The meeting with the Freys was held in the exact same hall she and Brynden had used to treat with the Hound months ago, though the presence of Walder Frey's sons made it seem so much colder than it had done the last time.

At least there was only two Freys, while there were five of them. Robb and Eddmina held the middle seats, both of them wearing their crowns, while their mother and uncles sat either side of them. She had changed out of her funeral clothes and into a Stark grey dress that was a little too tight but gave nothing of her condition away, and had rebraided her windswept hair, but the care she had taken with her appearance hadn't been replicated by their guests, who were still in the clothes they arrived in the day before.

"Thank you for travelling here so quickly," Robb began, addressing them courteously. "I know travel is not easy in these times."

"The road is surrounded by bandits and cutthroats," Lothar Frey agreed, before sneering a smile that made Eddmina feel uneasy. "But when the King in the North calls, we come."

"Or, when the King's sister calls," Walder Rivers - Lothar's half brother - added, snide and cruel as he glanced between the two Stark twins. Eddmina forced a courteous smile.

"My sister Eddmina is my Hand, I trust her with all my correspondence," Robb explained, not breaking his gaze with either of them, unflinching despite the covert insult.

"Aye, and she was the one who made the initial negotiations," Lothar recalled, eying her up and down. She wanted to look away, but kept her gaze as hard as steel, even when he offered her a snide grin. "Our father speaks very highly of you."

"I hope he is well," Eddmina forced another smile, especially when she noticed her mother doing the same.

"He is, he especially will be once all this bother is settled," Lothar ended small talk there, his eyes cold as he attempted to take control of the situation. "Our lord father has instructed us to tell you that house Frey's alliance with the North can continue, if his terms are met."

"Lord Frey requires a formal apology for your violation of your sacred oath to marry one of his daughters," Walder Rivers began, and Eddmina had a feeling it was the first in a long list of demands.

"Of course," Robb agreed with a solemn nod. "I owe him as much, I was in the wrong."

"He requires one from your sister too, for her promising your hand when you never intended to give it," Walder Rivers continued, never once glancing at Eddmina despite talking about her.

Under the table she clenched her fists in her lap, embedding her fingernails into the palm of her hand to distract herself from her instant annoyance. She had done nothing but constantly remind Robb of the importance of his duties and promises, she'd done nothing but try to uphold the alliance. Yet there she was, being told she needed to grovel.

"Of course," she echoed Robb, hoping her smile didn't look forced and her eyes didn't show her frustration.

"As restitution for the betrayal, our father would also like Harrenhall, and all it's surrounding lands," Lothar added.

'They say it's cursed,' Eddmina remembered from a dozen history books, and from Willas' retelling her tales whenever they rode near it. 'Let Lord Frey have it.'

"I don't think that's-" Edmure began to oppose - it was a keep he was Warden over now, after all - but was cut off by Robb's glare.

"We're fighting for the North," Robb interupted him, looking at him sharply before settling his gaze back on the Freys, back to acting amiable. "Harrenhall is not in the north, and so he can have it, once the war is over and we're no longer using it."

"It's of great strategic use right now," Eddmina explained, thinking about how Roose Bolton still held it, how he had held it for the past few months so to keep them defended from afar.

"As long as he recieves it in the end, that's all he cares about," Lothar accepted, barely glancing at Eddmina as she spoke. "There's something else too."

"Whatever it is, we're happy to give Lord Frey whatever he needs," Robb said, so understandingly that even his twin almost believed he meant it and was not merely pretending for the cause.

"Not what," Walder Rivers clarified, both Freys turning their cold gaze onto Edmure.

It took a moment for their uncle to notice that everyone was suddenly staring at him. When he did at last catch on, he set his wine goblet down calmly, his eyes darting between each of his family members. While the Freys were watching with smug anticipation, waiting for him to show his disgust or his opposition, just so they could accuse them of not being serious about the alliance, each of the other Tullys and Starks were blank and calm, as if they had accepted it.

If he hadn't gone into the meeting expecting the Freys to demand marriage from at least one of them, he was a fool. Eddmina had a woman's perspective, having been on the opposite end of being traded for alliances, as did her mother, so the fact he hadn't seen it coming was almost shocking to her. Had she been unmarried Eddmina knew they would be demanding her hand, and suddenly she was grateful for Harrion and his marriage to her sister, knowing that he was all that was stopping the Freys from demanding her too.

