This is AU that takes place in 18th century England. There will be at least three parts.

Part 1

Shireen stood in front of the window and looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, turning the sky the shades of red, orange and pink. It was beautiful; Shireen loved watching sunsets as well as sunrises. She didn't have many things to watch in her living quarters in the attic. Her father brought her books and Jane, her maid, often brought her fresh flowers, but she dreamed for something more. She didn't want to spend her whole life in the attic.

Of course she knew that she should be grateful for being alive. Without her father, her mother would have probably killed her as soon as she had been born. A monster. Ugly. Hideous. A disgrace. Those were just some things her mother had called her. Shireen was grateful that Lady Selyse hadn't come to see her for a while. That was because her father was home. Lady Selyse never hurt Shireen when Lord Stannis was here, he wouldn't have allowed that.

Unfortunately he traveled a lot. He had never hurt her or been cruel to her, but he also wanted Shireen to stay in the attic. Apart from her parents and Jane, no one knew that Shireen even existed. Her family had moved into this mansion when Shireen had been a small child and she had never left the attic. Sometimes her parents hosted big parties and if she pressed her ear against the floor, she could hear music.

One time Jane had forgotten to lock the door and Shireen had managed to sneak out when her parents were having a party. It had been a huge risk, her mother would have beaten her senseless if she would have caught her, but it had been worth it. She had seen ladies wearing beautiful gowns and dancing with lords in the ballroom. The whole room had been lighted with candles; Shireen had never seen anything so beautiful.

She would have given anything if she could have been one of those ladies. That would never happen; she knew that. She was nothing but disgrace to her parents. Lady Selyse had often said that Shireen had somehow cursed her. After she had given birth to Shireen, all her other children, her sons, had been born dead. That was Shireen's fault. She should be dead instead of her brothers. She turned to the door when she heard someone unlocking it. Usually it was Jane, but now she saw her father and smiled.

"Father."

"Hello, my dear," Lord Stannis replied, he was also smiling. He rarely smiled, he was usually very gloomy and serious, but he wasn't like that with Shireen. She waited until he had placed the tray he was carrying on the small table before she hurried to hug him.

"I'm sorry for not visiting you more often," he stated as he wrapped his arms around her. "I have been very busy lately."

"With what?" Shireen asked.

"With many things," Stannis sighed. "Nothing you should worry about. You know I have many duties."

"Yes, father." Shireen paused and pulled away. "You are not leaving again, are you?"

"I am afraid so. I must return to London."

"When?"

"After couple of days. But I promise I'll spend time with you before that. Not tonight though, I'm afraid, I have few important things to take care of."

Shireen could barely hide her disappointment; she had hoped that her father would stay with her for a while.

"Please don't look at me like that," Stannis sighed. "I'll come back tomorrow, I promise."

Shireen nodded, although she felt sad.

"Sweetheart," Stannis said and cupped her face. "You know I can't bear to see my little girl sad. Although you are not so little anymore. Speaking of which…" He paused and took something out of his pocket. It was a small box. "I was planning to give this to you tomorrow, but…"

"What's this?" Shireen asked as she took the box from him.

Stannis smiled.

"Tomorrow is your birthday, sweetheart. This is my gift for you."

Shireen's eyes widened, she hadn't remembered her birthday. It would be her 16th birthday.

"Thank you, father."

"Go ahead, open it."

She did and gasped as she saw a beautiful bronze necklace.

"Do you like it?" Stannis asked.

"Yes, father, it's beautiful," she replied and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Happy birthday, sweetheart."

After her father had left, Shireen walked in front of her small mirror and tried the necklace on. It was beautiful, unlike her face. She had got used to being ashamed of herself and she was convinced that people would be disgusted if they would see her. She was hideous. A monster. With a sigh she returned to the window and looked outside. The sun had already set and the moon was full.

She should just eat her dinner, wash up and go to bed. Yes, she should, but she didn't want to. 16 years… She didn't want to spend the next 16 years locked up in here. She wanted to go outside, just this once. This would be the right time to do that when her father was still here. If she would get caught, he would hopefully protect her from her mother.

The door was locked, as usual, so she would have to use the window. She had sometimes climbed out the window when it was dark and sat on the roof. Feeling the wind on her face was one of the most wonderful things she knew. When she closed her eyes, she could imagine that she would fly away. Tonight she was going to climb all the way down. She was going to feel the grass under her feet. It was the only thing she really wanted for her birthday.