching the sky was enough.   For nearly a fortnight, they traveled down the Trident towards the Kings Road. Robb was healing but he still dreaded riding or more likely walking while being tied to someone’s saddle and led. Perhaps a cart or wagon, he mused. He thought he could handle that. The sooner this was over with the better. When he was led onto shore, he suppressed a groan…a horse. He carefully mounted but the saddle felt fine and the animal was even tempered. Maybe it will not be so bad. By the end of the day though, he could barely get off the horse on his own and he had to be dragged to the tree they tied him to for the night. As they traveled down the Kings Road, they passed many travelers heading north; knights, soldiers, merchants and smallfolk. The Bolton men would talk to them and glean information and pass along their own. They never told anyone who they had with them though and Robb had been warned to stay quiet. The Boltons flayed their enemies and Robb didn’t want to provoke them too much. I’ll be dead soon enough…better a swift beheading than flaying. The latest news was all that preoccupied them this night. King Joffrey had died before he’d even left the dungeon at the Twins. If only they’d found out sooner, Lord Walder could’ve just killed me there and saved this hassle. He’d been poisoned at his own wedding, some said. Others said he had simply choked on the pigeon pie but they had quickly been dismissed by the majority. Many said the Imp had done the deed but some said his lady wife, formerly Lady Sansa Stark, had done it. She’d sought revenge for her family and killed her torturer and then transformed into a large wolf and disappeared, one farmer had said. She’d disappeared after Joffrey’s death at least. That was one thing all the small folk agreed upon. The Bolton guards eyed Robb and warned him silently not to speak. Did she kill him? Could sweet Sansa do such a thing? Robb could not believe it. Arya maybe but not Sansa. If she was missing, what did that mean? Was it only a story told to cover up the fact that she’d already been killed? The Imp was to be put on trial for Joffrey’s murder. “There’ll be plenty of excitement in Kings Landing between the Imp’s trial and the execution of King Robb,” one of the Bolton soldiers had said later than night. How exciting for Kings Landing, Robb thought sourly.   Two nights later, Robb was having a vivid dream of home. He was at Winterfell and still a boy training with Jon in the yard. He could feel the chill of the morning breeze, hear the summer snow crunch underfoot and see Jon’s normally somber face laughing today so clearly. Ser Roderick was chuckling at them as they had been jesting more than training at the moment. Out of nowhere, Father had appeared before them both with an unusually stern look. “Keep your shields up!” he had yelled at them both. Robb woke with a start as an arrow flew past his head. He sat up and found his party surrounded by men bearing no banners or sigils. The man-at-arms on his left was already dead, riddled with arrows. Robb picked up the man’s shield to cover himself. Instinct is hard to ignore. “We’re here for the Stark. Hand him over and we’ll spare the rest of you,” a man on horseback said. “Lord Bolton would flay us all for handing him over without a fight,” the leader of Robb’s escort answered. “Have it your way then,” the other man said. A rain of arrows were unleashed and the men drew their swords. “There!” someone was shouting, “That’s him.” He was grabbed by rough hands and pulled from the fray as the Bolton men were slaughtered. He did not recognize the face of the young man that had him. “Come, Your Grace. I have a horse for you. Come with us.” Robb followed him without question and mounted the indicated stallion. “Where are you taking me? Am I to be returned to the North…or the Freys?” “No, Your Grace. We’re taking you elsewhere.” The young man leaned forward as the rest of the party remounted and their leader headed them North on the Kings Road. “We’re taking you to your sister.”   =============================================================================== SANSA-   "Are you pleased, Alayne?” he asked. She nodded but flushed when she realized he wouldn’t see her nod. “Yes, Father. The dress is splendid,” she answered. This was something new, him coming to her chamber in the mornings as she dressed. She was behind a screen and her handmaid was there helping her with the new gown but she still felt that she was standing naked before him. She shivered. He rose and walked closer. He stood on the other side of the screen, mere inches away. “Let me see you,” he said in a low voice. Sansa flushed a brighter red. Her maid was not quite done with the laces at her back. It was improper but she was covered at least. She stepped out from behind the screen and gave him a smile. He always wanted her to smile. The light grey gown was a very soft muslin and was embroidered with silver thread in an intricate design. It went well with her pale skin, blue eyes and red hair. It was finer than any gown Alayne owned. Sansa Stark had owned a few as fine but not a bastard girl like Alayne. And no gown of Sansa Stark’s had ever clung to her budding womanly figure half so well. “Perfect,” he breathed. He pulled her loose hair over once shoulder and then brought a necklace from his pocket. “We don’t want to be too obvious but I thought this would do nicely,” he said as he fastened a sliver chain around her neck. The pendant was shaped like a wolf. It was not the same as the Stark sigil but it was still clearly a wolf. “Thank you, Father,” she said, grateful for her maid’s presence. His eyes were hungry again… Littlefinger’s eyes. “Shall I wear my hair up or down today, Father?” she asked. He liked to decide that for her when new people were expected. She didn’t quite understand why her hair should be of such interest to him, a man with many interests and many things on his mind, but he did like to dictate how she wore her hair. “Down today, I think. I think that would suit him best.” She wanted to argue that Alayne’s brother, a bastard like herself, wouldn’t care about her hair but kept her mouth closed. Robb is coming. That is all that matters. He pulled her close to him, his arm around her waist…like a lover…as they walked down the hall together. No one in the Eyrie seemed the least bit concerned about Lord Baelish’s affection for his bastard daughter. Little Sweet Robin followed her around like a lovesick pup and everyone tittered at that behind their hands. But Sweet Robin was just a child, a sickly and slightly mad child. And Alayne seemed to have a way with the boy that no one else did; not his nursemaid, not the maester, not any of the servants. They were soon grateful for Alayne’s ability to harness his wilder moods and calm his shaking fits. “Does Robb know I’m here?” she asked and winced when she realized her mistake. Father tutted at her but smiled. “Raynard, daughter…not Robb,” he spoke in a whisper. “Your brother is Raynard Stone. I fathered him on one of my whores and then fathered you three years later on the same woman, once I had set her up in a small manse of her own before she died two years ago. You must be thinking of Robert Arryn this morning. Shall we go and see Sweet Robin?” “Yes, Father,” Alayne said.   “Raynard will have missed his sister Alayne,” he had told her the other night in her chambers. It was the first time he had called Robb by his new name but she knew what he meant by it. He had been coming to her chambers before bed for nearly a moon now. He never touched her then, he just watched her brush her hair as she sat in her night shift. He had dismissed her maid that first night and Alayne now sent her maid on about her business the moment Father came in to watch her brush her cooper locks before bed. She brushed her hair for a long time, hoping he would go but he never did. Finally, she would climb into bed and pull the covers up to her chin. He would walk over to the bed and look down at her until she gave him a small smile. “Good night, Alayne,” he would say. “Good night, Father.” And he would blessedly leave her chambers then. But for how long? She knew eventually there would be a night that he did not leave. It was plain on his face as he watched her each night. He talked of making her a match with one of the Vale lords or knights but who would want a bastard girl like Alayne? She highly doubted she’d be allowed to go to her marriage bed still a maid.   =============================================================================== ROBB-   They had arrived at Runestone at the Gates of the Moon that night. It would take another day of travel to reach the Eyrie. The three way-castles of Stone, Snow and Sky waited high above with the Eyrie at the very top of the mountain. Lord Royce was away which was a blessing. He would remember Robb Stark. True, he had not seen him since he was three and ten but there was a very good chance he would remember the heir to Winterfell he had met on his way to the Wall with his knightly son, Raymar, who was to take the Black. Lothor Brune, the leader of the men that had taken him from Lord Bolton’s men, was all that remained with him now. The young man that had recognized Robb had died the night before with all of the other men who had formed the rescue party. They had traveled the high road through the Vale together and laughed and talked together. Robb had come to like several of them. An ambush had waited at the Bloody Gate for those men. Only Lothor and Robb had been allowed to pass. “Why?” Robb had asked, still shocked by the sudden and unexpected violence. “Gold may buy a man’s silence for a time but death…” Lothor had answered.   Robb was lying in an actual bed for the first time in months. He had been given some clean clothes and a basin to wash. It still didn’t help with the vermin issue but it was an improvement. They were to take a day to rest and set out for the Eyrie the next night so that they would reach it early the following day. “We’re making that ascent in darkness?” Robb had asked trying to master the tremble in his voice. “Your father has commanded it to be so…so, yes, we will make the ascent in the darkness. The moon will be full at least.” “He’s not my father.” “He is now. You would do best to remember it. You are Raynard Stone and you will be reunited with your sister, Alayne. Your father, Lord Petyr Baelish, has kindly taken in his bastard children.” And then, in a more human tone, “Do what he wants, boy. It’s best this way.” Best for who? “I didn’t ask to be rescued.” “No…your sister did though.” Sansa…you asked for my life? After I left you in Kings Landing all that time, you still pleaded for my life. Why?   A bastard girl named Mya Stone had led them up the ascent. She was skinny and short with black hair and blue eyes. Lothor had said she was half goat and Robb could believe it by the way she led them up and up with such ease. When Lothor had introduced them, she’d asked if he was her long lost brother as a jape. “So many of us Stones here in the Vale…surely, we must be related.” If I had been born a bastard, I would be a Snow. I’m not from the Vale, he thought. The sun was rising in the East and he could make out the Eyrie high atop the mountain, glimmering like a pearl in the sunshine. They had made it to the final way-castle of Sky and all around that was what Robb could see…the sky. The Eyrie was above even the clouds though, 600 more feet straight up. “The cart is best, I think,” Mya had said eyeing Robb. He had been struggling the past hour. He tired out too easily still and riding the shaggy little garron from Runestone to Stone and then Snow and then walking from Snow to Sky had made him sore again. Robb gratefully climbed into the large cart used to haul supplies up to the Eyrie. His heart was in his throat as it rose though and he calmed himself by thinking of seeing Sansa soon.   The Eyrie was different than any other castle Robb had ever seen. He wondered what it had been like for his father coming to foster here with Robert Baratheon as a boy. There were no stables. Where would you ride to? There was no muddy courtyard. Their Godswood held no trees. They would not grow here with no rich, deep soil to take root in. The wind never stopped howling. The great hall was a cold and made of white and blue marble. The Moon and Falcon sigil was evident everywhere. Robb entered the hall behind Lothor and followed him to stand before the raised seat of the Lord of the Vale. Atop it sat a small, frail boy. My cousin, Robin Arryn. He looked as small as Rickon had when Robb had last laid eyes on him…or Bran in his sickbed after he fell. But Robin Arryn was supposed to be 9 years old. “A sickly boy and twisted as well,” Lothor had admitted while in his cups the night before last. “You are Uncle Petyr’s bastard son?” the boy asked. “Yes…my lord,” Robb answered and remembered to bow. A maester and a few knights were in the hall but there was no sign of Sansa…or Lord Baelish, he assumed. “Fetch my Uncle Petyr,” the boy said to a guard but just then the doors of the hall opened once more and in strode the man himself with Sansa on his arm. Robb glanced at Littlefinger long enough to make a quick assessment...a short man with a pointy beard, his dark hair graying at the temples. His eyes were sharp and on his mouth he wore a smirk. His mockingbird sigil was crafted into a pin to hold his cloak. Then, he only had eyes for Sansa. He could not quite believe his eyes. She was beautiful…more beautiful than he could have imagined. She had always been a pretty child and everyone said she would grow into a beautiful woman but he was stunned at the woman his little sister had grown to become. He took in her lovely dress hugging the figure she had certainly not had when they had parted at Winterfell so long ago and the wolf necklace. Her beautiful red hair seemed like living fire amongst the cool sterility of the hall. But most of all, he took in her warm and loving smile that was directed at him. He smiled in return and, for the first time in a long time, he found that maybe he did not want to die just yet. ***** Chapter 3 ***** Chapter Summary The siblings spend time alone together. Chapter Notes See the end of the chapter for notes SANSA-   Sansa wanted to run to his arms and have him crush her in a hug like when they were younger. She wanted to feel those arms gripping her tightly so that she could know he was real. But Alayne stayed by Father’s side and conveyed her emotions through the smile she gave him. His hair and beard were unkempt and he didn’t look very clean but she drank in the sight of him with eager eyes. Her Robb, the hero of her girlhood after Father, stood before her at last. His bright blue eyes had lit up at the sight of her and his smile was as brilliant as it had ever been. He had grown into a man though since she last laid eyes on him…a handsome man. When Jeyne Poole and the other girls had giggled and whispered every time Young Lord Robb had passed their way at Winterfell, Sansa had only rolled her eyes and told them how silly they were. “He’s only Robb,” she had scolded. “You’re acting stupid.” Of course, she knew her brother was handsome. She was rather proud of her handsome, noble brother. She just didn’t like admitting it back then. Besides, the steward’s daughter and the others could only giggle and admire him. They would never marry him. He would be married to a high lord’s daughter or a princess. He had been the heir of Winterfell. And now they were both bastards, like their half-brother, Jon. No…Alayne only has one brother. “My gift to you, Alayne,” Father said as the three of them were only standing close together now. “Your brother, Raynard, has come to stay with us here for a time.” She nodded to Father and sank into curtsy before Robb. He bowed to her and Father in return. “San…” he began. “Raynard,” she chirped over his mistake. “I’ve missed you so.” She hurried over to embrace him just as a louse crawled up from under the collar of his shirt. Sansa drew back slightly and he quickly reached up and squashed it with an apologetic look. She then stepped forward to hug him with a smile. But Father had seen the louse and he made a disgusted sound. “Don’t get your sister dirty, Raynard,” he chided. “Why is my son so filthy?” he threw at Lothor Brune. “He washed before the climb, milord. He seemed fine enough to me.” “Obviously, you’re not much of a judge of these things.” Littlefinger turned his eyes back to them and Sansa stepped back from her brother. “Alayne, take your brother to his chambers and make sure he is presentable before he returns to the hall,” he said before he finished in a whisper, “You wanted him here.” “Yes, Father. Come, Brother,” she beckoned and Robb followed her from the hall. “Sansa,” he began again before they were even out of earshot. “Don’t call me that,” she hissed. Seeing his look of chagrin, she softened her tone, “I am Alayne and you are Raynard. We are safe here but only so long as we remember who we are now.” Robb made no answer to that and followed her to the chambers next to hers that Lord Baelish had chosen for him to use. A maid was in the room when they entered and Sansa bade her to fetch hot water for a bath. When they were finally alone in the room together, Sansa rushed to his arms to be held like she wanted earlier. He smelled terrible and he was lousy and she did not care. He was Robb. They were together again and she never wanted to part from him. Robb returned the embrace with equal force and love. “I smell and I’m dirty, Sansa,” he said trying to break the embrace at last as she still clung to him. “I don’t care. You’re finally here.” “The little girl I knew would’ve cared a great deal,” he chuckled. “I am not the girl you knew anymore,” she replied sadly. “Sansa…I’m sorry. I should’ve come for you. I should’ve found a way to get you back. Mother only wanted to get you and Arya back after Father…” She reached up and put two fingers on his lips. “Shush, Raynard. We are here together now. It will do us no good to dwell on the past. You must promise to be a good son and do as Father likes. I could not bear for him to send you away. Promise me?” “He’s not our father,” Robb replied stubbornly. He was always so stubborn. “What’s he going to do, punish me? I am a man grown. If he does not want us here, we’ll go elsewhere.” “Shush and don’t speak so. If you are not good, he will punish me,” she whispered. Robb’s eyes got wide and then narrowed. “What does that mean, Sansa?” “Alayne…I am Alayne,” she said as the door opened. Servants had brought in hot water for his bath. Alayne bid them all to leave once it was full and steaming. Father had told her she must care for her brother while he was here. “You wanted him here and you will tend him, my daughter.” It was a shame the splendid dress would be spoiled.   =============================================================================== ROBB-   “Take your clothes off, Raynard,” she said pointing to the bath.  She said it so matter-of-factly...like she was discussing the weather. “San…Alayne, I can manage my own bath.” Sansa shook her head. “Father said I must make sure you are presentable.  You'll need help with the vermin.  You don't look like you've been treated well either.” She blushed then but met his eye. “I’ve seen a naked man before.” Of course, she was married to the Imp, he thought. “You’ve not seen me naked before…at least not in many years,” he said in an attempt to stall. She wasn’t going anywhere, just standing their with her arms crossed and her eyes darting to the tub.  This was so ridiculous and uncomfortable. “Please, Robb,” she whispered. “Be good and cooperate.” ‘If you are not good, he will punish me.’ What had she meant by that? Robb took off his jerkin, tunic and boots. He motioned for his sister to turn around as he removed his breeches and small clothes. He looked over at the steaming bath. This might be painful. He gently eased himself into the tub. The hot water felt good to his sore muscles but his sore arse and striped back were complaining. He gasped and Sansa turned around at the sound. “Your back,” she cried when she saw it. “It is nothing. It will heal.” She moved over to the tub and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “There will be some scars though,” she said. “I’ve plenty of scars, Sansa…Alayne.” She took a rag from nearby and the soap and knelt down next to him. He was so tired and this seemed like a dream compared with the past few months. He was mesmerized by watching her dip the rag in the water and work the soap into a lather on the cloth. He stared at her face as she worked…her lovely face. She motioned for him to lean forward as she cleansed his back. He hissed with the terrible sting of the soap but most of the lash marks had closed and it was only the few that were still open that hurt. Sansa dipped a small bucket in the water in front of him and then poured it over his back. The warm water felt better this time as the soap was rinsed away. His arse was no longer hurting either. Once he had adjusted to the sensation, the warmth seemed to actually feel healing down there. He didn’t want to speak of that to Sansa though. Sansa filled the bucket again and tipped it over his head. She took the soap in hand again and washed his hair and his beard thoroughly. Her fingers massaged his scalp and his eyes fluttered closed with the comfort of her gentle touch. Once she was done with the soap, he felt her fingers pinching at his hair and when he opened his eyes she was wiping her hands on a dry cloth.  