A Wolf in Lion's Clothing

Ella

Why did it have to be her? She has spent her entire life up North, and now, in a few short months, she is expected to leave everything she has ever known to marry a man she has never met.

Robert Baratheon is travelling North. Perfect timing on his part. His former hand, Jon Arryn, has just died, and Robert is hoping his longtime friend, Ned Stark, will be willing to move South as well to become the new hand. This trip will not only be very agonizing for the people travelling north for the first time, it will also be very agonizing for Ella.

She had received a raven from her future husband declaring that he will not be joining the king on his trip north. His reasoning? He needed to stay back in King's Landing to help make the final preparations for the wedding. Ella had been doing some of her own (mainly getting her dress made), and she thought that this excuse was absolutly perposterous, considering the fact that they could have made some other arrangements together. At least she wouldn't have to do much of the arranging herself.

His not being there also meant an awkward first meeting between her and his three adult children. That is another thing that has been bothering her. His children are all at least ten years older than her. She didn't understand why Tyrion couldn't be the heir to Casterly Rock (home of the Lannisters).

In her final days as a free woman, she speant them getting her dress just right, training her direwolf pup named Shadow, and reading books she knew she couldn't bring South with her.

***

She was in the courtyard with her mother, Catelyn, when she heard/ saw her brother Bran climbing down from the wall declaring "The King is coming!" Her breath hitched. This was the day she had been dreading the most, besides the wedding of course. She heard her mother scold Bran for climbing, and the Catelyn told Bran to go find his father. She then turned to her now pale daughter and said, "Go put on your nicest cloak, and try and tame your hair, please. I know you have been dreading this day, but it has been bound to come for a long time. Run along."

Ella was dragging her feet back to her chambers where her lady, who was named Anna, was prepping the very cloak her mother had spoken to her about. "Here you go, milady. Sit and I will brush through your hair and put in a quick little plait". Anna worked silently and quickly. Her family had been working for the Starks for generations.

"There you go milady. You look absolutely beautiful". Ella snorted and replied, "To you I look beautiful. To me, I look like a lady in need of a gutting". Ella and Anna were very close, and had the same sense of humor, so Ella being brash did not come as a shock to Anna.

***

Standing in the courtyard waiting for the King's party to show up seemed like it took hours. As the Starks got lined up to great the king, Catelyn noticed that Arya wasn't in the line. "Where's Arya?" she asked Ella and Sansa. They both shruged, knowing that Arya was probably doing something mischevious, but not wanting to get her in trouble. A few moments later, Arya comes running around a corner wearing a helmet. Ned takes it off of her head, and tells Arya to get into line.

Finally, after an eternity, the members of the King's party were entering the courtyard. The first member of the family to come around the corner was the heir to the Iron Throne, Joffery Baratheon. He had a smug look on his face as he peered at Sansa knowing that they would be betrothed to eachother in no time. The look that he was giving Sansa made Ella and her oldest brother, Robb, look at eachother with looks of disgust on their face. Then Jaime Lannister was the next person she recognized, only because he was to become her stepson. Robb leaned down and whispered "Hey look, it's your son" and he snickered. Ella elbowed him in the side, and he quickly shut up.