Lady of the West
Chapter Six
"Cersei, stop squirming!" Elia said with a sigh as she tried to brush the younger girl's curls, they were oft an uncontrollable mess in the morning and Elia often found it was her duty to try and tame them in the morning into something that could be seen in public, thankfully her own hair was known to curl as well and so she had some experience with dealing with such before she came to ward at the Rock.
"I wouldn't squirm if it didn't hurt!" The young Lady of the Rock spat out, she had grown used to it over the years but having her hair tended to was still not something that Cersei had ever learned to enjoy, Elia did her best to make it as quick as possible. "I still don't understand why I have to go through with this, I told Uncle Tygett and Aunt Genna that I didn't want to and I am their lady, they should have done as I said."
Elia sighed as she placed the brush down on the table and stepped away, walking over to a trunk to bring out some gowns for Cersei to choose from, "And when you turn six-and-ten and are a woman grown you will have the rule of Casterly Rock in your own right and can do as you please, but until then you must do as your Uncle bids of you, you are smart enough to know this."
"It does not mean I have to like it," Cersei said and even with Elia's back to her she could hear the pout in her voice, it made Elia smile to hear it as she could still hear the young girl who had greeted her when she came to Casterly Rock all those years ago, the one she had come to love as a little sister.
It was a good thing that she had not been promised to Oberyn, they more than likely would have killed one another.
"No, it does not," Elia agreed placatingly as laid out the silks on the bed, taking care not to ruffle them because if she did then Cersei's aunt Genna would not let either of them hear the end of it, the woman was almost Dornish in her attitude, if she had been the oldest of Lord Tytos's children and Dornish law applied in the west then Casterly Rock would have had a fierce lioness for it's lady.
Cersei sighed and walked over to the bed and Elia set to dressing her, the girl always preferred her green silks and to wear emeralds in her hair but Lady Genna had made it clear to Elia that she would need to wear crimson silk and weave rubies in Cersei's hair instead. "They must all see a Lannister, proud and unrelenting," Genna said as looked up from her book. "They will want to make her their lady, and themselves her lord and master and Lord of the Rock, we must make certain we show no weakness."
And so Elia set to her work, the girl was already wearing her shift and Elia put over it Cersei's green kirtle and then pulled the crimson silk over that before containing her golden curls in a ruby encrusted hair net.
Cersei was tall for her age, and yet it was hard not to see her as just a girl of four-and-ten playing in her mother's clothes when she was dressed so. Elia felt a sudden surge of affection and leaned in to press a kiss to Cersei's cheek, "What was that for?" Cersei asked, bewildered.
"I love you, you know that, yes?"
Cersei blinked and then smiled, leaning in to press a kiss of her own to Elia's cheek. "I know sister, and I love you as well." Cersei sighed and took hold of Elia's hand. "Come on then, the sooner we go the sooner this is done."
And with that they left the bedchamber and made their way to the great hall.
The poor servants had been working all of the past day and well into the night to ensure that it was as splendid as it could be, the golden walls had been polished until they were shinning and Elia could see herself in them, the great statue of Lann the Clever had been similarly tended to as well, suits of gilded armour had been moved from the Golden Gallery to line the walls of the hall, and in the light of the torches they shone as well.
Lady Genna and Lord Tygett were already waiting for them, standing tall and proud on the dais and if Elia did not already know they were brother and sister she might have mistaken them for husband and wife.
Considering that Lady Genna's own husband seemed to be away at the Twins more often than not it could be an easy mistake to make.
"Ah, there you both are," Lady Genna said and stepped down from the dais and turned her eye to her niece, scrutinising her fiercely. After a few moments she nodded. "Very good, you look wonderful."
"I always do," Cersei muttered and Elia was quick to hide her smile behind her hand, Ser Tygett did not hid his own smirk even as his sister sighed.
"Yes well, come and take your place," Cersei would sit herself upon the high chair of the dais with her uncle at her right hand and her aunt at her left, Elia was to be in the gallery with all the other lords and ladies who held court at Casterly Rock.
It was not long after all of them had taken their places that the the doors to the great hall were opened, and the selection was brought in.
Elia knew her histories well enough to have heard about the maiden day ball that was held in the court of Aegon the Dragonbane, where the sad little king was high up on the Iron Throne and all the maidens of the realm were brought before him so he could make his choice, and every lordling and knight saw that as their one chance to make their daughter or sister or aunt the queen, no matter their age or opinion on the matter.
What would the maesters call this when they wrote about it? Elia wasn't sure but she found herself wishing that Oberyn was here, her wicked little brother with his clever tongue would no doubt think of something sharp to call it that would make her laugh, even if she knew she should not.
They had come from all corners of the realm, stormlanders and riverlanders, crownlanders and iron islanders, northmen and valemen, Elia saw her own countrymen and men who could only be from beyond the narrow sea.
All had come to try and win the hand of one person.
