"Tyrion...Lannister" Eliesse breathed, her heart a flurry of anxiety, sadness and...disbelief. For an entire week whilst she sailed the great Dorne sea, that name was the only thing etched red and aggravated in her mind. Searing, burning...a festering wound on her heart that no logical excuse or explanation the man could give would heal.
"I suppose I am not what you had expected….When people spoke of the imp and dwarf of Casterly Rock, I'm sure you imagined I was just of short stature...this must truly be disappointing" Tyrion spoke eloquently, sipping his wine casually. He peered at the young girl before him, his daughter, trying to gage the look in her gold eyes. "In fact," He chuckled sheepishly "A few knights of the Kingsguard had snickered about the beautiful Dornish Lannister who was a woman almost sculpted but had some growing to do...I will say, I was quite worried the God's blessed...Or perhaps cursed you in your father's likeness and not your sweet mother's" Tyrion shrugged inwardly, feeling uncomfortable in the deafening silence. "Do speak, girl" he beckoned, tipping his glass towards her.
Eliesse shook her head. "I'm afraid I've lost my voice, it would seem. How did you get in here? Who let you in?" She cocked a proud brow at the strange man, while glancing ever so slowly around the room. Perhaps she was expecting to find Thara's body lay askew, bloody and throat spilled across her floor...what could she expect? She hadn't known the man for more than a few moments and he had already proved himself to be quite intrusive…
"Twelve years you've never known my face or voice and that's the first question you have" Tyrion smirked, taking another large draw of his wine. "I suppose there could be worst questions"
"Like why in the seven hell's did you abandon me? Or was the whore selection of Dorne not as appeasing? That's what you do, yes? Whore and drink wine. At least that's what the folklore and songs sing" There she was. There was Tyrion Lannister's daughter.
Tyrion frowned, another gulp of wine going down harsh and thick. "You Dorne women...you waste no time. The look in your eye…" Tyrion hopped off the chair he had been sitting and observing Eliesse from and walked towards her.
Eliesse stared back, unwavering and proud. Yes, it was true that he was small...astonishingly so...but the jest in his walk and the way he spoke so fluidly...it was as though he stood six feet from the ground. A true lion. "Under the candlelight, I could swear by all the God's, new and old, it is my mischief in your eye...but then you frown and your nose scrunches just like your mother's. And then I see that you truly are her incarnate. The songs be true and the God's good, it would seem".
Eliesse stared at Lord Tyrion, her face washed of anything kind and ridden with a sorrow she refused to let reach her eyes. She did not want this strange man to see the pain she carried for a love she's never felt. The simplest mention of a mother never known, yet a love searched for in what seemed like a never ending lifetime, was enough to break the proud girl down into something more recognizable in a child of ten and two.
She dropped to her knees in front of Tyrion, weak from a sore heart and ailing mind. She was deprived of a mother and father's touch, and though her uncle tried his best, he could never quite reach the girl's heart. No, it was left on an old merchant ship, likely abandoned and riddled of rot and seaweed, twelve years in the past. Her heart was eons away in a life she never knew but wondered of from the time she was a young girl and heard one of her cousins say "mother" for the first time. What was that word? And why could she pronounce it but never truly understand it?
"Why" She half choked and sobbed, "Why did you send me away? Did you not love me? Did you not love my mother?" Eliesse closed her eyes as she always did, head high, searching for something in the air or skies above, unbeknownst to those around her.
She did what she knew best to console her damaged heart...she would dream. As a young girl, her mind would float to summer skies, hot peaked suns, crisp heat in still winds, the smell of sand and oasis...a hummingbird ravaging the flowers in the Sunspear gardens overtook her sensory, grasping her ear with quiet shrills from the window. She'd stare, lost in its tranquil beauty. Sometimes she swore she could open her eyes and be suspended in the skies too, wings drumming and thundering a hundred beats a second, zipping through lush greens and prim floral bed. She soared high, higher in the sky, forgetting her somber figure at the quiet windowsill she thought she dreamt from. She would awake on the floor, body calming from an ecstasy she couldn't recall. Thara would hush the girl, begging her to tell no one of her dream.
Tyrion leered down at the girl, mouth dry despite his constant wetting throughout the day and night.
For the first time in the strange Lannister's life, he peered down on someone else. His hand trembled as he raised it quietly. He knew a reassuring touch was not what the girl needed. No, what she needed was love and it's well had ran dry long ago. No gesture of kindness or love would quench its thirst. He dropped his hand silently once more as the young girl sobbed into lonely hands.
"Ellie...I...I loved your mother fiercely. I loved...love you just as much, if not more. I know that it sounds like horse shit coming from a wretched dwarf that cast you away...I did what I thought...I just wanted...young Ellie, I pray, with all my heart, God's be true...I pray you never have to send your love away for fear it would be taken from you. And if the day comes, I pray you have the strength to fulfill duty before love".
—
Eliesse woke to the quiet opening and closing of her chamber' door. She stirred in plush, bear pelts and furs, stretching timidly. "Thara?" She called meekly, hoping it was truly her this time and not her father, Tyrion Lannister.
"Yes, my flower. Are you hungry? I have brought you cheeses, fruit and porridge".
Eliesse sighed heavily with relief washing through her veins. "Yes, please". She rubbed her eyes tiredly, thoughts of her encounter last night with her father flooding her already full mind.
He had been kind...kinder than she thought he would be, or were capable of anything circulating Lannister blood. She remembered crying, and Tyrion listening silently... apologizing every so often...every other sip of wine. He never disagreed. He knew he had forsaken her. The imp knew honor, he knew his deed had suffered the girl, though she wasn't quite sure he had intent to resolve it.
He left her chambers when a sliver of morn sliced across the night's sky. "I should go. A young girl needs her beauty sleep, though I'm sure it'd do you nothing more than what you have been blessed with...and there is sure to be an abundance of wine at the feast still partaking. We will speak soon, Ellie"
She had nodded quickly, turning to blow out the candle at her bedside. "Goodnight...Tyr...Fa…"
"Tyrion will do. Though I hope one day, I will prove my keep in your presence and earn the title of father. Goodnight lady Eliesse of Dorne...and welcome home"
"My flower, what has happened?!"
