The Bloodied Wolf (Lion's Wolf Book 5)

Prologue

~ Anaris 7 years old ~

Anaris snuck down the long hallway and hazard a glance behind her, she'd snuck from her lessons, she was bored, bored of stitching pretty flowers onto things with silken threads, bored of listening to the other highborn girls simper and compliment one another in front of the Septa but the moment the older woman turned her back they were growling at one another like wild dogs, she was bored of being told that swinging a stick like a sword was unladylike and that fighting boys was not what a Lady should do, so she did what she could, she snuck away.

She traced her fingers along the ancient wall of House Moontons strong hold of Maidenpool, the first time in weeks she'd had time to actually look around by herself she found it to be completely ordinary to what she expected thanks to Old Nans stories, Anaris expected the stones to weep water from the underground streams that were flowing under the castle, expected to see maybe a few tapestry's depicting Florian the Fool finding Jonquil and her sisters bathing in the pool that had given the town its name, but there was nothing, no weeping, no such tapestries and no secret passages of any kind.

"Shouldn't you been in your lessons?" A voice asked from behind her causing her to stop in her tracks and think of an escape plan, she could pretend to be ill but her father had already fallen for that days before and he was not in the mood to be trifled with again while he was in Maidenpool for important business, slowly Anaris turned and came face to face with Cersei Lannister who had her eyebrow raised in question.

Anaris curtsied as best as her small legs would let her "yes my queen, I'm sorry" Anaris kept her head down as Cersei made her way closer, she was so near now that Anaris could hear her skirts rustle as she moved gracefully towards the girl.

"So why are you not there?" Cersei asked making the girl look up in question, they'd both expected the other to start talking but when neither did the girl shuffled her feet.

"I grew bored, your grace, truth be told I couldn't stand being in the room with those other high born girls while they gossiped" Anaris shuddered at the thought of being made to go back "please don't take me back, your grace, I cannot pretend to be interested in the young lords of Maidenpool for a moment longer"

Cersei chuckled and shook her head slightly "yes I can understand why, they're not much to look at" Cersei straightened her back and smiled genuinely at the young girl "what's your name?"

"Anaris, your Grace, Anaris Stark" the girl said again with another curtsy that made Cersei chuckle again.

"Back straight, chin up, bend your knees slightly" she instructed and the girl nodded and copied her movements as she did them, both smiling at one another when they straightened "come with me Little Wolf, I'll happily teach you a few things" she held out her hand and without a second thought Anaris took it, Robert's Queen had wished for a daughter almost as much as she wished for Robert himself to love her, this young girl was exactly what Cersei needed in that moment.