"Lady Elaine, forgive me but I was not expecting company."

Lord Monterroso stared at the entrance to his tent, where the blonde haired women stood. Her hands were clasped in the front of her ever green dress, hair clasped back to show her hesitant face.

"Forgive me, my lord, but— I came to see if you needed assistance with anything. Lady Valiente is with Ser Trout, concocting last minute plans and letters for the Maester to send out." She began to ramble, her mind going clear of rational thoughts. Why was she here? Why when Lady Valiente had entrusted her plan to all of them her cerulean eyes had lifted to this very man. Attachment was deadly, she'd learned that all her life yet as she stared at him, knowing her place in this world and where she belonged, something yearned to go with him.

"I'll miss that," Lord Monterroso laughed lightly, folding away the little clothes he had and letters of his sons.

Elaine suddenly felt brave, a little annoyed at his joke and cleared her throat, "and what is that exactly?"

"That too," he remarked and when the sky blue of her eyes seemed to darken with her mood he clarified. "You have the ability to make even times like these comical. And you've got more courage then most of those northern men out there, Lady Elaine."

A deep rouge suddenly lifted to the apples of her cheeks, eyes diverting as she took in the emptying tent. "You call me a lady, as if I am one. You call me a man, as if I am one."

"You're as far from a man as I'll ever get to see. And as for the lady part—our reigning Lady will see to it that is changed, and if she doesn't do it, then I will ask it of her. You deserve it, Lady Elaine, in all my years traveling the world I have never met a women more fit for the beauty in this life then you."

There was something about the way he said those words, like it was a spark that finally enlightened her mind. She was out of the fog of worry and into the clear air of bliss. Her actions has yearned to see the Lord Commander one last time, to say goodbye in private. She'd told herself that this was nothing more then a simple gratitude but that was denial. His lips pulled into a smile at the end of his words and suddenly she was coming closer.

"You're more gentlemen then any noble lord I've ever met. You're more rebel then I'll ever know." She admitted wholeheartedly, sensing that it was now or never that she told him.

Dominic Monterroso had no clear way of speaking his feelings, it'd been years since a women like this had come into his life, and even long then he's admitted to feeling like such. His cool breath was one of pure courage, as he stepped closer to her, her golden strands of her were bright amongst the fire of his candles, and her alabaster skin was tempting and smooth. The urge to kiss her suddenly became worse then the one to finish packing, worse then his duties and yet he couldn't move. He stared at her, something in him said to speak before the moment was gone. She was beauty that was like red comets in the sky, like good fortune in thunderstorms. In her he saw the clear blue waters of the Summer Isles, the enchanting jade sea, the shadowlands of Assahi and everything more he yearned for.

He set his mind once more, agreeing that it was now or never, because life at war was never guaranteed, especially for him.

"I love you, Lady Elaine. I love you." He repeated to be certain he'd said the words correctly, and they felt so natural.

Elaine looked at him, from the ghost of sunkiss kiss just dissolving around his scattered freckles, to his full lips, and the deliriously euphoric look in his eyes, and she suddenly understood why a women would follow a man into war knowing the outcome was never good. She understood why her mother had foolishly fell for the sweet words of her Lord father, why her best friend was doomed to repeat the same cycles for a man who would never give her as much as she'd given him, and why she after repeatedly refusing the idea of love was now foolishly falling for this very man who was about to leave.

Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears and she managed the words, "I love you."

Monterroso did not need to hear another word, pressing forward, one hand wrapped around her pinched waste, pulling her body into him while the other guided her jaw to his face, kissing her plump lips. He realized that this was what he wanted more then anything else in that moment, and he was reluctant to let it go.

She pulled back for air, both their eyes pulling open at the same time to see the look of pure joy and relief in each other's eyes, they smiled like children at one another.

Monterroso brushed his thumb gently against her cheek, "come with me, live with my sons in the castle that keeps them from harm. Feel the sun against your skin and smell the salt of the sea. Be with me."

Elaine inhaled softly, imagining what that would be like, his sons must have been handsome and gentle like their father, stern little faces that were meant to protect. She imagined feeling Monterroso's warm hands pressed against her arms in the morning, the bright sunlight the only clothes they needed as they kissed in his bed chambers. She imagined seeing him against the blue sea, loving him and all of it. It was a pretty thought, one she could nearly taste but she was a loyal women, and most of all to the one who had made this possible.

"I can't," she answered softly, although her hands clung to him. "I can't leave her."

"No, you can't." Monterroso smiled, okay with the idea yet buzzing with worry. "And that's why I love you."

|•|•|•|•|

"Lady Valiente, the King wishes to speak with you."

Her eyes glossed over the last of her fathers words, the last scroll she'd received from him. Her thoughts centered so much on his literature, the premonition of war he'd depicted and his hope she would be well guarded. She could nearly hear the desperation in his words, the last great monarch she'd know reduced to nothing but dirt.

Her eyes closed, returning to the present day and not the worry her father had once sent. She inhaled slowly, the guard of her former lover awaiting impatiently for her response.

