chapter seven.

CHAPTER SEVEN
word count: 2560





Robb had escorted Taryn back to her chambers. She would not look at him, even when Robb spoke to her and begged her to look at him. ("You saved Bran and my mother. I can never repay you. Taryn, you did the right thing.") She could scarcely hear him because of the ring of steel cutting flesh that echoed around her head.

Back in her chambers, Taryn was bathed by servants who scrubbed away the drying blood until her skin was pink and raw. Then Maester Luwin came to apply bandages to the deep cuts across her palms, and he gave her a little milk of the poppy to help her sleep.

Taryn awoke at midday. Lana had spent the night in Taryn's bed with her, to comfort her Princess through the night - Jeyne would stay with Taryn the next night, and they would switch until Taryn felt safe enough alone.

Numbness overtook her as she stared at the canopy over her bed. Tender hands cupped over her stomach, she was trapped in that room fighting again and again. Each time Taryn closed her eyes, she tried to stop killing that man - but she never could. Even when she threw the dagger across the room in her dreams, it still came back between her bloody fingers.

Two dozen baths would not cleanse Taryn, and gods she tried. Ragged sponges dragged across Taryn's arms and face until her hands began to bleed again - her impure blood mixing with the blood of a killer. (What was the difference?)

By the fourth day or the fifth, she was losing track, the furthest Taryn had pulled herself was to Winterfell's sept. She did not want anyone near her and dressed and prepared herself, a process which took far longer than it should have with her fingers raw and trembling to fasten half the buttons on her dresses.

Taryn fell to her knees before the gods and begged for forgiveness. She did not want to be a killer.

The next time she saw Robb was that afternoon. He knocked gently on her door and Jeyne let him inside. Taryn was sitting in bed, white nightgown spread around her like a cloud and her eyes pink. It was as though she had slipped into a haze, hyper-focused on the attack and slipping away from reality. An open book sat on her lap as she and Jeyne had been reading together while Lana was making a visit to the kitchens to find them afternoon snacks. Taryn flushed red when she saw Robb, he was just another reminder of what she had done - especially with the light in his eyes when he looked at her like she was a hero. He came into the room and Jeyne shut the door behind him.

"I wanted to know if you could tell me anything more about the attack," Robb explained. He hung by the door, as if unsure whether he should move closer.

Taryn did not want to relive it again. She squeezed her eyes shut, pushing away the memory of the dead body. Was there anything familiar about the assassin? Nothing but the dagger in his hand. (The dagger in her hand, lodged in his throat.) The dagger. Taryn had been around enough Valyrian steel to know the way it cut. How had a common assassin acquired such a fine blade? Who had he stolen from? And what had a ten year old boy done to deserve death? Taryn shook her head. "No. Just that he smelt of horse."

There was another knock at the door. Robb opened it to reveal a guard.

"My Lord," he said to Robb, "Your mother has requested you."

Robb turned back to Taryn, his eyes soft with sympathy. Taryn's stomach turned, she did not want him to pity her. She wondered if Robb had ever killed anyone before. Did he know the feeling that was strangling her? "I'll talk to you properly later."

***

Robb entered Godswood alone. Before the great Weirwood tree was his mother, Maester Luwin, Ser Rodrick, and Theon. His mother had been sleeping for days, the exhaustion of staying by Bran's side had finally caught up to her, and Robb was glad she had submitted to resting at last. But such a secret meeting could not be a good omen.

First Catelyn bade the men explain what they knew of the assassin - who he was (nameless and unknown, except that he was mostly likely a man of the King or the Lannisters), how he had stayed undercover, and how the would-be killer had ninety silver stags hidden away.

"It's good to know my son's life was not sold cheaply," Catelyn said bitterly. "He came for Bran. He kept muttering that the Princess and I were not supposed to be there. Though it felt as if he was mainly aiming that at the Princess."

"Why would anyone want to kill Bran?" Robb said. "Gods, he's only a little boy, helpless, sleeping..."

Catelyn focused her attention on her eldest son. "If you are to rule in the north, you must think these things through, Robb. Answer your own question. Why would anyone want to kill a sleeping child?"

"Someone is afraid Bran might wake up, afraid of what he might say or do, afraid of something he knows."

