Disclaimer: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire.
Another dragon, another wolf, another stag
Chapter 13: Mya
"Talking"
"Thinking"
(Location: Riverrun)
She walked quietly behind her cousin and Lady Sansa as they traveled through the castle to the courtyard. Shireen was in a good mood as she talked to Lady Sansa. They both laughed at a little story Shireen was spinning. Mya was happy for her cousin. She was a happy child but the times that she acted like the child she was supposed to be were few and far between. When she finished her story, Lady Stark smiled at her. "That was a wonderful story, Lady Shireen," she told her. "You have a talent for telling them."
"Thank you," Shireen said with a beaming smile. Then she turned her head back. "What did you think of it, Mya?" she asked.
Lady Sansa looked back too, her eyes shining with innocent curiosity. Mya considered her for a moment. If she had been trueborn, no doubt someone would've remarked how they seemed to be their fathers come again. But instead they seemed to settle for somewhat curious looks whenever she was with Lady Sansa. Her mother didn't seem to approve exactly, but she didn't say anything. "It was a good story, Shireen," she told her cousin.
She beamed even wider at that, pride showing on her face. Then she turned to Lady Sansa, a hopeful look on her face. "Might I ask a favor of you, Lady Sansa?" she asked. "May I see your direwolf?"
There was only a moment of hesitation with the Stark girl before she said, "Of course. You needn't fear Lady. She is kind and gentle."
"Much like you," she replied. "Perhaps she takes after her."
"Shireen, she is a direwolf," Mya said quietly to her as they stepped out into the courtyard. The godswood was in sight. "You must be careful."
"There is no need to worry, Mya. So long as we are with Lady Sansa, we will be—"
No sooner as she started speaking that a black blur came bounding out of the godswood and right at them. It was the black wolf its green eyes alight with something and its jaws snapping. It came to a stop in front of them, watching them all. "Shaggydog, go to Rickon," Lady Stark ordered the beast.
It ignored her, choosing to look at Mya and her cousin. "Shireen, get behind me," Mya told her, stepping up to protect her. If the wolf attacked, she could fend it off long enough for her cousin to get away safely. The wolf snapped its head to her; its lips peeling back to reveal long teeth.
But Shireen did not back away. Instead, she stood her ground and placed her hands on her hips. "Stop that," she told the wolf crossly, "It's very rude." The teeth vanished and the direwolf turned its attention to her. It looked at her, tilting its head to the side. "Sit," she commanded, pointing the ground.
Much to both Mya's and Lady Sansa's surprise, the direwolf obeyed. It sat down on its haunches and whined. It had gone from a fearsome creature to a dog seeking attention. "Seven hells," Mya couldn't help but think to herself. Another direwolf padded out of the godswood and went to Lady Sansa's side. It was probably her direwolf.
Shireen just smiled. "Good wolf." Before anyone could stop her, she reached out and scratched the direwolf behind the ears. It actually leaned into her hand and panted happily. The other two could just watch in stunned surprise at the scene.
"SHAGGY!" screamed Lady Sansa's little brother as he came running out of the godswood. He skidded to a halt and stared at his wolf and Shireen. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
"I'm scratching his ears," Shireen replied, still scratching the ear. From behind the little lord, a tall woman appeared.
"Stop doing that!" he ordered.
"Why? He likes it." The direwolf still panted, its tongue lolling out of its mouth.
The little lord frowned unhappily. "Shaggy, come here!" he said, pointing at the ground in front of him. The direwolf did as it was commanded, although reluctantly it seemed to Mya.
The woman seemed amused. "It's seems the girl can tame your wolf, little lord," she told him. "You might want to consider stealing her when you grow up a bit so you know where she is."
"Osha, you shouldn't say such things!" Sansa admonished her, even though her face was a bright red. "They're too young for that."
"Aye, but it's something to think on later," she replied.
"Why would she do something like that?" Rickon demanded, looking at Shireen accusingly as he held onto his direwolf tightly.
"Do what?" she asked, confused at his accusation.
He clutched the wolf tighter, making it whine. "Take Shaggy like that! He's mine!"
"I didn't mean to," she tried to say.
"You did!"
