Ella Snow and her twin brother are outsiders in the house of their father, Lord Eddard Stark. Ella has no one else in the world, except her brother Jon. Join Ella on her journey as she uncovers truths that could destroy her and those she loves.
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Ella sat in front of the fire, curled up against Asena's black coat. She held a book in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. For some reason, Ella found comfort in the warm red liquid with each sip that slid into her belly. The girl was still insecure and saddened from earlier, but she was determined to finish her book about dragons before the feast ended.
She could hear shouts from the distance as the feast continued. Ella tried to drown out the noise but struggled. The words scrolled across the page made less and less sense as Ella's eyes began to droop.
Ella felt the wine bottle fall from her hand as she curled closer to Asena. Her book fell to the floor, landing with a loud thud. But the girl did not wake. She was too deep in sleep as the embers in the hearth soon died out.
Ella's eyes fluttered open as she no longer felt the warmth from her wolf's fur. Instead, her body was in the arms of someone. Her vision still blurry, but Ella could see the outline of a man with brown stubble spread across his face. Upon further inspection, Ella saw the stern face of her father's captain, Jory.
Ella clutched her eyes, pretending to be asleep once more. She did not open them until the man opened a door and placed her in the comforts of a soft, warm bed. The girl felt her direwolf curl under her back as she peaked around the room to see it was hers.
The man sat on the edge of her small bed and began to stroke a stray piece of hair from her face. His hand lingered on her cheek for just a moment longer before he rose.
"I know you are not really asleep, Miss Ella," Jory sighed.
Ella opened her blue eyes to see Jory looking down at her. He gave the girl a small smile then sat back down.
"Why were you drinking, Ella?" Jory asked the girl.
"I wasn't," she lied.
"Be honest," he said, watching as the blue orbs of the small girl filled with sadness.
Ella sat up in her bed, pulling the covers around her small frame. She leaned her head against the smooth wood headboard before she answered. "I was sad."
"And why were you sad?" The man questioned her.
Ella sighed and glanced to Asena. She rubbed her hand against her rough coat, avoiding Jory's questions.
"Please answer me," Jory begged. "Your father asked me to watch over his children, and that includes you and Jon. I swore an oath to protect you."
"I obviously do not need protecting," Ella scoffed. "I'm safe in my bed with Asena. No harm can come to me."
"That may be true, but you still need protection. From yourself." His brown eyes softened as Ella looked at him.
Her eyes glossed over, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "I'm a bastard. I'll never amount to anything in my life. I'll never be seen as beautiful. No one will love me."
Jory pulled the girl close to him. He rubbed her back as she cried into his shoulder. His heart broke for the poor girl. No one should feel unloved, especially Ella.
"You are loved child," he said softly. "Your father loves you. Jon loves you. All of your siblings love you."
"I'll never be loved loved," she whispered. "By a man. I'll wind up as a whore to someone, and never marry for love. No one will want to wed a bastard. Not even the bastard of a high lord."
Jory places a hand under Ella's chin. He slowly pulled her face up, their eyes meeting.
"Ella," he began, "you must know that you are more than your name. You are more than just a bastard. You are a kindhearted girl who will make any man happy. You will be so loved, deeply and truly loved. You don't need the name from a high lord to marry someone. You will find love in due time, child."
Ella's tears slowly stopped as Jory gave the girl a small smile.
"You really think someone could love me?" Ella asked. "A woman with no money or titles?"
"Ella, you probably have the best chance to find true love and happiness out of all your siblings. Lord Stark will most likely make matches for each of his children, and I've heard talk of Jon leaving for the Night's Watch. So you, my child, can marry anyone you fall in love with."
"You really think that, Jory?" Ella questioned her father's guard.
"I may not be a smart lad," Jory chuckled. "But I do know that a beautiful, smart, kind girl such as yourself will find someone."
Ella thanked the man as he rose from her bed. The girl crawled beneath her fur cover, wrapping the blanket securely around her. Jory placed a kiss on her forehead and glided to the door. In a matter of seconds, Ella fell asleep. He watched for a moment as Ella's chest rose and fell.
"Any man would be blessed by all the gods to wed you, young Ella." He whispered to the air as he shut the door, leaving the sleeping girl behind.
