Chapter 23: Serpent's Kiss

5th Month of 298 A.C. Winterfell

Robb Stark

The revelation of his cousin's parentage, his king, his prince, had gone down reasonably well. Robb had felt as if something was guiding him as he had said that sentence, he had not known whether or not the prince would agree with him, and so had been relieved when he had nodded his consent. It had been the prince who had told the boys the truth of who he was and what he was, and there had been a long silence following that explanation, before one by one they had gotten down on bended knee and sworn fealty to him, recognising him as their rightful prince and later king. It had been a sight to behold for Robb, all of these northmen swearing fealty to his cousin, it was impressive, and it had stirred some small level of jealousy within him. For so long his friends, their friends, had looked to him for guidance and for the laughs they had shared, and now, he had noticed, they were beginning to look to his cousin. It was a strange thought, truth be told, and Robb was not really sure what to make of it. On the one hand he was glad, for it had pulled his cousin out of his stupor regarding Sansa- something Robb was not entirely sure he was comfortable with- and had made him more active and like his old self. On the other hand, Robb was now beginning to feel as if he was no longer needed, oh he was still the heir to Winterfell, and his friends would still be his bannermen in the future, but now they knew the truth about his cousin, they were not as inclined to spend time with him as they had been in the past. It was a hard pill to swallow.

Mother had of course noted the change in their friends' attitudes and had wanted to know what had happened, whether or not some prank was being played. Eventually, after much hesitation Robb had told his mother that they had revealed the truth about the prince. He had expected his mother to be somewhat angry, hells a small part of him had even wanted her to be a bit angry, but instead she had merely nodded and said it was about time that they knew. That had come as a massive surprise to him, and as such was slowly beginning to add fuel to the confused mess of feelings that he was beginning to feel for his cousin. Mother had then told Arya and Rickon the truth about their cousin, and the same thing had happened there. Things were really changing around Winterfell and he was not entirely sure what to make of it all. That Wynafryd was not acting any differently was somewhat of a relief for him, and he found comfort in being in her presence, especially with all the other things going on in the north.

Since finding that box in his mother's chambers, Robb had been very worried, and very concerned. He had not seen the sigil that had been on that box, for almost five years, the last time he had seen it he had been no older than Arya was now, it frightened him, and he wanted to know where it had come from. He still had nightmares about the night when all of that had been put to rest. A girl screaming as flames crept ever closer, a mad glint in two men's eyes, and there was crying, a lot of crying. And now, well now they were back, that much seemed evident, and he was terrified. He had ordered more patrols placed around Winterfell and the Wolfswood to make sure that they were found before they could do any more damage, but he was not sure how much good that would do, if they wanted to strike they would strike.

There was not much more he could do about that, and so he along with his cousin and their friends had decided to go out riding for the day. He did not know if they wanted to go hunting or not, and frankly he did not really care, all he wanted to do was go for a ride, and clear his head. And so they had set off from Winterfell early that morning, Greywind and Ghost trailing them, and it felt good, by the gods did it feel good. Not to have to worry about such meddlesome problems such as Bolton or even what to do with the imp and other issues that might well begin to appear as it were. As he feels his horse move under him, he turns to Theon who is at his side and asks. "So have you finally plucked up the courage to ask Wylla then?"

Out of all of their friends, Theon has remained completely the same, and whilst Robb suspects he might view the prince slightly differently now, he has not completely changed his attitude toward them both. For that Robb is grateful. "Yes, I asked her two days ago."

"And what did she say?" Robb asks intrigued.

His friend is silent a moment, a smile spreading across his face. "She said yes, as did her grandsire. They are more than happy for us to be wed."

Robb looks at his friend, and sees genuine happiness on his face, leaning to the side slightly to clap Theon on the back Robb responds. "That is good. I am happy for you Theon."

"Thank you Robb." His friend responds smiling. "Now we are going to be brothers for true."

Robb smiles then. "Aye that we are, where is the wedding going to take place?"

"I think Wylla wants it to happen in White Harbour, but, I have been meaning to ask, would it be okay for it to take place in Winterfell?" Theon asks.

"Of course it would be." Robb responds. "I would like nothing more than to see you two wed."

His friend smiles. "I am glad Robb, truly I am." Robb nods, and then stops his horse briefly, before turning it around, looking at the group before him.

Looking at Theon he smiles, and then says. "My friends, I think Theon has an announcement he would like to make to us all."

The horses stop moving, and then his friend speaks. "I and Lady Wylla are to be married."

A moment's silence and then cheers sound out. "Congratulations Theon." "About time Greyjoy." Are amongst the most common bits of congratulations that his friend gets, Robb looks at this group and smiles, they are his friends, his brothers, but there is still that nagging doubt that perhaps they are moving away from him. He pushes that thought away from his mind for the time being.

"Are you okay Robb?" Robb blinks and turns to look at his cousin.

"Yes, why do you ask?" he responds.

"You seemed as if you were far away then." his cousin responds.

Robb looks at his cousin, a feeling he cannot truly explain, growing within him. Pushing it down he smiles reassuringly. "I am fine truly, I am just happy for Theon."

His cousin does not seem all that convinced but merely nods. "So am I, it will be a good wedding I think."

Before Robb can respond, Torrhen Karstark's voice sounds out. "Now it's only you Umber. You need to make your move now."

Robb looks at his cousin and grins then. It has become noticeable within their group, that Jon Umber, otherwise known as Smalljon has begun feeling something or the other for Lady Alys, Torrhen's sister, that the two are friends, Robb thinks has made it easier for the man to accept it. As he looks at Umber, he sees his friend blush slightly and then go. "I have asked your father for her hand."

A moment's silence and then Eddard Karstark asks. "And has he replied yet?"

Smalljon shakes his head then. "He has not."

A moment's silence and then Robb speaks. "I am sure he will respond soon, and when he does you can be sure that we shall have two weddings happening here."

Another cheer breaks out then, and soon enough they are back to riding, Robb enjoying the quiet that now fills their group, as well as the feeling of a small breeze on his face. Gods he has missed this, missed been able to go riding without a care in the world. He does not wish to give up his responsibilities, but he has missed being able to have some fun. The silence is broken when Beron Mormont speaks. "My father wrote to me today. It seems there have been wildlings sighted near the bay of ice."

Robb sighs, wishing that Mormont had not brought that up. Still he knows his duty and so he asks. "And were they alive or dead?"

"Dead," Mormont responds. "They were cold to touch as well he says. And there was something odd about them."

"Odd how?" Robb asks.

"Their bodies were adorned with skulls and bones." Mormont responds.

"I did not think that was an odd thing to have for a wildling?" the prince asks.

"These wildlings came from the southern lands closest to the wall. If you can believe it, wildlings nearer to the wall are more civilised. They do not go around wearing skulls and bones, and yet these ones did." Beron responds.

Robb ponders over this. "Did your father get any answers? Were there any survivors?"

"Aye, there was one, albeit he was near death when father found him. He spoke of a great mass of wildlings coming together, under the banner of Mance Rayder. And he spoke of the horn that they were looking for. All things we know, but it seems, that this time they were looking for something closer to the Bay of Ice and they were attacked." Beron responds, a distinct note of fear in his voice.

Wonder why that might be, Robb stops his horse and turns to look at his friend. "What do you mean they were attacked? By another tribe?"

Beron shakes his head. "No, by something else. Something else entirely. The same thing that that man, that deserter from the Night's Watch spoke about. It attacked them, the man said."

Robb does not know whether he should laugh or not, thoughts of his own dreams keep him from laughing. He looks at his friend and asks. "How reliable is this man? Was he mad?"

His friend seems uncertain then, seemingly not sure of how to respond to this question, Robb does not blame him, considering the fact that he was not there. Eventually, his friend says. "I think there was some trace of madness within him. But my father says that there was a certainty in his speech. He is not sure what to make of it, and so has gone exploring."

"I think it is possible that the man might've been speaking the truth." Smalljon says.

Robb looks at the big man then and asks. "What makes you think that?"

His friend is silent a moment and then responds. "We know there have been increased attacks on the wall recently, and that the ones captured, are continuously looking for a horn. If it is the horn of Joramun they are looking for, it would make sense. After all, that horn is the one thing the stories say can stop the white walkers is it not?"

Before Robb can responds, his cousin Torrhen speaks. "You cannot be seriously thinking that is true Jon? After all, that is just what it is a story. Why would it be real?"

The prince speaks then. "Every story has a small grain of truth in it somewhere. Look at my own dragon eggs for example. We all thought the eggs were not real until we grew up and learned they were."

"But the white walkers have been gone for thousands of years, if they even existed, why would they come back now?" Torrhen asks.

