So…I'm not dead, just really busy and honestly have barely any writing time these days. I'll update when I can, sorry :/ Also you've probably noticed the name change, that is on account of my boyfriend finding out my name and I had to act fast to keep my stories hidden from him, I'm shy like that. Anywho, hope you enjoy! Fingers crossed I can update again soon, aiming to update 'To Be or Not to Be' next.

Chapter 11: Dismissed

The following morning Robb was the one who was up and dressed first, before the grey dawn had even spread across the sky. Cassana drifted in and out of sleep as he dressed. Raising her tousled head when he made a noise, but sinking back to the pillows when she saw again that it was just him.

It was novel for him to be seeing her like this. In wakefulness Cassana was so aware of everything she did, always so in control. Half asleep the way she was she seemed… softer. That was the only word that came to his mind. Her face was smooth and relaxed, not held in any kind of stiff expression. Her voice was a light mumble of nonsense rather than her usual cultured tones. He found it rather endearing to see her like this.

He had been loath to leave her alone in the bed. Her hair splayed out on the pillow revealed a bare shoulder peeking above the fur coverlet. He knew that that bare shoulder was only the tip of her completely bare body. A soft, curving, warm body that he hadn't wanted to move away from.

Yesterday's awkward morning had led to a more than satisfying afternoon. Robb hadn't seen Cassana since she left the room to breakfast with her mother, but then a presence had appeared at his elbow as he took a break from sparring to watch Bran and Prince Joffrey. A flash of gold resolved itself into Cassana's hair, still loose around her shoulders, the way he decided he secretly liked most. She had donned a heavy cloak over her Southern dress, but goosemarks peppered what skin was still exposed.

She was watching the match closely, and a hard smile curved her lips at the same moment he heard a cry from the boys.

"I demand a rematch!" Joffrey's voice shrilled about the yard.

Robb turned back to the sparring quarter to see the Prince leaping back onto his feet, a muddy patch soiling the back of his breeches. He looked back at Cassana and saw that the hard smile had become a satisfied smirk that he couldn't help but share. He guessed that the entirety of the practice yard felt the same about seeing the Princeling bested.

Cassana had remained for the rest of the session, watching him as he sparred against various opponents, even clapping softly when he struck a particularly good blow. When people began to disperse she had walked with him and asked him about his swordplay and continued the conversation onto his other passions. She had disappeared again when her ladies came to take her to a tea, but she had been there.

Then last night… a grin spread across his face, and he walked over to the side of the room where Cassana's nightdress had been flung. She hadn't replaced it when they had finished having sex, something Robb was immensely grateful for. Lying skin on skin with her as he fell asleep had been a wonderful feeling. He still felt that he barely knew her, but being physically intimate with her was fast becoming one of his favourite pastimes. Whatever else came out of the marriage, and he hoped they would be good things, he enjoyed the sexual aspect of it.

He placed the white garment on the edge of the bed, within easy reach for when she woke up, and gathered up his cloak as he silently left the room. Other men moved quietly about the castle, all making their way to the courtyard where the hunting party was assembling. King Robert was eager to find some game in the Northern wilds, and Robb was pleased with the outing. It had been a long time since he had gone on a hunt, the thrill of it already began to sing in his blood.

/*0*/

Cassana stood to the right of the dais, between her mother and sister, all three women attired in sombre black. The only jewellery Cassana wore was a silver bracelet, a fact that confused her for a

moment, she didn't remember ordering any silver jewellery from the jeweller. But the sound of her father clearing his throat snapped her attention back to the ceremony.

"The Gods have taken my sons away from me long before their time should have come." King Robert Baratheon's voice boomed out over the assembled court. "This tragedy has shaken my family, but it will not shake the line of succession. The loss of my male heirs has granted me the freedom to bestow the crown upon one more worthy of ruling the Seven Kingdoms."

"That's you, my love." Cersei whispered to her daughter, giving her a light push from the small of her back.

Cassana took one step forward, tilting her chin regally and staring out at the crowd.

"My daughter, Princess Cassana Baratheon." Robert lifted himself from the throne and came to stand beside her. "Hear this declaration; on the day that the Gods take me to be reunited with my sons, my daughter shall take the throne. She shall be Queen Cassana Baratheon, First of her Name, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. All hail your Crown Princess!"

"Crown Princess Cassana! Crown Princess Cassana!"

