The Children of Spring

Marianne I - Setting a Course

It was dinner time, everyone was almost ready to start eating and Marianne Payne-Lannister was begining to get really worried about her sister and her cousin, because it was supossed for them to be already in the hall by then and they were not for some unknown reason. She had always agreed to cover for them, because she knew that they were happy and she would do anything for her family, even if it meant to keep a secret such as this one, however she was not very good at lying either, therefore sometimes it was difficult to do that. I can't believe mother did not figure out yet, but if they continue like this, she will, Marianne thought, while looking around the hall for any signs of them, still there was none.
Marianne was always a lady, still she was not only a lady, she was a warrior too, like her sister and her mother. She and Jenny were very close, they knew everything about each other and she was the first person to know that her sister and her cousin were together.
Marianne loved to read and to help her parents in the castle bussinesses. Although she knew how to fight and sometimes she liked to do it, it was never what made her blood rush, unlike what happened with her sister. She was really smart and she had probably read all the books in Casterly Rock and most of the ones in KingsLanding.
At this moment, Marianne was certain that something had happened to Jenny and Galladon, because they would normally be there already.
"Where are they? They're supposed to be here, by now." Marianne said.
"They're probably just late, don't worry." Gerion, who was sitting next to her, said.
"They're going to get caught some day, if they continue like this." Marianne said.
From all of her cousins and friends, Gerion was the one with whom she got along better, she did not know if it was because they had the same age, or because of their personalities, they just always got along very well and were always there for each other, eventhough they spent most of the time arguing, despite never admiting to it.
"Who's going to get caught?" Thomas asked curiously, behind her.
Marianne loved her brothers, however they got an impressive sense of oportunity to ask questions or to hear her conversations, when she was covering for Jenny. She knew they were as curious as her, still in times like this she wished they were not.
"Uh, no one." Marianne said a bit clumsly.
"Come on, we want to know." James said curiously too.
"Do you want to practice tomorrow?" Gerion asked them, disctracting them. Glady for Marianne and Jenny and Galladon, Gerion was very good at changing subjects in conversations and a relatively good liar.
"Really, Ger?" Thomas asked excitedly.
"Can you help us defeat Jen?" James asked smiling.
"Of course, it's our secret. Now, go to your sits, alright?" Gerion said and the twins nodded and smiled and then went to their sits.
"Thanks, Ger." Marianne said with relief.
"We're in this together." Gerion said and she smiled. I know, Ger. We'll get your home back, I promise, Marianne thought determined.
Then as she was looking around the room, she saw, to her surprise, her father and her uncle Jaime with Jenny and Galladon entering the room and for the look on Jenny face, she immeadiately realized,
"Oh, Gods. They were caught."
"What?" Gerion asked confused.
"Jen and Gal were caught, look." Marianne said and then Gerion looked to where she was looking.
"Seven Hells." Gerion said surprised.
"Exactly." Marianne said a bit concerned.
After entering the hall, Jenny went to sit next to Marianne and Marianne asked,
"Jen, what happened?"
"I-I'll explain it later." Jenny said and the dinner went on.
When the dinner ended, Marianne saw that her sister did not eat almost anything, she knew that Jenny had never led very well with problems, still she always tried to do something about it.
"You didn't eat anything, Jen." Marianne said concerned.
"I'm not hungry." Jenny said simply, but not unkindly.
"You have to eat something." Marianne said softly.
"I will eat something later, don't worry, Mary." Jenny said with a small smile.
"You'd better." Marianne said and she smiled.
Then the Queen made an annoucement concerning the battle and the battle plan,
"First of all, welcome back to KingsLanding, my lords and ladys, and thank you for coming so quickly. As all of you know, the North is in danger, there is an army sorrounding the walls of Winterfell and it's believed that this army came from the Free Cities, it's also believed that they are using magic." There was a lot of noise in the room after everyone heard the word magic, people seemed not to believe in it. Really? You've seen dragons? And magic is impossible?, Marianne thought not believing them.
"Let's not hasten ourselves, my lords and ladys, it's a possibility, however there's no certainty of it being true. As it's also known the Six Kingdoms and the North have a war pact, since the Long Night." Daenerys was saying. That was the last battle, I have to look into it someday, Marianne thought.
"And that pact has been kept for these past 17 years, therefore this time it's up to us to help them, like they help us before. So, we're here to announce that we're marching to battle and raising a small army here as well, because an enemy can never be underrestimated. There's a great chance this might end up in a war, but these kingdoms have seen wars like this their entire history, they do not need more of it. That has been our goal since we took the Iron Throne." Daenerys said.
