The Young Lioness

City of Lies: Part 1

Next day, when dawn came, Joanna was already ready to start her training. It was a beautifull day, the sun was shining and there were no clouds in the sky, which showed an incredible blue color. Days like these made Joanna want to practice all day, just so that she could be outside doing one of her favourites things: to fight. When she was fighting she felt free and she felt that she could be herself. Nobody anoyed her, when she had a sword in her left hand. Mostly knights and warriors used the sword in the right hand, however Joanna felt more comfortable with the left. That was why it was a bit more difficult for her to learn the movements.
She went to the training yard and picked up a training sword. She did not training with Sharp Claw, because it could ruined the sword if she got carried away, as she often did. It was made of Valyrian steel and precious to her. Nobody, besides her and Jaime, could know she had it.
Joanna began to strike the dummy with caution and trying to do the tecnics precisely right. She swung the sword, right and left, left and right. Sometimes low, other times high. She would take a step foward or a step back, as it was necessary to keep the balance. Normaly, Joanna would like to have someone to practice with her, in order to have some real fight and to practice her defense. However, in KingsLanding there was no one that could help her with it. Some people thought that was inapropriated for a lady to do such things. And others were afraid either to loose to a girl or to hurt Tywin Lannister's little girl.
She was so focused in her training that she did not notice her nephews and Joffrey's sworn sword aproching.
"You fight very well, aunt, for a girl." Joffrey said laughing. "Your Grace, I am sorry. I did not hear what you said. I am afraid, I was too focused in my training." Joanna lied looking at him. "I said that you fight pretty good for a girl. Of course, that the dummy is just a sac of sand." Joffrey said mocking her. "Isn't that what we are, Your Grace? Sacs of meat and blood. Of course, if you wanted to train with me and teach me how you do it, please be my guest, dear nephew." Joanna said looking at him and leaning on the training sword with her hand. "I..-" Joffrey was saying before being interrupted. "I'd like to train with you, aunt Joanna, when I come of age." Tommen said running to her. Joanna kneeled to be at his height and put a hand in his shoulder. "Of course, you will train with me, my beloved nephew. But first you have to grow up a little bit, the swords are really sharp and I don't want you to get hurt. So let's make a deal, shall we? When you are old enough, I will train you, and you will be better than any other knight in the Seven Kingdoms. Deal?" She said sofly looking at him. "Deal. I can't wait for it." Tommen said smiling. "Allright, if you want to train with me, tomorrow same time here." Joffrey said at last, after finding words to rebut. "Deal. I'll be waiting for you, Your Grace." Joanna said standing and nodding at him. "Who thaught you how to fight anyway?" Joffrey said laughing. He thought that it would be some farmer boy from Casterly Rock, or some lowborn soldier. He could not be more mistaken. "One of the best knights in the Seven Kingdoms. The youngest boy to be named to the Kingsguard. My brother, Ser Jaime Lannister. Your uncle." Joanna said right away, looking at him in the eyes. You could see she was proud to be trained by her brother. However, there was a little sadness in her eyes, too. Jaime was being held prisioner and was not there. Also, those boys would never know that their father was one of the best swordsman in all Seven Kingdoms. It was my brother, your father. If you know who he really is, Joanna thought to herself. Joffrey was shocked to hear that. He knew that she was way better than him, although he refused to admit it. "He may have trained you, but you don't match him not even half." Joffrey said teasing and trying to hurt her. "Guess, you'll have to prove that to me, tomorrow." Joanna said trying to not loose her temper. That hurt, eventhough she knew that it was not true. "Joffrey, you know you are going to loose. Uncle Jaime trained her and she is way better than you." Tommen said to his brother, trying to make him understand. "Shut up! You don't know anything about fights!" Joffrey said to his little brother. "Hey, don't talk to him like that. He is only 6, besides he is your brother." Joanna told him, already irritated. Joffrey nodded reluntacly, because he could not find a better answer. The Hound, who was standing beside Joffrey, managed a small smile. Joanna saw it and smile back. "Anyway, I have to go or otherwise I am afraid that I missed lunch. Thank you for your company, Your Grace. See you later, Tommen. The Hound nice to see you again." Joanna said kissing Tommen's forehead and nodding to the others, leaving. The others nodded back and Tommen gave his aunt a hug.
Joanna put away the training sword and went really fast to her room to change her clothes. She dressed a light brown dress with small details and brown shoes. She loose her hair and put a small tiara with a rose in the midle. Then she make her way quickly to the room where she would have lunch with her brother.
When Joanna entered the room, she saw her brother and Pod. "Good afternoon, I'm sorry. I got held up in my pratice." Joanna said sitting at the table. "I was begining to wonder where you might be." Tyrion said looking at her smiling. Podrick served the food and then Tyrion dismised him. Joanna could not get her eyes off the boy, nor the boy off her, however he hide it very well, she on the other hand... Tyrion saw it and that was why he was smiling at her. A smile that said 'I know what you're thinking, go for it'.
