Lyra awoke early in the morning as she always did and smiled when she saw the pail of water over the fire that her handmaiden had obviously left for her which she quickly poured into her basin. She cleaned her face up to three times before she finally felt properly awake. The door behind her swung open and her handmaiden rushed in.
"Oh my lady" She curtsied with a smile. "I was just about to come and pick out your dress for you"
"That's alright Helena, you go and get yourself something to eat, I can dress myself today" Lyra smiled.
"As you wish my lady, although might I suggest since you wore your Baratheon colours yesterday, I think your uncle Eddard might feel a bit insulted if the Stark colours are not worn before the King leaves" Helena grinned causing Lyra to chuckle slightly.
"I'll take that into consideration" Lyra smiled before Helena curtsied once more and made her way out of the room.
Eventually Lyra settled on a light blue dress with golden stitching around the edges. She made her way down to the great hall, checking on the youngest of the Stark children as she went. Sansa was still asleep, Arya was awake and was lighting her hearth, Bran was up and somewhere around the castle. She frowned as she noted Rickon was not in his chambers where she'd laid him down to sleep last night but then she remembered the strange faze that Rickon was going through where he'd have a nightmare and want to sleep beside either her, Jon or Robb. She was just about to enter the great hall when her name was called from behind her.
"Lady Lyra?" She turned to see Maester Luwin making his way towards her she wondered how she had not heard his chain clinking behind her. "These ravens arrived for your Uncle Eddard this morning, please give them to him" Maester smiled handing her the three raven scrolls of paper within his hand.
"I'll be sure to give them to my Uncle when he comes down to eat" Lyra smiled taking the raven scrolls from the Maester before she made her way to the table where Queen Cersei and Princes Joffrey and Tommen were already seated. "Morning your grace" Lyra smiled as she sat down at the other side of the table.. "Prince Joffrey, prince Tommen "
"Good morning Lyra, sleep well?" Cersei asked.
"I did thank you your grace, I hope it wasn't too cold in your rooms. I know you're used to heat" She smiled.
"My room was fine" Joffrey shrugged.
"I'm glad to hear that your grace" she smiled.
The door to the dining hall opened and Princess Myrcella walked in wearing the dress Lyra had given her last night. It was a red dress made of Northern wool with yellow stitching that Lyra had asked to be made the moment she heard that her cousins were joining her Uncle on his visit North.
"Good morning my love" Cersei smiled. "Is that one of the dresses you brought with you?"
"No mother, Lyra had it made for me for my name day" Myrcella smiled towards Lyra.
Cersei's eyes narrowed a little towards her niece but a smile tugged at her lips. "It's beautiful, thank you Lyra"
"It's alright, I don't often get to spoil my three cousins" she smiled. "I also had a tunic made for yourself and Tommen your grace" she smiled looking towards Joffrey.
"I have enough tunics" Joffrey sneered.
"Oh well maybe Tommen can take both, I'm sure he'll eventually grow into yours" she smiled down the table towards the youngest Lannister. Tommen was the same age as Bran and seemed incredibly sweet from the short conversations Lyra had been able to have with him during last nights feast.
"I forgot how bloody freezing it gets in the North" Jaime Lannister complained walking into the dining hall and sitting opposite the queen, three seats down from Lyra. "Lovely dress Myrcella"
"Thank you Uncle, it was a gift from Lyra" Myrcella smiled.
"Oh was it now" Jaime said glancing at Cersei before he smiled at Lyra. "You have quite the eye for fabric".
"Thank you Ser Jaime" Lyra suddenly realised that she was outnumbered by the Lannisters two to one and almost breathed a sigh of relief the moment Robb walked into the dining hall, a half awake Rickon in his arms. "Uh-oh, someone's still sleepy" she grinned seeing Rickon rubbing his eyes furiously as Robb walked towards the table.
"Tell me about it" Robb sighed climbing the steps. "Jon had to hold him while I dressed him"
"Come here little pup" she smiled taking him from her cousin and lifting him onto her lap, the youngster quickly put his head on her shoulder, turned his face into her neck as if to go back to sleep. Lyra tightened her grip on him and turned her face to kiss his hair lightly.
"How sweet" Cersei smiled, an almost genuine smile towards the cousins. "How old is he?"
"Rickon tell the queen how old you are" Lyra smiled.
