Shireen Baratheon - Tumblr Posts
The Careful Fawn & The Curious Wind
Previous Part
Summary: 徐浩然 (Xú Hàorán) plops his daughter to Storm's End as he feels it is an opportunity to gain even more wealth. When 美灵 (Měilíng) first arrives, she feels disgusted by the heir of House Baratheon. However, her intrigue is slightly peaked at the sullen expressions of his younger brother.
Warning(s): MDNI 18+; Domestic Abuse; Child Abuse; Canon-Typical Misogyny, Sexism, Racism; Robert is a pig; Měilíng's dad is still the worst; the story is going to be written like those Ted Ed mythic videos
Author's Note: Please go to the masterlist to read from the beginning. Exams and ADHD are kicking my ass, and I need a distraction. Please do not repost without my permission. I did not come up with the names for the Yi Ti regions; that credit belongs to the brilliant @anya-snow. Mandarin Translations are at the bottom.
“Hàorán could not wait to return to Wan. However much gold he gained, Dorne’s blistering heat rivaled Ren’s. He missed the breezes brought by the Jade Sea. The salty air and the hustle and bustle of his home were music to his ears.
Thinking how his bastard had been instrumental in this trip, he decided to reward her by allowing her to revisit her mother. Her vigor to improve herself grew when he brought up Nan’s name. The flute she gifted Měilíng had provided much aid in their journey. He could only imagine what other gifts she would give this time.”
Hàorán was about to give orders for his ship’s captains to head off for Wan. But he was stopped by a messenger who informed the merchant that Princess Lorenza had requested his presence in the courtyard. Thinking the woman had wished to purchase more of his goods, he was shocked to hear that she wanted to send his daughter to an acquaintance’s home up north in the Stormlands.
Lorenza informed him that her good friend, the Lady Cassana of House Baratheon, wanted to host Měilíng at Storms End for a year. She was so impressed with the quality of the silks and jewels that she begged the Princess of Dorne for the new trader’s identity. When she heard that the old merchant had a young daughter around her eldest son’s age, her tender heart overflowed with pity at the idea of the girl being isolated with no children her age to play with in a strange country.
She understood that the journey between the two countries was long and tiresome. She reasoned that he was welcome to accompany her for the first few weeks to ensure his daughter’s comfort and ease. He would ensure that his precious child be well-fed and taken in good hands as Cassana only had sons and longed for the company of a girl, even one from a faraway land.
But such news could not have come at a better time for Hàorán. He became giddy with the prospect that he could become even richer by gaining the attention of one of the most noble houses in Westeros. His advisors informed him that Lord Steffon of House Baratheon at Storm’s End was close friends with the king. If all went well, he would become the wealthiest man in Yi Ti if his luck continued.
Returning to the ship, he burst into Měilíng’s quarters before ordering her to leave with her things. She was expected at Storms End with a noble family and his two sons. He ordered her handmaidens to prepare her finest garments and warned his daughter that any word of her humiliating him would result in dire punishment when she returned.
“Měilíng felt more akin to a painted peacock than a human girl. Her father had ordered this 汉服(Hànfú) weeks before they departed from Wan. The finest seamstresses in his home stitched the black-dyed-silk 袍服(Páo fú) embroidered with a red and gold dragon flying over blue and white waves. The collar dug into her neck in an attempt to choke her. She wanted so badly to loosen it, but her father would find out and may retaliate such an act with a far harsher punishment than being sent to her room without dinner. The floor-length ivory-silk pleated 裙 (Qún) skirt was so long that she had to take tiny steps to prevent her from falling flat on her face. And each step she took resulted in excruciating pain. Měilíng was most fortunate not to be forced to wear the 莲履 (Lián lǚ) shoes she’d seen so many wives and daughters of high-ranking court officials wear. Hàorán had tried to break her feet to fit the lotus shoes. Luckily, one of Elia’s handmaidens had knocked to ask for Měilíng’s company before she was to depart.
Elia had been so distraught to know that her new friend would leave her so quickly. She had wanted to bring Měilíng with her to the Water Gardens. Oberyn was also upset at his new friend leaving. He loved Sunspear, but dealing with only his parents and older brother was boring. Elia was fun, but she was always busy with her lessons. He wanted someone new to play with.
Měilíng was uncomfortable with the tears of the two young Martells. She had only recently met them but could tell they were good people. They were not cruel like her father, nor did she think they were the kind of people who would turn a blind eye like the many servants employed under Hàorán. Měilíng begrudgingly asked if she could send letters to them as a way to keep in touch.
The princess and her younger brother only blankly stared briefly before cheering and tackling the girl to the ground. The action greatly startled her, but it was better than dealing with crying and tears.
‘It was strange to have friends,’ thought Měilíng, ‘but I think I will miss them.’
The corners of her lips upwardly twitched at the memory of her new friends. Elia was so kind and bright, and Oberyn showed promise to be a great leader and warrior. The night before she and her father left, the princess demanded that she spend the night in her chambers. They laughed and played and gossiped for hours. Elia revealed that she danced with Rhaegar in King’s Landing and gushed about how handsome he looked with his silver hair, chiseled jaw, and deep violet eyes.
Měilíng wrinkled her nose at the image in her head. Targaryens left a bitter taste in her mouth. She disagreed with the idea of them being the only ones deserving to control such magnificent creatures. The idea of being forced to be bred by a brother made her sick. The water dragons that once ruled Shenlong did restrict themselves to the nobility. They chose their riders by judging their souls, and a bond of mutual respect and loyalty would be born.
Elia broke Měilíng from her thoughts by asking her an important question.
‘Do you think he liked me as much?’ she asked with bright and hopeful eyes. ‘Do you think he would like being married to me?’
Měilíng thought carefully about how to answer the young princess’s question. She was not so close to her to respond with her true thoughts. From what Elia told her, Prince Rhaegar’s only noteworthy competencies were playing the lyre and reading books. But she still did not want to lie to the kind girl.
‘I think he would be a fool to dislike you,’ she responded. ‘I think if he ever fell in love with anyone else, he must be the most delusional and stupid person who doesn’t deserve the title ‘Prince.’
The giggles and smiles Elia gifted her made Měilíng feel more confident in her answer. Elia was so sweet and wonderful. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. If the prince thought anyone else was more worthy of love was not fit to rule. This was a fact.”
Storm’s End was a fearsome structure. A massive stone tower stood alone in the center as the keep’s curtain walls surrounded it and barely met half the tower’s height. Judging by the cliff's height drop, it was a one-hundred-fifty-foot drop to sharp and jagged rocks across the beach. Měilíng shuddered at the idea of living her whole life in this place. But she was curious to learn about the keep’s history and the stories the walls held.
Riding the entrance of the giant keep made Měilíng’s knees buckle. Judging by how the waves crashed onto the rocky shore that entered her ears, the castle's name was fitting. The winds blowing through her hair were angry and fierce, nothing like the breezes in Yi Ti. The sea brought strong and chilling winds to the ports of Wan. In Shenlong, the sea blew warm and mellow breezes to the docks. Měilíng wondered what atrocities were committed for such furious howling.
Outside the doors was a man looking around half her father’s age, his wife, and two boys who seemed to be a younger copy of the grown man. The man wore a black satin tunic with gold embellishments and a cape draped across his chest and down his back. The cape was held by an ornate gold brooch that carried the Baratheon House sigil of a black stag on a gold background. He was a giant towering his wife by almost three heads, had a head full of lush black curls with gray streaks, and a thick black beard. His eyes were a clear crystal blue and shone with confidence and kindness.
His wife was a pretty woman who wore a bright turquoise-green dress with green sea turtles stitched into the frock. Her honey-orange locks were gathered in a single braid over her head, and Měilíng spied a small silver turtle pendant hanging on a simple chain. Her eyes were a warm tone of russet that shone her excitement by how wide her smile grew at the approaching carriage.
The two boys had differing heights. The taller one wore a broad smile, while the other looked like he was here against his will. It would seem that fact was something he and Měilíng had in common.
Exiting the ornate wagon, Měilíng bowed in respect to her hosts. It was a great relief that her father had not accompanied her on this trip. His distaste for his sole offspring served her well in this circumstance. When permitted to rise, she was immediately warmly greeted by the lovely woman.
