The cooking book that seemed so interesting just a couple of minutes ago was useless by now. What would I need a cooking book for when there was nobody to share my meal with? I already felt alone. Sure, Kith had left the house before, but always to come back after a few days. There were times he would not even care to say goodbye. He always returned, always, but this time I felt different about his departure. What if he was gone for good? Who was I without him? Eleanor, the witchy kid. With her short red hair and her ivory skin. It was only now that I realized that a lot of people knew what I was, but no one knew who I was. Eleanor Stone, a bastard child from The Vale. The bastard child of The Vale, I must say. Notoriously know for what I had caused: a war. And all that while I was just a baby, before I even knew what a war was.
My mother had had the worst timing in the history of bad timings. Obviously she did not even slightly over-think her deeds. Entering the most crowded square, screaming, dressed so mysteriously on the feast of legends and myths. Seven hells! No wonder people assumed that she was a witch. There sure where a lot of legends and myths about witches. And witches always had to die in the end. The dark night did not improve the situation. The citizens of Gulltown where scared, and they still are, because the man who fathered me was yet to be found. I caused a war. Knights caused a war while haunting for the poor man, they arrested and executed many innocents. The frightened residents of the port city started to oppose the army. What if their sons, their brothers, their father or friends were the next men to be suspected? Some fled the city. The mountains of The Vale gave them plenty hideouts. Mountain Clans arose. The clans sabotaged the vital trading routes and performed guerrilla attacks on the army. The war seemed endless, and now, nineteen years later, the end still appears to be far away. So far nobody is winning and nobody is losing, but many people find the dead. It all had gotten worse after Lord Jon Arryn was killed. From The Neck to the Bay of Crabs, The Vale of Arryn was in a state of total warfare. Nobody outside of the region really cared though, I believe that the war would have ended already if somebody did. Once the region was very important for merchants but they had found other ports and cities as trading locations. And King Joffrey must be happy that this war did not took place in King's Landing, so he sent knights every now and then but did nothing remarkable to solve the problem.
And then there was old Lysa Tully, Lady of the Vale. She was more concerned about her one sickly child then all of her citizens together. I did not blame her, since I probably would have done the same if I was her. I would make a terrible ruler, I must confess that.
And then it hit me. I knew were Kith was going. I bet he was on his way to The Eyrie, where the seat of Arryn is located, to protect Lady Tully and her son. The woman was very suspicious lady. After the unexpected dead of her husband, she started seeing enemies in every corner. At that point, we were again very the same. I never feel safe, except when Kith is with me. Lysa Tully must want to be protected by the best knights at all times. I had never thought of the woman in this way, and I slowly started to respect her. Kith had been right. She indeed needed his protection more than I needed it, or at least as much as I needed it.
So now I figured out what Kith was most likely up to, it was time to plan things for myself. A good nights rest for example. But after that? I locked the door and grabbed a candle before I walked upstairs. It had gotten pretty dark and I had not even noticed. I undressed myself and wanted to put on my nights clothing, but then I remembered… What for? Kith and I had always shared the bed because the house we lived in did not offer the space for two beds. It had two rooms downstairs, a kitchen and a little solar, and only one room upstairs that had a bed and a bath. We never felt like we had a lack of space, nor a lack of privacy in our house, but we both preferred to sleep with our clothes on. I blew out my candle and got in the bed. For the first time in my life I felt very cold in bed. Also, I realized that I did not had any friends to visit or a man to get married to. I already was nineteen! All the woman of my age had children by now. Kith was more right than ever. I was not that young anymore. I felt so old. I knew I could not stay where I was. A woman alone in this house, I would be raped and robbed, maybe even several times, by the end of the week. The thought made me get out of my bed again to block the entry door downstairs with the kitchen table. Nobody would get in tonight. I got back to bed and was already feeling a bit saver, I fell asleep with the fiction of Kith in a pillow I embraced.