The day of arrival had finally snuck upon Winterfell. King Robert Baratheon had arrived making his long awaited arrival. The Starks stood as a united house in line awaiting the arrival of the royal family. The kingsguard galloped with their horses in first and little Arya Stark couldn't help imagine how powerful it must've felt to be able to look down and see everyone smiling with admiration at your golden armour.
Behind them was no other than Prince Joffrey. The oldest son of Cersei Lannister and the king but not their oldest. Robb turned to his younger sister Sansa and noticed the blush on her cheeks as she made eye contact with the golden prince. Robb kept an icy cold glare on the young prince, having always played his part in keeping his sisters Arya and Sansa safe from wandering eyes. Joffrey returned the smirk to Sansa but it quickly disappeared when the prince took notice of Robb's frightening stare.
The royal banners waved proudly as the carriage that carried the queen regent and her three children arrived. It stopped and the door was open to reveal the rest of the Baratheon hold. Robert had bee the first to approach the Starks. Their house bowing in his grace's presence and Ned and Robert greeted each other. With humorous banter the two hugged each other - even with time going by the bond between the two clearly never faded away.
Ned Starks' eyes travelled to the young princess walking behind her mother. The Stark children's eyes widen because for a second they weren't able to tell the difference between who was Cersei and Joanna Lannister. Catelyn glanced to her eldest and saw him take a swallow when his eyes landed on the princess. She was her mothers daughter.
Cersei as a young lady was renowned for her beauty, creating feelings of lust and obsession amongst the lords and knights of Westeros. When the news had broken of the birth of her first born, unlawful and perverted men in taverns sang songs of Cersei's golden cunt which would birth another Lannister beauty. The songs were not far from the truth. The tale of Joanna's beauty was true. Her skin smooth as silk and tanned as if she'd been kissed by the God of Sun. Golden locks tied into braids that hung in the middle of her back, defined cheekbones and lips as healthy as plum. But it was her smile that captivated Catelyn. Unlike her mothers sour glare, the smile on Joanna's face brought light to her beautiful blue eyes.
"Take me to the crypt. I want to pay my respect." Robert ordered Ned
Cersei extended her hand as Ned gave a respectful kiss on it. Cersei glared at her husband as once again nor she or his children were important enough for him to see that they settle in castle.
"We've been riding for a month, my love. Surely the dead can wait."
Robert ignored her words as he walked off calling for Ned again. The Warden of the North sending the Queen Regent a sympathetic smile before following behind his king.
"Where's the imp?" Arya bluntly asked. Joanna smile grew in amusement as her mother walked off insulted by the little girls question. Her eyes travelled to Catelyn Stark. Joanna straightening the skirt of her blue dress as she curtsied.
"My lady, I am honoured that you welcome myself and my family into your home." She gracefully bowed to Catelyn. It caught the Stark children off guard - usually it was them bowing to the her and not the other way around.
"The honour is all mine princess Joanna. Sansa, will you please see to it that the princess is escorted to her room along with her brothers and sister." Catelyn asked. Sansa excitingly nodded her head as she encouraged Joanna to follow behind her. Joanna walked along side the red haired Stark but not before she turned her head back to take one more look at Robb Stark.
After Sansa had escorted Joanna to her new chambers, she made the decision to roam around the grounds. Partly because she knew her mother was in no laughing mood seeing that her Uncle Tyrion was no where to be found and she had no energy to be around Joffrey's boisterous attitude today.
As she roamed the grounds she was quite surprised with what the North had to offer. As a child her mother taught her that the Northern people were savages and ungraceful. That their bodies were covered with hair to keep them warm from the winter, that they fucked animals to keep warm and ate their own children. It seemed like all her mothers words were lies, not that she wasn't used to her mothers web of secrecy and lies.
"Your home is quite beautiful Sansa. It's so much more beautiful than I could ever imagine." Joanna complimented the young girl that was strolling with her.
"Thank you my l-"
"Sansa, if I may, I would appreciate it if you didn't call me by formal names. I mean no disrespect to your kindness. It's just - I'm called princess and my lady more than I think people know my name. I want to be your friend, not your princess." Sansa's face beamed at Joanna's words. Just like Joanna , Sansa had heard rumours especially from her brothers that Joanna had a temper and was prone to throwing tantrums. But the graceful woman that stood before her was everything but that.
"Of course, Joanna." Sansa bowed as they continued to walk the grounds. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Brandon climbing the roofs again much to his mothers dismay, Arya was running around with a couple of boys playing with wooden sticks as swords. Some part of her envied the freedom that the Stark children had to be children. She grew in the Red Keep and all her life she doesn't think she was ever allowed to even run around the castle. It was deemed ungraceful and savage.
