Mary laid on her bed, the sun peering through the white curtains of her room, hitting her half naked figure, the sweat making her skin glisten. Her eyes were fixed on an old leather bound book her uncle Tyrion had given her to help her with their private literary lessons. She was waiting for her family to finish in their preparation to travel to Winterfell, which she was excited for. She had always wanted to go to the land of ice and snow, her father told her many stories of it. She heard a knock on her door soon, and upon hearing it was her hand maiden, allowed the woman to enter without putting a robe over herself.

"Lady Mary, you're family is waiting for you," The woman told her. Scoffing when she saw Mary in her garments, helping her into a beautifully made, regal looking maroon dress with a golden waist belt. Mary smiled at her handmaiden and hugged her gently, before flying down the stairs, her book tucked securely under her arm as the servants of the castle loaded their luggage into the beautiful carriage which was filled with her family. Mary had always coveted them for their emerald eyes, golden hair and sun kissed skin. They looked like gold coin in a treasure chest right then.

Robert often told his daughter that with the auburn red twang in her hair, she shone like a ruby in the midst of golden treasure, making her more rare, and more beautiful than the rest. It was clear he favored her over all the rest of his children. She physically took after him, unlike the rest of them, she was more pale, with dark hair and broader brows. She was thicker built, with more curves than the rest of her dainty sisters, but still lean, and far more beautiful than them in some sense.

She was 13 name days old, with her breasts already having swelled on her chest, having her blood just a year previous. Robert planned very much on having her wed to his friend Eddard Starks's eldest son, Robb. They would make a fine match, their children would be beautiful with auburn hair that would shine like fire, but Cersei loved her daughter very much and did not want her to leave Kings Landing. She was much stronger than her daughter's born of Jaime. She held the Lannister's roar and the Baratheon's fury in her veins, but the kindness of any person in all of Westeros, and she did not want her daughter to marry some common Lord's son. She wanted her daughter to marry a king. She would fight for that girl till the end of her life, with her teeth clenched and her sword ready.

Mary entered the carriage happily, her Uncle Jaime pulling her onto his lap with that sparkling smile of his spread across his lips. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before releasing her as she squirmed away, jokingly disgusted by his affections. She took her seat between her two uncle's known as The Imp and The Kingslayer, which Mary had no knowledge of. She presented to the little lion, the book which he had given to her. He gave a small round of applause, and began to read from it. He, sometimes interjecting to correct her pronunciation, but overall beaming at the fact that she loved the story he gave her.

As she read, her sister Myrcella braided Mary's shoulder length hair, commenting often on how soft it was. Joffrey pretended to be bored with her story, scoffing and looking out the window, his chin resting in his hand, though he listened to her words intently, hoping no one would see how much he loved it. Even Uncle Jaime seemed entrapped in this wonderful novel, which surprised her the most. But over all of this, she could hear her mother and father bantering to each other.

"I'm not sending my daughter to that freezing wasteland." Cersei said firmly through a hushed voice. Robert rolled his eyes with a scoff and began to look red in the face. "I mean it, Robert. Marry Sansa and Joffrey to one another, bring the Stark girl to Castamere." She grit her teeth.

"You do not tell me what to do," He raised his voice above hers, though still quiet, but she still did not shy away. "If I wish to marry my daughter away, I will do so. Joffrey and Ned's daughter, Sansa are still very young." He continued on, Mary's hazel eyes flickering up at them for a moment, before turning one of the old pages.

"Mary is young too, younger than Joffrey." Cersei pointed out, her voice practically a hiss as she leaned forward.

"She's had her blood. Women marry younger than her, and have their husbands seed in them soon after." He said seething, their conversation slowly heating up. Cersei crossed her arms and looked straight into his dull eyes. He groaned and placed a hand on his face, rubbing his eyes. "We'll discuss this later. If Mary wants to be wed to Robb, it will be done. But if she does not, you may wed Joffrey and Sansa." He told her, and though she was not completely satisfied, it made her happier than before.

They both ignored one another for the remainder of the ride to Winterfell, focusing on Mary's story instead. But when the Little Fawn, as they called her, fell asleep, everyone was forced into silence, and they realized that she's what held them all together as a family. Her head rested on Tyrion's arm, but if the carriage waved around too much, sometimes her head would move to Jaime's and he would secure her there with a strong hand.

Their travels were long. It took a month for them to travel and they only took a few stops along the way. Mary was waking up as they stopped at the front of the gate, the carriage too big to fit through. Jaime helped Mary out after her father, who was already pulling Ned in for a hug as her feet hit the hard, frozen ground. Immediately she was shivering, but the white ground made her smile. It was just like the books and her father had described. One of her hand maiden's placed a white fur cloak over her shoulders, and she thanked the old woman gently, securing it tightly around herself.

