When the king had first announced the royal journey to Winterfell, Jacqueline had been excited to travel north as any excuse to leave the capital was a welcomed one. But then she had learned that Stannis wouldn't be joining them, preferring to return to Dragonstone instead. Then Renly has decided to remain behind, only traveling with the royal caravan as far as Harrenhal. That would leaving Jacqueline with her eldest brother Robert, his children and a bunch of Lannisters.

She loved her eldest brother but he rarely sought out her company, not since he stopped taking her along on his hunting trips into the Kingswood. Now Renly had begrudgingly taken her spot even through the two youngest Baratheon siblings had never expressed the slightest interest in the sport. Cersei disliked her and she would always glare at Jacqueline anytime she tried to interact with her younger nephew and niece. Joffrey took after his mother and they both tended to avoid each other. She found Tyrion Lannister to be decent enough but he talked too much for Jacqueline's taste. Words had never been her strong suit.

And so Jacqueline had asked if she could remain behind in King's Landing. The Red Keep was quite charming when it wasn't fool of scheming nobles. But Robert had refused, all but commanding her to come along. That had been over a month ago. The going had been slow. Too slow that Jacqueline was unable to appreciate the landscape, most of which she had never seen before. By the time the walls of Winterfell came into view, Jacqueline was exhausted and missing her own bed back in the south.

The woman slowed her horse to a stop behind the Queen's wheelhouse before allowing a young squire to help her dismount. Her knees shook slightly due to the many weeks of riding and she let out a soft groan of discomfort. She had rode horseback almost the entire way from King's Landing to Winterfell, only walking very rarely and only once riding in the large wheelhouse with the Queen and her young children. It had been an awkward and tense affair despite the comfortable seat.

She unconsciously pulled the heavy dark yellow cloak tight around her body to protect it against the cold wind the blew through the large courtyard. The fur trim tickled slightly against her skin. "Well, this is drearier than I expected." She said quietly to no one in particular, as the others in the company began to dismount from their own horses. To Jacqueline, the North just appeared to be a land of grey. Even the green of the summer grass was tainted by the fog that stretched from the ground to the sky, covering everything in its bleak hue. Small flakes of white snow floated down from the colorless sky but never making it to the warmer ground. The walls of Winterfell were built from large granite stones, which only added to the dullness of the landscape. But the people within the walls seemed a bit more worthy of note, the woman noticed as she moved her eyes to the group of Northerners lined up orderly in the yard, awaiting their king.

"Then you should find it quite appealing." A quick voice said to her right. She ignored the owner, as she often did, and turned her back on the procession to tend to her horse. Jacqueline Baratheon had already crossed the age of nineteen when she arrived in Winterfell with her king brother and his family. She was shorter than her three older brothers, but they all had the same eyes of blue and black hair, though of course Stannis was starting to lose his. Lady Jacqueline's own hair moved with the wind as it fell down her back. It was pinned back out of her face and her once passionate blue eyes followed her gloved hand as she moved it absentmindedly across the horse's grey fur. Beneath the dark yellow cloak she wore a deep blue gown, which matched her eyes, made of a heavy fabric to protect against the cold she was so unaccustomed too.

When she felt that her presence was needed, she removed her attention from her horse and back to the crowd gathered. Just as she did, the man who had mocked her, the Kingslayer, walked pass, probably on some earn from his sister, the Queen. Her brother and Ned Stark had disappeared, leaving their two families alone together. Queen Cersei had already introduced herself and Jacqueline forced the apathetic look on her face to be replaced by one of polite curiosity, for fear someone would take offense to an unpleasant look, as she crossed the short distance to greet the Starks.

She felt a number of eyes follow her, a sensation that had been oddly absent for years in King's Landing. Lady Jacqueline had somehow perfected the seemingly impossible task of being invisible and thus ignored in the capitol. But she was a stranger to the North and the North to her. Years ago, when people took notice of her, they told her she was a pretty girl, like the mother she never knew, and she hoped that was the cause for the attention now. She hoped here that her beauty would not be tainted by the reason behind her lack of a marriage, at least for a little while. Fueled by the possible false idea that people were looking at her for something good and not bad, she managed a happy and sincere voice when she greeted the Lady of Winterfell.

"Lady Catelyn," Jacqueline said with a hit of familiarity, though she hoped not so much that it would seem forced or disingenuous. There was no sign of recognition on the older woman's face, confirming the younger one's belief that they had never crossed paths before. She barely missed a beat before she added, "I don't think we've ever met. Lady Jacqueline Baratheon."

