Guys, I just returned from the best concert of my entire life. The Killers were amazing and I felt so freakin' inspired, I had to finish this chapter. It was easy, I'm only tipsy :)
I'll try to update at least once more before I leave for my holiday but I'm making no promises.
I hope you like this one. Let me know what you think! :)
Oh, and those of you who are curious, Clara will have three matches in this one. If I give you more details, I'll ruin it for you. Three matches and only one is her true love, so… wait and see.
If you like it, you know what to do. Follow, favorite and review. Let me know what you think!
If you follow the road from Highgarden to the south and move a little bit away from the main road, you can easily find a small house. The closer you come to the house, the louder the noise is.
We have ended up in this place many years ago. How, I cannot quite say. Loras, Willas, Margaery and I were out and what we were doing this far in the dead of night, I still cannot explain. But, we were here and we heard the noise. Being stupid as we were, we decided to enter the house.
House, or a small tavern with no sign in front of it. We have been coming here ever since.
They know very well who we are, both the owners and the guests. Most of them, at least. And they never call us by our names. When we open the door, heads turn and eyes linger on us, but in a moment, all of them return to whatever they were doing before we walked in. For the remainder of the night, they all act as if we are one of them. Which we ultimately are.
Tonight, when we opened the doors, the eyes were lingered on us for a while longer, given that four men followed us in, which has never happened before. Four very confused and slightly intimidating men walked in behind us, looking as dumbfounded by this situation as the other customers were.
"You have company," Mary, the wife of the owner tells me as she eyes up our guests. I can only imagine what they look like to someone who is not familiar with them; two Northerners, tall and wide in the shoulders. One Iron Islander, as tall as them, and equally intimidating, even if he is leaner. And, of course, Oberyn. I can only imagine what he looked like to them, in his bright clothing, his smirk and wandering eyes. We have company and some company it is.
"Yes, Mary," I tell her as I walk closer towards her. "Please, do not comment on it. My siblings have judged me enough as it is."
"Will it be mead or wine?" she smiles at me. And that is why I adore Mary with all my heart. She wanted to ask questions, always, yet she never did ask them. Not now, not ever. Most would wonder why in the name of Gods four heirs of their liege lord are sneaking out of the castle in the dead of night to have a drink or two with regular folk, but not Mary. She never asked, not once, in all these years.
"A bit of both, dear Mary," Wills speaks up as he approaches us. "Is there a free table?"
"Of course, follow me," she tells my brother, smiling up at him. I signal Oberyn, Greyjoy and the Stark brothers with my head, making them follow us as we follow Mary, pretending like no one was even looking at us.
"Lady Clara!" a voice shouts and my blood freezes at once. Never was I called by my name and title in this place. I turn around and when I look at the table we were passing, I see who called after me. It was Tyrion Lannister.
Of course. Leave it to Tyrion Lannister to find the best tavern in and around Highgarden.
"Oh. Lady Clara and company. Quite the company." He comments as he looks behind me, where all of them have stopped in their tracks. That was a mistake. They should have simply walked away.
"Lord Tyrion," I smile at him. "I should not be surprised to find you here and yet I am. Do you wish to join us?" I ask, even though I knew that I might just be the only one in our group that actually likes him. Willas might find him amusing and perhaps intelligent, but I doubt he likes the man.
"Perhaps later, Lady Clara," Tyrion smiles. He is smart; he probably knows the same things I do as well. "You enjoy the night." He tells me.
We continue down to an empty table which Mary prepared to us. By the time I take a seat, Margaery and Loras were already speaking to Allon and Cal, two of the regulars. Willas was laughing at something Oberyn said, Greyjoy was already looking at the women around and I was left with a confused Robb and a frowning Jon. I cannot blame my siblings for this. After all, I was the one that invited them here.
"Lady Clara, what is this place?" Robb asks me, leaning over the table.
"Please, let's give up the pleasantries. Call me by my name and I shall do the same, Robb," I say, earning a smile from him. "This is, as you have probably noticed already, a small tavern outside of Highgarden. We have discovered this place when we were much too young to be spending time at a tavern. And we have been coming here ever since." I tell him.
"And does your family know about this, my Lady?" Jon speaks up. I turn to him and smile.
"If they knew about this, we would not bother with sneaking out in the middle of the night, would we Jon?" I ask and smile even wider when he goes red in the face. "You too may call me by my name. After all, we are all equal here, are we not?" I ask. The look on Jon's face told me that he might not agree with that. For a moment there, I forgot I was speaking to a man who was raised as a bastard. A bastard of a noble house, but a bastard nonetheless. I should truly ask Margaery to sew my mouth shut.
