[V.] A Tragic End
For the first time in some time, things had been going well in Storm's End.
Robert had returned home to take on some of his duties as the future lord of Storm's End. Stannis's hawk had healed nicely and could now take flight, bringing much joy to the usually somber lad.
As for Cassandra, she had found time for herself, visiting the citizens of Storm's End. She had also been corresponding with Ned and getting to know him more. Though she considers him as one of her friends, she supposed it would take more time to see him in that light.
Her father and mother had taken one of their ships, the Windproud, to travel to the Free Cities of Volantis, the two of them on a quest from the king to find Prince Rhaegar a suitable bride. Preferably one of noble birth from an old Valyrian bloodline.
A week ago, her father had written to report that they found no such woman. However, they had found a jester named Patchface that could supposedly merit a smile from her typically serious brother.
Although they had not found a bride, there were supposed talks that the king was planning on replacing Lord Tywin Lannister with her father for the position of Hand of the King. It was a role of the highest honor and everyone agreed that it would be very good for their family.
"Are you sure they're due to be back today?" Cassandra asked for the third time as she tried to spot the Windproud from amongst the waves.
The three siblings were currently in one of the towers, awaiting their parents' arrival. The tower's height was high enough to be able to see the eastern coasts of Westeros. Worry started to fill her being as storm clouds brewed over the coast, droplets of rain beginning to fall from the sky.
"Yes, I am sure of it." Robert insisted, pulling her back into the shade to prevent her from getting sick. "You could catch a cold, stop fussing."
Cassandra stuck her tongue out at him, still trying to look into the harbor. "I am not fussing. I am just excited for them to return so that I do not have to answer to you anymore."
Robert ruffled her hair, messing up the careful braids. "Keep that up and I'll push you into the harbor. You can swim to our parents to meet them. Granted, they don't confuse you with a squid and accidentally shoot you."
"Who do you think Prince Rhaegar's wife will be then?" Stannis interrupted the two, wanting to know what will happen now that their parents failed to find a potential bride.
"Probably a noblewoman from court? Maybe Lord Tywin will finally get his wish and have his brat of a daughter married." Cassandra teased, recalling the stoic man and his spiteful daughter.
Ashara had told her stories of the girl who was cruel to the servants and to her youngest brother, often mistreating them with horrendous actions. It would be unfortunate for the prince to be married to such a girl.
"It is lucky that you are already betrothed, sister. With our Targaryen blood, the king would probably have wanted to betroth you to Prince Rhaegar." Robert retorted, laughing at her expression of horror.
"Our cousin? Are you mad?" Cassandra exclaimed, not even entertaining the possibility. He was a good man and an accomplished warrior but he was dour and private, wishing for no company other than his books and his harp.
"He can sing songs to you with his harp." Robert stated, opening his mouth to sing a merry tune in a high-pitched tone, annoying his two siblings.
"Prince Rhaegar is intelligent. I have heard that he has read nearly all the books in the library of the Red Keep." Stannis defended, recalling the whispers of the prince's intellect.
Robert smirked, elbowing his sister conspiratorially. "Nevermind, Cassandra. It seems our brother wants the prince for himself.
"Robert," Cassandra chastised, sending an apologetic smile to Stannis, who had turned away, further distancing himself from the conversation.
Cassandra and Robert continued to bicker childishly, arguing over the littlest of things with some insults being thrown every now and then. Of course, none of them were ever filled with malice. It was simply how the two bonded.
Suddenly, Stannis spoke up. "There! I think that's the Windbreaker."
The siblings all looked up expectantly to see the ship entering the harbor. Despite the dark, stormy clouds above their heads, the yellow sails stood out from the waves that mimicked endless depths.
Smiles erupted in their faces, relief blooming in their chests at seeing confirmation of their parents' return. Letters could only do so much but seeing them so close brought much-needed comfort to the siblings who loved their parents dearly.
They should not have spoken too soon.
"Something's wrong." Robert murmured under his breath though his other two siblings heard his words loud and clear.
The Windbreaker had broken course. The ship moved as though damaged, its sails waving furiously with the ship itself moving side to side. Droplets of rain fell furiously with the winds raging around them, the storm gaining strength.
Cassandra felt a weight settle in her chest as the wind changed direction. She could only watch as the ship swerved dangerously, tilting sideways, and enabling water to enter. If the storm was to persist, the Windbreaker would be filled with water.
