Lions Amongst Wolves

"I've never seen so much white." Myrcella, my sister, said in awe making me chuckle as I rode beside the carriage she was sharing with Tommen, my younger brother, and Cersei, my mother, while Joffrey, my elder twin, and Robert, my father, rode at the front of the men. I stroked the neck of my stallion, Midnight, before I turned to my awed sister.

"Such is the way of the North, dear sister. There is a reason Northerners are said to be the most stubborn people in all the lands and this has to be part of why." I said getting an eye roll from Cersei who thought that the north was filled with uncivilised barbarians. I loved the woman, just like she loved me, despite her being the biggest bitch I had ever met but sometimes we couldn't help but argue about little things like tolerance.

"You're just hoping to find a girl that won't flee from you." Tyrion, my dwarf Uncle, said from the front of the carriage with a smirk making me roll my eyes. I was well known for my blunt manner and answering any insult towards those I care for with violence, even if Joffrey was the most common target due to his self entitled bullshit. It made finding a wife difficult as they either couldn't handle having my attention or wished to use me in the Game of Thrones, a Game I had no interest in playing along with. The Black Lion made his own path after all.

"Of course Uncle, how can I have a good marriage if they don't have a spine. The ones back home would merely do as I say something I have servants for." I replied back as Cersei had yet to come up with a betrothal so I would try and find one on my own before she could, I doubted she would pick one that was capable of thinking like she did but one that would likely be easily manipulated by her. She didn't want her son stabbed in the back after all. I would also have to keep an eye on who sniffed around Myrcella to ensure she was well taken care of as Cersei wasn't the best judge of character.

"You may have to deal with that soon." Cersei said looking as if she smelt something rotten, a look that was almost permanently on her face since we started heading north. "Your Father has been interested in combining the Baratheon and Stark families for some time and very few rumours that reached your Father about Joffrey are flattering." I gave her a dull look as the only reason his reputation wasn't worse was because I had made it clear that while I wouldn't kill him, I wasn't a kinslayer after all, I would beat the shit out of him if he damaged our already stained reputation. I was not blind to the sins of either side of my family.

"So chances are I will be betrothed to one of the North Wolf's daughters. Oh how I hope they have a spine at the very least." I muttered in annoyance just as we finally entered Winterfell. I watched as Ned Stark looked over my smiling Father who was doing the same.

"You got fat." Robert said bluntly making Ned just raise an eyebrow as Robert was clearly larger than the mostly muscled Wolf. Everyone let out a sigh of relief when the two men laughed and hugged each other. "Nine years Ned, where have you been?"

"I've been ruling the North for you. It is good to see you again my friend." Ned said before taking a step back and gesturing to his family who was watching with varying degrees of patience. "May I introduce my family?"

"I would be glad to meet them. Ares, get your butt up here!" Robert said making me sigh inwardly as I guided Midnight to Joffrey's left, ignoring the brat's glare, and nodded to the curious family. "These are my eldest, twins, my Heir Joffrey and Ares."

"A pleasure my Grace. This is my Lady Wife Catelyn…" He gestured to a beautiful and slightly aged redhead that stood proud behind her children. "…my eldest and Heir Robb…" I saw a redhead trying and failing to copy his Father's stoic demeanour. "…my eldest daughter Sansa…" I saw a redheaded beauty that was blushing at Joffrey's smile. I didn't expect much from her. "…my younger daughter Arya…" I saw a defiant and impatient girl yet to grow into her body. Something about her caught my Father's attention so I would need to keep an eye out for her. "…my middle son Brandon…" I saw a bored boy that clearly had too much energy to keep still for long much to my amusement. "…and my youngest Rickon." I saw a boy barely weaned from his mother's breast looking at us all curiously.

"A fine brood you have. Ned, take me to the crypts. I would pay my respects." Robert said making me wince as Cersei glared at him.

"We have been travelling for a month, everyone is tired. The dead can wait." Cersei said but was ignored as Robert looked at his old friend.

"Perhaps Lady Stark could show us the way while the Lords attend their business." I suggested not wanting a shouting match to break out. We were guests in a Great Lord's domain after all.

