The Little Wolf

Chapter 22 | Princess Snowflake

They moved their lips in sync. Lilia had never kissed anyone other than Theon and it had been years since that time. She had dreamt of feeling his lips on hers for some time, even if it would be a one last time thing. However, that was before she met Daemon.

Ever since she met the young squire, she took an interest in him. She wasn't brave enough to pursue it but Arianne's speech gave her the courage to go after what she wanted.

"My Lady... I... we..." Daemon started to speak as they split. He was caught out of guard but he still knew that was what he had been craving since his eyes met Lilia's the night of the feast. "We could be seen, what about your honour?"

"Damn my honour, it's all but lost" Lilia whispered as she put her forehead against his. "I want you to know that I... I have great affection for you, Daemon"

"My Lady, you are..." Lilia pressed her index fingers against Daemon's lips as she shushed him. She didn't want to hear his words, she knew what he was going to say and she could care less about that. "You are a Lady, you are sister to two Kings, I'm only a squire and a bastard at that!"

"Since when do people of Dorne care about that?" Lilia asked confused as he walked away from her. He turned his back on her and brushed his hair with his fingers nervously. "You said it yourself, people in Dorne treat bastards as well as they..."

"It does not matter what people in Dorne think! You are not dornish and even if you were..." Lilia's mouth fell open in shock. She could not believe Daemon was reacting like that. Her heart ached and it was breaking right there upon the rejection he had given her.

"No, I'm not! I'm Lilia Stark of Winterfell and I'm a Princess of the North! I'm sister to King Robb Stark! What about that?! I'm sister to a rebel and daughter to a confessed traitor! What does it matter?!" she screamed at him as she tried to bring him to reason. She felt disappointment taking over her head and her senses being blinded by it. Yet, no matter how hard she tried to avoid those thoughts... she would not bring herself to wake up back in reality.

"What will people say about you? I'm worried about your honour! You say that it's all gone but right now what people see is a girl who was abused by a boy King!" he replied with wary eyes. He walked even further and turned to face her once more. Her eyes were bright due to the tears that were being created. He cared more about station than feelings and Lilia didn't need that in her life. "I'm not worthy of you and I shall never be. You are to marry a High Lord, that's what it is to be your fate. And as much as it pains me, I'm not in that future"

"Then marry me!" she expelled out of desperation. "If your problem is marriage, then marry me. Once it's done there is no way of undoing it! I could be your wife and I would stay here and live a good life. I would be wife to a knight"

"With all the respect, My Lady, but I shall reject your proposal. Now, if you'd allow me, I have to attend to my duty just as you do" he walked away from her, leaving her at the gardens on her own.

"He is right, you know it, Princess Snowflake" Lilia turned to face a dornishman she was not keen on seeing at that moment. Daemon's refusal made her question dornishmen. People went on and on about how they were different from the rest of the people in the Seven Kingdoms, yet they would use the same reasoning and they would set their mind the same exact way. "You may not see it now but he's doing it for his own good"

"I know what is in my best interest and what would make me happy! HE would make me happy, not some blond Lannister or a fat northern man or even worse an old man from the Riverlands!" Lilia explained her point. Her heart was beating faster as seconds went by. She could not understand why but she was between upset and lovesick. She wondered if what she was feeling could be called heartbreak though she had felt it only once.

"Not even Theon Greyjoy?" Lilia froze at the mentioning of Theon. She wondered if they would ever meet again, and if they were to meet again, under which circumstances would that happen? Would she feel the same way about him as she used to back when she lived at Winterfell? She did not know, she could not know. Thinking about Theon was something that came easily for her, but having her thoughts being confronted by the mentioning of him? That was a whole different story! "You hesitated. There is still a place for Theon Greyjoy in your heart. I heard the rumours about your young, forbidden love story"

"There was none of that. You shouldn't believe rumours. People would say anything to make themselves look better than anyone else" she said coldly, earning a smirk from Oberyn. He knew better than to believe in her lies, especially since he could smell bad liars miles away from him and she was just in front of him. "I loved Theon like a brother and he loved me like a sister, there was no romance between us"

"I do get that you have spent too much time with the Lannisters, and therefore, notions of family got quite lost on you" Lilia smiled at that. She had been listening to the rumours that said that Joffrey was nothing more than a bastard, a fruit of incest committed by the Lannister twins. She did not know if she could believe it to be true, but she did know that their disgrace amused her. She would even dare to say that their disgrace was the only bright side to all the misery she had been put through. "However, you do not kiss your brother neither do you...

"I don't get why you would bring Theon into our conversation. He means nothing to me and if you'll allow me, I'd ask you not to mention him. Thank you very much" Lilia said while swallowing hard. She felt herself sweating as she said those words. The mentioning of him made her truly uncomfortable. Despite everything that had happened, they would never marry, it would never be possible nor would it be acceptable. Her father would have never allowed it while he lived and now that her husband was to be decided by her eldest brother, she knew that he would never allow her to do as she pleased. But then again, she had other plans.

She reprehended herself for her stupid impulse when asking Daemon to marry her. He was right. He was a bastard and even though it was no problem to her, she had a greater destiny. Her fate was to be wife to a High Lord in order to seal an alliance, and that Lord would be Willas Tyrell.

Not Daemon Sand, not Theon Greyjoy, not Joffrey Baratheon, not Quentyn Martell. Willas Tyrell was to be her husband and she had to get that in her head and keep it clear in her mind.

Lilia Stark of Winterfell. Daughter of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn Tully. Sister to the King in the North, Robb Stark. Princess of the North. Wife to Willas Tyrell. Wardeness of the South.

That was who she had been and was meant to be. It was a sort of itinerary that she had to keep following, in that specific order. And she couldn't let her feelings blind her judgement or her goal.

It was time for her to wear the armour and fight for herself and for her family.