Thara's voice sprang Eliesse from her rambling thoughts. She tore away the bed pelts revealing a ominous red stain on the crisp, white sheets.
"I-I don't know" Eliesse jumped quickly, staring at the red spots that were littered where she lay. She leapt from the bed, staring at the linens and wondering if someone had attacked her in her sleep and she hadn't known. A mercenary in my chambers…
Thara glanced at Eliesse, her eyes softening as she stared at the young girl whose legs bared silent red streaks and night clothes a growing red stain. "My flower, you have blossomed into a woman, true" she smiled softly, crossing the room to cup the confused girl's cheek.
"What do you mean? Someone's tried to kill me!" Eliesse whispered, her heart frantic in a frail chest.
Thara laughed sweetly, grasping the girl's hand and walking her over to her chamber's bath. She began warming the water dropping intriguing oils she'd never seen before, lest smelt. She turned to Eliesse, softly tugging the girl's night garment over her head and rolling it into a discreet ball. No one needn't know of the newly blossomed woman.
"You have had your first blood, my flower. A girl you are no more. Today, you are a woman and the rest of your days, true".
—
Eliesse ate silently in her bedroom garden. The sun shone bright above as she picked boringly at the grapes and cheeses before her. This is not warrior food, she thought to herself biting into a dry grape. She imagined eating honey-hog and the tender meat of prickly pear...all the flavors of an island too far to taste.
She stood quickly, irritated suddenly. She wanted to spar, and train and fight. But there was no fighting for girls—no, women, here in this stupid Capital. Still, the jittery girl stood from her chair and began practicing her footwork, one hand behind her back, the other grasping a faux steel.
"Who taught you that nonsense?" A muffled laugh spoke from her doorway. Eliesse turned quickly, meeting eyes with the infamous King Slayer. "Is that what they teach you women down in Dorne? A fancy two-step? You'd be chopped down in mere seconds on a battlefield"
Eliesse huffed, her olive face turning an usual shade of red. She had heard whispers of Jamie, the lion of Lannister, and his roaring ego. Though, she hoped she'd never have to endure it. A grimace basked upon her angelic features, poisoning its innocence. "What would you teach me instead? How to kill my enemies with their back turned, perhaps?" She sneered.
Jamie's eyebrows rose in amusement. She was truly Tyrion's daughter. "Such a mouth on such a fine lady...it's unbecoming you know" he smirked, walking down the few steps to where the agitated girl stood.
"Women here are taught to stand behind men and answer with yes please and no thank you. I am not a capital woman. I am a warrior of Dorne"
"You are a child and smart be you'd start behaving as such" Jamie winked finally coming to stand in front of the beauty. He peered down on her, losing himself for a moment in aggravated gold eyes and cherry bitten lips. He could vaguely see the outline in her cheeks where two dimple stood, proud and boastful when the time came. To think this was the same babe he nearly cut down The Mountain for.
He remembered bursting through Elia's chambers, her bloodied corpse lay across the floor, remnants of her children skulls plastered on red walls. Eliessia lay motionless in a corner, shallow breath rising and falling from a butchered bosom, skin soaked red where olive skin use to boast...each breath farther from the last. Her dress was ripped up the seam and under clothes absent, her eyes shut no longer willful to open. "El...Ellie...b...be...bed" she choked, blood spilling from innocent lips. A soft cry from a weaved basket on the bed captured his attention. Please, his mind screamed. He rushed over, swooping up the unharmed and pathetic babe from blood soaked blankets. He turned, rushing back to the withering Eliessia who's ever hot, russet skin had turned unnaturally cool and blue. He knelt to her side, one great arm grasping the dying woman and other securing her babe. "I...lo...ve...you...Eliesse...Ty...rion…my lo…"
"I am not a child. I am a woman, and I will learn to be a warrior like my mother and her's before" Eliesse seethed, her eyes ablaze. Jamie frowned, silently glancing around him. Her scowl, it reminded him of his brother's great love. She was rough in voice and gesture but soft and gentle in touch and spirit. Yes, this young girl was all Eliessia Martell. Fierce and bold. She would be a warrior like her mother, no doubt.
"If you must, you will. As your uncle, I will show you a different side of battling...one with swords, and class...not spear and barbarism. Only at dawn. Two days a week. Nothing more. You will not breathe a word to anyone. Do you understand, Ellie?"
Eliesse dropped her arms and her proud brows unfurrowed as she stared bewildered at the King Slayer. He wanted to help her? But why? Perhaps, an opportunity lay before her...if she could learn the techniques of these Westeros warriors, it might prove an advantage when she lay siege to their houses.
"Alright. Dawn. Two days a week" she agreed, sitting once more at her small table. She loosely picked a grape from its vine and ate it, never once breaking gaze with Jamie Lannister.
"Wonderful. But the real reason I have come, is the King has requested your presence, sweet niece".
—
Jamie led Eliesse down a cobblestone corridor, his chainmail supplying the only sound between them. Eliesse glanced at the King Slayer curiously.
"What does the King want of me?" She mused, watching Jamie's unwavering and handsome face never falter or lay clue to any intent. He shrugged honestly, glancing down at his niece.
"I don't know of the King's business. I just watch his ass...which is quite the job...considering its grand size, that is" He smirked that devilish smirked that maidens swooned about, though being a man of the Kingsguard would mean he would take no wife and bear no heirs...why would anyone condemn themselves willingly to a life of solitude and loneliness? the curious girl thought.
A rare and small smile etched the girl's usual stoically beautiful face, though she quickly turned to hide it. But it was too late, the King Slayer had already saw and silently smiled himself, for he couldn't understand the strange affection he held for her. Perhaps it was the fact that she was his only brother's daughter, and a brother he loved dearly despite his twin sister's distaste. Her witt, silver tongue and brazen demeanor was everything he admired of his brother, and his daughter surely carried the smallest Lannister in her spirit.
The two Lannisters reached the end of a dimly lit corridor. Jamie thrust open old, wooden doors to a small chamber that held a large table and many chairs. Eliesse imagined this was the castle's council room. "They will be here soon, have a seat in the meantime" Jamie gestured the girl to a chair. She hesitated, but obliged nonetheless, sitting just as the chamber doors opened once more.
In stormed Robert Baratheon and a few older men, all presumably his council, no less. Robert was vigorously waving his hands, his fat face red in frustration. "Ah, fuck them all. Bloody leeches they be!" He boomed.
Eliesse stared inquisitively. She never flinched nor quivered at the great voice of King Baratheon like many had. She folded a leg over another, her hand clasped gently...waiting for her presence to be known.
Jamie watched Eliesse, bemused at her cunning attitude. He admired her, truly. Kings Landing whispered her name around every corner, street and hall. The Tiger of Casterly Rock...Eliessia Martell reborn...the Viperess of Dorne...He wondered for a moment how his beloved sister, the Queen, felt about the chatter. He remembered standing with her at the Red Keep's balcony as the Lannister soldiers and their father entered the castle, little Ellie of Dorne at side. "Dornish whore" was all Cersei spoke before disappearing back into her chambers, adjusting her disheveled dress. To be jealous of a girl...silly, he thought.
"Aye, Ellie of Dorne...thank you for joining us old men as we bicker. Come here, girl. Sit beside me" Robert spoke, eyeing the young girl inappropriately. Jamie shifted uncomfortably in his chainmail, noting the King's change in demeanor. The King's eyes on his young niece irritated him.
Ellie stood from her seat quietly, briskly walking to a more invasive seat beside the King. His red, fat face gleamed at her, a hunger in his eye unfamiliar to a girl of her age.
Robert eyed the girl curiously. No doubt, her beauty was unmatched in all the Seven Kingdoms, not even his bitch wife could contest. Though the King's hunger seemed to never be satisfied, he reminded himself that she was still a young girl. Perhaps in a few years, he scoffed to himself.
"Ellie, how are you liking life in the capital? No Dorne, say the least...but I am sure it proves a worthy second look, aye?" Robert cooed, eyeing the girl carefully.
You fat fool. "The Capital has been gracious. I am very much at home here, thank you" Eliesse answered sweetly. Robert smiled, triumphant. It didn't take much to appease the fat, gluttonous King.
"Good!" He boomed suddenly, earning a few jests from the other old men, in return. "Ellie, it be true you're whole life you've only known Dorne...now, you are here in the capital, but there lie a whole other side of the country undiscovered to ye…"
Eliesse listened tiredly, though she made sure to disguise her sleek expression in interest. She wished the fat fool would just get on with whatever he has summoned her for. The banter back and forth for show of these dying men were beginning to irritate the young girl.
"Eliesse, this is my hand...Jon Arryn…" Robert gestured to a man, white haired but kind faced. He shon the girl a quiet smile. "Jon leaves tomorrow for the North...my good friend—brother, Eddard Stark mans the vast, cold lands as the Warden...it be a goodwill trip to discuss the northern wall, wildlings...things that go bump in the night girl" He boomed once more with laughter. "Nothing concerning a young girl like you...though...I am sending you with him. It would do your burnt skin some good to see what lies beyond your desert home and the capital and experience a true cold. The north is our last border...you come from a proud house, duty be you know your country and all its walls"
Eliesse stared at Robert, confused and shocked. Another trip? Perhaps this would be the attempt on the young girl's life. Lure her away from home...somewhere desolate where her screams couldn't be heard…
"I shall start packing" Eliesse answered, the voices in her mind screaming in protest. "Many thanks for the opportunity, your grace" she quickly rose, bowing. Robert nodded, dismissing the girl. Eliesse wasted no time scurrying as fast as her legs would take her through the chamber doors.
Jamie quickly followed the young girl, sensing her fright behind calloused demeanor. "El—
"You knew! And you didn't even warn me! Was this the plan, all along? Bring me from my safe home in Dorne to sentence me to the north? To kill me along the way?" Eliesse yelled at Jamie. Though the young girl fought, tears welded in the corners of her eyes. How could she be so naive? A goodwill trip? Horse shit.
"Ellie, I had no inclination that the King would send you North with Lord Arryn...besides, you are not to stay there! You are visiting...only to see the Northern lands and return...you are ma—
"Where is my father?" Eliesse interjected, unwilling to listen to the King Slayer's rambling any longer. Jamie sighed deeply, shaking his head at Eliesse's uncontainable fire.
"I will send for him"
—
Tyrion Lannister waddled down the halls at a remarkably quick pace, even for his impish self. Servants and wenches watched him, bewildered at his eagerness. Jamie had called for him, through an old merchant of the castle. "Eliesse leaves for the north tomorrow" was all he said. It was enough to send the drunken dwarf into a flurry of anger and confusion. No one had said anything to him of the matter.
He burst through Eliesse's chambers, finding the girl sitting quietly on her bed. Her handmaiden was stroked her soft curls, whispering sweet nothings in her ear of reassurance. "Eliesse, what is the meaning of this" he began, coming to the girl's side.
Eliesse glanced up, her eyes dry, but red from tears she dared not speak of. She shook her head, defeated once more. "The King is sending me with Jon Arryn to the north...he has a goodwill trip, and our Grace believes it would be appropriate for me to accompany him, as the north is vastly unknown to my Dorne self. A Lannister duty" she scoffed, shaking her head once more.
Tyrion watched silently, lips pressed for fear of speaking something unbecoming of the King or unhelpful to his sweet daughter. "How long" He demanded quietly.
"Two moons and a bit we will be gone" Thara spoke. She ran her fingers once more through Eliesse's damp curls. "I will accompany her. And no one will kill you, my flower. Not while I lay awake".
Eliesse rose from her bed, walking slowly to the terrace doors of her room. She watched the sunset breathe strange, orange wisp across the floor and wondered if it would be the last sunset she'd ever see. Why would he want me to go North with this strange man, Eliesse thought, her arms folded tightly over a frail chest. "I must begin packing...Lord Tyrion, I will say my farewells in the morn" Eliesse said bluntly, walking over to her chest. Tyrion and Thara exchanged an indifferent look, unsure of the girl's sudden eagerness. Perhaps the capital had truly brought her mad…
"Eliesse…" Tyrion began, walking over to the young girl, he stared at her as she began tearing dress from dress...searching for something that seemed to not be there.