“Cassana knew it was improper to give such a warm greeting to someone so below her station. But she could not help herself! She could not help but be absolutely besotted by the small child in front of her. She had never seen a YiTish person, and all the stories from the maesters in her childhood home in Greenstone proclaimed that they were short with eyes so small that it looked like they couldn’t open.
But such claims were clearly false! The girl before her was so darling! Her skin had a light and healthy tan, and no blemish was visible. Her almond-shaped eyes almost resembled a doll with how wide and innocent they looked. Her round cheeks seemed so soft, making her more adorable. Apparently, she was supposed to be around Robert’s age, but she only went as much as Stannis’ height.
Her robes were made of the same silk that Lorenza’s daughter and sons wore at the banquet, but they were dyed in black. But even with that dreadful color, she looked like a fairy! Her hair was intricately braided in a style completely unfamiliar to her. It looked like two butterfly loops stood on top while the rest of her hair fell like a dark waterfall.
Lord Steffon chuckled at his wife’s poorly contained excitement. He knew how much she longed for a daughter to dress up and play with. Their two boys were blessings, and they loved them more than anything, but their differences caused more strife than solutions. Robert was rowdy and always itching to fight. He had all the makings of a strong and fine warrior, while Stannis preferred to keep to himself with his books and learn how to fulfill his duties as the second son of House Baratheon.
Robert visibly deflated in disappointment. When Mother and Father informed him they would be expecting a guest from a faraway country, he had hoped they would be a mercenary or a pirate – not some stupid daughter of a trader with more wrinkles than an old bull’s ballsack who only knew how to wear dresses. And her face! Was it so necessary that she have such a blank expression? Why were her eyes so small? His eyes trailed down from her face, and he was further displeased. Why had her tits not developed? This was going to be a boring summer – Robert knew it. But at least he would soon be at the Vale to see Ned again.
He supposed it was amazing that a foreigner from such a savage land could speak Common Tongue. But he can’t imagine it being too difficult to learn from her likely backwater language. But her only saving grace for her looks was her dark almond-shaped eyes and glossy black hair. It made her rather exotic-looking. But that was it.
Stannis only looked at his feet. He did not share the same enthusiasm as Mother and Father for sharing their ancestral home with a foreign stranger. He wasn’t so rude to show his disappointment as vividly as Robert, but he could not deny his irritation at the sight of the girl. Had it been the merchant himself, he could have asked him the questions he had after reading the book Maester Cressen gifted him. But just looking at the blank expression on her face as she stood fully adorned in opulence, he could tell she would know nothing beyond fairy tales and silly songs meant for children. But still, as a son of the ancient House Baratheon, he would maintain his duty to show adequate propriety to his mother’s guests. He respectfully bowed his head as a sign of appreciation for her acknowledgment of the difference in status.”
Měilíng was so far unimpressed with the two boys. Lord Steffon and Lady Cassana have been most gracious hosts, and she was grateful to be so warmly received by the Lady of the Keep herself. But it was clear as day to see how their sense of decorum and graciousness was not passed down to their children.
Lady Cassana was a warm and lovely woman. Her kindness and hospitality reminded Měilíng much of Elia, the bright and excited friend from Dorne that she unexpectedly became very close to while she resided there. She shared the history of Storm’s End and how the name came from the multitude of storms of two gods angered by their mermaid daughter’s marriage to a mortal son.
The elder son, Robert, made no attempt to hide his displeasure of her. He was clearly displeased at the fact that this new girl had stolen his mother’s attention. As a result, he thought of her as ‘boring’ or ‘stupid’ based entirely on her appearance. The entire time their mother led Měilíng to her guest chambers, he loudly whispered in his brother’s ear about missing someone named ‘Ned’ and how he couldn’t wait to go down to the courtyard to spar with their swordmaster.
Měilíng was also getting impatient with her irritation. Was it really so necessary for him to be so loud? Did he really think she wanted to be here? She wanted to go home. She wanted to return to Yi Ti, to Wan, to her mother. Once more, Měilíng cursed her father. Once more, he trapped her in a cage. If she could, she would summon all the winds with her flute and let them carry her and her mother back to their simple home on the docks of Shenlong.
Stannis grew annoyed and exasperated with his brother’s behavior like their guest. Why was he trying so hard to ruin Mother’s mood? She had been excited for weeks at the confirmation of the girl’s arrival. He was no more pleased with her appearance, but he refused to sink so low to show his crossness in such an undignified manner like his brother. He would keep his thoughts to himself and accompany his mother in showing their guest her quarters for the year. Afterward, he would retreat to the library. He had wasted too much time as was.
Měilíng had almost dropped her jaw in complete shock once she entered the room meant to be hers for an entire year. It was absolutely gorgeous. Masters in their craft created the floor tiles. The mosaic in the center was made in the image of water lilies in a serene pool of blue. The swirls of green vines, the white petals' shine, and the yellow dragonflies' brightness created a beautiful picture. The balcony was facing the sea, which calmed after the storm passed. Its serenity under the bright blue sky as the sun’s golden rays twinkled on the surface was more beautiful than she could imagine.
The four-poster bed frame was made of a sturdy dark wood glossy from the stained finish. The canopy draped over the poster top was a flowy green fabric. But the mattress was the most significant difference between this bed and the one she slept in her father’s home. Back in Wan, the bed had a thick blanket over a thick slab of clay above a small oven. In the winter, the stove would be lit to heat the clay for warmth throughout the night. But this bed looked so much softer than that slab of stone. Měilíng wondered if once she laid on it for sleep, she would ever want to wake up again.
“Cassana watched with bated breath for Měilíng’s reaction. So far, the girl had yet to reveal whether she appreciated or disliked the room. She saved this room for the day she would be blessed with a daughter, but for now, it would belong to the YiTish girl who held the Princess and Princes of Dorne’s attention. When the girl turned, her dark eyes were bright in wonder and trepidation.
‘My lady,’ she began, ‘this is far too much for someone like me. I am no one so worthy of such finery. Is there no room more befitting of my station?’
‘Oh no! My dear, you needn’t worry about such things.’ Lady Cassana reassured Měilíng. ‘My husband and I are more than happy to make your stay in our home as pleasant as can be. I am unfamiliar with Yi Ti's homemaking and furnishings, but I hope it can provide you with some comfort.’
Měilíng still felt uncomfortable being permitted to stay in so much luxury as a guest. ‘My lady, I have not brought anything to repay your kindness. I will write to my father immediately to rectify this mistake. After all, it is customary for a guest to provide gifts to the household members that host them. Is there anything at all I can mention? Teas, fruits, silk?’
Stannis was mildly impressed. Not only was the girl fluent in Westerosi Common Tongue, but she also understood her place in Westeros’ society. She showed the proper mannerisms when addressing a high noblewoman following this country’s customs. At the very least, she did show gratitude for his mother’s generosity. Her politeness and offer only furthered his mother’s insistence on refusing. It would have been polite of him to offer his gratitude – to state that such actions were unnecessary. But glancing back at the strange girl silenced him immediately. Her large, dark eyes were unlike any other girl he had ever seen.
Girls liked to flock around Robert. It made sense- he was the eldest, after all. But when they met his gaze, they would either look for an escape or ignore his presence. They did not care for the opinion of Lord Steffon’s second son. It would not be him who would inherit Storm’s End. But this girl…this…strange girl from a land farther than Essos – she only stared at him. She stared at him with eyes that were so dark that they resembled onyx. But it wasn’t just her eyes. It was the way she stared. There was neither judgment nor disappointment– only curiosity. It made his cheeks burn at the attention, and he turned away to return to his quarters.
‘Strange foreign girl,’ he thought, his cheeks still burning in flushed embarrassment.
Měilíng tuned out Lady Cassana’s rambling. While she was most amiable in her position as a hostess, Měilíng just wanted to rest and be left alone for the rest of the day. The bed was looking more like a cloud with each passing minute. When she tried to look past her lady’s person to focus on a spot on the wall, she accidentally stopped to stare at the shorter son. He didn’t seem bored like his brother. He was reticent the entire time, not betraying a single one of his thoughts with his stern expression. She wondered if he would be open to playing 圍棋 (Wéiqí) with her. He certainly seemed he’d have the patience and intellect to learn it.
