Hey thanks to those that read my first chapter. Even if you didn't review, I am grateful for those that took the time to read. Out of my friends' and mine's characters, Leila was mine, so I'm super excited whenever there's a Leila chapter haha. I adore the Lannisters, even though I know they're evil (well, not Tyrion and Jaime…) Anyways, enjoy! Also, I still don't own Game of Thrones.
Leila
The stronghold's wall faced the Sunset Sea. The boats came in and out of port. Leila clutched the balcony and watched as they came and went. All of Casterly Rock had been busy since the news of Jon Arryn's death. Her father left on a short notice, leaving her behind with her uncle Kevan. She hoped he'd return soon. She felt that her uncle, though he certainly meant well, was dull in comparison with her father.
Leila Lannister was the youngest of four children. Like all Lannisters, she was a lady of wealth and high class. Her golden hair fell down her back in flawless waves and curls. Her eyes were bright and emerald green. Her favorite color was red (the color most associated with her House) and she wore it with pride. Her father often told her she looked like her mother, so Leila did all she could to dress like the Lord's late wife.
Small and petite, Leila was kept away from most people's eyes. Her father, Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, made a point of keeping her hidden away. She'd been to King's Landing a few times, and during summers her father sometimes sent her to Highgarden, but other than that, she had never left the Rock. When she looked out on the water, part of her wanted to travel. She loved Casterly Rock, and she loved exploring its halls knowing that her father would always be there for her, but she also dreamed of seeing the world…or at least Westeros. She didn't like the idea of going alone, though. Her father said the world was dangerous; she wanted to travel with him.
"Leila," came a voice from behind her.
Since everyone acknowledged her as 'lady', she knew immediately this was her uncle; that, and she recognized his voice.
"Good morning, uncle," she said and offered a perfect curtsey.
"Always so formal," Kevan said, chortling. "I received a crow from your father. It concerns you."
"My father?" Her voice rose with excitement. "What did he say? Is he coming back? I don't understand why he needed to leave to begin with!"
"He's not coming back," Kevan said. "Well, he's not coming back so soon. Besides, you won't be at the Rock anyways. He's requested that you leave for Winterfell immediately."
Leila dropped her posture and just gaped at her uncle.
"Winterfell?" She recalled the Northern country on a map. "Why Winterfell? What's in Winterfell?"
"Well, Leila, what is in Winterfell?" Kevan asked.
She frowned, knowing that her uncle just had to throw in a random test for her. He always did this when he was in charge of her.
"Winterfell is ruled by House Stark, headed by the Lord Eddard Stark and his wife Catelyn Stark. They have six children together, the eldest being Robb Stark, the current heir should something happen to Lord Stark. Their sigil is a grey wolf in front of a white field," Leila recited. "There, uncle! I've answered your question! Now, what is in Winterfell? Why does Father want me there?"
"Well, your family is in route for Winterfell as we speak. Queen Cersei, her children, Jaime, and Tyrion left earlier this week," Kevan announced.
"Is it because of Lord Arryn's death?" Leila burst out before she could stop herself. "Forgive me, uncle. I'm just curious is all."
He chortled. "Curiosity killed the cat –"
"I'm not a kitten –I am a lioness," she cut in and smirked.
"Careful," Kevan warned her. "Yes, they ride for Winterfell because King Robert wishes to make Lord Eddard Stark his new hand. It's an offer he can't refuse. He must honor his king's wishes."
"But why must I go?" She asked. "What does Lord Stark's position as hand matter to me?"
"Because your father has spoken of your betrothal," Uncle Kevan answered. "As of right now, House Lannister has no claim to the North. Lord Eddard Stark has a son roughly your age, and your father proposes marriage –"
Leila gasped and forgot the grace of a Lannister for a brief moment.
"Marriage?" She squealed. "I'm to marry a Stark?"
"Nothing is official until Lord and Lady Stark agree to the terms –" Kevan began.
"I'm to marry Robb Stark, yes? Is he handsome? Will he protect me? When do I leave for Winterfell? I can have my things ready within the hour!" She said.
If there was one thing Leila Lannister had always dreamed of, it was marriage. She didn't know Robb Stark, but she knew her father would place her with the perfect match. Her older sister, Cersei, didn't love her husband, but Leila was different than Cersei. She was closer with her father. She knew her father loved her and wished for her happiness above all.
She wished her history books told her whether or not Lords' sons were handsome.
"The servants will ready your things," Kevan said. "You are to meet your family in route for Winterfell. You will be accompanied by banner men to ensure your safety until you arrive. I will write your father and tell him when you are leaving. He wishes for you to depart as soon as possible."
