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Cassana Baratheon I

Dragonstone, Narrow Sea, Year 298 AC

Sword hit the shield of her opponent once and then twice as a young woman dressed in leather armor clashed with her opponent once and then twice which left her panting with the effort as they had been at it for more than five minutes but no one would tell her she could not keep going because she knew she could.

Her name was Cassana Baratheon, the eldest daughter of Lord Stannis Baratheon and Lady Catelyn Tully, niece to King Robert the First and Lord Paramount Renly Baratheon. She was named after her paternal grandmother, the late Lady Cassana Estermont but she was all Baratheon. She was tall, she inherited her mother's bright blue eyes but her uncles also had the same coloring, her hair was as black as coal and she also had broad shoulders despite being a girl.

Cass as she was known by her closest family and few friends was said to be a beauty by many. When she visited her uncle Renly a few years ago at Storm's End she was compared by many Lords to the last Storm Queen, Argella Durrandon not only for her beauty but also her spirit and likes. She did not believe them because none of them had seen the Queen in question so there was no way she could be compared to her.

Because of this proclaimed beauty, her mother, blessed be her name, wished to make Cassana a proper Lady that would be the keeper of her husband's household and spend all day sewing and gossiping but that was not what Lord Stannis' eldest was. Though she enjoyed wearing dresses, dance, and sing, Cassana preferred the things most boys loved such as fighting, riding, hawking, and hunting and that was something her mother could not comprehend but luckily her father did and allowed her to pursue what she liked as long as she also followed her mother's instructions when required. Thus the young Baratheon could continue to learn how to fight.

Now she was fighting her cousin Andrew Estermont who was named Master-at-Arms of Dragonstone after having served as a squire to her father for nearly ten years. He was comely, brown-haired, and green-eyed as the Estermonts, strongly built and overall a nice human being, one of the few people Cassana enjoyed being around. The other one was her good friend Jaehon Velaryon, three years her senior, meaning he was fifteen and she twelve almost thirteen.

Jaehon often spent time at Dragonstone at her father's request. His family was complicated to say the very least...his father, Ser Jacaerys, died protecting the late Queen Rhaella Targaryen from his own father, Lord Lucerys Velaryon who had served as Master of Ships during Mad Aerys' reign. Cassana still did not know the reason why the bloody man wanted to kill the woman but honestly, she did not care for the man was at Wall now.

Unfortunately for her friend's father, the Queen died giving birth to a daughter which Lord Stark took with him back North after he and her father took control of the island. She still did not know how they convinced uncle Robert to allow the baby to live...for all the qualities he had, his hatred towards Targaryens could be considered insanity for the way he spoke about them, especially Mad Aerys and Rhaegar the Rapist as he called them.

But since his father died and his grandfather was a sworn brother of the Night's Watch, meant that Jaehon was the Lord of the Tides and Master of Driftmark with a Regency under his mother and his uncle Monford implemented to rule in his stead. A Regency that would be ending in a few months when her friend came of age. Jaehon was supposed to be a Valyrian and yet besides the skin color and overall look, he looked nothing like one...His hair and eyes were dark brown, though the latter could resemble obsidian depending on the light. He had always a distant look on his face and more often than not an expressionless face. He had thousands of secrets and getting him to talk about them was impossible especially because he was very shy.

She also never managed to make him fight her even though he always carried two swords with him, one on his waist and the other on his back. Instead, she usually found him looking at the clouds or seating in a very weird position, with his legs crossed and his eyes closed and he could remain like that for hours. He was nice and kind, a friend. He loved her sister Shireen too and everyone who did had a special place on Cassana's heart, but she wanted to fight him and was desperate to do so because she felt she needed to do it for some reason.

"We should call it a day," Cassana told her cousin after she finally felt tired. She undid her ponytail and allowed her long hair to roam free. "I need to see how Shireen is doing and then check my mother."

"And sew me a shirt, dear cousin?" Her cousin Andrew teased and she punched his arm with a smile on her face. "I hope it is light green and with a big turtle in it."

"I will make sure the whole shirt has a big fat turtle in it." Cass assured.

"That leaves me with joy, dear cousin," Andrew said as he extended his hand to pick her sword which she gave to him. "Say hello to them for me, I will go to town because I have businesses to attend."

"You are going to see if you can fetch a ship to take you to Estermont, right?" she asked curiously. "To see your family?"

"Correct." Her cousin nodded. "In a few weeks, I hope to be seeing them."

