"Father tells me that there is nothing left to do but wait for the King to arrive. Mother has been going constant with worry. She doesn't think that everything will be ready in time."
Cassandra sat beside Theon the next day. The two of them had taken to hiding in the Broken Tower, content in each other's company for a few hours. Theon had looked across to Cassandra as she folded her legs underneath her, extending her arm, her hand flat on the floor and holding her upper half up. Theon had his legs stretched in front of him, his eyes looking out the broken window and his hand resting near hers.
"I can imagine your mother is stressing quite a bit," Theon told her, a smirk held on his face as he did so. Cassandra rolled her eyes and turned her head to look at him. "She's most certainly been keeping you busy for the past day. Every time I think I get you to myself you end up running away."
"You know as well as that we cannot be seen together," Cassandra scolded him. "What happened the other night...well...nothing can come from it, can it? We're both just going to end up hurt by it."
"At the same time I don't want to stop seeing you," Theon informed her quickly. "I don't want to be parted from you, Cassandra. I know you don't want to be parted from me."
"Very presumptuous," Cassandra smirked and Theon shrugged nonchalantly.
"A lot of women would feel the same as you do. Don't worry about it."
Cassandra moved to hit Theon around his arm, squealing as he moved faster, catching her wrist in his hand and making her lose her balance. She laughed as she fell to the ground, Theon pinning her down on the cold stone as she continued to laugh. He lay over her, watching her as she smiled and giggled underneath him, her cheeks red in comparison to the rest of her pale face.
"You're unbearable," Cassandra informed him. He arched a brow at hearing that, cocking his head to the side as he did so. He moved his other hand to rest on her hip, his long fingers curling around her skin there as she shook underneath him.
"You seem to be able to bear me," he commented to her. She shrugged nonchalantly at hearing him, moving one hand to rest on his cheek once again, her fingers stretching and running through his brown locks which sat there. She truly did care for Theon. She always had done and she knew always would do, no matter how much she tried to deny it.
She coughed lightly for a moment, regaining her breath before she spoke once more; "Robb has told me to stay away from you."
"He told me to stay away from you."
She smiled at hearing that, knowing that she should not defy her brother's wishes. She should not go against her parents. She should do as they wanted from her. She should be a dutiful daughter and keep her distance from Theon Greyjoy. She supposed it would spare her feelings when her mother finally did find her a suitable suitor.
But she didn't want to stay away from Theon. She didn't want to do that.
"Just to clarify," Cassandra spoke, "we're not going to do as they wish, are we?"
Theon trailed his hand up her side, pushing it through her long curled hair as he shook his head.
"I'm a Greyjoy," he reminded her. "We don't follow orders."
"No," Cassandra agreed with him. "You don't. You take what you want, don't you?"
"I tend to," Theon agreed with her, a smirk still held on his face as he quickly pressed his lips against her forehead. The movement was slightly tender for Theon, shocking himself and Cassandra as he did so. "I do want you, Cassandra."
"You know that we can't." Cassandra whispered to him. "There are so many things that could happen...mother would kill me herself if she knew we had..."
"I know," Theon said to her. "That is why I have no intention of taking you. I have no intention of treating you like some common whore."
"Ros, isn't it?" Cassandra wondered from him, watching as he continued to allow his fingers to tickle alongside her cheek, warming her skin up and making her flustered. It was even worse due to the close contract of his body and the weight and fur of their cloaks pushed together. "She's your favourite, or so you say."
"She is," Theon agreed with her simply. "She's easy on the eye and rather nice to be pleasured by. I do not deny it."
"You do know how odd it is, don't you?" Cassandra checked with Theon. "You're currently laid on top of me and talking to me about some whore you fuck."
"Now, now," Theon chuckled, moving his lips closer to her ear, tickling her skin as he did so. He finally enclosed his lips onto the skin behind her ear and she shivered against him. "Should a lady speak in such a manner? Besides, Ros has been pushed from my mind with thanks to you."
"Probably not," Cassandra admitted. "Then again, she shouldn't be lurking in shadows with a man who is not her betrothed."
"It seems you're hardly a proper lady then," Theon taunted her and she rolled her eyes, moaning as he finally moved his lips to her neck once more.
"And you are hardly being a gentleman," Cassandra retorted to him. He chuckled at hearing that, his head shaking back and forth as he did so. He moved his lips from her skin after a moment, looking her in the eye before resting his forehead against hers.
"I never claimed to be a gentleman," he told her, his hot breath hitting her cheeks. She closed her eyes as his hand snaked its way around her waist, drawing her closer to his body. "Did I?"
