PART ONE- CHAPTER FIVE

"Just living is not enough, one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."

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The rain had always intrigued her. To an extent where she dreamt of it sometimes, because, her whole life, she's seen the rain only thrice. You don't get a lot of it in the long summer, especially at King's Landing, where you never anything apart from sunny weather.

"Its a shame, how you like those little droplets, sweet dove. It just shows you the harsh reality of your life. You know what you want is there, but you have to wait so long to have it. Or not have it at all."

That's what her mother told her the first time she saw Rhea playing in the rain when she was four years old, of course after scolding her a ton about the decorum that she would have to follow as a Princess, something that did not include playing in the rain.

Of course, like a behaved Princess she said 'Yes, mother.' and went to her mother's lap.

And like a mischievous daughter, she shook her head fiercely and sprinkled all the rain from her head to her mother, the Queen's face. And she laughed. And she remembers how her mother's face had gone from stern to happy in a matter of a few seconds. She'd never seen her mother look at her like that again.

The second she heard the rain pour from the little window near the high seat, her feet sensed her mood and started moving on their own accord, urging her to get up and come.

So she excused herself, right after laughing as much as she could without looking like anything but a Princess when she saw Arya Stark throw her food on her sister, with precision, and Robb Stark took her out, upon his mother's stern glare.

They're a different kind of family, these Starks. A loving one.

And what's different is that she'd never seen a loving family for real before. She could only hope that they would accept her.

She walked out and went to the open ground, and just stood there, in the rain, with no care in the world, happy to be excused of her expectations for however long the Gods would allow it. She knew it was past time that one of the Kingsguard was sent to find her.

Everything happened as she expected it to- the droplets of rain would touch her neck and all of her body, it would then wet all of her, and her hair would be very damp.

What she didn't expect was for Robb Stark to find her.

"Princess! What are you doing?" He asked, clearly getting wet in the rain with her, though he seems to mind it more than she does.

"I don't get rain every day in King's Landing! And whenever I do, I like to enjoy it, unlike a few." She said and pointed to the tower of the feast. "You seem to hate this a lot, why are you here?"

"I was on my way back to the feast, but then I saw you here, so I thought I..." He said and trailed off.

She finally turned to see him, and asked, "You thought what?" And smiled a smile with all her teeth on display, laughing.

"I thought I would join you."

"Good. If you're going to live with me, then you should get used to this." She said. And then, upon further consideration of her words, she said, "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." And looked away.

"Well, getting damp in the rain isn't very ladylike either." He said and laughed.

"Then I suppose it's a good thing I'm a Princess! There's no such thing as ladylike for me because I'm not a Lady!" she said.

Only the Gods know what had taken over her at the time, but the rain, as seldom as it comes, makes her feel free and content.

Or is it Robb that made her feel that way? She couldn't tell.

She turned to look at him, fully expecting him to look at her in disgust, knowing fully the extent of royalty she showed right then. But when she did, all she saw were a pair of blue Tully eyes that had little specks of grey in them and the brown curls that had stuck to his forehead because of the rain, looking at her and smiling, with what seemed like an expression of surprise.

"What?" she asked, partly because she wanted to know why he was looking at her like that, and partly because she couldn't bring herself to form coherent words, getting drunk on the blue eyes of her betrothed's.

"Nothing, just happy."

"About what?"

***

She kept talking on her own accord, but Robb couldn't care less. He was busy admiring her happiness, her wild spirit. He had expected his betrothed, much less the Princess, to be someone who represented all aspects of pure nobility, but here she was, in true flesh and blood, getting wet in the rain.

And he was getting damp in the rain with her. Life had gotten upside down in just a matter of two days, hadn't it?

She was different. If anything, Robb could see a life, a future with her. Because she was everything he didn't know he desired in a wife. He never gave it much thought, but here he was, marvelling at his newfound affection.

"What?" she asked, and Robb knew she was examining him and would have given all the gold to find out what was going on in her head. Especially what she thought about him.

"Nothing. Just happy." Great, Robb. Great way to start.

"About what?"

For a second she looked amused, he could tell, but he couldn't even think of what to say that wouldn't scare off the delicate, happy girl that stood in front of him.

"I suppose you're just not what I expected."

"Do I disappoint you?" she asked, and Robb just chuckled.

If only you knew.

"Far from it." he said, and he wanted nothing but to watch her smile again. And smile she did.

"Well, what else? We can't just stand here."

"I suppose going back to the feast is out of the question?" He asked.

"You're such a droll. How about this? Do you have a special place? Everyone does." She asked, and Robb knew that he'd have to recover soon enough from the surprise he got from each of her words.

"Not exactly a special place, but I suppose there is one place that I like."

"If you don't mind then, can you take me there My Lord? I mean, a step toward getting to know each other better. We didn't have a choice, but...make the most of things?"

He just watched her, in happiness. But she seemed to have found it to be a look of rejection, and said: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." And turned away and looked up, and that's when Robb realised that the rain had stopped.