"Good luck with that cousin." Cassana wished as they separated and she made her way to Aegon's Garden where she knew her sister would be. Shireen often went there because Jaehon was almost always there while he was on the island. Cassana was happy they went so often to the Garden because if she was, to be honest, she enjoyed the smell of pine mixed with the smell of the sea which was prevalent in there, and thus she had the perfect excuse to smell that beautiful smell.

Upon arriving in the Garden, Cassana inhaled as much pure air as she could before she venture into the dirt pathway surrounded by tall dark pine trees, dark grass, wild roses, and cranberries. By a small pond of water sat her sister trying her best to imitate Jaehon's weird positions, they had their backs straight and their legs crossed but Shireen was uncomfortable while Jaehon was perfectly fine, his fingers touching the opposite ones while doing an inverted triangle.

As Cassana approached them, the scars on her sister's face began showing up...It was so unfair that Shireen had them, all thanks to the fucking greyscale she caught when she was barely more than a toddler. Maesters, physicians, mages came from all over the Known World to help her but it had been an old physician from Yi-Ti that was sent from Driftmark by House Velaryon that cured her or rather prevented the disease from spreading further than her neck and upper chin and thus saved a little girl from certain death.

The physician always visited her sister at least once a month and while doing so, he gave her some weird spheres to swallow every meal which he claimed was necessary to treat the disease, and some lotions to restore her skin and hide the scars. The lotion worked particularly well if Cassana was, to be honest, and the Yitish man claimed it was used by the Princesses of those faraway lands to look more beautiful and preserve their youth longer and thanks to it, Shireen had some semblance of confidence within herself than made her happier because she looked almost like a normal girl that did not suffer what she did.

Despite her best efforts to make no sound while walking in hopes to surprise the pair, for they had their eyes closed, Cassana was, however, caught by Jaehon. As always... "Hello Cassana." he said without moving anything else but his lips, staying still like a statue.

Shireen, however, immediately stood up and ran to her sister to get a hug. "Cass!"

"Hello there, my beautiful sister!" Cassana proclaimed while picking Shireen up and kissing her right cheek. "How do you do?"

"Good!" she replied. "Jaehon was teaching me his weird concentration positions again!"

"Yes...I saw...Still, how did you always hear me, Jaehon?" she asked indignantly. "I tried my best to make no noise as always and yet you still know I'm coming..."

"There are other ways to see or hear..." Jaehon said as he opened his obsidian-colored eyes. "Your eyes and ears deceive you at times...but they are not the only way to see."

"You can feel it right, Jaehon?" Shireen asked beaming.

"That is part of it, yes." he nodded with a smile. "One can do a lot of things with a bit of concentration but it does take time to get there. That and knowing what one is searching for."

Cassana never really liked to concentrate too much on things, but neither did she like to pay it no mind, she aimed for the middle ground, a little patience, and a little brashness. "How do you do it anyway? How do you feel someone approaching?"

"Every living thing has an energy around them called aura. Some people's auras as well as some animals' are larger than others. Gregarious people or charismatic individuals have large auras and are easy to spot, quiet people like me usually have smaller ones. Predators like sharks or lions make you feel frightened not only because it's common knowledge they are predators and dangerous but because their auras are large as well." Her friend explained. "If you train hard enough you can spot someone by feeling their aura even when something is obstructing it. Then it becomes a guessing game to identify it. If you know someone's aura well enough like I know yours I can deduce it's you who is coming."

"And can someone like me do that too?" Cassana asked. "Because I never saw anyone else but you claiming to be able to see these auras."

"As I said, anyone can do it but with practice." Jaehon insisted. "This is something that takes years of training."

"I want to be able to read auras too!" Shireen proclaimed.

"And you will, with practice," Jaehon said with his shy smile. "I promised I would help you and although I'm not good at teaching, I will make sure that in five years or so, you will be able to spot your sister coming to meet us here just as I do."

"That will be awesome!" Shireen said happily.

"Then how am I supposed to spook you if you know when I'm coming?" Cassana asked as she rubbed her sister's right cheek with her left one.

"There are ways to avoid being detected by an aura reader..." All three of them glanced at the mysterious woman who spoke. She was standing there, behind them, gazing at them...She had long copper hair and pale skin, full breasts, and a slender figure concealed in a long bright red robe, a red and golden choker with a huge bright ruby around her neck...The pleasant scent of pine and sea was replaced by the smell of fire... "To see an aura reader so far away from Essos...it's truly unexpected. And one so young too..."

