Rhaegar had been defeated. His army had been scattered amongst the waters of the Trident, his support frozen by the harsh northern winds and if the rumours were to be believed his life was forfeit. What had happened to Rhaegar himself however, no one seemed to know.

The ravens they had received all contradicted the sayings of the others. One said that he had fallen to Robert Baratheon's Warhammer, another said he had escaped and retreated to King's Landing, while other's suggested that he was Rickard Stark's captive. The most amusing one she had read so far was the one that suggested her Ned had captured him himself.

Ned was a fine warrior, but Rhaegar had been trained alongside the Sword of The Morning. Then again, she remembered what Ned had told her and Jon Arryn. If the North could field 140,000 men maybe it didn't matter and Ned had merely been the one to deliver the blow that broke Rhaegar, the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

Her brother had arrived a few days after she had received the first raven, seeking supplies for himself and his companions. Arthur had been absolutely broken when he read the raven. He had retreated to his room and wept like a child for ages. When he finally emerged he had taken the supplies and left without even saying goodbye.

She was glad he was hurting. He deserved to lose those he cared about like she had lost her Ned. He deserved to lose his silver prince like she had lost her Quiet Wolf.

She still mourned for what she had lost. Her child was growing within her, the last piece of him she had left apart from the bracelet of dry wood that encircled her wrist. It had been six moons since she had last seen him, and six moons since he had lain with her.

Her loins burned as she thought of the nights they spent together, entangled in each other's arms. She doubted that Catelyn Tully would ever be able to give him what Ashara had. At least Ned had loved her, and come to her bed willingly. She hadn't even had to ask him in the end, a fact that amused her to no end.

When she had stopped pursuing him was when he finally gave her what she wanted most. In her belly her child kicked and Ashara smiled down at the growing bump. She hoped that her child would have Ned's eyes, not hers. She hoped her child would have eyes of steel that would melt away to a foggy grey when stirred to love, like Ned's did whenever he looked at her. Ned would never look at Catelyn Tully like that.

Gods…where did everything go wrong. What had happened?

The pain inside was unbearable sometimes. Not from her belly, no, from her heart. Ashara wondered if anyone had ever died of a broken heart. That's what she felt like sometimes, and it drained the will to live right out of her. What was life without love? What was life without Ned?

Gods…