WARS TO COME, game of thrones

𝐈𝐈𝐈. paper

𝟐𝟕𝟏 𝐀𝐂

Anrir was the first in the library and had already started earlier than necessary, as requested by his father, to sort the writings and parchments. Many were in the wrong place and so there was enough work. The smell of paper calmed him, however, and he liked it when he happened to come across an exciting writing. So now he was stuck with an ancient history book. Names upon names adorned the pages, reports of marriages and alliances. He wished he also had such texts about his family. He didn't even know if there had been a library in Riverfall.

As his eyes glided over the letters, he imagined himself one of those noble and brave lords who went into battle and adventure to bring honor to their house.

He climbed the stone railing that surrounded the balcony. The library comprised four floors of a tower, galleries snaking up above and below him, he could look down on the desks on the lowest floor. Humming, Anrir balanced up and down the railing, imagining himself a Targaryen prince flying over Westeros on his dragon. He spread his arms and smiled to himself.

"Am I too late?"

Anrir wheeled around, startled, and blushed in shame when he recognized Eddard. Hastily, he jumped back beside him on the balcony and shook his head. "I was too early... I've already started.""I see," Eddard looked at him doubtfully and Anrir felt even more ashamed. He was eight, he was no longer a child after all.

"We have books to sort?"

Anrir nodded to this and so now the two of them continued their work. Eddard was silent - as always - and did not take breaks, so Anrir was forced to match his pace. The sun wandered through the library and soon it was lunchtime. A kitchen maid had packed them bread, cheese and milk and they sat down side by side under a window, eating in silence.

"What did you just do?", Eddard had turned to him and was wiping milk from his upper lip with the back of his hand. "Hmm... That was just childish..." "Come on, say it..." "Well... I was pretending to fly on dragonback." Eddard laughed chuckling and Anrir smiled in relief when he realized that the other boy was laughing with him, not at him. "Aren't you afraid of heights?" "I live in the eyrie. That would be stupid,",Anrir grinned and took a bite of his bread. "True. I'm not afraid of heights but still I don't like it that high," Eddard explained, "And dragons sure are scary in reality." "But so are wolves," Anrir pointed out. "But not as bad as lizards with wings!" Together they giggled, and Anrir felt all warm like he was standing in direct sunlight.

"I've never heard you talk so much at once," Anrir chortled, and Eddard shrugged. "Well... You and Robert talk enough," Eddard said, smiling wryly at him. "You can still say something though. I like the way you speak... Your accent is funny..." "I do talk like Robert and you!" "No!" Anrir chuckled and shook his head vigorously. "You talk very differently! It's easy to hear that you're from the north!" "Not true at all," Eddard grumbled and Anrir poked him with a grin. "You talk funny, too. A bit like Lord Arryn but also so... different. You say some words differently."

Anrir shrugged, tilting his head a bit uncertainly. He was doing his best to conform to the way people in the valley spoke. Could they hear that much that he wasn't from around here? "But it doesn't matter," Eddard snapped him out of his thoughts and nudged him encouragingly, "I like the way you speak." There was a slight flutter in Anrir's stomach. "Hmm. Thank you...."

Silence returned between them and they finished their meal quickly, then quietly continued with their punishment work.

"Anrir," Eddard called to him at one point and Anrir lifted his head from his work with some old parchments and ran down the stairs to the floor where Eddard was busy. "Look what I found,",Eddard pushed him an old one bound in pitch black leather that gleamed strangely with scales. The pages were yellowed and heavy, the book looked like it would take a lot of strength to lift it. "What is it?",Anrir tilted his head hesitantly, squatted on a chair next to the ancient table, and drew one knee to his chin. "The history of House Riverfall, from Aegon's conquest to the Dance of Dragons. The maester who wrote it came from House Targaryen." "Then why is it here? And not with the Targaryens or in Riverfall?" "I don't know. Perhaps a gift,",Eddard smiled at him and Anrir bent down and flipped forward to the first few pages.

The book was written in the matter-of-fact style of a maester, the first few pages dealing only with the fact that House Riverfall had first submitted to the Targaryens. Since Aegon's coronation, wards from Riverfall had repeatedly lived in Dragonstone and vice versa. He read the texts with wide eyes and would have liked to devour the whole book.

But he didn't get far, until Eddard nudged him lightly at some point; "We have to go on..." "I want to read this though... I've never learned so much about my family at once," Anrir murmured softly, even if the descriptions of his family were superficial and he had the impression that the maester had limited himself to the least. How could it be that his house, which had once been so large, now consisted only of him? And he wasn't even particularly impressive.

"What is it?" Eddard had sat down next to him, resting his head on his forearms on the table like Anrir, so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "I don't know... I sometimes feel like I should be a great and awesome lord... somehow. But it's not like I have anything. I just don't want to disappoint anyone, but it's like I always have all my ancestors and also House Arryn behind me, always watching me..." "I think you're doing a good job... You're smart and good with the sword. And Lord Arryn trusts you." "He's a good man, he does it because he's my godfather and he has to do his duty," Anrir whispered softly and sighed, his eyes burning. "Stop it... I think you do a lot of things really well. And he calls you his son after all, a man like him doesn't just say that." Eddard smiled at him and Anrir smiled wanly back. He still had tears in his eyes, but still felt comfortable in Eddard's smile. "And it doesn't matter if you have a seat and a lands or not, you're still Lord of Riverfall. And someday you can go back and follow in the footsteps of your ancestors."

Anrir didn't say his home was a cursed place, just enjoyed the idea. "Someday," he mumbled in agreement, smiling at Eddard, who was still level with him on the table like that. Eddard's light blond hair shone auburn in the light, and Anrir noticed that it had grown darker since his and Robert's arrival.

"Let's get on with it," Eddard mumbled at some point after they had been sitting in the sunshine for a while. "All right, Ned," Anrir grumbled, and the dark-haired one tilted his head questioningly. "Ned?" "Well, your nickname." "My name isn't Neddard," Ned grumbled, and Anrir just stuck his tongue out at him, laughing.

The other boy jumped up and laughing they chased each other through the library, playing hide and seek among the stacks of books and having sword fights with rolls of paper, pretending to be knights of opposing houses. At the last moment, however, they allied against their attackers and late in the evening, after their work was finally completed, they ran laughing together to dinner.