Most were second or third sons and most seemed to be of an age with the young lady of the Rock, though a small amount seemed to be younger than her. A small handful seemed to be older, some distressingly so.
Cersei Lannister rose to her feet and spoke the words she had been taught, "My lords, be welcome beneath my roof and at my hearth, drink deep of my wine and taste of my bread and salt and know you are under my protection."
Once Cersei had sat back down the servants set to their work, bringing forth bread and ale and wine and all other sorts of food, singers began to sing and pipers began to pipe and some seemed to show more interest in that for the moment rather than the actual reason they had all come.
But Elia saw that some would not wait and a line was starting to form in front of the dais, and Elia watched carefully.
Some tried to flatter her, some tried to impress her, some gave her gifts and some ignored her entire and spoke only to her aunt and uncle and some spoke only to her uncle and yet all were given polite words and none were promised anything.
After an hour Elia knew it was time to descend from the gallery and join in with the throng, she had always been small and normally she had found that to be a problem and yet now it allowed her to more easily pass through the crowd without being noticed.
Elia took a goblet of wine from a passing server's platter, both gold of course, and looked for someone she could speak to. Her mother would want her to find allies for Dorne and House Martell, it was part of the reason she was left here to be fostered, after all.
There was a young Tyroshi man with purple hair and whiskers that Elia considered approaching, more ties with the Free Cities could always be useful, when a laugh went up into the air.
It was cruel and cold and mocking, and Elia found herself walking towards the dais to see what had caused it.
Cersei, Tygett and Genna were where they had always been, standing in front of them was a young boy of fourteen or fifteen years of age to her eyes. He was a northman and not handsome, with a long face and dull grey eyes and looked uncomfortable, both in his fine doublet and hose, and his own skin.
The one who was laughing at him was beautiful, none could deny him that, with skin as pale as milk and silver hair that fell in lazy curls around his face, he could be mistaken for a Targaryen were it not for his brown eyes and the crab sewn over his heart.
He also stank of wine.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the man snorted and wiped at his mouth, a purple stain forming on his doublet. "But I just couldn't hold it in, look at you boy. She isn't going to pick you, who wants a husband that looks like a horse and comes from a house that can off nothing but snow and acorns."
The other young man looked like he was trying to say something, but struggled with his words. Cersei looked annoyed and neither her aunt or her uncle seemed please any of the three of them might have said something.
But no-one got the chance.
A large shape barrelled forward, faster than one would think, and slammed it's fist into the beautiful man's face and Elia was certain she heard a snap and she definitely saw blood as the man collapsed to the floor.
Someone screamed and suddenly the guards were there, pulling the larger man away and the maester was kneeling next to the Celtigar man who was now sitting up and whimpering while the maester examine his very broken nose.
"Brandon!" It was the young man who was being mocked who spoke, he had finally found his tongue and he spoke with a familiar irritation that one's own siblings could only bring forward. "Why did you do that!?"
The older man shrugged, seemingly unconcerned that he was being held back by two guardsmen. "He was a shithead, shitheads should get hit."
"You bastard!" The Celtigar man shouted, climbing to his feet. "My father is King Aerys's most trusted advisor, I'll have your head for this!"
"Enough!" Ser Tygett spoke, "There will be no talk of heads, you man are drunk and are making a fool of yourself, you may either retire to your chambers for the night or you may leave the Rock but I will not suffer to see you in this hall for the rest of the day, am I understood?"
The man cursed and stormed out of the room, the other man's laughter following him out. "And you," Tygett addressed him next. "I understand protecting your own, but I will have no violence, am I understood?"
"Of course Ser," the man spoke with a smile that made no promises and with a nod of of Ser Tygett's head the guardsmen let him go and then the man swanned off into the crowd, his younger brother following after him.
The line of suitors continued on like nothing had happened but Elia found her attention drawn away and she made her way over to a trestle table where the two men were in the middle of an argument.
Well, the younger boy seemed to think he was having, the older was seemingly more interested in carving himself a few slices of honey roasted ham. It was he who noticed Elia first. "Sod off Ned, I have more important things to do."
The boy caught sight of her then, blushed, and bowed to her before walking off.
And then they were alone.
"It was very gallant of you to step forward in your brother's defence," no doubt many and more would call it a foolish thing to do and Elia could see that it was, but all the same Oberyn had always being her fiercest champion and defend and to see another brother step forward to protect his own sibling, it brought back warm and tender memories.
It had been to long since she had seen either of her brothers, she should write to them again tonight.
It was the bellowing laughter that brought Elia out of her bittersweet memories. "Gallant," the man said with a careless smile. "You'll have to come back with us to Winterfell, you can tell my lord father how gallant I was, he might believe it if it comes from anyone else."
"I would be glad to do so," Elia said and then fell into an effortless courtesy. "I am Princess Elia of House Martell."
The man's smile widened just a little bit and bowed before taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. "Brandon of House Stark, at your service."
End of Chapter Six