KINGDOM FALL
— 6. The Aftermath

"Stay close to me," Annalys told Robb in a hushed tone,  nervously glancing around, "They'll be here soon to save us."

Robb frowned in utter confusion, not having the slightest clue what Annalys was talking about. He opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Walder Frey.

   "Your Grace." Lord Frey, causing the music to stop as Robb and Annalys turned toward the man.

   Robb exchanged a look with Annalys, who he never had the chance to ask what she meant. He became worried, only to notice the assuring look she gave that told him everything was fine before she turned to face Walder, which led to him doing the same.

What did Annalys know that he didn't? She had been so secretive lately, what if she was planning to betray him the entire time?

  Walder stood up with a cup in his hand, everyone taking a seat but Robb and Annalys, who was preparing to defend herself and Robb when the time came, "I feel I've been remiss in my duties. I've given you meat and wine and music but I haven't shown you the hospitality you deserve. My king has married and I owe my new queen a wedding gift, courtesy of myself and her brother, the king."

  Without even having to turn, Annalys noticed Black Walder moving toward her with a knife in his hand. As he swung at her, Annalys ducked and lifted up the skirt of her dress. She unsheathed both of her daggers, just before she stood back up.

Black Walder swung his knife at her once more, but Annalys quickly blocked the man's knife with the blade of the dagger she held in her right hand.

Having the feeling he wore chainmail underneath his clothes to protect his body, Annalys instead drove her second dagger through Black Walder's right eye. Once she knew Black Walder was dead, Annalys pulled her knife out of his eye, allowing him to drop to the ground.

Just then, Annalys looked up to see the musicians now had crossbows, "Robb!" Annalys called out in concern, only to witness as Robb was shot in the shoulder with a crossbow twice as he turned to face her.

  Instead of going to kill Robb's men, the Frey men instead moved toward Annalys, knowing she was the only one that was actually armed. She moved closer to her husband, grabbing him by the arm.

She pushed him behind her, as if he were some damsel in distress, but she was the only one armed so Robb let her, "Come any closer and I swear to you, I will take my blade and cut you open from balls to brain. Maybe then, I'll see what Freys are bloody made of!" She roared at the men angrily, but before they could attempt to reach her, the sounds of the doors to the dining hall caused everyone to turn.

Annalys sighed in relief, turning to look toward the door to see the Brotherhood Without Banners enter, led by Beric Dondarrian, a man she never got to meet, and Thoros of Myr, "Protect the Queen and King!" Anguy shouted out, immediately shooting numerous men around him with his bow.

Robb's grip on Annalys became tighter, causing her to turn to see him looking beyond shocked. In all honesty, he had no clue what the hell was going.

She softly smiled at him, giving him the inkling that the reason people were there to save them was because of her, "Annalys, look out!" A man shouted out, causing Annalys to turn her head to see Roose approaching her with his sword.

She looked around, knowing there was no way she could fight with two daggers if he had a sword. After all, daggers weren't never her strong suit. Annalys frowned, watching as someone unknown to her tossed a sword in her direction.

The sword slid on the ground until it stopped at her feet. She wasted no time dropping her daggers to the ground before lifting the sword off the ground. Roose swung at her, but Annalys was quick to block him with her own. He retracted his sword, swinging at her again, but Annalys dodged his form of an attack by ducking.

She continued to block his attacks, but was unable to place any hits of her own. She was far too distracted by everything going on around her. Not to mention, she feared she'd make the wrong attack and lose her unborn child or children in the process.

   Soon enough, their swords became deadlocked and Annalys yelled out, having trouble fighting against the weight he placed on his sword.

  Before Annalys could even make an attempt fight back, her eyes widened when she saw the tip of a blade sprout out from Roose Bolton's throat. He began to choke as blood poured from his mouth and cut open throat. Soon enough, the person behind Roose pulled the blade out of the man's neck, which led to Roose dropping to the ground.

