𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 | King in the North

{ Eliza }

✧✦✧

𝕰liza rushed through the encampment of soldiers, holding the hem of her dress in her hands as she tried to find her husband. She had just come from their tent, where a letter lay innocently on the desk. It had been short and to the point, sent by Robb's sisters in the capital to tell Robb that his father had been beheaded.

Soldiers stopped to bow their heads to the teenager, but she paid them little attention, searching for a curly head of hair. But, she could not find him.

Though they had been married for less than a year, and did not know each other all that well, Eliza wanted to check up on the man. She knew the pain of losing a father, and knew how much it broke your spirit.

Reaching the edge of camp, Eliza listened once more for her husband, looking around for any sign of him. For a moment, all she could hear was wind whistling through the trees, but then the sound of metal hitting wood reached her ears and Eliza raced off in the direction of the sound.

She broke through the treeline, coming out on the crest of a hill where one singular tree stood. Robb was hacking away at the bark, still in his armour, his sword ruined and Eliza's heart broke at the look of agony on his face.

"Robb!" She called, but there was no response. "Robb!"

The sound of his name the second time caused the Stark heir to turn and look at her. She was too far away, but she knew that if she was closer, Eliza would see tears pooling in his eyes

"I'm so sorry." Eliza shook her head, before stepping closer to the man. He didn't speak, allowing her to take the sword from his grip and pull him into a hug. He gripped onto her, his armour pressing uncomfortably against her skin, but Eliza hugged him tightly. Reaching up, she ran her hand through his hair and squeezed. "I'm so incredibly sorry."

"I'll kill them all," His voice was choked with tears and his Northern accent was thicker than normal. "Every one of them. I'll kill them all."

"Your sisters are still there," Eliza reminded him, her toes starting to ache as she clutched onto him. "We need to know what happened and how we're going to get them out and then, yes, we'll kill all of them. I swear it to you."

Cautiously, she pressed a kiss to the side of Robb's head, before closing her eyes and sending a prayer to the gods, begging with them to keep Robb's sisters safe. 

Pity swirled in her at the thought of the three girls, who had no one to turn to now that their father had been killed. They'd be feeling so alone at this moment. She could only hope that they would be alright.

✧✦✧

The one thing that Eliza despised more than the mud and the smell of the war camp, were war council meetings. Everyone talked over each other, yet no one listened to a word anyone said and thus, nothing got done. They often gave her a headache, but she pursed her lips and sat through them anyway, determined to learn as much as possible from the older lords.

Her brother was sitting to the left of her, watching everyone with narrowed eyes as he too rubbed his temple and fought down a migraine.

"The proper course is clear..." One soldier shouted. "Pledge fealty to King Renly and move south to join our forces with his."

"Renly is not the king." Eliza commented, shaking her head at the thought. Succession did not work that way. Robb nodded along to her comment, and Eliza felt that they were finally on the same page with each other.

"You cannot mean to hold to Joffrey, My Lady." The same soldier called, looking at Eliza in disbelief. "He put your father-by-law to death."

Eliza glanced up at Robb, thinking back to the letter Robb's eldest sister, Lyra, had sent. Her sister-by-law had told them that Joffrey hadn't arrested Robb's father, instead it was the Small Council. If Joffrey did not arrest Ned Stark, then it made no sense for him to kill the man. 

"That doesn't make Renly king. He's Robert's youngest brother." Anceron called, backing up his sister as he saw her struggle for a response. "If I can't be lord of Faymont before my older brother, Renly can not be king before Stannis."

"Do you wish for us to be declared with Stannis?" Anceron shook his head, beginning to protest that statement, before Greatjon Umber stood up and began to call over the din for there to be some quiet as he spoke.

"Here is what I say to these two kings. Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis neither." The room settled down, as the other lords began to murmur their agreements. Eliza leant back in her seat watching it all play out. "Why should they rule over me and mine from some flowery seat in the South? What do they know of the Wall or the Wolfswood? Even their gods are wrong. Why shouldn't we rule ourselves again? It was the dragons we bowed to and now the dragons are dead! There sits the only king I mean to bend my knee to...the King in the North!"

Greatjon unsheathed his sword and bowed in Robb and Eliza's direction, causing Robb to rise and stare at the man. Eliza straightened up again, her eyes going wide as she watched on in disbelief. When she had walked into the War Council meeting an hour earlier, this is not the outcome that she expected.

"I'll have peace on those terms," Rickard Karstark called, pulling his own sword out and bowing to Robb. "They can keep their Red Castle and their iron chair too. The King in the North!"

Eliza glanced over at Anceron, confused about what was happening. Her brain was taking a moment to catch up with what was going on. If Robb became King in the North, then what did that make her?

"Am I your brother, now and always?" Theon had stood up as Eliza caught up. If Robb became king, then that meant she was to become a queen?

"Now and always." Robb's voice snapped Eliza out of her thoughts, as she turned to look back across the tent and then up at her husband.

"My sword is yours in victory and defeat, from this day until my last day." Theon's voice echoed around the tent, as he, too, bowed to Robb with his sword extended. Anceron was the next person to stand, surprising his sister as he bowed towards Robb and Eliza.

"The King in the North!" Anceron called, as everyone else began to join in, drawing their swords and bowing as they swore fealty to their new king. Eliza looked up, catching eyes with her husband. His eyes were wide, but there was a steely confidence that made Eliza take a deep breath and nod.

Eliza had not wanted to be a queen or a princess, thinking that the position would put a lot of pressures and expectations on her shoulder. Not it seemed that she did not have a choice in the matter, as she was going to become the Queen in the North but she didn't know what to make of the idea.

𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐀

Hiya,

Last part of book one and we're moving onto Book 2, which I'm very excited for. There's been some growth for Eliza and Robb (and she kissed him on the cheek which is sweet). I'm really excited for this to get going some more.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx