Golden Lioness [Game of Thrones] COMPLETED!

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

"Kindness is a trap that you should never fall into."

- Cersei

Two weeks, Joanna hissed. Two weeks I have been sitting on this stupid horse with this stupid boy. Joanna was not pleased to spend so much time sitting on a horse with Theon's arms around her. Her back ached and crackled each time she moved, the sleeves of her dresses were all stringy from her picking at them. On top of that, Joanna thought her eyes would burst every time she saw Theon smile, she was sick of his dopey grins and snide smirks. 

Then suddenly their travels were over. Flocks of little birds left their spots to make room for the men. She watched camp being set up, green tents hoisted into the air among the clearing.  Joanna could imagine her father and Jaime doing the same with their own hosts. She had heard that the Lannister army was split into two, and each one probably looked just like the scene in front of Joanna now, except with red tents and more gold and without the fall of snow around them.

"Aron," Joanna spoke, laying her hand on the arm of one of her young guards.

"Yes, my lady?" Ser Aron was a soft-spoken boy with light brown hair and soft brown eyes. It was obvious that he quite enjoyed Joanna's company. 

"I am going to retrieve my gloves from the cart."

 The young knight nodded and followed her to one of the carts. He untied the strings on the side for her and she climbed up into the old wooden structure as Aron waited for her, petting the horse gently. Joanna shook her head, smiling inwardly at the soft and green guard. He would be easy to trick, deceive,  and manipulate. 

Joanna poked around inside the cart until she found her chests, and opened one, searching for her gloves. She slipped the lion-faced gloves over her frozen fingers and snatched another shawl to toss over her shoulders, as the long sleeves of her red dress were not enough to keep her warm in the summer snows. After closing her chest, she maneuvered her way to the end of the cart and hopped down, her boots crunching on the frozen mud. 

"What is his name?" Joanna asked Aron, who was enthralled with the horse. It was a lovely draft horse with a brown mane over its caramel coloured coat. 

"I'm not sure, my lady," he said while Joanna walked closer to him, to reach out to touch the horse gently on the neck. 

"What would you name him?" Joanna looked into the eyes of the horse.  She would name him Harry because as she pulled her hand back and inspected it, the horse was shedding like he had not been brushed in months.

"Caramel," Aron spoke. Joanna looked up from her hand.

"You cannot be serious." The young knight looked terrified for a moment. "That is exactly what I was thinking of!" she said. Aron laughed joyfully. Joanna was sure he was of her age, but he acted so innocent that he could be Tommen's age. 

"Excuse me, my lady," a man with white hair and a forked beard approached them. He looked familiar to Joanna. "Catelyn Stark requests your presence, my lady." Joanna glanced at the man but hid her puzzlement. She was not aware that Catelyn Stark had been reunited with the North. 

"Of course," Joanna said and followed the large man with Aron in tow. As the three of them walked through the busy camp, men smiled at Aron and nodded respectfully to the man in front of Joanna. They strolled down an aisle of tents, and Joanna noticed a large tent, which she assumed was Robb's, and next to it, an even bigger one, most likely where the men met to talk strategy.  Further along, they came across a decent sized tent, that radiated the scent of incense burning. Catelyn Stark opened the flap entrance immediately. 

"Joanna," Catelyn Stark spoke firmly. 

"My lady," Joanna curtsied while Catelyn thanked the knight that delivered her. Catelyn gestured for Joanna to enter.  Aron followed her inside. "This is Ser Aron Cerwyn, my guard," Joanna informed her. Catelyn gave the boy a once over then gestured for Joanna to sit at a table in the centre of the tent. Joanna was uncomfortable, she was sitting across from the woman who had taken her brother hostage without a reason. She felt anger too but tried to keep it hidden. 

"How was your journey?" Catelyn made pleasantries. 

"The travel from Winterfell has been bearable, unlike Tyrion's travels,"  Joanna was struggling to keep her anger to herself. Catelyn was taken slightly aback. Joanna smiled at Catelyn's discomfort but the older woman regained herself quickly. 

"I can understand why you are upset," Catelyn said. Joanna's smile turned into a sly smirk when she leaned forward.

"Oh," Joanna said.  "I'm sure you can comprehend the woes of believing your imprisoned loved one is innocent." Catelyn averted her eyes from Joanna and swallowed thickly, most likely pushing down her pride.  "Why have you summoned me, my lady?" Joanna inquired after a moment of immense tension. "Surely this is not the conversation you intended." 

"No, it is not," Catelyn replied. "I wanted to ask you about your childhood." 

Joanna laughed, understanding what game Catelyn was trying to play. 

"You want to know if my sister would trade your husband and daughters for me," Joanna replied. Catelyn's face went sour once again, it was obvious her mind was racing. Joanna noticed that Catelyn and Robb had similar eyes, they both resembled water. Joanna's heart softened slightly. "My apologies, but my sister would not even consider such an exchange." Catelyn's eyes were more like a lake, calmer, perhaps with age. 

"Does your father not make the decisions?" Joanna heard Catelyn try to hide the desperation in her voice with strength. 

Joanna ignored the question. "There is a chance you could get Sansa and Arya in exchange for me," Joanna offered as she watched the way the light streaming in from the gaps in the tent glinted through the auburn curls around Catelyn's face.  "You should go to Winterfell," Joanna suggested. She wanted to curse at her desire to sooth the older woman's pain. Catelyn shot her an odd look. "Brandon and Rickon miss you terribly." Cersei would not be kind in this situation, Joanna nagged herself, nor would Jaime or father. But Joanna knew that Tyrion would spare kindness to a mother, so she continued. "Robb will understand war soon, and he will not get the respect he needs with his mother around." Catelyn smiled, crows feet sprouting at the edge of her worn eyes. 

"You have the ferocity of a wolf, and the kindness it takes to mother a pack." Joanna could tell Catelyn was choosing her words carefully. "It's a shame you were born a Lannister." Joanna could tell the words were supposed to sting, but they did not. 

"I was not, actually," Joanna replied, smiling, her head to the side. Catelyn was quiet with curiosity. "It was my fifth name day, that I became a Lannister. I was so happy I cried, making my father threaten to make me a bastard again." Joanna chuckled at the memory and tucked a piece of her white hair behind her ear. 

"Why are you telling me this?" Catelyn asked. 

"You wanted to know about my childhood," Joanna said, then continued. "My father cares for me, in the stern way that he does everything valuable. But in no way does that mean that you will get your husband back in trade for me." Joanna got up from her seat and went to leave, however, she stopped right before the opening of the tent and curtsied. "My lady," she spoke before leaving.