PART ONE- CHAPTER ONE

//"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars."//

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The four of them sat in front of their father in his solar, and he was surprisingly not drunk enough to fall off the chair he sat in. Rhea felt a bit awkward at the fact that her father had found the time to get sober from his little 'adventure' last night. But at the same time, she knew that if a situation of high magnitude came about, her father would be a King- the kind that he's supposed to be.

With her dark brown hair that clearly indicates that she's taken after her father's side of the family, Rhea sat the tallest of the four, an inch taller than Joffrey, the crown prince who also happened to be her younger brother. Tommen and Myrcella were on Joffrey's right, and Rhea to his left, sitting in order of their age, coincidentally, on a long bench.

Her father stood up and went and stood next to the window, and her mother, Queen Cersei, looking as tall and royally beautiful as ever, stood stroking Tommen's hair.

Rhea always found it hard to sit quietly or still for long, and right now it showed, with her fumbling with her skirts and twiddling her thumbs as her head faced the floor. They felt callous and soft at the same time, with the roughness attributing to the not-so-secret dagger sessions that nobody calls her out on.

She had just woken when she heard the castle bells go louder and longer than they usually did, and that's when she woke with a jolt. She quickly got out of her nightgown and changed into a day dress and ran to her father's solar, to find her parents and her siblings already there, clearly waiting for her to come.

"Well, you finally decided to grace us with your presence, Rhea. Sit, girl." Her father said gruffly, and that led to where they were right now.

Rhea knew the second the bells rang that someone had died, but she couldn't stop herself from shedding a tear, especially when she had found out that it was Jon Arryn who had died.

They had the funeral done before anyone could wake, as the corpse had apparently started giving out a foul stench because of the time and his fever. 

She didn't even get to say goodbye.

Jon Arryn had been a good man-a great man. He once told her that nothing could keep her achieving great things, for she had the mind to do it. He was one of the few men that believed in her.

Once the children had been dismissed, Rhea stayed back to talk to him, her eyes looking like they were ready to burst into tears, but she was good at hiding it, she always was. But she knew a short while after looking at her father that he'd rather go through this alone, and she just hugged him tight as he stroked her hair, and then she walked out too, closing the door behind her.

She made her way to take a bath in peace before facing the rest of the chaos that is her life, and before she knew it, she was already in her chamber. The water was already prepared and all she had to do was hop into the tub, and so she did. She closed her eyes when the warm water hit her naked body, and that's when she heard the door open, and so did her eyes.

"I think I saw you shed a tear this morning with the news." Her mother said, after getting in and standing at the edge of the bathroom, her body leaning on the doorframe, with that Lannister smile on her face- the sarcastic kind.

"It's completely human to mourn death, mother. Especially if it's someone you cared for." She replied.

Her mother nodded, but Rhea knew that wasn't a nod of approval. That was a nod of disregard and deep thought.

She walked over to the tub then, and stroked the top of her daughter's head, and said, "Remember Rhea, you're a princess. You can't risk looking weak, you shouldn't let people know that you're hurting inside." Her mother was a regal and real queen in all aspects and facets of the word, and she proved it all the time. But Rhea knew, she could never be like her.

Her mother doesn't wait for her reply, she simply walks out.

Almost an hour later, when the children were breaking their fast, their mother joined them, looking rather agitated. "What's the matter, mother?" Myrcella asked, and Joffrey looked at his mother, not knowing why the question was asked, mouth stuffed with peaches.

"Once you all are done with your food, get to your chambers and get ready for travel. We leave for Winterfell." She said and looked very angry that second.

Now there's the emotion her mother insists on hiding. Rhea smiled a little as she sipped on her soup from the spoon.

"But why, mother? Why that filthy, cold place?" Joff asked, and Rhea glared at him.

Joff looked like he didn't care, and he really didn't. As for why they were going to Winterfell, Rhea had a feeling she already knew. And her suspicions were given the green torch when her mother Queen Cersei uttered the next few words.

"Your father wants to make Eddard Stark, the new Hand of the King."

***

A fortnight later, at Winterfell, Theon and his half-brother Jon stood as he sat on a stool half naked, shaving his beard. Theon is leaning on the door entrance, his arms folded, and Jon right in front of him, looking at him like he would rather fall off a cliff than get those scissors on his hair.

"Why is your mother so dead set on us getting pretty for the king?" Jon asked, looking irritated about losing his wayward hair.

"It's for the Queen, I bet." Theon said, and sniggered.

"I hear the Prince is a right royal prick." Robb said. He didn't want him at his home, but with some things, there's nothing he could do. He had less tolerance for condescending men, and the Prince was no exception to that.

"Think of all the girls he gets to stab with his right royal prick." Theon said, and Robb smiled.

