She had stayed in her room until the feast at sundown, kicking her boots off and taking a nap in the fur covered bed before a southern handmaid appeared to help her get ready. In the south, Jacqueline never lingered at feasts long; she would show her face, eat a meal and exchange pleasantries with the necessary people before departing. But feasts didn't appear to be such a frequent occurrence in Winterfell. The Northerners seemed to actually enjoy themselves instead of using the occasion to further their political intentions. Still, hours later, Jacqueline had had enough. She had already eaten, drank and danced too much. The social interaction alone was enough to overextend the normally reticent lady. Not that she did not enjoy talking with her hosts. The Starks were an uncomplicated family, more concerned with the coming of winter and the movement of wildlings than the frivolous concerns of those at court in the capitol. Jacqueline liked that about them.

While the patriarch of the family, Eddard Stark, appeared austere, especially in comparison to the king, the other Starks held a bit of innocent liveliness that was missing in King's Landing. The eldest boy, Robb, tried to play the part of his father's son and future Lord of Winterfell, but the ward, Theon Greyjoy, along with his younger brothers brought out a more childlike side to him. The little ones, Bran and Rickon, tried to be courteous and spend time with Prince Tommen, but he was too shy and unadventurous for them so the Stark boys set about running around tables, talking to anyone who would talk back. The little girl, Arya, was much of the same.

The eldest girl was a bit different. Sansa Stark appeared to inherit more from the Tully side than just her looks. If Jacqueline thought the girl excited by the royal visit that morning in the yard, she was ecstatic now that her betrothal to Prince Joffrey had been announced. And why would she not be excited? She would be queen someday and her children would be princes and princesses. Jacqueline hoped that day was a long way into the future because it would mean Robert's death and Joffrey's coronation; two things she did not want to see happen.

Her eldest brother was probably the only one in King's Landing who genuinely enjoyed all the feasts held in the great hall of the Red Keep. They had all the things he cared about: food, drink and loose women. Even as a child, Jacqueline found them exhausting. When Jacqueline was ten years old, she had slipped away from her septa after some feast. She couldn't recall what was being celebrated, they all blurred together in the south. She had intended to go to the gardens and look up at the stars as the view from her own window had grown too familiar. Only she had taken a wrong turn along the way and found herself lost in the two winding staircases that led up into White Sword Tower.

She had just managed to find her way back down when Jaime Lannister appeared. "Are you lost, Lady Jacqueline?" He had asked, looking down at her, his green eyes shining in the torchlight darkness.

Not willing to admit a mistake, she shook her head. "Really?" The Kingsguard said, matter of fact. "Where is your septa?"

Young Jacqueline resisted the urge to look away from him in shame of her misbehavior. "At the feast, ser."

"And why are you not with her?"

"Because the feast is boring." She was tired of sitting on the dais, watching Robert drink and Stannis grind his teeth. She had told Jaime as much, earning her that smirk. "It's not like anyone will notice I'm gone." Jacqueline added under her breath. If anyone had, it would be Stannis. He always kept an eye on her but that night he was too busy keeping an eye on Robert and his drunken state.

"And you find wandering the halls alone more entertaining, my lady?" There it was, the condescending sarcasm that Jaime so frequently dealt in.

"I got distracted," she admitted then. "On my way to the gardens."

The knight nodded in understanding. "Gardens are that way," he pointed to the corridor on the left. "Follow me, my lady." Jaime shortened his steps to match Jacqueline's stride."It's a bit late to be visiting the garden. Not much to see in the dark."

"I like the stars, ser."

"Your room has a window, if I recall." He was still looking down at her as he guided the young girl down the corridor and around a corner.

"Septa Helaena says it's not proper for a lady to lean out a window at night." Probably because she had nearly fallen out of it while searching for the moon that was not yet visible from the tower she resided in. It wasn't long before they reached the gardens; Jacqueline hadn't really been that lost it seemed. She said her thanks to the Lannister knight before taking a seat on one of the stone benches placed between two rose bushes. As she looked up at the dark sky, Jacqueline was aware of Jaime standing off to the side, watching over her.

That was how Stannis had found them. Septa Helaena had grown concerned when she couldn't find her charge and the old woman had went to Stannis for help. Once again, Jacqueline was forced to explain herself. Only this time, while looking up at her brother's grimace instead of Jaime's smirk. Stannis had chided her. "Ser Jaime is tasked with guarding the king, not rescuing lost children that disobeyed their septa." She knew better than to make an excuse for her actions. "Apologize."

Jaime Lannister had simply bowed after Jacqueline gave her apology. Her brother led her away before anyone could say anymore. When they were out of sight, Stannis stopped and turned to look at her. Down at her, for he was never one to lower himself to her level. "Do not leave your septa again, Jacqueline. It is not safe. This is not your home. You cannot trust these people."

You cannot trust these people. She had carried that with her. But she was still known to slip away from her septa when the old woman wasn't looking.

After finishing her cup of wine and a last dance with a more than eager Theon Greyjoy, Lady Jacqueline took her leave of Winterfell's Great Hall and the feast. In need of fresh air, she found her way outside into the cold night. The snow fell in larger flakes but they still did not reach the ground before disappearing into nothingness. She stood on the large stone steps outside the hall; she could still hear the sounds of laughter and the clinking of glasses as she breathed in the cold air. The sharp pains in her lungs caused by the frigid atmosphere were the only time Jacqueline felt the cold. Her dress was form fitting and made of wool dyed a dark green color and she was able to hide her bare hands in the large bells of her sleeves. The front part of her black hair was braided before being pinned to the back of her head in a circular style. The rest of it was allowed to freely fall down her back and now it waved in the later summer wind.