The waves persisted, their claws reaching out from the depths of the ocean, attacking the wooden vessel with anger and rage. With another change of direction, the Windbreaker was brought past its docking point and into Shipbreaker Bay.
Robert, Stannis, and Cassandra could only watch as the Windbreaker smashed against the dangerous rocks that lined the bay, incurring such damage to the ship that even they, who were miles away, could not miss.
"No!" Cassandra screamed, rushing forward to the ledge as if that could do anything when the distance between them would do no good.
All she could do was watch as the ship gave out its final breath before disappearing amongst the treacherous waves, the large vessel being lost among the waves that caused its demise.
She could feel the warm tears falling down her face, a contrast from the freezing raindrops that continued to trickle from the skies. Loud sobs escaped her though that too was lost in the wind as if she were a mere speckle of dust in the vastness of the universe.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and through her tears, she could see her brother, Stannis, soaked from the rain, despair radiating from him as well. "Cassandra."
"Stannis, we have to do something! Robert, do something!" Cassandra cried out to them desperately, wishing for someone, for something to fix this.
Stannis only pulled her into his arms as she sobbed, his shoulders quivering as he held her against him, from the cold or from his grief, she could not tell. Robert moved towards them, though he remained standing, his eyes still on the sight of where the ship sank, still in denial of what has happened.
It was as if they were children once more, children who were lost without their parents' guidance, children who had no clue what to do next, children who had been blinded by sunshine and laughter all their life.
They were orphans now. Seeing such a thing happen would change them forever. Death has dealt them a blow they would never recover from. A tragedy has inflicted a great wound upon them and they would be scarred by it for life.
Nothing would ever be the same again.
⋇⋆✦⋆⋇
Cassandra knew her brothers were getting worried.
She had not spoken once since the funeral, keeping to herself mostly as she replied to letters of condolences and took her meals alone. It was a most unsettling sight to see their sister, typically vibrant, reduced into a hollow shell.
She knew that she should try, for them at least. It is what her parents would have wanted for her but she could not find the strength in her to be as she was before when things had changed. The others certainly did not find it difficult with Robert making arrangements to return to the Eyrie and Stannis burying himself in work.
She supposed they were trying not to think about it but she could not share the same sentiment as it was all she could think about. Whenever she would visit Renly, whenever she would brush her hair, all she could hear are snippets of her parents' advice and instruction over the years.
Currently, she was sitting in her solar, in her own isolation. Her knees were tucked against her chest as she once did when she had been a child. In a way, she still was. She could hear footsteps approach her though she did not bother looking up, thinking it was only Robert, who had been persistent in making her leave her chambers.
It was to her great surprise when it was none other than Ned who sat beside her, careful not to sit on her skirts. She sat up straight, her eyes wide when they fell upon him. His grey eyes were kind and understanding when she did not utter a word, nor did he try to get a word out of her.
"Robert said he was worried about you." Ned explained, his tone gentle. "He didn't want you to be alone."
Cassandra sighed, still not saying a word as she looked away from him. If anything, all she wanted was to be alone with her thoughts, to mourn in her own way if she must.
And that was what he made possible. Ned didn't speak, he simply sat beside her. He remained silent throughout the day. He rang for food and made sure that she ate but other than that, he allowed her solitude.
When the sun had gone and the night was young, Ned cleaned up the mess that was left from the food, ringing for a servant to clean up. Once everything was well, he stood from his seat and held her hand with both of his.
"When my mother died at childbirth, my father made sure that none of us were alone. Every night, he would call his children to the Great Hall where a warm fire was lit. He would stay silent, as we all did, allowing us to grieve. Alone, but not truly. In time, the silence was filled with stories of her and as Benjen grew up, he grew up hearing stories of our mother so she would never be forgotten." Ned recounted. "Take all the time you need and when you are ready, I will be here."
Cassandra's eyes turned to him, her eyes watering even though she had been confident that she had no tears left. "You did not have to come all this way."
"Yes, I did." Ned answered, his voice sure and his intentions pure. "You needed me."
In that moment, she knew that it would be easy to fall.
She just did not know why she couldn't.
•✧•
Hello everyone! This chapter was a real tearjerker, I know I even cried writing it whehehe. I based this on the books since it was mentioned that the brothers saw their parents die. I also wanted to show Ned since I didn't really think he'd be the type to not be there for her.
Not to worry, our favorite prince will be returning next chapter and I can't wait for you all to read it. We'll be seeing some new characters that I loveee<33. Stay tuned and sending you all my love <33!