The first time he saw her, she was trailing behind the eldest Stark boys and the Baratheon lad. She was in a heated discussion with two boys who appeared to be younger than her. It was really just a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. Followed by a quick head turn to further investigate and then he was on his way again.
The first time he heard her name, he was panting and reaching for his canteen. He had promised Lewyn he would spar with him in preparation of the melee. And he now regretted it. He was leaning against a post watching Lewyn take down his next opponent when the Baratheon Lord passed with the younger Stark.
โIt would be best if you could keep to your own tent for the rest of the tourney,โ the Stark boy tells the taller lad in a voice so serious, Arthur almost felt like he himself was being lectured, โ for Lyannaโs sake.โ he added with a hint for irritation. Arthur watched the pair out of the corner of his eye. Last he heard, the pair who had been fostered together by Lord Arryn were thick as thieves, but there seemed to be tension as Baratheon turned to Stark.
Baratheon leaned into Stark with a smirk and muttered something too quiet for Arthur to hear. But it only seemed to further upset Stark. Baratheon let out a loud laugh and smacked Stark on the back before moving on to two other lords Arthur couldnโt place. The young Stark glared at his friend before he eventually made his way over to the small group.
Arthur turned back to his fellow Dornishman and shook his head. Clearing it of the young lordโs drama.
The first time he spoke to her, he was a good distance away from Harrenhal scouring the woods with the prince searching for a mystery knight. While he thought the hunt was baseless, he had been ordered by his king. He and Rhaegar had been following a trail for some time before they stumbled upon her. She was dressed in trousers and a tunic both of which were covered in dirt. He almost laughed at the wild look that appeared on her face when she noticed she had been caught. He did laugh when he noticed what the girl was trying to hide.
โMy gods,โ he turned to the prince who raised a brow at him, โIt seems weโve all been fooled.โ He continued, his voice full of mirth โIt seems our Knight of the Laughing Tree is a maiden no older than fourteenโ He glanced at Rhaegar, who looked to be contemplating something as he stared at the girl, before he turned back to her. Thatโs when he realized he had made a mistake. The look of ire in the girlโs eyes would have made him slowly back away and hop on his horse if the prince had not been beside him. He had two younger sisters himself, he knew he had just grievously offended the girl.
โFifteen, actually.โ her voice was lower than he imagined it would be and she had started to square up. As if she was getting ready for a fight.
โThe king has sent dozens of lords and knights out to find the mystery knight. Says heโs a traitor. Do you know anything about that?โ The prince asked the girl. Rhaegar looked back at Arthur and shot him a grin before turning back to the girl with a look of intimidation. The girl looked shaken by the princeโs words and lost a bit of the fire that had been directed at him a moment ago.
โWhat!? No, I only did it to defend my friend. Those squires were rude โฆ and arrogant โฆ and obnoxious.โ She had started to ramble towards the end. She seemed rather upset at being accused of treason.
โAnything else to add?โ the young kingsguard asked with a smirk. He quickly lost it when she shot a withering one back at him.
โI meant no disrespect to the king, Your Grace. I just wanted toโฆ,โ she began to trail off as if she was looking for the right words.
โPut them in their place.โ Arthur finished for her. The girl and prince both shot him a glare. He shrugged and put his hands up in defeat.
She let out a huff and continued to glare at Arthur. โYes, I suppose so.โ she responded as she turned back to the prince. She took a step back and then Arthur noticed the prince taking a few steps toward the girl. She held her head high as he stopped in front of her, no more than a foot or two away. โSo youโre taking me to the king then?โ she said with more indignation than Arthur thought her capable of. She raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest in a show of nonchalance, but Arthur was able to see the slight tremble of her hands.
โWell, how can we be sure that the mystery knight has no ill intent towards our king?โ Arthur struggled to keep a straight face as the prince continued to try and intimidate the girl. โSurely this knight must be up to something. They only asked the knights to teach their squires some honor in exchange for their property back. Surely only someone with nefarious intent would do that.โ Arthur managed only the slightest lift of his lip as he heard the teasing tone that Rhaegar rarely ever used. The girl quickly recognized his change in tone, too.
The look of surprise quickly turned to confusion. It was only then that Arthur recognized the young โknightโ in front of them. He should have put it together sooner. She had that same wild look about her that he had seen in her oldest brother during the melee. A โtouch of the wolfโ he had heard someone say. Now that she had his full focus, he could also see those grey eyes that all the Starks had.
In his intense study of the Stark girl, he had missed a great deal. The girl handed her shield to Rhaegar and he had already returned to his stead before he uttered the words that would doom them all
โWe have a deal then.โ
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