"Father, I am fine. Please. We will say our farewells tomorrow" She smiled suddenly, though the gesture never met her gold eyes. Tyrion retracted, glancing once more to Thara who simply nodded. She will be fine, she whispered with her eyes. Tyrion pressed his lips to a firm line.
"Very well...I will see you in the morning. Send for me as you need...goodnight, Ellie" He bid as he walked briskly to the girl's chamber doors. He glanced once more over his shoulder, finding his daughter uninterrupted from her packing. Quietly, he slipped away before she could notice.
—
A loud horn thundered across the Royal Courtyard, signaling the departure of the Royal Guard and ambassadors of the Crown.
Eliesse rested quiet upon her gifted steed from her grandfather. "M'lady, I wish you'd reconsider riding on horseback. They say the trip north is exhausting and long...I'd imagine it'd do no good to a growing girl's back…" Thara whispered, whisking the last of the girl's belongings into the royal carriage.
"I am fine. I like to look at the lands…" She mumbled, staring off into a distance she couldn't fathom. She watched silently as the Royal Guard readied themselves for the long trip North. The faint feeling of doom never left the girl's loins, as she watched cotton-mouthed at the folk before her.
"Ellie" a familiar voice called to her from the ground.
She peered down seeing none other than her father, Lord Tyrion. "Come to wish me safe travels?" She beckoned, never once meeting his gaze. Tyrion sighed, his heart trembling in sure sadness. Truly the girl believed he had some hand in sending her north with this strange man, Jon Arryn...alas, though he had no hand, he still felt as though he hadn't said enough to protest her departure. Perhaps that was where she held the short man guilty.
"Yes...I wanted to ask you...if you'd write me, whenever the chance is granted...I want to know you are safe" Tyrion spoke dryly, staring off into the distance. Eliesse pursed her lips, unwavered at his request but willing to oblige.
"I will".
Without another word spared, the Royal Guard departed the capital into vast nothingness. Eliesse peered over her shoulder once they were outside the great city's borders, waiting to see who watched her departure. Surely, it was the King, red faced and belligerent, the Queen, stoic, and the two Lannister brothers...a humorous uncle with his heart tucked neatly away under gold chainmail and a slightly alcoholic, adoring father.
She captured the image in her mind and tucked it away for safe keeping with the others.
—
Three weeks.
The cold air nipped at shivering fingers as Eliesse gripped the reins on her steed. Though no snow had fallen, the bite of the North lay swift and deep to unfamiliar skin. The knuckles of Eliesse's fingers bore red and cracked, her fingertips glowing oddly white from the rigid grip she held on her horse.
In the weeks she had ridden, the girl never once cried out in contest of northern Westeros' conditions. "I'm fine", she'd reply to a suggestion of a thicker cloak. "It's too heavy" She'd scoff at a squire's quick offering of a bear pelt.
The camp would whisper her name lowly...
"Stupid Dornish wench. Pride will get ye killed up here..."
"...She be dead in another day or so..."
"...Let the wolves 'ave at 'er...one less mouth…"
Still, the young girl would unwaveringly ride, head proudly held high, back arched, a jest in her gallop that only a Lannister could hold.
Sometimes she'd catch herself daydreaming of home. Isles of hot rock and warm air would swooned her thoughts, the sound of gulls and hummingbirds would trickle about her far mind…
But quickly, her mind would return to the cold north, by the squawk of strange, large black birds that would soar ominously overhead.
Lord Jon Arryn often withdrew from the Royal Carriage to join the quiet girl up front of the convoy. On a crisp dawn, he trotted up to the girl who had managed to venture nearly two acres ahead of the party. "Beauty, isn't it?" He spoke softly, eyeing the young girl who's cherry bitten lips looked unusually pale this early morn.
"Perhaps. Beauty wouldn't be the first thing I'd say about this vast wasteland" Eliesse replied cooly, eyebrows furrowed and focused on the King's Road ahead. Shallow breaths moistened around her olive face, blowing hallow air white in mist before her.
The once intricate cobblestone of central Westeros had turned to a strange, barren dirt road the farther it lead north. There was no sign of life breathed upon the gloomy road. Dark grey skies grimaced at the girl from above as she silently glanced from thick brush to strange thisled trees. The northern countryside was strangely green, despite the harsh, frost bitten air that circulated its lands. She closed her eyes again for a moment, daydreaming one more about a warm island, days, weeks, months away. She smiled, imagining the oasis of a sun that seemed to never set, and suddenly, she was warmed.
"Aye, the north isn't for every lad and lady...northerners...a different folk but true no least.
A good friend of mine, a son I would even say, is Warden of the north. Lord Eddard Stark...good man. He eagerly awaits our arrival" Lord Arryn smiled fondly, his gaze resting high in the sky that yawned and blinked soft wisps of morning sun across it. The babble of early rising critters broke the soft day, announcing to the Royal escort that it was almost time to break fast.
Jon Arryn glanced at the girl, noting the deep purple bags under her eyes. "You should rest, girl. I haven't seen you sleep in the Royal Carriage or camp...what ales you?" He mused, eyes fixated on Eliesse's swaying figure.
Truth be told, sleep evaded the girl from the moment she stepped foot from the Dornish vessel that brought her to these strange lands. Her mind was a constant bustle of noise, people...fixations with smells that were foreign to her nose. At night when she closed her eyes, she'd hear the faint sound of nocturnal creatures pestering in the night. She'd wake, tuned in on the new sounds virgin to her ears. Sometimes she'd find the culprit of the screeching or chirping...most nights, she'd turn over in uncomfortably plush quilts and will her mind to turn off. Please, she would beg, wishing for a darkness that would come but never last.
"Homesick, I suppose" she answered quietly, silencing her aching heart. Arryn watched her, his expression unreadable but pleasant nonetheless.
"It shall pass, girl".
A trumpet sounded from behind Eliesse and the great lord, stopping their pace. Curiously, the two glanced behind them to find that the convoy had suddenly halted. Lord Arryn furrowed his eyebrows confused. "What be the meaning of this…"
Eliesse pressed her lips together, for fear that any separation of the once soft, supple plains would leave the girl's teeth chattering away and laying truth to her current condition. She would not cry here, no. These harsh men needn't know the troubles that plagued her mind. Her mind jumped silently to the pestering thoughts that besieged her...
