"Ahem." Robb cleared his throat after he had been silently watching Damon from afar. He didn't know how to say what he wanted to say. Above all he didn't know how Damon would react. After all these horrors Robb had been through he thought this one was going to be just as bad. That said something.

"What is it?" Damon briefly looked at Robb and then back at the view before him. He was sitting on one of the high walls, looking down at how his daughter was training Sansa and Ella. Abigail was now showing them how to hold a sword, starting with the basics. Ella didn't pay much attention though, she got distracted by a butterfly that was flying around her.

Robb sighed, knowing he's never have a decent conversation with Damon. Where normal people would address him with your grace Damon didn't even spare him a glance. Or he would just call him Little princess in that mocking tone of his.

"Your daughter is very skilled in combat." Robb muttered awkwardly as he came to stand next to Damon. He sighed, knowing that wasn't exactly a good cover-up.

"Just bloody ask what you were going to ask."

"Right." Robb cleared his throat. "I was thinking about how I was goingto ask this. Normally you'd ask someone's father but in this case I-"

"Why ask when the deed is already done?" Damon chuckled quietly to himself, sensing Robb's awkwardness.

"I beg your pardon?" Robb frowned.

"You already asked her, why now ask me?" Damon looked up at him with one of the biggest smirks plastered on his face.

"I, I-" Robb stuttered and then frowned. "What... How did you?"

"I can read your mind." Damon laughed and turned back to look at his daughter. He patted the spot next to him, gesturing for Robb to sit. "For a king you're quite slow."

"What would your answer have been?" Robb finally formed a complete sentence without stuttering. He sat down next to Damon and looked at him.

"I would've thought about it for a long time. Weighing the pros and cons." Damon sighed but then looked at Robb's eyes. "Finally I would decide that even though I wouldn't consent you'd still marry her."

Robb chuckled and nodded.

"That, that thought, also let me know that whatever has been going on between the two of you for the last years is something unbreakable. You may be a Stark and a king, may have a whole army behind your back all the time. You may also have a lot of enemies that hunt you down, you may have made a few horrible mistakes. That never changed much between my sister and you." Damon moved closer to Robb, pointing his finger at his heart. "I looked into your mind a few times, tried to find anything that would prevent me from saying yes. Nothing. I found nothing."

"Except for the part that you married that woman Talisa who's dead now. Elena forgave you for that so I will have to too."

"So..." Damon sighed, stretched his legs and looked back down at his daughter. "You have my consent on one condition which I know you'll follow. No matter what happens, protect her. She will be your first priority no matter what."

"She already is." Robb said, following Damon's gaze.

"I know." Damon said. "Just so you know, if you hurt her, no matter the reasons, I will kill you."

Robb nodded and then smiled brightly. "Thank you, Damon. This means a lot to me."

"Wait, one other thing." Damon held up his hand. Robb looked at him expectantly with one eyebrow raised. Damon turned towards him with a small smile playing on his lips. "Try not to get her pregnant before the war is over. She hates to skip a battle."

"I think it's a bit late for that now."

"I know, I know." Damon chuckled. "Just to prevent you two from having any other activities. Nothing is sure yet."

Robb chuckled but then remained silent.

"Is she still angry with me?" Damon asked after some time. "Does she ever talk about me in the first place?" Damon looked at Robb for a short time. He could just read Robb's mind for the answers but instead he asked him. After the conversation the two just had, in some way Damon started to respect the man sitting beside him. Mind reading is something Damon didn't do with people he respected.

"I don't really think she's angry, she's just... confused I think. With all the things that have been going on the past few years I don't think she has the time or room in her mind to even process the fact that you're her brother. Let alone that you abandoned her all these years ago."

"I didn't, abandon her, I didn't know she was alive." Damon frowned. "Well, I guess you can say I abandoned her but it wasn't my fault either way."

"That wasn't what I meant."

"I know, your grace." Damon scowled at himself after he just said that.

"I would give it some time if I were you, I'm sure that she'll eventually move on." Robb said. Damon nodded and continued to stare at his daughter.