"Rickon, behave yourself," Sansa said sharply. He glared at her, making his direwolf growl. That prompted her direwolf to start to growl.
It looked like things would escalate, until Shireen looked at both wolves and said firmly, "Stop it." The growling vanished right away, the wolves somehow managed to look embarrassed and ashamed, and their owners just looked at her in surprise.
The wilding barked out a curt laugh. "Seems like the little lady has more of a skinchanger's skill than either of you and you're the ones with the wolves," she told Lady Sansa and Lord Rickon.
"Was that an insult or a compliment?" Mya couldn't help but wonder as she looked at the wilding. It sounded like a compliment but from the stories she had heard about skinchangers and wargs, it could very well be an insult.
"Do you really think so?" Shireen asked her voice filled with curiosity.
"I haven't the foggiest clue. Got you blood of the First Men?" the wilding asked her.
"I-um-I do not know?" she said back. "I come from House Baratheon, who come from Aegon the Conqueror's Hand, Orys Baratheon." She frowned as her voice fell silent.
Mya knew that she was trying to think of something more to say but couldn't find the words. "Before that, you can claim descent from House Durrandon. They were the Storm Kings before Aegon landed," she supplied. She knew enough of her father's house to know that, even though she had never been to Storm's End.
Her cousin brightened up at that. "Thank you, Mya."
"Were they descended from the First Men?" Lady Sansa asked, looking at her curiously.
"I…I don't know," she admitted sadly.
Wanting to help her, Mya spoke. "I think that Lord Tyrion Lannister might know." He had been to the capital and was known to read a lot (as well as drink and fuck).
Shireen looked at her with a determined look. "Let's go find him!"
She blanched at the thought. "Please don't let him be with a whore," she silently prayed. That was one thing her cousin did not need see at this age. That and she knew that her lord uncle would not let it pass lightly. "As you command, cousin," she said in deference. Now there was just a matter of finding him.
"Where is he?" Rickon asked, like he was expecting the Imp to pop right out of a bush.
Shireen looked at him. "We'll have to find him. Come on." She raced away in, down the courtyard. Mya followed at a hurried pace so she could keep her cousin in sight. She heard footsteps behind her, so she assumed the others were following.
As luck would have it, the first person they came across happened to be the Imp's brother. Shireen came to a stop before as he was walking across the courtyard, allowing the rest to catch up to her. "Good morn to you, Ser Jaime," she said politely.
He looked down at her like he had just seen. "Lady Baratheon, a pleasure," he said with a grace and charm that Mya could tell was fake instantly. Then he saw her. "Bastard," he said in greeting a smile.
"Kingslayer," she greeted back as the others came up behind.
"The Lord and Lady Stark with their wolves and a serving wench. This is a rare honor," he said. "Is there something you need?"
"Do you happen to know where your brother is, ser?" Shireen asked politely.
There was a small look of surprise on his face at that question. "Tyrion?" he asked, "Why?"
"The little lady has a question for him," the wilding answered.
He turned his attention to her, an irritated look coming across his face briefly. "I was speaking to the girl, not you, woman." The black direwolf started to growl as Lord Rickon began to look angry.
But she just laughed. "If you're going to insult me, try harder, kneeler."
"Ser Jaime, your brother is well known for his knowledge, yes?" Shireen asked him.
He tore his gaze off the wilding and looked down at her. "Aye, he devours books like the prince devours food." For some odd reason, that made both the Starks giggle, the babe more than Lady Sansa. He continued on, ignoring them, "What exactly do you need of Tyrion, my lady?"
"I wish to ask him if my house comes from the First Men or just the Andals."
"Strange question," he remarked, mostly to himself. To her he said, "He said something about enjoying himself down by the riverbank."
Mya knew what those words meant. "Then we will find him another time," she said, placing her hand on her cousin's shoulder. "We apologize for taking up your time, ser."
To that, he laughed. "You needn't worry. He seems to be enjoying the company of Lord Stark's bastard son nowadays. That is who I suspect he is meeting by the river."
"You have my thanks, Ser Jaime," Shireen told him with a curtsy. She looked at everyone else and said, "Come on!" She took off for the gate and the group followed her.
