CHAPTER ONE
The Princess of Westeros
Robb's POV
"Robb, you must go and get your face shaved. I can not stand to look at you much longer with that... That scruff on your lip! It's not polite to look like a peasant in the presence of the King and Queen... And their children! Princes and princesses!"
My eyes were not even fully open at the table as I sat down to have my breakfast when my mother started screaming at me. Gods, I wanted her to shut up so badly. I glared at her and ran my hand down my face. My facial hair wasn't that bad.
"Your hair needs to be trimmed as well. Go with Theon and Jon. Take Rickon with you as well. His hair has been unmanageable." She grabbed onto my curls and measured the length with just her hands. "Gods Robb! When is the last time you cut this?"
I shrugged and bit into my toast. "Can't I just eat in peace?"
Mother stepped in front of me and stared directly into my eyes. "Robb Stark- are you hung over?!"
A long blink later I finally nodded. "I'd very much appreciate it if you would kindly lower your voice. Any louder I may vomit."
She breathed through her nose like it was the final breath she'd ever take. Her knuckles became white as she bawled her fists and stared at me. I'm a grown man, she can't get this upset with me. I'm only enough to go to taverns as often as I want.
I'm not wed nor do I have a betrothed. I'm single and free.
The exact way I like it.
No one to yell at me for taking up too much space in the bed. No one to tell me I smell like a dog after spending all day with Grey Wind. And certainly no one but my fucking mother to nag me day and night.
I'd rather never wed and let Winterfell pass to one of my siblings or their children when I die. No children for me. No wife. None of it. I enjoy being alone.
"Why must you act this way? I did not raise you to be like this. I raised you and Jon the exact same way and he is already outside moving barrels of ale and moving hay to feed the horses... Doing all the chores you should be doing. Even Theon is moving tables and helping wrangle the children! While you sit there and tell me I'm too loud?"
My mother's voice was quickly becoming one of the most irritating sounds I'd ever heard in my life. I forced my eyes to widen as I took a sip of wine and my mother quickly snatched the cup from me and dumped it on the floor.
"Hey-"
"Hay is what you should be moving in the stables. Hay is what you'll be sleeping in when I give your room to Prince Joffrey to stay in since you want to act like such an animal all the time!" My mother's hair looked extra red today and I started to believe it was all the anger she felt for me just seeping out of her head.
I shrugged at her and took another bite of my toast. "I'll get to it."
My plate of food was snatched from me and thrown into the trash. "You'll get to it now or so help me, Robb, I will make your life miserable."
I rolled my eyes but stayed silent. As if you haven't already succeeded at that...
-
"Hold still!" I shouted at Rickon as he sat on my lap to get his haircut. He fucking hates getting his hair cut and it's no wonder why my mother always pins it on me to take my little brother to get it done. Every month after the new moon I wake up to the nagging of how I need my hair cut and need my face shaved. Gods fucking forbid I look like the man I am. I swear she wants to keep me looking like a child.
Rickon bit the last girl who tried to cut his hair. So badly she needed to see the Maester to get stitches. This time, it's a man- and Rickon is terrified of him. Jon was on his knees in front of me holding Rickon's legs while I held his head still. Theon stood on the side and held his arms in place.
How many idiots does it take to get a four-year old's hair cut? Four if you count the guy cutting it.
I'm not sure who is more frightened though... Rickon or Gil, the man cutting his hair. Each time Rickon thrashes and tries to escape our clutches, Gil holds his breath and hides his arms behind his back. Probably knows that the last girl had to be stitched up because of Rickon's apparently deathly bite.
"Help! Help!" Rickon started screaming in my arms. "They're trying to kill me!"
People walking past looking in at us and staring. Jon gave them a glare and Theon laughed loudly. "If everyone here could just shut the fuck up this would go by a lot quicker." I muttered as I struggled to keep Rickon's head in place.