She shivered with excitement.
"And when will I see my father again?" She asked.
"I don't know, Leila. Soon, I hope," he said.
"He will be at my wedding, no? He must be! Who else will give me to my husband?" She asked.
"Patience, Leila. Your father will come if he is able. If not, either your brother, Jaime, or King Robert will give you away. But remember, this marriage proposal has not been accepted yet. We are waiting for the consent of the Starks," he said.
She frowned and held her tongue. If the Starks didn't accept the proposal, then they were the dumbest house in the Realm. Who wouldn't want to marry a Lannister? Who wouldn't want to combine their house with the Realm's richest house? Perhaps marrying a Stark wasn't what she really wanted –
Except it was.
"Leila, dearest, you have your lessons to hurry to. Everything will be readied during your studies. Your Lord Father will make sure you are happy," her uncle said.
She nodded and then curtsied and walked away.
She knew her father wanted her to be happy. Everyone said her father was harsh, but she knew better. She knew he was caring and loving and everything a good father needed to be. Her brothers and sister sometimes told her that Father wasn't as soft with them as he was with her…but she didn't believe them. Children always made events more dramatic. The abuse they spoke of happened when they were young. She was a woman now and had only received fair treatment from her Lord Father.
During the next few days, Leila did everything possible not to completely overboard her uncle with questions concerning the arrangements. Soon, she had her things packed in a coach and she was to be leaving Casterly Rock. Men in silver armor guarded the coach, awaiting her to enter. Crimson banners waved above the party. Her uncle Kevan waited for her. As she walked down the aisle, the men's armor creaked as they all lowered into bows before her.
"It will be some weeks before your path crosses with your family's," Kevan told her, kissing her head. "Stay in the coach; there are many who wouldn't enjoy anything more than forcing themselves upon a lady Lannister such as yourself."
"They wouldn't," she said sure of herself. "They'd know my father would cut them down."
"Most aren't educated and most do not know the history of Casterly Rock. These men will protect you. While you are away, don't think that's a reason for you not to continue with your studies. I'll be testing you when you return –"
"Yes, yes, uncle, I know that!"
"Go. You need to leave," Uncle Kevan said and kissed her one more time. She hugged him quickly, gathered up her skirts, and then climbed inside the coach, assisted by one of her father's banner men. She opened the curtain window and watched as the horses pulling the coach ran off. She felt her heart squeeze when the front passage of Casterly Rock became smaller and smaller. Soon they'd leave the great wall and after that, she'd be saying good bye to the Rock.
And that's when it struck her mercilessly.
If she wedded Robb Stark, she'd live in Winterfell, and she could very well never return to the Rock again. She'd become a lady of the North. All of a sudden her dreams of marriage didn't seem so flawless.
"Your father is Tywin Lannister," she reminded herself out loud. "The most powerful lord in the realm…except perhaps King Robert. He knows what's best for you."
She glanced around, hoping the driver hadn't heard. If he had, he made no indication. She smoothed out her skirts and looked ahead, determined to show the Northerners how a true Lannister lady behaved. If her father wanted her in the North, she would perform how he wanted her to in the North. The Lannister Dynasty would root itself into the snowy lands of Winterfell. As her father always said: Family was everything.
After nearly three weeks of travel, Leila was losing her mind. Glad for the coach's walls, she stretched and moved and sat in positions not at all appropriate for a Lannister lady. The winds were growing chiller with each day, and she had taken to wearing a crimson, velvet cloak. Adorning her hands were thick, white gloves lined with fur.
When it was announced that they had come upon the company of the royal family, she nearly leapt from her seat. It had been years since she'd last seen her brothers and sister. Cersei's children, at least the younger ones, had to have grown drastically. Then there was her nephew, Joffrey, who was roughly her same age. She desperately smoothed her skirts, hoping to hide the evidence that she'd been in a wagon for nearly a month. There was a knock on the coach's door.
"Come in," she said. Her voice shook with both anxiety and excitement.
A servant moved the cloth door aside and bowed before her.
"My lady," he said. "Your family awaits you."
"Yes, thank you," she said hurriedly. "Do I look alright? Do you I look like a lady of Casterly Rock?"
"Yes, my lady, of course you do," he answered.
She huffed. Why was she asking a servant?
"I look terrible," she commented. "I look like I was raised at the Twins, not at Casterly Rock –"
"My lady, please," the servant cut in. "You've been in a coach for a fortnight and a half. No one will judge you harshly if you don't look like you would at the Rock. But what does it matter? Your sister and brothers will be overjoyed to see you."
