Yay.. Me back.
I am doing a summary from this point onwards. If ever I finish the story, or I think I am incapable of finishing it, I will post a summary of the plot in last chapter.
Summary: Freya Reyne and her father Gerald Reyne arrive at winterfell, proposing a betrothal to Jon Snow. Freya wears a veil that hides her appearance. Fearing an ulterior motive, Lord Stark refuses betrothal, but extends winterfell's hospitality. Freya and Jon become close despite him not knowing how she looks. Theon and Freya do not get along. When the rider lord Stark sends to stops at Lord Tarly's place, Lord Tarly learns of the match, sends a two hundred strong bastard cavalry as a gift, along with his first born Samwell as an insult. Lord Stark, after learning of the number of blackfyre descendants in Freya's pedigree, asks her to reveal her self. He is reassured after noting she doesn't have silver hair or purple eyes.
Freya arranged the food she made on the platter. It's a task to do this. Given there are so many of the dishes, and they have to be arranged in certain manner. When she initially prepared the feast of seven, she thought she wouldn't even find the right platter this far in north. After all, it's a ceremonial piece, even in south, it's expensive enough only lords and ladies have them.
She carefully lifted the platter, walked delicately towards the exit. She is having one of the kitchen girls open and hold doors for her while she carried the feast of seven. It's a ceremony only girls can perform once they bled. She has bled last month but she kept it from every one fearing they will force her and Jon to make an early decision.
She hoped she could get this feast to Jon's room safely. It wouldn't do to fail. After all, feast of seven prepared by maiden is believed to be the strongest ceremony in faith of seven. It always struck her as a funny contrast that a faith that has priests practicing abstinence holds an ceremony done prior to marriage in highest regard.
She noticed him before he noticed her. 'Please pass by with out talking to me' she prayed. She did not want to talk to Theon Greyjoy now, she did not want to see him at all. It's just not to be.
Theon noticed the platter Freya is carrying before he noticed Freya. After all, it's pure gold, studded with jewels, quite fancy in it's looks.
"Oh, Look here! What are you doing in these parts of the castle Lady Reyne? Trying to escape with the bastard and treasures of winterfell?" He said sarcastically as he stopped in front of her and reached for the lid on the platter.
"No, Don't touch it!" Freya shouted, as she tried maneuver the platter from Theon's hands.
"This makes me more curious. What are you hiding in there?" He said, as he swiped for the lid again.
"This is for Jon. Just go away." Freya said, taking a step back.
The kitchen maid tried to stop him, Theon twirled out of her reach, reached for platter on Freya's hand. Freya moved a step back, so Theon's hand closed in on one of handles, Theon pulled hard.
The platter fell to the floor clanging, along with all the food that's arranged on it.
The kitchen maid stared in horror at the food that fell on the floor. Freya sank to her knees in grief. This is one thing she wanted to go right. It is considered ill luck for maiden's feast to be interrupted, common belief being the marriage will not happen. Freya started crying, before she can control her self, all the anger, anguish and grief came pouring through her. As she looked at the fallen feast, she thought of her own life being crushed just like this.
It's not a pretty sight, it's not a great feeling. So, there they remained, Theon, shocked still at Freya's overblown reaction over some food. Kitchen maid who followed faith of seven, staring at Theon in horror. Freya, wailing bloody murder on the floor in front of the seven's platter. That is how Lady Catelyn found them.
"What happened here?" Lady Stark asked in coldest voice she can muster.
"My lady, I have no idea. She dropped her tray, just started wailing." Theon said pointing to Freya. Freya gave no indication that she heard him.
Catelyn turned to the kitchen maid, repeated her question. Theon gestured wildly to kitchen maid to indicate she should lie. She is one of his girls, rather the one who's at least partly charmed with him.
Unfortunately for Theon, this particular kitchen maid is the one of the very few who followed seven, as such knew about ritual of maiden's feast. She also saw the amount of sincerity and dedication Freya put in to preparing this feast for last seven weeks.
"Lady Reyne prepared a maiden's feast for Lord Jon Stark, My lady. Greyjoy tried to take it from her, even when she told him to go away. He pulled at platter when she tried to move back." The kitchen maid told Lady Catelyn.
Flowing water would have frozen with the cold glare Lady Catelyn gave him. Freya still sat on the floor sobbing her heart out.