"Stand straight darling," Her mother said, pushing her daughters shoulders back. Mary did as told, releasing her iron grip on the light brown cloak. "Remember to smile and lift your chin." Her mother continued to correct Mary's posture until Mary looked absolutely perfect. Myrcella had done a marvelous job of styling her elder sisters hair, and she looked like a stunning young woman. "Robb would be a fool not to fight for you, and you would be a fool to take him." She finally whispered to her daughter, who let her full lips spread into a smile, as her mother gave her a light kiss on the forehead.

Her mother then left her to greet Ned and Catelyn, Robert hugging Catelyn in his big arms like she'd never seen him do so to her mother. It made her quite sad to see the familiarity that the Stark's held to her father, and the simple formality to her mother. She soon realized, as the youngest Stark girl did too, that her Uncle Tyrion was gone, which was curious to her. She looked down until her father called his children over to be introduced. They met the Stark's briefly, but Mary was too cold to say much, so she kept it simple, than stepped back and shivered under the arm of her father, who held her close to his large belly.

"Mama, can we go refresh ourselves?" Mary asked quietly to the woman by her. "I'm freezing." She whined a little, and Cersei nodded, speaking out to Robert who was saying he would pay his respects to the Stark's dead. After a short moment of banter between the two, Uncle Jaime took her arm in his and she quieted herself. They were though, allowed to go to their chambers, as Robert and Eddard alone went down to the crypt.

One of Sansa's handmaiden's had taken Mary's arm and assisted her to a guest chamber, where she would slumber. Mary thanked the woman meekly, taking her own handmaiden into the room with her, and ordering for a warmer cloth to robe her. The woman did as ordered. Mary had never had to wear thicker kind of dress. It felt soft but heavy on her. The sleeves were long and dragged on the floor like the dress itself. It was a deep shade of blue, like the sky when midnight was about to arrive, with a silver waist belt which she liked very much. She felt like winter.

Mary soon decided to join the boys when she was told they were playing swords. She sat amongst the Lannister men to see the last of Tommen and Bran's fight, Bran winning over her smaller brother who's loss was inevitable seeing as he'd hardly ever held a sword before. She applauded the Stark boy curtly and smiled. Her eyes glanced up and stole a look from the bastard boy Jon, who's steely gaze was upon her already. She looked away at the mention of her brother Joffrey's name.

They had wanted Robb and Joffrey to duel next, to which Robb happily agreed to, his hair looked like fire under the sunlight. Just like hers. She stared at him, and his eyes found hers soon. She smiled at him and waved her hand at him. He grinned back and returned the wave. She couldn't tear her gaze away from his eyes. They looked like the ocean under her father's castle, the morning sky she woke to with small birds chirping in the wind, like the fresh blueberries she used to pick with her Uncle Stannis, whom she hadn't seen for years. They made her feel a warmth in the pit of her stomach.

Their stares were interrupted when Joffrey began his big talk, saying that this was a child's game. Mary felt herself sink where she sat. She knew Joffrey was not a fighter. He was someone who had men fight for him. She pitied the Stark's wounded pride as Sandor Clegane began to jab at them with his story of how he had killed a man at age 12, which she had heard many times. The Lannister men laughed and jeered at the darker haired men, and walked off with Joffrey leading them away.

Mary remained, her hazel gaze directed towards her hands, which had never looked so white. The Stark men were all quiet, drinking in what had just happened and soon, the lot of them began to talk amongst each other, angry words directed towards her elder brother. She could feel their stares on her and it made her tense up. She began to walk towards them, thinking of words to say in apology for her brother, but she was so humiliated that when she reached Robb she could only smile at him.

"Hello Princess," He said with almost a hint of disdain, which wasn't a complete surprise. "Don't tell me you're here to brag, Lady Mary."

"Robb, I'm sorry about my brother," She managed to say. He looked up at her with a slight smile. "He can be a real shit sometimes, and I know that." She laughed. The use of her language made Robb release a hearty guffaw in surprise, the other men who had heard her, laughing as well.

"It's quite alright," Robb dismissed the apology. "It wasn't your fault." He told her, looking down at his dirtied boots, feeling slightly humiliated by his assumption of her actions.

"Lady Mary," A new man approached her, a cocky grin stuck to his face, as he bent down and kissed the knuckle of her hand which he had snatched up in his. "It's an honor to meet you." He told her, standing up straight now. He was taller than her, and only a little shorter than Robb. He had an odd face with light hair and light eyes.

