The journey was long and tiring, I spent the majority of it with Myrcella head on my shoulder and Tommen's in my lap. Thankfully they both slept soundly as we trundled across Westeros, I definitely didn't and nor did Mother. We both also felt the chill instantly as we passed into northern territory, the snow coated the landscape and the wind chilled me to my very core. I resented the way my arms prickled with cold and my nails turned an ugly shade of purple. In fact I resented the entire situation and longed for the summer afternoons in Kings Landing with my brother and sister.
"I wonder if Winterfell is grander than the Red Keep" Myrcella wondered out loud, scouring the almost pure white landscape for any sign of the great castle. Mother bristled opposite me, I glanced up and met her eye, she faked a tight smile and laughed.
"Of course not. The king lives in the most grand of castles in the entirety of Westeros" She explained, letting her smile falter slightly then returning to a placid expression.
"Is that it?" Tommen piped up, joining our sister at the window, I looked over and saw the enormous structure in the distance.
"I believe so" I replied calmly, suppressing my nerves and anxiety in order to keep my siblings composed.
"Ah well it is" Mother sighed, "About time", she followed with a sharp hiss.
"Oh you must fix your dress, little one" I smoothed the creases from my sisters travelling dress and Mother jumped into action, running her hands through Tommens unruly blonde hair.
The carriage wobbled through the cobbled streets and into the courtyard of Winterfell, it stopped abruptly and I watched from the window as Father and Joffrey rode past with the Hound, Uncle Jaime and several other members of the kingsguard, their white capes billowing out behind them.
Father paused and dismounted his horse with a loud grunt, as he walked away, Mother pushed us out of the carriage. I sent Tommen out then Myrcella, finally I emerged and took in the scene, taking my place beside my sister and letting my mother leave the carriage.
Winterfell was definitely old and definitely northern, the weather and the decor was evidence enough. People swarmed the courtyard, all trying to catch a glance of their king, soldiers and families alike. But at the front of the crowds were clearly the Starks, Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell stood in the middle of the line, he was a tall broad man with a kind face. He had fought alongside my father during the rebellion, they were terribly old friends. Father approached him first, beckoning him to stand, he complied as did everyone else. The two men stared at one another for a moment, I could've cut the tension with a wooden training sword, then my father opened his big fat mouth.
"You've gotten fat" He grimaced, I held my breath and felt embarrassment flood through me as I saw the northern faces fall. There were a few awkward seconds before the two men collapsed into laughter and grasped each other in a tight embrace. The others smiled weakly, unsure of how to interpret the situation.
Father moved along to hug Lady Stark, Catelyn Tully, she looked incredibly uncomfortable and I didn't blame her. He proceeded to greet the various Stark children: Robb, he was a stern young man with a deep frown; Sansa, a beautiful girl but she only had eyes for Joffrey and I wished I could scream for her to run but instead I watched the young girl wish away her life; Arya, a small girl with big eyes and a burning desire to see my uncle; Bran, an adorable little boy who reminded me of Tommen and finally Rickon who stayed close to his mother and didn't make a sound.
I could make out some other faces in the crowd, Theon Greyjoy by his obvious resemblance to his father and uncle who frequently attended meetings in Kings Landing with the small council. A maester of course whose name I didn't know, clearly labelled by his robes and grey hair. Another young man of a similar age to Robb Stark, he must be the infamous bastard of Winterfell, his name was something Snow like all the others but I couldn't quite remember it.
"Take me to your crypt, I wanna pay my respects" Father demanded, Ned Stark and his wife were greeting my mother but all three snapped their focus to him.
"We've been riding for a month, my love, surely the dead can wait" Mother said in her sweetest tone but Father ignored her and gestured for Ned to follow him, Lord Stark cast an apologetic look to his queen and followed his king. The crowd seemed to start breathing all of a sudden, as if the kings presence had frozen them all in time.
Several seconds before my mother beckoned me forward.
"My eldest," Mother took my hand and pulled me forward, "Princess Lya of House Baratheon", I made eye contact with Lady Stark and she gave me a comforting smile.
"She is enchanting, your grace" She replied kindly, my mother nodded with a smirk.
"Then we have my eldest son, Crown Prince Joffrey of House Baratheon" She raised a second hand in the direction of my younger brother, he jumped off his horse and stalked towards the Starks, smiling slyly at Sansa the whole way.
"Father was right, you are pretty" He raised his eyebrows at her, she smiled even brighter and my heart ached even more for her. Robb looked particularly uncomfortable at the interaction, I managed to catch his eye but he quickly turned away. Joffrey proceeded to swagger through the crowd who parted smoothly for him, the Hound and a couple other guards followed closely. Mother watched him go, worry swam through her eyes and she tightened her grip on me.
"Princess Myrcella of House Baratheon" She continued through gritted teeth, my sister bounced forward and curtseyed wobbly, I smiled down at her. "Then my youngest, Prince Tommen of House Baratheon", he shuffled forward and tried to hide behind her skirts but Lady Catelyn simply tipped her head towards the boy.
"Sansa, Arya, show the princesses to their rooms" She insisted, the auburn haired girl was almost shaking with excitement and the little one looked as if she would rather be anywhere else.
As I followed the girls through the crowd, my hand wrapped around Myrcella's, I saw the bastard follow me with his dark eyes, I stole a glance then looked away.
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"Are you excited for the feast, your grace" Marin asked nicely, pinning my hair up like my mothers and braiding the loose pieces.
"I'm terribly famished but I couldn't be less excited for the company" I laughed as she finished up and went to fold away my travelling clothes.
