Marina's green eyes filled with tears as the truth picked apart her mentality, shattering the very beliefs she thought she understood. It had been them all along, everything that has lead to this moment was planned. Every word that slivered past the...
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"THIS IS YOUR FAULT" Lady Stark repeated to herself as her nimble fingers worked to tie string around her ornament- a wreath that protected against bad omens. "My boy is like this because of you"
The young girl- the young bastard- sat silently beside Brandon Stark's bed. She'd agreed with Lady Stark's blame the first few times but now, from the early hours of the morning to the late hours of the night, she had succumbed to silently nodding her head while watching Bran sleep. Marina Snow knew that her actions- or lack of- had caused Bran to become comatose. Had she been quicker, had she not panicked then maybe Bran would be up and boisterous as he once was.
"Do you have nothing to say, girl!?" Lady Stark hissed, though kept her voice low as to not startle Brandon. Marina remained silent. "Well?!"
"N-no M'lady" She muttered. "I am sorry I wasn't there to help him when he needed me" She offered, hoping to appease the woman's anguish.
The Lady scoffed, "Sorry." Marina went back to watching Bran. "When Eddard made you his protector he entrusted you with his life. Yet here we are and Brandon is harmed, but the only thing you have to say for yourself is sorry?"
'What do you want from me?' Marina thought to herself. She never asked to be a protector, a Guardian, to a boy only half her age. She wants to gallop on horses with Rob and Jon. She wants to parry with a sword, she wants to play hide-and-seek wit Arya and Rickon. She wants to be free. But, alas, she was born a bastard and a bastard is not offered life's delicacies. Her role is here, in Winterfell, bound to serve the Starks. Never moving forward.
"Gift or not, if it were up to me you'd be sent to Dreadfort with the Boltons. At least there you'd be disciplined" She continued. "You failed and I have the right mind to-"
Before Catelyn could finish her dreadful sentence the door to the chambers opened and Maester Luwin walked in somberly. As is custom, he bowed to Catelyn Stark, his Lady, before moving over to the front of Bran's bed. Luwin gave the comatose boy a tender pat on the head before turning back to his mother.
"It's time we reviewed the accounts, my lady. You'll want to know how much this royal visit has cost us."
"Talk to Poole about it" She dismisses.
"Poole went south with Lord Stark, my lady. We need a new steward, and there are several other appointments that require our immediate attention-"
'Now you've done it' Marina thought, who has been listening to their conversation.
"I don't care about appointments!" Catelyn screeched.
"I'll make the appointments. We'll talk about it first thing in the morning." Robb Stark announces, appealing to his mother and the maester, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
His presence seemed to startle both, though not the enchanting protector beside Bran's bed. She had felt him coming when he turned the corner down the hall.
"Very good, my Lord. My Lady" Luwin took his leave.
Robb had grown over the years into a rather handsome young man with his Tully blue eyes and hearty build. Marina had been charged with protecting him when he was younger since her gift made her stop aging on her eighteenth birthday. The hour he reached his sixteenth name day was when she had moved to the next son, Bran. For Rickon they hired someone to help since Bran had taken a liking to the sorceress. Once he was old enough to walk he had attached himself with Marina, sometimes choosing her over his own family.
"When was the last time you left this room?" Robb asks his mother, already knowing the answer.
"I have to take care of him" Lady Stark replies tearfully. "His protector failed him" she sent a harsh glare towards the woman.
While Robb's Tully blue eyes softened at the mention of the bastard, Marina flinched back into her chair.
"This wasn't Marina's fault, mother. You had her in the kitchens when you should have had her with Bran. Maybe then-"
Said woman cleared her throat loudly, giving Robb a pointed look which stopped him in his rant. Though she's grateful that he'd stood up for her, it's clear that Catelyn Stark can't take much more on her plate at the moment.
Robb closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at his mother once again. "Bran isn't going to die, mother. Maester Luwin said the worst has passed. Ask Marina to look, I'm sure she would be much better than a Maester"
"What if they are wrong? What if she is wrong?" Catelyn sneered. "Bran needs me"
"Rickon needs you. He's six. He doesn't know what's happening. He follows me around all day, clutching my leg, crying..." Robb trailed off when tears formed in his mother's eyes.
Her hysterics seemed to grow louder as the howl of the hounds increased. Marina hadn't noticed before, believing it was the wolves howling at the moon as they did every night, but she felt the difference now.
"Close the windows!" Catelyn wailed. "I can't take it! Please make them stop!"
Robb obeyed, quickly moving to close the windows. Marina moved as well, closer the the foot of Bran's bed. The ominous feeling seemed to grow tenfold with each breath she took. Robb's next words only seemed to add to its crushing weight.
"Fire" He muttered. Lady Stark had stopped crying then. "You both stay here, I'll come back. Protect them, Marina"
The witch nodded as he ran out the door. Catelyn moves to the window, wanting to see the fire for herself. It only took a second for someone to walk into the room and hold a knife to Marina's throat.
"You two aren't supposed to be here. No ones supposed to be here" He announces. The restrained witch recoiled from the putrid smell of his breath that streamed across her cheek.
Catelyn stood frozen, moving closer to Bran. She looked to Marina briefly then stared at the man again.
"It's a mercy. He's dead already"
When Marina heard the assassin unsheathe something from his trouser buckles, she went into action without really thinking. It seemed that Catelyn had the same idea.
"No" Lady Stark hollered, lunging forward only to be meet with the man's blade. Fortunately, she had her arms outstretched, leading with her palms. Unfortunately, however, her palms had been sliced moments later.
Red wisps appeared then, glowing around Marina's fingertips. She thrust her hand to her chest, pushing her power straight through and into the man behind her. The force of the blow made him release his hold enough for her to turn and blast him back into the wall.
"You bitch!" He grunted, as he rose to his feet. With his knife raised and glistening in the moonlight, he charged once again, only to stand frozen in his place. A red glow had covered his entire body making it impossible to move. In place of her green irises, a dark glowing red appeared.
Before he could be questioned, before he could question what truly happened to his body, a growl erupted in the air. Summer, Bran's direwolf, leapt into the air and onto the man. Nothing but the sound of gargled pleas is heard, at first, then nothing. Bubbles formed in the man's throat while Catelyn shuddered at the foot of the bed.