Jon had joined the training. Well, not really actually, he was just watching and chuckling every now and then. It was funny according to him to see young women try to fight with a sword. Especially when one is running after a butterfly.

"Ella please, I'm trying to show you something." Abigail tried to be angry but failed miserably. She chuckled when Ella almost fell.

"Let me help." Jon said after some time, picked Ella up and carried her back towards Abigail and Sansa. Ella giggled, pounding her tiny wrists on Jon's back.

Damon suddenly cringed after some time, shuddering in disgust.

"What?" Robb frowned.

"Try to imagine Elena being pregnant. She'd even be more stubborn with all these hormones." Damon cringed.

"And more grumpy." Robb chuckled. Damon laughed, Robb joining him.

"Yes, yes." Damon sighed contently. He laid his hand on Robb's shoulder and smiled at him. "You're going to have a hard time taming her."

"Indeed." Robb chuckled.

"Robb?" Elena's voice called him.

"Speaking of the devil." Damon chuckled.

"There you are." Elena ran towards him and sat down on his other side. "Steven told me to tell you that the army is ready to depart."

Robb nodded, looking down at how his little sister, who had always been so lady-like was now training in sword fighting. "Then we'll leave tomorrow for Moat Cailin."

"I'm going to miss this place." Elena nodded, following both the men's gazes. She then looked back at Robb and Damon, remembering how they both had smirks on their faces when she walked towards them. "What were you two talking about before I came here?"

"Nothing, my lady." Robb said immediately. Elena swatted his arm, keeping her promise. "Hey!" Robb yelled in surprise, his hand flying up to the spot she hit him.

"No but really, what was it about?" Elena asked after glaring at Robb for a few seconds.

Damon chuckled and shook his head slightly. He then laid his hand on Robb's shoulder and looked at Elena. "That's something between your betrothed and me."

"What, how did you?" Elena stuttered, her eyes flickering between the two men.

"I/he reads minds." The two said simultaneously.

"Right." Elena stood up again, taking in a deep breath and looked down at Robb. "Almost forgot, they found Theon in the broken tower. Just to keep you from hitting him, he isn't the same man he used to be. Completely changed if you ask me. He doesn't even want to be called Theon anymore."

Robb sighed and clenched his jaw, thinking about how Theon betrayed him and then staged the fact that he had burned his two little brothers, Bran and Rickon. "We will see about that."

"Did Steven also say something about the party we send out to find Rickon?" Robb looked up at Elena.

"Not as far as I can remember." Elena answered. A few days back Robb had sent some men to search for his brother Rickon in the villages near the wall. Jon had told him that together with Osha and Shaggydog Rickon had fled to one of the villages instead of following Bran to the black raven.

Elena knelt down before Robb, softly caressing his cheek as she looked into his eyes. "He will be all right, Robb. We will find him. He has Osha and Shaggydog with him, nothing could've happened with the two of them there to protect him."

"I know." Robb said. Elena softly kissed his cheek and then started to leave. Before turning around the corner she looked back at Damon. "Make sure your daughter doesn't betray Ella and Sansa too. Don't want them to join the "dark side"."

Damon clenched his fists and jaw, trying to stop himself from hitting something. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"I'm sorry." Robb apologized for Elena's behaviour.

"It's not your doing." Damon stood up. "Keep an eye on them for me, will you?"

"I will." Robb said. Damon then left, going after Elena.

~

"Elena!" Damon ran after her into the godswood of Winterfell. He found her sitting near one of the streams, playing with the water.

"There was a time when I could control water. Now I can't seem to find the concentration for it." Elena sighed, throwing a stone in the water.

Damon nodded and sat down silently, looking angry with her without having to say anything.

"When we healed Jon, I saw things in your mind. Mostly memories about the past." Elena said and looked up at Damon. "You had a family."

"I did."

Elena sighed and nodded, knowing he wouldn't tell more. "Look, Damon, I-"

"I get it, Elena." He snapped. "You're angry with me, I get it." He narrowed his eyes at her, slowly turning darker with each word he slowly spoke. "but don't ever, ever talk about my daughter like that again."

