.

XIII

Friend

Joanna had been lucky so far – nothing seemed to have come of her actions yet. Despite her mother's foreboding, it seemed that Lord Stark had thus far managed to avoid a confrontation with her uncle. She hoped that he would continue to be so lucky. Until then, she surmised that it was best to keep to her chambers. It was often in her best interest to keep a low profile for a day or two after angering her mother, although this was another matter entirely. She couldn't foresee herself leaving her rooms for quite a while. As such, when she wanted anything, she had it brought to her.

Her rooms let out to one of the Red Keep's numerous gardens. It was a small maze of trees and flowers, leading down to a balcony with a view of the ocean below. Seated on the porch with the remains of her breakfast, her hands fidgeted in her lap. The sounds of the garden, peaceful as they were, weren't enough to dispel the nervousness that had settled in her chest. In the time since her meeting with her mother, nothing seemed able to dispel them. She hoped that perhaps this meeting would ease her mind.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of the door opening. Twisting around in her seat, she was met with the sight of Desmera with Sansa by her side – just what she was waiting for. A smile blossomed on her face, and she stood.

"Sansa!" she greeted, holding her hands out for the girl to hold. With a gentle smile and a small curtsey, Sansa accepted the offer, placing her hands in Joanna's. "I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to see you."

"Thank you, Princess," Sansa replied timidly. "How was your trip in the North?"

"I loved it," she said honestly. "It's clear to me how such a fine place produced such a fine girl."

To punctuate her sentence, Joanna reached out and gave Sansa a gentle tap under the chin. Sansa smiled and blushed prettily. She looked like a proper Southern girl now, hair done up in braids on the top of her head and dressed in airy, light-colored dresses. Pleased, Joanna gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

"Will you join me in the garden?" she said, motioning to the path that led away from her rooms. Sansa agreed with a nod. Joanna linked their arms and started down the path. She let them walk a reasonable distance in silence, surrounded only by the sound of birdsongs and the gentle trickle of the fountains. Somewhere far down below, she could hear the rush of waves against the rocks.

"Do you miss the North?" she asked once her porch was out of sight.

"Not really," said Sansa. "Only my mother, and my brothers."

"Of course," Joanna smiled. "When I was travelling, I missed the feeling of home more than I missed King's Landing itself. But perhaps with time, this will come to feel like home."

"I hope so," Sansa said, though her smile seemed to falter a bit now. Joanna paused to inspect a flower.

"You seem to be taking well to the south," she said, turning her attention to Sansa. "I hope everything has been to your liking."

"It has," Sansa agreed. "I love it here."

"Good! I would be sad if you misliked it. Now that I'm home, we'll have to see each other more often."

"I would like that," said Sansa.

"My door is always open for you to visit," she said. "For anything at all. I would like it if we were friends, Sansa."

Joanna could see the blush rise of Sansa's face, and she smiled.

"I would like that, too," she replied. Joanna have her hand a squeeze.

"Good."

Pulling gently, Joanna continued leading Sansa down the garden path hand-in-hand.

"You're lucky to have a garden near your room," said Sansa. "I don't think I've ever seen so many flowers in my life."

"Really?" said Joanna, surprised. She supposed, Winterfell didn't exactly have any gardens. "Well, you're always welcome to mine."

To punctuate her statement, she reached out and plucked a tiny blooming rose from a bush, pausing to tuck it behind Sansa's ear. Examining Sansa's hair and pretty smile, her eye was drawn lower, to the necklace resting on her collarbone. Joanna's smile faded. It was an embossed golden lion hanging from a chain around Sansa's neck. Without thinking, she reached out to touch it.

"Did Joffrey give you this?" she asked.

Sansa beamed. "He did. And then he…he kissed me."

Joanna drew a thumb over the pendant, frowning. It gave her an awful feeling in her stomach. Remembering herself, she set it gently back against Sansa's skin, and gave her a small smile.

"My mother has one just like it," she said carefully, trying to keep her tone in check. She didn't want to frighten Sansa. The girl reminded her of a delicate doe, and the necklace around her neck reminded Joanna of a heavy chain. But Sansa didn't seem to wear it heavily. It took a place of honor around her neck. Joanna was careful to phrase her next question. "Has Joffrey treated you well?"

"He has," Sansa said with a dreamy smile. "He's so sweet, and kind, and he calls me his lady."

Sweet and kind didn't sound like Joffrey. But Joanna had to remind herself that it was better for Sansa to say that she was being treated well than to say otherwise. She linked her arm with Sansa's and began slowly walking them down the path once more.

"Joffrey can…have a temper, as I'm sure you'll come to find out," she said carefully.

"I know," Sansa said softly. Joanna stopped once more, turning to Sansa quickly.

"Did he hurt you?" she asked.

