Joanna the defiant

The king is coming!

       Jon Arryn is dead. The Kings hand is dead. And the king is on his way to Winterfell knowing her father about a days ride out.  Joanna had been sitting with Sansa and Arya participating in their needle point classes because Lady Caitlyn had thought it might convince Arya to take it more seriously if the girl she looked up to was also sewing. Lord Stark had walked in and asked Joanna to join him in his solar to talk.  She had run out of the room the second he told her all the way to the stable where she jumped on Argo bareback and took to the godswood where she cried until night break. He was the grandfather she had never had, her fathers own father had been dead long before she was born and her mothers father had never been warm towards her although he was kinder to her than her son or daughter. The only Lannister to ever love Joanna was Tyrion who claimed a soft spot for all broken things.  He saw her as an unloved little girl rejected by her own mother, just as she had rejected him as a child.

    Joanna was now a woman of nineteen, she had grown from the wild little princess of kingslanding, from Joanna the defiant into a honorable, well balanced wild woman. The Starks has taken her in and showed her what a loving family truly was with a lady mother figure and caring siblings. In the five years she had stayed with them the Stark family grew first with the birth of another little girl, Arya.  A little wolf girl the complete opposite of little Lady Sansa Stark. She had what lord Stark called wolf-blood flowing through her veins. The people of winter town say that she is Layanna Stark reborn. Then a year later a boy was born Bran named after the long line of Brandon Starks. He was milder than Arya content with his life and duties, he loved to climb since the moment he took his first steps and wants to be a great Knight, begging Joanna to ask her father every night before bed. Then came Rickon the babe of the family clinging onto his mothers gowns and begging for tales of good kings and happy endings.  Joanna had grown to love them all more than she had ever known possible, though her and Robb grew closer in the complete opposite way, where she held brotherly love for Jon, and Bran, Rickon , and even Theon. She completely taken by Robb Stark. Now a man of twenty had grown so much from the shy boy she had meet. He was kind and noble and gallant and handsome. With his redend brown mop of short curls and his breath taking Tully blue eyes.  Not that anyone but Gavin knew of her crush she was sure Robb saw her as an annoying little sister and not the woman she had filled into.

    Joanna and Gavin stand outside of the feast hall peaking in through a cracked door to where Robb, Theon, and Jon were sent to get their hair and beard cut by Tommy. Gavin has dragged her down from the kitchens the moment he walked by and noticed all three men stood bare chested. So here they still stood ignoring their duties to ogle their friends in secret. Joanna lets her eyes rack over robbs chest as he sits getting a shave he had recently wit the hair grow out to his mothers annoyance and the princesses pleaser. "Why is your mother dead set on making us pretty for the king?" Jon whines staring at the shears as if they were going to chop his head clean off. "I'll bet it's for the queen I've hear she's a sleek bit of mink." Theon pipes up from his place leaned against a wooden support beam causing Joanna to wrinkle her face in disgust and Gavin to laugh under his breath not wanting to give themselves away. "I hear the princes is a right royal prick." Robb joins the conversation sharing his distaste of Joanna's brother causing Gavin to turn giving a pointed eyebrow raise to Joanna who shrugs with a guilty face. So she had told Robb how horrible her brother was always pulling her hair and ordering horrible things done to her like the time he had his 'hound' kill her kitten Marie for scratching him after he had backed her into a corner.
   "Imagine how many southern girls he gets to stab with his right Royal prick." Theon counters causing both Jon and Joanna to roll their eyes the pair always being equally disgusted by Theon's whoring.  Tommy taps Robb on the arm where they lay crossed at his chest signaling his shave was done, he gets to his feet his muscled stomach now in plain view for Joanna to swoon at which she most certainly does not thank you very much. "Go on , Tommy. Shave him good." Robb smiles mischievous walking over to Jon and slapping him on the back to get him moving. "He's never meet a girl he like more than his own hair." He continues with a snicker Theon joining in as Jon sits down stiffly a pained look on his handsome face. "No not a man." Joanna mutters with a laugh. As Gavin gasps "Not the beautiful curls!" She whisper yells sounding just as pained as Jon looks. Gavin and Jon has been a thing since jons seventeen name day and only Joanna knew about it. Both boys hid their tastes well.  As clumps of Jons curls began falling to the ground the sound of footsteps and Lady Stark's voice begin down the hall. Joanna turn to Gavin eyes wide in panic silently asking what they were to do, being caught would mean not only humiliation but also punishment and a risk of Gavin being found out, so he does the only thing that makes sense he grabs Joanna by the collar of her gown and throws them both into the room quickly shutting the door behind them.
    Joanna stumbles in almost hitting the floor as Gavin release her to close the door, slowly looking up she sees all of the men Tommy included staring at them Robb with his arms crossed over his chest once again wearing the seen face of his father waiting for an explanation, Theon doubled over with his hands supporting his body on his knees laughing his sharp bitten off laugh, and Jon with his mouth agape complete bewilderment on his face as Tommy looks on with hidden interest his mouth tugging up in the left corner. 
  Joanna straightens up quickly here head turning from Gavin with his back still turned ear against the door back to the unimpressed Heir of Winterfell.  "Ha this Uh this I can explain!" Joanna laughs awkwardly mind reaping to come up with an acceptable excuse coming up short. "We are hiding from your mother." Gavin tells them never pulling his ear or attention from the door where he was spying once again. Joanna nods hastily "yes we were- Gavin!" She hisses as his answer sinks into her panic riddled brain.  "Why are you hiding from my mother?" Robb asks his lordling mask slipping away as his nose wrinkles in confusion. "We were goofing off and with the king coming she will take our duties that much more serious." Joanna tells the half truth always hating lying to Robb he would be crushed if he ever found out. Robb and Jon nod their understanding the whole thing now making sense to them but Theon gives her a knowing look. He was the only one beside Gavin to catch onto her crush and used it against her at every turn. "I'm sure you were enjoying yourself princess." He chuckles using her title only to pick on her these days.