Chapter 18: The Feast
Last Week of the sixth Month of the Year 298
Winterfell
Kyria Stark
A feast. On top of everything else, she had to go to a feast in honor of the King and his family. This was the last thing she wished to do as of right now. After the struggle that had been the welcoming of the royal family in the yard, the only thing she wished to do was fall asleep in her bed and not come out for at least a week.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. Instead, Mother ordered her to take care of Arya, while she was to dress up and prepare Sansa for the feast. From the bits of conversation she overheard, discussions regarding a potential marriage between sweet Sansa and Joffrey were already on the march. She didn't know how to feel about it. Sansa was overjoyed of course, but for all she wished for her little sister's happiness, she had many doubts over the whole thing…
Arya was twitching in her seat, impatiently moving every time Kyria dared touch her head and she still had one braid to finish before even starting to pin everything in place. Why couldn't she deal with Sansa? Sansa at least was easy to manage! Sansa wasn't moving like a fish out of water when she tried to braid her stupid hair!
Though, with her excitement over Joffrey Baratheon, maybe that statement wasn't so true anymore…
"I don't want to wear it."
Kyria rolled her eyes. Ugh.
"I don't think you have a choice Arya, this is the Royal family. Mother would throw a fit if you came in the outfits you are used to."
"I don't care about them."
Kyria snorted.
"Color me surprised," she commented. "But you still don't have a choice."
"Why should I?"
"Because it is your duty."
Arya sighed. She was glad to know the girl was starting to understand how pointless it was to try to outsmart her when it was about their duties. They had that discussion a couple of times already.
"Why don't you like it anyway? Have you seen the Queen's dress? You could have far worse on your back."
Arya giggled.
"Maybe. But I Still don't like it. It's not practical. I can't run with all this fabric and the sleeves are way too long." she pouted moving her arms around like an overgrown bat.
"Why would you want to run anyway? We are going to attend a feast in honor of the King of the Seven kingdoms, I am positively certain there will be no running involved."
If she had to trust the size of that man's belly, she had nothing to worry about in that regard.
"You never know when you need to run!"
…
Alright, she may have a point. But still…
"You'll have the entire household full of armed and trained guards to protect you, Arya, I am certain that at least one of them will agree to carry you if needed." smiled Kyria innocently.
She didn't need the mirror to recognize a grimace.
"Shut up stupid. I don't need to be protected. That's for ladies."
And another subject of conversation they had before. Was she talking in circles? Was she doomed to repeat herself for stupid boys and stubborn little sisters?
"Anyway, you will have no choice sister. Tonight we are to celebrate the King and Mother will skin you alive if you dare to mess this up. Especially the entrance she painstakingly arranged for us."
"But why do I have to?"
"Because Mother said so."
"But why me too?!
Deep breath Kyria.
"That is how noble families are expected to act. In the South, everything is about appearances. If you look, speak, and act like a noble, then you must be one. Then you'll have their respect. The opposite is just as true. Act like a wild beast and you will be treated as one."
"Just like that?"
"Well… the family name counts too I suppose. Or the reputation. But it all comes back to how you appear to behave."
"That's stupid."
"Unfortunately sister, this is how the world is made."
Arya hummed and stayed put, offering her sister the perfect opportunity to resume her attempt to tame the little girl's hair.
"How do you know all of this? About the South and everything?"
"I read."
"About that too?"
"About everything I can find that sparks my interest."
"A lot of things then…"
Kyria puffed a quick laugh. A loud insistent knock on the door stopped the conversation and Robb passed his curly head through the opening.
"Are you ready?"
"As ready as we are going to be I suppose." sighed Kyria, giving up on arranging Arya's head any more than what she had already done. It was good enough… she supposed.
"Well then ladies, the time has come for us!" he claimed theatrically.
Arya giggled and Kyria patted her work satisfactorily. Robb offered his arm and the three siblings joined the rest of their family for the grand entrance Mother insisted on. Her own arm securely wrapped around Robb's, she ignored Joffrey's presence to the best of her abilities, blinding herself to Sansa's beaming happiness that seemed to pulse out of her. She carefully bit her tongue and straightened her back. Don't look at Joffrey, don't look at Joffrey. She kept thinking with every step.
