It was nearing dusk when Eddard Stark rode into King's Landing. As darkness descended most of the families were inside their homes eating dinner or were already sleeping. There were some people in the streets, making their way to whatever entertainment they preferred in the evening. Whores began to make their appearances outside brothels, trying to entice paying customers into the establishments. Strangely, none of them attempted to address Ned as he passed. The fatigue from the long journey he felt cloaked him completely, making him almost invisible to the opportunistic women. They also knew a lost cause when they saw one.
It had been less than a year since his wife, Catelyn, had died. They had been married for only a handful of years and he felt he had only just begun to get properly acquainted with her in recent times.
It had been difficult for them, being married and then him going off to war virtually straight afterwards. Then when he came back to her, she was already a mother and involved with their son so completely that there was little room for her husband in her heart. And the knowledge that she was to originally marry his brother and most likely would have preferred him sat heavily between them.
Ned knew he was difficult to get to know. He didn't open up to others as easily as he should try to and was often called cold and uncaring and Catelyn had been similar in temperament.
Even so, when she died he had been hit with a sorrow that surprised him in it's heaviness. He was aware that part of this feeling was his mourning for the future that they could have had if she had survived the birth of their second child.
Since her death he had spent his days keeping as busy as he could so that at night he would fall into bed and have a dreamless sleep. It worked, most of the time. The days it wouldn't work were when his young son would find a way to escape his caregivers and search him out. His auburn hair reminded him of what he had lost. All he saw when he looked at Robb was the mother he would never really know. Now Ned knew what it had been like for his own father; he could understand why Rickard had withdrawn from family life the way he had.
With a heavy sigh, Ned got down from his horse and approached the entrance hall of the Red Keep.
Without thinking he made his way to the king's solar. As he approached the door he noted the Kingsguard on either side. Thinking Robert would be alone, he walked in and halted just inside the doorway.
The usually mostly empty room was filled with a long table laden with food. People were placed comfortably around the edges with King Robert right in the middle of things. A vacant seat to his left made it evident that the queen had either retired early or not been present at all.
Ned didn't know Queen Cersei very well but he knew her father and that was enough to deter him from meeting any more Lannisters if he could help it.
The last thing he wanted after a long journey was to be made to sit and make pleasant conversation but his hesitation at leaving made it possible for the king to notice him.
"Ned! My good friend. Come, sit down and join us."
Robert gestured to a vacant seat further down the table to his right and returned to the conversation he had been having with a rather small man immediately next to him.
Ned sighed but strove to keep a pleasant look on his face as he made his way to the proffered seat. After sitting down he immediately reached for the wine jug in front of him and proceeded to drink half of what he had poured in one go. As he drank he glanced around the table, noting who was there. Most of the people were unknown to him; the small council members were the only faces he recognised, either by having met them in person himself or having only heard of them.
His reputation for being aloof appeared to precede him. Even though he had only just arrived no one tried to really talk to him and he rebuffed the half hearted attempts by focusing his attention on the wine goblet in his hand. It was impolite, he knew that but didn't care.
One voice, however, filtered through the thin haze his hasty drinking had pulled over his mind.
"My lord? Would you like to try the white wine? It's much nicer than the red and won't give a head ache the next day."
Ned turned his head to see where the voice had come from and his breath stuck in his throat, rendering him speechless.
The young woman next to him was strikingly beautiful but it was her eyes that held him captive. The part of his brain not affected by hormones and beautiful women took in her pale, almost silver blonde hair, clear translucent skin and rose pink lips and noted that she was years younger than himself.
The rest of his brain responded to her blue-green eyes and he felt his heart stop for just a moment. Once his heart started back up and he began to breathe again he noticed her cheeks were tinted with a rosy blush and it reminded him of things he hadn't thought of since Cat had died.
Then it occurred to his sluggish mind that the blush meant he hadn't answered her query and had instead just stared rather foolishly.
Ned wanted to smack himself on the forehead but instead managed to blurt out," I don't believe we've been introduced properly. My name is Eddard Stark but please call me Ned. Most everyone else does."
He wondered if he had been too informal when the girl lowered her eyes to the plate in front of her, the blush deepening to red but before he could stammer some sort of apology she replied.
"My name is Celene Lannister. I'm here with my brother, Tyrion, to visit the capitol. And to see our sister."
She smiled slightly.
"Though the queen wasn't feeling well this evening so she retired early instead of coming to dinner."
