Hey thanks for reading, so real fast, it's super random, but this chapter has 2 POVs, Catelyn's and Lydia's. The Catelyn one is pretty short and generally I just focus on the three OCs, but I felt it was important to get Cat's view of things for this part. So yeah, just in case you were like "um, where the heck did she come from?" Anyways, enjoy! I don't own Game of Thrones!
Chapter 4 (Catelyn)
Catelyn Stark twisted her finger in her lap. She was tired, having not slept in days it seemed. The girls were busy sewing dresses for the King's arrival. The boys were preparing in other ways she didn't understand. Ned took care of them. The only thing she insisted upon was that she'd be in charge of their appearances when they were presented before the King.
She couldn't help but smile at herself as she thought of her daughters preparing for the royal family. Sansa was ecstatic, often talking about the prince when her mother brushed through her hair. Arya was excited too, but in different ways. She asked her mother if she thought Ser Jaime Lannister would tell her how he held a sword. She honestly doubted it, but she didn't have the heart to tell her. She worried about Arya, idolizing knights and brutes. Ladies weren't meant to hold swords in their hands.
And then there was Lydia, her beautiful yet tomboyish daughter. Catelyn didn't give birth to Lydia, but she might as well have. She loved her above all. Sometimes she wondered why she couldn't show the same love for Lydia's brother. It haunted her dreams at times. Was she so cruel a woman as to reject an innocent child? Jon Snow had nothing to do with Ned's decision to –
But she halted the thought, deciding that what was in the past was gone. With Ned she birthed five beautiful children, and when she lost her daughter after Robb's birth, Ned brought back the lovely little girl from the snow. The lovely little girl and her bastard brother. It was complicated, but she knew one thing for certain; Lydia was her daughter now and she loved her.
Lydia wasn't impressed with the announcement of Robert's arrival. She rolled her eyes during supper and refused to work quickly on her dress. Catelyn knew that Lydia knew how to sew. She did this to rebel. She was always quieter in her rebellions than Sansa or Arya. Her dress was lovely. No one would recognize what she was doing, but Cat did.
Just then the door to her chambers opened. She straightened up when her husband walked in. His face looked more lined than ever and he clutched in his fist a piece of paper.
"Ned!" She gasped. "Sit down! You must rest!"
"I cannot," he said. "It's not just the King that is coming, but an old friend. I must help Robert in every way I can."
"By running yourself into the ground?" She asked. She looked down at the letter. "What is that? Who sent it?"
Ned held up the note. "Tywin Lannister."
Cat's jaw dropped upon hearing the name.
"Tywin Lannister? What does he want from us?" She asked.
"It's about our son and his daughter," said Ned.
"What business does the Queen –" Catelyn began.
"Not the Queen, his other daughter. Leila Lannister. He is offering her hand in marriage to Robb. He claims it is time for an alliance between Starks and Lannisters and that he has things we need in Casterly Rock and that we have things he needs here in Winterfell," Ned explained.
She automatically put a hand on her heart. Ned put his arms around her and held her for a moment.
"If our son were to marry his daughter, he'd be the King's brother by law," she said. "But the Lannisters, Ned! Never has there been a family less trustworthy in the realm! Robb can't marry Leila Lannister! I won't agree to these terms!"
"Cat, nothing is official. We will take our time in making this decision. I love Robb every bit as much as you do," he said. "We'll have to meet the girl at least. Maybe she's different than the other Lannisters –"
"They're all the same," she said. "She has Tywin Lannister's blood coursing through her veins. She isn't trustworthy. And even if she was, her family isn't trustworthy."
"The Lannisters' history is blackened by blood, but times are changing. Perhaps it's time to put aside our differences. Perhaps this is the proposal we need to finally have some peace in the Seven Kingdoms. The letter says that she's coming here with the Queen and her brothers. We will meet her, and we will determine what is best when she arrives," said Ned. "I swear to you, Cat, though, that I won't do anything to put our boy in jeopardy."
"I know," she whispered. "But I want to make the decision with you. We are a team, remember? We work together in this."
"Of course," said Ned.
He set the note on the table and leaned in to kiss her on the lips.
