In one of his hands, Robert clutched a small pendant, blissfully humming to himself.

He was quite proud. He had completely forgotten about the necklace he had made but now that he had it, he could talk to Liv, perhaps gain her forgiveness through compliments and gifts.

It was a long shot but it was worth a try.

Besides, the necklace was beautiful. It was of a stag with eyes of topaz entwined with a lion with eyes of ruby, it glinted in the sunlight when moved.

In a way, it was the kingdom, held together by a Baratheon and a Lannister.

It was him and it was her.

When he saw her, he would tell her that he would no longer leave her out. If they would lead, they would lead together. He would aid the kingdom as she had and she would attend small council meetings with him to hear her opinion.

As he headed towards Livia's private chambers, he came across a knight slightly out of breath.

"Your Grace!" Ser Jaime called out, bowing.

"Ser Jaime." Robert acknowledged him. "Excuse me but I am on my way to see Livia. Whatever you need, it must be addressed later."

Robert moved to leave but Jaime blocked him in his way with a knowing look in his eyes. "I'm afraid she is not there."

"Where is she then?" Robert asked, slightly irritated that he was being delayed.

"Out and about, you know. Always doing something important." Jaime smirked, knowing what he was doing in annoying the king.

"Are you daft?" Robert grumbled, his tone demanding. "Just tell me where she is. Now."

"She's in the streets of King's Landing. She wishes to speak with you in your chambers when she returns." Jaime finally answered.

Robert's eyes lit up and he was suddenly filled with hope. She wishes to speak with him. They could finally get over this whole misunderstanding.

Robert turned around, heading to his chambers instead when he was stopped by Jaime once more. "What is it? Why do you keep getting in my way?"

Jaime approached Robert with a warning look. "My sister cares for you deeply, and she claims you're different from the last king we had, that you are a good man. Because of that, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. But if you hurt her in any way at all, I will kill you."

"I'm sure you will. Believe it or not, I care for her as well." Robert answered, clasping Jaime's shoulder with the hand not holding the necklace, surprising the knight. "I never had the chance to thank you."

"Thank me for what?" Jaime sputtered.

"For saving her life. She told me everything. I have you to thank for making sure she's alive to be with me." Robert said to the young knight, his good brother, sincerely.

Jaime bowed once more before Robert stepped away and headed to his chambers.

He thought about what he said. Where would he be right now if Livia was not in his life? Where would he be without her? Who would he be?

Definitely not the man he was right now.

He would probably be letting Jon run the kingdom, avoiding all small council meetings. He would probably be sleeping with a hundred whores and drinking the whole kingdom dry.

She claimed that he was a good man, a better man. But the only reason he was a good man was because of her. She made him a better man.

As he arrived at his chambers, their chambers actually, he breathed in the air and found that even when she hadn't slept there these past few weeks, he could still smell the familiar scent of sea breeze and honey.

His heart ached, just thinking of the distance they were forced to live from one another. He missed her, he knew that much.

Robert fidgeted with the small necklace, thinking that it would probably be of better use if it was a surprise.

He went to her vanity, smiling as he saw how everything was organized. Leave it to Livia to have everything organized so neatly, except for one of the small drawers in her jewelry box, pushed in oddly.

Attempting to fix it, he tried to pull the drawer free when every jewel scattered.

"Fuck." Robert cursed silently, picking up each piece of jewelry that fell into clutter when he finally saw what was causing the small drawer to be lodged wrongly.

It was a letter. A hidden letter.

Despite knowing that he shouldn't, his curiosity got the best of him.

He unfurled the parchment and his eyes fell upon the words on the page.

Each word ripping the breath out of him. Each word ripping him to pieces.

Moments flashed in the back of his mind. Each one like a sword through his heart. Each one more painful than the last.

---

Closer Robert went but just before he could get as close as he wanted, another person entered the tent.

