A/N Thank you to CalliopeGalaxy for the beta!

This has book spoilers for A Storm of Swords - including a MAJOR one in later chapters that I will alert to before its posted. Some of these scenes are actually in A Clash of Kings (including this part) and weren't included in Season 2 so I'm not sure if they plan to include them at all - which wouldn't be a spoiler I suppose. Anyway, thank you for continuing to read!

Chapter 1

Deirdre woke suddenly after the baby gave a few solid kicks to her ribs. She sighed, brushing her hand over her belly and wished she had nearly as much energy as her baby did. Or as much control over her body. When the baby decided to be active, Deirdre was forced awake but the baby also chose when to rest. Deirdre was forced to live on his or her schedule.

She wondered, yet again, about Robb's insistence that she carried two babies, two sons. The thought was strangely comforting; despite the fact it terrified her. To have two sons meant they'd never be alone, as she had grown up. Perhaps they'd have the close bond that Robb and Jon had. But she also worried that she'd lose one of them or even die in childbirth. The thought of not watching her children grow up terrified her.

Glancing over, she watched Robb sleeping for a few moments. As if he sensed it, he wrapped his arm around her, snuggling into her. She was glad they had made up before he left for the next battle. Kissing him gently, Deirdre wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest.

"You're awake early," he mumbled, kissing her. She loved his voice when it was still thick with sleep.

"The baby woke me. He controls my sleeping."

His fingers trailed down through her hair and he rested his hand on her back. "I'm sorry. I suppose lack of sleep is something you must be prepared for since when they're born, they will wake you often to nurse."

"Hmm," she agreed, not bothering to correct him about using 'they' versus 'he or she'. Robb was so convinced she was having twins, she suspected that was what he wanted to believe.

"It feels good to hold you again and wake up to you," he whispered, pulling her closer. "It's easier to forget what I've lost for a few moments when you're in my arms. Waking up alone is a cold feeling."

"I know." After a moment, she lifted her head to look at him. "I'm worried about the next battle and I'm glad we've resolved things mostly, but I must ask. Do you have any lingering feelings for Lady Talisa?"

"No. Honestly, I don't at all." Robb sighed and was quiet for a moment. "I'm not sure I ever had feelings for her. She was safe, or so I thought, but I don't miss or think about her, other than realizing what my relationship with her almost cost me. Once I realized what I had done to you, my only thoughts were that I must not lose you. And when I feared I might, I realized I'd give up anything for you: the crown, the war on the Lannisters, anything. I just couldn't lose your love."

"I don't think that love, true love, is something you lose," she answered quietly. "But it is something you can destroy."

"I'll never forgive myself for almost destroying it," he admitted, shame crossing his handsome features.

"You said you doubted me partially because you always felt like you didn't deserve me." She sat up and looked down at him. "If you don't forgive yourself, you'll continue to feel you don't deserve me and we'll come to this place again. Robb, no matter who I loved first or who you think deserves me more: I love you and I chose to be with you because I think you deserve me. I'm tired of the doubts and fears between us. You almost laid with another woman due to fear I still loved your brother, who I haven't seen in almost a year, or that I'd chose my family over you, when my family threw me away a long time ago."

"I know. In my heart I knew it all along but my thoughts became so confused because I trusted Theon and he betrayed me."

"Theon was taken from his home as a child and kept from his family. He never stopped reminding people he was a Greyjoy or that the sea was in his blood. He always intended to go home some day. We don't know what happened once he did that made him betray you. Likely we'll never know. But I wanted away from my family long before I came to Winterfell. Do you remember what I said when Ser Amory and Willem came from Casterly Rock? I wanted to sign away everything just to be free of them all," she reminded him.

Robb studied her face for a moment before saying quietly, "I never thought Theon considered me as his enemy. And when Jon found out we were to marry, he said he had lost you to his 'better'. Theon was like a brother and Jon was my brother, but yet they thought of me differently than I thought of them."

