I sat in my room looking out over the crossing. My sewing lay in my lap. My sister Roslin's nameday was coming soon and she deserved something special. I was making her a new dress in her favorite colors purple and silver. It was almost complete except for the stitching I wanted to be done on it. The same stitching our mother had on her wedding dress before she died and was burned with it on. Looking out over the crossing I could only imagine what leaving this place would feel like. Would it feel like a raven spreading its wings and flying or a horse galloping free across the land. I feared it was an experience I would never know. My thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on my door. I quickly hid the dress and sat back down at my seat.
"Come in," I said. My brother Stevron entered a grim look on his face.
"What is it you look as if you've seen death itself," I asked him. He just shook his head and pulled a chair next to mine.
"Father is becoming more and more prickly as of late," Stevron said.
"Isn't he always prickly as a rose without the loveliness of one," I replied. Stevron smiled.
"This is why you're my favorite sister because you always make me smile," Stevron replied.
"I better be your favorite I didn't see anyone else helping to clean the vomit off of you before you're daughter's wedding," I said a teasing smile on my face.
"Believe me vomiting was the least of my worries that day," Stevron said referring to his wife's antics when she drank. Lily was a good woman but enjoyed wine more than any man I'd ever seen. The more wine she drank the more silly she would become.
"How is Lily," I asked him.
"Three days without a drink and proud of it," Stevron replied. I looked at him raising my eyebrow questingly.
"So you give it about another day or two," I asked.
"Most likely," Stevron replied with a laugh.
"ARWEN," I heard shouted. I looked out to see my older brother Olyvar standing down below.
"What is it," I asked him. He looked nothing like our father instead looking like our mother praise the gods.
"You better come down quick. Some of our sisters are teasing Roslin it could get ugly," Olyvar replied.
"Be right down," I replied. I sent an apologetic smile to my brother.
"Sometimes I think you're the only mother figure around," Stevron replied following me out. He closed the door behind us and I took off in the direction of the courtyard. Roslin and I were constantly picked on as children for as some called it being the only 'pretty' Frey daughters. Roslin was two years younger than I. I picked up my skirts and hurried outside knowing the last time I needed to break something like this up black eyes and busted lips were involved. I saw Olyvar and father's wife number 8 trying to break up the fight. That girl honestly knew nothing about raising children or motherhood.
"HEY," I shouted. Some of the girls who were cheering them on stopped and backed away. I got closer and started pulling sisters off each other.
"Stop this, this instant. If you don't you know someone will tell father and all of us will be in trouble," I shouted. The fight seemed to stop. While not all of us got along one thing we knew is don't anger our father. Most of us hated him but to different degrees.
"Thanks sister," Olyvar said as we started separating the girls. Bumps and bruises seemed to be the general injury consensus.
"Now what started this," the newest wife Joyeuse asked. No one paid attention to her but they turned to me.
"What happened Shirei," I asked the youngest of my sisters. She looked down at her feet then up at me. Her light blue eyes and mousy hair clung to her face with the sweat form the fighting. Her dress was caked with mud.
"Walda was teasing Roslin after the blacksmith's youngest gave her a flower. She took it from her and pushed Roslin to the ground. Roslin wanted it back but Walda ripped it and stomped on it. That's when the fight started and Olyvar went and got you," Shirei replied.
"Thank you Shirei, Walda why did you take the flower," I asked.
"She thinks she's better than any of us," Walda replied sneering at Roslin who was on the ground having received most of the injuries.
"Walda even so that's no reason to start a fight. Now why don't you all go get a piece of the cake we baked earlier it should be out of the oven by now," I told them. Smiles replaced their previous expressions and they all ran into the keep. Walda gave me a look before following the rest of our siblings.
"I'll talk with her later," Olyvar said as he went to follow our siblings Joyeuse joined him. I turned to see my sister Roslin on the ground.
"Come on up," I said extending my hand and helping her to stand. She was sniffling and cradling her arm.
"She started it Arwen I swear," Roslin said.
"I know come on let's get you back to my room and get you fixed up," I suggested to her. She nodded and gave me a big hug.
"I love you sister," Roslin said. We walked towards my room not talking just walking side by side. When we entered my room my handmaiden Moira was stripping my bed of its sheets.
"Moira could you please run a bath for my Roslin and retrieve a new dress from her room please," I asked her.
"Certainly my lady," She said grabbing the sheets and leaving the room closing the door behind her. I turned to Roslin who was looking down at her feet. I went over to the table by my bed grabbing the little basket I kept underneath with supplies to heal little scrapes and bruises. I placed it by the bed and sat in the chair I had occupied while talking to Stevron.
"So are you going to tell me your side of the story," I asked her.
"All he did was give me a flower, one kindness that happens to me from someone other than you and some of our siblings and she has to take it from me," Roslin said.
"So you hit her," I asked as Moira came back in with buckets of hot water, a dress of Roslin's around her shoulders.
"She started it," Roslin protested her grey eyes staring at me. Roslin had deep brown hair with amber highlights and doe like eyes with fair skin.
"Roslin, you got lucky Olyvar called me to break up the fight it could have been father or Black Walder even Lothar. You need to be careful, try calling for help next time picking a fight should be the last resort," I told her. She looked up at me and nodded.
"I hate being picked on all the time," Roslin said coming to sit beside me.
"I know believe me I do but you need to think before you act. Today could have been a lot worse for you if the wrong person had found you," I told her.
"My lady the bath is ready for the Lady Roslin," Moira said.
"Thank you Moira, Roslin go get washed up we can't have you looking like that for supper tonight," I told her teasingly. She smiled and went into the washroom connected to my room.
We got her cleaned and healed before going to supper. It was a tense affair. Father sat next to wife number 8 his hand never leaving her backside while she was trying and failing miserably at trying to not look disgusted. Roslin and I sat in the middle with Olyvar and others surrounding us. No one was happy and everyone was silent. The Frey family was broken no longer would we have a united front as long as Walder Frey was Lord. Our Septa would tell us stories of when The Twins would be filled with laughter and music and dancing into the nights before the Lordship of Walder Frey. Those stories would inspire us to dance while some played music but then father would come and tell us all to stop the racket and be quiet. So here we sit a large family such as ours and there is no sound but utensils hitting plates.