Disclaimer: I own nothing, of course. This is purely for fun, and is not being sold for profit, etc.

Stanley Worthington, the newly-crowned King of the North, stared at the map before him. The Seven Kingdoms had been crudely drawn on the large piece of paper, and Stanley and his advisers were using wooden chess pieces to represent the various armies at play. There were the armies belonging to Setrakus Ra, who was sitting on the Loric Throne already. Then there was Cody Greyjoy and his ilk, though that army was nothing more than a rag-tag group of bandits. And there, to the west was John Smith and his army. Stanley and John had grown up together, and had been friends for years. Neither had attacked the other yet, but Stanley knew it was only a matter of time if he didn't secure an alliance with his old friend.

"Lord Arun to see you, your Grace," a squire informed him.

With a sigh, Stanley turned around to greet his guest. Lord Arun held an important piece of territory between the northern lands and the south. His keep guarded one of the few bridges which crossed the large ravine dividing the north from the south. And to top it all off, he had one of the largest armies in the north.

"Lord Arun, it's a pleasure," Stanley said with an inclination of his head. "I trust you've thought about my offer, then?"

Lord Arun was a tall man with olive skin and dark hair. He approached Stanley slowly, and he walked with all the grace and confidence of a king. Something Stanley had still to master, according to some of those advising him.

"I have thought about it, and discussed it with my wife, my sons, and the officers within my army," Arun replied. "And I have decided that, while your offer is most generous, I must decline."

"I offered you more land, a title in my court, and esteemed positions for two of your sons. I have been more than generous, Lord Arun." Stanley forced himself to remain calm.

"Yes, well, I would like to make a… counter-offer, your Grace." Arun paused, and Stanley gestured for him to continue. "I do not need the extra lands, and I only need one son to have a position in your court, other than the son who will one day take my place, of course."

"Of course," Stanley echoed.

"However, my wife and I agreed that we would like to see our daughter settled. Especially if the boys and I will be marching off to war, we want her to secure a future… and a husband."

Stanley blanched. "I'm sure one of the lords of my court would be honored to —"

"Not one of your lords or bannermen, your Grace. I want you to marry my daughter. If you do, then we have a deal."

"I don't even know your daughter," Stanley said after a moment.

"You'll get to know her, I'm sure. These things aren't about love, Stanley Worthington. I want my daughter married before I go to war. How old are you? Twenty-three?"

"Twenty-four," Stanley replied.

"She's nineteen. It's not too much of an age difference, better than she'd get if we were in the south. Do we have a deal?"

"Can I meet her before I agree?" Stanley asked.

Arun scoffed. "She's pretty, if that's what you're worried about. Besides, if you don't like her, then you can be like the dead king. Just have a son or two, and then leave her alone."

"I agree to your terms, Lord Arun." Stanley decided not to think about the fact that her own father was telling him to ignore the woman he was supposed to be marrying. And the dead king… Well, he had been known to frequent brothels. It was the reason John was fighting to rule the Seven Kingdoms. "Did she travel with you? Or is she still at Twinning Keep?"

"She's at the keep with her brothers and mother, and with my soldiers." Arun stared down at the map. "You'll come with me to Twinning, along with your mother and two of your advisers. They'll be witnesses to the wedding. After, you'll return here with my army, along with me and my sons."

"And your daughter?" Stanley asked the man.

"A war camp is no place for a lady, nor for a queen."

The small party arrived at Twinning Keep at midday. Stanley and his advisers followed Lord Arun through the portcullis, and they arrived into the courtyard of the keep. It was similar to Breckenridge Castle, where Stanley had grown up, albeit much smaller. Just like at home, the courtyard functioned as a training area.

Stanley watched as two armored soldiers sparred, their swords clanging and clashing before one of them ended on their back. The winner held his sword at the loser's neck, until the loser yielded. "All right, I give. Get off me," the one on his back said.

Stanley spotted a group of ladies watching the spar, most of them knitting or sewing. He noticed that they were making scarves, socks, and banners. Preparing for war, then.

"Which is your daughter?" Stanley asked Lord Arun in a low voice.

"She's there, lad," he replied, indicating the swordsman who had won.

Stanley noticed, then, that the swordsman's pants were very lose. When she stood straight with her legs closer together, the pants almost looked like a skirt. The man on his back stood up, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Well done, Mare. One of these days you'll really beat me."

"I did just beat you, Naveen," the girl replied. She took off her helmet and placed it on a table near the ladies.

"Can you teach me, Lady Maren?" a little girl asked. "I want to fight like you."

Stanley watched as Maren laughed and smiled at the girl. "One day, Ella, when you're older. For now, help Marina with the socks for the soldiers. They'll want warm feet."

"Maren! Come greet our guests," Lord Arun called out at last.

She turned, and Stanley finally had a chance to study her face. As Arun had promised, she was pretty. Her eyes were somewhere between blue and grey, and they reminded him of a stormy sky. Like her father, her skin was olive and her hair inky black. It was braided back and away from her face, but several pieces had fallen out and hung around her ears and eyes.

"Of course, Father," she said as she approached. "Welcome to Twinning Keep, your Grace," she curtsied to him, then nodded to his companions. "You've come to take the soldiers into your war, then?"

Stanley nodded. "Yes."

"Then don't waste their lives, your Grace," she said, her eyes boring into his. His throat tightened, and he had nothing to say. "Mark, the stableboy, will take care of your horses. Follow me, my father had us prepare a meal for you and your companions."

