lord snow; ❛ GOLDEN DEATH ❜
↷ game of thrones
❝ We have the rest of our lives for that ❞

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(JOANNA'S POV)

Catelyn Stark spent countless hours by the side of her second youngest son. He had not woken up yet and Joanna had begun to wonder if he ever actually would. She was not the most hopeful person and she stopped believing in any gods after they took her children away from her. If they did exist, they were cruel and simply punished her for poisoning her husband although she did that to save herself and protect her children.

She tried to think of what Lady Stark had done that was so horrible that her son almost died as a result of that. She was a respected woman who had the luck to land herself a husband who actually grew to love her. If Robb was anything like his father, their marriage would not be a bother or something that would cause her physical and mental pain.

After Catelyn Stark traveled to visit her sister in order to comfort her after her husband's death, Joanna became the only woman to visit Bran's chambers. She would tell him all kinds of stories; starting from the Targaryen dynasty and ending with Joanna's childhood.

Joanna jumped in the chair beside his bed and watched him stare up at the ceiling with confusion in his eyes. He seemed like he had no memory of what happened.

"Bran?" Joanna muttered softly and leaned against his bed to lean a little closer to him. "How do you feel?"

"I do not really feel anything." He admitted, making her eyes widen. He did not move. He did not even attempt to sit up.

Her worry for the boy grew. While she had an idea what happened to him, she was not qualified to make any sort of assumption out loud, no matter how many books she had read. "Do you want me to get Robb and the medic?"

All that Brandon did was nod.

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Brandon's legs were paralyzed. The poor boy could not walk. His entire life fell into water. If he was anybody other than a son of the Lord, he would be as good as dead.

Robb's visits to him became more frequent after that. He was either with Brandon or with Joanna. He rarely visited him before because he was afraid to give himself false hope about him waking up. When he did wake up, he knew he had to give him comfort.

Robb offered Joanna a small smile as he opened the door to Brandon's chambers for her. She smiled back and walked into the room before he followed her inside.

"Good morning, Bran." She smiled down at the boy. She tried to keep any pity out of her voice or facial expression when she was around him. It only made him more discouraged. She turned to Old Nan. "Good morning."

"Morning, sweet girl." The servant smiled and rubbed her shoulder before walking out of the room. Joanna quickly learned that people and servants in the North were much nicer and warmed up to people fairly soon if they showed that they meant no harm. She guessed that the fact that Robb seemed to trust her (how much, she was not sure) made his servants and family trust her too.

Their wedding was getting closer and she guessed that it also had something to do with how kind they had been toward her. Maybe they wanted her to feel like she was at home. They were doing a good job at it.

Once the doors closed and Old Nan was out of earshot, Robb smirked as his brother and recalled, "One time she told me the sky is blue because we live inside the eye of the blue-eyed giant named Macomber."

"Maybe we do." Brandon deadpanned, his words causing Joanna to let out a breathy chuckle.

Robb sighed and took a step closer to his little brother. He asked, "How do you feel?" He sat down onto his bed while Joanna stood on her feet beside him. "Do you still not remember anything?" Brandon shook his head. "Bran, I've seen you climb a thousand times. In the wind, in the rain...a thousand times. You never fall."

Joanna's eyebrows furrowed. She was unfamiliar with that theory of Robb's. The fact that somebody pushed Brandon never came to her mind. From what she knew, the people of Winterfell were strictly loyal to House Stark. What would they get out of killing a child? Her eyes widened subtly. Unless somebody from King's Landing pushed him.

Still, what motive would they have? He was simply a boy. Robb was the heir to Winterfell, not him.

"I did, though." Brandon retorted sadly. "It's true, isn't it, what Maester Luwin says about my legs?" Robb swallowed and his jaw clenched. He sharply nodded but it was filled with so much restraint that it was barely noticeable. Brandon muttered, "I would rather be dead."

Robb's eyes flashed with anger. "Do not ever say that."

"I would rather be dead." Brandon repeated slowly, no emotion in his voice.

Joanna watched him with sympathy and sad eyes. He went from being such a happy and brave little boy to somebody with plenty of pent-up anger and sadness.

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Joanna swallowed and set down the letter that she had received from her oldest brother. Just as she did, somebody knocked on her bedroom door. She cleared her throat and called out, "Who is it?"