"Your childhood must be so much fun Sansa. You have the freedom to do as you want you. I don't think my mother would ever allow me to even climb the roof to anything."
"Perhaps your grace but I dream of the day I can leave Winterfell and go to the capitol." She sighed as she looked to her wild sister running after Rickon.
"You want to leave? Why, if I may ask."
"Just look at my sister." Sansa groaned "She and everyone around me act so wild. I've always wanted to be in King Landing. Wear gowns made of the finest silk and my hair shimmering in the sun. Where the boys have more respect and don't see me as a piece of meat." Joanna chuckled at her words because in truth she thought exactly the same about the South. Though Joanna adored her family, faults and all, she hated the south. She hated the smell of pigshit, she hated how the men didn't love her but only wanted her for sexual desires, and that she wasn't allowed to be the truest version of herself.
"I do hope you find what you look for in Kingslanding Sansa. Is that why you were asking your mother if our fathers to have you marry Joffrey?"
"Yes, he's so handsome Joanna. I pray to the Old Gods that my father lets me marry him." Sansa's words didn't sit right with Joanna. Joffrey was vile, manipulative and in times of tension was a fire ready to burn your limbs off. She had no doubt that if Sansa would end up marrying Joffrey she'd be another victim to his abuse.
"Sansa, - "
"And if I marry Joffrey and you'll marry Robb we would practically be sisters - bound by blood." Sansa excitingly replied. Joanna through her uncomfortable smile wanted to recoil in the thought of marriage. She had nothing against the oldest Stark, she just always hoped that she would marry for love and not for political advances.
Sansa and Joanna continued on their stroll to the kennels where the horses were being fed. Joanna had mentioned that she wanted to see the Weirwood trees and Sansa was more than happy to show her. Joanna's eyes wondered outside the walls to see a small grey pup run towards her.
It along with the rest of the direwolf pups surrounded the princess. In a joyful glee Joanna bent down and they pawed at her dress. She lifted her arms to pick up a direwolf no older than a month and held him in her arms. The pitch black pup and one as white as snow jumped on their hindlegs while the others wiggled their tails in her presence.
"I don't care Theon. My father doesn't want the wolves around any of the Baratheons- especially the prince and his sister- " Robb and Theon stopped in their tracks to see the pups playing with the Baratheon princess and not attacking her as Theon encouraged. To say they were bewildered would be putting it lightly.
Even as pups the direwolves were loyal to their own, the Starks. Even sir Roderick wasn't safe from Shaggydogs growls. So to see the Southern princess play with the pups, like she was a Stark, was frightening but at the same time enchanting.
"Greywind!" Robb called. The pup in Joanna's arms jumped out of her graps as he followed the command of his master. The rest of the pups following behind him. Just like with Robb Joanna could already see that Greywind took the role as the alpha between the pups.
"My lady, I must apologize. We thought the pups were out of reach to your family. I hope they meant you no harm." He sternly apologized. Joanna turned to Sansa who seemed just as surprised as Theon that the wolves didn't attack her.
"You have direwolves?! Why did no one ever tell me? Where did you find them I thought they didn't travel South of the Wall. Is there mother here as well?" Joanna sounded like a child that was told she was allowed to skip her dinner and eat dessert first.
Robb turned to Sansa who seemed just as amused by Joanna's questions. Perhaps they judged her character all too soon.
"We found them while we were hunting. Their mother had died. My father planned on killing them but my brother convinced him to let the Stark children keep them." Robb answered as she kept cocking her head to where past Robb's head to where Bran and Tommen were playing with Summer.
"Would you show me where?" Robb was hesitant to answer especially after his mother told them not to travel out of reach with the princess if they wanted to be spared from Cersei's wrath.
"Please Robb, I've always wanted to see the North and to be honest I have no patience to be around my family. Please, please, please." Robb couldn't help but crack a smirk as Joanna continued to plead. He turned to Theon ordering him to saddle the horses.
Joanna looked to Sansa and promised that she would meet with her again and even show Sansa how to do her hair like the Southern girls wear them, which Sansa only saw a bonus for herself.
The pair left the castle on their horses but not without Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark looking down at them from the balcony. Ned seemed concerned that Robb would go against his mothers words of having the princess leave the castle but Robert encouraged him that it was good the two were getting to know each other.
"You see, with your son and daughter marrying mine, we'd create a new dynasty. The Starks and Baratheons all of the seven kingdoms as they should have long before the rise of the Targaryen and Lannisters did."
"You forget that you daughters mother is Cersei Lannister. I'm fear you've made a mistake with those two. Winter is coming and I sense danger it brings death and tragedy along with it." Ned Stark stated as he overlooked the heirs of their households praying to the gods that what he feared may never come true