LION'S LEGACY
24. I Love You

The following morning, Annalys still refused to allow Robb into Lyanna's chambers to see his daughter. He was unable to sneak his way in either due to constant guards placed in front of the chamber door. It was always Edric posted there alongside one of the other members of the queensguard, but they always did rotations in shifts, unlike their Lord Commander. He knew Annalys and Edric had done that on purpose.

They both knew that Robb wouldn't dare to try to fight against the knights posted at the door if Edric was there. Perhaps apart of it was because in a way, Robb feared Edric and how highly skilled he was with a sword, but the other part was that in truth, Robb cared about the man. After all, Edric was constantly at Annalys' side, as was Robb, which meant they were forced to tolerate each other. And after six years of doing so, the two men began to form an unexpected friendship, believe it or not.

      That morning, Robb was sitting on the Iron Throne alone with Brienne and Loras standing on each side of him. He sat there in silence for a few shorts moments until Lord Glendon finally entered, making his way toward the king. "You've made things quite difficult, Your Grace," He immediately spoke up, trying his hardest not to glare at Robb.

"How so?" Robb questioned, purposely sounding sarcastic.

"A noble fell ill in the room Lord Florent and his family had been staying in. It caused a minor panic and sent Lord Florent and his family scurrying to their private quarters. Now, he's locked in there with his entire household. I don't understand how you plan on getting to him without killing the others as witnesses," He explained in a calm tone, leading to Robb giving him a deeply puzzled look.

"Did you not receive my message, My Lord?" Robb asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion as he looked down at the man.

"I did, actually. And I thought I'd give you the chance to reconsider," The man replied in a calm tone, taking a step toward his king, which caused Loras and Brienne to place their hands on the hilt of their swords.

Glendon smirked, raising his hands in mock surrender as he looked up at Robb.

"And why would I do that?" Robb questioned, giving the Redwyne man a puzzled look.

"You need my grain and my crops. After the outbreak has passed, a famine will spread due to the fires the villages have been setting to the homes of the infected, which have now grown out of control. Many will die due to this famine and their deaths will be on you, My King. Queen Annalys was willing to agree to my terms, but due to this foolish agreement of equal power, the decision cannot be made until you both agree on something," He paused, smirking slightly, "Unless one of you happened to be indisposed."

    Robb's eyes widened in realization, knowing that since Annalys was practically glued to their daughter's bedside, Robb was now sovereign. He felt bad for thinking such a thing, but he knew it was necessary. He couldn't let Glendon get away with this, he wasn't that kind of ruler. But did Robb realize that way of ruling was what had Annalys and himself remaining on the throne with their families kept safe for the past six years?

"Take that to your grave when the hungry rise up and kill you and your entire family," Glendon added in, giving Robb one last glare before turning on his heel and leaving.

____

     In another part of the Keep, Aden searched for Torra, who seemed to be nowhere in sight. It had been three days since he had last seen her and still, he couldn't find her. After that long, he began to feel deeply concerned. "Torra? Torra?" He called out in the hallway Torra's room was located in, "Where are you, love?"

Slowly, he walked toward Torra's room, the door already a crack open. He placed a hand on the door before lightly pushing it open. He immediately found when his eyes locked on Torra, whose back was facing him for some reason. "Torra?" He called out in concern once more as he cautiously began to walk toward her.

Just as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, Torra roughly slapped it away, causing his eyes to widen in shock as he retracted his hand. "Stay back!" She shouted in alarm, sounding almost pleading.

Aden loudly gasped in horror when he saw the redness in Torra's eyes and the sweat practically dripping off her face. She was pale and looked beyond weak. Aden knew right away that she was infected and apart of him feared that due to her state, she'd be dead by the time the following morning came around. "Please, stay back. I don't want to infect you," She pleaded, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Despite hearing her warning, Aden slowly moved closer to Torra, holding his hand out to her. "It's okay, Torra. Let me bring you to a maester," He pleaded, forcing an assuring smile on his face, despite feeling uneasy about her state, "They can help you."

"They can't help me. It's too late. They're far too busy treating Lyanna and that's all that matters. She's the heir to the Iron Throne. She must survive this. It doesn't matter whether or not I live," Torra complained, much to Aden's concern and utter confusion, "I don't care, either. I don't want to lose another sibling to sickness."

Aden frowned, not knowing what Torra was talking about. She told him many things about her life beyond the Wall, but never once had she told him that she had another sibling that died from sickness.

