Chapter Three- Long lost love
Robb Stark
We were awoken early by Mother. Isabella was yawning loudly, her head nearly falling on Jon's lap. Rickon was already snoring with his head on Bran's shoulder while Bran was nodding off too. Arya had leant her head on a windowsill and had her eyes closed. Sansa, being the perfect lady, was fighting off sleep quite successfully, better than the rest of us anyway. Finally, Mother and Father walked into their solar.
"You are all probably wondering why I have summoned you here." Father began. Seeing everyone's near unconscious state, he coughed loudly to which Isabella's snore replied. Stifling a chuckle, Father said, "Robb, Jon, Sansa, would you please wake up your fellow siblings." Nearing Isabella's ear, I loudly said, "Boo". Isabella shrilly screamed and woke up wide eyed. Her scream woke up Bran, Arya and Rickon. Everyone began laughing at their incoherent state (well, Isabella's anyway) while Isabella glared at me. 'This isn't over' She mouthed to me to which I replied, 'Bring it on'.
Father cleared his throat and began speaking again, "While that was extremely amusing, Robb, let us get back to business. The Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, is dead. The King is making his way towards Winterfell. Last night, we received a raven from Barrowtown that the King had just left and was coming here. So, he will be here soon. I expect you all to be on your best behaviour."
"Aren't we always, Father?" I grinned at him lopsidedly.
"Well, Jon, Theon and you are immediately going to go to the Barber and get that beard shaved off." Mother said sternly.
"But I had just begun growing a beard! I really wanted one like Lord Karstark's, Mother! And besides, why should we get prissed for the King's arrival?" I asked.
"You will do as you are told. Isabella, you will wear your best gown, not those grey one's you prefer. Sansa, just be yourself. Arya, you are immediately going to take a bath and put on a gown for once. Bran, no climbing walls, how many times do I have to point out its dangers to you? Rickon, you desperately need a bath too." Mother began ranting out instructions.
"I'm a Stark, it's perfectly appropriate for me to wear grey!" Isabella defended herself.
"Well, they're here to meet you and Father. Why should I wear a gown?" Arya spat out.
"Mother, I'm surefooted, I won't fall off." Bran said.
"I don't smell. I don't need a bath." Rickon angrily snapped.
"Enough! You are to do as your mother instructs you." Father ended all our arguments. Grumbling everyone filed out of the room. Jon and I walked towards Theon's room. Without knocking, we entered the room to see Theon sleeping with a naked serving wench snuggled into his side.
"Oi, Theon! Wake up, sunshine!" I slapped his face.
"What in the name of the Drowned God! Stark! What in the seven hells was that for?" Theon sputtered at me sleepily.
"The King's coming to Winterfell. Mother has instructed us to go to the Barber. Get dressed and meet us there, or face Mother's wrath. Choose wisely, Greyjoy." I snickered and walked out of the room with my half-brother, Jon. We made our way towards the Barber where we discovered that Mother had already given him instructions. After thoroughly washing our face free of grime and dirt, the Barber began his work. He trimmed my long auburn locks and shaved my precious beard off. I'd spent three month carefully grooming it. Theon finally arrived and was sheared by the barber too. Finally, it was Jon's turn.
"Give him a nice thorough trim, Kirth. I've never met a girl he likes more than his hair." I grinned while Jon looked like a deer in headlights seeing the Barber's knife.
"I don't understand why we have to get prepped for the King's arrival. From what I've heard, he isn't exactly very well presentable, either." Jon said.
"I bet it's for the Queen." Theon grinned lustily.
After Jon was cropped by the Barber, we came back to our rooms and dressed in all our finery. We finally met up in the courtyard where we saw the girls lining up too. Sansa had dressed up in a blue gown which she had boasted of embroiding last month. She looked like the proper lady she always was. Isabella was fidgeting with the hem of a brown and cream coloured gown. The top was brown while the skirts and the sleeves were cream of colour. You could see that Mother had braided beads into her hair. Bran and Rickon were dressed in their best leathers. But there was someone missing.
"Where's Arya?" Isabella and I asked each other at the same time. One of the perks of being twins. Sometimes, we both had the same thoughts. By looking at us, you wouldn't be able to tell that we were twins. I had inherited mother's Tully blue eyes and auburn hair while Isabella had inherited Father's Northern grey eyes and dark brown hair.
"She must be here somewhere." I replied.
"Mother's going to be livid if she misses this." Isabella replied.
"The King's here! I saw him coming!" Arya shouted and came running towards us. Surprisingly, she was wearing a gown. She was also wearing a steel helmet on her head. Typical Arya. I saw Isabella chuckling at Arya too. Father removed the helmet and gave it to Mikken. We then stood in formation. Father first, then Mother, followed by I, Isabella, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon. Mother made Jon stand behind us because she thought the King might find it a slight to witness a bastard. From the stories I'd heard, he himself had fathered numerous bastards. Theon was standing with him because the king hated Greyjoys.
The king arrived on a black horse. From the memories I'd heard from Father, Robert Baratheon was heavily muscled and strapping. Not this fat, shaggy man. Yet the golden crown on his head showcased the fact that he was the King of Westeros. He got off his horse, which frankly was to be applauded for carrying so much weight, while the crown prince, Joffrey was looking at my sisters like a piece of meat. Isabella seemed disgusted by this while Sansa was smiling at him shyly. I didn't like the interaction between them at all. The Queen and the rest of the royal family stepped out of the carriage. She looked nothing like the golden-haired goddess described in those songs Sansa loved. The Kingslayer on the other hand looked mighty on his white destrier with his Kingsguard armour. He looked more like a King than the actual King.
The King walked up towards Father while we knelt down. With a quick dismissal of our curtsy, we began to get up.
"You've gotten fat." The King told Father. Father didn't reply but stared pointedly at the King's own gargantuan stomach. The king began to roar with laughter and they both hugged each other like brothers. "Cat! You look beautiful!" The king kissed mother's hand courteously. "You must be Robb!" He told me, moving further down the line. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Grace." I replied. "Your boy is quite the sweet-talker, Ned!" He chuckled and looked at Isabella.
The grin died on his face. Intense emotions could be seen flooding through his face. Sadness, loss, love. He was looking at her like how one looks at their long lost love. "Lyanna?" He gasped. "No, Your Grace. It's Isabella Stark." Isabella stuttered awkwardly. I didn't like the way he looked at her at all. People normally compared my sister's beauty to my dead aunt's. My aunt was betrothed to Robert Baratheon before she was kidnapped by Rhaegar Targaryen. Robert Baratheon had started a rebellion to save her. He won the rebellion but lost her. Even though my sister looked like my aunt, she wasn't her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, child. Just a case of nostalgia." The king snapped out of his trance and moved on to greet the rest of my family who just received mere nods. "Ned, we should pay our respects to the dead." The King said and nodded towards the crypts. "It's been a long journey. Surely the dead can wait, my love." The queen asked the king sweetly. Too sweet. You could tell it was faked. "Ned" The king dismissed her request and walked towards the crypts with father. When they left, the queen gave one sharp icy glance at Isabella and walked towards the Kingslayer.
"Come on, Izzy. Let's go." I said, linking my arm with her hand and walking towards the Godswood. I would have to keep a close eye on my beautiful twin sister during the King's visit to protect her from harm. I vowed to defend my dazed twin sister.