Lydia
Lydia couldn't remember a time in her life when her parents were more stressed out. Everything they did somehow wasn't enough for the arrival of the Baratheons and the Lannisters, or the Royal Family of Westeros. Her mother would call for the servants to arrange the main room one way and then decide she didn't like it. In the evenings at supper she'd lecture the children on how they needed to be on their best behavior with King Robert's arrival, but at the same time, they couldn't forget their roots and they needed to be proud of them. She contradicted herself so many times that Lydia lost count. Even her father seemed nervous over the ordeal.
Just when Lydia thought that all was done that could possibly be done, she was burdened again with information.
"I heard mother and father talking last night," Robb said to her and Jon.
They were away from the others. For once they managed to get away from the rest of the family.
"What were you doing spying on them?" Lydia asked Robb. "The first born son of Eddard Stark –a sneak! That doesn't sound good at all."
"Lydia," Robb said dangerously. "I'm not a sneak. I don't spy on people –"
"Then what were you doing?" Lydia asked.
"Lydia!" Jon snapped. "Let him finish."
"I listened because I heard them say my name," Robb whispered. He looked around to make sure they weren't in earshot of anybody, despite the fact that they had hidden themselves inside a room. "They spoke of a marriage proposal. They received an offer from Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock…"
"The Lord of Casterly Rock?" Jon and Lydia both said.
"Who the hell does he want you marrying?" Lydia pressed. "Robb, are you ready to have golden haired children?"
"Quiet! Nothing is official! Mother and Father haven't made any decisions yet! They want me to marry his youngest, Leila or something –" Robb said.
"Don't pretend you don't know her name! Leila Lannister, Tywin's youngest daughter. Her name comes up at least a dozen time each lesson with Maester Luwin! Name each Lannister of Casterly Rock! You're gonna marry a Lannister!" Lydia cried. "You're going to marry a haughty, good for nothing rich bitch, and you're going to dine in the halls of Lord Tywin Lannister, son of Tytos Lannister! Hell, I'd take a nasty mother in law any day over the likes of him!" And then Lydia burst into laughter.
"But Lannisters are rich," said Jon. "You'd never have to worry for gold ever again in your life."
"I already don't worry for gold," said Robb. "The only good part of this arrangement is that she'd come here and I would still be lord of Winterfell. I wouldn't have to worry about dinin' in the halls of Casterly Rock."
Lydia and Jon nodded their agreement to Robb's last statement. The room they had hidden out in was small and housed a few shelves with dusty books. It smelled musty, and Lydia figured it to be one of the few rooms in the castle that Catelyn hadn't got her hands on in preparation for the King.
"Not a word about this though to anyone," said Robb very seriously. "I'm not supposed to know after all."
"Will you tell Theon?" Lydia asked.
Robb hesitated. "I…eh…I don't know. Maybe. I haven't decided yet."
"He's your best friend," Lydia reminded him. "He's an idiot, but he is like a brother to us. If you told us, you should probably tell him."
"I didn't know you cared so much for Theon," Jon said.
"I don't like him," Lydia said. "But I do love him. Complicated, no? He is like a brother to me…a brother I wish would just go away, but still, a brother nonetheless."
They spoke no more of the possible engagement, but Lydia felt it gnawing at her insides. The last thing she wanted was for her older brother to be wed to a rich, little (her mother would kill her if she heard her say this) cunt. A Lannister didn't belong in Winterfell. She didn't know if she could behave herself if she had to endure one of those golden haired diseases strutting around their castle.
The next day Catelyn called for Robb, Jon, and Theon and insisted that they get their hair cut and beards shaved. Theon was especially upset, as he had been growing some stubble he deemed as "enticing to the ladies". When Lydia heard that she just laughed at him.
"Do you think my dress will be presentable?" Sansa asked Lydia while the boys were being shaved.
"Yes, of course," said Lydia. "They will all be very impressed. I doubt anyone in the capital can sew as well as you, sister."
Sansa let out a sigh she'd probably been holding in for a week and thanked Lydia before leaving. Lydia left the anteroom to see what was going on in other parts of the castle. She wished she could go out for a hunt, but she also wanted to help her mother.
"…We'll need plenty of candles for Lord Tyrion's chambers. I'm told he reads all night," Catelyn was saying to the family's maester, Luwin.
"I'm told he drinks all night," relied Maester Luwin.
