"You may rise." Amaterasu states and those that have kneeled followed the order and stood up. She looks at Ned and smiles "We come bearing gifts."

"Gifts?" Ned asks in surprise and he wasn't the only one having that feeling.

"What kind of gifts?" Catelyn asks warily.

"Ones that I have a feeling you all might appreciate." Amaterasu replied as she held her hand out "Amaterasu."

Catelyn looked at Ned who nodded and she shook her hand "Catelyn Stark, Ned's wife."

"Ned had told me once that he would only marry a woman that was not only beautiful but strong as well, I am glad that he has found a woman that exhibits both traits." Amaterasu states which made Catelyn smile in surprise with a small blush.

"You are quite the charmer." Catelyn says.

"You have no idea." Kai says in agreement as Amaterasu just chuckles and looks at the rest of the Starks.

"And this must be the family." Amaterasu says and Ned nods proudly as she walks over to Robb with her two guards following her "Your name, young man?"

"Robb Stark, Your Grace." Robb replies.

"Are you a warrior Robb?" Amaterasu asks.

"I believe so, Your Grace." Robb replies.

"And as a warrior, do you know what your duty is?" Amaterasu asks.

Robb looks to Ned who was giving him an expectant look and he looks back at Amaterasu with a newfound resolve.

"To protect my family, Your Grace." Robb states and Amaterasu smiles.

"Good man." Amaterasu states as she moves over to Sansa while Robb smiled in relief.

Amaterasu takes a moment to look at Sansa, enamored by the girl's beauty but she soon snapped herself out of it and as they made eye contact, Sansa shyly smiled with a blush.

"And you are?" Amaterasu asked.

"S-Sansa, Your Grace." Sansa replies nervously.

"Well Sansa, allow me to tell you that a pretty girl like yourself has no need to be nervous." Amaterasu says, placing two fingers under Sansa's chin and raising her head "Don't ever hide, show everyone how truly beautiful you are."

Sansa felt her heart flutter at such words and couldn't help but feel drawn even more to Amaterasu, much more than she had ever felt for Joffrey. That very thought scared her and as the gorgeous woman in front of her moved on, that sense of longing grew along with the questions as to why she felt this way.

"What's your name, little beasty?" Amaterasu asked as she knelt down to Arya's level.

"Arya." Arya replied with a smile.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Arya." Amaterasu replies with her own smile.

"You too, is it true you've defeated 100 men in battle before?" Arya asked.

"No, of course not." Amaterasu said with chuckle which disappointed Arya a bit but then Amaterasu leaned closer and spoke in a low tone "It was 101."

Arya gasped with a smile as Amaterasu moved over to Bran "Your name, little one?"

"Bran." Bran replies.

"Are you a warrior as well, Bran?" Amaterasu asks.

Bran looks down sadly as he shakes his head "No..."

"No? Well why not? Don't tell me those big strong muscles of yours are just for show?" Amaterasu asked and Bran looked at his arms, smiling and flexing them as Amaterasu gasped "Careful now, your might would be too much for some of us to handle."

Bran laughed along with some others as Amaterasu stood up, making eye contact with Jon who was within the crowd.

"Enough with the introductions, will ya? Show us this gift of yours." Robert states making Amaterasu look away and break eye contact with Jon.

Amaterasu smiled "Of course."

She looked at Kai who nodded and waved over two soldiers, they got off their horses and followed him to the carriage.

"Fetch the treasure and place it in everyone's view." Kai said to them.

"Yes, Master Kai." One soldier replied and the other nodded as they entered the back of the carriage.

"Interesting language." Jaime comments.

"It is our mother tongue." Kai replies.

"Care to teach us?" Jaime enquires.

Kai smirks at him "No."

Jaime frowns as the soldiers both exit the carriage, carrying a very large treasure chest with oriental designs of gold and red on opposite sides of each other. They push past Jaime and a few of the king's guard, placing the chest in front of all to see.

"In the East, we have our own form of currency. So in good patronage, we collected a little amount of the currency used in Westeros from our vault to give to House Stark." Amaterasu explained as she nodded to the soldiers "Open it."

"Yes, My Queen." Both the soldiers reply as they unhook the locks of the treasure chest and opened it.

