PART ONE-CHAPTER NINETEEN

//"They want to see you do good, but never better than them. Remember that."//                                          _______________________________________

She was spiralling. That was probably the only way to describe everything that was going on in her life at the moment. And the more she thought about it, the more her mind went towards the thought that she had hoped to avoid- She came from a very twisted family.

Her uncle was captured by her good-mother to be, and her other uncle as an act of revenge put a spear through her good-father to be. And her mother can't care less. 

Well, life is pleasant right now.

"Rhea! Get up!"

Uncle Renly burst into the room and frantically helped her off her chair, and then she asked what happened, that shook a very calm and level headed person such as him.

"It's your father. He was hunting a boar. He's severely hurt."

And that was all it took for her take off. She ran only to have the guards stop her, and she shouted, "That's my father damn it! Let me in!" And when they refused and said the King didn't want anyone inside, she screamed. "I am your Princess. Now if you don't let me inside, I will end you all!" She supposed her father heard her because he then screamed to let her inside.

She came running in and then saw her father lying on the bed, with a huge bandage across his chest, blood gushing out of it, despite what she hoped were the maester's best efforts.

"What did you do this time?" She asked, sounding as if she didn't get any sleep for a decade- weak and tired, with tears threatening to fall.

She saw Ned Stark sitting on the other side of the bed on a chair with a piece of parchment on his hand, and when Rhea strained her neck a little she saw the words 'rightful heir', and it didn't take her long to put things together.

"You're not going to die, father. Please stop thinking like that. You're going to get out of this, just fine and then you're going to live, and drink your way to early death as you always say, but it's not now, not today, and certainly not by a boar." She said and squeezed his hand, closing her eyes so the tears don't fall.

"Look at me, girl."

She turned her head the other way and held back the tears when her father squeezed her hand and urged her to look at him.

So she did.

"I may have not been the father every girl is looking for, not to you, to your sister, or your brothers. I was never made to be a father anyway, but the fact that all you'll remember of me is a drunk old fat man is....depressing."

"You know I never thought of you that way."

"You, girl, you deserved so much more than what I've given you. You deserve a life where you didn't have to put up with a horrible excuse for a father like me, or a cold-hearted woman like your mother. You deserve a family that would love you, and I know it's too late for me to ask of this, but don't ever give up on that happiness you seem to keep within you. I saw it when I needed the light, and that's probably what kept me fighting all this time."

Rhea looked to the floor as she tried to keep her tears in check, failing miserably.

"You're a kind girl, Rhea. More than I ever deserved. And if Robb Stark doesn't appreciate that as much as he should, then he loses more than he could think."

"Father sto-"

"Get out both of you; I need some time to myself. The righteousness emanating from you two is a bit too strong for my ailing body." King Robert said, and when Rhea didn't move an inch, he turned to Ned and gestured with a swift head shake what he had to do, and Ned Stark got up from the other side and helped her off the chair.

She didn't scream, she didn't cry anymore, she didn't ask to be put back. But she did ask for one thing.

"Can I get a minute more of your time, father?" She asked, tears threatening to pool in her eyes, as she awaited his response. For the first time in her whole life, she realised that she wasn't able to read him at all. He could say no, for all he knew, but he still is her father.

"What is it?"

She looked at him, as calm as she could, and she asked: "Do you think about my brother?"

"Joffrey and Tommen do need you and all the support they can get. They won't take it from you if your mother has her way-"

"I meant, Steffon."

He swallowed a bit before he asked her, "Do you?"

"I asked you, first."

She sensed that Ned Stark thought he was an intrusion and even though he never was, he went out.

"He came in kicking and screaming, a boy who looked everything like me. Very identical, both of you." He coughed a bit, and Rhea grabbed a goblet of water and held it to her father's mouth as he took in very slow sips. She waited patiently for him to settle again. She wasn't going to let go; 

She'd never get another chance to ask.

"Pycelle, the old rat did say that he was running a bit of body heat, but Gods, he had a pair of amazingly strong lungs on him. Nobody would even think that he was born with a fever. You, on the other hand, you squirmed a bit, but you didn't scream like him. He held my finger, and he didn't let go. Very strong grip."

I knew, that second when I held you both, that you were destined for great things, you and your brother. Great things that I could never do. And it was then that it was told to me that your brother didn't have long. Three days later he was gone."

He didn't say anything for a while, and Rhea just kept squeezing his hand and rubbed over it.

And then she knew, that it was time for her to let go. So she did.

