The Festive North

Edmure POV

It has been some time since I have been in the North. Moat Cailin was the first thing that greeted us as we entered the North. After the swamp, it was good to be on solid ground. Moat Cailin was now a real stronghold, with tall walls, overbearing towers overlooking the area, and the keep to hold countless people. We had to pass through Moat Cailin's gates to continue our ride to Winterfell, and it was the place where Arianne, with her entourage, would join us.

Moat Cailin was connected to all regions of the North by well-maintained roads. The Kingsroad led to Winterfell, a smaller road forged to White Harbor and another to Torrhen's Square. It even had a busy port so ships could come from the West through Blazenwaterbay and Saltspear. Not only did Moat Cailin serve as a stronghold but also as a trading hub.

"My lord, Lady's Arianne's caravan is approaching the town," One of my household knights rode to me and informed me. "Should I lead them to you?"

"No need, we will wait for them by the entrance," I replied, as I knew my children were tired and would like to stay in Moat Cailin for the night, and Arianne probably was thinking the same.

There were more people than I expected. I didn't even know who was in charge here. Most lords from the North will be on their way to Winterfell by this time, so some cousins of the Castellan were left to oversee things in this area. But the guards seemed to maintain the order quite well, so at least those in charge wanted to make an impression.

"Mom!" Elia was the first to go after Arianne as they saw each other, while my sons were more reserved.

"Go on," I had to encourage them to meet with Arianne.

While my family reunited with each other, I observed the others who had come with Arianne. Maybe it was still too early, but Jaehaerys wasn't with her, nor were the Tyrells. Lord Mallister will probably stay in King's Landing to oversee things there, so he won't be coming. But most prominent lords from Crownlands were within my sight.

"Your eyes should be on your dear wife," Arianne said as she kissed me. "Those fools decided to sail with me to court a favor or two; you don't have to care about them; they will soon scatter as bigger flies come into view."

"Too bad I only have one eye left to look at you," I replied with a smirk as she took my arm into her hands.

"That means you should look at me twice as long as you usually do," Arianne smirked back.

Too bad, Arianne wasn't used to the cold as she was covered in thick furs, barely leaving anything for me to enjoy. I could tell she hated that the men weren't staring at her and making me jealous. But she was already too big of a tease and deserved it. Still, nothing would stop her from doing what she wanted, and once we entered our accommodations, she quickly dragged me to the bedroom. She was too eager to remove these fur coats covering her once we were alone.

…

Moat Cailin protected the North from the South for thousands of years, and only recently, after being left to grumble, it was restored to its former glory. But maybe it was protecting the South, too, for this damn cold. Once we left Moat Cailin, there was no escaping the harsh winds and snowfall. While the rest of the Seven Kingdoms still enjoyed their warmth, the North was already in the Winter, even if they would say it was nothing but light summer snow.

"I still think it was a waste of gold to rebuild all those towers," Arianne said as she looked out from our carriage. "Who needs twenty towers? They are compensating for something. They will only fall into disarray as they become useless, and then what? Will you pay to repair them again? It is only a waste of gold. Are you even listening to me?"

"The cold is making you cranky," I replied with a smile as Arianne buried deeper into my chest to defend herself from the cold.

"Shut up," Arianne wasn't taking kindly to my comments. "How can this not even be the winter? I am telling you, the Maesters here are probably all fools with frozen heads if they can't tell that."

"It will only get colder," I replied, not nearly as bothered by the cold as Arianne was. "But imagine the hot springs in Winterfell. You will be able to bathe in them as much as you want once we arrive. All the cold will melt like the snow."

"That does sound nice," Arianne calmed down a bit at the promise of the famed hot springs of Winterfell. "But my point still stands: I don't want you to waste our gold on more stupid castles with dozens of towers. Nobody needs them, and they will just fall apart anyway. I can't believe I didn't stop you from doing it sooner."

"Do you know what people want the most when they are afraid? When are rumors of war spreading among them? Rumors of unnatural forces? When the darkness engulfs them?" I asked as Arianne slowly turned her gaze back to me. "They want to feel secure. To know that no matter what, they will be protected. Those towers don't need to be used because as long as they stand and people can see them, they feel protected by them."

"So, it is only to keep ignorant masses from panicking?" Arianne interrupted my words too literally, but she wasn't wrong.

We still were about three weeks away from Winterfell. The children weren't against the new environment and loved the snow, especially playing with it. Throwing snowballs at each other and the knights protecting them. Or building snowmen as tall as they could. The little snow they had seen before would melt before it could even land on the ground, so this was new and fun to them.