"Livia? I thought I heard your voice." Oberyn said, smiling though it slightly wavered when he saw Lord Robert and Ser Richard.

"Oberyn, I was just looking for you and I stumbled upon these gentlemen's... activities." Livia answered, hooking her arm around Oberyn's.

---

He was quiet then, but his hold on her did not loosen as his eyes flickered from her eyes to her lips. "Was I-Was I the first man you kissed?"

Livia shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Don't worry, you were a close second."

---

"A rebellion?" Robert asked. "Led by who?"

"Men are being gathered by the second prince, Oberyn Martell." Lord Varys answered, making Robert look to Jon with a silent look.

"And what does this rebellion hope to achieve?" The Hand of the king asked.

"The young prince wishes to avenge his sister, the late Elia Martell and he hopes to depose you, King Robert." Lord Varys directed.

---

Livia was going to leave him. For Oberyn Martell.

She was going to leave like Lyanna did. The rebellion, she was angry about it because she wished to know its progress.

He was supposed to be angry but strangely, he only felt pain and hurt.

He had been starting to feel something for her yet all this time, she had loved someone else.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

"Robert, I must speak to you about something." The familiar voice that he had come to cherish filled the room, but instead of happiness, he only felt anguish.

Robert turned around, the letter in one hand, the necklace in another.

"Yes, it seems we have a lot to speak of."

°•°•°•°•°•°

Livia had been terrified. From Oberyn's shouts and the sound of him throwing things around the room, she left immediately.

Heart pounding, she knew she could no longer delay telling Robert. She had to tell him soon or it would be too late.

She scrambled from the gates, almost running to his chambers, expecting him to be there.

She pulled the doors open, out of breath. Seeing him, his back turned to her, she spoke. "Robert, I must speak to you about something."

Slowly, he turned to face her, his face void of any emotion, his voice hollow. His hands were forming fists, one of them holding a letter. "Yes, it seems we have a lot to speak of."

The letter.

At the sight, Livia's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "Robert, I-"

It only took a second for Robert to burst into emotion. "You speak of truth, speak of trust yet you kept a bigger secret from me!"

"I didn't want to tell you becau-"

"Oberyn Martell? You were angry that I didn't tell you about your lover's rebellion?"

Livia gritted her teeth. "He is not my lover."

He was making it difficult for her to explain herself. She had been too late. She should've told him sooner.

Robert laughed bitterly. "Really? Tell me he wasn't the first man you kissed. Tell me you don't care for him. Tell me you weren't planning to leave with him and don't you lie to me."

Livia's heart jumped. He truly thought she was going to leave him? "I was never going to leave you. How could you think that of me?"

He threw the letter to the ground, the parchments scattering to the floor. "How could I think otherwise? Here is proof of his love for you. He told you to wait for him, were you just waiting for all the chaos to unfold to run from me?"

"He was my friend but I would never have left you, Robert. I never had a thought of leaving you. I cared for him like a brother but you-"She defended, almost telling him of her feelings.

"I'm what?!"

"You are my husband."

He snapped, still keeping his distance. "See? You say all the right things but now, now I do not know if it is the truth or just another round of lies. I was raised as a warrior, not as a manipulator."

Livia felt it like a blow, hopelessness coating her tone but she forced herself to walk to him, to step on the parchments and be near him. "I was going to tell you today. I didn't mean to hide it from you."

"Yet you did. You're a liar, Livia Lannister. Was there any word that you said to me that wasn't a lie?" Robert answered, pushing past her and moving even a greater distance from her.

Could he really not stand being in her presence?

Maybe it was her who was the horrible person, the manipulator, the liar. Her father would be proud.

Livia turned to him, tears prickling her eyes. "Fine! You want the truth? I met Oberyn Martell years ago and we shared a childhood kiss. When the Lannister army was at the gates, I knelt before the Mad King to beg him to let my father in. When my father's army sacked King's Landing and the Mad King tried to kill me, Jaime stabbed him through the front but I stabbed him through the back, killing him."

