"There's another waiting, my lady."
Victoria barely heard her lady in waiting, eyes cast to the brilliant flames that brew from the small fire keeping her tent warm. Most of her things had already been packed, destined for another trip closer to the south and its capitol, all except the raging fire that burned brightly as it brought light to the empty spaces of her makeshift home.
She looked up, her eyes blankly staring at the blonde, "who is it now?" She was tired of constantly having to see new suitors and their families. Since Robb's marriage and claiming her own title of acting Lady there had been many northern men coming to speak with her, most promising sweet nothings had they married. She saw past all of them, and waved them away with empty promises.
The handmaiden swallowed thickly, alerting her Lady that there was more. "Lord Karstark and his son."
"Oh," the Dornish Lady said softly, sighing and straightening her back. "Well, let them come in."
The handmaid bowed and walked softly out, a few mumbled words outside being spoken.
"Best we hurry this along, else they leave without us, my lady," Ser Trout spoke behind her softly.
"It would be better if we didn't have to do this at all." She remarked back in annoyance, standing towards the table where a pitcher, chalice, and plate of berries were placed. She picked at the raspberries, relishing in her pregnant desires and downing the water set there. "I'm tired of this. I don't want to marry anyone."
Trout stayed quiet, finding her eyes looking at him with determination as her hand suddenly cradled her belly ever so softly. He knew how broken she truly was, how beneath all the fine fabric and elegant hair she still sobbed at nights, and most days when she was absentminded her hands would clasp around her belly and the ghost of smiles would appear upon her lips. It was the only happiness he saw from her, the only sincere one.
"I know, a few more moons and we can go home. I promise you, my lady, I will get you and your child home." He stated with sincerity. "I've never broken a promise to you."
To this he swore, the women he loved would live a life of leisure with a child that would never betray her. She deserved better then silently pinning after a man that would never give her the world she deserved.
"No, no you haven't," She responded, smiling gently as once more she held her child.
"Lady Valiente," the booming voice of a Karstark was heard.
Ser Trout nodded just as the Karstark men entered her quarters and she once more plastered a fake smile to her face, he caught the eye roll before her body turned back. Elaine walked ahead of them, head lifted although the worry in her eyes was apparent. She hastily made her way behind the Lady's and stood behind her.
"Lord Karstark, what a welcome surprise!" Her hands dropped to clasp together tightly.
"Lady Valiente, ever so beautiful." The grand lord hummed happily, smiling at the young Lady.
"You're much too kind, my noble lord" she responded back, although the last thing she wished to do was boast his ego. "What has brought you all this way."
"I just wanted to offer my condolences on your broken nuptials, I fear that our king has made a great mistake." His tone was sincere, and although the last of his words seemed surprising it was never shown on the women's face.
Victoria nodded her head, "Yes well, circumstances change and we all have to adjust. Your king has married another and I have taken leadership of my house, I suppose things could be worse."
"Aye they could be much worse for you, my lady." He respondes back. "And yet still, it pains me to know your rightful spot was taken by some foreign whore, one who has brought us nothing but more perils."
Victoria lifted a brow to the way he spat foreign whore, she had no doubt in her mind that those very words had been said about her not long ago—possibly by the same man.
Instead of adding fuel to his fire she decided that changing the subject would better do and softly questioned, "yes well— I do appreciate the support, my lord, however the King has chosen his queen."
"And yet most still refer to you as the queen, the only queen I'd acknowledge." He quipped back.
Victoria raised a brow to this, "I'd imagine most of you would have hated me for leaving."
"Some do, and some of us question what exactly the motives were. Revenge? Strategy? Maybe a ploy to destroy us all." The way he spoke sent a twinge of surprise in Lady Valinete's mind, the northern lord had always come across as more of a fighter then a thinker but his words said otherwise. He was much more perspective, that much was apparent and judging by the way he stared at her as he finished he too was intercepting her body language.
Victoria refrained from smiling, and decided perhaps a bit of truth was better then a blatant lie. "Lord Karstark, there are times when what is right is not always seen that way at the moment. In history there have always been vital turning points during war that in the very moment seemed wrong, but are worthwhile."
His silent observation kept her intrigued, watching as the man calculates her response. Lord Karstark has as much faith in southern lords as he did in the Targaryens some said, and unlucky for her she was both. Fortunately they shared a common denominator, the dislike for the Kings new bride.