"Gladly, my Prince." Catelyn said with her head bowed. I just hoped that our time here didn't follow this pattern all of the time.

BLP

I sighed tiredly as the welcoming feast trudged along. I was never one for extravagant things and Ned Stark had pulled out all the stops to host a feast that had even passed my Mother's standards, not that she would ever admit as such. It didn't help that such things led to me watching brainless girls trying to gain Joffrey's attention. It was rather sad to watch to be honest.

"Is that normal?" Arya asked looking at the crowd around Joffrey, which just so happened to include her sister Sansa, in disgust. I gave her an honest look of sympathy and nodded. I didn't know much about the she-wolf but it was clear that she could be as blunt as I was. I found it very refreshing and more than a little intriguing. I wonder if this is why Robert was enamoured with Lyanna Stark.

"As much as I would like to say otherwise, yes it is. The only ones that tend not to do so are girls that try to get his attention in other ways in order to fulfil their own ambitions. He is to be King, after all. Who ever manages to claim him will be Queen." I said resignedly knowing nothing good would come from Joffrey being on the throne but there was no way I wanted to sit on the throne or deal with the headache that came with it.

"You don't sound all that enthusiastic about having him on the throne. Do you want it for yourself?" She said making me laugh aloud catching the attention of those around us including our parents. I didn't laugh often especially at feasts like this so naturally they were surprised.

"No, I am an ill fit for the throne and don't believe it to be worth the headache. I prefer small plans and such. Give me ten men, or women, and after a week I can pay you back with a city and most of that is getting the men to my standards." I told her as I shook my head. As people turned their attention elsewhere I looked Arya in the eye. "There is a saying that the eyes are the window to our souls. I do not know how true that is but what is true is this. You can know what type of person someone is by looking into their eyes. What do you see when you look into my elder brother's?"

"Ares, Ares." Tommen called out excitedly as he ran towards us with Bran, Arya's younger brother, right behind him. "Is it okay if Bran joins our lessons tomorrow?" I looked into my Brother's hopeful eyes and smiled. I enjoyed seeing his innocence and did my best to let him keep it.

"He can but he will have to do everything I say and I would need to help him more than you since you already know the basics." I told him getting nods from the two children before they ran off to play. I turned back to Arya who was looking anywhere but at Joffrey. I grimaced since I knew that Joffrey's true nature was not a very nice thing to see but this way kept it from biting her in the rear which could happen as she would likely start her journey to womanhood soon.

"Have you taught others to use daggers before?" She asked clearly trying to take her mind off of what she saw and was likely trying to see if I would teach her too.

"Other than Tommen there was a group of orphans that banded together that I taught." I smiled as I remembered stumbling upon them. "It was sheer coincidence that I found them to be honest. I wanted to give them the skills to live without having to sell themselves as a good deal of them were young girls, younger than Tommen at the time." I kept out the fact that they devoted themselves to me, calling themselves my Shadow, despite me not wanting them to. I hadn't done it to gain followers but because I could do right for once. "I will teach you to use a dagger too, if you want."

"I would like that." She said after a moments thought with a bright smile. I nodded and caught sight of Jon Snow, supposedly Ned's Bastard, leaving.

"I will be in the training yard until noon. Now if you'll excuse me I wish to get some fresh air." I told her hoping to get a measure of Jon. I had a habit of learning about those that are underestimated thanks to being one of the few that didn't underestimate Tyrion who had helped me sharpen my mind even if it wasn't as sharp as his own. I was mildly surprised to see him speaking with Tyrion who spotted me instantly as I walked out.

"Ares! I was wondering how long it would take you to come out here. This is Jon Snow." Tyrion said gesturing to Jon with his goblet ignoring the boy's grimace at the surname. I nodded to the bastard as a sign of respect before turning back to my Uncle.

"I was enjoying my conversation with his Sister, Arya." I said making Tyrion smirk while Jon looked surprised. The Northerners probably thought that I didn't know how to handle a girl that wasn't girly. Or maybe he thought I wouldn't accept his connection to the Starks.

