Charlotte was born a royal, a princess. A Lannister. Through the acts of thievery, she ends up in Winterfell, being raised by Lord and Lady Stark. As Jon Arryn's death has come to pass, King Robert needs a new Hand. Who other than her father, Eddard...
"Nothing's more hateful than failing to protect the one you love."
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Charlotte's POV
I knew the exact place where we were heading. After all, I walked to this room hundreds of times as a child after having frightening nightmares.
The Queen and I walk through the opened doors of the bedchambers, meeting the eyes of my previous mother, Lady Catelyn. I was otherwise distracted by the unmoving body in the bed beside her.
Bran......
I rushed over to the right side of the bed, falling on my knees. I held his cold hands between mine. There was a faint rise and lift of his chest, indicating life. I could not look at his face, and see nothing. A blank canvas. I was not going to remember him this way. His smile full of happiness. The love that always filled his eyes.
Lady Catelyn speaks softly, catching my eyes. "He whispers your name in his sleep." She turns to my mother, standing quickly.
My mother speaks softly. "Please."
Lady Catelyn notions to her bedclothes. "I would have dressed, Your Grace."
"This is your home. I am your guest." The lighter side I enjoyed seeing of my mother. "Handsome one, isn't he?" I softly drop Bran's hand, standing to join my mother at the foot of the bed. I was no longer a Stark, and should not be acting as though Winterfell was my home.
"I lost my first boy." What? "A little black head beauty. He was a fighter too. Tried to beat the fever that took him. Forgive me.... It's the last thing you need to hear right now." I stared into my mother's eyes, wondering why I was never told before. She stares down at me with a saddened smile. She was telling the truth.
Lady Catelyn speaks softly, "I never knew...."
"It was years ago, before Charlotte and Joffrey. Robert was crazed, beat his hands bloody on the wall. All the things men do to show you how much they care." Moments of bitter silence fill the room. "The boy looked just like him, such a little thing. A bird without feathers. They came to take his body away... and Robert held me. I screamed and battled, but he held me. "
"That little bundle... they took him away and I never saw him again. I never visited the crypt, never."I wasn't the first child she lost.... I was the second. "I pray to the Mother every morning and night that she return your child to you."
"I am grateful." Lady Catelyn mutters as she glances at me.
"Perhaps this time she will listen." Mother grabs my hand, squeezing it softly. "They returned my child back to me after all these years. I can only hope they do the same for you." She glances towards the door, indicating it was our time to exit. I whisper softly in her ear. "I'll be out shortly."
She nods, offering a trusting smile. I patiently wait for her to exit the room, counting the seconds in a minute to pass the time. Eventually, the sounds of her shoes were a distant echo... and I took this as the perfect time to offer my personal condolences.