"Quite right, Lady Valiente. Although this talk about what is right and wrong must be tiring for you."his change of subject was as expected.
"Quit right," She retorted back, growing tired of the loitered talk, she wanted him to get to the important part.
"Lady Valiente, I believe you haven't met my son, Harald Karstark, he's fought valiantly in many battles." He stepped back to reveal the son, tall and a bit older he made sure to stand as straight as he could and looked directly into her eyes.
He took a step forward, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles, bowing, "quite the honor, my lady."
Victoria bowed out of courtesy, his hands were cold and rough, and she was reminded of Robb. Although he held firmly there was no comparison to Robb's, this mans were too big, nothing like the way the kings had fit with her. She hated to think of him but the idea of this man being by her side, repulsed her and the child that grew inside her.
"It is a pleasure," she said sweetly, lips pulling into a smile. "I do believe you gentlemen have yet to meet my trusted advisors. " She turned back towards her loyal knight who's blue eyes questioned what she did as she spoke, "this is Sir Marcos Trout, my loyal knight and pledged sword." Trout held onto the belt of his pants, and nodded his head to the men. Victoria then turned towards Elaine, noting how strong she looked despite the obvious fear in her eyes. "And this is Lady Elaine, my handmaiden, and trusted advisor."
"We are welcome acquainted, daughter." His head bowed to the handmaiden and Elaine would have gaped had she not been expecting this.
"Father," Elaine did not bow, acknowledging the man. Her blood ran cold but not with fear, indifference felt more of the correct response. This man was here for his own gain, he'd barely bothered to lean her name but now that she had more power then even he would, the man came running. Her eyes looked towards the half brother behind him, he at the very least had the decency to be transparent in his distaste for her. Harald Karstark kept his cold eyes as disgusted as he could and to that she offered a sweet smile, "brother."
The lord was not at all impressed, his eyes moved away and back towards the true prize. "I just thank you, Lady Valiente, for taking in my blood under your wing. I'm sure she was quite a handful to teach."
"Not at all, Elaine in fact has been more elegant then most ladies I've met." Victoria's response had been a spur of the moment spite, her hand reaching for the blondes underneath the mask of their gowns. "I often believe she deserves more fine elegance then most."
"Yes well, kind words, my lady." Lord Karstark seemed not too like the snide comment but she cared very little if he did or did not. Elaine was more family to her then she would ever be to him, and Victoria would be damned if she was disrespected. Ser Trout seemed to catch onto her mindset as out of the corner of her eyes she caught his stance defensive, inching closer to her side.
The Lord seemed not to notice or care for pleasantries about his daughter much longer, "Lady Valiente, I did come to speak with you about more important things."
She lifted a brow, "well, I suppose we should hurry then, if memory serves me right, the king in the north is not a patient man."
Karstark briefly acknowledged her indifference to the king, and he kept silent about it, instead standing a bit taller. "Lady Valiente, you are quite a women, one of which deserves to be treated as such. The King should never have let you skip through his grasps for that whore," he spit at the ground at his feet, making the statement that much more intentional. "You deserve a proper man, a noble one who will care for you and any future children you may have. A true northerner that has as much to offer you as the king, perhaps more. A seat far north and south, let me offer you someone that can give you that and more. My son, is both strong and gentle, a true soldier willing to die for your honor."
Harald did not move, his eyes were impassive as she looked his way. Victoria suppressed the smile that threatened to escape, so many times she'd heard this, with so many other lords. It was humorous how these Northern lords claimed to be honorable yet they scurried behind the backs of their king for the hand of his former betrothed. She wondered what Robb would do if he found out, better yet, would he do anything at all?
Ser Trout beside her tilted his head in her way, eyeing her as if to say the same while Elaine nearly scoffed had she not swallowed the action.
And Victoria although amused and nearly lost in her thought responded much the same way she had to all the others. "Lord Karstark, what a generous offer you present, I'm most honored by your request. I'm sure you are as noble and generous as your father claims but you just must understand my situation currently. I cannot take a husband, not like you king has, not yet."
"And we are understanding as well, my lady, I'm sure you've had much to think about with the rest of your marriage proposals as well." Lord Karstark nodded his head.
"Yes well, I must think and talk with my advisors first." And she looked towards her loyal knight and handmaid who bowed their heads in agreement. "I do wish for all those things however, and I assure you that you have given me much to think."
