So, I was actually going to have 1x02 in one chapter, but I decided to split it so I could post it more quickly, considering this story has more than 70 follows already!
Thank you guys, truly.
I'm not completely happy with the end result of this chapter, but I really thought I should give you an update.
I'd like for you to tell me what you'd like to see and maybe I can add some of those scenes in future chapters, before the war breaks out. Also, continue reviewing with whose face claims you want me to reveal. And if you have any questions you want answered, also include them in your review and if they won't spoil anything, I'll answer them in the next update.
Face Claim Reveal:
Caitlin Stasey as Vitoria Martell
Part 1
she wore ice on her skin as diamonds while the heat in her veins kept her from freezing
The reality of court leaving did not truly strike Vitoria until she saw Luna directing Jory on which trunks her and Sansa's belongings were to go onto a wagon and which were to stay with them on the back of the wheelhouse.
Vitoria felt her heart squeeze painfully as Rickon's pleas to Ned reached her ear, the four-year-old boy begging to be allowed to go with his father and older sisters. She wanted to comfort Rickon, to say he would have fun with her children, but Vitoria knew it was not her place. Despite how it could seem to a newcomer, to someone who did not know who they were, she was not his mother. It was not her place to say anything when his parents were present.
Rickon would need to grow up soon and she would not be able to coddle the child as she had not done so with her own now. She'd be forced to treat the four children as if they were dornish, growing up in the desert her family had long ruled over. Her children and Rickon would not be given the luxury of growing up as sheltered wolves. The world was changing and she had to prepare them for it.
It was the idea of the girls' departure which was forcing tears to her eyes, however. Despite her initial attitude when she arrived in Winterfell, Sansa had been the first person to break down her walls; the first member of the Stark family she bonded with. It wasn't that much later that she was bonding with Arya. The bonds she had with the girls were very different, but they were real and strong. The thought of them leaving, for an indefinite amount of time did not sit well with her.
"You look uneasy, Princess," Draco said as he sidled up beside her, a gentle smile on his face.
"Everyone is leaving to go that thrice-cursed Red Keep," she said bitterly, "and, Draco, for the last time, call me Vitoria. We've known each other long enough for that."
And they had. Draco was Arianne's age and from a noble family in Norvos, the youngest son of one of her grandfather's friends. They had met when they were children and enjoyed the time they had together when she visited her grandparents. When he turned ten, he had announced his decision to become a sellsword, but being so young he did not leave his home yet. And when he heard of her betrothal to the Stark heir, he had decided to travel North with her as part of her guard. She trusted those who had traveled with her for her marriage and those who had stayed even more, but the trust she held for Draco ran deeper than most.
"Then I suppose you and your husband will have to double your efforts in continuing with your litter of children," As Vitoria turned her eyes up to look at Draco, a gaze of steel in her eyes, he affectionately touched her cheek.
"I don't know if I want another one just yet," she allowed him to wrap his arm around hers as they started walking. "With everything that is happening, it might not be the best of ideas."
"Last I heard, you told Lexa you despised having to drink moon tea," she could tell Draco was smirking before she looked up at him.
"I don't like the taste of it, that is true," she admitted, her voice low now that she saw Lannister servants coming. "But things are changing and I don't think it would be the best for me to swell with another child now that this is happening…and I don't know how my body would react to it. I got pregnant the first chance I got after having the twins, but my body couldn't cope. I refuse to go through such a thing again."
"Who would have thought little Princess Tori would grow up to be such a schemer?"
Vitoria laughed, wrapping her arms around his back, pressing her chest against the cool metal of his armor, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I need you to go South with Luna and the Stark girls," she murmured.
"Your grandfather won't like it, your highness." Another thing she loved about Draco. He didn't care about what her father said — even if he would also be displeased about her sending him away. His loyalty was to her as a Taten, not as a Martell. If her father sent him orders he'd scoff at them, but he would not dare disobey an order that came from her grandparents (not that they actually sent orders, they trusted her enough to know she would not get herself killed and messages took too much time to travel between Norvos and the North in any case).
He felt her scoff and looked down at her. "I know, but they will need you more than I," she moved away from him and wrapped her arm around his once more, leading him around the keep as they talked, this time in Rhoynish so no one else would understand them.
"The Red Keep has brought nothing more than grief to my family, Draco," Vitoria said, nearly seething. "And the Lannisters have always been looking for opportunities to rise higher. I don't think even having his daughter as queen will stop Tywin Lannister from attacking if he believes he will gain something from it." She took a deep breath before continuing. "They hated my aunt for taking the dragon prince away from Cersei. They hate Dorne, seeing us as whores and murderers mostly. My goodfather is much too honorable for his own good, his honor won't save him. And as spoiled as Sansa might be, she needs to survive, as daughter of the Hand, as crown princess and eventually as queen. Arya is too wild to survive on her own, without proper help. I'm trying to get Lord Aron to accept a proposal, but it's looking near impossible. But if I manage it, you'll only have Sansa to deal with, Arya would be safe in Dorne. I'll deal with my father and my grandfather, but I need to know those girls will be safe. If I could, I would send Allard with you, but my father will not forgive me for that." She was not so worried about Luna, the younger redhead had thick skin and a silver tongue; she'd manage perfectly if things went wrong.
