Tell Me a Story

The trip home was much more pleasant. They had broken their fast with the cheese and bread from Grace just before sunrise. And shortly after that, they made hurried goodbyes to everyone. There was no sign of Averet or Emelin, but Emelin's little boy peered at them sadly from the doorway, and Rowena felt sorry for him. But she wanted to be gone from the place more than anything. Soon they were on their way, and she felt that a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"How are you feeling?" Bronn asked as they made their way to the top of the hill. The farm would soon be out of site.

"I feel so much better today." She replied. "Because of Averet, I've been determined not to ever let him or anyone else see me cry, or know they've hurt me. I think yesterday I cried every tear I've been fighting over the years." Since that first awful day Averet came to her, Rowena had been determined not to let anyone see her emotions. Aside from her uncle Bayard, she had never let anyone see her cry since then. Until Bronn.

"I understand." He replied. "Learned from a very young age that crying only made things worse for me." She could hear the resentment in his voice. She was sure his childhood had been much worse than her own.

"You're allowed to cry though," he added gently. And then without warning, he urged the horse forward, and Rowena instinctively grabbed handfuls of mane. She shrieked in surprise and delight as the horse went into a full gallop, quickly adding more distance between them and the farmhouse.

It was so exhilarating, with the wind in her face, and Bronn holding her tightly. When he finally slowed the horse back to a walk, she was actually laughing. "All behind you now," Bronn whispered in her ear. "You will never go back there again." Rowena grabbed his hand and lifted it to her lips, kissing the back of his hand, and feeling so much gratitude, and more, for this man right now.

He brushed his hand over the hair on the back of her head, and she realized it must be quite wild this morning, unbraided, after that gallop. She smoothed it down the best she could, and pulled all of it forward over one shoulder, and started to braid it so it would be out of the way.

She heard a loud exaggerated sigh behind her. "What?" she asked in response.

"You are tempting me with this bare skin" he said, as he brushed her bare neck with the back of his hand. Rowena felt the strange tingling throughout her body, that was growing more and more familiar to her. She inhaled sharply when she felt his lips on her neck just below her ear. He trailed soft kisses down to her shoulder, and she closed her eyes. She realized it was a good thing one of them had some self control, because she knew she would be too weak to resist him at this point. And she was quite sure he knew exactly what affect he was having on her.

As they continued along, she allowed herself to relax and take in their surroundings, which were quite beautiful. She and Bronn were both quiet and content. It was mid-morning by the time they reached the city, and Rowena felt the first feelings of anxiety that their time together would soon come to an end.

When they reached the stable yard, Tyrion Lannister and her Uncle Bayard were both waiting for them, pacing anxiously. She could tell by the way they watched her carefully that they'd had some sort of message from the farm. Rowena avoided looking at the Imp as they dismounted, and ran straight to her uncle. He grabbed her in his arms and lifted her off the ground with a great big hug. She thought he might cry, and was so touched she was afraid her own tears might return. But she found she was still quite empty of any tears, and was able to give him a real smile.

Next he turned to Bronn, and shook his hand and thanked him profusely, and Rowena was quite surprised. He seemed genuinely grateful and almost accepting of Bronn now. She wondered what message he had received and who sent it.

"You must go to your Aunt Rosamond at once" he said, turning back to Rowena. "She's been quite worried about you."

Rowena nodded, but stood for a moment, feeling awkward, not ready to leave Bronn without saying goodbye. Her uncle seemed to catch on suddenly, and offered to hold the horse if Bronn would walk her to the door. Bronn nodded and fell in step beside Rowena as they walked to the house.

At the door she stopped and turned to him. She was suddenly shy and nervous again. She looked up at him hesitantly and he gave her a crooked smile, which was all she needed. "Thank you," she said. "More than you will ever know."

"Anything for you, m'lady" he said. She smiled but then as he turned to leave, that anxious feeling returned. "When will I see you, m'lord?" she blurted.

He turned back to her and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Do you bolt your door at night?" he asked. "Yes", she replied. "Maybe not tonight." He said, and flashing her his wicked smile, he turned and walked away.