A knock sounded at my door which stifled my laughter, Marin glanced at me and I nodded with a frown.
"My lord" She squeaked then turned to me, mouthing "Robb" and I felt my eyes widen accordingly.
"My apologies, I was hoping for a word with the princess" His voice flowed smoothly into the room, I stood quickly and wiped my palms on my skirts, trying to compose myself as quickly as possible. I couldn't deny that I found Robb Stark attractive, that was why most women became flustered in a man's presence, that was something I read about in the library once.
"My lord" I approached the doorway and smiled kindly at the young Stark who looked surprisingly put together. His dark curls were neat and his face clean shaven, he wore a simple brown leather tunic that suited him nicely.
"Your grace" He tipped his head, "I wished to ensure you were comfortable in your rooms and that my sisters provided everything you required"
"They were wonderful and the room is lovely, I do so enjoy being close to my siblings" I looked over at the doors down the hall where Myrcella and Tommen would sleep.
"Perfect" He replied, shifting his weight awkwardly and I stole a glance to Marin who shrugged.
"Perhaps you would like to escort me down to the feast, my lord" I suggested and he shook off whatever trance he fell into and nodded rapidly.
"I would be honoured" He stuck out his arm clumsily and I took it, I refrained from telling him that it was expected that the Lord of Winterfell's children escorted the children of the King to the welcome celebrations. Sansa would go with Joffrey, Arya with Tommen and Bran with Myrcella. It was customary but I let him believe I was selecting him.
He guided me through the dark hallways and the further we walked away from my room, the louder the voices became. I took in the surroundings and trailed the walls with my free hand, it wasn't entirely awful to be here after all.
Paintings were hung along the walls, some were landscapes of Westeros, from the Wall to Dorne and others were various portraits of Starks that I didn't recognise, all with the traditional dark hair and eyes. There was one of a girl, not much older than me with long dark hair and kind eyes, I smiled at her.
"You look lovely" He stammered and I blinked back my surprise.
"Why thank you" I blushed, "You must tell me: what are feasts really like here in Winterfell?"
"Informal, I'm afraid" Robb Stark explained, "Full of laughter and lots of wine"
"Sounds so very far away from Kings Landing" I told him and he shrugged softly.
"I haven't been that far south since I was very young" He admitted with a hint of shame in his tone.
"Perhaps it's for the best" I giggled, "The cold seems to be a friend to you, the warmth of the south could be daunting"
"I would miss the North if I left, but I wish to return to Riverrun one day" He sighed, turning left and pulling me gently with him.
"Your mother's family home?" I responded, looking up at him.
"I was born there, while my father fought in the rebellion" He recounted his past and I listened intently.
"Your a southerner at heart then" I chuckled, watching his face contort.
"How unnerving" He shuddered, then after a few seconds he understood my joke and laughed for a moment.
"Here" He paused at a door, loud voices sounded from within and silverware scraping on plates. "Ah, Arya"
Arya approached with Tommen, both looked uncomfortable and frankly quite exhausted. It was terribly late for the younger children, I sighed and smoothed a stray hair on my brothers head.
"Where is Sansa, and Bran?" Robb wondered, then a fleck of red appeared to my left and I saw the elder Stark girl and Joffrey, looking like his usual sickening self. Myrcella appeared at my side soon after, clutching my arm but I ushered her back to Bran and smiled at them both reassuringly.
Several minutes of uninteresting conversation ensued before the doors opened and we poured into the feast. I gazed around at the large variety of guests, from my parents to training soldiers at a small table in the corner. The room was lit by candles and had a warm feeling, Robb was right about the laughter that echoed through the room and the sweet smell of wine that surrounded us.
He escorted me to my seat where I was joined by my siblings, the Starks sat at another table but I didn't mind having my siblings for company. Joffrey was no fun, he spent the entire evening attempting to smoulder at Sansa Stark. She was sat with other ladies and they gossiped about this and that, she even went to talk to my mother then returned with a giddy smile. The younger three Starks were awfully bored, as were my brother and sister: Rickon carved a drawing into the table with his knife, Bran slipped away at the first moment he could, Arya flicked food at her sister but she repeatedly miss, Myrcella twisted her hair round her finger and Tommen was sleeping with his head leant against the wall.
Sadly, the food was simple but after a few cups of wine, it didn't matter. I glanced around the room and saw Robb laughing with Theon Greyjoy, I'd seen them both earlier before the feast but they had another boy with them. I twisted in my seat and craned my neck but eventually I saw him, the Snow boy was sat at a table with soldiers in the corner, looking drunker than my father who was spouting filth about women again.
"Arya!" Sansa shrieked as a spoonful of the chewy beef stew landed on her face and her sister erupted into a fit of laughter. The girl to her left quickly grabbed a cloth and wiped away the rich brown sauce but Sansa was already red with embarrassment. I hid my grin with my hand, others were not so gracious, Robb and Theon joined in with the laughter until a stern look from his mother silenced the eldest Stark son, he sighed and grabbed his youngest sister. Theon Greyjoy followed closely with a sleepy Rickon, that spurred my mothers maids to escort my brother and sister from the feast, leaving just myself, Joffrey and Sansa at the tables. I leant back in my chair and looked around for a more interesting conversation. That was when I noticed the missing bastard, I drained my glass and scraped back my chair, letting then dizziness that came with wine overrun as I abandoned the tiresome feast.
Thanks for coming back!!
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Hope you liked the chapter, I incorporated some book elements alongside show elements so that's why some parts are slightly different like Jon Snow attending the feast and ofc having an oc means things will be slightly different anyway.
Have a lovely day!!
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