𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 | Home

{ Joffrey }

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𝕵offrey sighed, untensing as the final servant left the nursery where his children slept. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, it was that his mother was still in the city, lurking, and he didn't want that woman anywhere near his children.

The closest to him was his daughter, who was already fast asleep despite the sounds all around her. She was bundled up in a grey swaddle, the same colour as the Stark sigil, a small stuffed toy of a wolf by her head. Joffrey felt himself begin to smile, reaching carefully into the crib to brush his fingers along her hair.

The little girl had Lyra's darker hair and her nose, and Joffrey smiled once more at how much his daughter looked like his wife. She whimpered and Joffrey retreated quickly, not wanting to wake her. He adored his daughter, but the little girl had a pair of lungs on her and if she started to scream, she'd wake her brothers.

On the other side of the room slept his other son, who was wrapped around a little lion toy, though had somehow escaped the swaddle that the servants had put him in only minutes earlier. He was still awake, looking around with bright eyes as Joffrey smiled at the boy, before wrapping him back up and leaving the room.

He shut the door behind him, smiling as he didn't hear any cries from either of the twins, before turning back to the royal nursery. Mikael sat on the floor, surrounded by toy soldiers as he seemed to carry out an elaborate battle plan between them. Joffrey smiled, treading carefully through the soldiers until he was able to crouch by his son.

"What are you doing, Mikael?" The three and a half year old grinned, before holding up a mounted soldier.

"I'm making the soldiers march, like Mama's doing." Joffrey felt his heart clench at the sentence, missing his wife more than anything. He struggled to think of a reply to that, instead choosing to change the subject.

"Why aren't you in bed? Have you been terrorising the servants?" He placed the mounted soldier down, before pulling his son up and into his arms. The boy laughed, burrowing his head into his father's neck as Joffrey smiled and stepped back the way he came.

"Didn't want to. Wanted to see you!" Joffrey smiled at his son's words, opening the other door in the nursery, which lead to Mikael's room. Normally, at this age, the boy would have been moved into his own rooms down the hall from his siblings, but Lyra had put her foot down and refused, leading to many an argument with the Small Council. Joffrey had stood by his wife, trusting her ideas and knowing how lonely he had been when he'd left the comfort of the nursery and his siblings.

"That's nice of you." Joffrey opened the door to the rooms, setting the boy down on his bed before grabbing his sleeping clothes from where they sat on top of Mikael's chest. "Arms up."

Mikael obliged, as Joffrey pulled Mikael's thicker clothes over his head and slipped his sleeping top on instead.

"I don't want to go to bed." Mikael whined as Joffrey pulled his son's covers back and turned to grab his son, though the boy was now sitting on the floor with his arms crossed and a pout on his face.

"Why not?"

"I want to stay up and see Mama." Mikael replied, before wriggling as Joffrey picked him up and let him fall onto the bed. 

"The quicker you get to sleep though, the quicker you see Mama." Joffrey pulled the covers up to his son's chin before Mikael could process that he was in bed, tucking them around him. Mikael pouted again, as Joffrey sat down next to him. "She won't be back tonight, Mikael."

"When will she be back then?" Mikael's eyes went wide, as Joffrey brushed his son's blond hair away from his face.

"I'm not sure," Joffrey sighed. "She's got something important to do in the North, with your uncles and aunts, and that means that she won't be able to be back in a while but I know she misses you a lot."

"I miss her too, and Elia." Mikael pouted as Joffrey leant forward to press a kiss to his head. "What are you doing tomorrow, Da?"

"I've got court. Did you want to come with me?" Joffrey smiled as Mikael nodded. "Alright then. You can come sit on the Iron Throne with me."

"No, I want to sit on Mama's throne." Mikael protested as Joffrey chuckled. His son was a mother's boy through and through. "Hers is comfy."

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning."

"Can Margaery and Tommas come as well?" Mikael asked as Joffrey began to snuff out the candles.

"They might have to stay here as they're a bit too young to sit through court." Joffrey shook his head, knowing that the twins would not be able to deal with that. "Maybe when Mama's back. Then we can do things all together as a family."

He smiled, leaving one of the lights on it the corner to help the boy sleep, before pressing a final kiss to his son's head.

"Sleep now and I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Da."