She was cold. These Dornish dresses and cloaks proved no match for the North's icy bite.
She was hungry, and adamantly refused most sustenance offered to her by squires, wenches, or even Thara.
She was tired. Sleep evaded the young girl intentionally, as she was afraid to close her eyes for fear they'd be shut forever by the hand of a mercenary sent by Robert Baratheon himself. Paranoia, hunger and cold turned Eliesse mad and bitter. A girl her age should not hold as much contempt and sadness as her heart housed. But she was no typical girl, to say the least. A coherent thought could barely form amongst the plains of her usually sharp mind...still, she trudged on in silence, unwilling to speak of her woes.
Though the convoy had stopped, Eliesse continued onward on the path. Her mind a flurry of wonder, fear and desperation. All she dreamt of was warmth and food...the cold bared its own type of oasis...one of frost and misery. She closed her eyes, drowning in it, feeling weak and discouraged.
A strange russell in the trees beckoned to the girl.
Eliesse halted her steed, glancing in the direction of the strange noise. Her eyes narrowed curiously as she listened closely to a whisper that flirted along her frostbitten ears.
A crack and soft whimper arose from the thick brush and tree lining.
Eliesse slowly dismantled from her horse, tugging her thin cloak rougher against her frail and cold body. The cold bit through her shoes from the cracked earth below, nipping at her toes eagerly.
Still, the the girl crept forward, the strange noise calling to her and enticing a quiet instinct in her veins.
Far behind, voices from the convoy could be heard, though they became obsolete against the howl of the north. Eliesse stalked on, desperate to know what called to her senses beyond the green brush.
Timidly, she watched as two small bear cubs prodded silently from the trees. Eliesse's eyes widened in bewilderment. She had never seen such a creature. "Here now…" she whispered, extending a cold arm forward from the meek comfort of her cloak. "...I won't hurt you".
The cubs glanced at her inquisitively, steps slowing to a cautious prowl. Their noses were raised as they sniffed the air and scent coming from the odd girl. Eliesse smiled sincerely, creeping closer and closer.
The girl was unaware of the two yellow eyes that watched her every step...The danger she was in, was unknown to her.
Lord Arryn glanced up from the chattering of one of his navigators, looking to the place he had left the shivering Dorne girl.
But he could not find her.
He turned completely, arm raising to rest on his sword. He narrowed his eyes, frantically scanning them across the stoic meadow. The northern wind shrieked at him, almost mockingly.
The navigator beckoned to the old man in attempt to regain his attention, though Lord Arryn raised his hand slowly, silencing him. His eyes never left the area in which he and Eliesse had rode to alone.
His eyes widened when he seen the girl on the edge of the brush, fingertips mere moments away from brushing the snout of two grizzly bear cubs. "Eliesse, don't!" He yelled, withdrawing his sword immediately in angst.
Eliesse turned to glance at the suddenly frantic Hand of the King, the confusion washing across her face in low tides. What on earth was he yelling about?
A loud crash in the trees snapped the girl's mind forward. Before her mind could process, a large, brown animal burst into her vision, stunning the girl and causing her to stumble back. The large beast roared at her, the sound grotesque and aweing. Her ears rang in sheer deafness of the animal's blood chilling call.
Eliesse stared wide eyed at only what she could presume to be the very angry mother of these two cubs. Needle points of ice surged through her once warm veins and the color in her face dissipated to a chilling white for the first time in her life. Her head swooned and heart thundered so loud in her chest, she swore the animal could hear its cries, beckoning it forward...
Eliesse through the haze of adrenaline and fear could vaguely make out the sound of clanking chainmail as guards on steed raced to her.
Thara too, began running to the girl in hopes she'd reach her before he beastly animal took a chunk out of her neck or belly. She internally cursed herself for not being firm on the girl and confining her to the safety of the carriage, let alone allowing her to stray so far in foreign lands.
The animal took an ominous step towards the young girl who retracted instantly. Her eyes forward and frantic, she watched as it bared a slicing set of teeth. It snapped at her, head low and searching for the perfect target to lay siege on Eliesse's small body. Suddenly, it rose on hind legs, another lurching roar emitting deep from his great belly. Eliesse stared back, breath halted and heart trembling. She watched terrifyingly at the beast, her eyes scanning over the gigantic plains of the great animal's form. She slowly met its eyes in panic, as the glowing yellow orbs engulfed her own.
She stared into the beast's eyes, feeling a heat build in her chest. She trembled silently, wondering if she was having a heart attack. Get on with it, then...she begged her body, hoping she'd be dead before those snapping jaws had locked on her. The beast stared back, eyes focused. Her stare reached deeply beyond her, she could see the shimmer of yellow in the bear's eyes, the reflection of her own trembling body...and the retraced pupil that suddenly dilated…
And it was as though she melted into a strange heat, an explosion of unforeseen might. Her own eyes darkened in the scape around her. Her once frigid and weak body glowed suddenly hot and fierce as her eyes snapped back open.
She felt like she was suspended in air from the ground, frozen, whilst her body lay encased in a strange heat. Her arms were heavy with a burliness she'd never known. She whipped her head around furiously, trying to shake the heat and heaviness that suddenly besieged her once pathetic frame. She looked around, staring at the two cubs who stood to the side, ears back and trembling as much as she. Her vision was sharp, and strange, the thundering in her head never diminishing. She wondered if this is what a heart attack was…
She looked forward, finding herself, motionless on the ground before her. She was dead? The beast had ripped her so fast and true she hadn't felt it. Her chest yearned and burned suddenly as she backed away slowly, heart hammering so fast in her chest she'd thought it'd give out. But what did it matter? She was dead.
Uncle.
Thara.
Father.
She dropped to the ground, a loud tremor erupting around her as she cried aloud. Her pain so alive and sorrow so deep, she swore her cries were the sound of the beast that had cut her down in hot blood and left her for dead.
