When I woke up, my leg ached. I could not seem to remember why, but I saw that I was still wearing the green dress I had worn the night before, for the feast. In fact, the feast was the last thing I could remember right now.
I looked around and saw that I was in the castle infirmary. My dress, which was one of only two, was cut open at the side. When I sat up to inspect what had happened, I felt a dull pain, but I saw the blood on the bandage around my side.
Deciding that I wanted to know how bad the cut was, I removed the bandage. It was a shallow cut, more of a scratch than anything. After a few days, it would heal and be just a little cat scratch. The question is, how did I get it?
My leg was still hurting, even though it was become a thumping sort of pain. I saw that I had another bandage there, but underneath it was a lot of stitches, but the wound was hardly there. It was a stab wound, but that was all I knew and understood.
Was I stabbed in the leg? Had I been attacked? Why could I not seem to remember anything? Where was everyone?
That was when it all came back to me. I had been attacked by a crazy, hell-bent Targaryen supporter. He had been rambling on and on, holding a dagger to my throat. I knew I should have taken my sword, but I had decided on being stupid and not taking it!
***Two Day's Ago***
As I moved outside and sat down on a rock, outside of the Great Hall, I heard a rustling sound. I ignored it, expecting that it was Tyrion Lannister, finally showing up to the feast. How wrong could I possibly be?
A man put a dagger to my throat, and I had not heard any more than the rustling. Even if I could stop this man without hurting myself, this dress was too tight to allow me the movement I would need to pull it off. That, and the dress would get in the way.
"Pretty little Valyria Stark," the man said, sounding sickly sweet. "Such a pretty little thing. I see that the rumors are true. I suppose if it were not for me, you would get to fall in love again. Ser Waymar Royce, now, he loved you very much. Too much if you ask me. Such a shame I hated him. For you, of course."
I felt the blade move and it was suddenly pointed at the base of my throat. I tilted my head up to avoid the blade and to look at my attacker, just in case I survived this and he got away, which was proving to be unlikely, seeing how he seemed to know what he was doing. All he had to do was press the dagger into my throat a little and I would die.
The man's face was covered by a hood, but I could still see parts of it. He had black hair and dark blue eyes. That was all I could see of his face, but his hand was creamy white, with a long, pale scar that ran under his sleeve
"It would be such a shame to waste my prettiness, do you not agree?" I asked, trying to save myself. "Of course, I could understand if you wanted to kill me while Waymar was alive, but not now. He is dead, so even if you did not kill him, feel victorious. The man you hate is dead! There is no need to attack me. It is rather pointless, don't you think? Actually, that is not why you really want to kill me, so tell me the real reason why."
I was attempting to buy myself time, but I was unsure of how long this could last. Of course, I could talk all night to save myself, but he would probably get sick of me and kill me anyway. I needed to think of something better than this.
"Killing you is a victory for the Targaryen's!" The man yelled. "Your own father helped kill my King! His own daughter is named after my king's original home! I will end you and everyone like you! King Viserys Targaryen will return and you will die!"
Since the man had moved in front of me, and I could not think of a way to buy myself more time, I kicked my leg up and hit him in the balls. He went down, crying out in pain. I then kicked him again so he was looking up at me.
"Did you really think that I would be some damsel in distress?" I asked, furiously.
I went with the first thing that came to mind; snapping his neck. Now, I would say I didn't want to do it, but part of me wanting to watch the life leave his eyes for daring to threaten me. That part of me scared me, but was dominant too.
I placed my hands on the sides of his head, as he was still cowering. He brought the knife up, cutting my side, then brought it down on my thigh and left the blade in there. I screamed in pain as he laughed at me.
As I pulled up and turned around to get to the hall, forgetting that I was holding his head, I heard a loud snap. I realized what I had done and let his body drop to the ground. He was dead and I had killed him with my own hands.
My leg was bleeding badly, as was my side, and I did not have the strength to stand anymore. I fell back and hit the ground hard. Tears streamed down my face out of both pain and guilt, but I roared in pain as soon as I removed the dagger, making my wound bleed even more.
***Flashback Ended***
Oh god! Now I really was the monster that Mother always told me I was. He had been the first person that I had ever killed and even though I needed to do it, I felt bad. I had been so vicious and strong, that I could not believe it was me.
When I started to cry, I heard loud footsteps, as if someone was running down the hall. I was unsure of how I could hear it, but there was a table next to me and a knife sat on it, so I grabbed that. If someone else had come to kill me, I was not going down again. Not without a fight.
