ғɪᴠᴇ ♚ so take another breath

[wolfskin]

[ Like before Robb writes, his hand feeling heavy as the quill produces the words. Take heart in the knowledge she is safe in the Vale, take heart─ if only it were so simple. ]

I regret to inform that Alayne Stone is no loner within the walls of the castle, she has been returned to Westeros. My condolences to those who have lost a friend, she shall be missed.

─ Robb Stark, King in the North and of the Trident.

[ It is signed the same way as before, direwolf symbol and all. With that he closes the journal, designing not to open it again for some time. ]

Comments

Robb

[heloise]

[ Her family chose its own path. Everything was happier before her father become Pope. ]

When both of you were younger?

Lucrezia

[wolfskin]

It was only a year and so ago. [ Strange, it feels like it was longer when he thinks on it now. ]

Robb

[heloise]

What could drive a Stark to change her name?

Lucrezia

[wolfskin]

Our enemies would have had her head if she did not. They blamed her for the death of the boy king that beheaded me father, she had no choice.

Robb

[heloise]

Then you do not begrudge her for doing so.

Lucrezia

[wolfskin]

No, I do not.

Robb

[heloise]

The comfort I promised her, I should offer to you instead.

Lucrezia

[wolfskin]

You would be kind indeed to do so.

Robb

[heloise]

When you find yourself wanting company.

Lucreiza

[wolfskin]

[ He does not answer, not for a time, when he does his tone seems almost uncertain. ]

Do you know of the tree, some ways from the castle, that has limbs as white as bone and leaves of blood?

Robb

[heloise]

[ If she did, she may have found Joshua more easily. ]

I can find it, if you tell me the way.

Lucrezia

[wolfskin]

I will send my wolf, he will show you the way.

Robb

[heloise]

[ It seems rude to show up empty-handed somehow. ]

What do you need?

Lucrezia

[wolfskin]

I do not know. [ It is the honest truth, he is almost amused by it. ]

Company.

Robb

[heloise]

Treats, I think.

[ Those always cheered her up, for much smaller things perhaps, but then she has a tendency to forget to eat when she is too sad and thinks he might be the same too. With the promised gift in hand, she wastes no time to start getting herself ready, after telling the maids to expect a giant wolf to wander into the grounds, of course, ]

[wolfskin]

[ The wolf arrives not long after her last message, approaching silent enough to scare one of the maids into dropping what she was holding. He waits on the grounds by the grand front door, panting happily obvious to the unnerving stares the staff give him. ]

[heloise]

[ It happens to be something breakable that the maid drops, and as silent and large as the mansion might be, the sound carries. Lucrezia herself has been waiting at a sitting room close to the entrance, absently reading, so it takes less than a minute for her to reach where the maid is backed up against a wall trying not to move lest the beast lunges for her. Silly girl. ]

Grey Wind. [ She crouches a little and beckons for him to come closer, even if she hardly needs to lower herself to look into his eyes. ]

[wolfskin]

[ Lucrezia's presence stirs the wolf to motion, he wastes little time getting to his feet and padding over to her. For a beast so great he is gentle with her, nosing the side of her face lightly in greeting. ]

[heloise]

[ The maid twitches just then, likely deciding between whether death by giant wolf or Joshua would be better, but today's her lucky day.

Lucrezia laughs at the nudge, placing her hand on his snout to keep him from messing her hair before she even gets to meet his master. The gentlest giant. She moves to start leading him back to the door, raising a pouch in her other hand for him to sniff at should he wish. Sweets, as she promised Robb. ]

[wolfskin]

[ He sniffs the pouch and sneezes displeasure, too sweet for him, he would prefer something different but good enough for his master.

Content he turns pads out the door, not stopping until he was a little ahead of her to turn and look- ensuring that she still followed. This way, the wolf seems to say with his golden eyes, follow. ]

[heloise]

[ And she pokes his cheek in mock reprimand. Come now, the next gift might be his and not his master's, but for the moment. She pulls up the hood over her face as she follows, trying to keep as close to him as she can. ]

[wolfskin]

[ The direwolf ensures he does not wander far, keeping in her sights and leading her towards their destination. The treck does not take long, though in hindsight it may feel as such, once the stark white branches and blood red leaves become visible Grey Wind barks.

They find Robb sitting before the tree and newly craved face, the eyes bleed red sap giving the illusion of tears. ]

[heloise]

[ Good thing Lucrezia is used to long walks then, so long as the direwolf accommodates her pace. A lady runs not, and she lags even more once the strangely colored tree becomes visible. She doesn't even remember to smile at Robb until moments after, when she manages to tear her eyes away from the bleeding face. ]

Was that your doing?

[wolfskin]

[ The wolf trots to Robb's side quickly, nuzzling the side of his head before flopping onto the ground beside him. He had done his job well, delivering the lady he wished to see.

He watches her take in the sight of the weirwood, the look on her face bringing forth a soft smile to his lips. ]

It was. [ He looks to the face scored into the bark. ] The tree is a weirwood, a sort of tree from my world.

[heloise]

But it seems so sorrowful.

[ She steps closer, eyes still very much fixed upon the wooden face, and tries her best to keep from touching it to see what it is, exactly. That may be disrespectful. ]

Sap is still blood even if from a tree, is it not?