Layna entered the throne room, which was eerily silent, aside from the sound of her shoes clicking against the ground. The fourteen-year-old glanced at the iron throne, it was a ugly thing, but a great symbol of strength and power, that belonged to her father and would one day fall to her brother. It would never fall to her, a fact she resented, a woman could never ascend the iron throne. She had never even sat in it, though some part of her couldn't help wondering what it would be like, whether her fingers would prick and the throne would reject her, or whether the story was nothing but just that - a story. Her brother's normally tall figure was slightly smaller as he was leaning forward, his grey eyes watching intently as the Silent Sisters performed their work. His brow was creased, both hands clasped together. It wasn't usual to see him like this, but since his nameday tourney a week ago, he hadn't been his usual self. Layna's eyes fell on the Sisters, draped in clothes of yellow, faces obscured. They weren't people anymore - they were servants to the Seven. Layna pitied them and their vows, and wondered if any of them were truly happy, she knew she wouldn't be dedicating her life to the dead.

"I'm sorry about Lord Arryn, he was a great man," Layna said as she reached her elder brother; He was over a foot taller than her, and had waves of Baratheon-black hair that fell to the bottom of his neck. Across his right eyebrow was a rather small scar, still fresh and healing

"He was," Edric agreed as he finally straightened and glanced down at his sister. He rested a hand on her shoulder and she gave him a small smile.

"I have news for you," Layna began, leaning against the stone balustrades.

"Hm?" Her brother grunted in response.

"You might not like it…" She said in a sing-song voice.

"Layna…"

"… But we leave for Winterfell tomorrow."

"Well, I'll see you when you get back," Edric said, turning his attention back to the Silent Sisters, watching intently as they worked. Layna, however, kept her eyes glued to her brother. She smiled slightly. "By we I meant you and me." Edric straightened up at this, facing her again. "And of course the Queen and her children."

Edric sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "As if there's not enough to do here," he muttered as he stroked the stubble on his chin. "If we're going to see Uncle Ned, father can only want one thing…" he trailed off, glancing at his sister to see if she had pieced it together.

"He means to name him as Hand," she nodded. Edric crossed his arms, his lip curling slightly. "Oh, shut up, Edric, I'm not stupid…" she teased as she elbowed her brother in the side. "The Queen won't like this, though. I'm sure she wants Father to name her brother Hand. or worse, her father."

"The pretty one or the funny one?" Edric whispered..

Layna grinned. "The pretty one. Though… I dare say the funny one would make a better hand." She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the balustrade. "Either way, Uncle Ned is the best choice. Do you think he'll accept?"

Edric let out a long breath before speaking slowly. "I don't think he'll have much of a choice… It's not exactly a request. but, then again, it's been a long time. He and Father have not seen each other since…" Edric's voice faded into silence as he looked down to the floor, and instead leant forwards with his sister.

"Yes…" Layna nodded. Robert hadn't seen their uncle since returning their mother's body to Winterfell. Layna didn't need to count how long it had been since their mother had passed. All she had to do was count down the days to her own nameday.

Layna's shining blue eyes remained fixed upon Jon's still body. He had seemed in perfect health the night before. But, his grey wisps of hair, his soft and wrinkled hands… he had been approaching the end of his life for a long time. In a way, he was lucky. Life truly was a fragile thing.

"Perhaps we'll see the wall…" she trailed off, glancing at her brother with a forced smile. "Tallest structure in the world…"

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Our King Father won't want to go further North than he'll have to." Edric pointed out. He studied his sister closely for a moment, his grey eyes lingering on the funny way she was smiling - as if it was a struggle to. A silence hung in the air, as the two Baratheon children watched the Silent Sisters prepare the body. Edric opened his mouth, but he barely finished his sentence.

"Does Father ever talk to you about-"

"I wonder what Uncle Eddard is like, and Herald and Helenys, and the younger two."

Edric closed his mouth and breathed deeply before answering, "I suppose we'll find out soon enough."

The doors to the throne room opened and the siblings exchanged a glance. In walked the Queen Consort, Cersei Lannister, with her twin brother, Ser Jaime Lannister. Cersei was a strikingly beautiful woman, though Layna knew the true nature that lay beneath her beauty, she had the telltale golden hair and emerald eyes of a Lannister. Layna let out a groan and rolled her eyes, while Edric straightened up, taking a step closer towards his sister.

"Princess Layna," Cersei said, a smile carving its way across her plump, red lips. "And Prince Edric - quite a surprise." Her glinting green eyes flickering between the two of them.

"Your Grace, my brother and I were just waiting for Silent Sisters to finish, so we could pay our respects," Lanya glanced to her older brother, who clasped his hands together and managed to smile cordially to their father's wife. Layna had never learnt to smile as convincingly. She had long ago given up trying.

"Is that what you were doing? Dressed like that?" Cersei said with a slight smile, looking the girl up and down, she was dressed in breeches and a shirt beneath an unfastened yellow jerkin. Her white shirt had begun to stick to her arms. Her hair had become sodden by sweat and began to tangle itself behind her ears. Layna stood there, suddenly aware of what she looked like. "Jon Arryn was a great friend to your father, Layna, perhaps you might do him the respect of putting on a gown?"

Layna frowned slightly at this, it wasn't her fault that she had been sparring when Ser Barristan had told her the news and told her to find her brother and inform him. She swallowed hard and, as Cersei's eyes began to bore in on her, Edric took a step forwards so that he stood between the two, both of his hands now resting on the hilt of his longsword. Layna smiled, able to breathe without the Queen's close eye.

"Lord Jon would not have minded," Edric said, his voice low and loud, echoing down the throne room and resonating around the Iron Throne he would one day sit upon.

There was a small chuckle, and Layna watched the handsome and golden-haired twin, Ser Jaime Lannister, tilt his head to the side as he stepped forwards.

"I'd thought to see you in training in the courtyard, My Prince. Especially after our last bout." He smirked, his Lannister-green eyes roving over the scar upon Edric's eyebrow. "How's the eye?"

"Little more than a flea bite, Ser," Edric retorted.

Jaime grinned slightly. "Tough things, you Baratheons. Big as well, for your age. I'm sure you'll make me break a sweat when we next cross swords."

"Soon, Ser, I'm sure." Edric kept his voice level, and his hand swept off his sword and behind his back, offered to his sister. She grasped it and allowed herself to be tugged away from the Queen and her knight. "Come, Layna, we ought to start packing."

Layna nodded as she began to walk away with her older brother.

"And perhaps run a bath?" Cersei suggested.

Layna turned back at the Queen's snide remark, scowling at the woman smirking, but Edric continued to pull his sister away. The guards opened the door for them and soon, they were walking through the corridors of the Red Keep, the warm sunlight basking upon them. Servants paused in their duties to bow and curtsy before the Baratheons as they journeyed up to their apartments.

"She's getting worse," Layna said.

"Just ignore her," Edric advised her, waving a hand.

"That's easy for you to say, you're not the one she picks on," Layna said, walking ahead.

"Is that what you think?" Edric scoffed, but Lanya had already turned on her heel and began to walk towards her chambers. She just wanted to be left alone. Her brother was going to be King - he could have told Cersei to shut her mouth or he'd put her head on a spike. Of course, he wouldn't, but… he could have.

Once she found her way into her chambers, all she could do was lie back on the bed, feeling her wet shirt stick to her back. She didn't have the energy to move - not just yet. She was presented with an awful reality: Winterfell was a month away. And she'd be travelling all that time. With Lannisters.

It was going to be unbearable.

Well, here we go, chapter 1!

Thanks so much Rougeification for being my beta, you truly helped make this amazing!