Robb's mother gave him a proud nod. "We must keep Bran safe. If there was one killer, there could be others."

"Lady Stark," Ser Rodrik asked, "did you chance to notice the dagger the killer used?"

Catelyn shook her head.

"We found the knife still in the villain's grasp," Ser Rodrick explained. "It seemed to me that it was altogether too fine a weapon for such a man, so I looked at it long and hard. The blade is Valyrian steel, the hilt dragonbone. A weapon like that has no business being in the hands of such as him. Someone gave it to him."

Catelyn nodded. "What I am about to tell you must not leave these woods," she told them. "I want your oaths on that. If even part of what I suspect is true, Ned and my girls have ridden into deadly danger, and a word in the wrong ears could mean their lives."

Each of them swore to Catelyn. "My sister Lysa believes the Lannisters murdered her husband, Lord Arryn, the Hand of the King," Catelyn explained. "It comes to me that Jaime Lannister did not join the hunt the day Bran fell. He remained here in the castle." The Godswood was silent. "I do not think Bran fell from that tower, I think he was thrown."

"The boy had always been surehanded in the past," Maester Luwin said thoughtfully. "He knew every stone in Winterfell."

Robb's heart was in his throat. What could Bran possibly have seen or known that would make him a target of the Lannisters? Did he hear a confession of the Lannisters' involvement in Lord Arryn's death - or something worse?

Robb's mind strayed back to Taryn. Did she know anything about this? From his mother's hazy description of the attack, the assassin seemed shocked by Taryn's presence. If she knew of a plot, she would have been far from the sick rooms that night. Taryn would never seek to harm his family - she had spent hours playing with Rickon since she arrived, she had treated all his sisters well, and had entertained Bran's imagination with delight before his fall, the only person Taryn had been cold to was Jon (a sharp contrast to how they had been close companions when Taryn visited when they were children).

Would the Lannisters be so reckless with Taryn's safety?

Theon invoked Taryn's name, giving verbal doubt to her character in front of the group. Anger flared in Robb. He gripped the pommel of his sword. "She wouldn't." No one believed Robb's words like he did himself.

"If the Lannisters are behind this, then they all deserve our suspicion," Catelyn said. "Even the Princess." Robb opened his mouth to challenge her. "Even if it is only until her name is cleared, you cannot keep her close. She can have no knowledge of our suspicions."

"She is going to be my wife," Robb argued. "Taryn would not threaten us. And I cannot ignore and disregard her."

"There is no limit to Lannister pride or Lannister ambition," his mother said.

But she is a Baratheon. Taryn is not her mother. Robb wanted to keep arguing, to restore faith in Taryn. He was Lord of Winterfell, he should be believed. Unless Taryn gave reason for him to doubt her loyalty, Robb would believe in her.

"Robb, all I ask is you keep her at a safe distance. The lives of our family are dependent on how we act now. Until we know for certain what is happening, Princess Taryn is still our guest. She and her ladies will be treated well. But none of them should be allowed unfettered access to communication with the South."

Robb stooped into silence. The group turned back to what evidence they had to prove the Lannisters' involvement in the attack against Bran. Besides the dagger and the ashes of Lysa Arryn's letter to Catelyn, there was slim hope of anyone believing their claims.

"Someone must go to King's Landing," Catelyn declared.

"I'll go," Robb offered, though he would not like to leave Taryn behind.

"No," Catelyn refused. "Your place is here. There must always be a Stark in Winterfell. I must go myself."

"My lady," said Maester Luwin, "is that wise? Surely the Lannisters would greet your arrival with suspicion."

"What about Bran?" Robb asked. What about Rickon? What about me? Had she not heard his pleas for help? Robb could not rule by himself. After two weeks, he still felt unprepared. And if his mother did not want Robb to lean on Taryn for support... "You can't leave us." (But who else could go? No one else's words would hold Catelyn Stark Tully's weight.)

"I have done everything I can for Bran," Catelyn said, "His life is in the hands of the gods and Maester Luwin. As you reminded me yourself, Robb, I have other children to think of now."

"You will need a strong escort, my lady," Theon said.

