Okay! Here we have it! The introduction to my aforementioned idea for a Jon/OC story to go along with my other two tales for Game of Thrones! For Elyana's face-claim, Anna Popplewell comes to mind, particularly after seeing her as Lola in Reign. So with that said, I give you the opening chapter to this brand new tale! Enjoy!

…

"Your mother will not approve of this, my lady," Ser Leyton cautioned, knowing full well that the lady would not heed his advice no matter how hard he tried to persuade her against her current course of action, "At least permit me to assemble some others to accompany us—"

"The longer we wait for said men to accompany us, Leyton, the more likely we are to be stopped."

"I believe that you already know that to be my intent, princess."

"Perhaps you should change your intent, then," Elyana quipped, sending her would be protector a smile, and tossing dark brown locks over her shoulder before returning her attention to saddling her horse, "We are staying on the King's Road. What could possibly happen?"

"Many things, princess. You know that as well as I."

"Then I suppose it is fitting you are such a skilled hand with a blade."

"There are others that are far more skilled than I," Ser Leyton protested, greying brows drawn together in concern while his charge appeared heedless of anything save for the animal standing in front of her as impatient to set out and leave the rest of the travelling party behind them as the princess appeared to be herself, "Your uncle, for one."

"If you inform my uncle of this, I shall never speak to you again, Ser Leyton. You would do well to remember that."

Unbidden, a smile rose to the aging knight's lips as he watched Elyana finish readying her mount for the apparent journey ahead of them, the familiar streak of stubbornness that he had witnessed so often in her own father growing up provoking good humor despite the inherent consequences that her current actions may inspire. In truth, he adored the girl, though he did his best to avoid allowing that sentiment to persuade him to allow her free reign over all things in her young life.

Of course, the present situation included, he had never entirely perfected the art of denying her something that allowed her a taste of true freedom, even if it meant he faced the wrath of her mother as a result.

"I do not believe you have it in you to do that, in truth, my dear."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"You know as well as I that any of the others your mother would place about you would never allow you to even consider that which you are about to do, now."

Pursing her lips in response to the remark that she knew very well to be true, Elyana chose to focus her attention upon climbing into the saddle instead, the soft whicker of encouragement that the white stallion gave her prompting her to lean down to pat the animal on the neck before straightening once more so that she might glance outward at the road ahead. Already, she could almost hear her mother's criticism of her actions, the very idea of choosing a journey on horseback over the comfort and propriety of the wheelhouse preposterous to a woman who valued comfort and wealth above all else. But even the prospect of spending the duration of their afternoon meal listening to exactly why she ought to set aside her own selfish desires to spend time as a proper lady with her own family, instead, was not enough to force her to reconsider, a soft smile playing at the edges of her mouth as she glanced back to ensure Leyton was already seated atop his own mount before setting off at a gallop towards the front of the column, and the King's Road beyond.

She knew the man well enough by now that she did not have to continue to cast glances over her shoulder along the way to realize he still followed closely behind…

…

Some hours later, after having achieved a good bit of distance between themselves, and the traveling party, and consequently finding themselves forced to wait upon their arrival, Elyana suppressed a sigh as she caught sight of her mother exiting the wheelhouse, her expression sour, to say the least. Of course, she found herself momentarily distracted by the reality of Tommen racing towards her as fast as his legs could carry him, until he could throw his arms around her waist and squeeze her as tightly as he could, his tiny body shaking with laughter as she instinctively ruffled his hair as she always did whenever they reunited after even the briefest of times apart. But even the enthusiasm inherent in his greeting could not protect her from the Queen's approach, her lips drawing into a thin line as soon as her mother's voice reached her ears.

"I see you went riding again, today—"

"It seemed a lovely day for it, Mother."

"Would it be as lovely for you, I wonder, if your lone guard failed to defend you from an attack, and you lost your life as a result?"

"Ser Leyton is perfectly capable of—"

"Of giving in to your every whim? I can see that quite clearly for myself," Cersei snapped, taking a seat at the head of the small table that had been rather hastily erected in the wake of the King's decision to halt for a meal with Myrcella at her side, though her glittering green eyes never stopped in their ceaseless examination of the windswept appearance her eldest was currently presenting, "He is very similar to your father in that regard."

"I can assure you, Mother, I was more than sufficiently protected. Unless of course I am to fear an attack from a stray raven."

