Hello! Sorry if this wasn't posted as quickly as the others, I was also working on a chapter for "Tainted Steel." No, I am still not done.. X'DDD - Demise
It was early dawn at the Twins as men, baring the sigil of house Bolton, rose from their tents outside, and began preparing for the trip home back to the Dreadfort and regroup before heading off to the Ruby ford and meet with the Tullys, bannerman of the young Northern King. The lord of Dreadfort was having breakfast that morning with the distrusting Walder Frey as he left his wife in their room for the maids to prepare for travel. All that time that he sat at the table with Walder, the old man kept staring at him, as if searching for something that he had seemingly found as a glimmer in his eyes was obvious before a sly smirk twitched at the corners of the old man's lips.
"I see she did not disappoint." Stated Walder rather boldly as Roose turned to him with an unwavering expression.
"A rather forward statement.. What lead you on to such a suggestion?" Replied Roose as he fiddled with his fork in his left hand, eyes still locked onto the thinning man.
"You are wearing the same clothes as your wedding night, the same clothes you took to bed with you." Stated Walder simply. "A lord such as yourself would know better to have spare clothing during travel, and I do not take you for the type to have a slipping mind, unless you were up rather late last night, and quickly threw on the easiest thing you could find available without having to call guards or go fetch clothing for yourself.." Walder seemed to smirk even wider when Roose sat rigid in his seat, stiff as a ruler.
"I.." Roose tried to come up with a reply, but for the first time, he drew up a blank, and simply stood from the breakfast table.
"I must be leaving soon. My men are waiting. I thank you for your kindness here, and wish you good health." He spoke rather hurriedly as he bowed, a frown finding its way back to his face as he straightened and turned towards the exit as Walder watched him leave with a twinkle in his eyes.
"By the seven, he is hopeless now." Grinned the lord of the Twins as his yellowing teeth were exposed, raising his cup to his lips before setting it down and shouting. "More wine!" To the giddy servants.
Men of house Bolton now stood at the entrance of the Twins as their lord approached and swept his eyes through their assembly with a criticizing expression upon his face before his horse was saddled and brought over to him by one of the handlers, but it wasn't just his horse alone. Another horse, one grey with white socks was also brought along. It was study with a short, but very lean build, no doubt meant for his new wife as she herself now exited the Twins with two maids as they saw her out.
"Help my lady wife onto her horse, and bring her to my side once she is saddled." Instructed Roose to the handler as he saddled his own horse, and steered it towards the front of the assembly.
Walda looked hesitantly to the handler as he brought her horse over, reaching out a hand to her respectfully.
"The Lord instructed me to help you saddle, milady." Spoke the handler as he waited for her to comply. Walda looked to the horse with an unsettling expression as she gingerly took the handler's offered hand.
"A-are you sure the horse can hold..?" Asked Walda quietly as the handler brought her over to the left of the horse, and patted the beast's neck reassuringly.
"Ol'Grey here has carried men twice your size, milady. I recon he could carry Gregor Clegene for days without giving out." Huffed the handler with pride.
Walda still remain a bit unconvinced, but slowly she reached up for the reins as the handler helped boosted her up onto the saddle, where she wobbled momentarily before finding her balance upon the horse, which surprisingly remained standing as the handler said. She smiled brightly down at the handler as she thanked him, and he pulled the horse along by the reins as he instructed her how to ride.
"Ya kick him left if you wanna go left, and you kick him right when you wanna go right. If you want him to stop of slow, tug on the reins. To make him go, kick him with both legs."
Walda made sure to note all of this down as she was guided to the front of the assembly, where wandering eyes of the Bolton men all landed upon her as they whispered amongst each other.
She saw Roose at the head with his back to her as a small blush crept up to her cheeks, and when she finally caught his eyes, Roose quickly glanced away from his young blushing bride, his feelings still tangled together in a mess as he did not know how to go about at sorting them out and find just what exactly what he felt for her.
She was soon by his side as he regarded her with a simple glance, and brief words. "I hope your morning was pleasant..?"
Walda tried to fight off another blush as she nodded. "Y-yes, my lord." She replied quietly as she squeezed at her reins. Roose saw her discomfort as his eyes glanced from her hands to her face, and without another word, he removed his cloak from his shoulders, and pulled them over Walda with care.
"This will keep you warm until we reach the Dreadfort. There, I will have something tailored for you that is more fitting for the cold.."
"T-thank-you, my lord." She replied as she gave him a small smile. He said nothing more as he kicked his horse, and the assembly were on their way to the dreadfort.
The whole trip there, the two said nothing more, but Walda kept tracing at the sigil of house Bolton, running her finger over the 'X' of the symbol that was upon the clasp of the cape, over and over again as it laid upon her breast like a precious treasure, and she could not help but blush every time she thought of what this meant. She was lady Bolton.. This is her sigil now, her house, her colors, her husband..