"Who are you?" Cassana inquired worriedly as she had never seen this woman before and. "And how did you get here? This garden is off the limits to smallfolk!"

"You are Lord Stannis' daughter am I correct?" Cassana noticed that she had a weird and foreign accent unlike any she had heard before. "Lady Cassana Baratheon?"

Cassana did not like this mysterious woman, she made her feel uneasy and she hated the feeling. Then she began walking towards them slowly and stop a few inches away from both Baratheon girls. "How do you know my name?" The young Baratheon questioned defensively while Shireen hid the best way she could in her arms.

"Everyone on this island knows of you, My Lady." The woman replied. "A daughter of the Lord is well known."

"And yet I do not know yours and I certainly do not like it!" Cassana retorted, turning back to see if Jaehon would back her up but she only saw him looking at the woman as if he was hypnotized. Is he lusting for the woman? At this time? It was not the first time she found her friend staring where it could be considered inappropriate...his glances were fast and not that common but she did catch him now and then...Now he was not containing himself by the looks of it...

"You may call me Melisandre," The woman said with a smile. "I'm…"

"A Red Priestess." Jaehon completed and Cass sighed mentally when her friend returned to his normal self. Suddenly the feeling of uneasiness that prevailed in the air became so suffocating that Cassana thought she wasn't able to breathe and she wondered why. "Your kind has a controversial reputation and I personally do not have a thing against you," The young Baratheon watched her friend stand up and walk towards the woman at a very slow pace as the air around them kept getting heavier. "But I also know what your kind is capable of and I hope you are not thinking of harming these two or anyone really." The Velaryon stopped when he stood right in front of the Red Priestess and pointed his index finger towards the choker. "We do not want problems around here..."

The face Melisandre showed was of surprise and a hint of fear by the look of it, as if she was completely caught off guard by his gesture...then she smiled a nervous smile. "An aura reader...and an aura manipulator...What a large aura...I have only seen a few individuals with one so large...Benerro and a few others in the temple..." Cassana did not understand a thing of what the woman was speaking but this bloody aura thing was leaving her worried and annoyed. Truth be told, never in her life, besides when Shireen got greyscale, had she been this scared...and she hated it! Especially when she was almost a woman.

"I still have no answer to my question." Jaehon insisted, his expression threatening which was very unusual to see. Her friend never lost composure but he seemed to have done it now.

"You do not have to worry about it Ser, I can take a cue," Melisandre assured. "However, it was never my intention to harm them. I have other objectives in mind and harming them would only cause me setbacks or worse." Then she extended her hand to Jaehon's face which she grab with her long fingers and lifted. Suddenly the uneasy feeling dissipated... "I have seen you in the flames too..."

And just as the harsh ambiance disappeared, it came back just as fast which made Cassana conclude from the talk and that it was Jaehon who somehow was causing this feeling which brought her more questions than answers. "I have no interest in hearing of my future. It sucks and that's all there is to it."

"You are a very fascinating find. I would love to know where you learned your skills but I must leave, I abused my time and luck." Melisandre said eyeing Cassana. "It was good meeting you three, I'm very happy if I'm to confess, I have learned a lot." Then she turned to Jaehon. "I meant what I said Ser." Her eyes fell on Cassana once more. "Lady Cassana, Lady Shireen." Then she began walking away. "Remember this, my friends, the night is dark and full of terrors and you and your family will need the light in what is to come."

Cassana knew she should have apprehended the woman but she still could not move a finger. Suddenly the fear left her and she was able to move this time for good. "Are you alright, Cassana?" Jaehon questioned as he rested his hand on her right shoulder, Shireen still in her hold.

"No I'm not!" she hissed bitterly. "What was all this?"

"Many Red Priests are religious fanatics, it's not uncommon for them to make sacrifices to their God."

"You think she would sacrifice us?" Cassana questioned making her little sister's eyes bulge.

"She will not. It makes no sense for her, especially with both of you being such important people. She herself said that harming you would cause more problems." Her friend dismissed but she was not convinced of it.

"And do you trust her?" Cassana questioned aghast. "If this woman is a lunatic we must hunt her down!"

"You can try but I do not believe she will be found unless she wants to." Jaehon dismissed. "I have met a few Red Priests in Driftmark but this one was different, more competent, and more mysterious."

"Then are we supposed to let her roam free?" she asked indignantly. "I don't think so, my friend."