Tommy, the man who shaved off his beard, gave him a firm pat on his bare back. That was his cue to get off the wooden stool that had hurt his arse all the while, and he couldn't feel happier. Robb stood and moved so Jon could sit.

"Go on Tommy, shave him good, he hasn't met a girl he likes better than his hair." Robb said.

Theon laughed with Robb, and Jon looked blank and very uncomfortable as he watched tufts of hair making its way to his feet.

"I hear the Princess is a fine girl, a true southern beauty they say, you think I could get her in for a tumble in the sack?" Theon said, which made Jon look shocked, and Robb was perplexed.

"Why are you obsessed with getting girls into your bed?" Jon asked.

"You might want to keep your hands to yourself there, you'll probably be gelded for that." Robb said, and Jon laughed a little.

"Or you'll never know, she might pull an Arya and kick you in the groin before you could do anything." Jon adds.

Robb laughed loudly now, and said, "Now there's a sight I'd like to see."

"Not much of a chance that that might happen. There aren't a lot of noble women like Arya anyway. She's a diamond in the rough." Jon said.

***

A few hours later, Robb watched as a horde of saddled horses came in through the gates of the Winterfell castle, and everyone had come to join the welcoming party. He saw the Baratheon banners, their sigil on the flags- a stag. And then came the Lannister banners, with the lions, the Queen's noble house by birth.

His mother, Lady Catelyn Stark, looked positively flustered as she asked, "Where's Arya? Sansa where's your sister?" To which Sansa just shrugged.

Arya then came running by with a steel head guard on her head. Robb smiled at Arya. "Hey hey hey, what do you think you're doing with that on?" His father asked, and removed it from her head and gave it to someone standing behind him. She then shoved Bran as she went to take her place in the line, and said, "Move." with all the fighter's arrogance that he loved.

Then, shortly after, the boy, Crown Prince Joffrey came in on his horse. He's a fine looking lad with a mop of blonde hair. He then looked at Sansa with a suggestive smirk, and Robb turned his face toward his first sister and glared as he saw that she was smiling back.

Aye, there's a right royal prick.

Then, a huge burgundy coloured little carriage came in, which Robb thought had the Queen and her other children in. The King came in on his horse right behind.

He's fat.

He couldn't think any further as everyone got down and bowed to him. The King then walked toward them, and his hand gestured for his father to stand. Once his father rose, everyone followed, including Robb.

"Your Grace." His father said, and the King eyed him for a while. "You got fat." The King said, looking at Eddard.

Oh, you're joking. Really?

They both looked at each other silently for a while, and then they started laughing and shared a firm hug. He then went toward his mother and said "Cat!" and his mother said, "Your Grace-" but was cut off by his hug.

He came back to his father and said "Nine years. Why haven't I seen you? Where the hell have you been?"

"Guarding the north for you, Your Grace. Winterfell is yours." He said back. Then, the Queen and her four children came out of the wagon.

"Who have we here?" The king said, and turned to Robb. "You must be Robb." The king said and gave him a firm handshake, which Robb returned which equal firmness.

He then looked to Sansa and said, "Aye, you're a pretty one." He said to her, and Sansa smiled at him. Then to Arya, he asked what her name is. "Arya." She said. He went to Bran, and said, "Show us your muscles." and Bran was very willing to do so, and happy too. "You'll be a soldier." He said.

"That's Jaime Lannister! The Queen's twin brother." Arya said, and he heard Sansa say, "Would you please, shut up!" The Queen then walked toward his father and lifted her hand. His father took it and kissed it. "My Queen." He said. His mother said the same and bowed.

"I was going to take the children to a chamber, care to show me where?" The Queen asked, and Lady Catelyn said yes to her, with all the politeness.

"Take me to your crypts, Ned. I want to pay my respects." The king said. "We've been riding for a month, my love. Surely, the dead can wait." The Queen said.

"Ned." King Robert said, asking him to come, despite his wife's words. "Where's the Imp?" Arya asked, and the Queen looked at her and went to her brother and asked him to find their younger brother.

She then went to her children, and they followed her. As they walked, the King called for his elder daughter, much to the Queen's chagrin.

"Rhea, get here!"

The Princess looked positively flustered, not being able to pick between what her mother wanted and what her father wanted.

This is interesting.

She then made up her mind, and said to her mother, with a nervous face. "I'll find you right after, mother." "You better, Rhea." Her mother said, clearly with gritted teeth.

She walked front, her siblings walking with her mother, and bowed to the Stark family with a little smile on her face. He was sure Theon, standing right behind him, was grinning now.

She then walked toward her father and his, and they went away. And soon enough, they all did.

***

A/N: What do you guys think, it's more or less the same content, but grammatically a lot more sound, right? At least I hope it is, haha.