King Robert was the only one sitting in the room. The hall of castle Darry had been cleared out specifically for King Robert to deal with this incident. Half of his court had woken up to see what had why both the Northern and Lannister soldiers had gone out searching the woods. News had spread quickly about the youngest of the Stark girls' pet direwolf mauling Prince Joffery, and running off with the eldest Stark girl into the woods. Stories were over exaggerated, especially by the prince himself, so King Robert waited for the Stark girls to return before he made any decisions. Still, the constant nagging by Cersei about this situation was already enough to make King Robert to have half a decision.
When Torrhen and Arya entered the tent, with Jaime Lannister and half the Lannister guard escorting them, King Robert felt nothing but relief. He couldn't wait to get this over and done with. This wouldn't even be considered a problem if Cersei hadn't been nagging at him to do something about the 'mauling' of his son. Robert thought that Joffery should be proud, if what he says is true. He survived an attack from a direwolf, there aren't many men who can say that, not even before the reign of those silver haired bastards from House Targaryen.
The younger one of the Stark girls looked afraid and deeply upset. Her eyes were puffy and red rimmed as if she had been cry. The older Stark girl's face was passive. She was smart to let nothing away. The younger looked almost guilty with her childish fear, but the older, the one Robert married off to the Kingslayer looked almost defiant in the way she stared at everyone in the room. She never dared look down or hide her face, she met eyes with almost everyone in the room. When steely grey eyes met his, he was reminded of his beloved Lyanna, who had the same steely grey eyes. In that moment, he could see the eyes his beloved Lyanna as clear as day in the face of his best friend's daughter.
It was almost unnerving the way she reminded Robert so much of Lyanna, and how he was almost willing to do anything she wanted to keep her around. If it wasn't for her auburn hair, Robert could've sworn she would be Lyanna reincarnated. He briefly wondered how Ned did it, staring in the face of his eldest daughter and not be reminded of the pain that Lyanna had caused with her death.
"You found them, brother," the soft voice of Cersei Lannister broke in, pulling him out of his thoughts of the woman he was still very in love with. "Where did you find them?"
"I didn't find them, I just escorted them but they were out in the woods as far as I'm aware," the Kingslayer replied, his voice annoyingly light and relaxed.
"Why were out in the woods? Were you hiding from my guards? Afraid to face punishment for what you did to Prince Joffery?" Cersei demanded from the Stark girls. Her emerald eyes flicked between the two Stark girls as they stood silently, watching Cersei as she was watching them.
Torrhen refused to say anything. She knew explaining herself to Queen Cersei would be useless as she could see in her eyes that her mind was already made up. No matter how well Torrhen would be able to explain the actions of herself and Arya, the queen would demand punishment for what Nymeria had done to Prince Joffery. And King Robert looked as if his mind was elsewhere. Torrhen though that King Robert couldn't care less about this situation, and was only here because his title demanded it.
Cersei's eye's flashed with anger at Torrhen's silence. "When I speak to you, you must answer, and you must answer honestly," the queen reprimanded, her voice dangerous.
Fear pitted itself low in Torrhen's stomach at Queen Cersei's tone. Words failed her as Torrhen struggled to come up with the suitable thing to say to somehow please the queen and not have her little sister punished. Torrhen kept up what hoped to be a blank face. She didn't want the queen to know her fear, or her indecisiveness about what to say. To make matters worse, she could see the Kingslayer watching with an amused grin from his place near King Robert.
"Arya! Torrhen!" The voice of their father rang out in the hall.
Relief washed through Torrhen like a bucket of warm water over her head. Arya wiggled out of Torrhen's tight grasp and dodged behind her to run to their father. Arya began to cry again, and Torrhen wondered how she could have any tears left. Torrhen didn't dare move as Queen Cersei's gaze pinned her to her place. Behind her, she could hear Arya's sobs and apologies, and desperately wanted to turn around to see her father's reassuring figure. However, she didn't need to as Lord Stark stepped up beside his daughter, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, which forced the Queen to look away as she shifted her glare to Lord Stark. Torrhen was immensely grateful that the Queen's penetrating glare wasn't directed at her anymore.
