( PART I; a dreary existence. )
⟵ ◊ ⟶
chapter 3: the lion princess.

THE arrival of the king and his men was easily the most anticipated event in moons, possibly years. As per tradition, those who inhabited Winterfell and were tasked with running it were present in the courtyard to receive the royals, along with the nobles as well. Servants, stewards, smiths, bakers, maids, butchers; the courtyard was overly crowded with people who were waiting excitedly to receive the royals. The Starks stood in a line that faced toward the open gate that was crowned with garlands of winter flowers and pine, just below the carved direwolf in the ancient stone.

Just as her father had said, Raina was reserved a spot in the receiving party with the Starks, much to Catelyn's displeasure. Raina had arrived to take her spot, garbed in the nicest gown she owned, a beautiful blue satin and a grey cloak with furs gifted to her by her father on her nameday the previous year. It was the nicest thing she owned. 

Despite trying her best to appear presentable for the king, her excitement was quickly overshadowed by Catelyn utter rage, which was expressed with angry murmuring from down the line and flares of Tully blue directed toward Raina. She'd spent a good amount of time trying to point out valid reasons why Raina shouldn't be presented with them, but it didn't seem her father much cared at the time.

The line itself was set up with her father at the very right, with Catelyn at his side. From his left, the line went down in age, going from Robb until it reached the end of the Stark line with Bran. Raina had been placed next to him, being the bastard of the group and not apart of the true line. Behind the line, where the house guard and those alike waited, she looked back to spot Jon and Theon next to each other. She felt guilty for leaving Jon behind.

The sound of pounding hooves in damp soil became audible from the near distance before two leading horse in gold and crimson, obviously the soldiers of House Lannister, came trotting in through the gates with with the golden lion displayed on their banners. Behind them came the royal black stag of Baratheon on a golden field.

With each passing duo of riders, Raina watched in awe at the fresh site. Southerners were strange, she thought, with their fancy armor thin looking horses. At least fifty riders had to have entered the large courtyard before new faces began to appear. After the last of the Lannister men, a young, golden haired boy came trotting in on a horse that looked all too large for him.

If Raina had to guess, she would bet that it was the Crown Prince, Joffrey if she was correct. He had a tight expression, thin lips, and green eyes of hungry greed it seemed, that drank in the surroundings. A northern style side cloak of black furs covered his right shoulder, leaving the other looking as scrawny as they truly were. Just behind him rode a man clad in black mail and armor, towering atop his horse with hound's head helmet covering his face. The helmet itself might have seemed ugly to some, but Raina admired the work nonetheless.

After them came a man larger than Raina had ever seen. She'd seen her share of fat men, for northerners were never known for withholding their appetites, but this man was towering with a girth that seemed it might be equal to his height. His hair was a mess of black and peppered grey, a sign of age if it were anything. If it weren't for the flowing black and golden robes the man was garbed in, Raina might have not realized that this was Robert Baratheon. One might not think such a simple looking man would be the king, but atop a midnight black destrier, he was distinguishable.

As the king pulled his horse to a stop just meters from the Stark line, a wheel house was slowly carted in by a duo of draft horses. It was obvious that this had to be the queen, rumored to have the beauty of the goddess. More than likely, her three other children were within the carriage with her, they all the pampered children she'd heard them to be.

Right behind the wheel house rode the rest of the king's guard, headed by a man with golden hair peaking from beneath his golden helm. Raina had to admit to herself that he was indeed handsome, more than likely being Jaime Lannister if she were to guess. He followed the wheel house, which stopped not far a crossed the courtyard.

It seemed that everyone held their breath as Robert struggled to dismount from his horse. He was a fat man, with almost no business riding a destrier let alone journeying so far north. Once his boots finally touched the muddy ground, with the help of a steward and step stool, his thick legs carried him straight toward Raina's father.

Everyone in courtyard bowed or curtsied for the king, Raina included. Despite needing to keep her head down out of respect, she allowed her eyes to look toward the king and her father. With a gloved hand, Robert demanded Ned rise to his feet. As Lord Stark rose, everyone else followed, silent as can be. Robert looked Ned up and down with a sense of mock amusement.

