-"Rohanne! Get your head out of your ass and onto the road!" My father, King Baratheon scolded as we rode side by side, on two horses to Winterfell.
Normally women, especially the queen and princess would travel by carriage however, I prefer riding horseback wearing armor practicing swordplay and everything a man did. It just wasn't fair I was born a woman.
I hummed in response, looking onward at the head of the caravan.
"How far is Winterfell from here?" Joffrey, my brother asked, he was only a year younger, and looked quite different than I.
"Twenty miles, if you paid more attention you'd know." I said, casually holding my horses reins, my legs and ass were numb, only thing I could feel normally were my arms and upper body— making me a bit bitter. But then I was always bitter towards Joffrey. Just his name sounds spoiled.
"Why don't you go back into the carriage with mother and Myrcella!" He fumed, he just couldn't take the slightest insult, it was infuriating along side many other things.
"Can I please gag him?" I asked towards my father, earning a chuckle.
"Shut up, boy, do as your oldest says." Father said like a reflex.
"Older by a year." He scoffed before falling away.
"Sometimes I wonder if he's even my boy." Father said, his beard and hair making it hard to see what kind of face he was making.
"He spends too much time with mother, the other day I caught him and mother reading a book about clothing or something and he went 'I'm a man! I don't need crochet!' Like a man reads a book about crochet." I smirked, making a tough boy voice with my girl like voice, I sounded like my mother, which annoyed me half the time.
"Rohanne, before we get to Winterfell I wanted to tell you what is going to happen. You will be my heir and you will rule all seven kingdoms, which means you'll need to marry. The Stark boy; Robb is of age. Plus I've heard he's got a face all the girls love." Father turned to see my reaction, but all he got was the sound of my horses hooves. "Go on girl, if you're going to complain do it now."
Looking onward, I knew one day my life would be decided for me, at least it wasn't to someone I hated. Yet. "I'm not complaining, why would I complain about that? Not to mention all the benefits." I let out a smirk, turning to Father.
He had a cautious look most of all;
"You'll marry before I go back to kingslanding, and you're staying at Winterfell."
"Why so soon?" I asked not catching the last bit. "What?" I snapped, my brunette hair swaying with the turn my head. "No I'm not staying there! I'm going back with you!" I never wanted to leave my father's side, growing up in King's Landing taught me many things, but most of all not to trust anyone. Especially my mother.
"It's final, Rohanne!" He argued in a risen voice, staring me down.
I hissed and looked back at the road, a frown plastered on my face.
"When you were born, you should have seen the look on my face when I heard you were a girl." Father said in a calmer tone.
"I imagine it was disappointment." I replied, eyes low.
"It was, I'm not afraid to admit it. But the minute I saw you with different eyes. You look at me with daring eyes, a smirk, and I knew you were my blood. Then you grew up to be this." He gestured with a arm with a grin toward me.
"And what's this?" I grinned back, probably the full armor.
"A fighter, a conqueror, just like me." Father proudly replied, looking at the road ahead.
"I just hope I don't get fat like you." I snickered, ready to speed up my horse if he got mad.
He turned, looked me in the eyes, sometimes it was intense to stare at those blue eyes. But I knew were this ended, he began to laugh and I followed.
He was the only person I would follow, the only one I could trust, so I followed.
Not long after reaching the end of the Forest, I could see it, Winterfell. A place that suited its name. Only minutes before I was excited to meet Ned Stark, the man I heard so much about, at that moment I wasn't sure how to feel. It was going to be my new home, I was going to marry within a month, better then than never I suppose.
They road from there on was a clear bath, the gates opened up, Joffrey rode up first like he owned the damn place.
I slowly rode behind my father, when seeing a new place I often feel lost, like there's just too much to see at one time, and that's exactly how I felt. Not knowing where to put my eyes.
The battlements above the gates, the men stationed there, the towns people watching from the sides. What was up with them only wearing blue? And what they have for the feast all were in my mind. However, as father stepped from the horse, I didn't have to be an idiot to know who was Ned Stark. He just held himself in such a way, radiating honor? Maybe.
Father waved me over as he walked up to them, I quickly jumped down from my horse and stepped along side my father.
Lord Stark had his eyes on Robert even though he was bowing and saw father move two fingers to stand.
"Your grace." Lord Stark bowed again, Father looking unpleased with him.
"You got fat." He said, after a silence a horse huffed.
Ned Stark nodded in his direction, and they both laughed. Normal thing for Father, got too used to it to be intimidating.
"Cat!" Father smiled, giving Lady Stark a hug and rubbing (what I guessed) the youngest boys blonde hair.
"Your grace." She smiled back.
Father looked back at Lord Stark with a warm smile; "Nine years, why haven't I seen you where the hell have you been?"
"Guarding the north for you, your grace, Winterfell is yours." Lord Stark said, his eyes looked kind. Something I wasn't used to.
"This is my daughter, Rohanne."
"It's a pleasure to meet you again, my Lady, we first met when you were but a baby, you've grown into a fine young lady." Lord Stark nodded his head.
"Thank you, It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Lord Stark." I smiled, my hands behind my back before shaking his hand.
My eyes suddenly shifted to the most vibrant pair of bright blue eyes I'd seen, looking right back at me, almost judging me. Stormy eyes that wanted to put up a fight, the boy's jaw were clenched, a perfect jawline, curly dark red hair. I stared for a bit, he wasn't the first person but definitely the one I remembered to give me such a distant feeling. Little did I know what those eyes really meant, how long it would take to finally win them over, how much pain and torment just for those eyes just to change.
"What have we here? You must be Robb." Father said, shaking his hand. "Well what do you think?" He turned back at me with he's normal mischievous grin.
I paused, I wasn't myself, like I was in a daze yet I still replied. "You weren't kidding when you said he had a pretty face." I slightly grinned, looking back at Robb Stark.
Father laughed, giving me a nudge, however, Robb turned to his father with an unsure look, and Lord Stark shrugged.
"Aye, you're a pretty one." Father continued down the line. The Stark girl smiles with a hidden pride as father went to the next. "Your name is?"
"Arya." She replied.
He stepped to the small boy, second to youngest. "Oh show us your muscles." He did and small arms were all that showed, although it made everyone smile. "You'll be a soldier."
I could just feel my mother's presence, she was just so annoying sometimes. Mother placed a "soft" hand on my shoulder to move and I did. Farther away from her.
"My queen." Both Lord and Lady Stark bowed, mother giving her hand for Lord Stark to kiss. So damn annoying, everything she did was disturbing.
"Bring me to your crypt I want to pay my respects." Father suddenly said. Although it was no surprise.
"We've been riding for a month, my love, surely the dead can wait." Mother protested, typical her. Everything she did was against him.
He (as always) ignored her. "Ned." He called out and walked away.
Mother looked back at me, I quickly averted my eyes away to anything and they landed on that Stark girl Arya looking at me like I was her new hero. It was probably the Baratheon armor.