The Lioness

The little tantrum he just threw seemed to upset her a bit. As he then removed his hands from hers, smashing them into the bed frame, he grit his teeth. He did not want to live the rest of his life as a caged bird, prevented from doing everything he wished to do. The boy despised this more than anything. In the end, he leaned his head against his mother’s shoulder, deciding to take whatever comfort he could achieve from now. But only when he wanted it.

She sat up straighter when he pressed his face into her shoulder, one slim arm moving around him then in a careful embrace, her free hand moving then to run over his back.  "This will be alright."  She promised, wanting so badly to kiss his temple in that moment, though she settled to press her cheek against the side of his head, desperate for any contact with him.

Things I am doing: Imagining random shit from the story I want to write without actually thinking them through and then forgeting about them.

"Robb and the bannermen would have turned around, because my father would have wished it. He’s had enough war for a lifetime. They would try to barter for Arya and myself, and if you didn’t let us go back he would have marched again. They would bend the knee if you did. My brother is not my father, and my father was not my grandfather." They were different, but the same in some ways. Robb was just as honorable.

"Your brother's banners wouldn't have turned around."  She said with that, furrowing her brows briefly.  "I truly do understand your want to believe that Robb would have heeded your father like that, but he was still a headstrong boy who thought three victories made him a conquerer.  He was brazen and unwilling to listen to logic when it was thrown his way."  She mumbled, shaking her head.

      “What kind of thinking do you mean?  I mean, should I try and get supplies early on, or wait, or what?”  She had heard so many conflicting strategies for how to win the games, that just the thought of them made her want to start crying again.  She kept her head straight, and tried to maintain her composure.  ”What strategies are the best?”

     "As for how to present yourself... be aloof around the other tributes, be cute and nervous for the interview, and only show your real feelings to me, ok?"  She asked, wanting to allow the girl some form of respite from wearing a mask all the time.

"Why must I be in love with the two best people I know? I don’t want to break any hearts because if I break your heart or Stannis’, you’d hate me forever."

      “I can try and be brave.”  Her mother, and father, and siblings were the brave ones - but as unlikely as it seemed sometimes, they were related.  She could stay strong for them.

     "D on't apologize.  We need to come up with a way to present you to the sponsors and show you off... I'm thinking we can lean towards the nervous and innocent aspect of your personality, see if the stylists will put you in baby pinks and blues or seafoam green... sponsors will like you for being from District 1, but if you're adorable to them, they'll really want to see you live.  Now, going back to how you're going to handle the arena, what I want you to do when we get to the Capitol is develop your mind before you do anything else.  If you can think your way through the games, you'll be able to avoid most of the fighting."

     … No seriously, take all the time you need.