Without a sparing thought, she turned and ran, just as the guards had reached her lifeless body lay askew on cold, unforgiving northern plains. How she loathed the north. A land just knew, that had ripped her fiery soul from its body in seconds.
And this was death? An eternal sentence of a grieving spirit wandering outside a body it could not return? Eliesse ran through the vast woods, trees breaking off, stumps imploding as she thundered through the desolate brush. Her body felt heavy and hot as the adrenaline pumped her further and further away. Her heart never faltered, though she begged the Gods it would, as it continued to tremble away, uselessly.
"Come back my flower…"
Thara.
The kind woman's voice cursed her mind as she felt tears weld in the corners of her eyes. She slowed her frantic retreat, listening to Thara's voice call to her in sweet nothings.
"Come back to me, Ellie...wake up"
I can't! I'm dead! The girl sobbed in her mind, waking slowly to a river bank. She wondered if she could drown herself. She wondered if she could kill this tortured spirit, as she wished to no longer hear the voice of her loved ones calling to her from her slain body in the snow.
She knelt at the stream and closed her tired eyes. Her trembling heart had finally slowed. She reached her hands out to cup some water to splash on her strangely hot face.
Two, massive brown paws rested before her.
Eliesse stared wide eyed at her hands as her heart began to sputter once more. What in the Gods…over and back, back and over she turned her arms, hoping her mind was playing just another undead trick on her and that these great, burly weapons would manifest back into the small, smooth hands she'd grown to know.
She leaned forward and stared into the reflection of the river meeting eyes with familiar, ominous yellow orbs.
She screamed in terror. Birds flew from the tree tops and small animals scampered away. Her heart finally seizing as she felt the earth around her shift once more and thrust her rapidly through the woods, brush, thisled green trees...all a blur in the speed her spirit soared through the crisp north air. Her body rose and her breath swallowed, losing its luster. Darkness imploded her walls...air coming in slowly as desperate wisps...and then suddenly, she gasped.
Her eyes flew open suddenly.
Thara stroked the young girl's face that had become damp with sweat as she tried to soothe the ramped heaving of her billowing chest. "Shh, my flower...it is over. You are awake" she whispered for Eliesse's ears only. Thara draped her own cloak over the trembling girl's frame, making note of the wet between her shaking legs. Poor girl...She would have to get her cleaned up before anyone could notice.
Slowly and without a word spared, Eliesse's eyes fluttered shut. Once more, the strange ecstasy had left her body spent...
—
Eliesse stirred in a deep sleep that left her body aching. Softly, her eyes flickered shimmers of light and darkness as she fought to focus her vision. The soft swaying of her surrounding lulled her gently awake.
She inhaled sharply, feeling a strange pain peak behind her head. She winced away from it, whispering curses under hoarse breaths. "I've warned you that language as such is unbecoming of a growing lady, my flower…"
Eliesse jumped, startled at Thara's voice in the strange darkness she lay in. Her eyes adjusted slowly, revealing the kind woman sitting at her side, knitting away silently. She never looked up from her swift fingers.
Eliesse stared mesmerized for a moment, confused at her surroundings. A soft quilt covered her frame that was no longer trembling from the northern cold. She proudly tore from it, sitting up quickly. The pain in the back of her head amplified, reminding her of its presence. She winced once more, brushing her fingers across the tender spot. What happened?...
"Eliesse, rest my sweet. You have lost a whole day...surely you're body needed the rest to not wake for so…" Thara eyed the girl carefully, placing her needle and yarn down in her lap. Eliesse's eyes widened in astonishment.
A whole day?
"W—what happened?"
"You provoked a mother bear when you attempted to pet her cubs...when she burst through the clearing, you startled, and fainted. You fell back so hard you hit your head" she spoke mechanically, staring at the girl. Her eyes held a sternness that was unbecoming of the sweet woman...a tone in her voice unrecognizable and firm to the girl.
"I don't faint. Warriors don't faint, Thara" Eliesse scoffed, standing once more. The pain in her head throbbed in warning to her but she squashed the tremor under her shoe, uninterested in its woe.
"They do when they are exhausted and hungry" she retorted, her tone never diminishing. Eliesse shook her head slowly. Though the scene was obscured in her mind, she could vividly recall her dream...she thought she had transformed into a bear.
Silence filled the small carriage, deafening the two women. "...I had another strange dream...like...when I was little...and sometimes from before...I dreamt I was a bear this time…" Eliesse whispered, unsure why her heart had suddenly began pumping furiously, surrounding her chest and body in a uncomfortable heat.
Thara bit her lips, her eyes hard and brows furrowed. "It was a dream. You fainted and hit your head hard, my flower".
Eliesse shook her head, the pain emitting waves of nausea throughout her body. Still, she kept on. "No, it wasn't. I...I don't think so...I know you always say they are dreams...but I don't think this was...I—
Thara leapt frantically from her seat, crossing the carriage in mere strides and grasping the injured girl's face harshly between calloused hands. Eliesse winced at the pressure, as she stared shocked and wide eyed at her handmaiden. "It was a dream! Nothing more or less than a trick of your ailing mind. Don't be silly, Eliesse...these fainting spells have troubled you since you were a small girl!" She whispered harsh and quick at the girl, her hands never leaving Eliesse's tender face. "I will hear no more of this. And you will speak nothing of these dreams to anyone...yes?"
Eliesse stared back, shock and frustration filling her up and swallowing the angry girl. She didn't understand!
Or, perhaps she did.
"I—
"Promise me, my flower!" Thara begged, her eyes frantic suddenly. Eliesse searched Thara's eyes but found no clue or inclination of where the woman's hysteria was stemming from. No matter; she loved Thara like a mother...her concern was never an exaggeration. She would oblige, no less.
"I promise" she whispered.
The Royal Carriage came to an abrupt pause. Eliesse and Thara glanced at each other, as they listened for the meaning of the sudden pause in their journey through the north.
Eliesse dressed quickly, pulling her cloak from the chair Thara had sat upon, and thrust open the carriage doors before she could protest and remind the fierce girl of her apparent head injury.
She leaped from the step, walking briskly through the convoy of men and horses. It was then, she noticed how quiet they stood at the sight of her.
She walked slowly looking for her steed. Her eyes remained low and focused as she felt the stinging glare of men and women upon her. A few whispers touched her ears, though no one dared approach the girl for what they saw.
"Ye see her eyes roll back in her head, white? A witch…" A man whispered to another as she passed them.
"Her handmaiden said the girl bumped her head...some seizure she had a resort. Strange, sickly thing. Must be the dwarf's blood thick in her veins…" A wench muttered.
Eliesse turned abruptly, nose flaring and steaming with a fire she knew too well. She shot the woman a menacing look, causing her to flinch. If looks was all it took, the woman would've been cut down there in hot blood and putrid cooking cloths. Eliesse spat snidely at the wench's side. She turned, proud and venomous and continued onward to retrieve her horse.
Lord Arryn led at the head of the convoy. He glanced over his shoulder, watching the small Lannister girl approaching him quietly. "How be your head, girl? Your handmaiden says you took quite the fall...damn well had a seizure of some sort because of it" He cocked an eyebrow at the young girl, watching as she grabbed at the reins of her horse that he had been holding onto. He watched as she silently mounted the steed, not a breath becoming of the bruised ego she so obviously boasted.
"I am well. How far until this Winterfell?" She remarked cooly, never once looking at the man. She knew pride and honor well...she was a warrior...and warriors don't faint like little girls. She chewed her already ragged lip, unwilling to meet the Lord's curious stare. She knew what they all thought...that she was mad…a bloody witch.
But deep in the girl's heart, though she loved and trusted Thara with her heart and soul, she knew she did not faint. True say, she had been terrified...she wouldn't deny that. She was no fool. But the girl refused to believe she fainted. And that dream...it was too real, too apparent…
...And something that happened too often.
"Winterfell lies right over the hill on that pass, just there. Let us hurry before nightfall" Lord Arryn cracked his reigns swiftly, signaling the convoy forward. He took off in a great gallop, Eliesse close in toe.
—
"Open the gates! The Royal Escort approaches!"
Eddard Stark stood solemn with his wife Lady Catelyn Stark as the enormous gates of Winterfell lurched open. "Finally" she whispered, grasping her Lord husband's hand. He glanced down to her, an amused smirk blessing his usual brooding face.
"You are eager for the Ambassadors of the Crown?" He chuckled deep, looking forward as the first of many men in chainmail walked through the gates.
"More eager for their visit to be over...though I am overjoyed to see Lord Arryn…" She smiled small, joining her husband in seeing through the men and carriages.
"The children?"
"Groomed and waiting behind us...though don't spare them a glance...they will know we were speaking of them" she smirked quietly, eyes forward. Eddard chuckled once more, turning nonetheless despite his wife's warning. She chuckled again, squeezing his great hand playfully. "You never listen"
"Never" he replied, eyeing his brood proudly.
His children stood silently and awaiting, teetering from one foot to the other. Bran, a curious young boy held his small brother of three's hand, Rickon. The small boy fidgeted relentlessly, trying to pry small fingers from his older brothers hold. "Stop it, Rickon! Mother says you must stay with me!"
"Leave him alone Bran, he's bored and hungry like the rest of us" Arya jested, rolling her eyes. She shivered under the furs of her cloak.
"Shut up, Arya…he's doing what he was told! You'd be wise to try the same every now and then" Sansa, the prettiest Stark scowled at her younger sister. She turned back to the Royal Guard, smiling gleefully. One day perhaps, I will be escorted by the Guard, she say dreamed quietly. It was Sansa's deepest desire to one day become a princess...maybe even a Queen…
"Both of you'd be wise to shut your mouths...your father watches us…" Theon Greyjoy, Eddard Stark's ward sneered, eyeing the two young girls coldly. They shrank away from his cold, blue glare.
"Watch it, Greyjoy...they're excited. This is the first time the Royal Guard has visited Winterfell in many years...you'd be wise to mind your words or be dealt with at training" Robb, the eldest of Eddard's brood and heir to Winterfell warned the Iron Born boy...Theon scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"As if I give a bloody fuck of the Royal Guard...this be your home and guest, not mine, Stark." Theon retorted tiredly. "Aye, where's that bastard brother of yours? I reckon Lady Stark probably left him in the stables to not embarrass her" He snickered devilishly, earning a scowl from Robb and Arya.
"His name is Jon, and he is where you should be standing...back there" Robb nodded behind Greyjoy who simply scoffed and turned around to walk to the quiet, dark and curly haired boy with stormy grey eyes. Robb watched in silence as Theon stood beside his bastard brother Jon Snow. He frowned empathetically at the quiet boy, almost a man like he and Greyjoy. He loved his brother, bastard or highborn...he wished he could stand beside the rest of Eddard's children.
"What did you have to do to be granted permission to stand here, Snow? Agree to clean the stables of horse shit?" Theon laughed lowly once more at the expense of the quiet boy. Jon paid him no mind, standing somberly with his arms tucked away under his furs. Aye, Lady Stark had had a few words before the Royal Escort arrived with the boy.
"Don't look at anyone, do not speak to anyone unless spoken to! You will sit at the guards table and keep quiet...so help you the Gods if you stray from my words, Jon Snow…"
Jon watched curiously as most of the Guard came to a stop before his Lord father and Lady Stark. A man with white hair trotted up to the both of them eagerly. He quickly dismounted and stood quietly in front of Eddard for a moment. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, he smiled a crooked smile and grabbed Lord Stark, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Ned, my boy! And Lady Catelyn...I am honored. Look at you, both. Look at the children...fine brood, Ned...a fine brood indeed…I am eager to discuss—
The gates burst open suddenly as a thundering horse galloped swiftly into the courtyard. Eddard and Catelyn took a step back as the white steed came to a brisk halt before them. The man in front of Lord and Lady Stark sighed deeply, a disapproving smile on his face as he shook his head.
"I apologize for my dramatic entrance, My Lord and Lady...my steed was grazing in the wild grass just outside the gates...after such a long journey, you'd understand her eagerness to fill her gut before filling her duty" A voice called from under a thin red cloak.
