Something neither girl was prepared for was the sheer amount of time it took to travel anywhere. They quickly learned to simply accept being dirty and took opportunities to bathe whenever they could, sometimes having to share baths as the places they took shelter in were too small and too poor for more than one tub. Other times they simply found brooks and streams to wash themselves and their clothes. Although there were certainly aspects of travelling that were undesirable such as rationing food if there were not more villages to buy provisions for some time after leaving another, overall Rhaena thought that they had become rather good at finding their way. Once they were on the River Road it was easy enough to make their way directly to Riverrun, sometimes riding and sometimes walking as lengthy hours in the saddle created sores in places neither girl dared to mention. Several times they had come across soldiers from both sides of the war and although Sansa had wanted to go to those who fought for her brother, Rhaena had held her back and reasoned that they could not trust men they did not know.

Even if they did believe two lone girls when they proclaimed themselves to be Sansa Stark and Rhaena Targaryen, it did not mean they had enough loyalty to escort them directly to their king. Most men would take the opportunity to simply take the girls for themselves, possibly even sell them back to the Lannisters after violating and raping them. That was even if they believed they were who they claimed they were. Most likely they would simply steal their belongings and gold, rape them, then toss them into a ditch with their throats cut. Although Sasna did not want to believe anyone under her brother's command would do such a thing, it did scare her enough to agree to keep away from strangers until they were certain of whom they were speaking to. So whenever soldiers crossed their way or they saw an encampment they steered clear as far as they could, sometimes even journeying with other travellers such as farmers and traders in order to have safety in numbers. It was a miracle that they arrived at Riverrun without any incident which threatened their life. Rhaena claimed that it was the gods repaying them for all that they had suffered and they should be grateful for it, as it was unlikely they would ever receive such favour again.

When they saw the grand stone castle of Riverrun, Sasna had burst into tears and almost fallen from her horse. It was all Rhaena could do to get her up to the gates without falling off, grasping hold of her as the exhaustion seemed to swamp her all at once from the travelling, the fear and the past suffering she had endured. Thus, when they came to a stop before the guards, it fell upon Rhaena to announce them. "Please inform Lord Tully that Lady Sansa Stark has arrived and begs the hospitality of her grandfather." The guards were so shocked they did not even immediately respond. They looked at Sansa who had now fainted against Rhaena who struggled to hold her upright on her horse whilst keeping hers under control. Finally she snapped, raising her voice at them. "Well? Fetch your master and help me! Or are you both going to stand there staring at us with your gaping traps wide open?" So sharp was her tone the guards jumped to attention. One ran to give the message whilst the other helped to steady Sansa on her horse and lower her down, giving Rhaena leave to slip from her own saddle and go to Sansa's side. With the help of the guard as well as several others who came to assist, they brought Sansa inside and put her down in a nearby study in a chair by a fire. The messenger must have been rather swift because no later had Rhaena loosened the lashes of Sansa's cloak, the door burst open and a fine-looking man entered, however since Rhaena was expecting an old, grandfatherly looking man instead she was quite taken aback. Staring at the stranger she immediately moved to hide Sansa, defensive instincts rising as her hand curled around the hilt of the dagger still strapped to the small of her back. "If you are Lord Hoster Tully then I must say, my lord, you look remarkable for your age." Breaking the silence with what Rhaena hoped would be an amusing remark, she was glad when the stranger did indeed laugh. Tyrion was right, wit and humour were great allies.

"Indeed no, my father is unable to rise from his bed. I am Ser Edmure Tully, younger brother of Catelyn Stark and, if you are true in your claim, uncle to Sansa Stark." His striking eyes turned to the figure in the chair, so Rhaena dutifully moved aside and released her hold of her dagger, allowing Ser Edmure to cautiously approach and look upon Sansa's sleeping face. He considered for a long while, searching her face before finally, nodded his head. "I have no idea how you managed to free her from King's Landing and bring her all the way here, miss, but your bravery is commendable. You shall be rewarded for your…"

"I do not want your coin. Sansa is my friend and I promised to return her to her family." Lifting her hand to immediately deny the offer of payment, Rhaena drew herself up proudly as the Tully heir blinked at her in surprise. "I am Lady Rhaena of the House Targaryen." Now Ser Edmure was even more shocked, gaping like a fish and blinking until he forcibly cleared his throat and recovered his senses.

"Welcome to Riverrun, my lady." He bowed to her and Rhaena curtseyed, however the moment she bent her knees she felt them grow weak and in order to rise, had to grip onto the armrest of the chair to support her. "You must be exhausted and famished. Please, stay here as our guest. You will be treated well. I shall send a message to King Robb and my sister immediately to tell them of Sansa's return, however…my other niece, Arya…is she…?"

