Noah [Game of Thrones] ✓

South

It had been mid day when Noah had first left Lady Catelyn's and Bran's side to fetch some water and food for the mother as she didn't seem to want to leave her son's bedside for a second. Her white and grey dress floats along with her through the corridors, only for her to be spotted by Lord Stark and the royal family. "Lady Mars." "Yes my lord?" "The queen asks for you to accompany us south on account of her children. But yours is the last word.." Noah's eyes widen a bit and she turns to look at Cercei. "I am thankful, my queen, for the opportunity given, yet I can not go. I can not leave my Lady Catelyn and I will not. It is the Stark family I serve and Winterfell has become my home. My apologies but I must linger." "Your loyalty robs you of many opportunities it appears. Who is it here that you love so much that you refuse such higher pay and status?" Noah smiles. "The only man I love is where once I came so many years ago. He might have married. He might be waiting. I do not know. But neither going with you nor staying here would bring me clarity. No. The only loyalty I have right now is that to the Stark family and the north." She says those words proudly and a hand comes to rest on her shoulder. She looks towards Ned Stark again. The mans eyes linger on her. "Look over my wife, will you?" "I will for as long as I can." The lord pauses before he speaks again. "I have never had a more honourable and loyal servant than you, Lady Mars. And I am thankful for that. The north is not particularly rich. I can not give you much.." "My lord you give me more than enough. You give me your trust. And you gave me the chance to teach all of your wonderful children. That is enough for me. Now I shall have to take my leave. My Lady Catelyn has not eaten yet and I need to fetch something for her. Bowing slightly, then lifting her skirts again and hurrying away to the kitchen she soon is out of sight. "What a woman. If she were a highborn I could see young lords tearing each other apart over her.", Robert laughs. "They do anyways.", Ned Stark says, turning to his old friend. "We get letters from almost every young northern lord that has but caught a glimpse of her that ask for her to marry them. It has become a little game for me and the maester. Which lords letter will be next and how high will the flame burn when she throws it into the fireplace?" The king laughs loudly, his voice booming.

They all watch on as the brunette woman leaves the kitchens, her arm looped through that of Jon Snow as she balances the silver tablet with her other hand, carrying food away, while listening to the smiling boy speak to her. "Your bastard has taken quite a liking to her as well, aye?", Robert chuckles. "He calls her mother.", Ned says, which immediately makes both the queen and the king turn to him. "Mother?" "She calls him son. He goes to her over anything. Teaches him despite not having to. The coat he wears.. she stitched it. I do not know why but it has fallen into place like this." "Is he the reason she stays here?" "He is going north to take the Black. It can't be the reason. Don't doubt her loyalty and honesty. She stays because she wants to."
They watch as the young woman playfully ruffles the boys dark curls and then pushes him away from her, using her hips, earning playful protest as she, smiling, hurries up the stairs towards Brans room. "Joffree demanded she'd be coming with us..", Cercei sighs. "The boy needs to learn his boundaries! Even a king can't take away the servants of a lord, when they can not be bought like slaves.", Robert barks, making the queen back off and quickly leave to break the news to her eldest son with a temper that made the gods seem tame. She loved him because he was her son. Her and her brother's son. But she feared him. Only a fool wouldn't.

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Tired Noah Mars retires to her quarters. "Why?" The bratty voice immediately has her know just who it is. And it is not the company she had hoped for, so shortly before the departure.
"Why what? Why am I not coming south with your family? Is that your question, Prince Joffree?", she asks, undisturbed, as she opens her hair and let's it fall over her shoulders, massaging her sore scalp from having it up all day. The young boys hand grabs her arm, forcing her to look into those blue Lannister eyes. "It is. Answer." "I stay because I adore Lady Catelyn. Because I adore the North. Because I feel loyal to the Starks beyond all boundaries. No amount of  money could have me go south if it meant leaving one of them to lone misery. Sadly I can not exist twice or else I would go, just to be with Arya and Sansa. But I can not. And Lady Catelyn needs me. That is why I choose to linger." The prince steps fully into the warm light of the open fireplace. "I could make you a princess. Possibly a queen." "I do not want to be a queen, my prince." "Why is that?" "Nobility does not value quick witted women in the south. Here in the north I can show my intelligence and have earned my good status due to it. In the south there are pityful men too insecure about their fragile masculinity to accept that I, a woman, outwit them by miles. I do not see myself being able to deal with such.. imbeciles. That and I do despise the way I'd have to dress." The prince cracks a smile, then laughs. His hand let's go of her arm. "I denied becoming a Stark for years now. And every week I get enough proposals from different northern lords to keep that fire nice and cosy." She gestures towards the fireplace, then takes a seat at the table in her room, picking up her brush and starts combing her hair. "I love one man, my prince. But he is far, far away from me. And I neither south nor north bring me close enough to him. I apologize but I can not come with you, nor can I ever become your queen." Joffree takes the comb from her hands and starts to brush her long locks. "Why do I find myself drawn to you, Lady Mars?", he asks her, before pausing. "What is your full name again?" "Noah. Noah Mars." "I will call you Noah then." "Do so if you please, my prince." "You shall call me Joffree." "As you wish, Joffree." "You are not scared of me despite me being the kings son. Why?" Noah looks over her shoulder towards him. "Because you are a boy, no matter who your father is. That and I do not fear anything." "Why not? It does not seem befitting of a smart woman to not know whom to fear." Noah smiles softly. "You are far more intelligent than people say you are.  But still.. I highly doubt anyone in their right mind would lay hands on me. That and I know how to defend myself fairly well." "You know your way with a blade?" "To kill an armed man riding a good horse one needs nothing more than a dagger, a throwing knife and some good aim.", Noah shrugs. "Do explain.", the boy says, now intrigued, handing her back the comb as she continues to brush her hair. "Horses are dumb. You throw the knife into its head and it's done for. The dagger you simply use to cut the riders throat if his neck wasn't broken by the fall he'll undoubtedly take.", Noah says and the cruel blue eyes of the prince light up. "Could you do it?" "I'm not too sure about the killing part. I don't wish anyone harm, really. But if it comes down to them or oneself..", she looks over to the boy, "..one is always allowed to be a bit selfish."
"Are you certain about not becoming my queen?" Noah laughs. "Sansa would have my head. That and you are far too young for me. All of my reservations regarding nobility aside. I wouldn't dream of touching a man under the age of 18 years. And even up until 20 it is just plainly wrong. She adores you, Joffree. Be good to her. I love her as if she were my own." "You let the bastard touch you." "What?" "Didn't he bed you.. when he spent the night in your chambers?" "Jon is my son. Maybe not by blood but by feeling. We talk through the night sometimes. And now that he'll be leaving for the wall soon I would love to spend every minute I still have with him. The nightswatch doesn't tolerate women. Most men there are thieves and rapists. I don't think I'll be able to visit him any time soon. It feels like loosing what matters the most. In all honesty I expected him to be here now. But it was you." "He went to say his goodbyes to Sansa's sister." Noah smiles. "He has always loved Arya and Bran best out of his siblings." "You call them siblings?" "They are, aren't they? Regardless of title, a bastard still carries half the blood of their royal parent. They still are related." "That means I do have far too many siblings for my liking." "In all seven kingdoms I am afraid." The two share a laugh.
Noah could feel his toxicity. But she needed this. She needed to make sure everything would happen accordingly so that she finally could leave.