Argella

V. A Different Path

Argella observed the knight standing guard at her door. To her surprise, it wasn't Jaime but Ser Arys Oakheart who had taken his usual position.

"Ser Arys," Argella acknowledged the knight, her voice polite.

She remembered him, of course. She had been just a child of four when he joined the Kingsguard.

"Your Highness," Ser Arys bowed respectfully, "The king has sent me to guard you in Ser Jaime's stead."

Argella formed an 'O' with her lips for a moment, thinking her mother had sent the knight. She offered the handsome young knight a sweet smile, leaving him momentarily entranced.

"I'm glad to be under your protection, Ser Arys," she replied, glancing back at her ladies-in-waiting, motioning for them to follow her before turning her attention back to the knight.

"Tell me, Ser, where is Ser Jaime at this moment?" Argella inquired quietly as they walked.

Although slightly confused, Ser Arys managed to provide an answer, "He's with the king, Your Highness. The king ordered Ser Jaime to guard him for the day."

Argella shook her head, a touch of concern in her expression. Her father was tormenting Jaime again. If only she could save him, but she knew better than to challenge the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. She remembered how Robert Baratheon reacted when she publicly came to Jaime's defense yesterday.

She could only sigh. It hadn't been a day, yet she already felt like she'd been in King's Landing for an eternity.

She turned to Ser Arys once more, "I hope you won't get bored in my company, Ser. I mainly do mundane things. I'm afraid it's not as thrilling as protecting the king."

Arys Oakheart chuckled, and Argella couldn't help but notice he looked even more handsome when he smiled. It was a pity he couldn't have a wife, but if she remembered correctly, he was the youngest son. His options had likely been limited.

"I'm honored to be in your service, Princess," he replied.

With Myrcella and Tommen on either side, Argella distributed food to the people. They had just returned from the Sept of Baelor, where they had prayed, and she had insisted on bringing her younger siblings with her, much to their mother's dismay. Cersei did not like the idea of her three children walking the streets of King's Landing. But what choice did a mother have when her children pleaded? Cersei had relented, but not without sending a significant force of Lannister guards, gold cloaks, and two of the Kingsguard to protect them.

"Why do you insist on feeding the people, Ella?" Tommen asked, handing a loaf of bread to his sister. Argella accepted it and handed it to one of the peasants.

"These people are our subjects, Tommen," she explained. "They are under our protection, and as prince and princess, we must do our duty."

"The king cannot be bothered by them, and the queen certainly won't. So the duty falls on us," Argella added, glancing around at the increased number of peasants in King's Landing since her last visit.

"No wonder Jon Arryn is so burdened," she mused.

"Mother doesn't like them," Myrcella said, her voice soft enough that only Argella could hear it. "They disgust her, she said, and told us we should never mingle among them."

"And what has Mother gained in return? Nothing. She gave no love to the people, and the people could not give back what they were denied in the first place."

"Did you learn this from our grandfather in Casterly Rock?" Myrcella asked.

Argella smiled at her brother, considering the Lannisters' haughty attitude. She thought for a moment before replying, "No, I learned this from watching Mother and Father."

"Joffrey hasn't learned anything, yet he is set to rule next after Father. You should be the ruler, Ella," Tommen stated.

Argella was taken aback by her siblings' comments. Her entire life, she had focused on a single goal, and she had never dreamed of ruling the Seven Kingdoms as its queen. She had only ever dreamed of Casterly Rock, ruling the Westerlands by Jaime's side.

"No," she said with a smile. "I don't want it."

"Why not?" Tommen asked, confused. The Iron Throne was the most coveted seat in all of Westeros, and countless people had fought and died to sit on it. But Argella was not like most others in Westeros.

Argella raised her hand and gently combed her brother's golden hair with her fingers. Tommen smiled at her, and she returned the smile, her affection for him evident.

"I've seen what the Iron Throne has done to our father and heard what it has done to the kings before him," Argella explained. "I don't want that to happen to me. Besides, it's a lonely seat, and I'm happy with things just the way they are."