When he realised no one was going to step in and oppose, Edmure began to laugh. It was a gesture of pure denial, and Eddmina almost felt sorry for him. The situation was not his fault, yet it rested on him to fix it for all of them.

"No," he refused, shaking his head. If Eddmina had been sat next to him, she would have elbowed him sharply, but instead she simply glared at him, making him look at her wide-eyed in betrayal. "You cannot-"

"Our father requires Lord Edmure to marry one of his daughters," Walder Rivers elaborated, still looking at Edmure. "Our sister, Roslin."

"Can I not meet her first?" Edmure asked, still full of amused disbelief and denial.

"Why, you want to count her teeth, or do you intend on leaving her at the aisle, like your nephew?" Lothar questioned, one eyebrow raised. He looked back to Robb then, formal once more as he continued, "We're setting off for home in the morning, and our father requires the wedding to be in a fortnight, with you all in attendance, or the deal is off."

Eddmina couldn't help her frown. 'All'? 'All' included her, despite her own plans. The Tyrells wanted to leave in a few days time, she had already begun packing, Willas had already started readying their horses for the journey. She could hardly attend a wedding if she was meant to be travelling across Westeros in the opposite direction. Her chest tightened at the thought of it, merely contemplating returning to the Twins making her shiver. She considered telling Willas that they would have to delay their plans, and instantly knew how he would react.

"I'm afraid I won't-" she began to excuse herself, but the Freys cut her off with a short laugh.

"Getting out of agreements, like your brother?" Lothar questioned, and she felt her face grow hot in frustration.

There was no way she could explain or excuse herself without telling them about her condition, and if she told them that then she would hate herself forever. Surely if they knew she was pregnant, if Walder Frey heard that she was with child again, they would want something to gain from it. It made her seem more vulnerable, gave her something else they could target in their demands. For her own sanity, for her little Ned's safety, she took a deep breath, and forced another smile.

"I will speak with my husband, and hope that he allows me to adjust our plans," she said, hating herself for the lie, but grateful for the protection it offered. If she could pretend that it was Willas who refused for her to go, then who were they to argue with her husband's authority?

That seemed to satisfy them enough, as they both nodded once. Under the table, she felt Robb wrap his hand around one of her fists, squeezing it. She glanced at him, noting how, to anyone else, his face looked blank, yet to her, just his eyes were speaking a thousand words. All of them were apologetic, sympathetic, and infinitely grateful. She was struggling to tell how she felt, wondering if she was annoyed or angry at her plans being potentially derailed, or if she was still shocked at the turn of events, but she was not frustrated at her twin. In the long run it might've been his fault, if he'd have kept his vows then none of them would have been in such a position, but she could not be angry at him, not when he looked so regretful for it.

It was then that Eddmina chewed the inside of her lip to stop the shock showing on her face. Not at the Frey's terms, but at the feeling deep in her stomach. She fought the sudden urge to unfurl her fists and push her hand to her belly, knowing if she did she would give away her condition she had so far managed to conseal, but it was increasingly difficult when she felt it once more. She hadn't felt anything like that with Uther, his movements had been stronger, more direct as if he was fidgeting, and not until months later, while what she had just felt was more like a fluttering, like feeling her heart beat but down in the pit of her stomach. Even so, she knew what it was, the sensation stealing any other thought from her mind and making her forget what was happening as she wanted to smile and cry all at once.

She looked to the door, wanting to flee and find Willas, wanting to share it with him, but when she looked up from the table she saw Lothar staring at her, and knew she couldn't leave. It didn't matter what joy she experienced or what she felt in her body, it would all have to wait until much later.

They were both looking at her expectantly, as if waiting to continue, and so she nodded, hiding her frustration. What else could they want? What else could be so important that would mean she had to stay sat with them instead of running to her husband?

"Our father also makes the request of the honour of a child to foster in his keep," Lothar said, failing to hide the smug glee that had begun to overcome him, especially as he looked at Eddmina. "As the King in the North is still without children, he thinks the Princess' boy will make a fine enough substitute."

Under the table, Robb took her hand again, and squeezed it tight. That was the only thing that kept her together, as a million emotions rushed through her. The joy was gone as quick as it had come, and her mind was torn from her second son to the one she already had, the one who was on the other side of the keep with his Tyrell family all doting over him. She clenched her jaw so hard her teeth hurt, but that was the only thing stopping her from absolute rage. She glanced to the door, wanting to run once more, and not just to storm out in anger but to get as far away from them as possible.

