—— " this is the only way to survive. in a world ruled by men, this is how women like you and i survive " ——
༺ ♔ ༻
——— THE CROWD CHEERED AGAIN when The Mountain rode out onto the jousting grounds for another round with a new competitor. Rosaline stayed quiet, politely clapping as she stared onto the grounds nervously. She wasn't sure if she could handle another man dying in front of her, but she didn't have a choice either. Her archery lesson with Ser Adrian Sloane wasn't until after this round.
She sat with Sansa and Septa Mordane again, but in place of Arya, was their father. Arya had her dancing lessons, which Rosaline actually knew meant that Arya was taking sword fighting lessons.
The Mountain, just as before, ran down the track before pausing before the King's suite and bowing to King Robert.
Rosaline eyed him, almost startled, as she thought of what Lord Baelish told her and her sisters. She felt a sense of relief that the Lord didn't say by them anymore, but a row behind them, just behind their father. Perhaps she could be more attentive towards the jousting. Not unless someone dies again.
"Where's Arya?"
Rosaline glanced down at her father as Sansa said, "At her dancing lessons."
Just then, The Mountain's opponent rode up along the other side of the track. A 22-year-old, gorgeous, blonde man in silver armor came running towards the King's suite, and when Sansa saw him, she smiled.
"The Knight of the Flowers," said Sansa.
As the boy passed the Stark's along the track, he stopped to give Sansa a red rose. She stammered a smile as she took the rose while Rosaline smiled, looking between the two.
"Thank you, Ser Loras," said Sansa and he smiled at her.
As soon as riding off up beside The Mountain, Sansa excitedly turned to Rosaline, a huge grin over her. Rosaline smiled at her excitement as the redhead said, "Look how pretty it is."
"It's perfect," said Rosaline. But her attention was quickly turned back to The Mountain and Ser Loras when The Mountain's horse began to act very jittery. Rosaline eyed it oddly, remembering it did not do that in the prior round.
After bowing to the King, The Hound and Ser Loras rode off to the opposite ends of the track, with Ser Loras grinning smugly to himself as he did. But The Mountain's horse continued to act jittery, that a squire had to hold the horse back from running forward.
As the crowd watched the two knights, Sansa abruptly grabbed her father's arm in tense anxiety. "Don't let Ser Gregor hurt him," Sansa said as Rosaline and Ned looked to her.
"Hey—"
"I can't watch," Sansa murmured as the knights placed on their helmets and were handed their lances. But the horse continued to fuss around.
"Don't you think that horse is a bit... too... jittery?" asked Rosaline as Sansa, Ned, and Septa Mordane turned to her. "He wasn't like that the last time."
"It's probably nothing," assured Ned and Rosaline hesitantly nodded, placing her attention back on the jousting grounds.
"100 gold dragons on the Mountain!" Rosaline heard Lord Baelish say from behind them.
"I'll take that bet," a man nearby said.
"Now what will I buy with 100 gold dragons? A dozen barrels of Dornish wine? Or a girl from the pleasure houses of Lys?"
Rosaline rolled her eyes, shaking her head in irritation.
"Or you could even buy a friend."
Just seconds before the jousting horns went off, Sansa fearfully told her father, "He's going to die..."
"Ser Loras rides well," Ned assured her.
Just then, a horn blared over the arena and the two knights rushed at each other. Rosaline watched in nervous anticipation as they got closer and closer, terrified someone would die again— but no one did.
When they ran their lances against the other, The Mountain was knocked off his horse rather easily by Ser Loras. He crashed into the wooden rail on the course while his horse continued to pace, still very jittery.
Some men behind Rosaline laughed out loud.
"Such a shame, Littlefinger. It would have been so nice for you to have a friend."
"And tell me, Lord Renly, when will you be having your friend?"
