The Crippled Wolf: Stark SI (GOT)

Chapter 16

CERSEI LANNISTER

Cersei had refused to attend the feast yesterday in protest of Robert's plan to wed her daughter to that barbarian, cripple. Her precious Myrcella wed to that ruffian. She would not let that happen, and yet she had spent the night tossing and turning, much like every moment ever since their arrival here in the North, and despite Jamie's reassurance, she knew it in her heart.

That the boy knew of their secret. Knew of her secret. And if the boy knew, then it was only a matter of time until Stark would know, and then Robe....She did not even wish to imagine such a thing.

No. The boy had to go. For if he had not yet told their secret to his father, then they had to take care of him before he did so.

Robert had come to their room reeking of wine, spent much late into the night, and she had been disgusted by him by his presence as he lay there beside her. She had thought many times to pick up that small knife and push it into that throat and end it all.

After a troubling night she needed to relieve herself of her worries, of the impending sense of doom and found herself in the place she found herself most alive.

In the arms of her brother as they found themselves alone and without prying eyes to do as they pleased. And pleased she was as she joined him as she was meant to, as the Targaryens did.

Jamie took her in that broken tower, and the sun rose from behind her while the castle was still asleep. At that moment, she felt her worries fade, as each and every thing that she had done that she was about to do felt worth it.

"The boy, he must go," she whispered as she felt his breath on her neck and the cold was beginning to seep through her gown as Jamie's breathing roughened up.

"I know," and he was far more agreeable as he took her. For he was a man, and yet she knew that he was yet not convinced as she twisted her head and looked him in the face, tilting it to the side as she avoided his lips.

"He has to, his mere existence puts us into danger. Puts this into danger," and she saw his face contort as he grunted.

"No one will harm us. No one," he assured her, and before she could say more, she felt her heart give out as a foreign sound interrupted them both.

CAW! CAW!

In a hurry, she pushed Jamie away and looked at the window behind them. She saw a crow flying away as the tension in her eased. But it was not all she saw. The Sun had begun to come up, and despite the festivities, the castle would be waking up now.

"Robert plans to go hunting today. The boy will be with him," she added as she began to adjust her gown. Jamie's expression was dull as he saw her body get covered up behind that gown once more.

He approached her, reaching for her hands as he stopped her and looked into her eyes.

"You do know what you are asking me to do, right? You are asking me to kill a young boy," he asked, and she bit her lip as she twisted her arm, trying to break out of his grip.

"I am asking you to save me. Save us and our children. Will you no..." but he was not in the mood to listen as he turned her around and tried to go at her again, bending her forward as she tried to resist, for as much as she desired him, she knew of the dangers that lingered.

"We cannot! Jamie. We cannot do it again. There is not enough...."

"Just once more," he argued softly as he held her face and met her lips, taking away the cold that gnawed at her skin.

"Afterall, I am to kill a boy after thi...."

But just as she was about to deny him once more, they both stilled as a loud voice erupted from outside the corner.

"BRAN! If you don't get down from that tower, this second mother will be hearing about this," and she moved in an instant as she pushed away Jamie and began to pull down her gown as Jamie just stood there frozen.

"But I am..." the other voice came in this one, belonging to the younger Stark boy. Brandon, she realized.

"You get down right now!" that accursed voice cut through the air once more as her heart hammered in her chest, a chill still her to her place as she stood there trying to erase all evidence of her recent actions before her eyes landed on Jamie who was looking towards the window infront with a pale.

"You!" she cursed as she pushed him lightly, breaking him out of his trance.

He looked towards her, pale and stilled as she put her finger to her lips to not make a sound.

"Moth...." that voice came once more, and she could see Jamie's chest rising up and down, before relief filled her as the young Stark's voice came again.

"Fine! Fine!" and relief filled as the crises heightened her senses, her hearing letting her hear that climb down the tower as she sighed in relief before the voices lowered.

"Good, come let us break our fast. Then I will see if I can convince Mother to let you come with us for the hunt," that crippled's voice then vanished as Cersei felt her legs weaken and was about to fall when suddenly she felt Jamie's arms wrap around her as her brother mouthed in reassurance.

"We are fine," he whispered as he caressed her face.

"We are fine. They are gone," he added, and she bit her lip as she looked out the window of that damned broken tower.

"For now," she whispered as a black raven landed on the edge of the window and cawed as it looked into her eyes as if warning her.

"...but not for long...."

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CREGAN STARK

His dreams last night had been rather erratic, even more so than usual, as he found his body being pecked and clawed by a thousand crows. Each of them took a piece of his flesh as he lay there helplessly, repeating but one word.

'Leave.' Leave.' 'Leave.'

But he had not let these dreams influence him. And he did not plan to let them do that now. And as he looked down the table at a healthy and stable Bran he did not regret his actions at all.

He was his brother, and the Starks were his family. Despite their faults, he had grown up beside them, all of them, and he loved them all. Truly.

"So, are you as good a shot as you used to be, Cregan?" Robb questioned as he plopped down beside him, breaking his own fast.

"I am," and that was for the hunt, and despite his disadvantage when it came to the sword, Cregan was a decent enough archer.

"Theon's a pretty good with a bow as well," Robb added, and the Greyjoy heir was yet to arrive and would be joining them soon.

Cregan's interactions with the Greyjoy boy were minimal, there was not much history between them given that he had left for the capital when Theon had come here as a ward.

