Part 7
"Good morning, my lord."
Stannis had just stepped out of his bedchamber and he assumed that a servant was addressing him. Carelessly he looked up and saw Jon Snow. He wasn't pleased to see the boy, but he managed to keep his face free from emotion.
"Good morning," he stated tensely.
A silence followed his words, although the boy clearly had something to say. Stannis suppressed a sigh; he should at least try to be polite. For Shireen's sake.
"What can I do for you, Lord Jon?"
The boy seemed nervous, but at least he found his voice again.
"Well, I was wondering… I would like to ask your daughter to take a walk with me. If I have your permission, my lord."
Stannis had to admit that he was surprised.
"And why exactly do you feel that you need my permission? She is your betrothed."
"Yes, but you are her father and… I respect that."
Stannis looked at the boy for a moment before replying.
"How do you feel about marrying my daughter?"
Clearly his question surprised the boy and he expected to hear some pretty lies.
"I… To be honest, I wasn't planning to get married any time soon and I wasn't happy to hear about the king's order."
Well, at least the boy was honest.
"Why was that? This marriage will make you a very wealthy man, Lord Jon, what was the problem? My daughter's appearance?"
"No, I didn't feel ready for marriage."
"And you feel ready now?"
The boy hesitated before replying.
"I… I hope that I can be a good husband for your daughter."
"You didn't answer my question," Stannis pointed out. "Do you feel ready for marriage?"
Jon smiled.
"Well… The thought of sharing my life with someone still feels intimidating, I am not going to deny that. But I am glad that someone is going to be Lady Shireen."
Stannis observed him closely, looking for any sign of dishonesty.
"Why is that?"
Jon's eyes widened.
"Because you have a wonderful daughter, my lord. I have only spoken with her once and I can already tell how kind she is. I like her and I hope that she will like me."
"Do you find her beautiful?" Stannis asked sharply.
"I do," the boy replied calmly. "There is so much more to her than her scars."
"Like her dowry?" Stannis suggested dryly.
Jon frowned.
"With all due respect, my lord, this is my betrothed you speak of. It truly saddens me how you seem to belittle her and assume that I couldn't find her beautiful. She is beautiful and I intend to make sure that she knows that. After she becomes my wife, she won't have to listen to offensive words from anyone, not even from you, my lord. If you offend her honor in any way, you will have to deal with me."
For a moment Stannis was too stunned to reply. As far as he could tell, the boy seemed to mean what he said. He was actually protective of Shireen. Stannis found himself disliking the boy a little less.
"I love my daughter," he stated. "As you probably know, she is my only child."
Jon nodded.
"Yes, I know. And I understand I am not the husband you would have chosen for her, but I will try my hardest to look after her, I give you my word."
Stannis was quiet for a moment before speaking.
"And what if she cannot give you sons?"
"Then I shall love our daughters," the boy replied without hesitation.
Stannis almost smiled, he most certainly disliked the boy a little less now.
"Yes, you can ask her to take a walk with you."
Jon bowed briefly.
"Thank you, my lord."
"It's very beautiful here," Shireen said. She and Jon were walking behind the walls of Winterfell. Jon's direwolf Ghost was walking beside him, Shireen had never seen a direwolf before.
"Your wolf is cute," she added smiling.
Jon pretended to be shocked.
"Cute? My lady, you do know this is a direwolf you are talking about? He's not cute, he's a fierce beast, a furious predator and…"
He didn't have time to finish his sentence as Shireen got down on one knee, letting Ghost to sniff her hair. The wolf wagged his tail happily and licked her cheek.
"Really?" Jon huffed disapprovingly. "You call yourself a beast?"
The wolf glanced at him and continued licking Shireen's face. She laughed and petted him. Jon couldn't help but smile, obviously Ghost liked her. Well, he was a smart animal and a great judge of character.
"How long have you had him, my lord?" Shireen asked as she finally stood up.
"Ever since he was a pup," Jon replied. "We found six orphan pups, one for each Stark. And for me."
"Well, I still think he's cute."
"Yes, direwolves are beautiful animals. And loyal."
Shireen looked at Ghost curiously.
"I think he sees you as his pack, my lord."
Jon had never really thought about it like that.
"Hmm, that's probably true."
"I think so, wolves are very gregarious creatures."
"How do you know that?" Jon asked.
"I have read about them."
"Ah."
They walked silently for a moment before Jon continued.
"So, do you have any pets, my lady?"
"Yes, I had cats back home. They kept rats and mice away from my tower."
"Your tower?"
"That was where I lived," she explained.
"Alone?"
"Yes."
"What about your mother and father?"
"They…have their own living quarters," she replied. "I didn't mind spending time by myself."
She was a terrible liar; he could easily see that she wasn't telling the truth. What kinds of parents would keep their daughter alone in a tower?
"How long did you live in this…tower?" he asked, managing to sound calm.
"My whole life," she replied. "Of course I had a nursemaid when I was a small child; she was a very sweet woman."
"What about your mother?"
Shireen tried to smile, but there was sadness in her smile.
"She was busy."
"Busy with what?" Jon asked, although he realized that he was out of line.
Shireen was quiet for a moment before replying.
"My mother hoped to give my father a son," she said quietly. "I was not what she hoped."
Jon felt anger; Shireen hadn't deserved to be treated like that.
"May I ask about your mother, my lord?" she continued, clearly wanting to change the subject.
"I'm afraid there is nothing I can tell you, I know nothing about her."
"Oh. Have you asked your father or haven't you wanted to know?"
"To be honest, I'm not really sure."
Shireen nodded.
"I understand." She paused and shivered.
"Are you cold?" Jon asked.
"A little."
Quickly he removed his cloak, wrapping it around her. Thank you, father.
"Thank you, my lord," she said smiling and took his hand.
"Please, call me Jon."
"Alright, if you call me Shireen."
"Shireen…"
He liked how her name felt rolling over his tongue. She didn't let go of his hand as they continued walking. Her hand felt a little cold at first, but he managed to warm her up. She had a soft skin and he couldn't help but notice that she smelled very pleasant. He would have wanted to sniff her hair like Ghost had done.
"Oh, I almost forgot," he said after a long, but not uncomfortable silence. "I have something for you."
They both stopped and she looked at him as he picked up a white flower.
"This is a winter rose," he explained. "I went riding this morning and found one."
She looked at the flower in wonder.
"For me?"
"Yes. I know it's not much, I just thought…"
"It's beautiful," she said. "Thank you, my lor… Jon."
He froze as she pushed up to her toes and kissed his cheek. Her smile was so warm that he felt himself blushing.
"You're welcome."
