Jorelle sat on the corner of her father's desk, her red silk dress pouring down onto the floor. She leaned over, attempting to read the papers laid out in front of him. This is how they often spent time together since her mother's passing, Jorelle sitting with him while he did work.
He was preparing for a tournament at Lannisport in honor of the birth of Prince Viserys. Jorelle didn't care about the prince, she cared about all the knights and lords that would be coming to the Westerlands.
She always enjoyed having guests, especially in such large quantities. It gave her the opportunity to talk to them and build up her reputation. She got to know which families were kind and which were loyal. Her father knew all the families in the Seven Kingdoms, allowing him to use them to his advantage. Jorelle wanted to do the same.
She also enjoyed watching the handsome knights joust. She always wished one would give her the crown of flowers and name her the Queen of Love and Beauty after his win, but they never did. They were probably too afraid of her father.
Tywin was hoping for a betrothal between Cersei and Prince Rhaegar and wanted the deal to be made at the tourney. Jorelle wanted to be the one to marry him, but she knew that Cersei was the older sister and would be married first. That was just how to world worked.
But Jorelle still wanted her marriage to be important. She wanted her wedding to be better than her sister's. She wanted to marry a powerful man and have people drop everything to attend. Chances were, her future husband would be at the tourney.
"What are you thinking about?" Her father asked, looking up from his papers at his youngest daughter. Every time he looked at her, Jorelle could see the longing in his eyes. The longing for his wife that Jorelle so closely resembled. She hated that she reminded him of her, as he was always saddened when he thought about his late wife.
"Just the tourney, father," she replied. "About Cersei and the prince-"
"I will find a suitable husband for you, don't worry," he responded, knowing exactly what she meant. Tywin could always read his children's minds, since they tended to think just like him, Jorelle especially. There was nothing she could hide from him, but she didn't have anything she wanted to anyway.
"Well I was just thinking that most potential suitors will be at the tourney. Perhaps I should get a new dress to impress them?"
"You know you could wear rags and they'd still come begging me to give you away to them. If that's what you wish I'll send for new dresses for you and Cersei," he replied. He pulled out a blank piece of paper and wrote something down. "If that is all, I have a lot of work to do."
"Thank you, father." Jorelle hopped down from the desk and left the room, the guards closing the doors behind her.
She walked down the hall, the sunlight glimmering through the windows and bouncing off her skin. Any servants in her way quickly shuffled to the side and bowed their heads as she passed.
Casterly Rock was the only place that Jorelle had ever known. The only other place she had ever been was Kings Landing and she was there for only a short time. She was so young then; she barely remembered it. She did remember that she hated it.
The Rock was her home, full of only those loyal to the Lannisters. At Kings Landing, there were so many people with so many conflicting interests, it was impossible to know who to trust. Here, things were different. Here, she was in command.
"How dare you?" Cersei yelled as she noticed Jorelle coming towards her. "How dare you try to steal my handmaiden?" She pointed an accusing finger at her younger sister.
Jorelle furrowed her brows in confusion, looking at her sister whose face was turning as red as their banners. She was always angered so easily. "Cersei, I have no idea what-"
"You're such a liar! She told me herself!" The eldest Lannister girl was fuming.
"I already have Laina, why would I want yours? If she gossips with you like that I surely don't want her," Jorelle kept her composure and her sister started to calm down. "Besides, I thought you didn't like her."
"I don't," Cersei said. Jorelle could tell she was lying by the way she crinkled her nose. "Why would she lie to me?"
"Perhaps she doesn't like you and hopes you'll get rid of her." Cersei didn't seem to like that answer. "I would."
She had a bad string of handmaidens. Perhaps it was because Cersei was too picky and mean, but they could've just been poor matches. Cersei changed handmaidens at least once a year, while Jorelle had kept her Laina since she was a child. Laina knew everything about her, from how hot she liked her baths to what hours she liked to be left alone. Jorelle couldn't imagine life without her, and Laina probably felt the same.
"Well then I don't want her," Cersei said. "I'll need someone good to prepare me to meet the prince and she will not do."
"Father is going to get us both new dresses for the tourney," Jorelle said, attempting to change the subject.
"I hope it's like the ones the Targaryens wear. Rhaegar would like that better I suppose," Cersei replied.
"I'm sure father knows that." Jorelle continued on her way down the hall and Cersei walked with her. "You could be queen one day."
"I know. Isn't that exciting?" She smiled. The only thing that could make Cersei smile was anything in relation to her becoming Queen and having children who would one day be King.
Cersei was pretty when she smiled. She, like Jorelle, favored their mother. In that moment though, Cersei could've been mistaken for her. Jorelle was taken aback for a second, suddenly having an overwhelming feeling of grief.
"Father would be proud," she replied.
"I know. What will you do?"
That question brought shivers down Jorelle's spine. What would she do? None of the eligible lords were good enough to truly impress her father, as all the powerful lords' heirs were too young or too old for her. Cersei would be Queen, Jaime would be Lord of Casterly Rock, and Jorelle would just be a lady.
But, the young girl had dreams.
"Something great," she replied.
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Seated on her balcony, Jorelle looked out at the trees swaying in the wind. She remembered being scolded as a child for sneaking out beyond the walls to explore the forests. She never knew who told on her.
"I just wanted to see the water," she would tell her mother, who would only sigh in response. Jorelle had found the perfect spot where she could look out at the ocean for miles and miles. It looked like it went on forever, but nothing was forever. She knew that now.
"Your brother wants to see you, my lady," Laina said, standing in the doorway.
"Send him in," Jorelle replied. She stood up and walked into her room, sitting on her bed as Jaime came inside. "What do you want?"
"I can't just come talk to my sister because I want to?" He asked. He had that smirk that he always had when he thought he said something snarky.
"If you wanted to talk to your sister you would be speaking to Cersei," Jorelle replied. "You only come to me if you want something." She looked away from Jaime for a second and watched Laina excuse herself from the room and close the door behind her.
"I need you to talk to father," Jaime said.
"About what?"
"Squiring. He hasn't told me anything about where he'll send me and I would like to know," Jaime explained.
Jorelle was always the messenger of her siblings because they all knew her father would never say no to her. She used it to her advantage, always asking for something in return. "What do I get out of it?" She asked.
"What do you want?"
"I will let you know when the time comes," she smirked. She knew Jaime hated being in debt to her.
A Lannister always pays his debts.
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THE NIGHT | arthur dayne
FanfictionJorelle Lannister wanted nothing more than to be just like her father, with one exception. Game of Thrones/ASOIAF Arthur Dayne x OC Pre-Robert's Rebellion Slow updates