More time passed. As the days went by, I bonded more with Theon, helped Natalie tell Bradford about the baby, and avoided Robb as much as possible. The latter wasn't hard - I never saw him anyway.

Bradford was thrilled about the baby, much to Natalie's relief. They had already begun a list of possible names. For a girl, Piper was at the top of their list, and for a boy, it was Jake. They were kind of unusual names, but then again, Natalie and Bradford were kind of an unusual couple, one of them being a knight and the other being a bastard.

I smiled as I laid in my bed, just thinking about them. Life was actually more peaceful now that I didn't have to worry about Robb's feelings for me, and now that I wasn't waiting for him to come into my room at night and inevitably being disappointed when he didn't. It was a nice change.

That's when I heard an urgent, fast knock on my door. I looked up and leaned against the headboard. "Come in."

Theon pushed open the door, holding a letter. "We were right. Robb's marching off to war." He handed the paper to me and sat down on the bed next to me.

My eyes narrowed in confusion. "What? Are you serious?" I looked down at the letter as Theon nodded.

Robb,
I write to you with a heavy heart. Our good king Robert is dead, killed from wounds he took in a boar hunt. Father has been charged with treason. He conspired with Robert's brothers against my beloved Joffrey and tried to steal his throne. The Lannisters are treating me very well and provide me with every comfort. I beg you: come to King's Landing, swear fealty to King Joffrey and prevent any strife between the great houses of Lannister and Stark.
Your faithful sister,
Sansa.

I glanced up from the letter at Theon's face. I was completely in shock. "'My beloved Joffrey?'" I shook my head. "By the way you've described Sansa, that doesn't sound like her."

"Did you not read the letter?" Theon almost shouted. "Robert is dead. Joffrey is king. Lord Stark has been arrested!"

"But Robb's not going to swear fealty, is he?" I asked, handing the letter back to Theon.

My brother took it and shook his head. "No, of course not. He's marching to war." Theon stood up and started to walk out of the room. "There's a small bag in the closet. Pack your things and meet us outside as soon as possible."

"Wait," I said, standing up. "You... you think I'm coming with you?"

Theon crossed his arms. "Yes. You have to. I'm going with Robb. We already swore we would follow him. He needs all the men- I mean, fighters, he can get." Theon grabbed the door handle. "Allison, I know you and Robb aren't on the best terms. But we can't win the war if we're fighting a battle amongst ourselves."

I sighed and looked down. I knew he was right. I knew I had to go with him. But the thought of leaving Winterfell and marching off to war... how could we even win?

"Pack your things," Theon repeated, walking outside and shutting the door behind him. I exhaled softly and started to get myself ready for war.

Once I was fully packed, I headed outside. As I approached our usual meeting spot, I heard a yelling argument. As I approached the scene, I could hear and see who the two men were.

"Robb needs all the men he can get!" Theon shouted, his fists clenched in anger. "You're a knight! You have to come with us!"

Bradford sighed and looked down. "My wife is pregnant. I can't match off to war and run the risk of dying on the field!"

"That's what war is!" Theon yelled, stepping closer to Bradford. "You are a knight, and one of my closest friends! Not fighting for us will be the same as a betrayal!"

Bradford looked up at Theon and spoke in a low voice. "My wife grew up with no parents. She barely survived." He practically scowled at Theon. "I cannot have that same fate for my future child, even if it's only one parent."

"You shouldn't have gotten married and fucked her, then!" Theon argued angrily.

"This isn't the bloody Night's Watch!" Bradford shouted, finally loosing his temper. "I can get married to whomever I want, whenever I want, no matter what you or anyone else says about it!"

Theon's hand came up, and he slapped Bradford across the face. I gasped and ran up to the pair.

Bradford cringed and leaned away from the slap, but after a second, he lifted his head. He clenched his fists and even started to raise them, but he stopped himself. "I'm staying," he said firmly, standing his ground.

Theon raised his hand to hit the young knight again, but Bradford grabbed his wrist. "I suggest you don't try that again."

"Theon," I called breathlessly. He turned around, twisting his wrist out of Bradford's grip and staring at me. I was wearing very light armor over my outfit. Theon smiled slightly at the sight of me.

I turned to Bradford. "Are you alright?" I asked worriedly. He nodded, not saying a word.

"Theon, give us a moment," I suggested, seeing Natalie walk towards us. Theon turned around and headed in the opposite direction. Once he was gone, Natalie was by Bradford's side.

"So..." I said with a sigh. "This is it."