Rowena turned and ran quickly into the house to hide her smile, feeling as giddy as a child. She found Aunt Rosamond and Grace sitting together doing needlework. She'd forgotten it was that day. Once a week or so, she would sit with them to do needlework and work on her reading and writing. But mainly it was time to sit and talk to the two older women, and listen to their stories about their lives, and it was one of her favorite times of the week. She thought it might a good distraction for her today. She hugged both women before she sat down to join them.

The rest of the day seemed to last forever, and Rowena was distracted and anxious. Her aunt and uncle had asked very few questions, which surprised her. She was glad not to have to re-tell the story, and they obviously knew enough to satisfy them for now. Finally, darkness had come and she found herself alone in her room. She alternated between pacing the floor and trying to read, growing more impatient by the minute. Perhaps something more urgent had taken him away, and she would not see him after all, she thought. Exhausted, she finally laid down on the bed to rest and was soon asleep. She was startled awake by the sound of her door creaking, and then the sound of Kips tail thumping on the floor. She sat upright in the darkness, and saw a shadow kneeling in the doorway next to the dog.

"I have a story for you." His voice came from the shadows. "Do you want to hear it?"

Rowena hesitated. "Yes, I do." She was the one who had asked him to find out. She wanted to be done with it. He came and sat on the bed next to her.

"I was afraid you weren't coming." She said, as he took one of her hands and held it tightly between both of his..

"Things are dangerous in the streets, and the city is preparing for an attack." He explained. "There is much to be done, and Tyrion has urgent business for me to deal with."

She looked at him in wide-eyed fear. He tried to smile as he ran his fingers thru her hair. "You must promise me that you will not go out in the streets for any reason." She nodded quickly. "Promise," he repeated sternly. "I promise." She said, he had her sufficiently convinced.

"It's too dangerous, no one is safe right now." He continued.

'What about you?" she said.

"Oh, I'll be alright" he said, and then quickly changed the subject. "Do you want to hear my story or not?"

She nodded, and he walked back to the door to remove his boots. She sat on the bed hugging her knees as she watched him remove his tunic. By now she realized she had no control over how her body reacted to his presence. She admired his muscular arms and chest as he walked back to the bed, and she was trembling on the inside.

He slipped into the bed beside her and laid down facing her, propping himself up on his elbow. He patted the bed next to him, and she slid her legs down and snuggled closer to him. Her head was on the pillow facing him, and he picked up her hand and laced his fingers through hers. "Cold?" he asked, looking at her hand. She shook her head, feeling her cheeks turn red, knowing he could feel her shaking, and cast her eyes down. "Nervous?" he asked, already knowing the answer, and she swallowed hard and nodded. He combed his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead.

"I will never force myself on you, love." He assured her. "When this is all over, we will sort things out, and I will explain everything to you. But you must be the one to make the decision. It must be you who comes to me."

When she raised her eyes to meet his again, his face was serious, almost worried. She realized he was waiting for some sort of response, and she could only nod, because she wasn't quite sure what he meant, but she knew she would agree to almost anything he asked of her at this point.

"Your mother," he began, "was named Sueta. She traveled here from a fishing village, looking for work. No one knows anything of her past or her family, but she was only 16 when she began working for Lord Baelish."

"Does he know who I am?" Rowena asked, eyes wide with concern.

"Tyrion says there is a strong resemblance," Bronn continued. "But there are only a handful who know, and Baelish may have guessed as much, but he has never tried to confirm your identity, that we know of."

She breathed a sigh of relief, but the thought still gave her chills. She realized her mother probably hadn't known a soul when she arrived in the city. Without family or friends, she would have been very vulnerable to a man like Petyr Baelish.

"Tyrion said she was a very sweet and intelligent girl," he went on. "He visited her a great deal. But after a while, Baelish became very particular about who he would allow her to see. She was like a prisoner in his house, and Tyrion eventually gave up trying to see her."

Rowena bristled at that. Of course the Imp would have little concern for a whore, and just go on to the next one.

"The next time he saw her was in the street. She was pregnant. She told Tyrion that Baelish had found out she had a lover, and that's who'd gotten her pregnant. He threw her out into the streets with nothing but the clothes she was wearing."

