Carliene Stark

Chapter 24

Carliene

"Lets get off this damned platform before you fall off" Ser Bronn insisted as he pulled me up and lead me back into the castle. 

I keep breathing slowly and deeply as we ascended the steps, still feeling sick. In my mind I went through everything I had eaten the night before. Nothing stood out, I had eaten the same things as the rest of the Lannisters. What kinds of poisons were there? I desperately tried to remember, but all I could think of was the strangler. The poison that had killed Joffrey, and that showed its effects right after consumption and not the morning after. Besides, my throat felt fine, only my stomach twisted in a knot, though as I concentrated on it it seemed to fade quite quickly. 

"We should't do this again" Bronn voiced as we reached the top of the steep stairs. 

"Why not?" I demanded immediately turning to him. 

"You nearly fell to your death" he pointed out. 

"That had nothing to do with the training" I insisted. "It's probably just the altitude" the solution was so simple I wondered why I hadn't thought of it sooner. I was't used to living so high up. They say the air is thinner the higher you climb and that some men get sick from it. 

"Which makes training on a platform a thousand feet above the sea an even worse idea" he conduced with a smug smirk that never reached this eyes. 

"We'll find somewhere else then"

"Ladies are not supposed to train with sword" he reminded me. "We'll be found out and I'll get into trouble"

"You make your money on trouble" I squinted my eyes as the sunlight him my face. "All this working with the Lannisters has made you soft"

"Aye, it has shown me a higher form of life, you know I used to own one set of clothes, now I have one for every occasion. 

"And they can count on your loyalty because the only thing a sellsword is loyal to is gold" I concluded. 

"Loyalty doesn't buy you whores and ale" 

No I suppose it gets you killed, what a a precious fool my father had been. Honour got you nowhere in this world. You will always be my daughter "Gold doesn't buy you friends"

"It does if you have enough of it" he shrugged. 

"Not real friends"

He sighed. "There is no such thing as real friends, there are people who want something from you and people who don't" 

A sellswords life sure sounded simple. He made some valid point though. I was not good in making friends, so I couldn't really talk about the subject. At Winterfell my closest friend had probably been maester Luwin. I got along with everyone, but if I were asked to chose a friend to go into town with I could not name anybody. What good were friends these days anyways? Arya's friend had been ridden down by the Hound, Robb's friend had burned our brothers and hung them from Winterfell's walls and who even knew what happened to Jeyne after her father was killed, probably raped and murdered in the streets of Kingslanding somewhere. 

When I entered my chambers to change into more fitting clothes for the day I found the Kingslayer standing in front of one of the large windows, his squire helping him to dress. 

"Sorry" I said out of reflex as they both looked towards me confused. 

"What are you wearing?" the Kingslayer asked frowning amused. "Are those my pants?"

I shrugged, feeling slightly annoyed that I did't have the room for myself. "I never got mine back" I stepped behind the dressing screen, once again not bothering to wait for Irys to assist me. The dress I chose was a simple flowing white gown, with long sleeves and a bodice which reached up to my neck, revealing no cleavage. I had no idea why these other ladies were all running around half naked, it was already getting colder, especially with the wind from the sea. Winter is coming.