"Jon loves you," Deirdre insisted. "He and I spoke many times about his feelings about being a bastard and he said the only thing that made it bearable was the love he felt for his brothers and sisters. He knew that none of you thought of him as your mother did. He only felt a distance from Sansa, but he still loved her. I think Jon just meant that the king thought of you as his better. Robb…Jon is not Theon. Theon's main loyalty was always himself."

"And my mother? How could she go behind my back like that?" Times like this, Robb stopped being the King in the North and was, once again, so young and vulnerable, his pain clearly visible on his face. Deirdre knew that no one saw this side of him now but her. She couldn't help but remember Bran calling it 'putting his Lord face on' when Robb looked so serious and mature.

Deirdre leaned forward and kissed him tenderly, stroking his cheek, before saying, "She was thinking of your sisters. She knew you'd be angry, but I don't think she thought about how dangerous it made your situation. She's lost your father, her home, her daughters, and her other sons are hostages. She was desperate and thought you'd understand."

"I do understand and I would gladly trade him for the girls if I thought that would end the war. Even though I still want revenge, if I thought we could go home to Winterfell and rule the North without Joffrey interfering with us or the Riverlands, I'd gladly trade Jaime and every other Lannister prisoner I have. But Joffrey and Cersei won't allow us peace; neither will Tywin, and now we have to worry about the ironborn." He sat up running his fingers through his hair, frustrated. "I want to go north and drive them out, I want to go home, but I can't without my sisters and a guarantee that we'll be allowed our freedom again in the north."

"I know," she whispered and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. "There haven't been good options for you, my love. This is why you and I must stay strong together." She lifted her head again and looked at him for a long moment. "I will always be here for you unless you push me away again."

He kissed her, desperately clinging to her. When he released her lips, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and said, "I need you by my side or I cannot bear this. As you said, the north is crushing me; this crown is…I can't do this alone."

"You don't have to," she reassured him. "I'm never going to betray you so stop waiting for me to. I know it's hard for you to trust now but I have the most to lose if you fail so I'm trusting in you too." Placing his hand on her stomach, she smiled gently. "Besides, our child needs both of us."

"I want to make love to you," he replied, kissing her again. "Please."

She murmured her consent against his lips. His tongue slid into her mouth, teasing hers to a sensual dance, as his hands traced the lines of her face. When she was breathless, he moved his lips down her jaw then pressed hot open-mouthed kisses against her neck. Deirdre always was surprised by how quickly his kisses could increase her desire. His mouth created so much pleasure for her.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, pressing his body against hers.

Lowering his mouth to capture her nipple, he moaned as he sucked it, flicking his tongue over it. Deirdre gasped and buried her fingers into his curls. Her breasts were even more sensitive this late in her pregnancy. They had swelled enough that Robb's hand could barely cover one of them now. His kisses moved down her body slowly as his hand lowered between her legs, easing them apart. Both of them moaned as his fingers slid inside her. After a few moments, a second finger joined the first as his thumb rubbed her sensitive nub in circles. Deirdre's nails dug into his shoulders when he moved his body in between her thighs.

Deirdre moaned his name, feeling his tongue dragging through her wet folds. His fingers continued to thrust into her slowly, his tongue making wide swipes across the sensitive flesh. She arched up to his mouth, throbbing with need. Robb kept her on the edge of climax by alternating with insistent sucking and teasing licks. Removing his fingers, he covered her entrance and thrust his tongue inside her as he resumed stroking her with his thumb. Gasping for breath, Deirdre clutched the bedding beneath her.

As soon as she was on the verge of cresting, Robb sped up his fingers, plunging inside her and curling to touch sensitive places, his moans vibrating against her. She cried out, coming undone beneath his lips. He licked her until she stopped trembling then he lifted his head and gave her a feral look.

He rose to his knees and, taking her hands, pulled her to sit up. He kissed her hungrily, his hands drifting to her hips so he could draw her closer to him. Deirdre lowered her hand to grasp his hard shaft, stroking him. After a few moments, he pulled away from her to turn her around, her back to his chest. He pressed himself against her with a moan and Deirdre leaned forward to place her hands on the cot. Robb entered her slowly, gripping her hips so he could pull her back to him.

Their tent filled with sensual sounds from both of them. Robb reached up to grasp her hair, wrapping it around his hand and tugging it lightly. After a few moments, he brought her to sit up on her knees again, his arm wrapped around her as his mouth lowered to her shoulder. She gasped when she felt his teeth nipping along her neck. His tongue swiped at each spot after.

"You always feel so good, so right," he murmured into her shoulder.

"Because we were made for each other," she answered, leaning her head back and turning her face up and he kissed her.

His hands wandered her body, caressing her breasts, as his strokes increased in speed and intensity. He groaned in frustration and pulled away from her mouth. "I'm trying to be gentle, I don't want to hurt you, but I want…deeper inside you and…"

"Lay on your back," she replied.

Robb withdrew and did as she asked, raising his hands to help her straddle him. Deirdre smiled down at him and said, "This is going to get even more difficult in a few months."

"I don't care how difficult it is, as long as we don't stop doing it," he laughed.

Deirdre rode him slowly at first and kissed him deeply, luxuriating in the heat of his mouth and the erotic movements of his tongue against hers. Robb increased their tempo, his hands gripping her hips and guiding her movements. Suddenly, he groaned and said, "I can't last much longer."

Tightening around him, she leaned down to bite his neck and said, "Don't hold back then."

He bucked up hard, as she slid down his shaft. His fingers dug into her as his movements and his breathing became more erratic against the sweat-slicked skin of her neck. He cried out her name and pulled her tight against him, spilling his seed deep inside her. As soon as he caught his breath, he asked if he'd hurt her. She shook her head no and kissed him.

"I'm not as fragile as you think," she said, as she lay down on his chest as much as she could.

Robb chuckled and rolled them onto their sides. "You're not fragile but I'm afraid I might do something to cause those babies to come sooner than expected. Did the maester say it was all right for us to keep making love?"

"Yes but closer to my time, it could trigger birth. Perhaps we shouldn't risk it the last few weeks," she answered. "I'm frightened about having him, especially if there are two as you suspect. And I've never been around babies. I was younger than most people around me and when my older cousins were having their babies, I wasn't with them."

"You were wonderful with Bran and Rickon," he said, smoothing her hair away from her face and kissing her gently.

"They were children, not babies, and they weren't mine. Your parents had already taught them so much. What if I don't know what to do? I don't want to be a terrible mother. That's why I'm so afraid. At least while they're still inside me, they're protected from everything," she said, biting her lip. She hadn't talked to Robb much about her fears of motherhood. Her own mother had never been one to nurture her so she had no role model.

Robb smiled and said, "You're so nurturing and loving to everyone around you, I cannot imagine you not being a good mother. I grew up with four younger siblings. I remember enough about Arya, Rickon, and Bran as babies. We'll be fine."

"You'll be fine. I'll be a mess," she muttered. "No one expects you to take care of them. It's expected of me and I won't know what to do. And I'm terrified of giving birth by myself."

"You'll be a natural and you'll have my mother to help you," he said. "I promise I'll be with you when you give birth to our children, all of our children."

"I don't think men aren't supposed to be in the birthing rooms."

"I'm the king. If I want to be in there, no one can stop me." He chuckled. "I'd like to see them try to keep me from you. I want to hold your hand and see my children take their first breaths."

"Promise me?" She knew it wasn't very brave of her to want Robb to be with her but she didn't care. He gave her strength and made her feel reassured that she could do it.

"I promise."

x-x-x

"The remainder of the camp has been packed and is ready to move," Ned said as he came up beside Deirdre. "The prisoners are heavily guarded and in the center of the column. Lady Stark is protected. Lady Mormont and her people are working with some of the Freys to drive the livestock they gathered from the Westerlands to Riverrun. Lord Umber said his remaining men have stayed behind at the gold mines they captured, but they sent a hefty sum of gold along with our men which is heavily guarded. The Karhold men have returned from the coasts with minimal losses. Lord Glover sent messages that he would meet us in Riverrun."

