Chapter 9: First Snow

Ailith stood behind her King. He was sitting in his chair at the meeting. The past few weeks had turned colder and colder. Yet there had been no snow yet, but neither had there been any rain. The people were getting worried. All the rivers were slowly freezing up, but there was not falling any water from the skies. Today Ailith could not focus. She had not been feeling so well the past few days and the meeting was going on and on about boring things. Usually she would sit down, but today she had given her seat to an old man who was part of the council. He had had so much trouble standing up, she had insisted he would take her seat. With burning cheeks he accepted and sat down as Ailith stood beside Rowan and laid her hand on his shoulder. First it had been to support him, now it was so she could remain on her feet. Still, the voices went further and further away from her.
'Ailith,' Rowan said and jumped up. Ailith had fainted and laid on the floor behind him. He told the council the meeting was over and lifted his wife from the floor and carried her to their bedroom. Maester Cestron followed him.

Slowly she opened her eyes and blinked against the light. Around Ailith stood maester Cestron, Alyna and Alec. Rowan sat on a chair beside her and held her hand. When she looked at him he smiled and stroked her cheek, while he held her hand with his other hand.
'Don't ever do that to me again, alright?' he said, softly laughing. She smiled and saw his eyes were red.
'How are you feeling, my Queen?' the old maester asked.
'Just fine,' she smiled.
'Ailith,' Rowan said.
'A small headache,' she confessed, 'and my stomach feels weird.'
'Will all due respect, your Highness,' maester Cestron said with a small bend, 'But I would like to examine you just to be sure.'
'Alright,' Ailith said, knowing the maester of a Castle always could be trusted. And beside, Rowan had always said that he would die for maester Cestron, so he would be fine. As the room emptied, Ailith slowly sat up. Inger, who was almost always in the room, helped her open the back of her dress. Maester Cestron listened closely to her breathing, but found nothing unusual. Than Inger helped Ailith take of her dress and maester Cestron carefelly examined her belly. Ailith felt uncomfortable, but tried to hide it. Suddenly maester Cestron looked at her smiling.
'I have good new, my Queen,' he said as Inger helped Ailith back in the dress.
'What is it?' Ailith asked.

Rowan jumped up when the door of their bedroom swung open. He had sat on a chair in the hallway, surrounded by a few soldiers, his sister, Alec and a few members of the council. Ailith rushed through the doors, straight into his arms. He caught her and immediately had to help her stand on her feet. He looked at her, confused. She had tears on her cheeks, but her entire face was one big smile.
'I'm- I'm-' Ailith could not say it. Alyna nervously bit her lips.
'What is it?' Rowan said nervously, almost scared, looking deep in her eyes. Ailith smiled turned even bigger as she laughed.
'My love, I am pregnant,' she said. Rowan blinked his eyes as if he did not understand.
'Pregnant,' he repeated, his face turned into a smile as he lifted her up and swung her around, cheering 'my love, my love'. Best wishes were said and the parents to be were hugged by their family.

'So, the whore is pregnant,' Ailith heard the hissing voice come from the shadows. She was walking in the freezing cold back to the castle, after she had prayed in the godswood. From the dark shadow the white walls came a woman who had once been beautiful. Amelia's hair was muffled and had not been brushed for days. Around her empty green eyes were dark circles of days without sleep. The weather had grown colder and colder the last week, but still there had been no snow.
'Is that the best roar you can give, princess,' Ailith said sharp. Amelia came a few steps closer, but staid still far away from the guards around the new Queen. Princess Amelia giggled and looked at the girl who had married her son, her precious son.
'Don't get all to high about yourself, Wolf Queen,' she snapped, 'I will be around.'
'Yet, for how long?' Queen Ailith said. Amelia took it just as Ailith had expected: as an insult on her age.
'How dare you,' she hissed.
'For a lion,' Ailith said as she made her move to walk on, 'you sound rather much like a snake.'
'For a Wolf, I have not seen much of your teeth,' Amelia replied quickly. Ailith had not even made a move yet and pierced through the woman.
'This may have been your land, once, woman, but now I am Queen,' Ailith hissed, 'Your son might once have belonged to you, but he is now my husband.'
'I'm not gone yet, Queen,' Amelia snapped back.
'Not yet indeed-' Ailith began, but Amelia interrupted her.
'-and won't be for a long time. I will prove what kind of beast lies within you, Wolf princess. And I will show it to everyone, even if it means cutting you open before the eyes of everyone.'
'I thought a real Lion has no needs for swords and daggers,' Ailith replied calm. With those words she left the former Queen alone again. Amelia watched Ailith walk away, head held high, straight back as always, waving hair in the wind.
Yet when the doors closed behind her, Ailith could not control herself. Her under lip started shaking and tears rolled over her cheeks. Who ever said words could not hurt a person? She stopped walking and placed one arm protectively around her belly and one before her nose and mouth. One of the four soldiers – who was a Northern – looked at her.
'Are you alright, your Grace?' he asked. Ailith took a deep breath and wiped the tears away as she tried to smile.
'Silly me,' she said and straightened her back, 'I shall be going to my room.'
'If it pleases you, your highness,' he simply replied and they continued.