She had pulled out a fine-toothed comb and started working in through his hair and beard. The lice, he remembered. Her beautiful gown was wet down the front from washing him. He was ashamed that his beautiful, gentle sister was on her knees washing him and pulling lice from his hair and body. But he also felt great love and affection towards her knowing that she was willing to do this for him. The girl who would cry if someone spilled something on her dress was no more. He watched her work and tried to reconcile this Sansa with the one he had always known. “We will need to trim your hair and beard. It will make it easier to get rid of them all.” Robb only nodded as he had just noticed how wet the bodice of her gown had become. He could see the outline of her nipples, pebbled and straining against the soft fabric as she worked. Robb swallowed hard and closed his eyes. She’s your sister, he reminded himself.   He took over washing the rest of himself after she was satisfied with his hair and beard for the moment and she sat in the chair by the fire, warming a towel for him. “I’m sorry about your wife,” she whispered. Robb was not sure he had heard her at first. Her eyes were sparkling with tears when he glanced at her. “I’m sorry about your mother,” she said next. “Our mother,” he replied. “Yes, our mother.” “And do you…your husband…” He wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask exactly and he gestured helplessly at her. “He was good to me,” she whispered back. “But…he’s a Lannister…” “The best of them though. I am still a maid and he was good to me.” Still a maid? He was surprised by that. She was much younger than Lord Tyrion, just a girl still, but he was surprised given the man’s reputation for whoring that he would leave such a beautiful bride untouched. He reached for the towel and motioned for her to turn around again as he dried off. Her gown had started drying by the fire but it was soiled now. Sansa laid out fresh clothes for him to don but told him to leave his shirt off for the moment.  She placed a stool by the fire and told him to sit.  She then began trimming his hair and beard. “Is there no man here to do this? Are there no servants to attend us?” “Father said it would be my job to attend you...it was agreed that I would do so to have you here. I do not mind.” Well, maybe I mind, he thought. “Mother always cut your hair when you were little. She cut Bran and…” she stopped with a gasp. “I’m sorry, Raynard. Sometimes I forget myself and say things that make no sense at all.” She stepped away and the door to his chambers opened. Littlefinger stood in the doorway for a moment observing them both before he came in and closed the door behind him.  Robb reached for his shirt and put it on.  “My, my…you look far more respectable now, my son.” Robb eyed him coldly and did not speak. Littlefinger’s smile turned sour. “You are dirty, Alayne. You will need to change.” She nodded. “Does he know his name now?” he asked Sansa. “Yes, Father.” She looked over at him with imploring eyes. “So, who are you?” “I am Raynard…your son,” he said uneasily. Lying was not something he was accustomed to in the slightest. Littlefinger smirked and turned to Sansa. “And, who are you?” “I am Alayne, Father. Who else would I be?” The lie rolled off her tongue like honey and she smiled sweetly at the man. What has he done to you, sweet sister? Robb wondered. Chapter End Notes Sorry if Sansa seems strange or out of character in this fic. She is dealing with identity issues from playing a role at the Eyrie for a good while now. Also, she was a captive for years in Kings Landing playing a role there as well. It's bound to blur the lines a bit for an adolescent girl but she's not got a significant psychological disorder like split personality or anything. She is also extremely reluctant to speak her mind. Robb's going to help her work through this in time. ***** Chapter 4 ***** Chapter Summary Poor, poor Sansa... ROBB-   Robb had been at the Eyrie for nearly a moon when he finally felt recovered from Walder Frey’s dungeon and the torments he had endured there. His body had healed. There were some scars on his back but not that many. The emotional scars were still with him though. He woke in a cold sweat some nights after dreaming of the wedding or his time in the dungeon. Melancholy would still strike him unexpectedly and with devastating force at times. He had lost so much that night…he had lost so much altogether. But, Sansa’s devotion to his care and unconditional love helped more than he could’ve imagined. His beautiful little sister was stronger than he ever knew in some ways but fragile, too. He worried over her constantly. She was all he truly had left. If he lost her, where would he be?   During this time, they had spent as much time as they could talking quietly together in the godswood that contained no trees. At those times, Sansa seemed more like the sister he remembered from Winterfell. She was no longer a little girl with her head filled with songs but she smiled more and laughed with him over happy memories. And, she did not always correct him for calling her Sansa when he slipped if they were alone together there and occasionally she would even call him Robb. Alone there they shared stories about the lives of King Robb and Lady Sansa. It was almost as if they were telling tales about other people instead of truths about themselves and somehow that made Sansa more willing to talk. His sister learned about King Robb’s battles from his point of view instead of what the Lannisters had told her. She learned about his wife and how he had broken his marriage pact with the Freys out of love. He told her about King Robb’s direwolf and the men that fought by his side. She also learned of his betrayals by Theon, Lord Karstark and even their Mother before he was finally betrayed by the Freys and the Boltons. Lady Sansa’s experiences in Kings Landing were difficult to listen to but she told them as though it were a history lesson of dark times that had happened long, long ago and not touched her personally. From Lady’s death to Father’s execution, King Robb learned about her time in Kings Landing. He heard more than he could stomach about Joffrey’s torments and Cersei’s cruelty as well. She told him of her marriage to Lord Tyrion and her escape from Kings Landing. She told it all over the weeks whenever they had time alone together. But, King Robb did not speak about some things and Lady Sansa was noticeably silent about Lord Baelish’s strange attentions and their Aunt Lysa’s sudden death.   But inside the castle, she was always Alayne. She was sweet and courteous like Sansa but Alayne did things that Robb couldn’t quite see Sansa doing. She often waited on him like a servant which annoyed him. Except when I bathe, he thought with shame. She still would come to his chambers when he bathed and he had not put a stop to it. She didn’t wash him now. She would sit by the fire holding his towel and talking to him. And, he didn’t ask her to stop because he didn’t want her to. If he were honest, he wanted to feel her gentle touch again. It shamed him but it didn’t stop the desire to be touched by her again like the day he arrived. He could tell Lord Baelish was not truly pleased by his presence. He wondered why he bothered having him brought here at all. He could easily have just let them take me on to Kings Landing. Whatever Sansa wanted, he could’ve easily lied and said it was impossible. Sometimes, Robb could not hold his tongue and he would quarrel with his ‘father.’ When he did, Alayne always wept and begged him to stop, to be good. One day, he found her weeping in her chambers after he had just seen Baelish leave them and he asked her of it. “Don’t worry about it, Raynard,” she said wiping her eyes. “You are here with me. There is nothing to tell.” “How can you expect me to believe that?” he asked. “I am still a maid,” she said with a tremor. “What does that have to do with anything?” he asked before the strangeness of that statement hit him. He looked with dawning horror at his sister. “You are a maid but he does other things to you, doesn’t he?” She only renewed her weeping and he held her in his arms and murmured nonsensical words of comfort in her ear until she quieted. “He says he will send you back to our enemies if I do not obey or you do not behave.” Robb could not believe what he was hearing. He didn’t care about the threats made against him. It infuriated him that Baelish had this much control over her by using her love for him. “I will kill him,” he swore angrily. “No! No! Do not speak of such things. You have no sword, Raynard. Lothor is always with Father. You would be killed and it would be worse for me then. And I could not bear to lose you. You are my only comfort here.”   Robb stood in the great hall the next day to watch Little Lord Robin hold court for the first time since he had arrived. He was dressed in a fine new tunic and jerkin that befitted Lord Baelish’s son…even a bastard son. But he felt naked with no sword on his hip.  I’ve been naked for quite a while now then. Few petitioners came all the way up the mountain to be heard at the Eyrie. Most of the lord’s business was handled by Lord Royce below at Runestone and if he felt the matter warranted the Lord of the Eyrie’s attention, he would send word and await a response. But today there were a dozen matters brought before Lord Arryn and Lord Baelish. Lord Baelish handled most of the matters smoothly and the boy sat in his high seat playing with his doll. Robb could not get over what a strange little boy Robin was. At one point, a vassal lord did not like the answers given by Lord Baelish. He spoke harshly to Lord Baelish and asked for Lord Arryn’s opinion. But Robin did not like the way the man had spoken to his Uncle Petyr. “I don’t like this bad man, Uncle Petyr. I want to see him fly. Make him fly!” Baelish said that they would do no such thing and Robin became irate. “I am the Lord of the Eyrie! I can make anyone fly that I want to! Make him fly, I say! NOW!!” The boy’s eyes looked feverish and his hands started to tremble. Sansa had been standing next to Robb but she was watching Robin closely and rushed up the steps to his seat. She was whispering in the boy’s ear and holding his hands in her own. He buried his face in her bosom and shook while all the court pretended not to notice…except Robb. He could not contain his disdain at this pathetic boy’s behavior. When the boy had calmed down again, he made Sansa sit next to him in his seat. He sat there in her lap, nuzzling at her chest and playing with his doll. Robb could see the tears and snot left on the bodice of her dress from the little lord. What is this strange place and these even stranger people? I must find a way to take her from here. The last matter of the day was a servant that had been caught stealing. This time when Robin demanded that he fly, no one raised an objection. Two guards stepped forward and undid the latches on the large round moon door on the floor in the center of the hall beneath the high seat. They pulled open the doors and the wind that could always be heard around the edges suddenly roared into the hall like a great beast. Robb felt his hair blowing with the wind and stepped closer to the edge to look over. Sansa had told him of it but he had never before seen it open. He could see the tops of the clouds below and then far, far down, the side of the mountain. “Make him fly! Make him fly!” Robin was chanting. The servant struggled and begged but the guards shoved him forward and out the moon door. Robb looked up at Sansa. She was pale with fear as her hair blew around her face. Next to her, Robin laughed and pranced as though he had just heard the funniest joke. Robb felt sickened.   =============================================================================== SANSA-   Today Alayne was happy but she would never admit it…not to anyone except maybe Raynard if he was nice. Father was going to visit some of the lords of the Vale and would be gone a moon at least. He told Alayne that he would expect her to care for Sweet Robin and her brother while he was away. She frowned to herself for a moment. At dinner last night, Raynard had been sullen and disrespectful. He had spoken unkindly to Father and even threatened to leave and take Alayne with him. Father had only smirked at him and Alayne knew that she would have to pay for Raynard’s behavior once again. He had made her touch him again last night. She didn’t like it but Alayne did what she must to keep Raynard safe and with her. Raynard had angered Father and Father said if he wouldn’t behave than she must obey or he would send Raynard away. Father made her take off her shift and then lay on the bed. He took off his clothes and knelt over her. He put her hand on his member and told her to make it hard. She stroked his shaft until he was hard while pressing her eyes tightly together. When he tired of her inexperienced efforts, he batted her hand away and took himself in hand. He bade her to watch then and she opened her eyes. The red and swollen thing was frightening to Alayne but she would do as she was bid. With a sudden grunt, he spilled his seed across her body and collapsed across her for a moment while his breathing slowed. Then he rose and said, “You’re dirty, Alayne. Clean yourself.” And Father watched her clean her body of his seed with a cold, wet rag. “You are still a maid,” he said as he left her.   “Be good, my daughter,” Father said before he rose from the table where they were breaking their fast. Raynard had not joined them. Has something happened to him? Father has not even asked about him. She tried to still her nerves and smiled sweetly at him. “A kiss for your father, Alayne,” he beckoned.  She rose and kissed his cheek chastely, just as Sansa Stark would’ve done to Lord Eddard Stark ages ago. “I’ll be gone a long time. You can do better, I think.” Alayne glanced at the servant standing in the hall who was studiously ignoring them both at the moment. She pressed a kiss to his lips for two heartbeats before she moved back. His smile did not reach his eyes but he only nodded and left.   Alayne looked for Raynard in the godswood but he was not there. She peeked in the great hall but it was empty. She heard Sweet Robin sniffling near the library and avoided him. Finally, she tried Raynard’s chambers. She knocked and was bid to enter. He was still abed but awake. It’s nearly midday,she thought with concern. “Are you ill, brother?” she asked. “No,” he replied unhappily. “What is wrong then?” she asked. He groaned and put his hands over his face. “I don’t want to be here anymore, Sansa. I want to leave but I can’t leave without you. Would you go with me if I could find a way to get us out of here?” She closed his chamber door so no one would hear them speaking and crept over to his bed. “Where would we go?” she whispered. “Home?” he mused. Alayne shook her head. “Home is a ruin. The Boltons hold the North now.” “We could take a ship to one of the Free Cities then.” “I would like that. I wouldn’t mind going there with you.” Raynard propped up on the bed for a moment and Alayne noticed he was only wearing his small clothes. His arms and chest were muscular. So much more muscular than Father. His reddish brown hair and beard were shining in the light spilling across his bed from the high window. His blue eyes were bright and he was smiling. Such a handsome brother. “Lay with me,” he said as he moved over to one side of the bed. She laid down next to him. Somehow this didn’t seem the same as laying on the bed with Father over her. She felt safe with Raynard. He would never hurt her. He rolled to his side to face her and began to stroke her face lovingly. “Would we go to Pentos or Braavos or Lys?” she asked, wanting to continue their game. “Volantis,” he answered. “My wife was from Volantis.” He looked so sad at that. She reached out her hand and placed it on his bare chest. “So far away,” she said quietly as she started to gently stroke the skin above his heart and ran her fingers through the light hair there. “No one would know us there…we could be anyone,” she continued. He moved his hand up to clasp her own and brought it to his lips. He softly kissed it and looked at her intently. “You are so beautiful, Sansa.” “Alayne,” she corrected. “Alayne,” he said with a slight sneer. “You are beautiful, Alayne. Tell me, do you think it’s true what they say about bastards? That we are born of lust and sin and lustful creatures in turn?” “I…I don’t know. You shouldn’t say such things.” “I think I should,” he taunted. “If you are determined that I am Raynard and a bastard, perhaps I will act like one.” He leaned across the bed and brought his lips to her own. His kiss was feather light at first and she was ashamed to realize that she wanted it, she wanted to feel his kiss. His lips seemed to meld into her own slowly and a gasp escaped her lips. “We shouldn’t!” she said, breaking away. “We should,” he responded as he renewed the kiss. This time it was not as gentle. His lips seared her own and his tongue licked at her bottom lip probing for entrance to her mouth. She moaned and opened her mouth for him. She felt an unfamiliar sensation building in her tummy and traveling down between her legs. She had never been kissed like this before but she found that she liked it…she liked being kissed by her handsome brother. He claimed her mouth hungrily and his hand came up to hold the back of her head, forbidding any retreat. She grew braver and, when she timidly met his tongue with her own, she was rewarded with the low groan he let out. He pulled her body closer to his. She moved her hand up and down his strong arm and allowed him even further into her mouth. “Alayne…Alayne…” he whispered in between their kisses. “You taste so sweet and I ache for you, sister. I am lost here and I seek the comfort of your touch.” His husky voice and delicious words made her ache for him, too. She made hungry little sounds of her own in the back of her throat as he moved from her lips and started kissing along her jaw and then down to her neck. The sensation in her cunny was growing stronger and she rubbed her legs together hoping the friction would help alleviate the desire pooling in her sex. It didn’t help. It only made her want more. Raynard noticed what she was doing and smiled as he moved his free hand over to her mound and cupped her over her skirts. She rocked against his hand instinctively and felt the most delightful pleasure. “Oh…Raynard…I…” I want you to do that without my skirts in the way, she had started to say. The shock of that wanton thought broke the spell. This is wrong…we must stop. “Raynard, you must stop,” she said as she tried to push him away. “Raynard does not want to stop,” he said as he continued kissing her neck and his hand continued to send those wicked jolts of desire shooting through her core. “Robb…please,” she pleaded. He broke away from her neck and moved his hand then. He was panting as he looked into her eyes. His eyes were dark and filled with passion but he suddenly looked pained and rolled to his back, sweeping his hands away from her and back over his face. “Go,” he breathed out at last. And Sansa fled. ***** Chapter 5 ***** Chapter Summary Little Robsa smut in this one... ROBB-   Every day, a little further down the path that has no turning…Robb had hated himself that first day when he had kissed and touched his sister in very unbrotherly ways. He had hated himself even more when she had left and he had grasped his aching cock and pleasured himself. He had tried to think of Talisa or any other woman. But images of Sansa…Sansa’s mouth, her hair, her body…consumed his mind and he cried out her name into his pillow as he spilled. The next day, he was eaten alive with guilt. What would Father think? What would Mother think? What would my brothers and other sister think? He remained in his chambers all day and avoided her. The day after that though he woke up hard and aching and pleasured himself once more while he thought of his sister, Sansa. When his mind tried to remind him of the revulsion their family would surely feel, he said to himself, ‘What difference does it make? They’re all dead but Jon anyway.’ And he pushed the thought of Jon Snow easily from his mind as he rose after he finished.   He found a servant and asked for his sister’s whereabouts. He found her in the dining hall with the maester trying to convince Robin to eat. The boy sat with a stubborn little jut of his jaw, eyeing his porridge with disdain. “I wanted eggs!” he shouted. “There are no eggs today, Sweet Robin. Those naughty chickens would not give us a single one. Eat your porridge and we’ll make them lay you an egg tomorrow,” Sansa was saying. “I hate porridge! I won’t eat this!” And he threw the bowl across the table covering Sansa and the maester with its contents. “You ungrateful little arse!” Robb roared at him. “How dare you treat Alayne and the maester with so little respect? Someone should teach you manners.” As he strode towards the terrified boy, Sansa moved in front of him and pressed her hands to his chest to stop him. “No, Raynard! Don’t! Apologize to Lord Robin at once!” “I don’t like your brother, Alayne! I don’t want him here!” Robin was shouting. The maester was urging the boy to stay calm and Robin reached up and smacked the old man on the nose with his spoon. “That’s it!” Robb shouted and pushed past Sansa. He pulled the boy up out of his chair with one hand and slapped him across the jaw. “You deserve to be whipped, you wretched boy!” Why am I hitting this pathetic excuse for a boy? It’s Baelish I’d rather strike. He let go of Robin who sank to the floor and began to sob and shout curses at him. He wanted Raynard to leave. He wanted Raynard to fly. Robb leaned over him and growled, “If you ever treat Alayne like that again, maybeI will make you fly!” Sansa and the maester looked on in horror as if Robb had just grown fangs and a tail but the boy began to shake and tremble. “Alayne,” the maester said when he noticed, “help me take him to his rooms. He’ll need to be dosed.” “Seven hells! Leave her be. She’s not a bloody servant. I’ll carry the boy to his rooms for you.” Robb scooped the shaking boy into his arms and strode to Robin’s chambers with the maester at his heels.   