A small gasp escaped Annalys' lips, finding Robb standing before her. He was weakened, an arrow in each of his shoulders. Robb remained silent, dropping the dagger he held, which happened to be Annalys', to the ground before rushing forward.

Annalys cried happily, immediately moving forward as well before she tightly hugged her husband. They looked around, finding all the Frey men but Walder Frey dead with the Brotherhood Without Banners standing all around them.

"I was starting to think you'd never show up," Annalys spoke up, both she and Robb moving closer to Thoros while Beric and another man began to make their way toward Walder to drag him over to his king and queen.

"We got a bit held up," Thoros informed her and as if on cue, Stannis Baratheon entered alongside his hand, Ser Davos Seaworth, "It would have been smart of you to tell us you convinced Stannis Baratheon to help you as well."

"It must have slipped my mind," Annalys sarcastically responded and Robb continued to stare at them in confusion.

Before he could attempt to ask what the hell was going on, Stannis walked over, "Annalys," He greeted the girl who was once treated like a niece to him, "Melisandre told me you decided to make an alliance with me. It seems I came in just enough time." He paused, glancing between all the three standing before him, "I thought about your terms. The Red Woman and Ser Davos have convinced me that agreeing to your terms is what is best for us both in this war."

"Can someone tell me what is going on!" Robb complained in frustration, causing Thoros and Annalys to exchange a look.

"Your wife saved your ass, that's what's going on, Your Grace," Thoros jokingly responded, an amused look on his face, "She learned what was going to happen tonight and knew you had no chance of winning on your own. So instead of allowing you to lose, she made a deal with the Brotherhood Without Banners and Stannis Baratheon, as it seems."

  Robb turned his head to look at Annalys in disbelief. He wanted nothing more than to be angry with her for lying and keeping something like that from him, but he had to remember, if it hadn't been for her, he would have died. She saved him and despite all the conspiring she did behind his back, Robb found himself unable to be mad at her. It was a mistake he would make many times in the years to come.

"You declared us for Stannis?" Robb suddenly asked, which was the question he wanted her to answer the most.

"He's the rightful heir to the Iron Throne," Annalys, oddly enough, found herself admitting, despite not wanting to, "We arranged an agreement that we would work with him to retake the Iron Throne and once the war is won, he'd allow us to declare the North an independent kingdom."

  Annalys truly believed she had been able to convince him on her own, but what she didn't know was Melisandre was the main reason Stannis agreed. She had been the one to convince Stannis to agree to Annalys' terms. She manipulated him by saying it was what the Lord of Light wanted. And in a way, it was. Annalys wasn't just anyone. She was the key to the future.

"Are you angry with me?" Annalys quietly asked Robb, a saddened look on her face.

Robb remained silent, slowly shaking his head, "I'm disappointed that you went behind my back, but in the end, what you did saved us and our men."

"Your Grace," Beric suddenly spoke up, causing Annalys and Robb to turn to see Walder Frey being brought toward them, "What would you like me to do with him?"

"I have a task for him to do," Annalys informed the group, a smile on her face, "He's going to send a raven to King's Landing, telling Tywin Lannister that Robb Stark is dead, along with his forces. You're going to tell my grandfather that you have me in your clutches and that you're going to send me to him once he sends you two million gold dragons."

"Annalys, no!" Robb exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock as he heard Annalys' proposition, "Are you mad? You can't ransom yourself. Tywin will expect you in his grasp once he sends the gold."

"And I will be," Annalys informed Robb in a calm tone, much to her husband's, "I am going to hand myself over and work from the inside of King's Landing. I am going to spy on my family. If they think that you're dead, they'll think that I will now be loyal to them. This is the perfect opportunity to defeat Tywin and my brother once and for all."

Stannis and the rest of the group seemed to agree with Annalys' plan. All but Robb, who would never agree to allow his wife to give herself over.