"How much could he possibly drink? A man of his…stature…" Catelyn trailed off.
Lydia knew her mother was too proper to refer to Tyrion Lannister as an imp like the rest of the world did.
"We've brought up eight barrels of ale from the cellars," Maester Luwin said. "Perhaps we'll find out."
"In any case, candles," Catelyn reminded him. She turned, her dress sweeping the floors and gave Lydia a warm expression upon seeing her. "Lydia, dearest, I didn't see you there."
"I only just arrived," Lydia said, grinning. "Shall I help with the candles? I've already finished my dress."
"Already? Yes, thank you," said Catelyn. "Then perhaps it would be a good idea if you helped Arya with her dress. She may need the extra attention."
"Yes, mother," Lydia said, bowing her head respectfully.
Lydia fetched the candles for her mother and helped the set them up in what would be Lord Tyrion's chambers. After that she helped Arya with her dress, and then she went from room to room, seeing in what way she could help. She prayed to the old gods that King Robert wouldn't be a prick and wouldn't mind if she slipped away to go hunting. The castle, with all the changes, was becoming so unrecognizable that she could hardly consider it home.
A few days passed when Lydia heard trumpets blare from the outside. Lydia froze completely, knowing exactly what it meant.
"They've already arrived," she whispered. "They weren't supposed to arrive for another few days!" She spun around, lifted her dress, and began sprinting toward the front gates. She hoped the Royal Family was prepared for Winterfell's cold.
Outside in the courtyard, Sansa, Robb, and Jon were arriving. Theon came, leading by the hand Lydia's youngest brother, six year old Rickon. All the older boys looked fresher than they had in weeks. Arya and Bran were nowhere to be found.
"Quite a way to make an entrance," Jon muttered to Lydia when he saw her. "Does our father insist on doing that when he travels?"
"You'd think the throne, or at least the Lannisters, could afford better musicians," she said. "Where's Bran and Arya by the way?"
"Dunno," Jon said lazily. "They've heard the trumpets too, no doubt."
Lady Stark came walking by with the Maester, mumbling about something growing fast, when all of a sudden she stopped in her tracks. Swiveling around to see what happened, Lydia saw Bran's direwolf, Summer, without his master. Her gaze traveled up and she saw her ten year old brother halfway down the tower.
"He's a damn fine climber," she whispered to Jon.
"Better him than Arya," he replied, and they laughed.
Catelyn didn't find it funny though.
"Brandon!" She screamed out.
Bran was grinning from ear to ear, completely unaware of the worry in his mother's voice. The boy was small and nimble, with dark brown hair down to his neck that named him a Stark. He was a good natured boy. He climbed the rest of the way down, leaping the last part and landed like a little feline in front of his mother. Catelyn opened her mouth to reprove him, but he said excitedly:
"I saw the King! He's got hundreds of people!"
Catelyn ignored him. "How many times do I have to tell you? No. Climbing!"
"But he's coming right now!" Bran moaned. "Down our road!"
"I want you to promise me! No more climbing!" Catelyn said sternly.
Bran halted and looked at his toes. "I promise."
Catelyn's stern face faltered for a moment.
"D'you know what?" She said to Bran.
"What?"
"You always look at your feet before you lie." Bran turned red like the Lannister's banners, and Catelyn patted him on the head. "Run and find your father. Tell him the King is close."
Whether from excitement for the King's arrival or because he wasn't punished, Bran's grin was double the size it normally was as he ran off to find Lord Stark.
When their father came back with Bran, he motioned for all of them to get into a line.
"We must be respectable for the King's arrival," he announced to them. "When he comes, we will bow –" but his last minute advice was drowned out by the horns. He turned to Jon. "Over there." He seemed pained to exclude Jon from the group. Then the Starks lined up oldest to youngest. Lydia stood between Robb and Sansa.
And still there was no Arya.
"Where's Arya?" Catelyn asked, her voice dripping in both concern and anxiety. "Sansa, where's your sister?"
Sansa shrugged, and when Catelyn turned to Lydia, all Lydia could do for once was shrug as well. Just then a small person came running by with a helmet covering half their face. Lydia covered a giggle with her hand. Her father's eyes widened.
"Hey, hey, hey!" He cried. "What are you doing with that on?"
