First off, I would like to thank everyone for their awesome reviews and/or favoriting my story! Your words go a long way and inspire me to write more! I don't know why, but I just decided to do something funny with this chapter and show Kats personality a little more so I did =D Read the bottom for what will happen next chapter. Enjoy!
After the all too awkward breakfast, Katarina made it her plan to escape from everyone and explore Winterfell and all its glory. She walked down the never ending hallways looking for a way out of the castle, and the fact that she had drank red wine for the very first time in her life this morning didn't make it any easier. She initially thought it was cider and nearly spit it out, but felt a little rebellious and drank nearly 2 glasses of it, secretly of course. She stumbled a couple times over her own feet, giggling to herself at how silly she must have looked.
"My lady, are you alright?" a servant gently tapped her shoulder, startling her.
"What….uh yes! Everything is….swell." she sang, making the servant smile suspiciously. "Actually, I was wondering how to get outside of the castle?" she asked looking around her.
"Just keeping walking this way and to the right, you'll find your way out." She replied, pointing down the hallway.
"Thank you! And what is your name?" she asked curiously, feeling herself sway a bit.
"You are welcome my lady. My name is Lily." She answered bowing her head.
"Lily, such a pretty name" the woman was probably a few years older than she, maybe 20 or so with shoulder length blonde hair in a braid. "Well I'll be on my way then, good day to you."
Katarina turned on her heels leaving no time for reaction, and walked down the hallway like the woman had said, trying her best to at least look sober. The cool air hitting her face was just what she needed when she finally got outside. Without looking at the direction she was walking, she bumped into someone and fell flat on her behind. In any other instance she would have stood on her feet, but this was a special circumstance.
The man looking down at her seemed to be around the same age as Robb, his eyes also blue, but more like steel, and something unsatisfactory hid behind them.
"I think it'd be smarter if you kept your eyes in front of you where they belong." He said through an arrogant smirk. She already didn't like him.
"I would think you would be more considerate of my size." She stood up, glaring at him every step of the way.
"Size doesn't matter, you bumped into me." He replied trying to prove a point in a snobbish manner.
She shook her head and tried to walk past him, but he blocked her way. She took a step back and crossed her arms impatiently. "What?" she snapped growing more and more annoyed.
"I don't think I've ever seen you here at Winterfell. What is your name?" he demanded.
Katarina opened her mouth about to answer equally to his arrogance but before she could, the bastard son walked up from behind him.
"Watch your tongue Greyjoy. Robb won't be happy about you terrorizing his soon to be wife." The bastard answered glancing toward her direction. She offered a thankful smile and he returned it.
"I only take orders from Lord Stark. Not from your brother and most certainly not from you bastard." His voice was calm but his steel eyes showed otherwise.
"Would you like to take this matter to Lord Stark then? See what he has to say about your manners with the new Lady Stark?"
The black haired boy called his father Lord Stark and she found it a bit odd. Bastard or not, your father was your father which gave you the right to call him so.
"That won't be necessary," The steel eyed boy gave her a small nod, but she knew it was the last he wanted to do. He stormed off, cursing under his breath.
"That's Theon Greyjoy, my father's ward. A hostage to Winterfell since childhood" He said, filling in the gap between them. She couldn't imagine a place like Winterfell holding a child hostage, there must have been a good reason.
"Well he's an ass." She blurted. She cupped her mouth with both hands after realizing what she had just said in total embarrassment. The boy seemed more amused than shocked at her outburst. Guess the wine was still in her system.
"My name is Jon Snow." He managed to say through his chuckling.
"Katarina Dacre." She smiled.
"I know. You seem to be a popular topic around here."
"Apparently not everyone is aware of who I am yet," She shrugged "or more so what I look like."
"Enjoy the feeling; soon everyone will know who you are." He explained. She felt a little shaken by the fact and tightened her lips. "Trust me; it's better to be acknowledged then to be ignored".
When he mentioned being ignored, she wondered if he was talking about himself, but didn't dare to ask. Before she could reply, he excused himself and carried on.
Noon
There was a cope of trees that she spotted ahead and although it was inside the castle walls, it was still somewhat secluded. The thought of getting lost did not cross her mind for she was too busy admiring the beauty of nature. She stopped for a moment to listen very closely, and heard what seemed to be a woman humming a familiar toon. She followed the voice into a clearing, where it was the loudest. The ground was covered in beautiful red leaves and there stood a tree, with a face carved in it. The tears that ran from the eyes looked similar to blood but were most likely just sap from the tree. In front of it sat her sister, singing a lullaby their mother would sing to them when they were children.
Aurora was startled by the rustling footsteps and turned around alert for whatever it was. Her face softened when she saw that it was her sister.
"You scared me half to death Kat! "She complained "Come, sit."
Katarina joined her sister in front the tree and its eerie face. "What are you doing here on your own?"
"I've come to pray to the old Gods." She mused "I'm hoping they will listen."
Katarina looked at her sister, utterly confused "Old Gods?"
"This tree is Weirwood." She gently grazed the roots. "It was held as sacred to the Children of the Forest and the First Men. Its leaves and sap are blood-red and its bark is pale. The face you see was allegedly carved by the children of the forest, who believed in the old gods. Unfortunately the Children of the forest have not been seen for thousands of years." She sighed.
"hm. " she breathed, feeling a little bitter that her sister knew about her new home more than she did.
Her sister read her face and with a smile, changed the subject. "Are you nervous about your wedding night?"
"Extremely! I wish I could just….. be someone unimportant so I wouldn't have to do it." She played with a fallen leaf in her hand.
"It's not that bad, it will hurt at first but-"she was cut off.
"Wait! I thought we were talking about my wedding night!" her eyes widened with panic. Her cheeks turned pink from the subject which never crossed her mind until this very moment.
"It is what I'm talking about. Your wedding night." He sister giggled emphasizing the word 'night'.
"No, I thought you meant wedding night as in, the feast and the dancing and so on." It may have been her sister, but she wanted to avoid this conversation until the day she was buried six feet under.
"Katarina, don't be so naïve. I'm your sister and," she looked around "no one is here to hear us."
"Aurora please." She pouted.
"Oh fine." Aurora gave in, lightly bumping her sisters' shoulder. She paused for a moment and studied her, "Have you…..have you been drinking?" she asked suspiciously.
Katarina responded by bursting out in laughter, her sister soon joining in.
"Father will kill you if he finds out!" Aurora was always the one to follow rules, but she never told on her sister.
"Oh I hope so." She chuckled, falling on her back to stare up at the gray sky "Dear…old Gods!" she screamed through her grin "Why have you forsaken me!"
"Shhh!" Aurora hissed "if anyone hears you making fun of the old gods, they will kick you straight out. Besides, these are your gods now too."
Katarina sat up and stared at the blood like tears. Her sister was right, these were her gods now. This was her home now. The Starks were her new family. When her real family left, she would not be leaving with them. It never hit her this hard until now.
She couldn't find the energy to smile so she just let it fade. She crawled closer to the tree and knelt to level with its carved face. Without her sister hearing she whispered "Please, give me strength to do this."
So next chapter will be the wedding! It was going to be this chapter but it got much too lengthy and I try to release a chapter every other day. I hope you enjoyed!