"I've known it for quite some time," Cassandra admitted to him. He chuckled at hearing that. She peeled her eyes opened again, looking at him and wondering if the smirk ever dropped from his lips. It seemed constantly to be fixed in place.
"Yet you are still here," Theon said. She shrugged underneath him, shaking her head back and forth as a sudden laugh came from her.
"It is unreal, isn't it?" she checked with him. "Since when did we end up doing this?"
"Since you finally allowed yourself to act on your impulses," Theon said to her, rolling his body from hers. He rested on his side, propping his head up in his hand as he looked down at her. He allowed one hand to continue resting on her stomach, thoroughly enjoying seeing her blush at his contact.
"That is hardly fair," Cassandra complained to him. "I was simply being dutiful."
"And what are you doing now? Are you only here to spite your parents?" Theon wondered from her. She sat up quickly, shaking her head at him with haste.
"No," she said. "I would be here regardless of whether they agreed with it or not. You know that, Theon. After last night...after that...I know that we shouldn't be doing this...but last night...when you kissed me...it was amazing, Theon."
"It could have been better if we hadn't have been interrupted," Theon complained, remembering the way Robb had found them. Cassandra smirked at that, kissing Theon on the cheek quickly and then pushing herself to her feet.
"And if we stay here then we could be caught again. We can't risk it too often," Cassandra said to him. Theon placed his hand against his chest, resting it on his heart as he watched her.
"I feel as if I'm being used," he complained. He stood too, pulling at his cloak to balance it on his shoulders once again. He chuckled as he watched her run her fingers through her hair again. She moved to him again, kissing him quickly. Theon was shocked at her brashness but did nothing to pull away from her.
"I'm not using you," Cassandra promised him. "I'm not using you to get back at my parents...or to annoy them...or to be defiant..."
Theon searched her gaze for a moment, noticing how serious she was before he kissed her again. He watched as she pushed against his chest, pulling back from him as she continued to smile. She couldn't stop the grin forming on her face whenever she was close to Theon. She'd never felt like this before.
"We need to go," Cassandra said. "If my parents look for me then we'd be in trouble. You know that, and so do I."
He nodded at her and she kissed him on the cheek once more.
"You go first," Theon urged her simply. "I'll follow you out later on."
Cassandra nodded in agreement, rushing down the steps as Theon moved across to the window. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and wishing he could have a different fate. Being a hostage in Winterfell had its perks. Cassandra being one of them. But that was all he was. He was a hostage. His father was an enemy and he was considered the enemy too.
He longed to change it, for Cassandra's sake. Then he could save her from some doomed marriage to a man who would not care for her like Theon could. He watched as she moved across the grounds beneath him, turning to look back to the Tower for a moment. She caught his eyes, tucking her hair behind her ear before she immediately bumped into Robb.
Cassandra froze as soon as she hit her brother's strong chest. She stumbled for a moment, Robb taking hold of her elbow and steadying her, looking at her with his narrowed gaze. Anger filled up inside of him for a moment as he noted the figure in the window of the Tower. He would notice Theon's smirking gaze from miles away.
"You've been with him, haven't you?" Robb checked with his sister. She looked over his shoulder to where Bran stood, practicing his archery with Jon.
"Robb..." Cassandra whispered, wondering if there was any point in appealing to her brother's better nature. "Don't tell mother and father, please."
"If you keep on defying them then I will," Robb warned her. "You're going to get hurt, Cassandra. Theon Greyjoy is our friend. He is like a brother to me. But...seeing him with his hands on you...it's like how he is with his whores."
"Are you making a comparison to me and his whores?" she wondered from her brother, her voice short and snappy with him. Robb shook his head at her, annoyance coming into his actions as he did so.
"No," Robb snapped. "You are better than them. You are a Lady of Winterfell. You have responsibilities. One of them is not to go around with men who are not your betrothed."
"Responsibilities," Cassandra hissed the word. "I know what I am to do. I know I am to live a life with a man who I will not love."
"You do not know who it will be. Mother and father had a rough marriage and they love each other. You've only begun feeling this way for Theon. You can stop feeling it if you don't let it get any further."
"And who says that I want to stop it?" Cassandra wondered, shaking her head at her brother. "Who says that I want that?"
"It will hurt less in the future, Cassandra," Robb promised her. She rolled her eyes at hearing him, walking away from him as she did so and towards Bran and Jon. Robb remained stood where he was, Theon moving closer to him as he did so. The older boy had a smirk on his face, clearly enjoying winding Robb up.
"What did I tell you?" Robb snapped at Theon as he stood opposite him. The boys spoke in hushed tones to each other, making sure Cassandra didn't catch wind of their conversation as she encouraged Bran to keep trying to shoot straight.
"I think it was along the lines of staying away from her." Theon said. "We're both not going to do that, Robb. It would be easier for you to support us."
