Author's note: This shall be the last update before I go away. I will be back in a little over a week but I will be writing some of the chapters while away, just can't update until I have wifi again. I hope you enjoyed this small chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones. I own Alara and her mother.
Chapter 6: Meeting the Lord
"Get out of the water slowly." The man with the sword to her throat was making demands she was not inclined to meet.
"I am naked." Alara was not frightened but she was worried. She had no way to defend herself.
"Just get up." His voice was rough, but she could tell it was not his natural tone.
Slowly,as so not to cut her throat upon on the sword, Alara stood up her back still to the man. He grabbed her arms and pulled her back away from the water before he removed to sword from her neck..
"Who are you?"
Alara turned to see the person who was holding a sword to her neck and she let her breath catch in her throat. He was tall, muscular with auburn curls and piercing blue eyes, in any other situation Alara would have been pleased by the sight of him. He was slightly intimidating and she did not know if it was the fire in his eyes or the way his jaw clenched in anger. He looked as if he could kill her as he held his sword out toward her.
"I asked who are you?" She had not realized she had gotten lost in her own thoughts.
"My name is Alara, and I was sent her here by..." She watched the man lower the sword his eyes filling with regret.
"I am so sorry, I thought you were another Wildling." His voice no longer held the same roughness, it was soft.
Alara did not know who the boy was but he was no better than the one who groped her. Did the men in the north not ask for names before they embarrassed women in such ways? She had no intention of being naked in front of a stranger, albeit an attractive stranger, she would have liked an introduction first.
"You are standing beside my dress, can you give it back." She saw the blush creep on his face as his eyes finally fell down her body.
Alara saw the same look in his eyes as she had Gendry the night she was willing to give it all to him. He liked what he saw but he would not act upon, so he was an honorable man. She watched him pick up her dress handing it to her before he turned his back to her.
"I am truly sorry, you must think so little of me. My brother Bran was attacked earlier today, I have just been on edge. I am sorry." So he was the eldest son, Robb.
As Alara dressed she watched the back of the man, she watched his shoulders sink as he spoke. She could tell he had a lot on his shoulders but that was no doubt due to running a castle. She was sure he was as kind as his mother told her he was but still she did not trust him. He had forced her from the water naked, being attacked did not warrant such behavior of a Lord. She would have to be wary of him.
"Well it could have been worse, you could have groped me like the man in the hall did. With you at least I just had to stand naked before you with a sword pointed at me. " Her wit was still intact.
"Groped you? Who did such a thing?"
Robb whirled around and stared at her in shock. Alara was surprised by how informal the young Lord was.
"I believe Maester Luwin called him Theon."
"I apologize for him. He is a ward of my family, and a friend but he is a little crass. I hope he did not hurt you."
Alara walked past the young Lord, she did not care to hear his apologizes. She wanted to find somewhere to sleep. She knew it was not time for sleep, but she needed the rest and needed to get away from men who wanted to touch her. She could hear the Lord curse under his breath as he came after her, but she did not care.
"Alara, miss, please just let me talk to you and explain myself."
"Lord Stark, you do not need to explain yourself to me."
"Please, my mother wanted you to look after my brothers and I feel if we want that to go smoothly we should speak. Come have supper with me, I have not eaten."
She ignored him as she tried to make her way back to the castle, she was too stubborn to deal with this man. She was surprised by the Lord and his improper behavior, it did not matter that he thought she was something he called a Wildling, she was still a woman and should have been treated as such.
"Just listen to me." He grabbed her arm and Alara whirled around to face the man.
"Do not touch me."
She took her arm from the mans grasp and stared at him. Their eyes met for a moment, a clash of blue and purple, causing Alara to shiver but she chalked it up to the cold air.
"Please, just eat this meal with me. I don't want us to get off on the wrong foot."
"Should of thought of that before you held a sword to my throat." She spit her words at him. "But fine, only because I am hungry."
She allowed the man to lead her back to the hall in which she shared a meal with his brother earlier. She was thankful that the man who groped her was not there, she would need to get a weapon soon to keep that man from touching her in the future.
