Standing silently in the presence of an incensed and rather overly drunk queen, Rhaena bit down upon her lip as she bowed her head under Cersei's scrutiny, having been brought directly to her by both her brother, Ser Jaime, and Ser Barristan after having been retrieved from the company of Robb Stark and Jon Snow. It was unclear as to what had enraged Cersei specifically, perhaps it was simply that she was of a mind to vent and rage at someone, and who better than the rat of King's Landing? Even as she strode from one side of her chambers to the other with a goblet of wine in her hand, Cersei drank deeply as her furious gaze snapped upon Rhaena. She despised the child. The living threat to her children's claim to the throne. Every breath that child breathed was a mockery of her position and a danger to her son's inheritance which would one day be his. Cersei wanted to kill the Targaryen more than anything, but Robert would keep her alive if only to torment her. It was a sick twist of fortune for the girl, as the only reason she still lived was because the King wished to see her suffer. Looking upon her small frame, the light lilac and violet eyes which were downcast towards her feet and the whiteness of her hair, Cersei fumed in envy and fury. "How dare you presume to leave the banqueting hall without permission?" The queen snapped at Rhaena spitefully, thinking it just as good an excuse as any to scold the girl. Rhaena felt no shame in what she had done, however she had long since learned that it was best to act meek and submissive in front of the queen once she was in such a mood. More so when she had been drinking and it was clear she was already more than one jug deep into her wine. "You spiteful child."
"I apologise, my queen, I did not realise you cared so much for my welfare and worried for me when I was misisng." Rhaena said quietly whilst doing her best to withhold her contempt. Cersei looked at her sharply and tried to ascertain whether these words were spoken in irony, but the little rat had grown up learning how to play the game of court and her lies were as well-spoken as the rest of them. In any case, Cersei was too inebriated to be able to discern the girl's tone. It mattered not. All she wanted was to lash at the girl, it gave Cersei a sickening sense of comfort to rule over one as powerless as her. By now, it was as simple a habit as brushing one's hair.
"You have been nothing but a thorn in my side since the day you were born. It is a wonder you are still alive. You should have been butchered with the rest of your House and yet here you are…left for me to care for all because Eddard Stark took pity on a squalling babe." She raged with a seething fury in between further gulps of wine which Rhaena suspected had not been watered down, throwing her hands up into the air or slamming them onto the table as she seethed, the dark red liquid sloshing over the brim of the cup and staining her sleeve and hand. These little discussions no longer affected Rhaena for she had become numb to them. For the most part Cersei only used them to vent her anger in other things for in truth, she could not care less about the Targaryen, however she was an easy target for no one would ever come directly to her aid and she had no one to protect her from the queen's wrath. One thing was certain, however. Cersei did not like having complete control over Rhaena, and whenever the girl did something that demonstrated a spark of independence or defiance, Cersei was swift to pounce and roar. A timid knock on the door sounded before a pageboy entered in order to deliver word to the queen. The poor servant trembled so greatly Rhaena wondered his teeth did not chatter as he spoke.
"Your Grace, the king is coming." Cersei scoffed then flicked her hand to Rhaena in dismissal.
"Take her to her room and make sure she stays there." Ser Barristan, who had been standing guard outside the room, swiftly entered and bowed to the queen before gently leading Rhaena away, eager to remove her from the situation before the king could arrive and begin another tirade of bellowing and insults. Not even the queen would place Rhaena in sight of the king, especially after a night of feasting and drinking. Once before the king had seen the white locks of Rhena's hair from a distance after drinking far too much to be good for him and his thunderous bellow had made even battle-hardened soldiers jump and near enough soil themselves. Rhaena had endured it well and did not weep, not even when Ser Barristan had taken her to be treated for the bruises and lashes across her back. It was only upon his interference that the girl had been released at all for he could not stand to see an innocent child tortured because of the hatred of a man for her family when she herself had done nothing. It was better for Rhaena to simply stay out of sight and so that was how she lived, clinging to the shadows and wishing they would envelop her. Once they were away from the queen's quarters, both seemed to relax their shoulders.
"How have you enjoyed your evening, little dragon?" Ser Barristan questioned warmly as they walked together back to Rhaena's own rooms, the hallways and corridors now mostly deserted save for a guard here and there.
"It was pleasant. I have met and spoken with the two eldest of the Stark children as well as Jon Snow. They are all very welcoming and polite." Rhaena said to her knight and one of her only true friends with a smile. "I think I shall enjoy my time here."
"I hope so, it would do you some good to have some socialisation with children your own age." He responded before walking a little longer in silence. Rhaena glanced to her knight, twisting her fingers into her dress before speaking up a little nervously.
