A great deal had occurred in these last few days that Rhaena could hardly think or place her head in the correct frame of mind. They had parted ways from Jon where she had tearfully kissed his cheeks and wished him the blessings and protection of the gods, reminding him that if he did not send word to her somehow then she really would find her way to the Wall and teach him to keep his promises. Jon had smiled and embraced her, praying internally that from now on she would have a better life than what she had endured before. She deserved better than how the king and queen treated her, and were he allowed to, Jon thought he might just whisk her away from all of them and become her protector. Whether he admitted it or not, the Stark blood in him flowed strongly. Rhaena had kissed his face one last time before letting him go, waving him off as Jon had left with his uncle who was to take him to the wall where his new life would begin.

That had been the first incident which had thrown Rhaena's mood, however now there was a far graver situation at hand which involved Arya, Sansa and the spoiled brat Joffrey. There were many people crowding into the little tavern hall where the king sat, listening to Arya recount how Joffrey had attacked a boy, Mycah, who she had been playing with, and how Nymeria had bit the spoiled prince when he had threatened to hurt Arya when she had struck Joffrey and disarmed him to stop him from beating the butcher's boy. Rhaena knew that Arya did not lie, Arya was many things but not a liar, however Cersei was cold and cruel. She loved her precious little boy the best of all three of her children and wanted to beat the girl and kill the wolf who had scarred her beloved Joffrey. The queen was in hysterics, claiming that Joffrey would be scarred for life because of it whilst the pathetic prince would not stop mewling. Rhaena watched as Lord Stark strode into the room and embraced Arya tightly, allowing her to release a breath of relief. Now there might be some reason here. "I'm sorry." She heard Arya whisper to him.

"It's alright, are you hurt?" He asked but she shook her head reassuringly. "What is the meaning of this? Why wasn't she brought directly to me?" He demanded from Robert who had the decency to look a little embarrassed.

"How dare you speak to your king in that manner?" Cersei snapped but Robert silenced her.

"Quiet woman." He turned to his lifelong friend instead and his voice softened though he sounded as though the last thing he wanted was to be here in this situation, caught between his wife and his best friend. Personally, Rhaena would not believe a word Joffrey was saying, but since Robert never bothered with any of his children he would not be able to know whether or not they were lying to him. "I'm sorry Ned, I never meant to frighten the girl. However I need this business resolved before tomorrow." He announced then looked down at Arya pointedly as the queen spoke once again, still cradling her son.

"Your girl and a butcher's boy attacked my son. That animal of yours almost tore off his arm." Cersei murmured coldly, glaring at Ned as if the entire situation was his fault. Rhaena wanted nothing more than to shout that Joffrey was a known liar and a cruel little beast who fully deserved what he received. If anything, Nymeria should have ripped off his arm. Perhaps then he would never make it to become king and the people would not have to suffer his cruelty. Arya shouted back in defiance, trying to get her voice heard and defend Nymeria.

"No she didn't! She just bit him a little. Besides, he was hurting Mycah so I pushed him away then he turned on me and-"

"Silence. I've heard enough of your lies." Cersei cut her off and Ned's arm tightened around Arya protectively. Rhaena observed the lion facing the wolf with their cubs and wondered who would win in this battle.

"I'm not lying!"

"Yes she is! She attacked me then threw my sword into the river!" Joffrey shouted accusingly, his green eyes blazing.

"Only because you were slicing Mycah's face open!" It was clear by this point that Arya's blood was boiling and Rhaena wanted nothing more than to embrace her to calm her down and assure her that everything was going to be fine.

"Not true."

"Liar!"

"Shut up!" Joffrey shouted at her angrily.

"ENOUGH!" Robert roared and everyone went silent as he growled in exasperation. "He tells me one thing, she tells me another. What in seven hells am I to make of this Ned? Where's your other girl?"

"In bed, sleeping." Ned answered with a frown.

"No she isn't, come here Sansa darling." Cersei looked up rather victoriously and Sansa stepped forwards, her head bowed low and shaking slightly from nervousness. Rhaena's stomach gave a sickening twist to see the glint in the queen's eyes. She knew that glint. It meant the queen thought she had already won. Clearly she had something planned and if the queen had her way, it would end with bloodshed and tears. She was as vicious as her son and it was probably from her he inherited his character. Robert was a boar of a man and violent, but only when drunk. If he was ever sober, he was reasonable enough and all one had to contend with was a shout or a bellow to vent his anger. Not Cersei. She would not be satisfied until you were bleeding out on the floor with your whole world burning around you after she had ripped everything away.