Almost all gasped in shock and awe at the contents of the chest. The chest was filled with gold coins that sparkled from the sunlight and they looked to have filled the chest from base to top.

"By the Gods..." Catelyn muttered in shock.

"Impossible..." Cersei muttered with wide eyes.

"For us?" Arya asked in disbelief and Amaterasu nodded.

"How much even is that?" Joffrey asked.

"We could only manage to fit a million." Amaterasu states, causing everyone to jaw drop in shock as she looked at Ned "I hope this is enough?"

Catelyn almost fainted as Robb held onto her, Ned chuckled in disbelief as he looked to a dumbfounded Robert. He walked over to Amaterasu as her guards stood at the ready to attack.

Ned stopped to look at the two guards warily as Amaterasu smiled at him "Amaterasu, we can't accept all of this. We would not be able to return the favor."

"Then don't return the favor. This is merely a gift to an old friend and it would bring me happiness if you would accept it." Amaterasu states.

Ned looks at the treasure then back at her and sighs "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"I'm stubborn like that." Amaterasu replied and Ned chuckled.

He looked at both the guards by her side then back at her "Can I trust not to die if I try something?"

"Depends on what it is." Amaterasu says.

Ned held his hand out to her and she shook it until he suddenly pulled her closer into a hug which surprised her and everyone else. The guards were about to draw their swords but Amaterasu held her hand out and they refrained from doing so, and she soon hugged him back.

"Thank you." Ned thanked.

"Anything for a friend." Amaterasu replies as they pull apart.

"The Queen of the East!" Ned announces and everyone in the crowd cheered.

"Lucky man." Kai mutters.

"Why's that?" Cersei asks.

"He was very close to dying." Kai replies.

"They were ready to attack him; don't they know the consequences of doing that?" Jaime asks.

"They don't care. If Amaterasu is in any kind of potential danger, then they will act on it." Kai explains.

"Then they would face death very soon." Cersei replies.

"That's what scares me about them," Kai says as the twins looked at him "They don't die."

They both looked at him in confusion as he excused himself and walked over to Catelyn.

"Where do we place the chest?" Kai asked.

"Oh, well, we didn't really expect this sort of thing but you may follow me, I'll lead you to the keep." Catelyn responds.

"Thank you." Kai responds as he looks to the soldiers "Bring it here, we know where to put it."

The soldiers nod and shut the treasure, heaving it up and following Kai and Catelyn to the keep. Robert laughed as he approached Amaterasu and Ned.

"If I had known this would have happened then I would've brought more incentive for my offer." Robert says.

"Offer?" Amaterasu asks.

"Show us your crypts Ned, we can talk there." Robert states and Ned nods.

"Right this way, Your Graces." Ned replies and they follow him along with her guards.

"Isn't this great? Now Winterfell is as rich as King's Landing." Arya says.

Joffrey scoffs "So you've had an increase in coin, that still pales in comparison to what we have."

"I bet the East has more." Arya taunts.

"Then you're delusional." Joffrey snidely remarks.

"What do you think, Sansa? Sansa?" Arya asks when she notices Sansa watching Amaterasu leave with Ned and Robert "She's amazing, huh?"

"Yes," Sansa replies, watching her go "Truly amazing."

~

Amaterasu, Ned and Robert walked through the dimly lit crypts in conversation as Amaterasu's guards kept a bit of a distance from them per her orders.

"Amaterasu, do your guards have a reason for following us? Is there no trust?" Robert asks.

"I trust the both of you." Amaterasu replies "But them on the other hand, do not."

Robert grumbled as Ned changed the topic to ease the tension.

"Tell me about Jon Arryn." Ned states.

"One minute he was fine, and then..." Robert said with a sigh "Burned right through him, whatever it was. I loved that man."

"All of us did." Ned states but Amaterasu thought differently, choosing not to say anything about it though.

"He never had to teach you much, but me..." Robert said as he reminisced his younger years "You remember me at 16? All I wanted to do was crack skulls and fuck girls. He showed me what was what."

"The boisterous Baratheon was a nickname I gave to you for a reason." Amaterasu states and Ned smirks.

"Aye." Ned says in agreement as they both look at him.

"Don't look at me like that. Not his fault I didn't listen." Robert states and both men laugh whereas Amaterasu shakes her head in amusement.

