The Stark Maid

Chapter 5- The Dark Haired Boy

Hey guys Dan here! So I updated the end of the last chapter, just a little to help with transitions. I think you should read it just in case if I make any references in this chapter!

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Chapter 5: The Dark Haired Boy

Brena knew everything that went on in the Red Keep. If any of us small folk ever had a question, a quirk, a problem; we went to Brena. She was the head cook, got all her information straight from the source. A whisper for a whisper, a secret for a secret, that was the way she got information. When you thought about it she may as well have been the small folk's version of Varys.

As I climbed down the stairs that day I wondered how I would possibly seduce the boy, if I would even be able to seduce him. What if he didn't fall for my charms, I mean I could always hold a dagger to his throat. As I reached the entrance to the kitchen I hesitated. Did I even want to seduce or threaten William Peck?

"Are you going inside or not?" An annoyed voice asked me. I turned around to see a pretty blonde maid. I looked her up and down, then turned around and went into the kitchens.

I saw Brena near the fire at the back of the room, she was bent over putting something into the ovens. The room was stuffy and as I walked over to Brena I smelled baking bread and sweet berries.

"Brena?" I called out to her over the noise of the kitchen's. She was a plump women, with light hair and as she turned around to look at me she smiled. She looked like she could be anybody's mother, that is why she was so good with secrets, nobody ever suspected her.

"Oh, hello sweet Cendra!" She exclaimed at the sight of me, "Do you have something for me?"

"Not yet, but I need something from you." I answered. I was unsure, what if she wouldn't give me what I needed? It would make my job a million times harder.

"Oh my sweet t'is okay you musn't worry I'm sure you'll find something." She said, then she looked back into the oven to check on her loaves. She wiped her sweaty hands on her apron and then ushered me out the back with her.

"Well what is it that you need, sweet girl?" She asked raising an eyebrow at me.

"Tell me of William Peck, I need to know where to find him, please Brena." I told her.

"Have you heard of his good looks, sweet child." She asked me giddily, I smiled and blushed. It was better that she thought it a girl's silly crush.

"Please Brena!" I asked again in a voice that stated I was embaressed. My acting had gotten better.

"Oh yes sweet child. William Peck, he's very tall, and dark haired, a very handsome young man. I've seen him at the kitchens in during the early hours."

Was he that boy from this morning, it would not be so bad if he was the one I had to seduce. I had clearly caught his eye so I wouldn't have to hold a knife to his pretty little neck.

I smiled at Brena, thanked her profusely and ran back to Sansa's room to take her out of her bath.

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Once I got to Sansa's room I saw that she wasn't there. Where had the girl gone? I decided to get busy. I changed her bed covers and fluffed her pillows, I put all her soaps and scents away and then started chugging all the water down stairs. It took me a very long time, and Sansa still had not come back. I began to worry in earnest now, where could the child had gone?

I went to look for her around the gardens, the main hall, and then through my anxiety I realised that she was probably in the God's Wood. I ran around the castle to the huge maze of bushes and found Sansa asleep at the tree. I sighed and tried to rouse her. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. She slowly peeled her eyes open and stretched, then she yawned covering her mouth and slowly, shakely stood up.

"M'lady you've had me worried!" I exclaimed pulling her slightly towards the entrance of the God's Wood.

"Cendra, I just fell asleep." Sansa said with a slightly dreamy tone, "I was so tired."

I turned to look at Sansa. She had a slight frown upon her face, a furrow between her eyebrows. I carefully raised my hand a smoothed it out with my thumb.

"Would you like me to get you some dream wine? Or I could go to the Maester to get some sleep potions." I asked her quietly.

Sansa shook her head slowly.

"No I think I'm fine now." She said, straightening her back and making her face a steel mask she turned away from me and walked towards the Red Keep.

"I'm going around the gardens to clear my head, Cendra will you please go to my bed chamber to get my cloak." Sansa told me, her voice sounded regal, authorative.

"Yes m'lady." I answered, curtseying quickly and then rushing towards Sansa's tower room.

I started going through Sansa's clothes looking for her blue and gold spun cloak. Her clothes were getting small on her and it was the only one that fit her.

As a picked the cloak out of the rest of her clothes I heard the slight creak of the door. I looked up to see Ser Dontos. He mustn't have noticed me; he was probably too drunk. He stumbled over to Sansa's bed and placed a note under Sansa's pillow. He then stumbled back out of the room, and I heard him fall down the stairs.

I walked over to Sansa's bed and reached for the note. There was a small envelope with a mocking bird sigil stamped on it, Petyr Baelish! What was that vile old man up to? I ripped open the note.

Come to the godswood tonight, if you want to go home.

I threw the envelope in the fire and watched the mocking bird sigil melt. How dare he! He had no right to play the poor girl so! I stuffed the note back under Sansa's pillow, it was better that Sansa thought it was a trick, a trick of Joffrey's, then she wouldn't go. I took a cheese knife that Sansa had on her mirror stand and made a cut along my calf. I cleaned the knife and rushed back to find Sansa who was waiting for her cloak in the gardens.

"What took so long?" She asked as I put her cloak on.

"I stumbled and cut my leg." I said hurridley as a tied the cloak on her collar bone.

"Are you okay Cendra?" She asked in surprise.

"Yes m'lady, I'm quite fine." I answered her, the sweet girl was worried for me.

≈≈≈

I walked with Sansa around the gardens and then as the sun began to go down we walked back to her room. It was near dinner time and Sansa sent me down to the kitchen's to get her dinner.

When I came back into the room there was a burning smell and a mousy maid was tending to the fire, as I walked into the room the maid scurried out.

Sansa was shivering and so I took her bed cover and wrapped it around her. She ate quickly and then sent me back down to the kitchens to put her tray away.

When I came back Sansa was not in the room, she had gone to the godswood.

Oh, poor little bird, what are you doing?

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This is the longest chapter Ive typed so far. Squee!!!