~*~ "I'm No Ser" ~*~

~*~ Four ~*~

~ Athena's Pov ~
We had begun our trip to Kings Landing what seemed like weeks ago, turned out we had been closer then expected but King Robert demanded we hailed at an inn for a few days time. Going down the path all the trees had looked the same after awhile. All I did know what it was so much warmer down here then it was in the North, day by day it seemed like I had been trying to find ways to cool down. I had removed my cloak about a week ago and put it in my trunk, I had to even hem some of my dresses and remove layers of the skirt. In the North you needed layers but it seemed the further south we traveled it was like my skin was melting for how warm it was. As we rode in I hopped off a horse with Arya, we preferred that way. Sansa had been living in this constant fantasy that the Baratheon/Lannister family was the best thing that ever happened to us...Arya and I beg to differ. Joffery was the worst little shit imaginable, I learned that when we rode behind him and The Hound. I hated how Joffrey treated The Hound, like some kind of peasant, he was a knight. He swore to protect the prince and his family but not be a servant to the damn child, Arya and I would quietly make fun of Joffery some days if it was unbearable. When we finally arrived at the inn Arya looked to me and I smiled a bit "Yes Arya?" I asked curiously and she looked back almost with pleading eyes "Can I go, the butchers boy and I have been practicing sword skills during most of the trip, it's the only thing that makes this even tolerable" she begged and I laughed a bit and helped her of the horse. "Go play. You know if there's a problem to come find me. I'll probably be tending to the horses in the stable. It's my only sanity for this trip too" I said and she smiled before running off down the path a bit to meet up with the Butchers boy, Arya  was already growing to be a strong woman and I couldn't believe how much she enjoyed sparring, when I was younger so did I. I smile to myself a bit as I walk the horses to the stables beside the inn, I recalled when I first held a sword and Robb helped me hold it right. Everyone thought it wasn't lady like for a woman to spar or play with swords but Robb, Jon, and myself never seemed to mind what others thought. Meanwhile Mother and Father tried to get me lessons for being a true respectful northern lady, all I wanted to do was spar. I see myself in Arya, it scares me sometimes, if I were to have children would they be as wild as Arya too? I wondered. My thoughts broke free when I locked up the stables and heard the sound of metal beside me. I turn and look up a bit. My heart began to pound a bit, it was The Hound.
"Do I scare you that much girl?" He asked curiously, but there was hint of not really caring in his voice.
"N-No Ser." I was flustered and he turned a bit more my direction as he put the larger horse in the stable.
" I'm no knight young dove" he said to me before I finally got enough courage to look at him, I don't know what about him got me so flustered and tongue tied. We looked at one another for a moment, then I heard commotion that Ayra and Sansa were yelling. I looked at him "I am so sorry...I umm...my sisters" I rushed off and went into the woods leaving The Hound in the stables. "Arya?! Sansa?!" I yelled and looked around for any signs of her, I was worried. What happened in that time of being away for what seemed only a short period of time.  Then I saw it, the butchers boy running off, joffery trying to swing his sword at Arya "ARYA?!!!!!" I heard Sansa yelled louder and I heard Joffery yelling at Arya "ILL GUT YOU, YOU LITTLE CUNT!" Joffery then screamed like a little girl when Ayra's wolf came out from the bush and bit his hand "Nymeria!". I rushed to try and help and pried the Direwolf off of Joffery's hand and Arya threw Joffery's sword into the lake. I left the spoiled little boy and Sansa as Arya ran off "Arya! Arya!" I yelled as I went into the woods and followed her until I lost her "ARYA!?!" I yelled and rushed back to camp and saw Joffery crying to his mother and Sansa by his side. The Hound looked at me and I looked at him for a moment "Where's my father!?" I asked in a panic and he rushed out of a tent "Athena what is the meaning of this?" He asked me as if I were the one to do it. "Ayra's missing, I followed her as much as I could and then all of a sudden I couldn't find her and..." I started to panic as if a mother lost her child. "We need to find her before sundown. She could be kidnapped" I looked at him and he grabbed some guards and dogs to try and track her. "Show me where you followed her" my father said and I nodded obediently and rushed into the woods again "Ayra?!!!!" I yelled, my father joining in on the yelling. I stopped and everyone scattered a bit trying to find her "Arya!!!!!" It was at the creeks edge but no sign of her. "My lord stark, lady stark. We found her. She's back at the inn" a man said and I rushed back with my father and we walked into the inn. I saw Arya still panicked and scared, my father looked at her and she started "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" She was so scared and I hugged her tightly. The King and Queen unhappy and waiting for their chance to speak, I kept Arya close to me and looked at them as she hugged my side a bit.