"Valyria, what is wrong?" Theon asked, coming into the infirmary, worry clear on his face. "You do not need a knife anymore. Guards are outside every entry of the infirmary. Lord Eddard and King Robert are furious and do not understand what happened."
"Can I leave or am I meant to be bedridden?" I asked Theon, swinging my legs out of the bed, even though it hurt.
"Maester Luwin said that you are healing inhumanly fast and then muttered something about a curse," Theon informed me. "Your wound is barely there now. Do you want some help?"
"I do not think I need any."
Somehow, even though I had been stabbed in the fucking leg, I could stand with minimal pain. Theon and I left the infirmary and went towards my chambers. When we reached the stairs, he took my arm, just in case.
Once I reached my chambers, Theon waited out the front for me. I got changed into thick breeches, strapped a dagger sheath to my good thigh and then put on a thick tunic, boiled leather and wore my coat. Then I made sure I had my sword, Snow, and two more daggers.
Before I exited my chambers, I checked to make sure that I still had a dagger under my pillow. I saw that I did and then looked outside. By the position of the sun, I could tell that it was just time for breakfast.
"How long have I been asleep for?" I asked Theon, as we headed towards the kennels to get Ice.
"Two days," Theon stated. "You had everyone worried. When Jon found you, you had already lost a lot of blood. Maester Luwin says that even though you healed too fast to be natural, if Hunter Baratheon had not of stemmed the bleeding of your wounds, you would have died from losing too much blood. I was so scared. So were your brothers, Arya and a few of the staff. Please, Valyria, never scare me like that again."
"I will do my best," I told him, smiling ruefully. "Then again, I had not been expecting to be stabbed. I just went outside to get some fresh air and to find somewhere quiet. Believe me, I have learned my lesson about not carrying a weapon at all times."
We walked in silence to the kennels and when we got Ice, I saw she was the only one still in the cage. She had, however, been fed and bathed, which was good. Ice would have needed the food and she liked baths. She was an odd little direwolf.
Ice nuzzled me, happily, before jumping up on me. I scratched her behind the ears and she got down. She seemed relieved to know that I was fine, as if she had known something was up. After all, as soon as I fell over, I remember hearing a faint howl.
Theon, Ice and I then headed towards the Great Hall. As I had expected my family and the Royal Family were eating breakfast. When Theon and I entered, Rickon squealed happily and ran over to me, a look of absolute happiness of his face.
When Rickon reached me, instead of jumping up like he usually does, he hugged my leg. I stifled a cry of pain as he hugged my bad leg. Theon looked at me, clearly concerned, but I just grimaced, shook my head and then reached down to Rickon.
"That is my bad leg, Rickon," I told him, trying to be nice and hide the pain. "Come here."
Rickon immediately let go, so I picked him up, hugged him and then put him back down on the ground. Mother looked both angry and disappointed, but hid it as Father looked over at her. The wicked little bitch wanted me to be in pain!
Bran, Arya, Robb and Jon, who had surprisingly been invited to breakfast, all came over to me next. Bran and Arya hugged me at the same time, both wrapping their arms around my sides, and I laughed. I then bent down so I could actually hug them both at the same time.
Next was Jon, who hugged me so tightly it hurt. When he let go, he seemed to of realized that he had hurt me and apologized. He then hugged me again, but more gentle this time. Jon was definitely happy that he had his partner in crime back.
That left Robb, who looked me in the eyes and looked worried still. I did not avoid his eye contact, so I stared back at him. When I looked Robb in the eyes, I could see all of his worry, sadness and pain go away as he smiled and bear hugged me. I hugged him back and he just laughed.
"Do not do that to me again," Robb whispered. "You and I will leave this world together, when we are eighty or older. We are not dying when we are young."
"You should all sit back down," I told my siblings. "Sorry, Your Grace, My Queen. My siblings are just happy to see me walking. I can wait outside, if you wish."
"Nonsense!" King Robert boomed, before anyone could object. "Sit and eat! You need to heal so you can come to King's Landing and you need to eat!"
Slowly, so I did not fall over, I gracefully made my way to the table and sat on the end. I piled eggs, ham, bacon and carrots onto my plate and ate it all. Then I ate an apple and ended up drinking four glasses of water.
I had not realized it until I had seen the food, but I was starving. Right now, I could probably manage to eat an actual horse, not a metaphorical one. However, breakfast was uncomfortably quiet, especially as Mother and Queen Cersei glared at me.
