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CHAPTER TWO ❦
THE STARK'S WERE CORDIAL despite the history that had occurred between the two families. Malaena was still uncomfortable around their home after what she had heard the night before. Theon had no such qualms; Eddard Stark had informed her that he had treated Theon as his own and it showed.
All the Stark boys had gathered outside early the next morning, just after first light, practicing with arrows on a target. Malaena watched from her sewing stool, Lady Stark had forced Sansa to include Malaena in her activities, and Sansa seemed less than pleased to have Malaena following her around. Malaena did not mind, she enjoyed sewing, it was a pastime her and her mother both shared. She also quite enjoyed watching the boys fool around with their weapons while they were supposed to be training; all of them taunted each other ruthlessly if one were to aim brutally off centre.
Jon Snow, the rather quieter one of the three, stood behind Theon as Theon shot; he missed the entire target and his arrow landed in the hay. Jon smirked at her brother, a teasing expression on his face.
"Nice shot," Jon commented. "For a blind man."
Malaena shook her head and chuckled quietly to herself, or so she thought, but Jon turned in her direction and met her eye; his lips curled further when he caught her laughing. She assumed him to be the brooding type after they had met last evening, her first impression seemed to be proven wrong.
"Look, Greyjoy," Jon nudged Theon's shoulder roughly. "Your sister, your own flesh and blood, is laughing at you. That's how shit your shot is."
Malaena averted her gaze when the boys began to wrestle, focusing her attention back into the dress she was attempting to sew. Yet, she was still distracted, feeling eyes of someone else boring into her side.
She turned to her left as Sansa was scanning her with a critical stare. "Why are you here exactly?"
Malaena's smile left her face as she turned to the redheaded girl, Malaena could feel the disdain flowing from the other girls body.
"Have you ever been to the Iron Islands m'lady?" She asked Sansa, her eyes trailing over the younger girl, awaiting her reply and also inspecting her in an attempt to see past the cold front Sansa put up.
Sansa shook her head.
"Yes, I thought so," Malaena laughed, sarcasm dripping from the sound. "If you had travelled to my home, you would know why I left."
For a moment Sansa's eyes flickered to the stone floor. She looked back up at Malaena and instead of just plain coldness in her eyes, there was a hint of sympathy. Her lips parted slowly before she closed them again, tightly in a thin line.