Rosaline furrowed her brows at that, clearly confused. But pushed it to the side, watching as Ser Loras ran along the track, waving to the cheering patrons. Until she suddenly held in a breath when she felt Lord Baelish's breath up against her ear again;
"Loras knew his mare was in heat," he said. "Quite crafty, really."
Rosaline furrowed her brows in thought, glancing over at the antsy black horse as Sansa shook her head. "Ser Loras would never do that. There's no honor in tricks," she said.
"No honor... but quite a bit of gold," Lord Baelish told them.
Suddenly, The Mountain angrily got up and faced his squire. "Sword!" he shouted.
His squire ran up to him with his sword and The Mountain unsheathed his sword and— Rosaline gasped, quickly covering her eyes as she heard The Mountain's horses screams as its head was cut off. She shook her head, quite literally trembling. She heard the crowd's shocked gasps and murmurs but refused to open her eyes. She didn't want to see a dead animal. Especially with its head off its body. She could only think of her dear Athena.
"Rosie..." she heard her father.
"No, no, I can't," she murmured. "That was so scary."
She heard shouts, and swords clashing against one another, and the entire crowd's murmuring get louder. That is until she heard King Robert shout, "STOP THIS MADNESS IN THE NAME OF YOUR KING!"
And the sword clashing came to a halt.
Rosaline carefully peeked through her fingers to find The Hound bending the knee on the grounds before the king while The Mountain angrily threw his sword. And stormed off.
Ser Loras, who was on the ground from the attack, stood up and walked towards The Hound. It seemed that he had intervened with The Mountain trying to kill Ser Loras and saved his life.
"I owe you my life, Ser," Ser Loras told him.
"I'm no Ser," said The Hound. But Ser Loras grabbed his hand and raised it in victory.
Rosaline slowly lowered her hands as the crowd cheered, and even had smiled up at Sansa when the girl shot up, clapping with a huge grin over her. Rosaline still refused to look in the poor horse's direction but ultimately clapped. That is until Ser Adrian Sloane appeared next to her father, looking in her direction.
"Lady Rosaline?" he asked and she looked his way, instantly lighting up. "Are you ready?"
She nodded before sending her father a quick smile, then promptly got up, stepping out of the bleachers. And as the two walked out of the arena together, Ned watched them go with a curious look.
The wind breezed through the girl's brown hair, her brown doe eyes gleaming in shining admiration and determination, as she felt the bow in between her fingers. And then, "Just let go..."
And Rosaline released the arrow, it hitting directly on target, as it always did.
Rosaline stood with Ser Sloane out in the royal training yards, once again standing before an archery target. She was wearing a dark green maidens dress, to feel more free and comfortable from her tournament dress.
Just as always, Rosaline made every single shot on every target. She was starting to get a bit frustrated. This was easy.
She lightly flinched when she felt Ser Sloane place a hand on her waist, holding a steady breath as he whispered in her ear, "You're getting inpatient..."
"Of course I am," she said as she stepped away from him and faced him. "This is easy, Ser Sloane. I'm getting bored. I wanted to learn how to shoot moving objects. Not just targets."
But Ser Sloane shook his head.
"You're not ready," he said.
"What?" she asked. "Yes, I am!"
"No, you're not, especially not after today," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked. "I just hit the target. Perfectly—"
"I mean at the tournament," he said and she knitted her brows together confused. "You flinched when Ser Hugh was hit. And you covered your eyes when The Mountain's horse was killed—"
"There was absolutely no reason to hurt that horse—" she tried to argue.
"Shooting at moving objects... means shooting at living beings," said Ser Sloane and Rosaline suddenly found herself unable to speak. "It means... shooting at an animal... or a living person... it means killing, Lady Rosaline... and in the past month of getting to know you... you're not ready for that. You care too deeply to ever be able to kill another being. It's a part of who you are..."
Rosaline blinked, a sudden pout on her as Ser Sloane stepped towards her. A dangerous step, in Rosaline's opinion, for she felt like she couldn't breathe. With his blue eye gaze on her, it was hard to breathe at all.