"Good," Deirdre said, following Adair and Robert toward the horses. Robb had arranged for the camp to be moved from the Westerlands to Riverrun as soon as he left for the Crag, leaving over five thousand men behind to ensure the move and their safety. Deirdre just had to confirm that everything went smoothly.

"The men from Riverrun have arrived to lead the van with Lord Umber, but one of the men requested to see you before we departed. There's a message from Lord Tully for you," Patrek said as he walked up swiftly.

"Fine," Deirdre said and followed him to where the messenger waited. He handed her the message with a bow. Deirdre smiled at him, as she broke the wax seal quickly. They were already delayed in leaving.

After reading the message, tears filled her eyes. "What is it?" Ned asked, taking the parchment she held out to him. He read it and quickly said, "It was a minor injury, Your Grace. Lord Tully stressed it was only minor."

"I can't go to Riverrun. I need to go to the Crag," she said quickly as she began walking to her horse. "You ensure the camp…"

"Your Grace, it's too dangerous!" Ned called as he ran after her, jumping in front of her.

"Ned, I am going. The Crag isn't far from here and I'm not going to Riverrun if my husband is hurt at the Crag," Deirdre declared stubbornly. When he opened his mouth, she quickly insisted, "Nothing you say will change my mind. I am the queen and you will obey my command! Lord Umber will lead everyone back to Riverrun. You can assist him if needed. Robert, Patrek, and Adair will come with me. Or send more men if need be, I don't care. But I am going and you will not hinder me."

His jaw tightened and he glanced around for a moment before he looked back at her. "Let me go with you. I will speak with Lord Umber but we need to take more than just a few guards. You are the queen, as you said, and you must be protected. I think no less than one hundred men, plus your guards," Ned insisted.

"Fifty. One hundred men would draw too much attention and slow us down," she answered sharply. "Gather them quickly. Robert, let Lord Umber know but tell him I said not to bother trying to convince me not to go."

Deirdre waited impatiently for the men to return. She didn't like to demand things or use her title and power but if that's what it took to get her to Robb, she'd do it. Rational thought was a struggle but she knew if she acted too emotional that the men would see it as weakness and think she could be persuaded to go with them to Riverrun. She saw Lord Umber coming toward her quickly and sighed, preparing herself for the impending argument. Unlike Ned, the Greatjon was likely to ignore the fact she was the queen and throw her over his shoulder, forcing her to Riverrun.

"You cannot go to the Crag, Your Grace," he blustered as he towered above her. "The king would skin me alive if I allowed you to go."

"You're not allowing me to do anything. I'm going whether you or anyone else approves or not. Now, I want you to take the men and go to Riverrun as planned. Ned is insisting on taking fifty men though I think that's too many. I'll be careful. The Crag isn't far from here," she answered. "And I'll explain to Robb that you protested violently. Make certain that Lady Stark is told, after I'm gone, that Robb was injured but will be fine."

"If he'll be fine, then you have no need to go," Lord Umber argued. "A pregnant queen has no business riding to the site of a battle so soon after it happened. You don't know what the conditions are…"

"He'll be fine because I'm going there to make sure he is fine and remains that way." She let Adair help her mount her horse. Riding while pregnant wasn't comfortable and Lady Stark had advised against it, but if she rode in a wagon, she'd be more vulnerable if they were attacked. "I'll handle the conditions when I see them. I'm certain that over fifty men can guard one person. The way everyone is acting, it seems like no one will suspect I would ever go there. If that's the case, I'll be safer there than here."

