Elyssia Thorne
Elyssia decided there were only two Northern families she didn't like. The Umbers and the Boltons. The GreatJon was a loud, arrogant, beast of a man who clearly drank too much and smelled like stale blood and animal fat. He'd spent a fair amount of the feast half-whispering to his companions about "Ned Stark's little beastlings." and twice as much of it referring to Robb as a child.
Roose Bolton, on the other hand, was a small, self-important man with eyes like fog over an ice field. He hadn't spoken much, save for a few polite gestures and mannerisms, but every time he so much as tilted his hand in her direction Elyssia found herself flinching and looking away. The only emotion she caught on his face was mild disgust, and that was only when one of the Umber's cousins belched loudly to a chorus of laughter.
"Not the most pleasing company, are they?" Elyssia jumped as a feminine voice spoke loudly in her ear.
Elyssia turned quickly, finding that Lady Mormont had sat down next to her, smiling coyly as she waved toward a servant girl carrying a tray of ale. Luwin hadn't spent much time on the high family of Bear Island, but she knew enough to recognize the imposing women on site. Maege Mormont was a battle-hardened woman who'd succeeded her nephew, Jorah, after he'd been exiled. She had three children, the oldest of whom was sitting two tables away with a group of Umbers.
"Lady Mormont" She said quickly, recovering from the initial shock. "I wouldn't say they're unpleasing...just very honest about themselves."
Lady Mormont laughed. "You have a way for words, my dear. More than I can say for any of them. And for the love of the old gods, please, call me Maege. You and I are on equal standings, we're both the liege Lady of a great hold."
"Many would argue that the title of Lady of Elderbridge belongs to Alavane's new wife. A Morray girl I hear." Their conversation had attracted the attention of one of the Karstarks as well as a Cerwyn cousin.
"Aye, Miranda" The Cerwyn nodded. "Pretty as a dream she is, but her lord says she's barren."
Elyssia bit her tongue, holding back the sharp retort waiting there. Robb would have her head if she offended any of the houses here. His sister's lives, as well as his father's depended on the standing he had with the men and women sworn to Winterfell.
"Regardless of what pretty thing Alavane has picked up, Lady Elyssia is his only living true-born child, and his eldest. She is is heir beyond a doubt" Roose Bolton said quietly, looking directly at her. She nearly shivered as his icy eyes looked over her. "I hear you're to be betrothed soon, My Lady. To whom may I ask?"
Elyssia balked, pinching her knee through the fabric of her dress. Maester Luwin had warned her that the other houses might be curious. With Sansa and Arrya in King's Landing, held hostage by the Lannisters, she was the only bargaining piece Robb had. She'd already know her hand might be used as a prize for some lord willing to swear his sword to Robb.
"It has not been decided as of yet" She said calmly.
Her response set up a slight murmuring of some of the men around her. It was an answer Luwin had drilled into her head. Being vague would allow them to believe that Robb would offer her in reward for their loyalty. It was apparent that the Kartstark man was listening, as was the Cerwyn. But Roose Bolton appeared to be un-amused.
"A claim to a Southern hold. A prize I'm sure many would jump at the chance for." Roose nodded, his tone going sickly sweet.
She refused to look away from him this time. Luwin had also warned her about this. Despite her claim being one of the most prominent in the south, it would have little value to many of the Northern lords. Silverstream was a four month journey along the King's road, several weeks if you took a ship from Eastwatch. Few would journey so close to the wall for a ship, and fewer would make the long trek to Silverstream on a regular basis. Only Lords with younger sons, those who didn't have a claim of their own, would look for a lordship in a place like Silverstream. Roose Bolton had no true-born sons. And his supposed heir was a bastard boy rumored to be crueler than even the Mad King.
"I'd imagine some men would be glad to have a chance to live in the Crown lands. Plenty of coin flows through Silverstream. There are no bears or wolves to steal your herds, no Wildlings to take your daughters." Lady Mormont saved her from answering, smiling coyly at Lord Bolton.
"Ah but there are the shadowcats that far south. Poisonous snakes. The creatures that crawl out of Dorne's Boneway. And let's not forget the brigands and bandits. There are plenty of things to fear in the South. Lions and desperate men in particular" Roose replied with a small smile, his eyes flickered to the banner of House Bolton that hung above his head. The flayed man.
"Lions don't like the forests" Elyssia broke in, her voice as calm and steady as she could make it. "Nor do most men. Too many shadows. Too many places to hide. One wrong step and you're deep in quicksand, or tangled in hanging moss and tree roots. All it takes is a single scream, a scrape, the smell of blood. You're poisoned by venomous snakes, inhaled the spores of Fire Fungus, or set on by a Shadowcat. Sends lions and men turning on tail"
Lady Mormont smiled, clearly catching the darker undertone to her words. The Cerwyn knight shut his mouth quickly, while the Karstark opened and closed his like a fish out of water. Roose Bolton was unaffected, only smiling more.
"Ah but Fire Fungus and venomous creatures must always hide in the dark. Men can walk in the sun, use fire to bring light to shadow. Cut off the heads of foul creatures that threaten them" Lord Bolton clasped his hands together, placing his elbows on the table.
"Have you ever seen and Elderoak, Lord Bolton?" She asked quietly, a polite smile on her face. "They're great, silver colored trees, wider around than three men can reach, with wide, arrow shaped leaves. The leaves themselves are blue, but they're covered in a thick, syrupy sap that turns them purple. This sap makes the Elderoak more valuable than any other tree you'd find in Westeros. Including Ironwood."
"And why is that?" Roose asked, some of his smile slipping away.