Elena bit on her lip and stood up abruptly. She looked down at Damon, not afraid of the threatening look in his eyes. "She revived Gillian." Elena said. "You know why? Because Ramsay told her to do so. Why? So he could torture me even though he would be dead."

Damon remained silent, casting his eyes down to the floor.

"She stood there watching as Ramsay tortured me with a fucking smile on her face! Now I don't care if she was acting or confused but that, that I can't forgive."

"Everyone makes mistakes." Damon looked up at Elena again. "She had no choice."

Elena took in a deep breath, ran her hands through her long hair and turned her back towards Damon. "I get it that you're defending her, Damon. Yet you can't deny that she's a risk."

"I will make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"You know that won't make a difference if she's at his side." Elena turned around and faced him again.

"Just give her a chance at proving herself, Elena." Damon practically begged. "She's my daughter. I can't even stand the thought of doubting her. You will understand when you have children of your own."

Elena sighed deeply and plumped down next to Damon. A long moment of silence passed, both too caught up in their own thoughts. "Brother, huh?" Elena exhaled deeply. "Guess nobody saw that coming."

"Well, we don't exactly look alike much." Damon said. "Ethan is the one who looks a bit like the both of us."

"Ethan." Elena repeated is name and fiddled with a branch in her hand. "Is there any chance we can get the old Ethan back?"

"I tried. I really did."

"I know." Elena  looked at him. "I guess everyone has both light and dark inside of them. Then again the dark path is so much easier to take. No worries, no people you need to protect." Elena sighed, looking at the branch in her hand. "It has been growing inside of me, Damon. I can feel it. It just consumes everything. I can't even talk to somebody without feeling this sudden rage building up inside me."

"Except with Robb."

"Except with Robb." Elena repeated his words and softly smiled at Damon. A frown appeared on her face. "Will it ever go away? The darkness?"

"No." Damon said. "It never leaves. You will need to keep on fighting every day, every hour. Once you've been 'infected' it never leaves you alone anymore." Damon looked at his sister. "Then again, like you said, it was always there."

"When did you first get in touch with it?" Elena asked.

"I first thought when I joined a group in King's Landing. Later though when Ethan got infected I discovered I didn't know anything about it." Damon told her. "I guess it was when I saw my home burn down."

Elena nodded. She then looked up at Damon with sympathy in her eyes. "What was she like, your wife?"

"Eveline? She was the most ordinary person I ever met." Damon chuckled lightly. "That's why I loved her. I had enough strange things in my life, being a guardian and the king's bastard and all. She was everything I needed. Always complained when I got Felicity's clothes dirty after we'd get back from the market. Always rolled her eyes when I'd make a stupid joke." Damon chuckled and sighed. "She knew something was coming. I didn't listen, I should have."

"It wasn't your fault." Elena grasped his hand and gave it a tiny squeeze. She looked at the stream. "I guess that in this world the most innocent and gentle people always die. Maybe that's why they're rare these days."

Damon nodded. "About Gillian..." He sighed when he saw Elena's gaze landing on him quickly after he said his name. "I understand that you're trying, whatever you're trying to do." Damon turned towards her and looked deeply into her eyes. "As your brother, Elena, I have to protect you. Mostly by giving advice."

Elena nodded and listened intently, even though she'd probably hear something she wouldn't want to hear.

"You have to be ready to put him down." Damon spoke clearly. "Kill him if necessary."

Elena nodded and looked down at her hands. "I know." She said.

That's when they heard yelling coming from the castle.

Author's note

And helloo there. Late update, two days I think? You can't blame me. 'cause, the hell guys. Where did all my voters go dammit? Xd Let's just say I got a bit demotivated after seeing that last chapter only had one vote. ( Thank the gods I still have you, Ilse, cause I really would've given up on this story xd)

I'm not going to be such an author that will only update when some kind of vote goal is reached. 'cause I hate it when authors do that, dammit. All I'm saying is that the more votes there are the earlier the next chapter will be updated, 'kay?

Right, still want to thank all you guys for reading, you're amazing. (you could be perfect though if you go back and vote on the past chapter and on this one :P)

That's it for this chapter, see you next one!