[Chapter Size: 5000 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Winterfell, 298 AC.
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The music kept playing while the servants continued moving between the tables, dodging all the people in their chairs as they waved their arms both to eat and to drink. Especially those more affected by the alcohol in their blood.
Few people spoke calmly, despite their attempts to raise their voices above the playing music, but most were already shouting and laughing with one another, while the men all seemed to gather to talk among themselves.
The women, for the most part, stayed with each other, leaving the men to have their moments with their friends and companions, while they had other ladies to keep them company for conversation.
Cassandra looked toward the area near the kitchen entrance, while she was certainly already sweating at the start of that banquet, ordering any servant to serve any noble table that was lacking, even though there were many common men toward the end of the hall being served, her priority was the main tables.
Her gaze went to the high table, seeing Lord Stark beside the king, while the royal family was to the left of the king, she saw the queen and her children all with a bored look. The king seemed to be enjoying himself, as he simply touched the butt of a passing servant every moment with laughter, and Lord Stark made some remark, which made his friend look at him like he was a grumpy old man.
Cassandra personally didn't like that behavior. Some of the servants had husbands, what kind of man would like to see his wife being touched publicly like that, be it the king or whoever... It was not acceptable behavior and was humiliating for the man who had the servant as his wife.
After the last servant left the main table, she sighed, but she would have to do something.
She looked at the rest of the Stark family, seeing the two Stark brothers with the group of northerners, with Robb and Bran talking with a group.
Arya was with the Articans while the girl stared at Cassandra as soon as she saw her. Greeting her, while she seemed quite attentive like her, drinking a little, although she didn't think it was right, Arya was controlling herself, keeping her attention on the smallest details of the banquet.
Her gaze fell on the nearby table as well, where Sansa, her mother, and Rickon were on the latter's lap. The woman didn't even seem to really be watching her this time, Cassandra knew the woman had done terrible things.
Many years ago, she lived in the Glovers' castle even after losing her husband in the Greyjoy Rebellion, still having two children to care for, becoming a woman who helped Lord Glover manage the castle since then. Even if she wasn't officially the castellan of Deepwood Motte, doing that role for a long time, still, years later, she always assisted the castellan.
Jon Snow had been a famous name in the North for over ten years, and everyone had heard of the bastard son Lord Stark had raised among his other children. Bastards weren't considered as disgraceful in the North as they were in the South, but this one was famous for a special reason, even though he was the son of the Warden of the North—because he was known by all for the disdain Lady Stark of Winterfell showed him.
When she heard about Jon Snow being a thief in Winterfell, she certainly caught wind of many rumors even in Deepwood Motte, among servants and men talking, with the radical choice of Lord Stark wanting to send his bastard son to the Wall after a servant's theft.
If that wasn't enough, soon came the news that the boy had disappeared and Lord Stark spent a moon searching for him, with no word from anyone, until rumors started spreading along with a song, about a green-eyed boy named Jon who made crops grow like magic and faced dozens of bandits alone—later changing that number to hundreds, exaggerating the tale.
The stories of the boy continued, and he showed up in a nearby town, in the area where Lord Glover held his lands, in FrostRoar. He appeared there creating many unbelievable rumors for a boy of just eight namedays.
The castle of Deepwood Motte talked only of this, claiming he was in the wolfwood of the region, while hunters tried to find him, claiming they had seen Direwolves while out hunting.
People said they could be blessed if they asked him, searching for him for six moons—the time he had vanished—until a series of events began in the North, all stemming from the actions of the boy of FrostRoar.
He exposed slave smuggling in the North, prompting Lord Glover and many others to take part, while he left the castle and waited for nightfall to climb the walls in a way no one expected and open the gates in the early dawn.
It was then they suffered an attack with many wildlings assaulting the castle upon seeing it unguarded, since Lord Glover had taken many of his men. She herself was nearly kidnapped if not for the master-at-arms, who asked to be dismissed with her children, the eldest gripping a sword in his hand, given by the man.
They managed to drive off the wildlings, but they took Lord Glover's youngest daughter at the time. That was when Jon reappeared in the North, with a group of giants according to the reports, and went after the wildlings.
He succeeded in rescuing the girl and the men went to retrieve her. Then he left to help his father in the final sieges and afterward departed for the North, with no one hearing from him again after he passed the Wall, vanishing into the far North. That was very shocking to everyone.