After Pod left, Joanna looked at her brother and said with irony, "You think this is funny, don't you?" "Of course, it is funny. If you had seen your faces." her brother said giggling. "Well, then stop it. It is not funny." she said. "As you wish. Why were you held up in your practice?" Tyrion asked curious. "Well, Joffrey and Tommen passed by and Joffrey started to mock me. You can't really ingnore the King, so I told him that if he thinks I am doing it wrong, he should teach me how he does it. Tomorrow, we are going to trained toghether." Joanna answered, explaining the situation. "Training toghether? You are going to beat him up, you mean." Tyrion said with a giggle. "Why would you said that? I might let him win. He is the King and my nephew after all." Joanna said with a ironic tone. "Are you going to let him win?" Tyrion asked a little confused. "Oh, not a chance. He said I didn't match Jaime not even half, I am going to crush him." Joanna said seriuosly. "That's what I thought." he said smiling. She smile back. "I might need your help." her brother said. "With what?" she asked confused. "I need to get Shae something to do. However, if Cersei finds out who she is, I'm in trouble." Tyrion explained. "Hmm, I see. How about this: you could put her as handmaiden of Lady Sansa, if she agrees to it. That way she was distracted, nobody knows who she is and Sansa has someone, who isn't a spy or an idiot, she could count on." she proposed. "That is a great idea. How come you thought of that before me?!" he said suprised. "A lot of time to think and so little to think about." she said smiling. "Well done." her brother said proud of her. "And what matters does the Hand of the King has to solve today?" Joanna asked curious. "Well, I have a plan and a theory." he answered leaving a mistery in the air. "I assume that the theory gave origin to the plan." she said trying to figure it out. "You assume well. There is a spy of the Queen in the small council. And given that the last Hand got his head chopped off, I think that I should figure out who is the spy." Tyrion said. "I think you should do that too. But, I advice you to not tell sister. She is really angry right now. So what's the plan?" she asked curiously. "I am going to tell each member who I plan to wed princess Myrcella with and tell them that the Queen musn't know. Then I wait, until our sister comes talk to me. More yelling at me actually." Tyrion explained. "That's a really good plan. But you aren't really going to wed Myrcella with someone, are you?" Joanna asked concerned. "I plan to marry her to the prince of Dorne. Why?" Tyrion asked confused. "Brother, you know I respect you and you are the smartest person I know, but have you lost your mind?! Cersei almost made my life a living hell, when I threaten Joffrey. What do you think, she is going to do when you send her only daughter away to Dorne? Besides, the dornishs hate us." Joanna said trying to make him come to his senses. "I know she is going to make my life a hell and that she is not going to rest until it is done. But, I don't want to happen to my niece what happen to Rhagaer Targaryen's children. And, this way, we can make another ally." Tyrion said explaining. "I hope you are right. And that you explained that very well to her, before she decides to kill you. So who are you going to tell the truth to?" she asked. "Grand Maestre Pyrcelle." Tyrion answered. "That would be my bet too." she agreed. "And you? What are you going to do this evening?" he asked changing the subject. "I don't know yet. I might spend some time with Sansa, checked how she is doing. Also, I have to tell sister that I am practicing swordfight with Joffrey tomorrow, before he does." she answered while thinking about it. "You could also spend some time with Pod." Tyrion said shooting the idea. "Seriously, Tyrion." she said looking at him with a anoyed look. "What? I'm just exicted for you two. And also a bit curious." he said rebutting. "There is nothing to be curious about, allright? We talk, I think he is cute and that's that." she said annoyed. "Yet, you can't get your eyes off him. That's something." he said trying to make her understand. "Fine, there is no point in discussing this. So if you want me to spend sometime with him, just send him to bring me dinner and give him this nigth off. I am not saying that there is something going on between us, but I like to have a friend that wasn't related to me or an idiot. Will you stop annoying me, now?" she said softly. "Done. You're my little sister, I will never stop annoying you. Just ask our brother or our sister." Tyrion said giggling. "That's fantastic. Well, I have to go now, if I want to do everything on time. See you, brother." Joanna said leaving the room. Tyrion nodded and she left.
When Joanna left the room to the hall, she saw Pod. "Well, guess I will see you later." she said to him smiling. "See you later, my lady." Podrick said also smiling, however he did not know what that was suppose to mean.