The person tossed back their hood, revealing a petite but beautiful girl. Robb, Theon and Jon's eyes widened simultaneously as they all turned to one another...Robb and Theon shared an expression of wonder and mischief, alive in their young eyes. Jon's eyes though were fixated on the damsel, his mouth slightly agape.
"Fuck the Guard indeed…" Theon whispered, eyeing the young girl hungrily. Robb turned to him, face full of sternness, though an amusement washed through it as well.
Jon watched as she dismounted from her horse and bowed before his father and Lady Stark. "I am Eliesse Lannister, My Lord and Lady...it is an honor to be in your presence and your home" She said sweetly, curtseying low and gracefully.
"We have heard wonderful things of your witt and beauty, my Lady...the honor is ours" Eddard spoke deeply, taking the young girl's hand in his own and pressing a kiss to it. She smiled, deep dimples gracing each cheek.
Jon's gaze never left the girl. His heart quickened from where he stood, mouth suddenly becoming dry. He could vaguely hear his other siblings whispers of the girl's beauty, and of course, Theon's obscene and inappropriate commentary as well. She was truly a sight...Jon had never seen a girl more radiant. He shied away from her gaze that scanned him and his siblings. He was a bastard. He had no right to even look at such a beautiful, highborn lady. He watched as she shook the hands of his small siblings. Sansa gawked at the girl, becoming giddy as she called her a "pretty little flower".
He dutifully noted her olive skin that looked as though she bathed in the rays of the sun regularly...her golden brown hair, tied neatly into a bun and secured with a pretty red ribbon...lips, as cherry red as the leaves on the strange weirwood tree in the Godswood...eyes, beautifully swooned by long lashes, and the color of gold ablaze…
However, Jon was not the only boy in the courtyard to notice the beautiful girl…
Eliesse walked to Robb Stark, stopping before him. She peered up at him, a small smile on her plump lips. "Hello...you must be Robb" she curtsied once more before the swooning boy who did his best to keep his chest straight and firm. Aye, she was truly astonishing.
"And you, Eliesse Lannister...an honor to finally meet the Tiger of Casterly Rock" he took the girl's hand in his own, raising it slowly to his mouth where he lay a sweet and gentle kiss upon it. Eliesse blushed lightly, glancing to his Lord father and mother.
"Quite the gentleman you've raised, My Lord and Lady...even in Dorne, maiden's don't witness such shivalry" She mused, turning back to the suddenly bashful boy. Robb loved the way she spoke, her Dornish drawl rolling her sentences in such an alluring way. He shon her a gorgeous smile, noting his hand still held her own. He gently dropped it, lingering her hot fingers on his cool own.
"Come now, my friend...We have much to discuss...send for the kitchen wrenches to begin preparing a feast" Lord Stark spoke firmly to his wife. She smiled, obliging. The courtyard became a bustle of men and women once more as she shooed her daughters off to their Septa and her small boys to their handmaidens for washing.
"Robb, Ser Rodrik awaits you boys for training. Do finish quickly and begin to wash for supper…" She called to her eldest son as she walked off to the kitchens to let them know the feasts will begin soon. She passed by Jon Snow slowly, eyeing him cruely. "You know what's expected of you boy. You'd do best not to cross me or embarrass Lord Stark during the Guard's visit" She harshly whispered, eyes like knives on the quiet boy. He looked down, nodding silently.
"Of course, my Lady".
He turned quickly, hoping to catch up with his brother Robb and Theon Greyjoy for training as Lady Stark instructed.
"And who are you? I noticed you behind all the Stark children...watching me...such a naughty, unbecoming habit for a boy to develop, you know. It's easier to just introduced yourself".
Jon's eyes went wide as he stared bewildered at Eliesse Lannister, so close he swore he could count all the light freckles on her nose. She cocked a proud brow at him, pursing her lips curiously. "Well? Who are you?"
"Jon. Jon Snow. Lord Stark's bastard" Jon spoke quickly, taken aback at the girl's forwardness. His eyes scanned her face slowly...even this close, he couldn't find a single flaw on her face. He watched her pursed lips, a quickening in his chest building. His eyes followed lower to the smooth plains of her exposed shoulders and chest, budding bosoms not quite ready for womanhood...her dress truly leaves much and then none to the imagination, Jon thought as his eyes travelled the slinky, peach dress that clung to the girl in places meant for a woman's dressings...he could see through her thin red cloak that it bared no sleeves...exposing more olive flesh for his eyes to feast on. He shook his head, catching himself ogling the highborn lady inappropriately.
"Bastard, eh? I could see that...by the way Lady Stark just spoke to you, a true bitch she might just be in hiding…it'd make sense for Lord Stark to possibly run to another to escape her squawking" Eliesse snickered, turning to watch the scorned woman as she hurried into the keep.
Jon's stared at Eliesse like she bore three heads. No one would ever say that about Lady Catelyn Stark. "It's not like that...she means well" Jon retorted sternly. Eliesse turned back to him, an amused look on her face.
"Perhaps...you know, in Dorne, where I hail from...no one cares about bastards, or highborns...they be more concerned of your honor. Do you have honor, Jon Snow?" She tilted her head to the side, eyeing the boy inquisitively once more. Jon's breath halted once more as he averted his eyes downward. She made the young boy's heart howl like the wolf he was and loins tighten more than any lady at Winterfell had.
"Of course. I am raised by an honorable man" He spoke confidently, his stormy eyes smoldering Eliesse's golden ones.
She smirked. "Good then...it was nice meeting you Jon Snow. I'm sure I will see you around" she took his hand quickly, and raised it to her full, red lips. Jon watched entranced as she never broke his gaze and pressed her lips lazily to his hand. She let them linger there for a drawing moment, before smirking against his cold hand. Just as quickly as she had grabbed it, she dropped his hold and turned on a swift foot, walking back to her horse and taking its reins. Jon watched mesmerized as she led the steed to the stables, but not before glancing once more over her shoulder at the blushing bastard.
He quickly turned on his own heel, heart in his chest and heat swelling in stomach as he took off after his brother and Greyjoy once more.
"Eliesse Lannister of Dorne…" he muttered to himself, the foreign name tasting sweet on his northern tongue.
—
At last, they meet! And so our story truly begins… ~ RL
