Alysandra Targaryen- The Dragon in the Shadows

Chapter 5- Goodbyes

" Theon!" I screamed " Get your hands off me." He gave me a sick grin. " Your so beautiful when your angry". He tried to press his lips to mine, but I fiercely bit his lip, drawing blood. He howled. " Bastard" he commented, and stormed off. I brushed off my coat and picked up the knife. Who knows what would have happened if he came any closer.

I ran back to the castle, and discreetly returned to my room. I closed the door and breathed heavily. I had been scared, and I knew there had been something fishy about Theon. I looked out my window and noticed people pulling into the hall. It was a leaving dinner, and I would be berated if I was late. " Shit" I whispered. Where was my handmaiden? I called for Leah, but she didn't show. So I had to instead dress myself. It an extremely pale pink, almost white dress, with a sweetheart neckline and and a satin ribbon tied at my waist. It was a-line, and had long lace sleeves that flayed out at my wrists. I wore a white cloak, and a flower crown around my head. I was wearing the only thing I had left of my mother. A silver chain, where hanging at the end was a dragon curled around a sun with a spear. It had been a gift from my father when him and my mother were betrothed. She was said to wear it every day in sunspear, and she put it on my neck the night Roberts army stormed on the castle. I wore it everywhere, and it still has the scent of my mother on it. Sweet and mellow. Sometimes I would hold it to my lips and imagine the life I would have had if my parents were alive.

I entered the hall with Sansa. Arya was not there, and I suspected she would be late. Sansa was excitedly talking about possibly being betrothed to Joffrey. It was either that or Robb and Myrcella. I had overheard Robert talking with Ned, and they had agreed on the marriage with Sansa. But I didn't tell her as it would be more of a surprise if it was announced by the King. We walked into the hall, and I took my seat at the end of the table, opposite Arya, who came slightly late as I predicted. We grinned at eachother over the table. It was more of a formal dinner, just with the royal family and the Starks. And me, I guess. As the feast began, King Robert stood up. " I have an announcement. Lord Ned Stark has accepted the role of being The Hand of the king" he said. I looked over at Catelyn, who was hiding a grimace. " Lord Starks eldest daughter shall be betrothed to the future king, Joffrey". I saw Sansa's face light up, and Joffrey gave her a sly smile. Aria scowled.

The next morning when I woke up I realised something. It was my 15th name day. I didn't expect anything special. My birthday was usually forgotten. Last year only Myrcella and Tommen remembered. We had a tea party in the garden and they gifted me a crown made out of blood red roses. It was a sweet gesture, and she wore the crown until the lowers wilted. That night, she wasn't allowed to dinner. The King and Queen had forgotten that it was her name-day. Myrcella came and comforted her as she sobbed. She wasn't sad about not be included in dinner, but that was the day she had come o terms with being forgotten. She had earned the nick-name of the Dragon in the Shadows. It suited her perfectly.

She suddenly heard a knock on the door. She stepped out of the bath and slipped on a light silk robe. She tied the string as she walked to open the door. To her surprise, it was Robb.

" Robb" she breathed " Come in". He walked through the door and she closed it behind him. He was clearly uncomfortable about how unclad she was. " I am sorry for my appearance" she said. " I was in the bath".
He smiled nervously at her. " It is fine my Lady. I just wanted to wish you a happy name day." I smiled at him. " You remembered!" He laughed at me. " I did, and I have a gift for you". My eyes lit up. A boy, I had met only a few weeks ago had a nameday gift for me when people I had lived with had only ever tossed me a bone. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and placed it in my hand. Inside it was two small pouches. I opened one to find some seeds. " I have noticed you looking at the blue winter roses in the garden. You always seem to wear red roses, and maybe it would be a nice change." I was overjoyed. " Thank you Robb. I will grow them as soon as I get to Kings Landing". He gestured for me to open the next pouch. I looked inside it and gasped. " Robb, it's amazing!"

Inside the bag was a necklace with the Targeryon sigil. It had a silver chain, and the sigil was silver as well, but with rubies on the heads. There was also two rings. One was a martell and the other a Stark. She looked up at him. " Robb..." He gulped. " I asked my father for your hand in marriage". She stopped breathing. " It was a no, wasn't it." He nodded. " You know why don't you. It's because of..." She cut him off. " Lyanna. I know, and I understand. But the king and queen would never let me go. But Robb, why?" He took her hands in to his, and looked her in they eye.
" Even though I don't know you that well, I feel like we have a connection. Ever since I first saw you, I knew you were the one. I love you Alys, and I want to marry you". He seized her and they kissed. It was warm, it was passionate, and she knew what it meant. They loved each other, but they were just another love story. They could never be together. He took her on to the bed, but she had to pull herself away from him. " Robb, I can't" she panted. " We are not married, I cannot". He stood up, gasping for breath. " Alys, I'm so sorry. You just looked so beautiful, I couldn't resist". She smiled at him. " I don't mind, it's just that no matter how much we love eachother it will never be." She felt tears rolling down her cheeks. " I want nothing more than for is to be together". He took her in his arms and they stayed like that for what felt like eternity, but when they pulled apart it felt like it had been no time at all. She could see tears forming in his eyes as he turned and left the room. She loved Robb, even though she had met him 3 weeks ago, she had his heart and he had hers. And that is how she met her first love, Robb Stark.

I adjusted my  hair, and my maids took my trunk out of my room. I had a few minutes to spare, so I sprinted towards the garden. I placed a red rose in the field of winter roses. I wanted Robb to have a way of remembering me. She hoped the rose would survive. As i walked into the courtyard, to prepare and say goodbyes to the Starks, she felt a tug at her coat, and looked down to see Arya. " Happy nameday" the litle girl beamed up ate her. She was handed two objects wrapped in cloth. She unwrapped it and inside where to black steel dagers. " They are from me and Jon" Arya stated. They had her intials ebgraved on the bottom, and the handels were encrusted in red jewels. She gave Arya a big hug. " Thank you, I love them. Give Jon my regards too." She tucked them in her coat pockets. " What will you name them' asked Arya. She thought for a moment. " I will name them Fire and Blood".

I was sharing a carriage with Arya, Sansa, Myrcella and the queen. Joffrey rode with his father, and Tommen insisted on trailing along. When he got tired, he would retire to the carriage. " Lady Alysandra" Sansa said brightly " Happy Name-day"'. Alysandra gave her a hug, and Sansa gifted her a small parcel of bath salts. How could people she barely knew, be so kind to her where as the the family she had known since she was born only ever throw her a bone. Myrcella gave her smile and whispered in her ear " I will give you your gift when my mother isn't here". Cersei never approved of the two girls friendship, she always tried to keep them apart. When we were younger we were basically inseparable. We'd have fake tea parties and dream of marrying handsome lords. But as we grew older my dreams grew smaller, and Cersei kept us a way from each other. I honestly did like Myrcella, though she could be a bit of a sop. We were to sides of the same coin. Completely different but United together. Myrcella put her head on my shoulder. Sansa lay with her head on my lap, and Cersei shot daggers with her eyes at me. Arya was sitting next to her, but she was peaking out the window, pointing at everything. Cersei tried to beckon Myrcella to come sit with her but Myrcella just smiled at her and closed her eyes. I felt like a mother bird, despite only being 2 years older. I wanted to protect them from the horrors of this world. I checked on Arya, but she was fine, and loving the new experience of travelling. I closed my eyes, and we fell asleep together.