"You've grown fat," Robert remarked. It seemed the courtyard grew quieter, frozen with discomfort. The two looked at each other with gazes of challenge, until they both erupted in laughter and met in a man's embrace. They patted each other's backs before pulling apart.

"Has is really been nine years?" Robert asked. "What have you been doing up here all this time?"

"Guarding the North for you, Your Grace," Ned replied with a smile.

"I see you've been busy as well," Robert remarks in amusement as he looks to Ned's children. He then turns to Catelyn. He reaches to give her a hug, which she accepts. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Cat."

As the King and her father conversed for a few moments, Raina's dark eyes were trained on the wheel house as she no longer listened to what was around her.

Lannister men were bringing a step stool over just as they opened the door to the carriage. Outstepped a golden haired woman, fair as could be, who looked around with slight distaste at the scene. The sneer marred her beautiful features as she stepped down. She was obviously the queen without a doubt, garbed in crimson and gold just like the lion sigil of her maiden house.

Behind her appeared a girl, seeming to be somewhere around Raina's age, who was nearly a spitting image of her mother. Raina didn't know much about the royals, but she thought this perhaps was Princess Malkyn. The princess' green eyes gazed around the place, more eager to see what it offered than her mother was.

"Who might you be?"

Raina is suddenly ripped away from her analyzing as she looks up to none other than the king himself, not having realized he had moved down the line to greet the Stark children. She stutters for moment while trying to find her words despite her heart having lurched in her throat.

"I-I am Raina, Your Grace," she replies softly. Having the king standing before her was a daunting thing, all to overwhelming for bastard who thought she'd be ignored.

Robert cocked a brow. "You look familiar," he comments as he looks her up and down. "Ned, you never told me you had another daughter."

"She is not true born, Your Grace," Catelyn is quick to inform him. Raina's heart falters.

"Ah, I see," Robert comments lowly. He seemed slightly confused. "You must be one of his bastards, then. My, even with such a name, you're a pretty thing. You'd do well in the capital."

Raina watches in shock as Robert moves away to meet his queen, who had made her way over from the wheel house with her eldest daughter following. Familiar? Raina thought. How would I be familiar to someone I've never met?

Nevertheless, she watches as the the courtyard begins to disperse as the king begin to wander away with her father following him. She feels breathless, almost, after such an encounter with the most powerful man in the country.

"What was all that about?" Jon asks as he, Theon, and Robb appear to stand with her. Around them people mill about the courtyard.

"I wish I knew," she replies, fairly shocked herself. "He said I looked familiar."

"Familiar?" Robb echoed with a raised brow. "How would you be familiar to him? You've never even met him."

"He probably thought she was pretty," Theon commented with a lecherous grin appearing on his lips. "I hear he likes pretty girls. I also hear he gets all of them in the capital."

"Oh, shut up," Jon hisses. "Have you no sense?"

"If any of our visitors are pretty, I say it's the king's daughter," Robb comments, looking off into the crowd as if he might see the girl.

"Princess Malkyn is her name?" Theon finishes for him. "A little older than the prince. Hells if I know about that damned royal family. What I do know is she has the nicest—,"

"Can we not have this discussion right now?" Raina mutters in annoyance. Theon had always been the worst of the boys when it came to talking about girls, unbeknownst to them. "I don't think the queen would appreciate her daughter being talked about in such a way."

"What? I was only going to state the the obvious," Theon weakly defends himself.

"Come'on," Robb orders Theon. "No more talk of the princess. I'm sure my mother will want us getting ready for the feast at sundown anyway."

Robb and Theon peel away from the circle, disappearing into the already dissipating crowd of milling people. Once they disappear, Jon says, "Y'know, while Robb and Theon were drooling over the princess, I noticed some other things. I didn't see any ladies following after Princess Malkyn."