He opened his mouth to question her, but before he could, Torra cut him off, "Just go away, Aden!" She shouted at him in a pleading tone, "Let me die alone. You don't need to die because of me as well."

Aden was on the verge of speaking up when the duo heard approaching footsteps. They turned their head to see a servant on the verge of entering with a plate of dinner for Torra. However, once seeing Torra's state, she let out a panicked scream and dropped the plate, which shattered upon impact with the guard. She turned on her heel, beginning to scream for the guards. "Guards, guards!"

Knowing if the woman alerted the guards, they'd be locked in the room and not allowed out, Torra and Aden rushed toward the door to chase after the servant. "No, don't! No!" They screamed as they rushed toward the door.

However, before they could flee, the Red Cloaks arrived. They shut the doors on them, immediately locking the door from the outside before going to fetch wooden planks and nails to nail the door shut, just as they had done with the rest of the rooms containing the infected nobles.

Turning to each other, both Torra and Aden immediately felt uneasy and concerned, knowing that despite Torra already being infected, she'd end up passing the infected to Aden as well, which would lead to them both dying.

____

   Hours later, however, in her chambers, Torra laid in bed while Aden stood at her bedside with a wet cloth in his hand. As she laid in bed, barely conscious, Torra shivered a bit. She was sweating severely and was boiling to the touch. Aden felt uneasy as he placed the wet cloth on her forehead, trying his hardest to cool her down. He had no clue how to treat her or get her fever down. He wasn't a nurse, nor was he a maester. He had no experience when it came to sickness and disease. He was simply a bastard who was posing as a stable boy with Torra's help.

A few moments passed before Torra's eyes weakly fluttered open. She looked upward, smiling softly at Aden. Despite feeling so weak, the sight of Aden brought a smile upon her face. "Did I fall asleep?" She asked him, her voice a mere mutter due to how weak she was.

Aden remained silent as he nodded his head, giving Torra her answer. He grabbed a chair, dragging it to where he was formerly standing at her bedside before he took a seat. He continued to drag the wet cloth along her forehead, neck, and chest, hoping it would cool her down and bring her fever down as well. "What did you dream about?" He asked Torra, hoping it would get her mind off of the fact that she was dying.

"How did you know I dreamt of everything?" She questioned him curiously, earning a sad smile from Aden.

"Because everyday since the moment we've met, you have come to me in the courtyard and spoke to me of a dream you've had the night before," He explained to her, smiling down at her, "I'll admit, lately, they've become quite detailed about you and I in bed."

After hearing the statement, they both began to quietly laugh until Torra was cut off by a fit of coughing. Once she recovered, she looked up at Aden, her eyes barely open. "I dreamt of my mother, Aden, my real mother." She informed Aden, referring to Freyja.

"What happened in this dream?" Aden found himself asking Torra, truly curious about what she had to say.

"My father was with us, and my little brother," She informed Aden as she smiled weakly, causing the boy to look saddened by her words, "We were happy, so happy. We lived beyond the Wall in the Haunted Forest in a little hut. There was no threat beyond the Wall and we were at peace," She paused, her lip quivering as she began to cry, "Oh, I wish that dream was real. I miss them. I miss all of them. I miss my real family. I love my life now and my new family, but I miss my old one more than anything. I miss my mother, I miss my father, and I miss my little brother. I miss my home. My real home. I miss the North."

Looking down at Torra, Aden tried his best not to cry himself as he wiped her streaming tears. "Perhaps I'll see them all again when I die," She paused, trying to hold back the rest of her tears, "But I will miss my new family. I'll miss Robb, I'll miss Annalys, I'll miss you."

Aden forced back his tears, looking down at Torra with a distraught look. "You will be alright, love," He whispered softly as he lightly cupped her cheeks in his hands, "You will get through this. We just need to make sure the fever breaks."

Aden turned his head, beginning to glance around as he tried to think of a solution. His eyes suddenly widened in realization when he noticed the door to Torra's bath chambers open. He squinted his eyes, finding her bath to still be filled with water. "When did you take a bath, Torra?" He questioned her softly, a hint of hope in his eyes.

"I was supposed to take a bath last night, but it was too cold and the servants never came to empty it. It's been filled since," Torra explained to Aden, practically slurring, "I don't see how that is of any importance right now."

"It does, actually," He admitted as he wasted no time placing Torra in his arms before turning her toward her bath chambers, "I have an idea."

___

That afternoon, in the throne room, Robb sat on the Iron Throne as Lord Glendon was brought in by Brienne. "Lord Redwyne, I have brought you here to formally tell you that Lord Florent's family is not to be harmed under any circumstances." He announced, but Lord Glendon didn't seem to be bothered by the command.

