Now secure enough in numbers that an assault upon Robb's intended target was viable, he began to share his plans with those whose advice he trusted and respected to hear their views on the matter. Casterly Rock. If anything was going to hurt Tywin Lannister than seeing his favourite son captured by the enemy, then it would be to see his beloved ancestral home taken right from underneath him. His duties as Hand of the King kept him in King's Landing along with a large bulk of his forces, meaning that fewer were left to defend his home. Even so, Rhaena worried that it would not be enough. She had read books and heard stories from Tyrion of the great fortress upon the crags of a towering cliff overlooking the sea and it seemed a farfetched dream to be able to take it without laying siege to it, for if the siege were to drag out then Tywin would stop at nothing to march his army day and night to defend his home. They would be trapped, and then what would become of the King of the North and his men? To make matters worse, Rhaena was now desperately attempting to wrestle a decision from her own mind.
Stay in Westeros…or travel east to find her sister. There was still so much she wanted to do and people she wished to help, but she was only a single person and could not fight in Robb's battles the way a trained soldier could. Sansa would remain safely in Riverrun with her mother and Queen Talisa in preparation for the birth of the royal child, so Rhaena no longer feared for her wellbeing. It felt like a dream to be able to wake up when she wished, eat as much as she liked and always be able to call for more and spend each day leisurely at Sansa's side…but this was Sansa's place. She was a lady. Meant for comforts and luxuries, to embroider and sing songs with smiles and laughter. Rhaena, although welcome, did not entirely fit. She was not a Stark, and though she did not doubt their love for her, she still longed to know what it might feel like to hold her own blood-bonded sister. Would she love her instantly? Or would they have to grow to love one another, become more familiar with each other until they could confidently call one another 'sister'. And the dragons…Rhaena longed more than anything to see for herself if the rumours were true about Daenerys raising three dragons from ashes, now living and breathing embodiments of ancient and powerful beings.
It was infuriating to wrestle with so much indecision. Sometimes her head was so muddled that Rhaena took to walking for hours at a time through the Riverlands just for some semblance of peace to balance itself upon her. Dreams of fire and dragons tempted her, swirling within her mind in the deepness of the night until she would startle herself awake in a cool sweat and a burning in her belly. Were she more selfish she would have left sooner, but love held her still. She wanted Robb to succeed for it meant that he would defeat the Lannister upstarts and Sansa would be even more secure in her safety, but there were other things too. Bran and Rickon, as well as Arya, were still lost. She troubled over them greatly, sometimes imagining that in her long walks she would suddenly happen upon them as if they had merely emerged from the wood, dirty, hungry and tired from their long journey, but alive. A crack snapped through the tranquillity of her surroundings and Rhaena immediately froze. Had she been more aware of her surroundings, she would have realised just how far she had come. Too far. Too far to cry for help. Something was with her in these trees, though they were sparse and the ground fairly bare which Rhaena had an excellent line of vision, still she felt a cold shiver run up and down her spine. There was a low guttural sound, a growl. Closing her hand around the hilt of her dagger which remained secured at the small of her back, Rhaena looked about her in search of the source. It moved quickly, darting upon the periphery of her vision and was gone by the time she had turned her head to look as if they were taunting her. Wolves. Rhaena was certain of it. She could curse herself for being so stupid, drawing her blade and hoped she could fend off enough wolves to dissuade the rest of the pack from attacking.
Heat blew against the back of her neck.
Becoming as solid as stone, Rhaena's eyes widened fearfully as she felt the animal breathing against her, standing upon the dirt mound with knotted roots holding its bank above where she stood. Done for. Her life was over. Yet…the beast did not attack. Forcing herself to find her courage, Rhaena gradually began to turn around, slowly enough so that she did not appear threatening, that she might look and see what hunted her. Soon enough her gaze fell upon the massive form of a sleek thick furred creature with intelligent eyes staring back at her. Not a wolf. A direwolf. The breath caught in her throat as she gasped. "Lady?" The light grey direwolf pricked her ears forwards upon recognition of the name and sat herself down upon her massive haunches, looking directly at Rhaena in such a manner that it seemed like she would open her mouth at any moment and begin to speak the Common Tongue. The direwolf was easily triple the size and more since Rhaena had seen her last and despite having lived in the wild somehow had maintained a sleek and well groomed appearance.
When something brushed against Rhaena's hand, this time she did not jump or feel the strike of terror, but rather opened her fingers and allowed the thick bristles of fur run against her skin as Nymeria herself also appeared. She prowled around Rhaena, butting her head against her legs and licking at her fingers. "You both have followed us here? Have you tracked us all this time?" But of course despite the intelligence of their eyes, they could not respond. Rhaena gave a great heave of air as she stroked at Nymeria's back and scratched at Lady's neck, feeling a rising warmth burst through her chest. "You do not know how glad I am to see you both, you could not have come at a better time. Will you follow me now? Are you returning to the Starks?" Taking a step away Rhaena watched as both direwolves focused upon her, remaining where they were until both finally seemed to make their decision. Lady stood and Nymeria gave a soft growl, both of them taking their first step in following Rhaena's lead. That was how she returned to Riverrun. Flanked by two great beasts which caused more than a slight stir as she passed through the streets and entered the castle once more.