Arya was displeased, her arm locked around the second little prince who, noticeably smaller than her sister, made a comical picture but she, at least was making an effort to appear dignified Mostly. Bran at the end of the line had a better fate, paired with Myrcella Baratheon, the only princess born of the King's bed.
Rickon wasn't present, still too young to stay in one of those feasts, and was staying in his room with Old Nan and Septa Mordane. The only good point of the evening this far. Mother had thought about having him here at first, but everyone in the keep knew how awful that kid was when sleep-deprived.
"Aren't you glad to be stuck with me sister?" whispered Robb to her ear. "You could have had the prickly little prince."
Ugh.
"I don't think I would have survived the night."
Robb snorted.
"As if he could hurt a fly."
Mh…
"If not him, Sansa would have had my head for stealing her prince charming."
Robb disguised his laugh in an awkward cough. He then discretely spied behind his shoulder, to the beaming girl.
"She sure looks over the moon."
"What else did you expect? This is a dream come true for her. Look at her, not even a day and she already looks more southern than any other northern woman present, and that includes Mother."
Robb snorted again but didn't comment further. He graciously led her to her chair and sat next to her, at a table apart from their parents and the Royal couple, who occupied the center of the room.
"Are you alright?" whispered Robb with a smile behind his hand.
She nodded without a word. He briefly pressed her hand in his and turned his attention on Joffrey who asked him something. Kyria offered a tensed smile to an oblivious Sansa who looked ready to bounce out of her chair and squeal in delight. Nothing seemed to calm her down, she was as excited as a proper lady could be in such a public place.
They had placed all the "children" on one main table, with Robb having to face a scolding Joffrey who apparently hadn't taken well the idea of being part of the "children". His complaints had been loud and hard to ignore, even from the other side of the keep. Sansa seemed completely hermetic to her new companion's mood and sighed dreamily whenever he would look in her direction. It was discreet for anyone who didn't know the girl. Fortunately, the little red-haired beauty was surrounded by both her sisters, and, with one silent look between Kyria and Arya they distracted the middle child as efficiently as possible. It took some ruffling to dust the girl's brain but at least she still remembered that she had one of those. Miracle of miracles.
"Are you enjoying the night so far Sansa?" she dared to ask, breaking her little sister's daydream once again, while the servants around them offered them yet another course.
How many did they have to eat exactly?!
"Oh yes. This is all incredible. Can you imagine Kyria! I spent the afternoon with the Prince!" stage whispered Sansa.
"I suppose you did. Mother charged you to show him around the keep didn't she?"
Mother was very adamant about allowing Sansa to spend a lot of time with the prince, Kyria noticed.
"I asked Mother if I could," revealed the girl, to her sister's surprise, " I got to show him my favorite places. Oh Kyria, it was so romantic! We walked through the glass gardens and the godswoods and he kept asking me all sorts of questions as if she truly was interested in what I had to say and-" she sighed dreamily.
The whole exchange surprised Kyria. She had not expected that. The Prince appeared like someone who would get bored easily with something like that… With the way he was currently frowning down his nose at everything and gulping goblet after goblet of what was certainly not water, he was very far from the type who would enjoy a romantic walk around Winterfell… Completely opposed what Sansa was describing. Was she wrong? Did she miss something?
"I am happy for you sister." she smiled demurely.
From the corner of her eye, she spied the little princess looking at them. Her face was surprisingly hard to read for someone so young as she seemed to pay a great deal of attention to their entire conversation. When Sansa finally put a final word in her elaborate description of the crown prince's perfection, Kyria smiled at the little blond girl.
"Pardon my sister princess Myrcella, she is very enthusiastic. She had wished for your presence for a long time."
The blond little girl's pretty smile was obscured by her little brother's grunt.
"Joffrey is mean."
