The Red Viper and the Tempest.
An unlikely match from the beginning.
A moment of attraction, fleeting and memorable.
A hint of vulnerability, strong and lasting.
A spark of a flame, inevitable and ruining.
In the midst of storms and poisons, tw...
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"Where in seven hells is she?!"
Cassandra Baratheon gasped before covering her mouth hastily, worried that such a soft sound would reveal her hiding place when she was determined to stay hidden. It had taken her a long while to find a spot that would shield her from anyone who would try to look.
She could hear servants bustling around furiously, trying to look for the elusive daughter of Lord Steffon Baratheon. Her older brothers had already been caught and she was the only one remaining.
When the news of Lady Cassana Baratheon giving birth to a girl spread around Storm's End, everyone was delighted to hear it, already imagining the small child to be just as beloved as her mother in her pristine and elegant form.
How sorely they were disappointed when the young girl, being surrounded by brothers from the moment of her birth, turned out to be just as wild and twice as hardheaded as her older brothers. Or at least, her eldest brother.
Robert, who had sworn up and down that he was a good influence on his little sister, was often the instigator of pranks and tricks that had caused more than one accident in the keep. Stannis had tried to stop them each and every time, only to be dragged into it all and share the blame.
Even with the mischief that swam in her eyes and the tempest that thrummed in her veins, no one could resist the girl's charms. It was almost impossible to stay angry at the girl who would look up with her bright blue eyes, apologize in her small voice, and make one forget the reason why they were mad in the first place.
At least, it had worked in the past. Presently, everyone was frantically looking for her, and Cassandra was tempted to simply remain in her hiding spot until everyone got tired or forgot she was even gone.
Although, that was highly unlikely considering that the trouble she was in now had been for making their mother cry. Her father would surely not let this slide, he had always been attentive to her.
When Lady Cassana Baratheon walked into her youngest daughter's room, the last thing she expected to see was the floor covered in snipped raven strands and her daughter's long hair reduced to a length that did not even reach her shoulders.
She had released a gasp upon seeing her daughter before turning to her two sons, the eldest of which was still holding the shears that had cut her little one's hair. Her three children were smiling, waiting for her reaction only to be horrified to see their mother start sobbing.
Little Cassandra had been so startled upon seeing the emotion cracking through her mother's face that she did not even wait for anything else to happen and simply ran off to hide. Although that did not seem to be effective as she felt two hands latch onto her shoulders from her hiding place.
She began to squirm, about to run away again, when she felt someone heft her up on their shoulder. Turning to face her captor with an indignant look, she found her brother smirking smugly.
"Don't even think about it," Robert warned, his long strides taking them directly to their parents' chambers.
"You do not even know what I was about to do." Cassandra wrinkled her nose before slumping back onto his back, knowing that she may have her brother beat at many things but strength was not one of them.
"We have to apologize to mother and you should have found a better hiding place." He said, taking a turn in the hallway toward their parents' chambers.
"Does she not like it? I find it much lighter and it would be easier to maintain when it is this short." She grinned, shaking her head to feel the ends of her strands brush against her shoulders.
"She burst into tears, little doe." Her brother deadpanned, setting her down in front of the large oak doors that she was so familiar with. The doors that she would often knock on should nightmares haunt her in her sleep.
"It could be happy tears. Have you asked her?" She crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to open the doors.
Robert sighed, ruffling her hair playfully. "You have to apologize. Stannis and I already have. Father is quite angry."
A battle of stares commenced between the two before Cassandra finally admitted defeat. Blowing out air from her lips, she pushed open the doors to be faced with her parents and a sullen Stannis.
They all looked at her expectantly, trying not to soften up at the sight of the youngest member of their family, looking quite adorable despite the short length of her hair.
"I'm sorry," Cassandra mumbled, looking down as she refused to meet the stares of her parents.
Footsteps began to near before her mother crouched down in front of her, her eyes rimmed red. "Why did you let your brothers cut your hair, dear?"
Cassandra shrugged, answering honestly. "I don't know. It was fun, I suppose."
"You are a lady of Storm's End. Our only daughter and a model of propriety. How will you look now to our vassals?" Steffon Baratheon questioned, his tone frightening to all his children who tensed.
"I'm sorry, Father. I won't do it again." Cassandra flinched, nodding timidly.
His wife shot him an imploring look which made the lord of Storm's End sigh before adding. "Your mother and I are not angry with you."
Robert raised a finger, about to interject, only to have Stannis elbow him in the stomach. He may have his own objections but now was not the time.
"But you are upset." Cassandra mumbled, looking down and shifting between her feet.
"We simply wish the best for you." Steffon said, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder as he met out judgment. "No more roughhousing with your brothers. From now on, you will be learning from your septa indoors, learning how to manage a household, and learning how to be the proper young lady that you are."
Lord Steffon realized then that he had allowed this to go on for too long. His children were a reflection of the state of their house and if she were to continue acting at her own whims, she would shame them all.
How could she be expected to marry into a noble family if she acted in such a way? No one would ever accept her in such a way. After all, everyone sought to trap storms, not wanting them set free for the havoc they might wreak.
"My darling doe, you make us so very happy. Please, just do this for us." Her mother uttered, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
Even though she wanted nothing more than to stay the way she was, wild and free, never answering to anyone, simple and irrevocably happy, she found that she could not disappoint her parents.
Cassandra nodded, finally looking up to meet her parents' gazes. "I will. I promise to be whatever you wish."
At that moment, she began to hide a part of herself. The winds calmed, the clouds cleared, and the storms that had always been a part of her left. Thus, the tempest within her was subdued