She looked up, away from the small scroll and purses her lips, "tell your king if he wishes to speak with me he must come, and to not send soldiers to do his bidding."

"Your grace, I must insist." He asked once more, unintentionally calling her by an old title. If she noticed she said not a word, except the tightening of her fist.

"And I insist that I am not his servant, and I will not be summoned when called." She snapped back. Her eyes moved away, bored with the interaction, "that will be all, goodbye."

The solider was left at odds, looking to the loyal knight and handmaiden of the Lady before bowing and walking away.

"They'll be back," Trout noted, watching the soldiers disgruntled steps increase as he left the camp.

"Good, maybe Robb will be with them." She remarked back. "Ser Trout, tell the generals to be ready."

In the process of leaving the Lord Commander of her armies had taken the bulk of them, along with a few hundreds of Northern men more loyal to the past queen then the new one. A hundred men were left on her side, more so to protect the winter sun then to fight but they were Dornish warriors, and 100 men were better then most of the drunken fools in the Stark camp.

"My Lady, what shall we do now?" Lady Elaine looked towards her way.

"Wait, for the sweet taste of victory." She hummed back and leaned back into her chair with the air of a queen.

|•|•|•|•|

In the time it took the former queen to finish a chalice of sweet juice and the messenger to run back to the King's tent Victoria's confidence had only grown.

Her fingers danced over the rim of her cup, listening to the sound of her soldiers outside, all lining up at the entrance to her tent. The stomps of angered feet soon became apparent, and the blonde handmaiden straightened her back as she felt a twinge of fear but not the Lady.

Victoria held back her smile, eyes still concentrated on her filled cup once more, now listening as Robb appeared at the entrance to his tent, two guards near him.

"Victoria!" He bellowed, nearly spitting the name of a women who had scorned him.

Her lips pressed together, and she slowly trailed her eyes up, looking him calmly in the face. He was a raging rapid of rivers and she was a still ocean, but she knew which was more dangerous when provoked.

"Yes, your grace," she responded sarcastically, keeping her voice even as she attempted not to show any emotion.

"How could you!" He demanded, and it was like words escaped him as he looked at this women who was held in his first memory now sat, conspiring against him with a smirk in her face and the air of leisure surrounding. Nearly a fourth of his army was gone, men who had pledged loyalty to him has disappeared in the darkest of moments and here she sat, "You've taken my men! You've betrayed me! I could have you jailed or worse beheaded for treason!"

Ser Trout suddenly took a step closer to his queen, and the men outside, hearing of the threat to their Lady all seemed to slide their long swords just a bit out of their sheath.

Victoria was as still as a stone, all except her hand which lifted to a stop, and any action that was taken quickly sent motionless. She adjusted in her seat and responded wittily, "you think your threats scare me? You've come here alone with only 2 men, on a side that is as foreign as the souther region to you. Yet you come here with threats against me and you think I'm the one in danger?"

"Victoria..." he warned her lowly, showing no twinge of fear in his deepening eyes.

"Robb, you have no idea what I've done." She responded. "Some things must be done to ensure defeat."

"You didn't tell me." He responded back. "I looked like an imbecile out there when they told me, roused from my sleep to find that I had grown smaller and you were behind it all."

"I couldn't tell you, and you are not my king. I've done what is best to ensure survival." She answered back.

Robb could felt his bones wanting to shake, to scream but he knew this women, even if she had changed, there was still things that stayed the same and being hysterical was not the way to get her too talk. His jaw set tightly he managed to question, "what did you do?"

"You know the north, and I know the south. What is in the south? Casterly Rock, as well as many other houses tired of the lions den. I sent my army, as well as any man willing too bare the heat to the borders. There they will slowly take whatever lays between us and Kingslanding." She responded back, her lips smiled as she thought of the devised plan between her and her counselors. "And I will stay here to keep the fabrication of my life in tact."

Robb felt caught off guard once again, whatever idea he had conjured in his mind did not meet these expectations. He knew she was clever but to be outsmarted like this by a women he'd never seen lift a sword was unbelievable. He felt bare again, knowing fully well that her words would spread throughout his camp like wildfire, and he'd be the boy outsmarted by the girl.

A burst of anger arose in him and he saw the only way to answer was with backlash, "Be that as it may you broke our alliance by not informing me of your plans. I've sent the best hunters after your Lord Commander, and he will come back to answer for your crimes."

"Like Theon has?" She bit back, moving her eyes away and busying herself by standing and turning her back towards him. "Good luck finding him, the Lord Commander was one of the best pirates of his time. He gave it up only when I asked it of him, there is no possible way for you to find him."

"We'll see about that." Robb answered angrily. He took one last look at the stranger who once shared his bed and walked out, leaving a broken bridge of deceit between them.

"Yes, yes we shall." She said softly, only for the knight and handmaiden to hear and smirk at.

|•|•|•|•|

Lmfao she has stopped giving a fuck...