Draco tilted her head up, his face teasingly serious. "It is a deal."
She turned her head to look at him, her mouth nearly level with his ears, but to any eavesdropper it would look as though she was kissing his neck. "I need you to inform me of the goings of the court."
"What exactly?" He whispered back, his voice equally as low, his breath warming her hair. She was suddenly reminded of how their position would look to any onlookers, but she couldn't bring herself to push him away. The visitors from court would expect to see a dornish whore, so why couldn't she give them what they wanted?
"Anything and everything you think may be of value. It's time for the lions and the stags to pay for their crimes."
"Arya, please, sit still," Vitoria pleaded as she tried to style Arya's hair.
"I don't want to go," the girl whined, but nevertheless she stopped twitching, allowing Vitoria to braid her hair. "Can't I stay here with you and Robb? I won't bother you, I promise!"
"Oh, sweetling, you'll never be a bother. But your father has to go where the King goes now that he is his Hand and he wants you and Sansa to go with you. Twist your head to the left please."
"But you, Rickon and Robb aren't coming!"
"Without your father here, Robb is the Lord of Winterfell and as his wife, I must stay with him. You know that Bran was meant to go with you. And, Rickon is too young for the journey which is why he was going to stay with us while the rest of the family went south. You'll enjoy the capital. And perhaps within a few months you'll go to Dorne as my father's ward."
Arya's eyes widened. She knew that Vitoria had been pushing for her to marry the heir to Starfall, but she did thought that since her mother disagreed it would not happen. "Truly?"
"Yes, really. I convinced your father and my own father to let you foster in the Water Gardens —" she was cut off by an uncharacteristic squeal from the younger girl as she threw herself into her arms.
"Please tell me about them!"
"Alright, come over here," Vitoria smiled as she led Arya towards the seats by the window, placing Rickon on her lap and wrapping her arm around the northern girl's shoulder.
"Now remember, your betrothal to Edric is still not secure, so I can't tell you what will happen there, but with luck you'll escape the Lannisters soon enough. The Gardens are truly beautiful, all children of Dorne are welcome in them…"
Robb came to a stop when he saw Jon saddling his horse. He had yet to become accustomed to the idea that his brother was also leaving and that they would probably not see each other again. But he understood that going the Night's Watch was something Jon wanted, so he didn't try to convince him otherwise. He only hoped his brother would be happy there, the gods knew he didn't have the chance to be happy in Winterfell, with Catelyn looking down at him no matter what. Despite his attempts to mend that bridge, his mother had not warmed to Jon in the least.
"You said goodbye to Bran?" He said, following after Jon. His brother only gave him a look, making him grimace in understanding."My mother?"
"She was very kind," Jon tried to lie, but Robb saw through it. Catelyn had never been anything but absolutely horrid to him, ever since he was a baby, all because he was not from her womb.
"You know Vi offered you a place in Sunspear," Robb tried, knowing bastards were treated much better in the southernmost kingdom. He had worried needlessly when his wife first arrived in Winterfell, believing she would shun his half-brother as well, but she had done her best to make sure he knew she did not see him any different to his trueborn siblings. "You could marry, have some children. Maybe work as a guard there and earn a knighthood."
"I don't want to depend on her kindness, Robb."
"Farewell, Snow," Robb hugged his brother one last time.
Vitoria smiled as she watched Robb and Emmett spar in the yard, cuddling Rickon closer to her. The young boy was inconsolable. Catelyn spent every moment at Bran's bedside and had abandoned her youngest in the process. In return, Rickon clung even more to Robb and Vitoria, who he had always seen as second parents, despite Robb being his brother. The age difference between them and the closeness in age between him and the twins made it so. But right now, the boy craved a mother's love and that was not something his brother could offer him.
She looked at her husband, her lips pressing together. She truly had gotten lucky with her intended. Robb was tall and well-built, as well as handsome with his tousled dark hair and his Tully blue eyes, not to mention his toned physique. It might not have been her choice to marry him, but at least they were both happy in their marriage.
"I tell you, Vi, if you were my wife, I'd be the luckiest man alive," Theon suddenly spoke from beside her, making her turn her head to look at him with a questioning look as she shifted Rickon on her hip. The Ironborn had never made any advances toward her; he'd made comments about her body, but she had put him in his place quickly enough. In any case, he knew that if he behaved inappropriately, he would not only have to deal with with her guards, but also with her and he had never liked being on the other end of a spar with Vitoria when she was angered.
"Why is that?"
"You give him the greatest gift any lord could want. Freedom. You don't mind if he finds another girl to occupy himself in one night. You don't mind if he goes to the whore house with me. He would not sleep with anyone else if you told him not to. And you don't even mind if he goes to your bed after spending the night burying himself in another girl," she nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She saw Robb meeting her eyes and gave him a small curtsy as Rickon saluted him, making them all laugh at the young boy.