What a bold servant. She kind of liked him. His words forced a smile on her face and she moved to leave the coach. He held a hand out and assisted her in her exit.
They were somewhere between Riverrun and the Twins. The air was chill, and Leila knew that it would be colder when they finally reached the North. She hugged her cloak against her. She hated the cold. She liked the warm sands of Casterly Rock. Still, she looked ahead, ignoring the bite, and saw many wagons all bearing the flag of House Baratheon, a black crowned stag leaping across a golden field –the house of her brother by law, the King. She waited. Years of practice had taught her how to flawlessly mask her impatience.
Suddenly she heard loud laughter. She stiffened and out of the largest coach came a great brute of a man. She could hardly believe her eyes. King Robert Baratheon had gained at least five stones in weight since she last saw him. His great black beard was streaked in grey, giving him an older appearance. He wore his furs with pride and in one hand clutched a bottle of what smelled like cheap wine. Leila found herself and curtsied before her king.
"Ay! A bloody Lannister!" King Robert shouted. "I can never escape them!"
Just then a woman exited the coach. Leila lit up and broke into a smile when she saw her sister.
Cersei Lannister, who had been Baratheon for about seventeen years, was the sort of woman Leila dreamed of becoming. She was beautiful, with long golden hair that flowed behind her when it was down. At that moment it was twisted up into many complicated braids, the standard style of King's Landing. Her sister wore the same furs as Robert to protect her from the cold, but she wore them with the pride of a queen. Leila was her mother's daughter, and Cersei her father's daughter. Leila longed to measure up to her. Cersei's brilliant green eyes were mirrors of Leila's own, and they spotted her. The Queen broke into an expression of delight. Leila almost ran for Cersei, but she curtsied quickly before. Then she shot for the Queen.
"My darling, beautiful sister!" Cersei cried out, taking Leila into her arms. Leila laid her head against her sister's bosom. "How many years has it been?"
"Too many," Leila said. "Too many!"
Then a familiar "Sister!" reached Leila's ears.
"Jaime!" She gasped happily. She released Cersei and ran toward her older brother, who caught her in his arms and picked her up like she was only a child. She burst into giggles when he kissed her cheeks.
Ser Jaime Lannister was a knight, a member of the King's guard. He was Cersei's younger twin, and Father told her that when they were born, Jaime came after Cersei, clutching her leg. He was a mirror image of his sister. Leila wondered at times if her father had been as handsome when he was younger. Magnificent golden locks framed a perfect face. His grin was crooked and gave him more personality, Leila thought. All the Lannisters shared the same brilliant emerald gaze. Her brother was tall, towering over her. His armor fit him perfectly, and hanging from his waist was a beautiful sword.
"You are beautiful!" Jaime exclaimed, looking her up and down. "How is our father? How is uncle? Does he continue to drone on and on with those lessons?"
"Yes," Leila laughed. "Every time I mention a country's name, he asks me who the Lord is and what the sigil is! It's just silly!"
"Not that silly," came a third, deep voice. "Father clearly thinks it's important to know."
Leila's youngest, yet still older brother, Tyrion Lannister revealed himself from behind an especially tall horse. Tyrion shared their hair and eyes, but otherwise didn't resemble the rest of the family. Tyrion was short…very short actually. The top of his head reached Leila's shoulders and that was it. Her brother was a dwarf, stocky and short limbed. Tyrion had always been the black sheep of the family, something Leila never quite understood. Jaime told her Father had always treated Tyrion differently, and things worsened when their mother died caring for him when he had a fever. That was when Leila was only an infant. Thanks to that, she never knew her mother. At first she blamed Tyrion because Cersei told her to, but then Jaime convinced her that it wasn't Tyrion's fault, and that he missed their mother every bit as much as the rest of the family did.
"My beautiful, perfect, lovely sister!" Tyrion announced, coming toward her and Jaime, his arms outstretched. "I could live a hundred years and never hap upon someone that shared your same beauty!"
She curtsied playfully before her brother.
"Years at the Rock without you have been torture, my sweet brother," Leila said. Tyrion was different than the others, but he was pleasant, and with him Leila displayed a side she didn't show much, a more playful side. From behind her, Cersei chirped. Though she considered her family flawless, it always bothered her how they (except Jaime) treated Tyrion inferior.
"Seven hells!" King Robert yelled out, startling Leila. Cersei just rolled her eyes, and Jaime and Tyrion snickered. "Are we gonna just stand here all day or what? I'm hungry! You, boy!" He roared at his squire, Lancel Lannister, Leila's cousin, the son of her uncle Kevan. "Bring me my bow! I'm going on a hunt!"
