When Theon had been brought to Winterfell as a child, to be a ward to Lord Stark, you had been intrigued.

And so, as children the two of you grew up together.

The two of you were inseparable and even when you both got older the closeness never wavered.

For a long time, the Stark children had all encouraged Theon to court you, but he had always dismissed it, not knowing of your feelings towards him and preferring not to risk the friendship that you both already had.

Eventually though Theon had fallen and the two of you had been together ever since.

He had taken you with him when he returned to the Iron Islands, you had been there for him when his father all but disowned him and when his own sister distrusted him, you had been there for him when he had attempted to prove himself.

Whilst you had not agreed with his choices you had made a vow to yourself to always support him and thus support him you did.

You had waited whilst he was away, waited in the cold and drafty castle as storms raged on around you.

And when he returned as a shell of the man you loved you had remained true in your love and support for him.

But it was the trauma which he experienced at the hand of Ramsay Bolton that had caused the man you loved to retreat into himself.

He had come back into a home that he did not know. He had betrayed his people and his family; his father had passed, and he did not know himself.

He lashed out, he was unsure of himself and most of all he was ashamed – ashamed of all he had done and all that had happened to him.

His most sensitive point was that he was no longer able to continue the Greyjoy line. He was no longer able to give you a child, an event that he so wished to be able to do.

You had tried to reassure him that you were simply grateful that he had returned to you and that you were still able to be with him as without him your life would surely crumble.

"You are doing better," you observed as Theon got dressed that morning.

He had slowly become more like the man you had fallen in love with – you felt pride watching him reclaim himself.

Your eyes roamed over him as he dressed and you had never tried to hide your attraction to him, but since his return it had been a sensitive subject.

He sighed as he watched you, still feeling as if he was no longer enough for you and as if he no longer deserved you.

"Do not think such things my love," you commented as you watched his expression morph, being able to decipher his thoughts from such.

His brow furrowed as he came over to you. "My thoughts are my own and I cannot change what they are."

He sat down on your side of the bed, reaching out to place his hand on your waist that was still covered by your bed sheets.

"It is true that I no longer feel myself worthy of you," he admitted, watching as you placed your hand on top of his. "And it is true that I can no longer give you what you deserve."

You knew the meaning behind those words and so you sighed. "What are you saying? That you no longer love me?"

His face paled at that thought and so he shook his head in response. "I will always love you my lady, but I fear that my love for you is not enough in this day."

You slowly brought Theon's hand from your waist to your chest to lay above your heart. "This heart, my heart, only beats for you Theon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, and it will forever beat only for you."

Your lover's eyes watered at your words and so you brought your free hand up to his cheek to wipe the tears away.

"It is true that we can no longer have a child of our own," you admitted as much as it pained you to do so. "But that is not to say that we can no longer have a family – many a child will go without their own parents and it may be written for us to look after such a child."

He smiled down at you as he listened, truly wanting nothing more than a family with you.

When he had returned a damaged and broken man, when his own sister had again wanted nothing to do with him, you had been there for him.

You had always been in his presence whether you were aware of it or not. Even in his days as Reek you were at the forefront of his mind.

"I love you my lord," you whispered as you still held his hand over your heart.

And as Theon stared into your eyes, the eyes of the woman that loved him with all her being, the words that he uttered had never been truer. "As I love you my lady."

~*~

Written by Hannah.