"Why wasn't she brought to me at once?!" Ned questioned he king. Cersei spoke up arrogantly "how dare you speak to your king in such a manner" she remained close to Joffery, comforting the still whining boy.
"I never meant to scare her Ned." Robert said "I just want this done an over with" he said and Cersei looked at Ayra "your girl and that butchers boy attacked my son" she looked up to Ned and Arya spoke up for herself "He was hurting Mika!" She shouted and I hushed her a bit. "And that animal of hers nearly tore his arm off" Cersei added, I rolled my eyes a bit and looked at my father. Arya shouted "THATS NOT TRUE!" She was clearly upset and knew this was a lie, as did I. "Joffery told us what happened, you and that butchers boy beat him with clubs and sent that animal to attack him" Cersei sneered and Robert wasn't sure what to believe, he looked at me a few times and I knew he was going to call upon me. "That's not what happened!" Arya yelled and Joffery whined "Yes it is!" "No it's not!" Arya snapped and Joffery looked at her "shut up!".
"SEVEN HELLS" Robert yelled and sighed a bit "He tells me one thing, she says another! What am I to make of this?". He paused and looked at me "Athena. You saw what happened didn't you?" He asked and I nodded "yes your grace". He waved off the your grace part of it. Cersei pursed her lips and waited for me to tell everything that happened. All eyes on me and I started to stiffen up a bit.
"Now tell us the truth. I know you'd never lie especially now to a king, that's a very unlawful thing to do" Robert said and I nodded softly, feeling eyes beat on me.
"Ayra's telling the truth." I spoke up and Joffery glared at me. "I heard Sansa and Arya yelling. Mika the butchers boy, ran off after Joffery cut him on the cheek with his sword. Arya started to spar with Joffery with a wooden sword when he knocked her down and called her a...well it's not an appropriate word for a lady to say, and threatened to gut her. That's when Nymeria attacked his wrist and I tried to pry her mouth from his hand. I knew it was going to cause trouble." I said and showed my hands that had dried up blood on them. "Finally Arya threw his sword into the lake and ran off into the woods and I had left Joffery and Sansa there. Your grace id never lie to you. This truly did happen" I said and looked at him. Cersei looked at me with a scowl "and where were you before you ran to the incident?" She asked me "I was in the stables putting the horse away..." I worried what the queen would say next. "Well Athena my sweet. That was a very well rehearsed story". I went wide eyed "I assure this isn't a lie this isn't made up! Your grace please!" I began to panic a bit and Robert spoke up "okay that's it. Children fight. End of discussion". Cersei seemed displeased  by this statement "Joffery will bare these scars for the rest of his life", I rolled my eyes again and I'm glad Sansa was in bed and not being bothered by all of this. Robert looked at Joffery "You let a little girl disarm you?" He raised a brow and Joffery swallows hard. "I want to see punishment for this" Cersei said and Robert looked at Ned "see that your daughter is punished. I'll do the same to my son." He stood and walked away until Cersei opened her mouth again "what if the direwolf?" She asked and it was like the room let out a groan since this matter was so silly. "No sign of the wolf your grace" a knight said "we have another" Cersei  smirked a bit. I went wide eyed "that's Sansa's wolf you can just do that" I opened my mouth. "Get her a dog she'll be just as happy" Robert stated and I couldn't believe this was happening. "Sir Ilyin will take care of it" Cersei said looking to the man who has a killer stare and says nothing. "Is this your command?" Ned asked and Robert just looked at him and kept walking. "No lady didn't do anything! She wasn't there?!" I protested "she didn't do anything!" I yelled and Arya yelled with me "SHES INNOCENT DONT DO THIS!" She started to get tears in her eyes. "Jory take the girls to their room. The direwolf is of the North. Deserves better then a butcher" My father said and I put my hand over my mouth in disbelief. I felt a tear run from my face, I pushed out of the crowd of people "Father please!" I begged, he turned to me almost apologetically. "It's not that I want to Athena..." he walked on and then I looked in the distance seeing the Hound, then a small body on his horse "The...the butchers boy" I went wide eyed "You rode him down?!" The Hound looked at me for a moment "he ran but not very fast.." I looked at him in shock and I felt hot tears running down my face "He was just a child! He didn't do anything!" I yelled "YOU BRUTE!" I shouted at him and felt a hand on my shoulder it was Jory. "Come Athena" he said and I started to bawl as we went inside. This was the worst thing yet...