Joanna left and went to find her sister. She did not have to look for much time. The first place she went to was her sister's chambers and she was there. She knocked and her sister opened the door, letting her enter the room. "Hello, sister. I hope I'm  not bothering you." Joanna said entering the room. "No, not at all. What is it?" Cersei asked her. "Well, this morning I was practicing in the yard and Joffrey and Tommen passed by." Joanna said trying to find the words to explain what happened in a way that her sister would not snap at her. "Ah, yes. Tommen was so excited to train with you, when he is older. But, Joffrey did not say anything." Cersei said. "Right. I am going to train with Joffrey tomorrow. He started to mock me, so I said that he should teach me how he does it, of course I didn't actually mean it, but he suggested to practice tomorrow. And well, he is the King." Joanna explained to her. "So, you are going to let him win. Right?" her sister asked her with certainty that it was true. "Sister, you know I love him, he is your child and my nephew. But I am not going to let him win. I will train with him and teach him a few more tecnics if he allows me to. I won't hurt him, I promised. I am telling you this, because I don't want to have any trouble with you again." she said with caution and really softly. "Can't you just let him win once? It shouldn't be difficult." her sister asked trying to make her change her mind. "It is not about being easy or being difficult. I will not loose the respect that people have on me or will I let go of my pride. You understand that I can't be defeated by a boy, or I will never be taken seriously ever again, don't you?" Joanna said trying to make her understand. Joanna was taken aback with that question, her sister knew better than anyone how it is difficult to a woman to be at the same level as a man, specially when it come to sword fighting, however by that time Cersei was asking her to let go of all of that, in order to Joffrey not being defeated. "I understand. But he is the King, you can't beat him up easily." Cersei insisted. "I am not going to beat him up easily. I am well aware that he is the King and I don't want to end up in a dangeon. I know you love your children, I admire that very much. That's why I am talking to you. So please don't ask me to let go of everything I achieve until now." Joanna rebutted. "Fine, I won't ask you to do that. Just please be carefull." her sister said. "Always." Joanna said bliking. Then she excuse herself and left.
Joanna still had to go talk to Sansa and get prepared for dinner.
Joanna went to the garden and found Sansa there sitting on a bench. The garden was beautifull, lots of flowers and it might actually be the only part of the city that did not smell like shit. It was the purest place in the whole KingsLanding. Joanna walked to Sansa and sat next to her. "Hello, Sansa. How have you been?" she asked. "I've been good, given the circunstances. How about you?" Sansa asked. "Likewise. Look, I know I haven't been much of a friend recently. I had some trouble with my sister and then my brother arrived. So, I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?" Joanna said looking at her. She might be angry with the Starks, however the child was innoncent and she was deeply concerned about her. "Of course, I forgive you. I have siblings too, I know how it is, although in my case I might be the one who causes the trouble. Besides, nobody asked me to forgive her since I came to KingsLanding." Sansa answered with a giggle. "Well, now somebody did. I believe you are right, siblings can be difficult sometimes. Do you know anything about your family?" Joanna asked with some concern. "Actually, I don't know much. I know my brother Robb is at war and that Bran and Rickon might be in Winterfell. Also, I think my mother is with Robb. Jon is at the Wall. And that's it." Sansa answered looking down a bit sad. "I don't know for sure, but I heard that your mother was with Renly Baratheon. Your brother Robb wants the independence of the North, so he must be there. And, I am sorry for telling you this, but the Night's Watch went beyond the Wall." Joanna said looking down. "Oh, wow. Thank you for telling me that, it really means a lot. Everybody keeps me in the dark. Do you miss your brother Jaime and your parents?" Sansa asked hoping that somebody felt the same way as her. "Yeah, I miss Jaime. He was the one who thaught me how to fight and our personalities are very similar, of course there are huge differences, but he is the one to whom I indentefy myself the most. And now, he is not here. As of my parents, my father I miss him, eventhough I am used to it." Joanna answered a bit sad. "And what about your mother?" Sansa asked looking at her. "My mother died when I was a baby, so I never knew her. I have her name, you know?" Joanna answered sadly. "I'm so sorry, I did not know. At least, you have something to remember her by." Sansa said embarrased. "It's allright, don't worry. Everyone keeps telling me that I look like her and that I am just like her. So, I'm trying to kinda live up to my name." she said looking at the garden. "If everyone tells you that, surely it must be true. I think I look like my mother too. But, I have a sister, Arya, and we are different as the sun and the moon and I thought I wouldn't miss her, however I do actually. The other day, I saw you practice in the yard. I remembered her, she isn't much of lady as well. Although, she doesn't even try to be one." Sansa said changing the subject. "Give her some time. I didn't try much either, when I was little. I only learn it when I was 12. At the same age, I started to train with sword, so I really don't know how did Jaime and Cersei managed to teach me both