Chapter 11

By her ninth month Cersei was in constant terror. Ned was alive and well, he was to return to Winterfell in a fortnight or so she calculated. The Greyjoys had been reduced two months ago. Eddard Stark and King Robert took Great Pyke side by side. Balon Greyjoy bent the knee; his heir was to be a hostage in the Eyrie. Cersei couldn't sleep; she anxiously waited for the agony of the birth. She was sure she would lose the child or it would be a stillborn. She felt a mighty kick one morning when she was at a meeting with Rodrick Cassel. She clutched her belly and panicked. The castellan noticed and sent for maester Luwin. The maester reassured her that it was just the baby trying to make his way out and that it wouldn't be long before she felt labor pains. She went to Ned's rooms and waited for the inevitable. She cried and was scared, not even the sight of Jon helped her. She felt the pains early next morning. She looked at the bed and found it wet. She was wet too. She yelled for maester Luwin. In less than thirty minutes she had an army of handmaidens, Old Nan and Luwin in the Lord's quarters.

Old Nan put her hair in a plait. She thanked the woman and did all the maester asked. "My lady, I can see the baby's head. Push, my lady, push."

Cersei quietly winced at the pain but pushed, she was silent. She had been through this before. She expected Luwin's sad eyes and gasps from the handmaidens. She didn't expect the shrill cries of a baby boy. She opened her eyes and saw the delighted face of maester Luwin. "A boy. You have a healthy and strong son Lady Stark." He said happily. Cersei laughed and cried at the same time. She wished Ned could be here. "I want to see him." Old Nan handed her the baby. He cried mightily, he was an angry red little thing. He had dark hair just like Ned and Jon, he opened his eyes, and they were grey just like Jon's when he was a baby.

"He's a Stark." Cersei said proudly. Never once she thought she would be proud of her son resembling a Stark. The baby resembled his father and brother. "I think he'll have your cheekbones my lady." Old Nan said with a toothless smile. She smiled back.

She delivered the after birth. Birthing was a messy ordeal but it was worth it to see the baby's face. She was cleaned and bathed by her handmaidens. She fed the baby and asked maester Luwin about Jon. "Is Jon awake yet?"

"Yes, my lady and asking after you." The older man said carefully. "Have Myra bring him at once. He should meet his baby brother." She was sore and tired.

"Have you thought of a name your ladyship?" She nodded. "No, I want Ned to be here first." She said softly caressing the baby's little face.

Jon shyly peeked from the door. "Come sweetling, meet your baby brother." The two and a half year old boy climbed the bed and watched the baby.

"He red mamma." Jon said seriously with his most proper voice.

"Yes sweetling, he is red. Many pups are red when they come to the world." She answered and cradled the baby's head as he fed from her breasts.

"I pup." Jon said with a furrowed brow. "Yes my love but now I have two pups. You have to protect your little brother, it is your duty as the eldest child my love." She smiled and nodded when Jon gingerly kissed her face. Jon seemed entranced by the baby. He stayed with them in the clean bed. Cersei looked with delight at her sons one in her arms and the other asleep by her side. She closed her eyes with a smile on her face. She felt movement in the bed. She opened her eyes and saw Ned by her side. He wore a smile and kissed her slowly. "Thank you my lioness." He said with a hushed voice. Jon and the baby were asleep.

"You have given me three beautiful sons." She almost cried. Ned counted Joffrey and Jon as their sons.

She cried tears of joy when she saw his tears too. She kissed Ned, because she was happy he was here with her. "What should we name him?" She asked her lord husband.

"Whatever you desire my love." She didn't mind the epithet. "Robb, after your friend." Cersei said proudly. It was slightly fitting she thought, without the King and his visit this child might have not been born.

Ned nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. "As my lady wife commands." He kissed her brow.