_____

Annalys stormed into her tent in a hurry, slightly fearful of Robb's reaction to everything she had done behind his back.

She sighed in defeat, noticing Robb walking into the tent soon after her, "Are you alright?" Robb found himself asking, causing Annalys to slowly turn around to face him.

"Yes, are you?" Annalys responded, feeling uneasy about the whoe ordeal.

"As good as I can be, thanks to you." Rob awkwardly responded, clearly not knowing what else to say.

Annalys betrayed him. She lied to him. She conspired behind his back, but oddly enough, all of that betrayal saved him in the end. Robb could have lost his head that night if it weren't for Annalys. Instead, all he had was two wounds from crossbow bolts. Wounds that would heal within no time.

But would he ever able to trust Annalys again?

An awkward silence grew between them and Annalys felt uncomfortable with it. There was never silence between them. They were also conversing about one thing or another. She knew Robb was pissed at her and he had a reason to be. Annalys feared the aftermath, though. Would he ever forgive her?

"Why didn't you tell me?" Robb suddenly asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them, "Why did you keep such a big secret from me?"

"If anybody else knew it would have risked my plan." Annalys pointed out to Robb, who clearly felt betrayed.

They never fought about anything. They always agreed with one another but Annalys knew at that moment, an argument was about to occur. A big one.

"I'm not just anyone, Annalys!" Robb shouted at Annalys, frustrated with his wife.

Annalys remained silent, avoiding eye contact with Robb. She knew what she did was wrong, but she wouldn't admit that. She was far too stubborn. She didn't bother to think about the lying part, she chose only to think about the fact that what she did saved his life. That was her first mistake.

"I'm waiting for you to say something," Robb found himself speaking up in a calm tone, "Anything that is remotely similar to an apology."

Annalys immediately frowned, giving Robb a look of disbelief after hearing his swords, "An apology? For what?" She exclaimed loudly, "I am the reason that you and the rest of our men are alive, Robb!"

"You knew what would happen tonight and you didn't tell me. You declared us for Stannis and paid the Brotherhood Without Banners to fight for us. You did all of this without telling me," Robb explained angrily and Annalys knew he was right, but refused to admit that out loud, "Why not tell me? Oh, I'm only your husband! You do everything without warning me first! I thought we were partners, equals! What happened to that?"

"I didn't tell you because I was trying to protect you!" She shouted back at him, "And I'm going to King's Landing whether you like it or not."

"No, you're not!" Robb yelled at Annalys, fury in his tone of voice.

"I don't have to do what you tell me to do," Annalys argued with Robb, clearly taking their equality promise a bit too seriously.

Robb may have named them equals, but Robb was still her husband, her king. Robb would always be superior to her, regardless of them both always denying it.

   Robb never reminded Annalys of him having the ability to control her because he was her husband. He didn't believe in that. He viewed them as equals. However, at that moment, he knew there wasn't any other way to get her to listen. She couldn't go to King's Landing. She would be putting herself and her unborn children at risk. Robb refused to let that happen. She may have been able to defend herself, but that didn't change the fact that she'd be alone in a city full of enemies.

However, technically, those "enemies" weren't Annalys' enemies, they were Robb's. They weren't her enemies, they were her family.

"Aye, you do," Robb argued, referring to the fact that he had the right to control her, "You are my wife, like it or not, and I'm your king."

By the time Robb had said those words, Annalys and Robb were standing close together, their faces almost touching as they angrily glared at each other. Annalys had never seen Robb so pissed and Robb had never seen Annalys so pissed.

Arguing was new for them and even though Robb was the one who was actually right in the argument, there was no way Annalys wouldn't back down without a fight. If she continued to argue, soon enough, Robb would give in and she'd get her away, she knew that much. They both did.

However, Annalys feared she'd let the wrong thing slip during the conversation and all hopes of Robb forgiving her would be lost.

"Your wife, huh?" Annalys asked Robb, continuing to glare at him as she let out a humorless laugh, "You think I'm your property now, too, don't you?"

