Game of Thrones: In The Heart of the Storm
Chapter 1 of a new Game of Thrones story, series AU, a word of warning this one is somewhat dark to start with, so be prepared.
Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.
Lost in Darkness
The dank musty smell and steady dripping of water somewhere were the only companions to the girl of six and ten as she sat huddled on the floor of her cell in the dungeons of the Red Keep. It was hard to believe, seeing her current state, that this girl was the daughter of a nobleman. She sat, her arms forced up above her head, chained to the wall, completely naked and filthy from her imprisonment.
'Of course Joffrey had to have me naked, remove anything that would give me dignity.' She thought angrily.
She was thinking of King Joffrey Baratheon, an evil young man who had once been betrothed to her sister. The girl's name was Arya Stark, youngest daughter and third child to Lord Eddard Stark of the North and his wife Catelyn, formerly of the Tully family.
Being the only one of the five children to inherit her father's features, she had brown hair, currently a tangled mess and grey eyes, as well as pale skin and a long face. There had been rumours that Joffrey was not actually the late King Robert's son and therefore had no right to the throne.
This had led to a war that her family had so far took no direct part in. Her father had been forced to flee when he had tried to reveal the truth. Her sister, Sansa, who had been besotted with Joffrey had remained a prisoner, albeit her prison was more luxurious. Arya herself had escaped, only to finally be hunted down and, trying to protect someone dear to her from the same fate, ended up captured.
That was how she ended up back in King's Landing, Joffrey had been overjoyed to have her captive at last. Neither she nor Joffrey got along, she saw him for what he was and had not only insulted him many times, but also had helped her pet Direwolf Nymeria attack him; it seemed so long ago now that happened.
But Joffrey held a grudge and instantly, without any trial had ordered her death. Then she was dragged to the dungeons and, on Joffrey's orders, stripped naked. Her pale skin was marred as also, on Joffrey's orders, for his own pleasure, she had been tortured. She was now covered in scars, mainly from being whipped so many times, some of her whip wounds still bled.
She had been burned and beaten too, burns and bruises littered her body, she was aware of the crusty, dried blood at the right corner of her mouth.
'All these marks of torture, and he still humiliates me...but...' She thought in dismay, tugging at her chains slightly. 'Why has he done that, those men...kept talking about my teats, my...my ass, leering at me...touching me...'
She shuddered as she looked down. What confused was, despite all this, she hadn't been raped, even though, for some reason, the hair between her legs, that usually covered her cunt, had been regularly shaved, leaving her bare there.
She shuddered, not at the thought of being saved for later to be raped, but at her fate. She was going to die, no fair trial, no trial at all; just instantly sentenced to death.
As she thought on that, she recalled something else. 'Gendry, I...You are my...I hope he's still out there, safe...free, maybe he'll finally have found all that glory he was seeking when he got his knighthood...'
She tried not to be bitter about that; especially as Gendry was the one she had got herself caught for, ensuring his escape. A young man she had befriended during her escape from Kings Landing, only to find herself growing strangely more attached to him, especially when, after learning she was a girl, he continued to treat her the way she wanted to be treated.
For she was not like other girl's she wanted to be a warrior, to fight, not do needlework and all that other nonsense. She even had her own sword, but it was lost to her now.
'And now I'll never get it back, the dead don't need swords.' She lamented to herself. 'I'm not even going to be given a proper death...that bastard is...'
Upon sentencing her to death, the actual date now being the day after tomorrow, she had been told that, despite her blood, she wasn't noble, she was a savage animal and did not deserve an honourable beheading, therefore she was to be hanged instead.
As if that wasn't bad enough, she knew Joffrey would take pains to ensure, when she hanged, her neck wouldn't break so that it would be a long, drawn out and painful strangulation that killed her, again, all for his sick pleasure. Trapped, alone in the darkness of this cell, all she could think was, it was over for her, this was how her life was to end, so short and cruel, a complete injustice if there ever was one.
Up in the throne room, King Joffrey Baratheon smirked; his usual cruel smirk. He sat on the throne, crown nestled on top of his golden blonde hair, his green eyes alight with his usual malice as he sneered down at the girl kneeling at the foot of the steps leading up to the throne.
Said girl was nine and ten, with long auburn hair and blue eyes, as well as pale skin. It was Arya's older sister Sansa Stark, his former betrothed and now a mere prisoner. Standing on either side of Joffrey were his mother and grandfather. His mother, Cersei Lannister was the one he had inherited his hair and eye colour from, just like she had inherited it from her father, Tywin Lannister, although Tywin's advanced age had whitened his hair.
Joffrey continued to sneer at Sansa. "What meaningless drivel have you come to complain about now, Sansa?"
She bowed her head, her tone pleading. "Your Grace, please, I have come to beg for mercy for my sister, please spare her...Exile would be a far worse punishment than death to her."
"Do not waste my time with this." He snapped. "The whore will hang...I might even change my mind and have her hanged tomorrow!"
Sansa inhaled shakily at that and continued to plead. Joffrey rolled his eyes, his mind wandering.
'Hope those two jailers are having fun with the Stark bitch...' He thought in delight. 'Of course, if they want to have their fun, they're the ones that have to keep her ugly cunt clean.'
The two jailers were men he had bribed to keep the Stark girl shaven between her legs, for their pleasure, whom he had ensured would rape Arya Stark just before her hanging.
It would be the perfect way to have her die, being seen for the slut she was.
"Enough." He said. "Sansa, I've made my decision and now..."
"Joffrey, we cannot afford more enemies." Tywin said suddenly. "We are already dealing with enough problems, if we kill the Stark girl, Eddard Stark and that group of soldiers he has out there will hear about it."
Joffrey scoffed. "Good; that'll teach them from camping out to threaten us, they're already enemies, this will demoralize them."
But his mother disagreed. "It won't Joffrey; it will enrage them. They are only here like this because we hold Arya Stark prisoner. They have not sided with Stannis, yet, if we simply kill the girl, they will and that will bring the North and the Riverlands to his side; we'll be outnumbered."
Joffrey snarled. "What would you have me do then, release her!?"
"Think about the consequences, before making any decisions." Tywin replied calmly.
Joffrey glowered but then looked down at Sansa and; unable to believe this was happening he grunted.
"I suppose you both raise good points...Very well, I've made my decision."
His tone made Sansa look up, expectantly, but still fearful.
Finally Joffrey seemed to make up his mind how to word his answer.
"Sansa, tomorrow, I will have your sister brought here, before the court." He explained. "If she bends the knee and begs for my mercy, as well as apologizing for all her transgressions, especially against me, such as attacking me...then I will forgive her. If she does not, or continues to act like a wild animal; then she will meet the noose tomorrow."
He grinned, so he'd have to just forget about having her raped, reclaim his money from the jailers, but now he had the perfect set up. He would have tried to show mercy, having given the Stark bitch a chance. Nobody could challenge her being put to death after that.
For he knew, there was no way she would possibly agree to such terms, being too arrogant and proud of herself to do so. Joffrey had settled on this, knowing he'd get the last laugh in the end, confident of his victory.
End of chapter, so you see the dark beginning, read and review please.