Regretfully, the journey was as dull and taxing as he had feared it would be. The journey, if the entourage only consisted of mounted travellers, it would have taken them about twelve days, without any stops of course. But the party consisted of both mounted men and carriages and other transports for luggage and all. And then there were also multiple stops to rest, hunt, feast, and visit lords small and big. All in all, it took the entourage a little over a month to reach Winterfell. Edric was not overly fond of the memories he made on the journey, of lords pushing their daughters to seduce him to bed, of stopping to hunt every few days when the supplies were still strong and would last them a good few weeks. The sentiment was shared by his mother, who was scowling most if not all the way there.
Joffrey seemed aloof, trying to show that he was enjoying it. Edric knew the boy would have blown up by now if their father was not around them. He wanted their father's approval like his older brother seemed to have.
Myrcella on the other hand had no such wishes but was too polite to complain. So, she would pout and secretly do it to Edric and their mother. Tommen was bored but also distracted easily to moan about it.
But Edric would admit that once they had entered The Northern lands and snow was seen almost everywhere, he felt a little calmer, entranced by the beauty of The North. His family did not share his sentiment. So, when they finally reached Winterfell, they all let out a giant sigh of relief.
Edric had been the first to enter, followed by his brother Joffrey and then the boy's bodyguard Sandor Clegane, better known as The Hound. Like Joffrey, Edric had a bodyguard of his own once, a towering man that intimidated him greatly. But after he had earned his spurs in a tourney and was Knighted by his father at fifteen, a proud moment for both parents since it was rare for someone to be knighted so young. But it also did not come as a surprise.
Jon Arryn had told Edric the story of Jaeherys l Targaryen, who had trained under his Kingsguard before he reached his majority and claimed The Throne. Edric wanted to do that as well and practically begged The Hand and The King to allow it. Jon while a little hesitant, had to give in once Robert had agreed to it. So, Edric's training began when he was seven, under the watchful eyes of Ser Barristan the Bold and Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard. The other members had pitched in as well, but it had been those two that had invested the most time with Edric.
The Starks were all looking at him, one of them in particular with clear blue eyes and vibrant red hair. And beside her, a male with the same blue eyes and copperish hair gave him a cool look. Brother and sister then, he surmised and smiled at them both.
The coach carrying his mother and younger siblings lumbered in next, followed by his father The King. All knelt immediately when his father entered. Edric got himself off his horse, moving to the coach to help his mother and siblings down. While it is normally a servant or squire that helped, Edric preferred to do it himself. He then watched his father and Lord Stark interact, holding back a laugh at the look Lord Stark gave his father when the man commented about how fat The Lord of Winterfell had gotten. The two then burst into laughter and embraced.
"Nine years. Why haven't I seen you? Where the hell have you been?" The King asked, pulling back from the embrace.
"Guarding the North for you, Your Grace. Winterfell is yours" The Lord of Winterfell smiled.
"Father seems to be in a very good mood" Myrcella beside him commented. Ï don't think he's that happy around anyone else. Not even Uncle Stannis and Uncle Renly."
Myrcella wasn't wrong, Edric rarely saw his father this cheerful. Even under the influence of alcohol was the man not as cheerful and full of life as he was now. "The two of them are practically brothers. Maybe closer than we ever thought" Edric finally answered his sister.
The Queen approached next, being greeted by both Lord and Lady Stark with the utmost courtesy. "Take me to your crypt. I want to pay my respects" The King spoke.
"We've been riding for a month, my love," the Queen said softly, "surely the dead can wait."
But the King was adamant and The Queen, feeling humiliated in public, stepped away from her husband and returned to where she was standing before approaching. Edric grabbed her arm gently and gave it a comforting squeeze. The woman smiled at her son for the gesture before leaning over to her brother The Kingsguard.
"Where is our brother?" she hissed out just loud enough so that not everybody could hear.
"Probably in a brothel in Wintertown" Edric spoke and the eyes of his mother and his uncle turned to him, one frowning and the other smirking.
"Go find the little beast" the Queen whispered to her brother, who ducked his head with a smile.
The King and Lord Stark walked away, probably heading to the crypts. The Lady Stark approached the Queen and her children, inviting them to follow her to their quarters. They thanked her, following her as she led them. The ladies made small talk while Edric looked around the place. It felt different here than in Kings Landing. It was cold, and dull in terms of colours. But he felt at ease here for some reason, it felt more home-like than Kings Landing. Which was odd in itself since Kings Landing is his home.