Kyria's attention snapped back on the boy like the whip on an Essossi slave.
"Tommen…" shushed his sister.
"Why would you say that? Your brother has been very nice to my sister." she enquired with barely veiled curiosity
"He killed my cat and her kittens. She was hurtin nobody. She was just waiting for her kittens. But Joff doesn't like to wait."
"Tommen." pressed the princess.
Kyria's mind was buzzing. Killed a pregnant cat? What kind of twisted individual would- What was he saying?
Sansa whined in distress and Kyria's hand grabbed the girl's under the table before she could think about it.
"What do you mean?" enquired Bran with his trembling little voice.
The two children exchanged a long look that wasn't in any way missed by Kyria's sharp eyes.
"Nothing. It's nothing." denied the oldest blond with a quick glance around her.
Hm…
On the other side of the table, Joffrey was noticeably absent, but not far enough from his previous sit for their discussion to be completely safe from being listened to. This was not a good time or place for such a conversation. Mind swirling, Kyria smiled reassuringly.
"Do not trouble yourself, my princess. No one here wishes to force you into any conversation you do not wish to have. Let's talk about something else then! Tell me, how was your journey? You must have seen many things on your way here!"
Myrcella smiled shyly, relief evident in the way her shoulders dropped suddenly. She spared one last indescribable look at Sansa's pale face before throwing herself into the conversation with abandon.
The ice now definitely broken, the children spend the following hour talking animatedly together, comparing their lives and places animatedly, under Kyria's quiet contemplation.
With the hours passing and the feast progressing, things became more and more chaotic around them. Robb was one of the first to abandon his seat, moving from place to place, charming his way through those new faces, and making acquaintances everywhere. Atta boy.
People were walking around, stumbling upon each other, drinking, laughing, and moving around in confusing patterns Kyria had a hard time following. The number of people, new faces, and familiar ones melting together as the night went on made her head spin a little.
The feast was long. Longer than anything she attempted so far. She didn't know who to watch, where to look.
The King was disgusting. The number of images she got from him was surprisingly low, and Kyria wasn't sure what it was supposed to mean. He seemed… insignificant. That was the best word she could put in the few things she saw from him. Which was kind of worrying for his future if she understood everything correctly…And for the future of the country in general.
Having all those visions back to back sure had been an interesting experience. The King had been the easiest to deal with, but the rest of them had been hard to deal with.
As she observed him, pawing crudely at a serving girl with a guttural laugh and the challenging, slow movements of one heavily inebriated, Kyria wondered how this man could be the hero of Father war stories. He was… disgusting. Maybe it was impolite to think so…It surely wasn't nice, and besides, she didn't even talk with her King. She shouldn't have such thoughts. But she couldn't help it.
She bit back a wince as Robert Baratheon laughed again at whatever was happening around him, -or in his head, with that much alcohol in his blood she could never know- while his hands seemed to crudely massage the servant's bottom… She was wrapped around his thick neck like some fancy cloak, laughing along and purring praises. From the angle of the King's face, he had his nose right inside her cleavage. Disgusting.
To distract herself, she looked for Father. It took much longer than anticipated to find him. He was talking to someone. Someone tall and blonde. A man?
Kyria hissed and pressed her eyelid close, immediately forgetting her wish to find her father. She had enough headaches for a day thank you very much.
"Kyria?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
She quickly turned around, before the pain could worsen, or trigger anything else.
"I'm fine. I think this… the whole feast is louder than I expected. I am not used to so many voices at the same time."
Sansa giggled. Arya squinted.
"Maybe you should go outside? Go see the wolves! Summer always makes me feel better when my head hurts." proposed Bran helpfully.
"Maybe I will, if it does not get better, thank you, Bran."
"You could do it now! Before it gets worse."
Kyria's eyebrow reached her hairline.
"Are you trying to get rid of m,e sister?"
Arya frowned.
"It's no use if you're in pain."
"It is true Kyria. You can take a breath outside, no one will blame you for it."
Kyria breathed.