The carriages were well made to handle the cold, so it wasn't that bad, and Arianne was only acting like a spoiled child because she wanted my attention. I was happy to provide it to her, so I had nothing to complain about. And along the way, there were plenty of villages or keeps to stay for the night. Even if not everyone could fit in them, it wasn't too bad sleeping in carriages, even if Arianne would rather gut me than sleep in them.

…

I was getting fat. The months of traveling around the Seven Kingdoms took its toll on my body. The most exercise I did was when I trained with my new squires. Otherwise, I would talk with a lord or another over dinner or cooped up in my room, working on managing my lands. It was hard to watch my physique in these times.

"Would you stop it?" I asked Arianne the tenth time as she pinched my belly.

"Hehehe. Why would I?" Arianne asked cheekily. "I won't have time to have fun with you from tomorrow onward. Once we are in Winterfell, you will be with other lords if you don't spend time with your family. So, tonight, you will have to endure me."

I could only sigh in defeat and lay next to her. It was quite nice traveling for the past three weeks. There weren't any terrible storms or blizzards that blocked off the road. So, it was quite a smooth ride. And it was rather relaxing; there wasn't much to deal with rather than planning a day's journey. It lets us enjoy our company and nothing else.

I only wish Patrek was still here and could drink with me for the peace we achieved. It saddens me that my children probably won't even remember Uncle Patrek once they grow up. But I think Patrek would still be happy that they managed to grow up in times of peace without worry. All I could do was drink in his name from time to time.

…

Winterfell was nothing like I remembered it to be. We hadn't even gotten to the gates to Winterfell and were only at the entrance to the town surrounding Winterfell. But I already could see how much it has grown. The town was bustling, full of people. New houses were built, extending the length of the town. And even though there weren't any walls around the town, the watchtowers overlooked it.

It was impressive how long the line to the town was, and one could only imagine how long it would be to get to Winterfell. Fully armed guards patrolled the road and checked everyone wanting to enter the town. But nobody complained even as people had to wait hours in line for their turn, as the townspeople offered them hot wine.

The mood was festive. People were celebrating their lord's wedding. Even people on the road waiting to enter the town weren't left behind by the festive mood. People traded with others. They sang and drank together. Children from common families played with noble children coming to the wedding. It was quite an impressive sight as people from various places covered in various clothes mingled.

"Don't run off too far!" I heard Arianne yell out to the children as they ran to play.

"Don't worry," I replied with a smile. "If our knights don't scare off any potential danger to them, then the dozens of guards patrolling around will surely will."

"It sure is nice here," Arianne said. "It might be better than our wedding."

"No way," I replied. "What is a wedding without a plot of murder?"

"A boring one," Arianne agreed.

It didn't take long after to process us to enter the town. It was even more vibrant inside than outside. Various lanterns were hung around, with light covered in various colors of glass lighting up the streets. It was quite a brilliant idea to create great glass representing the Houses of the North, making Wintertown a welcoming place for everyone.

Various vendors selling knicks and knacks stood on the main street as we passed them riding towards Winterfell. Too bad it was already getting late; I didn't wish my children to spend more time in unfamiliar places once the sun started to set. So, we skipped the vendors. I was sure we would find time to visit them and explore Wintertown in the morning.

"Uncle!" We were welcomed into Winterfell warmly by the Stark Family.

I would be lying if I didn't think that Arya wasn't my favorite, and she probably knew that, too, as she was the first to run up to me and hug me. Soon, the others joined, and even though my children were at first a bit shy, they were taken by Arya, Bran and Rickon to play before dinner. Robb was the only one standing a fair distance from me, with Sansa and a blonde-haired woman beside him.

"Look at you," I walked to him and slapped him on the shoulders to check if he wasn't slacking in his training. "All grown up. Too bad you still can't grow a beard like I do."

"I am fine with that, Uncle," Robb replied warmly. "It is good to see you."

"Aye," I turned to Sansa, who looked at me all shy and ladylike. "And you think you all grown up too, huh? Can't even hug your uncle?"

"Of course not, uncle," Sansa, a bit embarrassed, gave a haste hug.

Cat was the last; she didn't hold back, burying her face into my chest as she hugged me. I could see that the past few years were quite hard for her from the wrinkles on her face. And from the way she looked at my scarred face with trembling eyes, she told me how worried she was for me. It was nice to see them after so long. Even with one wolf gone, the rest of the pack has grown stronger.