"Theon Greyjoy, Go back to your room and wait for me." Lady Catelyn told him. Theon did not need more words. He internally cursed at the kitchen maid, decided she will pay for this transgression against him.
Lady Catelyn knelt down and took Freya in to her arms.
"Shh, Little girl. It's going to be alright." Lady stark cooed in to her ears, as she rubbed her back. When Freya's crying subsided, she" ordered the maid to take her to her chambers, look after her. She went to Lord Stark's solar, to inform him time has come for Jon's wedding.
The little girl ran smack in to Gendry. He picked her up before she can trip and fall back.
"They are coming." She whispered harshly in to his ear.
If he was raised in any place other than Flea bottom, He most probably would have asked the girl who's coming. Luckily, Gendry is raised in fleabottom regardless of how well he is taken care of. So, he just opened nearest barrel's lid, placed the girl inside.
The men came hurtling in to the street.
"You seen that little rat?" a hulking man asked Gendry, panting lightly.
"That way" Gendry pointed towards the street opposite him. He knew that street ran twisted for a long while.
The men in front of him ran in to the street with out aim. Gendry stayed there for a while,loading the small knives in to a box, checking the street. When he is sure that no one's watching, he opened the barrel's lid, pulled the girl out.
The little girl immediately tried to wriggle free. He held fast.
"No, you are staying with me for a while." he told her. He pulled her along with the cart in to the forge where he worked. The girl stopped struggling when she realized she has no way of getting out.
"My sister will come for me. She will kill you if you do any thing bad." She told Gendry confidently.
Gendry smiled at her genially.
"Good for you, having such a sister. You are staying with me till your sister comes for you, then." he added as put the girl on a stool. It is at that moment the door opened, soldiers rushed in.
"We are closed for to day. We open at hour of rabbit, come back tomorrow." he said loudly.
The man in front of the guards looked Gendry for a second, nodded to his soldiers. They closed the door and spread out. Gendry moved closer to the little girl, tried to make him self look small.
"You are coming with us, Boy." The man in front told him in a tone that brooked no disobedience.
Gendry took a look at the man's clothes. Falcon and half moon on blue. They are Arryn men. He got back some confidence from that. Every one in capital says Hand of the king's a good man. They are not going to be hurt, or at least Gendry hoped so. His innate mistrust of highborn said otherwise.
"I am not going any where with out her." Gendry told.
The man took a look at the girl, nodded.
"She can come with you." he said.
"They are not going any where with out me." a voice said from back of the forge.
All the men jumped to attention, put their hands on the hilts at that. Even Gendry is startled. He hasn't heard any noise, backdoor of the forge creaked.
A shadow came out in to the light, revealing a figure clad in black. With a mask covering every thing save eyes.
"Who are you?" The man incharge asked. He kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, his stance ready.
"Their elder brother." The figure in black responded in baritone.
"Very well, You can come with them as well, Try any thing, you are a dead man." The leader hissed threateningly, gestured to Gendry to direct them towards the backdoor.
With in an hour, all three of them are sitting in a luxurious room, with the little girl clinging to the figure in black. Gendry was feeling too apprehensive to make small talk, so he just stole glances at the figure in black.
The door opened with an ominous creak, admitting leader of the soldiers and a stately looking man with white whiskers and hair. All three of them stared at the new man with out any regard for manners.
"Is this all of them?" The older man asked the leader, gesturing towards three of them.
The leader nodded. There is some unexplained message passed between them, but Gendry could not make heads or tails of it.
"Leave us, Captain." Jon Arryn said. The captain left, closing the door behind him.
Jon Took a seat on the opposite side of the table.
"Let me see you." he said, looking at the figure clad in black. For a second, Gendry thought the figure is going to attack the man in front of them for a moment. The figure in black slowly undid it's mask and headdress.
Gendry is surprised it's a girl, not a boy as he expected. He looked back at the man infront of him to see his reaction. Jon Arryn is shocked in to silence for a moment.
"Lyanna.." he said involuntarily, looking at the girl with wide eyes.
"How do you know my name?" The girl hissed back.
"What's your father's name, girl?" Jon Arryn asked.
"Why are we here?" the girl asked.
"All in good time. What's your father's name?" Jon Arryn asked again.