"Are you alright?" Ned asked Torrhen, seemingly ignoring the dark looks Queen Cersei was giving him. His eldest daughter visibly relaxed and nodded. Her grey eyes met his and he could see the fear in her eyes at being put in front of King and Queen like this. She had no one to protect her from the harsh words that Queen Cersei could inflict, and yet here she stood, tall, proud, afraid, but still without tears or backing down. Ned had never been more proud of his daughter than he was in this moment. He turned to face those his daughters stood before. "What is the meaning of this? Why wasn't I told my daughters had been found? Why weren't they returned to me at once?"
Lord Stark was looking at King Robert as he spoke, directly addressing the king, but it was the queen who answered. The queen, it seemed, who had been doing most of the talking since Torrhen had stepped in the room. "How dare you speak to your king in that manner!"
"Quiet woman!" King Robert finally spoke, finally snapping out of his own thoughts.
Torrhen remained silently as she watched him, her careful grey eyes watching how he projected himself as he apologised to his friend, explaining that it was best to get this situation out of the way as quickly as possible. Though his words sounded sincere, his body language was slow, sluggish. Torrhen couldn't determine whether or not he cared about the situation that was presented to him, and simply wanted to go back to drinking, or sleeping. Something creeped down her spine as she felt someone else staring at her as intently as she was staring at the king. Torrhen flicked her eyes and met the intense gaze of the Kingslayer. He still wore an amused look, but it was clouded by his calculating stare. Torrhen was vaguely aware of Arya fighting with Prince Joffery on the situation as she and the Kingslayer maintained eye contact. She wanted to look away, as there was something about his stare that made her uncomfortable, and created a sort of distrust and bitterness within her. She vividly remembered the same sort of stare when she saw the Kingslayer standing not far off as she fought bandits alone, and unarmed.
"Enough!" the king's roar dragged Torrhen's gaze and attention away from the Kingslayer and back on the situation she was currently in. "Now, child, you will tell me what happened. Tell it all, and tell it true. It is a great crime to lie to a king. When she is done, you will have your turn. Until then, hold your tongue." He said the last part to Prince Joffery, who had unmistakable anger marring his face. The king then turned his fierce gaze to Torrhen. "And then I will find out what your part is in all this."
Mutely, Torrhen nodded her head. She didn't know why, she didn't have to agree to what King Robert said, she'd be forced to do it anyway, but Torrhen felt compelled to reassure the king that she had acknowledge his words. Arya told her story, her words muddled together, voice thick from crying. Torrhen knew when her sister was lying, and she found only truth in the slightly terrified tone that Arya was speaking in. In amidst her story Lord Renly had to leave as his laughing disrupted Arya's story. On his way out, he made a comment on how he would love to hear the story of how someone as young as Arya managed to disarm Prince Joffery and throw his sword in the river. Prince Joffery told his version of events, which was much more violent on Arya's part and it made him look like a victim, as innocent as a maiden. Torrhen believed he was lying, for even a prince could not be as weak as to let a little girl disarm him as easily as he was letting on.
Once Prince Joffery's story had finished, King Robert stood, anger and frustration written clearly on his face. "Seven Hells! What am I to make of this? He tells me one version," he gestures to his son with one of his large arms. "And she tells me another. You! Girl! How are you involved in all this! And speak true, girl, I have no patience for lies."
"What point is there hearing this girl's tale," Queen Cersei asked from beside her son, looking every bit as frustrated as the King was. "Of course she'll tell lies and immediately side with her sister."
For the second time in the hour, King Robert bellowed at his wife to be quiet. Torrhen felt anger and annoyance rise in her at the Queen's accusations. She'd never do such a thing! She'd want to protect her sister but Torrhen would never purposely try and lie to help her sister, especially if Arya had wronged someone. That is not what her mother taught her, and that is not how she behaved. How dare the Queen try and accuse Torrhen of such things!
She is the Queen. She can do as she likes. Robb's voice echoed in her head. Exasperation settled in amongst the annoyance and anger.