They sat across from each other as food and drink were set out for them by a kind servant. Alara smiled at the girl, but once more she just bowed her head to them and scurried off. Alara picked at her food not really looking at the man in front of her, she was still annoyed by him.
"Would you like some wine?"
"Yes, my Lord." If he was not going to be formal, she would.
She took a sip of her wine and glanced at him over the cup. He was handsome with his mother's hair and eyes, he had stubble and his lips were twisted into a small smile. If he was not such a fool she may have found him appealing, but even then she could no deny his eyes.
"I really am sorry for my behavior it was very ungentlemanly of me. I hope we can move past it."
"Do you go around and force all women to stand before you naked, Lord Stark."
"Only the pretty ones."
She could tell he was a charmer, she had seen charming men like him before, but it would not sway her feelings of him. She did crack a smile though, she was aware of her looks and the effect they had on men.
"And am I pretty?" She could be a tease if she wished to be.
He shut up quickly and took a gulp of his wine. Alara could tell he was not used to women being so openly receptive to his charms, she had no doubt he saved his charm for the daughter of Lords. The kind of women who would swoon over a boy like him. Alara had seen Lords, and common men, he was no different.
They ate the rest of their meal in silence until they were joined by the man, Theon, who groped her. Alara sat on edge, her hand gripping tight to the knife on the table. If he tried to touch her again she would cut him, she was not some common whore for him to use.
"Oh it's you again."
"I have a name and you know that because I told you it. You should fucking use it." She gripped the knife until her knuckles turned white.
"Who are you to speak to me like that you little whore."
"Theon, stop it. You will apologize to Alara, she is a guest here and will be treated as such."
Alara made at face at the Lord, she could defend her own honor she did not need him. Theon did not say a word but he reached his hand toward Alara and she acted without thinking. She saw a sword on his belt so as he reached toward her bending over the table she quickly grabbed his sword and pointed it at him.
"Touch me again and I will cut you." She held anger in her eyes as the man backed away from the end of his own sword.
"How did you?"
"I will give this back, but don't ever make a move to touch me again."
Alara handed the sword back to the boy and went back to eating. She caught a glimpse of the smile upon the Lord's face, he found it funny. Alara saw no humor in what she had done, she was defending herself from the man who could not control his hands. She heard Theon leave in a huff but she made no move to look in the direction of his absence.
"You are lucky I did not have a sword when you held yours to my throat. I would have cut your hand off."
"I can see that. You know how to handle a sword then?"
"I had a few lessons."
Alara did not think she was good, and she did not doubt the Lord was better than her. Bronn called her a natural but even then she was a beginner. She had only a real sword a few times, and one of them was to kill a man in self defense.
"I can continue to teach you, if you wish of course. I plan to teach Rickon as well."
Alara looked at the Lord over her cup as she sipped her wine. She was sure he was a good teacher, but she was wary of him. He called Theon a friend, and if his friend was unable to control his hands she did not doubt the Lord could not as well. She would love to learn to fight more though, as she had learned on the road defending herself was necessary in this land.
"I suppose you can teach me, if you can keep your hands to yourself."
"Well I do wish to keep my hands, I feel I may need them, so I will not touch you."
Alara let herself laugh for real at him, he could be funny. He was a typical Lord though in some sense, charming, funny, and charismatic but he did seem to lack the knack for being proper at times. She wondered what about her made him feel comfortable enough to drop his formality. Could it be because to him she was just another bastard or maybe because he thought she was a whore like her mother.
Once they were both finished eating they sat there neither saying a word. Alara would glance at the man as she drank her wine and she each time she did her eyes would catch his own. She got lost in his eyes for a moment, they were blue like none she had ever seen. Gendry had blue eyes, very handsome blue eyes, but this man's eyes were different. Gendry's seemed cold at times, no doubt from all he had suffered, but this Lord's eyes were full of life and happiness. When their gaze would meet he would smile and it would cause Alara to look away.
"Why is your friend like that?" Alara felt comfortable enough to confront the issue after her fourth cup of wine.
"He is Ironborn, they don't have much respect my family tried to help that though."
"Ironborn? What is that?"
Alara had never heard such a term before. She did not know what iron had to do with anyone's blood and birth.
