Summary: Carina Stark thought her life was over, that she would die in here while her sister acted like a little bird and her brother played his war games. When Stannis Baratheon conquers Kings Landing her perspective changes and then the Red Witch sees she is important, that together she and Stannis can do great things. Can the broken wolf become the queen she is or will she break even more?
Carina - Kaya Scodelario
One
Carina Stark was born shortly after her brother Robb and had been a quiet babe, so she was told by Old Nan. As a child her brain made her smarter than most and she was also sneaky enough to train without her mother noticing. She loved her mother but she did not always agree with her on things, one had been her brother Jon Snow. The cruelty her mother showed a child changed the way that she looked at the woman. Carina could never understand blaming the child for the actions of the parent but her mother wouldn't hear anything against herself.
When the king had asked for her father to come to King's Landing and she heard that Sansa would come with them she had hoped it would help her little sister learn that not everything was all songs and stories. Yet it troubled Carina that with the cruelty Joffrey showed it did nothing to make Sansa learn and then she learned what her stupid sister told the queen and Carina could never forgive her after that. Carina still protected her from the brutality of the new mad king, taking her beatings and still her sister acted so sweet and in love with the boy. She knew it would end badly for Sansa and still she tried to protect her little sister. Then Stannis Baratheon came and everything changed for her.
"I would pray for death girl. I doubt Stannis Baratheon would do anything for you and who knows what his soldiers would do to you," a Kingsguard sneers.
"At least he isn't a mad king," she spits from the bed, her back aching.
Carina expects him to beat her or threaten to rape her but she isn't important enough so they lock her in her room and go to battle or protect Cersei. She stares at nothing as she tries to put the pain out of her mind, pain she has become accustomed to. She isn't sure what her back looks like now, knows they tried to switch things up and avoid her face. She thinks she has had more bruises than anything and this beating had been the worst. Upon finding out about her brother's victory and Stannis as well, Joffrey had found it upon himself to have her beaten and then whipped.
It is sometimes later when Carina feels the keep shaking and she grabs the dagger hidden beneath her pillow. She can't move, doesn't think she will make it out of there on her own but if they try to hurt her she won't go down without a fight. The door slams open and she sees a gold cloak coming towards her.
"If Stannis is to win, let me have my fun with you girl," he says.
Carina waits till he grabs her and pulls her up before she slams the dagger into his shoulder and pulls it out. She screams trying to shove him off her. She manages to shove him out of the way and she moves for the door but before she can get out she is thrown to the floor. Carina is turned over the knife right beside her and she looks into the crazed eyes of the man on top of her as he chokes her. As she gasps for breath, she tries to reach the knife but he laughs moving her away from it. Carina can see black spots in her vision and she is hitting, trying to fight when a sword is suddenly plunged into his head from behind and she doesn't get a chance to see who it is before she loses consciousness.
Broken Wolf Queen*
Stannis Baratheon looks around the destruction inside the keep not able to believe he is finally here. His wife sacrificing herself to the fire after failing to sacrifice Shireen had seemed like a bad omen to him but then it turned out it wasn't. They had Joffrey Lannister locked up in cells with his imp of an uncle but it was where Cersei had been that had been the most shocking. She sits with Tommen and Mycella dead on the throne, Stannis feels nothing for the witch that had been his good sister but Tommen and Mycella had been innocent and he would have spared them with some concessions.
"Your Grace it's the Stark girls," one of his men says rushing up to him.
Stannis follows him until he comes upon a room and sees the mangled body of Sansa. Considering this had been Joffrey's, he can guess what had happened to the girl and shakes his head. He understood the need for potentially keeping the girl hostage but she should have been treated with respect. He orders the young girl to be covered and is led over to another room, further away and sees the other girl is still breathing but she looks worse for wear.
"Get the Maester, not the Grand Maester but Cressen. She is a Stark girl and she makes sure she is treated with respect," Stannis orders.
Stannis sees the men nod their heads at him but they all seem too nervous to pick up the girl and he moves them out of the way. She doesn't need more injuries than she already has. He picks her up and sets her down on the bed in her room and as they wait for the Maester he has to stop himself from thinking about how she had a beautiful face, he won't be his brother and not able to control himself. He would make sure that even if he needed to use her as a bargaining chip then she was treated well and with respect.
It is days later and chaos has been the feeling for now. The Lannisters have done much to destroy everything and the small folk were mistreated and starved. That's not to even mention what was done to the Stark girls though luckily a Septa had confirmed Carina Stark is still intact and he is sure when he negotiates with Robb Stark that will be a relief. He knows his men and also Melisandre want him to fight the Stark boy but he knows that Robb Stark did not seek out war, he did not choose to crown himself for no reason. Robb Stark was forced to fight when his father and sisters were taken hostage and when his father was executed his bannerman crowned him so he finds he cannot fault the young wolf for what he has done, especially when he managed to defeat Tywin Lannister and take Jaime Lannister hostage.
"Your Grace," the Red Witch greets.
"What have you seen?" Stannis asks knowing she would not have asked to meet with him privately if she had not seen something.
"The North is important for the future, there is a threat there, one of men with cold eyes that brings nothing but darkness and cold with them. And the girl, Carina Stark, is important as well. She is important to you," Melisandre reveals.
"And what do you mean important to me?" He asks curiously.
"She is yours, Your Grace, just as you are hers. She is your fate and she is the key to everything. She is your life and she will be your heart. She is great," Melisandre says looking excited, a look she hasn't shown before.
Stannis is thinking and knows a marriage with Carina Stark would only be to his advantage. He also understands though that the poor girl, woman, had been through enough and she needs care and respect if this is to work. He is about to say something when a messenger boy runs out of breath to inform them that the Stark girl is awake.
"You will help the Maester take care of her. If she is to even consider being my queen she needs to heal from what has happened to her so be kind," Stannis orders the Red Witch as they walk to her room.
Stannis enters the room to see the girl has been changed and bandaged. She is sitting up looking around the room in suspicion and Stannis sees her hand under her pillow, probably gripping a knife of some kind. Her gray eyes meet his stormy blue ones and dare he say it she seems to relax, her hand no longer under the pillow. He orders everyone out of the room save for Melisandre and waits til the door closes before trying to speak.
"Would you like water child?" Melisandre asks, stepping towards the girl.
"Yes," she croaks her voice rough and he bets it is from being choked.
"You are safe Lady Stark," Stannis begins, only to be interrupted.
"I know I am Your Grace. I doubt my father would have tried to send me to you for protection if he thought you were dishonorable," she whispers after taking a sip of water.
"Your father was a good man. He deserved more respect than he had received," Stannis says knowing he will contemplate her revelation later.
"He was a fool. His honor demanded he give Cersei a chance to run and she used it to kill your brother and arrest my father. He should have kept quiet and he shouldn't have trusted Littlefinger. Littlefinger came to me and bragged about how he betrayed my father so he could have my mother. They were both fools," Carina says, tears falling down her face.
Stannis supposes there are things he can say to that, he could argue with it, even justify some of Ned Stark's actions but he thinks this is coming not from a girl who hates her father but has suffered enough. He has to be delicate about this and take his time though going by the glint in Melisandre's eyes he thinks she will push too much. Either way Carina Stark is important and he won't push her more than need be, especially if she was important to him. He couldn't afford to lose something that important to him after already almost losing Shireen.