Once I had finished, I saw that Jaime Lannister and his brother, Tyrion Lannister, the Imp, were sitting across from me. I tried not to, but ended up blushing an unattractive, bright red. Hunter laughed at me, as did Robb, Jon and Theon.
The Imp was incredibly short, as was expected of a dwarf. He had reddish-blonde hair, dark blue-green eyes and the face of an average man, which somehow did not look too big on his shoulders. I had expected a freak, like I had heard he was, but I hid my disappointment anyway.
"Valyria Stark, I am surprised that you are walking," Jaime told me. "Tyrion here was insisting that you lost too much blood to wake up soon and that when you did, you would need a cane. In fact, he insisted that we get you one, as we probably arrived with the man."
"For some reason, I seem to be almost fully healed," I stated. "Thank you for the kind thoughts, Tyrion. I do have my own cane somewhere. It used to be the closest thing I had to a real, steel sword."
"I do believe that the children have activities on now," Queen Cersei stated. "We should make sure that they get there safely. Jaime, will you join me?"
Mother, Queen Cersei, Prince Tommen, Princess Myrcella, Prince Joffrey, Robb, Bran, Rickon, Arya, Jon and Sansa all left the Great Hall. Jaime followed his sister out and Tyrion walked off too. That left King Robert, Father, Lord Hunter and Theon.
Theon took a seat next to me and took my hand, squeezing it reassuringly. He then smiled at me and I smiled back. That was when Father cleared his throat, gaining my attention again. I had quite liked the feeling that I felt when Theon took my hand and smiled at me. It was like the warmth of the sun shining on me on a freezing cold day.
"What happened when you were attacked?" King Robert asked me.
After a moment's hesitation, I went through the story again, not leaving anything out.
***
When I walked over to the far side of the courtyard, near the armory, I saw Robb, Joffrey, Tommen and Bran sword-fighting with wooden swords. Ser Rodrik was watching them, as was Jaime Lannister. I noticed that each time one of his nephews were beaten by my brothers, he got more annoyed.
Deciding that I wanted to speak to the Kingslayer, I walked over and stood beside him. I watched as his nephew, Tommen, tried to beat Bran. Neither Baratheon boys were very good, and I noticed that, even though they held their swords properly, they did not swing properly.
"I see you have a sword," Jaime Lannister stated. "Are the rumors about it true? Did you just find your sword out in the snow? I mean, it is Valyrian steel, surely they are false."
"Actually, those rumors are true," I said. "Even at ten, I knew that the sword should not have been laying there. It was too valuable. Father thinks that it is Ice's lost sister sword, so it is called Snow. Tommen and Joffrey need to change their stances. They got none of the talent you have."
"Valyria!" Ser Rodrik chided, over-hearing me. "Be polite!"
Jaime Lannister had the nerve to laugh at me, so I stepped on his foot. That just made him laugh even more and I stood there, annoyed and unsure of how to react now. I decided that the Kingslayer was not such a bad person as he had been made out to seem.
"You are right," Jaime agreed. "I wish that someone in my family could show me some real competition. It is difficult to find people to verse."
"Aye, it is," I muttered. "My eldest brothers have learned my style, but I am still better than them."
I could see that Joffrey was beginning to become annoyed with Robb, as he just could not beat him. It was rather amusing, actually. The heir to the throne had no skill with a sword and would not be any kind of warrior.
"When did you first start sword fighting?" Jaime asked me.
"When it reached my eleventh name day I was taken to this courtyard and a wooden sword was placed in my hand. I had, of course, played at using a sword with Theon Greyjoy, after he taught me archery. It was not long until I could beat Robb and Jon. A year, in fact."
"Impressive, seeing how you only just started. I take it they are good, but it came naturally to you. You and I should see who is better, just out of interest. Maybe you are as good as they say, but I doubt you are as good as I am."
"Ser Rodrik!" I called, agreeing to the challenge. "I need you to make sure that Ser Jaime and I fight fair in this battle!"
That seemed to gain everyone's attention and soon they all came flocking over. Robb, Bran, Joffrey, Tommen and Theon stood at the front with everyone else behind them. Mother, Father, King Robert and Queen Cersei soon joined them.
Cersei and Mother looked furious, Father was worried and you could see how excited King Robert was. Jaime held a gold-plated sword, which I was hoping would slow him down, even though I knew it would not. I had to rely on skill here.
