Yep, Friday night & here I am; sitting in writing. God, I'm so hardcore. Review please?
Gara
-ooo-
Gara was awoken by a noise in the night. It was a soft gulp in the darkness. Then she felt the mattress shudder as Gifu's little sobs gently rocked her from her slumber. Sleepily, Gara turned over and held Gifu as she wept. Her woe was quiet and unobtrusive, but Gara could tell she appreciated her sister's closeness because she felt Gifu gently grip Gara's forearm that was slung over her in a protective sort of way. With that, Gara consigned herself to sleep as Gifu cried into the night; mellifluously and without stop.
In the morning, Gara's eyes cracked open and she knew immediately that her bedfellow was not there. Gara sat up quickly and she sighed when she beheld Gifu; shrunken and rocking back and forth in the window seat, there were shadows under her dark eyes and she looked haunted in the grey morning light. Gara didn't say anything and instead cleared her throat and Gifu gave her attention to her; a blank look. Completely bereft of feeling, Gara got up snappishly and went to her sister who rested her head on Gara's shoulder and Gara soothed her by rubbing her back and whispering that she'd be alright as they brought in the dawn like that; Gifu's mewing little sobs and Gara's hushed reassurances.
When finally Gifu's misery abated, Gara watched as her sister shook herself and called for a bath; the great big wooden tub was brought in after the linen had been strewn over the stone floor to soak up the water. Gifu bathed first and Gara washed her back and hair with Gara following after and Gifu did the same for her. When they were finally partially-dry, Gifu drew a beautiful red dress from the trunk and laid it out on the bed and pulled out another more subdued green one and lay it next to the exquisite red one. Gara immediately reached for the dress of green leaf, but Gifu shook her head no and snatched the dress first and disappeared behind the divider and out of sight.
Gara was confused and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Gifu when she emerged from behind the divider looking a lot like Gara today.
"What are you doing, Gifu?" Asked Gara suddenly very suspicious and her sister shrugged her shoulders nonchalant and went to the mirror and left her hair loose, brushing her curls out. Gara's eyes narrowed and she began to comb through her own curls that were forming in the wake of her bath, but Gifu snapped, "No! Keep them, you look nice. Much nicer than when your hair hangs limp..."
"Gifu, I know what you're doing and it won't work."
"You know what I'm doing?" Asked Gifu with a patronising little sneer and spun easily on the stool. Her back straight with her easy grace, she fixed a cold, hard glare on Gara – making the younger girl cower only slightly. "Yes, I know what you're doing." Gara whispered and Gifu nodded, daring her to say so. Gara squared her shoulders and said grandly,
"You can't mean to make people think that I've taken with child."
"Oh, can I not?"
"No."
"Why?"
Gara scoffed and threw her head back as a harsh crack of laughter bubbled out of her and she said quietly after sobering, "Well, for one, Father knows us well enough to know which one's which. And two, even Lord Eddard can tell us apart." Gifu looked away as Gara went on,
"It's silly, Gifu. You'll need to tell someone...Maybe you won't show for a good few months and then you can get married, lie with that fool, Lannister, and say the baby's his..."
"Are you mad?! Are you a fool, Gara?!
Gifu demanded vehemently and Gara shrugged as Gifu got to her feet and raged, "I'm sure Thegane Lannister can count, you idiot! I cannot tell him that this is his child! I'm a month gone already! I told you that the wedding would not be for at least five months." She emphasised the word 'child' by smacking her belly. Gara grimaced and her mouth went dry,
"Then what will you do?"
There was a pause that was as pregnant as Gifu and Gara's eyes widened as Gifu looked her up and down and inclined her head to the red gown she had on and the ringlets that had dried around her face. Gara shook her head,
"No..."
"Yes, Gara, please you must!"
"No! No, no, no!" She yelled waving her hands and turning her back on her sister. "What happens if this is made public, Gara? Think!" Gara turned, her hand at her mouth to cover her gape as Gifu marched over to her and closed the distance between them,
"Pull your boots away from my shit all you want, Gara, but if my honour is sunk then so too is yours!"
"B-but, what you're saying...I-its madness, Gifu! I won't go to King's Landing and marry your husband for you because you've went and got yourself up the duff, no way!"
"What of our Words?!" Bellowed Gifu pointedly and Gara eyed her, backing away from her sister and her blazing eyes,
"Gifu, I-"
"What are our Words, Gara?!"
"To kith and kin, but-"
"To kith and kin." Gifu nodded along with her and reasoned wildly as Gara sank to the bed, "Aye, my sister. And you are bound by those Words, just like me and just like Father."
"Gifu, if anyone heard you speak like this...They'd toss you out of the city." Gara warned gravely, "This is...this is conspiracy in league with cuckolding a man. I can't..." She yelped when Gifu scooped up her hands and her nails dug into her delicate flesh, but she did not look angry, Gara realised – Gifu looked desperate,
"Please, Gara...Father has no heir. We are all that is left of our House and if we die out with no honour..." She looked away as a tear rolled down her cheek while she pleaded with Gara.