Robert sighs as he looks to Ned "I need you, Ned. Down at Kings Landing. Not up here, where you're no damn use to anybody. Lord Eddard Stark, I would name you the Hand of the king."

Ned looked apprehensive as he expected him to say such a thing and he looked at Amaterasu who gave him a proud smile and nodded.

Ned kneels before Robert "I'm not worthy of the honor."

"I'm not trying to honor you. I'm trying to get you to run my kingdom while I eat, drink, and whore my way to an early grave. Damn it, Ned, stand up." Robert states as Ned stood up and Amaterasu held in a laugh at the boisterous man's antics "You two helped me win the Iron Throne, now Ned, help me keep the damn thing. We were meant to rule together. If your sister had lived, we would have been bound by blood. Well, it's not too late. I have a son; you have a daughter. We'll join our Houses."

Ned looked to Amaterasu for some form advice on the matter "What are your thoughts on this?"

"I think you should say yes. You're a very capable man Ned and if Westeros gained a guiding hand then you'd be perfect for the job." Amaterasu says.

Robert laughed "Not afraid our combined forces would be too much for the East, are ya?"

Amaterasu chuckled "Never."

They continue to walk along the many rows of tombs and statues until Robert spots a particularly important statue that still took his breath away. It was a statue of Ned's sister, Lyanna Stark, a woman that Robert had loved all his life and a woman that Ned and Amaterasu had made a promise to, one they still honor till this day.

"Did you have to bury her in a place like this? She should be on a hill somewhere with the sun and the clouds above her." Robert states as he stands in front of the statue.

"She was my sister. This is where she belongs." Ned stated.

"She belonged with me." Robert says bitterly.

"You truly did love her, didn't you?" Amaterasu asks and Robert turned to her with a somber nod.

He touches Lyanna's face with a scornful look adorned on his face.

"In my dreams, I kill him every night." Robert states vengefully.

"It's done, Your Grace. The Targaryens are gone." Ned says to him.

"Not all of them." Robert replies bitterly.

"If you continue to let vengeance poison your heart, then you will never fulfill your life with happiness." Amaterasu stated.

"My happiness disappeared when I lost her! When they took her from me! Do you honestly want me to forget that!?" Robert shouted.

"Not forget, forgive." Amaterasu calmly replied.

~

Meanwhile in a bedroom within the castle Sansa sits in front of a mirror with Catelyn fixing her hair. As this went on, Sansa's thoughts couldn't help but return to Amaterasu.

"Do you think the queen likes me?" Sansa asked.

"The queen? I would assume so, she would have to have some level of kindness when married to Robert." Catelyn responded.

"No not her, The Queen of the East." Sansa reiterated.

"Today's the first time I'd ever met her but she has shown to have a great level of kindness and generosity, so I think she likes all of us." Catelyn responded.

"Is she..." Sansa was about to ask but she got nervous.

"Is she what?" Catelyn asked.

"Is she married or betrothed in any way?" Sansa asked.

Catelyn was a bit surprised by the question but answered anyway "I don't think so, no."

"What about that Kai fellow she arrived with?" Sansa asked.

"That's her Hand, dear." Catelyn replied "Why all the questions?"

"I'm just... I find her interesting, that's all." Sansa replied.

"So does everyone else." Catelyn said in agreement.

~

Later that night, Winterfell was currently amidst a banquet. Laughter and music fill the large room as Robert was getting bawdy with a wench. Catelyn and Cersei watch, Catelyn embarrassed for Cersei, who looks disgusted at the display. Ned and Kai were off to themselves as they reminisced of the past while the eastern soldiers kept a close eye on Kai but kept to themselves as they drank and conversed. Out in the courtyard, Jon takes out his frustration on a fencing dummy and fails to notice Amaterasu watching him with her guards from outside the training ring.

"If he hadn't yielded yet then I'm sure he's yielding now." Amaterasu comments.

Jon turns at the voice and looks at her in surprise, getting on his knees with his head bowed.

"Your Grace." Jon states.

"There's no need for that, you're just dirtying your pants at this point." Amaterasu tells him as she gestures for her guards to stay and they do so while she approaches him.

Jon stands with a look of nervousness, no woman has ever approached him, especially one as beautiful as Amaterasu.