The wooden door opened and Robb's head peaked inside. He raised an eyebrow, his icy blue eyes making her swallow. He had a much larger effect on her than she originally planned. He asked, "Can I come in?"

"Of course." Joanna nodded and he walked inside, shutting the door behind him. She fidgeted in the chair next to her desk. "I was just reading the answers to our wedding invitations. The only person from my side of the family who will attend is my brother Jaime and my father. Cersei is too busy at King's Landing and Tyrion recently had a scandal because a bastard baby of his was found. That and he is traveling to The Wall at the moment. What about your family?"

Robb sighed and took a seat at the edge of her bed which was covered in silver sheets. "My father and sisters will remain in King's Landing. My mother will try to make her way back in time but I am sure that she will manage and maybe even bring my aunt with her. Although, I doubt she would be in the mood. She had never been the most joyous person."

Joanna hummed and kept her eyes locked on Jaime's letter. She knew that she had always been the black sheep of the family and that she had already had her first wedding but she was family. She hoped that her half-sister cared enough to at least attend her wedding.

Robb must have read her thoughts from her face or picked up on the fact that she did not even smile at his joke. He leaned his elbows on his knees and said, "We can postpone the wedding if you want to. That way, at least both of your brothers can attend."

"We already made all the arrangements." Joanna huffed as if she was a child. "Their lack of presence is their personal problem. Winterfell is far away. That and the fact that they already watched me wed a man once." A small amused smirk appeared on her face before she even spoke her next words. "Maybe the fact that all of them were present during my wedding with Tommen was the reason why it failed so miserably."

Robb cracked a small smile despite himself. Joanna found pleasure in the fact that he seemed to enjoy her occasional dark jest.

"You are my bride, Joanna." Robb started softly. Despite his gentle words, his gaze was so intense that she felt goosebumps all over her body. "I want you to be happy. Even if that means we will not be wed yet."

Joanna smiled gently, a rare sight that was lately solemnly reserved for Robb Stark. "I am an honest woman, Robb. I would tell you if something bothered me. I can assure you that my stay at Winterfell has been nothing short of pleasant. Your family, your people and...you have been more welcoming than my own blood was at times. If I can be honest, I do not mind the lack of my sister's presence nor the King's. If they arrived, everything would be for a show and for entertainment. Like my first wedding. I wish for this wedding to be modest and only made for the joy of the two of us." She chuckled at the memory of her first wedding. "Which means no cake the size of a giant bear or people coming out of fake stags." Her small smile faded and she gave Robb a solemn look. "Could I ask for one small favor?"

Robb nodded without thinking. "Anything."

"I do not want the bedding ceremony to take place." Joanna nervously stated. She knew that a lot of men insisted on it. When she and Tommen had their bedding ceremony, it was uncomfortable to have everyone watching her like she was prey. On top of that, she had scars that she did not wish for anyone to see. Robb's eyebrows furrowed and before he had a chance to say anything, Joanna added coyly, "Do not get me wrong, my lord, I am more than happy to consummate the marriage but I wish for it to be something intimate between the two of us."

Robb surprised her by placing a hand on top of her hands which were sitting in her lap. He surprised her even more because he was gentle. "Anything you want, my lady."

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(ROBB'S POV)

Joanna carried herself with the confidence of a queen and the grace of a lady. He was no idiot. He saw the way the men in Winterwell followed his betrothed with their eyes.

Women in the South were different from the women in the North. While their women were rough around the edges and not good at hiding their emotions, the Southern women did not wear their hearts on their sleeves. Robb was not even sure if they had hearts. He was only sure of it when she would offer him one of those rare soft smiles and when he would catch her reading Bran a story. She looked at Bran so sweetly and so gently ── as if he was her own brother, or even her son.

Robb had also noticed the way his best friend, the man who was like a brother to him, looked at Joanna. It was not love, more of an infatuation. Theon knew that Joanna was promised to him and that there was no argument when it came to who she would spend her life with. It still did not keep his eyes from wandering.

In the comfort of Robb's castle, Theon, Joanna and himself were free to act like they were children all they wanted. After everybody would go to their chambers, the three of them would drink and talk until they were too tired to stay awake.

"All right, I have an idea." Joanna grinned, her eyes shining with mischief. "My brother Tyrion taught me this game." Theon sighed and rolled his eyes, thinking that it was some foolish children's game. Joanna glared at him. "Stop it. It includes drinking." That got his attention. "For example, Theon, you make an assumption about me and you drink if you are wrong and I drink if you are right."