They wanted her son, her boy, her Uther. She had not almost died several times over protecting him to simply hand him over to anyone, let alone a family like the Freys. Her father had been fostered, and he often credited his foster father Jon Arryn for shaping him into the man he became. What sort of man would Uther become, being fostered by a wretched man such as Walder Frey? It was sickening, thinking of her sweet boy who most of the time did nothing but laugh and grin, growing up in a cold castle like the Twins, surrounded by horrid letches, only to end up bitter and entitled like the castle's lord, with his habits and attitudes to women engrained into him.

She wanted nothing for Uther but for him to grow up protected and loved, in a safe environment surrounded by those who could teach him and guide him, those who would help him become a strong and wise future lord. She never intended on coddling him, perhaps she would have even considered fostering in the future, but only if Willas had suggested it, and only if she knew the family looking after him were good and trustworthy. The Hightowers perhaps, or Robb, or Garlan abd Leonette once they had a keep of their own, but they were all family, they were all people she knew had Uther's best interests at heart. The Freys were neither, the Twins were neither. Merely considering it felt like betraying him, endangering him, and she knew such a deal would ruin him, and her as well.

In her darkest moments, he had been the sole thing that had kept her going. To hand him over, the approve if the Freys taking him and raising him... It was not just anger she felt, but despairing hopelessness.

"No," Eddmina said sharply, feeling as if she was shivering, feeling as if she needed to run to the privy and hide, but when she felt her mother take her other hand underneath the table, she realised her firmness was hardly diplomatic. "Apologies. What I mean to say is, my son is heir to Highgarden. My intention was to step down as Hand so that I can take him home and raise him in the keep he will one day rule, in the kingdom he will become Warden of. My husband and I have decided that is the best way he can be educated."

Just like her previous excuse, neither of them were buying it. While she'd seemed to accept their rejection easily before, she felt as if she was drowning, as if she was on the edge of a deep pool loosing her grip on the edge. Both Lothar and Walder Rivers shook their heads, and she felt her head spin, her heart pounding as every part of her body seemed to want to scream.

"It's a big country, your grace, I'm sure your boy would benefit from experiencing the culture of different kingdoms," Lothar hit back, narrowing his eyes as he smiled smugly af her, knowing he'd hit where it hurt with that demand and backed her into a corner. "It would not need be right away, perhaps after his next nameday."

He would be two upon his next nameday. It was nine moons away. That was still too young. He still needed her, he needed Willas, and the thought of tearing him away from the rest of the family was cruel. He never laughed like he did when Garlan was holding him, and in the short time they had been together he had taken up a fascination with Loras. They were the men who were meant to influence him, not the sons of Walder Frey. If he cried, if he couldn't sleep, who would care for him? Cold, uncaring servants, or the daughters of Lord Frey, instead of his own mother or other family who would do anything for him? Uther was a Tyrell, he was meant to be raised with Tyrell's. Anything else was unimaginably wrong.

"Such a matter would need to be discussed between my sister and her husband," Robb spoke for her, knowing she could barely speak out of heartbreak and rage. "Though, my goodbrother is wise, and I'm sure will be honoured by your father's generous offer."

'You're making me into an oath breaker,' Eddmina thought as she glanced to her brother. 'I won't hand him over, surely you know that. You're making it so that I'm the one who breaks the alliance this time.'

It was not on purpose. Either he knew that she would cave into duty and let Uther be fostered, or he thought she had some idea of a better negotiation. Either way, Eddmina's head ached as she thought of her options. Rejecting them would cause more issues, make Lord Walder even more bitterly enraged at them, and any chance of redeeming the Freys to their cause would be gone for good. Accepting the terms would mean her family would be torn yet again, the family she had spent a year of her life fighting a war to protect. Robb squeezed her hand, watching her as she stared down at her lap, trying to figure out a plan, a loophole, a better offer, anything, but when she glanced up at him with tired eyes, it was only then that reality dawned on him and his eyebrows raised as she realised there was no way out of it.

"Your father does realise that we're in the middle of a war? We don't have time to be discussing little children and weddings," Brynden snapped, shooting a protective glance to Eddmina that barely lasted a moment.