"You train at night?" Amaterasu asked, looking at the training dummy.

Jon sighs "Sometimes but not often."

"Why today then? Have you no interest in banquets?" Amaterasu asked.

"It's only because Lady-" Jon was about to say but he stopped himself and looked down "I shouldn't say."

Amaterasu stared at him for a moment and nodded as he gave her an inquisitive look.

"Why are you outside and not at the banquet, Your Grace?" Jon asked.

"Amaterasu." She stated.

"Sorry?" Jon asked, confused by her statement.

"When we are alone, you may refer to me as Amaterasu." Amaterasu told him "I promise you, I am anything but graceful."

Jon let out a chuckle and then smiled at her with a nod "Alright, Amaterasu."

"I am only outside to get some fresh air. A room crowded full of drunks is not my type of scenery." Amaterasu replies to his question.

"And what is your type of scenery, if you don't mind me asking?" Jon asked.

"Personal talks with people such as this." Amaterasu replies with a smile and he returned his own "I enjoy getting to know people, especially if it's one of Ned's sons."

"You know who I am?" Jon asked in surprise.

"I make it my business to know things Jon, be it good or bad." Amaterasu replies.

Jon's smile drops as he looks away from her "Then you know I am a bastard."

"No, don't ever say that about yourself." Amaterasu says as she steps closer and places her hand on his cheek, looking him in the eyes "You are so much more than you could ever know."

Jon felt a sense of relief from this and a new feeling he had never gotten all his life. It was a warm and comforting feeling that he would rarely get with his father but this one was softer and more loving, even if it was a simple touch from a gloved hand.

"I must go now." Amaterasu says, pulling her hand back and Jon found himself missing the touch "It was nice meeting you Jon."

"You as well." Jon replied, shaking away the thoughts of the feeling.

Amaterasu smiled "Good night."

"Good night." Jon replied as he watched her go towards the banquet hall with her guards following.

~

Amaterasu enters the banquet hall and wasn't surprised to see it in full raucous swing. Upon looking around, she spotted Kai at one of the desks. Her and her guards made their way over to him as some eyes watched her.

"She's a pretty one." Catelyn comments, sitting next to Cersei.

"One would wonder how she kept that beauty if she is as old as our husbands." Cersei states as she watches Amaterasu with narrowed eyes.

Sansa watches Amaterasu with the same sense of longing as before, this time mustering up the courage to speak with her by standing up and heading towards her father's desk.

"And so, the komodo dragon had her pantaloons by the scruffs so I-" Kai foretold to an amused Ned until Amaterasu interrupted him.

"Hello boys." Amaterasu greeted, approaching the table.

"Amaterasu." Ned greets with a nod.

"Where have you been all night? They have so much aged ale Amaterasu, it's wonderful." Kai explained to her.

"I've been around; banquets are not really my forte." Amaterasu replies "But I'm glad you're having fun."

"He's been regaling me on one of his numerous exploits." Ned says to her.

"The witch or the komodo dragon?" Amaterasu asked in amusement.

"There was a witch?" Ned asked and the two laughed with Ned joining in.

"Well, you two enjoy the festivities. I on the other hand, will be going to bed." Amaterasu tells them.

"The life of the party." Kai sarcastically says to Ned, gesturing to Amaterasu and he laughed.

Amaterasu smacked his shoulder "Watch it Kai, I am still your queen."

"Being queen does not excuse you from getting teased by your best friend." Kai tells her and she rolls her eyes.

"Where is my room, Ned?" Amaterasu asks.

"Oh, I'll show you." Ned says about to stand up but Sansa's voice stopped him.

"That's okay, father. I'll show her." Sansa says as she walks up to them and they look at her "If it's all right, of course?"

Ned and Kai looked at Amaterasu who smiled at Sansa.

~

Amaterasu walked along the castle halls with Sansa and her guards in tow. The trip was quiet, something Amaterasu had no issue with but Sansa on the other hand wanted to get to know Amaterasu better, she wanted to find out why she suddenly gained a newfound interest for her.

"I'm sorry to burden you with such a meaningless task." Amaterasu finally spoke "I'm sure you have better things to be doing than assisting an old codger like me."

"But you're not old, Your Grace." Sansa responds.