things at the same time. But, they did. However, I still don't like to be a lady." Joanna said giggling. "You would be mad at me, if I say I hate your sister, but in some way I admired her." Sansa said looking down. "No, I wouldn't. I know how my family is. Cersei changed a lot and not for the better. My family is pretty messed up, but is the only family I'll ever had. Everything I am, I owe to them, specially my siblings." Joanna said looking at her smiling. "Your sister is really mean to me and Joffrey is even worse. Tonight, I will have dinner with her and I am already scared." Sansa confessed to her. "Look, I know my sister is really mean sometimes and Joffrey, well, he is a brat. You are very strong, you know. I can't do anything about my sister or the fact that you are suppose to marry Joffrey, but I am going to beat him up tomorrow at training, so if you look through your window, you'll see that he is just a boy. And you are a woman, you are stronger and smarter than him so don't let him abuse of you." Joanna said taking her hands. "I am strong? You can use a sword better than anyone I ever seen. I heard that you were ready to go rescue your brother, by yourself." Sansa said with a giggle. "I was. But, you know what? I could never endure an arranged marriage or stand the life at court." she said giggling. "Really?" Sansa asked suprised. Joanna nodded smiling. "Listen, I know or I hope my brother wants to trade me for your brother. I just don't know why he did not do it, yet. I really wanted that to happen, so that both of us would be able to be with our families, again." Sansa said looking at her. "Your brother can't just release the Kingslayer, like that. I know Jaime has  lots of people who hate him in the North. I want that to happen too. Until then we just have to keep on living, right?" Joanna said remembering her dreams. Sansa nodded. "Well, I have to go. I'm sorry, I won't be able to have dinner with you. But, I promised my brother I would do something and I really want him to stop annoying me with it. Tomorrow morning, I'll check on you, allright? Be strong tonight." Joanna said standing up. Sansa nodded and Joanna left.
She made her way to her chambers. When she got there, she composed herself and made sure everything was in the right place. She was not sure why she wanted  everything to be in place and clean, however she just knew that it was how it was suppose to be. Why did I have this idea in the first place?, she thought to herself. She was really nervous.
All of sudden, she heard a knock on the door. She opened it and let Pod enter the room. He put the food on the table and was ready to leave.
"Pod?" she asked smiling. "Yes, my lady?" he replied. "Have you had dinner, yet?" Joanna asked. "No, my lady. I was going to eat something now, your brother gave me the night off." Pod answered. "Well, then stay and have dinner with me, will you?" she asked. "I would love to, but isn't that a little inopropriated for a squire and a lady to have dinner toghether?" he asked shyly. Joanna walked to the door and closed it. "Pod, I am a lady that fights with a sword and hates to wear dresses. Believe me, I have done way more inapropriated things than having dinner with my brother's squire." she said smiling. "Well, then I'd love to have dinner with you, my lady." he said also smiling. They sat at the table and started to have dinner.
"So, you are from house Payne right?" Joanna asked.
"Yes, and my house is a bannerment of yours, my lady." Pod answered. "Don't call me lady, please." Joanna said with a giggle. "As you wish, Joanna." he said smiling. "Thank you. Have you ever been to the Rock?" she asked curious. "I think that I went there, when I was 10. But, I don't remember much. Last time, I was only in camp." he answered. "Tell you what, someday, we are going there toghether and I will show you everything." she said smiling. "I'd like that very much. I'll be looking forward to it." he said smiling. "Good. Allright, now is your turn to ask me a question. I mean, if you like to, of course. I will be honest, I want to know you better. You seem like a good guy and I don't have much people I can talk to or be with here. So...And I have been talking too much. Sorry..." she said embarrased. Shit! How did this happen? she thought to herself. "Hey, that's allright, don't worry. I'd like to know you better too. I just didn't say anything, because well, you are a lady and I am a squire. Your brother's squire to be precisely. I also don't know anyone here, so..." he said reasuring her. "Good, then we are on the same page. Don't worry about my brother, he has been annoying me about we get to know each other." she said with a giggle. "That would make two of us. Don't tell him, I said that." he said with a giggle. "I can't believe it." she said giggling. "Can I ask my question?" he asked. She nodded.
"Do you preffer Casterly Rock or KingsLanding?" he asked. "Casterly Rock. It's more peacefull. And it's my home. My turn, do you hope, one day, to be a knight?" she asked. "I do. This is probably the longest way, but I don't mind. Which place in Westeros, do you like to see?" he asked. "Aah, let's see. The Wall, probably. It is said that it is huge, I'd like to see that." she answered. "Really? Me too. We'll go there toghether." he said smiling. "Great. I just don't know, if I would be welcome in the North. I'm a Lannister." she said looking down. "We will go in disguise. No one will know who we are. And once we get to the Wall, no one can harm us." he said reasuring her. "That's a good plan. When you are a knight, we will go." she said smiling.
They spent hours and hours talking, before Pod left to his room.
That night, Joanna did not dream about home. Instead, she dreamt that she was in the Wall with Podrick.