His defence seemed a little late, and it did nothing to stop the rage swirling inside of her. Eddmina did not dare look up from the table. She did not care if the Freys noticed and thought her weak, she did not care if it meant breaking a five-year promise to her father to always look people in the eye to prevent appearances of cowardice. If she looked at them then they may see her anger, and that would only dig them all in a deeper hole.

"Either you agree, or our houses will never deal again," Walder Rivers announced, and Eddmina clenched her jaw, considering how nice of an idea it was, to never have anything to do with any of them ever again.

Robb squeezed her hand once more, a signal to look at him, but Eddmina couldn't even stomach that. If not for him and Jeyne, none of them would even need to be in that room, making such agreements. If not for his marriage, her boy would be safe. To fix his mistakes she would once again be forced into a sacrifice, yet this time it felt far too impossible. If she could give anything else, she would, but every other part of her had been given to the cause. Her time, her energy, her sanity. The last thing she had to give was her family, but that felt like too much. Uther was the last part of her left she hadn't let the war taint, and he was the only part she wasn't willing to give away.

Robb surely understood the gravity of it all. He had to, otherwise why else would he be willing her to look at him, why else would he be desperate for her to see the sympathy and apology in his gaze. Eddmina couldn't stomach it, as one glance to him told her he had accepted it as a condition, and he was not going to attempt renegotiation. She wanted him to fight, wanted him to demand better for his nephew, but they both knew such behaviour would send the Freys packing. Selfishly, Eddmina wanted them gone if it meant her boy was safe, but she knew there was no chance of it.

She didn't listen as Robb agreed to the terms, instead too caught up in wondering what Willas would say, what the Tyrells would think. They would all hate her. They had to, since she hated herself so much. She hated everyone, hated the world, and the thought of giving her Uther away to the Freys made her want it all to end. Not even the fluttering sensation deep in her stomach was enough to pull her from her spiralling thoughts, and she barely realised the Freys had gone until she heard the door slam behind them, and then her mother was stood behind her with her hands on her shoulders, and Robb was grasping both of her hands again. They were calling her name, her uncle Brynden was touching her arm, but she ignored it all.

It was only when she heard her mother ask if they should call for the maester or for Willas that she snapped out of her fury-induced daze. She shot to her feet so quickly that her head spun, but she barely paid it any notice, not as she pulled out of both her mother and brother's grip. She didn't know what to do with herself, anger coursing through her like a river in a storm, but whenever she attempted to open her mouth to speak she felt herself on the verge of sobbing or screaming.

"Please, Robb," she eventually managed, her voice still just as fiery, yet she sounded desperate, and all those who knew her could hear her agony. "Please. You were one of the first to meet him, one of the first to hold him, don't make me do this, don't make me give him away!"

Robb looked at her with pained hopelessness, as if he didn't know what to do or say that wouldn't cause more hurt. That only infuriated her more, and in a fit of anger she let out another groan that sounded more like a scream, and seized the wine goblet in front of her brother. She threw it across the room, barely hearing how it shattered against the stone wall, not noticing how the shards of the glass joined the shattered flagon and pool of spilt wine. When had she thrown the flagon? Was she so angry she couldn't even remember breaking it? She didn't care. She grabbed another cup and threw it too.

"Eddmina," her mother called gently, but she didn't hear her, not over the smashing of cutlery, or the quiet chucklings of her eldest uncle.

"Is this a joke to you?" Eddmina snapped, rounding on Brynden, forgetting all the times he had been her ally and true friend. In that moment he was amused by her anger, and all his kindness was forgotten.

"You are not the only one making a sacrifice," Edmure pointed out. Perhaps in a better mood Eddmina might not have scoffed. "You are not the only one giving something up."

"Oh, fuck off," she sighed, shaking her head in bewildered exasperation. "You're giving up a life of being a bachelor, I am giving up my son. You talk of sacrifice, what about everything I have done, my whole life? Forcing myself to do things I didn't enjoy because I had to be a Lady, leaving my home long before I was ever ready to marry a man who was practically a stranger and join a family who thought me an oddity, going to war a month after having a baby? I do not think I could have done more, yet more is still what is asked of me!"

