Chapter 16 – Dusk

3rd month of 277 – Week 1 – day 6

"Happy name day Lady Karlyn." The young maid who worked with Mira, briskly walked around the large airy chamber that Karlyn had been given at Casterly Rock. The maid, was the 3rd Karlyn had, had during her time at the Rock. Mainly because she had discovered the other two had been rummaging through her things and reading her correspondence, none of which was at all treasonous in words but after Cersei had parroted a sentence from her sister Lyanna at dinner, one night, sniggering about the younger girls bad hand writing, Karlyn had banished the two maids from her presence and sent Mira out to Lannisport to find a new maid. Sara had been the final candidate.

"Thank you, Sara" Karlyn sat up in the bed and sighed. 13 name days. And her 4th away from her family. At the foot of her bed, lounged her young direwolf. The wolf named Ivory for the fact that her coat was a light pale grey yet not fully white, had been a surprise when it had arrived. Karlyn still grinned about Cersei's reaction to the wolf pup when she had poked a finger into the cage and almost lost it, to snapping teeth.

Karlyn had calmly refused to let anyone hurt the pup and Ivory got on well with most of the Lannisters and their retainers, Cersei and her best friend of the moment, Melara were the current the lone exceptions.

Eddard had written that he had named his wolf Dorren after their ancestor. He had, considered Torren but chose not to due to that King of the Norths history.

Brandon's puppy or young wolf as it now was, was named after another ancestor, after claiming that dog names were so boring. Thus had been born Eyron.

Karlyn reached down and patted her companion. She never saw Ivory as a Pet. She was a companion and a guard. And basically, guaranteed that Karlyn was never bothered by Cersei during the day. Even when they were at lessons together or with Lady Joanna learning about managing a household.

Karlyn had to admit, that she was happy at Casterly Rock. She missed her home, it was true and had only visited once in the past 4 years, shortly after Brandon had returned from his fostering.

Her father had invited family and friends to Winterfell to announce the betrothal of Brandon to Barbrey Ryswell. Lady Joanna, Lord Tywin, and Tyrion had accompanied her north, Cersei had sniffed and requested to visit with her uncle in Lannisport. Jaime had been fostered for the past two years Crakehall so had not been able to attend.

Tyrion, had loved the north, and Karlyn had enjoyed showing her home to her foster family and none in the north had dared comment on the fact that Tyrion was a dwarf. Karlyn had grabbed both her older brothers upon arrival and threatened them with the death only a sister could provide if they tormented her foster brother or allowed their friends to do so. And she had made it abundantly clear as only an 11 year could, that she would follow through with the pain and suffering. Brandon had been calm about it and his friends had followed his lead. Eddard had unfortunately brought Robert Baratheon with him, and Eddard had, had to talk to Robert several times about his behaviour, though strangely, whenever Lyanna entered the room, Robert had been on his best behaviour. And she knew that her father and Lord Lannister had spent time discussing the state of the realm and the fact that the North grew every year now as more smallfolk wandered north from Kings Landing. The King had stopped sending people North but the fact remained, that even now, four years on, smallfolk avoided Kings Landing unless they had no other option.

Once the betrothal ceremony was done, it was announced that the pair would wed when they were 16, which meant that by years end, Karlyn would again head North for her brothers wedding.

Mira entered the room with a smile and a wrapped package. "Happy name Day Lady Karlyn."

"good Morning Mira, thank you," Karlyn slipped from the bed and pulled a light robe over her nightdress.

Mira handed her the package. "Your father's instructions milady were to make sure this was given to you before you break your fast."

"Thank you" She sat down at the small table near the window and placed the package there.

Ivory sniffed at Mira's hand and permitted herself to be patted. "My father wrote that the parents have had another litter."

"That's 3 litters now." Karlyn said softly as she carefully unwrapped the string.

"Yeah, Maester Luwin says it will most likely be the last. Your father has considered setting them free in the Wolfswood."

"They are wild animals Mira, not pets."

"Not pets huh?" Mira smirked. "Lyanna bathes Spirit twice a week and Ivory here has a ribboned collar!"

"That was Tyron's gift to her. Not my idea." Karlyn protested.

"You made Lord Jaime wash it when he got dirt on it."

Karlyn sniffed disdainfully. "He should have known better."

Mira smirked again and set about tidying the bed with Sara.

Karlyn rolled her eyes and went back to unwrapping the gift. She gently peeled away the brown paper and stared. "Oh.." She said softly, drawing Mira to her side.

"Oh my lady."

There, nestled in the paper was a cloak trimmed in artic fox fur and decorated with running direwolves among the weirwoods and the winter roses of the north.

"Mother's Cloak" Karlyn said softly. Her hand pressed to one of the wolves which bore her mothers name in tiny script. "It was given to her by my paternal grandmother. After she married father." It was a luxurious cloak and one, both Karlyn and Lyanna had looked for after their mothers passing, and both had believed that one of the servants had taken it, or the Maester had. She could remember clearly still, her mother's face and how she had looked wearing the cloak on formal occasions when Lords of the north came to visit.