"No," said Sansa. The pink on her cheeks wouldn't seem to go away. "When we were travelling still, my stupid sister made him angry. He gave me this necklace to apologize. He was angry, but it wasn't his fault."

If only Joanna had had a gold dragon for every time she'd heard that something wasn't Joffrey's fault, she could buy the Red Keep right out under her father. She looked down at their feet for a moment, trying to keep the rising outburst under control. There was so much that she wanted to say; Joffrey was a cruel monster, her mother was nearly as bad, no one ever listened or understood, and Sansa should go home and marry someone else, and her whole family should leave King's Landing before her mother followed through with what she had threatened. But Sansa wouldn't believe her, just like nobody else did.

Instead, she tried to be sincere, and not sound too much like she was giving a warning.

"Sansa…you know that my mother's family and your father's family haven't liked each other in a long time," she said.

"Of course," said Sansa, "but our fathers are like brothers."

"Indeed, they are," Joanna smiled, squeezing her hands. "And the quarrels of the past are nothing for us to worry about. But…" She paused, trying to think of what she wanted to say. Of all the things she wished to say, she wasn't sure what was the most important. So she settled for the one that was the most simple. "Just remember that I am truly your friend. And if you should ever need anything, I'm here."

Sansa grinned, dipping into a small curtsey. "Thank you, princess."

Returning Sansa's smile, the two finally continued their walk down the path through the garden.

It was just like when they were little. Joanna sat cross-legged on her floor, Tommen seated in her lap. He was too big, almost, but she cherished it nonetheless and ignored the buzzing feeling in her legs when they began to fall asleep. Myrcella was sitting beside them, listening with rapt attention as Joanna regaled her with tales of the wall. Nearly everything she said was made up, but it was worth it to see the look of wonder and delight on her sister's face. She couldn't stand it if she had returned home only to tell her sister that aside from being tall, the Wall was perfectly ordinary, and the men there even more so.

Tommen only half-listened, attention mostly focused on a small figurine of a knight that Joanna had brought him, a gift from a blacksmith in one of the little towns along the Kingsroad they'd stayed in. This was what Joanna had missed most about King's Landing. She would bear the brunt of her mother's anger a thousand times if it meant returning home to moments like this. Once Joanna's stories were finished, Myrcella went on and on about something in a book she'd read, restating everything in incredible detail. Joanna was delighted to listen, and to watch the candid expressions on her sister's face.

Halfway through Myrcella's stories, the door to Joanna's chambers opened. She looked over to see Desmera enter, looking stricken and out of breath. The joy in Joanna's chest seemed to vanish in an instant. She shifted Tommen off of her lap, giving him a playful shove. He tumbled over onto the rug with a giggle.

"I'll only be a moment," she said, standing. "And then I'll come and listen again, I promise."

She hurried over to the other end of her chamber where Desmera was waiting, dread driving every step.

"What's happened?" she asked, voice hushed.

"Your uncle attacked Lord Stark," she said, sounding frantic.

"Seven Hells," Joanna said, covering her face. "Is he dead?"

"Only injured," Desmera replied. "I don't know how bad. My brother told me about it, and I rushed here as fast as I could."

"If he's alive, then that's what's important," said Joanna, though it didn't exactly feel like the truth. She felt like she was going to vomit. It was all her fault.

"They're saying it's because Lady Stark captured Tyrion Lannister. They say she's taken him to the Vale."

Joanna looked up harshly at that.

"The Vale?" she hissed. A sudden ire rose from among the nausea in her stomach. "That woman – that, that impetuous woman! I told her to bring my uncle here, so this could be resolved!"

Desmera's eyes widened.

"You knew about this?" she said.

"I was there when she arrested my uncle," Joanna admitted. "She thinks that he tried to murder her son. Ridiculous woman! I tried to help her! Gods be good…"

She sat down on her bed, covering her face with her hands. At least if Catelyn had brought Tyrion to King's Landing, she could have figured out a way for things to go better. She wondered if Lord Stark had told her to take Tyrion to the Vale, or if she had decided to take matters into her own hands even after Joanna had promised a trial. She probably thinks I'm a snake like my mother, she thought. Angry as she was, she couldn't blame Lady Stark for that.

Desmera frowned and moved to sit beside Joanna, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"You shouldn't feel guilty," she said. "You did the best you could to help."

"If I hadn't tried to help, this might not have happened," Joanna said miserably. Desmera looked between Joanna and the prince and princess sitting on the rug on the opposite side of the room.

"I should have waited to tell you," she said softly. "You should enjoy your time with your brother and sister."

"No," Joanna shook her head. "I'm glad I know now. Thank you, Mera."

"Don't worry yourself over this," she insisted. "It's for the king and queen to worry about now. It's none of your concern."