Theon nodded. "That seems simple enough."

"Good." Joanna seemed pleased. "Who wants to go first?"

"Since it is your game, you can start." Robb suggested and watched her eyes light up with a fond smile.

He had no idea why his mother thought that woman in front of him wanted to kill Bran. If the Lannisters were the reason his little brother almost died, Joanna had no knowledge of it. He was sure of it. She had plenty of opportunities to finish the job herself but she never did and she would not care so much if she wanted Bran dead. It made no sense.

"Theon Greyjoy." Joanna decided to start with Robb's best friend. Her smile was sickenly sweet and there was a glint of mischief in her eyes. She loved her mind games, the only reason why he even associated her with the Lannisters. If she was not so fond of getting under everyone's skin, he would never tell that she was a part of the house that he hated so much.

(JOANNA'S POV)

"You are a man-whore." She boldly stated.

Theon scoffed and tried to fight the surprised smile off his face. "That is vulgar language for a lady of such high status."

"But it is the truth, is it not?" She narrowed her eyes knowingly.

Theon huffed and stayed silent. He provided her with an answer by simply taking a drink. Joanna smiled victoriously. Theon was cocky but he looked like he had a reason to act that way. He clearly had a lot of experience.

"Moving on." Joanna cleared her throat. "You found greater comfort at Winterfell rather than your own home. You fear that, when you go back home, you will feel out of place."

She noticed the way that he interacted with the Starks. He watched Ned in fascination as one would look at a proper father figure. He watched Arya and Sansa with a fondness of a brother and looked up to Robb and protected him as if he was his brother.

Theon looked at the table for a couple of moments, lost in thought, before saying, "In a way, yes. The Starks are my family. I spent most of my childhood here and I barely even remember how my father and siblings look."

He took another drink while Robb looked at him with a fond but sad smile.

"You are in love with a girl. She is from the North, but her family would never approve." Joanna took a wild guess with a teasing smile. He was fitting for a tragic romance.

"No." Theon perked up, proud that she got something wrong. "I have no commitment to a woman and I do not wish to marry anyone any time soon."

Joanna sighed and picked up her drink. She finished the entire cup and placed it back down on the table.

"You never had a good relationship with your real father, which is why you view Lord Stark as a father figure." Joanna continued.

Theon drank.

"How about we move on to you?" Robb suggested. He noticed the way his best friend grew uncomfortable. Joanna was looking straight through him and neither of the men expected that.

"Alright." Joanna let out a faint chuckle.

"You hate your sister. You couldn't wait to get as far away from her and you like hiding out in the North." Theon said, his eyes narrowed curiously.

Joanna sighed and drank. She shook her head. "I did not know that the tension between us was that obvious."

Robb grimaced and admitted, "When you Lannisters dislike somebody, you make it quite clear."

Joanna's father hated when they wore their hearts on their sleeves, especially when it came to family. He wanted them to seem like a united front in front of their enemies. And their enemies were, at the end of the day, anyone who was not them.

"You and your Sworn Protector were lovers." Theon tried once again, a small provocative smirk on his face.

"No." Joanna instantly denied it. "I have never laid with a man who was not my husband."

Theon rolled his eyes and drank, before saying, "You don't wish to be married off to my dear friend, Robb, here."

"Partially true." Joanna said. "I barely had the time to mourn my daughter before my family dragged me to the North to marry a complete stranger. And then my son died and my family still left me here alone to mourn and adjust by myself. The part about Robb is false." She did not dare to look at him. "I took my time to get to know him and I can tell that my father and Jaime could not have chosen a better man for me to marry."

She drank up and after a moment of shocked silence, Theon did too. Joanna got to her feet and gave the two men a forced smile. "If you will excuse me, I would like to go to bed. I am growing a bit tired."

"You don't wish to know all of my secrets?" Robb asked her with a teasing glint in his eye.

Joanna simply smiled. It was a more genuine smile that time. "We have the rest of our lives for that, don't we?"

a/n: Flynn being the rightful heir to the Iron Throne is what I stand by. Robert usurped the throne, sure, but it is his by the right of conquest. All of his children are illegitimate and the legitimized ones are not his. Tommen Baratheon is supposed to be his heir because he is his oldest brother and Flynn is his oldest son who is supposed to inherit everything he has after his death.

Theon, Robb and Joanna are my favorite trio.