CHAPTER 2. MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

The journey across land takes two weeks and three days; Cassana likes camping in the wild and hunting while she travels. A mile from the city she shakes her head smelling the stink of King's Landing. One of the other reasons she moved to Storm's End. They ride down the hill and enter the Dragon Gate. As Cassana's party marches through the city people gather to watch. From the back of her horse Cassana's sees a Red Dragon painted in an alley.

Soon they come to the Red Keep and enter the courtyard. King Robert is waiting along with Queen Cersei, Prince Joffrey, Princess Myrcella, Prince Tommen; The Hand of the King Jon Arryn and his wife Lysa are there as well. Cassana dismounts her horse and hugs her father. "Welcome back girl…"

"I missed you father…" Cassana looks at her mother the Queen, they hug, "Mother…" She says kissing her on both cheeks. Then she looks at Joffrey and ruffles his black dyed hair. "Little brother…" He sneers and bats her hand away.

"You know I hate it when you do that!"

"Yes I know…" She hugs and kisses Myrcella and then she hugs Tommen. "Lord Arryn…"

"Princess."

Jon Arryn is like a second father to Cassana and she has the utmost respect for him. They hug and then Cassana greets Lady Lysa Arryn who bows, "Princess…" Cassana often wondered what cruel twist of fate forced Jon Arryn to become straddled to Lysa Arryn. Something was off with the woman and Cassana did not like her.

The lying, backstabbing, power grubbing, vacuum of King's landing can already be felt by Cassana. She can feel someone trying to place strings on her and pull her the way he or she wants. Cassana spent the first eleven years of her life in the Capitol. She knows how to play the Game of Thrones from watching the Lannisters.

There is Petyr Baelish and Cassana avoided the lying snake at all costs. Baelish served on the small council as Master of Coin and owned the most prestigious whore houses in King's Landing. Then there is her Uncle Renly and his secret proclivities. Next is Varys Master of Whispers a Eunuch from foreign lands. Her Uncle Stannis serves as Master of Ships. Janos Slynt serves as Lord Commander of the City Watch and Sir Barristan Selmy is Lord Commander of the King's Guard.

Cassana goes to her room which is already set up. She unpacks her things herself. As she unpacks Cassana smells a familiar perfume. She sighs, "What is it Mother?"

"I just wanted to talk…How have you been?"

Cassana smirks keeping her back to Cersei, "What do you care…You never write when I am away and when I visit you rarely speak to me…"

"You are my daughter and I love you despite what you think…"

"I can do without your kind of love…"

"Will you please just give me a chance…"

Cassana sighs and turns to face her, "Okay…mother…here is your chance to know me as the woman I am becoming…Meet me in the morning on the training grounds…"

"I can do that…"

Cassana grunts and doubts if she will show, but her mother surprises her the next morning and shows up. "Here put these on…"

"Why?"

"Do you want blistered bloody hands?" They are archery gloves designed for women. "Okay hold the bow like this…" Cersei mimics her motions with the bow. "We will practice without an arrow first…" So for the next few minutes they practice pulling the bow string. "Okay this is the proper way to nock an arrow…" This time Cassana stands behind Cersei helping her. "Very good! Now aim with your eyes and tell your arms and hands what to do…"

"How will I know if the arrow will reach the target?"

"Judging distances comes with time and practice…but the target is at the perfect distance for a beginner. Okay you can shoot when you are ready…"

"How will I know?"

"We'll I be damned to all seven hells!" Upon hearing the sound of her husband's voice Cersei releases the arrow and it sails twenty paces and hits the third ring from the bull's eye.

"If you are not going to be nice leave!" Cassana demands.

He walks up to Cersei and slaps her on the ass, "Nothing sexier than a woman with a weapon…" He whispers into her ear, "I may just pay you a visit later…"

Cassana shoves her father, "Go get ready for the mock battle…Today is the day I defeat you…"

"HA!"

Cassana looks at her mother and sighs, "We can stop if you like?"

She shakes her head with tears running down her cheeks, "No…I will keep going…"

Cassana gently takes the bow, "What are you feeling?"