The maester was clucking around the room like a chicken, looking for something for the boy. Perhaps he’ll lay an egg. Robb’s temper had cooled by the time he’d laid the boy on his bed. Robin had pissed himself in his fit and was shaking uncontrollably. The Lord of the Eyrie and Protector of the Vale…what a pitiful sight. “You should not have done that, Raynard. If a guard had been present, they would’ve thrown you in a sky cell for striking our lord. It’s death to raise your hand to your liege lord.” I recall saying those words myself once. “Your father is gone…” My father is dead. “Without Lord Baelish here, you and your sister must be careful.” I honestly feel rather safer with him gone. “You are right, Maester Coleman,” Robb finally said. “I am sorry and will apologize to the lord when he wakes.” The maester’s stern expression softened. “No, young man. You were right to act as you did. Someone should’ve taken the boy in hand years ago.” How about you? Maester Luwin would’ve boxed my ears for that behavior as a boy. “I will say nothing of what occurred this morning. I will give him a small dose of Sweetsleep now and he will likely not remember it. Or if he does, he will question whether it was real. But do not provoke his ire again, especially if there are guards about.” “Yes. Thank you, maester.”   Robb left to find his sister once more. He knocked on her chamber door and was bid to enter. Sansa was in just her shift. She and her maid were trying to wipe the porridge off the brown woolen dress she had been wearing. There was porridge in her hair still and her face was not completely clean. “My sister needs a bath,” Robb said to the maid. The maid looked at Sansa and then back at him. “Yes, milord,” she finally said. Milord? It’s been a while since I felt like one. Sansa’s eyes narrowed when the maid was gone. “How could you be so stupid?! He could’ve had you thrown into a cell! If Father had been here…” she trailed off but then continued, “You can’t be so impetuous. Do you care nothing for me?” I care for nothingbutyou, he wanted to say. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t like the way you are treated here.” She sat down and looked at herself in the large looking glass. She looked at her hair. Robb moved closer and looked at her through the mirror. He wore a contrite expression. The one that had gotten him out of trouble with their lady mother many times as a boy. Her lips suddenly quirked into a smile and a laugh escaped. She quickly tried to smother it and said, “Don’t try that with me. You could’ve been in so much trouble…but thank you…for defending me and the maester.” “Ah, yes. I defended you and the old man from the frightening 9 year-old…quite a brave knight, I am.” At that, she laughed again which made him laugh with her. When three servants returned with buckets of steaming water, they eyed Raynard and Alayne with suspicion for laughing like fools for no apparent reason.   ===============================================================================   SANSA-   The bath was full and she dismissed the servants. He stood looking at her. Alayne felt a slight tremble come over her and waited for him to leave. He didn’t leave. “You should go, Raynard,” she said at last. “No. I don’t think I will. You have watched me bathe countless times since I came here. I think I stay here with you,” he said in a deep and husky voice. His eyes seemed darker than normal and there was something deliciously sinful in his gaze. I would like that, she thought with just a touch of shame. Alayne is a bastard born of lust and sin. “Take your shift off, Alayne,” he said as he stepped closer. He was very close now. She could hear him breathing, almost as though he was trying to catch his breath. “Only if you’ll join me,” she replied. His eyes widened and she could tell he was surprised by her boldness. She hoped he would not refuse. “The tub is not so large,” he said with a playful smirk. “It is large enough if you will sit behind me.” “Sansa…” he breathed. He looked like he were in pain. She didn’t want that but perhaps she liked feeling this sort of power over him…just a bit. Alayne is a wicked girl.  “Alayne…” she countered. He growled then and motioned for her to raise her arms. He lifted her shift over her head. He carefully placed it by the bed and then looked at her. It wasn’t like when Father looked at her. Raynard’s eyes were hungry but loving, too. She felt a chill and gooseflesh spread across her arms and her nipples hardened. Her brother swallowed and licked his lips. He was gazing at her teats and then down at the downy red curls at her womanhood. She found that she felt no shame much to her surprise. “You should get undressed now,” she said. “The water will get cold.” She watched him take off his clothes slowly. She had seen him completely bare many times now. Father had asked her if she found her brother comely. She had not answered but she suspected that he already knew the answer. Alayne studied him as intently as he had been studying her a moment ago. His cock was not fully hard but it looked different than it did in the bath. The thatch of dark auburn hair around it looked soft but not as soft as the curls on his head. And even only partly erect, he was larger than Father. What would it feel like to touch him? I think I wouldn’t mind that. Before she could move towards him though, he turned and climbed into the tub. He motioned for her to join him. He spread his legs and she sat between them. The water was warm and comforting…like his touch. He saw the faint scars on her back and caressed them. “What are these?” “Joffrey….the Kingsguard…I was punished a few times.” He sucked in an angry hiss but then she felt him laying gentle kisses on the ones he could reach easily. His fingers traced the others. There was one on her hip that he could not possibly see but he must’ve felt because soon his hand had moved down there to gently rub. She did not want him to take his hands away from her body. “Why did they punish you?” “If I spoke against him…if I displeased him…if you won a victory…” she managed to say as a sob escaped her chest. “My sweet sister. How could anyone treat you so, my beauty?” He wrapped his arms around her and held her there. No one had held her as she cried like this is a long time. Father had held her when she cried over King Robb’s fate but not like this. His arms were strong but kind. He held her firmly against him but with love while she cried.   Raynard took the cloth and washed her face. He helped her wash her hair until all of the sticky porridge was gone. He had laid back in the tub once she was clean and she leaned back into his arms again enjoying the feeling of the warm water while being held. She could feel his hard cock pressing into the soft curve of her arse but he stayed still and didn’t ask for anything. “This is not right, holding you like this, but I cannot find it in myself to feel bad about it,” he finally said. “Nor I,” she answer. “Is there something wrong with us? Are we depraved and hopeless creatures now? Broken and ruined beyond repair? Is that what they have done to us, Raynard?” “I don’t know. The man I was would never have wanted this. I would never have sought to dishonor my sister so.” “You have not dishonored me. We are taking a bath.” “Yes, but I want to do more than bathe with you.” She turned her face into his and kissed him lightly on the side of his mouth, her lips grazing his beard and lips alike. “Like what?” she asked then. Robb moved his hands from the side of the tub to her teats that were bobbing gently in the water. “Like this,” he whispered in her ear. He ran his calloused hands gently over her nipples and Alayne gasped with the pleasure of his touch. She watched as her nipples became hardened buds once more under his touch and wanted more. “Can you touch me…down there?” she pleaded, jerking her chin downward. One hand remained at her breasts, palming and tugging at a nipple until she was whimpering before he moved it to the other. His other hand moved down into the water below her navel and cupped her mound as he had two days earlier. Only this time, there were no clothes in the way. His fingers traced her skin with a light, teasing touch and she let out a huff of frustration. He chuckled darkly behind her and she could feel the vibration of that chuckle throughout her body. But then, his fingers probed more firmly along her folds until he found the little bud of pleasure Alayne had discovered for herself not so very long ago. “There, Raynard. Touch me there.” He growled in her ear, “I don’t want to be Raynard now. I’m Robb. Call me Robb or I’ll stop.” “Touch me, Robb. Please don’t stop,” she whispered. His fingers explored her bud until she thought she might explode beneath his touch. Her cheeks were flushed and not from the water which had started to cool. He had one hand on her breast and the other between her legs and she let out a desperate moan. “Have you ever come, Sansa?” “Alayne...” she started to say. He bit the side of her neck. “You’re Sansa,” he said, “or I’ll stop.” “I’m Sansa,” she moaned and he slid a finger inside her cunny. “Oh, gods…please don’t stop, Robb,” she cried. He slid another finger inside and used his thumb to massage her bud relentlessly. “You are so tight, sweet sister. So fucking tight. Gods, I want to feel you wrapped around my cock but for now this is enough. I’m going to make you come. I want to hear you say my name, love.” Sansa moaned louder at this words and felt like she was climbing towards something she had never known. He began kissing her neck and jaw, his tongue lashing her skin with delightful swipes as his beard scraping lightly across her soft skin. He nipped at her ear and whispered sweet and dirty things to her. He took her over the precipice she had been trying to reach. He had pushed her over and now she was falling or flying and breaking apart into a million pieces from his touch alone. “Oh, Robb…” she whimpered once the feeling started to fade. He kissed the side of her neck gently now where he had bitten her earlier. “You’re clean, Sansa,” he said and he lifted her from the tub and handed her a towel. ***** Chapter 6 ***** Chapter Summary More Robsa smut followed by Sansa doing a little scheming to help their cause. Robb gets an attack of conscience. SANSA-   “You’re clean, Sansa,” he had said. She shouldn’t feel clean after what he did to her but she did. His touch was sweet and loving. I’m Sansa…I’m his Sansa. She didn’t want him to leave her side now. They were dry but not dressed and, as he reached for his tunic, Sansa stayed his hand. “Robb…I want to touch you…like you touched me.” “Sansa, it’s different with men…it’s messier and it would be…” “I know that.” Robb looked at her closely and asked, “How do you know?” “It’s how he punishes me. He makes me touch him until he spills on me. He says I’m dirty when he does it. But I wouldn’t feel dirty with you.” Robb’s eyes filled with tears and she heard the rage coming out in the way his voice shook when he said, “I have to get you out of here. I need a sword. We need to find a way off this accursed mountain…I won’t let him touch you ever again.” She smiled at him and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Don’t think of that now, sweet brother. Let me love you. He’ll be gone for days and days still. We can plan but first…” Robb’s eyes darted between the door and then to the bed. The door was barred and the bed was unmade. He was hesitant she could tell so she grasped his hand and tugged him along. “Come, Robb. Come lay with me.” Sansa laid on her side facing him feeling the excitement of something new bubbling under her skin as he looked at her. He was not comfortable with this and yet his eyes were full of desire. She felt a wetness between her legs and mentioned it. “Why is it like that?” “It’s normal for a woman to be wet when she’s excited that way, Sansa. It prepares her to…you know, accept the man.” He had covered his face as he finished but she could see the blush on his cheeks and smiled to herself. “But she doesn’t have to be wet?” “No, she doesn’t but it’s better for her if she is.” Robb reached down between her legs.  He gently eased his fingers between her folds. “Oh, gods, Sansa. You are wet. This is going to be difficult for me.” “Why?” “Because, feeling you like this…you lying there like that…it makes me want to love you…to fuck you,” he blushed even redder as he said it. Sansa didn’t think she’d ever seen a lovelier sight than her handsome brother blushing in bed next to her. “Why don’t you then?” “You’re my sister, Sansa. We’ve already done terribly wrong things together but I don’t intend to go even further.” “I wish you would. He’s going to do it to me eventually. I know he is. I don’t want him to…not ever. I want you though. I’d like to think you could be the one to take my maidenhead.” Robb groaned, “Sansa, my sweet girl…please, stop talking like that.” Sansa moved over and kissed his mouth. He tried to resist her at first and stayed still but, when she teasingly bit at his lip, he growled and kissed her back with passion. His tongue slid in her mouth and she started writhing as the sensation of need between her legs became intolerable. He slid his thigh between her thighs and Sansa moved against it, moaning at the delightful friction she had found. He rolled her to her back and kissed her mouth some more before he moved down her body to her breasts. He took a nipple in his mouth and suckled and teased until she was bucking her hips up trying to chase something she wasn’t catching. He kept his hot tongue on a breast but slid his hand between her legs again. She came again like in the tub but, when he started to kiss his way lower, she stopped him. “Robb,” she said breathlessly, “I want to make you feel good now.” She sat up and pushed him to his back. She started kissing his mouth and then neck. She liked the way his beard grazed her soft skin. She was soon working her way down his body to pepper his chest lightly with kisses. She moved further down his stomach and the followed the line of hair from below his navel down to his manhood. “Sansa…” he said as she looked at him before taking his cock into her mouth. Robb hissed out a curse and begged her to stop. Sansa moved her mouth over him, kissing and sucking and slurping as she felt his cock become fully hard again in her mouth. She had no experience at this but she thought she was doing well when he started begging her not to stop. He grasped her hair and pushed her further down than she had gone before. It caught her by surprise and she gagged. He stilled and apologized but she wasn’t frightened of him. She knew he’d never force her to do something she didn’t want to do and she loved him so much for that. Pleasing him was pleasing to her. She leaned back over him to being again, relaxing to adapt to the increased fullness when he went further in her mouth. She pulled him in as deep as she could take him, licking and sucking and making him moan. “Gods, Sansa. Don’t stop…please, don’t stop. It’s been so long…I…wait, I don’t want to come in your mouth.” He started trying to pull her off him but Sansa shoved his hands away and kept steadily working his cock in her mouth while one hand held the base of his shaft. “Sansa…I can’t…I’m going to come, sweetheart…Oh, gods…fuck, Sansa! Unngh!” She felt his seed pulsing into her mouth, far back towards her throat as he grunted and lost control. His hips were bucking beneath her at a frenzied pace as he cried out. She gagged and spit but he didn’t complain. And he didn’t tell her she was dirty. Afterwards, he pulled her to him and lovingly stroked her back and hair, saying such sweet things. “Sansa, my love…what are we going to do?” he asked breathlessly. “We’re going to find you a sword and find a way off this mountain and then we’ll sail far away together…if you’d like that.” “I would, dearest,” he said as he kissed her again. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do.”   =============================================================================== ROBB-   Robb laid in his bed that night thinking of Sansa in the next room. He remembered her sweet mouth upon him from the morning and took himself in hand. He was achingly hard already. So fucking wrong, you disgusting animal, he thought but only increased his pace. Once he spilled, he laid back and remembered what he had done to her next. In his mind, he could still smell her…taste her on his lips. After she had pleasured him with her mouth, he had done the same to her. Her eyes had gotten wide when he lowered himself between her legs and licked his lips. “Robb…you can’t…” “Why ever not? You just did it to me.” “I don’t know…I didn’t know it could work that way…does it?” He had laughed at her innocence and she had gotten a bit cross before her big blue eyes looked at him so sweetly and she had asked, “What will it be like?” “You’ll like it, sweet girl. I promise.” He had done it several times to Talisa so he was confident he could please her but Sansa’s response had been so unexpected. She started sobbing after she came and Robb feared maybe he had done it all wrong. But, she soon wrapped her arms around his neck and made him swear to never leave her. She had been overwhelmed by the pleasure he had willingly given her, so touched by his desire to please her. It only made him want more of her. But, when she pledged her undying love to him, shame and guilt rose up to smother him. He loved her, he did but he had not meant for things to be like this between them and he worried what their lives would be like beyond the cocoon of this day in her room when no one was concerned with their whereabouts. How do we get away? Where will we go and do we live as man and wife instead of brother and sister if we ever do get away?   Robb reached down and wiped his cooled seed off his stomach and got up to wash his hands in the basin. He sipped some wine from the goblet he had carried back to his chambers from dinner. Little Lord Robin had not been present for dinner. The maester said the child was still sleeping. Sansa said he had trouble sleeping at night sometimes and would shuffle into her room and wish to sleep with her. She admitted she sometimes barred her door at night but mostly she gave in rather than have a fight. However, he sometimes wet the bed and would even nuzzled at her breasts occasionally as if he wished to suck. According to Sansa, his mother was still letting him have the teat at eight when she died. Disgusting…and how are you any better, Stark? You want to fuck your sister. A knock at the door brought his attention back to the moment. “Who is it?” “Alayne.” Robb padded over to the door in his night clothes. “What are you doing here?” he asked as she scooted past him and into his room. “Bar the door. Robin came looking for me and he’s lying in my bed asleep. I don’t wish to wake covered in piss again.” Robb did as she bid and looked at her standing in his chamber in her nightrail. The fire was low but he could still see the outline of her curves through the thin material. He could see the deeper pink of her nipples beneath the fabric and felt his mouth go dry. “May I sleep in your bed, Robb?” Knowing what he should say, he only nodded and took her hand in his own. When they crawled into bed together, she curled up against him and tucked her head under his chin. “Robb?” “Hmmm?” “What was it like? Being held in the dungeon?” “Why do you ask?” “I know they held Father in a dungeon in the Red Keep. I worried over him so much. His leg had been hurt. I hated to think about them not taking care of him and his leg hurting him.” “It was bad for me. I…Lord Frey hated me and was disappointed that he couldn’t have me killed at the Twins. I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant for Father either. We held the Kingslayer for a long time and his accommodations were not pleasant at all. But we didn’t…I didn’t allow my guards to mistreat him.” “Were you mistreated?” “Yes.” “What did they do?” Robb closed his eyes. He didn’t want to talk about it…not now, maybe never. “Things I don’t want to remember, Sansa.” “Alright…but you could tell me if you ever wanted to.” She nestled her head back down into the crook of his arm. “I was never locked in a dungeon and my rooms were large and comfortable. I was given good food to eat but I was a prisoner all the same. But I know it’s not the same.” “Doesn’t make it right. You weren’t gently treated. You were a girl…a young lady. They should’ve treated you better.” “If you'd held Myrcella Lannister, would you have treated her gently?” “Of course.” “Even after Joffrey took Father’s head?” “Yes, even then.” “You’re so much better than them though,” she said with perfect faith. Sweet girl, you are kind to think so. “You won a victory at Oxcross. Joffrey aimed his crossbow at me in front of the court and threatened to kill me. I cried like the stupid little girl I was. I might have been better off if he had just killed me.” “No, Sansa. Don’t say that.” “He didn’t. He told Ser Meryn to send you a message by beating me…and then he said I was overburdened in my gown and Ser Meryn ripped it. I was so embarrassed to be stripped in front of the court. He beat me with the flat side of his sword before Lord Tyrion came in the throne room and made him stop. They called him half a man and the imp but he was the only man in that room with the courage to stand up to Joffrey. I should’ve been a better wife to him…a true wife.” Robb pulled her close. “I’m sorry, Sansa. I should’ve traded the Kingslayer for you. I was too proud. Too busy wanting to win a war. Mother only wanted you and Arya back. I said my bannermen would turn on me if I traded the Kingslayer for two girls. They turned on me anyway,” he finished bitterly. “Arya was too smart for them. She got away the day they arrested Father…at least I hope she did.” Sansa was quiet and started to nestle down to sleep. I failed her before but now I must protect her…like a brother, not like some twisted wretch. “Sansa, we can’t keep doing the things we did earlier…We are brother and sister…” “I don’t care about that now. You made me Sansa again. I’m tired of being Alayne. I will play along when anyone might hear but when it’s just us, I’m Sansa, your Sansa.” “You’ve always been my Sansa.” “Don’t you love me, Robb?” “Of course I do…it’s just…just sleep, my sweet. Sleep now and I will hold you and keep you safe.”   =============================================================================== SANSA-   A sword. He needs a sword…where to get one? The next morning she had awoken in his arms. He was hard against her belly but when she tried to touch him he had pulled her hand away and gotten up. She returned to her room and dressed silently while Robin slept on. The room smelled of urine of course. A sword…Sansa decided the best course might be a direct approach. She approached one of the younger guards that was always friendly with her. “My brother has trained with swords before but he does not have one now. Do you think there might be a chance the master at arms would allow him to train here?” “I don’t know, Alayne, but I will ask for you," the young man said with a blush.  She flashed her sweetest smile and thanked him. A short time later, the master at arms himself came to Sansa. “Alayne, your father did not mention your brother having any training with arms and did not mention me training him. I should like to please you and your brother but without Lord Baelish’s word…” “Robin is lord here. He wants Raynard to train.” The master at arms quirked a brow at her. I will have to convince Robin quickly. “If Lord Arryn says I am to train your brother, I will do so.” Sansa made sure the egg was prepared just as Robin liked it. She waited for him at the table. She knew he would be late arriving. He entered looking sleepy and grumpy and his nose was snotty. “Good morning, my lord. How strong and fine you look this morning,” she said in a cheerful voice. “Good morning, Alayne. You were gone when I woke.” “Yes,I had to make sure those chickens remembered their duty this morning. And look, a fine egg for you to break your fast.” Robin was pleased and sat down to eat. “This is better than porridge,” he said. “Where is Raynard?” “He may be training with swords this morning but I don’t know for certain, my lord. Did you need him?” “I had a strange dream about him. It was unpleasant.” “Hmmm…dreams can be strange sometimes but they are only dreams. I cry at bad dreams sometimes but I’m sure you do not, my brave lord.” “Would Raynard ever hurt me, Alayne?” “No, Sweet Robin. No one would want to hurt our strong lord especially here in the Eyrie.” He mused on that for a few minutes as he ate his egg and wiped snot on his sleeve. “I didn’t know Raynard could wield a sword.” “Oh, he can but I’m sure he is not as great a swordsman as you will be someday, my lord. The master at arms was uncertain you would allow Raynard to continue training though. I fear some of the men wouldn’t like training with a bastard either,” she said hanging her head. Robin looked thoughtful for a moment. “I don’t mind that he’s a bastard. You’re a bastard but you are my best friend. Perhaps Raynard and I could train together. It’s time I started training, too.” “Really, my lord? I’m sure he’d like that. Would you do me a favor and tell the master at arms that you would like for Raynard to train with you?” “Certainly, if you promise me another egg tomorrow.” “I will do my best for you, Sweet Robin.”   =============================================================================== ROBB-   The boy was hopeless with a sword, even the wooden training sword Ser Artos had given him. Gods, Jon and I would’ve made mincemeat of him by the time we were five, Robb thought sadly. He had been surprised when he was invited to train with the guards that morning but even more so to find the little lord was there as well. Robin had been so happy to see him that Robb wondered if he had been the one given the Sweetsleep the day before. Sansa had warned him to not make Robin look too bad. At the moment though, Robb was sparring with blunted steel against one of the younger guards and winning handily. Ser Artos made no effort to hide his surprise and Robb made no effort to hide his skill. Perhaps I should but it has been so long since I held a blade. He almost felt like he was training again with Jon and Theon under Ser Roderick’s watchful eye. This was not Winterfell though. Instead of a muddy courtyard, they stood on the marble floors of the great hall. The moon door was thankfully closed. “Come on, Raynard!” Robin was shouting. “Finish him!” Sansa had said he had thought he’d dreamed the whole incident with Robb the day before, just as the maester had suggested. The young guard was pressing his attack and Robb ducked back so quickly that the guard lost his balance just long enough for Robb to disarm him. “Well done, Raynard!” Ser Artos said. Robin was hooting and cheering for Robb as though he had money riding on the outcome. Suddenly, Robb was reminded of Bran and Rickon cheering for him or Jon when they had sparred. He felt a tightness in his chest and a bit of guilt over the disdain he felt towards Robin. Ser Artos came over and clapped him on the back. “Your sister made it sound as though you needed training but I confess that I don’t believe there’s anything I need to teach you.” I need more practice though…I’m sorely out of shape for this. “Thank you, Ser Artos. You are too kind. I’ve not held a blade in a good while and hoped I would not embarrass myself this morning.” “Not at all, young man. We must find you a sword of your own. A man who can wield a sword should have one on his hip after all.” “Thank you, Ser Artos…if you think my father won’t be displeased.” “Why would any man be displeased with a son like you?” Because I am not his son and he prefers me helpless.   Robb was sweaty from the exercise when he returned to his chambers. He started stripping his clothes off to wash and change when he realized Sansa stood in the room. She was looking very pleased with herself. “How did it go?” she asked. “It went well. I think they were expecting me to be terrible but pleased that I wasn’t. Ser Artos has said he will find a sword for me.” Sansa came over and put her arms around his waist. He was bare from the waist up and stepped aside to grab his tunic before he could let himself be carried away. “I knew you would win them over,” she said as she stood on her tiptoes to try and kiss him. “No, Sansa,” he said as he turned his head away. “We mustn’t do those things.” Her eyes dropped and she chewed her lip. “Don’t you like me anymore, Robb?” “Of course I do. Don’t be an idiot. I love you but…this will be dangerous enough without us complicating things. We can’t be anything more than brother and sister now.” Sansa was not pleased. He could definitely tell that. She gave a very irritated sniff and marched from the room like a queen. Gods, give me strength, he thought. I’m trying to do right by her. ***** Chapter 7 ***** Chapter Summary Sansa plays a new game. Robb succumbs to his desires. SANSA-   A fortnight remained until Lord Baelish was due to return. Nothing had changed and yet everything had changed. Robb had a sword and was training with the guards. He had made friends with them and Ser Artos. But they were no closer to finding a way to leave the Eyrie. Robb had loved her with his mouth and his hands and his words. And now, he never touched her…not like that anyway. When Littlefinger returned, he would want to make her his again…he’d make her Alayne once more and Sansa could not abide it. She would never be his again if she ever even had been. But, Robb would no longer hold her in his arms the same. He would not kiss her anymore except lightly on the forehead or hand. He smiled at her like a brother most of the time now. But sometimes, she caught him watching her with a different look in his eyes. The look he had had when he had kissed her in his bed the first time, the look he had had when he bathed her and when he had put his mouth on her most private place and given her such pleasure. Now, she was hard pressed to find that look in his eyes. Most of the time, he looked at her as an adoring brother would look at his little sister. It made her feel ill when she realized how much she wanted him to look at her the other way…like a lover. He had started barring his door at night.He bars his door against me as I do against Robin. Sansa was cross and feeling very rejected. You are a dirty girl, a dirty girl who wants her brother in a very improper way. She wasn’t Alayne but she didn’t feel like Sansa Stark either, not when he no longer cared enough to hold her and kiss her. Not when he no longer whispered filthy things in her ear or expressed a desire to fuck her. Even in her mind, she whispered that word…fuck. It felt foreign on her tongue and dirty and yet, she decided that she’d like feeling a bit dirty if it could be with him. Perhaps Sansa Stark really had died in Kings Landing after all.   Robb had been practicing every day with the guards under Ser Artos. He had been so pleased when Ser Artos had given him a sword to wear on his hip. It was no regular sword either. It was not a two-handed great sword like Ice. But it was a hand and halfer, what some men called a bastard sword, and a very fine sword which he was proud to wear.A bastard sword for a bastard, Robb had joked. Sometimes she would watch from the far side of the hall as they trained. Robin liked for Alayne to watch and cheer for him. She rarely cheered for Robb though. She was too cross with him lately. If the men thought it was strange for Alayne to not cheer for Raynard often, they certainly didn’t show it. This day though she cheered for young Hallen when he won his contest, who had helped get Robb in this room to begin with, and was very satisfied with the annoyed glance Robb sent her way. Interesting… Sansa had never attempted to use jealously to her advantage…to win a man. She’d never had any desire to do so but she thought perhaps it might be worth testing a bit. Just another lesson, she told her conscience. The next evening at dinner Sansa was seated next to Robin as usual. It was not really fitting for a bastard to sit at the lord’s table but the Eyrie kept little company since Lady Arryn’s death and there was no one to be shocked at the impropriety of it tonight. Jon always sat at the table with us except when other lords came to visit and that was Mother’s wish that he sit elsewhere, not Father’s. Robb sat a couple of seats down from her and Robin with Ser Artos between them. Hallen was seated at one of the lower tables with the other guards but not too far away. Sansa caught him looking at her during the meal and she gave him a friendly smile. The young man looked away with a blush and took a gulp of his ale. But it wasn’t long before she caught him looking her way once more. She gave him a shyer smile this time and ducked her head looking at him from beneath her lashes for just a moment longer than was needed before she turned her attention back to the little lord at her side. Robin was tired and fussy from ‘training’ this evening and wanted Alayne to escort him to his chambers. She acquiesced at once and hoped he would not decide he wanted to go directly to her chambers instead. To her surprise, Hallen rose from his seat and offered to escort them both. “Surely, that won’t be necessary, ser. We are safe here in the Eyrie and Lord Robert will protect me from any threat,” she said with a becoming blush and a smile just for Hallen. “Of course, my…Alayne, but who will see you safely to your chambers?” the young man asked with such bashfulness. “I will see her safely to her chambers, Hallen. It is certainly my place as her brother,” Robb said with a thunderous expression. The young man shrank before Robb and the other guards were already sniggering in their cups, no doubt preparing to make their japes at Hallen’s expense. Sansa ignored his presence completely as she talked with Sweet Robin on the way to his chambers. “I want an egg tomorrow, too, Alayne. Will you see that there’s an egg?” “Of course, my brave lord. I always do my best for you. Sleep well,” she added with a kiss on the top of his head as she started to leave. “Alayne, I want a story tonight. Will you tell me a story in my room while I settle?” Sansa sighed inwardly. She had been looking forward to ignoring Robb some more…hoping to provoke a response but she merely nodded and headed into his chambers. “Oh, Raynard, you needn’t linger. Despite Hallen’s gallant offer, I can see myself to my chambers perfectly well,” she said with a dismissive nod. The way his eyes had narrowed and his lips had turned into a hard thin line made her smile to herself as she launched into Robin’s favorite story of the Dragon Knight. The next morning in the hall Robb was sparring against Hallen. Well, I can’t be too obvious… Hallen was not well matched for Robb but Robb did not seem himself this morning. He looked tired and sullen and he was not moving with his usual grace and assurance. “Well struck!” she cheered as Robb landed a blow. He looked over at her briefly but longer than was wise and Hallen returned the blow with one of his own. Robb staggered and for a moment her heart was in her mouth fearing that he was injured. But these were blunted practice blades and Robb was soon back on the attack. Hallen managed to land two more good blows and Sansa gave him a cheer. The young guard glanced at her with such open admiration that he probably didn’t even realize his mistake until he was already flat on his back with Robb’s sword at his throat. “Yield,” Robb said with deadly venom as to a foe. “Raynard, well done,” Ser Artos was saying. “Yield!” Robb shouted as Hallen was still gasping from having the wind knocked from him. “I yield,” he managed to croak out. If Robb looked for Sansa’s cheer or disapproval after his victory, he would be disappointed. She had already left the hall with a smirk on her face.   =============================================================================== ROBB-   He was sore and stiff and angry and so very fucking annoyed. Why am I so angry with her? Why am I determined to beat the stuffing out of Hallen who has been nothing but a friend to me? Why am I jealous?  Robb stripped off his clothes to wash feeling thoroughly dissatisfied with himself. He had tossed and turned last night. His cock had been throbbing for attention after her dismissal outside the little lord’s chambers had left him angry and full of want but he had refused to give into the desire to take himself in hand. He knew that if he did it would be her he thought of as he pleasured himself. I’m trying to do what’s right. Lord Baelish was expected in about a fortnight and he wasn’t sure what to do about that either. He had a sword and was back in fighting shape but he still had no idea how to get Sansa and himself safely away from the Eyrie and the Vale. Just getting off the mountain would be a feat unless they wanted to go by the Moon Door. That night Lord Robin was not at dinner. Sansa sat talking with the maester and then Ser Artos and ignored Robb altogether. She was wearing the light gray gown with the silver embroidery he had seen her in the day he had arrived with the wolf necklace. When she rose to excuse herself, he was on his feet in an instant. He was pleased to see Hallen sticking to his ale and barely giving her a glance before he turned to speak with some other guards. He was on her heels as she left the hall but she still didn’t even acknowledge him. “Stop,” he finally said. “Yes, Raynard?” she asked with such wide-eyed innocence. “What are you doing, Alayne?” he asked with more than a little acerbity. “Sweet Robin was not feeling well. I thought I should check on him before I retire.” “Not that. Why are you ignoring me?” “Was I ignoring you, brother? Forgive me. I did not mean to.” “Yes, you did…you are!” “Really, Raynard...remember yourself,” she said with a sniff and turned to walk away. “Sansa,” he hissed as he pulled her back to him. “I won’t be ignored this way.” He pulled her up close with his hands wrapped around her wrists between them. He could smell her sweet scent…soap and a lemony fragrance. “It is you who have put this distance between us, Raynard. I offered you everything and you have denied me. I am only trying to play my part until you find a way to get us out of here. Or perhaps you no longer care about that. Perhaps you plan to leave me here when you go? I’m sure Father would let you go if you wish for that but he will never let me go.” “Everything I am doing is to get us away, dammit. Why are you acting this way?” “I’m only treating you as a sister would as you want. And away to what? We talked of sailing to the free cities together. Is that still the plan? Or do you hope to see your sister left somewhere along the way in some other man’s keeping?” “Is that what you fear? That I’ll abandon you just because I’m trying to treat you as a sister and not as a lover now?” “Why wouldn’t I think that? You’ve already abandoned me before…or were you planning to march on Kings Landing eventually after you bedded your bride, or perhaps once your army managed to take Casterly Rock or maybe even once you rid the North and Winterfell of the Ironborn? You had so many other priorities to consider.” Robb felt like he had been struck and, while part of him wanted to bow his head in shame, another part was filled with fury at her words. “It was more complicated than that!” “Yes, I’m sure you’re right. I’m just a girl after all. What would I know?” His temper got the best of him then and the jealousy and denial of the past few days fanned the flames of want into an enormous conflagration of desire. He pushed her roughly against the wall and began kissing her forcefully as he pinned her with his hands and body. She tried to pull away and protest. “Anyone could see us! Are you mad!?” He shushed her protests by gripping her more tightly and kissing her even more savagely. She was fighting him at first but, when his anger started to wane and he softened his kisses, she moaned. He felt her resolve crumble and she tipped her head back baring her throat in submission. He moved down to kiss her throat. “Is this what you want, Sansa?” he growled huskily, as he kissed and licked and nipped her throat. “You want to be a whore to your brother, is that it? You’d rather be my whore than one of his?” She stiffened and he knew he had made a mistake. He didn’t really mean the words but the little bit of anger and shame that still lingered had forced them to his hips. He let go of her hands and stepped back to apologize and her slap stung his cheek. He knew he deserved it. Her face and throat were flushed and her eyes were bright with unshed tears. “Sansa…” “I am just Alayne it seems and you should leave before Father returns.” “I’m never leaving you. Please, I didn’t mean what I said.” Robb made to reach for her but she hissed, “Don’t touch me again! Leave me alone…you’re good at that.” She shoved him away from her and walked down the hall to her rooms. Robb leaned against the wall cursing his words and his actions and wishing he had never opened his mouth at all.   Robb tried to go to his bed and had tossed and turned but he couldn’t forget the look in her eyes when she had accused him of abandoning her. How has pushing her away helped at all? I thought I was doing what was right but I want her as much as ever. And now, she hates me. He would not abandon her now or ever again. He rose and went to her door. She answered but would not meet his eye. Her fair skin was paler than normal and her eyes were red from crying. My fault. “Sansa…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any of it. You’re all that I have and I was cruel. I love you. I don’t ever want to hurt you again.” She pulled him in and hugged him before she started to cry again. “I love you, Robb. I’m sorry for being wicked and trying to make you jealous. I wanted you to want me. I’m a bad girl for wanting the things I want. I’m sorry.” “You’re not a bad girl, Sansa. You’re just a girl though and it’s wrong of me to take advantage of you.” He let her finish crying and kissed her forehead. She leaned up to kiss his mouth instead and he automatically started to pull back. “No, please stay with me, Robb. I’ll be good if you don’t want me but please stay next to me. I want to be held tonight.” Gods, it’s not that I don’t want you…it’s quite the opposite. “Alright, sweet girl.” He kissed her forehead again and laid next to her waiting for her breathing to become deep and steady before he finally fell asleep, too.   