The Lords were quick to depart once she'd said this, leaving Victoria to glare at their backs as they walked out. All northerners must have been like, and she would not let her child be raised in such an environment.
|•|•|•|•|
"It smells like death, why would he want this claim" Victoria said aloud to no one in particular, bringing her horse to a gentle trot as they came closer to Harrenhal. Her eyes trailed the burnt remains, and suddenly she ran wild with the idea of Aegon and his sisters. Hearing of them burning the stronghold to the ground without a shred of remorse, how she wished to have their command sometimes, how she willed to have dragons.
At the idea of the fierce creatures she felt her stomach turn, in a more positive way then it had ever done before, there was said to be dragons in Essos, with the last true dragon blood. Daenerys Targaryen was worlds away, and although they'd never met Victoria felt her heart pang for the sweet cousin all alone, for the blood that both ran through their veins that made them family. How she wished to have someone else here, a sand snake or a Targaryen.
"The Mountain was holding this after Tywin left," Trout responded. "Why do you think."
Victoria couldn't look her knight in the eyes, knowing that in them she'd only see one response—he'd done it for her. Her eyes closed and she looked away, "doesn't matter now, it will never matter again."
"Yes, my lady, it does not matter." He agreed and looked back to the soldiers following them. Elaine was silent to his left, her eyes barely looked up, he could see she missed the Lord Commander, her silence spoke volumes. "Perhaps we should wait outside the walls, the smell of death is a premonition."
"For what, death? As if we it would be such a shock to have more." Elaine's tone was a bit bitter, although they knew it was not directed at them rather the entirety of their time the last few months. She'd lost track of the bodies she'd been witness too since the war had started, unlike before when the number had not surpassed the digits of her fingers.
"They say dead bodies are not good for women... in certain conditions." The knight clarified, distinctly looking at the Lady. His blue eyes flickered to her belly for the moment, the flat tummy showed no signs of her conditions and yet they all instantly knew.
Side by side they stared up at Harrenhal, each of them feeling suffocated by the decaying smell, it clung to their nostrils and seemed to dominate them. If they entered then perhaps superstitions were right but if they didn't then word would spread, and that was the last thing any of them needed. Victoria would not be the scared women in this situation, the new queen had cut off limbs for God's sake, she could bare a few more bodies
Her breath was loud, impatiently exhaling as her two counselors awaited her response. "We've seen plenty, I'd rather rely on the truths then any old wives tale."
She beckoned her horse inwards, promptly neglecting any and all bad omens.
|•|•|•|•|
Harrenhal was truly a tomb, dead bodies lingered everywhere, northerners scattered lifeless amongst the stone, bodies of men, women, and children, were in every corner and displayed out in the open. Victoria was thankful her coat concealed her body as she clutched to her unborn child for security and looked to the Knight who stood near enough for her comfort.
"This is a massacre," she whispered to no one in particular, her eyes traveling from the bloodied bodies to the walls scattered with scarlet stains alike. Her lips pressed together, hopeful that the trembling in her body would stop along with it.
"No, this is war." Trout responded, he'd stopped and just surveyed the land, paranoia creeped in him. The castle had long since been abandoned but something about the setting did not look right, where his eyes went he saw ally's but the watchful thought never went away.
"Have their been any survivors?" She questioned.
"Just one, your Grace." One of the men from Lord Cerwyn's stopped to say, "a maester it appears."
Victoria nodded her head, ignoring her former title. "Thank you, the gods have mercy on these poor souls."
Ser Trout awaited until the man had walked away and looked at her, "their kings taken up refuge in the castle, my lady, what would you like to do."
She looked up, her eyes traveling from the burnt remains to some of the less unsightly domes, it appeared the dragons had not completely ruined Harrenhal. She knew Robb was likely housed in one of the central domains, his men already building tents and camps in the center compound. They would sleep out in the open to defend the king already enjoying his private chamber with the new queen. There was no possible way she'd take refuge outside and yet the idea of being anywhere near the northern king and his queen repulsed her but still, she had to think like a ruler, and rulers were safer when there was proper roofs over their heads and exit strategies in place. Her eyes locked on one terrain, "take the southern wing for our men, make sure there's plenty of exits should we need to escape, and if the king were to protest leave it to me."
They all were more then happy to oblige.
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