Stolen Heir

Chapter 1

The Great Hall of Winterfell was filled as Rickon sat on the chair and ordered the knights to escort Celine to the throne room for what appeared to be a confrontation over her apparent scheming against her brother.

As knights escorted Celine inside, her platinum hair sways to her every move. Her indigo eyes held no emotion as she stood at the center. She confidently held her head high and quietly stood still, waiting for him to say something with both of her hands on her back.

Rickon nodded his head, the knights proceeded to close the doors and stationed themselves, preventing her from escaping or anyone who wished to leave. Celine quickly scanned her eyes around and made eye contact with a certain someone who's leaning her back at the brick wall and smirking at her smugly.

Averting her eyes, Celine looked at Rickon sitting on a chair. To his right side sat her wife, Aliah holding their firstborn, Dorran, and to Rickon's left stood his younger brother, Bennard.

"Are you sure about this?" Celine asked and looked at Rickon with a ghost of a smile.

"It's not what I want, it's what honor demands." Rickon answered with such authority in his voice.

"And what does honor demand?" Celine inquired.

"That I defend my family from those who would harm us." Rickon started, "That I defend the North from those who would betray us." He added.

Celine snuck a glance to the ground and looked back at Rickon, "All right, then. Get on with it." She said, biting the inside of her cheek to prevent a smile escaping her lips.

Rickon exhaled a sigh, "You stand accuse of murder. You stand accuse of treason. How do you answer these charges..." there was a second pause before he proceeded and looked towards that someone, "Lady Maurelle?"

Everyone turned to her as her smirk immediately vanished, her pale skin and lips turned paler, gobsmacked at the attention she's getting, at the accusation given to her. She fixed her posture and stood straight.

A full-blown grin, almost like a Cheshire cat plastered on Celine's face as she witnessed her reaction, feeling beyond satisfied at what she's seeing. Maurelle turned to look at Rickon, confused as everyone did not utter a word. The tension was rising and thick that everyone, even the knights refused to look away or breathe.

"My brother asked you a question." Celine spoke, earning her attention.

"My Lord, forgive me. I'm a bit confused." Maurelle said, Celine mentally cringed hearing her voice, describing it like a squeaking rat purposely making her voice crack, creaks and fries, so unpleasant to listen and hear to, she thought.

Rickon tilted his head, "Which charges confuse you?" He asked, "Let's start with the simplest one. You murdered our uncle, Benjen Arryn. Pushed him through the Moon Door and watched him fall into his death. Do you deny it?" He added.

"I did it to protect you." She answered, Celine rolled her eyes at the obvious lie she's hearing.

"You did it to take power in the Vale." Rickon countered, "Earlier, you conspired to poison my wife. You gave a servant rosary pea to poison her. Do you deny it?" He asked, his voice lowered an octave than his normal voice.

"Whoever might have told you this is obviously slandering my name to you, My Lord. I would never do such a thing." Maurelle answered, shaking her head.

"You sent letters to our parents telling them it was the Baratheons who murdered uncle when it was really you. You, who started the conflict between the Stark and the Baratheons. Do you deny it?" He stated.

"I know of no such letter." She countered.

"Conspired with the Lannisters to ambush my mother and father upon their way back to Winterfell. Thanks to your treachery, the North mourned and lost their Lord and Lady. Three children become orphans, losing their beloved parents. Do you deny it?" He asked, gritting his teeth.

"I deny it." Maurelle confidently answered, "None of you were there to see what happened. None of you knows the truth." She added, turned around and roamed her eyes inside the room, averting her eyes and glaring at the girl who was still standing at the center.

"A commoner saw and heard you confessed everything to our dying parents." Celine interfered.

"And you believe everything that filthy thing said?" Maurelle asked, outrageously.

"With enough evidence, of course." Celine replied.

Maurelle quickly turned around and placed both her hands on the table, "Lord Rickon, I have known you since you were a boy. I've protected you..."

"Protected me? By selling my brother to the Boltons?" Rickon interrupted her.

"If we could speak alone, I can explain everything." She muttered.

"I may be young to be a Lord, but my father and mother taught me to understand a person's motives. How to observe and know how to strike when it's time. What's the reason you have for turning me against my sister? That's what you do, isn't it? That's what you've always done. Turn family against family, like what you did to my uncle and mother and that's what you tried to do to us." Rickon said, glaring at her with such hatred seething in his eyes.

"Rickon, please..." Maurelle mumbled, pleadingly, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"I may be young and inexperienced to be the Lord of Winterfell, but I learn." Rickon stated, leaned to his chair and exhaled a breath.

"Give me a chance to defend myself. I deserve that." Maurelle said, she quickly turned around and looked for the knight from the Vale and approached him, "I am Lady Protector of the Vale and I command you to escort me safely back to the Eyrie." She demanded.

"I think not." The knight replied, earning a slap from her.

Celine, still not moving from where she is standing, chuckled, finding her misery an entertainment she never knew she needed.

"Rickon, I beg you." Maurelle mumbled and kneeled down, "I loved your father since I was a girl." She added.

"Yet you betrayed him." Celine spoke.

Ignoring Celine, "I loved you. More than anyone." Maurelle continued.

"And yet you betrayed my brother." Celine stated.

She stood up and turned around towards Celine, glaring at her furiously.

"You!" She yelled, pointing at Celine, "Ever since Cregan brought you home, you took all the attention and love that was supposed to be given to me, you..."

"Say it." Celine softly mumbled, slightly tilting her head challenging the older woman to utter the word.

"Bastard." She stated. Rickon quickly stood up and unsheathed his dagger.

"I will have your tongue for calling my sister such a word." Rickon said, enraged.

In an instant her head was cut into two pieces just barely above where her tongue lies, her body dropped to the floor in a pool of her blood. Celine holding her sword which she used to cleanly cut the woman took a step forward, her face straight and cold, she strutted forward, looked down and stared at the lifeless body.

"She can keep her tongue..." Celine paused and smiled with such darkness, "In seven hells." She added.

Knights instantly become intimidated at the younger woman who showed no hesitance in cutting someone, no remorse seen in her face.

"Celine." Rickon said, not wanting his sister to grow up in such an environment with such violence.

"My hands slipped, brother. Forgive me." Celine sheepishly replied and smirked, Rickon shook his head and exhaled a sigh for he can't do anything to her darling sister.