Mya stood behind, almost caught off guard by her cousin's sudden run. But her surprise turned to silent amusement as everyone charged past. It seemed like the wilding was enjoying as much as she was. Once they were past, she started to follow them. "If a stranger happened upon this sight just now," the Kingslayer remarked, "they would've thought her to be the Usurper's daughter and you were Stannis's child."
She froze in place. Anger began to burn inside her chest, her blood yelling for her to do something. But she refused to let it take control. If she lashed out, it would bring down repercussions on her, the princess, and her cousin's family. She may be a bastard but she would never allow that. "You would know better than I, ser," she replied coldly. "You have met my father."
"Aye, once or twice," he said dismissively.
"More times than me," she said, "Your pardon." She walked away from him, not wanting to continue the conversation anymore. "How is it that two brothers are so different?" she asked herself as she caught up to Shireen's group. While she somewhat enjoyed the company of the Imp, his brother couldn't seem to say anything that wasn't sarcastic or ill-meaning in some way. But they both paled in comparison to their sister. The less said about her and her eldest daughter, the better. Her son was a little better and probably could be more so, if he was able to get away from them in time.
She reached Shireen and followed silently at the back as they crossed the training yard. There, they saw a Dornish girl practicing with a spear. Mya saw it was Elia Sand and hoped that they would be able to cross the yard without further incident. But it seemed like the gods would have none of it. "Who are you?" the Red Viper's daughter demanded when she saw them, stopping her practicing.
"Good day to you," Shireen said politely, coming to a stop.
She just walked closer to them, placing the shaft of her spear on the ground with authority she didn't have. "I said who are you?"
Mya walked to the front, to stand before her cousin as her shield. "You know me, Elia Sand."
She tilted her nose up in an arrogant air. "That's Lady Elia to you, bastard."
Those words didn't worry her. "You are a bastard, same as me." The Red Viper's daughter glared at her, but she continued on with no worry. "We have no business with you. We are on our way to the riverbank to find Lord Tyrion. If you will excuse us," she said curtly, motioning for the others to follow her.
But Elia's spear blocked her path before she could even take a step. "I have not excused you."
The wilding strode forward and looked the spear fully. "You got a nice weapon there," she said.
Mya could see that it was a beautiful weapon. The shaft was made of dark, hardened oak. The blade shined bright in the sun, making the snake twisting up the shaft seem black. "It is," its wielder said, "better than any a stupid Northerner will see or hold."
She just grinned at her "Ain't no Northerner, girl, nor a kneeler," she said. "I was a spearwife from beyond the Wall, 'till the Starks caught me that is."
Elia just snorted in derision. "I'm surprised you were caught by that traitorous family. You must not have been a good warrior if that had happened."
"I was decent enough, especially since I remembered my first lesson well," she said pleasantly.
"And what would that have been?"
The pleasant look was still on her face when she grabbed the spear and pulled it out of her hand. Elia took a step back, her face showing her surprise. Then it turned to anger and she took that step forward. But instead of taking her spear back, she found its blade resting just under her chin, the tip resting against her throat. "Never let your enemy take your weapon."
She looked down at the blade and then at her again, anger shining bright in her eyes. "Give that back," she commanded. "It's mine."
"It was. Now it's mine."
"Give it back!"
The wilding pulled the blade away, only to strike her across the head with the other end. "No." She hefted the spear onto her shoulder and looked at the rest of them. "Are we going to the river?"
"That will come back to haunt you," Mya told her as they left the yard and the Sand Snake behind.
"I ain't worried about a kneeler," she replied, the spear still on her shoulder.
"You should be worried about her family, House Martell."
"Big family, are they?"
"They rule Dorne. They're close to each other."
She snorted in derision and spat on the ground, well out of the way of the others. "Not so close if they tear down one of their own."
Mya looked sharply at her. "How—?" she tried to ask.
"I got eyes, girl, and I watch. You kneelers seem to forget that people are watching."
She silently disagreed with that for she was one of the watchers. That was why she saw no point in continuing the talk. When they did reach the riverbank, they saw Jon Snow sparring against Prince Quentyn. It wasn't a normal spar with swords. Rather, it was a sword against a spear. The prince wielded his spear like a serpent's tongue, flickering and striking so fast that she almost couldn't see it. Yet Jon Snow kept his pace against him, matching his sword against the spear.
