Only A Northern Song ~ Game of Thrones / Willas Tyrell ~

Chapter Eighty Nine: Queen and Princess

Every head turned to watch Eddmina walk into Riverrun's great hall, and that almost made it worth it that every step had been agony.

She so desperately wanted to sit down and rest, to have Garlan carry her back to her room and sleep for at least a week, to curl up with Lyarra and just enjoy some peace. Instead, she felt the gaze of every man and woman fall to her, and Garlan tightened his hold on her arm as he kept her upright, and she had no choice but to keep walking until she got to the head of the hall. That was where her Uncle Brynden was, after all, as well as the commanders of the Brotherhood, and more importantly, her mother, who watched her stonily. Eddmina didn't look at her, knowing if she did she would find it harder to not turn and leave, so she focused on everyone else, offering what she hoped weren't strained smiles to the men who lined the halls, nodding at those who called regards and support to her. For the most part, the hall echoed in a stunned silence, but she knew it was simply because they were not expecting her to join them, let alone join them carrying her newborn daughter to her chest wrapped up in an old cloak emblazoned with the Stark wolf.

The closer she got, the harder it became, and Garlan could tell, hence him gently and subtly leading her forwards. He knew better than to suggest she stop and turn back, especially now they were in full view of everyone, and the further they got into the hall, the more familiar faces she saw. Not just members of the Brotherhood filled the hall, she realised, but staff and soldiers who had been left behind to guard Riverrun, Riverland men who had been off doing other duties to exuse them out of their liege's wedding, and somehow, the surviving northern bannermen. Her uncle must have found them and brought them back to Riverrun just as they had planned, and Eddmina had never known a sweeter sight than the survivors making up the front of the crowd. It was far nicer to see them and not be dressed in red, even if she felt as if she wanted to crumple onto the floor.

The maester had warned her of after-pains, even after the delivery of the afterbirth, and as one particular cramp seized her just as she came to the front of the crowd, she stopped, clenching her teeth together in a refusal to show any pain. Garlan noticed, squeezing her arm and glancing at her with badly-disguised concern, and as their eyes met she shook her head at him, silently willing for him to make sure no one noticed the fact she was desperate to sit down and cry. It passed as quick as it came, and when she found the strength to look up from her daughter's peacefully-sleeping face, she met the eyes of a dozen stunned northerners.

"Your grace, we thought..." one of them spoke up first, his head bowed. Eddmina's vision was still too hazed from the pain to notice who it was who spoke. "Forgive us, but we had been told that you were..."

"And Ser Gallant too!" Another called. At her side, Eddmina felt Garlan stiffen in surprise, trying not to wince at the nickname. "We were told you were both dead."

"Clearly not," Eddmina responded tightly, regretting how harsh she sounded as she forced a smile. "It is good to see you all again, under better circumstances."

She noticed them all looking at Lyarra, and so gently Eddmina adjusted her hold on her, making sure the blanket she was wrapped in didn't cover the top of her head. She wanted them to see her dark hair, see how it curled ever so slightly, see how there was not one single ounce of Lannister in her. To call herself out as a liar was not something she wanted to do, wanting her girl's looks to speak for themselves, as well as her name, but before she had the chance to introduce her properly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up from Lyarra to see her Uncle, glancing her up and down protectively, trying to disguise his own relief and concern.

"Your grace," he greeted her, before lowering his voice, dropping his head so it was closer to hers, ensuring only she and Garlan could hear. "Do you not think you should be resting?"