A/N: Long Chapter
The courtyard was in pure chaos like it usually was during the day. The children were laughing. Running race laps around the area and playing their usual games. Everyone was having a good time laughing and playing with their friends. All except one.
Rosie sat on the steps in the back of the courtyard. Watching as the other kids played and conversed amongst themselves. Rosie's eyes saddened at the sight of the other kids talking with their friends. As Rosie glanced around, her eyes landed on one group of girls. That seemed to be near her age. Soon the girls turned and caught Rosie's eyes on them. Knowing this Rosie gave them a shy wave and smile. Which was returned with glares and snarls.
Rosie then frowned and turned away from the group. With her head down she stared at her doll. Rosie was always the outcast in the orphanage. No one wanted to be her friend for she was deemed the weird one of the orphanage. The loser. But it all changed when her best and only friend Alyse came.
Alyse came to the orphanage when Rosie was 5 years old. Alyse had fair tan skin and wavy long brown hair. Her eyes were hazel brown, which she could almost swear was a little violet. Along rosy cheeks and lips to match.
Unlike Rosie's quiet and shy nature. Alyse was loud and active, she dared to dream and was never ashamed to speak her mind. So, it was a surprise to everyone when she and Rosie became best friends. However, even though they were different sides of the same coin. They both dreamed of finding a nice home with a wonderful family.
For the longest time they were inseparable. Until Rosie's 7th name day, when a family came and adopted Alyse and took her all the way to a land across the sea. A place called Essos, as Rosie recalled. Rosie remembered watching Alyse ride away to her new home from her window. Tears in her eyes as she watched her friend disappear, forever.
Forever?
New home?
A family?
Rosie thought running her fingers across the doll's face. While staring at her doll she looked at its appearance. Lady Maria was an old and tattered doll; her dress was grey and dirty. One of her button eyes was already gone and the remaining was hanging on by a single thread. The doll's use to be full head of wool hair was mostly gone. All that was left was six dangling strands. And its red sew lips were just loose threads.
As Rosie kept staring at the doll. Tears started to well in Rosie's innocent green irises. For she and the doll were the same; they both were broken and torn. Seeming to not belong or survive in this world. However, both somehow deserve to be in it.
Rosie's hands started to tremble. The dirty and battered object in her hands shaking along with her form. She kept thinking; maybe, just maybe. . . Caretaker Aaron was wrong about everything. Maybe she was cursed that she will never be adopted. Maybe she was supposed to just exist without a reason why. Maybe she was supposed to be forgotten by the world. To wonder aimlessly through the shadows as nothing.
You are nothing! The little voice in the back of her head said. Making the little girl's shoulders start to shake.
You are nothing! It echoed over and over again in her mind. Rosie started to sob at the cruel words. Believing and feeling every single inch of the subconscious hate.
Nothing
Nothing
Nothing
NOTHING!
"I am nothing. A nobody," the heartbroken girl whispered to herself in growing sadness. By now Rosie's head was down as she curled up into a ball hugging her doll tightly. Her little tears were now a river, running down her face and falling gracefully like rain onto her dirt covered knees.
"I will never have a family," she lifted her head and gazed into the eyes or eye of the doll. "Maybe everyone's right. . . Maybe I am cursed." "Oh! So, the cow finally understands her place in the world." Rosie gasps whipping her head up coming to face Butch and his minions, her main tormentors. Rosie immediately stood up clutching her doll to her chest. Like a protective shield.
"And I thought I would have to remind your bug like face, that the dirt in King's Landing is worth more than you", butch said his minions laughing behind him. You see Butch was the main bully of the orphanage. He ruled the orphanage like the mad king ruled his kingdom when he was still alive. Butch was cruel and heartless; once he pushed poor Archie down the stairs and caused him to break his arm. He even knocked poor Eda out of her wheelchair just so he and his friends could ride on it. Making the wheelchair break in the process. Leaving caretaker Aaron to fix it and causing Eda to get carried everywhere for a month.
Because of these things Rosie thought that he was the devil's spawn that was sent to earth by his master only to torture her. "Yeah bug! The dirt is more than you! Haha!" One of Butch not so bright lackey Boot said. "Shut it Boot!" Boot's jaw clamped shut immediately, giving Butch the floor again, "So tell me bug, what were you thinking about to make you come to the realization that you are indeed nothing?"
Rosie tiled her head down for what seemed like the millionth time in her life and mumbled under her breath.
"What I can't hear you." Butch said. Rosie felt the tears starting to come back, but she blinked them away. 'Don't cry', she spoke to herself, 'Not in front of Butch'. "I-I. . ." She began to stutter, "Speak up bug!" Butch yelled at her. Rosie flinched at the harshness of his words. "I-I was th-thi-thinking ab-about my f-family", she finished.
Silence that was all she heard for a few moments until laughter seemed to burst from the group in front of her. This was not going to end well. "Your family?" Butch said in astonishment, "You will never have a family bug. Don't you know that from all the adoption days, no one will ever pick you. Hear me no one not even the king would pick someone as ugly as you."
Rosie couldn't hold back the tears anymore she started to sob silently in front of them. She knew their words weren't true and she should have tuned them out just like caretaker Aaron said she should. But there was that voice that little, tiny voice in the back of their mind. The same voice telling her that she was nothing. That she didn't matter or should ever have existed at all. Was telling her they were right.