"He use to be so handsome and riddled with muscle…Now he is all fat…"

"And you get sick every time he touches you…"

She grunts, "This is not something a mother should be discussing with her daughter…"

"You already told me about womanhood and what men and women do as man and wife…This is no different…"

"Yes it is…" She looks at Cassana, "Most children cringe when they hear what goes on between their parents in bed…"

"I am not a child anymore…I am a young woman who is concerned about her mother despite what she thinks…"

"Is that why you ran away…"

"I left because you were trying to smoother me and keep me from being who I am…A woman who likes to fight, drink, and go hunting…A woman who would rather learn about war and how to fight and win battles rather than sow and nit or keep house…Grandfather smothered you and uncle Jaime…Why is it so hard for you to let go?"

"I am trying to protect all my children…"

"That is not living…" Cassana kisses her mother on the cheek and leaves. She returns to her room to get ready for the war games with her father. They meet on the tourney grounds as usual. Cassana and Robert have a hundred men each, they all wield weapons with sponges dipped in paint. Each side has one catapult that will be loaded with a bag of flour. There are twenty archers and twenty men with paper horses attached by rope to their bodies. The rest are foot soldiers.

Robert shakes his head and looks at Sir Barristan, "My daughter has no imagination when it comes to battle…"

"Yes your grace…"

They ride out and meet each other, "I have terms…A wager…"

"What are they…"

"When I beat you today…"

She smiles as he laughs a belly laugh, "When! You have never beaten me…"

"Today is different…So when I beat you…you will sign a document granting Edric legitimacy…"

He sneers, "And when I beat you?"

"I will remain here in King's Landing and marry whomever you pick for me…"

"Arrogant little girl…alright then we have a wager."

Cassana has her archers behind the infantry and her Calvary to the right flank. Robert has his Calvary divided to the left and right flanks of his army. He has his archers to the rear and his infantry to the center. "CALVARY!" They are fifty paces from each other. The Calvary go out and tries to attack Cassana's forces in a pincer move. Cassana smiles as her father thinks he will win.

"NOW!" All the enemy forces have to do is touch Cassana's men with their painted weapons. But Cassana's men have long spears she had built and Robert's Calvary is decimated. "ARCHERS!" Cassana sends her Calvary into battle then the infantry and the archers to the left and right flank. "I win…" Cassana says riding up to her father; after everything is over

Cassana follows her father to his solar where he signs the document legitimizing Edric. Then she takes a bath to prepare for her name day feast. The servants help her to dress and get ready. Cassana is not too fond of dresses, but when she wears them her beauty is amplified. She allows her Uncle Lord Tyrion to escort her to the feast.

From her father she receives a ship he had built by the uprights in the Arbor. Cersei gives her a gold necklace with a Lion on one side and a Stag on the other. Joffrey reluctantly presents Cassana with a jewelry box. Myrcella gives her a dress she made herself. Tommen gives his sister a baby cat, Cassana names it Nala. Lord Arryn gives her a new horse.

"Dance with me!" Cassana commands walking up to her father who is flirting with a serving girl. Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen had gone to bed after the gifts were given.

He smacks the serving girl on the ass, "Duty calls…"

"When are you going to find a good man and marry…Give me some grandchildren to dote on…"

"There are no good men…Only greedy stuck up high born twats who want to bed a Princess…"

"And where did my daughter learn such language?"

"From her fowled mouthed father…"

"I have been meaning to send for Lord Stark's eldest son Robb…I want to unite our houses…From what I hear he is honorable young man…Seventeen name days old…"

She sighs, "I guess I will get no peace until I chose a suitor…but tell me oh mighty wise father…whatever shall my dowry be…You owe the Iron Bank…You owe the Lannisters…"

"Don't be impertinent! You will have a dowry…even I have conquer the Summer Isles to get one…"

She kisses his cheek, "As much as I would like to see that…Don't go and start a war on my account…"

"You will stay a few more weeks in the Capital?"

She sighs, "A few more weeks…"