"Arya came to me, terrified out of her mind. She knew what she did was wrong, but she was afraid that they were going to hurt her direwolf," Torrhen started, trying not to fidget and keep as calm and as still as possible.
"So she fled to escape punishment?" the Queen demanded, her emerald eyes blazing with obvious resentment.
"No," Torrhen denied, shaking her head. Her auburn hair fluttering around her. "That's not what I meant. We went to the forest for the direwolves. Not to escape punishment."
"So you don't know what happened between my son and your sister?" the Queen asked, and there was no missing the slight venom when she mentioned Arya.
"Only what Arya has told me."
The exasperation was obvious. But Torrhen could do nothing, she was not present during the ordeal. She did not know what had happened between them, but trusted her younger sister's judgement enough. Especially since Arya had to be brave enough to chase away her own direwolf in order to protect her from what she did.
"Are you sure that's all you know?" the King leaned forward, training his hard blue gaze solely on Torrhen.
"Yes, Your Grace. I am sorry that I couldn't be of more assistance," Torrhen said solemnly.
The people in Court could say whatever they wanted about Torrhen, as gossip never really interested her as much as it did Sansa, but at least they couldn't say that she was without manners. If she were to marry a Southerner and adopt their customs, then she will make sure no one even had anything bad to say about her actions. Her pride demanded that she prove herself to be as courteous and lady-like as those who grew up in such an environment.
Lady Catelyn had always made sure that being from the North didn't make them above anyone else, and that their pride was just as strong as those from the South. Torrhen believed she could adapt to the South just as her mother had to adapt for the North when she married father. However, considering she was marrying the Kingslayer, whispers of those around Court - around the whole Seven Kingdoms - would follow her for her entire marriage.
King Robert gave an irritable throaty noise and fell back on his chair. One of his large hands rubbed over his face in frustration.
"The little she-wolf has injured the Prince, your son, she must be punished," Cersei hissed out, not even bothering to be quiet or unbiased about such a thing.
"Quiet woman!" the King boomed, obviously fed up with the Queen's interference. "the Stark girl says differently. Why should I punish a little girl who could be telling the truth?"
The Queen looked venomous and if looks could kill, King Robert would become a cold corpse where he sat. Torrhen watched as Queen Cersei glared at her husband, and King Robert stared right back with a dangerous look on his red face. They were married, but Torrhen saw that the Queen hated her husband with everything she had. It was strange, Torrhen wasn't completely naïve to think every political marriage was a happy one like her parents had - as it was common gossip through to North that Lord Bolton's wife hardly ever smiled.
"They were not the only ones present," Torrhen heard her father announce. He then proceeded to call out for Torrhen's other younger sister; Sansa.
The crowd parted, and Torrhen watched as two guards dressed in the colours of House Stark escorted Sansa through toward where their father was staying. Sansa looked miserable still dressed in her nightclothes with only a cloak to keep her warm. Although it was difficult to tell whether Sansa was upset over being woken from her slumber this late in the night, or over the ordeals that occurred earlier in the day.
"Tell us what happened," father demanded of Sansa.
Sansa took a hesitant step forward, looking as though she would rather be anywhere else in the Seven Kingdoms. Torrhen felt herself sympathise with her younger sister about wanting to be anywhere else. She'd felt that way since she'd been told that King Robert had planned to marry her off to the Kingslayer. Although this was an entirely different situation. It seemed to be a fight between two children, albeit between a prince and a young lady, but two children nonetheless.
Torrhen watched her younger sister glance from Arya, then to her precious prince, her Tully blue eyes glassy from tears that had been shed earlier. Once again, sympathy wormed its way into Torrhen's heart for young Sansa. No matter what her sisters had done, neither deserved to be put in a situation like this, both of them too young to understand the consequences of their actions. Every word said tonight would leave a lasting effect on both the prince, and his mother, and Torrhen knew that no matter what they said, they'd both think the worst of the Stark girls. Torrhen couldn't help but wish her sisters be a bit wiser about these kinds of things, or at least put their petty rivalry behind them and learn to get along. She was certain that if Sansa and Arya got along this whole situation could have been avoided.
