PART ONE- CHAPTER FOUR

"Learning to embrace the storms of your life, is the best thing you can do to live it well."

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"Well, I'm not apologizing for even thinking about that fucking I thought I could give the Princess. She was fair game...Until now, that is." Theon said, and Robb, as was his nature, didn't hide his feelings from his most trusted companions, his brother and his friend, and glared at Theon, with a menacing look on his face, daring him to mention anything of the sort again.

First, I'll have to come to terms that I might be the one doing that. You don't have to be an utter twat and remind me, Theon.

"Don't look at me like that, you didn't expect this betrothal either! You didn't have a problem with me talking about my prospective chances with the Princess earlier, did you? Find out she going to marry you and suddenly someone's possessive, eh?" Theon said with a suggestive smirk.

"I'm not one to steal from my brothers, so you can rest assured that the Princess is all yours. Besides, that handmaiden of hers is very easy to look at."

"Gods, will you just shut up?" Robb said, and rolled his eyes, not being able to deal with his friend's insolence anymore.

"Lord and Lady Stark. Only this time, it's going to be you and your Princess wife! A babe at her breast would make it a perfect picture, don't you think?"

Theon laughed, and Robb did his best not to create a scene. But what crushed him was that even Jon was laughing along with him.

Has my life become a farce now, that Theon and Jon laugh about it?

He didn't have a lot of time to think as the Princess and her younger siblings, passed by. For a second when they looked at each other, Robb felt uneasy of the fact that all he wanted to do was just keep looking into her brown eyes. Her dark hair fell along the curve of her hips and they just stood there, both of them contemplating on what to do next.

After what seemed like an eternity of staring, she nodded curtly to him, a gesture of acknowledgement.

Someone is feeling off-colour today.

Or that's what he thought until he saw her head turn in the direction of his companions and smile. She had a beautiful smile, one that Robb wished to see often, but that's when Robb realised that Rhea was being cold to him by choice, and it was an unsettling thought to him.

***

"Gods, Rhea, just breathe in, will you?" Her mother said, as her handmaiden Asha, handled the laces of her dress, helping her get ready for the feast that the Starks have arranged for at sundown.

She glanced at the looking glass and saw that her corset had already made her hips look like a chicken leg with no meat at all. It was quite the size that Rhea thought was inhumane, but her mother carried this off with ease all the time.

"Mother, the Lords and Ladies would be dumb if they didn't figure out that my corset was just too tight, and it isn't my natural shape. It'd be even more embarrassing then." She said and did her best to breathe in more, without risking her face looking like the Hound.

"Rhea, the first time your betrothed sees you, you'll need to look every bit the lady. Because I know for one that you are nothing of the sort. You are a street smart Princess, with a huge mouth. If you won't make yourself look like that, then I suggest you take the corset's help."

"Well, Robb has seen me before, besides what's the point anyway? It's not like I'm interested in this anyway." Rhea said and huffed. "And that's what I hope to hide." Her mother said, dismissed herself and closed the door behind her.

She felt the last one of her laces being done, and sat on a bench, to do her hair. Asha started combing through her hair and kept doing so until Rhea asked her to stop.

"What is the matter, Your Highness?"

"No, I'm just nervous, I suppose. I mean, this is going to be my home in a while! And I'm going to be a Lady of Winterfell!"

"Well, if turning into a Lady from a Princess is what is troubling you, then I don't really know what to say, Your Highness."

"That's part of it. But I suppose it's just, what if Robb Stark isn't as chivalrous and gentlemanly as they say he is? I mean, I won't last a day in that marriage if he turns out to be the kind of husband that my father is!"

"May I speak candidly, Your Highness?" Asha asked, and Rhea nodded. "You may always speak freely with me, Asha, you know that."

"Your Highness, noble marriages are never easy. If I come across as being crass for saying this, I'll have you know that I'm saying this only for your own good, for the love I have for you, as my closest companion and friend.

"You should consider yourself lucky if Robb Stark sees you as more than a strong ally for his house in a gown. And from what I've heard he is quite the catch, very gentlemanly and polite. And honourable too. He might see you for more and love you, but if he doesn't, then you are a strong Princess who won't be shaken that easily. You'll come out of this just fine, just put your nervousness aside and don't consider a negative outcome right at the start. That won't bode well for anyone. Just try and make an effort."

Rhea, having absorbed what her friend and handmaiden had said then, made up her mind.

"Well, I'd like to leave my hair down, the way the northerners do. If I am to live here, I have to make the people see me as their future Lady, shouldn't I?"

She smiled and went on to get some ribbon when a question arose in Rhea's mind.

"How do you know so much about Robb Stark?"

***

The feast was a louder event than he would have preferred. The music and the crowd was not something he was used to, and not something he would ever grow accustomed to. Then, all the music stopped and the door opened, to reveal the King in all his drunken happiness and then the Queen, who definitely didn't care to even grace the crowd with a look and went straight for the high seat.

Yes. Now there's a Queen to accompany her prick of a son.

Then, the Royal prick-ass of a crown Prince came in with a smug look of satisfaction on his face that Robb just wanted to punch off. But then, his sister Princess Rhea came in, her uncle the Kingslayer holding her hand and his rather negative feelings for Joffrey vanished in just a few seconds.

Beautiful.

Something was different about her though. He couldn't place his finger on what it was, but he knew for sure that something was unusual in her appearance. And then he realised.

Her hair was down, the way the northerners do it. And a flicker of hope came into him.

Hope, that she might accept what was given to her by force.

Hope, that she could accept him. Someday.

Hope, that there was something that they could salvage out of this mess that they had been thrown into.

And for some reason, the second she looked at him and smiled at him, he felt like he could fly. His little lovesick moment came crashing down when Theon came to him and said, "As much as I hate to agree with your bastard brother, it is impolite to stare. Not like I cared anyway, but people think you do." He said, grinned and shrugged.

Arse! What would she think of you now?

The feast then proceeded on, and Robb forgot all about his betrothed at the high seat with her siblings and got himself into the thick of the moment. A couple of hours had probably passed with the food still coming in and he saw his uncle Benjen talking to his father and approached them and engulfed him in a hug. He then saw that his sister Sansa had gone to the Queen and spoke to her, and when she came back to her chair, He noticed Joffrey giving her a suggestive smirk.

"Prick." He said out loud, and Theon looked at him, utterly confused. "The Prince." He clarified and Theon smirked as he brought his goblet of ale to his mouth and said, "That he is."

Moments later, Arya got restless of the courtesies and everything else they were expected to do that evening and threw her food on Sansa's face, which Robb found both funny and amusing. He also debated on whether he wanted to tell Arya that she had a splendid aim. He laughed to his heart's content until his mother gave him a look that said take her out of here or I would bash the both of you up.

He carried her out of the hall and the both of them laughed together. They kept joking about the hideous behaviours and courtesies of the feast today and when he put her in bed and tucked her in, he said, "Arya, not to encourage you or anything, but between you and me, it was a good shot." He said laughed and went out.

He kept walking back to the feast when he noticed that it was drizzling rain and he would have kept walking if he hadn't seen Rhea Baratheon standing there in the middle of the open ground, in the rain, with not a care in the realm. 

So he went to her.

***