Carliene Stark

Chapter 5

Carliene 

"Raise your arms please" the dress-maker asked or rather commanded.


I stared at the floor in disgust, but did as I was told. I guess my intended was as sick as I was of the dress I had been forced to wear for the last five days. Today he had brought a dress-maker with him, I suppose he had also gotten tired of my silence. I had started to refrain from speaking as a way of protest. That was after I finally realised that I was trapped. Trapped in this castle, trapped in this betrothal, trapped with the lions. 
The lady measured my chest and then my arm and then my waist. Kingslayer was standing by the window, he looked almost bored, though I could not quite tell from the corner of my eye. I was too proud to look at him. Just when the dress-maker had finished taking my measurements and I stepped down from the little stool, the door was opened and a man I liked even less than the Kingslayer stepped into the room. 
 

 "Have you finished" Lord Tywin asked the lady in his cool tone. 
 

 "Yes, M'Lord" she nodded eagerly. 
 

 "Great, then leave me alone with Lady Stark" he ordered and everyone left the room as I kept staring at the floor. 
Then the door shut again he looked me up and down. "So you have take to silence" he stated.

The answer was apparent as I didn't speak. 
I crossed my arms before my chest, the loose while gown suddenly did not seem fitting to cover me anymore and I felt horribly exposed. 

 "Have you finally accepted your faith?"
 I didn't budge. 
 "You should be glad, you could have it way worse. Rotting in some dungeon in Kingslanding or work in some brothel where everyone eventually forgets your name. This way you will be wife to the warden of the west, and who knows, one of your heirs might just become the next warden of the north. The Boltons are not expected to rule for long"


His words didn't move me. I was only expecting these temptations and sentimental offerings. 
He waited for a response for a little wile before he sighed. "Bite your tongue then, I suppose it will be much easier for us this way anyways" with those words he turned to the door.

"The north remembers" I stated softly and bitterly and he turned to look at me, the door handle already in his hand. We stared at each other for a moment and gooseflesh traced my back as I held his gaze. 

"Good" he finally retorted and left.

I stared at the door in fury before I let myself fall into my bed and screamed into my pillow. I could feel my face heat up and soon tears seeped from my eyes into the soft cushion. Tears of pure rage. I wanted to strangle them all. To jump at them and tear their throats out with my bare teeth. On quite a few occasions I had asked myself why I didn't just do that. What was my life still worth here. Why not go down fighting. And I had to admit to myself that some of those temptations were nagging at me. I always told myself that once I was a lady of a warden I too had the chance to do good and maybe rid the world from some of its wrongs... but I didn't want to do it in the west! The home of my enemies! I wanted to do it in my home. I wanted to build Winterfell back up and heal the land and its people. Instead I was stuck here, to marry a man who was famous for killing his former king, fucking his sister and fathering what had to be the worst bastard in Westeros.

The next day no one came to visit me apart from the servants who brought me food, which was partially calming and partially unsettling. I had been in the same four walls for far too long. I wanted to get out, breathe the fresh air, have the wind brush through my hair and see the sky. I wanted to ride again and to swing a sword. But the day dragged on with not the least bit of entertainment. Looking out of the window didn't bring me any joy either as it was set too look straight at a taller castle wall, which if you can imagine didn't make for an interesting view. 


The morning of the following day the Kingslayer came to visit me again. He looked to be dressed for a sword training session, with a leather tunic and some padded pants. He was struggling to hold a large book in his left had as his right hung uselessly at his side as always. 
 "I thought you might like something to read" he stated. 


Actually I was dying to have something to do, anything was great to me at this point, but I just kept staring at the wall outside of my window. 
 

 "I don't know if its any good, I got it out of my brothers room" he continued. "Anyways just something to pass the time" he finished as he realised that I was unresponsive still. 


As soon as he left the room I hurried over to the desk and grabbed the book. It was a thick volume reading 'Summer and Winter and how to predict their lengths", I frowned slightly and almost smiled in amusement. Not really something I would have chosen, but having nothing better to do I opened it regardless and found that it had rather nice drawings and sketches of flowers and animals and their behaviour during the different seasons. I fell asleep reading that night, hugged by pages of knowledge I never knew I needed.