"And to you as well," She curtsied to be polite. "May I ask for your name, good sir?" She inquired the slightest hint of a mock in her tone, that only Jon caught.

"Theon Greyjoy, at your service." He bowed his head proudly. Mary nodded her head knowingly. He was the capture turned friend, and even trusted with the position of begin the king's ward. Mary found the Stark's weak for this, but also rather smart peaceful people. She both admired and worried for them with a Greyjoy in their boundaries. She smiled at him and Robb and Theon both battled for attention from the pretty princess. They talked for a very long while about trivial things before Jon soon interjected.

"Robb, you should start preparing for the feast tonight. Arya just told me Catelyn has been asking for her children." Jon informed his half brother who gave the Bastard a thank you and a slap on the shoulder. Theon followed after him, shooting Mary one last smile before leaving. "Do you need assistance returning to the castle?" The raven haired boy asked Mary, who accepted his offer and took his extended arm.

"I've never met a bastard before," She told Jon soon after they began to walk. She could tell he was touchy on the subject because his grip on her tightened, not enough to hurt, but enough that a little more pressure was applied to her muscle. "That I know of." She added, jokingly, trying to lighten the conversation. He looked at her a moment and let himself smile, but she could tell it was only a courteous smile. "I'm sorry if I offended you, that wasn't my intention." She said, feeling bad that she may have upset him.

"All's forgiven." He waved it away nervously. "I've never met a little fawn before." He said and she laughed. She loved her nickname. Little Fawn made her feel special because every other child at home was a lion or lioness. At first the nickname was unwanted, but when she realized it was an endearing term of her Baratheon looks, she grew to love it. Especially because it stuck with every uncle, even uncle Stannis, whom she'd rarely spoken to and her favorite grandfather, Tywin. She'd never met Robert's father. Steffon Baratheon was his name, but she heard he was killed in an ocean ship wreck, though Robert never spoke much of it.

They approached the castle ground's and moved away from one another, breaking their contact. Jon bowed to her and she curtsied.

"I hope to see you again, my lady." He said to her before turning on his heels and leaving. She watched him walk off, his loose black curls bouncing a little as he strode off. Mary liked the way it looked, like a black ocean. She soon though, turned away entering her chamber's to change again into her clothes for the feast. She would surely be seated by the Stark children or her siblings, her being taken under Robb's arm as an entrance, but she wanted to see her Uncle Tyrion, she hadn't for some time, and his loud mouth worried her often times. She wanted to see her Uncle Jaime too, he was too handsome for his own good, the women here would surely try to take him from her. Even though he promised her many times that she, and her mother, were the only women he needed in his life, his charm often worried her. She felt like one day that promise would be broken.

Her dress was embroidered finely with small flowers from the straps to the end of the long skirt. Her handmaiden did her hair up fashionably, to Mary's excitement. She loved being dressed up prettily, especially by her handmaiden who always did a fine job. By the time the finished, her mother came in panicking, telling Mary to hurry, otherwise she'd miss her entrance.

Ned took her mother in his arm, and Catelyn took her father's and they walked together to their previously assigned seats at the head of the dining table. Soon followed the youngest children, working their way up to the eldest. Robb and Mary walked in as the last of the children, and Mary had to look into her father's smiling eyes to avoid the stare's of the strangers surrounding her. They walked with their heads up. Robb was smiling to the people widely, more so happy to have a pretty girl in his arm, and Mary feeling ready to vomit her empty stomach out from nervousness. She reached the children's end of the table and sat between Joffrey and Robb. Joffrey paid no mind to his younger sister, and focused on looking bored, as usual, talking to his servant men.

She ate her food, little bite by little bite, like mother told her to do. Robb passed a goblet of wine and poured it into her glass cup. The purple winter drink stung her nose when he poured it. She could tell it was going to be bitter, but with his eyes on her, she didn't want to be rude and Lannister's always take what they are offered. She took a small sip with her pouted lips. The wine in Winterfell was bitter and sour, like vinegar with a small splash of a wild berry in it. It was strong and made her eyes sting so much that she scrunched her face up and coughed. Robb laughed at this, taking her cup and dumping it out.

"We should have known you'd be a spitter," Theon teased over Robb's shoulder. Robb shot him a glare, but Mary was too naive to understand the joke. Theon poured her a glass of the wine her father had brought as a gift. She sipped on the small cup and felt a wave of relief hit her as the sweet oaky flavor of summerwine filled her mouth. She sighed into the cup and set it down with a smile as she bit into her food.