"Ah look everyone the little bug is crying for her family", Rosie recognized the voice it was Butch's right-hand Weasel. "Oh, come on Weasel, you can't cry over something you don't have", Butch and his lackeys laughed. It was at this exact moment that Rosie would do the most stupidest and bravest thing in her life. . . She spoke up.
"I will have a family one-day Butch, and they will love me and take care of me like I was their own daughter." Butch stopped laughing along with Weasel and Boot. He glared at the girl in front of him, "Is that so?" Rosie nodded timidly, "Well yes! I'll have a family one day. A real one but right now it's just only me and Lady Maria." She finished, holding her doll a little tighter.
Butch kept glaring at her for a few moments, but then his glare twisted into a smile a sickening smile that Rosie found extremely uncomfortable.
"I have to say that was very cute. However, your family is not here yet and you said yourself that your family will be here one day. Right?" Butch asked, Rosie did not like where this was going. Not one bit.
Butch then started to circle Rosie like a hawk watching her every move with his cold obsidian eyes. As he was circling her Rosie noticed that all of the children in the courtyard were looking for them. Watching with curious eyes, 'How long have they been watching?' 'Were they just now seeing her talking to Butch?' 'Did someone go and get caretaker Aaron?'
Rosie was so consumed with her thoughts and questions she didn't realize that Butch lunged for her and snatched her doll out of her hands. She gasped turning her eyes from her to see Butch with her prized and only possession.
"Since you said that this thing," he gestured towards the doll he was now holding, "Is your only family we should officially welcome her, right fellas?" Weasel and Boot nodded excited. "Put her down. Please, give her back Butch!"
Butch put his finger to his chin mockingly thinking it over, "Ah! No, I want to have some fun. Hey Boot Catch!" He tossed the doll to Boot who caught it with ease. "Nice toss mate", Butch laughed and shrugged, "What can I say I good aim." Soon Rosie ran to Boot trying to get Lady Maria back.
Boot dodged her and held the doll high above her head making her have to jump. Butch, Weasel and some of the other kids were laughing at Rosie's humiliation. Boot then tossed the doll to Weasel. Rosie rushed to him next who tossed it back to Butch who tossed it back to Boot. Making Rosie run around like a chicken with her head cut off.
Rosie was hating every minute of this monkey in the middle nonsense and so was Butch. He wanted a laugh and a laugh he would soon get. He then tossed the doll to Weasel who caught it making Rosie dash over to him. However, at the last moment Butch stuck out his foot causing Rosie to trip rolling on the ground scraping her arms and legs.
Everyone had different reactions to the outcome some were cheering, others were laughing and a good few were pitying the poor helpless girl. Rosie sat up on the ground lips trembling. She was getting ready to cry again.
"Look at this Butch poor baby going to cry", Said Weasel in mock sympathy. Butch laughed coming to Weasel's side grabbing the doll from his rough hands. "Yes, well least now maybe when she actually does get a family, they will adopt her out of pity." Rosie started to cry some more.
"But then again, why would they even adopt her out of pity? She already pathetic enough look at her covered in dirt and blood. Who would want to adopt someone like that?" Rosie looked down at her arms and legs seeing they were right. She was covered in dirt and her scraped skin was starting to bleed. She hugged herself crying not caring who was watching.
Butch then stared at the doll then Rosie and smirked once again. "I wonder how you would do if this family member was ripped away from you too?" Rosie slowly lifted her gaze to Butch, "Let's find out."
Butch then started to rip the seams of the doll starting with the last button eye then the last strands of her hair. Rosie started to cry more and more, for she would get up to stop Butch but she was in too much pain to even get up.
When Butch got to the torso the courtyard doors banged open. Butch stopped his torture on the doll the laughing and the cheering stopped. Even Rosie's sobbing ceased at the loud intrusion. She picked her head up sighing in relief at the sight before her.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" It was caretaker Aaron coming to save her yet again. However, he was flanked by what seemed to be a teenager with red and gold silk clothes. A small man and a couple of guards, who were deck out in the finest armor Rosie ever seen. Well, the only armor she's ever seen.
She noticed the way the guards carried themselves too. And how they were positioned around the teen like they were protecting him or something. The more she looked at the teen, she soon realized his eyes turned to her with in a piercing gaze to them. She suddenly shrank back turning her head down. Arms still wrapped tightly around her frame.
Soon footsteps were heard, "What in the Gods name is going on here Aaron?" Rosie looked up again peaking up at the adults through her long messy hair. "I don't know Tyrion. But I'll get to the bottom of this." Rosie turned her head to see that the small man known as Tyrion was the one that spoke. Wait Tyrion? As in the dwarf? As in the brother of the queen mother Cersei Lannister? That Tyrion Lannister?
Rosie was shocked, 'Why would he be here?' She thought to herself. Soon caretaker Aaron spoke again, "I apologize for this your majesty."
Rosie gasped causing the teenager to look at her. Instead of turning away like she usually did, she just stared mouth agape at the tall blond man in front of her curled up figure. Rosie now realized why there were guards. Why the dwarf Tyrion Lannister was here, it all made sense.
The man in front of her was Joffrey. The king of the seven kingdoms was here standing in front of her. Rosie was completely astounded by the fact the king was in the orphanage. Looking at her, everything about it left Rosie speechless. It was an amazing moment. But suddenly reality hit Rosie hard like a strong harsh winter wind. The king was here in the orphanage, but why?