A note sat among the folds. Karlyn opened it.

Karlyn,

Your mother wanted you to have this when you turned 13. I have kept is safe and well cared for until now. Wear it with pride my daughter. You are a wolf of the north.

Your father

Lord Rickard Stark

She smiled and gently lifted her hand away from the fabric. "It's too warm to wear here."

"But when you go to Lord Brandon's wedding at Winterfell, my lady, it will be perfect."

Karlyn nodded. "Indeed. Put it somewhere secure Mira. And not a word outside this room." She said it sternly.

Mira nodded instantly, and they looked at Sara who nodded as well. Relations between Cersei and Karlyn were frosty and Karlyn didn't trust Cersei as far as she could throw her, and she knew that the blonde resented her very presence.

As Karlyn handed the cloak to Mira another package slid from the folds. Smiling, Karlyn caught it and opened it. "Mother's necklace and bracelet." She smiled. The necklace was more of a collar then necklace but it was made of hammered gold and was a stylised representation of a forest with a lone wolf at the front. The bracelet was just a plain circle of gold at first glance until you moved it and the images carved into it appeared. "Lyanna will get the earrings and rings I believe." She carefully re-wrapped the jewellery and stood to dress. "Mira, I will take the smaller package to breakfast."

"Of course my lady."

Karlyn moved to the wardrobe and studied the array of dresses. She had, with certainty, gained more clothes in the 4 years here than she had had in her life. She considered for a moment then she pulled out a gown she had not worn before. It was deceptively simple and was in her favourite colour of silverly blue. She turned and held it out to Sara. "This one today."

"Oh, my lady, that is lovely." Sara said. "You will look wonderful in that"

"Lady Joanna picked it out. Though I am sure soon enough I will have to start wearing red and gold."

"Nothing wrong with Blue and Silver Milady" Mira said.

"While that is true, if Lord Jaime and I wed, then the future lady of Casterly Rock, must play the part." A part she had been training for, since her arrival.

When she entered the breakfast hall, so different to that in Winterfell tha she had been stunned when she had arrived that Casterly Rock had several different eating halls, and that each meal was taken in a place, She noted that she was not the last one in that morning.

Lord Tywin, Lady Joanna, Lord Kevan and Lady Dorna were seated already, and Tyrion sat by his mother poking at his plate. Cersei was nowhere to be seen.

A serene smile on her lips, Karlyn moved into the room and down to her normal seat, beside Lady Dorna. Where, as there had always been on her Name days, a small pile of gifts. She placed the smaller package from her father beside them before "My lords, My ladies" She greeted them and curtseyed politely. It was, she knew rare for Lord Twyin to be home, but rumours of unrest in the Iron Islands had brought him home.

They greeted her, wished her a happy name day and Tyrion grinned as a shaggy head bumped his knee looking for her normal sneaky breakfast treats. Everyone pretended not to notice that Ivory was begging for food, and that Tyrion was her main supplier. Karlyn had just settled her skirts when the door opened. It opened loudly and seemed to bounce off the wall.

Cersei, her eyes ablaze stalked into the room. Tyrion looked at his sister then across at Karlyn, "Did you do that?" he hissed.

"No" she hissed back. "Did you?"

The younger boy shook his head. He was not that insane.

That was the fact that Cersei was covered, head to toe in flour, and what looked to be honey. She was, to put it frankly, a mess.

Karlyn and Tyrion knew they would get the blame for it. They always did, even when they both had solid alibies and this time, at this hour, they most definitely did.

Joanna stared at her daughter "Cersei what happened?"

"SOMEONE!" the blonde girl began to rage "SOMEONE PUT TWO PAILS ABOVE MY DOOR! When I opened it… THIS HAPPENED!"

Tyrion couldn't stop the snicker and he slid off his chair and under the table to muffle his laughter in Ivory's fur.

The direwolf however slunk out and sniffed at Cersei's skirts as the girl raged. "I WANT THEM FOUND AND PUNISHED!"

Karlyn chose to focus on her Name day gifts and began to open them.

Lady Dorna bent her head as if to speak with Karlyn but she was stifling laughter. Her husband did not even try to stifle, he laughed. And drew a glare from the covered Cersei.

Tywin sat stock still and stared at his eldest child and then shot Kevan a look as if to say shut up.

Cersei stomped her foot and pointed at Karlyn, choosing her because she could not see Tyrion through the flour "She did it! Punish her father!"

Karlyn's head came up. "I most certainly did not. I was in my bedchamber all night and only left it minutes ago to come here. And it's my Name day and I would not spoil my name day but pulling something like that!" She protested.

Ivory chose that moment to lick Cersei's arm, and set Cersei off into a screech that the wolf was trying to eat her.