The cry went up from the throats of all assembled, it rang with tones of joy and respect, the people wanted this. They wanted her to be Queen. She would be loved, revered, renowned and remembered. She would be the greatest ruler Westeros has ever seen! She would-

"Lady Cassana."

A fly buzzed at her shoulder, but she brushed it away. She wanted all her attention focused on this moment. The day her father acknowledged her as the best, the day she made her mother proud, the day Joffrey no longer existed. The best day of-

"Lady Cassana."

It was that fly again, bumping harder against her shoulder. Once more she swatted at it, but her hand met something larger than a fly, it felt like another hand. The scene before her began to dissolve away, the voices fading.

"No!" She stretched out a hand, vainly trying to catch the moment before it disappeared.

"Lady Cassana."

This time Cassana was conscious to hear the voice and feel the hand upon her shoulder. Anger spiked within her, flashing her eyes open to give a poisonous look at the woman, and her next swat his with more force than those before. The maid recoiled her hand, her mouth falling into an 'o' of surprise, she quickly began making apologies.

"I'm sorry, my lady." She bobbed a curtsy and kept her eyes lowered. "But it is getting late and I thought you might wish to be roused for the day."

"Did I ask to be woken?" Cassana inquired icily.

"Uh, no, but I thought-"

"Don't think, that's not what you're here for. You're here to do, not think." Cassana snapped. These Northern servants really were out of line. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lady." The woman bobbed another curtsy.

"Good." Cassana moved to push herself into a sitting position, before realising that she was completely naked beneath the sheets. Not wanting to look like she was retreating, she disguised her return to lying down as a dismissive flop. "Where is my normal maid?"

"Uhm, I've been assigned to you. It was thought that perhaps it would be good for you to become accustomed to those of us who work in the castle."

"Was it now?" She nearly hissed the words out. "In the future such decisions are not to be made without consulting me first, I do not tolerate having choices regarding myself made without my consent."

"Yes, my lady." The maid said for a third time. "Shall I help you get ready for the day?

"No. Send for Lady Swyft, Lady Swann, and Lady Brax, they will attend me. Also send word that I want a breakfast brought up to my rooms." Cassana waved the woman away. "And later this afternoon have all the maids assembled for me, I will choose which of you will attend me, and it shall not be you. Go now."

The maid only bobbed one final curtsy before she turned and left, causing Cassana's mouth to twist into a sour expression. Really, servants here required better training. She would have to include that in her getting to know Robb and securing her control in this place, he should know the true standards his household should keep.

Now that she was alone she allowed herself to sit up, still clutching the sheet to her chest, and cast around for her nightgown. Not seeing it on the floor where she remembered Robb throwing it, she turned and found it resting on the pillow beside her. Since she doubted the silly maid from earlier would have had the initiative to do this, it must have been Robb.

Perhaps another girl would have smiled fondly at the gesture, but she was not another girl. As opposed to giggling or twirling around the room at the considerate action, Cassana's expression turned thoughtful as she regarded the white dress she held in her hands. She wasn't wondering why Robb had done it, she already knew that he was a considerate man, she was wondering why he'd had to.

On their first night she had replaced her nightgown before falling into sleep beside him, granted that night the dress hadn't been flung to the other side of the room, and getting out of bed to cross cold flagstones had not been a pleasant thought. Especially after some…rigorous physical activity. That's what she told herself.

She had let Robb fall asleep holding her last night, not rolling away to her own side as she had on their wedding night, hoping that this allowance would lead him to believe she was interested and genuine. Once she was sure that he was indeed sleeping she had shifted out of his arms and put some distance between them, the sheets had been cold against her skin, but she had trusted her body to warm them up soon. A little bit of shivering was a small price to pay to not be caged in someone's arms.

But no more than two minutes later a strong arm was back around her waist and Robb's body was pressed against hers. It had been surprising, she wasn't used to being caught off guard like that. It was one thing to feel his body when they moved together, or if she was the one leaning on him, but this was entirely different. Still, it was cold in the North and he was warm, so she let the arm stay. That's what she told herself.

But the truth of it?

She had had one more shiver, not from the cold for that had gone when she began sharing Robb's warmth, it had been a shiver of desire. She liked the feel of his skin against hers, she hadn't wanted to put a layer of cloth of a span of distance between that. Out in the open she liked to maintain distance as was proper, but when they were alone in the bed… that was a completely different story.

