Crowns and Cruel Intentions || Game of Thrones

4| 𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔞𝔫𝔫𝔞

winterfell, westeros

— THROUGH THE CARRIAGE WINDOW, MARIANNA SPOTTED THE CASTLE THE MOMENT IT APPEARED ON THE HORIZON. Tall and looming and built almost entirely from grey stone, dark wood and wrought iron, it was an impressive sight. From that moment, her nerves only increased right up until they passed through the gates. She wore a simple dress of black with gold embroidery now, a little warmer than her others and a dark fur shawl was pulled over her shoulders to provide whatever warmth the dress did not.

She sank back into the fur, pulling it tighter around herself as the carriage continued on. In spite of what she'd told Tyrion about not being nervous, she could feel her heart beating faster now. Fear, or anticipation? She wasn't sure. Nevertheless, Cersei reached out to squeeze the girl's hand assuringly. Marianna nodded. I'll be fine.

Finally, they came to a halt. The queen raised a hand to indicate they should wait, eyes trained on the courtyard outside the window. They should wait until the King made his introductions with Lord Stark. Soon – far too soon – the door was opening, and Cersei was stepping out into the brisk northern air. Marrianna sucked in one last deep breath before following her mother.

The first thing she felt was how solid the ground was beneath her feet. The carriage's rock and sway had become such a constant thing for her over the past month that she was surprised she hadn't been sick. Her eyes remained on her surroundings as she stuck to Cercei's side, not yet admitting to herself that she was intentionally avoiding the eyes of the Starks. The grey stone looked just as cold and high as she'd thought. That's a good thing. She reminded herself. Those walls keep the worst of winter and the greatest enemies at bay. There was little in terms of bright colour but for the vines and small flowers here and there.

When Lord Eddard bent to kiss the queen's hand, Marianna finally took her first real look at them. She inclined her head to Lord Stark, offering a little smile before her eyes moved to his right. The first pair of eyes to meet hers were a beautiful amber-brown, and they stared back at her with a startling amount of confidence. Lyanna Stark. She realised. Lyanna offered a smile that looked almost mischievous, and Marianna's own little smile grew as well. Then she looked further right.

Bright, Tully-blue eyes, auburn-brown hair and a wolf's-fur cloak. There was no mistaking Robb Stark for anyone else. She swallowed down her fear and offered a nod that he returned. Something in his face told her he already knew what their fathers had in store for them, but she didn't know him; there was no way of interpreting whether he was pleased with the idea or not.

Before she could decide, her father's voice broke through her thoughts. "Take me to your crypts. I want to pay my respects."

"You've been riding for a month, my love." Cersei protested. "Surely the dead can wait."

Robert only gave her a measured look before beckoning to his old friend and striding away. Lord Stark offered her an apologetic glance before following. Suddenly, the young woman who'd looked so confident only moments ago could not pry her eyes from the ground. Her lips pressed together, and she looked as though she were trying to avoid any shred of attention at all. Of course, Marianna realised. Her father wasn't going to the crypts to 'pay his respects', he was going down there to see Lyanna Stark – the original Lyanna Stark – the woman he'd once loved. Bearing the name of a deceased woman who was presently the reason for dispute between the King and Queen couldn't have been incredibly comfortable.

A younger Stark's voice spoke lowly, but Cersei and Marianna could hear anyway. "Where's the Imp?"

Cersei turned back to her brother Jamie, who'd climbed down from his horse and removed his helm. "Where is our brother?" she muttered. "Go and find the little beast. Marianna." Relieved, the princess returned to her mother's side as the queen addressed the childrens' septa. "We'll begin preparing for dinner shortly." The Starks were holding a feast that night to welcome their royal guests, and Cersei always insisted the lot of them be a step ahead of presentable when such occasions arose. Impressions are everything, she'd say. Soon she was ushering the children towards their rooms, ordering baths drawn and their clothes brought.

Needing time to think and relax rather than be fussed over, Marianna sent the servants and her septa out before locking the door and settling into the tub. For a little while she just sat there, gently scraping her nails over the skin of her arms and leaving little water trails there. The chill of the north was undeniable, especially now that her fur shawl was all the way across the room. Eventually, the water began to lose its heat, and Marianna stepped carefully out, wrapping herself in her robe and making certain never to let her bare feet touch the cold stone floor. She kept to the rugs instead as she made her way to a little vanity table where she could dry her hair and select a colour scheme for the night.

Her ideas lasted about five minutes before a sharp rap came from the door, immediately followed by her mother's voice. "Marianna, my sweet, are you ready to dress? I have something perfect for you."

She gave an amused sigh before rising to get the door. So much for that. As soon as they got inside, the queen and the septa were turning the girl about every which way before spinning her into the pale blue fabric of the dress they'd brought. Marianna doubted this was something made for warmth, but it was beautiful. When they were done with all of that, the septa was sent away so that Cersei could arrange her daughter's hair whilst the girl brushed a little bit of colour onto her eyelids and lips.

"Your father and I have come to an agreement." Cersei said rather suddenly. Uh oh. Marianna thought, but she didn't say a word. "He wants your betrothal to be official tonight, but I've convinced him not to make a spectacle of it just yet. You and the Stark boy should have at least a chance to talk before then."

"Oh." She thought that over for a second. She hadn't been sure when her father planned to make the betrothal official, and tonight was certainly a little fast, but she didn't have to worry about the spectacle of it just yet. That was an incredible weight off her shoulders. "Thank you."

"Of course, my darling." she felt her mother's hands leave her hair. "There. Perfect." When she picked up her mirror again, she found that her hair had been braided into a sort of crown shape around her head while the rest fell down her back and shoulders. Simple teardrop earrings hung from her ears, and the extra touch of red lips and grey eyelids brought her features to life in the cold. "Are you ready?"

She exhaled softly, a little smile working its way onto her lips. "Yes. Could I just have a minute?"

Nodding, Cersei moved to the door. "Don't be too long." She instructed before slipping out into the corridor. The sun had just set. The last of the purple hues in the sky were turning slowly to black. It was time to go.

As Marianna reached for the door, she suddenly heard a knock from the other side. Confused, she opened it to find a familiar face: glimmering eyes, dark brown hair and a confident grin, she wore a dress of midnight blue patterned with black that almost looked more like a coat than not with the black fur lining the neck and ruffling out from the seam down the front. Nevertheless, she looked stunning, and certainly more prepared for the cold night than Marianna. "Princess."

"Lady Lyanna." She spoke, slightly uncertain.

The girl huffed a small laugh, shaking her head. "Please, call me Lyanna. After all, I hear we'll be sisters soon enough."

Marianna's lips parted slightly, surprise overtaking her features. "Oh, I thought..."

"Don't worry." she assured. "Not everyone knows, but my father doesn't like to keep secrets from his children. Anyways," she offered her arm. "I thought you could use a friend who knows the castle to walk you to the feast."

The princess felt such relief she wanted to hug Lyanna. "I would like that very much. Thank you." maybe she'd be alright here after all. 

A/N
AHHH MY GIRLS. I'm so excited you guys have no idea. <3

As usual I haven't anything that I'm publishing, so, you know, beware lol. I might make edits later if I notice some mistakes.