CHAPTER 11
Jorah said, "I can't take it anymore. I want to marry you and have a family with you and Crystal. She will be our oldest." Lyra laughed, caressing his cheek.
She said, kissing his neck, "Jorah, you don't play fair. It's been one day since you saw me four years ago." She licked his neck.
Jorah moaned and said, "I know but I had all this time to think and just know you're the only woman for me."
Lyra said, "If I go to Bear Island, I will have to go to White Harbor and sail my ship around Westeros to your island. It might take three to four months, you know." He passionately kissed her and his one hand was on her lower back and the other around her neck caressing her cheek. He started kissing her neck. She was moaning.
He said breathing against her skin, "I'd wait forever to be with you and have you as my wife." He stood up, while picking her up and laid her across his bed.
He said softly to her and gently lay on her, "I'm in love with you, the way you make those children laugh and the sweet way you treat your lion. You're so lovely and different from all other women. Your accent when you talk, your outstanding beauty, the way you treat others, the way you fight to defend what you love and most of all the way you are looking at me like you are right now. Please be mine, Lyra?"
Lyra looked in his eyes, caressed his lips with her fingers, "I'll be yours and you'll be mine." He broke out into a big happy smile and was laying on top of her. He started kissing her deeply and passionately. Her legs were wrapped around him pulling him close to her. Then there was a knock on the door. Jorah and Lyra sat up. Jorah answered the door. It was Ned.
Ned said, "I need you to come have a drink with the other lords in the Common Room."
Lyra came up behind Jorah to the door and Jorah said smiling, "Lyra just said she would be mine."
Ned smiled happily and said, "I'm happy for you both." He patted him on his back as they walked out. Ned knew that after Jorah's wife died in childbirth some years ago he was devastated afterwards. He hoped his luck had changed, but with Lyra in his life, who knows what could happen.
They all went into the Common Room together and Lyra was holding Jorah's hand. Roose came up to Lyra and said, "I was wondering if you would like to come to my castle for a tour after the feast? I have a son that would find you and your lion entertaining, also. He will be here tomorrow and you can meet him." Her skin was crawling.
Lyra said calmly, "I'm sorry, Lord Bolton, but I am Ser Jorah's woman and just agreed to a betrothal before Lord Stark. He just asked me because we have known each other for four years." Roose looked at Jorah and then down to their hands clasped together.
Roose, a bit dismayed, said, "I see. Such a pity. You would have enjoyed the experience." He walked away.
Lyra grabbed on to Jorah's arm a little tight, he patted her hand. They went and got a drink. They talked and socialized, having light conversations with Lord Manderly, Dustin, Flint and Hornwood, then the maid said dinner was ready. Everyone went to the Great Hall.
Lyra sat between Sansa and Arya like was promised. Crystal was in between her and Arya. Arya was happily touching the lion. Crystal nuzzled Arya in the neck loudly purring. Arya giggled out loud.
Caitlyn, on the other side of Arya with Bran on her lap, couldn't believe how the lioness loved her children with such sweet ways of affection.
Roose Bolton said to Ned, "Lord Stark, my bastard son will be here by midday meal tomorrow. I would like to see how Ramsay would take to the lion. He is wonderful with his hounds."
Ned replied to him, "I guess we shall see. Crystal is a discerning animal and accepts only those who treat her kindly." Even Ned had an ill feeling about Ramsay around his children and wondered how the lion would react to him. The bastard was very calculating and he never trusted him.
Roose said, "My son is very smart and I educate him. He loves his hounds and likes showing them off to the smallfolk girls. It was a shame that recently one of his little smallfolk girls he knows was found mauled and killed by a wild animal in the woods recently. He took it hard." Lyra knew that Ramsay was a sick little twisted bastard and probably killed the girl in the games his sick mind plays with his hounds. 'Yes,' Lyra thought, 'some kind of accident must be-fall Ramsay Snow before he kills more children and soon to be adults. After all, he and his father are on my list.'
Ned said, "Lady Lyra, are you ok? You haven't eaten yet?"
Lyra was broken out of her thoughts and said, "I'm fine, Lord Stark. Just got lost in thought for a moment."
Caitlyn frowned and said sternly, "Arya, I want you to eat your vegetables and quit feeding them to the cat."
Arya shrugged and said innocently, "She looked hungry." Lyra suppressed her grin.