Grey Wind of course had sensed his sisters and come running to them, a blur of dark grey before butting against their heads and relearning their scents as Rhaena brought them all forwards. By the time she reached the war room, word had already spread of the return of two of the Stark direwolves. It was seen as a sign, an omen of fortune and Robb's men took to heart the meaning of Lady and Nymeria's sudden appearance. It was the spark they needed to rekindle their morale and renew their ardour to fight for their king. Rhaena was now glad she had walked through the streets and past the camp if this was the result of just a mere glimpse of Nymeria and Lady. Of course, it was Sansa's reaction she longed to see most, and the moment Sansa was informed that her beloved companion had been found, she had thrown down her sewing and come running even as her mother scolded her for being unladylike. It did not matter. All that mattered was that Sansa needed to confirm the truth with her own eyes. She had never set foot in the war room before, however now she flung open the door and burst inside to be met with a delighted bark and a bundle of fur came rushing at her all at once. Lady almost knocked Sansa to the ground in her excitement. "Lady! Oh Lady! It really is you!" Floods of tears soon overwhelmed Sansa's face as she fell to her knees and flung her arms around Lady's neck in order to embrace her, the direwolf whimpering and attempting to lick her mistress's face clean despite being held in a headlock. Nymeria sat down beside Rhaena with a yawn, seemingly uninterested in anyone else as the person she was looking for was not there. Sympathising with her, Rhaena stroked her head.
"Where did you find them?" Robb questioned urgently as he stared in utter disbelief at the two direwolves. Clearly everyone firmly believed that they would never be seen again.
"They found me." Being unable to explain it herself, Robb's bannermen were only further convinced that it was a sign of impending victory. Robb, however, remained a little more level headed. He could certainly use all the help he could get, and if he could have Nymeria fight alongside Grey Wind and leave Lady in Riverrun to protect his family then he would rest a little more easily. However there were other problems that required his attention, so he softly requested that Sansa take Lady elsewhere whilst discussions were still being had. Sniffling but smiling, Sansa rose back onto her feet then patted her side where Lady immediately assumed her position, walking beside Sansa as if she had never departed from it. Nymeria followed Rhaena when she too left and together the two direwolves made for rather impressive protectors as Sansa practically gushed with delight.
"You were right Rhae, you said that Lady would come back one day and she has. She never forgot me, not after all this time! I'm so glad she's back, and with Nymeria too. Perhaps this means we'll be able to find Arya. Who else would be able to find her than her own Nymeria?"
"Calm down Sansa. You'll give yourself hiccups." Rhaena laughed lightly at her friend's excitement, her hand continually resting upon Nymeria where her fur warmed her hand and she felt that if she required, she could lean her entire weight against the direwolf and Nymeria would simply continue walking. Living in the wild had clearly made her strong. Nymeria was a fierce protector, snarling at every stranger until Rhaena hushed and soothed her, assuring her that they were in no danger here. She slept that night with the direwolf sprawled across her bed, almost filling up the entirety of the bottom half but Rhaena did not mind. Feeling such a weighted presence was a comfort, though it did not keep her from having the strangest of dreams. It was not so much a dream but almost like being awake, yet not. She remained aware of herself, asleep in her chambers in Riverrun, but at the same time it felt as if her very spirit was lifting itself out of her body and it was not alone. For a long time it merely drifted around her, almost brushing against her mind in such a way which caused Rhaena to whimper and moan until gradually, the formless spectre began to take substance. Not in a physical way, but manifesting itself into a surer being as if it were gradually gaining confidence. It was watching her, looking at her and for a long while, Rhaena remained deadly still. Now she was certain she was not asleep because dreams did not feel both warm and cold simultaneously.
Underneath her pillow she grasped the hilt of her dagger though she did not know what use it would have on something which had no physical body. It drifted around her bed, circling slowly until it seemingly peered down over her. Fire seemed to spread through her body, something coming alive and awakening within her which felt both foreign and familiar. Her eyes shot open and her hand tore free from underneath her pillow as she aimed to slice at the creature whether her blade would have an effect or not, but when a voice whispered to her in a distant echo that originated not within her chambers but seemingly miles and miles away, she was so shocked that the dagger clattered from her hand. Her name. It had whispered her name. What had shocked her, however, was the fact that she knew that voice. She had heard it call out her name a hundred times two years ago in the snow dusted castle of Winterfell. "Bran?" Whispering softly as not to break this enchantment which appeared to have befallen her, Rhaena felt the shadow-presence retreat so she quickly flung off her covers and stepped from the bed, her feet bare against the stone floor. "Bran. Is that…is that truly you?" Warmth pulsed through her and twisted in her gut, drawing her eyes towards the window where she could sense the presence of something watching her. It seemed to shift, almost visible to the eye but then gone again as her mind mapped it fervently, desperate not to loose sight of where it was. She moved forwards and held out her hand. "Bran answer me. Tell me if you are alive. Tell me that you and Rickon are safe." Pleading like a mewling child, Rhaena stopped before the window with her hand still held aloft. She did not know what to expect, nor did she understand how this was happening, but Rhaena felt with every fibre of her very soul that this was Bran she was speaking to. He was watching over her, though she refused to believe that this was his spirit acting as a missive from death because she would not acknowledge any terrible fate to have befallen him. It could not be so. "Bran…please…" The presence was beginning to fade, that flickering shadow rippling between the veil of existence and something else entirely. However, just before it vanished altogether, Rhaena heard the voice one last time and could have sworn she felt little fingertips brush against hers.
"We live, Rhaena…we live."
For the first time since arriving in Riverrun, Rhaena fell to the ground and wept in stupefied relief.