Instead, he frowned as he glanced around with a deeply puzzled look on his face. "Where is Queen Annalys?" He questioned, knowing if he wanted to get his way, Annalys needed to be there.

Hearing the man's question, Robb abruptly stood up, beginning to walk toward Lord Redwyne. "I am the King of the Seven Kingdoms and you are my subject. My wife might have been willing to commit atrocious acts to keep the lords happy, but I will not," He ordered in a stern tone and despite how serious the Stark man was being, Glendon practically smirked.

"This could have been so much cleaner for me and for you. I'm not the kind of man who likes to get his hands dirty. Your wife knew that. One favor, it was all I asked of you. A single life, that is all," He paused, sighing in defeat as he stood his head, "But now so many."

Robb stared at him in shock, his eyes wide, "What have you done?" He asked, beginning to feel utterly concerned.

"After I found the right poison to use, I fought the servant who was assigned to serve Lord Florent's family their meals. The servant ended up being the one to deliver the poisoned water into their chambers," Glendon explained without a care in the world, clearly viewing it as not being a big deal.

"Oh, Gods, no," Robb muttered under his breath, an alarmed look on his face as he pushed past Lord Glendon.

Alongside Brienne and Loras, he rushed to Lord Florent's chambers. They ended up opening the door, only to find everyone inside dead after being poisoned. Robb felt horrified at the sight of all the dead bodies surrounding him. Men, women, and children alike.

_____

   After entering Torra's bath chambers, Aden stripped himself and Torra of their clothing, the cold breeze from the window immediately touching their bare skin, which made them shiver. Aden held Torra in his arms as he submerged himself and her into the cold water. Torra didn't flinch at the coldness, used to it after being born North of the Wall.

Aden, however, hissed at the cold temperature but forced himself to deal with it as he sat down in the water, placing Torra's barebody in his lap. There was a glass of wine placed next to the bath. He wasted no time emptying the contents of it onto the ground before using the now empty glass to pick up water and spill it onto Torra's face. She flinched, but did nothing else as he soaked her hair and face with the cold water, hoping it would cool her down.

"Stay with me, Torra. Stay with me. You'll get through this. Please, just stay with me," He whispered softly, remaining in the water with her as he tried to cool her body down.

___

The following morning, Lord Redwyne was with the maester, sending a raven. As he went to exit the maester's chambers, he suddenly came face to face with Robb, Brienne and Loras. "King Robb. I didn't realize---" He began to say, only to have the Stark man cut him off.

"That I was having you followed?" Robb questioned, raising his eyebrows as he smiled threatening at the man, "Well, I'd be a fool not to after what you've done. I knew you'd send a raven to give the signal for the crops. I was right. You don't want to risk facing my wife's wrath after what you've done."

"I eliminated a threat--" He started to argue, but of course, was cut off.

"You murdered an entire household," Robb snapped at him angrily, "Even my wife wouldn't agree to that."

"Yet, now the people in the Keep will not starve, so let's put this behind us. The queen need not know," Lord Glendon responded and even Loras found himself scoffing at how unrealistic it was to think that something like that could be kept from Annalys.

Inhaling sharply, Robb turned to Brienne and Loras. "Take him," He ordered in a stern tone, "Make sure he's unarmed before you do so."

   Without having to be told twice, Brienne and Loras walked over to Lord Glendon, beginning to strip him of his sword and dagger. "Why? You can't possibly change anything!" He exclaimed, giving Robb a look of disbelief, "It's already been done."

"Murder is a very serious crime, my lord, and you've committed just that," Robb responded in a stern tone as he glared at the man standing before him.

"The Florents are already gone. You may have this shipment of crops, but what of the next? Why make an enemy of one of the houses you need the most? What do you gain?" Glendon complained, frowning in concern.

"Justice," Robb replied without hesitation, much to Glendon's shock, "Take him away."

"You're wasting your time!" Glendon shouted at Robb as he was dragged away by Loras and Brienne, Robb trailing behind them, "My family will make sure I am freed."

"No, actually, they won't," Robb replied without hesitation, his voice low and threatening, "They'll never find you."

Just a few moments later, in the black cells, Glendon was dragged through by Brienne and Loras. "You're taking me to the black cells," He realized, his eyes wide in alarm, "That's where all the sick are locked up. If you put me here, I'll die."

"I'm aware," Robb responded calmly, much to Glendon's horror.