The little boy seemed to perk up as he gave the queen a large smile. "Five your grace"
"Five, my you're almost a big boy" Cersei smiled. Rickon gave her a wide smile before putting his head back on Lyra's shoulder and closing his eyes.
"Hardly" Joffrey snapped making Lyra and Robb narrow their eyes towards him slightly.
"Where's Jon?" She asked noticing her other cousins presence was missing.
"Said he wasn't hungry" Robb said giving Lyra a look that told her everything she needed to know, Lady Catelyn had obviously warned him to stay clear of the dining hall.
"Lyra" Princess Mycella's voice caught Lyra's attention from across the table.
"Yes Princess?" She smiled towards her.
"Sansa told me you know how to do a snow swan braid, can you do one for me?" Myrcella asked.
"Of course I can, come up to my chambers after we've finished eating and I'll put one in for you. If that's alright with the queen of course" Lyra said turning to her aunt.
"Of course it is, I've always admired Northern braids" Cersei smiled.
It was then that the doors opened once more and a small female with dark hair came sprinting towards the table.
"Arya don't run!" Robb shouted out towards his little sister as making her slow to a walk, giving Lyra time to notice something odd about Arya's face.
"Arya for gods sake, come here" she snapped grabbing hold of her younger cousins wrist as she went to move past her. She grabbed her napkin from the table and wet the end of it in her water before she cleaned at the soot on Arya's cheek and nose. "Wash your hands after lighting your hearth" with that she let go of her wrist to allow her to sit at the other side of Robb.
Deep voices followed by loud laughter alerted everyone to the presence of Lord Stark and the King who both sat down at the far right end at the table. She waited until both her Uncles were seated then she handed a sleeping Rickon back over to Robb and made her way towards them making sure to pick up the tiny scrolls of paper on the table in front of her.
"Morning Uncle Ned some ravens arrived for you this morning, good morning your grace" she said kissing Ned's cheek softly and bowing to Robert.
"The next time you call me your grace, I'm going to smack you with a stick" Robert smirked towards her making her chuckle. "Now come over here and give me a kiss" She followed her Uncles orders with a small laugh as she walked around her Uncle Ned and bent to kiss her Uncle Robert on the cheek.
"Lyra I'm going to need you to keep an eye on things today, your Uncle Robert has requested a hunt so I'll be taking Robb and Jon with me" Her Uncle Neds voice spoke from the other side.
"Why can't I go?" Lyra questioned, she normally was allowed to go on hunts with her cousins and Theon given her archery skills.
"Because I need you here" her aunt Catelyn spoke up from behind her.
"Yes Aunt Catelyn" She sighed in slight disappointment. She had been hoping to show her Uncle Robert her skills with a bow.
"Cheer up, they'll be more hunts for you to go on" Her uncle Benjen spoke from the end of the hall as he walked up towards the high table and sat down in her place, he gave her a grin before he took a large bite out of her bread. She growled before she marched up towards him and grabbed her plate.
"Let's see how you like defending the Wall with no fingers" she snarled before she threw herself down into the chair beside her Uncle.
"Gods she is like her mother" King Robert laughed from his spot at the table. Cersei sneered a little towards her niece while Jaime Lannister appeared to be amused by the girls sudden temper.
"Lyra!" Catelyn said in what sounded like a calm tone but every Stark child knew it was less than calm. "When you have finished eating, there are some ravens I want you to reply to"
"Yes aunt Catelyn" she said hanging her head a little in shame.
"Here you can reply to these as well" Ned said handing them down to her.
"Can I go and check on Frost before I start my duties?" Lyra asked.
"Yes but be quick about it" Catelyn said.
"I'll come with you, need to clean my bridle anyway" Robb said as he stood from the table and handed Rickon over to Benjen who suddenly looked a little lost holding a sleeping five year old in his arms until Catelyn moved forward to take her son from her good brother. Lyra and Robb chuckled at their Uncles sudden panic as they made their way from the hall.
They made their way across to the stables which was noisier now than either of them could ever remember thanks to the extra horse that they now held. Lyra smiled widely as she got to the third stall upon the right where her grey gelding raised it's head from his hay at her arrival and walked to the gate.
"Hello boy" She smiled stroking his muzzle softly. "I know I haven't been able to ride you the past few days but I promise, once things settle down we'll gallop the hills together"
"Is this Uncle Benjen's horse?" Robb's voice called from further down the line of stables. Lyra walked down to where he was standing to see the large brown stallion her Uncle had rode in on last night.
