Carliene Stark

Chapter 56

Carliene

"Farewell my Ladies, the next time I'll see you, it'll be with the little one in your arms" Dorna said excitedly as she got hold of my shoulders and kissed my cheeks.

The caravan of wagons and carriages had already started leaving, the horses of the accompanying knights snorting nervously.

I smiled in return. The realisation of her statement causing a bit of excitement to sprout in myself.

"Have you already thought of names?" Janei wondered tilting her head as she approached me.

I shook my head. "No, not at all" I realised.

"You could call it Janei" she suggested with a with grin. 

"Oh silly girl, and what if its a boy" her mother laughed and pulled her towards their carriage. "Farewell Lady Carliene"

Be careful, I thought. King's Landing is a dangerous place.

I watched as they climbed into their carriage, lost in thoughts when a horse blocked my view. I stepped back in surprise and looked up at the rider. Lord Kevan was wearing his armour, a long crimson cloak draping over the back of his horse.

"Safe travels" I said averting my eyes, still embarrassed of my words from the night before. I had shown weakness.

"I'll send my nephew home" he said in a promising tone. "He should take his rightful place now then ever, and return to his wife"

The only profit I saw in the kingslayer's return was that Bronn would most likely come with him. And I desperately wanted to swing a sword again. 

"Thank you" I answered simply and watched him ride off, following the carriage holding his family.

I hadn't quite decided how I felt about their departure. I was glad of course that for once there were no Lannisters around me. But I had grown strangely accustomed to Lady Dorna and the thought that I was left alone with my pregnancy unnerved me a bit. There were still so many questions I had about motherhood. Questions I had been too proud to ask until it was too late.

In that moment I realised that I missed my mother. Missed her terribly in fact.
That's strange. I had never been close to Catelyn, I felt I could never please her. I never spoke ladylike enough, my handwriting was never as pretty and I always dirtied my dresses. Part of me now understood that she must have been embarrassed of me. Of where I came from. I was what was left of a broken marriage.

But now I missed her. Now I had so many questions, now I wanted her help.
Calm down, it'll be a while 'till the little one gets here, I tried to tell myself.

The next few weeks were rather pleasant for me. I managed to convince Creylen and Ser Broom to let me move back into the chamber the kingslayer and I had shared before. It was larger and brighter and made me feel less then a prisoner and less like I was caged all the time. I spent my time in the sun of my new balcony, reading and on rare occasions even trying to stitch or sow something.
I often visited the maesters tower, even after my hand needed no more treatment. I borrowed books from his library and liked talking to him as I found his company rather pleasing.
In the evenings I often sat in my bed, stroking my enlarged stomach. Telling the little one about my family and Winterfell and stories I remembered of old Nan. Sometimes I even sang to it. It made me feel less lonely.

At one point I wished that it would stay like this forever. That I could find peace in living here on the rock without the lions, raising my child by myself and raising it to be good and to care not for power and name but for the people. I hoped the kinglsayer wouldn't listen to his uncle and stay in the capital, so I wouldn't have the face the fact that he was the father. I didn't want him to be. What kind of father could he be, after pretending his own incestuous children had not been his their entire lives?

For a months we lived in peace and then came the letter from King's Landing. 

"Ser Davon has been named Warden of the West and shall arrive within the week" Creylen explained, his eyes darting over the page as he sat next to my table.

"Named by whom?" I asked still focused on my stitching. I had given up on difficult motives but realised that I could do the pattern of paw prints rather well and easily.

"By the queen" he informed, frowning at the letter.

I rolled my eyes. "Which queen?" I pushed. "I get confused with their constant changes over there"

"Queen Cercei"

I bit my lower lip, lowering my attempt at needlework. "Ser Daven you say?"

He nodded. "A distant cousin. His father had been brother to the late Lady of the Rock"

A shiver went down my spine at the thought of the Lannister family tree. They'll be doomed just as the Targaryans if they keep inbreeding.

"He's currently in charge of a large part of the Lannister army in the Riverlands" Creylen went on. "After his father was killed by northmen"

Great. He's going to love me then.