"People like me are what this realm needs to flourish and survive. Nobles like myself are the ones who gave the crown to your wife in the first place. They can take it away just as easily as they gave it. You're making a mistake! And your wife will hate you for it," He shouted angrily as he forced Brienne and Loras to allow him to turn to Robb, "She knows how the realm works, she's always known. She's been raised to rule and she does it well. If you do this, you'll ruin everything she's built and she'll be ripped from her place of power. And it will no one's fault but your own."

Robb remained silent for a long moment, clearly contemplating his words. He took a deep breath, just before turning toward Loras and Brienne as he decided to ignore Glendon's warning. "Open the door. Put him inside."

As they attempted to drag him into the black cells where the majority of the infected were locked up, Glendon struggled against them, "She'll hate you for this. You'll see," He told him, just before he was pushed into the large cell, "No! No!"

After being locked inside, he began to scream hysterically and pound on the cell door. Robb watched the door for a short moment before finally turning and leaving. He tried to ignore the part of him that wondered if Glendon was right. Would Robb's decision affect Annalys that much?

____

    The following day, Robb entered Lyanna's chambers, finally being allowed in by Edric and Edmyn. It had been three days since Lyanna had gotten sick and Annalys continued to sit at her daughter's beside. She had refuse leave the room to eat or sleep. She had been consuming nothing but the water that was practically forced down her throat by Jaime every day. She couldn't bring herself to leave her daughter's side, no matter what the case was. She couldn't leave while knowing there was a chance that her daughter could die at any given moment.

As he entered the room, Robb felt uneasy, but tried his best to hide it. He instantly locked eyes on Lyanna, who continued to lay unconscious in bed, even after all these days. He turned his head slightly to spot Annalys sitting at their daughter's bedside, fidgeting as she created a prayer wheel. He knew for a fact she had learned about the prayer wheel from his mother when she created one for Bran after his fall.

A prayer wheel was something only Mothers could make for their children to protect them. She was clearly following in her footsteps, knowing no other solution for her daughter's state.

The state of his wife at that moment broke Robb even more than the sight of his daughter lying unconscious in bed, dying. Annalys was barely recognizable and her eyes were red and puffy, clearly due to crying several times over the previous days. She had bags under her eyes as well, seeing as though she had refused to sleep in several days. She looked weak due to refusing to eat and she was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the last time he had seen her, which had been three days prior.

   Not even acknowledging Robb's presence, Ser Davos entered, cautiously making his way over to Annalys. "Your Grace," He called out and Annalys didn't even bother to look up at him, refusing to look away from the prayer wheel she was in the middle of creating, "There has been news from numerous kingdoms in the realm. Thousands of casualties due to the Fever. Doran Martell has died, his son, Trystane, has become Prince of Dorne with Myrcella as his princess. She is due to give birth soon. A girl, the maesters say. Mace Tyrell has died as well, making Lady Margaery Lady of Highgarden. Lord Edmure Tully has fallen ill, but has not yet died. Prince Tommen is rumored to be ill as well, as is Lord Robin Arryn."

Annalys sighed in defeat, realizing five out of the seven remaining Great Houses of Westeros had now lost their lord or was on the verge of losing their lord due to the infection. It would cause issues within the realm. Those lords were the ones who had helped Annalys gain the throne in the first place. With them gone, Annalys had the chance of being at risk of not having the support of their successors.

"Hold a small council meeting," Annalys instructed in a calm tone, briefly looking up at him, "You don't need me to do that."

"Your Grace--" Ser Davos began to argue, only to be cut off.

"I don't care about the small council meeting and I don't care that five of the Great Houses have lost or are going to lose their lord. Deal with it on your own!" Annalys shouted, much to even Robb's shock, "Send a raven to my brother, tell him I am praying for his recover. That is all I can do. His fate will be determined by the Gods, not I."

A saddened look on his face, Ser Davos simply nodded his head before leaving the room. Annalys looked back down at the prayer wheel, a deeply distraught look on her face. Of course, she didn't mean any of what she said, but she couldn't think about anything else but her daughter at that moment. She didn't care at that moment that rulers were supposed to put the needs of the realm before their own. Usually, she followed that rule, but at that moment, she refused to. She refused to think of anything that wasn't the hope of her daughter recovering.

A part of her feared for her brother's safety and wellbeing, of course, but her daughter's wellbeing mattered more. Despite never admitting it out loud she knew that sooner or later, Tommen and Myrcella would die because of the prophecy given to Cersei. She knew they'd die soon enough and no matter how much she didn't want it to happen, it would, and she'd end up being the last living child of Jaime and Cersei Lannister at the end.