They fought at the edge of the bank while the rest of them watched them from the rocks. Highest among them was the Imp with a drinking horn in hand. Shireen wasted no time in scrambling down to the bank. "Lord Tyrion!" she called out. Rickon and Shaggydog followed her quickly while Osha followed them. She and Lady Sansa walked at a more sedated pace, her direwolf trotting along.
Her call made the men, even those who were sparring, stop and look at her. "Lady Baratheon," the Imp said in greeting, "A pleasure meeting you here. Is there something you require?"
"I have a question for you." The rest of the group joined her. Both direwolves shot off and circled Jon Snow as he came back up the bank. Prince Quentyn took a discreet step to the side so he wouldn't get bowled over by Lady.
"A question, how interesting," Tywin Lannister's youngest son said. He paused to drink from the horn. "And what sort of question would it be? It must be a good one for you to have such a group. Have you noticed your brother and sister are here, bastard?" he asked Jon Snow.
"I have," he said back. The wolves were still circling around him while his own just watched from the rock it sat on nearby. He tried pushing them aside carefully as he walked up to the others but they kept close.
Prince Quentyn walked beside him, close enough to talk but not so close that the wolves could bite him. "A good fight, Jon," he said.
The bastard inclined his head to him. "I am honored for the opportunity, your Highness." His voice did show his gratitude. "You have skill with a spear."
"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what was your question, my lady?" the Imp asked Shireen.
She looked at him earnestly. "I heard that you have read many books."
"That I have."
"Have you read any books on my house?"
He nodded. "I have, on occasion. Why?"
"Could you tell me if I come from Andals alone or do I have the blood of the First Men in me too?" she asked.
Mya watched quietly as all eyes fell on the Imp. At first, he didn't seem to have heard the question. Instead he just drank from his horn and burped nosily. "An interesting question, my lady," he told her cousin. "Might I ask what brought this about?"
The youngest Stark was the one to ask rather than Shireen. "She stole Shaggy!" he cried, pointing an accusing finger at her. His direwolf perked his head at the sound of his name but remained by the feet of his bastard brother.
"Rickon, you're speaking to a lady," his sister scolded him.
"But she stole him!"
"She did not. All she did was order Shaggydog to sit."
This seemed to be getting out of hand and Mya chose to get back on track. "She ordered the direwolf and it obeyed, Lord Tyrion," she said to the dwarf. "Afterwards, the wilding," she gestured politely to Osha, "remarked that she might be a better skinchanger then either Lord Rickon or Lady Sansa. When my lady cousin wanted to know if she was telling the truth, she asked if she had the blood of the First Men in return."
"I see." He took another drink from his horn. "As it happened, I've done some extensive reading on the history and lineages of the Great Houses. So I can tell you with the absolute authority, Lady Shireen, that House Baratheon, and before them House Durrandon, do hail from the First Men."
Shireen brightened up at that and smiled. "Truly?" she asked.
He smiled a small smile in return. "Yes," he replied, nodding his head. "Until the Andals invaded, House Durrandon was a house of First Men. It was only when the Storm King Maldon IV took an Andal maiden as his bride and wife that it changed. Their firstborn son grew to become king once his father had died and was crowned King Durran, the Twenty Fourth of his name. Even then he was called Durran Halfblood and he continued what his father had done by taking an Andal woman to wife."
They all stood or sat there, enraptured by his voice. Something about the Imp changed when he told a story. Mya didn't know what it was; only that it was an ability to hold a crowd's attention with just his words. "So what the wilding said is true then?" she asked.
"Yes, it is. An interesting fact is that the majority of the Great Houses are descended from the First Men."
The proclamation surprised all the people there. They all stared at the Imp like he had just proclaimed he was the avatar of the Seven come to walk among them. "They are?" Prince Quentyn finally asked.
"They are," he said, drinking from his horn. "It's not a great number, I'll admit, only five to the remaining three. But the fact is still there."
"What are the houses?" Mya asked. If she had been reserved about her curiosity, she wasn't showing any now.
"Well House Stark is one, obviously. And we've already established that House Durrandon and by extension House Baratheon is the second. The third and fourth would be mine own house, House Lannister, and House Tully respectively, while the last would be House Greyjoy."
