CHAPTER 21 | ACCEPTANCE

SELENE was sick of crying. It was this bloody war; she hadn't seen anything like it before, and she wished she hadn't. She had never been fond of her past life in Braavos, but this was one of those times that she would've loved to be back. She had seen enough of war, though had seen so little of water.

Braavos was surrounded by luscious waters. In her past, Selene remembered watching it from outside her room. Being an orphan, she had worked at a whore house since she flowered, and made a living for herself. But as she stared out at the waters of Braavos, she knew she was meant out there. Several years later, she'd find herself climbing out of that ocean, on the banks of Pyke, being rescued by a small boy with sea green eyes. She saw herself in them, and still did to this day.

It was time for her to face the true reality. Theon would not be coming back for her like he promised. She should have known anyways; he was never one to keep promises. But she had been vulnerable, and thus, she believed him in his moment of hesitation. She needed to move on, but some made that sound so easy.

Selene quickly wiped away her tears once her lady pulled open the flap to their tent. She stood up, exclaiming, "Happy name day!"

Freya looked up, a sad smile engulfing her features. Selene's own smile soon faded when she realized her reaction wasn't so pleasant. Freya rubbed at the edge of her nose and sat on her cot with a thump. "What's wrong, m'lady?" Selene asked after pausing for a moment.

"My father," Freya spat, throwing her blanket to the ground. "He's acting like a bloody twat. He refused to accept Robb's terms for ships and chastised me for fighting in this war. My brother is practically wrapped around his finger, and I can only guess that he's not coming back."

Selene then sat beside her lady, staring at her feet. She hadn't wanted to hear those words, even though she knew they were true. She grabbed Freya's hand in sympathy, letting her know that she'd always be there.

"And now, all these lords have this absolutely brilliant plan to forcibly marry me to Robb Stark, just to piss off my father and secure an alliance without his permission." Freya rubbed at her lids. "He's already promised to a Frey girl, and now they're shoving me in the middle of it because I have tits and they want to further this war. All I wanted was to fight. I didn't engage in this war to receive an actual engagement."

Selene looked over, raising a brow. "They want you to marry Robb?"

Freya sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Yes."

"M'lady, you must accept," she insisted, holding her hand tighter. "You could be a Queen."

"But that is not what I desire," Freya replied. "That is the farthest from what I want. Besides, I'm to inherit my father's salt throne upon his death. But that may surely be out of the question now, due to his distaste in me."

Selene frowned. "If this is about your childish hatred for Robb Stark –"

"It's not about that!"

Selene realized her lady was truly upset, especially with the way that she refused to meet her eyes. More tears had fallen from Freya's eyes in the past few days than in her entire life. Something was truly eating her up inside. "You're upset about another entity," she thought out loud.

Freya exhaled heavily and nodded her head.

"You can tell me anything, m'lady," Selene whispered. "You know this."

"I've ..." Freya opened her mouth, but couldn't find words to express her predicament. "I've ... been keeping a secret from everyone ... since we left Winterfell. I just ... I didn't have the heart to tell anyone, because I never thought I had to."

Selene waited patiently, caressing her fingers over her lady's.

Freya inhaled deeply. "I ..." She put a hand near her mouth as she began to cry. "I am barren."

The air around them suddenly felt cold. Selene had come to the realization why this marriage proposal was so upsetting. She quickly wrapped her arms around Freya, who sobbed into her shirt, "Maester Luwin told me that I cannot have children before we left Winterfell." She sniffled into Selene's fabric. "I am nothing but a nuisance for my future. This is why I cannot accept this marriage. I will be unable to produce an heir."

"I am sure that Robb wouldn't expect that of you, especially if this marriage is to just anger your father," Selene soothed.

"But the lords will. Someday." Freya cried. "They'll ask it of him. I know they will."

Selene leaned back and held her lady's face. She wiped away the tears that left her cheeks wet. "Do not worry about that now, m'lady. Robb is to also marry a Frey girl anyways, so he will bear an heir with her. I know that Lady Stark wouldn't want you to have an heir either, for that matter. Robb does respect you; he knows that your part in this marriage wouldn't be to give him children. He's not an idiot, and you've been matured over the past year."

Freya laughed slightly. "That's debatable."

Selene chuckled along with her. "Accept the proposal. During your childhood, I learned from your father that Iron Islanders don't do as their told." She began to grin. "So rebel against your father. It's what you do best, anyways."

•••

Freya arrived at Robb's meeting late the next morning. When she stepped forth into the tent, all eyes were on her. The dress hanging from her body suddenly felt heavy. Her cloak, adorning fur at the top, helped her brave the cold, but she still shivered. Selene wanted her to look queen-like for the meeting, and so she did.

The lords looked at her, waiting for an answer desperately. Greatjon Umber already had a grin plastered on his face, while Roose Bolton tapped his fingers in agony. Robb slowly met her eyes from the head of the table, and his vision grew wide at the sight of her.

She had done a lot of thinking during the day prior. Selene's words were right. Maybe the morals for this marriage were wrong, but they were just. She had never thought she'd ever be in the position to marry the likes of Robb Stark, especially with her particular barrenness, though she could never prepare for the future. She needed to do this, and she needed to do it to win the war. She needed to cast aside her grudges and dislike, because her life would only last so long. It's not like this marriage would hurt her anyways.

Freya clasped her hands together and finally muttered, "I accept your proposal."