"Alright then. I will. But I count on you to behave." she threatened, a finger pointed in front of Arya's nose.
She smiled innocently. Bran shifted in his seat.
"Don't trouble yourself Kyria, I will watch over them," promised Sansa seriously.
Well, there wasn't much she could say against that. Kyria smiled, and saluted politely the little prince and princess who smiled brightly in return and left the table.
It took far longer than she was comfortable with, to manage to navigate around the people in the hall. The room had never felt so tiny to her before. Once the heavy doors were behind her, she took a deep breath. Finally, fresh air.
Kyria pushed herself against the hard stone wall and bumped her head on it a couple of times. The cold of the stones actually felt good, surprisingly. Chilling her arms and back through the thick fabric of the navy blue dress she was wearing tonight. She contemplated briefly on pulling out a couple of the pins that held her thick braided locks in place but dismissed the idea. It may not be as crowded as inside, but there were still people walking around in the keep. Strangers.
Instead, she decided on taking a silent walk through the mostly empty corridors.
As she walked farther and farther from the main hall, her sounds became muted. The silence of the night engulfed her, appeasing her mind and senses, refreshing like the cold walls. Nothing could compare to the peace she would find walking around Winterfell. It was a habit she first had when she was trying to escape the confinement of her room and the voices in her head. When Jon, and later Robb helped her, the voices were made quieter, and as she started to understand what was happening to her, things were less aggressive. But the habit stayed.
It felt sometimes like all she had needed was to put a word on it, for the situation to change from distressing to manageable. Of course, she was far from managing anything most of the time, but to feel like that sometimes… It was good. It felt good.
As she lost herself deeper and deeper in her thoughts, she walked upon the training yard, completely empty at this time of the night. With a short nod to the guard at the entrance of the keep, she looked around.
…hm.
Without thinking about it, she grabbed one of the bows and a couple of arrows. And she shot.
And shot. And shot again. When she ran short of arrows, she walked to the target and took them back. And shot again.
It was, surprisingly, almost as peaceful as walking. She refused to think about anything, and shot, again and again, for what felt like hours. After some time, the tip of her fingers started to hurt, from the cold or the strain she put them through, she couldn't say. She stubbornly shook away every parasitizing thought that would try to cloud her mind. About Sansa, Joffrey, Father, the King, the Queen, the Court. She shot them away. She didn't want to think about it.
She wanted to think of nothing right now, it was all that mattered to her.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that."
Kyria jumped.
"Seven hells!"
The bow was dropped as she abruptly turned around. She barely managed to stop herself from walking right on the bow. Ser Rodrick would have her head if she dared to break one of his bows.
In front of her, staring up and down at her like some unknown creature, stood the shortest man she had ever seen. Dark blond hair falling in front of surprisingly piercing green eyes. He wasn't ugly per se, despite what people would say, but there was something undeniably strange about his whole appearance.
The imp. Tyrion Lannister. What in seven hell was he doing here?!
"M-my lord" she bowed, as politely as she could, flushed with embarrassment and recent efforts.
Why wasn't he inside for god's sake?!
"My lady. I'd say I'm honored to meet you but it appears that we haven't been introduced yet."
We could have been had you stayed inside you insufferable man!
Kyria plastered her best smile.
"Of course my lord." she bowed, "Kyria Stark, my lord. I am the eldest daughter of Lord Eddard Stark. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
It was not. She would have rather met the man at any other time. God, if Mother hears about this she is going to die. Painfully.
Unaware of her inner panic, the little man bowed on his short little legs. She couldn't help but be oddly fascinated by his awkwardly strange little figure.
"A pleasure I'm sure."
She nodded mutely. This was awkward.
The both of them studied each other for a long silent moment, without exchanging another word. She found him… strange. Not just physically though she had to restrain herself from impolitely staring. There was something around him that kept catching her attention. A feeling lingering at the edge of her senses. She couldn't describe it for it had never done that before, but she knew it was somewhat related to her… "gift". He did not push any vision, or voice in her head, but her mind seemed bugged. It was the first time such a thing happened.