Ned removed the helmet from Arya's face. Then Arya ran over to the line to take her spot, shoving Bran aside who stood partially in her space. Robb snorted, and on the other side, Jon snorted as well. Then the family's half-wit giant, Hodor, came to stand in line. Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik stood behind them along with Septa Mordane.
"Any time now, Robert," muttered Lydia.
"Shush," Robb hissed.
The gates swung open, and at long last the Royal party rode in as if they were in a parade. First came a skinny lad with golden locks and fine clothes. Sansa blushed and looked away. So that was the Prince then, Joffrey Baratheon. Next came a beast of a man with half his face burnt off. Then a coach arrived behind them. The coach stopped and out of it climbed the Queen, and finally the King came behind her on his own horse.
King Robert was nothing like Lydia had imagined him. For one thing, he was fat. She always envisioned him a strong man, especially since he took the Seven Kingdoms from the Targaryens. His hair was black and his clothes barely fit him. Ned's eyes widened at the sight of his old friend. When King Robert nearly fell from his horse trying to get off it, Ned knelt before his king, and the rest of them copied him.
King Robert signaled for the horns to stop and for the Starks to rise. They did so slowly. He and Ned looked at one another, and then King Robert said shortly: "You got fat."
The Stark children didn't move a muscle. Lydia's father tilted his head to one side and sized King Robert up. Then they burst into laughter and exchanged rough hugs. King Robert turned toward Lady Stark and took her into his arms.
"Cat!" He cried out jovially. His voice was booming and rough.
"Your Grace," Catelyn acknowledged politely.
"Nine years!" King Robert rounded on Ned. "Why haven't I seen you? Where the hell have you been?"
"Guarding the North for you. The North is yours," answered Ned.
Queen Cersei and her other two children, a young girl and boy close to Bran's age, started walking toward them.
"Where the imp?" Arya whispered.
That was right. The dwarf was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer. And neither was the youngest Lannister. Maybe she didn't come. Lydia crossed her fingers behind her back.
"Will you shut up?" Sansa hissed.
Lydia rolled her eyes. She loved her sisters but she had no qualms of getting between them in a fight.
King Robert looked at all the Stark children. He started with Robb and then made his way down the line.
"Who have we here? You must be Robb," he said. Then he saw Lydia, who stiffened. "You look like your father! Yet still beautiful! Like your aunt!" He barked out a laugh and then stopped at the much more Tully favored Sansa. "My, you're a pretty one." He had to look down to see the small Arya. "Your name is?"
"Arya," she answered snappishly.
King Robert snorted good naturedly and continued.
"Oooh!" the King said when he saw Bran. "Show us your muscles! You'll be a soldier one day!" Bran flexed before the King. King Robert said nothing to Rickon who was too young to quite know what was going on.
Then, coming from behind, came another horse. Seated on the horse were two people, a knight and a maiden. The knight removed his helm and shook out his blonde hair.
"That's Jaime Lannister!" Arya gasped. "The Queen's twin brother!"
And if that was Jaime Lannister, then the maiden have to have been…
Ser Jaime jumped down from his horse and then picked up the equally as blonde girl and helped her to the ground. She giggled stupidly and looked around. Her green eyes locked on Robb. She was certainly pretty, but Lydia thought she looked dumber than a sheep.
Queen Cersei approached them, and Ned and Catelyn nodded to her. "My queen," they said.
King Robert ignored her.
"Take me to your crypts. I want to pay my respects," he said to Ned.
"We've been riding for a month, my love," Queen Cersei said. "Surely the dead can wait."
King Robert gave the Queen a look that bordered on loathing. Ignoring her, he turned back to Lydia's father and said to him: "Ned."
His one word was command enough. Eddard Stark nodded and turned toward the crypts. Queen Cersei turned away from the Starks and kept her gaze lowered to the ground. For a moment Lydia felt bad for her; being humiliated by the King, your husband, in front of Northerners had to have been hard. Then again, Lydia had heard that Cersei had a reputation for being sneaky and cruel. The more she thought about it, the less she felt bad for the Queen. She watched as Cersei returned to Ser Jaime.
Beside Jaime of course was Tywin Lannister's youngest daughter. Leila Lannister was ogling Robb with what she clearly thought to be innocent doe eyes, but to Lydia, she looked like a sex starved man ogling the whores at a brothel.
