THE LITTLE PUP (EDITING AND REWRITING)

Chapter 21 | Danger

"It's very beautiful, Sansa. And also very special! I'm very happy for you" Lilia lied. She didn't believe that Joffrey did that out of kindness. She believed that he did that because his mother told him to. She knew that the Queen liked Sansa and thought she was worthy of succeeding her. "But something tells me that there is more to it than what you're telling me..."

"Well, the Prince kissed me..." she confessed. Lilia was shocked but at the same time happy for her sister's happiness. Joffrey could be unworthy of his sister, but if he made her happy, what could she do?

"Ew, gross!" Arya screamed in disgust, earning a disapproving look from Sansa. Lilia simply giggled at the reaction of both of them. "What? I don't need to know about those disgusting moments with your intended!"

"Ignore her, Sansa. I'm glad you are finally happy ever since we came to King's Landing" the eldest one tried to meddle the argument between both her sisters. She thought that it would get easier with time, but it simply turned out to be harder than she ever thought it would be. As they would grow up, Arya and Sansa would turn out to be worse than cat and dog, making it almost unbearable for anyone close to them. "Besides, I'm sure that once Arya meets her Knight in shining armour, she'll be just as passionate as you are"

"Like hell, I will" the young girl showed even more disgust, earning a laugh from her sister that didn't last very long, since she met her other sister's gaze, who looked very interested in something Lilia could not understand.

"What about your betrothed? You left to take a walk through the gardens with Ser Loras and you didn't even say anything... I heard it from my ladies, who were jealous of you" Sansa explained shortly and Lilia rolled her eyes and bit her lip. The truth was that Ser Loras had left a good impression on her, but after the conversation she had with Cersei... she was very confused about everything in general. Her father warned her not to trust people, but couldn't she trust the one who would be her brother by law?

"We had a nice conversation and talked about his brother and his family, the upcoming marriage... nothing special..." she responded, trying to run from the subject. "He told me that Willas has a gentle heart and that his family would like me very much once they met me"

Then, and much to Lilia's happiness, Ned came inside the room, making the three of them straighten up and wait for him in silence, patiently. Lilia thought that he was simply going to tell them some short, highly changed version of what happened, in order to keep them innocent on the matter.

"I'm going to send you all back to Winterfell" he announced and Lilia took a deep breath. She was finally going home, back to Bran, and Rickon, and Robb. The place where she truly belonged. However, she had the marriage matter on the back of her mind. Would she go back to Winterfell for a short time or would she go back to actually stay there? Was she included when he meant to send them back to Winterfell?

"Gods be good" she whispered in relief. Even if she was starting to accept the marriage, the only reason why she was accepting it was to escape the Capitol. But with her father sending her back to Winterfell, she had everything she could possibly want. Nevertheless, silence didn't remain for long.

"What?!" Sansa asked out of indignation. Lilia expected her sister to react that way, especially since she was making it good in the Capitol. She was going to be the Queen and therefore, she believed it was her place to stay there and never leave again.

"Listen..." as Lord Stark was about to say it, he was interrupted by little Arya, who was just as concerned as her ginger-haired sister.

"Are you going to die because of your leg?" Arya asked, making Ned give her a confused look. "Is that why you're sending us all home?"

"What? No..." Lilia didn't understand why he would send them back to Winterfell, but she didn't mind at all. She knew that her place was either in Winterfell or in Highgarden, at that point. So, going away from King's Landing, a nest of treacherous people, didn't seem a bad idea at all.

"Please, father! Please, don't!" Sansa pleaded. Lilia loved her sister to heart and considered her a best friend but she hated when she was selfish. Sansa could be kind, and she had indeed a good heart, but she could be so self-centred to the point that it annoyed the eldest Stark girl. It made her sick to her stomach how she would just see herself and no one else.

"No, you can't!" Lilia was surprised to hear a negative response from Arya. She always thought that the girl wished that she hadn't set foot in the Capitol, and for that reason, she always thought that she would be eager to leave. "I have my lessons with Syrio, I'm finally getting good!"

"This isn't a punishment. I want you back in Winterfell for your own safety" at that moment, Ned's eyes laid in his eldest daughter. He knew she had the better understanding on what was happening, and that her knowledge on the subject would make her great help in order to arrange for everything in order for their departure to be quick and discreet.

"Can't we take Syrio back with us?" at that moment, Lilia just wanted to facepalm herself. Arya was of the North, she was tomboyish, she wasn't a Lady and she despised Southerners. But even her, stubborn and determined little girl, was seduced by the wonders of the South. 'Am I the only one who realizes what a dangerous position we are in?', she thought to herself.

"Who cares about your stupid dancing teacher? I can't go, I'm supposed to marry Prince Joffrey, I love him and I'm meant to be his Queen and have his babies!" Sansa argued back. Lilia rolled her eyes at her reasoning, could Sansa be more ridiculous? In Lilia's eyes, there was no possible way that she could be so foolish and stupid. In which world did she live in? In Wonderland, LalaLand, or what?!

"Seven Hells" Arya beat her eldest sister to speak her mind. That was one of the things Lilia wanted to be able to do – speak freely and without fear of hatred or hurt feelings. She couldn't. The main difference between her and Arya was the fact that Arya didn't really care to begin with, and then Arya was a child and so, people forgave her for it. Lilia was a woman though, so she could not afford to act so ruthlessly because people wouldn't have the same position that they have about Arya.

"When you're old enough, I'll make you a match with someone who is worthy of you. Both of you" his eyes were turned to Lilia in the last part. 'Does that mean that I'm not to marry Willas Tyrell?', she asked herself. She didn't know how to feel about it, she knew it was something that she prayed for every night, she knew that she was going to have that same thing. But did that mean that she was relieved about it? "Someone who is brave and gentle and strong"

"I don't want someone brave and gentle and strong, I want him!" Sansa replied with conviction, earning a soft giggle from Ned and Arya, and an eye roll from Lilia, who was just sick of her sister's attitude. "He'll be the greatest King that ever was, a golden lion and I'll give him sons with beautiful, blond hair"

"The lion is not his sigil, you idiot! He's a stag, like his father" Arya corrected her. Lilia noticed her father's facial expression change and she wondered what was happening into that head of his. She knew that her father was a wise man and that if, by some reason his facial expression changed, that reason would have to be extremely important.

"No, he's not! He's nothing like that fat, drunk, old King!" she argued and Lilia's patience finally hit the limit. Sansa had crossed the line. She had to admit that the King looked nothing like one of those cheesy fairytales that are read to them when they were little girls. However, that did not give Sansa the right to speak of the man, her King, so rudely and arrogantly. Lilia had thought that in her head plenty of times, but as the her Lady Mother had taught her to be, she never said anything. Her mother had given her three daughters the same education, and even if Sansa used to be the perfect Lady, the Capitol had changed her drastically and the Queen had manipulated her endlessly.

"Enough!" Lilia yelled to stop the argument, catching Sansa, Arya and her father out of guard. "You've changed, Sansa. And you know what? I'm not sure that I like who you've become very much. I didn't know that arrogance in you! If you weren't so self-centred in yourself and your beloved Joffrey and your admirable Queen Cersei, then you would probably realize that we are outnumbered. But if you wish to stay, then know that you are by yourself!"

She stormed out of her father's chambers and headed outside with her loyal Winter Rose, her only friend and the one companionship that she could always rely on.