She pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "Wolf blood...it's strong and it makes us strong, but it snuffs out like a candle. When it's gone..." she trailed off. It didn't need to be said. There was a reason that Ned had survived while she and Brandon perished. They were the reason and the impetus for the conflagration that erupted across Westeros. Wolf's blood burned brightly, but it extinguished with just a single gust of wind. She doesn't want to linger any longer over Brandon or their father. No matter how often she was absolved, it wouldn't change her guilt or the part she played in their deaths.

"Was I really worth a war?" Robert had claimed to love her, but she had never believed him. Obsession was strong and just as potent, but it wasn't as real or deep as love. She was only a woman, one woman compared to a realm full of people. She may not have been the complete reason for Robert's Rebellion, but he used her as a symbol and martyr.

She held him tighter, letting her head rest under his chin. "You were the better part of me too. If I had been in your place...I couldn't have survived seeing you..." seeing him die. Gods, she would have broken. Living alone without him somewhere in the world, her heart couldn't withstand it. "You have to get well, Ned. You need to recover. Please. I need you."