Why is it my job to do this? He's not my kid. He's my brat of a baby brother who runs wild all the time. Just because he's the baby doesn't mean he can't get the same treatment as the rest of us. Jon and I get grounded even in our 20's. Brandon got forced to sit in the corner last week for spitting in Sansa's cup at dinner. Arya got punished with shoveling horse shit from the stables for two weeks straight because she put sheep shit in Sansa's pillow.
And people wonder why I fucking drink.
"Robb's hurting me!" Rickon squealed.
"You'd know damn well if I was hurting you. Trust me." I hissed at him. "Sit still or I'll make him shave your hair clean off."
"NO!" Rickon's screech nearly shattered my eardrums. "You're mean! I hate you!"
Another snip of his hair fell onto my waist. "I don't particularly like you either."
"Robb, he's your brother-" Theon looked at me and then quickly shut his mouth when Rickon somehow managed to pinch him. "Oh you little fucker."
After what felt like hours Rickon's hair was finally done. I stayed sitting in the chair and just tossed my head back. Feeling the shaving cream hit my face and I braced myself for the fact I'll probably get nicked by the blade but that's the least of my worries right now.
Soon Gil did the same thing to my hair that my mother had done. Grabbing different curls and stretching them out in his hands and then grumbled about how long my hair had gotten. I'm fully away that when you pull it straight it nearly hits my shoulders. I like it that way. And I'd very much like to keep it that way.
"How long does your mother want it?" Gil asked.
I shrugged. "Don't take off much."
"Too late." One snip and I watched as whole curls fell down to the floor. My heart sank. I love my hair and the ladies love my hair too. I could only hope I wasn't going to look like some fucking idiot with my hair so short now.
I knew it was too short when I heard Jon gasp and Theon breathe out through his mouth in the "thank the fucking Gods that's not me" type of exhale. I braced myself. No more facial hair. No more long hair. What's next? Will my mother dress me like the fucking Maester to hide the muscles I've worked so hard to accumulate?
"I hear the Prince is a royal prick." Jon muttered.
I scoffed as I stood up and it was Jon's turn to sit in the chair. "His hair is longer than mine was. Don't be shy... Cut it all off."
Jon's glare had the strength of a thousand swords flying right at me. I couldn't help but chuckle and roll my eyes. I turned my attention back to Theon who then replied to Jon's previous comment about the Prince.
"Yeah well imagine all the southern girls he gets to stick with his royal prick." Theon crossed his arms and leaned against a post. His gaze landing back on me and my brow raised at him in distaste. "What? It's true."
"I hear King Robert's oldest daughter is a beauty though." Jon added. "I wonder which one of us she'll like best."
"Me." Theon said confidently. "If she's anything like her father she'll want a good strong man who can provide for her and plus... Wouldn't it be ironic for her to fall in love with the son of the man who rebelled against the King of Rebellions?"
Jon shook his head slightly and flipped his middle finger to say "fuck you" to Theon. Jon then added, "It would be funnier if she craved the Bastard of Winterfell. Is she Robert's heir? If I wed her would that make me a king someday? Oh how I'd love to brag to Sansa about that."
I laughed loudly and covered my mouth. "Who is telling you lot these stories about these people? Cause I heard from Ser Rodrick that the Princess is a royal cunt like her mother."
"Cunt or not... I'd still like a taste of that cunt if she's as hot as they say she is." Theon shrugged with a smirk on his face. "I hear the Lannister women are impeccable in bed and she's half Lannister-"
"You're disgusting." I smacked him in the back of the head.
Theon snorted and shrugged. "Only a fool would let the Princess of Westeros out of his grasp if she's already in it. Trust when I say she will be mine... She will be."
"Not if I get to her first." Jon stuck his tongue out at Theon. "Pray, I'll probably have her in my bed tonight. A courtesy of course, I wouldn't want her to think all men from the North have small cocks." He winked at Theon.
After a bout of laughter and some more filthy jokes my mother stormed in and clapped at us like we were a bunch of cattle dogs who needed to be rounded up in the barn. I rolled my eyes and she looked at me disgusted.