"You can send the guards after her if it makes you feel better..." Jaehon said as he sat down again. "Maybe they will find her..."

"That is exactly what I will do!" Cassana admitted. "With my father at the capital it's up to me to protect Dragonstone and I shall do that."

"Well...it's your mother who rules in your father's name so..."

"I don't care!" she told him irritated. "I will not let myself be caught off guard like this! I will not let any harm come to my family and I will prove I'm a worthy heir to father!"

"Do you there is more to life than proving something? Do you know that putting such expectations into yourself will only do you harm?" Cassana rolled her eyes when her friend began with his peace and love speeches. "True happiness comes from within, not from someone else."

"Did you thought that way when you staring at the Red Priest's buxom?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow as Jaehon's eyes bulged and his pale cheeks began turning pink. She knew her point had nothing to do with the current point of the conversation but she felt that she had to bring that up for some reason.

"Cassana...I was not...I do not...stare at women...that way..." He said as his cheeks began turning from pink to deep red and he averted his gaze to the floor.

"Sure...but your looks told me a different story..." she teased him further.

"Cassana..." She loved to break his calm demeanor...because he seemed to have no fear, unlike her and she was jealous of that too. It was childish of her part but she did not care.

"Septa Mordane said it's improper for men to look there, Jaehon..." Shireen pointed out.

"But...I was not..." he said meekly.

"Come on, Shireen. After I send the guards after this woman, we will meet mother and sew a little so that she does not bother us too much and we will leave Jaehon to his naughtiness..."

"Naughty Jaehon!" Shireen laughed.

"I'm not naughty..." Jaehon said as they walked away, smiling, and then they lolled their tongue at him, which unfortunately he did not saw because he was still looking at the floor.

Cersei Lannister I

Winterfell, North, Year 298 AC

Cersei and Jaime were both laying down in the improvised bed they made in the abandoned tower of Winterfell in which they had their coupling ever since they arrived at Winterfell. She did not like the place but it was, at first glance, the only place at Winterfell they could meet for sexual escapades without a problem, everything else was heavily patrolled by those Winter Guard fools. But the effort was way too great for the reward and in Cersei's mind, there was no point in continuing these little escapades. Not to mention that soon they would be returning to the capital.

"I do not like it, Jaime!" The Queen of Westeros proclaimed to her twin whilst looking at the old stoned ceiling while they rested from the first round of sex. "You should have been the Hand, not Stark nor anyone else!"

"Me?" he glanced at her with a smirk. "It's not an honor I would want, there is just too much work in it. Besides I was never worthy of ruling anything and you know it."

Can't he see it? Can't Jaime see what I see in Stark being too righteous? Too honorable to be corrupted? It had been a pain to endure that old Arryn and she was quite content with his death but Eddard Stark was not an old fart, he was still young and thus a threat. "Do you not see the danger that Stark becoming Hand even if just for a year can put us in?" she asked aghast. "Robert loves the man like a brother!"

"Robert can barely stomach his own brothers," Jaime japed and she slapped his shoulder. "Not that I blame him...Stannis would be enough to give anyone indigestion. Also...this fight they had just proves that perhaps they don't understand each other that well anymore."

"Do not play the fool! Stannis and Renly are one thing and Eddard Stark is another." Cersei retorted. "Look at it, Robert was angry by being refused by Stark. You know how he hates to be denied of anything and quits quickly but here he took time to ponder everything and in the end, he accepted Stark's terms!"

"Then it looks like Stark is not as stupid as he seems." Jaime laughed, now a genuine laugh.

"Do not be a fool Jaime!" she hissed angrily. "Damn them both! I should have insisted that he named you, but I was so certain that Stark would refuse!"

"The likelihood of me being nominated is as big as one of Robert's whores. You should have whispered father's name and not mine." Jaime dismissed. "And you ought to count yourself fortunate, Cersei." he continued. "He could have named one of his brothers…What do you think of Stannis as Hand? Surely a wonderful sight for all the realm to see. Or perhaps that weasel Littlefinger…Give me honorable enemies rather than unyielding or ambitious ones and I'll sleep more easily at night."

Jaime was right in it for as much as she hated it…Stannis as Hand of the King would be a nightmare beyond everything that Stark could do. Stark was still better but she did not know his capabilities and skills and that left her restless too. "We will have to watch him carefully," she said. "I do not like the looks of it."

