To Kill A King | r. stark

CHAPTER 01 | BITTERSWEET

There was a flower in her heart, it just needed more room to bloom.

CHAPTER 01 | BITTERSWEET

Ella continued scrubbing the floor. Cersei was long gone, her impression leaving a strong case of submission in her chest. She scrubbed until she could see her uncharacteristic reflection in the gleaming marble, until her hands were aching from the grip it had on the sponge. She couldn't believe what she had heard, she could not believe that after all this time, her mother still treated her like the dirt underneath her pristine heels.

There was no denying that Ella was Cersei's daughter. The curls of gold, the waterfall blue eyes, the silky tan skin of a Lannister. And yet, she had taken upon the bastard name of Waters, because her father was unknown, possibly Robert Baratheon himself, the drunk King, or the King Slayer, Jaime Lannister. She didn't know, and most likely never would.

After Ella finished her duties, she made her way into the kitchen, where Tiana, one of the cooks was stirring a pot full of something wonderful – as per usual. The spices filled the room, drawing the unprivileged girl closer to the source it stemmed from. Ella wanted to scoop her hand in and take a gulp, but she knew that the food wasn't for her. And she'd stupidly burn her hand. The food was for the royal family, and she would be stuck eating stale bread and whatever her minimal salary could get her.

Tiana turned at the sound of Ella's light breathing, smiling back at her blonde friend. "What's got you in such a twist?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ella pushed back a strand of hair that fell over her eyes, shaking her head. "You're not going to believe me," she stated slowly, "but the Queen is taking me to Winterfell."

Tiana's eyes widened almost instantly, her mouth slack open. "What? You're kidding, right?"

Ella shook her head, partially in disbelief herself. "No, it's true. And, Ti, I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know why I'm going or what the purpose of me being Cersei's handmaiden is. It's all a big mystery to me."

Tiana laughed, shaking her head at Ella. "You've been wanting to see the North for so long, yet here you are complaining about the possibilities of fulfilling your lifelong dream."

Ella hopped up onto the counter and dangled her legs off. "I'm not complaining, I just don't understand why my bitter mother is taking me to the North. I'm her eldest born and somehow she's made me feel more worthless than her bastard children."

"You're forgetting that you're the bastard and they're the highborns, El." Tiana reminded her while throwing in a pinch of a spice Ella didn't know.

Ella rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, it seems so."

Tiana shrugged, turning her body to Ella and giving her a hopeful look. "Maybe while you're there you'll fall in love with a man and he'll sweep you far away from this wretched place."

Ella frowned, "marriage is a waste of time, plus, what would I do without you?"

"Probably starve to death," Tiana smirked.

Ella reached out and swatted Tiana on the arm. "I hate that you're right."

The two of them fell into laughter, their eyes for the greatest part fully closed, smiles reaching the point to where their cheeks throbbed. Ella was calm enough to make a memory of this moment, to make sure that if she was never going to see Tiana again, this would be her favorite memory of them. That if she ever got homesick, she would think back to this moment, and remember when all was well in the world.

***

"You'll be traveling in that carriage there," one of the Kingsguards told her, throwing what little luggage she had somewhere inside the attached compartment. His voice was gruff and uninterested. She could imagine why.

"Thank you," Ella let out quickly, entering the small space with a thin shawl wrapped around her shoulders. This was her favorite and only one, as Tiana had bought it for her birthday a few years back. The door closed abruptly on the carriage, and essentially, it started to move.

Ella let her head rest back against the velvet fabric of the cushion, reveling in the way it's rich texture felt against her skin. She wasn't used to such luxuries, not when she has a mother who is bent on making her life a living hell. There was so much Ella didn't know about the hatred that connected to Cersei, so much that was yet to be discovered. She sighed deeply.

Closing her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep, unsure of how long the journey to Wintefell would take, considering she had never left Kingslanding before.

Smoke curdled her lungs and the taste of dirt crusted around her mouth as the previous day's actions left her in a poor state. Her fingernails were caked with blood and other men's skin. Wrapped in thick yards of fabric, it circled her body like a tourniquet. She was shivering, cold and battered with bruises. Wind whipped at her face and chapped her blue lips.

She felt cold, but not alone. No. Someone was with her, beside her with a hunched back and more than a wounded shoulder. She couldn't see them, the snow made sure to blur them out of view, leaving them to look like a shivering rock of torn clothes and a bloodied face.

She was barely breathing, her heart a faded tremor inside her chest that was beating so delicately it felt like her chest was caving in. Her mouth was iced shut, rendering her unable to speak, even as her huddled companion tried urging her along.

She could feel the world turning into white ashes, her blood turning to ice, and everything around her burn her skin until all she could feel was the crisp air that filled her damaged lungs. If there was one thing that she learned from the previous nights, was that you couldn't trust anyone.

Ella woke up with a start, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked around the empty carriage. It was dark, which meant that she had slept for awhile. As she breathed, her breath crystallized, which meant they were getting closer to Winterfell.

She swallowed thickly, running a hand through her hair and pressing the back of her hand to her cheek. She had never experienced such a vivid dream before, none where she woke up in a cold sweat with shaking hands. She ran them over the velvet again to soothe her nerves.

"Everything is going to be fine," she reassured herself. "Nothing bad will happen, you're safe." Yet even as she told herself these things, she knew not to be a fool and believe them, for she was a pawn in a game she didn't even know she was playing.

A/N: *takes 10373936393 days to update* I'm really sorry for the delay on this story, life has been crazy and I'm almost done with my other story, Infelicitous, so I'm mostly putting my main focus into that atm. I can't believe this story has almost 300 reads, like that's crazy! and if you were wondering or couldn't tell, the italics part was a dream Ella had. not sure if that was clear, I mean, it probably was but I just wanna make sure you're all on the same page w me. please vote and comment! I'd really appreciate the feedback! thank you for reading, I hope to be seeing you soon. xx