Depression had fallen over Winterfell after that horrid incident. Orys had been on a hunt that morning, much like the other times his father would go for a hunt. But the presence of Lord Stark in this one had made it an awkward one. Lord Stark and the Prince disagreed on Jon Snow and where he belonged. Lord Stark wanted him at Winterfell or the Wall, both horrible choices in Orys' opinion. The Prince wanted him in King's Landing, to train under accomplished Knights, receive a Knighthood and then either join the Kingsguard or Orys give him Lordship over land big or small, something Lord Stark thought was a terrible idea for some reason, which was odd since Lord Stark planned to do something similar with the boy. In the end, the decision had fallen on the King, which prompted the hunt that had been awkward. It was on the way back that the King sided with his son, stating that the bastard left in the presence of Lord Stark's wife would be insulting more than his presence in the Castle already had and that the Night's Watch was no longer a place people should be proud of going. Lord Stark had accepted the King's decision stoically. And when they returned, they had been told the terrible news, Brandon Stark had fallen from a great height and was now fighting for his life.
The remainder of their decidedly shortened stay was less than exciting. People went on with their duties, but none of them were in a good mood. The worst off was Lady Stark, who was holed up in the Sept day and night, praying to her gods. And then when the maester had done all he could, she holed herself in Brandon's room and cried. She refused to eat, refused to drink, and refused to talk to anyone unless it was necessary for her.
Eventually came the day that the royal party would depart, their journey a straight one from Winterfell to King's Landing. The Prince had suggested that they journey to White Harbor and from there take a ship to King's Landing, it would take them less time. But the King would hear none of it. The man wanted to ride back and once he had made up his mind, it was close to impossible to change it.
Orys woke early that morning, woken by Sarella and Alys when the sun was yet to rise, as he had requested of her. He needed to pack his things, and the girl was helping him.
"What does the Maester say? About Brandon, I mean. Any changes?" Orys asked, folding his clothes. He could have had Sarella and her sister Alys do the work, but he did not want to sit back and let the girls do it all by herself.
"No changes, my Prince" Alys answered.
"It is up to the gods now" Sarella added.
"I suppose," Orys hummed. "Which gods do you two worship, girls?"
"Our mother follows the old gods, and so do we," Alys said.
Orys nodded, the trio dissolving into silence and returning to packing his trunks. It didn't take them too long to finish, with three people working on it. Lifting the trunk onto his bed, he turned to the girls with a smile on his face.
"Girls, have you two ever thought about going to the capital? With your mother of course," the Prince asked.
"King's Landing?" Sarella squeaked. She shared a look with her sister, who was equally surprised and speechless. "I- we didn't, my Prince."
"Would you like to go?"
Again they were silent, looking each other in the eyes and having some kind of telepathic communication. It looked like they were to Orys.
"You don't have to answer me right away, girls. Talk to your mother and then talk to me. It is a big decision after all."
"Yes, my Prince!"
Orys snorted at the synchronicity between the two.
"Now, prepare a bath for me, please. I think I'd like to freshen up with a bath before heading down to break my fast."
He was late to join his family at breakfast, having passed out after his bath. When he got there his mother, sister, youngest brother and the Kingsguard uncle were already there, having already dug into their breakfast. He said nothing, greeting them each with a smile as he sat down. The servants served him breakfast, bread, cheese, smoked fish, and then a large meat pie. The last one confused him because the others did not have meat pie on their plates. Orys looked at the woman that served him with a raised eyebrow.
"My girls told me you wanted something made specifically by my hands, my Prince. I apologize it took me so long to fulfil your request" the woman said, her head lowered and voice timid. She was fairly tall, her fair skin matted with flour if the Prince was right, her light brown hair tied in a messy bun.
"You're Sarella and Alys' mother," Orys said with a smile. "I loved the work you put into making the boar on the night of the feast. Tell me your name."
"Alayne, sire" the woman lifted her head and smiled, her bright blue eyes shining with happiness. She couldn't be older than five and twenty.
"Alayne" Orys hummed, starting with a slice of the meat pie. The moment he took a bite of it, he almost moaned in delight. "This is by far the best meat pie I have had in my life," the Prince said with a bright smile. Alayne lowered her head and Orys had the suspicion that the woman was hiding a blush. His gaze then turned to his siblings, who both looked like they had not had anything to eat for days and were eyeing the pie with hunger. Orys rolled his eyes playfully and gently pushed the pie towards them. "Go on, have a bite. Give Mother and Uncle Jaime some as well. Food as good as this should be tasted by every one of us" he declared.
