MASKS [Jon Snow]

FOUR • BOOKS

CHAPTER FOUR

•••

he wanted the world
she gave him herself
thinking it would never be enough
yet when she did
she had given even more than he asked for
for she was his world

•••

"SO you're a girl too?" Shireen smiled warmly at Liliana.

"Yes. But you can't tell anyone. It must be our secret." Liliana chuckled pressing and finger to the younger girls lips as she ruffled her hair.

"So your only pretending to be a boy?" Liliana nodded at her question. "And your name is not Jesse but Liliana." Liliana nodded again. "It's a beautiful name."

"So is Shireen." Liliana smiled, gently rubbing the girls cheek. She had only met the girl a few hours ago and yet she already loved her. She was beautiful and vibrant despite all the horrors she must have witnessed with the greyscale and being Stanis Baratheon's daughter.

"Can I call you Lili?" The young princess beamed. "And you can call me Shi."

"Of course." Liliana closed her book so she could properly talk to Shireen.

   "Whose this little guy?" Shireen smiled, running her little hands through Scorch's fur.

   "This is Scorch." Liliana scratched behind the little wolf pup's ear. She had forced Gilly to go to her room the retrieve her pup because she worried he would get lonely. "He's a direwolf."

   "That's so cool." She smiled, still petting Scorch. He purred a little, rolling over onto his back on Liliana's lap.

"So what do you like to read, Shi?" Liliana changed the subject.

"Come." Shireen grasped Liliana's hand. "I'll show you." Liliana got warily to her feet, Scorch jumping down off her lap, and Shireen bounced towards the bookshelves with a stiff Liliana of her heels. "I love books on adventure and ones about love too. I also love history books." She smiled pulling a book of the shelf and thrusting it into Liliana's arms.

"Book three of The Knight and The Lady: a Princesses Dream." Liliana read the title of the book in her hands. "It sounds amazing. I think I'm going to keep this one and read it. She smiled to the young girl.

"It's really, really good! It my favourite." She sat back down at the table and Gilly who was sat opposite looked up from the book she was staring at, her brow furrowed and her face scrunched up in confusion. She quickly noticed she was up and out of her seat.

"Liliana!" She cried. "Sit! Now!" She ushered her back to her seat and checked her wound. "Now sit still! Otherwise you'll be here for an extra day." Gilly smirked, plopping back down by her book.

"Would you like some help?" Shireen asked Gilly.

"Please." Gilly smiled. "I have no idea what any of this means."

"What about this letter?" Shireen pointed to the letter 's'.

"No, I don't know it." Gilly sighed.

"Come on." Shireen urged. "You know this one." She smiled at Gilly as she traced the letter on the page. It was adorable how Shireen wanted to teach Gilly to read, greatly admirable too.