"Lord Eddard, Your Grace, is this permitted?" Ser Rodrik asked, warily.
"I have no objections," King Robert stated. "Ned?"
"As long as no one is injured," Father agreed. "Valyria, are you sure your leg will not hinder you?"
"I should have been born with a sword, but learning how to us a needle has proved useful," I insisted. "If anyone can do it, it is me."
"Very well," Father sighed. "Ser Rodrik, tell them the rules."
"There will be use of swords and swords only," Ser Rodrik stated. "You are not to swing at anyone else, nor is anyone else allowed to swing at the two of you. We are going to see you fight fair, and if not, I will step in. When I say so, you can go." Ser Rodrik gave us three seconds. "Go!"
Jaime Lannister started circling me, so I followed his lead. I spun my sword in my hand before properly gripping it. He stepped forward, then back, then repeated that three times, trying to catch me off guard. He would have to do better. I was more observant than a cat.
As Jaime swung his sword, I brought mine up to block his swing. Our swords crashed together and the sound of metal hitting metal began. We both moved forwards, then backwards as we blocked and then swung.
Jaime swung, I ducked, then brought my sword up as he tried to move his away. I caught his sword with the flat of my blade, but before I could turn my wrist, he danced back. That was when I got angrier and faster with my swings, making it difficult for the Kingslayer to swing his own sword.
That was when Jaime caught my blade, went to twist it, but then was caught by surprise as I turned my blade using more strength than he had been. That leveled out our swords, so he twisted his wrist the other way and my sword clattered to the ground after my wrist had turned too far.
Everyone started clapping and I laughed, brushing my hair our of my face. I had only just been beaten by him, and even Jaime was surprised. We were both grinning and panting, as we had been somewhat of an even match.
"You did well for someone who has only been at this for six years," Jaime told me, shaking my hand. "I think I have finally found a good duelling partner. Now I know to watch out for myself when you are around."
Queen Cersei was grinning and Joffrey gave me a cold smile, expecting me to be bitter. In fact, I was actually happy with how that turned out. Jaime Lannister had barely beaten me and it had taken at least ten minutes, even though we were of equal skill.
Robb and Jon hugged me and my Father clapped me on the back, proudly. Maybe I had not won, but I had almost bested the supposed best knight in Westeros, and that was good enough. For once, I had proven that teaching me how to use a sword was a good thing.
"You fought well," Father told me. "If you want to join me in King's Landing and talk to King Robert about that seat on the Small Council, you are more than welcome."
Not only had almost beating Jaime Lannister make me feel good, but now I was gaining from it. I was going to King's Landing.
***
Mother had told me that I was requested to be at dinner tonight, but I told her that I felt sick so I could come here. To the Burned Tower. I just felt like I needed to unwind and relax after the exciting day I have had.
Someone else was in the tower, so I kept my hand on my sword. When they came closer, I knew that it was Theon. I was not ready to talk to him yet, as I suspected that the feelings I have for him and have been ignoring are forcing their way to the surface. Ever since I was nine, I had loved him.
Theon walked into the room and stood next to me, as I looked out into the darkness of the cloudy night sky. He took my hand again and I let him. Something within me knew he had something to say and I wanted to know what it was.
"You have something to tell me, so say it," I insisted, turning to look at Theon. "Please. I cannot stand waiting or guessing and you know that."
"I know so much about you and I have ever since I taught you archery," Theon told me, looking me in the eyes. "Since that day, I have had feelings for you. When I was young, I insisted that we were just friends. Then, when I started sleeping with whores, I realized that it was love and insisted that you and I would never be together." Theon sighed, frustrated with himself. "I love you, Valyria, and I know that it might cause me to lose your brother as a friend, but I do not and cannot care anymore."
That was when Theon leaned in and kissed me. This time was not like last time, when it was just an accident, this time the kiss was filled with passion. I felt jolts of electricity run through me as Theon pulled me against him.
As the kiss deepened, Theon leaned against the wall and I tangled my hands in his hair. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me even closer, so close that I felt like we were almost the same person.
Knowing that if I continued to kiss Theon, I would let him take my maidenhood, I pulled back. He looked a little disappointed, but let go of my waist and grinned at me. We were both catching our breath, as we had gotten quite caught up.
It was a good thing that I had pulled back when I did, as Robb walked into the room, clearly looking for us. He looked at us, suspiciously, but said nothing.
Theon lightly touched my back and I could feel him grinning. The perfect crime...