A Lion in the Midst

14| Hands of a Lion

"A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of sheep.

Charlotte's POV

I hid myself in the back of the room, Sebastian standing at my side. He whispers softly into my ear. "Would they make you speak against your family." I shrug my shoulders apprehensively. "As of today, I have no idea who my family is."

Lord Stark barges into the room, parting the crowd angrily with each step he took. Within seconds, he was standing beside Arya, checking her over for any scratches and bruises. "What is the meaning of this? Why was my daughter not brought to me at once?"

"How dare you speak to your King in that manor." My mother voices. Father immediately corrects her. "Quiet, woman."

"Sorry, Ned. I never meant to frighten the girl, but we need to get this business done quickly."

My mother voices, yet again. "Your girl and that butcher's boy attacked my son. That animal of her's nearly tore his arm off."

Arya yells loudly. "That's not true. She's just... bit him a little. He was hurting Mycah." The butcher's boy. Mother retorts. "Joff told us what happened. You and that boy beat him with clubs while you set your wolf on him."

"That's not what happened!"

Joffrey argues. "Yes, it is. They all attacked me and she threw my sword in the river."

"Liar!" Arya yells, attempting to defend herself.

"Shut up!"

Sebastian laid one of his hands in the lower part of my back, sending chills up and down my arms. "Your family sure knows how to scramble the truth." I leaned against him softly. "You have no idea..."

"Enough!" My father's voice bellows. I smiled to myself. All is fair with love and war. "He tells me one thing. She tells me another. Seven hells.... what am I to make of this?" Sounds like me. "Ned where is your other daughter?"

"In bed, asleep."

"She's not. Sansa, come here darling." I turned to see the crowd parting, revealing the red-haired girl. My mother was spending more time with Sansa, than myself. My father notions for her to stand in the middle of the room. "Now, child. Tell me what happened. Tell it all and tell it true. It's a great crime to lie to a King."

Joffrey should therefore be executed by orders of Princess Charlotte.

Sansa eyes those around her, including Lord Stark and Joffrey. "I don't know... I don't remember. Everything happened so fast. I didn't see." Arya jumps on Sansa's back. "Liar!" She continues to yell the word, begrudging Sansa for not telling the truth. Lord Stark attempts to separate the girls, pushing Arya behind him.

"She's as wild as that animal of hers. I want her punished."

My father yells loudly. "What would you have me do? Whip her through the streets? Dammit! Children fight, it's over." Reasonable words. Sebastian asks another question in my ear. "Did you fight as a child?"

I smile innocently. "Who do you think taught Arya?"

My mother's words echo through the tavern. "Joffrey will bare these scars for the rest of his life." My father turns towards Joffrey. "You let that little girl disarm you, whilst your sister disarmed a Kingsguard." Joffrey's eyes widen with embarrassment.

Lord Stark asks. "Robert, what about your daughter. Arya tells me that she was at the river as well. Maybe she can shed some light on the truth." What? I can see my father debating his words. "Charlotte, come forward and tell the truth." I pushed my way through the crowd, coming to stand beside Arya and Sansa. I looked up at Joffrey, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. The King demands again. "Speak the truth, child."