As her father and King Robert left, her mother faced the girls and said:
"Her grace is tired from the road, I'm sure. We shall show her, her children, and Lady Leila their chambers. Come, girls."
Arya didn't hide her scowl and tried to get another peek at Ser Jaime. Lydia knew most girls would be trying to catch a glance at him thanks to his good looks, but for Arya, she wanted to see him because he was said to be a skilled warrior. Lydia herself thought that he wasn't as handsome as the realm let on. She'd never liked blonde hair much anyways.
"Your grace," Catelyn said to Queen Cersei, bowing. "Let's get you settled in."
"Thank you, my lady," Queen Cersei said, pleasant enough. "Come, children."
The younger Baratheon children came to her sides and clutched her hands. Lydia knew very little about them. Myrcella Baratheon, the Queen's only daughter (the poor girl looked a bit like Leila) and Tommen Baratheon, the youngest, who would be heir to the throne should something happen to both Robert and Joffrey. Of course the likelihood of that was very slim. He was a good natured boy with a fat face. Lydia couldn't ever envision him sitting atop the fabled "Iron Throne".
Catelyn began to lead the royal family away to their chambers. Before going, though, she curtsied before Ser Jaime and asked:
"Shall I show you your chambers as well?"
"No need, my lady. I shall find them on my own. I am going to find my brother."
His brother? So the imp was here. Why hadn't he arrived with the rest of the group?
"Yes, of course," Lady Catelyn said.
Finally they could be on their way. Jaime kissed Leila once and then went another direction. Leila rushed over to be beside Cersei, but she stole another look at Robb. Theon had appeared and nudged Robb playfully. Leila smirked. Technically, Robb knew nothing about the wedding, and nothing was official. Leila Lannister obviously knew. She was such a slut.
"I'm afraid that it can get cold in the evenings here," Catelyn said, making conversation. "If you are in need of any more furs, just tell me, and I shall fetch more for you."
"Thank you," Queen Cersei said. "It normally maintains a warm climate at the capitol. Winterfell is lovely though. Like a picture from one of Tommen's bedtime books." She flashed what appeared to be a beautiful smile.
All of a sudden the Lannister whore cleared her throat and looked sideways at Lydia.
"Are you Lydia Stark?" She asked in an especially annoying sing song voice.
"I am," Lydia replied tightly. "You must be Leila Lannister."
"Yes, I am," Leila answered in cheerful tones. "My father instructed that I come to the North with the rest of my family. I believe my sister is right; it is beautiful here. It got cold on the road, though."
"Really? Winter hasn't even come yet," Lydia said. If the girl thought it was cold now, she'd probably freeze in her own bed in the next months.
"Your banners say Winter is Coming," Leila said, like she thought she was knowledgeable. "Powerful words, my father says. I hope Winter never comes, though. It sounds frightening if you ask me."
"The strongest survive in winter. You have nothing to fear if you're strong," Lydia said coolly. Then before she could stop herself, she questioned: "How would the lions of House Lannister hold up during the Winter?"
Catelyn froze, turned around, and glared at Lydia.
"Lydia, please! We are not here to frighten guests!" She snapped.
But Leila finally showed the tiniest bit of spunk when she narrowed her eyes.
"I assure you my Lord father is prepared for whatever threat comes his way. House Lannister has prospered during the spring and summer, and it will reign in the Winter. I don't fear what will become of my house. I fear what will become of the other houses," Leila said.
Was she trying to threaten Lydia? No, Lydia thought to herself. She looked too dumb for that. Then again, she was Tywin Lannister's daughter, and Lydia had heard that Tywin Lannister took no shit from the other houses. Well if it was a threat, she would be surprised when she learned just what the North was made of.
"Lady Stark," Leila began forwardly, speaking to Catelyn. "When will I be able to meet your sons? I'd like to know all of your children."
Lydia saw her mother's back go rigid.
"Soon, Lady Lannister," Catelyn answered. "But while you're with us, meet my daughters. You already know Lydia. This is Sansa and this is Arya."
"It's a pleasure," Leila said, though she sounded slightly detached. All she wanted was Robb.
Lydia hoped with all her heart that her parents wouldn't approve of the marriage. She didn't want to spend another second with the Lannister brat.