The dream was intensely arousing and Robb’s hand had worked its way down into his breeches. He took himself in hand dreaming of her pinned against the wall again, except this time he held her more sweetly and she kissed him back willingly and he did not allow one stupid word to pass his lips. He imagined her hair spread out around her like a red fan and her pink lips parted for his kiss. He hummed in his throat as he subconsciously stroked his shaft. He had started to wake though when he heard a moan that wasn’t part of the dream. He opened his eyes. The fire was low but he could see that the covers had fallen away and Sansa’s shift was bunched up to her hips. She had her hand down between her legs and she was moaning. Oh, gods…she is touching herself, pleasuring herself…right next to me. Robb grasped his erection harder and let out a groan. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him. He couldn’t exactly hide what he was doing any better than she could. Her eyes were a deep blue in the darkness and her lips were parted just like in his dream. She looked at him intently but did not cease the movement of her hand. Robb fisted his cock and looked back at her just as intently. Her eyes strayed down to see. “Fuck, Sansa…” he grunted. “I…I was thinking of you…dreaming of you and you’re right here. Were you thinking of me?” “Yes, Robb. Can you touch me like you did in the bath?” Robb didn’t need to be asked twice. He let go of his cock and moved his hand down to her folds. She was wet and tight and Robb feared tonight might be the night that his resolve finally failed him. As he started stroking her and fingering her, she moaned and rolled her hips. She was keening to his touch as he was quickly pulling her to her peak. “Like that, Robb. Don’t stop,” she said with desperate need. Robb ignored his own body’s desires for the moment to watch her. “I love giving you pleasure, Sansa. I love seeing you like this. You’re so beautiful when you’re aroused for me.” Sansa started moaning louder as he put his mouth on one of her lovely teats over her shift. “Oh, Robb…oh, gods!” She bucked her hips against his hand and came with a shudder and a sigh. She was still panting and catching her breath after and all restraint had fled from him. He kissed her soundly before he spoke though. “Sansa…can we…gods, this is hard to ask. I want you...” “Yes…oh, yes…Robb, please. I want you so much,” she said so earnestly and he knew there would be no going back. “Take this off. I want to see all you,” he said as he fingered her shift. Once they were both bare, Robb rolled her to her back. “Sansa, I know it’ll hurt but I’ll do my best to bring you pleasure.” Gods, let me try anyway. He kissed her then with passion and love and all the things he had previously been ashamed to confess aloud. Sansa was kissing him back, shyly darting her tongue against his and moaning when he slipped his further into her mouth. Robb kissed his way down her neck and to her breasts, giving both due attention before returning to her mouth. “Now, Robb. I want to feel you inside of me.” He gently spread her thighs and settled himself against her pelvis. He guided his cock to her entrance. She was wet. He hoped she’d be wet enough to not make it unbearable. “Look at me, Sansa,” he said. Her eyes locked on to his as he slowly and painfully pushed his way in.Oh, gods…she’s so tight. He gasped with sweet, delicious agony as she gasped with obvious pain and discomfort. “I’m sorry, sweet girl. Is it too much?” “No…I…don’t stop.” Robb went as slow as he could stand until he felt fully sheathed inside of her. “Gods, Sansa. You feel so amazing…I never want to leave. Are you alright?” “It’s getting better.” She experimented with moving her hips and Robb let out a groan. “Does that feel good to you?” she asked shyly. “Gods, yes…so good.” “Robb…I know you’re not supposed to just be still…” “I’m waiting for you to tell me it’s alright…” Sansa smiled and bucked her hips again. “Oh, fuck,” he groaned and started thrusting into her. Her cunt was so tight and slick around him and he knew he couldn’t possibly last long. At least she seems to no longer be in pain, he thought as she was smiling at him with her lips parted. He leaned down to kiss her lovingly and whisper sweet and dirty things in her ear. “I like this, Robb. I like you claiming me as no other man has.” Her voice was so sweet and innocent and Robb knew he would fail to hold off any longer. “Fuck…Sansa,” he grunted as he pulled out and took himself in hand long enough to spill on her belly. Next time I’ll get her to come, too. Gods, let there be a next time… Sansa watched him wipe her off with a cloth. Robb ran his hands through his hair after he’d cleaned them both off and laid down next to her. Sansa immediately nestled up against him. “Robb? That’s not the way it’s supposed to be, is it? You weren’t supposed to spill on my tummy.” “No, Sansa. I did that so I wouldn’t get you with child.” She nodded and stroked his chest. “I wouldn’t mind having your babe someday,” she said wistfully. Why does she make this so much harder? “We’ve got to escape from here, remember? That would be hard if you’re heavy with child, wouldn’t it?” That and you’re my sister so we probably shouldn’t be having a child together…gods, help me. She fell asleep soon after and Robb drifted off finally from exhaustion despite his troubled conscience.   =============================================================================== SANSA-   “Sansa, wake up,” he was whispering in her ear. “Mmm…what?” she responded sleepily. Robb was tugging at her shoulders and she sat up. “Ow…” she said as she felt a soreness between her legs. Robb wasn’t paying any attention to that at the moment though. “I need to get back to my chambers before your maid comes,” he said. She nodded and started getting up. “Robb!” she gasped. There was a bloody patch on the sheets and on her night rail. It wasn’t very large but still noticeable. My maiden’s blood. Robb looked down at the sheet with a blush. “It could just as easily be my moon blood,” she said with a confidence she didn’t feel. “I’ll clean the sheet,” she said before she ushered him to the door.   The maid arrived soon after as Sansa was wringing out her night rail and had already changed. She would’ve liked to call for a bath but decided it would be best to act as if everything was normal. There was a knock on the door as the maid was finishing up and when she opened it, she was surprised to find Lothor Brune on the other side. “Alayne, your father has returned and would speak with you in his solar.” She followed at once, though her fingers were twisting together nervously. Does he know? Will he guess? He was waiting for her and already seemed to know much of what had happened while he was away…but not all. And while he was away, he had been busy making plans for Alayne and for Sansa. She was to meet Harry Hardyng, Harry the Heir…Robin’s heir. She was to meet him down at Runestone and seduce him. “Seduce him, tease him…leave him mad with lust, Alayne. He will not be able to resist you. But don’t give him your virtue. That you must preserve for when we convince him to marry you.” “Why would Harry Hardyng marry a bastard girl?” “He won’t. He’d likely just give you a bastard to remember him by. But he will marry Sansa Stark. Once he is ensnared, we will reveal your true identity and you will have all the Vale behind you to win back the North.” “The Vale belongs to Robin…” “A sickly child…he may not live to see adulthood,” he said with a sickly smile. “The North belongs to Robb…” “Robb Stark is dead, Alayne, along with all his true-born brothers. Sansa Stark is the heir to Winterfell.” Sansa absorbed his words as though they meant nothing to her. She kept her mask in place. “Raynard has a sword now,” he said in a different tone. “Yes.” “Why does Raynard have a sword?” “He wanted one.” “And you helped make that happen.” “I did.” “Would you like for your brother to keep his sword, Alayne?” “Yes…” “Come here then.” ***** Chapter 8 ***** Chapter Summary Littlefinger is back. Robb and Sansa talk. Chapter Notes I'm sorry this is a short chapter! I wanted to give this fic an update and thought I'd post what I had. I'll try and update more in a few days. Thanks for reading! ROBB-   Robb had slipped back to his rooms and washed before lying down for a bit. There were traces of pink in the water where he had washed off his cock and he felt remorse. But it wasn’t remorse over what they had done so much as that he was not there with her now. She’d looked frightened by her maiden’s blood although she tried to pretend she wasn’t. She’s only 14, he thought. Girls might be married off as soon as they flowered but many did not marry until 15 or 16 at least. She’s not a maid anymore. I took her maidenhead…and I’m her brother. But, I’m more than that now. I’m her lover, too. And Idolove her. She’s mine now in more ways than one and I’ll never leave her. He had meant to only lie down for a short while, just long enough for it to be a reasonable time for rise and break his fast. He was tired though from not sleeping much the past few nights and, as he lay abed thinking about Sansa, he fell asleep. He awoke and wondered how much time had passed. He dressed and went to her door and knocked but there was no answer. When he reached the hall, Sansa and Robin sat at table together. Robin immediately greeted him and started asking him a dozen questions about sword fighting. But, Robb only had eyes for Sansa and Sansa’s eyes were fixed on the table. She had not greeted him or acknowledged him at all. He knew things had been strained between them the past couple of days but thought that last night had resolved that. He had thought she might have a smile for him at least. His heart started to ache as he fretted that he was missing something. Did I do something wrong? Does she regret what we did now? Does she wish it hadn’t happened? Robin was chattering happily now about the egg Alayne had had prepared for him and asked Robb if they would be training today. Robb looked uneasily at Sansa again who’s eyes still had not left the table and started to answer when the doors swung open. To his surprise and consternation, Lord Baelish walked in followed by Lothor Brune. “Uncle Petyr!” Robin jumped up with excitement. “The Defender of the Vale,” Baelish returned with a bow to the boy and with a flourish of his hands as he pulled out a toy from his pocket. “A falcon!” Robin shouted as he embraced Baelish and looked at the toy replica carved of stone. “You’ve not finished eating, Robin,” Sansa started to say as the boy ran out of the room with his prize. Littlefinger’s eyes studied Sansa and then him. “That is quite a sword, Raynard,” he said with a smile that was colder than any winter wind. Robb was still trying to recover from his shock but stood and hoped he could play his part well.Sansa makes this look easy. “Yes, Father. I have been training with Ser Artos and he permitted me this sword…if it does not displease you.” Littlefinger made no answer but turned his eyes towards Sansa. Robb didn’t like the way he looked at Sansa as if he blamed her for his sword. “We did not expect you for several days still and did not know you had returned, Father. Did you make the ascent over night?” Robb asked trying to draw his eyes away from Sansa. He finally turned his eyes back towards Robb again and said, “No, I returned last night late. I didn’t wish to disturb my children’s slumber though. I saw Alayne earlier this morning but failed to come and see you, my son,” he finished airily before turning his eyes back to Sansa. “Alayne, no kiss for your father this morning?” Sansa met Robb’s eyes for the first time that morning and he knew that something had happened this morning after he had left her… something vile. Sansa stood and walked to Baelish. “Good morning, Father,” she whispered before she kissed him chastely on the cheek. Baelish grasped her by the waist when she pulled back and kissed her on the lips far more ardently than any father should kiss his daughter. He released her and gave Robb a smirk. Sansa’s eyes were hooded and she looked only at her plate as she sat back down. Robb knew he was not capable of disguising his outrage at this display. His instinct to leap over the table and run Littlefinger through with his sword was so strong that his hands were shaking. He stood gaping at them and started flexing his sword hand until he saw Lothor step closer with his hand already on the pommel of his own sword. Could I take them both fast enough? Would he try and harm Sansa? Littlefinger never carried a sword but he always had a dagger on him. As Robb was trying to weigh his chances though, Littlefinger spoke again. “You know, Alayne. I believe Raynard is feeling slighted. Perhaps you should go and give your brother a salute as well.” Sansa’s head snapped up from her plate. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Baelish but then she looked at him and something shifted in her gaze. She rose and walked to him. Robb wanted to protest that she shouldn’t have to do his bidding, that she was not one of his whores to be ordered about but he stood still watching Sansa walk to him. She stood on tiptoe, her eyes wide and silently screaming at him to be good, to be calm, to use his head. She chastely kissed the corner of his mouth and smiled at him, a genuine smile. Robb let out the breath he had been holding and sat down at the table, hoping he could get her alone soon to talk. The maester came seeking Sansa before the meal was finished. Sweetrobin had managed to crack his stone toy already and was having a fit and wanted Alayne. Robb watched her go wishing he could follow but he felt Littlefinger’s eyes on him and he looked back at the food he had barely touched. “Are you happy here, my son?” “Yes…Father.” “Well, I’m pleased to have you here but you are a man grown. If you should tire of this lonely place…” “My sister is here. I won’t leave her.” “Hmmm…I thought not.” Hallen came to seek Robb for their training. He heaped praise on Raynard’s skill with a blade to Lord Baelish and went on and on and Robb dearly wished that Hallen would just shut up. He did not want to join the guards this morning. He wanted to seek out Sansa. But he certainly didn’t wish to stay with Baelish a moment longer and followed Hallen to the great hall and trained instead.   He finally had a moment with her later that day. He found her in the godswood that held no trees, sitting by a statue of the Maid. She held one of Robin’s dolls, his favorite, and was mending a tear. “Sansa,” he whispered. She looked around at him and smiled. “You still have your sword I see.” “Yes, I’m a bit surprised. I thought he would take it from me.” “No, he won’t take it. Not now at least.” “Did he say something to you about it?” “Yes, this morning,” she said as she turned away from him. “Sweetheart, what did he do?” he asked as he tried to pull her back to him. “He…I don’t wish to discuss it,” she said as she continued her mending. “Please, Sansa. It’s killing me to imagine him touching you or making you touch him or…did he…” “He still thinks I’m a maid. And he’s got plans for me now. This morning he made me kiss him when we were alone…kiss him like I kiss you. And he put his hands on me, all over me. He made me touch him like before but we stayed clothed this time and…I don’t want to talk about it anymore. He told me he’d have you thrown into a sky cell if I didn’t do everything he said.”   =============================================================================== SANSA-   His tears of rage had spilled from his eyes soon after the words had left her lips. “You’re not his!” he shouted and pulled her to him. She let him hold her. It stilled her own hurting heart to feel his arms around her and it would calm him. “No, Robb, I’m not his. I’m yours. But he must think I am his for now. He must believe that I am still a maid but also his whore to do his bidding.” “Never!” “Hush…I’m not and you know it. You and your temper! You must control it better…please.” Robb got quiet but was holding her to him. Anyone could see us here. “Let go of me,” she whispered. “He always has spies about.” Robb released her reluctantly and his eyes were filled with guilty tears now. “I shouldn’t have left you this morning.” “Should’ve have left me? Should you have been found in my bed? My brother in my bed? How would that help us at all?” He looked chagrined when he saw the truth of her words and she continued, “I’m to go to Runestone in a few days to meet Harry Hardyng. I am to win his affections, to seduce him if necessary and then later I will be revealed as Sansa Stark and he will marry me. That is Father’s plan for me.” “He’ll reveal you? So that you can…” “Claim the North.” “He will dispose of me then.” “Yes, I fear that is what he has in mind. Of course, he won’t say it to me. He needs to use my love for you to keep me biddable.” “Will he take me to Runestone? It might be our best chance to escape.” “No, I think he plans to leave you here. You must find your own way off the mountain or you can wait for me here.” “What if I asked to leave before you do?” “I’m not sure he’d believe you would leave me now.” “I just told him this morning that I wouldn’t leave you.” She cringed and tried not to roll her eyes at him. She took his hand and kissed him softly on the cheek. “Keep your head and help me come up with a plan. Save me this time, Robb. Do it properly or leave me here because if you fail, I don’t think I’ll be able to stand being Alayne much longer and I’ll…well, I’d hate for you to see. Robb bowed his head as he considered her words. “Do you think Ser Artos or Hallen might help us?” he asked. “We’d have to feel them out carefully though.” “Perhaps…” Sansa said as a thought occurred to her.He would help us…but he can barely help himself. “I’m sure a solution will present itself if we keep working together. But Robb, I’m afraid…I’m afraid of him coming to me again…to my room tonight.” “Don’t worry, sweet girl. I’ve got an idea. It may not be a long-term solution but I think it will work for now.” ***** Chapter 9 ***** Chapter Summary Robb's ploy to keep Littlefinger away from Sansa has its risks. Robin sides with his bastard friends. ROBB-   I could kill him…all I’d have to do is just walk up to him while Lothor is distracted or far enough away and run him through. They’d probably kill me but at least Sansa would be free of him. Robb’s rage had boiled at the surface all the rest of the day but he knew Sansa had been right when she admonished him to keep his head. They were eating dinner all together and Robb was trying to keep from glaring at Baelish throughout the meal. Sansa was following his plan better than he was actually. She hadn’t eaten much and would occasionally sigh or put a hand to her head. Robb was waiting for her signal. He’d told her to feign illness at dinner and he would escort her from the hall when the meal was over but they wouldn’t be going to her room. I’ll take her to my room. I’ll gladly sleep on the floor but at least she’ll be with me and I can keep him away from her tonight. Sansa coughed and glanced at him and then rose to her feet. “Please excuse me, Lord Robin and Father. I am feeling a bit tired this evening.” Robb rose at that point and cleared his throat before saying, “I’ll see Alayne to her room.” If Baelish was surprised or annoyed, he didn’t show it. He gave them a nod of dismissal and continued talking with the little lord. Once in the hall, Sansa sagged against his arm. He could feel her trembling. “I’m afraid, Robb. He’ll figure out where I am and what will he do then? He’s been coming to my chambers at bed time for several moons now even before he started doing things.” “I don’t care. He’s not touching you again.” “You already said that once.” “Well, this time I know he’s here and what he’s been doing and I’m not letting you down again.” They stopped at her chambers long enough for her to change. Robb studiously avoided watching her to keep his mind on what they needed to do. Now is not the time. Once she touched his arm and he turned to find her in her shift and wrapper, they headed to his room and he barred the door. Robb stripped down to his tunic but left his breeches on and they climbed into his bed. It was too early for sleep so they laid there together and listened for any indication that Littlefinger was seeking her. An hour or so passed of them talking softly about the past at Winterfell. Then, they talked of the Free Cities and what sailing on a ship there would be like. We prefer to dwell on the happier parts of our past and our future…the present is abominable. When they heard a nearby knock at Sansa’s door, they stilled and listened. There was a louder knock and then the door to her chambers opened. Sansa’s breath was getting short and she clutched Robb more tightly. “Shush, it’s alright, my sweet girl. You’re here with me. I won’t let him harm you.” She jolted up the next minute when there was a loud knock at Robb’s door. “Stay here,” he said. He went over to the door and opened it. There stood Baelish in a dressing gown. Robb really wanted to hit him or go and get his sword but instead he calmly asked, “Can I help you, Father?” Baelish seemed a bit confused at first. “Raynard, do you know where Alayne is? She’s not in her room.” “She’s here, Father. She’s ill I’m afraid and needed looking after. I invited her to stay with me for now.” Baelish gave a mocking smile and said, “Aren’t you a little old to let your sister share your bed?” “She can have the bed. I’m content to sleep on the floor. I’d do anything to take care of her,” he added with meaningful look. “Ah…well then. Have you called for the maester?” “No, Alayne didn’t want me to but I will if she worsens. I promise, Father.” “Well…I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Baelish said before leaving. Robb closed the door and returned to the bed. Sansa was shaking but seemed relieved. “He was not pleased but I don’t think he could come up with any ideas to stop you from being with me this time.” “Thank you, Robb,” she said shakily as she clung to him once more. He kissed her forehead and held her close. He stroked her soft, silky hair and waited until she was calm once more before he started to get up. “Where are you going?” “I’ll sleep on the floor, Sansa. I don’t want to pressure you…it’s just going to complicate things if we keep...” “You’re not a complication for me and you never pressure me, Robb. Just lay with me. I’ll be good.” Robb sighed and laid back down next to her knowing that there would be more to it than just lying there with her. It will always be more than that whenever I’m next to her.   =============================================================================== SANSA-   They did more than just lay together…much more, as she knew perfectly well that they would when she had coaxed him into staying in the bed with her. First, she had asked for a goodnight kiss. She had licked and nipped at his bottom lip until he was opening his mouth to her and pushing his tongue into her mouth the way he did. He grumbled that they had to stop and she promised to be good. Then, she’d asked to be held. ‘I’m frightened and cold, Robb. Please…’ He acquiesced easily enough to that but then she had started rubbing her arse up against him as she tried to ‘settle.’ She was definitely being jabbed in the backside when he finally said, “Stop. You have to stop.” “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to get comfortable.” “I know what you’re doing, Sansa,” he had husked in her ear. “What would I be doing, Robb?” she asked with mock innocence. “You’re trying to tempt me, you little minx.” “Am I succeeding?” “What do you think?” he asked as he rolled her to her back and started pulling her shift up to her hips. He kissed her thighs and hips before parting her legs and kissing her mound and then his tongue darted into her core. She moaned and ran her hands through his curly hair to hold him in place. He licked and sucked at her nub and ran his hands up and under her shift to caress her breasts and lightly pinch at her nipples while his wicked tongue stayed busy below. She climaxed with a cry and she could hear him lapping up her arousal while she lay there shuddering afterwards. “I think you like that, sister,” he said with a self-satisfied grin when he finally lifted his head back up to look at her. “I do. Perhaps it’s a bit like sword fighting though.” “What?” he asked with a puzzled grin. “You must practice it…every day…so that you don’t get out of form.” He laughed and rolled to his back then. “Perhaps we’ll practice some other things every day when we leave this place then.” He got quiet and Sansa knew he was thinking too much then. He worries too much over this, she thought. Or perhaps, I do not worry enough. Whichever was the truth, she didn’t want to worry over it now. She rolled to her side and started stroking his chest and kissing his bearded jaw. “Love me, Robb.” “Sansa…I’m so weak for you. We shouldn’t be doing these things at all and we’ve got to get away from here.” “Please, Robb. He’s very clever and every time you leave my side I worry that I’ll never see you again...that he’ll do something to keep us apart forever. Let’s love one another while we can…every chance we have.” He kissed her then and looked at her seriously. “We’re going to get away or die trying, Sansa. And if I’m going to die, I want to be able to say that least I lived while I could.” He pulled her up against him and held her close again. “Get on top of me,” he said after a while. “I want to see you on top of me.” “On top? You mean like I’ll be riding you?” “Yes, sweet girl. Will you ride my cock like you’d ride a horse?” “I never was much of a rider.” “Oh, I think you can break me in easily enough…you already have.” The pinch and pull she had felt the night before was so much less than before but it felt like there was even more of him to take in; however, the pressure was just right and Sansa was soon moaning. His eyes grew moist watching her and the love she saw there made her heart feel whole again in ways that it hadn’t since the day her real father had died, since the day Lady had been killed, since the day she had left Bran broken in his bed and the rest of her family and left Winterfell. Sansa moved her hips in time with his and they moved slowly looking into each others eyes as they kept hold of each others hands. Sansa leaned back and began moving her hips more rapidly as the waves of ecstasy that he’d previously brought her with fingers and mouth started to build into something new and more powerful by far. He leaned up to suckle at her breasts and it was too much to withstand then. “Robb,” she moaned. “Oh, Robb…don’t stop, brother. Please, never stop…oh, gods…aaahhh…unngghh! YES!! YEESSSS!!” “Sansa…I need to pull out, love…” “NO! Don’t stop…” she cried not wanting to lose this feeling before it was complete. His eyes closed and his face screwed up in apparent agony as she rode out the wonderful sensation until she heard his own cry and he grunted loudly. She collapsed across his chest, panting to catch her breath. “Robb? I’m sorry…” “Don’t be sorry, sweetheart. It’s my fault. I couldn’t hold out any longer.” “If there’s a babe…” “None of this was ever going to be easy, Sansa. What’s one more complication to deal with at this point?” “Robb…” “Rest, my love. I won’t let that happen again. It’s unlikely that…we’ll be alright,” he said with a bravado that she suspected he didn’t feel.   She’d returned to her chambers early the next morning and Robb stood outside while she changed. They were already at table with Sweet Robin when Lord Baelish joined them. His eyes were inquisitive as they flitted from her to Robb and back again. “Alayne, your brother said you were ill last night. You are looking a bit drawn this morning. I hope you are feeling better though?” “I am better now, Father,” she replied with a sweet smile. “A passing indisposition is all it was.” He shifted his eyes to Robb. “Raynard, I am taking your sister on a visit with me to Runestone. Will you be so good as to help Lord Robert while we are away? We should be back in less than a fortnight.” “Lord Robin can certainly do well enough without me, Father. I’d be happy to accompany you,” Robb replied. Don’t sound too desperate, Robb. He’ll never permit you to go. “No, you should stay here…where it’s safe.” “I am a man grown, Father,” Robb said with more assertiveness this time. “My safety doesn’t concern me near so much as Alayne’s.” Oh, dear. They are going to quarrel. “Why are you taking Alayne, Uncle Petyr? I like for her to be here with me,” Sweet Robin said. “Why, there are some lovely young ladies at Runestone, my lord. I thought Alayne might prefer some feminine company for a change instead of always being sequestered here with her brother.” “We could all go to Runestone. I’ve never been and Lord Royce invited me to come and visit,” Robin said next. Bless you, sweet boy. I could kiss you. “It’s not safe for you to leave the Eyrie, my lord.” “That’s what Mother always said but you told me Mother was wrong and that the lords of the Vale needed to see me eventually.” Baelish looked at the little lord with a barely contained grimace. Sansa kept her face indifferent and was pleased that Robb was doing his best to do the same. “Perhaps another time…” he began to say. “No! I want to go or you can leave Alayne here! I’m the lord of the Eyrie! I want Alayne to be with me!” “You should calm yourself, my lord. Perhaps I should call the maester.” “I don’t need the maester! I want to go with you and Alayne, Uncle Petyr.” “Fine, I’ll consider it. We can discuss it later.” “And I want Raynard to come with me. I like him better than Ser Artos. I’m getting better with my sword with his help.” Sansa noticed the shocked look on Robb’s face before he hid it. “We’ll see, my lord,” Lord Baelish finally said and his eyes were filled with anger. But, Sansa felt a flutter in her chest of excitement. Is this our chance? Could Robin’s desire to go give us the opportunity we need? I dare not hope too much. The next comment from Baelish extinguished her hopes though. “Alayne, I need to see you in my solar for a moment.” Sansa slowly rose to her feet and followed with her head down. She dared not look at Robb.   Baelish escorted her to his solar and closed the door. “Why did you spend the night in your brother’s room? And what did you do there, may I ask?” “I…I was ill, Father. I slept and Raynard took care of me.” “I think you’re lying to me, Alayne. Lying to me is not a good idea. Were you really ill?” “I…I didn’t want you to…make me do that thing again with my hand…” she said as she started to cry. “Shush…sweetling,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “We won’t speak of that. Did you tell Raynard about that?” “No.” “Are you lying to me again, Alayne?” Sansa shook her head. “You told him something though, didn’t you?” “No, Father. I promise.” Littlefinger looked at her closely, almost like he was trying to sniff out the lie. “What did you do with your brother last night?” “We slept, Father. He’s my brother and he is good to me.” There was a loud knock at the door then causing Sansa to jump. “Who is it?” Baelish asked. “It’s Raynard, Father. I’m sorry to interrupt but Lord Robin has asked that Alayne watch him spar now.” She could almost hear his teeth grinding together in annoyance. Oh, Robb. I hope you are telling the truth. “Go on, Alayne. Don’t want to keep our little lord waiting.” Sansa picked up her skirts to flee but he grabbed her arm just as she reached the door. “Stay in your room tonight. Don’t bar the door,” he said.   “What are we going to do?” she sobbed in Robb’s arms after training was done. “I’ll come to your room tonight.” “It’s only going to work for so long. Eventually, he’ll find a way to separate us…for good.” He kissed her cheek and said, “Have faith in me, my love. I’ve been talking to Ser Artos…I can’t expose us too much yet but he has no love for Littlefinger so maybe there’s a chance there. If Robin can get his way, we’ll be surrounded by more people at Runestone. True, there’s more danger in that but I think our chances overall will be better.” She smiled at him and dried her tears. “Alright, Robb. I love you and I trust you and we’ll hope this works.”   That night when Petyr came to her room, Robb was already in bed next to her. While it was certainly improper for them to be laying there together, they were clad in their night clothes. He entered the room without knocking but froze when he realized Robb was in the room. “What are you doing here, Raynard?” “Alayne was cold. I offered to warm her for a bit. There’s not any young ladies here to help her warm her bed.” “This seems improper.” “We’re only lying here. She’s my sister. We shared our beds with each other during the last winter when she was frightened or cold. It may not be so proper but warmth is more important sometimes.” “Was your bed cold tonight, Raynard? Perhaps I can find you a willing bedwarmer of your own.” “No, Father. Please don’t say such things in front of Alayne. She is innocent.” Robb is playing along rather well. “Well, perhaps I’ll find a young lady to come up to the Eyrie for your sister and perhaps I can find a man…or two or three even...to help warm your bed…just like where you were before you came to us.” Robb stiffened but only held her closer. “That won’t be necessary…Father. I’ll be leaving once she’s warm. I can warm my own bed well enough.” “Very well,” he said as he left them again, obviously aggravated this time. Robb sprang up and barred the door. “I think he’ll stay away for now but when I leave, bar the door. I don’t care what he said to you earlier.” She nodded before asking, “Robb? What did he mean about men helping you warm your bed?” Robb laid back down and turned to face the other way. At first it seemed he was not going to reply but he finally gave a sigh and said, “They mistreated me at the Twins.” “Yes, you told me.” “They…some of the guards…they did things to me. They took me…many times,” he finally said. Sansa moved closer to wrap her arms around him and kissed the back of his neck. He was shaking and stifling his sobs. “I am so sorry, Robb. All the things we’ve had to suffer. I hate this place but I love you. Thank you for being here.” Robb still faced away from her but he wiped at his face and said, “I’m glad I’m here with you even if I don’t survive this…I’m glad I got to be with you, to love you. I wanted to die when Talisa and Mother were killed but now…I’m happy to be with you. I just want to get you away from here.” “Soon, dear brother. For good or ill, soon we will leave all of this behind us,” she said knowing that in the morning they would likely face retribution for thwarting Baelish once again. ***** Chapter 10 ***** Chapter Summary Robb and Sansa have hopes of leaving the Eyrie with Sweetrobin. Chapter Notes Sorry for the delay. I'm struggling to find a satisfying conclusion to this one. I started it for the RobSa smut and now I've got to make some sort of ending...lol. Hope this chapter is not too terrible. See the end of the chapter for more notes ROBB- Robb had slipped from her chambers once she fell asleep but they had made love again first. He had not meant to do so but her sweet touch was the only thing that kept him from running mad at this point. He had not slept well once he was in his own bed. Littlefinger’s threats and memories from the Twins had plagued him…and guilt over what he was doing with his sister. Early the next morning, he learned that Robin had got his way…partially. Ser Artos told Robb that the little lord would be traveling to Runestone with Alayne and Lord Baelish. But there was no mention of Robb going. He tried not to let this worry him overmuch. He was still hopeful that on his own he could find a way to leave. Three more days and they’ll be leaving. Surely, there is some way I can find a way to leave once they’re gone. Once I make it to Runestone, I just need to find a way to get Sansa and we’ll flee. Robb knew it would be no simple matter though. The Bloody Gate would still be between them and any escape and it was called the Bloody Gate for a reason. Robb was leaving the hall from breaking his fast when Lothor Brune intercepted him. “Your father wishes to see you, Raynard.” “Very well,” Robb responded trying to crush the small flicker of fear that sprang up as he followed Lothor to Littlefinger’s solar. “Come in, my son,” Littlefinger said in an oily tone. Lothor closed the door behind him and stayed in the room. Robb immediately tensed but he had his sword. He did not wish to fight Brune but he thought he could possibly take him and he was fairly certain he could take Baelish. “Sit, please,” Baelish said as he gestured to a chair. “Would you care for some wine?” “No, thank you,” he said. Sansa had told him of Joffrey’s death and Baelish’s role in it. You’re not going to get rid of me that easily. Robb sat and waited for whatever this was going to lead to. “Robb Stark is dead it appears. The news that his body has been found along with some of Lord Bolton’s men after months of searching has made its way to the capitol. Not that the capitol is very interested in that at the moment. Lord Tywin Lannister is dead as well, apparently killed by Tyrion Lannister after he somehow managed to escape his cell before being executed. So many surprises…Varys must be beside himself,” Baelish said with a smile. Robb waited for him to continue. That was one predictable thing about Baelish…he could never stay quiet for long. “In other news, the Nights Watch has a new Lord Commander it seems.” “Oh?” “Yes, the bastard son of Lord Eddard Stark.” “Jon?!” Robb said in a sudden flurry of emotion. “I believe that would be his name. Jon Snow. But how could you possibly know that, my son?” Robb held his tongue as his mind was reeling. Jon? Lord Commander? He could help us if we could reach him. But the Wall is so far away. “I’m telling you this now so you don’t betray yourself down at Runestone if someone mentions it. Raynard Stone has never met Jon Snow after all.” “Of course,” Robb said trying to suppress his feelings. “So, I’m going to Runestone as well?” he asked, trying to sound neutral about it. “Certainly. Sweet Robin has continued to be most insistent. You may go and tell your sister the news I’ve told you. Though I doubt she’ll have any trouble keeping a neutral expression.” “Yes…Father.” Robb walked away trying to contain his excitement. He was going to Runestone with Sansa. Lord Royce might help them. Robb had met him before and Sansa had said Lord Royce wanted Baelish’s head when their Aunt Lysa had died. Jon had risen to Lord Commander of the Watch. He would certainly help them if they could reach him.Gods…how can I face him though if Sansa and I keep up what we’re doing?   =============================================================================== SANSA-   “It can’t be that simple, Robb.” “Why not?” he asked with an exasperated sigh. Gods, you are still so trusting sometimes despite everything. “I can’t believe he’d just let you come along and…” “And what? It’s not as though it’s going to be simple once we’re there. At least, we’ve a chance though. I thought you’d be happier with this news.” Sansa looked around the godswood to make sure they were alone. “I am,” she said as she finally gave in to her wish to be held by him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “It’s very hard for me to trust though. And you don’t know him as I do. He makes you think he’s giving you what you want but everything he does is to further his own aims and he loves keeping his adversaries on their toes.” “I don’t think he respects me enough to see me as an adversary honestly,” he chuckled softly as he kissed the top of her head. “What do you think about Jon? About going to the Wall?” “It’d be a dangerous road, Robb. The Boltons and their allies and leagues and leagues of road stand between us and Jon.” “Yes, that’s true and…Sansa…we couldn’t be more than brother and sister with him. He’d never understand. And if we go north, we might have to fight for our place in it, to fight to regain what is rightfully ours.” “I know. Aren’t you tired of fighting?” “Yes…but that doesn’t mean I’m done fighting.” Sansa tucked her head under his chin and wrapped her arms around his waist more securely. Am I as safe in your arms as I wish to be? She knew the answer to that but she liked to pretend that it was so. “What about tonight? Will you come to me or have me come to you?” “Perhaps the little lord will be lonely tonight. I’ll try and talk to him about our trip. I’ll tell him you’re afraid to go down the mountain and ask him to help me keep you feeling safe.” “Robb…I’d rather…” “I know what you’d rather. I feel the same but we can’t sleep in each other chambers every night. I know he’s not stupid.” “No…he’s not a bit stupid unfortunately.”   For the next two nights, Sansa slept in Robin’s bed because Alayne was afraid of the journey down the mountain. Lord Baelish didn’t seek her out and Robin didn’t wet the bed. She was grateful for both. The second night as Robin tried to settle he rolled to his side and asked, “Do you love me, Alayne?” “Of course, I do, Sweetrobin.” “You’re my best friend and Raynard is, too. But you take care of me and I take care of you, right?” “Yes,” she answered feeling the guilt twisting inside. I cannot leave him in Petyr’s clutches. If we must be parted, I want to know that he is safe. Sansa laid there after the boy fell asleep and wondered when the annoyance she usually felt towards Robin had been replaced by feelings of compassion and concern. I’m not his mother but I’m the only mother he has now. The next morning before their departure, Baelish called her and Robb to his solar. He said he might need to send Robb ahead with Brune and some other men to ensure the way was clear of ice and snow for their journey and to meet with Mya Stone and the mules at the waycastle Snow. Neither of them liked the news as they did not feel safe being separated. “Speak to Robin, Sansa. He might insist that I travel with him and you,” Robb said as they left. “I will. Robb…I can’t leave him without being sure he is…” “I’ll speak to Lord Royce. I’ll make sure Robin is safe before we leave. I don’t want him harmed either.”   =============================================================================== ROBB-   That night at dinner, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He knew that he should be focusing on what was ahead but he kept thinking of her. Tomorrow we leave this place and I may never touch her again as a lover depending on what road we take. She rose to leave the table and he quickly made his excuses and followed her. When they reached her chambers, she glanced back at him with a questioning look. He nodded and followed her through the door. His arm was aching when he awoke in the hour of the Wolf. Her head was still on it. He gingerly moved away and ran his hands over his face, knowing he had been weak and it was foolish to stay…weak and foolish to have entered at all last night. He crept from her bed and returned to his chambers. About an hour later, there was a knock at the door. “Your father and sister need to see you in his solar. We’re to leave early, you know,” Lothor said when Robb opened the door. “Very well. Let me dress.” He headed towards the solar with Lothor at his back and started wondering when Sansa had been roused and why wouldn’t Lothor have fetched them both at the same time. He turned a corner and there stood four men he didn’t recognize approaching him. He heard Lothor draw his sword. “Don’t do anything stupid, boy.”   =============================================================================== SANSA-   Sansa woke and reached her hand out to the other side. Cold. How long has he been gone? She had slept late. We’re to make the descent today. Why wouldn’t they wake me sooner? There was a knock at the door. “Who is it?” “It’s me, Alayne.” Father…Littlefinger. Sansa pulled her night rail back on and a dressing gown. She opened the door just a crack. “Yes, Father?” He bowled past her into her chambers. “Your brother has left for Runestone to prepare our way. We will be departing shortly.” “What? Robb…Raynard wouldn’t leave me without saying good-bye.” “Perhaps last night was his good-bye, sweetling,” he said. “Did he stay long?” “Uh, no…just until I fell asleep,” she lied as the panic began to build. He would never leave me like this. He gave her a shrewd look and walked over to her bed. He pulled back the covers and ran his hands across the sheet. Sansa felt her cheeks getting pink as she realized what he was doing. His hand paused over a certain spot and he looked at her then. “Why is there dried seed in your bed, Alayne?” “No, Father. You’re mistaken.” “Oh, I don’t think I am.” “It’s from you…from the last time.” “It’s been over a moon since I was in your room at night alone. I believe your sheets have been changed since then.” “I…you’re mistaken…” was all she could come up with. “Where is my brother?” “He left.” “You’re lying!” “Come here, Alayne.” Sansa did something then that Alayne had never been brave enough to do before when it came to him. She refused. “No, I won’t.” She spun and ran out the door but straight into the arms of Lothor Brune. “Let me go!” she shrieked as Brune held her. “Robb! ROBB!” she cried hoping he could hear her in his chambers. Lord Baelish came out of her chamber and said, “Robb Stark is dead. And Raynard may be soon if you don’t behave,” he whispered in her ear. “Your own brother, Alayne? What a dirty girl you are.”   =============================================================================== ROBB-   Robb was freezing cold and his head was aching. He opened his eyes and looked out into nothing…just blue. He tried to make sense of what his eyes were seeing when realization struck. He was on the edge of a precipice. He scooted back in terror when he looked down on the clouds below him and the ground so much farther down. The sky cells. Robb had never imagined a dungeon like this because it wasn’t like a true dungeon at all. The sky cells of the Eyrie were certainly the most unique place to hold a prisoner he could imagine. The only dungeon that permitted…or even welcomed…its inhabitants to escape. So long as you can fly. A cell with three walls, a slightly slanted floor and nothingness where the fourth wall should be. The wind howled constantly here and it was cold. Robb shivered as he pressed his back up against the wall as far from the edge as he could be. Brune and his four helpers had knocked him unconscious and dragged him up here. He could guess why. His usefulness to Baelish had ended. What is he doing to her? I’ve failed her yet again. Die or fly…fly or die…fly, then die. Why didn’t they kill me straight away? The answer came back to him and filled him with sickening dread for his beloved sister. He can still control her if she thinks I’m still alive. Robb moved slowly towards the edge and wondered what it would feel like to fall that far. Chapter End Notes Sorry for another cliffhanger. I do plan on wrapping this up in a couple more chapters though! ***** Chapter 11 ***** Chapter Summary Sansa seeks aid. Robb receives help from an unlikely source. Chapter Notes Sorry, I'm slow to update here. I originally had Robb kind of stuck in the sky cell for this chapter and just wasn't happy with it. So, I decided to start fresh. It gets...um, trippy, for lack of a better word, but I swear I've not been using any illegal substances while writing this fic...lol. Anyway, I hope you like it! See the end of the chapter for more notes SANSA-   Hope is gone. He’s killed Robb because we were careless. I’ve lost him…for good this time. Sansa hung her head as she was being led to Lord Baelish’s chambers when Robin appeared with Ser Artos. “Where is Raynard?” the little lord asked with a petulant frown. “He said we’d spar early this morning before we left and he never came.” “Raynard had to travel ahead to Runestone to prepare for your arrival, my lord. We’ll be leaving shortly and see him there soon enough no doubt.” “I wanted Raynard to go down with us. Alayne said she would be frightened and would hold my hand and Raynard’s when we went down the mountain, Uncle Petyr.” “I’m sure Alayne will do fine.” Sansa snapped out of her misery then. “He’s lying! He’s done something to Raynard, Robin. He’s going to hurt me. Please help us, Ser Artos!” Robin and the knight looked perplexed and Baelish chuckled. “Alayne is unhappy that I sent her brother away. She is not herself this morning…moon blood,” he whispered towards Ser Artos. “That’s a lie! He’s a liar. Ser Artos, please, you are a knight. You’ve known me many moons now. My brother is probably dead. He’s killed him or done something with him. He’s going to do things to me…disgusting things that father’s shouldn’t do with their daughters.” Ser Artos glanced between the pair of them as Baelish tried to make excuses once more. To Sansa’s infinite relief, Robin spoke up then. “Alayne is my friend and Raynard is, too. Uncle Petyr, you haven’t hurt Raynard, have you?” “Of course not. Why would I hurt my son?” he said in that firm yet unctuous tone that usually bent Robin to his will. “I don’t like this, Uncle Petyr. I want Raynard here…NOW!” Baelish looked to Ser Artos and said, “The little lord seems to be feeling unwell. Perhaps you could escort him to his chambers while I seek the maester?” “The ‘little lord’ is Lord of the Eyrie, Lord Baelish,” the knight replied. He put his hand on his sword and gave Lothor an appraising look. “Alayne, come with us and let us talk.” Sansa darted to his side and whispered to Sweet Robin, “Thank you, my brave lord.” Baelish bowed as though he was not at all troubled by this conversation or turn of events. “Alayne, Raynard is quite well for the moment, I assure you,” he said as she turned to walk away. “It is a big world out there beyond these walls though and I’d hate for you to do or say anything rash.” Sansa looked at Littlefinger and was aware of the threat there.I have him but he’s not dead…not yet. She followed Ser Artos and Robin away from Lord Baelish and Brune wondering how to find and help Robb. “Alayne…if he has hurt Raynard…do you want me to make him fly, Alayne?” Robin whispered in her ear. “Yes, Robin. If he has hurt Raynard, you should make him fly.”   =============================================================================== ROBB-   Robb’s teeth were chattering with the cold. His tongue was dry and his lips were chapped. His salty tears had dried on his cheeks where he had cried until there were no more tears left. A crow landed on the floor of his cell and cawed at him nosily. “Shut up, you bloody bird,” he croaked out sourly. It cocked its head to the side and looked at him. “What do you want?” he thought in his mind. “You can have my eyeballs once I’m dead but not before.” “What do you want, Robb Stark?” the crow answered. “Die or fly…fly or die…fly then die.” Robb shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “Not possible,” he murmured. “Why not? Because I am a talking bird?” “Yes,” he answered aloud. “And I must be fevered.” “I’m not just a talking bird though. I am the past, the present and the future. I am your death and I am your life. I am your true love and I am your worst enemy.” “What nonsense you speak. What’s the point of being a talking bird if you only speak nonsense?” “I can show you many things, if you’ll open your eyes to see. Your brother, Bran, did. You can never be as he is but you are more than just a man. You are a Stark and you are a warg.” “A warg?” he responded in his mind. “You know that you are.” “I lost my wolf.” “True…but that doesn’t stop you from being a warg.” The bird flapped its wings and cawed again before flying off. “Wait! Come back!” Robb cried. “Fly or die…die or fly…fly then die.” The crow was gone but there was a falcon soaring nearby now. The sigil of the Arryns, Robb thought.   =============================================================================== SANSA-   “You’re saying your Sansa Stark?” Ser Artos asked. “Please…keep your voice down. I don’t want Robin to know…not like this at least.” “And your brother is actually Robb Stark? The Young Wolf?” “Yes,” she said. “Please, Ser Artos, I’m sorry for the lies. They were all Lord Baelish’s doing though. He said I’d be safe here but I had to pretend to be Alayne. He brought Robb here but…” “And he’s lied about you being his children all this time? What other lies has he told us?” Sansa told him all then…well, not quite all. But she told all of Littlefinger’s little secrets he had shared with her since Joffrey’s death. She told him of her Aunt Lysa’s death and his treatment of Sansa when they were alone together. “My lady, what can I do to help you?” the knight asked next. “You’ll help me? You’ll help us?” “Lord Baelish is one of the foulest men I’ve ever met. And that was before you told me of the things he’s done…to you, poor girl. Of course, I will help you.” Sansa breathed a sigh of relief. It had been hard to trust him…hard to trust anyone but Robb. And it was hard to tell the knight those things that Littlefinger had done but she found that Robb’s faith in the man was well placed. And she wanted to believe there were still true knights in this land that would defend a girl from the mistreatment she had suffered. “We have to find my brother, if he’s not already dead,” she said next. “The sky cells would be the best place to keep him.” “Yes, of course.” “I’ll send some men to search for him after I take Lord Baelish and his man in custody. I’ll have the maester send a raven to Lord Royce. Our lord may need his guidance in this matter and Lord Royce would want to help Ned Stark’s children, I know.” “Thank you, ser. And please, we must hurry. We mustn’t let him strike the first blow.”   =============================================================================== ROBB-   “That’s it. Come closer. Don’t be frightened now,” he coaxed. The falcon looked at him with its beady eyes. It plainly mistrusted him and Robb couldn’t say he blamed the bird considering his first attempt at warging into it had caused himself and the bird physical pain. He didn’t really have to touch the bird or be all that close but he wanted it to trust him. Somehow, he thought that might make it easier. He held out his hand to the bird. It hopped towards him a foot but it had a haughty look…just like an Arryn. “Easy now…” Robb said gently. The bird watched him warily as he extended his hand another foot. “OW!” Robb shouted as it pecked his hand and flew away. This is bloody impossible. Who in seven hells wargs into birds? “Plenty of wargs do it. Who in seven hells wargs into direwolves? That’s the better question.” “Where are you? I can’t see you but I can hear you.” “I’m always with you when you need me, Robb Stark. Bran sent me.” “Bran is dead,” Robb said, choking off the sob that threatened. “Bran is not dead. Why would a bird lie to you?” “Who wargs into direwolves?” “Now there’s a worthy question…Brandon Stark does. Rickon Stark does. Jon Snow does, though he has trouble accepting it for now. Arya Stark does but thinks it’s a dream. And you did.” “Before they killed my wolf.” “Before they killed your wolf.” “Sansa doesn’t.” “They killed her wolf first.” “How are you going to help me?” “Make friends with the falcon, Robb Stark. House Arryn and House Stark have a long-standing bond of friendship. Wolves cannot fly but falcons can. And wolves may be stronger but falcons land killing blows as well.” “He’s just a boy…and slightly mad at that.” “It doesn’t mean that he cannot be a friend to you though.” “I know that. He is…he is my friend already.” There was a rattle at the door and the sound of keys in the lock. “Someone’s coming!” Robb thought. “Fly or die…die or fly, Robb Stark.” He stood up in his cell. If someone had come to finish him, he would not sit idly by. They would have some sort of fight from him at least. He heard the screech of the falcon just as the cell door opened. Lothor stepped through with his sword drawn. “I’m sorry, lad,” the man said as he raised his sword to strike. Robb closed his eyes then but opened them as well. He saw the blue. He imagined falling a thousand feet or more but he was not falling, he was flying. The Eyrie rose before him and the strange catacomb-like nests that he favored as a place to rest when he was tired of flying. The man was standing there, the man that was within him at the moment. He looked like he was asleep on his feet, except his eyes had rolled back in his head. The man in front of him held his long talon in front of him. He would harm the man within and that would be bad. Strike…strike now and strike hard. The falcon screeched as the man raised his arm just a moment too late. He flew off with his bloody prize…the man’s left eyeball.A gift for my friend, the crow. Robb felt weak in the knees as he came back to himself but, as soon as he saw Lothor screaming and clutching at his empty eye socket, he rammed him with his shoulder and disarmed him easily. The sword was already dripping with Lothor’s blood when two of the henchmen from this morning came through the cell door. But Robb Stark was not afraid of them. He had Lothor’s sword and the bloodlust was pounding through his veins now. “Where’s my sister?” he said, his voice low and full of hate. The first man lunged for him but he obviously didn’t know the first thing about sword fighting. Robb ran him through easily. The second man stood his ground but had nothing but a knife in this hands. “Please, my lord,” the man pleaded as he dropped the knife. “Where’s my sister?” he growled. “I don’t know…please, don’t cut me down,” the man begged. “I won’t cut you down,” Robb said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “You can live.” “Truly, my lord?” “Truly,” he answered. “So long as you can fly,” he finished before shoving the man off the ledge of his cell. Robb swiped the edge of the blade off on Lothor’s cloak and went to find her…and his friend, Robin. Chapter End Notes Weird...I know. Anyway, let me know what you think or just laugh at me. Next chapter, we'll see if they can take down Littlefinger. ***** Chapter 12 ***** Chapter Summary Robb issues a challenge. Sansa takes matters into her own hands. Chapter Notes So, sorry for the delay. Trying to wrap this one up in a satisfying manner and it's become a beast. Hope this isn't rubbish! Probably just one chapter after this! SANSA-   Sansa went to her chambers, awaiting word from Ser Artos that they had found Robb. That he was safe. The guards had Lord Baelish confined to his chambers for the present. His two remaining henchmen were placed in the Sky Cells. If only he could be put there with them. Word had been sent to Lord Royce below to come up the mountain and help his young liege lord attend to the matter. She went to shut her door when strong arms closed around her and a hand covered her mouth. She started to shriek, to bite, to fight. She was certain that Baelish had escaped somehow and had come for her. But an instant later she recognized his touch and knew who held her. “Robb,” she breathed against his hand that had already dropped a bit from her mouth. “What did he do to you?” he growled in her ear. She turned and saw the fierce look in his eye. “Nothing…he did not harm me.” “Did he touch you?” “No,” she said touching his face now with concern. There was a faint splatter of blood across it. She touched his cheek and he leaned into her touch. She heard a faint groan escape his lips. “Are you harmed?” she asked. “No, I killed Brune and two of his men. He had come to kill me. Where is Littlefinger?” “Ser Artos has him confined to his chambers. Robin and he have sided with us. Lord Royce is coming here,” she said gently wiping at the blood with her thumb now. His fierce and worried expression changed in the next instant. He captured her hand with his own and kissed her thumb, then sucked it into his mouth. The sensation of his tongue moving across the pad of her thumb left her suddenly breathless. She felt the wetness already soaking her smallclothes as he looked up into her eyes. His had darkened with passion. “Sansa…” “We can’t…Robb, he knows about us. He ran his hand across my sheets and he knew. If he says anything…” “We’ll deny it. You can tell them it was him,” he said brought his hands down to circle her waist now, pulling her up close. He was already hard. “Robb…I…” “You want me, don’t you? I want you, sister. I want you so badly right now.” “We’re not safe…not yet.” He rested his head on her shoulder for a moment before he straightened and pulled back from her. Her body was already protesting the absence of his warmth. “When we are safe…” he sighed. “When we are safe,” she agreed.   The hall was filled with knights and ladies that had made the weary trip up the mountain to the Eyrie. I wish we did not have so many ears here to hear our tale. Lord Baelish sat in a chair placed before the high seat where Robin was. The moon door was closed at present. Lord Royce stood at Robin’s side and called for Alayne Stone to come forward and give testimony. She let go of her brother’s hand and walked forward reminding herself that she could do this. I begged Joffrey for Father’s life before the court and he gave me his head. Now, I will beg Robin for Littlefinger’s head. Perhaps this time I will get what I want. Lord Royce looked at her coolly. He had not been pleased when Alayne had supported Lord Baelish’s story regarding Lysa Arryn’s death. Perhaps he’ll be more pleased with me today. Sansa had urged Robb to stay well in the back and out of Lord Royce’s sight for now. ‘He will remember you.’ ‘He didn’t remember you.’ ‘I was just a girl. You were Father’s heir. He’ll remember you. We will reveal ourselves to him if we have an opportunity to be alone with him.’ ‘I was still half a boy.’ ‘Just trust me, Robb.’ Sansa’s voice shook as she told her tale to the lords and the audience that listened about the things that Alayne’s father had done to her but she told her tale all the same. Lord Royce’s face darkened with her every word though Robin seemed confused and asked many embarrassing questions. “Lord Baelish,” Lord Royce said angrily, “you have been accused of vile incestuous acts with your daughter and attempting to have your son killed for trying to put a stop to it. Have you anything to say?” And now it comes…will he reveal that I am not his daughter? Or will he simply deny any wrong doing? “My son has not given his testimony yet,” was his only answer. Of course…of course, he will make Robb come and speak. And Robb is a terrible liar. “Yes…we will want to hear from him. Raynard Stone, come forwards.” Robb started to move towards the front of the hall towards her and Sansa saw the determined look in his eye. Speak the truth now before they can call you a liar. “Wait!” Sansa shouted. “Lord Royce…I have not told you the truth. I have lied to you today and lied to you when Lady Arryn died as well.” “Explain yourself then, Alayne,” he said with clear displeasure. “My name is not Alayne, my lord. It’s Sansa…Sansa Stark. We met at Winterfell when you were escorting your son to the Wall.” “Sansa Stark?” he said with disbelief. Robin’s face reflected his shock and Sansa felt a pang to think she had probably destroyed his faith in her. But for now, she had to continue. “Yes…you may remember my brother better though,” she said as Robb came to stand next to her.   =============================================================================== ROBB-   Lord Royce’s mouth had fallen open and he looked rather like a fish, Robb thought. “Clear the hall!” Lord Royce shouted. When everyone that had no bearing on the matter had left, Royce continued, “You’re Robb Stark then?” “Yes, my lord. I apologize for the deception but we…” “My lord…Your Grace, when you didn’t turn up at Kings Landing for your execution, many Northerners hoped that you would be returning. But many also believed you had died at the Twins after all or perhaps on the road. There were tales that your body had been found as well. And you mean to say you’ve been here, hiding in the Eyrie all this time?” “Yes, my lord. I came here to be with my sister. I had to…I had to finally save my sister as I had failed to do so when she was held by the Lannisters. In truth, she saved me as well. And Lord Baelish has behaved dishonorably towards my sister.” In the end, the trial of Lord Baelish dissolved into an endless game of laying blame. Sansa told what she knew of his actions, what she had seen with her own eyes and he had immediately made his accusations of an incestuous relationship between her and Robb. Well, we are in such a relationship but I cannot let him speak of Sansa so and allow these men to wonder if there’s any truth to his words. It infuriated him to have them think of his sister that way.  Robb suggested to Robin that a trial by combat could decide the matter and challenged Lord Baelish to a fight. “I already made the mistake of fighting a Stark over a girl, boy,” Littlefinger said in response. “I’ll not be making that mistake again. I have been accused of many things here today but I’ve not heard any evidence to condemn me. You have been accused as well. What say you, Lord Arryn and Lord Royce? What is the will of this court?” “I want them to fight!” Robin screeched with enthusiasm. “No, Robin!” Sansa cried. “My lord, we cannot force them into battle. Even if Lord Baelish wished for a trial by combat, he would still have the right to choose a champion for himself,” Lord Royce argued. Robb knew that Sansa would be unhappy with what he was about to say but he was tired of this…tired of being here and tired of the games it involved. “My lord,” Robb said. “Let me fight him or his champion. I will only beg you, if I should fall, to keep my sister safe or see her safely to my half-brother, Jon Snow, if she prefers. If I win, I only ask your leave to take my sister away from here.” “This is hardly appropriate, Your Grace,” Lord Royce was saying but Robin had heard what he wanted. He wanted a battle. He wanted blood sport. He likes me well enough but he is still a disturbed little boy who sees all this as a game for his amusement. “I agree,” he said imperiously. “I will cheer for you, Raynard, and I will allow you to fight him or his champion. And I will agree to your requests.” “No, Robb,” Sansa shouted. “Don’t do this!” He turned away from her tears and her pleas. I was a broken and ruined man before I stood in front of you once more. I will die before I go back to that again. “I’ll need a few days to summon my champion,” Lord Baelish said with a smirk.   =============================================================================== SANSA-   How could he do this? Why does he have to be so impetuous? So headstrong, stubborn and stupid? Sansa rushed to her chambers and flung open a trunk. She started throwing her things into it. I will beg Lord Royce to take me with him down the mountain when this is done. No! I will beg to go at once. I will go to Jon and I will never lay eyes on this place again…I will never forgive Robb for this. She collapsed on the bed and began to sob when she thought the last part. Of course she would forgive him. She loved him. She loved him fiercely. I won’t let him face some champion of Littlefinger’s…some deadly fighter who will do anything to win. I must protect Robb. I’ll… Sansa dried her tears and rose, determined in her next move.   “I wish to speak with him,” she said to Hallen. “Alayne…I mean, my lady?” “I wish to speak with the man who has pretended to be my father for nearly a year.” “Ser Artos would have my hide if I let you in there with him.” “Please, Hallen. Just a moment or two. I need to talk to him.” “To defend Raynard…I mean…well, your brother?” The question was plainly in his eye. He wonders if I have lain with Robb. He wonders if Littlefinger speaks the truth. “Partially, although you should know that my brother does not need me to defend him,” she said regally, reminding him with a look how easily Robb had flattened him in training. Hallen looked up and down the corridor uneasily. “Two minutes, no more,” he said at last. “Thank you,” she said with a smile as chilly as any Petyr had ever given. He was sitting in his chambers, scribbling away at his parchment. Always planning, always scheming…even when facing death. He looked up and smiled. “To what do I owe this pleasure, Alayne…or shall I call you Sansa now?” “I’ve come to say good-bye, Lord Baelish.” “Good-bye?” he asked with a bemused expression. “Not going to stay and watch your brother best my champion? Or perhaps watch my champion destroy your brother?” “No,” she answered moving about the room, taking a slow circuit and staying just out of reach. “You are not as clever as I had hoped, you know,” he continued as he started scribbling again. “If you would’ve just…” He stilled and stopped speaking for she had moved up behind him and shoved her dagger under his throat. “You were saying, my lord?” “Alayne…” “Not Alayne. Alayne Stone would never do such a thing. She’s much too broken and timid. But Sansa Stark would. Sansa Stark would do anything to defend her pack,” she finished as she drew the blade across his throat. He grabbed his throat and grabbed at her arm. The dagger clattered to the floor. She had not cut as deeply as she would’ve liked but what did she know of cutting a man’s throat? His eyes were wide with disbelief, anger and heartbreak but she could find no pity in her soul for him. “You won’t hurt Robb,” she said as he lost his grip on her and staggered to his knees. “You’ll never hurt me again.” She walked to the door and knocked and held her bloody hands out to the side for Hallen to see when he opened the door. His shocked expression was almost comical she thought and she had to suppress a desire to giggle. ***** Chapter 13 ***** Chapter Summary Sansa's fate is decided after Lord Baelish's death. Chapter Notes See the end of the chapter for notes ROBB-   Robb woke to a pounding at his door. It was still night. He rolled from bed and grabbed a tunic to cover himself. The pounding had stopped when he reached the door but, as he swung it open, he found Ser Artos with his fist raised to pound again. “What has happened?” Robb asked, instinctively knowing that something was wrong, that the knight would not be seeking him in the middle of the night otherwise. “Get dressed,” he said a bit harshly. “Your sister will need your support.” “What has happened?” Robb asked again with mounting panic now. Ser Artos only gestured for him to hurry. After he had thrown on a leather jerkin, breeches and boots, he reached for his sword. He looked back at the knight to see if he would object. He did not. He only nodded so Robb fastened his scabbard and was soon following him out the door. When they were nearly to the hall, Ser Artos stopped him and asked, “Did you put her up to this?” “Put her up to what? I don’t know what has happened. Please tell me what’s happened to my sister.” “I can’t. I was told not to…she’s not harmed though. I will tell you that much.” Ser Artos indicated that Robb should enter the hall but before he moved the knight had put a hand on his shoulder. “Good luck to you.” Lord Royce and some of his knights that had followed him up the mountain stood in the hall. In their midst stood Sansa in a white gown. Her fiery red hair was loose about her shoulders and her hands were bloody. Robb rushed to her side but a knight bared his path. “Sansa!” he said shoving his way past the knight. “What has happened?” He took her hands in his own and looked at her pale face, lightly splattered with blood. “I killed him, Robb. I killed Lord Baelish,” she said softly. “Yes,” Lord Royce said in an indignant tone. “Your sister killed Lord Baelish in cold blood. She went to his chambers, convinced the foolish young guard there to allow her to enter and then slit Littlefinger’s throat with a concealed dagger. She is a murderess and now she must pay the penalty for that.” “You wanted him dead just this morning! And now you want to kill her, a girl, for doing you a favor! Have you lost your mind!” Robb shouted. “Would you have us ignore the laws of gods and men? Is that the way of the things in the North, my lord? What would your own lord father have done in these circumstances?” another knight asked. They are as self-righteous and stubborn as they are arrogant. It must be the air up here. He looked over at his sister who had only just reached her 15th name day. A girl who had followed a dream South only to have it turn into a nightmare in front of her very eyes. She’d been used as a pawn and victimized enough. There had been more than enough of that and these men would not kill her. “She has the right of a trial,” Robb said. “She has confessed,” Lord Royce said, holding his hands out to the side as though he was sorry for all of this. Sorry and yet willing to push a girl out the Moon Door if his lord wishes it. “Lord Arryn should be here,” Robb said next. “Lord Arryn is sleeping,” another man said. “Well, wake him up!” Robb shouted next. “Or did one of you brave knights plan on killing my sister tonight before he rises?!” He pointed to Sansa and looked Lord Royce in the eye. “Robin loves her. He will not be pleased if his dear Alayne is executed. And he certainly will not be pleased with any man who ordered or aided in her execution without his knowledge as he sleeps.” The knights assembled and Lord Royce looked uncomfortably at one another. “It is not my wish to kill a girl, my lord,” Royce said at last. “But it is the penalty for murder. We will await Lord Arryn’s decision though.” “She has a right to a trial…” Royce started to repeat his objection until Robb bowled over him. “She is a lord’s daughter. She has a right to trial by combat. Whatever statements she made admitting guilt should not be used against her as she is clearly frightened and confused.” “Robb,” Sansa said, speaking in a choked voice. “Don’t! Please…I did what I did so you could avoid one trial by combat.” “Be quiet, Sansa,” Robb said touching her hand. “We will wait to see what Robin has to say first.” “Very well, Lord Stark,” Royce said. “Till the morning. Guards, take her to her chambers and there she is to remain.” Three guards led her away, one had his sword drawn. Are you so frightened of a girl? They were not Ser Artos’s men. Robb suspected that was by design. He could guess who the foolish young guard had been who had let her in to see Baelish. He’s half in love with her. He would’ve found it hard to say no to her request to see Baelish. It also explained why Ser Artos had been excluded from this meeting…judgment. The only hope for Sansa it seemed was in the hands of a boy of nine…a half mad boy of nine who liked watching people fly. The same boy that was content enough to look forward to watching Robb fight to the death in Littlefinger’s trial. Gods…if you exist at all, please help us. Help me get her away from here and I will do what is right.   ===============================================================================   SANSA- “Were you bad, Alayne?” the little lord asked from up high in his chair. Sansa looked around at the others in the room. Robb was standing nearby. No one seemed to take note of the fact that Robin kept calling her Alayne. Poor dear is confused. I shouldn’t wonder at it. I was confused myself at times. “Yes, my lord,” she answered. “Sansa!” Robb said. He’d been admonishing her repeatedly to not admit to anything. “Enough, Lord Stark! You’ll be removed from this room if you persist,” Lord Royce said. “Why would you kill Uncle Petyr?” Robin asked next. And Sansa told her tale once more to him.I told all this just yesterday. Was he not attending at all? When she finished speaking, Robin took up his doll and looked at it for a while. Sansa began to think perhaps his attention had wandered. It happened…quite often when he lost interest in something. “My lord?” Royce prompted. “You did a good job fixing the tear in Ser Osgood’s armor, Alayne.” Sansa nodded absently. He’s more interested in his doll than my fate, she thought dismally. And any minute now Robb is going to offer to throw his life away…again. “My lord,” Robb began. “Would you…” “Raynard, do you think your sister is wicked?” Robin asked. “No, my lord.” “Do you believe my Uncle Petyr deserved what happened to him?” “Yes, my lord,” Robb answered hesitantly. What is this new angle? Is he trying to trick Robb into saying something that will condemn us both? “Aren’t you upset that Alayne took away your chance for a battle, Raynard?” “No…my lord.” “You would’ve won. I’m sure of it,” Robin said confidently then. “Alayne should go through the Moon Door,” Robin then said. Sansa felt her knees begin to buckle. She had excepted that this might be her fate the moment she resolved to kill Lord Baelish but somehow the way Robin said it…the way he was sitting up there with his doll, the nonchalance of his expression as though none of this mattered one whit to him was chilling. Pandemonium reigned in the hall. The maester and Ser Artos were both trying to speak to Robin. Lord Royce was obviously troubled and yet he was calling to his guards to seize her. And Robb…Robb was a mad man. He was screaming and fighting to get to her. Hallen and another guard were holding him to keep him from drawing his sword. If he drew it here…if he drew it on Robin or the others, he would be following her through the Moon Door. Robb broke free of the men holding him. Nothing could’ve stopped him in his fury. He was at her side and drew his sword. ‘Robb…please don’t do this, my love. Go and leave this place. Find Jon…find Arya…find your way home again if you can.’ The words were spoken only in her mind. She’d lost her voice it seemed. The pretty talking bird has run out of things to say. “Sansa,” Robin said then, and the entire hall fell quiet. Sansa…he just called me Sansa. “Yes, my lord?” “You’re my cousin and Ray…I mean, Robb is, too.” “Yes, my lord.” Do you only wish to acknowledge that before killing us both? Robb looked ready to speak…to shout…to fight. She placed a staying hand on his forearm and cast a quick glance at him. Do not speak now, my love. “Alayne was my friend but she was a bad girl for killing my Uncle Petyr. She can go through the Moon Door. No one will mourn a bastard girl.” Robin got down from his chair and walked down the staircase towards them. “Open the Moon Door,” he said. “Don’t move, Robb,” she said. Sansa was not certain but she felt that Robin was perhaps building to something important...something that perhaps made sense to him and him alone. The great door was opened. The wind swept into the hall and roared in Sansa’s ears. She could still recall her terror when Aunt Lysa had been pushing her downwards, making her look at the nothingness that yawned before her. Two guards walked up behind her and started to grasp her shoulders. The terror flooded every pore and Robb began to react. “Let go of my cousin,” Robin ordered at once. He walked the rest of the way down the stairs and right up to her. “Give me something of Alayne’s, cousin.” Sansa stood there, not daring to hope just yet. She reached up and removed the wolf necklace Baelish had given her to wear when Robb arrived. The wolf’s head…it was finely made but it was not a direwolf. It was not her sigil. It did not belong to Sansa Stark. It had belonged to Alayne Stone. She handed it to Robin. He walked over to the opening and looked back over his shoulder at her and laughed. He tossed the necklace through the Moon Door next and stood with his hands on his knees watching it fall. It was no doubt long out of sight before he stood up again. “Alayne Stone is dead. She has paid for her crime,” Robin said imperiously. Lord Royce’s mouth gaped open comically before he finally nodded and said, “As you say, my lord.” “Sup with me tonight, cousins.” “We would be delighted,” Sansa answered for them both. She turned to Robb with a disbelieving smile as his own incredulous look went from suspicious to relieved. Sansa felt like laughing, a hysterical giddy sort of laughter, but she contained it. It would not do here. It must be the air up here, she thought as she fought to maintain a proper countenance and walked from the hall with her brother by her side.   ===============================================================================   Sweet Robin was upset when they expressed their wish to leave but in the end they convinced him of their need to return to their own home. “The North is not in a good way, cousin,” Robb had said. “We are needed there.” Sansa promised to write to him and felt secure enough leaving him with Ser Artos and the maester. At least I do not leave him to the mercies of Littlefinger. Robin suggest that perhaps he could marry his cousin. She would be the Lady of the Eyrie and they would be very happy together. “It is a long while before you need to consider marriage, my lord,” Sansa said gently. “And there may be some high-born maid of the Vale who you prefer to me.” Robin had not argued. He returned to playing with his doll and asking Robb about Direwolves.   They made their way down the mountain a fortnight later. Lord Royce escorted them. It was clear he did not know what to think of the Stark siblings or her escape from justice but he was cordial enough. He offered them an escort which Robb refused. He told Lord Royce he felt they would attract less attention traveling as two and that they planned to head to Gulltown, thus avoiding the Mountain Clans on the high road. In truth, they made their way to Salt Pans. Neither of them felt much trust in Lord Royce after all that had happened to them though the man did give them a fair amount of gold at their parting. “In honor of your lord father,” he had said, handing over the bag of golden dragons. They arrived in town several days later shortly before dark. The harbor was busy and, on the morrow, they would find a ship. Where that ship was to take them, they had not decided yet. Robb found them lodging for the night. ‘Just a room for my wife and I,’ he had said to the innkeeper. They lay abed that night together reveling in the quiet, safety of this place away from all the danger they had faced. He was very slow and intentional in his lovemaking that night. And Sansa knew in her heart that he meant for it to be the last time. That he meant for them to return North and live as siblings again. Her heart ached even as he brought her bliss over and over that night. No matter what happened, he would always be hers in a way just a she would always be his. His kisses were gentle now, his passion finally giving way to exhaustion, and she knew that now they would say those words she loathed hearing. “Tomorrow…” he began. “We will seek a ship.” “Yes. And then we will go…” “To Braavos.” His eyebrows shot up at her finishing his sentences and he grinned.  She smiled back at him before continuing. “We will sail to Braavos since so many merchant ships sail from Salt Pans to Braavos. Perhaps you might like it there and we could live there for a time.” “I had thought…” “From Braavos,” she interrupted yet again, “we will take a ship to Eastwatch- by-the-Sea. The Brothers of the Nights Watch will help us make our way to Castle Black.” “To Jon,” he finished. “To Jon,” she concurred. “But…you could always change your mind.” “Sansa…the North needs us. I don’t want to be a king anymore. I don’t want to command an army or fight Lannisters or any of it. I’d like to see the Boltons out of our home though. There must always be…” “A Stark in Winterfell,” they finished together. “Yes,” he said. “You know that I love you. You know what I feel for you. This is very hard for me but...” “I know what you would say and I know we are Starks and Tullys and our house words bind us to the North and to our family…what’s left of it. But, Robb…what if there is a child?” she asked. They both knew it was not impossible. “I…I suppose…we could always stay in Braavos for a time…just to be certain,” he said then with a curious smile. “We could decide then…once we’re certain…” “Yes…once we're certain. And from Braavos, ships travel all around the Narrow Sea and beyond.” “They do,” he agreed. “Even to Volantis and beyond.” “Yes.” He held her the rest of the night wondering if he’d ever really be able to let her go…to love her as a brother only and not as a lover. Would he be able to act with honor as his father would’ve wanted? Was that Robb Stark dead? Was there any hope for them in the North? Was Winterfell broken and ruined as he had been when he arrived in the Vale? He could not answer that tonight. And so he just enjoyed holding the girl that had been his salvation at a time when all he had wanted was to die. And as for Sansa, she enjoyed the feel of his arms around her that night at the inn, the safety and comfort of this man that she loved after so many days and nights and years of feeling anything but safe. She merely slept, confident that in time whatever was meant to be for them would reveal itself and show them the way. And whatever that was, they would fly to meet their fate together. Chapter End Notes So, that's all folks! I hope the ending was satisfying. I lost my focus with this one more than once but didn't want to abandon it. I never intended to give a definite answer as to what Robb and Sansa would do and what kind of relationship they would pursue after their escape. I preferred to let the reader decide that for themselves. Thanks for reading! Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!