The expression on her face didn't convince Ned that she thought it was such a bad thing the queen had been absent and he wondered at the relationship between them.
I hope she's not like her sister. That would be disappointing.
The thought shocked him a little as he realised he was attracted to her, which pushed him to the desire of getting to know her better.
"I hope your journey was uneventful. The Gold road is usually very safe but I'm sure your father sent a large escort now I think about it."
"Yes, we arrived safely."
When she said nothing more on the subject Ned searched his mind for something else to say.
"And how do you like King's Landing? Is it very different from Casterly Rock?"
Confident that he had initiated a good line of conversation, Ned felt rather pleased with himself. Small talk was a foreign thing to him. Being the Lord of Winterfell meant he had no use for empty chatter. He would just simply not speak if he had finished with what he needed to say.
Celene looked at his face briefly then averted her gaze to just over his shoulder. Her timidity frustrated and confused him a little. He didn't understand; she had been bold enough to address him first and had seemed to be confident in introducing herself but now all of a sudden she took on the role of a blushing maiden and seemed uncomfortable and awkward.
"We only just arrived today. I haven't had a chance to explore yet."
Once again, the conversation was brought to a sudden halt and Ned was at a loss as to how to attempt a revival. His frustration overwhelmed his mind and he filled his goblet with red wine, deliberately avoiding the white that she had suggested just moments ago. His delight at being able to exceed his usual limits of conversation evaporated as it became obvious that the girl was deliberately ignoring him and he turned away from her slightly in irritation. He was twenty four years old, had already been married and had fought in a war. He had thought he had acquired a lifetime of knowledge and experiences over the years yet he still couldn't fathom what he had done wrong with the girl beside him.
They spent the rest of the feast in silence though Ned could sense a glance from time to time be thrown in his direction. And they didn't all come from the lovely young woman next to him.
OoOoOoO
As soon as the feast was nearly at an end, Celene managed to leave the room unnoticed as people milled about taking a last drink or two. The urge to escape had filled her as soon as she had properly looked at the man next to her. When he had first sat down she hadn't paid much attention, offering him the better wine in place of the horrid vinegar tasting vintage (in her opinion) he had poured himself.
Even when he addressed her she had avoided directly looking at him. She was already so overwhelmed with everyone in the room already she didn't know if she could take adding another person to the group. But she had managed to reign her babbling in just enough to sound normal.
Until she had looked him properly in the face.
A faint buzzing noise had begun in her head, muting the noisy surroundings and all she could think was: Man.
Even though they were sitting at the acceptable distance that a table full of people allowed she could feel his body heat radiating toward her and his clean male scent mingled pleasantly with the scent of the flowers in front of her.
She had felt her face getting hotter by the second and once the buzzing had subsided a bit the only thing she wanted to do was get out of the room and find a quiet space to breathe.
Once she left the solar she ran until she found a deserted corridor. She pressed her back against the cold stone of the wall and fought to catch her breath and order her thoughts.
It was in this flushed state that Tyrion found her, not long after she had bolted.
As he walked toward her she noticed he was grinning and she instinctively knew that she was the object of his amusement.
One of his more annoying traits was that he hardly ever missed a thing. Even though he had been talking to the king his attention had been on his twin and her conversation or lack of it.
"I see my innocent sister has had her first proper contact with the opposite sex. I'd ask how you feel but it's rather evident right now."
Celene groaned and slid to the floor, covering her face with her hands as every excruciating moment of her short conversation with Ned ran through her mind. It was so embarrassing! If Tyrion had noticed then surely others had. Now she would be known as the Lannister Idiot and no one would want anything to do with her.
Tyrion chuckled and knelt in front of her, his hands on her drawn up knees, in comfort and also to steady himself on the hard floor.
"Celene. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist a little teasing but in all seriousness I think you're being a bit dramatic. I know you are thinking everyone was watching and is talking about it right now."
She nodded but kept her face hidden.
"What you need to know about the people here is that they are only interested in one thing. Themselves and their own ambitions. So unless your meeting Eddard Stark was on their list of things to scheme about I think you will find your little interlude will have gone unnoticed."
Celene thought about that for a moment. It made sense. She was so unused to being around to many people; she felt like they were all staring at her but the people in this place were accustomed to newcomers in the city and wouldn't pay much attention to her.