Lady Sansa frowned. When she spoke, her voice was full of polite chastisement. "I'm afraid you are wrong regarding my mother's house, Lord Tyrion. House Tully is a house of Andal blood. My mother prays to the Seven."
"If praying established where we came from, I think I should've been born in Lys," the Imp replied, regarding her with a look. What he said escaped Lady Sansa and most of the people there. The people who did know what he meant tried their best to hide their chuckles, with varying success. (Mya was one of them). "However, I am correct in this, my lady. House Tully was indeed a house that hailed from the First Men. It is only after the Andals invaded and they bent the knee to them that they started becoming Andal themselves by taking their women for wives."
"What about House Tyrell?" Prince Quentyn asked him. "They always talk about how they are descended from Garth Greenhand and House Gardener."
"An excellent point, your Highness," he acknowledged. "However, while they do claim that they come from House Gardener and said house was definitely of the First Men, the founder of House Tyrell was most assuredly Andal, just like the founder of your house, Morgan Martell." His voice was not reprimanding like a lord shouting to a servant who did a job poorly nor was it lecturing. He did however somehow manage to make the words sound like they were a jest and everyone chuckled, even Prince Quentyn.
As they stopped with the chuckling, they heard the sound of feet marching in unison towards them. It only took Mya one look back to see who it was and then groan at the sight of it. "Oh no," she thought to herself. It was Elia Sand and not only had she brought her older sisters but her trueborn cousin too.
It was Lady Sansa who reacted the first, curtsying when they were close enough. "Princess Arianne, good day to you and your cousins," she said with perfect manners. Strangely enough, the direwolves stared at the heir to Dorne with something unusual in their eyes. If they had been human, Mya would've called it suspicion.
Princess Arianne returned the curtsy. She was the only one. "And a good day to you, Lady Stark," she said back before turning her gaze on the entire group. Her eyes resting on Jon Snow for a moment longer then needed and the wolves became much tenser. "What's happening here?"
"We're having a rousing conversation on the linages of our houses," the Imp told her. "Would you like to join us?"
"My cousins and I did not come here to talk about the past, my lord," she said sweetly but that poisonous tone Mya knew very well.
"What a shame. I find that a woman's presence can make any sort of conversation stimulating. It is sad to see that you do not agree, your Highness." He was most certainly mocking her and Mya was silently glad for it.
"Be quiet, Imp. This doesn't concern you," Obara Sand snapped at him. While he didn't look particularly shocked at that, everyone seemed to be shocked for him. She ignored the looks and focused her attention on the wilding. "You," she said. "You have something that belongs to my sister."
"Are you talking about this?" Osha asked, hefting the spear's butt down to the ground.
"That's mine!" Elia Sand shouted in indignation.
"It used to be. Now it's mine."
Nymeria began to reach for her whip. "It belongs to Elia," she said. "Give it back to her, you stupid barbarian, and we'll let you leave relatively unscathed." Her sisters and cousin seemed to silently agree with her words. The wilding just looked amused at the entire scene. But Mya noticed her stance was no longer relaxed. It was like she was waiting for the fight to begin. And it seemed like her attitude had gotten the attention of the wolves, for they were getting more restless.
The group of men was beginning to stand up from where they had been resting and lounging. They probably thought themselves ready for an attack but they had no actual weapons to fight with while the Sand Snakes did. But before it could even get that far, Prince Quentyn spoke out. "Let me see that spear, please" he told Osha.
She looked down at him, as did everyone else. "Why should I?" she asked him. Out of the corner of Mya's eye, she could've sworn that she saw a look of concern on Arianne's face.
"I said please?" he said, although his manner made sound more like a question. But it seemed to be enough for her as she lifted the spear off the ground and held it out for him. He took in one hand and looked at it with a careful eye. "This used to be mine. It was given to Elia when I had gotten too big for it."
The wilding looked unimpressed by that. "And now, it's mine."
He looked at her and then at the spear. "It is a bit small for you, wouldn't you say?" The spear she had taken could barely reach her shoulder when its shaft rested against the ground. But it seemed to Mya that she didn't look that bothered by it. But what the prince said next was surprising. "Would you prefer mine instead?"