"I don't know," Sansa finally said. "Everything happened so fast, I didn't see -"
The next moment was both unexpected and unsurprising.
Arya flew at Sansa in a fit of rage. "You rotten!" she screeched, as she started to hit Sansa. "Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar!"
Both Torrhen and her father intervened immediately. Torrhen pulled a raging Arya off of Sansa who hardly even attempted to fight back, or even defend herself from the oncoming attacks. The eldest Stark sister had trapped her sisters body by pulling her flush against her body and securing her arms around the younger Stark to prevent her from flailing.
Their father used his 'Lord's voice' as he shouted at Arya to stop it. He then proceeded to help Sansa up off the floor and make sure she was alright. However, it seemed as if Sansa had disappeared and retreated far into her own mind as she remained unmoving and silent. All she did was stare at Arya who was slowly losing her fight, and dissolving into tears. Torrhen turned Arya around so that she was crying into her dress for the second time that day. She resisted the urge to reach out to Sansa who looked like she was beyond tears at that point, but in need of comfort no less than Arya. However, Torrhen was afraid that Arya would once again take her frustrations out on Sansa, and instead hoped that their father's minimal gestures of comfort were enough.
"The girl is as wild as that filthy animal of hers," Queen Cersei spat, not even bothering to hide her disgust. "Robert, I want her punished."
"Seven Hells," King Robert swore, becoming more irritated as the moments passed. "Cersei look at her, she's just a child. What would you have me do? Whip her through the streets? Children fight, it's done. No lasting harm was done."
Surprise filled Torrhen at that king's words. She didn't he would be so diplomatic about the current situation they were in, especially with the blatantly obvious disgust and rage that his wife was displaying. Torrhen had thought he wanted to keep the queen happy and quiet, since that is what Torrhen would do if she was married to someone as annoyingly persistent about these things.
The thought of being married to someone annoyingly persistent as Queen Cersei had given her a harsh reminder of her own betrothal to Jaime Lannister. Ser Jaime and Queen Cersei were twins, and twins carried many similarities. Torrhen was more than aware of this information, as there were many similarities between herself and Robb. So it could be very likely that Ser Jaime was annoyingly persistent as his female counterpart, which meant that she was going to marry that type of person. Dread filled her as she glanced at the blond knight himself, who looked completely at ease, and slightly amused at the situation that had unfolded.
"Joff will carry those scars for the rest of his life," Queen Cersei remarked harshly, unhappy about the kings slightly apathetic and exasperated disposition toward his son being slightly injured.
"So he will," King Robert agreed, looking at his eldest son. For a moment, Torrhen was afraid that the king had given in to the tireless persistence of his wife. "Perhaps they will teach him a less. Ned, see that your daughter is disciplined, I will do the same to my son."
"Gladly, your Grace," Lord Stark agreed, sounding just as relieved as Torrhen felt.
For the briefest of moments, Torrhen allowed herself to feel relief. King Robert had stood up and started to make his way out. It seemed as if this situation had ended, although Torrhen knew that Queen Cersei would not forget anytime soon. Queen Cersei indeed had pride that rivalled a kings, and the ability to hold grudges like a northernmen that had been wronged. That seemed like a terrifying combination in a person with as much power as Cersei Lannister held, Torrhen thought. Still, she was glad that King Robert hadn't given out any sort of punishment and had left that to her father, which she knew wouldn't be anywhere near as harsh as Queen Cersei wanted it.
"And what of the direwolf?" the queen called after her husband, seemingly not satisfied with King Robert's decision. "What of the beast that savaged your son?"
Dread had settled itself more securely in the depths of Torrhen's stomach at the queens' words. Although there was the slightest bit of relief at the knowledge that both Arya and Torrhen had chased their direwolves away, safe from whatever punishment Queen Cersei could think up for them. And Torrhen didn't doubt that the queen could get creative with her punishment, or at least those she hired to do the punishing for her.
"I'd forgotten about the damn direwolf," the king said, turning back toward his wife.
