Joanna

Feasts were nothing strange to Joanna, her father held one weekly in honour of someone or something unimportant just so he had an excuse to drink and pig in large quantities. The worst aspect was probably the Kings lecherous attitude to the serving girls as her mother sat next to him watching him grope various women.

Lord Stark's oldest son, Robb, had escorted her to the feast and spent the entire time staring at her like a young boy on his nameday. It didn't help that Joffrey was glaring daggers at the poor boy when he wasn't making idle conversation with the Stark girl.

Whereas feast in Kings Landing were entirely formal, in Winterfell the atmosphere was much more light-hearted. Everyone was laughing and stuffing themselves with food, with some of the common folk resorting to using their hands to pick up their food.

"I-Is Winterfell to y-your liking, your highness?" Robb stuttered like a fool, smiling at her.

"No." Joanna curtly answered, downing yet another goblet of wine. She knew that she would need more than usual to suffer through the evening. She didn't often indulge in alcohol but when she did she found that she was gradually drinking more, requiring larger quantities to block out her fathers embarrassing comments and on this occasions Robb's awkward conversational skills.

"Well, I could give you a tour tomorrow if you would-"

"Robb.." She interrupted, bored.

He flushed red. "Yes, Joa-Your highness."

"I do not like the north. I never have and I never will. Just as you wouldn't suit the south. It is nothing personal but I would prefer to drink until I can forget how my father is groping that servant. Most feasts end that way so you shouldn't be surprised that I don't want to hold a conversation" Joanna sighed before filling her goblet once more.

She didn't mean to reveal that much of her feelings but the wine was beginning to settle in her mind and it was loosening her lips. Robb wasn't usually as awkward, that much she could tell, but it seemed like a feast that a beautiful girl could melt someone as frigid as a Stark.

"I feel sorry for you then Joanna." She was too drunk to tell him to not refer to her by her name.

"I'm a princess, my brother will one day be King. What could Robb Stark have which I don't?"

Robb tilted his head towards the King. "I expected the King to be this noble warrior who could win battles and capture hearts. The kind of man that songs were written about and legends told."

"Yet all you see is a drunken fool who is whoring and drinking himself to an early grave. A man who prefers the company of whores to his own wife and regrets the existence of his children. A man who has more bastards than trueborn children. What could you possibly sympathise about?" Joanna scowled, glaring at the back of her fathers head as he shoved a chicken leg into his gaping mouth.

"My father isn't perfect either. No father is." Robb commented, surprised by the princesses honesty concerning her father.

"Ah yes. You have a bastard brother as well, something Snow, isn't it?" Joanna asked, scanning the hall in search of a boy who was supposed to look the most like their father.

"Jon. My mother thought it would be an insult to the King if he was seated with us. He's my best friend." Robb explained, pointing to his half-brother, watching as he fed his direwolf a chicken under the table.

"My brother is my best friend too. We do everything together, we have done ever since we were infants."

"The brother who doesn't seem to like me?"

Joanna hummed in agreement, turning to look at her twin who had one eye on Sansa Stark and the other on her. Joffrey gave her a warning glance and she knew what it meant. He didn't want her becoming too close to the Stark boy. Joanna knew that the boy was infatuated with her but decided not to inform him that to form even a friendship would be unlikely. A stranger to Joanna would perhaps assume that this was because she was too kind to disappoint him and upset his heart. However, she wasn't this kind. She loved teasing Joffrey, make him watch as she paid attention to others. It was like an inside joke. Joffrey was too serious and refused to accept how far she intended their relationship to go. Yes she loved him as more than a brother but at the same time she wasn't planning on losing her maidenhead to her brother. If she ever intended to marry a man of the correct status then her innocence was required.

This pointless smalltalk continued until Joanna requested to be excused from the feast. The numerous goblets of wine were taking their toll and if she didn't get some fresh air then she would surely faint and if there was anything Joanna hated more than it was appearing weak in front of others.

She made her way out of the hall into the courtyard and saw her second favourite uncle talking to the Stark bastard.

"Ah, dear niece, join us why don't you. I was just talking to Ned Starks bastard." Tyrion announced, looking silly beside the tall, dark haired boy who in Joanna's opinion was better looking than his trueborn brother.

"Your highness." Jon Snow bowed. "I apologise for my presence."

Joanna laughed, "I am no stranger to the concept of a bastard. My father has many and despite my mother's best attempts to pretend they don't exist I couldn't be more aware."

"Dear Joanna, you must be very drunk if you are risking the wrath of your brother by talking to both me and this bastard." Tyrion smirked, it seemed that his niece liked drinking as much as her parents.

"You may be a bastard, Jon Snow, but it seems our families have something in common. Both you and my father's bastards resemble their fathers much more than their true children. Not that I'm complaining, my mother is known as the most beautiful woman in Westeros."

Tyrion watched this exchange carefully, a few summers ago Joanna would never talk to a bastard, Joffrey made sure of that. However it seemed that as his nephew's actions became more erratic and violent, his twin disobeyed him more. He was reminded of his siblings' relationship. Jaime mostly did whatever Cersei said without question, but on occasion Jaime had to refuse and try to regain some of his dignity.

"If you don't mind me saying, Princess Joanna, but you are far more beautiful." Jon Snow commented.

Before anyone gets curious I want to point out that there will be no Joanna/Jon romance. I'm using the compliments and attention from Robb and Jon to catalyse a change in Joanna. Before now Joffrey has shielded Joanna from the attentions of boys and she is beginning to see that not all love is like what she shares with Joffrey. Love doesn't have to involve veiled threats and protecting from the world, that people can care for each other without an ulterior motive or like what Joffrey does.

The next chapter will hopefully be tomorrow and will be the aftermath of Bran's fall and more possession!Joffrey/Joanna and hopefully the chapter after will be beginning the journey back to Kings Landing.