The kids loved the pie, evidenced by their sounds of delight, bright smiles and compliments to the chef. Orys turned back to Alayne. "I have already spoken about it to your daughters, and I don't know if they've shared it with you yet. But I would like to ask if you and your daughters would like to come to King's Landing with us and work for us there."
"My Prince, I-" Alayne looked like she choked, which worried Orys. But the woman had recovered quickly and smiled warmly at the prince. "I am truly honoured that you would like for me and my daughters to come to King's Landing with you, my Prince. But Wintertown is my home. I've lived here my whole life. I don't think I can leave it all behind."
"Completely understandable" the Prince smiled, placing a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. He did not want to think that her declining his offer would insult him in any way. "But the next time I come here, your daughters will serve me like they did this time, and you will be my chef of choice, understood?"
"Yes, my Prince!"
"She was pretty" the Queen commented once her son had sat back down, humming around the spoon with a piece of meat pie on it. "You could have still brought her along if you really wanted."
"That would not be right on my part, mother. It would be cruel to forcibly take her away from her home" Orys replied, finishing off the meat pie slice on his plate.
"Bread. And two of those little fish" the Prince lifted his head to see his Uncle Tyrion waddle into the great hall. "And a mug of dark beer to wash it down," he told another serving girl. "And bacon, burnt black" he instructed the boy pouring Jaime his ale.
"Little brother" Jaimed greeted with a smile.
"Beloved siblings" Tyrion greeted.
"What? Nothing for us?" Orys asked with a smirk.
"And nephews and nieces" the imp corrected with a chuckle. "Is that meat pie I see" he inquired and Jaime pushed the plate to him.
"Is Bran going to die?" Myrcella asked.
"They are not certain" Orys answered. "The Maesters have done all they could. It's up to the gods now."
"It would be cruel to let a child linger in such pain" The Queen ran her fingers through her daughter's hair.
"Only the gods know for certain" Tyrion added. "All the rest of us can do is pray."
The two siblings maintained their eye contact, cold and calculating the both of them. Neither of them liked the other much, and they did not hide their dislike for each other. Orys cleared his throat to dispel the tension that was building.
"Where is Joffrey? Has he broken his fast already?" the crown prince asked.
"He has" his uncle the Kingsguard answered. "He woke before we did, and was done by the time we got down. Don't know where he is now."
"He's is off to give Lord and Lady Stark his condolences and is letting them know that he is at their service should they need anything from him."
"Joffrey is doing all of that? On his own accord," Myrcella asked, a brow raised to question the statement her uncle just gave.
"Well there might have been some convincing done to get him to do it, but he is doing it now" Tyrion explained, the cold gaze of the Queen pinning him down. Not that it bothered him, he was used to his sister glaring daggers at him.
"It is expected of him for sure" Orys nodded, placing a hand on his mother's when she turned to him with a look of betrayal. "But please refrain from 'convincing' my little brother in any manner but with your words, uncle."
"I will keep that in mind, nephew" Tyrion grinned. He was not going to keep that in mind.
"Are you really going to the Wall Uncle Tyrion?" Tommen asked. "With all the criminals?"
"You my boy are just like your mother" the imp ruffled the youngest prince's hair, "The charms on the North are entirely lost on you."
"I still can't believe you're going. It's ridiculous even for you" the Queen stated. To Orys it sounded more like she couldn't believe he was going to return afterwards.
"Well mother, the Wall is one of the most fascinating architectures you'll find in the North. Over seven hundred feet tall and said to be magical. I'd love to go if I could."
"There is absolutely no need for you to go," said the Queen to her eldest. "Finish your food and then check one final time if you've packed everything" she advised, before leaving with Myrcella and Tommen in tow.
"You could come with me if you wish" Tyrion offered.
"Mother would lose her mind if I did" Orys chuckled. "You're not thinking about taking the black by any chance are you?"
"And go celibate? The whores would go begging from Dorne to Casterly Rock!" the imp exclaimed. "No, I just want to stand on the edge of the wall and piss off the edge of the world."
"You vile man" Orys shook his head with a laugh.