He left a strange impression on the North, a young boy sent to the Wall at only eight namedays who accomplished things most adults wouldn't in their entire lives, all in less than a year. While he was hailed as a hero, a youth blessed by the gods, everyone hoped he would have a great future. Even as a bastard, it was expected that, after all he had managed to do, he could one day hold land in the North under another name—like Sea Dragon Point or perhaps something new—especially with the friendship Lord Stark had with the king, it was hoped he might request this from the crown.
She had heard for many years the young daughter of Lord Glover claim she would marry Jon Arctic, her hero after he saved her from the wildlings, and the girl always asked what she thought about it. Cassandra never really knew how to respond, because he had disappeared and she found it somewhat unlikely, though the girl lived in a fantasy that she would be with Jon.
However, the boy disappeared for two or three years, and everyone thought he was already dead—until he returned, taking the Crown of Winter in Winterfell and going back beyond the Wall. Then came the news that he had also taken Arya Stark, which most people took as a kidnapping, with Lady Stark framing it no differently, saying her precious daughter had been taken by "the vile hands of the bastard, born of sin."
But the years went on and the stories of Jon, now known as Jon Arctic, began to resonate throughout the North, as he traveled through the South and to the other side of the world, while the young daughter of Lord Glover kept her fantasy that Jon would come for her and make her a queen of this kingdom.
Years later, Arya Stark finally returned to Winterfell and within less than a moon, House Stark collapsed completely, as scandals were quickly exposed publicly.
Cassandra was certainly as surprised as most of the North, to learn that the boy's theft ten years ago had actually been a fabrication by the former Lady of Winterfell to send the bastard son away.
All seven kingdoms heard about the cruel woman of Winterfell who had accused the King of Arctic of something he didn't even commit as a child. No one opposed it, and all saw Lady Catelyn leave the North.
At the same time, the reputation of the new She-Wolf, referring to the old nickname of Lyanna Stark—whom Cassandra had heard about as a girl, the She-Wolf of the North from the previous generation—was reborn, with Arya Stark taking on the same title.
She had returned to the North as a true Stark and not as a woman kidnapped by wildlings, and she showed great courage in ending all the weaknesses of her family, even confronting her own mother and bringing her to justice.
Arya Stark was admired and loved in the North from the moment people heard of her beauty, her courage, and her determination to be fair and to fight for what she believed in. In the North, no one judged her for leading former slaves, or for wielding a sword, acting as a man was expected to act—she was admired here for many of those very traits.
Cassandra was certainly surprised when Lord Glover called her to his solar, saying he would make a recommendation for her to go to Winterfell, despite the fact that she had two sons from Deepwood Motte—both already grown, with the eldest becoming a guard of House Glover and the youngest becoming an apprentice blacksmith at the castle.
She then decided to go, with Lord Glover offering to arrange her journey as thanks for all the years she had helped, while she had the chance to earn a good sum from House Stark before returning—until they appointed a new castellan—believing they wouldn't keep a woman in the role for long, and then returning to live out the end of her life near her children and grandchildren in the town near House Glover's castle.
She came and was enchanted by the castle, much larger than Deepwood Motte, which was already expected of the castle that stood at the heart of the North. There were many people being interviewed for the position of castellan—she was just one woman among many men—and had to wait a while before being called after being seated in the audience hall.
The guards led her to the main room where Lord Stark worked, and she found him seated at the table along with the castle's maester, his heir, and none other than Arya Stark, jotting down some notes beside her father with paper, quill, and ink.
Cassandra was stared at by everyone, making her nervous immediately, while she looked at the Stark family with interest, analyzing Robb Stark who, although he had his father's features, had Lady Catelyn's coloring as she had heard. Lord Stark was a very handsome man and looked like the warrior everyone spoke of, even defeating men like Arthur Dayne. Arya was everything they said, but her beauty couldn't be described with mere words—she was the most beautiful girl Cassandra had ever seen.
She picked up a letter and began to read. Then looked at her and handed it to her father.
"So... you're Cassandra. Lord Glover seems to hold your work in high regard." She began, while Lord Stark finished reading and looked at her with interest.
"Yes, my lady," she said timidly at the time.
"Princess." Someone beside her corrected, and Cassandra hadn't even noticed a woman in armor without a helmet standing beside her the entire time, making her jump.
"What?!" She nearly had her heart leap from her chest.
"It's princess—she must be addressed as such," the armored guard said in a neutral tone.
"It's fine, Jill. Stop trying to correct everyone who speaks to me today," Arya said, though the royal guard didn't seem inclined to obey her. Either way, the girl—or princess—looked back at Cassandra.
"But back to you, with your impressive recommendation—would you mind answering some of our questions?" she asked.
"Yes... my lady—I mean, Princess," Cassandra corrected herself, nearly stammering under the guard's hostile stare.