Lord Umber argued with her for a few more moments before Ned returned with the men and her other guards. Deirdre rode off in the middle of the Greatjon's last sentence. She understood why he was concerned and knew that he was right about the dangers but she was going to be with Robb now. Despite the message, she couldn't trust that his injuries were that minor until she saw them with her own eyes. And when they returned to Riverrun, she'd be with his men, over ten thousand strong, him, and Grey Wind. She wasn't worried about the return journey. Her only concern right now was Robb.

x-x-x

Dacey watched as Robb slipped in and out of consciousness, murmuring names and commands at times but mostly making no sense. The young Westerling girl kept an eye on the king when their maester was checking on other injured. Jeyne seemed kind enough and didn't appear to have any ill-intentions to His Grace, as far as she could tell. Smalljon had let Grey Wind into the room a few times and the direwolf had inspected Jeyne the first few times but seemed at ease with her. But they each took turns watching over her as she cared for Robb. Dacey tended to spend more time in here than anyone else. She felt responsible for Robb, not just as her king, but as her friend and the husband of her closest friend and queen. Deirdre would never forgive Dacey if Robb came to any harm under Jeyne Westerling's care.

"If he had left the arrow in to be removed by the maester, it would have healed quicker," Jeyne was explaining as she cleansed the wound again. It still smelled of infection, but Jeyne assured Dacey that Robb's fever had lowered somewhat. "When he torn it out himself, he ripped the muscles and sinew jaggedly so it is harder to heal. That's why it festered."

"His Grace is somewhat…stubborn and didn't think it needed tending," Dacey said with a slight smirk. "He's a king and a soldier, not a healer." Hearing a commotion outside, she walked to the window and looked out, not believing her eyes. "Seven hells!"

"What is it?" Jeyne asked, fearfully. Grey Wind had rose from the corner of the room and now paced in front of the door which, no doubt, worried the Westerling girl further.

"The queen," Dacey sighed. "She's here. I should have known she would come, but I thought someone would talk sense into her and remind her of the danger." She turned back around and saw Jeyne watching her wide-eyed. "No harm will come to your family, as promised. Your surrender to the king still stands. She's just here to look after the king's well-being."

Jeyne nodded and glanced nervously at Grey Wind before she finished packing Robb's wound. Dacey remained where she was because she saw Smalljon and Ser Brynden meet Deirdre at the gate. Ned was, of course, by her side as were a few of her other guards, but as typical, Deirdre walked and just expected that they'd protect her. She didn't even seem to notice the battle scene around her with her single purpose being seeing Robb as she strode into the keep and out of Dacey's sight.

Soon enough, the queen, the maester, Ned, Smalljon, and a few others came into the room. The maester stopped short seeing Grey Wind and Jeyne Westerling rose quickly to curtsey. But Deirdre paid her no mind, seeing only Robb.

"Which one of you said it was a minor injury?" she demanded and rushed to his side. Feeling his skin, she furrowed her brow and exclaimed, "He's burning up with fever!"

"Your Grace, his fever has gone down since last night. His body is fighting the infection, but each time I change the bandages, it looks better," Jeyne said quietly.

Deirdre finally noticed the girl and watched her for a moment before asking, "Who are you?"

"Jeyne, Your Grace: Jeyne Westerling," she answered softly.

"You're not a healer," Deirdre studied her suspiciously. "This is your family's castle."

"The maester was watching after all of the wounded so I stayed with the king," Jeyne explained. "We've met before, Your Grace: once, in Lannisport, when we were just girls. I believe our fathers knew each other."

Deirdre nodded and looked back at Robb, brushing his hair away from his face. "Tell me true. Is his wound serious Jeyne?"

"As I was explaining to Lady Dacey, when the king tore the arrow from his shoulder, he ripped through the muscle and tissue, leaving the wound with jagged edges. Since it wasn't treated or cleaned before he almost collapsed, it festered. But the wound has improved quite a bit in the last two days. And he sweated most of his fever out this morning. Once the infection is gone, the maester can stitch the wound and he'll heal properly," Jeyne came closer to the bed, watching her as she spoke. Deirdre bit her lower lip as she ran her hand over Robb's cheek.

"He does look much better, Your Grace," Dacey assured her. Deirdre knew that Dacey wouldn't lie to her so she finally looked calmer.

"Thank you for watching over him," she said to Jeyne. Glancing back at the maester, who still stood near the door and away from Grey Wind, she added, "I expect you to check on His Grace hourly until his fever breaks."