"It doesn't mean you won't ever be ready," he told her. "Just for now... continue shooting at these targets... build up your strength. I do believe in you, Lady Rosaline."
She stared at him another moment before smiling. "You don't have to call me that," she said. "Rosaline is fine, Ser Sloane."
She faced the arrow target again, but stood nervously for she could still feel his gaze on her. "Call me Adrian," he said and she side glanced him.
"No one calls you that," she said.
"I want you to call me that," he said and she stared at him more, her eyes lingering over his terribly handsome face. She merely grinned sheepishly before facing the target again, and placing an arrow into her bowstring.
After her archery lesson, Rosaline walked through the Red Keep with a sour look over her face. She gripped hold her bow tightly with the quiver strapped over her, a horrible pout on her, thinking about what Ser Sloane— Adrian, had told her.
She knew she would be ready. She wanted to be ready now. But at the same time... she couldn't get over the fact that he was right. In order to be ready, she would have to get over the fact that she would have to kill if she wanted to shoot a moving object. She wasn't sure if she wanted to do that.
As she walked through the halls, she stopped when she found her little sister... chasing a cat. She sprinted right past Rosaline and the girl glanced back at her, a terrible confused look over her.
"Arya!" she called as she began to quickly follow after her. "What are you doing?"
Arya glanced back at her but continued to chase after the cat. "What does it look like?" she asked.
"But why are you chasing a cat?" asked Rosaline as the girl continued to rush after her sister through the halls. And eventually, the cat ran around a corner, which the girls followed. Although, Rosaline wish they didn't. Because that hallway led them straight down into— the dungeons.
The girls ran down a very long set of stairs, their surroundings getting darker and darker the further they went with only lit torches for light. But as they went, Rosaline said, "Arya... father didn't bring you here to chase cats... he brought you here so you could learn to be a lady... this isn't very lady—"
"I do not want to be a lady," Arya told her and Rosaline stared at her stunned. "You and Sansa are the ladies, and you will marry someone with high ranking but I will not—"
"Arya—"
"I'm not like you," she abruptly said, causing the both of them to stop in the middle of the stairs. Rosaline stared down at her surprised as the girl continued, "I don't want to be a lady, confide inside for the rest of my life."
Rosaline stared into her brown glittering eyes before saying, "You think I want this life, too?"
"Well... yes..."
"This is the only way to survive," Rosaline told her, grabbing onto her little shoulders. "In a world ruled by men, this is how women like you and I survive. Marrying noblemen, or... princes... so we know we're safe and secure because we have no other way of surviving in this world without a father or a brother or a husband."
"Well... I'm not going to be that way," Arya confidently said. "I will be different. I'll learn to survive."
Rosaline gazed at her in silence, a worried look over her before the little girl ran off after the cat again. And Rosaline chased after her, but as they reached the end of the staircase— Rosaline gasped, stumbling back a bit as Arya froze in her place when they saw a huge dragon skull. It was terrifying, and Rosaline could only imagine what it would've looked like alive. The skull was at least 10 feet high, its teeth longer than her arms.
"Arya..." Rosaline whispered, reaching out and pulling Arya back towards her and away from the dragon skull.
It was only seconds after that that they heard voices nearby, sending them into terrible panic of being caught in the dungeons. Arya quickly grabbed Rosaline's hand before dragging them towards the dragon's skull, despite Rosaline's quiet protests. The Stark girls stepped inside the dragon's mouth, hiding inside just seconds before two men emerge from a nearby hallway; Varys and Illyrio Mopatis.
One of the men Rosaline knew from the King's council and her father was on, but the other man... she had never seen him before.
The girls stayed completely still, and listened to the men as they walked past the dragon skull.
"He's found one bastard already. He has the book. The rest will come."
"And when he knows the truth, what will he do?"
"The gods alone know. The fools tried to kill his son. What's worse, they botched it. The wolf and the lion will be at each other's throats. We will be at war soon, my friend."