The nightly game she and Hàorán played after dinner before she prepared for bed was one of the few things Měilíng was grateful to her father for. The game’s objective is for each player to take more territory for their opponent by surrounding their opponent’s tiles with yours. In a game with hundreds of moves for each player, and every move is legal – the path to victory is unclear and requires that perfect balance of strategy and tactics.
You cannot study for improvement – you can only improve through experience.
Měilíng hadn’t realized that she was staring at the boy for so long. It wasn’t until he broke away and retreated wherever he felt he might find peace. His mother called out his name, ‘Stannis,’ to at least offer goodbyes to their guest. When he refused, Lady Cassana returned to Měilíng to apologize for her youngest son’s behavior. She explained that if she would like, he would properly introduce himself when they all joined together for supper. Měilíng replied that such an act was unnecessary, and she would hate to make him more uncomfortable than he was. But she reassured her lady that she took offense and was sure they would soon be friends.
She ignored the mannerless snort from the taller boy, ‘Robert,’ and retreated to bed when Lady Baratheon and her son finally left her alone. As she laid flat on her back on the feather-filled cloud, she fell into a short sleep to the scent of salty sea breeze flowing from the windows – and the image of a boy her height with somber and bright eyes, eyes so blue that it rivaled the seas of Shenlong.
‘Curious boy,’ was her final thought before she drifted off to sleep.
Winds from lands in the Far East whistled in excitement for the events and entertainment sure to come. ”
Translations: Mandarin to English with clues to history background hints
汉服(Hànfú) - they are traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese, and the basic Hànfú was developed in the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC to 1000 BC)
袍服(Páo fú) - 'robe'; typically worn as an upper garment in a Hànfú for both men and women in China during the Ming Dynasty
裙 (Qún) - 'skirt'; these are skirts used in the Hànfú ensemble
莲履 (Lián lǚ) - 'Lotus Shoes'; footwear that was worn by women in China with bound feet that was banned in 1911 since the cruel practice of bound feet required women to have their feet broken in order to fit their feet inside the shoes
圍棋 (Wéiqí) - 'Go'; 'Go' is an ancient game that originated in China over four thousand years ago and is known to be very difficult to play despite the game's simple rules (the objective is to capture more territory than the opponent by fencing off empty space)
Tagging: @valeskafics, @aphroditesmoon, @axelsagewrites, @writingsofwesteros, @a-libra-writes, @asa-do-your-thing, @arcielee, @anya-snow, @strangedragonqueen, @100pureawesomeness
Stannis Baratheon x Second Wife Yi TI!OC ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ - Masterlist
Read for context
Summary: Let’s pretend Yi Ti and Westeros have an okay trading relationship with each other, and merchants from Yi Ti are always treated with celebrity status in the Seven Kingdoms. Let's also pretend that the GOT writers haven't completely fucked up all of Stannis' fantastic characterization and complexity. Let's pretend Selyse bit the dust when Shireen was a baby, and her death fixed all of GOT's shitty endings! Join Xú Měilíng as she and her future daughter (not Shireen) become key players in the Game of Thrones, as House Stark's and House Baratheon's survival is entirely due to them!
Main Pairings(s): Stannis Baratheon x Second Wife!OC (Xú Měilíng); Shireen Baratheon x Rickon Stark; Robb Stark x Yi Tish!OC (Měilíng's daughter from first marriage, name TBD); Margaery Tyrell x Yi Tish!OC (Měilíng's daughter from first marriage, name TBD)
Platonic or Unrequited Love Pairings(s): Jon Snow & Yi Tish!OC (Měilíng's daughter from first marriage, name TBD); Theon Greyjoy & Yi Tish!OC (Měilíng's daughter from first marriage, name TBD); Ned Stark & Stannis' Second Wife!OC (Xú Měilíng); Robert Baratheon & Stannis' Second Wife!OC (Xú Měilíng)
Warning(s): MDNI 18+; Domestic Abuse; Child Abuse; Canon-Typical Misogyny, Sexism, Racism; Future Smut; Rhaegar Targaryen & Lyanna Stark will NOT be portrayed in a flattering light 😬
Chapter 1 - When East Winds Blow
Chapter 2 - The Careful Fawn & The Curious Wind
Chapter 3 - The Eastern Wind & Moon Sail to Winterfell
The Eastern Wind & Moon Sail to Winterfell
READ THIS FOR CONTEXT
Previous Part
Summary: 美灵 (Měilíng) and 明阴 (Míng Yīn) visit House Stark after news of Jon Arryn's death and murder arrives at Winterfell. Ned Stark senses a trouble brewing in the air. Are the vultures from King's Landing circling to soon feast on his family's flesh? Is there any way to stop it? Meanwhile, the Young Wolf begins to battle his desires for the heart and affections of one tempestuous YiTish Sea Captain.
Warning(s): MDNI 18+; Canon doesn't exist here *shhhhhhhh*, Ned is having a crisis, Stannis may be OOC; Robb Stark wants to Dom the hot sea captain when he's clearly a Sub; Catelyn Stark is kind of a bitch; GOT is GOT (shit's gonna go down); Yi Tish dialogue is Bold, Italicized, and Green
Author's Note: Author hasn't seen Game of Thrones in a long-ass time, so if the characters are OOC...my bad 🤷🏻♀️. I used Mandarin for YiTish, and translations are at the bottom. Game of Thrones belong to GRR Martin, and the regions of Yi Ti are all credited to @anya-snow. If you liked reading this, please check out the masterlist!
Arya continually stabbed her needle in the fabric as Septa Mordane gushed over Sansa’s pretty embroidery. She looked beside her and met eyes with his youngest brother’s betrothed, Shireen Baratheon. The young girl gave an encouraging smile as she also struggled with stitching and embroidery. The young Baratheon heiress preferred to lose herself in the ancient library in Winterfell or with Maester Luwin as they discussed the history of House Targaryen.
The Stark girl smiled back at the young Baratheon. She liked Shireen very much, and thought her excellent company. At night, she would recount tales and stories her sister, Minna, shared from her travels in letters or from herself. Arya felt her mood drop again as he looked at Sansa. Shireen was so lucky to have an older sister as exciting and fun as Minna—someone who would fight and travel the world. The girls were only sisters through marriage. Shireen was from Stannis Baratheon’s first marriage, as Minna was the daughter of her mother’s first in Yi Ti, but they loved each other so fiercely that blood hardly mattered.
Minna didn’t care that Shireen was scarred from Greyscale, nor did she treat her as a pitiful creature to grow with her face. Minna and her mother, Lady Mei, loved the girl to the seven hells and back. The woman loved Shireen so much that she demanded her new husband swear that Shireen’s place as his heir would not be changed if they ever had a son. Arya still remembered the night she overheard Shireen tell Rickon how Minna told her that the gods gave Shireen her scars to prevent the Maiden from cursing her.
“Minnie told me I have the most beautiful soul,” she whispered just loud enough for Arya to hear her from outside an open door. “If I were beautiful both inside and out, the Gods would have cursed me for having too much, like Aphrodite had done to Marcaria.”
Arya bitterly continued with her stitching as a dull thud entered her ears, and she turned her head in the direction of laughter outside in the courtyard.
Bran struggled as he pulled his arm to draw out the bowstring. His older brothers, Jon and Robb, stood beside him in observation to guide his lessons while his younger brother, Rickon, sat above them on a mounted saddle. When he released the bowstring, the arrow shot up and over the target and outside the wall. He looked down in dejection as his brothers began to laugh even harder.
“And which one of you was a mark smith at ten?” his father, Lord Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark, called out above them. He and Lady Catelyn Stark, nee Tully, watched him practice. Ned Stark looked at his young son and encouraged him. “Keep practicing, Bran. Go on.”
Jon Snow lowered to whisper in Bran’s ear. “Don’t think too much about it, Bran.”
“Relax your bow arm,” remarked Robb.
Just when Bran was about to release his draw, an arrow shot past him and pierced the red center of the target. Whipping his head behind him, Bran saw it was Arya with a bow about twice her height. She curtsied with a smile before Bran went after her. She let him chase after her, and soon, they were running around the courtyard.
“Quick, Bran! Faster!” called out Jon as he and Robb watched their two siblings joyfully play.
Rickon remained seated on the mounted saddle. He looked up at the window where Sansa and Shireen should be. When his mother and father told him he would marry Stannis Baratheon’s daughter last year, his mother was enraged. He overheard Mother plead with his father to reconsider the match. She did not want her youngest boy to be with someone deformed by the gods. But Father dismissed her claims.
