Golden Lioness [Game of Thrones] COMPLETED!

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"Even the blacksheep in this family must follow our dear father's laws." 

- Tyrion

"What about Hodor?"  Robb asked Maester Luwin as they sat at the dining hall the next day. Joanna was rubbing her head, groaning slightly every time someone spoke. "He could pick Bran up and carry him around." 

"Rough night?" Theon spoke to Joanna, who didn't respond, pretending that she was listening to Robb and Maester Luwin. "I had a rough night," Theon continued anyway. "But that's how I like it." Joanna was going to shoot him a glare, but a maid placed a plate of bacon and bread in front of her.

"Thank you, Milly," she said to the maid who nodded and smiled, then Joanna began to delicately shovel the food into her mouth.

"So you can talk to her and not me!" Theon acted exasperated. 

"She brought me food, what do you have to offer?" Joanna glared at him, and he winked which made her jab his side with her elbow. 

"Theon, stop harassing my betrothed," Robb remarked, causing Joanna to smirk at Theon. "Joanna," Robb got her attention back from Theon. "I would like to ask something of you," he spoke in a lord's voice. "I would like you to ask Bran if he likes the idea of Hodor." 

"Why her?" Theon asked, but Joanna already knew the answer. 

"Because Bran can't say 'no', he owes his life to her so he has to agree with her," Robb explained. Joanna wanted to take this as an opportunity to pretend that she was nothing but Robb's betrothed, instead of a member of the family Robb might go to war against, so she got to her feet quickly and nodded at the boys before leaving, taking her dishes with her. 

"Milly," Joanna greeted the woman as she handed her dishes over to the maid. Then "Jeyne!" she called at the older woman in front of her that she suddenly spied.  Even though Joanna's wine pitcher in her room had miraculously been replenished every day since Joanna had arrived at Winterfell, Joanna hadn't seen Jeyne who was responsible for this wonderful occurrence. The old dark-haired woman turned. 

"M'lady," the old woman greeted Joanna with a  tight-lipped but warm smile. Joanne fished around in her dress that she had made herself. The dress was burgundy with gold trimmings. It appeared to be simple but Joanna had carefully crafted pockets into her dress, where she kept coinage that would help her win the Northerners. 

"This is for you, for the wine." Joanna handed the woman ten gold dragons, and Jeyen thanked her, promising to keep the wine coming. Then, Joanna went around the kitchen, discretely giving the staff money. Ginley the wench got gold for making her mulled wine, Milly, special breakfasts, and some others for the secrets they were going to give her. "A Lannister always pays their debts," she smiled and told them before walking out, up to Bran's room. 

Joanna was outside his door for a few moments. She thought about the last time she was here, running through this hallway and throwing a knife through the attacker's eye. She did not regret her decision to go after the man,  in order to make sure Brandon Stark lived. The boy did not remember anything, which Robb had told her,  and consequently, since she had defended Bran, Robb and the rest of Winterfell looked beyond her Lannister title. 

"Are you going to stand there all day?" came a voice from inside Bran's room. Joanna assumed that the voice belonged to the hag named Old Nan who she knew was spending time with Brandon. Joanna stepped around the corner and into Brandon's room. "Oh," Old Nan seemed confused. "Apologies, m'lady." She seemed surprised to see Joanna. 

"How fares Brandon?" Joanna asked, going further into the room, and standing at the foot of the boy's bed, and addressing him while watching the direwolf eyeing her skeptically.