"Believe me, I am older than I look." Amaterasu says with a smile "And please refer to me as Amaterasu when we are alone, being called Your Grace gets annoying over time."

"Are you sure?" Sansa asked and Amaterasu nodded "Alright, Your Gra- Amaterasu."

"How old are you, Sansa?" Amaterasu asked.

Sansa didn't know why but her heart fluttered when the woman said her name, she liked how smooth it sounded.

"Thirteen." Sansa replied.

"Thirteen? Wow, you are tall for your age." Amaterasu said since the girl was about a head taller than her "Nothing wrong with that though, a lot of people like tall girls."

"D-do you like tall partners, Amaterasu?" Sansa nervously asked, not knowing if she was overstepping her boundaries.

"I'm not usually one for relationships but if I like a girl then I like her, tall or not." Amaterasu responded with a shrug.

"Y-you like girls?" Sansa asked.

"Yes, that won't be an issue, will it?" Amaterasu asked.

"Oh, uh...n-no, it's just that I'm not used to that sort of thing." Sansa stuttered out.

"In the East, you are free to pursue whomever you desire. Love knows no gender." Amaterasu said and Sansa couldn't help but look at the woman and become entranced by her even more.

"O-oh," Sansa said with a small smile "I wish many more places were as accepting."

"Give it time, these types of things tend to take a while." Amaterasu said.

Sansa nodded as they continued to walk "How come you're usually not one for relationships?"

Amaterasu let out a short sigh "I wasn't born for love nor to be loved, something I've learned to accept in my life."

"But you're the Queen of the East. You hold so much power and you're so beautiful, I'm sure there are many men and women with the desire to be with you." Sansa said, knowing those words were truer to herself than she thought.

"You think I am beautiful?" Amaterasu asked with a smile.

Sansa blushed with a smile of her own and nodded "Y-yes, I do."

Amaterasu's smile slowly dropped as she looked away "Even the vilest of monsters can wear masks of beauty."

Sansa looked at her in concern as Amaterasu's eyes looked reminiscent and cold but she soon shut her eyes and they glazed over with warmness and her smile returned.

"I like your dress, by the way." Amaterasu stated, looking at her dress and moving away from the topic "Did you make it yourself?"

Sansa wanted to ask more on what she meant but felt that she was purposely avoiding the topic for a reason and she didn't want to push her on matters she had no business being in.

Sansa smiled and nodded "Yes."

Amaterasu took off her glove and ran her hand along Sansa's arm, impressed by the embroidery of the dress "Such talent. Your craftsmen ship is impressive."

Sansa felt tingles run through her at the touch and her stomach twisted into knots when her hand trailed down and held onto hers. Amaterasu's hand was small yet firm with a naturally hard grip much opposite to Sansa's that was long and slender while being soft to the touch, something Amaterasu found comforting.

Amaterasu couldn't help but feel drawn to the girl in a way that she hadn't felt in a while and her raced when she felt the strange yet alluring connection she had with her, but this was wrong. She didn't deserve this, whatever she wanted with this, she couldn't have, she shouldn't have, no matter how much it was drawing her in.

"Well then, it seems we have reached our destination." Amaterasu said, pulling her hand back and Sansa found herself missing the touch again as Amaterasu put her glove back on and looked at the door in front of them "This is the room, correct?"

Sansa blinked from her trance and nodded "Y-yes, this is the place."

Amaterasu opened the door and entered the room, turning to look at Sansa "Thank you again for leading me here."

"It was of no issue." Sansa replied.

Amaterasu stepped aside for one of her guards to enter the room as the other stayed outside and she was about to shut the door.

"A-Amaterasu," Sansa let out and Amaterasu paused to look at her "I-I really enjoyed this and hope we can talk more in the future."

Amaterasu smiled "I hope so too."

Sansa smiled back with a sense of relief washing over her.

"Goodnight Sansa." Amaterasu said.

"Goodnight." Sansa responded as Amaterasu shut the door and the guard stood in front of the door and stared at her which unnerved her a bit "G-Goodnight to you too..."

The guard didn't respond nor move and just stood like a statue, which unnerved her even more and she walked away.

The Queen of the East was certainly real and she certainly had an effect on those around her. Only time would tell how much of an effect Amaterasu would truly have on the world.