Desperate Measures

Chapter 5

Being both Lannister and Baratheon made me important. However, I was still just a woman. I was the definition of a slave from the day I wed. But most importantly I did not want to become like my mother. It wasn't so much the becoming a cold hearted bitch it was more of the fact I didn't want to have to let the men in my life walk all over me.

Sometimes I hated my mother but I both admired and pitied her. She was a slave to her father, her twin, her husband and sometimes even Joffrey. I wouldn't become my mother, or even like Catelyn Stark who was treated more like a human being by the men around her but she was still a slave to the men around her.

In this day and age if you wanted to survive you needed to be strong, fearless and scared. These things contradicted themselves in words but when you felt the emotions together they gave you the push to be different. These three words gave me the push I needed to be a person instead of just another slave to a man who thinks he owns me.

Those three words were the sole reason why I was at my name day celebration but I was in the last place anyone would ever look. I was in the armour on one of the horses we used for jousting competitions. My parents were going to kill me but it was worth it. It was the one thing I wanted. No I didn't want it. I needed it.

I was jousting against Ser Ayden but nobody knew it was me and they wouldn't until I beat him. I mounted my horse the same time as Ser Ayden. I charged at him and I knocked him off his horse almost immediately.

After the joust I took off my metal helmet as they went to announce me and I swished my head around dramatically. As I took off my helmet an angry roar came from the shocked crowd. They had no idea how a woman could beat one of the best knights in history in a joust. To be honest I found it highly insulting as a high up woman but I guess it was how things worked. Even though I was daughter of the king I would never be as good as the knights purely for the reason that I did not have a dick which was also very insulting for a woman of my intelligence.

My mother or father would not dare follow me back to get out of my armour as it would be considered rude to leave the guests however my uncle Jaime did not care for manners or pleasantries which was no secret so I was sure my mother would send him after me. "Alys!" Uncle Jaime hissed as he strutted into the tent where I was taking of my armour. "How dare you embarass our family like this you little brat!" Uncle Jaime screamed at me then he lunged for my face. The brutal and violent side of my uncle Jaime was the side he showed to most people. This was the side that sometimes made me loathe my uncle especially as it was how he treated my mother whenever they argued minus the physical violence.

This had happened to me way too many times so I knew better to fight Uncle Jaime after all he was much stronger than me. Fighting uncle Jaime back would make sure I would have to face the wrath of my grandfather as well as my uncle and that is something I did not want.

When Jaime left I called my handmaiden to help me put on the dress I was supposed to be wearing earlier. I left the tent and outside Jon Snow was waiting for me. "Did he hurt you Alys?" Jon questioned me as he caressed my face.

"I'm fine Jon. We should go before people start to get suspicious." I smiled at Jon as I lifted the bottom of my dress up and followed Evelyn, my handmaiden up to the stands where my family were sitting.