Though she was well aware of the slight narrowing of her mother's eyes in response to her reply, Elyana still managed to possess the fortitude of allowing her gaze to stray back to where Ser Leyton now stood a mere few feet away, his attention appearing to be riveted upon his boots so that he might mask an errant smile and a laugh. Of course, she knew that it would likely be more prudent to have simply remained silent, or to offer a contrite apology instead of deliberately taunting the Queen's apparent fears so boldly. But something in the way in which her mother had spent almost the entirety of this particular journey finding some reason or another to belittle the man that she more often than not regarded as a second father spurred her rash words and forced her to push caution aside, no matter how often she might remind herself that a large part of the motivation behind Cersei's protectiveness towards her children resided in the heartbreak she had experienced after losing her first.

A small, black-haired boy that had come into the world as part of a set, much the same as the Queen and her brother had years before…

Only one of those children had survived past infancy, though Ser Leyton always told her how he marveled that the little girl had not also succumbed to the fever that stole her twin from the world. To hear him tell the tale, where one would cry, or smile, or laugh, the other was not long to follow. And although she would never get the chance to know her brother, Elyana often wondered if her desire to break free of the restraints that her station often placed about her came more as a result of her own character, or some instinctive desire to fill a void left behind by the twin she could not even remember.

Regardless of her desires, however, Elyana knew when to hope for leniency from her mother, and when to give that hope up as a lost cause. And if there was anything recognizable about the expression that crossed Cersei Lannister's face in that moment, it was that her daughter would be wise to correct her action if she wished to enjoy a peaceful remainder of their journey north.

"I can assure you, Mother, I will be more prudent in future," She began, aware of how both Tommen and Myrcella were eyeing the pair of them warily, despite their young age. In truth, it troubled her to see how fervently devoted they were to every last whim Cersei possessed, despite how even Elyana had to admit that devotion was still preferable to how Joffrey behaved, more often than not. But regardless of her own misgivings and preferences, she knew she should at least attempt to make more of an effort to appease her mother, if for no other reason than to spare both herself, and her siblings some of the consequences of the already mercurial moods that Cersei possessed as a result of their journey north.

Aside from her twin, it seemed the Queen was the only one that was not at least mildly intrigued to see what lay at the end of their trek to Winterfell, and more often than not her interactions with even her own children showed that it was the very last place on earth she wanted to be.

As if she sensed the turn of her daughter's thoughts, Cersei regarded her for only a moment more in silence while she nursed a sip of wine, her expression unreadable despite how Elyana thought she knew the exact nature of what orders she was soon to receive. It was true, the two of them were often at odds, more specifically regarding the differing opinions they appeared to possess regarding proper behavior befitting a lady, and a princess no less. But Cersei was still her mother—and no matter how she might chafe under the weight of the restrictions placed upon her at times, Elyana was still not too proud to admit that on occasion, it did her more good to see her mother smile than it ever would to rebel against her wishes.

"You will ride with us in the wheelhouse this afternoon," Cersei began, replacing her glass of wine upon the small table, and glancing at all of her children in turn for a moment, before going on, "No matter what your father may choose to allow, I will not have you arriving in Winterfell as disheveled as a common field hand."

A simple nod was all Elyana gave as her reply, not trusting that she would be able to make any sort of verbal reply without souring her mother's mood still further. And although she was not so blind as to believe that her simple acquiescence would remove her mother's suspicion entirely, Elyana was somewhat pleased that it still seemed capable of earning her a reprieve from the stern nature of Cersei's expression, and simultaneously allowed the nature of their conversation to veer to the journey ahead, instead.

Whether her mother truly wished to partake in the arrival at Winterfell or not, she did not seem capable of discouraging the excited musings of her two younger children over what they might find when they arrived…

…

Hello, my loves! And happy new year! I know, I know, I said I would wait before starting on any new stories…but for some reason the muses were not at all willing to cooperate with that idea, and so, here we are! I promise you, I have no intention of abandoning any of the stories I have already started, so please do not worry on that account! I simply wanted to get the introduction to the idea for this one out there, and then we can all go from there!

As always, my heartfelt thanks go to each and every one of you that has taken the time to read this little chapter, and give it a chance! I truly do appreciate your patience and support, and as always, I cannot wait to hear what you think!

Until next time, angels…

MOMM