Whenever she had thought of marriage in the past it had been about the strategy of it. How she would manipulate her husband, how she would stretch her control over a new household and land, and how she would survive being married. That's all her mother had ever talked about, how to survive marriage, as if it was a horrible thing to be borne with a frozen mask. And so Cassana had never thought of marriage as pleasurable.

She still wasn't sure that it was, not the marriage part at least, but the marriage bed definitely was. What did that make her? A woman who still hadn't made up her mind about her husband, yet enjoyed such intimate acts with him? Was she no better than her base instincts? Already she could feel her heart beating faster when she remembered the events of last night, it took several deep breaths for her to regain control over her mind.

She would not let this have an effect on how she made up her mind about Robb. And she would certainly not let it have an effect on her plans to take control of the relationship.

Thankfully a knock on the door, several really, took her mind from that predicament.

"Cassana? Can we come in?"

That was Corrina, the only person outside of her family whom Cassana allowed to use her real name. Well, back when she had had control over who used her name. It seemed that people were now all too ready to act familiar with her.

"A moment." She called back, swiftly pulling her nightdress back on, shuffling under the covers to tug it down to full length. "Come."

As always Illya and Mabelle tumbled into the room before Corrina, the younger girls with big grins plastered on their faces.

"We saw the men leaving for the hunt this morning! They looked so handsome and serious." Illya sighted dreamily, leaning against one of the posters of Cassana's bed. "They are certainly different to the men back home, but these Northerners have a certain charm."

"As if your father would let you marry one." Mabelle quipped, causing Illya to wrinkle her nose.

"I wouldn't want him to, then I would have to live-" She quickly cut herself off when she remembered who else was in the room. "That is, it's very lovely here, and Winterfell is… uhm…"

"Yes? Go on?" Cassana arched an eyebrow coolly.

"Nothing." Illya wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Pass me my robe." Cassana ordered, pushing back the covers and swinging her feet over the edge of the bed. "The servants in this place truly are awful, you three will have to help me train them."

"Uh…"

Cassana looked up from pulling on her robe to see Mabelle biting her lip and refusing to meet Cassana's gaze directly. She turned her gaze to Illya, who quickly dropped the eye contact and moved to stand beside Mabelle. Corrina was the only one who held Cassana's stare, but not for long, with a sad smile she turned to fetch Cassana's brush from her vanity table.

She returned her attention to the other two, the girls stood close together, as if that could save them from the wrath they were anticipating.

"And what, pray tell, did you mean by that?"

"It's just…" Illya floundered, looking to Mabelle.

"Well, we were your ladies-in-waiting, and you are married now." Mabelle's tone didn't waver, but she wouldn't look up as she spoke. "And you are no longer part of the royal family, so you don't need-"

"Get. Out."

They both looked up at that, wide eyes meeting flashing green.

"But, but we don't leave for another week yet, we can stay with you until then." Illya;s words came out in a rush. "We're sorry, but it's just-"

"GET OUT!"

Cassana so rarely allowed herself to shout that the girls all but ran each other over in their scurry to leave the room. Cassana herself barely noticed, fighting furiously to get back under control. She hated raising her voice, argh! Before she realised it she had reached out and yanked free a section of the hung-back curtain that surrounded her bed. The fabric tore from its fastenings and now half of it hung limply.

"I'm sure someone will fix that later today."

Corrina's calm tone just grated on Cassana even more. When the dark haired girl stepped forward to brush out Cassana's hair her hand shot out and knocked the brush from Corrina's fingertips.

"What's the matter?" The other girl frowned.

"You too." Cassana said. "Go on, follow them."

"I had actually planned on staying." Corrina knelt to the floor and picked up the brush. "My father has allowed it, and I thought you might like some familiar company."

A black thing coiled inside Cassana's chest, darking her vision. Corrina must want to laugh at her, the girl had probably been jealous of Cassana her whole life. Always Cassana had held the higher rank, and now that they stood closer Corrina wanted to be around to savour the moment.

"I don't need your pity." Cassana spat.

"Pity?" Corrina's frown deepened. "Cassana, I'm your friend, I just-"

"Out, now." Cassana cut her off shortly.

Corrina stiffened, her expression hardening. She took the brush back to the vanity with controlled steps, placing it back in its place with slow precision, then made her way for the door. She paused with one foot across the threshold, but didn't turn back to face Cassana.

"I am your friend, Cassana, so I'm going to tell you this. You push people here away like this and you are going to be very very lonely."

The only reply Corrina received was the sound the door made as she pulled it shut behind her.