Rowena wondered if she really wanted to hear this story, about a complete stranger, who was her true mother. Bronn hesitated until she told him to go on.

"There was another brothel across town. Of course Tyrion was very familiar with the place, and the owner. Her name is Alia, and she is still living in that same house today. She was much kinder to her girls, and Tyrion knew she despised Baelish. So he took your mother there, to see if Alia would take her in. And she did. He gave her money for your mother's care, until she'd had the baby and could go back to work, or leave if she chose to. But her lover had disappeared. No one knows if Baelish had anything to do with it, but Tyrion suspects he did. He was never seen again."

Rowena didn't think this story could get any sadder. She would never have been brave enough to survive such an ordeal herself.

"Your mother was not well. Baelish had treated her like a princess at first. She was a virgin, and he knew he could make a great deal of money if he paraded her around his house and sold her off to the highest bidder."

Rowena gasped. "As he would like to do with me." She said. Bronn looked her in the eye, and nodded. Once again, she didn't know if she wanted to cry or hit something in anger. She was only glad that she was hearing this story from Bronn, and had not tried going to Tyrion herself.

"Once he'd received a large purse from the sale of her virtue," Bronn continued, "she was worth very little to him, and he treated her very cruelly, and nearly worked her to death. When she found out she was pregnant, she knew she had to escape, or she would die there."

"But she didn't escape." Rowena said it for him. "No," he replied, and he put his arm around her and pulled her closer. She snuggled tightly against his chest, feeling she could not be close enough to him. "Baelish found out about her lover, and their plans to get Sueta out of the house. Then the lover disappeared, and he threw her out."

"I knew he was a cruel man," Rowena mused, "but I had no idea how cruel."

Bronn cradled the back of her head in his hand, and kissed her forehead again. "By the time you came along, she was too weak. She did not live through the birthing." Rowena's eyes filled with tears, but she urged him to tell her the rest.

"Your aunt and uncle were well-respected and liked by everyone. And it was no secret that your aunt was unable to have children. So Tyrion approached them in secrecy. They sent you to live with Averet and his wife in the beginning, because they thought it would be safest. Just in case Baelish should discover you. He would have surely claimed you as his property." Rowena shuddered and pressed herself as tightly against him as she could.

"The plan was to bring you back to the city to live after enough time had passed," he went on. "But when they went to see you, you were thriving on the farm. It was obvious how much you loved the animals, and the other children. They thought it would be unfair to take you away then, to live with them as an only child."

Rowena sighed, now realizing what her aunt and uncle had sacrificed for her, with only the best of intentions. "And they feel responsible for what happened with Averet?" she asked, looking up at Bronn.

He nodded. She realized now why they had been so upset when they came to get her, and how guilty they must feel. She wished they had come for her after Anne died, but they had only been trying to do what was best for her. They couldn't have known how things would turn out. And she had many wonderful memories of her time with her adoptive siblings.

"Will you take me to meet her? Alia?" she asked, knowing he would probably object.

"We'll see." He said, "You should probably get some sleep now."

"Will you stay with me?" she asked, grabbing his hand and holding it to her chest. "Please?"

"For a bit" he agreed, "You know I can't be seen here at night." He pulled his hand free of hers, and wrapped his fingers around her neck, stroking her cheek with his thumb. She leaned her face into his hand, and dipped her chin to kiss his palm. She closed her eyes as he ran his thumb across her lips. She wished he would kiss her, but she knew he wouldn't. She thought of what he had said earlier, and knew she needed to find out more about the agreement he had made with her uncle. But for now she was tired, and had all the new information she could handle for one day.

She turned over, drawing his hand over her waist herself, and snuggled against him, her back pressed against his chest. As she situated herself, without thinking, she moved her backside very deliberately against him as she settled her hips on bed.

"Oh, you're lucky I'm paid very well not to touch you, love," he raised his head to whisper a warning in her ear, "but if you do that again, I might be forced to forget about coins and promises." She caught her breath, and tried to slowly inch her hips forward.

"Oh no you don't", he said with an amused chuckle, tightening his arm around her waist and pulling her roughly back against him.

"Now go to sleep."