Before anyone can respond, the sound of rustling reaches them, and then a direwolf is bounding out of the trees and shortly after Arya is as well. Robb looks at his sister then and asks her. "What are you doing here Arya? You're supposed to be with mother."

His sister looks at him as she gathers her breath back, it is clear she has been running after Nymeria for some time, how they did not hear her, he does not know. Eventually, once she has gotten her breath back she says. "Mother let me go, and I decided to come exploring in the Wolfswood, I got bored in Winterfell."

"Where is Jonos?" Robb asks sharply, remembering that that is the name of his sister's sworn sword. A young man, barely a year or two older than Robb and the prince, but still acting as if he was a man.

His sister blushes slightly and then says. "I left him behind at the entrance to the Wolfswood, he was going too slowly."

Robb sighs. "Well, we have to get you back to Winterfell, otherwise mother will worry."

His sister looks at him pleadingly then. "Oh please, not just yet Robb. Can I not come with you for a bit of a ride? Please? I won't say anything."

Robb feels something like indecision floating through him, he has not spent as much time with his sister as he would like, but a larger part of him is saying that perhaps they should take her back. Before he can speak though, the prince speaks. "It's alright Robb, she can ride with one of us, and then we can go from there."

Robb bows his head in deference. "Very well my prince. Who do you want to ride with Arya?"

His sister looks between them all and then says. "Torrhen, I'll ride with Torrhen." And so she is helped up onto their cousin's horse and puts her arms around his waist, and soon enough they are galloping through the Wolfswood, all the while something nagging him in the back of his head.

As they ride, his sister speaks then. "A letter came to the castle whilst you were away Robb.

Robb looks at his sister then and asks. "What did it say?" He knows his sister is as good at sneaking around and listening when she is not meant to, as Bran is.

His sister thinks for a moment and then says. "It came from Whitehill. Lord Whitehill wrote that there is something odd going on at the Dreadfort, and that there is a lot of talk that Lord Bolton means to do something odd."

"Odd in what sense?" Robb queries. He had heard something from Martyn, but he was not sure how much to believe what he had read in that letter.

"Odd in the sense that it seems Bolton has been making animals. Dogs, and other such things, breeding them as if to form some sort of animal army. And furthermore, it seems a boy who looks just like his bastard did, has been sighted walking with him on numerous occasions." Arya responds.

Robb says nothing to this for a moment, and then looks at Daryn. "Daryn, what have you heard from your father?"

The heir to Hornwood is silent a moment, thinking through something or the other no doubt, and then he shakes his head. "Nothing, I have not heard anything from my father for some time. I am getting a bit worried about that."

Robb thinks on this a moment, and then turns to look at his sister. "Arya, did you hear anything else?"

Before his sister can respond, an arrow comes flying out of nowhere, and just misses his own head. "What the hell?" he exclaims, as another arrow comes out of nowhere this time hitting his cousin's horse. "Form up." he barks, and he and his friends get into a formation they had practised during training in Winterfell. More arrows come flying out of the air, one hits his horse, and then another hits Torrhen's and then more arrows come, flying everywhere, he sees Ser Arthur guarding the prince, and that is a small breath of relief, but then the arrows stop and the sounds of a war band come into the air. Men come spilling out of the woods.

He is surprised for a moment, and then he is drawing out a sword, and swinging it. They had just been allowed to carry live steel a day or so ago, and so he is slow to block and parry, but then it kicks in, his training that is. He is fighting grown men, and even women, as they come spilling out of the woods, some twenty of them all attacking him and his friends. His sword is bloody, and his arm aches, but still they fight on. Arrows come flying out of the air, but they miss their mark and instead hit those who are attacking Robb and his friends. Arya is somewhere within the fray, and he worries for her, Greywind is fighting, biting and snapping, as is Ghost as is Nymeria, but then a loud whine echoes through the wood, and he sees out of the corner of his eye, as Nymeria falls down arrows piercing her skin. He hears his sister scream, and then he does not know what happens. One moment they are fighting, the next moment, the men and women who were attacking him and his friends are dead, and then when it all settles he looks over his friends and sees that they are alive, some are injured but they are alive. And then his eyes fall on Arya, and he screams. She is bleeding from several cuts and wounds, clutching Nymeria, and right next to her is something. He drops off of his horse, and runs to his sister, he holds her then, fighting the tears that are threatening, shaking with horror and anger, and when his cousin holds up the thing near her, he seethes. Skull and bones, a dead wolf looming before them.