"He sure is" She smiled reaching out to pat the horse's neck. "He's beautiful isn't he"
"I've never seen a horse like him" Robb smiled ignoring Grey Wind who ran round his masters ankles. Eirra preferred to stick to the outskirts of the castle, only coming inside when called or at night time.
"That's cause most of these horses are now fat" Both teens looked over as their Uncle walked in followed by Eddard Stark and Jon.
"Have you seen how fast Frost is? I'll bet you three silver stags that Frost could beat this great beast anyday" Lyra grinned.
"I don't doubt that, he's looking well kept" Benjen said stopping at the stall where his niece's horse was kept.
"I remember the day you gave her that horse" Eddard smiled. "We didn't see her for hours"
"And I still haven't regained some hearing in my left ear" Benjen grinned as he remembered the many times she'd yelled thank you as she embraced him tightly.
"What's this ones name?" Jon asked standing beside Robb as he took in his Uncles great Stallion whose ears were now alert to the crowd gathered around him.
"Rickard" Benjen spoke up as he walked to where his nephews and niece were standing. "His name's Rickard, cause he's tough old beast"
The Starks shared a small moment of sorrow for the man who had been the liege lord of their honourable house.
"Father!" Bran's voice called from the doorway causing all of them to turn towards the youngster as he ran to his fathers side. "The King wishes to see you, and you Uncle Benjen"
"Thank you Bran" Eddard smiled down at his son before his eyes lifted to the worried gaze of his brother who seemed to share his concerned expression. A look that did not go unnoticed by Lyra. "Bran, Robb and Jon will train with you today. Lyra get to work"
And with that the two elder Starks made their way out of the stables and out of sight of the children.
"What was that about?" Lyra asked glancing at Robb and Jon who had also noticed the look their father and uncle had shared.
"I'm sure they'll let us know if they need to" Jon shrugged. "Bran, go fetch Rickon and meet us in the training yard"
"Alright" Bran said not needing to be told twice as he ran off the in the direction his father had just went.
"And what are you going to do today?" Robb asked placing an arm around Lyra's shoulders.
"Avoid your mother at all costs" Lyra smiled sweetly in reply making both of the males beside her chuckle.
"Good luck with that, she's in fine form, already scolded Arya twice and it's not even midday" Jon replied.
"Great" Lyra snapped in a sarcastic tone as she turned away from them to where the grain that fed the horses was kept. Both boys could be heard laughing as they made their way out of the stables towards the training yard.
After Jon and Robb left to help with Bran and Rickon, Lyra began to help around the stables doing whatever job was asked of her purposely to avoid her aunt. She was cleaning Frost's bridle and bit when the sound of footsteps approached her. She looked up to see Joffrey and the Clegan she'd bumped into and gave her wine to last night. She stood from where she was sitting upon the table and stepped down to curtsy before the Prince.
"Hello again your grace, Good morning Clegane" she smiled towards the prince and his guard. "I hope you both enjoyed the feast last night, and the wine I gave you Sandor"
Joffrey looked between them in confusion. "I'm sorry my lady, was my dog bothering you last night?" Joffrey said glaring towards the hound.
"No quite the opposite your grace, I wasn't watching where I was going and bumped into him and gave him my wine as an apology, it was my fault" she smiled. The large man looked down at her in shock and confusion, as if he hadn't expected her to take responsibility for her own actions. "Was there something you needed your grace?" She asked.
"Yes actually, find a stable boy to ready my horse. It seems father wants to take me on this ridiculous hunt after all" Joffrey said seeming bored with the thought of going on a hunt.
"I'll ready your horse, your grace." She said with the sweetest smile she could manage.
Joffrey frowned down towards her. "A lady shouldn't be doing such things"
"Oh no I like doing it, and it would be an honour if the crowned prince would let me ready his horse" She smiled.
"Oh you go then" Joffrey huffed.
"Do you need a horse as well Sandor?" She asked looking up at him.
"My dog can ready his own horse" Joffrey sneered turning to glare up at his guard.
"I'll help" Robb's voice came from behind them as he walked towards the stables. "Need to get mine and fathers ready anyway"
"Oh dear, Clegan if you fall off don't blame me" she joked punching Robb's shoulder lightly as they walked to the back of the stables where the riding equipment was kept. They were unaware that the Prince and his guard had followed them into the stables and were now admiring their horses.
