Warrior

6

 A month had passed since Maeriana and her family arrived at Winterfell, and a month had passed since Brandon Stark was found unconscious at the base of an abandoned tower in Winterfell, his legs broken.  A month that Maeriana spent dividing her time between sitting with Lady Catelyn in Bran's room, comforting Sansa, Arya and Rickon that everything would be alright, training with Robb and Jon, sneaking away at night to spend them with Jon, and playing with her younger half-siblings.

She was walking towards breakfast, silently praying once more to the gods for them to save Bran when she bumped into her step-uncle, Tyrion, the dark blue, nearly black velvet dress she was wearing made her feel slightly too warm causing her to fan her face, "I wonder in what activities you've been engaging to be feeling hot." Tyrion teased, being fully aware of his niece's rendezvous with the Stark bastard. "No activities at all uncle." Maeriana replied honestly as the two entered the dinning Hall. 

Myrcella and Tommen beamed at the sight of their older half-sister, as did Cersei,  "2 breads. And four of those little fish. And a mug of dark beer to wash it down and some juice. And bacon, burned black." Tyrion ordered as the two walked to the table, the Imp picking up his youngest nephew and sliding him to the side while Maeriana walked around the table and took a seat in next to her step-mother, who instantly grabbed her hand with a kind smile.

"Little brother. Sweet niece." Jaime Lannister greeted earning as a response a small wave and a "Beloved siblings." from the young princess and his little brother respectively. "Is Bran going to die?" Myrcella dared ask, her sweet innocence tightening the adult's hearts, "Apparently not." Tyrion replied in place of his eldest niece, making the young blonde princess smile, "What do you mean?" Cersei inquired, her eyes turning slightly cold, "The Maester says the boy may live." Tyrion told his sister.

"It's no mercy, letting a child linger in such pain." Cersei commented, sharing a look with her twin brother, a look that both Tyrion Lannister and Maeriana Baratheon knew too well, a look that was involved in relation to the true parentage of her half-siblings. "Only the gods know for certain mother. All the rest of us can do is pray." Maeriana, replied, in putting her opinion, then before long the Queen Consort's youngest brother inputted "The charms of the north seem entirely lost on you." referring to the fact that his only sister was headed already south, back to King's Landing.

"I still can't believe you're going. It's ridiculous even for you." Cersei countered making Maeriana snort as she awaited she cut herself a slice of bread and began to nibble on it, "Where's your sense of wonder? The greatest structure ever built, the intrepid men of the Night's Watch, the wintry abode of the White Walkers." Tyrion ranted, teasing his younger niece and nephew, earning a small squeal of laughter from each.

"Tell me you're not thinking of taking the black." Jaime Lannister pleaded his younger brother, forcing the Black haired princess at the table to raise a teasing brow at her uncle, remembering the events of the previous month where he had caught her her snogging Jon Snow after a conversation about the Wall. Tyrion caught his step-niece's eyes and replied "And go celibate ? The whores would go begging from Dorne to Casterly Rock. I just want to stand on top of the Wall and piss off the edge of the world." 

Both Cersei and Maeriana were utterly disgusted with Tyrion's words, forcing the Queen Consort to reply "The children don't need to hear your filth. Come." the last part directed to the younger of the three children at the table. The Queen and the two younger prince and princess left the table, allowing Jaime  to begin a slightly more serious talk "Even if the boy lives, he'll be a cripple, a grotesque. Give me a good clean death any day." 

"Speaking for the grotesques, I'd have to disagree. Death is so final, whereas life... Life is full of possibilities. I hope the boy does wake. I'd be very interested to hear what he has to say." Tyrion told his brother, riling him up, "My dear brother, there are times you make me wonder whose side you're on." Jaime replied, clenching his jaw and lowering his tone, "Uncle, you know that Uncle Tyrion is on yours and mother's side, we both are, there is nothing to be suspicious off." Maeriana replied in the same low tone before they were approached by a man bringing Tyrion.

Jaime and Maeriana both stood up and left Tyrion in the dinning Hall as they made their way outside, "Have you began to plan what you will wear on your wedding day?" Jaime inquired the young raven haired princess, "I'm not getting married, Joffrey and Tommen will get married long before I do." Maeriana replied rolling her eyes, her hands gripping a bit of her dress so it didn't completely drag on the ground, Jaime wanted to comment on her words, he wanted to claim that a young pure woman of her beauty and status would have countless of suitors falling at her feet, but he noticed that Maeriana was no longer paying attention to the conversation but rather to the bastard that stood next to the black smith, which prompted him to say.

"A sword for the wall?" to which Jon turned around and replied "I already have one." his eyes darting to his belt and then back at the lion and the stag, "Good man. Have you swung it yet?" Jaime inquired, forcing Jon to say rather rudely "Of course I have." "Uncle means at someone Jon." Maeriana said gently, allowing Jaime to nod in response and add "At someone, I mean. It's a strange thing, the first time you cut a man. You realise we're nothing but sacks of meat and blood and some bone to keep it all standing. Let me thank you ahead of time for guarding us all from the perils beyond the Wall... Wildlings and White Walkers and whatnot. We're grateful to have good, strong men like you protecting us."

His rant made Maeriana look away for a split second, one of the things she and Jon had talked about was the fact that Jon wanted to go to the Wall, in case The King decided to marry her off to someone else, he wouldn't be around to witness it, and as much Maeriana was displeased, she knew that she couldn't force him to stay. "We've guarded the kingdoms for 8 000 years." Jon told the royals, more to Jaime than to Maeriana, "Is it we already? Have you taken your vows then?" Jaime teased, his eyes analizing the dark haired bastard, "Soon enough." Jon quipped at the blonde Lannister prompting him to reply "Give my regards to the Night's Watch. I'm sure it will be thrilling to serve in such an elite force. And if not? It's only for life." before he walked away, leading Maeriana away by her lower back.