Chapter 1

Shireen closed her eyes as she felt the gentle breeze on her face. She truly enjoyed riding and this was the longest ride she had ever taken. After spending most of her life in Dragonstone, the long roads and open fields felt very strange to her.

"Princess?" Ser Davos called. "Are you tired? The carriage is prepared for you, if…"

"No, thank you, Ser Davos," Shireen replied. "I enjoy riding."

Ser Davos smiled.

"I can see that."

Shireen smiled too.

"I am very grateful you are here," she said.

"Of course. It is my honor to escort you, princess."

Lady Selyse had refused to leave Dragonstone and Shireen's departure hadn't seemed to interest her at all. Not that Shireen had expected her mother to suddenly care about her. She knew how deeply her mother despised her. Lady Selyse had told her more than once that Shireen didn't deserve to live when her brothers were dead. To her, Shireen was nothing more than disgrace. A constant reminder of her loss.

If it would have been Lady Selyse's choice, Shireen would have been locked in her tower for the rest of her life. She most certainly wouldn't be on her way to her wedding. The thought made Shireen very nervous. When the raven had brought the message from her father, she hadn't known what to think. Her father had never even talked about marrying her off and now he wanted her to marry a stranger.

She had hoped some kind of advice from her mother, but Lady Selyse hadn't told her anything. All the knowledge Shireen had, came from her books. That knowledge wasn't nearly enough; there were still many things she couldn't understand. The only person, who could maybe answer to some of her questions, was Ser Davos. He had always treated Shireen kindly and looked after her. She loved him dearly and trusted him.

Quickly Shireen glanced at her father's soldiers who were riding with her and Ser Davos. They also had two carriages with them. The other carriage was meant for Shireen, but she preferred riding her own horse.

"Ser Davos?" Shireen said as she guided her horse next to his. "May I ask you few questions?"

"Of course, princess."

"I was wondering if you could tell me something about Lord Stark."

Shireen noticed Ser Davos tensing.

"Yes… I have heard that he is an honorable man, princess."

"I have heard that people call him The Young Wolf. Do you know why?"

"I believe that is because of his skills in battle."

"Oh." Shireen paused and smiled. "I have also heard that he could turn into a wolf and rip his enemies apart. I suppose that's not true."

"I doubt that, princess," Ser Davos replied smiling.

Shireen was quiet for a while before continuing.

"I… I'm nervous, Ser Davos. What if I disgust him?"

"No! Princess, don't you dare say something like that. You are a beautiful, smart young lady, any lord would be lucky to wed you."

"Thank you, I appreciate you saying that."

"It is the truth," Ser Davos replied firmly. "And I hope this young lord is worthy of you."

Shireen smiled at Ser Davos warmly, but she couldn't shake her nervousness. What if Lord Stark would refuse to wed her after meeting her? What if she would dishonor her father? What if she would be a bad wife? She did know what wife's responsibilities were, but could she fulfill them? She didn't know exactly what happened on wedding night, she had only heard some whispers. That part probably scared her the most.

She had heard that the husband and the wife would be naked and the husband would do something to the wife. According to the maids, that something would hurt. Shireen had never been naked in front of a man, the thought was terrifying. Once again she hoped that her mother would have at least explained these things to her, she was most certainly too embarrassed to ask Ser Davos. All she could hope was that Lord Stark would be patient with her.

He was older than her, so he most likely knew how these things worked. Hopefully he would be kind enough to answer her questions before they would be naked. That was another thing that worried her. Was he a kind man? What if he would be cruel? Shireen knew that her father loved her and she wanted to believe that he wouldn't marry her off to a cruel man.

She also knew how badly her father wanted the Iron Throne. Shireen had studied the history of war strategies and she understood the importance of this alliance. This marriage was a way to seal the alliance. Noble girls rarely got to choose their husbands and she hadn't expected that she could either. She hadn't really expected to get married at all, not after her mother had made it clear how ashamed she was of Shireen.

Her father had always been kind to her, but he had also wanted her to stay in her tower. He had never said that he would be ashamed of her, but she had assumed that he was. She had assumed that he couldn't bear to see people staring at his daughter and thinking how hideous she looked. Shireen didn't really care if people stared at her, but it did make her feel insecure sometimes. Yet she wasn't ashamed of herself. This was her; she didn't try to be anything else. She had tried her hardest to be a good daughter and she would try just as hard to be a good wife. Hopefully that would be enough to Lord Stark.