Light from the Great Hall leaked outside and lit up parts of the courtyard but Jacqueline paid no attention to anything in front of her. Instead she lifted her eyes to the night sky. Flakes of snow melted against her cheeks but she never felt the cold thanks to the larger than usual amount of wine she had consumed. She exhaled and watched her breath float up towards the stars before it faded away. The stars seemed to shine brighter here than they did in King's Landing. A strong wind swept through the courtyard and alerted Jacqueline of the cold once again. A rather violent shiver went through her body and she dug her hands deeper into her sleeves, gripping her elbows with the opposite hands.

A tall shadow appeared next to her and the owner's voice broke through Jacqueline's quiet concentration. "Still searching for the stars, Lady Jacqueline?" Jaime Lannister appeared from the light of the Great Hall and took a place beside Jacqueline in the shadows. Jaime was taller than her. Almost everyone was taller than her for she had missed out on the tallness that ran in her family. It was not the only thing she missed out on. "What would Stannis say?"

"I don't think it was the stars Stannis took issue with it." Jacqueline explained with a sigh, never opening her eyes to look at him. "It was me interfering with your duty."

She heard Jaime hum in agreement. Another breeze pulled at her skirts. "You'll catch your death out here." The knight said, noticing the shivers that cycled through Jacqueline's body due to the cold.

There are worse places to die, she wanted to say. But Jacqueline knew he would argue with her over that. "I'll be fine, Ser Jaime. And do you not have a king to be guarding?" She asked with a politeness that did not match the words. Jacqueline actively refused to call him 'Kingslayer' aloud, though sometimes the name appeared in her thoughts. She felt that she would never fully understand the hostility Jaime Lannister received for killing the Mad King, a king her brothers had openly rebelled against. And a king who burned people alive did not seem like a king who warranted oaths of loyalty. Jacqueline voiced this opinion years earlier, when she twelve, in the presence of her brother Stannis, who had then reprimand her with a long lecture about honor and duty. She never mentioned it again.

Another gust of cold air swept into the yard. Jacqueline shivered again before holding her body tighter as her hair danced in the wind. Jaime appeared unaffected by the cold as he ignored her question, "You should go back inside, my lady."

"I'm got a child anymore, Jaime." She spat, politeness overtaken by wine. A strange tension filled the air around them. Despite the cold, Jacqueline could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. After a brief moment of pondering her reckless words, she turned to the knight and offered an apologetic smile, as best as her now numb face would allow. "Pardon me, ser. I should not have spoken to you in such a manner." Jaime looked at her with his green eyes, once again shining in the torchlight, then laughed and Jacqueline's anger returned. "Am I that funny to you?" She said harshly, turning to face him.

His laugh faded away and then he answered, his voice a mixture of arrogance and amusement, "Yes, you are, my lady. You always do that. The instant that Baratheon fury makes its presence known, it disappears just as quickly. And then you apologize. I wonder, did Stannis tell you it was your duty to be polite all the time as a child, Lady Jacqueline?" The knight laughed again

Jacqueline denied him any more courtesy and refused to give him an answer. But Stannis did have a part in her temperament; all her brothers did. Her parents had died less than a year after Jacqueline was born and Robert began his rebellion when she was three. Her brother Renly, who was just a year older, and her were moved from Storm's End before the Tyrells laid siege to the castle. From a young age, she felt like a burden on her older brothers and she did her best to lessen it by not making a fuss. Even as a little girl she gave no complaints. She did what was asked of her, nothing less.

When Robert took the throne, Renly was given the seat of Storm's End and Stannis the island of Dragonstone. Many people, including the Queen, advised Robert to have someone take young Jacqueline as a ward. Perhaps his friend Eddard Stark in the north or the Queen's father at Casterly Rock. Instead, the king brought her to King's Landing and she was raised at court. It had never been the greatest environment for a young girl to grow up in.

The quiet girl grew into a quiet woman. A quiet woman who refused to take part in the politics of lies and betrayal that plagued the capitol. She pandered to everyone and thus pandered to no one. Contentment was her game; the false world's best disguise. Everyone thought her to be a simple girl, nonthreatening and unambitious. She managed the facade for so long, she no longer had a role in the game. Her part had come to an almost sudden end when Maester Pycelle declared her barren. She could not bear child and so could not take part in the arrangement of marriages, which, according to one of Stannis' guards, was all a woman was good for. Marriage and bearing sons. Jacqueline could not do that, so she had fallen further into the cracks of whispers at King's Landing. A true neutral piece forgotten on the sidelines. But despite the lack of attention given to her by the important players, she still kept the disguise of contentment for fear of being put back into play.

She bid a good night, in an overly sweet tone, to the Kingslayer, before walking away towards her room as quickly as her cold feet would take her. Unfortunately, Ser Jaime had a longer stride and was able to keep up easily. He made some mention about escorting her safely to her sleeping chamber but Jacqueline paid him no attention. She walked in silence as the knight walked beside, a hand resting on the pommel of his sword and his voice resumed the mocking tone. He was always mocking her, hoping for a reaction and rarely getting one. There was some rude comment about the Greyjoy boy's interest in her but Jacqueline paid the knight no more attention.

After a few minutes, they reached Jacqueline's room and the woman gracefully stepped into the warm room and closed the door without a word or second glance at her escort.

Revised May 2022.