"Night, Little Lion." Joffrey smiled at the boy, before leaving the room. He knew if he stayed longer, he'd be tempted to tell Mikael that he could sleep in the royal chambers with him, but Lyra had forbade him from doing that so Mikael could get used to sleeping alone.

He shivered as he closed the nursery door, crossing the corridor to the royal chambers. There was a definite bite in the air now, a light smattering of frost has layered the ground that morning, though it had melted by the evening. 

The royal chambers were lit up with candles, fires roaring in the hearth as Joffrey frowned at the lack of his wife or her wolf in the room. In  the four years that they had been married, and the eight years that they'd known each other, he'd never been apart from Lyra for longer than a few days. Being away from her for months, as she travelled North with their armies to stand with her siblings against the Night King, was slowly breaking his heart.

He sighed, pulling his doublet off of his shoulders, he slung it over a chair and headed into the bedroom. Lyra's side of the bed was untouched, as Joffrey threw his covers back and changed into his night clothes. He blew out the candles around the room, before sliding into the bed and trying to drift off to sleep.

It was on night's like this that Joffrey felt the loss of both his siblings, neither of whom were with him. Myrcella was in Dorne, training and living with the Sand Snakes, whilst Tommen had died a year and a half earlier. 

It was only late into the night that Joffrey finally fell asleep, feeling more alone than he had ever felt at all.

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{ Lyra }

Lyra stretched, feeling her joints ache as she rubbed her eyes blearily. It had been around five months since they had left King's Landing, and at last they were nearing Winterfell. She was dreaming of a warm bed, that wasn't a tent, and a good hot meal, not to mention a bath.

It had nearly killed her, to be separated from her children so soon after she had given birth. But if she hadn't, there might have been no world for them to grow up in. That was something that Lyra couldn't allow, for hers, or anyone else's children.

Reaching down, Lyra patted her mare's neck; the same horse who had carried her to King's Landing when she was sixteen, as Tylar rode up beside her with Jaime. Both the Northerners were faring far better than the Lannister, who was not used to the colder climates as they were.

A horse appeared from over the crest of the next hill, racing towards them at a fast canter, before skidding to a stop beside the three of them. Lyra smiled at the scout, who took a moment to catch his breath, before beginning to talk to them.

"Winterfell's ahead, Your Grace, My Lords." Lyra nodded, allowing the man to ride back to his place in the caravan, before setting Blanche off at a faster speed so that she could reach the crest of the hill. Tylar and Jaime followed along behind her, managing to keep up with her fast pace, even in the deep snow that the winter had sent.

The towers of Winterfell came into view, dark grey against the pale snow of winter and Lyra could see the red leaves of the Weirwood tree peeking out from over the top of the wall. Elia took in a deep breath, shaking the ice out of her coat, looking perfectly at ease in the snowy terrain as Lyra smiled.

She took a deep breath as she caught sight of her home, scrunching her face up and licking her lips to try and prevent herself from crying. Jaime glanced over at the young queen, taking in the tears building in her eyes and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay, Your Grace?" Lyra looked over at him, before smiling as she stared off at the castle in the distance.

"It's been a long time since I was last home." Jaime nodded, as Tylar knocked her shoulder gently. "When I first came to King's Landing, all those years ago, Joffrey gave me a necklace and told me that when I became queen, it would mean that it would be a lot harder for me to come back to Winterfell, because of my duties in the south. I'd resigned myself that I'd never come back here again and now..."

"I understand." Jaime did understand the feeling of homesickness. He hadn't been back to Casterly Rock in a very long time as his duties were with the crown in King's Landing. The feelings didn't fade over time, no matter how much he tried to suppress them, so he could imagine the overwhelming feelings that the young queen had at that moment. 

Lyra reached up, her gloved hand touching the rose necklace that still sat around her neck. She missed her husband and children, longing to be back with them once more, but she knew that first, she had to fight for them.

"It also didn't help that Robb was technically in open rebellion against your husband." Tylar joked as they drew closer to the castle that held a plethora of memories for the pair. Lyra could already see a dragon swooping over the top of it, and she wondered what her siblings were thinking about all of it. "But here we are, back where it all began."

Hiya,

We're starting off book 8 with Joff in King's Landing with the kids and Lyra riding to Winterfell to her siblings. Also, yes, their twins are called Margaery and Tommas cause why not so hehehe. Also, family reunion is next chapter which should be fun.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx