Arstan Lannister remarked how Jocelyn had been offered no choice but to marry. "You are of no use to them whilst unwed, for one stupid reason only."
Jocelyn tensed, but a smile quickly graced her lips at Arstan's choice of word. "A stupid reason indeed, but one I should leverage no?"
"Marriage is a sentence to many, rarely a blessing."
"It wouldn't be so bad, I think, but- it matters not, whether I declare for Robb or stay put as the new King's sister. Blood will be spilled, war has always been between and about men, and I will not matter untill I give birth to a son, and then he shall matter."
"Perhaps that is why your grandfather doesn't desire for you to marry. There's no real challenge, not untill you have a son."
"He's keeping me as a ward so he has some time to consider his options."
"I predict that Joffrey and Sansa will marry soon, and when she is with child you'll marry and they'll betroth your children."
"I'd hate that." Spoke Jocelyn bluntly, crossing her arms. "But it would be Joffrey's best move, eliminate-"
"Do you think he is a bastard?" Spoke Arstan suddenly, walking up to Jocelyn and keeping his voice low, grimacing Jocelyn looked away. She didn't want to say anything out loud. She had been feeling awfull, for hours it felt as if her mind was being kicked around the room, but when she looked into Arstan's green eyes she felt herself come back to the earth again. She thought about riding her horse along the green landscape of the Westerlands. " Yes." Whispered Jocelyn. She bit her cheek. Why was she trusting him? Arstan was a Lannister. He was a man. Why was his speaking ill about marriage? He didn't have sisters, and his mother died young, not in childbirth either.
It seemed as if Arstan had sensed her worry and so he placed a hand atop her shoulder. Any ordinary knight or even lady would earn atleast three strikes for it, but Jocelyn stepped closer to him, almost instinctively. She needed a- friend.
"Do you think the realm will favor him?" He asked her.
"Not for long, not unless a favorable hand intervenes, so- I expect my grandfather to deal with the brewing rebellions, and then, as an answer, we will have to wait and see."
"Do you mean to wait and see?" Asked Arstan her frowning. "I don't know." She confessed, crossing her arms. Jocelyn suddenly didn't like having a friend, because now- she had to share her doubts and worries, if she had no friends, she could pretend for this problem to go away. She pulled her lip up in a sneer, narrowed her eyes and walked up to Arstan with her head held high.
"It is-"
"Jocelyn." He interrupted her and for a moment Jocelyn's anger melted. She let her hands hang at the sides of her body. "Come, you're in your head, we'll take a walk."
She wanted to sob, never but in this moment had she felt so understood, but- protecting herself, trying not to be foolish she shook her head.
"No." You're a guard, not my lady, - she wanted to say. Instead she shook her head, her eyes still soft.
"I just- I- my father." She whispered before turning around and dismissing Arstan Lannister with a wave of her hand. "Take the- take some time off. I'm going to- sit here for a bit." She admitted. Glueing her eyes to the floor before walking up to her bed and covering her face in her hands.
"Jocelyn?" He tried, but Jocelyn ignored him, a sob leaving her throat, Arstan flinched and he hesitated, reaching for the door, but then he walked up the princess, his long red cloak sinking to the floor as he did. It pooled around his armored figure. He held out his hand, and his sword next.
"My condolences, and let me reaffirm my sword to you- Heir, if you wish to be- or Princes- if you do not. I am yours, my sword is yours . I wil guard you, your secrets and will remain by your side untill the end of my days." He promised. A heavier vow, a more lasting one.
Jocelyn looked up, only momentarily and she grasped her hand across his, efore retracting as if she had touched fire, but still she hid her face into her palm and let out a heavy sob.
"Thank you Ser." She breathed out. "Now let me mourn my father, I will decide our fate at the turning if the moon."