"I was not running away, Ser Barristan. I was only taking a walk." She informed him, concerned that her actions might turn into gossip for although they were far in the North, there were plenty of people from the South with them and the ladies always were ardent gossipers. A single rumour would become a widespread fact within hours if it was of decent interest and the whisperings of the Targaryen prisoner walking out with a Stark boy with no other chaperone was foundation for gossip alone. Rhaena worried the rumour might spread far beyond proportion by the morning and suddenly she would have become a deceitful girl who had bewitched the eldest Stark boy to escort her out of the banquet hall only to then try and make her escape to freedom. Such rumours had been heard before.
"I know, little dragon. But it may be best if you do not anger the queen again for a while. Her temper will be fractious for some time." He smiled at her as they reached Rhaena's personal chambers. "Go on in and ready yourself for bed. Ring the bell if you have need of anything and a servant will come to attend you." To this Rhaena arched an amused eyebrow as she pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"A servant come to attend me? We truly are far away from King's Landing, are we not Ser Barristan?" She laughed at the idea of being waited upon by servants, that she should be treated as a guest here and given such a comfortable room even as Ser Barristan informed her that it was the wish of Lord Stark that Rhaena be treated well. Her thoughts dwelled upon the great and noble Lord Eddard Stark, thinking just how much she owed him. First her life, now her comforts. How was a person like her ever to repay such kindness? Perhaps she never would. Lifting her gaze, she gave a final smile to her good friend and guardian, always comforted by the tenderness she found in Ser Barristan's eyes. "Goodnight, ser."
"Goodnight little dragon." He answered then closed the door between them, waiting until he had heard Rhaena lock the door firmly before striding away where his armour clinked and clattered with every movement. Turning around Rhaena noted that her single small case had been brought to her room and placed upon the table ready to be unpacked which again made her scoff at the thought of someone else waiting upon her. Shaking her head Rhaena opened the case and looked down upon her few possessions which totalled two other dresses, two shifts, one hairbrush, a pair of slippers and a book she had managed to sneak away from the library. A grand fortune indeed. Since there was so little Rhaena quickly put her things away in the chest at the bottom of her bed, though the items barely covered the bottom, so she wondered at the point of even putting them there. Still, at least the room was warm with the fire still flickering which meant that someone must have come to add more firewood and kept the fire ablaze whilst she was at the feast. Rhaena smiled softly before beginning to undress. She pulled off her dress and draped it over the back of a chair then removed her boots, cleaning them quickly for they were damp with melted snow then placed them next to the bed chest. She lit a candle and took it to the vanity table in order to brush through her hair before weaving it into a single braid so that it would not bother her in her sleep. The cosy glow of the room made her sleepy, drifting to the bed with her candle and book in hand with the intention of reading for a little while before going to sleep. Placing the candle down, Rhaena reached for the covers only to hear a light tapping upon her window.
"What in seven hells…?" Turning about Rhaena almost released a scream. There at her window was a pale face pressed against the glass, causing her heart to near enough burst with shock and alarm as she clamped her hand down upon her mouth in order to stifle the sound that had rushed to her throat and almost torn free. Another succession of taps followed, this time a little more urgently as the face shifted. It was only then Rhaena realised that it was a person and not a ghost, but more so than that, it was a little boy. With a gasp she flew to the window and wrestled it open whereby she looked out to see a grinning child with snow dusted clothes, reddened cheeks and frost nipped nose. "By the gods!" Reaching out Rhaena grasped hold of the boy firmly in order to pull him inside, helping him through the window and lowering him to the floor before looking back out her window in order to try and see how such a child had managed the climb. The rooftop of part of the castle was directly below her, but there was still a great deal of climbing which had to be done in order to reach the window and in such weather…Rhaena retreated into the warmth then slammed the window shut before rounding on her unexpected guest. "Are you mad, boy?! What in the name of the gods possessed you to climb up here, in this weather and at this time of night?!" As she grasped the boy by his shoulders the child only blinked at her innocently.
"I wanted to meet you. I've never met a Targaryen before, I was curious." He answered her in such a manner which seemed like this explanation was enough to pardon any sort of foolishness on his part in order to meet with her, smiling up at Rhaena with his sweet eyes and freckled nose. She only stared at him incredulously.
"How did you get up here?" She stammered in utter disbelief, letting go of the boy as she vaguely thought he might be cold and so ushered him towards the fire and brought a blanket to wrap around him as he took a seat in the only chair in the room.
