The Waldorf Children

When Tyrion woke up, Rebekah and Bronn were already awake, sitting around the burned down fire place. It was cold and the sun was already rising, but the fog hung deep in the Vale. The blonde man sat up and noticed Rebekah eating little red berries.

-„Did you sleep well, my lord?" she asked, smiling softly. Tyrion was covered with her cape, the one he wanted her to have. Stubborn girl, Tyrion thought. Bronn sharpened his sword again.

-„How do you know you can eat them?" Tyrion asked surprised. Rebekah frowned and answered „We have those in the forest near Shadowcastle. Do you like to have some?"

He nodded and took one. They certainly tasted better than the old bread Lysa Arryn had given him.

-„From all the noble ladies of Westeros, I would chose you to travel alone through the Vale."

Rebekah chuckled, and Tyrion was relieved she could still laugh after all she had been through.

-„At least my survival skills in a forest are not so bad." She said and picked up her bow.

-„This is one of the finest bows I've seen." Bronn muttered and pointed to the artfully worked weapon. It was a bit smaller than normal bows so it fit perfectly to the young woman.

-„The Waldorfs are known for building the best bows." Rebekah answered proudly. „It shoots further than almost every other one I've seen."

-„Can you fight with a sword, m'lady?" Bronn asked, but Rebekah shook her head. „Noble Ladies are not allowed to learn sword fighting." She said bitterly.

Tyrion was happy to see that Bronn and Rebekah had reconciled. The woman stood up, and handed Tyrion the remaining berries.

-„It's a long way to King's Landing. We should take as much food with us as possible. Tonight, we can't make a fire, we're to close to the tribe's territory."

- „Without a fire, we're an easy prey for all our furry friends out there, m'lady." Bronn said harshly. Rebekah didn't like how mocking he sounded when he said my lady, and his gaze on her was almost rude.

-„They won't care if the Waldorf's sigil shows a shadowcat." He added, smiling and putting his sword back in his belt.

Rebekah decided to ignore his comment and packed their belongings in her bag, a sewn piece of rough fabric. Beneath her bow, quiver and a dozen arrows, she carried Lady Arryn's bread and waterbottle, a firestone, some healing herbs she had found in the forest, a small hunting knife and a pair of leather gowns. Rebekah added the berries and shouldered the bag.

OoOoO

Together, they hiked for hours not meeting anyone or anything. Tyrion walked in the middle, Bronn and Rebekah on each side. Bronn and Tyrion talked and made jokes together, but Rebekah noticed that Bronn never stopped to watch the forest around them attentively, his hand on the grip of the sword. Rebekah on her side held her bow ready and tried to be observant as well. Her leg still hurt, but she ignored the pain.

-„Lady Rebekah." Tyrion asked after a while. „Will you return to Lord Mycah after you find Roran?"

Rebekah swallowed. Only the thought of her stepfather made her shiver in disgust. She sent Tyrion a reproachful look, he knew how much she hated Lord Mycah.

-"If there's no other choice. It depends on in which condition I find my brother."

-"What do you think happened to him?"

-"Tyrion, I don't know. But Roran left and disappeared a couple of weeks just before his nameday." Rebekah said angrily, not wanting to have the same talk as the day before.

Tyrion immediately understood the hint. The heir was coincidentally nowhere to be found a short time before he was old enough to rule alone.

-„Lord Mycah Kenning must be so sad about the both of you gone. At least the prospect of staying Lord Protector until Dawen reaches his eighteens nameday comforts him." he said bitterly.

With fifteen years, Dawen was the youngest child of Lady Katryna and Lord Darron Waldorf. Rebekah was seventeen, but she wasn't married because her stepfather proclaimed he wanted to wait for the best match possible even though many highborn men had asked for her hand already.

She often wished she could have known her lord father. The most skilled archer of the Seven Kingdoms died from a wound he had gotten in a hunting accident, causing him to pass away quickly. Even though Lady Katryna had two children and was pregnant with a third one, Ser Mycah of House Kenning proposed to her, becoming the new lord.

Rebekah sighed.

-„Since my High Mother died, Lord Mycah hates the idea of Roran becoming Lord of Shadowcastle. And when I didn't hear anything of my brother, I decided to search for him myself. Lord Mycah forbid it, but..."

Tyrion chuckled. "You just love to do the opposite of what he asks of you."

-„Did you expect me to sit down and wait until my brother's corpse returns to me? To smile nicely to this man when I know he wants my brothers dead? I had to act quickly, so I took three men loyal to Lord Darron and his children... " Rebekah explained agitatedly.

-„You should thank your gods you're not dead or worse yet, m'lady." Bronn said, smiling mockingly without even looking at her. Before Rebekah could reply, Tyrion interrupted.

-„She doesn't need to thank anyone. Except me of course.

Rebekah glanced at the imp and bit her lip.

-„I can never thank you enough for not leaving me in the Eyrie. Let's say the sky cells are not very comfortable." The young woman muttered quietly and Tyrion gasped in shock. He had no idea Lady Lysa Arryn would put a girl in such a terrible place only because her father was one of Lord Tywin's bannermen.

-„How did you get there, my lady?" he needed to know more if he wanted to protect the stubborn girl. She didn't look in his eyes but said slowly:„Shortly before we arrived to the Corbray's, we were attacked by a few savages. I escaped but ran into Lady Lysa's men."

Tyrion felt his hatred for Lysa Arryn growing even stronger. „We'll pay our debts, Lady Rebekah." He simply said.

The woman nodded, and suddenly Bronn grabbed Tyrion and hissed „Hilltribes." At the same time, Rebekah raised her bow. „We're surrounded."

Hi :) Thanks for the nice reviews!
This chapter was focused on Rebekah's family background and you'll get more bits of it in later chapters. I'm sorry if there's wasn't much action here :D