"I would sooner watch you and your beautiful cunt with my cock in it." Jaime with that smile of his…

"Eddard Stark has never taken any interest in what happened south of the Neck in fifteen years." Cersei insisted, ignoring his lustful thoughts. "I tell you that he means to move against us! Why else would he leave his seat of power?"

"A hundred reasons…" Jaime whispered in her ear as he roamed her body, kissing her. "Duty…honor…to write his name further in history…get away from his wife…Actually…no…I doubt he wants that…perhaps he wants to see her in Dornish laces? Good old Eddard Stark wants to have the full experience of a Dornish wife outside of this cold…" Her foolish brother laughed quite loudly with this horrible jape of his.

Speaking of Ashara Dayne Stark… "I bet it's that Dornish viper of a wife that is pulling the strings in the back! And now she is getting her hands on Robert through Stark!" Cersei murmured, the clarity in everything made her question why she did not see this sooner. The Dornishwoman had been in the capital three years…she knew how the game works and perhaps she wants more than that plain looking husband of hers…perhaps she wished for more than a cold wasteland to rule…

"Ashara Dayne?" Jaime asked curiously. "I doubt it…her brother was not ambitious nor dishonorable…but you never know…" Her twin looked pensive. "Still...the Dornish were pretty angry with Elia Martell's death and these two were very good friends..."

"What else could make an honorable fool accept such offer?" she asked confused. "Friendships come and go. She set her terms and got the best outcome possible." The Dornishwoman was smart, she would give her that but Cersei was a lioness and much smarter. She would not let some Dornish whore defeat her. "But I caught her play."

"I think you are overreacting Cersei," Jaime said as he rubbed his cock on her skin. "Not everyone is a schemer like you…"

"I know what I'm talking about!" she hissed bitterly. "I know she is moving against me, just as I know Lysa Arryn is doing the same!"

"You fret too much, Cersei." Jaime as always dismissed. "Lysa Arryn is nothing but a frightened cow and Ashara Stark is no threat to us."

"That frightened cow shared Jon Arryn's bed!" Cersei hissed. "Who knows what she knows."

"If she knew anything, she would have gone to Robert before she fled," Jaime said. "Robert is the only man that can go against you in such a way. Him and father."

"When Robert had that weakling son of hers be fostered at Casterly Rock with father was when she understood that her dim-witted son would be nothing but a hostage." Cersei retorted. "She may grow bolder now that they are both safe at the Eyrie."

"Mothers…" Jaime sighed. "I think birthing does something to your minds…and you ought to be all mad." And with that, he laughed once more. "Let them both grow as bold as they wish, they have no proof of anything."

"And do you think Robert will require proof?" Cersei asked. "I tell you, he loves me not."

"And I wonder whose fault is that sweet sister?" he asked as in a jape and she slapped him this time on his cheek.

"You are as blind and stupid as Robert!" she hissed. "The sooner Robert dies and Joff takes the throne, the sooner we will be safer. Robert grows restless every day and having Stark beside him will only make him worse and do not tell me Robert will not accept the offer because he will." Stark the brother of that stupid bitch Lyanna who torments my life even when dead. "I wonder how long before he puts me aside for some new Lyanna?"

Jaime sighed, clearly bored with it all. "You should think less about the future and more about the pleasures at hand." And with that, he began rubbing her clit, making her moan. "Forget them all and focus on us only. We are the only ones that matter." She wanted to say no but…she could not dismiss it…Jaime was kissing her so wildly so she embraced it all. There would be time to take care of the Stark fool and his Dornish whore but not now.

This Chapter took me a lot of time to write because I couldn't get that banter between Melisandre and my OC, Jaehon right. I think it looks decent now considering the objective I had in mind.

Jaehon will likely play a bigger role in my main story by Part 3 which is likely years away given my pace now but I liked his relationship with Cassana so I put him here to introduce a part of my stories which is Yitishi culture and folklore, or at least my attempt at it...The Velaryons had contacts with Yi-Ti thanks to Corlys the Sea-Snake and Alyn Oakenfist, so to me, it seems the best place to put some of this. But I'm trying to not show too much right away.

While Stannis and Catelyn's relationship is better than Stannis/Selyse, he is often in the capital (and still currently is) so they didn't have sex that often which led to him only having two girls. I decided to keep this like in the original Happy Marriage for the sake of simplicity.

Anyway, I don't think I have anything else to say right now. So...thank you for sparing time reading and I hope everyone has a nice day and stays safe.