She led them out of the courtyard and into the keep itself. The first room was a receiving room of sorts, with a large fireplace and several chairs. The next was a dining hall, where a meal was spread out on the large table. "Thank you, Lady Maren," his mother said to her as they sat for their meal.

"You're welcome, Lady Cordelia. If you'll excuse me, I have urgent business to attend to."

"More important than your king?" one of Stanley's advisers, Sandor, asked.

"Begging your pardon, my lord, but yes." Lord Arun's daughter curtsied, then left the room.

"Do you think she knows?" His mother asked Stanley and the others. Sandor shrugged.

"She may, my lady. If she does, then she is very good at hiding it. But I would bet that Lord Arun wouldn't send such news by a messenger, especially because we came here so quickly. He's probably with her now, telling her the news."

Stanley felt sick to his stomach. He hated this whole idea, and the fact that she didn't even know made it that much worse.

When they were done eating, a servant brought the group to guest rooms where they could bathe and change. Stanley relished in the hot bath, something he hadn't had since leaving Breckenridge.

When he was done, Stanley wandered through the halls of the keep. The first floor had been simple, with just the receiving room, dining hall, and (probably, though he hadn't seen them) the kitchens. The second floor was much more complicated, and the halls seemed to twist around until Stanley had no idea where he was. It was impressive, considering the main building of the keep wasn't even that large.

He paused when he heard voices. "So that's it, then?" he heard Maren ask. "I'm just supposed to marry him, and then you and the boys march off to war? Naveen and Conrad and Gray?"

"Well, Conrad will stay with me after the war, because he's the eldest. Gray has been promised a position at court. And you'll require someone you can trust in the Royal Guard. Who better than Naveen, your brother?"

There was a pause, and then a deep, heavy sigh. "I suppose the King of the North has already agreed to this, then?"

"He has, Maren. This will be good for you. It's a better offer than the one John Smith and his advisers gave us. Stanley Worthington and his armies have a true chance at winning. If they do, then you'll be queen."

"And if they lose? I'll be beheaded, Father."

"The same thing would happen if I remain neutral in this war. And there's no way we could ever back Setrakus Ra. And that rag-tag band of thieves will be defeated before the end of the spring. Maren, you don't have to love him. Just have a few sons, and then you can ignore him if you wish."

Stanley knew, on some level, that eavesdropping was wrong. Especially on a conversation like this. But he couldn't turn away, couldn't move from his position by the door.

Then, of course, a servant walked by. "Your Grace? Are you lost?"

He cleared his throat. "I'm looking for Lady Maren. I would like to speak with her, if she has the time."

The servant-girl's eyes widened. "O-of course, milord. Her chambers are this way. I believe she is meeting with her parents at the moment, but you can wait for her in her sitting room. I'll bring her right away, milord." She beckoned for him to follow her, and he did as she began to lead him through the twisting hallways.

Finally she led him to a flight of stairs. As they climbed, Stanley couldn't help but wonder how strange Twinning Keep seemed. He hadn't thought that the keep was this tall when he had first seen it. Luckily, the third floor was much smaller than the first two. The hallway was straight, and there were only three doors. The girl led him to the last door in the hallway. She knocked, and then ushered him in when there was no response.

The room was small, just a sofa, an armchair, and a bookshelf arranged around a small fireplace. A homemade rag-rug lay on the floor, and a pretty glass wolf sat on the mantle. It was colored glass, made to look blue and red and orange and pink. It reminded Stanley of a sunset over the ocean, something he hadn't seen until his recent campaign.

He sat down in the armchair, and stared at the glass wolf until the door opened. "What do you need, your Grace?" she asked.

The title, his title, was said so sharply that it almost felt like an attack. "I wanted to talk to you, Lady Maren," he replied as he stood up. "Please, join me."

"Yes, I think I rather will join you in my own rooms, thank you." She sat on the sofa, and Stanley suddenly realized that she was wearing a dress now, as opposed to the training clothes and armor from earlier.

"You look nice," he said.

She stared. "Is that all you wanted, my lord?" Her voice was almost as cold as her expression.

"No, I… I… Your father, in order to join my armies, requested that I marry you," he began slowly.

She nodded. "I am aware. My father has just informed me, your Grace." Her right hand strayed to the chain around her neck. The pendant was made of a pale blue piece of sea glass.

"I… I know that you must feel upset about this, about not having a choice."

Before he could go on, she held up a hand. "I have known, ever since I was a little girl, that I would be married off to some lord or another because it was convenient, or even advantageous, to my father. You do not need to pity me, your Grace. I have known my fate for years. If anything, I pity you. You probably expected to pick your own wife after your won your war."

"But…"

"I seem angry, my lord, because my father had already struck a deal with John Smith and his army before you agreed to his terms. I had accepted what would happen, and I was ready to join John Smith's cause. Now, I am joining yours in your quest for a free north. Now, my brothers are going to fight and die for your cause."

"And you think my cause is what, inferior to John's?"

She shrugged. "Twinning Keep has always guarded the midlands, the ravine between the north and south. John Smith is claiming his right to all the Seven Kingdoms; his birthright. What right do you have to be King of the North?"

Stanley Worthington stared at her, and he found that he had nothing to say.

Hello everyone! I'm not sure exactly how long this fic will be. I originally planned on a one-shot, but it ended up being longer than expected. So this will either end a two or three-shot, or a multi-chapter fic. Let me know what you would like to see! As always, thanks for reading. Please review and tell me your thoughts.

~Nerd