The questions began, and she was surprised that the one taking the lead seemed to be the girl herself, while Lord Stark also participated in the questioning. But the girl seemed to have deep knowledge about managing a castle, asking Cassandra very direct questions, and Cassandra drew on her experience managing Deepwood Motte to answer everything they asked, despite her lingering nervousness.
She left the room and returned to the audience hall once again, waiting for the response.
In the end, they liked her—she was called back by Lord Stark himself, and she began working at the castle, writing a letter to Lord Glover and another to her sons, whom she had personally taught to read and write, since she had learned from her father and it had given her many life opportunities that people of her status normally wouldn't have.
Her first days in Winterfell were filled with trying to memorize every part and detail of the castle, but she picked it up quickly. Arya Stark herself, who had been managing everything alone until Cassandra arrived, helped her a lot.
There, she learned that the girl, being the youngest, was the woman who led the family even with her age and place of birth. Cassandra might question even a decision by Lord Stark—but she must never question that princess.
In contrast, she met Sansa Stark sometime later, and the girl already treated her with hostility, as if she wanted to take her mother's place—which wasn't true. Although Lord Stark was a very handsome man and Cassandra had been single for over a decade, she would never be disrespectful toward them in that way.
She also discovered that Sansa was the opposite of Arya, living in fantasies like the young daughter of Lord Glover. No, she was even worse, and Cassandra was a bit frightened that this girl could be the next queen of Westeros, as everyone claimed. She always took care not to offend her, not wanting to cause any resentment or bitterness.
Though she found the younger sister publicly calling her stupid, Arya never seemed to hesitate to offend the future queen, often defending Cassandra, making her wish she would stop doing that, because she didn't want Sansa to be angry with her.
Soon, Cassandra also got to know Robb and Bran better, while the young Rickon immediately grew attached to her—more than any other servant who cared for him. She had experience with tearful boys and knew he missed his mother, who had left.
That reminded her of her own two sons, and she ended up caring for the boy more than she had intended, until he started calling her "mother" often. She was left alone sometime after, as Lord Stark, Robb, Bran, and Arya traveled through the North, while she remained in charge of Winterfell and Rickon.
She couldn't say that time was easy. Sansa seemed to see her as an enemy, taking Rickon from her often, while the boy kept calling for her. She tried to get him to stop crying, but Sansa stopped her many times, saying she wasn't his mother.
Cassandra was a woman of low birth—she couldn't go against the Lady of Winterfell in the absence of the other Starks.
Though Sansa reached her limit—she couldn't make Rickon stop crying. She hadn't been taught how to handle it, and eventually, she sought Cassandra's help when she couldn't take it anymore. Cassandra accepted without any hesitation, even though the girl was very proud. In those moments, Cassandra tried to talk to her, explaining that she wasn't there to take her mother's place—but the girl wouldn't even listen.
This happened a few times during the first moon, and letters arrived from her sister, who clearly knew how Sansa was treating Cassandra, threatening to burn all of Sansa's dresses when she arrived in Winterfell, and declaring that she would wear servant's clothes instead. That terrified the red-haired girl.
So Sansa improved a little, though she always maintained a cautious and still-hostile gaze.
Cassandra could understand Sansa—she was hurt by what had been done to her mother, though Cassandra didn't want to judge whether Catelyn Stark had been wrong or not. She was just a girl who wanted her mother back, and Cassandra could understand that part of her.
In the end, things stayed calmer until Lord Stark returned to Winterfell with his children.
She was terrified when she found out she had unknowingly let a Faceless Man into Winterfell—one of the people she had hired herself. Arya had already killed him, but Cassandra felt so guilty about it—and even more guilty when one night, things went too far.
Lord Stark invited her to drink with him in his solar, and she accepted, after even she felt relieved that the Faceless Man had been stopped—while Lord Stark seemed more cheerful than she was, for reasons she didn't understand.
They had gone too far—she knew it. But she began to notice Lord Stark looking at her differently. Though he never once said she was beautiful, Cassandra was a well-kept northern woman and had had many suitors who tried to court her—servants, guards, even some nobles.
Though the latter were never worth it for a lowborn woman, offering only one night and the freedom to discard her.
But Cassandra had never lain with any man since her husband had died in the war. She had done it for her children, and even for her work, with Lord Glover always protecting her from anyone who tried anything—he was almost like a father to her.
However, that night when they drank, Lord Stark had a hungry look in his eyes, and Cassandra knew that it couldn't happen. But he looked so handsome to her—he was a strong man she admired for his position. She ended up giving in to the passions of the flesh, and soon enough, they were on top of each other.