"What good is war now? We're not ready. If one Hand can die, why not a second?"
From that, Rosaline's eyes widened as she and Arya shared a nervous look. Those men were talking about their father!
"This Hand is not the other."
"We need time. Khal Drogo will not make his move until his son is born; you know how these savages are."
"Delay, you say. Move fast, I reply. This is no longer a game for two players."
"It never was."
As they leave the dungeons, Rosaline watched them go with a horrible worried look. She didn't know what she was to do now, not after hearing what she did. They were talking about killing her father, and Khal Drogo. Rosaline knew that name from anywhere. That was the horselord who Daenerys Targaryen married, one of the three last Targaryens left. And just from the men's conversation, it became abundantly clear that Daenerys Targaryen was with child — with a boy.
A boy who was part Dothraki, part Targaryen... that sounded awfully terrifying.
Arya grabbed Rosaline's hand again and they darted out of the dragon's skull, quickly looking around for an escape out of the dungeons. Rosaline ran up to a nearby gate, but when she got to it, she realized it was locked up by a large keyhole. She huffed in frustration until Arya whispered, "Down here."
The girl glanced back at her to find she was heading down another staircase, that would take them further down into the dungeons. With no other ideas of escape, Rosaline followed after her.
Eventually, Rosaline and Arya found themselves out of the dungeons, through a tunnel that emerged onto one of the beaches of Blackwater Bay. The girls glanced around until they finally found a path towards the Red Keep. It took them several minutes to get there, but they finally arrived at one the castle's entrances— only to be rudely stopped by two guards.
One of them pressed his hand against Rosaline's chest, nudging her back. She gasped in offense as he said, "Off with you. No begging."
"Excuse you," Rosaline loudly muttered.
"We're not beggars. We live here," Arya told him.
"D'you want a smack on your ear to help you with your hearing?" he asked and Rosaline narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance.
"I want to see my father," Arya demanded.
"I want to fuck the Queen, for all the good it does me," the other guard said and Rosaline eyed him awfully revolted.
"You want your father, boy?" the first guard asked. "He's lying on the floor of some tavern, getting pissed on by his friends..." he then placed his eyes on Rosaline. "Although, your whore of a mother probably should have already known that—"
Abruptly, Rosaline slapped the guard across the face and he stumbled back, a grunt leaving him. She watched him angrily as he stared at her shocked, holding his reddened cheek.
"Our father is Hand of the King," Rosaline sternly said, correctly the disgusting man's wording of assuming she was Arya's mother. "I'm Lady Rosaline Stark of Winterfell, and this is my sister, Arya. If you lay a hand on either of us, or attempt to fuck any woman in that castle, my father will have both your heads on spikes!"
The two stared at her stunned as Arya stared up at her sister with an impressed smile. Rosaline continued to gaze at the men, waiting for them to reply. And when they didn't, she asked, "Are you going to let us by or do I need to snack you again to help with your hearing?"
Arya grinned at the guards before she said, "What she said."
As soon as reaching the Red Keep, Rosaline and Arya were soon surrounded by their father's guards who instantly escorted them to their quarters. They walked into their father's bedroom, that was also his office, where their father instantly looked up at them from his desk, quick relief overcoming him.
"You know I had half my guard out searching for you?" he asked. "You promised me this would stop."
"They said they were going to kill you!" said Arya.
"Who did?" asked Ned.
"We didn't see them, but I think one was fat," Arya told him.
"Oh, Arya..." he murmured as he exasperatedly put his face to his hands and sighed.
"She isn't lying," Rosaline spoke up and Ned looked at her. "They said you found the bastard, and the wolves are fighting the lions, and about war... they were talking about war."
He stared at her stunned before he asked, "Where did you hear this?"
"In the dungeons... near the dragon skulls," Arya told him and Ned stared at her oddly.
"What were you doing in the dungeons?" he asked and Arya was silent a moment.