Raina raised a brow in confusion. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that this might be your chance, Raina." Jon tells her. "A princess needs ladies, as far as I'm told, and it didn't seem like she had any. She appears of age to be having such a thing. Perhaps this is your chance to find a role in all of this."

The more Raina thought about it, the more it made sense. They had discussed what she would do with herself. Jon had discussed going to the Wall, to join the Night's Watch. As much as Raina didn't like the distance that would be between them, she knew it wouldn't matter in the end. Not if she would end up somewhere far away as well. She nodded, seeing the princess a crossed the courtyard with the golden haired knight she'd spotted riding in. The princess had indeed inherited her mother's Lannister features, from the golden hair to the emerald eyes.

"I suppose you're right," she murmurs in melancholy. "This may be my only chance."

"Perhaps if you go, the princess or queen might be willing find a noble or knight who might marry you," Jon tries telling her optimistically. "It's what you deserve."

The thought of marrying a knight, let alone a noble, was far fetched to her. She accepted the fact that it most likely would not happen, but she appreciates her brother's optimism.

"Perhaps I could introduce myself to her, during the feast," Raina thought aloud.

Jon nodded in agreement. "Everything will fall into place. I promise."

❆

NORTHERN feasts were always wild and busy occasions. The Northerners themselves were known as a rambunctious species, loud and sometimes unbearably obnoxious especially when drunk. Music would play at a fast pace, people would feast upon cooked meats, game, and bread, all while downing it with mead and wine. Some would even get to their feet to participate in rowdy dances.

Raina had made the decision to attend the festivities merely for the sake of speaking with Princess Malkyn, if she had the chance. Otherwise, she would have gladly supped on her own, either in her chambers or perhaps outside to get away from the raucous caused by the feast. She knew Jon would not be present, for he didn't enjoy such scenes. She couldn't blame him.

The bastard sat at one of the far tables, minding her own while lazily playing with her meal of boiled potatoes and sausage. She'd spent a good amount of time waiting for the princess to wander away from the seats of honor where she sat with Raina's siblings, and in that time she'd been warding off unwanted visitors who didn't seem to know what 'bugger off' meant.

She looked around the room, which was packed full of people, taking in the scene for herself. Her siblings had been placed at table in front of the royals, Robb, Sansa, Arya, and Brandon all enjoying themselves during the feast. She saw Arya fling a spoonful of food at Sansa, who squealed angrily in protest as Jeyne Poole quickly began to wipe away the mess. Raina smirked to herself, glad to see her family enjoying themselves.

A golden mop of loose curls appeared in the near distance, meaning Princess Malkyn must have risen from her seat near the front. Raina watched anxiously as the girl wandered passed the celebrating northmen, a disgusted look on her face as some merely watched her walk by. The princess was making her way toward the exit, it seemed, which was right behind where Raina sat.

It seemed like fate was on Raina's side that night, for the princess stopped just behind the bastard where she sat at the bench.

"You," the girl stated bluntly, looking down at Raina with catlike green eyes. "You're Ned Stark's bastard, yes?"

Raina found herself amazed at how beautiful the girl was, for she'd seen few so far north. It wasn't merely because of the silken dress that hugged the upper half of the princess' lithe frame, or her intricately styled hair of flowing locks and a braided crown or even her rouged lips or cheeks. Even though her skin had lost much of its southern color journeying north, the princess was still many shades darker than Raina, who was nearly pale as snow itself. For a moment, Raina envied Princess Malkyn for everything she was.

"Are you deaf?"

"Pardon me, my princess," Raina apologized immediately as she snapped from her momentary spell of thoughts. She rose to her feet and maneuvered over the bench. She bowed slightly."I am Raina."

The princess looked Raina up and down, her expresssion not betraying thoughts of disapproval but no looks of absolute liking were obvious. The royals were always a haughty breed, anyone knew, with their noses upturned to anything less than exquisite. Raina was nothing near gorgeous, but she hoped she might appear pleasing enough for the princess. Already, she was beginning to think that the younger royal was far worse than she'd allowed herself to believe. Still, she pressed forward, for she wasn't sure when she might find a similar chance.