"I know how hard this is, you're right to be so angry, but-" her mother began, but she cut herself off with a grimace as Eddmina seized and launched another goblet at the wall. As the broken shards of it clattered to the floor, everyone but Eddmina winced, though Lady Stark still edged closer to her daughter. "Destroying all the tableware will not fix the world."

"I don't care," Eddmina snapped, reaching for another, glaring as Brynden swiped it quickly from her grasp. "I will do far worse if you make me hand my boy over to them. Apologising for something I had no hand in is one thing, but to let them raise my son... I won't do it."

"I doubt you've got any choice," Edmure spoke up once again, instantly earning a glare from both his sister and uncle.

"Leave it be, Edmure, you getting married is completely different to this," Brynden warned him, though kept his gaze focused on his great-niece. "Reacting like this will not help, princess. We should fetch Ser Wise, hear what he has to say on all of this. Uther's his heir, after all."

Eddmina let out a harsh, bitter laugh, mostly because it was the only way she could stop herself from screaming. The thought of telling Willas was horrifying, almost worse than the actual situation itself. She recalled his temper, how his anger could bubble up from his desire to protect his loved ones and the frustration at failing to keep them safe. He hadn't had a proper burst of anger since the night Lord Karstark nearly killed her. He was always worse when he felt like she had been hurt or insulted, but thinking of him finding out their son was to be taken from them... Gods, Eddmina could not imagine the rage he would feel, incomparable to her own.

"Edda," Robb attempted, rising from his seat and crossing over to her, only stopping when she held her hand out, willing him to keep his distance. "You know that if they were not so prideful things would be different. None of us want this-"

"Willas gave you a black eye just for marrying that bloody Westerling girl, what do you think he will do when he finds out you've agreed to hand his firstborn son over to the Freys?" Eddmina announced, her voice so cold Robb flinched. "I hate you for this."

Somehow she had the sense to storm out after that declaration, and it was a good job too, as she wasn't sure what else she would say or what other ornaments she would break. Her vision had blurred with unshed tears, and she was too furious to pay attention to where she was going. It was hard enough trying to ensure that she didn't cry until she got to her rooms, trying to make sure she was going the right way was an entirely different struggle.

She let out an involunatry gasp of air as she rounded a corner and walked straight into what she initially thought was a wall, but when the wall also groaned, she blinked to clear her sight and realised she had bumped into Loras. Her goodbrother took hold of her shoulders, righting her balance, and spouted apologies and an explanation of being sent by his brothers to find her and check if she was done with the Freys and ready to join them all for dinner. Eddmina hardly heard him, because his mention of her husband was the stone that finally broke the dam, and she collapsed into his chest, heaving out tears, gasping to catch her breath.

She hadn't considered that poor Loras was desperately out of his depth dealing with her like that, she did not even think to feel embarassed like she usually did when showing weakness. Usually she tried to restrain herself around people that weren't immediately close to her, but she couldn't help it. After a moment of surprise, and a moment of not knowing what to do with her, she felt him wrap his arms around her, uncertain at first but quickly becoming brotherly. He rubbed her back, reassured her that whatever was wrong was actually alright, and when she was in a fit enough state, adjusted his embrace of her so that his arm was around her shoulder so he could lead her back to her rooms. He offered her a handkercheif to wipe away her tears, though when she noticed a small direwolf stitched into the corner she frowned.

"It was your sisters, once," Loras admitted. "She gave it to me as her favour during the Hand's Tourney. It's very well sewn, better than anything Margaery ever made for me."

"That was one of the best days of her life," Eddmina managed to say, sniffing as she wiped her eyes on Sansa's handiwork. "Thank you for making her happy then."

"It hardly makes up for me not getting them out of the capital when we fled," Loras shrugged, looking at her ashamedly. "I think about it quite a lot, I regret it a lot."

"Turns out there's a lot to regret in war," Eddmina stated tiredly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have acted like that-"

"Nothing to apologise for, we're family," he dismissed her worries quickly, though still glanced at her warily, as if unsure if she would break down into tears again. His worry didn't stop him asking, "What have they asked for then? It has to be bad if it has you in this state."

