Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones or anything related. It belongs to George R.R. Martin, the creator of this wonderful universe and David Benioff and D. B. Weiss who created the show.
Chapter Eleven: Playing by the Creek.
Sanira smiled watching Karlon play with his wooden sword, it was nice to be away from the stuffy arena and she had missed her boys while she had been busy; the duties of a Queen were far from easy. It was nice to just have a break like this where she didn't have to worry about everyone watching her every move and what she was doing; she would much rather spend the morning with her children.
The weather had started to warm up now that the four-year winter was over and Sanira was relieved that they didn't have much snow to contend with while they were here. The winter had been harsh and it certainly hadn't helped with what was going on around them; it was nice to see spring finally happening.
Winterfell was very much still covered in snow and it was difficult to walk around the grounds for long periods of time if you didn't want your feet to freeze into blocks of ice. Sitting down in the cover of the trees that hid a small creek that passed by the end of the castle away from the main river that was on the opposite side of the ancestral Tully home.
"Careful Karlon," Sanira called in warning watching her eldest son clamber over some rocks, she smiled fondly to herself watching him glad that he would never recall the horrors of the war. There would be a time that Karlon would have to learn about what had happened but Sanira prayed that he would never have to go through what Robb and she had.
"I will mama," Karlon called with a cheeky smile on his face as he continued to play, he was glad to be away from his septa for a few hours; he grew bored with his lessons and he just wanted to play in the grounds. Aiana and Kari smiled watching the little boy, it was hard to believe just how fast he had grown up and it only seemed like yesterday that he was learning to walk and talk.
Osric babbled in his mother's arms pulling her attention away from her eldest for a moment; he was her miracle child and she prayed nothing came to harm him or his brother. The small clearing that they had settled in was peaceful and Sanira had selected it since it was away from the main crowd that was attending the tournament which continued to entertain the masses. Staring down at Osric, a frown formed on Sanira's face as she realised just how quiet it was around them; her head snapped up unable to hear the joyful laughter of her son anymore.
"Karlon!" Sanira called softly climbing to her feet, her eyes frantically searching the trees around them wondering just where her eldest son was; he had been here just a moment ago and now he was nowhere to be seen. Sanira's heart pounded in her chest as she balanced Osric on her hip while trying to spot where Karlon had gone; she had warned him not to wander off when they had sat down and that was just what he had done.
Handing Osric over to Kari, Sanira grabbed at the skirts of her printed silk-blend dress and slowly made her way down to the creek to see if she could spot him. Her heart pounded in her chest as her brown eyes swept around trying to spot her son; she had never felt so afraid in her life and she felt sick wondering just where he had gone.
"He can't have wandered far," Aiana reassured her, she was sure that he wouldn't have just taken off and it wouldn't take them long to track down the prince; he was probably hiding behind a tree or something. She moved down the bank to join her long-time friend in trying to spot him, there was no sign of him and she couldn't help but feel like there was something that they were missing. It was strange to not hear Karlon respond to his own mother in anyway.
"Head back to the castle… find help," Sanira ordered Kari, she hoped that none of their men were too drunk to come and search for Karlon; she didn't know what she would do if anything happened to her son. He was only a boy and Sanira couldn't stop herself from picturing his body face down in the creek; they would cover more ground if they had people helping them search for him.
"Your Grace," Kari said before hurrying back to the castle with Osric securely in her arms, she didn't want to let Sanira down when her Queen had shown her nothing but kindness after everything that had happened. Once Kari was gone, Sanira and Aiana started their search for the young boy wondering just where he might have gone.
The two moved quickly sure that Karlon couldn't have wandered very far and with each passing minute it started to dawn on them that they were no closer to finding him than when they had begun. Making her way up the river bank, on the other side of the creek Sanira hoped that this was where Karlon was hiding; she reached the top to find a small clearing just out of sight from where she and her ladies had been sitting. The sight before her made her stomach drop and Sanira wasn't sure if she had walked into a nightmare; she had never thought that this would happen.
"Let him go," Sanira demanded, her eyes trained on the man that held her son with a dagger to his throat; she felt ill and the fact that the man wore Lannister branded armour did nothing but make her fears worse. The man did nothing but hold Karlon tighter, he had been waiting for this moment since he had gotten his orders and now he had the chance to get revenge for his mistress.
"I am Sanira Stark, the Queen in the North, Queen of the Trident and Lady of Winterfell and you shall release my son this instant," Sanira demanded staring at the man that was holding onto her son, she would not show fear knowing that one wrong move could end up with Karlon being slaughtered.
The man scoffed at her titles, she had betrayed her family and she deserved to suffer for what she had done; it was her husband that had ruined everything for the Lannisters and now they would make them both pay. Karlon sniffled as he stared at his mother, his wooden sword laying at his feet and he wished to go home; he had been happily playing when the man had grabbed him and dragged him here.
"Traitorous whore," the man spat disgusted with the very thought that he might share blood with the woman before him; she didn't even look like a Lannister and he supposed that was a good thing so she couldn't taint the good name further. Sanira carefully took a step forward, she couldn't just stand here and wait for help to arrive; she had to do something to save her son even if it meant that she handed herself over.
"Please… take me instead," Sanira pleaded wanting nothing more than for her son's life to be spared, she couldn't lose another child and she would never forgive herself if something happened to him. The man tightened his grip on Karlon making him cry out in pain, he wasn't going to let him go nor would he had over such a prize for anything less.
Opening his mouth to speak, the man didn't get another chance to spread his lies before he was attacked from behind causing him to release his hold on Karlon. Sanira took her chance and darted forward to grab her son just as the man was subdued by the men that had come to her aid; she felt tears fill her eyes at how close this had been.
"It's okay," Sanira whispered holding a sobbing Karlon in her arms, she closed her eyes as the knights and lords quickly descended to make sure there was no further threat to their Queen and the heir to the throne. There was no telling what would happen when she had to face Robb about this.
Please Review, Favourite and Follow xxx