"I see," Princess Malkyn replied after pursing her lips. "Well, I suppose you'll do. Lead me, I wish not to be in this hall anymore. I grow weary of these Northerners."

"Of course, princess," Raina dipped her head to the princess before leading the way out of the loud hall.

The bastard led the princess through the halls, the ruckus growing quieter the further they got from the feast. Few were in the halls except patrolling Lannister guard and servants tending to the Keep's needs. With Raina's guidance, they eventually found themselves outside. Luckily, it was a warmer night than usual, but it didn't seem to make a difference for the shivering princess.

"Where might we be going?" The princess asked with a slight attitude lacing her tone.

"I thought perhaps you'd like to see my direwolf, princess," Raina tells her. "To get away from the feast. We do not have to if you wish otherwise." Earlier that day, she'd put Stryder with his siblings, who were all placed in the stables at the order of her father. It was to keep all visitors safe for the time being and without fright of the normally wild beasts.

"Direwolf?" Malkyn muttered in slight disbelief. "My, you northerners are bloody mad. Direwolves live beyond the Wall, but I suppose I could see one of these beasts. How could you have possibly come a crossed one?"

"Well, my father and brothers were fortunate enough to come a crossed the beasts on their way back from an execution," Princess Malkyn seemed to shutter at the thought of an execution but still followed after the bastard. Raina continued. "I guess a man from the Wall fled. As they were riding home, they found the pups squabbling at the belly of their mother, who was dead with a stags horn in her neck. Poor things couldn't be left behind. Somehow, Jon and I received our own along with our true born siblings."

Raina smiled slightly to herself as she recalled the arrival of the wolves. The thought warmed her heart as they finally reached to the stable doors, where she pushed one open enough that they'd be able to slip inside. The bastard allowed the princess inside first, who hesitated for a moment before reluctantly entering with her silken scarf covering her nose. Raina followed her in, the door closing behind them.

The stable itself smelled of any normal stable: hay, horses, and musk. No one was present, having most likely been permitted to join the festivities. Raina wasn't bothered by the scents, but it sure seemed as if the princess was appalled. It was dimly lit as well with merely lanterns hanging on every post that separate the stalls.

"I don't know how you are unbothered by these sour scents," Malkyn muttered in disgust as she followed Raina passed the dozens of horses placed in their stalls. The beasts stirred at their presence. "The stables near the Red Keep are much cleaner than this."

Raina ignored the princess' obvious rudeness.

"You get used to it," Raina replied as she finally reached the stall. She stops just in front of it to look down at all the sleeping pups, just as she had when Arya was enamored by the kittens. The princess stopped at her side to look

The princess looked down in the stall, her normally displeased expression softening at the site of seven dire-wolves nestled together near the corner of the stall, all dozing peacefully on hay. It was precious site that any would find heart warming. Raina glanced over to Malkyn, seeing the slightest of beginnings of a smile appear on her lips.

Once again, Raina felt a pit of envy in her heart as she looked at the beauty of the princess, the fine clothing and jewels she adorned on her body. She knew it wasn't right to nurture envy, yet she could think of nothing else in her mind. She wanted to be a princess, or at least something that would allow her to embrace her existence instead of dreading it.

"They're not ravenous at all," Malkyn commented while her green eyes still focused on the pups. "I suppose tales of such beasts as a young child are much different now. My mother was always the best at telling such stories, when she had the time. I'm sure they grow fierce, nonetheless."

"Oh, they do," Raina agrees. "That's why they're the sigil of my fathers house. I may not be able to bare it myself but I love it all the same."

"It is a dreary place up here," Malkyn states as she looks around the dark stables as if something might jump out at her. "I would sooner find myself at the bottom of one of these tall walls before I would endure a life here."

Raina laughs ironically at the princess' half-felt joke, for there were points when she'd almost considered such things. Not because of the cold or the snow, but solely because of Catelyn.