"What do you do here?" Robb asks me and I direct my attention to him.
"We talk, we laugh, we drink," I smile. "Sometimes we dance, before drinking some more. It is simple, really. For a few hours in a lonely night, we get to pretend like we are the same as everyone else. And for a few hours in a lonely night, they accept us as one of their own. No titles hold here, Lord Robb." I smirk at him, shaking my head. "Here, you are nothing more than a boy who has no idea why he let a girl drag him out of the castle and all the way to a lonely tavern."
"Boy?" he asks raising his eyebrow.
"Boy." I confirm, not backing away from a challenge. I felt guilty for being such a flirt, especially in front of his brother, but I had no choice. After all, the iron has been cooling down long enough; if I do not hurry with the bending, it might be too late. "I hope you can handle your drink, boy."
"Probably better than you, girl." He laughs. Once again, he goes from a confused boy to a charming man. I cannot follow him, not as well as I'd like to. It is in times like these when I pretend to be more like my sister and less like the person I actually am.
"Is that a challenge, boy?" I raise my eyebrow.
"Might be, girl."
"Please stop." Greyjoy speaks up, frowning in disgust. "You are not following my advice." He tells his friend.
"Well, I suppose I should thank the Gods for that," I laugh, making both Robb and Jon laugh and Theon frown at me. "Anya there?" I ask, pointing at one of the girls that were sitting few tables down from us. "Anya is a lovely girl. She will give a chance to anyone, even people who give poor advice."
"Sister, you are making Anya sound like a whore." Willas joins in.
"I said no such thing," I protest. "I simply stated she would everyone a chance, not that she will let him bed her in front of the whole tavern."
"Shame." Theon sighs, making the men around us laugh and making me frown.
"You truly are a simple bunch," I sigh. "Well Greyjoy, let's see if you can put money where your mouth is. Shall we dance?" I ask, fully aware that this was a horrible idea.
"You do not wish to endure such torture." Robb warns me.
"Now Robb, I should be the judge of that." I laugh.
"Yeah Robb, listen to her." Theon tells him as he jumps up and theatrically offers me his hand.
This was a horrible idea in more ways than once. To begin with, I truly did not wish to dance. Not with anyone, not with Theon. While he did intrigue me at once, with his confidence and presence, that died down and I directed my attention to his friend. No one else was dancing, so we were bound to draw eyes to us. And last, but not least, I will give Theon a chance to touch me.
To my surprise, he was quite the dancer. Robb was probably better, but Theon was not bad at all.
"So, you have been giving Robb advice?" I ask and he nods, smiling down at me. "How self-centered would it be of me to ask if the advice was about me?" I ask.
"Very self-centered, but also a logical guess," Theon tells me and I can't hold back my laughter.
"Why would he think he needs advice?"
"Well, you make him nervous," Theon shrugs as he starts spinning us in a different direction. "He was never good with women, in all honesty. But you make him nervous, more than others."
"I would say that is understandable. I did not… beat around the bush, as they say."
"No, you did not," Theon laughs. "Forgive his inexperience, my Lady. He does like you, rest assured. He just does not know how to act when he is around you."
"Well, I have no problem with the way he has been acting around me. Besides, I am afraid I do appreciate a man without an extensive experience."
"We were not meant to be, my lady." Theon grins at me and I laugh. He really made me laugh this time. I liked him more now; he was fully aware that the two of us would absolutely not make a good match, not for our houses, not between the two of us. Yet he still has the confidence to be a flirt. I like him.
"And here I thought you were the man of my dreams, Theon Greyjoy," I laugh along with him. Suddenly, the music changes; the men that were playing the instruments now started playing a faster melody. Much faster, at that. In a matter of seconds, half of the tavern was up on their feet, dancing around us.
"Alright, I can't dance to this."
"Of course you can." I laugh.
"I really can't," Theon laughs. "But I know someone who can. Robb!" He yells and before I have a chance to protest, Robb was already walking over to us. "I have tortured my Lady enough; your turn to make it all better." Theon announces as he claps Robb on the back before elegantly strutting away from us.
"I apologize for him, he…" Robb starts, wide-eyed.