"I'm Dornish, Theon. We are much more free with matters of the heart and the body. I love him and it bothers me, but I learned not to speak against it. In the end, I am his wife, not those girls. The serving wenches from the kitchens and the laundry girls who sleep with him and whisper about it as they pass me are not the mother to his heirs. At the end of it all, he comes to my bed. If we were back in Dorne…" she trailed off as she saw a man enter the yard, setting Rickon down and running to hug him, "Quentyn!"
Her brother twirled her around before setting her down as they both looked at one another.
"You grew up," she whispered. The last time she had seen him he had been barely eight namedays old and awkwardly gangly. Not that she had been any better, in all honesty. Now he was a man grown, towering over her when the last time they had been together, she had been taller. But they had not seen each other in years and it was only natural that they would have changed in that time.
"That's what happens in nearly ten years, sister," he retorted before wrapping her in another hug. "Why didn't you tell send a raven from White Harbor? We could have prepared a feast or something to welcome you," she murmured against his chest, not caring how things might look to the rest of the keep.
"I wanted to surprise you. Now, I believe I still have a goodbrother to meet and that I need to make up for three years of not spoiling my nieces and my nephew."
Vitoria led Quentyn around the keep after she had shown him the rooms prepared for him.
"How are Arianne and Trystane?"
"Arianne is still jumping through the beds of the squires and heirs who visit the court or the gardens. It truly would be a wonder if she reaches her marriage without a bastard or two."
"Marriage?" Vitoria sounds surprised. Last her sister had written to her, their father had yet to make a decision on whom she would marry much to her chagrin.
"Father hasn't decided yet. But he's contemplating Garlan Tyrell. Not long after she returned from visiting you, Arianne tried to elope with Willas, but our uncle stopped them. Marrying Garlan would be a smarter choice, since he is a second son and would be able to live — ," Quentyn stops talking when she raised her hand as they reach a door.
"Ready to meet them?" She whispers, but she doesn't wait for a response, opening the door quietly and sighing contently as she watches her three children.
Rena is sitting by the fire, reading now that her charges do not need her. Alia and Leila were both fast asleep on the couch, obviously exhausted since they usually waited until Rena or Lexa put them to bed. Artos was gurgling on his crib and he immediately raised his arms upon seeing her at the door.
Vitoria makes a hand motion to dismiss Rena and walks over to the crib, holding her son close to her chest as she walks back towards her brother who is staring at the scene, frozen at the door.
"This is Artos," she says, raising her son's hand and giving a small wave before passing him over to her brother. "Support his back with your hand."
"He looks like you," Quentyn whispered, staring at his nephew's face and looking up when his sister scoffed.
"That's a lie and you know it. He's all Stark," Vitoria brushed back a strand of her son's hair. "None of them look purely like me."
Men didn't cry. Once boys reached the age of one and ten or so, they weren't allowed to cry. And so, Vitoria was taken aback when she saw that Robb's eyes were rimmed with red and his cheeks stained with tears when he opened the door to their bedroom. She didn't judge him though – how could she, when his brother was, according to the maester, not likely to walk again?
Without a second thought, she shut the door behind him and rushed over to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and holding him to close to her as he cried, his body shaking with sobs.
"Vaith thinks that he won't make it," Robb whispered into Vitoria's skin, his fingers entangled in her hair. He was trying not to sob, to keep the tears from his voice, but he couldn't quite manage it. "He said he should have woken up by now. I don't know what to... what if he doesn't make it? He's so young, Vi. He had so many dreams... he wanted to be a knight! And even- even if he does survive, he'll be crippled for life! What kind of existence is that?"
Vitoria's felt her stomach twist painfullyt. "Its still just a what if, Robb," was all she could think of. "He deserves so much better, but at least there's a chance he might live. And he has a quick mind – a mind like his deserves to flourish."
Robb pulled away from her and sat down at the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands. "I don't want to think about it anymore. Every time I think about it, I get these images in my head, of Bran mangled and broken." Vitoria nodded and crouched down in front of Robb. "I don't mean to be so harsh, I just.."
"I know." She placed her on his and offered him a reassuring smile. Robb nodded, forcing a small smile of his own.
Robb pressed a small kiss to her forehead, his eyes welling with tears again. She moved closer to him and pressed her lips against his, letting out a small moan when he squeezed the skin of her hips. He pressed his body closer and Vitoria shifted her body so she could straddle him, her nightgown's skirt pooling around her waist as she ground herself against him, feeling his length brush against her thigh. She struggled with the buttons of his shirt, before finally getting it off him and started pressing kisses down his chest. In return, he wrapped her nightgown in his hand and looked up at her, but she merely kissed him again and raised her arms, allowing him to take off her nightgown and throw it to the floor.
Vitoria rocked her hips slowly as Robb started pressing little kisses onto her neck and slowly moved down to the curve of her breasts, teeth nipping at her skin, making her gasp before she pushed him down onto the bed, leaning down as well to kiss him. She moved slightly, guiding him to her entrance so his length was teasing her warmth through the fabric of his breeches. His fingers curled into her hair and tugged, making her groan in response.
She suddenly stopped kissing him and looked down at him through her lashes. "Not like this, Robb," she murmured as she rolled off of him, sitting down on the edge of their bed. "Not like this, not when you're broken up about your brother."