"Now child…tell me what happened. Tell it all and tell it true. It's a great crime to lie to a king." Sansa paled visibly then began to stammer, glancing between Arya and Joffrey as she became torn between the two of them.

"I…don't know…I don't remember. Everything happened so fast." She gulped. "I didn't see."

"Liar!" Arya screamed and leaped onto Sansa, grabbing her hair and pulling in her outrage.

"Arya, that's enough!" Ned shouted desperately and yanked his youngest daughter from Sansa who was now crying and sobbing.

"She's as wild as that animal of hers. I want her punished!" Cersei demanded, turning to her husband who rolled his eyes.

"What would you have me do? Whip her through the streets? Damn it, children fight, it's over." Robert sighed, sounding as if he wanted nothing more than to simply be finished with the business so that he might sooner take to his bed with a large cup of wine and a whore upon his lap.

"Joffrey will bear these scars for the rest of his life!" Still protesting her son's case, Cersei scowled at her husband as Rhaena continued to listen and watch from out of sight. To her disgust, Cersei seemed to be seriously considering having Arya whipped in public, Rhaena recognised that unnatural glint in her eye when it came to someone else's pain and suffering. Robert turned to his son who shifted uncomfortably under his father's gaze.

"You let a little girl disarm you?" Robert scowled a little longer at the prince before then turning to his friend, seemingly finished caring about the entire affair. "Ned, see to it that your daughter is disciplined. I'll do the same with my son."

"Gladly, Your Grace." Ned turned to lead his children away when Cersei spoke again.

"And what of the direwolf? What of the beast that savaged your son?" Robert stopped with a growl.

"I'd forgotten about the damned wolf." He looked up to one of the soldiers expectantly who reported that there was no trace of the direwolf who had attacked the prince. If Nymeria was gone then she should be safe from harm. So long as she was alive then that was all that mattered. Better free in the wild than slaughtered for the satisfaction of a queen like Cersei. "So be it."

"We have another wolf." Cersei continued, a small smirk tugging on her lips at her sickening satisfaction. Rhaena looked up sharply as did Sansa, both catching onto Cersei's meaning. Did they mean Lady? Lady was chained up outside and had been this entire time. Lady had nothing to do with the attack on the prince, and yet it did not come as any surprise that Cersei would demand payment for the scars on her son one way or another. Robert glared at his wife before finally relenting, wanting peace rather than confrontation. He nodded his head once.

"As you will." Rhaena acted on instinct. She crept out of the hall whilst the others began to argue again, Sansa beginning to wail as Rhaena ran outside to where Lady had been chained and waited patiently for her mistress's return. Such a well behaved creature, Rhaena could not bear to think of someone demanding Lady's life just because it would quench the queen's thirst for a blood repayment. Lady stood, welcoming Rhaena with a gentle wag of her tail as she recognised the scent of her mistress's friend. "Good girl." Rhaena whispered softly as she reached Lady, ruffling her fur and stroking her ears before quickly kicking at the post to break it so that it looked like Lady had pulled herself free. In truth the restraints did nothing to actually hold Lady. Should she choose Lady could have easily pulled herself free but because she had been ordered to stay, she had not dared move a muscle. "Come on Lady. Follow me." Lady looked around her, confused and stayed where she sat just as she had been trained to do. "Come on, I'll take you to Sansa." At the sound of her mistress's name, Lady got up and followed dutifully. Rhaena thanked the gods that she had become used to Lady and Lady in turn had become used to her. She obeyed quietly, sleek and dainty as she padded alongside Rhaena who rushed to get Lady away from the inn and to the woods around the back.

If she were to be discovered then Rhaena did not doubt she would also be punished and Lady still killed, but it was a risk she was willing to take. Not only to save Lady and spare Sansa the heartache, but also to refuse the queen something she desired. It was a small victory, possibly an insignificant one in the grand scheme of things, but a victory none the less. Together they snuck through the tents, winding their way towards the woods before finally coming to a halt far away from the encampment where they would not be found. "I'm sorry Lady, but you are going to have to run for your life. Find Nymeria, she'll look after you." Lady stared at her innocently as Rhaena worked the collar free and lifted over the direwolf's neck, dropping it to her side with the chain which had held her. "Go!" Rhaena begged her, pushing against the thick fur. "Please? Run away. Find Nymeria." Lady looked directly into Rhaena's eyes and for a moment, Rhaena received the sense that Lady understood her, not as a beast, but as a creature with a high level of intelligence. Reaching forwards Lady gently licked at Rhaena's cheek before looking into the forest. There was a sudden howl, which made Lady's ears prick forwards. "Yes, go on. Follow Nymeria." Lady gave a soft growl then ran delicately into the trees, a bright streak of fur before she was gone. Rhaena sighed with relief, praying to the Seven that she wouldn't come back, then returned to the inn. No one had noticed her absence, except for Ser Barristan, who came looking for her.