"This one's pretty, saddle this one up for me instead" Joffrey said looking directly at Robb's chestnut stallion making Lyra turn her gaze towards Robb who had a look of anger in his eyes.
"I'm afraid that one's mine your grace" Robb spoke back as calmly as he could
"So, I'm your prince and I want to ride this horse" Joffrey snarled making both cousins narrow their eyes towards him
"But your grace, your..." Robb said taking a step towards the prince. Lyra's eyes caught Clegane's hand hovering over the pummel of his dagger.
"Robb" Lyra snapped out grabbing her cousins arm. "You can take Frost, he might not be powerful but he's fast"
Robb seeing it was pointless to argue against the prince's wishes only nodded. "The horse is yours your grace"
"Sandor which horse do you want?" Lyra asked.
"What about the big brown one there? Big Stallion for a big dog?" Joffrey grinned.
"Your grace, that one he can't have" This time it was Lyra that argued.
"Why not?" Joffrey hissed back.
"Because he only obeys me" The voice of Benjen Stark called from the doorway of the stables as he walked in with Eddard Stark. "So unless you want your guard to be thrown mid hunt and have his skull cracked open, he'll be happy with the horse he rode in on, your grace"
"I was wondering what the bloody hell was taking so long, normally you two can have five horses saddled in this time" Eddard spoke up.
"Sorry father, there was a bit of a disagreement about which horses we should take on the hunt" Robb replied.
"Lyra, we'll deal with the horses. You get inside and help your aunt" Benjen ordered.
"Lyra!" As if hearing her good brother Catelyn's voice barked from the courtyard making the only girl amongst them groan in annoyance until she caught the glare from the eyes of her Uncle Eddard.
"Coming!" Lyra yelled back.
"Don't worry Lyra, I'm sure you'll have more fun being stuck at home rather than on the hunt with us" Robb smirked nudging Jon who fought down a grin as Lyra turned on her heel to glare at her cousin beside her before smacking him round the back of the head.
"Lyra, go to your aunt now!" Eddard snapped, a little embarrassed at his nieces behaviour in front of the crowned Prince who just watched his older cousin in confusion and slight shock. Clegane on the other hand smirked with an intrigue that Benjen did not like.
With a low growl Lyra curtsied towards the Prince before she quickly took her leave from the stables leaving her Uncles to deal with the situation.
Lyrawas sitting at the high table in the great hall replying to a letter from her Uncle Renly when a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see the queen staring down at her.
Lyra gasped before she jumped to her feet and curtsied. "My apologies my queen, I did not hear you come in"
"It's alright" Cersei replied. "Who are writing to?"
"My Uncle Renly, we write each other a letter as often as possible to keep the other updated" Lyra replied as Cersei stood closer to scan the letter with her eyes.
"Ah yes, Renly's often spoke of you fondly. When was the last time you saw either of your Uncles?" Cersei asked.
"I have not seen my Uncle Renly in seven years, nor my Uncle Stannis in almost nine" Lyra smiled in reply. "Not since my mothers, cousins...daughters wedding to the Frey" she struggled to remember exactly how she had been related to the bride of the wedding that her Uncles practically dragged her to almost nine years ago.
"You miss them?" Cersei asked.
"They're my family, of course I miss them" Lyra said as she sat back down at her place.
"Speaking of family it appears Myrcella has taken quite a shine to you" Cersei said but Lyra could hear the bitterness in her tone.
"She is a very sweet girl, I'm lucky to have her as a cousin" Lyra smiled.
"I'm very lucky to have her as a daughter" Cersei smiled. "And I know she's very excited about you moving to court with us"
"As am I your grace, I've always wanted to see the South" she grinned.
"It's not as beautiful as the North but at least it's warmer" Cersei replied. "Although if I remember correctly, wolves don't do well in the South"
Lyra could see the warning as clear as day in her aunts tone and a smirk tugged at her lips. "Don't worry your grace, we wolves always survive, no matter the climate" She saw the muscles in Cersei's jaw tense slightly. She clearly had not been expecting Lyra to return her remark with fire.
"Very well then, I'll leave you to your letter" Cersei replied before she made her way out of the great hall.
Lyra released a long, low sigh, she knew it was going to be a struggle keeping herself two steps a head of the cunning lioness her aunt had proved to be, but she was more than willing to do it to protect her family.