"Get dressed you fools! The King will be here any moment now! Clothes and courtyard! Now!" My mother had this one vein in her forehead that always popped out when she was angry. For the last 5 days that vein hasn't gone away. She should probably see the Maester about that. Or maybe drink a pint of milk of the poppy and go the fuck to sleep for a while.
-
The gates opened and horses and men in armor flooded in. I recognized Sandor "The Hound" Clegane with his signature hound helm on his head. His build surely matched the stories I'd heard about him. I had never seen a man the size of him before. And I'd seen some pretty large men in my lifetime.
My eyes darted to the wheelhouse that came in and King Robert Baratheon himself was riding alongside it. He got down off his horse and immediately we all dropped to our knees. I swallowed heavily as he spoke to my father. A fair exchange of friendly insults to one another. Laughs and then we all rose again.
I watched as the Queen and princes both came out of the wheelhouse. Cersei was far more beautiful than I had expected. Robert quickly grabbed my hand and shook it and the force behind that man's handshake was enough to almost knock me down.
"You must be Robb," He said with a bear like grumble. Although a smile rested on his lips. "Named for me. Did you know that? Surely you must have known," He laughed loudly. "You're a strong one. I like you already."
I nodded politely and then saw that Queen Cersei was turning her attention back to the wheelhouse after the younger of the princesses stepped out and stood to the side alongside who I assumed was Joffrey, which I think Theon may have been right, he does look like a royal prick. Queen Cersei looked and said, "Where is Alana?"
Oh... Alana... That cunt.
I began to grit my teeth at the thought of even having to meet her. She stepped out of the wheelhouse and I didn't believe her to even be related to those other kids. She was all Robert. Dark hair, hazel eyes, and yet... She had her mother's facial structure. High cheekbones and sharp jawline. She kept her nose up high and looked like a major fucking bitch.
Like her shit doesn't stink and even though I'm highborn I'm a fucking peasant. She didn't even want to look in my fucking direction at one point. It wasn't until Robert waved her over to say hello to my mother and father that she actually walked toward us all.
"Lady Stark..." She said politely as she hugged my mother... Which was very odd. Princesses don't hug people. Certainly not those who are lower birth than they are. Mother seemed pleased though and was beaming looking at the princess.
She then looked at my father, a slight smile on her face. "My Lord... I've grown up on many of stories about you and your greatness. It is an honor to finally meet you face to face and see the man my father boasts so greatly about."
Of course she's buttering them up. What a fucking fake bitch. She thinks no one can see through this little act of hers but I certainly can.
"I remember when you were born, Princess. The bells sounded from King's Landing all the way to Winterfell. Louder than any bells before had ever rang. The first daughter born to House Baratheon... The first Baratheon Princess. And a beauty you truly are, you look much like your grandmother Cassana." Father told her as he then kissed the skin on the top of her hand. She blushed and nodded before then turned her attention to me.
Attention that did not last long.
A simple fucking nod was all I got.
I glared at her and didn't even attempt to smile. How dare she not even greet me? I was guffawed and insulted to be honest. Because then I caught her looking over my shoulder at Jon, my bastard brother, and she smiled at him. I nearly broke my neck to look over at him and see him grinning like the fucking bastard he is.
I quickly snapped out of my attention being put onto her when I noticed Joffrey walking toward me. A smirk on his face that screamed nothing but trouble. He reached for my hand and I politely obliged.
"Robb Stark... The Young Wolf they call you." Joffrey said with a cockiness to his voice. "I hear you're a master swordsman. Better than anyone else here, that true?"
I didn't want to be cocky but... "It must be true if it's been a tale told all the way to King's Landing." Boasting to this kid was easy. I wanted him to fear me. I wanted him to dislike me. Theon was right... Little royal prick.
Joffrey nodded with a smirk still on his lips. "Perhaps we could duel later on. I'd like to see your skills."
"You're on." I shook his hand and then he chased after his older sister who was looking at the stitching intently on Sansa's gown and then touching her hair. I felt like my mother when I clapped my hands together and said it was time to freshen up and get ready for the welcome feast.
Tonight would be a lot of fun... Right?