Torrhen felt Arya tense in her arms at the turn of conversation toward Nymeria. In response, she pulled her arms tighter around Arya's small body in attempt to hide her discomfort, and avoid her being questioned by the king about the whereabouts of Nymeria. Although, Torrhen didn't miss how her father's gaze had briefly landed on Arya. He then gave Torrhen a questioning glance about the youngest Stark's girls change in posture. Luckily, he didn't say anything, instead focussing his attention back on King Robert.
"I'm afraid there was no trace of the direwolf, your Grace" Ser Jaime spoke up, sounding almost serious. Torrhen was surprised, as he sounded much more serious now than he did in the stable in Winterfell.
"No? Then so be it," the king said, hardly bothering to sound unhappy at that piece of information.
"Perhaps my bride-to-be has any clue to where the direwolf had run off too, since her own appears to be missing as well," Ser Jaime added slowly, taking satisfaction when Torrhen gave him a sharp glare. The look was only for a moment before it flitted away and her countenance dissolved into an empty one.
Anger had flooded Torrhen so suddenly at the Kingslayers words that she was afraid he somehow knew what they'd done. If Queen Cersei found out that Arya and Torrhen had chased away their beloved direwolves to escape whatever punishment Nymeria would get for injuring the prince, she couldn't imagine Arya - or even herself - would be able to leave this disagreement unharmed. Perhaps Queen Cersei would call off the betrothal between her twin and Torrhen, most likely claiming that someone as great as himself couldn't marry a liar or other much more horrible words. In all honesty, that would be perfectly convenient for Torrhen who had no other reason to marry the Kingslayer other than to avoid bringing shame upon her family. However, she was more worried about what punishments Arya would endure for participating in such a thing. Torrhen didn't want to imagine what Arya would be put through by the queen, so she did the only thing she could; lie through her teeth and hope King Robert would believe her.
Everyone in the room was looking at Torrhen very expectantly, most out of curiosity of what she information she could provide about the missing direwolves. Torrhen was suddenly very aware that everyone in the room was staring at her, but even through that, the only one who matter was the Kingslayer himself who was doing a very poor job of struggling to fight the amusement that adorned his aggravatingly handsome face. Unsurprisingly, Torrhen had a very strong urge to march over to that stupid oath breaker and turn his beautiful face black and blue.
"Well? Do you know where the damned beasts went?" King Robert demanded of her.
Arya shifted in Torrhen's arms, moving so that she could look up at her older sister. Torrhen glanced down, and felt the look of absolute misery on Arya's soft face pierce straight through her heart. Without any words being passed between them, Torrhen knew exactly why Arya was looking at her with such pleading eyes. Torrhen knew what her youngest sister would want even without looking at her. Lying to the King of the Seven Kingdoms was treason, but if Sansa could get away with it, then so could she.
"No," Torrhen answered, with a tone of finality. She made sure to sound confident in her answers. "Arya was hysteric when I found her, I think that scared them away."
Unwisely, Torrhen stole a glimpse at the queen. When they had first met in Winterfell and Torrhen had made the mistake of saying the wrong thing to Queen Cersei who held the pride of her entire family, the eldest Stark girl had thought that that was the queen's face she made when she was angry. But the look on her face then was a candle to the fire of rage the queen now looked at her with. Torrhen resisted the urge to flinch at the fear that the queen was instilling in her at that moment.
"There you have it," King Robert said, barely even looking at his golden wife. "She doesn't know where that bloody beast is."
"A hundred golden dragons to the man who brings me its pelt!" the queen announced, growing unhappier the more she was denied the punishment that she thought Arya deserved.
"A costly pelt. I want no part in this, woman. You can damn well buy your furs with your Lannister gold."
The queen hardly reacted to her husband's words. "I had not thought you so niggardly. The king I'd thought to wed would have laid a wolf skin across my bed by sundown."
Anger seemed to be the only reaction King Robert had to his Lannister wife, that and exasperation. "That would be a fine trick, without a wolf."