"It leaves a residue on anything it touches. One that makes it fireproof. It snuffs out fire just as quickly as it can start." Elyssia smiled. "That is why the Fire Fungus, Smoking Turtles, Cinder Newts...all things that instantly take flame under the light of the sun, choose to live there. And that, Lord Bolton, is why though men could easily cut down the trees, shed sunshine upon the things that live there, 'bring light to the darkness' as you say, they don't. Because there are some things that were never meant to see the light. And men, as the intelligent creatures they are, are not foolish enough to invite those things into the sun."
The group of men, and Lady Mormont, fell silent; all of them simply staring at her. Roose Bolton turned up his nose, politely excusing himself from the table. Elyssia watched in silence as he relocated himself to a place closer to his men, sparring her one last glance before immersing himself in their conversation.
Jon Umber gave a great laugh, drawing the attention of many of the men in the hall, including both Robb and Theon. He kept laughing, ignoring the expressions of shock and confusion on faces of those around him.
"Quite the quick tongue you have there, little lady" Lord Umber said, wiping a trace of ale off his lips. "Seems the North has gotten into your southern blood after all."
Elyssia nodded polietly, allowing the men to go back to their conversations. Roose Bolton scowled from across the room. She stood up quietly, excusing herself from the hall. Robb would be too busy to question her, and she hoped he was keeping Theon as close to his side as Maester Luwin had advised. Her mind immediately went back to the lesson Maester Luwin had given them as the allied houses were riding up to the gates.
"Theon should be kept close, Robb. Give the Northmen cause to believe that the Greyjoy heir is loyal to you. Let them see your friendship with Theon and forget the Balon would refuse an invitation to come to your aid." Luwin had said, giving Theon a hard look. "Elyssia should be allowed to roam. If you're believed to be close to her, attracted to her, men will start to think you place more value in her than she actually has. They will think you loyal to the South. To Highgarden and Old Town. She has to be among the rest, do not even speak to her if you needn't."
She'd bit her tongue when he'd said it, swallowing the sharp retort that had immediately come to her lips. Luwin spoke as if she was merely Robb's asset to parade around, a prize to be won by his loyal followers. Granted she had promised that she'd do whatever it took to insure Sansa and Arrya were brought back safely, and she had no cruel desire to see Lord Stark die for treason, but the thought of marrying one of them, a Bolton or Umber...or even a Karstark or one of the mousy looking Glovers...It made her feel sick. She had no want to spend the rest of her life trapped in the icy tundra or in the middle of one of the North's Godswood. If marriage to one of them was what Robb required, he had sisters for that.. Sansa would be married to one of the greater houses if her engagement with Joffery was broken. But Arya was the younger daughter. She was always destined to marry the eldest son of one of the Stark's bannermen, as Rickon and Bran, before Bran's fall, were. She had no part of this alliance. And her hand was useless to the Northmen.
"Robb isn't happy that you walked out when Lady Mormont was taking the time to speak to you" Elyssia rolled her eyes as the familiar voice reached her.
"Robb can deal with his lords and ladies himself. I'm not sitting in there to be waved around like a prized cow at an auction." She said, giving a cold look to the offender.
"Not just a prized cow." Theon smirked. "A beautiful, prized cow. Unique actually. And one that holds the key to a lordship for any lesser son."
"Oh they'd have their lordship" Elyssia frowned, leaning against the low, stone wall that surrounded the garden planted just behind the hall. "Right after I sent them wailing back to their ice fields for 'putting the wild little mare in her place'"
"And who had the idiocy to say that within you earshot?" Theon laughed, joining her next to the wall.
"Some foolish cousin of Lord Karstark's" Elyssia answered, feeling the edge of her anger fall away. "It's not even their foolishness that infuriates me. It's their polite comments about how much of a 'prize' I am when all they're really doing is turning their nose up at Robb and his suggestion of a husband for the heir to a southern castle."
"He isn't going to make you marry one of them, you know that right?" Theon said quietly, turning to look at her as he rested his arms on the wall. "Chances are you'll stay right here in Winterfell until your father dies and it's time for you to take his seat."
"You and I both know it won't happen as perfectly as that. Robb will need allies if he has to face the Lannisters, allies he won't find in men accustomed to cold weather and enemies that walk on four legs. Did you know there's never even been an execution in Deepwood Motte? Lord Glover sends all his prisoners to face Lord Stark's justice. It's like he thinks saving all the justice for him will earn him favor" She rolled her eyes. "As if Lord Stark likes serving all of House Glover's 'Justice'"
"Robb thinks Galbart Glover hopes he'll get Arrya's hand out of this" Theon said, casting a grin at her.
"For that son of his?" Elyssia raised an eyebrow.
"For himself. Word has it Glover has a theory that Arrya is the most fertile of the Stark children. Said it had something to do with all the running and climbing she does. Poor fool probably has himself believing that she'll outlive, Robb, Bran, Rickon, and Sansa too." He said, his voice just higher than a whisper.
"As if she'd agree to t. I'd hate to see her when she finds out Robb might actually betroth her to some Northern Lord to secure an alliance of some sort. He might even hand her over to Glover." She allowed a small laugh to slip out of her throat. A silence fell between them. "Theon?"
"Yeah?" He looked at her curiously, having heard the drop in her voice.
"Who do you think he'll ask me to marry?" Elyssia said sadly, looking down at the grass that was already soaked with dew.
"Elyssia." Theon said softly. "Don't think of it that way"
"It's just...I want so badly to see Silverstream...to walk under the Elderoaks and see the great bridge that leads into the castle. If I marry a northman...I'll never see anything but more snow, and dead grass, and trees that make me feel like the entire world is pushing on me." Elyssia sighed, stepping away from the wall.
Theon was about to answer when a new chorus of laughter came from the open door to the feast hall.
"I suppose we should probably go back inside" Elyssia mumbled.
"Yeah..." Theon sighed. "I suppose we should"