The Strange Lady

The Assassin In the Ball

"Ow" Howland hissed as Lyanna mended his wounds with the rubbing alcohol that I gave her. I only cringed at how many bruises and cuts those boys gave to poor Howland. He hissed with pain once again as Lyanna pouts his lower cheek, where his bruise lays.

"These three boys must have had a good reason to beat you up that badly." I narrowed my brows, looking at Howland with sympathy. He only lowers his eyes down out of embarrassment and continues to stay silent. Lyanna, while patting his bruises with a piece of cloth coldly mentions

"Those boys are no random boys, they are squires of different Knights. I recognized them by their seal in their clothes. One serves the knight of House Haigh, the second to knight of House Blount and the last serves to Knight of House Frey." Howland looks almost embarrassed once Lyanna mentioned those boys. His eyes are full of pain for what those boys did to him. He tried his best not to look at us.

I stopped looking at Howland and start my gaze at Lyanna with all seriousness. This boy was beaten to a pulp for no fucking reason and the fact that they didn't even care that he has done nothing to them disgusts me. I used to have these types of people when I was in high school. Girls were picking on me because of how "nerdy" I looked and that my natural hair is ratchet and that I should straighten it. I used to cry in the bathroom and was seriously thinking of cutting my hair, so that they would stop bullying me. If not for my dad, I would have had a lot of insecurities. Its just....horrible that people do that.

I approach Howland while Lyanna went for some water. His face is certainly filled with bruises and even his clothes are covered in his blood. He looks up at me with his sad brown eyes and I sit next to him while preaching

"Howland, I know how you feel and how unfair you think those boys treated you. It happens to all of us and believe me it happened to me. But what I'm trying to say is that no matter how people bring you down and make you feel that you are worthless, or that you're lower than human being, there will always be someone that will appreciate you for who you are. So, don't take those fuckers seriously. They are bunch of frogs anyways." Little smile forms around Howland's lips as he heard me saying those words.

"Thank you for such kind words, m'lady. I never knew someone would say that to me. Yet, I'm stronger than I really look, and I will be stronger to protect the people I cherish." I smile by his confident words and start to pat his back in support.

"You are right. You're stronger than you look." Howland tried to make heroic pose by puffing his chest and lifting his chin. I giggle by such goofiness just as Lyanna walks in with Brandon, Ned and Benjen.

I look at them, still with a smile as I stand up to greet the brothers. Howland does the same but instead tries to bow to Brandon.

"M'lords." Brandon just laughs and says with a simple tone

"Howland, you should just sit down. You can barely stand on your own." Benjen, as small as he is runs up to me and gives a huge bear hug

"Cersei, you came!!!" I laugh at small Benjen and give him just as big of a hug with a cheerfull reply

"Happy to see you too, my little wolf!" then pat his puffy brown head as I let him go. Ned just looks at me, shyly, but manages to greet me in a formal manner.

"My lady" Then I replied with the same courtesy while smiling

"My lord." Brandon stopped looking at Howland and now pays attention on me with his curious eyes.

"Gland to see you here Lady Cersei. What brings you to our camp?" Lyanna looks nervously at me as I was about give my reply to Brandon

"Well Lord Brandon, Lyanna and me were just walking down the alley as group of squires were beating Howland. So we just- " My sentence was cut short as Lyanna gave me a signal with her eyes to not tell what we did to help Howland. I start to stutter and in the place made up an answer