The girl glared at him in response, pursed her lips. Silence reigned for some time. The little girl squirmed in her seat, got of it, tried to run to corner. Gendry caught her, pulled her in to his lap before she can run away.
Lyanna answered just as the silence is about to get oppressive.
"Bran. That's all I know. Now, why are we here?" she said, glaring at Jon Arryn.
"Who is your mother?" Jon Arryn asked with out answering Lyanna's question. The girl glared in response, did not speak.
The little girl in Gendry's lap piped up an answer.
"Sheana starlight. I am Vaella Baratheon. I am hungry. I want a berry pie. Can I have a Berry pie, Lyanna?" She asked, reaching out to the elder girl.
"What's your name, Boy?" he asked Gendry.
"Gendry, milord." Gendry answered keeping his eyes on the floor.
"Gendry Baratheron?" Jon arryn responded back.
"No, milord. Just Gendry." Gendry answered.
"What of your mother, Gendry?" he asked again.
"She is dead, milord. All I remember is she has yellow hair." Gendry spoke up.
"Very well. Lyanna, you will stay outside while I talk to these two." Jon Arryn told the elder girl.
"I am not going any where. You are talking to both of us, or none of us." the girl replied angrily, before grabbing the little girl off Gendry's lap, holding her tightly.
Jon surveyed all of them.
"Very well, then. You are here because you are supposed to be king Robert's natural born children. It's not safe for you outside. For the time being, you will stay here." said Jon Arryn.
"No." Gendry and Lyanna protested at the same time, started rambling off different reasons they can't stay here.
Jon Arryn raised a hand to silence them. He pointed to Gendry to speak first. Lyanna scoffed at that.
"I am an apprentice at the smithy, milord. If I don't go to work, my master will throw me out." Gendry informed him.
"I will let you apprentice in a different place, Gendry. For the time being, you will stay here, learn to read, write and fight." Jon said in a voice that allowed no further argument.
"I have a house." Lyanna said by the way of argument. Jon Arryn just stared at her expectantly.
"I will stay here if you will give a septa to Vaella and let me learn how to be a maester." Lyanna said.
"Very well. A septa will be provided for you, as well as a maester who can teach you." Jon Arryn nodded at Lyanna.
He rang a bell calling the page to arrange rooms for Gendry and Vaella, while he kept Lyanna with him to talk to her further.
"What do you know of your father, My lady?" he asked her.
"He is from the the north and a lord. I am named after his grandmother and am snow instead of waters because I am a northern bastard." she answered truthfully and a little curiously.
"You are natural born daughter of Brandon Stark. It is not safe for your sister and brother in capital. I will send you all to Lord Stark at winterfell. He is a good man. You will be safe with him. I sincerely hope you will not make any attempts at escape, as they will come at a price to your head." Jon Arryn told her in a matter of fact tone.
"Well then. Enjoy your stay at the tower of hand. Septa Lowan will see to your education as well." Jon said, ushering her out and towards a stern looking woman, letting in the captain at the same time. Lyanna left with out much fuss. She needed to get to vaella before she can make trouble.
The captain closed the door behind him self.
"What happened?" The anger is very carefully concealed in Jon Arryn's voice.
"Most of them died in the last week, my lord. All of them, in an commotion or a brawl, because they are in wrong place at wrong time. These ones would have died too, had we gotten there a little later." captain answered.
Jon's brows furrowed at that answer. What in the world is happening? Robert is said to have spawned enough to fill a house on his own. All of those bastards died? Just in last month?
"What of their bodies?" Jon Arryn asked.
"four, we have been able to retrieve my lord. Rest are already buried." he answered.
"Well, I will see all those now. Let us go before even the corpses vanish." Jon Arryn said with a sigh.
This all started with the law Ned has declared. Half the realm is in in amazement at his brilliance, while the other half is burning in anger. He declared a law in the north where any bastard can take up the name of his house, as long as they wear a scratched sigil of their house to indicate non-inheritance.
The law, obviously did not apply to south, as the king hasn't declared that as law in the seven kingdoms yet. How ever, with in a fortnight, entire realm has heard of the law, almost every bastard in south is already calling them selves with lord's names with a scratched sigil.
This, of course brought out all the king's bastards to light. Simply put, most of them died in the first week, as part of mass retaliation against the king. Jon Arryn tried to put together the rest of the bastards, thus far, the only ones he found are Vaella and Gendry.
