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"Some children are simply born with tragedy in their blood."
—Unknown
—
DEIDAMIA STARK WAS BORN in 286 AC, just a year after the first Stark daughter. Lady Stark now had three children, one boy, and two girls. While Ned took to his son, Robb Stark, Lady Catelyn took to her first daughter, Sansa Stark. But what of Deidamia?
Well, someone else took a liking to her. Robert Baratheon, but he did not treat her as his own, just out of pity. No...King Baratheon had more sinister thoughts about his best friend's newest babe. No one knew, not even Ned...with the exception of Cersei Lannister. Who knew when her husband took an inappropriate liking to someone.
Deidamia was a rather smart one. She excelled in literature and history, which she was teased about by her elder sister. While Deidamia sat in the grass and read history books about the Targaryens, talking to herself, Sansa sat in embroidery lessons. Gossiping about her life in the future, bragging about how she would one day marry a brave prince and become a lovely, sweet queen.
Catelyn always compared her two daughters with each other. It was clear that she favored Sansa over Deidamia. For it was rumored that Deidamia was as mad as Helaena Targaryen. Playing with bugs as she sat in the grass and talked to herself. This lowered Deidamia's view of herself, as she had read much about poor Helaena Targaryen.
These seemingly false rumors spread quickly, and spread the did. When Ned Stark heard of this, he immediately scolded his daughter. Taking away all of her history books and not allowing her to sit outside in the grass. He had ordered for her to be slapped on the hand when she began talking to herself.
But this did not help the Stark girl. No...it only taught her to hide her quirks from anybody and everybody. She could only be heard mumbling to herself in the mid of the night, her personal guard listening to every word. But he would never send word back to Lord Stark, he found no need to. For he used to be just like Deidamia until he was forced into battle as a young, inexperienced boy.
One day, in 295 AC, Deidamia went with her younger sister to watch men spar. Deidamia was not a fan of battle, it quite scared her. But Arya adored it, so, Deidamia would tolerate it. Simply because Arya was kin, and Deidamia was a people pleaser. This trait would one day get the best of her, despite the amount of times she would be scolded for being 'too soft.' But Deidamia made it a fact to forgive anyone who wronged her, even if they did not feel bad.
It just so happened that Jon Snow, Ned Starks bastard, was watching the battle as well. The bastard was twelve years old but already built like a teenage boy. Despite not having gone through the growing cycle, many were afraid of young Jon Snow. For he was a brave, fearless boy.
But a small group of highborn boys did not see Jon Snow as they approached little Deidamia. Who had been staring at the floor, unknowingly mouthing words to herself. Arya noticed her sister's odd actions, but only smiled and gently grabbed her elder sister's hand, placing it in her lap securely. Arya loved Deidamia more than she did anyone, it was odd. Though Deidamia was not much of a talker, Arya favored her the most.
The boys approached and smiled innocently at Deidamia, but their words did not match their sweet faces as Deidamia looked up to give them a polite smile back. It was no lie that Deidamia was a very beautiful girl, but her untraditional traits canceled out her beauty in the eyes of the immature. "Well...we never thought to see someone like you here. Now, did we, boys?" The fourteen-year-old boy asked his two mates as they towered over Deidamia.
Arya ignored them, believing they would grow bored and wander off. "I'm afraid I do not understand, my good sirs." Deidamia softly spoke, avoiding eye contact.
As a result of this, the boy took it as disrespect and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. Deidamia began picking aggressively at her nail beds like a particular Hightower girl more than one hundred years ago used to do as a young woman before marriage. "You will look at me as I speak to you." The older boy snarled.
"You do not touch a princess." Arya raised her high-pitched voice, moving to stand up. But she did not intimidate any of the three boys, one boy simply shoved her to the floor. She was young, so, she hadn't completely developed her later to arrive bravery.
The boy's grip on Deidamia's chin tightened as he leaned forward. Their faces only inches away. This is when young Jon arrived, he did not acknowledge the fact that this highborn boy was both older than him, and more important, Jon was not afraid. So, the dark-haired boy picked the highborn up and slammed him to the ground. Getting mud on the bratty boys' expensive clothing. "How dare you!" The boy screamed up at Jon who held a blank face before turning to Deidamia.
Jon offered her his hand, even though he was almost one hundred percent sure that she would deny touching him. Deidamia's watery eyes squinted as she stared at his dirty hands for a straight fifteen seconds. Just as Jon was about to drop his hand in defeat, Deidamia slowly brought her hand to his and softly took a hold of it.
From this day on, until the year 298 AC, Jon was more of a father to Deidamia than her own father was. Jon encouraged her quirks and often snuck secret history books to her, watching as she happily read them, mumbling incoherently as she did so. Sometimes, as Jon watched her, he wondered if she was talking to someone that he had yet to see.
He often wondered if his little sister saw things that others did not. He was curious as to why she was so interested in the Targaryens, it was as if she knew something that no one else knew. But he shook the thoughts off as quickly as they would come, classifying it as treason in his head, even if it was not.
Deidamia Stark was undeniably different from the rest of her siblings, but Jon Snow knew nothing but love and admiration for the little girl. Often spending as much time with her as he could. At one point in time, he even began teaching her life lessons. Lessons that her parents had yet to tell her.
Jon Snow vowed to himself and the Gods that he would watch over his lovely sister no matter what it took. He vowed that he would allow no harm to come forward toward her, he would not let anyone hurt her, not even if they were his family or lover.
But Jon Snow sadly broke his vow in the year 305 AC, the final year of Deidamia Starks' ever-so-short life.