Joanna didn't reply. She felt, in fact, that it was much of her concern. But she supposed that there was hardly anything she could do. And besides, even if there was, the last time she had intervened had hardly done any good. At the very least, she could ensure she didn't do any more harm – which was how she found herself at the chamber of the Hand of the King later that evening before supper. She stood before the door wringing her hands for several moments, mind volleying back and forth over whether she should enter. Eventually she did, standing with her hands clasped in front of her as she was announced, and waiting until she and Lord Stark were alone in the room before she spoke.

He was sat at the edge of his bed in only his bedclothes, thigh wrapped tight with bandages. She could see the barest stain of blood through the wrapping, and she tightened her grip on her hands. He was watching her, expectant, though there didn't seem to be any malice on his face as she might have expected.

"Lord Stark," she started, then paused. It occurred to her that she wasn't sure exactly what she had wanted to say. So she started with, "I'm sorry."

"You're not responsible for the actions of your uncle," he replied after a moment, shifting his leg uncomfortably.

"When I went to warn you of your wife's actions, I meant to help you. Instead I only caused you more trouble because I wasn't careful enough."

"I should have spoken to the King immediately," he said. "I'm a man grown; my actions weighed more on what happened to me than yours did."

"Still," Joanna insisted, a heavy feeling still in her chest. "This was exactly the sort of thing I was trying to avoid. I…" She swallowed, hesitating slightly before quieting her voice somewhat. "I know my mother can often be…unreasonable. It's a simple mistake on the part of your grieving wife, but I knew she wouldn't see it that way. It was foolish of me to be so careless. I hope my mistake hasn't cost you too much." She moved forward towards Lord Stark, bending to kneel in front of him. "If there's anything I can do to make you, or your daughters, more comfortable…please. It's the least I can do."

"You're very kind," he said with a small smile, though it was clear to her that there were other things weighing on his mind. He reached to pat her shoulder gently.

"You're my father's oldest friend, and your family has always been very kind to me," she said again. "It's the least I could do."

"Worry of it no further," he assured her. "It's between me and your father now."

She rose again to her feet with a small smile, guilt only partially sated. That was the best she was going to get, she supposed. Indeed, it was between him and her father now, and she had no desire to meddle in this particular instance. She curtseyed once more to Lord Stark, an honor rarely afforded to anyone beneath her station, and left the room. Starting now, she had to be more careful. On any regular day, her mother was irritable at best. But now, with the Starks in her home, she seemed like a cornered cat, ready to lash out at any provocation. Joanna sometimes wished she knew what it was about her mother – or about the Starks – that made her so uneasy around their guests. She couldn't imagine that her mother was hiding any dark secrets – and even if she was, she was surrounded day-in and day-out by Lord Varys – the Spider – and countless others in the council and court who would be keen to know her secrets. Surely any hidden knowledge would have been found out by now. Joanna surmised that it was simply her mother's nature. She loved only those within her own family – and even among relatives, she would make an enemy over the slightest perceived slights.

It was tiring to be related to such a person. Joanna hated spending each day carefully constructing her appearance, her words, her actions, all to keep from riling up her mother. She wished sometimes that she didn't care about making her angry, that she could do and say what she wanted and simply shrug when her mother was angry. But every time she woke up with the thought of not caring, she couldn't. The appeasement and approval of her mother was too important to her, whether she would admit it or not. Until the day came when it no longer mattered, this was Joanna's life. She only hoped that a day would come soon when things finally changed.

A/N: I'm back! I made it! It took a few months, but it's here! Thank you all for being so patient.

I'd like to give a shout-out to HPuni101, RHatch89, bellaphant, Crystal-Wolf-Guardian-967, ZabuzasGirl, RandomFandoming, BrittStarr1199, Guest, amrawo, Lt-Spork89, EmzMikaelson, , StarkTeller, and recey2010 for the reviews! Every time throughout this long wait that I didn't have the motivation to write, I would look at the reviews and read all of your kind words and it would really inspire me to work hard to get this chapter out. I really appreciate it so much that you guys take an extra few seconds to leave me a note, it really makes me feel like my hard work has paid off. I also wanna thank everyone who has added this story to their faves and follows - I see you, and I appreciate all of you reading this!

Stuff is happening guys! And we're getting more Stark interaction in this chapter :) I know it's not romantic interaction, but we'll get to that in a little while. Some more plot needs to happen before we can get to all of that sweet lovin'. As frustrating Sansa is in season 1, I still love her, and I'm super happy to be able to write for her some more. We're pretty close to the end of season 1, and I'm VERY excited to write all of that delicious drama.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm right about to leave to go on vacation over winter break and I won't be back until January, so unfortunately this will be the last update until after the new year. BUT I'm really glad that I was able to get this chapter out to you all before I left, and I really hope it was worth the wait!

Thank you all so much for reading, it means a lot. I hope you liked it!

Until next time,

Rex