And yet Cregan was not a fan of the boy in question, and cared little for him.

"I have heard," he replied as he ate his porridge, and his disinterest or displeasure must have shown as Robb changed the topic.

"How was the feast last night?" Robb questioned cryptically as he raised a brow, as both Sansa and their mother raised a brow and exchanged glances with one another.

"You vanished for quite some time near the end there," and Cregan was surprised that his absence had been noticed, so he shrugged.

"It was nothing. I was just tired, and Sansa was there with the Princess Myrcella," he pointed out as his sister nodded.

"Yes, but you left her alone with your direwolf," and their mother was quick to pick up on that little thing.

"You did what!" she asked, perplexed as Cregan sighed.

"Aurora is very well-behaved. I knew that she would not do anything to her," he added, and Sansa nodded.

"Yes, it is far more well-behaved than Lady and the rest," she added with a hint of jealousy as their mother shook her head.

"I still cannot see why your father would let you keep those beasts. They are direwolves. Not cats or even dogs, but wolves," she sighed in frustration, but she knew she could do nothing to stop that.

"Speaking of that, where is Aurora?" Sansa questioned, and indeed, he was a bit surprised as well, given that she had not returned to his room later in the night.

And it took him a second to locate her, and he was surprised.

"She is with the Princess," he answered as he tugged on their little connection, and the answer seemed to unsettle their mother even more as she shook her head.

"Though speaking of the feast, what of you?" Cregan turned the tables as he addressed Robb and raised a brow.

"How was Prince Joffrey?" Robb's smile vanished in an instant at that question, and he shook his head in frustration.

"You were right about the Prince," Robb added, as his lips thinned.

"It was not easy to listen to him go on and on for hours, knowing that the words coming out of his mouth were all lies," Robb added as their mother glared at him.

"Robb!" she warned him in a thin whisper as the heir to the North raised his hands in defeat.

"It got even worse when Sansa turned her attention towards the Princess Myrcella, and Sansa's own lips thinned as she turned towards her plate of food.

"It just..." and she seemed to hesitate as she continued.

"He was not as I had thought a Prince would be," and there was genuine sadness in her tone as she said those words, and Cregan was stilled at that, taken a bit aback by her words.

"The words were, and the gestures were lovely, but his eyes," she continued in barely a whisper as she looked at him.

"Especially whenever he looked at you, there was something in them. It was a bit disturbing," and to see through Joffrey's facade was not easy, especially when he was pretending to be the perfect princeling.

But Joffrey's biggest falling was his hate. And the Prince did hate him. He had for years, and the rumors about him marrying Myrcella would have reached his ears as well, and with the Queen absent to cover for her precious son, it seemed to him that Joffrey's true nature had slipped out.

Or was it because of his own warnings, and Sansa and Robb were not so easily fooled by the guile of a Royal Prince but knew what to look for?

But it mattered not as he smiled proudly.

"Well, I am sure that Prince was much disappointed last night then," he whispered as he finished his breakfast, knowing well that he still had a much important day ahead of him.

"Still, will you be fine for the hunt?" Robb questioned, asking him, probably concerned about his injured leg, as Cregan nodded.

He would have preferred not to take part in it, but the King had ordered him to attend, and so he would.

"I will be fine," he reassured Robb as suddenly a familiar face from last night emerged from the doors.

"I was told that there is to be a hunt today..." and it was their uncle who had walked in, this time not covered in the black furs of the Night's Watch.

"Uncle Benjen" rose from his chair and greeted him as the man came down and settled down beside them. The rest of the meal went on, with the focus now turning towards him.

The man had a thousand stories and entertained Arya and Bran well, and it was not until the end that he finally turned towards him as the table nearly emptied out.

"I was told that you brought a gift for me," he asked, and Cregan nodded a bit stiffly.

"Yes, I did," he answered, and the man must not have felt his hesitation as he asked away.

"What is it?"

"You will see," he deflected as he saw the King walk into the Hall, yet Cregan's gaze was not focused on the boisterous King.

No, it was focused on the man standing behind him, wearing the shining armor of the Kingsguard and looking straight at him with those green eyes of his

0000

And as the castle prepared for the hunt, Cersei Lannister found herself in a room with her son, the young heir, and Prince Joffrey Baratheon, who felt enraged and humiliated at the behavior of the Stark girl from last night.

"How dare she ignore me!" he raged as he paced.

"That barbarian wench! How dare she ignore me while I talk to her!" he raged as Cersei approached him and calmed him down.

"You need not be angry, my precious lion," she whispered as she cupped his face, calming him down.

"She is a Northern Barbarian! Forget about her. What would a barbarian like her know of your true worth?" she consoled him, but Joffrey's face twisted.

"But I want her!" and she was taken aback by those words.

"She was supposed to be mine," and she had not expected this. No, it was the first time she had heard this.

"And yet she spent all the night talking to that useless Myrcella, with that crippled while ignoring me. A Prince!" he continued as an idea hit her head.

"Is that so?" she asked, and Joffrey nodded.

"Yes, and now I have to go on a hunt in this wasteland," and he plopped down on the sofa as he shook his head.

"Your father has asked you to attend. I am afraid you must go, my little lion," she added as she lowered herself and looked him in the eye.

"But if you really want that Stark girl, there is one thing you could do," she began and saw his eyes narrow.

"What?" he asked.

"During the hunt....."

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