★☆

CHAPTER TWO; THE RED KEEP

"Eyes up, always," Hogarth instructed, his voice sharp as he watched Rey trying to control the heavy sparring sword in her possession. "How are you supposed to defend yourself from your enemy if you're too busy worrying about the weight of your sword?"

"Sorry," Rey muttered, looking back up at the knight. She gripped the hilt with both hands, the right at the top and the left closer to the pommel. She held the weapon before her in a perpendicular position to the ground, a concentrated expression on her face. Her feet were at an angle, with her hips directed towards Hogarth. She knew this from the lessons she had observed as a child. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Attack me," Hogarth ordered, and Rey sharply inhaled, before lunging forward and swinging her sword in his direction. The knight easily blocked the assault, pushing his blade up and parrying her strike. He then pushed her back and kicked her legs from underneath her so that she slammed into the ground. Groaning, Rey lay defeated. Hogarth chuckled softly, stepping forward and nudging her with his foot. "Come on, My Lady. You're wasting time feeling sorry for yourself."

"I just want to do well," the girl muttered, sitting up and huffing. Dirt had clouded around her and found a home on her clothing. The cellars of the Red Keep were dark and absent of people, the dragon skulls from the Targaryen rule appearing quite off-putting to trespassers. This made it the perfect place to practice, though it wasn't particularly clean. "I don't know how to get better."

"For a start, every time you get knocked down, you get back up," Hogarth retorted, which was met with a small smile. Rey pushed herself back onto her feet and raised her sword once more. "Second, don't fight to win, fight to survive. If you get cocky about how you swing your sword, you'll be met with the unexpected and lose either your hands or your head."

"A lovely sentiment," Rey replied easily, before charging towards him with her blade held high. To no surprise she was thrown back, but she was strong, she had to keep fighting.

★☆

"Don't you ever get bored when you're stuck in here?" Arya groaned, her head hanging off the edge of Rey's bed. The older girl chuckled as she looked up from where she sat on the floor of her chambers, placing her book down. Arya had come up to visit before her 'dancing' lesson, making a point to say how this was the first break she'd taken since she'd started. Rey was flattered. It was supposed to be a secret that she was learning swordplay, but there was no hesitance in informing Rey.

"Of course I do," Rey responded easily, raising her eyebrows. "I've been here four years, you've been here nine months. The things I've found most fun are hiding from the Queen and Joffrey, or finding my way through King's Landing."

"You leave the Red Keep?" Arya asked, eyes wide as she flipped onto her stomach. There was nothing formal about their meeting, seeing as neither girl cared about routine when together. Arya had taken it upon herself to make herself comfortable when visiting, which came as a comfort to Rey, seeing as she had been surrounded by refined and dignified behaviours for such a long time. Arya gasped as her friend nodded with a sly smile. "You're so lucky! Father won't let me go anywhere, and Sansa thinks it's stupid to explore and be anything other than a Lady."

"Well, you can be a Lady and explore," Rey interjected, though the young Stark turned her nose up. "Besides, no one knows I'm gone except for Ser Hogarth, who has to come with me so I don't get into too much trouble."

"I won't tell anybody," Arya grinned, which Rey quickly returned. "Can I come with you next time?"

"Maybe," Rey replied. "You'd have to be incredibly careful, you know. If one of us is gone, hardly anyone notices. If there's two, one of them being a daughter of the Hand of the King, we might draw some attention."

"I'll be quiet, no one will notice me," Arya quickly chirped, now quite excited. It was clear she despised her high-born status, as she didn't want to live the life that had been planned for her. She didn't want to become a lady and marry, she only wanted to fight and defend her honour alongside her brothers. "Syrio wants me to try and catch cats to become quicker. I'm going out tomorrow to start."

Before Rey could respond, there was a short knock at her door. She quickly got to her feet, while Arya pushed herself up onto her knees, the soft mattress a comfortable surface. "Come in."

Ser Hogarth pushed the door open and appeared with his usual irritated look on his face, though his eyes were grim. "A raven has arrived, My Lady. King Robert has been gravely injured on his hunting trip and will be returning to the Red Keep earlier than expected. Lord Marigot has given me strict instructions to remain by your side in case you are in any danger."

"Danger?" Rey furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Why would I be in danger?"

"You know your father," Hogarth shrugged his shoulders. Despite his tall, intimidating stature, he still remained incredibly human. There was a strange misconception about knights and guards, how they were mere puppets of wealthy houses and did the bidding of others without much emotion. Rey had to admit, she had seen these behaviours in the Clegane brothers and Ser Merryn Trant, but they all worked for the Lannisters. Hogarth, along with the other members of the Marigot guard were honest and respectable, but also kind, amusing, and considerate. They had no reason to leave their roles or their house, as they were treated fairly and had lived a comfortable lifestyle. "He's paranoid about anything out of the ordinary. He may send you back to the Reach if his concern grows."

"He can't do that!" Arya immediately rose to the argument, her eyes widening in objection. "You can't take her away from me, I'll die of boredom!"

"I'm sure you won't die of boredom," Rey repeated with a light laugh, though it felt quite hollow. To be perfectly honest, she wasn't eager to leave the girl behind either. She glanced back to the knight in her doorway, tilting her head curiously. "Do you think anything will come of this? Surely the Grandmaester can heal King Robert."

"It is said that he may not last until the end of the week," Hogarth replied softly, before shutting the door. It seemed to be quite apparent that this wasn't to be broadcast to the entirety of the castle.  "That means you are not permitted to leave the castle under any circumstances, do you understand?"

Though she wanted to oppose his demands, she was aware he knew what was best for her. She sighed, before nodding once. "I understand."

"I don't!" Arya groaned, hanging her head in irritation. "Just cause the stupid King got himself hurt doesn't mean we can't still go exploring."

"Best not call your King stupid in a place like this," Hogarth muttered, looking over at the Stark. "You don't want to get in more trouble with that father of yours, do you?"

"No," Arya huffed, throwing herself back on the bed dramatically. Rey chuckled and walked over, leaning against the beautifully crafted canopy. Arya had creased the duvet and messed up the pillows in her little episode, though Rey didn't mind at all. Instead, she crossed her arms, smiling in amusement.

"You've got your dancing lessons to look forward to," the older girl assured her. Arya lifted her head and quirked her bushy eyebrows. "Perhaps we can catch some cats in the next week or so, once King Robert has recovered-"

"Or if he's dead," Arya swiftly interjected.

"Or that," Rey continued, clearing her throat slightly awkwardly. "I'm sure everything will be fine, Arya. Don't worry yourself, alright? I'm not going anywhere."

Arya pursed her lips and looked up at the auburn-haired girl, before nodding and pushing herself back up. She then threw herself into Rey's arms and held her in a tight embrace. Rey laughed, before she looked back at Hogarth, whose lips were quirked upright. The Stark was quite the character, with a strong enough personality to captivate those around her.

★☆

odd sentence to end on and super short chapter, but it be like that sometimes!!

also, ya girl cast hogarth and lord symon marigot

christian bale as hogarth

colin firth as lord marigot

yeet yaHHHHHH their quotes n gifs n shit are in the introduction w the other cast members if u wanted to get a closer look xx