"...chasing a cat," she said and Ned stared annoyed while Rosaline stood there awkwardly. Until there was a knock at the door.
The girls glanced back at the door just as Jory walked in.
"Pardon, my Lord," he said. "There's a Night's Watchman here begging a word. He says it's urgent."
Jory then waved someone into the office as Ned stood from his desk, and walked up besides the girls. A tall man in all black walked in, and Rosaline only noticed that from one certain group. The Night's Watch.
"Your name, friend?" asked Ned.
"Yoren, if it please," he said before glancing at Arya. "This must be your son. He has the look."
"I'm a girl!" Arya snapped.
"Did Benjen send you?" asked Ned.
"No one sent me, my Lord," said Yoren. "I'm here to find men for The Wall, see if there's any scum in the dungeons that might be fit for service."
"Ah, we'll find recruits for you," Ned told him.
"Thank you, my Lord, but that's not why I disturb you now," said Yoren and Rosaline stared at him confused. "Your brother, Benjen... his blood runs black, makes him as much my brother as yours. It's for his sake I rode here so hard I damn near killed my horse. There are others riding too. The whole city will know by tomorrow."
Rosaline stared at him in great worry. He sounded worried, too. It must've been something bad.
"Know what?" asked Ned but Yoren awkwardly glanced between Rosaline and Arya before back to their father.
"Best said in private, my Lord," he said.
Ned stared at him a moment before reluctantly placing a kiss on the side of Rosaline's head. She glanced up at him from that, along with Arya as he said, "Go on. We'll talk more later."
"But father—"
"Go on, Rosie," said Ned and Rosaline pouted. He then looked at Jory. "Take them safely to their rooms."
Jory nodded as Rosaline and Arya reluctantly walked out of the office with Jory. Rosaline held a very worried look on her as she glanced back at her father's office, Yoren closing the door as she did.
"How many guards does my father have?" asked Arya as Rosaline turned back forward.
"Here in King'd Landing?" asked Jory. "Fifty."
"You wouldn't let anyone kill him, would you?" asked Arya.
"No fear on that count, little Lady," Jory told her before he assuredly put an arm around her shoulders as he escorted the girls to their rooms.
"I wonder what that man needed to talk to Father about," Rosaline thought outloud.
———
An hour passed and Rosaline was still stuck in her rooms, staring out the window of her chambers. She kept wondering what that man of the night's watch had to talk to her father about that was so urgent. It made her feel worried, especially after everything she overheard about people wanting to kill him.
So when she heard Sigrid whine, and Rosaline glanced over at her very clearly bored direwolf, she smiled to herself. An awful plan, really, a dangerous one, too. But if no one was going to tell her what was going on, she would find out herself.
Which was something she wished she didn't. Some things weren't meant for Lady's ears.
"The whore is pregnant," she overheard King Robert say as she passed through a hallway. She came to an abrupt stop, Sigrid stopping with her, her eyes wide on the corridor in the distance, but her ears listening intently.
"You're speaking of murdering a child."
Rosaline's eyes widened in shock at the words. But more importantly that it came from her father.
"I warned you this would happen. Back in the North, I warned you, but you didn't care to hear. Well, hear it now. I want 'em dead, mother and child both."
Rosaline held in a gasp, her brows furrowing so hard, her face was starting to hurt. What kind of a place had they come to?
"That fool, Viserys as well. Along with their daft brother, Daeron. Is this plain enough for you? I want all three of them dead."
From that, Rosaline's expression slowly softened as she realized who they were talking about. Daenerys Targaryen and her two brothers. Viserys and Daeron. She had only ever heard of Daenerys and Viserys. She knew there was a third sibling, born just nine months after their mother fled the Red Keep with her children. Rosaline just never knew his name.
Daeron Targaryen.
"You will dishonor yourself forever if you do this."
"Honor?! I've got Seven Kingdoms to rule! One King, Seven Kingdoms! Do you think honor keeps them in line?! Do you think it's honor that's keeping the peace?! It's fear! Fear and blood!"