"I'll send you with a squad of guardsmen," Robb said.

"No," Catelyn replief. "A large party attracts unwelcome attention. I would not have the Lannisters know I am coming. No one can know I am leaving."

Ser Rodrik protested. "My lady, let me accompany you at least. The kingsroad can be perilous for a woman alone."

"I will not be taking the kingsroad," Catelyn replied. She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Two riders can move as fast as one, and a good deal faster than a long column burdened by wagons and wheelhouses. I will welcome your company, Ser Rodrik. We will follow the White Knife down to the sea, and hire a ship at White Harbour. Strong horses and brisk winds should bring us to King's Landing well ahead of Ned and the Lannisters."

They left the Godswood one by one so as to not draw attention.

Robb sped up, falling into step beside Theon. He caught his friend's arm, ready to confront Theon about his doubts on Taryn.

"Have you not considered that you might be more loyal to her than she is to you?"

Robb's expression stayed cold and sharp. "Taryn risked her life for Bran. She doesn't have anything to do with this."

Theon shook away Robb's grasp to fold his arms. "She's a Lannister first. You said she writes to her mother - what if she writes to the Queen about this? If the Princess has already written to her mother about the assassin, she could inform her about Lady Stark's journey south. Your mother is right: you have to keep the girl away. She's reckless with our secrets."

Secrets she doesn't know the extent of, Robb thought.

"You cannot put a princess above your family because you might marry her."

Theon was right. Perhaps he should tell Taryn more and encourage her loyalty to his family. But would Taryn forsake her blood for Robb's? Robb's loyalty had to always be with his family - he knew Taryn would choose the Lannisters over him without hesitation. It was safer to keep her in the dark, keep her away. "Would you betray me for your family?"

Theon shook his head. "Never. Your father means more to me than my own. Winterfell is my home, and you are my brother."

***

The walk to the guest quarters felt too short for Robb to collect his thoughts. Too soon did he come to approach Taryn's chambers. As much as he wanted to reject it, Robb could accept that his mother was right, Theon too. He needed to be careful. With his mother leaving, Robb had to protect her, his father, his siblings. The North was his priority. Still, he could not find it in his heart to abandon Taryn. If he had to keep Taryn at arm's length, he could still see her - maybe not speak to her, just observe her, make sure she was alright.

But before Robb could reach Taryn's door, he found Lana Tyrell. In the weeks they had been living at Winterfell, Robb had not spent much time around Taryn's ladies in waiting. Lady Lana and Lady Jeyne were Taryn's shadows, seldom out of sight unless Robb had stolen the Princess away for a few hours. He was glad Taryn had her ladies to depend on - but they made two more southern girls who needed to be kept away from Winterfell's inner circle. Regardless of how it made Robb feel, keeping the girls on the fringes when they had doubtless done nothing wrong, his family depended on his secrecy in their castle.

"Where's Taryn?" Robb asked.

"In her chambers," Lana answered. Her brown curls were drawn back in some overly southern style, and she produced a rolled piece of parchment, closed with Taryn's seal. "She asked me to send a raven to her mother."

"I'll take it for you. The ravens are used to me." The offer came before Robb realised what he was saying. He wasn't sure why he was offering.

Lana flashed him a pretty smile and pressed the letter into Robb's waiting hand. "Thank you, my lord."

She turned on her heels and retreated back to Taryn's chambers. Robb ventured on to complete his new task, but... But what? Why was there a sudden squirm of reluctance in the pit of his stomach? Outside, Robb fumbled with the parchment as he gripped it in his fist. If Taryn had written anything about the assassin, and if the Lannisters were indeed involved... If the Queen gained any suspicion that the Starks knew the truth of what was going on (or worse, if another assassin was sent after Bran and Robb could not save him...). Robb's father and sisters were in grave danger, and his mother was riding into the lion's mouth.

Robb did not send the letter. He made a note to visit Maester Luwin later to limit all ravens leaving Winterfell, all letters would pass through Robb first. He returned to his chambers and watched the sealed roll of parchment catch fire in his heath and wither away before him.













A/N:

so i totally didn't keep forgetting to update oops. i quite like this one. canon dialogue is mostly taken from the book!! hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading <3

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