"I never said that!" Robb yelled at Annalys, looking frustrated by the fact that Annalys was putting words in his mouth.

"Well you sure as hell meant it if you think you can force me to stay and not go to King's Landing. For some reason, after all these years, you somehow think I belong to you and you can't stand it now that you realize that I'm willing to do things without telling you." Annalys explained to Robb, venom laced in her tone of voice.

"Aye, if you're willing to hide something this big from me. What else are you hiding?" Robb retorted and Annalys' mouth gaped open, realizing what he meant.

She angrily glared at Robb , realizing that he was referring to her cheating, "Are you mad?" She yelled at him, a look of disbelief on her face, "You truly think I'd do such a thing."

"You're always sneaking off in the night, going off to Gods knows where--" He began to say, only to be cut off as Annalys roughly shoving him on the chest.

"How dare you accuse me of doing such a thing, after all I've done for you!" She shouted at him, roughly hitting him on the chest once more.

The second time, Annalys had hit him directly where he had just been patched up after being shot with a crossbow. He winced in pain, but Annalys showed no remorse for the pain she caused him.

Still not satisfied, Annalys continued to hit him on the chest, but it was clear, deep down, she didn't want to hurt him. If she truly did want to hurt him, Robb would already be laying down on ground, bleeding out. She lifted her hand to slap him across the face, but Robb grabbed onto both of her wrists.

His grip was tight and Annalys would be lying if she said it didn't hurt. She presumed by morning, there'd be bruises already forming where his hands resided at that moment.

Annalys tried her hardest not to cry out from his grip. Flashes of the last person who grabbed her like that flowing through her mind. Joffrey.

Despite it being such a small detail, flashes of the numerous years Annalys spent being abused by Joffrey ran through her mind.

And every time she tried to fight back, Joffrey would grab her in the same way Robb had been at that very moment. It caused a shiver to go down Annalys' spin. It was an awful feeling and she wanted nothing more than for it to go away.

They continued to glare at each other hatefully, Annalys attempting to release her arms from his grip, but found herself unable to, "Let go of me, you fucking bastard!" She shouted at him angrily, wincing as she did so.

Seeing that she was actually in pain, Robb immediately let go of her. While his eyes softened, Annalys continued to glare at him with a look on her face that could kill.

They both panted for breath and Robb slowly looked down, immediately feeling ashamed as he saw the way Annalys was rubbing her wrists.

A small gasp escaped his gaped open lips and he became consumed with guilt. He hurt her. Yes, she may have hit him repeatedly where she knew it would hurt, but he hurt her. He promised to never hurt her and he did. She was his wife. His queen.

However, Annalys, unlike Robb, wasn't bothered by what he had done, that made Robb feel even more guilty. It was like she was used to it. He grew up, being taught to never lay a hand on a woman, but as Annalys stood before him, Robb wondered, what the hell did Ananlys grow up learning?

Annalys wasn't bothered because what Robb had done to her was nothing compared to what she witnessed Robert Baratheon do to her mother.  

Robb stepped away from Annalys, a saddened look forming on his face. He slowly turned so that his back was facing her. He ran his hand through hair, taking a seat on the floor, seeing as though there was no chairs in the tent.

Seeing how distraught Robb looked, Annalys' eyes finally began to soften. She slowly walked over to him, finally beginning to feel guilty herself.

A guilty look on her face, Annalys knelt next to Robb. She lightly grabbed him by the arm, causing him to turn his head to look her in the eye. He was sad, beyond sad, actually. She could've sworn she saw tears welled in his Tully blue eyes as well, as if he were on the verge of crying. Annalys knew at that moment, the way Robb was feeling was beyond just their fight. He was sad about something else, too.

"Tonight, when those men closed the doors to the hall, I didn't know what to think," Robb confessed, his voice just above a whisper as he spoke to her, "I feared that I'd brought us both into a trap and that we'd die because of my mistakes. I thought I'd lose you forever and my heart tore in half," he paused, stammering as he tried his hardest not to cry.