That was until they were told she was to marry soon. Then even more people would be around, trying to land the last available daughter of Tywin Lannister.
She lowered her hands and met her twin's eyes, feeling rather foolish.
"You're right brother. I was alright until I saw how handsome he was." Her cheeks flamed at speaking such a private thought out loud.
"Then I just lost my ability to speak properly. Now I fear he thinks I don't want to speak to him but I do. It's something I'll have to get accustomed to, with all of the new people we will be meeting here."
She paused for a moment, wondering if she should try and explain what she had felt. If anyone would understand it would be her twin. It wasn't like she could talk to Cersei about it. The advice she received would be presented in such a way to terrify and not reassure.
She spoke in a low voice, so low that Tyrion had to lean in slightly to hear what she said.
"I...once I became properly aware of him, his youth and looks, I could also feel him next to me with all of my senses. Is that normal, brother?"
She stopped short of describing exactly what she had felt. There were just some things she couldn't bring herself to say out loud.
Tyrion reached out to touch her cheek affectionately, a small smile on his face.
"Yes, dear sister, it is. It means you like this man very much. Thank goodness we never had a septa. Otherwise she would have told you what you're feeling right now is wrong and wanton. But it's not. As long as you use your head and heart you will be fine. If it helps, just pretend that you are talking to me, relax and be yourself."
He kissed her forehead and rose to his feet, offering a hand to his conflicted sister.
"Come, I think you've had enough excitement for one day. It's late. I don't think anyone will begrudge us a bit of a lie in tomorrow morning."
He walked her to her door and said good night but didn't enter the room himself. After a questioning look he said," I have a chamber just a few doors down. No roses in this one but there's most likely a jug of good wine waiting for me. I'd hate to keep it waiting."
And a woman or two no doubt, he thought. She knew he used prostitutes of course but it was something they rarely spoke about. And he intended to keep it that way.
After her brother had left, Celene began to get ready for bed but stopped just short of changing into her night gown. She felt wide awake and full of a strange energy that buzzed along her skin.
When she couldn't sleep at home she would walk the halls or go to the library to read until her eyes began to droop. She had no idea where the library was here so she decided a little night time exploring would do.
She kept her walk to the halls of the holdfast, just to be safe. If she wandered around the entire Red Keep at night she was sure to end up in some sort of trouble but she was certain that Maegor's Holdfast would be safe enough.
So she walked slowly through the corridors, the flickering torches on the walls casting unsteady light to show her the way. It wasn't long till she came to a hall that had two guards stationed at either side of double doors at the opposite end to where she stood. As she got nearer she identified one of the men to be her brother, Jaime. She realised that she hadn't seen him yet and a smile bloomed on her face as her pace quickened.
She caught the sound of giggling and raucous laughter from behind the door he guarded but she didn't pay much attention to it as she greeted her brother.
The second oldest Lannister returned her smile.
"It's been quite some time since I set eyes on my second favourite sister. You look well Celene."
"And you look well too, even if you are my second favourite brother."
They laughed together, both pleased that the other had remembered the joke they shared.
Celene loved Jaime almost as much as she loved Tyrion. He was an arrogant ass at times but he was also loyal and kind as well. She had always hated the fact that he had followed Cersei to the capitol. When she had learned that Cersei would be queen she had been excited by the prospect of having both of her brothers to herself. But it was never to be.
"I-"
The double doors opened to allow a scantily clad woman to leave what was apparently the king's bed chamber. Celene caught a glimpse of King Robert sitting on the edge of the bed with a naked woman - not his wife - close behind him massaging his shoulders. They were so involved with what they were doing neither of them noticed the open doors or the people outside.
Jaime reached behind him to close the door firmly and when he turned to face Celene again his face was blank, like it was carved of stone.
"You should return to your bed chamber sister. It's late. I would walk you back myself but I must stay at my post. Ser Mandon will accompany you."
Celene's eyes darted to the other man, taking in his pale eyes and expressionless face. Cold fingers danced down her spine and she shuddered slightly. Something about his look disturbed her but she trusted Jaime and wouldn't doubt his decision.
She offered a smile to her brother before turning to follow the white cloak of her guide. His pace was quick and his stride was double the size of hers which meant she had to almost jog to keep up. He was obviously impatient to be back at his post or he just hated being sent on errands like a page boy.
The flickering light of the torches made it difficult to safely traverse the uneven stones in the floor and it was inevitable that, combined with the quick pace, Celene would trip and fall flat on her face.