That evening, Ailith laid in bed and looked at a book. She was too tired to read it, but wanted to wait for Rowan. The last week they had barely spoken each other. He had been busy with – well, being a King. And she had been busy with preparing for the child and taking care of smaller business to lighten Rowans burden. Still, the words of Amelia were still circling through her head. She had not shown her face for days at the dinning table of anywhere in the castle. And now all of the sudden showed up from the shadows, as if she had been following Ailith. It made the small hairs on Ailiths back rise. That woman was dangerous, Ailith knew. She would do anything to keep Amelia away from her child, and if the gods granted her – also all her other children. Ailith would love to send Amelia back to where she came from, but Rowan loved his mother. No matter how awful she would do, and Ailith respected that. Most of the time Ailith just wished Amelia would leave, and that would probably not change. Ailith was so lost in thought, she had not even noticed her husband entering the room and unclothe himself. He had thought she was not looking at him on purpose, but when Rowan laid down next to her and she still did not look at him he frowned his eyebrows. Refusing to think the worst of it immediately. He touched her hand and immediately she looked at him and blinked her eyes a few time.
'That must be a mighty interesting book you're reading,' he smiled. Ailith smiled, laid down the book on the small cabin beside their bed and laid down under the warm blankets. Rowan took her cold hands and slowly warmed them.
'Your hands are cold, my love, you should be more alert to that,' he said worried.
'I will,' she smiled, 'just like you do with your rest, my lord.'
'Good one,' he smiled and kissed her hands, 'So, how was your day?'
'Alright,' Ailith lied as she immediately saw the face of Amelia before her and thought of their conversation that day.
'That bad?' he said and tried to make eye-contact.
'Rowan,' Ailith began carefully, trying an other approach, 'what would you do if someone threatened me and called me names?'
'Exile for the rest of their miserable lives,' he immediately replied, 'Hack of their heads of send them to the Wall. Why?'
'Your mother has threatened me and called me names,' Ailith could see in his eyes he was confused. He had said big words, but would he make them true? Would be believe her, to begin with?
'I-I-' he began.
'She told me she would do everything to prevent me from marrying you and becoming Queen, she told me she would show everyone what kind of beast I am by cutting me open and she called me a whore,' Ailith swallowed and blinked the tears away. They were tears of anger, sadness and despair; what if he would not believe her?
'My mother has never-' Rowan began. Ailith immediately sat up straight in bed and interrupted him.
'Don't try to make it up for her, Rowan,' she said fierce, 'She's a grown woman. And – do you even believe me?'
'Ailith,' Rowan sat up straight in bed too now, 'please don't forget that she is my mother. No matter what she does or say.'
'No matter what she does or say?' Ailith frowned, 'No matter, if she kills me, or our child?'
'Ailith-'
'Rowan, I am your wife,' Ailith said, pronouncing every word clear, 'I heard what she said and I would never lie about such a thing. Wake up, my King, your mother is not the woman to everyone as she is to you.'
'What do you want me to do?' Rowan said, 'I can hardly banish her, or chop of her head!'
'I never asked you to do such things,' Ailith agreed, 'I just want you to make it clear to her that you are now King of the Reach, and that she is the princess.'
'There is more to her than just another Lannister,' he tried.
'She'll believe you just as much when you tell here that I'm more than just another Stark,' Ailith said with a small smile, 'The Lion and the Wolf-'
'I know,' Rowan sighed and laid down again. Ailith decided to give it a rest, and laid her head down on Rowans chest. He swung one arm around her and he took a deep breath.
'Your hair smells nice,' he murmured.
'Thank you,' she smiled. He kissed her head and yawned. Being a King was a heavy duty.
'Rowan, Rowan!' Ailith suddenly said as she sat up in bed again. Rowan rolled his eyes and sighed excessive.
'What is it, love?'
'Look!' Ailith said, pointing to the window.
'Snow,' he said. For the first time in his life he saw fresh snow falling in his land. Even though Ailith had seen snow many a time before, this time felt special. Both of them got out of bed and stood before the window. Watching as the small fresh snowflakes fell out of the sky and landed on the ground.
'The First Snow,' Ailith smiled, she had heard many a story from Old Nan about every time the First Snowflakes fell. It somehow always seemed to be a special, almost magical time. Once it had been with the birth of one of the greatest Heroes. Another time it had been after years of war and the beginning of peace. Ailith had been born in a long Summer and always had been in her well-known Winterfell. Now, a completely new life had begun for her. She had married a prince and had been crowned Queen of the Reach. She was pregnant and had a mother-in-law who hated her. Her father was miles and miles away and she only had a hand full of people who she truly trusted. And finally, Winter had arrived. A Winter which would last many decades and freeze many a heart of many a man. And it was up to her to keep the love burning between her and her husband, keep the hears warm of her people and raise her child – perhaps even children.

Winter had finally come, now they had to out live it.

Oooohw Lawrd, what will happen next ?

Please let me know what you think of it ^^