"Speaking of vile men, I hear you are taking Lord Stark's bastard with you to King's Landing" Jaime Lannister spoke.
"How did vile man remind you of that?" Orys asked and his uncle shrugged. "Anyways, I am. I thought you already knew since it was decided not long after we came to Winterfell" about two days ago to be exact.
"I did, but I never got the opportunity to ask" the Kingsguard bit on his bacon. "Why do you want him?"
"He's very good with a sword, but holds himself back against Robb because either the master at arms told him to"
"Or Lady Stark did not like it" Tyrion cut in.
"Possible" Orys hummed. "Anyways, he's good and his talents are wasted here and in the Night's Watch if he joined. So he's coming with me" he tore a piece of bread and put it in his mouth. "And you will train him."
"I will?" Ser Jaime asked.
"You will" Orys nodded.
"I suppose if it gets me out of door duty for your father-"
"No promises on that."
"Of course not…"
The men were gathered in the yard, luggage being piled onto the carts. The men at arms were ready, Lannister and Baratheon flags in their arms. Ser Jaime was at the smith, striking up a conversation with Jon. It did not look like a pleasant conversation with how Jon's face seemed to twitch and twist, and how Jaime's smirk and amusement only grew. Orys sighed at his Uncle's nature of tormenting others. He should probably stop it, but if Jon was going to be trained under the man, he needed to get used to it. Jaime walked away eventually, and Jon turned to the smith, who had an odd sword in his hands. Orys was curious about it, and Jon was secretive when he inquired about it. It was small, too small for Jon to use. Maybe Rickon, since Brandon was not going to use that any time soon. Orys doubted the boy would even wake again, no matter how much people prayed.
A sharp screech made the Prince jump, hand going to his sword on instinct. He turned around, ready to draw his sword, only to stop and feel stupid. It was a fucking raven.
The raven cried again, puffing up and extending its neck. Orys let out a soft grunt and waved his arms at it. The raven did not move an inch, it must have been one of the tame ravens of the rookery. The raven cried again, its sharp shriek grating on Orys' nerves. He tried to shoo it again, but the bird did not move. He picked a stone and threw it at the fence the bird was sitting on. The fence shook from impact, but the bird did not budge. It was at that point that Orys found the bird a little strange. He had seen ravens before, and usually, they flew off if threatened. But this one was nothing like those. Even faced with the possibility of being harmed it stood its ground and stared. There was something odd in the way it stared at the Prince, an intelligence that should not be seen in birds.
Orys turned away from it and began to walk away. The raven called his name and he froze in his tracks. Slowly he turned and found the raven no longer there. A weight seemed to lift off his shoulders because of it. He turned and continued his walk to the horses, only for the raven to land on his shoulders. He winced from how hard the talons on the bird gripped him.
"Orys!" the raven shrieked. The horses made a noise of distress, moving away from the Prince. The bird flapped its wing, slapping Orys in the face and the back of his head, before walking around his back and resting on his other shoulder, every step making the Prince wince even more.
"It seems you have a pet, nephew" Tyrion came waddling forward.
"One I didn't ask for" the Prince muttered, staring at the raven who was busy preening itself. "It said my name" the Prince added.
"I suppose it chose you then. Would be rude to abandon it now" the imp joked before walking away. The raven was looking at Orys while it preened itself, unsettling Orys. He felt as if the raven knew more than a raven should. He looked away and walked to the horses. His horse was a handsome stallion, large and powerful. It was black all over, even the mane which faded into silver as it reached the tips. The horse was Orys' favourite because it did not spook easily and was always ready to assert dominance. But today it seemed uncomfortable, swaying away from Orys every time he tried to grab the stallion's lead.
"What's wrong with you" the Prince muttered. Finally, he grabbed the lead and the horse let out a loud and high-pitched whinny. Orys fell back when the horse got on its hind legs and kicked the air with its front legs. The Prince's eyes widened when he saw the front hooves coming down on him. The raven on his shoulder let out a loud shriek and Orys watched his horse freeze. The stableboys rushed in with haste and brought the horse back down.
"Are you alright, my Prince?" one of the boys asked, helping the Prince to his feet.
"I am. Thank you" The young man smiled at the stableboy. He then turned to the raven, which was now scratching its belly with its beak. "And thank you" he whispered to it, scratching it on the neck with his index finger. The raven let out a soft cry and affectionately nipped at the finger.