"Robb," I stop him, laughing. "I am not insulted. Stop apologizing for everything. I am not older than you and I do not have a higher title. Stop walking around on eggshells and dance with me." I smile even wider when he returns my smile. Slowly but surely, I am going to make him melt. If I keep it up the way I am doing it now, Oberyn will end up being right, again. He will eat out of my hand, if I keep it up. I do not know what is it about me that he likes, but he sure does like something. I may not be a champion at reading men, not like Oberyn or Margaery are, but I see all that I need to see when he smiles at me.
"This is not the dancing I am used to." He laughs after failing to catch up with my moves.
"That is because not everyone here dances in proper lord and ladylike fashion." I tell him. "If I do something now, do you promise to keep it a secret?" I ask him.
"Alright." He agrees, after thinking about it for a moment.
"Can I trust Theon and Jon to keep their mouths shut as well?" I ask. "See, Oberyn and my siblings will keep quiet. Tyrion Lannister will probably be too drunk to remember. I know I can trust you, but I need you to confirm that Theon and Jon will not speak about this, not to my family at least." I tell him.
"Clara, you are scaring me now." He laughs nervously.
"It is nothing bad, just not something I want everyone to speak about," I explain. "Can I trust them?"
"Aye, you can." He confirms. I give him one last smile before walking away from him.
"Anya!" I call for the girl I mentioned to Theon earlier. She was dancing with a man, but when she saw it was me who called, she smiled, excused herself and walked over to me. "Let's dance." I grin.
"Table?" she asks.
"Table." I confirm.
She takes me by the hand as the two of us climb on top of a bench. We use the bench as a staircase to reach the table. I grin as my siblings, Oberyn and Jon start moving the drinks away from the two of us, with Loras, Willas and Margaery smiling as they shake their heads, Oberyn looking interested and Jon being as confused as he always was. When I look back at Robb, I see him standing in the place where I left him, wide-eyed. I do not see Theon; he probably found a girl to charm.
Anya and I lift up our skirts just enough to give our legs more freedom and we started dancing. I laugh as the two of us try to keep our moves coordinated and fail miserably. It does not take long for Margaery to join us, climbing onto the table with the help of our brothers. The three of us try so hard to dance in sync with one another, but without any success, which only makes everyone, including us, laugh harder. Thankful for the strong and wide table below us, I laugh as the three of us spin around in a circle, acting too careless for our own good; I had a pretty good idea that the men from our little group are sitting in shock, waiting to catch us if one of us should fall.
Margaery was the last to join in and the first to give up. When Anya told me, breathless, that she cannot dance any longer, I nod my head, not wanting to be the last one standing. I climb down with the help of Oberyn and Robb, who was laughing.
"And that's how you dance in a tavern, Stark." I say, before I allow myself to fall onto the bench, trying to catch my breath. I should have worn my hair up today; it must be stuck to my back by now.
We might have slowed down with our pace, but we did not stop dancing. And we certainly did not stop drinking. I am unsure of how much wine and mead I have had, but I am still well aware of my movements and words, so I am not worried.
"I think I am drunk." I laugh as I put my arms around Robb's neck.
"I think you are drunk as well," he agrees. "You are fun either way, Clara."
"Why thank you Robb," I smile. "I would have liked it more if you were to loosen up a little bit, but I am happy." I chuckle. Perhaps I am not as aware of my words as I thought I was.
He laughs and as he turns me around, I catch the look my sister gave me; she was not that far from us, dancing with Oberyn. Her looked told me what I already knew. While I have a talent of keeping Oberyn at bay, my sister does not. And Oberyn would flirt with a stick.
"Margaery needs rescue," I say to Robb. "Go dance with her."
"I rather enjoy dancing with you, Clara." He admits. I am positive that I blushed.
"And I with you, but if we do not stop him, Oberyn will try to take her here and now." I laugh.
"Would he truly?" Robb asks me with a raised eyebrow.
"Perhaps not, but I would rather not test him," I chuckle. "I know how to handle him, my sister doesn't. Rescue her and I promise you another dance before we leave."
"Deal." He agrees as he moves us in the direction of Oberyn and Margaery. In a matter of seconds and a few chuckles, I am dancing with Oberyn and from the corner of my eye, I see Margaery letting out a sigh of relief.
"So we meet again, Clara Tyrell," Oberyn purrs.
"Oberyn," I shake my head, not having the strength to warn him, for the hundredth time. "We meet again." I give up, knowing he would make a whole game out of me warning him not to flirt with me.