"We have a wolf," Queen Cersei said. It had been the first thing she had said all night that didn't hold a tone of unhappiness or displeasure.
There was a moment of silence as the king contemplated her words, before he gave a shrug, turning uncaring once again. "As you will. Have Ser Ilyn see to it.
A gasp forced its way out of Torrhen once she realised the implications of Queen Cersei's words. Her father had also come to realise what the golden queen had meant, and seemed just as upset about it as Torrhen was.
"Robert, you cannot mean this," Lord Stark objected.
The king was not persuaded by the words from the man he considered his brother, instead going ahead and calling direwolves savage beasts, giving a poor attempt to convince Lord Stark that the direwolf would turn against his daughters eventually, and stating that Sansa would be much happier with a dog.
He doesn't understand, was the only thing that was going thought Torrhen's mind. No one understood except for the Stark children themselves, and their bastard brother. The Warden of the North himself barely understood as well, so there was absolutely no chance that King Robert and his family of golden haired Lannister's to completely understand the bond all the Stark children had with their direwolf counterparts. Their animal companions weren't pets; every Stark child had understood that as soon as they had been allowed to keep the small beasts. The direwolves had evolved from being a pet, to becoming an equal and trusted friend, even more so than the all the Stark children were to each other. Torrhen had strongly believed that her direwolf could understand what she wanted, or needed before Torrhen even realised it herself. She didn't know how or why, but each direwolf had felt like a part of each Stark whom they were given too.
Sansa turned to her father, her eyes wide and frightful. It was then that Torrhen understood that Sansa had finally caught onto what the queen was implying. "He doesn't mean Lady, does he?" Tears had begun to pool in her eyes at her father's silence, knowing what it meant. "No. Not Lady, Lady didn't bite anybody, she's good."
"Lady wasn't there!" Arya had said loudly, and angrily, startling Torrhen. She had changed from being miserable to angry as soon as she realised what was being left unsaid. "You leave her alone!"
Something awful rooted itself within the depths of Torrhen's chest toward the triumphed-faced queen and her horrible, smiling son. Resentment burrowed itself in Torrhen as the only thoughts she managed to conjure in that moment were enough to make even Robb disappointed with her if he had ever found out what she was currently thinking. She hated Cersei Lannister and her rotten son so much in that single moment that she couldn't even find the decency to be ashamed of herself for feeling such a way about her queen and the crowned prince. Torrhen was afraid to open her mouth to defend her sister's direwolf, in fear that anything she said would make the situation much worse than it currently was.
Being separated from her direwolf in such a way, Torrhen couldn't even comprehend such a thing. Even though both Arya and Torrhen had chased away their direwolves earlier in the day, there was still the vain hope that Torrhen held that she'd see her beloved Icus again. Sansa was about to be permanently separated that she held so closely to herself. None of the Stark children had loved anything as much as they loved the once small beasts their father had brought home for them.
And Lady, poor Lady, who was the most docile direwolf out of the litter. Lady was as polite and gentle as Sansa was. Lady didn't deserve death.
Torrhen had become so absorbed in the shock of potentially losing another direwolf, this time however, much more permanently that the other two, that she had missed what had been said. She only tuned into her surroundings once more as she heard her father shouting coldly at King Robert's retreating figure. His voice was cold steel as he demanded that King Robert kill Sansa's direwolf himself, angry at the fact that his closest friend had chosen to sate the selfish wishes of his Lannister wife who always got what she wanted, over the innocent happiness of the child of the man he considered his brother.
It was difficult to understand now more than ever, that the warrior at the Trident who fought and killed Rhaegar Targaryen was running away from his responsibility as the one who passed the sentence and be the one to swing the sword and kill Lady. He'd rather go and drink until he passed out than to face the consequences of sentencing a docile, young direwolf. Torrhen found it utterly disappointing that this is how the once great stag from Storm's End had chosen to act. Slaughter the innocent to satisfy his queen.
A/N: Well. This happened. I have no excuse other than writers block, luckily classes are starting again, which seems to be the only time I can seem to write. So hopefully more chapters? This story isn't abandoned I promise.