The room remained silent for a moment, Marianne did not like this sillence not even a bit. It was as if the fates had already chosen for them never to come back from that fight. No, they're wrong. They'll come back, Marianne thought determined. However, the noise began to rise again, with the people cheering for war and at the same time complaining about it. Marianne looked at Jenny and she gave her an assuring nod. She nodded back. There's a war coming, Marianne thought.
Then she looked at Gerion, she could tell he was nervous, so she took his hand and he looked at her.
"It's going to be alright." Marianne said.
"I hope you're right." Gerion said.
"I am." Marianne said and he smiled.
Then suddenly, Jenny said to them,
"There's more. Look." And then Marianne and Gerion looked at the top of the table and Jon was standing. She saw that Jenny and Galladon exchanged a look, still she did not know what it meant.
"Now, I ask for the rightful heir of the houses Targaryen, Lannister, Tarth and Stark to present themselves in front of the high table." Jon said and therefore, Jorah, Galladon, Gerion and Jenny (because, once that James and Thomas were only 14 and were twins, she was the one who represented her house, until they come to age and chose who would be the heir) went to the high table, eventhough they did not know what they were supposed to do.
What's going on?, Marianne thought confused.
When everyone was there, Jon said,
"You are the heirs of your houses, which means that if this war does not go as we plan, you will have to take up your parents legacy. At this time, we would like you to promise that the positions, politics and pacts that are now being held between the kingdoms will still be held by the future generation." They think that they won't come back..., Marianne realized, concerned.
"I vow that house Tarth will keep that pledge." Galladon said.
"I vow that house Lannister will keep that pledge." Jenny said.
"I vow that house Targaryen will keep that pledge." Jorah said.
"I vow that the North will keep that pledge." Gerion said.
"We thank you for your word, you may return to your sits." Jon said and they did. After that the dinner was over.
After leaving the hall, Marianne and Jenny went to Marianne's room, because that was where they would meet with Gerion and Galladon.
They entered the room and closed the door and then they sat in the bed talking.
"What happened, Jen?" Marianne asked worried.
"We're caught, Mary." Jenny said sadly and worried.
"Who caught you?" Marianne asked confused.
"Father and uncle Jaime." Jenny said worried.
"What?! How did they react?" Marianne said.
"They..." Jenny told his sister the whole story.
"Wow. It seems like they were messing with you, but I'm not sure." Marianne said.
"What am I going to do, Mary?" Jenny asked freaking out.
"Calm down, Jen. If there was something wrong about what they saw, mother and father would have came to talk to you already." Marianne said.
"What if they say we can't be together? I love him, I really do love him. I don't want to disapoint mother and father, but it's not fair." Jenny said.
"You'll never disapoint mother and father, Jen. They always say that whatever we'll do, they would always be proud of us. I know you love him and he loves you, you'll find a way." Marianne said.
"I hope you're right." Jenny said and Marianne hugged her.
Then they heard a knock on the window, Marianne went to open the window and it were Gerion and Galladon. She let them enter.
"Couldn't you use the door like normal persons?" Marianne asked a bit anoyed.
"First, it's a mess out there with people everywhere. We couldn't even get to the door." Galladon said.
"And second, if we were normal persons, we wouldn't be having this meeting." Gerion said.
"Fair enough." Jenny said.
They put some pillows on the floor and then sat in them. Jenny was sitting next to Galladon and Marianne was sitting next to Gerion.
"They'll leave tomorrow, so we have three days to prepare things before going after them." Jenny said.
"Going after who?" They heard and then they realized that Jorah was stting on the window.
"What are you doing here, Jorah?" Gerion asked confused.
"I saw you and Gal climbing and I was curious." Jorah said simply.
"Well, come on in. Don't stay on the window." Marianne said and he did.
"What were you talking about?" Jorah asked.
"We'll go after the adults." Jenny said, there was no point in lying.
"Great, I'm coming with you." Jorah said.
"This might be dangerous, it was supossed to be just the four of us." Galladon said, trying to get him to say that he would not come.
"I'm not afraid, besides I want to help them, if I'm going to be King someday, I have to know what it is like." Jorah said.
"Fine, if we can't change your mind." Jenny said.
"You really can't." Jorah said.
"I learnt that when you're eight." Marianne said and everyone laughed. When Jorah was eight he decided to go fly on a dragon alone when his parents were not there and no one could change his mind, Marianne was the one who spent more time trying to convince him not to do it. Although, it did not work.
"Anyway, we could go through the Kingsroad, it's the fastest way. And we won't run into them, because they will have three days ahead of us." Galladon said.
"That would work. We have to see who gets what." Marianne said.
"I could get the horses." Gerion said.
"I'll get the weapons." Jenny said.
"I can get the disguises." Marianne said.
"Do you need provisons, right?" Jorah asked.