"Then we're no better than the Mad King!"
"Careful, Ned. Careful now."
"You want to assassinate a girl because the Spider heard a rumor?"
"No rumor, my Lord. The princess is with child."
That was Varys talking. Rosaline recognized his voice from the dungeons just earlier that day. And she realized... she must be accidentally overhearing a council meeting.
"Based on whose information?"
"Ser Jorah Mormont. He is serving as advisor to the Targaryens."
"Mormont?"
Rosaline's father sounded angry. That name, Ser Jorah Mormont sounded awfully familiar, she just didn't know where from. It clearly meant something to her father.
"You bring us the whispers of a traitor half a world away and call it fact?"
"Jorah Mormont's a slaver, not a traitor. Small difference, I know, to an honorable man."
Lord Baelish.
Rosaline gulped nervously. Of course a little prick like him would be on the King's council.
"He broke the law, betrayed his family, fled our land. We commit murder on the word of this man?"
"And if he's right? If she has a son? A Targaryen at the head of a Dothraki army... what then?"
"The Narrow Sea still lies between us. I'll fear the Dothraki the day they teach their horses to run on water."
"Do nothing?! That's your wise advice?! Do nothing till our enemies are on our shores?!"
King Robert was very angry. He usually sounded angry, but not like this. The Targaryens must be a very sensitive subject for him, after everything that happened with Rosaline's aunt.
"You're my council! Counsel! Speak sense to this honorable fool!"
"I understand your misgivings, my Lord. Truly, I do. It is a terrible thing we must consider, a vile thing. Yet, we who presume to rule sometimes do vile things for the good of the realm. Should the gods grant Daenerys a son, the realm will bleed."
"I bear this girl no ill will, but should the Dothraki invade, how many innocents will die? How many towns will burn? It is not wiser, kinder even, that she should die now so that tens of thousands might live?"
"We should have had the three of them killed years ago."
"When you find yourself in bed with an ugly woman, best close your eyes, get it over with. Cut her throat. Be done with it."
It was silent a moment. And Rosaline heard slight footsteps which made her nervous more than she already was until she heard her father say;
"I followed you into war — twice, without doubts, without second thoughts. But I will not follow you now. The Robert I grew up with didn't tremble at the shadow of an unborn child."
"She dies."
"I will have no part in it."
"You're the King's Hand, Lord Stark. You'll do as I command or I'll find me a Hand who will."
"And good luck to him. I thought you were a better man."
Rosaline shakily breathed as her eyes widened. She couldn't believe it... this couldn't happening be right now... it just couldn't... If her father wasn't the Hand... they would be in much more danger than before without the King's protection.
She gulped down before she stumbled back, hearing King Robert yell as she quickly walked away.
"Out! Out, damn you! I'm done with you!"
Her walking turned to running with Sigrid following close behind.
"Go! Run back to Winterfell! I'll have your head on a spike! I'll put it there myself, you fool! You think you're too good for this?! Too proud and honorable?! This is a war!"
Rosaline was so terrified, she felt like crying.
Rosaline rushed into her family's quarters in a huffing fit, trying to keep her breathing steady, trying to wrap her head around what she just overheard. The King wants to murder the unborn child of Daenerys Targaryen because of the threat he could be. Or her and her siblings.
Rosaline was scared of the Targaryens just as much as the next person, but a child? Who would only be half Targaryen? She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. She thought King Robert was better than the Targaryens.
Abruptly, Ned stormed into the quarters and Rosaline held in a gasp as she spun back to face him. Quickly forcing a look of calm.
"Father—?"
"Go to your rooms. And don't come out until I say so," he told her.
"But Father—"
"Go Rosaline!"
The girl held in a breath before she and Sigrid quickly rushed into her chambers, closing the door behind her. She slumped onto her bed, a fearful look over her. What was going to happen?