Capítulo 13: Chapter 13

During the night she must have moved. She wasn't used to not sleeping in Ned's arms. She opened her eyes and caressed Ned's chest and sighed when he kissed her head. "We must join the celebrations today. I heard your lord father might be here tomorrow. He comes from the Westerlands with your aunt Genna and her Frey husband." Cersei raised her face to his and kissed him gently. "Good morning my love." He said and rubbed her belly with his free hand.

She nuzzled his neck; she liked these quiet moments with him, before the children woke up and demanded their attention. "I hear the tourneys start today for the queen's name day." She said quietly lest the children wake up.

"Yes, Robert is to be in the melee." Ned said with a yawn.

"I trust you will not participate." Ned did not like to pretend, he never enlisted in any of the tourneys in the north.

"I will, Robert goaded me and I accepted. I will be jousting only while Robert will join in the melee." Her husband said.

Cersei raised her head, "you hate tourneys. I had to beg you to hold one on your last name day."

"Robert needed a distraction. This gives him a purpose, he drinks too much." Ned said simply. "I joined only because he insisted. I do not intend to win." She shook her head and attended to Robb who tried to climb down his cot.

She joined the queen and her daughters. Robb and Jon remained at her side. Tyrion joined them, "dearest sister." The imp kissed her cheek and sat down between her sons who played a rather intricate game of knights.

"Your brother is quite colorful." The queen said with an edge in her voice. Cersei nodded and changed the subject to pregnancy stories. They talked and then walked down to join the festivities in the castle grounds.

The children were left with the handmaidens and strangely enough Tyrion who did not wish to attend the tourneys. "King Robert will win in the melee. Ser Barristan or Jaime will be the jousting champion." He said as he pretended to be a dragon for Robb's sake. Cersei told Myra expressively to watch out for her brother and her children. "Make sure you are always by their side. I do not trust my brother."

It was a sunny day, no clouds, perfect for a soak by the Trident. Cersei wore a purple gown while the queen chose to honor her house colors Tully blue and red. They waddled to their seats and amusedly observed the melees and the distractions. As predicted by her dwarf brother king Robert won the melee. Catelyn smiled tightly when the king kissed a servant girl who gave him a skin of wine. Cersei could not imagine the terrible shame the queen must feel every time that oaf pawed some woman. She was once again glad that Ned was an honorable man.

The jousts were cleaner and a more beautiful affair. Ser Barristan was elegant but lost to a formidable Jaime. Her lord husband defeated Ser Mormont and one of the Walders Frey that roamed the lists. Soon it was down to a couple of men. Cersei wondered if Ned had changed his mind and decided to fight. Her lord husband changed his mind indeed because he defeated the Hound and Ser Trant without much effort.

The final joust was between her lord husband and brother. She watched with some trepidation as both men faced off. Jaime was slighter and quicker but Ned was bigger and stronger. Their fighting techniques were sights to behold. Jaime attacked ferociously but Ned defended and gave no mercy. He did not give an inch of territory. They jousted and when it seemed Jaime was going to win Ned moved graciously and threw her brother from his mare. King Robert cheered and let out some expletives. Queen Catelyn smiled and grimaced at little. She smiled tightly. Ned was declared the champion of the tourney and was given the customary crown of flowers. It was a beautiful crown of wild red, yellow and white roses. He would no doubt give the crown to the queen for her name day. He approached their box. The queen smiled shyly. Cersei's heart raced, "give the crown to her" she thought. He would know better, he should know better. Ned smiled at her and undid the crown.

"Yellow roses for my queen." Catelyn smiled when he kissed her hand.

"Red and white roses for my love." Cersei couldn't help but smile when he kissed her gently on the cheek, too close to her mouth but not at all improper. A loud cheer erupted. The ladies swooned when Ned rode off.

"Your Ned is wonderful." The queen said wistfully. Cersei smelled her roses. They smelled of summer.

"He loves you. How does it feel?" Catelyn asked as they waddled back to the castle. Cersei squeezed her hand, "the king adores you." She tried but didn't expect the tears the queen shed.

Catelyn led them to a quaint clearing. "He does not. He tolerates the girls and me. I hope this one is a boy. He needs an heir then my duty will be done and he can stop coming to my chambers."

"He hurts you." Cersei said in a small voice. Catelyn didn't nod nor disagreed. "He's very strong and sometimes he forgets that."

"You have not answered Lady Stark." Catelyn's blue eyes looked at her with askance.

"He did not love me at first." She said quietly, "Ned is honorable it is very easy to love him. He is quiet and sometimes stubborn but he's gentle and he cares about me. He listens to me."

Catelyn smiled, "Robert only visits my bedchambers. He whispers her name every time. I hate her so much. I never thought I would hate a dead woman so much." She said bitterly.

"Lyanna changed all of our lives." Cersei replied. Lyanna Stark was the reason why Robert and Ned rebelled.

The queen wiped her tears. "Robert will never love me and the little love I had for him is gone now. All I have is my girls and this little one. He is disgusting but he gave me my children and I love them. I would do anything for my girls." There was a fierce glint in her eyes.

They went back to the castle. Cersei switched the subject once more for the queen's benefit. They went to Catelyn's quarters where the children played together. Jon and Robb were teaching Myrcella, Lyanna and Sansa how to play with swords. Alayne was asleep by her crib.

Jon and Myrcella seemed to be getting along quite well. "Baratheon and Stark together." The queen said smiling. "She could be the new lady Stark. What do you think Cersei?"

She smiled, "It would be an honor for my Jon. Although we should wait a little at least until they both speak without a lisp." Catelyn joined her in laughter.

That night she tended to her husband's sores ad aches. "My champion." She kissed the ugly red mark Jaime's lance left by his ribs. He kissed her lips and sucked her lower lip. "You would have looked beautiful with all those flowers in your hair."

Cersei liked it when he kissed her lower lip and bit her. She watched his shaved face, he shaved yesterday she liked that clean smooth face of his. "Wait." She wore a green nightshift. It was almost transparent.

She grabbed the flowers he'd given her earlier and put them in her hair. "I have flowers in my hair my lord."

"My lioness of Winterfell." He growled and kissed her breathlessly. He barked a laugh when she tried to squirm under him. She tried to overpower him but he was having none of it. "A lioness subdued by a wolf." She teased and touched his sore spots. He grimaced. "Be fair lioness." He kissed her languidly. She kissed him just as languidly. They caressed and kissed each other until Ned fell asleep with his hands on her teats. She sighed, it could be worse; she could be with that Robert oaf. She shuddered and kissed Ned's chest.