“Shireen Baratheon is Mei’s daughter now, and she confirmed that the girl’s illness is no longer contagious.” Ned Stark firmly stated.
“You would risk our family’s health over some foreign woman’s ‘confirmation?’’ Catelyn Stark exclaimed. “How is she to know? How can you possibly trust her words so much? A woman from a land as far as hers has no way of knowing such remedies. What if she and that girl–”
Her husband cut her off. “That’s enough, Cat. I understand your worries. I do. But I will not allow you to besmirch Mei’s and her daughter’s good names. She has been a long friend of Stannis Baratheon, and now she is his wife. She would never harm children. Never.”
He noticed his words frustrated his wife, and he placed a gentle hand on her arm before laying a soft kiss on her brow. “Mei is probably the wisest woman I have ever known. And sending Shireen with her daughter isn’t so much for an engagement – but to make her comfortable around others. The boys are long used to her sister’s presence; they will take up nicely with Shireen’s.”
And the matter was settled. Rickon remembered how Mother and Sansa kept their distance from the girl when she first arrived with Minna. Minna would only stay for the first month before leaving to travel to the Reach and then Dorne. When Shireen first approached him during Luwin’s lessons, he was amazed by the book size she was carrying. The moment she opened her mouth about things like Jin and huakaʻi pō, Rickon decided that it would make him extremely happy if he spent the rest of his life with Shireen. His mother was less than pleased and stormed off to lock herself in Winterfell’s Sept. But Father only gave Rickon a proud smile and gave his hair a good tousle.
As Ned Stark and his wife laughed at the scene, they were interrupted by the small pattering of a child’s footsteps running towards them. They turned and saw Shireen Baratheon escorted by Theon Greyjoy, the Ironborn ward. The odd pair first bowed respectfully and greeted Lord and Lady Stark with their titles before Theon stepped aside for Shireen. The young girl was beaming so widely that it warmed the old Lord’s heart. He couldn’t help but pity the child for the hand life dealt her, but it filled his heart to know that she would at least experience some kindness outside her own family.
“Ah, Lady Shireen,” he greeted the girl. “What brings you here? Come to watch Bran practice?”
Shireen shook her head. “No, my lord. I just received news from Shadow. My sister is currently docked at Dragonstone, and she, Mother, and Steffard will be arriving in White Harbor in a week’s time from tomorrow!”
Ned’s eyebrows shot up in bewilderment. “A week? From Dragonstone to White Harbor? How will they make it so fast with her crew and that giant ship of hers?”
“They won’t be coming with her,” Shireen answered. “She’s traveled to after stopping at King’s Landing. Father is Dragonstone to take care of some things while she sails alone. My sister is a very accomplished sailor blessed with the winds’ favor, my lord. I wouldn’t be surprised if she arrived here in just five days or less.”
Ned gave a loud laugh. “Knowing she’s your mother’s daughter, it wouldn’t surprise me either. Thank you for telling me.”
“I’ll be sure to prepare a guest room for them,” Lady Catelyn informed her husband before turning to Shireen. “Will your sister and Lady Baratheon bring their own handmaidens, or will they need one provided? Will your brother need a wet nurse?”
Shireen shook her head. “Oh no, my lady! My sister greatly dislikes the idea of handmaidens and ladies-in-waiting! But Minnie said that she would be bringing Wu! And my mother prefers to nurse my brother.”
Lady Catelyn Stark’s smile faltered slightly while Ned’s widened at the mention of Lady Minna’s ‘pets.’ The beasts resembled more killers than travel companions. Catelyn Stark almost preferred the ruffians that made up her crew to the animals.
Shireen turned to Theon. “Do you think Ari will enjoy spending time with another bird? I would feel awful if he became lonely from Shadow’s arrival.”
Theon gave a sincere smile to the young girl before tousling her hair. “I think nothing would make him happier, my lady. He was bored out of his mind being alone with the ravens before Baleor’s arrival. What’s one more?”
Rodrick walked up to his lord and lady to inform them that they had captured a deserter of the Wall, and they were ready to give his execution. Ned Stark’s expression became somber hearing the news as his eyes darted to the young Shireen. He ordered Theon to escort her and Rickon to Maester Luwin for their lessons before telling Robb and Jon to saddle their horses. When the Greyjoy ward left, he informed Rodrick that Bran would join them. This gave concern to his wife.
“Ned,” she pleaded. “Ten is too young to see such things.”
“He won’t be a boy forever,” her husband replied. “And winter is coming.”
Bran kept thinking about the words his father had imparted to him after he had taken off the deserter’s head with Ice.
“The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.”
It still confused him. He wanted to ask Robb when Father stopped in the middle of the road. He made a right turn toward the river. Jon was right behind Father while Bran followed. It was a direwolf! But…it was dead, and it had pups! But as excited as Bran was, he made no sound. Everyone around him was silent as they all stood in awe at the dead symbol of their house.
“It’s a freak,’ remarked Theon.
Father corrected him. ‘It’s a direwolf–” he looked at Rodrick for a moment in shock before grabbing the antler lodged in its throat “–tough old beast.”
“There are no direwolves South of the Wall,” commented Robb.
“Now there are five,” remarked Jon, picking one pup in his arms and handing it to Bran. “You want to hold it?”
The pup’s fur was white with speckles of grey across its body. Its body squirmed as it whined and whimpered at the change of its surroundings – and for the death of its mother.
Bran looked up at his brother. “Where will they go? Their mother’s dead.”
With a heavy heart, Rodrick answered the young lordling’s question. “They don’t belong down here.”
Ned Stark stood with his sword in hand. “Better a quick death. They won’t last without their mother.”
“Right,” Theon unsheathed his blade and reached for the pup in Bran’s arms. “Give it here.”
“No!” Bran cried as Theon looked mildly distressed at the boy’s plea.
“Put away your blade,” Robb commanded his friend. He didn’t like to give Theon orders – especially since the boy was more like a brother to him than just a ward his father brought from the Iron Islands, but he didn’t want to spill the direwolf pup’s blood.
Nonetheless, Robb’s words irked Theon. “I take orders from your father, not you.”
But Bran couldn’t allow the pups to die. He continued to plead with his father. “Please, Father!”
“I’m sorry, Bran.” The lord didn’t like seeing his young so upset, but he needed to understand the way of the world. It would be cruel to let the pups live – only to struggle to live and die before winter comes.
“Lord Stark–” Ned turned around to his son’s voice “–there are five pups—one for each of the Stark children. The direwolf is the sigil of your house. They were meant to have them.”
“And what about you?” thought Ned. “Are you not my child? Why should you be denied the right to wear and own the sigil of my house – your house? Even if you carry neither mine nor your mother’s name- are you still not of my blood?”
He looked at his son with sad and hurt eyes as if reliving a memory from another lifetime ago. When everyone turned to him, waiting for an answer, he replied sternly and somberly.
“You will train them yourselves. You will feed them yourselves.” And with bitter anger on his tongue, he spat out. “And if they die, you will bury them yourselves.”
As Jon handed two more direwolf pups in Robb’s arms, Bran turned to his brother. “What about you?”
Jon hesitated before answering. “I’m not a Stark. Get on.”
But as they began to leave, Jon heard small and faint whimpers from below. He walked down to try and locate it. Robb and Theon stopped to ask if there was a problem. For his answer. He held up a sixth direwolf pup – one with stark white fur like snow and piercing blood-red eyes.
“Ah, the runt of the litter,” Theon quipped with a smug smirk. “That one’s yours, Snow.”
Jon looked at Greyjoy with exasperation, while Robb looked pleased and grateful for the albino pup’s existence. At the very least, his favorite brother also had a direwolf. He was a Stark – whether his mother liked it or not.
The ride back to Winterfell was quiet in the front, with the grown men still somber and sullen from the execution. But the boys were speaking with one another with great excitement for bringing home new members of their family. Robb and Theon were riding in front of Jon and Bran. Bran was still thinking about what the deserter said about the white walkers. Was he lying? Was Father right about mad men seeing what they want to see? But…he didn’t look mad.
“Quite the day for the lad. Eh, Bran?” Theon called out to him as Bran broke from his thoughts. “First, your first deserter execution. Next, you and your siblings are getting a direwolf each. And to think, I thought Shireen’s sister’s arrival would be the most exciting news of the day.”