It was difficult, but Eddmina managed to explain to him, and once she had and he understood, she saw the gravity of it all sink in. He looked sollemn as he nodded, and she knew he was thinking the exact same that she was; what would Willas think? Loras managed to be calmer about it though, as while she continued to shiver in fury and nerves, continuously wiping her eyes, he seemed to be contained and quiet, though ocassionally offered her some sort of reassurance. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him a little, as he was so unused to her not being stoic and still, unpractised at her being a nervous wreck. Garlan might have been better at managing her, having seen her drastic shifts in emotions constantly over the course of the war, but a credit to Loras, as he did not shy away from the challenge of her at all. Perhaps each Tyrell brother was the perfect definition of a true knight, each in their own way.

When they made it back to the living quarter attached to her chamber, where only the day before she had drank tea and eaten cake and everything had been well with the world, Eddmina felt sick. It was due to the fact that every Tyrell seemed to be there, all except Leonette and Uther. She was almost glad he wasn't there, not wanting to look at him and know she had failed him yet again, but then instinct kicked in, and she barely registered the fact Lady Alerie was beckoning her in to sit down, or that Garlan was asking her how it had all gone, or that Willas was stood in front of her, taking hold of her arm as if he knew she wasn't paying attention and had to let her know he was there another way.

"Where is he?" She demanded, her voice harsher than she meant it. She saw through her nervous gaze that Willas grew serious, as if he realised that something had happened.

"He's with your sister and Leonette, they took him out for some fresh air down the riverbank," Willas explained quickly, not even needing her to say his name to know she was talking about their Uther. "Honour is with them, so's Harrion. They're safe, he's safe. Now tell me what happened."

"He... they... can I sit down first?" She began, feeling her head spin, grateful that Loras still had hold of her.

She hardly felt how Garlan moved to her side and took hold of her other arm, and she barely felt embarrassed at how her husband's brothers led her to the cushioned sofa their mother was already sat upon. It was only when she sat that they both released her, and while Garlan knelt at her side, she watched as Loras instead headed to his eldest brother. Knowing it was safe, she wrapped her arms around her stomach, and closed her eyes. For the first time in a long time she considered that it had all been a bad dream, that she would wake up in Winterfell surrounded by her family and friends. War would be a far-off nightmare, and the Freys merely names in a textbook. If she pretended hard enough then she could almost imagine that she was sat upon her usual log in the godswood, her father at her side, two other figures with her that she imagined were Jon and Robb.

Pretending was impossible when she heard Loras attempting to gently explain all that Eddmina had told him to Willas.

"They what?" Willas burst, and she flinched, knowing she'd never heard him so angry. He paced over to her determinedly, looking in furious denial, and she could barely look at him. "You told them no. Mina, look at me and tell me you told them no!"

"Lower your voice," his mother told him sharply, placing a protective hand on Eddmina's back, though it did nothing to stop her shivering.

"Don't tell me what to do," he dismissed her quickly, moving closer to the sofa, though when he was close enough, Garlan stood to meet him. "Eddmina, tell me he's lying, or tell me you said no. Surely not, surely you didn't-"

"Willas, shut up," Garlan said, sparing a quick glance of concern to Eddmina before looking at his brother sternly. It didn't matter that he was younger, it didn't matter that he was his future liege, knowing that he was blind in agitation to what was happening in front of him. "Take one look at your wife and tell me if you think questioning her like that will help anyone."

"My dear," Lady Alerie addressed her gently, and Eddmina somehow managed to look at her. "What is the truth of all of this?"

"Exactly as Loras said," Eddmina managed to say, wincing as she heard Willas curse and saw Garlan sigh and shut his eyes in a brief grimace. "After his next nameday. I tried to refuse, I tried... I didn't know what to say, what to do that wouldn't make things worse."

"You weren't alone in there, what did the others say?" Garlan asked, kneeling next to her once more.

"The Freys aren't needed so badly that we must trade away our son, Eddmina!" Willas snapped.

It didn't hurt that he was reacting so badly. She thought of the shattered goblets and how her own anger had made work for the cleaning servants, how she had told her twin brother and other half that she hated him. Willas' anger was expected, it was identical to hers. She had expected it, but she hadn't expected it to break her heart even more than it already was. She never needed any reminders for how good of a father Willas was, but to see him so protective, so fierce, she was filled with regret and self-hatred all over again.

She folded in on herself, leaning down so that her head was pushed to her knees, keeping one hand on her stomach while her other hand wrapped around her legs, wanting to disappear. She felt Lady Tyrell's hand on her back still, and Garlan's had moved to her shoulder, but if she had the strength she would have told them both to stop touching her. The Tyrells were all bickering, but she wasn't listening, not in favour of thinking of everything she could have done to prevent the whole mess; Not going to war and being so stubborn was the option her mind kept going back to.