__________
Arstan Lannister bit the inside of his cheek whilst walking across the halls that led back to the Lannister hall. Born a Lannister himself, he took pride in the sights around him, the bold red, the overflow of golden lions and statues of great Lannisters before them. Moons ago he had been tasked with retrieving the Princess from the North. The men he had ridden with had shared verse after verse on the Princess, and also her betrothal to the Stark, whom now prepared a rebellion. Though no one had said a word in Ser Ronnal's presence, and later Arstan had come to understand, through Rod, that the men spoke about Jocelyn more in his absence aswell. As- Arstan was a Lannister, albeit a less important one. He carried a great name, from a great house, but his own father, a cousin to Lord Tywin, had only been Lord of a vast castle south of the Rock, due to his friendship with Lord Tywin's other brother. Brightwater Keep, it had been called, for it sat in front of a great lake. Arstan had spent many summers at the lake with his brothers and half-sister, he missed those days, dearly but he had vowed never to go back.
Arstan locked eyes with Rod Crakehall as he approached Lord Tywin's grand hall, he offered him a tight smile, slapped the other knight on his shoulder.
"Where's the Princess?" Questioned Rod him, a hint of panic in his voice. They were supposed to guard her at all times, ofcourse.
"Mourning her father, in her rooms." Answered Arstan him. "I heard you did well, put an end to that man's life. He sliced up one of our own-0
"We need to talk." Proposed Rod quickly.
"We do?"
"Later, tonight maybe, we'll go for a drink." Spoke Rod, crossing his armsz. He seemed a bit nervous, but Arstan knew, this must have been one of Rod's first kills. "Into town?"
"Yes, Lord Tywin's- he's - he told me I was of great service to him."
Ofcourse he said that thought Arstan, clenchng his teeth. "We'll need to celebrate it." Affirmed the knight. "Go take the watch, I've been sent to retrieve something, I'll return shortly." Mused Arstan, causing Rod to tilt his lips a little. "Fetching her things now, are you?"
"Just being a good knight is all." Promised Arstan.
"What is it you're fetching her?" Rod tilted his head to the side, curiousity in his eyes. As a cousin to the heir of Crakehall, Rod was no shy knight either.
"Her father's letter." Answered Arstan plainly. "So if you could point me in the direction of his body."
"Lord Tywin ordered it be fed to the waves."
"When?"
"Well, half an hour ago. It's long gone, I'm sorry."
Arstan cursed, curling his fist and fighting the urge to slam his knuckles against the wall. He only tensed instead. "You didn't think-"
"No, I didn't think, not with this man's blood all over me. So, let us have a drink- tonight. You might still find his body, was fed by the eastern rocks, the ones we walked past this morning."
"I'll be back." Rushed Arstan, immediately taking off.
It nearly cost Arstan all of his wages to bribe a low shipmaster to row him to the edges of the dangerous rocks amongst the beach of Casterly Rock. It took him far too long to bribe the shipmaster but most of all far too long to reach the beach and actually find the body. The shipmaster had begun cursing him out and swore to tell on Arstan, only when Arstan offered him more coin did the man agree to look.
Fortunately for Arstan, dead bodies floated and Arstan used his peddle to drag the body over the boat, there, almost gagging and definitely cursing a lot, he looked through the blood shaked clothes of the knight. Arstan thanked the gods that the man wasn't wearing much armor, or else he would have sunk the bottom. The knight's eyes had turned glossy, and Arstan gagged as pieces eaten of flesh hung at the man's arm and side. The fish must have gotten to him and eaten from his wounds, atleast the boat had scared the fish off. Arstan didn't much like the ocean.
He found an oiled leather puch beneath the man's soaked doublet, grimacing when his fingers clamped around it. He nearly fell back into the shipmaster's old boat whilst tugging it from the dead man'a neck.
"Stealing from the death are we?"
"None of your business man." Hissed Arstan.
"Figured by your hair, you're a Lannister." Mumbled the man.
Arstan ignored him as he dug through the pouch, he grit his teeth and shot a prayer, hoping to find a dry letter.
The contents were twice as soaked as he had expected them to be, still when Arstan's fingers curled around a rolled up piece of paper, stamped with wax and kept in a small tube of ivory. Fit for a king- or a Princess, he found the contents quite dry.
Water had gotten into the tube, but- onky fragments of the ink had been smeared.
"Pay up boy- or else you can swim back."
Annoyed, but also feeling blessed by finding a readable letter, Arstan threw the leather pouch containing coin, taken from the dead body towards the man. "Keep it, but keep your mouth shut."
"