It wasn't that bad lingering feeling she got from the Queen or the Prince, nor that latent disgust and a hint of… something else she felt from the King. It was almost, dared she say, positive.
She liked him. Huh. Unexpected.
"Was that a bow you were practicing with? The North truly seems more interesting by the minute."
Kyria's embarrassed flush was back with a vengeance. Yes… the bow.
"The North is a harsh place, my Lord, even for its inhabitants. Some of us feel the need to know how to defend our skins."
"Clever.", commented the man.
She took care not to mention her sisters. Seeing her was bad already if he knew the three Stark girls were proficient in the use of a bow, he would for sure talk about it, and Mother would know and rage the Seven Hells on them.
"Who taught you to shoot like that my lady?"
"My brother,"
Technically not a lie. Robb did show her how to do it first. Arya kind of took over the lessons after Uncle Benjen's faithful intervention.
"The heir or the bastard?"
Kyria's face twisted before she could control it. Of course, those piercing eyes noticed immediately.
"Not liking the word?" he questioned, rhetorically, "I've heard about him you know. The bastard of Winterfell. He took the Black didn't he?"
"Yes my lord. He left for the Wall almost a year ago now."
"Lucky boy."
Where was he going with this?
"My Lord?"
"I always wanted to see the Wall. The greatest construction of mankind! The top of the World!" his arms moved around his head in some grand gesture.
Kyria pondered upon this. It was one of the greatest things ever done by men. Her own ancestors' none less.
"I suppose it is something…"
"Right?" he nodded enthusiastically, "This is something I would love to see one day. Maybe I will take a little trip up there before going back to the Capital. A curious mind as mine wouldn't pass such an opportunity."
Kyria blinked. Bastard in his father's eyes whispered her mind.
What? Was that- It sounded like-
Listen to the bastard in his father's eyes.
She had said that before. The day Jon left. She remembers feeling strange and saying things she couldn't really understand or control.
The bastard in his father's eyes.
But why now? Why would her brain whisper such a horrible thing now-
Unless…
She took another long look at Tyrion Lannister's unusual stature. Him? It would make an odd sort of sense… She had heard things of course. About the Lannisters. Everyone had something to say about them. The Great lion and his pride. Of course, Tyrion's case had been mentioned too. And the disdain his father had for him. Could that mean?
"If you wish to my lord," she said distractingly.
Would Tyrion be the person she had fated Jon would have to listen to? Why? What such a man could have to say to her brother at the Wall? What kind of advice someone from a family as rich as the Lannisters would have to give to a Bastard Brother of the Night's Watch? She was missing something.
As her mind turned and turned, Tyrion kept talking.
"Oh, I do. It would be a fantastic experience. Something one has to see once in their lives! Don't you think? Having the entire world at the tip of your feet when you stand up there. Contemplating the greatness that is the Land of Always Winter from a place where no Wildling can cut through your contemplation with a well-placed swing of their mass?"
He had an interesting idea of the place, oddly romanticized.
"It does sound intriguing. But the Wall is no place for women my Lord."
"Really? Not even the sister of one of the Brothers of the Night watch?"
She looked back into his eyes, her gaze was as sharp as he was. Lord Tyrion hummed contemptuously. What did he want?
"They talk a lot, you know? Your people."
"Do they?"
He nodded slowly.
"They do. About their precious Lord, and his children. They say you were close to your bastard brother." he noticed. "You used to spend entire afternoons riding in the wild with the Heir of Winterfell and your bastard brother."
Kyria bites her cheek. He was going somewhere with this whole discussion, but where? What did he want her to say? He had to be after something.
"I have always been close to my family, my lord," she said evasively.
"Mhm. And how is the great Lady Catelyn fairing the idea of her precious daughter being close to the greatest disgrace to her good name?"
No. She did not like this man. Any thought of the contrary will forevermore be labeled as sudden insanity caused by the lack of sleep or any other convenient excuse she might find at the moment. Determined not to let herself be beaten by that man she kept a straight face and squared her shoulders.