Caitlyn said, trying not to smile, "You need to eat your own food. The cat has to eat hers too, Arya." Arya started eating and Lyra saw a sneak or two under the table. Arya was such a smart and precocious and adorable little girl.
After dinner, Lyra and Crystal were invited into the Family Common Room. Crystal laid down on her back in front of the fireplace as the children lined up on their knees around her to pet on her. Lyra sat next to Jorah who put his arm around her. A few of the lords were in the room too.
Theon asked Lyra, "Lady Lyra, do you know any scary stories, like a pirate one?"
Lyra sat scratching her chin and said, "I might have one." She got up and crawled down pushing Jon and Robb apart to make room, as they giggled.
She had her cup of wine and said, "There is the one about Black Bartel the dark and evil pirate. Have you ever heard of him?" The children all shook their heads no. She said, "Well it's a good thing you haven't because I have seen the ghost lights on the breaking rocks and never go near them." She had their attention.
She said in her deep voice, "The old sailor I met in Old Town at the pub told me the history of Black Bartel, the most evil pirate to sail the fourteen seas. Let's see, this is how it goes….."
'Black Bartel was an evil, surly pirate who murdered his wife and children because he didn't want them around him anymore. He went to sea with a stray band of pirates as nasty and evil as he was. He roamed the sea coasts, murdering and pillaging and laying waste to the countryside as he passed them. By the time he approached a bay of the next big island, Black Bartel had a ship loaded with treasure; five hundred chests he had that were full of gold and jewels and goblets and mighty swords in his hold.'
'A thick fog lay over the bay as the ship approached, and the treacherous tide soon took hold of the evil man's ship. The crashing, churning waters and that dangerous ledge of rocks they break up on was near the bay. Wind took hold of the pirate ship and smashed its hull in.' She made a crashing noise.
'But Captain Bartel spotted land to the starboard side of the ship. He and his trusted mate Ben the Hook had the crew load up the escape boat on that side of the ship with every treasure chest they could fit. Then the bold pirate had his first mate selfishly murder the others so they would not have to share the treasure with them.'
'Ben the Hook crouched just out of sight in the rocking escape boat…" She leaned down low and sat up and said loudly, making the children jump. "…and slit each man's throat with his hook as the seaman bent to place his burden in the hold. Then Ben threw each body over the side of the ship into the churning waters below so that the next pirate would not sense a trap when he came forward with his treasure.'
'When the treasure was loaded into the boat, Black Bartel and Ben the Hook rowed into the calmer waters of the bay. They searched for a place to bury their treasure. Finding a large cave on an island on the other side from the wrecked ship, they piled each chest inside and then covered the entrance with a mighty pile of rocks. As Ben the Hook rolled the last boulder into place…" She paused and made them jump again saying loudly, "...Bartel thrust his sword deep into his chest, twisting it with an evil laugh, and watched as his mate fell dead at his feet.'
'Knowing that he had to leave this remote spot or starve, the evil pirate captain walked along the edge of the water, searching for a town or a harbor where he might row the escape boat. But Black Bartel soon found himself mired in quicksand with no one left alive to save him. Only the gulls heard his dying curses ringing over the cape as he sank down and down into the quicksand and was engulfed.'
'One stormy night soon after the pirate's death, the watcher of the cliffs saw a little light in the direction of the rocks and rough waters of the bay. Thinking it is a ship in trouble; the cliff watcher called together some men to investigate. He wanted to see what it was and they put their boat into the waters, heading for that part of the bay. But as they approached the vessel in distress, they saw an ancient galley with tattered sails. Its decks were piled high with treasure chests spilling over with gold. Astride the rocking deck was a solitary man in black. The evil pirate skull with fire red eyes glowing and grinning wickedly down at them, gesturing grandly with his cutlass in a skeleton hand. As the waves overwhelmed their boat pulling it into breaking rocks, the last thing the cliff watcher and the men heard was the sound of Black Bartel's ghost, laughing at them evilly. All the sailors know never to go to the ghost lights on the left tip of Marahai in The Jade Sea."
Robb asked, "Did they ever find the treasure? Have you ever looked for it?"
She said, "There is a Marahai island in the middle of the island entrance. There is a small island. The island is shaped like this." She made her thumb and index finger curve into a 'C'.
Lyra said, "The island is right there." She put her finger between her thumb and finger tips.