Eventually, they had been taken to The King and Queen's chambers. Edric had asked Lady Stark to tell him where the other rooms were and after thanked her for it. The lady smiled before walking away, probably to prepare for the feast for the night. They all sat together in The Royal chambers for a while, talking about the journey. Joffrey was finally being transparent about his feelings and Edric smiled at his brother, but the younger Baratheon turned his nose and looked away. That was how it was between the two brothers, the younger being jealous of the older and wanting to prove himself a better son, a better prince and a better fighter. He was a good fighter no doubt, but not good enough to earn his spurs as early as Edric had done. He was a spoiled boy, hardly an ideal son or an ideal prince. The Queen dotted on his second born most of all her children.
"I'm going to go and explore Winterfell. Any of you want to come along?" Edric asked.
"Ed" his mother spoke with a frown, but Edric only grinned.
"I'll be fine mother. I still have my armour and sword" he motioned to his light mail and his sword. The Queen still looked unconvinced but eventually relented.
"Can I come along?" Myrcella asked, excitement shining in her eyes. Cersei frowned at her daughter but Edric only smiled.
"I'll protect her" Edric assured the mother of four. Once more the woman relented and the two siblings rushed out to explore the entire place. Their exploration began with the Courtyard, used for training and also where they had entered. Edric had read about Winterfell before they had come here, so he was the one giving Myrcella interesting facts about The Inner Castle, consisting of The Great Keep, The Great Hall and The Small Sept. Their exploration led to the First Keep next, a squat and round drum tower, the oldest surviving part of the castle but unused. The Broken Tower, The Glass Garden, The Bell Tower, The Maester's Turret, The Library, The Guards Hall and the multiple gates of the wall also fell during their exploration. Their last stop was The Godswood, one of the oldest ones in existence in all of The North apparently.
But they didn't enter it. They were not the followers of The Old Gods, so they felt that maybe entering might be disrespectful in some way. Another reason was that they had run into a boy with dark brown hair and a white wolf. The boy looked at them startled and the wolf licked his nose. Myrcella was frightened by the wolf and hid behind her older brother. But Edric smiled at the boy and then his wolf.
"I don't think I've seen you at the welcoming. You look too much like Lord Stark to not be a Stark. Who are you?" Edric questioned.
"Jon, my prince. Jon Snow" the boy named Jon introduced himself, ducking his head respectfully. Snow, so he was Lord Stark's infamous bastard. "Lady Stark thought it would have been insulting if I was there during the welcoming" he added. Edric noticed the boy's hand, clenched into a fist. Edric gave him a friendly smile.
From beside the boy, the wolf moved, moving slowly towards Edric and Myrcella. The younger girl gripped her brother's tunic tightly while Jon called for the wolf to come back. Edric though went to his knees and held his hand out. The wolf looked the prince in the eyes before resting his head on his outreached hand.
"You've trained him well" Edric commented with a smile.
"He's well behaved around people he trusts" Jon mumbled, he himself a little awed at the sight. Edric looked at his sister and encouraged her to come forward. Tentatively the princess came forward and the wolf looked at her. She reached her hand out and the wolf licked her hand, making her giggle.
"What's his name?" Myrcella asked.
"His name is Ghost, mi lady," Jon said with a soft smile.
The three parted ways after a moment of petting Ghost the wolf. Edric dropped Myrcella to her room before he had gone to his. He changed into one of the other sets of clothes that he had brought, freshened up, and rested for a bit until it was time for the banquet.
The banquet was not too bad. There was laughter, music and excellent food. The only thing that ruined it for him was his father getting bawdy with a wench. Edric watched the people closely, ignoring his father. He saw Sansa move toward his mother and presented her with something. Edric had been told that he was betrothed to be married to the girl. She was a pretty thing, younger than him. But other than that, he knew very little about her. He looked away and watched the other people. A man of the Night's Watch had come not long after, and with his looks and how he greeted Lord Stark, that must have been the brother that had taken The Black. Then there was a disturbance and his eyes fell on the Stark sisters, one laughing and the other with food on her face.
"Arya threw food at Sansa's face" Myrcella whispered to Edric, a smile on her face. If she had sat near their mother, the girl wouldn't be smiling at that. It would not have been the proper lady thing to do. Around her brother, she was a little more relaxed.
The banquet ended without much flair and Edric retired for the night. It was cold out and inside his chambers, he felt it when he took his tunic off. But once he was under the covers, he felt the heat seep into him. Slowly he drifted off to sleep, a little excited about what he would be running into the next day.