Ser Mandon was in no position to notice and she squeezed her eyes tight, waiting for the collision with the hard floor to knock the breath from her.
Great, not only would she be classed as a social idiot, she would now have a broken nose and bruised face.
But the collision didn't happen as she felt strong arms wrap around her and pull her against a broad, solid chest. Delicious heat surrounded her, making her think not donning her cloak earlier had been a silly thing to do and a faintly familiar scent filled her head. It took a moment until she realised who held her but she didn't immediately push away, even though she was no longer in danger of being sprawled on the ground.
"I will escort the lady back to her chamber ser."
She could hear the movement of metal armour and the swish of fabric as the knight moved past them without a word.
Then they were alone.
Celene breathed in one more time, then reluctantly stepped back to put some space between herself and this man she hardly knew.
She took a deep breath and tried to remember what Tyrion had said. 'Relax' was what first came to mind. So she tried but could still feel the heat of her face cause by the almost fall and then the embrace.
She managed to curtsy, taking her time in order to try and calm her nerves.
"Thank you my lord. It's lucky that you were passing by just now. I'm sure Ser Mandon would have only realised I had tripped when he arrived at my chamber door and finally looked over his shoulder. He was in rather a hurry to get rid of me I think."
This was something she would naturally say to Tyrion but belatedly realised once the words were out of her mouth that Ned might not appreciate her sense of humour. Would he see it as harmless or would he take offense? Men like her father didn't take kindly to even lightly mocking words from a woman. She hoped very much that this was a man who was her father's opposite in every way.
Her words earned her a small smile. That would do, for now. One day she would get a laugh from this seemingly serious man. She was determined.
"It was nothing my lady. I simply happened to be passing at the right time."
He made a gesture that they begin walking and she settled beside him. He made an effort to match his stride to hers, which she appreciated.
The silence that settled around them was awkward, just like at dinner. Celene couldn't help but feel it was up to her to carry on a conversation since she had been so awful at it earlier in the evening.
It was odd, she felt much more at ease with him even though they were alone in the semi dark corridors of the castle. It was as if they were walking the halls of her home. The absence of observing eyes also made a big difference.
"Well, I'm glad you were. The flooring at home is much smoother. I will have to make sure to watch where I step here. Is Winterfell very much like this place?"
"It's similar, being made from stone. But it's bigger than the Red Keep. And warm, despite the cold of the North."
He went on to describe some of the buildings and the nearby town then went quiet. Celene could guess why.
"I suppose you miss being home, with your family. I miss Casterly Rock, even though I've only been away a short while. I guess King's Landing is my new home for now."
"I miss Winterfell, yes. The feeling of being home in familiar surroundings is something I find I miss."
Celene glanced at Ned, wondering why he didn't mention his wife and children if he had any. One of the disadvantages about being barred from being present at any occasions when visitors were present was that you didn't pick up any information or gossip. You had to rely on the servants but since Tywin ran a very tightly controlled household it was rare for her to over hear anything unless she happened to come upon them unawares. She could read the genealogy books but they were old and out of date. Tyrion heard more than her but he didn't always share.
They arrived at her door and she saw his eyes linger on the rose carving.
"Oh, there are the most beautiful roses just outside my room on the balcony. Every colour imaginable though not the blue roses of the North. I don't suppose they would grow very well in the warmer weather here."
An idea caught her fancy.
"Wait right here."
It took only a moment before she was back beside Ned, holding a dark pink rose.
"Here. Please take this as a token of my thanks."
She watched as he accepted her small gift without hesitation which made her smile.
"Good night, Ned."
She closed the door without waiting for a response. Her smile grew into a grin as she threw herself onto her bed to land on her back. She was happy with how she had managed to redeem herself with Ned. She hoped it would be the beginning of an acquaintance that would grow into friendship.
When she recalled how different his embrace made her feel compared to the one she had been forced into with King Robert on her arrival, she giggled. But then the giddy feeling evaporated as she thought of him having a wife already. Just because he hadn't spoken of her didn't mean he wasn't married.
She humphed at herself and got ready for bed, resolving to ask Tyrion in the morning about Ned Stark.
A hint of her happy feelings crept back as she recalled his expression as she gave him the rose. His face had softened and a small smile graced his lips as he had brought the bloom to his nose.
No, she refused to think about the possibility of a wife until she knew for sure.