"Where do you think you are going?" Lady Alerie demanded.

"To go and find those Freys and tell them to keep away from my son, then I'm going to the stables and getting our horses," Willas snapped. "We're leaving tonight. I'm getting us as far away from them as possible."

"Calm down and sit down, boy," Eddmina heard Lord Tyrell instruct, and she realised she hadn't even noticed him there until then. "I think you're surely both overreacting. The Freys are Tully bannermen, what danger would they pose on any of you?"

"While they're not dangerous I can guarantee Walder Frey isn't a man who you want to have a say in the upbringing of your grandson," Garlan explained before Willas had the chance to lose his temper further. "I don't know why Walder Frey would have any interest in Uther, he has so many children already he barely remembers any of their names, and he's so old I'd be surprised if he even makes it to Uther's next nameday."

"Use your head, it's meant as a punishment," Eddmina heard Loras scoff, and he said it so pointedly she knew he was gesturing to both herself and Willas.

"But neither of them have done anything," Lady Alerie said softly, her hand still rubbing Eddmina's back. "Sit down, my boy, please. Let's discuss this rationally."

Eddmina heard Willas sigh, and there was a long silence before she felt the sofa dip next to her. There was another pause, and then she felt a hand stroking her hair, fingers tracing the twists of her braid. He did that most nights when they were in bed together, almost as if it was a reflex, and it was instantly relaxing. That was not something his did when he was angry, and she felt her nerves alleviate a little, to the point she managed to sit up and look at him. Their eyes, so different in colour, we're mirrors of each other's devastated fury, and it almost broke her again, until he took hold of her hand and sighed, raising it to his lips to push a kiss to each of her knuckles. That was something he did a lot too, right from their first meeting, and so she squeezed her hand in his, leaning closer to him to rest her head on his shoulder.

"I don't care how not-dangerous the Freys are, we are not paying for Robb's mistake marriage with our son," Willas told her, his voice gentler then before but still gravelly in leftover anger.

"You spent a great deal of time growing up away from home," Lord Tyrell pointed out. "Half your youth was spent in Old Town."

"Not from the age of two!" Willas protested.

"No, but you were still young, you were still away from home," his father countered.

"I doubt that the Twins really compares to the High Tower, dear," Alerie commented with a small sigh, glancing to her eldest to see if the comment had caused annoyance; Willas' jaw was clenched tighter than usual. "At least in Old Town he would be with family."

"We can't use that excuse to get out of it, the Freys will be family soon enough," Eddmina muttered, then caught them all looking at her confusedly, and it dawned on her that Uther had overshadowed everything and she hadn't even mentioned the rest of the deal. "Uncle Edmure is going to marry Lord Walder's daughter, the one originally meant for Robb. He wants us in attendance. I don't think that extends to you all, but it means me at least."

"No, it doesn't," Willas told her shortly, and she squeezed his hand again. "We'll tell them you can't travel."

"While also travelling down south?" Loras raised his eyebrow at his brother.

"We'll tell them that you're-" Willas began, but Eddmina cut him off by shaking her head.

"If you tell them that I'm with child and the you sign our next child up for a fate like Uther's as compensation for my absence," Eddmina pointed out. "Besides, if I go, I can talk with Lord Walder, try and negotiate a way out of this fostering. You don't have to go, none of you."

"You're not going alone!" Willas protested in tired outrage.

"She'll not be going alone," Garlan spoke up. He was still knelt in front of Eddmina, but was looking at his brother in a way that Eddmina and Robb looked at each other when they were speaking in silence. "You all head home as planned, take Uther home. Edda and I will go to this farce, and we'll only be a few weeks behind you."

"You don't have to," Eddmina told him, even though she found the idea of him accompanying her massively comforting. "I can get one of Robb's men to escort me home. Surely you'd rather go home with Leonette."

"She's sick of me again already, she'd be glad for the break," Garlan waved off her concern quickly with his signature dry smirk.

"I cannot ask you to do that," Willas sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair before pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed.

"You're not asking, Willas," Garlan pointed out with a shrug.