“What?” thought Bran. His thoughts about white walkers and deserters were quickly replaced by news of his friend's arrival.
“Minnie’s coming?” he excitedly asked with a broad smile and bright eyes. “Did she say when? Is she bringing Wu with her?”
Theon’s news also caught Jon’s and Robb’s attention. Jon was lost in his thoughts since finding the albino wolf pup. Robb was thinking about Arya’s and Rickon’s reactions to receiving the privilege of caring for their house’s sigil. But now, something of greater import came to their attention.
“Ming’s coming?” asked Jon. “Are you sure?”
Theon smirked at the bastard’s excitement. “I was with her when Shadow flew up to her with a message tied on its leg – escorted the Lady Shireen myself when she told Lord and Lady Stark. Lass was practically jumping off the walls after reading it.”
“Did she say when she would be arriving? Are Lord Stannis and his lady wife coming with her?” asked Robb.
Theon shook his head. “She says she’s in Dragonstone to prepare for her stay. She’ll be at White Harbor in a week. She’s bringing their mother and brother, too. But Lord Stannis won’t be joining them this time.”
This greatly confused Bran and his brothers. Lord Stannis was infamous for his sour expressions and austereness – but anyone who had the privilege of meeting him now would see how much the company of his second wife softened his hard nature. Stannis Baratheon was a man who showed no love for his brothers, but he adored the women and girls in his life. An adoration now extended to his youngest child, his only son.
For such a man to not travel with his wife was a strange and unusual occurrence.
“Why is Lord Stannis not traveling with Minnie and Lady Mei?” asked Bran. His brows furrowed before worry took hold of him. “Did he and Lady Mei fight, and she’s running away with their son?”
“Bran, that’s enough,” ordered Jon. “Everyone knows how much Lord Stannis respects Lady Mei’s advice. I’m sure he's not joining them because there’s too much to do at King’s Landing. Being King Robert’s brother gives him a great number of duties.”
Theon turned to Jon with a wide smirk. “Awfully defensive of Lady Mei’s honor – aren’t you, Snow? Think that’ll grant you any favors from her daughter, ‘Minion’?”
“Don’t call her that!” Bran called out.
Jon sputtered his response with red-tipped ears. “You know how much she hates being called that. Or do you want a repeat of what happened in the courtyard when you and Robb first called her that? And, of course, I care about Minna’s mother – I’d be a bad friend if I didn’t.”
Jon shouldn’t be as excited as he was at that moment. But he couldn’t help himself. Ming – his Ming – was coming to Winterfell. She was everything Jon wanted in an older sibling. She was invincible and told him as such. She and her mother had never once treated him differently from the rest of the Stark Children after learning of his bastard status. Whenever he got in over his head about his birth, she would always manage to ground him in some way. Once, he asked her if she was trying to trick him. She stared at him briefly before rolling up a piece of paper and swatting his head.
He still remembered her scowl with fondness.
“Do I look as stupid as Catelyn Stark to you?” she interrogated. “Who cares if you’re a bastard? You care about your siblings and work hard to be a worthy son despite the world giving you an excuse not to. I’ve given you some of my favorite fruits from my homeland, and you dare ask me if my friendship towards you was a ruse?! Don’t be stupid, Jon.”
He wept like a baby. He had never felt so happy in his life, and all he could do was thank his friend while weeping for joy. And to make him stop crying, she let him cry on her shoulder as she softly stroked his hair.
“Yeah,” snorted Theon. “Friend – sure.”
“That’s enough,” Robb cut in. “All of you. You want Father to scold us?”
Robb could tell his brothers were ecstatic about Ming’s arrival, but he had conflicting emotions about the news. Ming Yin Baratheon was a woman grown who was older than him by two years, the same age as Theon. Ming always had a wicked and brash tongue on her. When they first met, she was his height but so skinny and dressed so plainly with dirt streaks on her face.
Was it really so bad if he assumed she was smallfolk?
Then Theon dared him to tug on her braid while she was reading a book in the courtyard. A stupid dare between stupid boys resulted in them running for their lives with tears down their cheeks as a short and bookish girl chased them with a broom twice her height. She shouted out curses and promises of all the vile things she would do to them as she violently swung the broom through the air with fire in her eyes and poison on her tongue.
It took the combined efforts of Stannis, his father, Rodrick, and Jory to pry her off when she caught up to them. In the end, Robb’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as Luwin treated his bleeding nose, black eye, and bruises across his body while he and Father occasionally snickered to themselves. His mother nearly had a heart attack at the state of her eldest child. When she heard what had happened and tried to scold the girl, Ming only responded by blowing her tongue and spraying her spittle at the Tully woman. Even with more dirt on her cheeks than before and her braid ruined, she carried herself in such an unrelenting dignified manner that Robb couldn’t help but envy it.
At the very least, Theon was in no better state than him.
How in the Seven Hells could a girl of nine years manage to fight off four grown men? The memory stumped Robb then and still stumped him now.
“Scared of meeting the Demoness from Dragonstone?” Theon smugly asked when he saw his friend staring in the distance. “Or are you worried she won’t be impressed with your new height and strength when she sees you haven’t improved your writing?”
Robb scoffed at Theon’s words. “No, don’t be ridiculous.”
He refused to believe that he cared so much for some quick-tempered girl who always teased him– even if she had shiny black hair that ended at her waist and sharp, expressive dark eyes with full lips. It didn’t matter that she haunted his dreams every night since she was in Winterfell when she turned fourteen. It didn’t matter to Robb that Minna was the epitome of an exotic beauty with enough fire in her soul for any Northern winter to freeze her. It didn’t matter to Robb that she was closer to Jon than to him.
“I’ll kiss you when you finally beat me.”
It didn’t matter to Robb – none of it.
“I’m not scared of Minna, Theon – so stop trying to bait me.” Robb let that be the final word before riding ahead just behind his father.
Meanwhile, Ned had heard everything passed between the boys while riding in the front. He chuckled at Bran’s excitement. He was sure he would be climbing the gates of Winterfell every day to wait for Minna’s arrival. It was no secret to anyone in the Stark family or those working in Winterfell that Bran had a bit of a crush on the tempestuous sailor. While his wife disliked the girl, Ned was very fond of her. Her temper and sharp tongue reminded him of Mei when he first met her. Not to mention that she was the spitting image of Mei at that age.
He wasn’t too old to be oblivious to how his sons acted around pretty girls – especially girls like her. Northern women were one thing, but Mei and Minna were an entire league of women. There had never been two women who would turn Westeros upside down and inside out as much as them. Mei had turned the forever stoic Stannis Baratheon into a feeling human, became the most respected woman in the Keep, and opened trade opportunities for Westeros. At the same time, Minna tore down every obstacle in her path to pursue knowledge and made Dragonstone one of the richest keeps in the Seven Kingdoms – not that Robert or his queen will ever get a hold of a single coin from her.
When Ned and his sons returned to Winterfell, he was immediately bombarded with questions from the rest of his children about whether Minnie was really coming to Winterfell. They asked if he knew about whether he knew she was bringing gifts from her travels. Arya wanted to know if she would give her a dagger forged by the Master blacksmiths from Qohor. Rickon hoped she would bring any sweets and candied fruits.
Even Sansa couldn’t hide her excitement. Despite the girls' differences, Minna would bring Sansa the most exquisite fabrics, accessories, and books. The gifts were more often than not used as a way to distract her from any pranks or tricks pulled on her. Thankfully, Mei would be here as well. Sansa held Lady Mei Baratheon on nearly the same high pedestal as her mother. She would tell how beautiful Sansa was growing and how her grace and charm rivaled the most beautiful empresses from her homeland. She would sing praises of how her stitching looked more impressive than the last time she’d seen it while sharing news of the latest trends worn among noble women worldwide.
Excitement filled the halls of Winterfell at the news of their guests. Preparations were underway for their arrival. Ned went to the Godswood and shone his sword under the branches of the Old Weirwood tree for some peace. He was grateful for the life the Old Gods blessed him with. This was not the life he was meant to have. Everything of his should have been Brandon’s – his wife, his title, his responsibilities – but he wouldn’t change any of it, not for all of the power and gold in the world.
But his world would be crashing down around him when his wife arrived with a message from King’s Landing.