"I climbed." Bran answered with no small amount of pride. The simplicity of the answer caused Rhaena to laugh in astonishment.
"You must be quite the climber if that is true, it is a fair distance and it does not look like an easy task." She informed the boy as she brought out the foot stool and sat upon it before the boy so that she might study him. "I think myself that you flew here. You must have transformed into a bird or grown wings in order to reach the window." The boy grinned at her brightly. "Are you not afraid of falling?"
"No. I never fall." Shaking his head, the boy leaned forwards with wide eyes, unable to hide his curiosity as he studied Rhaena closely. He had been upset to not be allowed to go to the feast this evening. He did not care about the king or the queen, or anyone else as they were boring and uninteresting. Perhaps the knights, but that was another matter. No, he wanted to go because he had wished to get a closer look at the famous Targaryen prisoner of the king. Seeing as he had been forbidden from the banquet, other measures had to be taken. "My name is Bran. So it's true then, you really do have purple eyes and white hair like the maester said." Bran watched as Rhaena arched a delicately shaped eyebrow at him whilst the corner of her mouth tilted upwards.
"Yes, it is true as plain as day." She answered simply as she straightened up and sat with her hands folded neatly into her lap. Bran was transfixed. He did not think in the way that older boys and men may think when he looked at Rhaena, he saw her as a commodity, a strange and new creature to be studied and observed in order to learn everything about them. Bran compared her hair to snowdrops and her eyes to violets, but other than that he could only say what came to his mind.
"You're very pretty." Rhaena smiled at him graciously.
"Thank you, Bran. May I call you Bran?" Nodding his head, Bran began to think of all the questions he wanted to ask.
"I heard one of the knights call you 'little dragon', is that a pet name?" He asked.
"More like a term of endearment. Ser Barristan has grown fond of me and I of him over the years. He is the closest thing I have ever had for a father." Rhaena told the boy as she glanced to the window once again, worrying for how Bran will return to his own room. "How will you get down again?"
"The way I came up." He said simply but Rhaena bit her lip.
"You may fall."
"I never fall."
"I would hate to watch you go, Bran. It is very icy out there and I would loathe to tell your father I watched you fall to your death." Rhaena sighed heavily then looked to her door. "I think you should use the door this time. I should expect almost everyone will be asleep in their beds, as you should be, I would guess," pausing to send Bran a knowing smile, Rhaena then continued. "If you are quick you should be able to return without being spotted and I shall not tell anyone of your daring night time visit. Not even your parents. Only on the condition you never climb up here again. If you wish to visit, then please use the door and not the window." To this Bran considered for a moment before nodding his head in agreement as it was a rather good deal. He had not thought about getting caught and his mother especially would scold him if she found out that he had climbed all the way up here from his room just to see Rhaena.
"I do not wish to go back now, though. I'm not tired." Bran insisted though his eyes were drooping and even then he struggled to stifle a yawn. Rhaena shifted closer and spoke in a soft undertone.
"How about I sing a song for you, will that make you sleepy?" The boy considered for a moment before looking at her suspiciously.
"Are you a good singer?"
"I am told I am. Although, I should like to hear your opinion." At this Bran nodded then shifted in his seat in order to get comfortable, wrapped up in his blanket and warmed by the fire, it was impossible not to feel sleepy. Taking a moment to compose herself, Rhaena began to sing a hymn to Bran softly yet firmly. It was soon clear enough that Bran was more tired than he had thought because his eyes flickered and even closed for a time before fighting to stay awake. The climb had sapped the last of his energy and now he truly was tired but he did not wish to sleep. He had questions to ask and he wanted to listen to Rhaena sing some more songs, however before he knew it the hymn was over and Rhena's hand was brushing against Bran's shoulder.
"You do have a nice voice," he murmured to her quietly, still fighting to stay awake. "But I'm still not sleepy."
"Even so, sweet Bran. I think it must be time for bed." Rhaena whispered before gathering him up in her arms, blanket and all. She considered ringing the bell for a servant however was reluctant to wake anyone, and also did not want to have to explain how Bran managed to sneak into her room at this time of night. A little lost as to what to do, Rhaena eventually simply put Bran in her own bed and tucked him in, humming another song under her breath to keep him lulled and almost immediately he snuggled in and was breathing deeply, sound asleep. With a smile Rhaena brushed at his hair before taking a blanket for herself and going to the chair by the fire in order to sleep there, letting Bran have his rest. Thus far it had been an eventful day and more than one unexpected event had occurred that Rhaena could never have imagined. If this was only the beginning, then she anticipated the days to come as she closed her eyes and bathed in the warmth of the fire.