"You are doing a good job with the wolf boy," he compliments me with that smirk of his. "Much better than I imagined. I had faith in you, but even without my guidance, you have him wrapped around your little finger." He says. I laugh, shaking my head at him.
"I do not think so, Oberyn. He likes me well enough, but we are a long way away from him being wrapped around my finger. But I am proud of myself. And you are one hell of a teacher." I add.
"That I am," he agrees. "But as your teacher, I must warn you. True enough, you are doing a good job with the wolf boy. But you will never seduce him, not if you keep sneaking a look at the wolf boy's brother. Wolf boy might be too blind to notice, but he will see it soon enough." he warns me.
"Oberyn, if I look at Jon, I look at Jon," I roll my eyes. "I am not undressing him with my eyes. I just look. The same way I look at any other man."
"No, you don't," he shakes his head at me. "I watch you watch him. I know it, better than you do. You might be charging at the wolf boy, full speed with all your forces, but you want to know what the bastard has hidden underneath, don't you?" he asks.
What Oberyn picked up on… he is right, to some extent. I do find Jon attractive and I consider him a mystery; much more mysterious than his brother. That may be true, but that does not mean I have a desire to rip Jon's clothing and see what "the bastard has hidden underneath".
"You need to learn when not to overstep your boundaries, Oberyn," I say, not bothering to hide my distaste with his comment. "And it would not hurt you to learn what personal space is." I say as I let him go and walk over to our table. Loras and Jon were sitting there so I had company.
"Too much to drink?" Loras asks me through laughter.
"Depends on the way you look at it, Loras. You say too much, I say not enough." I sigh as I take a big chug of wine. It was as if I left my lady persona at the door. Actually, that is exactly what I did. I do it every time we come down here. After all, that is the very reason we come here. Here, we are not heirs, Lords or Ladies. Here, we are just… young people that enjoy dancing and drinking.
"Lady Clara, you will soon be drunker than I am!" I hear Tyrion Lannister laugh.
"I doubt that, Lord Tyrion." I grin at the man.
"Does your offer still stand?"
"By all means." I say, pointing at the table. Tyrion Lannister sits down and in a matter of moments, our scattered group comes together again. I imagine that Tyrion joining us made it more interesting to sit and talk. I catch Robb smiling at me and I smile back, ignoring Oberyn that was sitting next to him.
"Well, there's a lot of us here, it will be difficult to hold a conversation," Tyrion sighs, sounding surprisingly sober. "Let us play a game then."
"A game?" Margery asks, smiling.
"Yes, my Lady. A drinking game I invented," he smiles at her. "The rules are very simple, really. I state a claim. It can be anything. For example, I am a Lannister. Now, who is a Lannister, has to drink. And if no one drinks, I have to drink. And we go in circles." He explains.
"Well, if you are going to claim that, you will die from poisoning soon enough." I tell him.
"I can only hope, my Lady," he nods, looking as if he would welcome death with open arms. "Alright, let us start. No pardon, no hurt feelings. I have never danced on a table." He announces. Margaery and I look at one another and toast before taking a sip. Sip, not a chug. This sounds like a long game.
"You are not making it fun, Lord Tyrion," Maragery shakes her head. "I have never kissed someone." She announces before taking a sip, and around the table, Jon, Robb and I join in. That was embarrassing.
"You are not making it fun either, my lady," Oberyn speaks up. "I have never been with a woman." He states before Margaery, Robb, Jon, Loras and I take a drink.
"Willas!" I gasp, realizing that he was not drinking.
"What? We were in Dorne!" He snaps, causing all of us to start laughing.
"I do not even want to know," I shake my head, realizing that I absolutely do not want to know who was the woman Willas was with. "I have never been with a man," I say, taking a sip, watching as Theon, Robb, Willas, Margaery, Tyrion and Jon take a drink. Even Loras did. Only Oberyn didn't.
"Do I sense judgment?" he asks when no one speaks up. "Men, women, all are sensual in their own way. Besides, a hole is a hole." He adds. In one second, all of us burst out laughing. We laugh out loud, all of us, even getting some curious looks in our direction. I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard at some comment. Oberyn reduced me to tears with his words. "I am surprised you sipped, Clara. You seem… more experienced than that." He comments. I am too drunk to get insulted.
"Oh, how dare you," I laugh as others laugh with me. "I am a maid bred for marriage, Oberyn. Or, to make it more familiar to you, Untouched, Unbent, Unbroken."
This time, it was me who reduced everyone to tears. I could not help but feel proud of myself.
"It is "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", Clara," Oberyn corrects me.