When she woke up the next day, she was hurt, full of regret. She should never have done that, and she let her frustrations get in the way of her work, not wanting to be near Lord Stark the following day, leaving Rickon to his sister.
She treated him with indifference, and he seemed lost in how to act around her. He looked like he was blaming himself, and that hurt her even more. She had been used, and due to her low birth, she couldn't do anything—Lord Stark could simply send her away, and all she could do was bow her head.
But Arya Stark called her out with a stern tone, when she caught the two of them in Lord Stark's hall, saying she knew about their little romance from the previous night. She was given a warning by the girl, who told them they had to sort this out on their own and not let it interfere with their work.
That was a threat, and Cassandra had to admit she was in the wrong. She apologized in the end and returned to her duties.
She eventually reestablished a better relationship with Lord Stark after that situation, though they never spoke of it again. Still, Lord Stark gave her a different look, one of uncertainty, while she tried to forget that night, focusing solely on her work.
None of the guards who had seen her enter Lord Stark's chambers spread the word, so she continued working without any gossip circulating through the castle.
Things began to shift a little then. All of the Starks now had direwolves. News of the king's journey reached Winterfell, and everyone was preparing for it. She faced the greatest challenge of her life—after all, she had never been near royalty before. But Arya helped her, giving her advice and making sure she wouldn't run into trouble when the king arrived in Winterfell.
She kept overseeing the king's arrival while everyone greeted him. After Lord Stark departed with the king, Catelyn Stark appeared—and she was certainly very surprised by the woman, making her feel like a target, wondering if she knew about her and Lord Stark's involvement that one night.
The woman hated her—she didn't know why—while Sansa likely had nothing good to say about her either.
In any case, she turned her attention to the banquet, giving orders to the servants to meet the needs of each table, while checking the hall for any issues, walking among the tables.
It was at that moment that she saw a Dornish noble approaching Arya's table—only to be blocked by the royal guards, stopping him from getting close to Arya.
She looked toward the table beside her and met Catelyn's piercing gaze. The woman was staring at her with Rickon in her lap, pointing at Cassandra as if telling her to come take him. She simply lowered her head in respect to the woman who hated her just for existing there. And she gave Rickon a small smile, not wanting to stir up more trouble, before stepping away.
It was then she heard a female cry from above, as she saw the king pulling a servant girl and kissing her neck, while the girl tried to squirm away, laughing nervously at the king's touch.
It broke Cassandra's heart. That girl had a husband and two children waiting for her at home—one of them just a baby.
And there she was, being touched by the king's hands, who was trying to pull her onto his lap. It was wrong. Lord Stark was trying to calm his friend down, but he didn't know about the girl—he wouldn't have let it happen otherwise. But Cassandra knew the servant well.
And maybe that's when she made the most foolish decision of her life—one that could cost her dearly, even put her two sons in danger. Still, she couldn't let it go.
"Your Majesty!"
She was standing in front of the high table, so her voice was heard easily, as the queen looked down with a surprised expression for a moment. Upon seeing her—just a lowly servant—the queen no longer seemed to register her as a person, no longer paying any attention to Cassandra.
But Cassandra didn't care.
The royal guards immediately turned their attention to her, while Lord Stark looked surprised, and his friend—the king—didn't seem to care, still trying to pull the servant girl close, who kept dodging his kisses with laughter.
"Your Majesty!"
She spoke again, now in a slightly louder tone, while Lord Stark and the royal guards raised their brows. The queen and her children also kept their eyes on the woman now calling the king in such a manner.
"What?!" the king exclaimed, finally turning his gaze forward and downward, seeing an unfamiliar woman calling him, while the servant girl immediately slipped out of his hands.
"Cassandra..." Lord Stark sounded confused.
Cassandra ignored him and looked at the king. "Your Majesty, I apologize for the interruption. But still, I must ask… that you leave that girl alone." she said, making the king raise an eyebrow and many around the hall freeze in shock at the request.
"What are you saying, woman?" he exclaimed, drawing even more attention from the hall.
"Cassandra, what are you doing?" Lord Stark murmured.
"I beg your pardon, my lord," Cassandra first apologized to Stark, then turned back to the king. "I know I'm no one… but even so, I'd like to ask that you leave that girl in peace."
The whole place went silent, while the music still played faintly in the background, and everyone in the front rows heard what she said and stared at Cassandra.
"Why?" the king said in a hostile tone immediately. Lord Stark was about to intervene, but Cassandra continued.