"And what about when she marries and is taken away?" Robb wondered. "She'll live with her husband in his castle. She won't be in Winterfell for life."
"We will cross that bridge when we come to it," Theon promised him simply. "Perhaps something shall happen before then?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know," Theon said. "The Gods work in mysterious ways, don't they?"
"You're both going to get hurt," Robb warned him. Theon shook his head, moving forwards and closer to the archery range. Cassandra stood back, watching as Jon showed Bran how to shoot. Theon took his stance next to Cassandra, his eyes focused on Bran as he did so.
"Your brother is keen on warning me away from you," Theon whispered to her. Cassandra rolled her eyes at hearing that, shaking her head and clapping quickly as Bran finally managed to hit the target. Robb went to stand by his younger brother's side, showing him the best way to hold to bow and Jon showed him to stand.
"Robb is looking out for us," Cassandra said. "He can be annoying, but he means no harm by it. You know that and so do I."
"It still doesn't make it less annoying," Theon complained as Bran missed the target by miles. The boys laughed whilst Cassandra shook her head, a small smile still held on her face as she did so.
"And which one of you was a marksman at ten?"
Cassandra startled, turning to look above her as her father and mother stood there, their eyes intently focused on the archery which was taking place. No one said anything as Ned told Bran to have another go at shooting. He held his bow, Jon and Robb taking a step back before an arrow came flying out of nowhere, piercing the middle of the target.
Gwen startled at seeing it, jumping back and then turning to see Arya stood there, a wide grin on her face as Bran glared at her. The young Stark's set off in a run whilst Robb and Jon laughed for a moment.
"Robb." Ned suddenly called his son. "Ready the horses and get Bran. There's been a deserter."
Robb nodded solemnly as Cassandra heard her mother protest at taking Bran to the scene. He was far too young. Theon watched as Robb headed to the stables, his gaze set firmly on Theon.
"Come and help me prepare the horses," Robb demanded from the hostage. Theon nodded, glancing at Cassandra as she moved her hand whilst walking past him to the steps up to the platform. Her hand brushed against Theon's hand as the pair of them made their leave for the day.
"Surely Bran is far too young for such a sight?" Cassandra questioned once she was stood opposite her mother. Catelyn watched her daughter for a moment, her eyes firmly set as she did so. She smiled sadly, offering her daughter her arm. Cassandra took it, slightly shocked at her mother's behaviour as she began walking by her side. Cassandra said nothing for a few moments before Catelyn spoke.
"What are the words of the House Tully?"
"Family. Duty. Honour." Cassandra recited.
"Family comes first," Catelyn spoke quickly. "You have to remember that, don't you? Yet...the heart often dictates things...and we cannot control it."
"Is there a purpose to this conversation, mother?" Cassandra wondered.
"I saw you and Theon in the window of the Broken Tower, Cassandra. I know how you feel about him. I can see that you are beginning to care deeply for him." Catelyn said and stopped walking. Cassandra faced her mother, choosing to keep her mouth closed firmly.
"I know you cannot help you fall for, Cassandra. I do not want to see you hurt...a marriage between you and him is not acceptable," Catelyn said to her. "Family comes first. We need alliances. It is the way of the Seven Kingdoms. I know it is unfortunate...I did not want to marry your father when I first met him. But now I love him, Cassandra. You grow to love people. You'll be a Lady of a castle and you'll have a husband to care for you. I shall see to that."
Catelyn lovingly stroked her daughter's cheek whilst she stared back at her, her eyes wide. Cassandra said nothing as her mother kissed her forehead tenderly.
"But Theon Greyjoy cannot be that man to you," Catelyn said to her. "Stop putting yourself through this pain. It will do you no good in the future."
"You're scared," Catelyn concluded. "It is only natural for you to be scared of the unknown. Clinging onto Theon shall not make everything better. It may seem to at this moment in time. But in the future it does not make anything better, Cassandra. You're my eldest daughter. I don't want to see you hurt."
"I know," was all Cassandra could manage to whisper to her mother. The woman nodded at her, pushing her hair behind her ear once again. She took a moment to step back and observe Cassandra with loving.
"Go and freshen up for dinner, my dear. We shall wait for your father to return and then eat. No doubt he will be in a foul mood."
Cassandra nodded, rushing away from her mother and back to her own room, wondering how much more she could take of being told what was expected of her. She supposed she was like Arya in that respect. Her mother had meant every word she had said. She was only trying to look out for her. But Cassandra didn't want her mother wanted for her. She never would do.
...
A/N: Thanks to starrysky7 and to CC and mae and KingofTruands for reviewing! Do let me know what you all think, please!