"Oh, I know. I meant what I said." I tell him, beaming with pride as they all laugh. Hell, even Jon joined in on the laughter this time.
"Your game might be fun, Lord Tyrion, but in Dorne, we play a better one."
"No!" Willas and I jump up at the same time.
"Yes," Oberyn grins at us. "Truth or challenge. You chose one. If you chose the truth, I get to ask you a question, any question I want. If you chose a challenge, I can suggest any challenge. If you chose to refuse it, you do not take a sip, but you finish the entire drink." He explains. I knew the game a little too well and so did Willas. Everyone else was looking at Oberyn, slightly impressed.
"And who asks who?" Loras asks.
"No, we are not going to play this." I shake my head.
"Yes we are," Theon laughs. "That is what I call a good game."
"No, it is better not to play it." Willas agrees with me. The two of us have felt the wrath, both of the Dornish wine and Oberyn's challenges. We have learned from our mistakes. Everyone else around the table was more interested than worried. Soon enough, they will know why this game is only fun when someone else is playing it, not you.
"No, Willas, my friend," Oberyn laughs and I already know he has something in mind. "We all want to play. And the might Kraken seems to be interested in it, so why not start there. Theon Greyjoy, truth or challenge?" he asks him. Based on my own experience, it ends badly no matter what you chose.
I remember how I thought that truth was the better option. With challenges… well, I knew Oberyn well enough to know that his imagination will find a challenge I would not feel comfortable with completing. I was foolish enough to think that truth would be a better option. Of course, Oberyn would then come up with a question I did not feel comfortable answering. And yes, you can always chose to down your drink if you do not wish to do something, but after a certain period and a certain number of glasses, finishing your drink is no longer a good option.
"Truth." Willas tells Theon. "Say truth."
"Truth," I agree. "We do not know you. You can lie." I say.
"Challenge." Theon proudly states and I can only close my eyes in defeat. We tried warning him.
"Alright. Drop your trousers, Kraken and dance around the room." Oberyn tells him. I open my eyes, ready to see Theon choosing to finish his drink. Theon, however, was already drunk. Drunk enough to think this was a good idea. And in front of him was what has to be the largest goblet I have ever seen.
"I cannot drink this." He shakes his head.
"Down with the trousers then." Oberyn chuckles.
"I can't do that."
"Why, of course you can."
"We told you all this was a bad idea." I sigh as Willas nods.
"Maybe when it's our turn, but right now, it is the best idea ever," Robb asks and when I look up, I see Theon walking into the middle of the tavern and after taking a deep breath, he really does drop his trousers. We burst out laughing, while the other guests were shocked. As soon as the shock dies down, laughter fills the room as Theon dances around the room, tripping and skipping with his pants around his ankles and red in the face as the Lannister banner.
If I thought I was crying of laughter before… well, now I was crying and struggling to breathe and laugh at the same time. I do not know what the hell I was thinking when I decided to invite them all to join us, but despite all the worries, especially the ones my siblings had, this is turning out to be the best idea I have ever had. Or, it will be, until it is my turn to play.
"Right now," Theon announces as he walks over to our table, putting his pants back on. "You've had your fun. Let's see how long it will last. Jon. Truth or challenge?" he asks.
Ah, the other side of truth of challenge. If you are playing with a stranger or someone you do not know well enough, it will not be so bad. Their questions will be nothing more than guesses. If you are playing with someone you know, or in Jon's case, someone you grew up with… you are in trouble.
"Truth." Jon responds. At least he listened. Or maybe he just didn't want to dance around naked.
"Margaery or Clara?" Theon wiggles his eyebrows.
"Theon." Robb warns him. I look at him in surprise; I have never seen Robb look this serious. He was staring his friend down. I wonder if it is because it was a rude question, or if he wanted to keep me out of it. I suppose it is the first. I am hardly the love of his life.
"Very fun game, Prince Oberyn," Tyrion mumbles. "Very fun indeed."
"Just say a name, Jon," Margaery gives him a small smile. "You don't have to drink the whole thing. Just say a name. It is only a game. Neither Clara nor I will be insulted." He tells him. Jon looks at me.
"She's right," I confirm. "Just say a name. Do not fall for it. Play the game."
"Margaery."
In theory, I would not be insulted. I know the reality of it. I would have picked Margaery, if I was a man. All of them would pick Margaery and I know it. And in theory, I wouldn't be insulted. I did call it a game. In theory, it would all be perfect and I will laugh, knowing the answer was the logical one to make.