“I’m so sorry, my love,” Catelyn told him with sympathetic eyes. Then she told him Jon Arryn had died, and Robert and his wife would travel to Winterfell with their children and the Queen’s brothers.
Ned looked down at his feet. “If he’s traveling this far North, it’s for one thing.” He looked at his wife in hidden fear. “He wants to make me his Hand.”
“First Mei, now Robert,” thought Ned when he shared the news to his children. “May the Old Gods and New protect my family for what’s to come.”
Bran watched the road to his father’s keep from the top of the gates. He saw a single dot moving closer and closer until the dot became a wheelhouse. His eyes widened in excitement as his smile broadened in anticipation for his friend in the horse-drawn carriage that carried House Baratheon’s banner. He stood up and ran across the edge or beginning to climb down the tower. He reached the ground to run to his father at the stables.
“They’re here! They’re here!” he exclaimed when he reached him. The boy was practically bouncing on his heels for barely containing his elation.
Ned chuckled at the sight of his son. “Who, Bran?”
“Minnie! There’s a wheelhouse coming! It carries the sigil of House Baratheon!”
“Was anyone carrying the banner?” his father asked with a quizzical brow raised.
Bran shook his head. “No, but I saw it painted on the top of it.”
“Alright, then,” nodded Ned as he gave his son instructions. “Gather your brothers, sisters, and Shireen. I’ll prepare your mother. Tell them to gather in the courtyard to greet them.”
Bran nodded before doing as his father instructed. He swiftly ran through the familiar halls of the Winterfell keep that was his home. He found Sansa, Arya, and Shireen with Septa Morgane. They were learning their sums when Bran burst into the room. Septa Morgane scolded him for acting so brashly, but her words were quickly ignored when Bran told the girls that Minnie and her mother would soon arrive. As soon as the news left his mouth, Shireen dashed right past him, followed by his sisters.
Jon, Robb, and Theon were already in the courtyard, sparring with wooden swords, when Bran found them. They immediately put away their wooden swords and met their father with Rodrick right behind them. Father and Mother stood side-by-side when Robb stood to Father’s left. Rickon stood next to their mother, and Shireen stood next to him with an eager smile beaming on her face. Sansa stood to Robb’s left, Arya on her right, and Bran was on hers. Jon and Theon were behind them – Theon was a Greyjoy, but Ned Stark’s ward. Jon was a Stark by blood…but not by name.
Shireen was bouncing on the tips of her toes in hopes that time would move faster. The days since her sister’s letter of her arrival moved so slowly, and she could hardly sleep a wink last night for this moment.
“Do you think she missed me?” she whispered to Rickon.
“Of course! Minnie loves you more than anything!” Rickon replied. “Even more than her own ship, I think.”
The loud creaks and groans of the aged wood crept closer and closer until the wheelhouse stopped in the courtyard’s center. The driver ensured the horses were calm and stable before leaping from his seat and opening the doors. A vision in a marigold silk tunic with trumpet sleeves and gold floral patterns paired with a gold belt around her waist. It was a shame that such finery was hidden underneath a thick wool cloak with a thick fur mantle. Her lustrous, flowing, jet-black tresses were bound with a green ribbon and golden stitching in a single braid trailing down her back. The pendant of her husband’s sigil hung down from a simple gold chain over her bosom.
Lady Měilíng Baratheon was the second wife of Stannis Baratheon and the mother of his only son. As she stepped down from the wheelhouse, she stepped on the dirt with such grace and poise that it seemed the Mother of the Seven had come instead of a highborn lord’s wife. A woman over forty years of age who still managed to get pregnant and carry a son to term – she looked far too young to be her age.
A small boy who could not have been taller than Ned Stark’s knee shuffled behind her. It was the little lording, Steffard Baratheon, the only son of his father and second-in-line to inherit Dragonstone after his older sister, Shireen. He wore a fine coat from a stag’s hide and little shoes to protect his feet. Like his mother, he too wore a gold pendant of his father’s sigil hung from a simple chain. Despite being blessed with most of his mother’s soft features, he certainly inherited his father’s bright blue Baratheon eyes and inky-black curls.
Seeing the boy standing next to his mother, Ned felt a hundred years older than he was. Where had the time gone? He, Mei, and Robert were all children once – children involved in a war to decide the fate of a country for its future years. Ned had once pitied the YiTish girl for the hand she was dealt in life. As a foreigner, she should have had no part in Robert’s Rebellion, but she experienced loss and grief like the rest of them nonetheless.
And now, all three of them were leaders with their own children and carrying burdens on their shoulders that their children would inherit – how the years escaped them.
Měilíng searched for her young daughter and beamed when she found her. She nudged her little son and guided his eyes to his sister. His eyes lit up as he toddled to her, warming her heart. “希希 (XīXī)!” he exclaimed as Shireen ran towards him. Her arms were spread open as Steffard leaped into her arms and wrapped his arms around her neck. “I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!”
“I missed you too!” Shireen giggled as her body was flooded with her baby brother’s warmth.
Still locked in their reunion, the two young siblings spun in circles before falling on the ground in laughter. The scene loosened the tension as House Stark looked at the pair warmly.
When they stopped laughing, Shireen helped her brother as she looked at their mother. Mei’s smile shined as she squatted on the ground, balanced her body with her feet, and spread her arms wide open to greet her daughter. Shireen needed no instructions to race into her mother’s arms. A cocoon of love and happiness blanketed the young Baratheon girl as her face was dotted with pecks and kisses. She buried her face in the crook of her mother’s neck and breathed in her scent – her mother always smelled like the salty sea breeze of Dragonstone and peonies. To Shireen, it was as if she was transported home, and if she closed her eyes, she was back on the shores of the Dragonstone beaches, walking alongside Minnie.
“How are you, my little doe?” her mother asked as she tenderly stroked the back of her head. “Did you enjoy the books your sister and I sent you? Did you enjoy your lessons with Maester Luwin and Septa Morgane?”
Shireen answered her mother with a broad smile and starry eyes. “I am well, mother. I loved the books! But–” Shireen looked behind her mother to try to find her sister “–where is Minnie? Was she not in the wheelhouse with you and Steffard?”
Meiling shook her head as she laughed to herself. “Do not worry, little doe, your sister is here. But she is a little worse for wear after days in the wheelhouse.”
Their mother rose from her feet as her hands remained grasped with Shireen’s. She turned to the wheelhouse behind her and called out her daughter in the language of their homeland. “明阴 (Míng Yīn)! How long do you intend to keep your sister waiting?”
A weary and pained groan exited the horse-drawn transport in response. “Would you give me a minute? I’m a little busy trying not to die here!”
“You are not dying!” Měilíng scoffed. “How long do you want to keep Ned and his family waiting?”
“As soon as I’m done making sure I won’t shit or vomit my guts out! I don’t want to have to pay any additional fees for this torture device on wheels!”
“Do you need a brush for your hair?”
“NO!” A few moments passed. “OKAY! I’m good!”
The giant wooden box creaked as Shireen’s sister finally exited the wheelhouse, and she immediately breathed in the fresh air only found in the North. A young woman an entire head taller than Měilíng stepped into the light – despite the bags under her eyes and the slightly tired look on her face, she was every bit as beautiful and poised as her mother.
Míng Yīn was exactly how Ned Stark imagined her mother would have looked if Mei trained herself in combat and fighting as a child. Her dark almond-shaped eyes could either enchant a man enough to willingly give her his life or scare the souls of all her enemies. Her muscles grew and hardened after years of training under her biological father in Yi Ti before traveling around the world on open seas – fighting anyone who dared cross blades with her and leaving a trail of blood and corpses for fish to nibble on. Ned did not doubt that she would bankrupt his boys if they even dared to try and bet against her in combat.
Míng Yīn wore her hair in a half-up-down style with a part of her hair bound in a simple braid on the back of her head. Her outfit was more fitting of a sailor than a highborn noblewoman. She wore a mid-length dark blue wool robe with a silver border stitched on the hem and long sleeves. The robe was wrapped around her body in a way that left her neck, collarbones, and the slightest hint of her cleavage out in the open. The dark linen sash that held her sword and dagger further emphasized the curve of her hips and waist. The black leather breeches hugged her lower body, and the tall black leather boots highlighted the muscles of her calves.