Catelyn smiled as she recognized the name. "Yes, of course. You look so much like your brothers." The Lady of Winterfell appeared happy to meet someone who was not a Lannister.

Jacqueline too was glad to meet someone who did not have golden hair. Instead, Lady Catelyn had dark auburn hair, a trait she passed on to a number of children. "I do hope I am a bit prettier than them." Jacqueline laughed a real laugh, a rare event. She loved it when people told her she reminded them of her brothers. It gave her a sense of worth. If only for a moment.

That was when one of the Stark children spoke up. "Are you the King's sister?" It was the little brown haired girl. Her words were quick and her voice excited as she bounced next to her older sister. Lady Catelyn looked a bit distraught at her daughter speaking out of turn but bad manners rarely upset the Baratheon woman. Nothing really upset the Baratheon woman. She was King Robert's sister after all.

"Yes, child." Jacqueline said, enjoying her first impression of the Starks. She couldn't recall if she ever met a Northerner before. It was a long road from Winterfell to King's Landing and not easy traveling.

When the little Stark spoke again, she spoke all in one breath, stringing each word together without rest. "Is it true you can't have children? Why can't you have children?" Lady Stark took a sharp inhale of breath before reprimanding her youngest daughter. The young girl clearly realized she had spoken ill but did not seem to understand how. Her slender face was full of both regret and confusion.

Lady Jacqueline politely silenced the older woman with a small wave of her hand before walking to the outspoken child, where she kneeled to see the girl at eye level. She wore a heavy blue wool cloak, edged in grey fur. Her brown hair was braided and wrapped up in a bun. Unlike her older sister, who stood next to her with a slightly horrified look on her face, she looked nothing like her mother. "What's your name, sweet girl?" Jacqueline said softly.

The girl didn't know where to look so she settled on the ground around her feet. "Arya, my lady."

"And how old are you?"

"Nine, my lady."

"You're smart for your age." The compliment seemed to ease a bit of the tension that had fallen on the Stark side of yard. The remaining Stark family along with Jacqueline had failed to notice that everyone else gathered in the courtyard had begun to move about their business, now that the majority of pleasantries were done with. Jacqueline continued in a stern yet soft voice, as if she was sharing an important secret not meant for other ears. "Yes, it is true I cannot bear children. The gods did not honor me with that gift."

The little girl seemed to want to ask more questions but thought better of it. The conversation ended when the King and Ned Stark returned from the crypts.

"Making friends already, Jaks?" Jacqueline resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she stood. This was why he had insisted that she come along. Robert walked past her, patting her on the shoulder with his heavy hand along the way. Ned Stark, her brother's oldest friend, had a naturally stoic face and Jacqueline could see that the younger Stark children took after him with their dark hair and eyes. Jacqueline knew why the king had traveled North, and based on the reserved mask the Lord of Winterfell wore, Robert had informed him of his intents down in the crypts.

"Boy! Show my sister to her room." She heard the king bellow behind her, never turning back or stopping his long strides as he walked away from the still gathered Starks, minus Lady Catelyn who had departed to tend to the rest of royal family.

Jacqueline wasn't sure which boy had been given the task before the eldest Stark son stood before her. She knew he was younger than her but she still had to look upwards in order to look him in the eyes, which were a lighter blue than her own. A Tully blue. "Robb Stark, my lady." The boy said, with a formal bow.

She nodded in greeting before he turned to lead her inside. "Is this you first time in the North, my lady?" Robb asked, as they walked through the now crowded halls of the castle.

"Yes. I had never been north of Harranhal before this." Together, the started up a wide stairway into one of the towers that lined the outer edge of the castle. "It is a bit colder than I expected." Jacqueline said truthfully with a laugh, which Robb shared. "Have you ever been to King's Landing?" She knew the answer but she wanted to keep the conversation going, less they fall into an awkward silence. As expected, the boy shook his head. "I promise you're not missing much. Nothing good anyway." The stairs soon straightened out to landing with a single door to the right before continuing upwards, higher into the tower.

The boy opened the door for her but thankfully he didn't linger. Robb Stark said his farewells with another bow, leaving Jacqueline alone in the small but nicely furnished room. With the door closed behind her, she could finally breathe for the first time since dismounting her horse.

Revised: Feb. 2019