"You women and your summerwine." Robb nudged her lightly, shaking his head, drinking the one glass of wine allowed down, before returning to look at her with a wide smile, the winter wine staining his lips, making them look very pretty and swollen. She teased him about it, saying it was the perfect shade for him, to which he rolled his eyes and laughed.

Mary's eyes looked up to her father, and her smile fell. He had a large cup of wine in one hand, and a whore in his other. The sight made Mary sick. She loved her father, more than almost anyone, but she hated when he did this. When he drank he hit, and fucked, and swore and it frightened Mary. She saw her mother looking at them, a scowl on her thin, pretty lips. Her brilliant green eyes glanced into Mary's who offered a small comforting smile, and Cersei smiled back sadly.

Robb put a hand to her arm, which snapped Mary away from her mother's gaze. He gave her a lopsided grin, knowing what she was seeing, not fully understanding her feelings though. He offered some comforting words and she nodded curtly to him, knowing he was being supportive, but feeling like she was going to cry she left him, walking out the doors, wiping her nose.

When she left the hall, the cold air nipped at her cheeks, and froze her tears in her eyes, to her relief. Lannister's never cry. But soon she saw her Uncle walking past her, Jon staring after him.

"Oh hello there, my lovely niece," He smiled up at her. She bent down and gave him a big hug. She bit on her lip to stop herself from crying. Her mother told her crying was a weakness, Jaime too, so she never cried. She'd gotten close to it, but she had restrained from tears since the age five. At least not in front of anyone. Tyrion held her, surprised. "Little Fawn, are you alright?" He asked concerned, giving her a kiss on her head, before she shuttered into his arms more.

"Tyrion, I just wish my father would be loyal," She whimpered, sealing her eyes shut so the tears wouldn't get through. "I wish mama loved him and I wished he loved her." She sunk, her head on his chest now. He lifted her up more, cupping her face in his hands.

"Mary," He sighed, not looking into her eyes. "Just know that you are loved. Whether they love each other or not is irrelevant, married couples never love each other for long. But they always love their children." He said to her, which soothed her. He stroked her hair until she released him. "Unless you're an imp like me." He joked, but no one laughed, knowing it was true.

"Thank you, Uncle," She kissed his cheek. "I love you." She let his grasp go and he smiled after her before returning to the dining hall for more wine.

She approached Jon who was unsure of how to respond to what he had just witnessed. His dire wolf sat under his hand as he stroked it, while he avoided her eyes. She could tell he was uncomfortable, but she sat on the ledge, so she was just barely taller than him.

"I like your wolf," She told him. Even though the beast scared her, she thought it was very beautiful. Jon cracked a smile, and pet the dog more feverishly. "What's his name?" She asked.

"Ghost," He replied with a proud face, staring down at his hound. "He's white as snow and quieter than the wind." He said more to himself than her, in a hushed and reverent kind of voice.

"He's beautiful." She said, quietly and he nodded in response, leaving them in a short moment of silence. Jon saw how much she needed a comforting hand, one he didn't know how to offer himself. He looked down at his beast, and a thought was planted in his head.

"Ghost," He called for the wolf. "Snuggle." Jon said through a smile. Ghost hopped up by Mary, startling her until he laid his head down on her lap. She giggled and pet the dog, it's warmth making her forget about the practical blizzard snowing behind her and about her father's infidelity. She grew to like the bastard very much. He was kind, and ambitious and wise for his age. She may even have liked him more than his silent beast who continued to press it's nose into the palms of her hands.

Robb soon came out, he was about to venture out to look around for Mary, who seemed very upset when she had left . But when he came through the doors, his eyes fell upon them. Seeing the two together, so close and talking intently made his blood boil up a little, but he kept a cool head as he approached them with a smile.

"Lady Mary," He said, hopping up to sit by her. "Are you alright? I figured I would give you some time to yourself before I came out to find you." He said, his eyes flickering to Jon's with a small hint of jealousy.

"Thank you, Robb, but I'm fine now." She turned her body to him now, her back to Jon and Ghost. "Do you wish me back in the dining hall?" She asked, taking his hand and hopping down, forcing him to stumble off the ledge and land on his feet next to her, their hands still held together.

"Very much, dear lady, your presence was missed by all while you're away for that short time." He beamed at her, then turning to see Jon, his grey eyes glued to the floor. Her hand trailed up to his arm so she could hold it. "Unless you have a prior engagement." He said to Mary now, and she just shook her head.

"No no, Jon and I were finished up." She smiled at the bastard who offered a weak grin in return. She felt a little pang of guilt in her stomach when he looked like that, calling Ghost so they could leave. She released Robb and ran up to the boy, Jon. She curtsied to him and gave him tender kiss on his cheekbone. He looked surprised. "Thank you for your comfort Jon, it will not soon be forgotten." She bounced off towards Robb and took his arm again before reentering the dining hall.