Bradford gently took Natalie's hand and looked directly at me. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

I looked down at my feet. I knew I should tell him the truth. "No, not really," I confessed. Bradford's face fell, so I continued. "But I completely understand where you're coming from. I don't blame you for your decision, but... it's not the decision I would make."

Natalie suddenly ran forward, wrapping me in a hug. "Allison," she sighed, burying her face in my shoulder. I could tell she was crying. "Don't get yourself killed. I... I can't live without you."

I smiled and rubbed Natalie's back in support. "I'll be fine." I looked at Bradford. "Will you two be alright here?"

Bradford nodded, the ghost of a smile appearing on his face. "I think we can manage." He wrapped both Natalie and I, who were still hugging, in another hug. I giggled softly and squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to cry. I knew I would see them again. It would just be hard to live without them while we were apart.

After a few seconds, we all pulled back from the hug. Natalie sighed contentedly before she spoke.

"I might be a mother the next time I see you," she said with a laugh. I grinned and nodded, looking between both of them.

"Be careful," Bradford warned. "The night is dark and full of terrors." He chuckled at our confused expressions. "A red priestess said that to me once, a long time ago. I figured now was the right time to pass along the message."

I snickered and shook my head. "You're crazy." I shook his hand for the last time. "Take care, Bradford."

"And you, Lady Allison," he said with a grin as he shook my hand.

Then, I turned to Natalie. She was crying a lot harder now. She sniffed as she looked at me.

"I... I know I'll see you again..." Natalie cried softly. "W-why do we have to say goodbye?"

I smiled and nodded. "I suppose you're right. This isn't goodbye." I waved. "I'll see you soon, Natalie."

Natalie waved back as I walked away. I saw Bradford wrap her in a side hug. My heart felt heavy as I turned around and walked away.

But I had to turn back, just to get one last glimpse of them. I smiled as I looked behind me, then gasped when I ran straight into someone.

Robb showed no facial expression, but he grabbed my arms to steady me and keep me from falling. "Watch yourself," he said simply and started walking back towards Theon.

"Robb," I called, my breathing quickening. He didn't turn around or stop walking. He ignored me. I sighed and shook my head. He wasn't worth it.

But my heart had other plans.

"Robb," I shouted again, this time louder. "I'm following you into war, you know."

"Only because your brother is going," Robb replied calmly, still not turning around. "If he stayed here, so would you."

"I'm loyal to you," I said. This statement finally made Robb turn around to look at me. I took a deep breath and continued. "Theon is loyal to you. Therefore, so am I."

"But is your family loyal to me?" Robb asked, looking directly into my eyes.

I made eye contact, not at all intimidated. "Theon is the only real family I have." I started to walk away again.

"You lived with your father and your sister for your whole life," Robb argued, starting after me. "I don't believe you when you say they aren't your true family."

I shrugged and kept up my pace. "Why should I care about them after the way they treated my brother and I?" I sighed. "Why are you asking about my family, Robb? What about your family?"

Robb grabbed my wrist harshly and spun me around to face him. "Arya and Sansa are prisoners in King's Landing. My father has been arrested for treason. Bran is paralyzed, and Rickon is only five. Jon... I will likely not see Jon for years." He let go of my wrist after he finished talking, but his eyes told me not to move.

I obeyed and stayed still. "And your mother?"

"We will see her soon," Robb replied, nodding. "That is one advantage."

"Who's going to run Winterfell when you're gone?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Bran," Robb responded. My eyes went wide. "I know what you're thinking, Allison, but he will do well. Maester Luwin is helping him rule." Robb started to walk back towards Theon. "Come on. We must leave soon."

I adjusted the bag on my shoulder and followed Robb. My feelings for him hadn't quite gone away, but I didn't want to admit it. He wasn't worth my time - at least, not romantically. But I would still fight for him because I believed in his cause.

Also, I really did care about Arya. Even though we'd only spoken twice, I felt like I could relate to her. I felt bad for her, and I wanted her to be okay. Sometimes I would find myself thinking about her at night and wondering how she was doing. Now that we'd gotten that letter from Sansa, I was especially worried. She hadn't even mentioned Arya in the letter. But why not?

After a while, we started marching away. Robb's bannermen were assembling, and there were a lot of them. He had just over twenty thousand men. Twenty thousand men, all rebelling against the already tyrannical King Joffrey.

Would we win? Maybe, but I had my doubts. Still, I had to follow Robb and Theon. I would march with them forever. I trusted them.

I never realized back then how naive I truly was.

Maybe everything that happened to me was a good thing. Maybe it taught me the ways of the world.

Maybe without it, I wouldn't truly be myself.