"I do not know where Arya is, my lord." Rhaena answered him honestly as she rubbed her tired eyes. "When Lord Eddard Stark was captured and his household killed, Arya managed to escape. I have heard no word of her and she was never found by the Lannisters, so it is my hope that she remains alive and in hiding, though I had hoped more than she had managed to find her own way back to her family by now." Feeling as if she had not slept in weeks, Rhaena could feel the old ache in her lungs beginning to rise from the strain and struggle of the journey. It were as if all her cares and worries were suddenly stripped away from her and now she had nothing left inside, because she was now safe. Safe behind thick stone walls hundreds of miles away from the Lannisters, with people who were kind and welcoming. No wonder Sansa fainted, Rhaena thought she was about to faint as well. Seeing her condition, however, Edmure commanded guest rooms to be prepared and called for servants to attend to both the girls.

His people were swift to obey and before she knew it, Rhaena was being ushered away by several women who coddled and cooed at her, pitying her poor condition and cursing the Lannisters for forcing such young girls to flee for their lives in such a manner. Too tired to do anything but follow along with what was happening to her, Rhaena was given a hot bath where she was scrubbed clean from all the dirt, dust and grime of the road and as her hair was washed, the dye began to trickle free before it turned the water a sickly shade of brown. When the servants realised that her hair was dyed, however, they all gasped and wondered at the natural shade of her hair before quickly arranging for more hot water to be brought so that they could pour jug after jug over Rhaena's head as she stood naked before them all, not caring who saw her for they were all women, until finally the last of the dye had been rinsed free. Her eyes were barely open as she was patted dry, dressed in a soft and warm nightgown then folded into a bed in order to rest with one of the ladies taking up a seat and humming softly whilst sewing in order to watch over her. Despite their excellent care Rhaena took a mild fever, though thankfully not one as voracious as before though it gave Sansa such a fright when the news was broken to her that she had ran barefoot all the way to Rhaena's rooms then utterly refused to leave her side. The mild fever lasted only a day and when Rhaena awoke from it, she felt cleansed and refreshed. "Sansa?" Seeing the auburn hair of her friend nestled upon the bed from where she sat, though her voice caused Sansa to quickly sit up and stare at her.

"You're awake!"

"Yes, that generally tends to happen after one has slept their fill." Staring at her, Sansa then burst into a fit which was caught somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Flinging her arms around her, Sansa embraced Rhaena with relief before then touching her brow and comparing their temperatures, ensuring that Rhaena had no more fever before calming herself. "How long have I been asleep? Has word been sent to your brother and mother?"

"You were asleep for an entire day. When they told me you had taken a fever, I was afraid you would be ill like you were last time. It was only mild, thank the gods, and you are better now." Sansa explained to her as Rhaena pushed herself upright so that they could talk properly, Sansa quickly helping to prop her pillows so that she had a comfortable backrest. "Ravens have already been sent, my Uncle Edmure says that we will hear a reply soon and my mother will probably come here directly. The last uncle heard, my brother was marching on Harrenhal so he sent the ravens there to tell my brother that I was safe and that also, my grandfather has passed away." To this Rhaena immediately served her sincere condolences but Sansa did not seem to be overly downcast as she had not known her grandfather well though had been fond of him. However, this did mean that Riverrun was now preparing for a funeral and for Edmure Tully to become the new lord in the wake of his father's death. Sansa assured Rhaena that was no need for her to get up so soon and that she could rest as much as she wanted, but Rhaena insisted on rising to pay her respects to Lord Tully and wish the new lord well in his seat. "All of your things have been kept, I told the servants you would want to keep everything as it was. It is all here, but there are new dresses for you to wear. You can take your pick, I will help you dress." Knowing that she would not take no for an answer, Rhaena agreed to letting Sansa help her dress.

Now that her hair was snowfall white once again, Rhaena could not help but run her fingers through it and gather it under her nose where it smelled clean and felt soft. Letting her hair fall free, Rhaena chose one of the dresses Sansa presented to her, selecting one which was a pale violet colour with silver embroidery. It fitted her surprisingly well when worn and was exceedingly comfortable, so Rhaena was well satisfied with it. She let Sansa work a brush through her hair before braiding several sections away from her face and holding them back with a silver hair clasp. It had been some time since Rhaena had worn something so fine so when she saw her own reflection, she almost did not recognise herself. "You look so beautiful." Sansa smiled to her as she stood at her shoulder, her chin tucked neatly against her. "I still wish I had hair like yours."

"I would not worry. One day your hair will turn white too, then you and I shall be exactly the same." Teasing her with a grin, Rhaena nudged her hip against Sansa's playfully before asking to be taken to pay her respects to her grandfather and uncle. It should not have been surprising that when Rhaena left her guestroom and was seen for the first time in clean clothes and her hair no longer dyed, everyone would stop and stare at her. Having spent so long being invisible it made her uncomfortable to suddenly be drawing the gaze of so many. Even the new Lord Tully was astonished by the transformation though he maintained a polite and well-mannered decorum as Rhaena reintroduced herself and thanked him for his hospitality. With nothing pressing upon them and no constant fear for their survival hanging over their heads, Sansa and Rhaena spent their time viewing Riverrun and all it's beauty as they waited for Robb and Lady Catelyn to come, each day spent in long anticipation and impatience until finally, they had arrived.