"The north itself is beautiful, if you know where to look," she tells her. "You can look for the simple faces and grey stone. There more beyond the walls of Winterfell, Princess, believe me."

"Oh, like snow and trees, hm?" Malkyn replied with distaste. "No, thank you. I much prefer my sunshine, warmth, and mist of the sea in the Red Keep. As long as I stay within the grounds, it's a pleasant place. I detest traveling into the city."

"I presume it to be dirty?" Raina asked. "I've heard of such. Flea's Bottom is by far the worst I've been told. The Street of Steel is grimy yet the Street of Sisters is a step up. I've also heard of the magnificence of the Red Keep as well."

Malkyn looked to Raina with an impressed look before looking back to the stall in front of them. "You are correct, surprisingly. It's a wonder that any northerner knows anything about the south. By the few that have visited in the south, you'd think there were no signs of intelligent life up in this place."

Raina knew that the princess' harsh attitude would be something she'd be forced to look over, yet she found herself entirely disgusted with the way the girl acted. She tried her best to ignore it then, knowing she needed to stay on good terms with the younger girl.

"Sometimes, I believe the same," she feigns a laugh of contempt.

There were a few heartbeats of silence as the girls looked down on the sleeping pups, all curled into each other as they peacefully dozed. The anticipation that spurred Raina's heart the more she thought of asking any questions to the princess

"I dare say, Reena—," the princess began, her green eyes still gazing down at the pups.

"Raina," the bastard corrected her, hopefully without the retribution of the younger girls' infamous wrath.

"Raina," the princess corrected herself haughtily before pursing her full lips. "For a notherner, you are quite different. Your people are known for being wild brutes, yet I find you here, a gem hidden away in this dreary place. You're much more sophisticated than any bastard I've met before. I would have never expected to find someone like you here, truthfully. I dread this place nearly as much as I thought as I would, yet I find myself pleased to have journeyed here, partly."

"My—," Raina was astonished at how kind the princess was being, for she was was rumored to be a wretch when she wasn't getting her way. She purses her lips. "Thank you, Princess."

"Tell me," Malkyn went on, her green eyes now focused on Raina. "What is it you do here in the north? Or plan to do?"

Raina shrugged, trying her best to appear relaxed despite feeling her heart leaping with joy. Fate was on her side that night, bringing about the conversation she'd been desperate for.

"I'm not quite sure, princess," Raina replied truthfully. "I'm a bastard. The most I do here is study with Maester Luwin and work poorly on embroidery. I've not much else to do. I can't join the Watch, as my brother plans to do."

"I suppose you're right," Malkyn agreed. "Bastards aren't worth much nor do they have much of a purpose. Most like you in the south end up in brothels. Tell me this, have you ever considered going south? Perhaps the capital even?"

"I—I suppose there are many places I wish to go," Raina admits. She was quite surprises with how abashadly the princess spoke. "I wouldn't mind seeing King's Landing."

Malkyn smiles as if she's gotten her way, a beautiful grin that seems too forced to seem genuine. Perhaps she'd gotten so good at it that many were unable to decipher what she was truly thinking.

"I have no ladies, Raina, and with my fifteenth name-day approaching, it's about time I should be presented to nobles, as my father has said. I will need girls to help daily ready me as well as act as my companions. Perhaps my mother will permit you to join me? I did tell her I would only take the prettiest of girls from the realm."

Immediately, a grin graces Raina's lips despite her trying to find the words. Jon has been thinking right when he'd suggested that the princess would need ladies. "I would be honored," she answers quickly with her words seemingly running into each other. "I would love to be one of your ladies, Princess."

It appeared all Raina needed to do was allow the Princess to think it was all her idea.

Malkyn grins once again, a twinkle seeming to appear in her green eyes as she folds her hands in front of herself. "Well then, I shall speak to my mother," she chirps with satisfaction. "Until I find you again, don't wander too far."

With that, the princess sauntered out of the stables. Raina felt relief wash over her like a cool drink of water, knowing that perhaps she might have found the solution to her crisis. She might have finally found a purpose with the lions after all.