Taking a deep breath, Robb made his way over to Annalys, who was on the verge of crying. "My love," He softly called out and Annalys slowly turned to look at him, beginning to cry.

She didn't get pissed at the fact that he was there. In fact, she was relieved. She was relieved that she wasn't the only one actually hoping for their daughter's recovery. She was glad that she wasn't alone. Robb slowly knelt next to her, taking the prayer wheel from her grasp before placing down on their daughter's bed. He hugged his wife tightly while using one of his hands to place it on his daughter's hand alongside Annalys.

"Shh. It's alright," Robb told his wife softly, trying to comfort her in her grief-stricken state, "Our daughter is strong. Like her mother. She will not be beaten by this sickness. She will survive this. I know it."

Annalys lifted her hand to hold Robb's, only to see through her teary vision to notice how bruised and bloodied Robb's knuckles were, "Your Hand-—" She began to ask him, a worried look on her face.

Robb sighed in defeat as he found himself having flashbacks of when he punched the wall out of her anger after leaving Lord Glendon to die with the infected. It was the night before, but Robb never made any attempt to clean his bruised hand after it happened. "It is simply what happens when I do not listen to you." He whispered softly and Annalys found herself feeling confused.

Despite that, Annalys didn't question him and soon enough, her eyes softened, "We've both been stubborn," She admitted quietly as she turned to look at Lyanna with a devastated look, beginning to cry once more, "This is all my fault. She wouldn't be sick if it weren't for me."

"This isn't your fault, my love," Robb argued, despite knowing it went against what he had said to her just a few days before, "I didn't mean that. I was just angry."

"But it is my fault. If it weren't for me, she would have never been infected," Annalys argued back, tears streaming down her face as she found herself consumed with guilt, "I should have never brought her with me. If I hadn't, she wouldn't be sick. Nobody in this castle would be."

"You didn't know Lannisport would be infected, my love," Robb told her softly, giving her an assuring look, "You couldn't have."

    Just then, Qyburn entered the room, causing both Annalys and Robb to immediately stand up. They wasted no time turning to the man, watching as he walked toward Lyanna's sleeping body. He placed a hand on the girl's forehead, feeling to see if she still had a fever.

   Lyanna whimpered, beginning to stir in her sleep. Realizing something that Robb and Annalys didn't, Qyburn's eyes widened and a smile began to form on his lips as he turned to face his king and queen. "The fever has broken. She will be alright once she awakes within the next few hours," He informed the duo, whose eyes widened in shock.

Hearing the news, Annalys cried in relief and Robb immediately hugged his wife, both of them relieved to hear the news. They moved closer to their daughter, crying with joy and relief as they placed a kiss to her forehead.

_____

    In Torra's bath chambers, Aden groaned as he woke up to find his neck feeling sore. He frowned, opening his eyes to find himself still naked, sitting in Torra's bath with the wildling girl still in his arms. His eyes widened, recalling everything that happened the night before. "Torra?" He called out in concern, lightly shaking the girl.

Torra moaned in response, half-asleep still. Her eyes widened opened and she frowned when she found herself lying naked in Aden's arms in a cold bath, "How the fuck did we get into the back?" She bluntly asked him, turning her head to look him in the eye.

    Once looking her in the eyes and briefly feeling her head with his hand, Aden laughed happily when he realized they were both free from the fever. He smiled brightly as he cupped Torra's face in his hands, pressing a passionate kiss to her lips. Torra immediately kissed back, turning to face Aden fully as she knelt in between his legs. She placed her hands on his bare chest as he pulled away from the kiss.

  Aden cupped her face in his large hands once more, tangling his fingers in her dark locks. "I love you, Torra. I've never said it before, but I love you! You must know that," He confessed after months of never actually saying it, "My heart nearly broke thinking you wouldn't survive the fever, but it made me realize just how much I love you. I want to marry you. I want to go wherever you go. If you want to live beyond the Wall once the White Walkers are defeated, I will live there with you. Whatever makes you happy, I will be happy with as well. Because I love you."

Torra found herself smiling brightly at Aden's confession, shocked by how truthful he was being with her. Usually, he never really liked to share what he felt. He wasn't the type to, but she supposed after they both nearly died from Winter Fever, something inside him changed.

She wasted no time wrapping her arms around him. "I love you, too," She responded, just before smashing her lips against his once more.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'll be honest. At first, I was gonna have Aden die of the fever and Torra survive but for SurvivorsOfDeath sake, I didn't 😂

You're welcome 😭🤣🤣