"Come on get up." I heard my older sister screech at me. She pushed my still half asleep form and tugged my blankets away.
"Father has a guest on their way, now sick or not he has ordered us to be there." Katherine pulled me roughly from my bed and the maid dressed me in a simple long sleeved dark dress. The whole party of my father's children wore dark clothing. I think it is to match the dreary atmosphere in the castle. I smothered a cough and pulled my hair away from my face as I washed away the nights sweat and dirt. I brushed out my hair and let it hang about my face.
"What do you want?" Father asked the woman standing in front of him. His new wife my stepmother was standing beside him.
"It is a great pleasure to see you again after so many years my lord." The woman said politely.
"Oh spare me, your boys too proud to come before me himself? What am I supposed to do with you?" My father asked. One of my older brothers spoke up.
"Father you forget yourself, lady stark is..." Father interrupted.
"Who asked you? You're not lord Frey yet." Father snapped at him. "Not until I die. Do I look dead to you?"
"Father, please?"
"I don't need lessons in courtesy from you BASTARD." He shouted at one of my many bastard brothers causing me to hide a giggle.
"Your mother would still be a milk maid if I hadn't squirted you into her belly." Father reprimanded.
"Alright, you, come forward." He gestured with his hand to Lady Stark who stepped over the harsh wooden floor to get closer to father. He kissed her hand as she stepped on to the platform in front of him
"There, now I have shown a courtesy, perhaps my sons will do me the honour of shutting their mouths."I giggled and Katherine nudged me gesturing me to be silent.
"Is there somewhere we can talk?" Lady Stark asked.
"We are talking right now." My father pointed out. He sighed seeing the look on the lady Starks face.
"Fine, out! All of you!" he shouted, we all stood up and left the room.
Katherine and I knew that from our joint room we would be able to hear their conversation as it was next to the hall. We quickly walked in and sat on my bed with our ears pressed against the crack in the wall.
"Why are you here?" We heard our father ask.
"To ask you to open your gates, my lord, so my son and his banner men may cross the trident and be on their way." Lady stark pleaded with father.
"Why should I let him?" Father spat out.
"If you could climb your own battlements, you would see that he has 20,000 men outside your walls." She tried to intimidate our father.
"They'll be 20,000 corpses when Tywin Lannister gets here, don't try and frighten me Lady Stark, your husband's in a cell below the red keep and your son's got no fur to keep his balls warm." Father bit out.
"You swore on oath to my father." Lady Stark spat.
"Oh yes, I said some words. But then I swore oaths to the crown too, if I remember right." Father said.
"Joffrey's king now which makes your boy and his corpses to be, nothing but rebels, it seems to me." Father said trying to frighten Lady Stark. "If I had the sense the gods gave a fish I'd had you both over to the Lannisters."
"Why don't you?" Lady Stark asked.
"Stark, Tully Lannister, Baratheon, give me one good reason why I should waste a single breath or thought on any of you?" Fathers' words stunned Lady stark as there was silence for a few moments.
"Because sooner or later they will come for you, and you will have to either make a stand or fall and what better way to do that then with allies in my son and his men." She answered back.
"Fine. But how do we make the bond stronger?" Father asked Lady Stark.
"No answer. Fine, I'll tell you. Marriage. One of my daughters and younger sons for your son and youngest daughter." She seemed shocked.
"Do we get to choose the ones to marry?" She asked father. I looked at Katherine scared at the prospect of being a potential bride for someone.
"I will call the girls in I think are suitable and my two younger sons."
When father mentioned that, Katherine and I quickly took up our sewing and began to sew, so as not to raise suspicion should somebody come into the room.
"You two come with me." A guard stepped into the room and pulled us out firmly. Our younger brothers Olyver and Waldron were being brought along also.
We came into the hall and saw our sisters Melrose, Paisley, Bridie, Aileen and Fallon standing in a line. The woman passed over us and examined us all. Father sent away the guards and instructed them to take back Bridie, Aileen, Paisley, Katherine and Melrose. Fallon and I were the only ones left in there and she examined us further. Fallon, being only 12 years old and having not bled yet, was barely glanced at; she stopped at me and looked me over.
"Good hips, small waist, good breast size and pretty face." I blushed at her comments and looked down. She clasped my chin.
"Do not be afraid of me child. What is your name?" she asked me kindly.
"Never mind about her bloody name, is she good enough or isn't she?" I looked down, having been taught not to look at my betters face by my strict septa.
"Yes she is lovely." I let out a breath and she moved over to my brothers.