Maygen Baelish had been a ward to Starks for as long as she could remember. She did not remember much of her father, but Lady Catelyn was always there to tell stories of him from when they were children. She knew that her father owned brothels, and that he made quite a lot of money from this business. Every little thing she knew about her father was from what Lady Catelyn had told her. And, of course, from the letters he wrote her every so often. Nameday letters were a promise, but sometimes there would be surprise letters from when he had a chance to write.

She did not know her mother. In his letters, her father described her as a beautiful woman who could not remain in one place for too long. Her mother had left when Maygen was one, and had never been heard from again. According to her father, Maygen's mother was from an honorable house that had once served the Targaryens. Her house had been turned to nothing after Robert's Rebellion, and her mother was wanted for treason. She had only stayed in the Seven Kingdoms long enough to wean Maygen from her breast, and then she had left.

Despite Maygen's unknowing of her family, she was content with the Starks. Among them, she felt loved. She was cared for, and the Stark children accepted her as one of their own. If Maygen fell ill, Lady Catelyn was at her bedside night and day until she was well again. If she wished to learn how to swing a sword, Lord Eddard would put in a word with Rodrik Cassel, and sword lessons she would get. If she fell in love with a stable boy or a traveling knight, then Lord Eddard would speak with the man's family and a wedding would be planned immediately.

She would want for nothing, and that was the promise Lady Catelyn had made to Petyr Baelish.

But the one thing Maygen never would have wished for was an arranged marriage.

House Stark had a second ward. Eight when he was taken, Theon Greyjoy was treated as a brother to Eddard and Catelyn's son, Robb. Theon's father, Balon, had lost his two other sons in his failed rebellion. That had left him with his daughter, Yara, and Theon. Eddard had taken the boy as a ward to raise him right and make sure that when Balon was gone, Theon would be fit to rule Pyke with a fair hand.

Theon remembered his home. That was the reason for his mockery of Maygen. He called her bastard and orphan, though she was legitimized and still had her father. He taunted her with every little flaw he could find, and to him, there were a great many. Maygen had never tried to insult him back, always fearing that he would run and tell Septa Mordane or Lady Catelyn.

Even when the two were fourteen and sixteen, their fighting continued. The insults only increased in their hurtfulness as the children grew into adulthood.

It was because of this that Theon and Maygen never thought they would be betrothed. Lady Catelyn had brought up the idea to Lord Eddard. She thought that perhaps marrying the two would make their fighting stop, or, at least, lessen it. And so, ever since they were eight and ten, Theon and Maygen were betrothed.

The pair had tried to fight it, but they quickly learned that once Catelyn had an idea, she would not forget it. The decision had already been made. Petyr and Balon had agreed to the betrothal. With his position as Master of Coin on the Small Council of King's Landing, Petyr began to set aside special funds to support a wedding. Without the king's knowledge, of course. This was always at the discretion of Lord Varys, the Spider of King's Landing. There was nothing that went on in the Red Keep that Varys was not aware of.

Theon and Maygen never knew when they would be wed. If one of them dared to ask Lady Catelyn or Lord Eddard, they were met with monosyllabic answers that left them anxious and wanting more.

They decided that even if they did marry, they were not obligated to like each other. Both could play pretend and produce a child or two, but it would all just be for show.

So, despite their prior attempts at stopping the betrothal, they begrudgingly accepted the idea.

Neither of them knew, however, just how badly their marriage was going to go.