King's Landing 299 AC.
The Blackfish.
They'd spent two weeks at Casterly Rock, Brynden happy to see that Myrcella and Bran got along so well and so before they left they agreed that she'd come to visit Riverrun at some point in the near future. He knew that he'd probably stayed for longer than he had intended, the thoughts of having to go to King's Landing were ones he found himself disliking immensely and so he had put it off for as long as he could. Bran was excited to see his brother and sister again though and while Brynden wished to see his grandniece, the same could not be said about the king, the queen, or King's Landing itself.
Had he his way then he'd have just traveled to the Riverlands and begun the task of teaching Bran all he needed to be the Lord of Riverrun. With that not an option, he'd have much preferred for them to ride to King's Landing and enjoyed the time on the road. Alas neither was to be though as Lady Genna insisted they sailed on the next Pinnacle ship and so they found themselves on the Lion's Tail as it made its way down to Oldtown and onto the capital.
While he may not have enjoyed the quickness of the journey, he did however enjoy its comforts and he found that sailing on the ship was incredible. His grandnephew enjoyed it even more than he, seeing the Hightower's flame burning as they arrived at Oldtown at night and then the city itself when the captain told them they'd be staying for a day. Brynden showed him the Citadel, the Starry Sept, and the Hightower itself. Bran asking question after question about each of them and despite his limited knowledge Brynden did his best to answer them. When they arrived back to the ship to leave he was surprised to see the Hightower men there and even more so to learn that some would be joining them on their journey. It took him until they were back at sea to find out that they had another guest on board who too was to heading to King's Landing.
"Ser Brynden, Lord Brandon, this is Lady Malora Hightower." the captain said as they sat down to eat their meal that night.
"My lady." Brynden said with a nod and was pleased to see Bran mind his manners, though his wolf did not and he gasped when Summer walked over to the lady and licked her face.
"Bran." he said chidingly and the boy moved to the wolf only for the lady to laugh and show she was not disturbed in the least by it.
"A little louder than your brother's wolf, Lord Brandon." Lady Malora said while looking at Bran.
"You know my brother?" Bran asked eagerly.
"I am well acquainted with his grace and with Ghost, you and I are kin Lord Brandon, by marriage. Her grace is my niece and is married to your brother is she not?" Malora said with an odd smile on her face.
"She is, we're going to King's Landing to see them, them and my sister Sansa." Bran said excitedly.
"And their wolves no doubt." Malora said though Brynden felt she directed that more to Summer than to Bran.
"Ghost and Fang." Bran said happily.
"And Frost too, your uncle's wolf is still in King's Landing though he is not." Malora said and he saw Bran look a little saddened by the fact that his uncle wouldn't be there to meet them.
Brynden sat down and they ate, Lady Malora speaking to Bran about things that he didn't know of the Hightower and Oldtown and then speaking to him about his brother and how well she knew him. While he had his own feelings regarding the king, to Bran he was his brother first and so the boy ate up every morsel that Malora fed him about the king as if he was starved. The lady speaking about Dark Sister and how he'd been gifted it by his father, of the Direwolves and the dragons, almost as if she was an expert on the king's life.