"Sure, can you get them?" Galladon asked.
"Of course, I can." Jorah said smiling.
"Great. Then I'll get a way of get us out of the city." Galladon said.
"Deal." all of them said.
"I'll have to go, my parents would be looking for me. See you tomorrow." Jorah said and then he was going to the window.
"Why don't you use the door?" Jenny asked.
"There's no need, my father says I'm like my uncle Bran and he's not wrong." Jorah said and then left through the window.
"Alright, I'm going to close that window, before someone else tries to enter." Marianne said and then went to close it.
"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Gerion asked. We're in so much trouble, Marianne thought.
"Depends on wether we can convince the rest of them to stay or not." Jenny said.
"I don't have much hope in that." Marianne said.
"We'll have to wait and see." Galladon said.
The morning after, it was the depart. Marianne did not know how to feel, this could be the last time she saw her parents and uncles and aunts. She did not want to forget to say anything.
Marianne, Jenny, James and Thomas were with their parents, saying goodbye.
"We want you to know that whatever happens, we will always be with you." Pod said.
"And we are very proud of you no matter what happens." Joanna said.
"Come back, please." James said. It was weird hearing him saying that, because he never let anyone got to that part of him.
"We need you." Thomas said.
"We'll do everything in our power to come back." Joanna said.
"We promise." Pod said and then the twins hugged their parents and then they stood apart.
"Jen, Mary. I know you can take care of yourselves, but be careful." Pod said.
"We will, father." Jenny and Marianne said and then hugged their father.
"I'm very proud of you. Both of you." Pod said and then he went with the twins to the gates of the Keep.
"Take care of your brothers and cousins and friends, I could not be more proud of you, my sweetlings." Joanna said and they hugged.
"Thank you, mother." Marianne and Jenny said.
"Be safe, both of you. And, Mary, tell Jen not to freak out, because we are happy for them." Joanna said smiling.
"Really?" Jenny asked happily.
"Yes, really, darling." Joanna said and then Jenny hugged her and Marianne hugged both of them.
After a couple of moments, everyone was leaving and Marianne just kept thinking over and over again, They'll come back, they have to. We'll help them.
Two days after, after one of the practices they did, for they had to practice with the younger ones as well for them not to suspect or feel left out and also to prepare them if they went after them, a ship arrived at the Blackwater bay with black sails with a yellow stag.
Arya and Gendry and their sons, Brandon and Eddard, and their daughter, Mia, arrived after one of their longest trips.
As soon as Arya and Gendry knew about the war, they prepared the ship and left to the North in the same day, however, once again, the children stayed. Mia was 15 and Brandon and Eddard were only 13 and 12, respectively. They did not let them come with them as well.
On the last day, Jenny and Marianne were practicing, when Jorah and Mia came to them and told them,
"I'm coming with you." Mia said.
"Sorry, I couldn't hide it. I can't lie very well." Jorah said.
"Are you sure, Mia?" Marianne asked.
"Yeah, I want to fight like my parents." Mia said.
"Alright, but not one more person can come, did you hear me?" Jenny asked seriously.
"Yes, Jen. We promise." Jorah and Mia said and then went away happily.
"We're in so much trouble, if the adults find out." Marianne said.
"Let's hope, they don't." Jenny said and them they returned to practicing. They had convinced the younger ones that they could not come, after a talk that lasted aproximately three hours with protests from 10 to 10 minutes and some bad words from both parts. In the end, they could convince them the same way their parents had convinced them in the first place, still if they showed up in the battlefield they would not be surprise, however there was a small hope that they did not show up.
That night, when everyone was asleep, they sneak out to the Dragon Skull room, that was the plan Galladon had came up with, once he realized that he could not convince neither Varys or Sam or Bronn or even Bran to let them go. Marianne met Jenny in the armory,
"Do you have the disguises?" Jenny asked.
"They're here." Marianne said, showing her the bag.
"Good." Jenny said.
"The weapons?" Marianne asked.
"They're here. You and Mia still prefer the bow and arrow, right?" Jenny asked smiling.
"Right, but you put a sword for me too, right?" Marianne asked.
"Of course, do you think I don't know you?" Jenny asked with a giggle.
"You're the best sister ever, Jen." Marianne said smiling. Marianne was so happy that Jenny was herself again, the day she and Galladon had been caught, she was completely stressed out and a bit sad. However after their mother had told her that there was no problem in their relationship and Galladon had said that his parents had said the same, Jenny was very relief and happy, Marianne could not be more pleased with that.
"After you." Jenny said and then they went to the meeting point.
When everyone was there, they mounted the horses and rode into the night, to the Kingsroad, in the hope of getting to the North on time to help their parents in the fight.