Breakbones and the Dragonrider

Chapter 21

The road to Winterfell took another week. Rhaenyra watched as the terrain transitioned to rolling hills with not a tree in sight. Ser Medrick assured Rhaenyra that once they reached Winterfell, there would be trees—himself being from the North. Most of the snow had melted, save for hillsides that received less sun. There was so much she had forgotten about the Seven Kingdoms since her last royal tour as a child, and she was grateful to learn it all again with Harwin beside her. She also watched as his demeanor changed the closer they got to Winterfell. She wondered if that was how she looked as they visited the Vale. Either way, she liked seeing the North through his eyes.

As they reached the crest over a hilltop at midday, an escort of knights carrying Stark banners greeted them, escorting them into the impressive structure.

Lined up as houses usually were upon the arrival of the royal party, the Stark household looked upon Rhaenyra riding beside Laenor on horseback, rather than in a carriage as they had expected. The look had become one of Rhaenyra's small, silent pleasures of the tour. Especially when the daughters of the lords grew wide-eyed and their faces lit up. If Lord Rickon was scandalized, he hid it well. He bowed when Rhaenyra and Laenor dismounted, and extended the usual greetings.

"Winterfell is yours, your highness," Rickon said in greeting.

Rhaenyra nodded. "Thank you Lord Stark—Lady Stark," she followed, looking at the Lady of Winterfell, Gilliane, born of House Glover. Rhaenyra looked beside Lady Stark, and saw a boy with distinctly Stark features—black hair and dark eyes.

"And young lord Cregan," Rhaenyra said with a smile that usually got even the most stoic of children to crack. "I have been hoping for weeks that I might receive the best tour of Winterfell. Do you know anyone who might be up to the task?"

"I can," he said proudly, fidgeting on the spot.

"Wonderful," Rhaenyra said.

"Once the princess and Ser Laenor have settled into their quarters, Cregan," Rickon clarified. "You must be weary from your journey, your highness. My household will see to it that your party is settled in smoothly. If you need for anything, please do not hesitate to ask."

The royal party settled into their quarters over the next few hours—the vast size of Winterfell allowed for the royal party to have a tower of their own. It wasn't always the case in some of the seats they had visited.

Some of them were situated so that Harwin couldn't manage a single visit at night while in their walls. That was what they had come to accept as the weeks went on. The uncertainty of the tour was frustrating, but they both appreciated it all the more when they could see each other.

Once the party had settled in a bit, Rhaenyra requested a tour of Winterfell, and Cregan was more than happy to oblige. Lord and Lady Stark met the princess, Laenor, and a handful of their knights in one of the many courtyards in Winterfell. As they made their way around the castle, Rhaenyra pulled her fur cloak around her for warmth. She brushed off Lady Stark's concerns that she was too cold, and insisted they see the rest of Winterfell.

Rhaenyra learned that Winterfell had been built over a natural hot spring, and water was pumped through the walls and floors to heat the structure, allowing for the castle to be more comfortable than others in the North.

"Winterfell was built by giants!" Cregan added as they walked over a balcony that overlooked one of the courtyards, where the royal party's knights still were settling in.

Rhaenyra's eyebrows lifted, never wishing to question the enthusiasm of a child. She looked to the white-haired Lord Rickon for confirmation. He smiled down at his son.

"As legend says, Bran the Builder had the help of giants in building Winterfell," he clarified.

"Oh... well, the legends are usually never that far off," Rhaenyra murmured to Cregan with a wink.