Robert had turned to her, shock covering his face."Liv-"

But she didn't stop, she wouldn't stop now. "I don't drink wine because it reminds me of the taste I had in my mouth when I killed someone, when my actions killed citizens of King's Landing. Every night I'm not with you, I have nightmares about what I did. When I got the letter, I wanted to tell you but I couldn't because I didn't want to destroy what we had. When I found out what you hid from me, I was angry because I felt hurt but at the same time, I felt guilty for hiding this from you."

Choking on a sob, she faced the events of the day. "I was going to tell you today because I understood why you did it to protect me but when I was...when I was in the streets, I was forced to go to an inn. Ob-Oberyn was there and he was angry and he tried to get me to leave you but I couldn't. I couldn't because of what I feel for you!"

Finally, all of it. Every bit of her was bared for Robert to see, more than their wedding night. This time, she showed him her soul. Every broken, dirty, damaged, hopeless part of it.

Robert met her eyes. She could vaguely feel the tears streaming down her face but it didn't matter.

'Please. Say something. Anything.' She almost said but she stopped herself.

It was up to him to take the next step, to make the next decision. She had already made hers.

What he did only broke her into a million stupid little pieces.

He turned to the door, opened it and walked outside.

Livia fell to her knees when the door shut, looking on with nothing more but a broken heart and a hopeless vision.

°•°•°•°•°•°

Robert left to gather Livia's guards, telling them to return to the inn with more men.

He couldn't let Oberyn Martell hurt her anymore. If she could lessen the things that caused her pain, perhaps he could help her.

He had asked for the truth and she showed him her very being. She was always giving and giving, never taking.

Robert's ears rang with the words she spoke. All of it, explaining everything. Everything he wanted to know.

Those words were definitely not easy to say but she said it. She was no manipulator, she was good and kind and strong. She was the best part of his life.

Walking back to his chambers, he recounted what he would say. He would tell her that he felt something he hadn't felt all his life when he was with her. He would tell her that he couldn't sleep well if he wasn't holding her hand. He would tell her that she was the hope he had been waiting for all his life.

He opened the door to his chambers, expecting her to be pacing but instead the sight before him surprised him.

Livia was still there but she was no longer standing.

She was sprawled on the floor, no longer crying but in her hand was a goblet, a glass canister of wine beside her.

She was drinking wine.

"Oh Robert, you've returned!" Livia called out, bitterness in her tone. "I thought you were going to go on one of those hunting trips again where you end up in a tavern or a whorehouse."

Immediately, Robert went to her, plucking the goblet and the canister from her, ignoring her protests. "You don't drink."

"What would you know about it?" She asked, reaching for the goblet in his grip but he dodged, drinking it himself.

"Liv, I just went to-" He knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his but she shoved him away.

"You left!" She said, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

"I didn't. I'm still here. I'm right here." Robert assured her, pulling her into his arms, wrapping her in an embrace. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Though she tried to push him away again, he held on strong, not letting go.

'Go ahead, break down. I'll be here to keep you together.' He thought.

"I thought you...I thought you'd left." Livia said, sobbing into him now, clutching him to her.

Robert kissed her temple, feeling a tear fall from his eye at the pain in her voice. It reminded him of his own fears. "I'm here. I'll be here for as long as you want me to be."

"I'm so tired." Livia said, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder.

"Then rest." Robert answered, tucking her small form into his arms, scooping her up.

Robert carried her all the way to their bed, laying her down and covering her with the thick blanket. He was about to look for more blankets, knowing she needed the warmth but she stopped him, capturing his sleeve.

"Stay with me. Please." Livia whispered, her emerald eyes shimmering.

Robert removed his shoes, laying down beside her and pulling her closer, their bodies feeling each other's warmth.

"I'm here. I'll still be here when you wake up. Rest now, Liv."

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