Lyra said, "I took my crew with me to search for caves around the edges of the island. We found lots of hidden pools of quicksand, but the one cave had something huge growling and living in it. We found a big huge spider and giant webs too. We figured if treasure was in there, it could stay there because there were thousands of its baby spiders the size of your hand that wanted to bite you. We basically ran for it and made sure each other didn't have any spiders in our clothes or on us to take back to the ship. We agreed that the treasure, if it was there, was well guarded." The children nodded agreeing.
Jon asked, "Can you tell us another story?"
Lyra thought about it and said, "Ever heard the story of The Red Spot?" They shook their heads no.
She said, "Let's see… how that goes… oh yes…"
"While a woman named Freya slept, she was a hard sleeper and was hard to wake up, a big spider crawled across her face. It stopped for several minutes on her left cheek, then went on its way. She woke up and said, 'What is this red spot on my cheek?' she asked her mother the next morning. Her mother said, 'Looks like a spider bite.' Her mother said, 'It'll go away, just don't scratch it.' Soon the small red spot grew into a small red boil. 'Look at it now," Freya said, 'It's getting bigger. It's sore.' Her mother told her, 'That sometimes happens because it's coming to a head.'"
"In a few days, the boil was even larger. 'Look at it now,' Freya said, 'It hurts and it's ugly.' 'We'll have the village maester look at it,' her mother said, 'maybe it's infected.' But the maester couldn't see Freya until the next day."
That night Freya took a hot bath. As she soaked herself, the boil burst!…" Lyra said the words burst loudly, scaring the children making them jump. She said in an icky voice, while wiggling her fingers, "...out poured a swarm of tiny spiders from the eggs their mother had laid in her cheek all over her face and she screamed." The children had grossed out looks on their faces.
Lyra died laughing at them saying, "You should see your faces." She kept laughing and the kids piled on her tickling her, making her start tickling them.
They got tired and Arya said, "You tell the best stories, Lady Lyra." Lyra looked over at her and caressed her face.
Caitlyn said, "It's time for bed children. Say goodnight to everyone." The children all kissed Crystal, Lyra and their parents saying goodnight.
After they said goodnight to their parents, Ned said, "You're going to be a great mother, Lady Lyra. Our children adore you."
Lyra said, getting off the ground and sitting next to Jorah, "Your children, all five of them, are so very easy to love. They have manners and listen well. Believe me, I have seen some horrible children that were spoiled tyrants or with vicious cruel hearts. It reflects on the way they are raised or not raised. I love all children and can do without the cruel ones." Crystal came up sitting next to her legs putting her head in her lap.
Lyra said while petting Crystal's head, "I believe that there are two things in this world that are completely innocent when born: a child of man and animals. They are taught cruelty or treated that way to know how to be mean by man. They come into the world as pure as snow, beautiful and ready to know love from anyone who will share it and regardless of who or what the parents are. That's why no matter whether the child is rich or poor, titled or not, sick or healthy, I'll have love to share for them even if only for a moment that I may have time. Then I feel I have served the gods in respect for their gifts of life and generosity they bestow on us. It's like walking through a field as big as a sea full of beautiful flowers with your head down. I think it would anger the gods not to have me notice the beauty they created for me at that moment in time. It's the same with children." She stopped and looked at the room as everyone was looking at her with a face she couldn't put into words.
She said blushing, "Sometimes my mouth runs away with me, forgive me."
Ned said softly, "You are a woman who is beautiful inside and out, Lady Lyra. I'm sure the gods appreciate your care of the children in our world." The other lords mumbled in agreement. Jorah lightly kissed her.
Caitlyn said respectfully, "You humble me as a mother, Lady Lyra. I never looked at it like that before. You are right, it does serve the gods, new or old to teach and love children being they can be so rare. I have been lucky to have my four and both boys and girls. I never thought about the other two. Perhaps, tomorrow I will give them both a more positive moment of my time." Lyra looked Caitlyn in the eyes and nodded her head and smiled softly at her.
Ned was impressed that Lyra had just touched on something that was a problem in his family and pointed out how to get his wife to look at it differently. He knew the child was his sister's but had to hide it some way causing a rift between Jon and Caitlyn. His wife was such a good mother but was taking out his supposed infidelity on the innocent boy. Perhaps, Lyra may change that.