"No, I was just... surprised. We'll go."

"Surprised? You seemed to be surprised a little too much, my Lord. Is it in a good or bad way? That's what matters."

Yet I just never stop being surprised do I?

"A good way. A very good way, Princess." He said and gestured for her to walk forward.

"Where are we going?" She asked and he said, "To my uh...The special place, as you call it." She smiled, and Robb felt like the luckiest man in the whole realm to have found someone so like him.

They kept walking, and they kept talking. Getting to know each other, they both felt at ease. Rhea's initial apprehensions flew with the wind, and Robb's awkwardness and insecurities about this betrothal were washed away in the rain, and the both of them had never been happier and more comfortable with anyone else.

They spoke of everything under the sun and laughed without reason. And when luck had come to either, one would steal a glance at the other. This was the beginning of a budding relationship, and both of them wanted nothing more than to make it work.

***

They walked to a little ground which had a little bench. Rhea sat there, and patted the spot next to her, signalling for him to sit next to her.

They both sat, and Robb said, "Sunsets and sunrises are very nice here, but there's nothing to see here. I like to think here though because no one bothers to come here, and whoever does knows better than to call on me when I'm here."

"It's beautiful." She said, and a few seconds passed, with the cold air gracing them with its presence. Rhea then broke the silence.

"If you weren't a Lord, what would you be?" She asked, and Robb just stopped abruptly and looked at her.

"Where do you get such a sense of creativity from?" He asked, chuckling.

"I suppose I was born with it." She said and laughed at him. She then added, "That doesn't answer my question by the way."

"Well, I would have been a knight. More or less the same, considering I'm always at the grounds practising with my swords."

"Sounds fairly okay."

"Well, it's my turn now. So here it is. Tell me one thing that you wish you had, but can't."

Rhea drew in a long breath to steady her thoughts, though she knew what she wanted to say.

"I was born a twin to a brother who died three days into his birth."

Robb looked like he felt guilty for asking the question at all but he stared into oblivion and nodded, which Rhea took as a gesture from him to ask her to continue.

"His name would have been Steffon, after my grandfather. He was the elder twin and died three days into his birth because a bloody fever took him. An hour before the royal announcement, he was buried, and the whole realm rejoiced the birth of the newborn Princess. But only the Queen, the King, and the daughter who lived know of him, and my parents couldn't have been sadder.

I just wish he would have been alive. I mean, Joff is going to be King one day. And he is, in no way made for it. Besides, it would be nice to have someone to talk to, you know? Someone just about my age."

He chuckles. "I've never known this kind of difficulty, where you don't have someone to talk to. I've always had Jon and Theon, and we know almost everything about each other. Besides, I suppose I tell my parents almost everything, my father and I are very close if you ask me."

Rhea felt insanely jealous of Robb that moment, for having the freedom and flexibility he had with his life. With her mother mostly cold to her, her father too drunk to care, though she knows he does, (a little too much for her than the others) and Joff just too self-occupied and the other two too young to understand, Rhea had no one to talk to and Robb is practically the one person who she actually has had a personal conversation with.

And I've been alive sixteen years. What have I done with my life?

"What's on your mind, Princess?"

"Just thinking if, if my parents had been any closer to me like you say yours are to you, then things might have turned out differently. That's all. I never had anyone to talk to, and barely anyone understands or encourages the way I am, except my father. I just wish, my family was as close-knit as yours is. Sometimes I think I don't know them at all. When I saw you all together at the feast being truly happy with each other, I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous."

Robb took in each one of her words, and looked at her and smiled, with reassurance. He took hold of her hand, very hesitantly as if he would let go anytime now, but Rhea not saying anything, encouraged him, and he gave her hand a light squeeze.

"Princess." He said, but Rhea was still busy looking at both their hands together. "Princess, look at me." And so she did.

"You may have not had your dream family, but I would do my best to make sure that the one you have here at Winterfell, would be much better. And if you ever need to talk, I need you to know, that I'll always be here for you. Day or night. Any questions?"

"Why do you call me Princess?"

Robb chuckled. "Of everything you could have asked." And then he added, "Because you call me Lord."

"Well don't. I like your name. Robb. I'll call you that from now on."

"I'll call you Rhea then." He said, and Rhea smiled toward him and nodded.

They walked back to the castle, and with the comfortable silence looming over them, they felt content.

"Thanks for walking with me Robb. I really enjoy talking to you. I hope we get to do it again."

"We have all the time for that, Rhea. Don't forget that." He said and smiled. He then took her hand and kissed it, and nodded curtly to her, gesturing to his cue to leave. She nodded and smiled back.

"Princess, there you are. The Queen had been looking all over for you." Ser Barristan the Bold said, coming to her. "I did expect you to come sooner, Ser Barristan, I was disappointed." She japed, and chuckled, finding him to laughed lightly with her. He then took her to her mother, who would no doubt be annoyed at her absence from the feast.

***