In reality, it hurt. Just a little, but it hurt.
"See?" I laugh. "Not insulted at all." I tell him and he gives me a small smile.
Perhaps I am a better pretender than Margaery is after all.
Common insecurities and alcohol are a dangerous mix. My mood was as bad now as it was good when I watched Theon bounce around the room.
"Wolf boy. Truth or challenge?" Oberyn asks.
"Hey, you can't go twice!" Loras complains.
"Of course I can, pretty one. I do what I want," Oberyn smiles at him. "So wolf boy, what will it be?"
"Truth." Robb responds. Thank Gods, I won't see him hopping around naked.
"Margaery or Clara?" Oberyn asks.
If I can recall correctly, there was a time when I wanted to stab him. If my memory serves me right, I wanted to stab him while we played this very game, down in Dorne. I did not stab him then and he was lucky I did not have a knife close to me now. If I had, I would stab him without thinking twice about it.
I would not aim to kill, but I would stab him before he even realized I reached for the knife.
"Clara."
I would lie if I said this was not a relief. It truly was. Perhaps I will not charm everyone, not even Jon Snow. And yes, most of them will still choose Margaery, for good reason. But one of them, at least one of them, would choose me. And it just so happens to be a contender for my hand in marriage. Whether he likes it or not. Well, whether he wants it or not.
"See? Not insulted at all." Margaery laughs. I do not look at her to see if she means it or not; she could fool all of them, but not me. Not her own family. However, I do not look at her. Realizing that this was the perfect opportunity for me to bend the iron, I smile at Robb. A quick smile, before looking away.
I did not expect Jon to be looking at me as well.
"Well then, I would really suggest a different game now." Willas speaks up. I could tell by the tone of his voice, he is not letting this one go. For the first time tonight, he was speaking as a Lord and heir. We all might be in the same position as he is, but he is also the host, along with Loras, Margaery and me.
This time, they listen to him. In Oberyn's case, I hope he learns as well.
We were making our way back through the labyrinth. The sun was yet to rise. We needed to be as quiet as we were when we left. Actually, we had to be even quieter. Before, they were all in the hall, eating, drinking and dancing. Now, they were all asleep. We needed to be very quiet and given that all of us were drunk, it was a quite a mission. Tyrion was leading the way, as the drunkest one of all, with Willas, as the most sober one, silencing him while trying to hold back his laughter. Tyrion was not an annoying drunk. Quite the opposite, he was fun and charming, even more than he is when sober. But he needed to be silenced and Willas took that role upon himself, as I made sure no one was left behind, walking in the back of the line with Robb.
"Thank you for the invitation, Clara," Robb tells me, keeping his voice low; not even Loras and Theon, who were walking before us, could hear what he said. "It was fun and we needed it. Thank you."
"You are very welcome," I smile at him. "Yes, for the most part, it was fun. I am sorry for Oberyn, I have to say. He is a very dear friend of mine, but sometimes he does not choose his words carefully." I say.
"And I am sorry for Theon, for the very same reasons." He tells me.
"Don't be," I shake my head. "Oberyn is the one who took it too far. He knows my weaknesses."
"Aye, and Theon knows mine," he nods. "Making my brother chose between the two of you… Theon killed two birds with one stone. He annoyed me and Jon with the very same question."
"Friends sometimes just know too much," I smile up at him. "However, Oberyn will live to see another day. Your answer did not bother me."
"Will I live to see another day?"
"Absolutely," I smile. "Who will I dance with if you don't?"
"Jon? Unless he dances with Margaery?" Robb asks and I start laughing; this time, Theon and Loras do hear us and while they turn around, they do not comment. "I will not live after this one, will I?"
"Oh, you will," I smile as I link our hands. "After all, I would chose you over Jon as well." I say, and knowing I might be making a mistake, I stop. My hand pulls him back and when he looks at me in confusion, I raise myself and I plant a kiss on his cheek. In all honesty, I was still drunk enough to move that kiss a little bit to the right, but I knew that I will not be drunk permanently. I might regret it by the time I wake up and it is not like we were alone.
Earlier tonight, I have heard that he had never kissed someone. If I did not know that information, I would be surprised with the blush he had in his cheeks. But I do know. And when he smiles at me, I know that it was not a mistake.
For all I know, he will be my first kiss. Seven Hells, if I play my cards well, I will be his first kiss as well.
Well, better him than someone who would choose my sister over me.
