The Forest Child {Sandor Clegane Story}

Your Grace

"Where is Arya?" Lord Eddard Stark hissed as he turned to face his bastard daughter and twin son, Jon.

Natari shook her head innocently and shrugged as her father gave her a gentle smile. They were currently lined up outside waiting for the arrival of King Robert. News had been received of his visit along with a letter informing them of Lord Arryn sudden death over a month ago, and Natari could tell the news had shaken her father deeply.

As the gates opened, Arya had suddenly appeared with a metal helmet on, which her father had quickly pulled off her head as she took her place at the front with her other siblings. Jon and Natari had been placed the row behind them, they were bastard born and had no right to be at the front with their siblings.

As the gates were pulled up, a large group of men on horseback marched into the square, followed by several coaches and then more men on horseback. Jon lightly elbowed his sister in the side when they pulled to a stop and the King came marching out of one of the coaches. Everyone instantly bent their knee into the cold and frozen northern ground, as the King marched up to Lord Stark with a fire in his eyes. The King when stopped directly in front of him and gestured for him to rise.

"You've grown fat." The King announced with a flat tone.

Lord Stark simply looked the King up and down with a slight smile as the rest of the crowd remained in their deadly silence. King Robert burst into laughter as though he had not ever noticed the heavy tension around them, and pulled his old friend into a tight hug. 

"Catelyn." The King then went on to greet Lady Stark and then their five children with a warm smile and open arms. As the King reached Sansa he looked directly behind her towards Natari.

"By the gods." He whispered as he reached Lord Starks eldest trueborn daughter, Sansa, but looked behind her to see Natari.

Natari did not know what to do so quickly looked down at her feet as she felt the Kings eyes studying her face with an intense focus.

"Look at me girl!" He commanded loudly and Natari shot her eyes back up to meet the King.

"You remember my other daughter and son, Natari and Jon" Lord Stark informed him as he stepped over to the King.

"Of course. She looks just like her" He replied, barely above a whisper.

This moment of The Kings focus on The Lord's bastard children had not gone unnoticed by Lady Stark, who had no love for the twins and their tainted bloodline.  Lord Stark, painfully aware of the sting this would have on his Lady wife, quickly tried to pull his Kings attention back to his next daughter, Arya. As The King greeted the rest of the family, The Queen had left the coach and was greeting Lady Stark with the perfect grace and demeanour of any royal woman. Meanwhile, Natari was looking over the many guards they had brought when her eye caught the glance of the largest guards eyes. He was dressed in armour with a hound shaped helmet which covered his face, but she could see his eyes and they were staring directly towards her.

"Stop staring!" Jon whispered as Natari brought herself back to reality and shook her head.

"I wish to visit your crypts." King Robert bellowed at Lord Stark once they had finished greeting everyone.

"We have been travelling for over a month, surely the dead can wait..." The Queen sighed.

The King simply ignored her as he began walking across the square and Lord Stark quickly followed behind him. Once the King and Lord Stark were no longer in sight, Lady Stark led The Queen and her children inside. Natari was placed in charge of ensuring the two young Stark girls were ready for the banquet which would take place later that night, which was a task far harder than one would expect.