Duty, a Matter of the Heart.

Chapter 2: Thank You.

Victoria
" You are not here." Syrio exclaimed. "I could have killed you by now if I wanted to."
" I am simply worried about Jon Arryn, the Maester says he may die any day now. I don't understand he was fine and then all of a sudden he became so sick." I said with tears rolling down my face. Jon Arryn, had been like family to me, he had been a father to my father and a grandfather to me. "Child, worrying will not make him better. If anything it will weaken you. In here it is just you and your sword. That is the truth. Tomorrow will hold a lot of hurts for you, but every hurt is a lesson." Syrio said wiping some of the the tears of my face. "Let's dance." I said challenging him. "Very well, that is how Stag's speak." Syrio often called his sword fighting water dancing as it was not abrupt and aggressive, but graceful and deadly.
"Right,left,right,left..." Syrio exclaimed. "Ouch! You said left but you went right! You lied!" I said frustrated, I thought I was doing well but here I am unarmed. "My words lied. My eyes and my arm shouted the truth, but you were not seeing. I have seen men killed because they did not know what was happening right in front of them."
" I was watching, but I was also paying attention to your words so..."
" So you were watching not seeing, other men were stronger, faster, younger, why was Syrio Forel the best? I will tell you now. The seeing, the true seeing, that is the heart of it." I smiled at yet again a useful Braavosi lesson.
"Victoria!" I saw my father at the door with worry in his eyes. "Come quick my little warrior, it is Jon Arryn." I looked at Syrio, and he nodded his head. "What do we say to the god of death?"
"Not today!" I said running out of the room. Me and father ran to the room where Jon Arryn was laying in his bed, as we slowly entered the room Jon looked very peaceful. When he opened his eyes to see us, he stretched his arm as if reaching for me. I came to him holding his hand, I couldn't stop the tears from falling. He was the only person, besides my father that truly cared for me and now he was going to leave me and father. Who could ever replace him as Hand of the King? He weakly attempted to sooth me by caressing my hand. "The seed is strong!" He said looking deeply into my eyes. He then pointed to a chest, shaking, across the room, then looked at me. I walked to the chest and opened it, inside was Jon's valyrian steel sword. Except it looked different, the white falcon had been replaced by a proud and elegant, golden stag with roses around its neck. I soon realized what that meant "I can't take it Jon." I said, he shook his head weakly. "The seed is strong." He looked at my father and repeated those words, then he began to violently convulse. My father shouted for Grand Maester Pycell as I attempted to stop the convulsions that came along with this terrible fever. All of the sudden Jon Arryn was completely paralyzed in my arms. Dead. Father looked at me and I saw pain in his eyes, I closed his eyes and kissed him on the forehead whispering "Thank You." The pain was terrible, so much uncertainty filled my mind. I felt lost. Soon the Maester came in to examine his body and then the silent sister's took him way, in order to prepare him for the funeral. I ran to my room in order to hide the magnificent blade that had been given to me, Lady Lyssa would be furious when she found out about the fact that Jon had given me his sword.  Speaking of which I have not seen her, I leave my room in order to go back to my father and support him when I ran into my mother. "Mother!" I acknowledge, and do a courtesy. "Victoria, you've  been crying. Your eyes are so red and puffy." She said disgusted. "Jon Arryn is dead, mother." I state coldly, glaring at her. For a moment her eyes are filled with surprise and I catch a glance of worry but she soon returns to her usual self. "I am sorry for your loss sweet child, I know how much he meant to you." My mother attempts to caress my face but I take a step back. She had not called me sweet child in so long that I could not remember the last time she did so, it felt good but I had grown to learn that with my mother every word is a double edged sword. "Thank you for your attempts of appeasement Queen Cersei, but I'm afraid I am far too wounded to even consider them. Excuse me." With this I left my mother and went to find my father.
"Come in." My father states with his back turned to me, he was over looking the sea. Whenever something was worrying him he would always stare at the sea, I believe that it reminded him of Storm's End. He turned to see me with tears flooding down my face, he ran to me and took me in his embrace. "My little warrior do not weep, Jon Arryn would be so upset to see you like this."
"I'm so worried father, his death was so sudden that it makes me question it. What if someone poisoned him? This could put your life at risk!"
"I have fine men protecting me you should not worry your little head about that..."
"But father you must..."
"There are no but's now what did you came to discuss with me?" I looked at him stubbornly. "How did you know I wished to discuss something with you?"
"I am your father, I know you better than I know myself."
" Whom will you name hand of the king, now that Jon is gone? Please don't put that bloody pin on Uncle Jaime!"
"I'll be dammed if I do something like that. I have a person in mind, he's been with me since the beginning. We conquered the Iron Throne together and he's the most honorable man alive..."
"Father you don't mean Lord Eddard Stark do you? I mean, he would do anything for you I am sure, but he will be miserable! He'll hate it more than you do."
"Perhaps I should make you my hand." My father said ironically. "Perhaps... But we mustn't play with this situation, father."
"If not him whom, your grandfather?" I sighed realizing that my father was correct. "When do we leave for the north?"
"In a month. Which means that you will celebrate your 18th name day in the north. Since it takes another month to reach Winterfell."
"Well, I have always wanted to go to the North. It was the only place I did not visit during my traveling of Westeros." My father smiled at my contentment.
I had always been fascinated by the north and its tales, and now I was finally going to see it and meet the man that along side my father took down the greatest dynasty this world had ever seen. Perhaps, I will get to see blue roses.

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