  Willas reached out and ruffled his brother's hair, the gesture saying more than words ever could, even though Garlan swotted his hand away. He was obviously as relieved for Garlan's offer as Eddmina was, but it didn't alleviate any of his other stresses or worries, as his grip on her hand was still tight. She rubbed her thumb against his, and took hold of his other hand to push it to her stomach when she felt the fluttering again. It was so faint she doubted he felt anything, but he clearly took as much comfort from the contact as she did. At his touch she felt the world still and her mind quietened. For a brief moment nothing else mattered. For a brief moment she could pretend all was well and fine.

"Perhaps I should accompany you both as well?" Lord Tyrell spoke up after a moment's peaceful silence, and quickly every eye in the room turned to look at him in surprise.

"I'm not sure I like the idea of that, my dear," Lady Alerie spoke with a concerned frown.

"The Twins isn't really a place I would volunteer to visit, my lord," Eddmina nodded, knowing her goodmother would much prefer him to stay out of the whole matter, knowing she shared the sentiment.

"Nonsense, both of you," he shook his head, waving his hand to waft away their concern. "If you intend to go and negotiate with Lord Frey about Uther then surely I should go and have a say. He's the future of my House."

There was no arguing with him, at least not then, not when they heard someone open the door, and when Eddmina looked up and saw her brother looking at her guiltily, she tightened her grip on Willas' hands. She wanted him to stay with her, but he withdrew one of his hands from hers to reach for his cane, and once he was on his feet she immediately cringed, wondering just what he would do, what he would say, how he would convey his temper with Robb this time.

Surprisingly, he said nothing. He stared at Robb, and all could see how hurt he was, even if the pain was not caused by Robb. Her brother too was hurt, guilty and regretful, and desperate to fix his mistakes. It was not his fault Eddmina and Willas were on the verge of having to hand over their son to a hateful man, but he was the one who was forced to agree to the terms that all knew would cause irreparable damage. That was the hard part of being a king, having to set aside his own personal feelings and desires for the greater good of his kingdom. Eddmina simply wished he'd learnt that before he'd married Jeyne.

"I'm going to find Sansa and Leonette," he turned his head to address Eddmina, but directed the next part towards Robb. "I better go and spend some time with my son."

He left without another word. If they hadn't been in extended company, Eddmina was sure that Robb would have winced.  She hid her own feelings, save a small smile to her husband that she hoped didn't look as sad as it felt, and kept her focus on her twin. She knew him so well, yet sometimes he seemed like a stranger, his Kingly-self so unlike the boy she had grown up with. In so many ways he was still a boy, a scared young man who was thrust into a position he never wanted when the only thing he set out for was to save his father. When she looked at him then, she saw her twin, the boy she knew so well, the boy she wanted to save from the world.

There was no world in which she could ever hate him. Not truly, not when she knew what they had all been through. His decisions perhaps, those could be hated, but he was not her enemy. That honour fell to those who had thrown them into the war, the Lannisters, even the Freys who were so prideful and bitter that they would have them set upon each other and fall apart. Eddmina realised she would do well to save her anger for those who truly deserved it.

"We're setting off for the Twins tomorrow afternoon," Robb told her, getting straight to business, as if Willas hadn't calmly stormed out. Eddmina rose to her feet, crossing her arms to hide how her hands had balled into nervous fists. "We can try and negotiate our way out of Uther being fostered, but the wedding is non-negotiable."

"Tomorrow?" she heard Garlan ask, letting out a sigh of surprise. Eddmina wondered if he regretted volunteering to travel with them, but if he did, he didn't say anything. "In that case I best go find my wife and tell her that we'll be parting ways again."

With that he left, squeezing Eddmina's  shoulder as he went. From behind her, Eddmina heard Lady Tyrell sigh too, and guilt surged through her as she considered just what was happening to her beloved goodmother. The poor woman had only just gotten all of her family back together again, for a mere few days, only to have them all prepare to separate once more. Eddmina turned to her, desperate to apologise for her part in it all, but Lady Tyrell had stood, and was quick to take her hands, offering her a reassuring smile.

"Don't you dare say sorry," she told her softly, hiding any sadness behind a perfectly crafted polite smile. "Go to your uncle's wedding. It's a two-week detour at most, and soon enough you will be back in Highgarden."

"Back where I belong," Eddmina couldn't help but say, not even realising that was where her heart lie until the words were out.

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