"You seem oddly curious about my family, my Lord. Do you wish to know something in particular?"
Silence.
Tyrion blinked a couple of times, surprised, then burst into a loud surprised laugh.
"Oh don't pay attention to me, my lady! I am but a curious little man greedy of all things and knowledge I can put my grubby little hands on. And one never knows what piece of information can be useful in the near future! Maybe being on friendly terms with a Brother of the Night's Watch's favorite sister will gain me some points when I inevitably take my trip up there!" he said jovially.
Kyria was not amused.
"You should meet with my little sister then. It is known around the keep that Arya had always been Jon's favorite. They are too much alike those two."
He merely lifted an eyebrow.
"Really? The little chats I've had with your staff say otherwise, my lady. They have many tells of your closeness with your oldest brothers."
Noisy little man, why was he still bothering her? She hummed out loud and allowed herself a single second of annoyance, before trying another parade to get rid of the man.
"Do they? Well then, if it pleases my lord, learn all you can. I won't judge you for it."
Lord Tyrion clapped his hands, as if stroke by an illumination. Kyria did not buy it. He knew exactly where he was going with all this bothering and there was no way for Kyria to be convinced otherwise.
"Yes, yes of course. I have heard of your own passion for knowledge! A voracious reader from what I understand. Some even say they saw you try to educate your brothers. Quite ambitious for such a young lady to paddle into a man's education. Another strange occurrence in the North I suppose. Ladies of the South do not display such thirst for knowledge, at least, not in polite company."
Gods when she thought she had him figured out he jumped right out of the ride onto another horse. What a hard man to follow, what did he want with her?!
"Some subjects are not for women's ears, I have heard. But knowledge can never hurt and it is up to the receiver to use it as they please," she said enigmatically.
"True, true, but a conversation is always appreciated and I am afraid that an ill-used mind makes an ill conversationalist."
"It is not proper for women to display too much knowledge in the affairs of men. Like politics, war, or anything else that could give some power to the fair sex."
"A beautiful way to say girls must appear stupid to survive in our world." responded the man with a snort.
As they do. He was clever and she couldn't deny him that quality.
The conversation came to an abrupt stop as a familiar giggle erupted from a corner of the courtyard. A giggle that had no place outside at this time of the night with a feast still raging in the main hall. With a quick excuse and no other look to her interlocutor, Kyrai trotted to the source of the sound.
"Rickon!"
The little boy's giggle stopped and he raised large surprised eyes at her, perched on the back of his gigantic wolf, thankfully laying down.
"What do you think you are doing here?! Mother will be furious if she finds you!"
"But Kyria! Mother doesn't want Shaggy in my room and I can't sleep without Shaggy!" whined the little boy with large tearful eyes.
Shaggy snorted and nudged his little master's head with his enormous snout. The boy giggled, losing every inch of credibility over his so-called sadness. Kyria tried to remain strong.
"And how do you tell, were you sleeping before Shaggy?"
He blinked innocently.
"Before Shaggy I didn't have Shaggy."
Of course. She rolled her eyes, of course, he would choose this moment to be a smart little pup.
"Well I am sorry little Lord, but you will have to content yourself with your lonely bed tonight I'm afraid. The wolves are not allowed inside the keep while the King and his court are visiting."
"But why Kyria? I want Shaggy!"
"I know little lord, but unfortunately our guests are not used to giant wolves walking around a keep. And many of these people have to protect the King. They could try to hurt Shaggy or the others."
Rickon's face morphed in horror at the idea and he squeezed his wolf's neck harder. Shaggy didn't seem to mind.
"They can't hurt Shaggy! Jon said they belonged with us!"
"I know" shushed Kyria as she knelt next to the massive black shape of Shaggydog. "But we have to do as Mother says. It will only last while the King is here, and he will not stay forever."
The little boy frowned.
"I'm not so sure I like the King now."
Kyria chuckled.
"I thought you liked him earlier."
"He's taking Shaggy from him. He's mean."