She kissed his forehead, and she noticed the little ageing lines on his face and thought why she never noticed that with those, she should have known that she had to let him go eventually. She walked toward the door and put her hand front to open it when her father called out for her in a weak voice.

"Sometimes I thought as to why you weren't a boy too, because you would make a better ruler than any of your siblings. I'll tell you that again girl, you are destined for great things."

She finally let the tears come and walked out, and almost tripped not being able to see, with the moist tears blurring her vision. She felt Ned Stark catch her and mutter good things in her ear, but nothing mattered anymore.

She stood up and walked. In the direction of the large gardens she walked and she then reflected on everything that happened in her life so far.

And once the thoughts became too much to bear, it all became black. "Princess! Princess!" And then she couldn't hear too, as she crashed on the grass-covered ground. 

She woke up gods know how long later, and when she did, she's strong enough to overhear the maesters talking.

"King Robert's gone, and Ned Stark has been captured on the grounds of treason! Gods can only save us and tell us what's going to happen because it's not going to be good!"

What in the realm?

***

Robb,

Upon the death of King Robert Baratheon, our father committed treason and tried to take the throne away from Joffrey, the new King. The King and his council strongly urge that you come to King's Landing, bend the knee and keep the King's peace.

Awaiting your arrival,
Sansa.

"Treason?" Robb asked.

That one word stood out to him out of all the unbelievable things apart from the fact that Sansa, Sansa of all people had written to him. "Sansa wrote this?"

"It is your sister's hand, but it is the Queen's words." Maester Luwin said.

Well, I wasn't japing around when I thought I hated Rhea's family.

"They've arrested my father, Joffrey puts my father behind bars and now he wants his arse kissed?"

"It is a royal command, Robb, and we all know what happened the last time someone went against the Royal Family. I lost my father and lots of men were killed. Just go." Sara said.

Robb had to think twice about what she said, the repercussions of this decision he was contemplating, but it was his family that the Lannisters were playing with. His father, and his sisters.

"Oh, I will go. The king wants me there, and so he shall have his wish. I'll go, but not alone."He could swear he saw Theon's little smile as he said that, and he knew that he had seen this coming. And for some reason, watching Theon react like that made Robb feel like he was doing the right thing.

"All of them, my lord?" Maester Luwin asked.

"All of them. They've all sworn to protect my father, haven't they? Let's see what their words are worth." Robb said and watched as the old Maester walked out to do the needful.

"Are you scared?" Theon asked.

"I must be." He agreed, indicating to the left hand that wouldn't just stop shaking.

"That's good. It means you're not stupid." Theon said.

"NOT STUPID? That's very true. Not stupid, you two are insanely stupid! He's walking into a death wish not knowing what's going to happen and you're just going to watch? The kind of men in this world are just annoying and careless and blinded by glory and pride that they don't see what is actually in front of them! YOU COULD DIE!" Sara screamed, and as she let a few drops of tears come out of her eyes, she walked out.

"What you're doing is right, Robb. If Sara isn't blinded by the fact that she lost her father to this, she would fully support you too. You know that."

"Hm."

He then walked out too, with Theon at his side, and they both continued to walk until Robb turned toward his chamber and sat at the writing bench. He found a piece of paper and dipped his quill in ink.

Dear Rhea,

I am deeply sorry about your father's passing. I know that you were close to him. I'm very sure that you need all the support you can get considering you're not going to get any from your mother right now, as I know it. Please, please, please just know that I'm right here for you.Expressing myself to you isn't the best on paper, but I want you to know that I'm going to be there for you, no matter what. No matter what.

Things are going to happen, and I'll let you be the judge of it. These things that will involve me, you'll hear soon enough. But when you do, I would completely understand if you don't want to be with me anymore, but if you do, I will find you, and keep you safe with me.

Things are not going to be easy for us, no. What with our families looking at each other like they'd rather chop each other's heads off, I don't expect it to be okay soon. You'll know it too. But for now, just know that I l...

I love you.

Robb just couldn't bring himself to write that, not when he didn't know for sure that she was going to say it back and given the situation. He was waging a war against her family, after all, he wouldn't expect her to. So he crossed that off.

But for now, just know that I...

But for now, just know that I value you so much that I am willing to keep you safe, even if the whole realm thinks I shouldn't.
Yours,
Robb.

As he watched the raven fly to King's Landing, he could only hope that all of them- his father, his brothers, his sisters, his mother, his friends, Rhea- all of them come out of this unscathed.

Hope was all that was left to him.

***