Cersei found her gaze on her daughter, who was coming back into the kingdom's dining hall in the arm of the eldest Stark with a friendly smile on her soft face. She felt her heart sink into her belly, and she took a glass of wine in her hand as they laughed with each other, feeling herself get a bit angry when the Greyjoy boy, began to tickle her a little. She turned to Robert who saw none of it, but her fury was interrupted by the orange haired Stark, Sansa, and a fake smile spread on Cersei's thin lips, as she talked to the girl.

It was Mary's last day in the land of blizzards and she was spending her last few hours with Robb and Theon, seeing as Jon was preparing for his travel to the wall with her Uncle Tyrion and his Uncle Benjen. Robb was not in the best of mood's, with Bran almost dying, she could see it was effecting him greatly. Robb hadn't talked much, but was lost in thought with a stone cold face. Theon was kept busy entertaining Mary still, joking and playing small games with her.

"No, Mary," Theon would say, fixing her hands. "You clap one hand on my opposite, then the other, then we clap both our palms together and then we clap the back of our hands together, and repeat." He explained, and Mary gave a loud laugh, doing it incorrectly again, mostly just to annoy him. "You know what?" Theon finally cried, giving her stomach a nice tickle with his hands. Her laugh broke through Robb's preoccupied mind, and he began to smile at them, as they fell to the floor.

"Theon, stop!" She said through her laughs in a gasp, but Theon never even paused. He went on for a few more moments, before climbing on top of her. "Robb help me!' She pleaded, and Robb walked over but Theon put his hand up to Robb.

"Say uncle," He ordered Mary, his threatening fingers hovering over her stomach and she began to panic. She shook her head though, the Baratheon blood in her veins too prideful to do so. Theon tickled her again, and she laughed so hard she ached. "Say uncle!" He said again, his smile never fading. She looked up to see Jaime passing by the room they were in.

"Uncle!" She shrieked like she was being attacked and it startled everyone around them. Soon her Uncle Jaime burst through the room, his eyes wide in search for his niece's voice from whom he'd heard a panicked cry. He then saw Theon on top of Mary, his face struck with horror, seeing that the Kingslayer was grabbing the hilt of his blade. Jaime looked like a true Lion, fierce and angry. He approached Theon and grabbed the collar of the boys shirt. "Uncle, let him down!" Mary said through a laugh on the floor, and Robb too found himself laughing at the frightened boy in Jaime Lannister's grasp. Jaime gave Mary a confused look, as she dusted her skirt off. "I was trying to get him to stop tickling me." Jaime paused, then nodded understandingly, putting the boy down with a nervous laugh, and Theon looked actually a little shaken.

"My apologies," Jaime bowed to them all. Theon bowed back, and Robb nodded his head. Jaime turned to his niece who's mischievous grin never left her face as she raised her brows to Theon. "I was just looking for you, Little Fawn. We're leaving now." He said, making Mary's heart drop. She didn't even hide her disinclination towards his words.

"Do we have to go?" She whined as he took her hand in his, and nodded his head firmly. "Let me say goodbye then." She sighed sadly, pulling away from his hand.

She turned to Theon and smiled at him, cupping his face in her hands and hugging him soon after. His hands hung on the lower arch back, hiding his face in her neck. He gave her a small kiss on her knuckle before she turned Robb. He stood, towering over her by a great many inches. Robb got to his knee and kissed her hand, before she swiped him up in a hug, wrapping her arms around his stomach. He sighed into the hug.

"I care very much for you both," She told them turning to Theon, who smiled. "Thank you for your kindnesses. And Robb," She turned back to the boy with Tully hair. "I'm sorry about Bran. Give him a kiss for me." She brushed his curly locks with her hands before rushing to her Uncle who's gaze was only on the floor when she mentioned the young lord.

Within the hour they set out to Casterly Rock. Mary found herself dreading the return of home, especially when her small Uncle with too big a mind, remained. She had not once even touched that leather book she loved so, feeling that if she read it without him here, she would be doing him a great dishonor, even though it was just the opposite. She stared out the window of the carriage, at the great white blanket of snow, until it was melted away, and the sun was all that remained. It made her feel hot in her winter clothes, so she had to remove her coat and roll up the skirt of her dress, which her mother said was not lady like, but which Jaime encouraged.

The heat was all she'd ever known, and she loved it, but now she wanted Winter for a change. She soon realized though, as they came to the sparkling gates of her home, that she was trapped in this sweltering heat of eternal Summer. And she would probably never escape it.