It was announced that little Robb Stark had arrived healthy. The King sent his congratulations and did the queen. Tywin sent a short congratulatory note and urged for her to remove Jon Snow from Winterfell. The lady Stark wrote excuses and half-truths. Her lord husband had the child legitimized and the Seven Kingdoms believed him to be from her loins. Their family would be the laughing stock if the court knew Jon's true parentage. She hoped to keep him at bay with those excuses. Cersei recovered from the birth and nursed baby Robb. Her rooms became the nursery again. Ned had her belongings moved to his quarters and they slept side by side every night. Ned told her about the battles in the Iron Islands, the new knights and also the celebrations. "I fear the king has a child in the Vale too."

"Another child?" Cersei asked once she was done with Robb and Jon was safely put to bed.

"I didn't know you knew about Mya." Ned asked as she placed her head on his scarred chest. "The queen knows about them."

"I pity her." Cersei said while running her fingers over the pink tissue of his recent scars.

"You mustn't speak that way my love." She looked up and saw his saddened eyes. "Your friend is a dreadful husband. He doesn't love our queen and lies with whichever wench he fancies."

"I shudder to think it could have been me being the ridicule of the seven kingdoms." She said honestly. She would have had Jaime kill him years ago.

Ned smiled, "You are not. You are Lady Stark of Winterfell. Mother to my two handsome sons." She smiled when he kissed her neck and shoulders.

"How long do I have to wait my lioness?" He asked as he ran a hand over her leg. His eyes smoldered. She rather liked his interest. Cersei used her best innocent voice, "You don't have to anymore. I went to maes…" She didn't finish because Ned was on her again. She missed the closeness. It had been almost a year since he touched her intimately. "I have waited long enough Cersei. Every night I would go to sleep thinking of you and your hands. Your teats, your belly, your smell, your taste." He nuzzled her neck and suckled on her neck. She raised her hands to his hair and moaned at his eagerness.

She giggled when his fingers touched her core and found her wet. She wanted to enjoy herself tonight. Cersei mounted him and played with his cock. "You were gone for almost a year lord Stark. Did you take any woman while you were in the Iron Isles?" Ned was honest to a fault, he was stubborn and thought every one should live by a code of ethics. He was compassionate but firm. He looked into her eyes and replied. "Not one. I took a vow Cersei and I will keep it." His eyes darkened and he tried to overpower her under him but Cersei planted her arms around his shoulder blades and lowered her core to his cock. She undulated her hips but didn't take him inside of her.

"Tell me about the battles." She asked seductively.

He worried her lower lip with his teeth. "Robert and I met before sailing to the Isles. Stannis secured some of the isles while Barristan singlehandedly took another one. Robert and I took Pyke and forced Greyjoy to surrender." He gave her a description.

She rolled her eyes and smiled when he looked puzzled, "I knew that, we did get your ravens. I want to know what did it felt like to go back in battle."

Ned laughed and she laughed too. "Do not laugh. I want to know. Jaime could never describe it properly."

"It is exciting, there is a rush of power and knowledge that you could be gone at any second. There is fear but you feel triumphant when your enemy is down." He said and massaged her back.

She smiled and kissed him. She wanted to feel powerful too. She trailed kisses down his chest and the pink scars. She lowered his face to his proud erection and licked him from tip to base. She loved when he tightened his hold on her blonde locks. He was about to explode but pulled her up. "I want to be inside of you." She rode him hard.

When they were done and she was on his chest kissing the scars she giggled and looked up. He was utterly relaxed, toying with her long hair. "I used to switch places with Jaime when we were young. No one could tell us apart." She boasted. Ned didn't like to speak about her family much but he endured it for her sake. Oddly enough he was fond of Tyrion. He despised her father and Jaime for what they did in King's Landing.

"I used to train with swords until father found out. He hit Jaime and made me watch." Cersei said sadly.

Ned kissed her forehead, "you must have been formidable." He said and she kissed him on the mouth.

"I was. Jaime and I used to fight with swords all the time until I grew these." She looked down to her breasts.

Her husband touched them, "I am rather fond of them but I could see how they could get in the way."

"Well, it does not matter now. I am a lady and will never fight in any battles." She sighed. Ned kissed her lips, "say the word my love and you shall have your own master at arms to train you."

Cersei kissed him hard. Her lord husband did have a way with his words when he chose to use them.