"OH SHUT UP!" the voice that boomed that came from the door of the breakfast room, and had eyes turning.

Jaime Lannister, 15, with blond burnished curls and dressed his normal red tunic and black pants, stood there. He looked at his twin. "I did it"

Tywin frowned. "You did it?"

Cersei was struck dumb.

Jaime strode past his sister and bowed to his parents, uncle and Aunt and then he turned to Karlyn. "Happy Name Day Karlyn. I do hope my poor gift amuses you."

She laughed, and Tyrion climbed out from under the table and moved to give Jaime a hug hello.

"As much as it does, you should not have done that Lord Jaime." Karlyn said.

"Indeed" Joanna said before her husband could. "Look at the mess you made!"

"Cersei can bathe, and it will be fine." Jaime, however produced another gift and handed it to Karlyn who took it with a smile.

"Jaime how could you!" Cersei screeched

"The same way you could when you had INK tipped onto Karlyn two months ago"

"WHAT?!" came from several throats.

Karlyn glared at Tyrion. "You told him!?"

The eight-year-old shrugged. "He asked why you no longer wore your favourite dress…"

Karlyn had, had to bathe several times to get the ink out of her hair and off her skin, and her favourite dress had been ruined by the ink. She had known it was Cersei but had chosen not to make a fuss. Tyrion had known because he had almost been caught in the same trap. She had sworn Tyrion to secrecy but that obviously didn't work

Jaime took his seat further down the board and looked at his twin. "We had an agreement and you broke it. Take your punishment Sister."

Tywin chose then to ignore his daughter and look at his eldest son. "We were not expecting you."

"No but it is Lady Karlyn's name day, and I thought I should try to be here. And to also inform you that, Lord Crakehall, is hoping to have me knighted in the next tournament"

Tywin nodded. "That I know. He wrote to me in Kings Landing."

Ignored by all, Cersei stalked out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Lady Joanna looked at the door, then at her two sons and then at the girl sitting beside Dorna opening her gifts.

Dorna raised her gaze to her good-sister's and raised an eyebrow. Joanna nodded and knew Cersei was going to be a problem, more now than ever.

After breakfast and Karlyn had put her gifts away, locking them in her chest at the foot of her bed, Tyrion and Jaime joined her in the stables.

"Where is Cersei?" She asked Jaime.

"With father and Mother. Something about her future."

"She wants to marry prince Rhaegar." Tyrion said as he was helped into a saddle on his pony.

"She won't get that." Jaime and Karlyn said at the same time.

Jaime shrugged. "Rhaegar is not going to marry Cersei. It's just not the way of things." He studied the brunette beside him. Over the years, he and Karlyn had become in the way of friends and it was because of that friendship, he had made an arrangement with Cersei to a cease fire. Which had resulted in this morning's pranks. And Lord Crakehall had suggested that it might be an idea to be on friendly terms with the girl he may have to marry. And as Karlyn was of the North, that friendship may be seen as advantageous.

As the three rode out, their guards fell in behind them. "Where do you both ride to each day?"

It was Karlyn and Tyrion's habit to ride for at least an hour before their lessons.

"Just around the fields" Tyrion replied. "Father does not want us going too far. Maybe later in the week, we will get to Lannisport, when Father takes Ship."

Karlyn rode silent beside them, her eyes on the direwolf that romped ahead. "Ivory would love to run further." She said after a while. "She would love to run to the far hills and back. But she likes having food on demand too much to leave me here."

"How do you know that?" Jaime asked curiously.

"You can see it in her movements." Karlyn said with a smile. "Shall we race to that copse of trees?" she indicated a large grove to the east.

"Sounds good." Jaime called back to the guard that they were going to race to the trees and back. And then "GO" shouted Tyrion and watched his brother and future good-sister spur their mounts forward and race off.

Karlyn laughed as she leaned low over the neck of her horse as it pounded over the ground towards the trees.

Jaime also bent low and kept pace. "Slowing down Stark!" He called out to her.

"Ready to loose Lannister?" she called back as she urged her mount on.

As the tree grew closer in view, something glinted in the branches which had her looking up. She reined in sharply as her horse made it to the trees edges. "Jaime!?" She called back as he rode up. "There is.." whatever else she was going to say was cut off as Arrows rained down between them, forcing Jaime's horse back and startling her mount to run into the trees.

Shouts behind her had her fumbling for her reins and calling for her guard but then something hooked her around the waist and she was yanked off the back of the horse and up into the branches of a tree. Her horse raced on without her. And moments later, several others rode beneath her in pursuit, among them, Jaime.

Karlyn however didn't see them as her captor forced her mouth open and placed four drops of milk of the poppy into her mouth.

She grew dizzy and was soon slumped unconscious in her captor's arms.

- TBC

Authors Notes and Review replies:

I am glad everyone is enjoying this.

And I will tell you right now, Cersei has nothing to do with what just happened to Karlyn. Nor do the Iron born.