Former because their mother had her own men protecting them selves, later, quite possibly because he hadn't called him self a Baratheon. Even him, Jon Arryn wouldn't have been able to find with out Varys's help.
There is some thing about these bodies, Jon Thought as he looked at the third child's cadaver. They all looked too much like Robert. Pity, not a single one of royal children resemble Robert, he thought as he looked at fourth child's cadaver.
"What of the mothers?" Jon asked captain.
"Dead, milord. " captain replied back.
"Keep your eyes and ears open, captain. If you find any other bastards any where, bring them to me." Jon ordered his captain, returned to his duties with a heavy heart. Even when there is no war, children pay for crimes of parents, he pondered sadly.
Eddard Stark waited for Jon to arrive in his solar. Yesterday, his wife informed him Lady Reyne has flowered. While they could still wait for the six month mark that he promised the children, she insisted they make the decision as fast as possible.
He had informed Jon of the predicament. He is to arrive now to make his decision. Ned heard a knock right on time.
"Enter" he said with a smile.
Jon came ambling in, looking a quite nervous and apprehensive. Lord Reyne once again fixed his unblinking gaze on Jon.
"Good morning Jon." both adults greeted him.
"Good morning Lord Stark, Lord Reyne." Jon greeted back, nodding his head.
They all waited in silence for one another to speak.
"Well, get on with it Lad." barked Lord Reyne.
Jon took a step forward, nodded respectfully to Lord Reyne.
"Lord Reyne, I, Jon Stark, ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage." he said with out cracking his voice.
"Aye. So be it." Lord Reyne said back with a smile.
"I, Lord Gerald Reyne, ask to sign a formal betrothal contract agreeing to the match of Jon Stark and Freya Reyne." Said Lord Reyne formally to Lord Stark, finishing with a bow as the protocol dictated.
"I, Lord Eddard Stark, agree to said betrothal. I invite Jon Stark and Freya Reyne to sign their betrothal agreement." Lord Stark said to the general room. Maester Luwin picked up a document perfunctorily, placed it open faced in front of Jon and Lord Reyne.
"Freya, Join us." Lord Reyne said to a screen. Jon noticed it for the first time. Freya came out in to the light with out her veil for the first time.
Jon stood there rooted to the spot. It's as if the world has stopped for a moment, and Freya is all that is left of it.
She is beautiful. She has hair red as molten lava, flowing from her head in graceful waves, eyes as green as emeralds. Her skin is flawless, shimmered in the sun light that entered the room.
She moved gracefully towards the table, signed her name on the document.
"Jon. Jon.. Jon!" Finally the sound of his fathers voice got to his ears.
Jon startled, looked up to see all the elders looking at him with a knowing smile. Were they calling him for some time? Jon's face burned with hottest of blushes. He grabbed the pen, signed his name haphazardly. Lord Reyne and Lord Stark signed their names, finishing with maester Luwin who signed as a witness.
"Very well, you are betrothed now. Congratulations!" Lord stark told them with a smile.
"Congratulations, Jon Stark. I still must remind you to keep respectful distance from my daughter till you are married." Lord Reyne said sternly.
Jon sputtered his protestations, but Lord Reyne held up a hand.
"Go now boy, enjoy the day." he said, ushering both Freya and Jon out of the room.
Jon had no idea how he exited the room. All he knew is Freya is holding on to his arm, and his entire body felt like it is on fire on that side.
All the stark children are waiting for them at breakfast table. Every one fell silent at Freya's entrance. She is in a pretty gown, which is sea green, set of her eyes and hair. Her face is glowing from happiness, her smile only accentuated her dimples. She looked like a summer goddess come to life.
Even Robb was shocked in to silence at her beauty for a moment. Then, for the first time in his life, Jon saw some thing like envy in his brother's face. As Sansa extolled at beauty of Freya's gown, Bran exclaimed how pretty she is, Arya rushed in to his embrace, Robb piping up his congratulations, Jon felt at home in winterfell for the first time in a long while.
Oops..
For the reviewer who suggested purple eyes.. Sorry, they were never in the making.
Freya is a red lion, I guess just as Lanniser golden represents golden lion, red will represent red lion.
If you have hard time imagining Freya, get to Merlin's pictures of Holliday grainger. I hope I spelt her name right.