Merilyn chased after Septa Aliane urgently, directing her to place extra blankets in the room Rickon would be staying. She stopped at the top of the stairwell and wiped her hand across her forehead.
Her siblings' arrival was marked for today if the raven's tiding was correct and Merilyn's stomach twisted in knots every time her mind reminded her of this. In the week following the first raven's arrival, Merilyn had incited the entire household into a frenzied storm, much to Jaime's amusement. He'd spent the last week traveling Lannisport and every time he returned home, he was met with an exasperated household intent upon avoiding the Lady of Castlerly Rock.
Merilyn wasn't nervous of any sorts. She was torn between feeling fear for her family's safety and excitement that she would see her younger siblings. Jaime wouldn't tell her the details of the attack on Winterfell.
All the knowledge she was privy to was that her family was safe and the youngest children minus Bran were being sent down south to avoid any further endangerment. She knew her mother went to Riverrun. It was the only place she could think of that her mother would leave Winterfell for. Merilyn's guess was she went to gather reinforcements from her family home, but Jaime only shrugged in response when she looked for confirmation to this theory. She also assumed that Bran went with their mother, for she found it unlikely that her father would've taken Bran into even more dangerous territory than Winterfell.
Jaime slipped his arms around her, startling her from her thoughts.
She could hear the smirk in his voice as he spoke in her ear, "That's the third time you've told the Septa that Rickon will need extra bedding."
"At least you've begun to remember his name because I've reminded her so often," she said, sharply.
He laughed and kissed the side of her neck gently. Every time his lips touched some part of her body, her fingertips would tingle and her mind would go blank. It'd make her shiver and tense up, feeling delight and a lightness. She'd often wonder if over time that feeling would disappear.
"You cannot truly be worried that they've forgotten you or that their love for you has lessened any in your absence."
She shrugged off his embrace and continued on swiftly down the stairwell. Calling over her shoulder, she addressed his question, "Don't be absurd, my lord. I merely wish to make the transition as easy as possible. Rickon and Arya are still so young."
She could feel his eyes following her as she reached the end of the stairwell. She glanced back up once, to see him leaning one shoulder against the wall, a half-smile lighting his face. She smiled back briefly and then strode down the hall and past the door leading into the kitchens.
The familiar pushing against her calves alerted her to Luna's presence, though this wasn't unexpected, as her wolf never missed an opportunity to find scraps. Merilyn saw one of the cooks nod in her direction and gesture proudly to the line of food along the tables. She saw excess meat and bread piled high, and in the corner a pile of beautifully delicate lemon cakes.
Merilyn smiled happily and gratefully thanked the women in the hot kitchen, before turning around and walking back out. She knew she was just walking in circles now. There was nothing left to oversee. Everyone had done their jobs perfectly and she felt the household would rebel if she asked anything more of them. She wandered down the hall, restlessly.
Maybe she was nervous.
It almost felt like her father's visit to King's Landing, a repeat of her being unsure and tentative. But her siblings would be in her home, observing her ruling over the household, watching her husband. She couldn't believe Rickon could really understand the implications behind it, but surely Sansa, and even young Arya, would watch her movements and decision-makings. Would they compare her to their own mother?
Merilyn shook herself from her thoughts. Her family was fleeing from dangers attacking their homeland and she was worried about what children thought of her household skills. She sighed and walked out into the courtyard, twisting her hands slightly to keep them busy.
The sun hit her face as she entered the courtyard, causing her eyes to squint. The air held the scent of warmth and summertime on it's breeze. She inhaled deeply, smelling salt from the nearby coast. If she listened quietly, she could hear the crash of wave upon rock and the cry of the birds as they dove down low. Castlerly Rock was beginning to creep into Merilyn's heart. It could never replace Winterfell, but she thought it was possible to hold them both high in her regard.
Jaime stood talking to a younger boy whom she recognized vaguely. He looked about fourteen and his blonde hair reflected the sun's rays brightly. She stared hard, trying to place his face. The boy nodded to whatever Jaime was saying and then he turned and pointed and Merilyn knew suddenly who he was.
Jaime sent the boy off with a quick pat on the shoulders and then walked over to her, smiling slightly.
She raised her gaze to look up into his face as he grew near and gestured to the boy who'd just left, "How is Boaden?"
She saw Jaime's eyes widened slightly, "The servant's whisperings are true. You really do know everything that goes on in this household, don't you? He's only visiting for a short time and you already knew his name."
She laughed lightly, "He was one of the boys injured during the first Wildling attack," her smile faded, "I had to remove one of his fingers. There was no setting process possible."