"Where did you go?" He demanded sharply as he strode towards her, relieved to see Rhaena returning from the woods where he had no doubt she had done something with the wolf the queen had ordered executed. Already she was in an uproar as the news had swiftly spread that the wolf had vanished, which had prompted Ser Barristan to go searching for Rhaena. Better he found her first before one of the queen's men, but still he did not doubt that the little dragon would soon feel the queen's wrath for her actions. His hand rested stiffly upon the hilt of his sword the way he did whenever he was anxious or nervous.

"For a walk." She answered with all the innocence she could muster. "I assume I am to return to my tent where I am to stay until morning?"

"You assume correctly but for now you should come with me. The Stark girls are deeply distressed. It might do them good to see you before they settle down." Taking her gently by the hand, Ser Barristan led her to the girls' rooms where none too surprisingly, they were fighting inside. If the shouting and weeping were not enough, Rhaena expected that were they left to their own devices, they would have begun pulling at one another's hair until come morning they would have little left other than bald patches upon their heads.

"You're a liar! Why didn't you tell them?" Arya was shouting at Sansa who was still crying.

"I didn't know! I had to be loyal to Joffrey, I'm going to be his wife!"

"Then you're just a dumb girl who-" Rhaena knocked delicately on the door to interrupt them, sharing a look with Ser Barristan who would rather face combat than those two squabbling girls. Rheana was braver than he was to willing step inside that battlefield. The shouting stopped. A rustle and scrape of movement followed along with swift footsteps before Sansa opened the door then gasped upon seeing Rhaena.

"Rhae!" She quickly wiped away her tears and attempted to appear as calm and collected as possible. "Come in." Rhaena looked to Ser Barristan once more who gave her an understanding nod.

"Make it quick." He warned her and Rhaena tilted her head in acknowledgement before heading inside the room. The moment Rhaena was through the door it was swung shut behind her and Sansa all but flung herself into her arms.

"Oh Rhae…they killed Lady!" Sansa cried and Arya joined them, sobbing like any other child as they both clung to Rhaena who was nearly toppled over by both the girls. She blinked for a moment, attempting to gather her thoughts and decide how best to settle them as she curled her arms around them and tenderly led them over to one of the beds.

"Hush now. This is not true."

"Yes…you didn't hear…the queen…she…she…"

"I heard perfectly well what the queen said." Rhaena interrupted lightly as she sat both the girls down then fetched a handkerchief in order to begin drying their faces from their tears. Sansa looked worse. Her face was puffy and red from her crying. "Which is why I went outside and let Lady go. She'll be with Nymeria by now. I sent her away into the wild." Revealing the truth to them quietly, Sansa gasped, pulling away and bolted upright at the news as her hands clapped to her mouth. Paying her movements no mind, Rhaena smiled softly to Arya as she dried her face then had her blow her nose, allowing her to go and fetch the water basin and a fresh cloth to dab at their faces and cool down the redness from their crying.

"You did that? For us?" Arya blinked and sniffed as she allowed Rhaena to simply take care of her, a little too numb and exhausted to think or do much for herself.

"Of course, I knew Lady meant everything to you and I was not about to let her die for the sake of the queen's insanity." Rhaena muttered as she had Sansa sit back down and began to dab at her face also with the cool water. "I am only sorry I could not keep them both here for you, but at least they will live and they will be together. Nymeria will take good care of Lady, Sansa. Perhaps we shall be able to find them again and they will return with you when they are bigger and stronger." The news was of great relief to both the girls, Arya falling backwards onto her back and covering her face with a pillow as Sansa sniffled but smiled sadly, nodding her head in agreement. "You cannot tell anyone of this, however. Not even your father. This secret will remain between the three of us. For the sake of your wolves, you cannot tell another living soul ever." Rhaena warned them both but especially Sansa, who was the simpler minded of the two sisters. "If Cersei or Joffrey ever find out that it was I who released Lady, they will most likely give me a lashing enough to flay a man's skin from his bones." This was enough to make both girls swear on the old gods and the new that they would never reveal what Rhaena had done, so with a satisfied nod with her head she encouraged them to make peace with one another and go to sleep. "I must go now." She whispered as she put the water basin back upon the table and kissed both girls upon their cheeks to bid them goodnight. "I shall see you on the road. Sleep well."