"So you finally found a girl that won't run away from you." Tyrion said making me shake my head knowing not to push that topic around her brother.

"From what little I know of her, she is likely to castrate me if I was to try and take her to my bed, never mind that she likely hasn't bled yet. I will admit that she intrigues me. She isn't a simpering idiot or one who seeks what isn't hers." I smiled as Tyrion laughed before getting to know Jon. It was a shame he was so focused on taking the Black. Although I had to wonder who his parents really were as there was no way Ned Stark would cheat on his wife like he had said. I had a suspicion it was Lyanna that birthed Jon but who was the Father?

BLP

"Now the first thing you need to remember is that weapons are to be respected." I said to the two eager boys as they held a wooden copy of a dagger in their right hands. "Unlike people weapons care not if you are high born or a peasant whore. Their blades will part your skin. Their bluntness will crush your bones. Due to this you will not deviate, that is to go against, my instructions." I let out a small smile as they put on serious faces, or as serious as they could at that age.

"Are you sure you should be using language like that around your Brother?" Jaime Lannister said in amusement as he watched the lesson. While he disliked what I was evidence of Jaime had always been a kind Uncle. Unlike what many would expect I preferred my Lannister Uncles to my Baratheon Uncles, Renly was a cleaner and leaner Robert and Stannis was an almost unfeeling rock whose only redeeming quality was his love for his daughter Shireen.

"It isn't anything he hasn't heard before and I'm sure Bran has heard the same." I said with a dismissive wave before turning back to the two boys. "The most important part of using any weapon is to get the correct grip. No matter how good your weapon is or how good you are with it, if they fall out of your hand then they're useless to you." I showed them the correct way to hold the daggers before Robb came over.

"Perhaps if they see what can be done with the daggers it would help the lesson stick." Robb said trying to be nonchalant but I could see the amused glance at my daggers. I also caught the amused look that Jaime gained as this was far from the first time my weapons had been seen as silly.

"Yes that is a good idea. Perhaps a spar between us?" I said keeping my face thoughtful while he nodded. "Wood or Steel?"

"Wood, we don't want any accidents." I gave a small smile that hid my annoyance while I palmed the two wooden daggers I had for demonstrations. I walked into the sparring area that was surrounded by Baratheon, Lannister and Stark men. I could hear their whispers and see the smirks on both sides, I also saw Joffrey look annoyed at me as he really couldn't ridicule my weapons after the last time we 'sparred'.

"You will fight until one of you yields or I end the match. Do you both understand?" Ser Rodrik said getting nods from us both. "Begin!" Robb raised his training sword and charged. I dashed forward and weaved around his strike, knocking his toes with my heel as I did so making him stumble into the mud. I allowed a smirk on my face as he got to his feet in annoyance. This time the only thing I moved was my arms to block his strikes. I made sure to make it look as effortless as possible to make him angrier. When he roared in anger and used a power strike I darted in and hit him several times in the chest and under arms rapidly making him fall to his knees in sudden pain. "Enough! Ares wins."

"When in a fight you need to keep a clear head. It doesn't matter if you're better in battle if they're in your head making you do what they want." I said holding out my hand to him which he took with minor grumbling. "A weapon is only as good as the one that wields it."

"That was awesome!" Bran said with wide eyes while Tommen had a large grin on his face. "Can you teach me to do that?"

"I could try but you might be more comfortable with another weapon. I said not wanting to give false hope but not wanting to crush his hopes either. He nodded eagerly anyway but then a snort had to ruin my good mood.

"You're all fools playing with toys." Joffrey sneered making the Lannister men laugh while the others bristled at the disrespect. I groaned inwardly as Joffrey unsheathed his sword. "Why not use real steel?"

"Perhaps because it is considered rude for a host to kill or be killed by their guest, unless you don't remember we are guests brother." I said turning to face the idiot. "Then again you can't speak about toys considering your favoured weapon is a crossbow." I smiled as his face went red as everyone not Lannister laughed. He went to charge me but was stopped by Sandor Clegane who knew I would humiliate the blond. "Now excuse me as I have a lesson to teach."