Jaime looked at her seriously, "He hasn't been changed in any permanent way that I can see. He's still the outgoing, adventurous boy that is always getting his hide tanned by his father for doing dangerous things he shouldn't. You most likely saved his life, not caused harm to it." He took one of her hands and pressed it gently, "He did say he saw the approach of your siblings."
Merilyn's shoulders tightened and she whirled to look at the direction the boy had taken off in, feeling excitement take hold. She squinted to see anything on the road that lead up the steep cliffs, but saw not even a speck of upheaved dirt.
"They are still a ways off. He was only notifying me that they had been spotted," she heard the humour in his voice as he spoke.
She turned back, "Are you telling me you've never once been excited at your own siblings' arrivals?"
His smirk faded and he gazed out past her with shuttered eyes, nodding curtly. He absentmindedly squeezed her hand again and then mumbled something about the stables and readying them, before turning away and walking in their direction.
Her gaze followed him as he trekked away from her. She'd noticed this on more than one occasion at the mention of his siblings. He withdrew from her or he made up some kind of excuse to leave her presence, immediately ending any inquiries about them. She wasn't upset by the rebuff of sorts. If he didn't wish to talk about something, she wouldn't take offense over it. But she wondered about it on more than one occasion about the reasoning behind it. He had seemed close with both his brother and sister. Merilyn knew for a fact that Jaime often sought out Tyrion for advice and his opinion, and there was no reason to dislike someone if you valued their voice on matters. Cersei was Jaime's twin, so they must've been close, if their relationship at all resembled anything like Robb and hers.
She sighed and pushed her thoughts from the forefront of her mind, and reached down to stroke Luna's fur as the wolf sat back on her haunches next to her mistress. Footsteps echoed behind her and she turned, expecting to see a jovially Jaime returning from his sulk.
Willas stepped forward at her side bereft of Luna and nodded his head in her direction, "My lady, they have been spotted less than a mile down the road."
She smiled gratefully and looked to the entrance to their courtyard, half hoping Willas would walk away. Instead of his knowledge of Jaime and her carnal activities discouraging his presence as she thought it would, it seemed to encourage it. When Jaime was away, Willas almost became her very shadow. She still had no understanding of why, but was loathe to start another fight with a valued member of the household after the debacle with Maester Culwin, who had left the castle none too gracefully.
She was about to ask Willas how he was doing when she saw dust clouds like those horses rushing over road would make and her heart leapt up choking the words from her.
She saw Rickon's face first. He looked ill, his colouring pale and his cheeks sunken, with darkened bags beneath his eyes. His gaze was trained forward and he saw her with unseeing eyes. He sat in on the tallest of the horses, in front of Ser Roderick, whose arm was clasped around his form as if to keep him in place.
Arya and Sansa followed on the same horse quickly after. Sansa looked windswept and only slightly paler than usual, while Arya looked around with a keen eye and an excited expression. She was enjoying the adventure and the new world around her.
Merilyn stepped forward with open arms as Roderick placed Rickon on the ground. Her little brother stumbled forward and clutched her shoulders with tiny hands, as if unwillingly to release her. He was shuddering slightly and his breathing was shallow. Her throat tightened as she hugged the slight body strongly and she swallowed several times to clear her throat, before trying to stand tall again. As she tried, she felt Rickon's body tense with fear and her heart ached for the scared boy. She picked him up swiftly and balanced him on her hip, looking at her sisters as they dismounted and came forward.
Arya rushed forward and hugged her waist with wild abandonment, "I've missed you, Mer! You've missed everything! It's so hot here. There aren't trees either. It's not pretty."
Merilyn laughed softly as she kissed the top of Arya's head, "Calm down just a moment, sweetling. You're going to drop from exhaustion if you keep jabbering on like that."
Sansa inclined head lightly and greeted her modestly, "I hope you are well."
Arya rolled her eyes at Sansa and looked back up at Merilyn, "Sansa has been practicing her 'court manners' for when the day comes that she will supposedly go there."
"I promise you, Sansa, it is not as beautiful as the songs say. And when are you supposedly going there?"
"When Father announces my betrothal, of course," Sansa said demurely, while tossing a deeply red braid over her shoulder.
"IF that even happens," Arya rolled her eyes again.
Sansa opened her mouth to retort, but Merilyn shifted Rickon on her hip and hushed them both.
"Willas, see that the men and horses are fed and then shown to their rooms." She directed and then stroked Rickon's brown hair back from his pale face, "Would you all like to eat now? The cooks have prepared some special foods. Including some lemon cakes."
She was rewarded with smiles from both Sansa and Rickon and a crow of happiness from Arya. Merilyn smiled widely and felt happier than she had in a long time, holding onto her baby brother and watching her sisters walk forward to the castle entrance.