A large black jaguar had quickly come outside the wheelhouse as well. Its pristine and shiny coat shone in the faint sunlight that bathed Winterfell. Without missing a beat, it promptly stood beside its mistress, scanning the new environment for any dangers that would risk his beloved mistress’ safety and well-being.
So, Míng had indeed brought Wu. Robb’s mother wouldn’t like that.
But unlike her mother and brother, Míng Yīn did not wear the sigil of her mother’s second husband’s house. On her neck and sitting on her breasts was a black jade pendant with a small dragon with a white eye carved into it hung from a red string. On each side of the pendant was a tiny Dragon’s Bloodstone bead.
Robb unconsciously straightened his posture at the sight of her. He felt himself release a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding until Ming came into view. Years’ worth of memories flooded his mind as she reached for her younger sister.
The young Baratheon girl launched herself in her sister’s arms. “Minnie! You’re here!”
Robb watched on the sidelines as Ming greeted Shireen with a dozen kisses for each month since they last saw one another. He wondered if she still smelled as cool and crisp as the ocean’s wind that blew through her hair. Or if her skin would taste as warm and bright as the sunshine soaking her skin while she stood on her ship’s dock on cloudless days.
He longed for a sample – anything would be enough.
When the two sisters parted, Wu gently lowered himself to nudge his head against Shireen. Loud purrs came from his throat as the young girl scratched that spot under his chin and stroked his back.
“Oh, Wu! You’ve become even more beautiful! Thank you for protecting Minnie!”
The beast preened at the attention. Míng Yīn was his mistress and savior and, therefore, his favorite. His eternal loyalty and love would forever belong to her. But if he had to choose a second favorite, it would belong to Shireen Baratheon – for she had the purest soul and kindest heart in all of the Seven Kingdoms.
Rickon could also not contain himself and joined his betrothed to embrace her sister. The sight of two small children clinging to the person who brought fear and awe to every sailor, sea merchant, and trading company from Westeros to Essos was both comical and heartwarming. A scene that became more comical was when Míng Yīn grabbed one child each and flung them on her shoulders as if they were small sacks of flour. Wu jumped on his hind legs to play as he licked their tiny hands.
Finally, Lady Měilíng of House Baratheon and her children brought themselves to stand before the Lord of the Winterfell and knelt with one knee on the ground in a show of respect. Ned told them to raise before bringing his old friend in a tight embrace.
When they parted, he gave her a look-down to take the sight of her in fully. “Gods, look at you. How many years has it been?"
Měilíng gave a kind smile in response. “I’d say almost two years – far shorter compared to when you’ve last seen Robert.”
“How is Robert in King’s Landing? Is he working Stannis to the ground?”
Měilíng huffed in annoyance at the mention of her brother-in-law’s name. “Oh, of course. The man’s too stupid and fat to do anything else but order his brother, my husband, and his Hand to run his kingdom while he eats, drinks, and whores himself to ruin.”
Everyone apart from Ned widened their eyes in shock at the woman’s words. Did she not fear for her head? Was it alright if the wife of the King’s brother said such things of him? But Mei only turned to Ned’s wife as she bowed in respect for Lady Stark.
“Lady Stark,” she spoke in a clear and calm voice. “On behalf of my husband and House Baratheon, I humbly thank you for opening your home to allow my daughter to stay with your children this past year. Your generosity was further extended to allow room for my family’s visit. I cannot imagine the stress my eldest daughter gave you when her letter stated that we would be here in less than two weeks.”
Catelyn bowed her head in response. “Think nothing of it, my lady. Lady Shireen Baratheon had been our home's most polite and wonderful guest. I am grateful you and your husband sent her to my family’s home to host her. She had quickly become my youngest son’s most favorite playmate.”
Měilíng smiled at the woman’s words. She then turned to the Stark children before greeting each and every one of them. She marveled at how tall and handsome Robb had become since childhood. She softly whispered in his ear if he were hopeful that his sparring skills improved enough to beat her daughter. Seeing him sputtering and pale skin blushing made a very amusing scene. When she came across Sansa, she gasped and held the girl’s hands in her own.
“Oh, Sansa!” she exclaimed. “Look at you! You’ve grown so beautiful and tall since I last saw you. I thought you were a princess! And your cloak – tell me, did you do the stitching?”
Sansa softly giggled as she blushed from the praise. “Yes, Lady Baratheon. I’ve improved a lot in my stitching and needlework since you last saw me – I’m sure I could even make you something, if you’d like.”
Měilíng put a gentle palm on the girl’s cheek. “I would love nothing more. Perhaps you would even convince my eldest to practice her needlework. Or even try to persuade her to stop wearing breeches and trousers when she’s not at sea.”
“Never going to happen, Mother,” interjected Míng Yīn, who had finally put Shireen and Rickon on the ground after greeting Lord and Lady Stark. “I do enough needlework on my own. Thank you very much.”
Míng Yīn’s mother turned to her daughter in exasperation. “The only time you practiced as a child for needlework was to sew wounds close after training with your father.”
“…Yeah, exactly,” Míng Yīn nodded with a slight shrug and a blank expression. “What more needlework skills are necessary after that?”
“Minnie!” shouted Arya and Bran as they both made their way to crowd the woman. After exchanging warm greetings and kind words, the most essential questions came from the younger Stark daughter’s mouth.
“Did you bring gifts?” she asked in an eager tone.
“Arya!” exclaimed her sister and mother. Both women’s faces turned red at Arya’s impoliteness as Ned and his friend only laughed at the girl’s bluntness.
Míng Yīn stroked her chin as if deep in thought. “Did I bring gifts? Huh…I wonder…that doesn’t sound like something I’d do. Is it?”
Bran jumped like a child of four after eating too much sugar. “You did! Can we see them? Please?” He turned to his father with pleading eyes.
Ned slightly shook his head. “Come on now, Bran. Let our guests first get settled in their rooms. Judging from Lady Minna’s expression, she could do for a bit of rest.”
“But after they get settled, can they give us the presents?” Rickon sweetly asked while holding Steffard’s hand on one side while Shireen held the other as they placed the baby on Wu’s back.
His mother answered as she softly stroked his head. “After they rest for a bit, then we will have supper. The cooks prepared a feast for our guests’ arrival. There will be plenty of time tomorrow.”
Even Sansa deflated a bit with her younger siblings that they couldn’t receive their presents sooner rather than later.
Míng Yīn grabbed Shireen by the back of her cloak before placing her sister on her back. Shireen was a bit shocked before she giggled at the display of her sister’s open affection and wrapped her arms around her neck as Míng Yīn looped her arms around her little legs.
“Anyone been doing this for you while I’ve been gone?” she smirked.
Shireen responded with glee. “No! I only like you doing these!”
As Robb watched his parents and sister walk off with Lady Meiling and Steffard, he figured now was as good a time as any to approach Ming. Shireen jumped off her back to her mother’s side to try and hold her brother the rest of the way to their rooms.
“Ming!” he called out. He felt his palms grow sweaty when she turned around in his direction.
He walked towards her with long, confident strides. He thought he looked intimidating, but he realized that wasn’t the case when she burst out laughing. The young lord’s ears burned at her reaction, and they only grew hotter when he heard Theon and Jon snickering behind him.
She only stopped laughing long enough to gasp out a response. “What’s with that face? You look like you swallowed a lemon!”
…Fuck, what was Robb to say in response to that? He had to be smart about this. He would not make a fool of himself. He tried his best not to stare at the jaguar staring at him with hollow eyes.
“…I’m finally taller than you,” he dumbly stated.
“Shit,” was the only echoing in Robb’s mind as he heard Jon and Theon loudly guffawed as they heard him.
He didn’t have to look behind him to know that the bastards collapsed on the ground, gasping for air.
But Míng Yīn only walked toward him while Wu did not come any closer before stopping a few feet away as she traced her eyes over his face and down his form. He saw her dark eyes crinkle with appreciation as a sweet smile spread. She snorted out through her nose as she stepped even closer until only a few inches of air were between them. Wu still hadn’t moved, but he was staring more intensely than before, and Robb wondered if his death would be from a jaguar clawing out his throat.
“Yes,” she whispered as her eyes darted to his lips. “You’re much taller now.”