"Are you serious?"
The Lord looked her as if she was going mad. She did not expect him to understand, he probably knew everything about anything, and there she was again completely clueless.
"Yes, I really don't know." She looked down ashamed.
"Well it means he was born on the Iron Islands,Pyke to be specific. His father is the Lord of the Iron Islands."
Alara learned about the Iron Islands when she spoke to Bronn about the Seven Kingdoms. He did not tell her much other than they were good fighters and they were very prideful people.
"So they call themselves Ironborn because they were born on the Iron islands?"
"Yes."
It made no sense to Alara.
"The Ironborn are stubborn, rude and don't believe in paying for things with gold. They tend to take what they want and don't think too much on the consequences. Nine years ago there was a rebellion by the Iron Islands against the crown, when they failed my father took Theon in as a ward."
The more the Lord spoke the more Alara found it all to be silly. Why would someone want to rise up against the King? They could not have imagined it would end well. Why would the Starks take in the enemies son? She thought it all to be foolish.
"Seems confusing to me."
"Do you really not know about the Islands, or the rebellion?" He sounded so surprised.
"I really don't."
Alara got up from the table, ashamed of herself. He knew so much and yet she was just a stupid girl trying to be something she wasn't. She was foolish to think she could speak to someone like him about things she knew nothing of, at least with Rickon she ran the chance of him not knowing too much either.
"Where are you going?"
"For a walk."
She walked out of the hall unsure of whether the Lord was following her or not, she really hoped he wasn't. She needed to be alone. She had been in Winterfell a day, a day, and already she had been groped, looked upon naked, it was a disaster. She felt as if she had never left home and she had become just another whore in the brothel, or just another girl on the street for men to leer at.
She longed for Gendry who had seen her naked and still looked at her the same. She missed his laugh, and how he never judged her for not knowing things about the world around them. She wished he could have made the trip with her.
"Alara, if I offended you again, I am sorry." The young Lord came from behind her.
"It is alright, Lord Stark. It is not your fault that I do not know much."
"Well, if you need a tutor in that department as well I would love to be of help. It beats trying to run the north."
She turned to look at him confused. She did not understand why he was being so kind to her. He had threatened her, and she had threatened his friend. She was only there to take care of his brothers, there was no need for him to be so kind. She began to wonder what ulterior motive the young Lord had in helping her.
"You do not need to, I am here for your brothers."
"No offense, Alara, but my brothers do not need you. Bran is bed ridden most days, and he has Old Nan who looks after him. Both boys receive lessons from Maester Luwin, they don't need you to hover over them."
"I think you could not be more wrong, at least about Rickon."
She thought to her time with the young boy, he needed someone. He needed a person who would actually acknowledge his presence, someone who knew he was there. She saw the way he acted when someone finally listened to him and she would not take that from the child.
"Can you show me where I will sleep? I have gotten tired."
The Lord bid her to follow him and he led her through the castle until they reached the chambers. She watched him as they walked, his body language had shifted once more, and she could see he was uncomfortable. She wondered if it was because she called him out on his own brother, or if it was something more. When they reached a door at the end of a hallway he stopped and turned toward her.
"This will be your chamber, miss. Rickon and Bran are at the other end of the hall. I am just two rooms down if you need anything." He was being proper now.
"Thank you, Lord Stark."
Alara bowed her head to him and made a move to go into her chamber but he gently took her by the wrist. She let out a sigh, she had told him not to touch her.
"Don-"
"Call me Robb, please. I don't exactly enjoy being called Lord Stark, I still think of my father as such."
There was something in his eyes as he spoke, something in the light touch on her arm that made her body flush. She shook the thoughts from her head and looked toward her door.
"Of course, Robb." She smiled not looking at him before slipping into the chamber.
When she got inside Alara leaned against the door closing her eyes. What was going on with her? His eyes were all she could see when she closed her own, and she would not allow that. She needed sleep, she needed to erase him from her thoughts. She replaced the thought him with the thought of Gendry, her mother and home. She would stay in Winterfell long enough to find out who her father was, who her family was, and then she would leave. She would go home, take her mother, and find her new family. She would find where she belonged.