"I know that servant. She has a husband waiting at home with a son of two years and another just a few months old, my lord. She has no power to stop you from what you were doing, being only a servant. But even so… she is a mother and a wife. I only ask that you not bring shame upon her and her family."
She spoke in a submissive, but clear tone.
The king raised his eyebrow at her for a few seconds. The queen looked shocked. Lord Stark's mouth was opening and closing like a fish.
She couldn't see what was behind her, while all the nobles seated near the king also stared, stunned by the scene—everyone silent, even forgetting the music—as their eyes returned to the lowborn woman who had just spoken to the king in such a way.
"You have a lot of courage, woman, to speak to the king like this," the queen suddenly said. "Did you know we remove the tongue and cut off a hand when someone speaks to the king that way?" she threatened.
Cassandra swallowed hard, wondering if she had done the right thing by acting on impulse to defend one of the servant girls under her care at Winterfell, fearing this might extend to her own children as well. Even so, it was what she believed to be right.
The king finally seemed to blink. His eyes shifted back to the woman he had just been trying to grope, while the servant kept her head down, avoiding his gaze, standing about two meters away, trembling slightly.
"Gods... I think I drank too much," the king muttered. He didn't want to be like the man he had accused of stealing his betrothed. And seeing the servant like that destroyed him.
"Go, girl. I've no more business with you!" the king roared, and the girl fled at once, while his gaze turned back to the woman.
"What will you do, my husband? Let a servant speak to you this way?" Cersei said loudly, her voice carrying through half the hall.
Arya was already prepared to act, while Sansa looked shocked. Robb and Bran also frowned, and Ned Stark was ready to speak, not letting anything fall upon Cassandra.
"Who are you, woman?" the king asked in a harsh tone.
"She's Cassandra, the castellan of the castle. Oversees the servants. She's managed Winterfell for over a year," Ned Stark answered cautiously.
"Robert... please..." he continued seriously, but had to stop as the king's hand slammed against the table.
"So you're the Lady of Winterfell?" the king asked with a growl.
"I wouldn't say that, Your Majesty. I only manage the castle—I don't hold that title officially," Cassandra answered, still with her head bowed.
"Look at me when you speak, woman!" the king roared again.
"My apologies, my king," she said, slowly raising her eyes to meet his.
"I admit I went too far with that girl," he said, acknowledging his mistake, catching even the queen off guard.
"Gods… she had a son, a baby at home, and you didn't say anything, Ned?" Robert muttered, guilt creeping into his voice, while Lord Stark was left speechless. In the end, the Lord of Winterfell didn't know the servant—he didn't know most of Winterfell's servants, so he couldn't have said anything.
The king turned back to the woman. "Well, I must admit… you're a very brave woman. And I hadn't seen that. But if what you said is true, then I owe you an apology," he said.
"What do you think, Princess Stark?" the king asked, turning his gaze toward Arya, seated with the Arcticans.
"Cassandra is a brave woman. She cannot witness something wrong and do nothing. That's why there's no one else who can replace her as castellan of Winterfell," Arya replied firmly.
The king nodded, looked at the woman, then turned back to Ned—then back again to the woman—and began to laugh slowly.
The laughter turned into a booming guffaw, with everyone paying attention to him at that moment, as the argument had become public in the hall. Even the music stopped.
"Now I understand! Ned never disappoints. Looks like he found himself quite a strong and brave woman. Pointing out to the king that he was wrong... well, I couldn't expect less from the new Lady of Winterfell! Ned is so quick he's already got himself a good woman!"
He shouted, leaving Cassandra wide-eyed and stunned, as the entire hall heard it—since the king had stood to make the declaration, and many drunkenly cheered without knowing if it was true or not. Even Ned was frowning.
The king had practically declared a relationship between Cassandra and Lord Stark in front of everyone, while his gaze shifted to Catelyn nearby, who stood there staring at him with a face as white as a ghost, as if witnessing a horror before her eyes.
"Come on! What are you all waiting for? Play!" the king shouted to the musicians, who quickly resumed the music, though many of the guests still hadn't recovered from the king's declaration.
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Author's Note:
It had been a while since I wrote such a long chapter… In any case, I wrote this chapter dedicated to Cassandra, as she's a character who will have importance in Winterfell's future.
I hadn't written anything yet about her thoughts on House Stark and what she experienced in Winterfell—this also gave me a chance to show a bit of her personality.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 286 - The Wager Between Arya Stark and Joffrey Baratheon. | Patreon
Chapter 291 - Eragon vs Cannibal 02. | Patreon
Chapter 301 - The Feelings of Lord Stark | Patreon
Chapter 310 - She is not a Queen!
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