Blue met black as only the noises came from their parents walking farther and farther away. Their growing distance made the space between them seem more like a separate reality. One where it was only the two of them and no one else. Robb’s eyes quickly glanced down to Ming’s lips, and his Adam’s apple bobbed at the thought of them around his cock.
But that bubble burst when Míng Yīn bumped her fist into Robb’s chest and backed away with a cheeky grin and mischievous eyes.
“笨蛋 (Bèndàn), I’m still going to kick your ass in the courtyard, though.” She turned to Wu before walking. “Come on, 无牙 (Wú yá)! Let’s catch up to 小希 (Xiǎo xī )! I want to take a bath before dinner.” She turned to walk back to her family and called out to him without looking back. “You’ll always be a hundred years too early to beat me in a fight!”
Robb only stood in a daze as he watched her walk away. When Theon slapped his back, he finally came to and saw that Jon was beside him.
Theon snickered at the glare his friend gave him. “Stare at her ass any longer, and I’ll think you’ve become more scarecrow than wolf. Plus, I think the cat can sense your eyes.”
Robb only shrugged. “It’s a good ass to stare at.”
“It’s a great ass to stare at. That doesn’t make you look less stupid.”
“Can we stop talking about Ming’s backside?” Jon begged. He didn’t like talking about their friend in such a disrespectful manner, and he liked the idea of Wu tearing out their throats even less. “Let’s get back to sparring with Rodrick before the feast.”
Another reason to adore Míng Yīn – she hated it when Jon wasn’t included in the feasts while she was staying at Winterfell. The feast of her first coming to Winterfell with her mother was marked mainly by how she walked out of the Great Hall and returned with Jon. She dragged him by the wrist before seating him right next to her at the table.
Jon was terrified Lady Stark would berate his new friend for deliberately bringing the bastard to the feast. But all that came was a stare-down between the Lady Stark and Ming Yin. Lady Stark’s face was red with embarrassment, and she stared down at the girl with the most terrifying look Jon had ever seen. Just remembering the expression gave chills down his spine.
But Ming refused to back down. She unblinkingly returned the lady’s stare with her own, and it was as if a silent war had broken out. Ming wasn’t afraid of the red-haired fish with crow’s feet under her eyes. A wolf by marriage was hardly a wolf at all. She wasn’t going to be beaten in a battle of wills – not then, not ever.
Ned sat by his wife, wondering if Mei would bring war to his feet if his wife killed her beloved daughter. Meiling sat beside Lady Stark in rapt interest for the events unfolding. She always loved it when her little goblin decided to enact her idea of justice. She loved it even more when she took charge.
After what seemed like hours, Lady Stark conceded to the girl as she returned to her meal. Ming turned to Jon with bright stars in her clever eyes.
“Didn’t I tell you?” she asked with a broad smile. “I’m invincible.”
Since then, Jon has always included every time a feast was held for the YiTish women. An act of genuine kindness that was appreciated by all of Jon’s siblings and his father.
An act that only deepened the infatuation of a confident young wolf with dark auburn curls and bright blue eyes.
An infatuation that the Gods saw morph into obsession as they felt shivers course through their divine forms in anticipation of the future ahead.
*Additional Notes:
The characters from Yi Ti and other countries in this stories will different ways of how they are referred
Míng Yīn's Nicknames and Who uses them:
Ming - Robb, Theon, Jon, Sansa, and Catelyn Stark
Minna - Ned (he is the only one allowed)
Míng Yīn - Luwin
Minnie - Shireen, Rickon, Arya, Bran
Měilíng's Nicknames and Who uses them:
Mei - Robert, Ned, Renly, and Stannis
Translations:
希希 (XīXī) - Hope Hope; 希 means "hope"; Shireen's name in Chinese is written as 希琳 (Xī lín), in which 希 means "hope," and 琳 means "forest." Because Steffard is a baby who grew up hearing Yi Tish and Westerosi Common, it makes sense he would refer to Shireen with a nickname.
小希 (Xiǎo xī ) - Little Hope; another nickname for Shireen, but specifically from her older sister. Míng Yīn is a girl who is thousands of miles away from her hometown, Wan, in Yi Ti. When her mother married Stannis, she had to leave everyone she ever loved, including her older brother. But seeing baby Shireen have her hope that everything would turn out for the better.
明阴 (Míng Yīn) - 明 means "bright," and 阴 is the character used for "yin" in the Chinese philosophy of "yin and yang". The character's direct translation is "negative," but it is also used to describe "femininity, moon, water, and earth" as it represents the female principle of the universe
笨蛋 (Bèndàn) - Fool or dumbass; 笨 means "fool," while 蛋 means "egg." Technically, the direct translation is "foolish egg," but most people will use it to call someone an idiot.
无牙 (Wú yá) - toothless; 无 means "none," while 牙 means "tooth"; Míng Yīn named him this because when she first found him as a cub, he didn't have any teeth.
杀手 (Shāshǒu) - killer; this is Shadow's actual name; Shadow is a Peregrine Falcon
Tagging: @succnfuccubus, @valeskafics, @arcielee, @anya-snow, @asa-do-your-thing, @aphroditesmoon, @jamera-ash, @lillian-morningstar, @strangedragonqueen, @writingsofwesteros, @a-libra-writes, @leonkennedyslefthand, @dreaming-for-an-escape, @hd-junglebook, @what-the--curtains, @axelsagewrites
working on a little somethin somethin
Sad Girls Club™ work in progress
Her name was Shireen. She would be ten on her next name day, and she was the saddest child that Maester Cressen had ever known.
♦ Princesses of Westeros during the War of the Five Kings + queens
What if you wanted to be KING but your niece and nephews were BASTARDS and your brother was GAY and STUPID and everyone HATED you and you couldn’t find a DENTIST for your teeth you ground down and a PRIESTESS told you to kill your DAUGHTER and a CLOWN was there
Girls of A Song of Ice and Fire
“How many fictional kid deaths is too many for one book” -GRRM probably
Queen Shireen Baratheon, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm
Based on Holbein's Anne of Cleves
“… you may rise, Lord Snow. This is my daughter, Shireen.”
“Princess.” Jon inclined his head. Shireen was a homely child, made even uglier by the greyscale that had left her neck and part of her cheek stiff and grey and cracked. “My brothers and I are at your service,” he told the girl.
Shireen reddened. “Thank you, my lord.”
My daughter!! Receiving the respect she deserves!!
Game of Thrones name meanings, House Baratheon
The loneliest people are the kindest, the saddest people smile the brightest, the most damaged people are the wisest, all because they do not wish to see anyone else suffer the way they do.
(insp)
Game of Thrones/ASOIAF Rare Pairs Fic Recs
Catelyn Stark/Jon Snow – Winter's Bone by hesperia (Catelyn and Jon are the last two Starks, Rated E)
Bronn/Daenerys Targaryen – The Bath by omg_omikhere (Dany and Bronn’s first meeting, Not Rated)
Tormund Giantsbane/Sansa Stark - Wolves and Girls by honey_wheeler (A marriage is arranged at The Wall, Rated T)
Cersei Lannister/Qyburn – Orbs of Wildfire by WeirdDaydreamingFangirl (@weirddreamergirl) (One sided love, Rated T)
Shireen Baratheon/Arya Stark – For My Sake by plinys (@plinys) (Queen Shireen and her devoted council member, Rated M)
Jaime Lannister/Elia Martell – Scenes from an Unusual Courtship by Failed_to_Deadon (Elia finds love after Rhaegar finds a new wife, Rated E)
Yara Greyjoy/Daenerys Targaryen – Flying High by orphan_account (Dany gets Yara to fly, Rated T)
Arianne Martell/Willas Tyrell – Highgarden Peaches by cortchuzska (Willas reveals his leg to Arianne, Rated M)
Olenna Redwyne/Tywin Lannister – Tell him don't hold his breath for me by Lina (@daydreamers) (Olenna and Tywin meet throughout the years, Rated T)
Stannis Baratheon/Cersei Lannister – At Last, The Baratheon Fury by hecatefromthedarkness (Stannis and Cersei seek vengeance, Rated M)
Rickeen Shipweek 2018 (Day 4) - Modern Instagram AU
I need to stop being so mean and start being more like Davos. Why can’t we all be more like Davos. He’s just a funky gay old sailor dad who loves every person under 30 he meets like they’re his own children. He sees any slightly sad youth and BAM -- Dadvos strikes again.