THE LITTLE PUP (EDITING AND REWRITING)

Chapter 16 | A friend of the family

She was sitting on one of the bleachers that were strategically distributed just for the Hand's Joust. There was still no word from Winterfell, which left Lilia anxious. She feared for her brother's life, but most importantly, she feared for the silence's meaning. Could something be happening in her absence? In her father's absence? All she could do was wait, she knew Robb or her mother would send a raven telling them all about the news once there were any.

Another thing that was getting her anxious, or to speak more frankly, that was making her sick to her stomach was Sansa's nerves around the brat that they had the unpleasant misfortune of calling Prince. Just the thought of having him as her King made Lilia wish that he fell off a horse or suffered an awful accident, just to prevent that from happening! On the other hand, she knew she didn't mean it. She couldn't wish him dead... not only because it was treason but also because it wasn't honourable, nor was it what their parents had taught her. It was against her values to wish him badly.

However, that couldn't change the fact that she was eager to have him out of her sight! The sick bastard was looking at her sister but as she smiled, he moved uncomfortably and ignored her, which made Lilia roll her eyes. What did her sister see in that fake lion... or stag... or whatever he really was?!

Speaking of her sister, Sansa wasn't pleased about it, as it was already expected and understandable. Honestly, everybody could see that the young Lady was quite displeased with her betrothed's attitude. If she had been betrothed to any other boy, it was possible for Lilia to say something, but since she is to be the heir to the throne's wife, there's nothing she could do in her power to help her sister, except listening to her walling. 'Poor, sweet child...', Lilia thought. Sansa deserved the world but the eldest Stark knew that whatever would happen, that was not was she was going to get.

"Lovers quarrel?" a stranger's voice echoed. Lilia's attention was drawn to a dark-haired man, who wore a Mockingjay pin in his clothes. She had never seen him in her life, and she never heard about anyone who wore a Mockingjay with his clothes. He had bright, blue eyes, that was undeniable but there was something she couldn't figure out about him. He was mysterious and intriguing, perhaps even interesting... but at the same time, Lilia couldn't say she would want to have a conversation with him on a normal occasion since he was also very intimidating, and she didn't mean Jamie Lannister's kind of intimidating, she meant a creepy kind.

"I'm sorry, do I...?" Sansa beat Lilia to express her thoughts, getting the words out of her mouth. Nevertheless, they quickly obtained the answer from their devoted Septa.

"Sansa, dear, this is Lord Baelish, known as..." the man allowed a smile to be created on his face but there was something about him that still made Lilia quite sceptical. He didn't convince her, at least, at her first sight. Nevertheless, she could come to prove her first impressions an embarrassment due to his attitudes, she couldn't know for sure.

"An old friend of the family. I've known your mother for a long, long time" he explained. Probably, he's from Riverrun, so he might actually know her mother since he was a boy. However, her mother had never mentioned someone who went by the name of Peter Baelish to her, which made her think about it.

If he was a friend of her mother's, she would have talked about him, wouldn't she? But then again, her mother didn't share much of her youth with Lilia, mostly because her eldest daughter would spend most of her time running away to ride her horse or playing with her brothers, instead of trying to perfection her embroidering, for example.

As Lilia's eyes met his figure, she noticed that the smile he had shown publicly seconds prior was long gone and there were no vestiges of its existence. His face was a straight one and something about him made me uncomfortable. Nevertheless, something told her this man would play a huge part in her life during her time in King's Landing.