Chapter 4

Family honor

"You little whore! How dare you shame me like this?!"

Elyse blinked her eyes; she couldn't understand what was happening. She felt dizzy and disoriented.

"Get up, whore!"

The voice belonged to Robert. Why was he shouting like that? Suddenly, he grabbed her hair, making her yelp in pain.

"I said get up!"

He yanked her roughly out of the bed, she yelped again as she painfully hit the floor. In that moment, Elyse realized that she was naked. Robert was still shouting at her as she tried to desperately understand what was happening. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and saw Cersei and a maid standing a few feet away. Robert's wife looked more than pleased as she observed Elyse.

"I gave you to Tywin Lannister's son!" Robert shouted. "I offered you a good life! But no, you had to spread your whore legs to Ned's bastard!"

What? Finally, Elyse realized that she wasn't in the guest chamber. There was a man in the bed. A naked man. Terror filled her as she tried to understand what had happened. The feast. She had felt dizzy and decided to retire. After that… nothing. And now she was naked in a man's chamber. Lord Stark's bastard's. He was sitting on the bed, his mouth floundering open and closed.

"Robert," she finally managed to say. "Something happened to me, I didn't come here willingly…"

"Shut your mouth!" Robert snarled. "Two people saw you coming here!"

Elyse's mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of the night before. The dizziness, the unexpected sleep, and now this horror. It made no sense. Why would she willingly come here? She struggled to find her voice amidst the chaos.

"Robert, please," she pleaded, her voice trembling. "I don't know what happened. I felt dizzy, and then everything went black. I swear, I didn't come here willingly."

"Don't lie to me!" Robert's face was a mask of fury, his grip on her hair tightening painfully. "You dare bring shame to our family?"

Elyse's heart pounded in her chest, a mix of fear and confusion clouding her thoughts. Her eyes darted to Cersei, whose satisfied smirk only deepened her dread. This had to be some kind of setup, but why? And how? Tears stung Elyse's eyes as she struggled to maintain her composure.

"Please, Robert, listen to me…"

A painful stroke silenced her. She fell on her stomach and let out a weak whimper.

"I will teach you respect!"

"Robert!" Lord Stark's voice cried out. "Your Grace! What is happening here?"

"My sister saw fit to sleep with your bastard."

"What? Jon?"

"I… I don't… I didn't…" he stuttered.

"Relax, boy," Robert snorted. "It seems that this is your lucky day."

Elyse tasted blood in her mouth as she struggled to stay conscious. She couldn't really hear what was being said, only words from here and there. Someone covered her with a blanket and lifted her up.

"Clean her up and get her ready," Robert's voice said. "The wedding will be tonight."

What wedding? Elyse tried to keep her eyes open, but finally she lost consciousness.

When Elyse woke, she was in a dimly lit room. Her head throbbed, and every muscle ached. The events before she blacked out flooded back to her in disjointed fragments: Robert's rage, Cersei's cold satisfaction... Panic surged through her veins.

She struggled to sit up, wincing at the pain. A maid was by her side, gently cleaning her wounds. The maid's face was a mask of sympathy and concern.

"Where am I?" Elyse croaked.

"You're in one of the guest chambers, my lady," the maid replied softly. "His Grace ordered us to prepare you for the ceremony."

"What ceremony?"

The maid hesitated before replying. "Your wedding, my lady."

Elyse's heart sank.

"With whom?" she managed to ask.

"With Lord Stark's son, my lady. The Lord Jon Stark."

Robert had legitimized him. Of course, he had, it would be shameful for him to marry his sister off to a bastard. It all made perfect sense. The boy had a tittle now and he would also have Elyse's property after they would be married. He must have planned the whole thing with Cersei. Elyse had never thought that her brother's wife really hated her so much. Clearly, she had been wrong. Why? The answer was obvious. Cersei didn't want Jaime to wed Elyse. No, she had rather arranged someone to violate Elyse and force her into a marriage. No. She would never agree to that.

"What time is it?" she asked. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"It's late afternoon, my lady. The wedding is to be tonight."

Elyse's mind raced. She had to find a way to stop this. "Where is Lord Stark? Or Ser Jaime? Someone must help me."

The maid looked nervous. "Lord Stark is with the King. Ser Jaime… I don't know where he is. But you must be strong, my lady. We don't have much time."

Elyse nodded weakly. She knew she couldn't rely on anyone else to save her. She needed to gather her strength and think of a plan. As the maid continued to clean her up and dress her in a simple gown, Elyse's thoughts churned. She needed to speak to Robert. She needed to make him listen to her. As soon as the maid was finished, she marched to the door. Unfortunately, two guards blocked her way.

"Apologies, my lady, His Grace ordered you to stay in your chamber until he comes," one of the said.

"I must speak to him at once," Elyse protested. "The matter is urgent."

"I'm sorry, my lady, but our orders were very clear."

"Please, tell the King that I…"

"That won't be necessary," Cersei's voice suddenly said. She walked over to Elyse with a smile on her face. "I'm afraid Robert is busy with the wedding arrangements. I am sure none of us wishes any unpleasant rumors to spread."

Elyse clenched her fists, feeling the walls of her predicament closing in. Cersei's presence was like a dark cloud that brought a cold chill to the room. The smile on her face was as cruel as it was beautiful.

"Cersei," Elyse said, trying to keep her voice steady, "this is a grave mistake. You can't allow this to happen."

Cersei raised an eyebrow, feigning concern. "Oh, dear Elyse, it's unfortunate, but the King has made his decision. Surely you understand the importance of preserving our family's honor."

Elyse took a step forward, her desperation mounting. "Honor? This has nothing to do with honor. It's about cruelty and power."

Cersei's smile widened. "I understand your feelings, but you must realize that fighting this will only make things worse for you. Accept your fate, and perhaps you will find some peace in it."

Elyse felt the sting of tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She couldn't show weakness now.

"Cersei, please... you have the power to stop this. Why are you doing this to me?"

Cersei smiled.

"My dear sister. Allow me to offer you a piece of advice. Accept your role and play it well, or you will find yourself in an even worse position." She paused and gently touched the bruise on Elyse's face. "You know how Robert gets when he's angry. I would hate to see anything happen to that pretty face of yours."

With that, Cersei turned and left the room, leaving Elyse with the guards. Elyse didn't say anything, she was too numb to speak. This couldn't be happening. She had learned to accept her engagement with Jaime, but this… There was no way she would accept this. She had already been forced to marry one monster; she wasn't going to let her brother give her to another one.