  Annalys immediately knew at that moment who had the softer heart in their relationship and it wasn't her.

"When I saw all those men around us and we had nothing but your daggers, all I could think about was sacrificing myself to save you and the baby you carry in your womb, or babies," He explained, lightly brushing his fingers over her stomach, "But then armies I didn't know came in and I didn't know what to think. I didn't know if they were foes or people we could trust. Now, I learn you've declared us for Stannis without my knowledge and plan to head to King's Landing alone, carrying our unborn child as if the past three years we've spent together in this war meant nothing to you."

Robb looked away for a moment, inhaling sharply. Annalys immediately realized that he was trying his hardest not to cry in front of her. Robb had cried in front of her before, it had been when his father died. Annalys, however, never truly cried in front of Robb. Of course, there was the time she learned Joffrey had become king, but those were angry tears. She wasn't really opening her heart to him like Robb always did with her.

Robb opened himself up to Annalys time and time again, but Annalys, there still so much Robb didn't know about her. Robb may have known her better than anyone around them, but he still didn't know everything. No one did. There was only one person who truly knew Annalys and that person was Jaime Lannister, who knew exactly how Annalys would end up in the end. Next came Cersei Lannister. Robb barely knew Annalys if it were ever compared to the way her mother and father knew her.

"I've risked everything for you and it seems like you don't even realize just how much I've sacrificed. I made an enemy out of the Lannisters. I've made an enemy out of Walder Frey when I married you. Half my men tried to turn against me, men I thought I could trust. And it was all because I fell in love with you," Robb confessed, tears beginning fill Annalys' eyes as she saw the single tear fall down Robb's cheek, "You're tearing my guts out, Annalys," he managed to get out, a small sigh escaping his parted lips, "And you don't even care."

Annalys tried her hardest not to cry. She hadn't even realized how her decisions would affect him. She only thought about how he would be affected physically, she never thought that she would screw him up mentally.

"I'm sorry, Robb. I'm so sorry," she apologized, beginning to quietly cry as she cupped his face in her hands, but Robb still refused to look her in the eye, "Look at me, Robb. Please." She pleaded, but Robb continued to not look at her, "Please," She begged, her tone sounding fragile and most of all, broken.

   Slowly, Robb looked Annalys directly in the eyes, both of them having tears threatening to spill from their sad eyes, "I'm sorry," she whispered to him softly as she continued to cup his face in her hands, "I'm sorry for everything I've done. I did what I thought was the right thing to do and it was selfish and stupid of me not to tell you first. I will never keep anything from you ever again. But please, forgive me."

There was a long moment of silence and for the first time in a long time, Annalys found herself truly scared. She didn't know what she'd do if Robb didn't forgive her.

  Over the years, Robb had become her entire life, the thing that meant the most to her. Her weakness. She'd do anything for him. Anything to keep him safe. And that was where she made her second mistake.

"I forgive you," Robb finally spoke up, much to Annalys' relief, "I'm sorry about what I said, too, and for grabbing you like that," He paused, both of them leaning closer to each other as their foreheads pressed against one another, "Will you forgive me?"

"Always," she whispered softly, smile sadly before they both hugged each other tightly. Oh, how right her words were.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Annalys literally screws Robb up so much sometimes and I slightly feel bad for him. She keeps so much from him and puts him in danger constantly. But let me just say, Robb is going to become just as bad.

Also, did you guys notice the soft of parallel I had in the scene with Annalys fighting the Frey men.

It was supposed to be a parallel to Jaime in season one of GoT when he and his men fight Ned and his men.

Jaime says something close to what Annalys said in this chapter and Annalys kills Black Walder the same way Jaime killed Jory.

Also, Thoros and Beric will have a bigger role in this book with Annalys' storyline than they did in the other book.