"Yes, Your Grace," the maester nodded quickly.

"Lady Sybell would like to speak to the queen," a man from the Crag announced from the door.

"Not now," Deirdre said dismissively.

The man looked worried and blurted out, "But…the lady of the castle…"

Deirdre whirled around angrily. "I said not now. I will see her when I chose to and not a moment before. Everyone leave us for now, except the maester, Dacey, and Lady Jeyne. Grey Wind, come here." The direwolf padded slowly to her as she rose, leading him away from the bed. "Maester, come examine my husband's wound. While I'm certain Jeyne has done the best of her abilities, I'd feel more comfortable if you could assure his well-being, considering that I'm holding you personally responsible for his recovery."

The maester almost tripped over himself to examine Robb as everyone else left the room. Ned hesitated at the door but glancing at Grey Wind, then at Dacey, he turned and followed Smalljon out. Dacey watched the maester work quickly, his eyes darting back and forth between Robb's wound, Deirdre, and Grey Wind. Dacey wasn't surprised. By now, everyone in the Crag knew the wolf growled and bared his teeth at Ser Rolph and Lady Sybell felt no more comfortable around him. The only one who seemed to have grown accustomed to him was Jeyne.

Dacey was taken aback at how intimidating Deirdre could be if she needed to be. She'd never see this side of her, although she'd heard about a few instances where she acted like more like a queen, than the gentle natured woman she was. In battle, Robb couldn't have anyone second guessing him so it made sense for him to constantly act like the king. But just as he rarely let anyone forget, Deirdre rarely reminded people she was the queen.

"How did this happen?" Deirdre asked her.

"He took the gate with a ram and the arrow struck him as the gate came down. His Grace didn't notice the pain at first then when he saw the arrow, he just ripped it out and kept going. Hours later when he went to remove his armor, Smalljon noticed he paled and began walking toward him. Before he got there, Robb had passed out. No one even saw him get hit. He mentioned it to Ser Wendel at dinner when he flinched raising his arm but even then he said it was nothing," Dacey said, shaking her head. "They got the maester in there straight away but Smalljon said if he'd been alone when he'd collapsed he probably would have died before the morning."

"Your Grace, he's healing as well as can be expected. As Lady Jeyne said, his fever is down quite a bit," the maester assured her. "The bleeding has stopped but he did lose a lot of blood and he will need to regain his strength."

"Thank you. You may leave," Deirdre said, sitting down on the bed beside Robb. Dacey noticed how drawn Deirdre was.

"Wait, perhaps the maester should look after you, Your Grace. You are pale," Dacey said and stepped closer to her friend.

"I'm tired and worried. But I'm fine. I'll feel better if I just sit here with Robb for awhile," she said quietly.

"Would you like supper or some wine, at least, Your Grace?" Jeyne offered.

"She would," a hoarse voice startled them all and Deirdre looked quickly down at Robb, who was struggling to open his eyes fully. "Water or wine for me."

Ignoring the present company, Deirdre leaned down and kissed Robb a few times, smiling as tears fell on her cheeks. "I thought I was going to lose you."

Robb shook his head. Dacey rushed to pour him some water then pressed the cup to his lips as Deirdre held his head up. After he drank, he grasped Deirdre's hand. "Why are you here? It's not safe."

"I needed to be with you," Deirdre answered quietly. "I told you I didn't want to be waiting for some raven to bring me words of your fate."

"Grey Wind?" he asked. The direwolf came and licked his fingers. Robb buried his hand in his scruff and said, "I dreamed of him and Ghost."

Dacey noticed that Jeyne watched the king and queen for a moment before acting like she felt awkward. "Your Grace, perhaps Jeyne can go get you something to eat. It would make me feel better to know you've at least eaten something. And she can arrange for your guards to be fed as well."

"Yes, of course. And can you bring some broth or something for the king?" Deirdre asked, not turning away from Robb. Dacey decided it would be best if they were alone anyway.