"D'you think we'll still be honoured guests here in Winterfell if anyone finds out? Robb will never look at you again, being the aunt of a bastard..." Gara's eyes flashed and she snatched her hands back and hissed,
"That's low, Gifu – even for you. He is the brother of a bastard! He'll never look at me again if I run off and marry my sister's husband!" She shook her head, "What do you want me to do?! Thegane knows you; he's spent time with you already! He'll know the difference you silly cow!"
"He only knows what I've shown him! And don't call me a cow! The only man who knows me in Winterfell – actually, the only two – are Father and Theon. So don't chide to me. And Thegane has fallen for it before," Gara sneered and chuckled, "He never fell for anything, Gifu! He made a mistake before he even met either of us, and that was for a minute only! He's bound to notice something within a dinner, let alone eight or nine months!"
"Gara, I need you to do this for me...I'm ruined if this gets out-"
"And how will you conceal it, Gifu?! In case you hadn't noticed it's not like people won't notice an expanding waistline! Father won't be angry-"
"No?!" Barked Gifu patronisingly, "He won't be angry? Yes, Gara, he will. He needs us to be without blemish, all girls are good for is the marriage game!"
"Aye and you spoiled your own game, Gifu. I can't help you..."
"Then you've ruined down your own sister. To kith and kin, indeed; eh, Gara?"
Gara's jaw was set as she roared, "No! You will not put this on me! You think I don't want – wish – that someday I could fall into bed and be with whomever I love? But I understand that I can't! And that people like us cannot afford to be reckless." Gifu looked away as Gara hammered her point home,
"You ruined yourself down the minute you spread your legs, Gifu. To a man of no station to boot; you brought about your own downfall, so don't blame me."
"You're supposed to be my sister..."
"Aye and you're supposed to be Lady. Not a common harlot who lies with stable lads."
Gara watched as Gifu stood up slowly and walked around the room like a girl possessed. She didn't say anything while Gifu muttered to herself furiously and inarticulately. With a whip, she turned and said to Gara,
"It wouldn't be for long, Gara. By the time all the preparations were made...You could insist that you wed in Casterly Rock? Five months on top of saw a two month ride West, that could be enough time and you could be back and in the arms of your beloved wolf and no one would be the wiser..."
Gara shook her head at her sister's bargaining, "No! I-I can't Gifu. I won't betray Robb like that...It's to lie to myself and to him and I won't do it."
"But you'll betray me?!" Gifu screeched and Gara snarled, "You betray yourself with your lack of principle, sister!" At that Gifu went for her sister and clawed at her face with her talons. Gara was quick and held her sister at bay and managed to push her back – not roughly.
"Get off your high horse, you utter bitch!" Howled Gifu, "I see the way you look at Robb Stark, and the way he looks at you! So honourable, Robb and Gara; denying their want for each other. Not so much because when I see him at dinner and his eyes strip you naked right there and then, the table rises four or five inches and when you gaze over at him with those stupid cows eyes, I could have sworn that someone's spilled a goblet of wine around your ankles!"
At that, Gara recoiled and shrieked appalled, "That's vile, Gifu! That's no way for a Lady to speak!"
"Well don't denounce me for being hot-blooded when all you're doing to each other is just putting off the inevitable and setting yourselves up for heratache! I told you before; Father will not wed you to Robb, he's too high a match! You'll be married off to a minor noble and he'll get a princess. You either take what you can, or get nothing." There were unwilling tears cascading down Gara's face as Gifu's hard face softened and she came closer and cupped her sister's cheek,
"And all Robb Stark will bring you is a broken heart. He'll smash it and you'll get it back only in pieces, Gara. I know it for truth. Minor girls like you do not get princes like him."
Gara's temper flared so jaggedly that she smacked her sister's hand away and snarled brutally,
"Oh, well, then why don't I just go and fuck a stable boy?!"
Throwing herself away from Gifu, Gara ran from the room – her skirts swishing around her ankles. She was so distressed that she didn't realise that she had no shoes on and that it was just her bare feet slapping off the cold stone floors as she pattered down the halls blindly – the tears blurring her vision. She yipped when her shoulder connected with someone's and she was thrown back and landed with a dull thud on the floor.
"Gara!"
She looked up, her eyes tragic and as red as a rabbit's. It was Robb; he was dressed for a ride, his big shoulders looking even more bulky in his furs. Hs smile faded when he looked upon her face and he helped her to her feet. "What in Seven Hells? Are you alright, what's wrong? Has Gifu-?"
He demanded and right there; Gara peeped up, her lip trembling; she would have told him. She would have cleaved to him and asked him what he thought she should do, but she couldn't even bring herself to look at him because she knew deep, deep down that to a degree; Gifu was right. Robb and Gara could never be together, his marriage was a matter of the realm and hers was whoever her father could acquire for her and looking up at him now, her chest hurt. It actually hurt. Shaking her head, her curls swished and she pushed him away – more roughly than she intended to – and glared at him,
"I can't do this, Robb. I just can't-"
"Can't do what?"
"This! I can't do this with you anymore! It's not fair! None of you are fair!"
Robb's face was a picture of confusion as she barged by him and ran further down the passageway. Leaving him to frown after her and wonder what the blazes she had been talking about.