Cinnamon and Mint

Chapter One

       The morning light shone through the window over Winterfell. The snow covered the ground like a blanket as the wind blew into the castle. Haidees' maids were already helping her get ready for the day, bustling around to what looked like madness to the naked eye, but each maid knew exactly what they were doing. After the last pin was put in Haidees' hair, the head maid finally spoke up.

       "Your father is beaming today, I believe it will be a good day if you keep him this way." The maid continued to play with the princess' hair while she looked at her through the mirror. Haidees' turned around to look at her.

       "I am always obedient to my father, Evelyn, it is the other three that rile him up." The pair laughed at the comment and putting the conversation to rest Evelyn let go of the princess' hands to go down to meet with her father.

       Haidees walked through the hallways, her heels clacking on the stones below her feet. She tried her best to enter the feast hall quietly, but to no avail. The door creaked open and Haidees went to sit in her chair as the rest of the servants brought them their first meal.

       "Haidees! How wonderful of you to join us! I was just telling Astrid about our plans for the day." Her father, Cregan Stark, boasted.

       "Sister, you will not believe what you will be doing today." Astrid giggled in her chair as she played with the food on her plate. Astrid looked up momentarily with the look of mischief in her piercing blue eyes.

       "It's not proper to play with your food. Hence the reason you're not married yet." Haidees giggled out while placing her napkin in her lap.

       "Oh sister, it's funny you bring up marriage." Zora spoke up. Haidees looked up across the table to where she sat, right next to her half brother, Zandu. Both of them are from her fathers second marriage.

       "Is there a wedding we are attending today?" Haidees questioned, looking at Cregan with innocence in her eyes. Her father, if she was willing to call him that, was stuffing his face with the food that was put on his plate.

       'He looks like a hog who has been starved for many moons.' Haidees thought.

       "Yes sister," Astrid finally spoke up again, she couldn't keep her mouth shut for two minutes if her life depended on it, ",Yours."

       "What do you mean mine? I am not married yet. Father tell me this is some sort of joke." Haidees dropped the silverware that was in her hands before onto the table top. As if she just made the funniest joke alive, Cregan started laughing.

       "You heard your sister right my eldest daughter. You are betrothed to someone. I made all the arrangements. You will be married once the birds start chirping." His face fell from a smile to one of stone to make sure Haidees knew he was serious.

       "How many times do I have to tell you? I only want to marry when I know he truly loves me. I don't want to be married off to help you gain allies. We don't need any, we are strong enough as we are." Haidees got up from her seat. Her fists laid on the table as she hunched over to look her father in the eyes.

       "Daughter, would you not slouch? I thought your mother taught you better when raising you." Cregan went back to his food and paid no attention to Haidees.

       "We are not done with the conversation, speak to me father."

       "What more is there to say? He is on his way here on dragonback." Cregan replied nonchalantly.

       "Dragonback? But the only family that has dragons is the house Targaryen." Haidees stood up and straightened her back to stand her full height.

       "Yes sister, you are being betrothed to a Targaryen," Zandu pipped in wiping his face with his napkin, "Father, may I be excused? I can't deal with the bickering of your oldest any longer, let alone think about how she would be as a wife."

       "Yes Zandu, you may be excused." Cregan wiped his face off and stood up.

       "You are a rude little shit. Don't speak about me when I am in front of you. Do it behind my back like you do the rest of your sisters, like a coward." Haidees turned to look at Zandu as he was near the door to leave.

       Without turning around Zandu spoke, "Never call me a coward ever again." and with that sentence he left the feast hall with a slam of the door.

       "Well someone clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Astrid giggled.

       "If he could even find it under any of the armor that is all over his room." Zora giggled back to Astrid.

       "Come daughter, for we must prepare you to meet your future husband. You might want to put on something more suitable for him."

       "Evelyn dressed me this morning, she said I looked beautiful." Haidees scoffed as her father looped their arms together.

       "Evelyn left out the fact that you look like a common whore."

       Haidees turned her head around to look at her sisters for help as her father escorted her to the door. She was only met with sympathetic looks from the pair still sitting at the table, playing with their food.

       The walk down the hallway was quiet. Haidees didn't dare speak another word to her father as they walked together to her room. When they made it there Evelyn opened the door and allowed them to walk in.

       "I made Evelyn go and pick one of your mothers old dresses. I thought this blue would bring out your eyes. But there is a selection of them if you do not like the one I picked, the Gods know that you don't like anything I pick." Cregan sighed out. For a moment, Haidees almost felt bad for the fight she started this morning. She wanted to reach out and hug him because she knew that he truly loved her mother, all the way up until her death. With a nod of his head Cregan left before Haidees could muster up the courage to do anything. When the doors closed Evelyn started to undo the dress that was currently wearing.

       "Would you like to look at the other dresses Lord Stark had brought here?" Evelyn finally broke the silence.

       Haidees shook her head, "No, I'll go with the one he picked out. Anything to see him smile again."

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