"Sweet Robert," Cersei began, pursing her lips. "There's nothing to hunt in these parts."
"What do you know, woman?" Robert barked. Leila frowned. Had Robert always been so rude to her sister? "This here forest is filled with boars, turkeys, and maybe even bear! I shall slay something for us to eat for dinner!"
"We brought with us jerky so we could make the trip to Winterfell faster," Cersei said softly.
"To hell with the jerky! I want fresh meat! Boy, get my bow!" Robert shouted, and Lancel hurried off to find the King's supplies. Leila always thought her cousin lacked a backbone personally.
"I don't understand the hunt," Tyrion said, sighing. "Why hunt for beasts when you can hunt for women?"
Leila stifled a giggle.
"Stop it," Cersei said. "Leila doesn't need to hear about such filth from you."
"No, yet she is expected to listen for hours at a time to Uncle Kevan about all the monstrous ways House Lannister tortured its prisoners over the years in order to find itself in power," Tyrion said.
"They were bad people, murderers and rapists," Leila piped in.
"So the history books tell us," said Tyrion. "The history books written by the scholars of Casterly Rock. Now there's a trustworthy source!"
"I don't want to talk about murderers and rapists," Jaime said. "I want to talk about Leila. We heard the news. Father wants to marry you to Lord Eddard's oldest. What was his name again?"
"Robb," Leila answered automatically.
"Yes, of course you would know," Jaime said. "I'd like to challenge him to a duel. I can't let my sister wed just anyone, especially a Northerner. If this Robb Stark is to father Lannister babes, he must be up for the task. We're not easy, you know."
"Father knows the perfect man for me," Leila said proudly. "I do not doubt that Robb is a fine man."
"Father does know best," Tyrion agreed. "Except when he tried marrying you off to Lord Donic Mollen."
Leila frowned. They didn't talk about him much. She had been betrothed once before, but thanks to a bit of forgery, she got out of that marriage. Not that Lord Mollen was a bad man –he just already had someone.
Suddenly a servant approached them.
"Your grace," he said to Cersei, bowing. "Your children have awoken."
"Bring them here to greet their aunt," Cersei said.
The servant bowed once again and hurried off to fetch the Baratheon children. The three Lannisters said nothing as they waited for the princes and princess to arrive. Soon the three Baratheon children were walking toward them, headed by Joffrey with Myrcella and Tommen following behind. Leila curtsied before the children, recognizing them as the King's children more than her own nephews and niece.
"How much longer until we arrive?" Joffrey whined to his mother. "The countryside stinks, and I'm sick of eating jerky –"
"Soon, love," Cersei said. Myrcella and Tommen grinned shyly up at Leila, and Cersei gathered them into her arms. "You must greet your aunt. It's been a while since you last saw her."
Myrcella and Tommen bowed before Leila, and she returned it. They didn't speak much, which saddened her. They hardly knew her. Joffrey, on the other hand, didn't bow before her. He just watched her, almost scrutinizing her. It annoyed her; she wasn't used to it. Joffrey looked more like Cersei than Robert. He was slim, with green eyes, and short blonde hair. Joffrey and she were the same age. He was born soon after their mother has passed away. The boy was all Lannister.
"It's good to see you, aunt," said Joffrey. "It's good of you to leave the safety of the Rock every once in a while."
"I'm honored to see you, dear nephew," Leila said.
Joffrey said nothing more to her but complained about the food some more. Meanwhile, Tyrion picked little Tommen up and exclaimed he felt the child's muscles growing. Cersei just glared into the distance where Robert left.
"We'll be here all night," she whispered.
"Let us be," Jaime said. "It's been awhile since I've spoken with my sister…alone. As queen, I hardly ever get an audience with her."
Cersei spun around and glared at Jaime.
"Not another word out of you," she snapped.
"Well at least we will eat something tastier than jerky tonight," Tyrion shot in, changing the topic completely. "And I am quite enjoying stretching my legs. I think I'll get naked and roll in the grass. It's cold, yes, but I just think it sounds so…divine. Yes, that's it. I like that word. Divine. Makes me sound like a god."
He grinned at Myrcella and Tommen who began giggling. Leila had to smile a bit, and Jaime also looked away to hide his grin. Only Cersei and Joffrey didn't think it was very funny.
The company waited around for Robert's return after that. It was very late when he finally arrived, and then they had to wait for him to skin the deer and cook it over the fire. In the end they decided to just camp there and set out on their journey in the morning.
When the dawn did arrive, the Lannister and Baratheon party separated, and Leila went with her family to travel the rest of the way to Winterfell. The separation between banner men caused her stomach to do flips. She was going to be meeting her husband to be.