He offered his own spear, which was longer then Elia's by a good foot and was made of much better material in wood and steel. Everyone looked at him like he had lost his wits. All except for Osha. "Are you offering me the chance to take it from you, kneeler boy?" she asked.
"No, I'm offering it as a gift," he corrected her. His family looked even more shocked when he said that. The looks quickly turned to anger but they didn't do anything, yet. Mya knew well enough that one wrong move could set them off.
Osha considered the spear being offered to her by the boy for a quiet second longer. Then she took it. She spun it once, mostly likely to get a feel for it. "Good balance and it fits nicely in my hand," she remarked, placing the shaft on her shoulder. "Thanks."
He nodded once to her. He walked over to where his family stood together and offered the spear to Elia Sand. She took it with a snatching motion and he spoke out. "Your business is done here."
His sister was bordering on enraged. "How dare you turn your back on us like this?" she demanded. The Sand Snakes looked just as enraged as their cousin.
But he remained calm. "I did not turn my back. I gave a gift to prevent trouble. Trouble of which you are trying to stir up," he told her. His voice wasn't an accusing one, only a calm one.
But everyone was watching him now, those who knew him well more than anyone else. Mya saw something changing in Prince Quentyn. She had known him to be a shy boy, more awkward then talkative in the presence of others. She had always put that down to the feeling of being the brother to the princess and cousin to the Sand Snakes bearing down on his shoulders. She had heard of the remark and how they lashed out against him for it. He hadn't deserved it and yet he hadn't done anything about it, until now.
It made her wonder what caused this quiet defiance to happen. She looked at the group that he had become a part of since coming to Riverrun. Perhaps it was them that caused this change? If they were, perhaps it was the start of something more. "Well," Tyrion said from his seat, still holding his horn, "now that is all said and done, perhaps we can return to our delightful conversation. Shall you join us, Prince Quentyn?"
"Stay out of this, Imp!" Obara Sand snapped at him. "This doesn't concern you." Her sisters and cousin nodded in agreement as they kept their gaze on Arianne's brother.
Strangely enough, it was Osha who broke the tension in the air. "Leave the kneeler boy alone now," she said walking to his side. "He already said it was a gift. That's the end of it."
The Red Viper's eldest daughter lifted up her spear and pointed its tip at her, an inch away from her nose. "If you wish to die, keep speaking. This doesn't concern you."
She looked at the spear and laughed without fear. She laughed as she brushed aside the blade. "You know the difference between us, kneeler?" she asked pleasantly. "I could see it right away. You've never killed anyone, have you?" She paused, waiting for a reply. But all Obara did was glare at her. "I thought not. Well, unlike you, I have killed. I've killed on both sides of the Wall." She cast a derisive look at the Sand Snake. "You're no warrior, just some girl playing around with a spear, just like her." She turned the look to Elia Sand, who shrank a little underneath her gaze.
Then she did the most audacious thing Mya ever thought one could do: she turned her back on them and walked away. Quentyn was half a heartbeat behind her, walking back over to the group. Everyone relaxed once they were back amongst them. "Excellent," Lord Lannister said, "Now, where were we?"
As the talk continued, everyone joined in and argued about what house belonged where when it came to blood. Mya just watched her cousin in silence as she listened and talked. It was nice to see the men there talk to her with respect and courtesy, not see her as a daughter of a traitor. She looked quickly back at where Princess Arianne and her cousins stood. They all had a look of astonished anger. That was hardly surprise since this was probably the first time they were ignored in such a fashion, even more so by their own blood. They stood there for a few seconds more before finally leaving. She was glad that they were gone now.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
Shireen's idle curiosity about her bloodline is not a onetime thing for this story. I plan on coming back to it throughout the story, amidst all the potential romancing, seducing, and competing in the tournament, once they get the grounds ready and once Rhaegar finally gets there. (He sure is taking his time, isn't he?)
I don't think Obara has been in any actual kind of combat so Osha does have a bit of an edge against her. In fact, she has a bit of edge against all of the elder Sand Snakes. Sure, they've been trained in weapons but they've never actually fought against anyone in a real-life situation. The spearwife, on the other hand, definitely has. So she would know what exactly she would be doing.
I'll see you all next chapter!