Of ever-changing mood of little children. With an amused smile, she took the little boy in her arms.
"Even so, I am afraid you have to come with me, little Lord."
Despite her little brother's protestation, she ordered Shaggy to follow her and directed him to the kennels, whose door was still open. Thank the gods no other wolf thought of escaping. They were all bundled up in a giant puppy pile, all five of their heads popping up at the sound of their shared steps.
As if finally understanding where this was going, Shaggy started whining pitifully, dragging his butt and tail on the floor to slow himself down with pleading eyes.
"Don't look at me like that, Shaggy. You stay here."
Whine.
"No Shaggy."
Whine.
"You don't think you're exagerating a little?"
Whine and puppy eyes. Powerful green puppy eyes. Lethal. But she had to stay strong.
"So it is true. Direwolves."
For the second time in one night, the sound of that voice made Kyria jump out of her bones. Though this time the situation had the potential to be slightly more dangerous for the owner of the said voice. Reacting to her distress, the wolves were up and growling before she could even blink, and Rickon's surprised shriek did not help. Lord Tyrion took a step back and Kyria pushed herself to move before this entire evening turned into a disaster.
"Down." she snapped with a swift of her hand.
Shaggy growled, Nymeria snarled but the others remained mainly calm. Tyrion took a step back, his eyes bulging out of his face.
"All of you. Back. We do not eat guests."
Rickon giggled.
Shaggy huffed and was the last to join his sibling's pile, but he did end up obeying. Thank the gods.
"That's impressive, the control you seem to have on those beasts." commented the fool who was still standing behind her.
Men!
Despite the threat of being eaten by a giant carnivorous beast, the little man remained in the middle of the passage, watching with barely veiled fascination as she bossed the wolves back into their dens.
"I had heard your brother did something like that earlier when they… appeared, but apparently it isn't only him. Fascinating. How did you even tame those beasts?"
She had a little brother to put back in his bed, a kennel to close and a night to nightmare, was he really asking for precisions right now? Noisy little man.
"Shaggy is no beast! He's my friend!" protested the little boy in her arms.
She bounced him once, out of habit, and to relieve her arm from his weight if only for a second. He was growing heavy for such a tiny thing.
"Aren't they?"
"Shaggy is my friend!"
"Hush little Lord."
Rickon pouted but didn't say more.
"We had them when they were barely born, my Lord. They weren't always this big."
"I see… so it isn't as tame as it is raised in that case. It makes sense I suppose, in that order, anyone could do it."
Kyria's left eyebrow twitched.
"With all due respect my lord, only a wolf can truly understand a wolf. No one but us would have been able to bond so closely with our companions."
Lord Tyrion looked back at her, intrigued.
"Oh really?"
"They chose us, my lord. No one else could ever have what we have with them."
"They chose you?" he repeated, surprised.
Kyria offered him a serene smile and bounced Rickon one last time on her hip.
"Rickon, be polite to Lord Tyrion. You have a bed to return to."
Rickon pouted but knew the battle was lost. He grumbled his goodnight with a deep frown on his little face. He looked like Robb when he had to go to his lessons with Maester Luwin, much to Kyria's amusement.
"Goodnight then little Rickon. My lady."
She smiled and closed the kennel's door behind her.
"Goodnight Shaggy! Goodnight Frost! Goodnight Summer and Nymeria and Lady and Greywind!" chirped the little boy.
Kyria left with a chuckle to put Rickon back in his own bed.
She went to bed with a heavy head that night and no expectations about her dreams. Part of her wished she could be spared of them, at least for this night.
She was not so lucky. The taste of her own screams tinted her mouth along with the roll of a head on a stoned floor when the light of the following day reached her face.
This was going to be a long visit.
TBC
NOTE: That's it for this month! I'm starting to get low on chapters I need to speed up my game xD. I hope you enjoyed it!
A quick reminder that I have a Discord server now where you are all welcome to yell at me and nag me for more content as often as you please ^^ Please join us!
discord. gg/ k4cBAFt6 just remove the spaces ^^