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

Chapter Seventy Five: The Parting of Ways

The nightmare had been horrific, yet somehow Eddmina had managed not to scream or cry out, instead just waking in a cold sweat, wrapped up in Willas' arms.

He was still sound asleep, still softly snoring, unknowing that his wife was shaking and on the verge of tears as her mind forced her to relive the dream she had just suffered. She was fine with that, knowing her dreams had made him suffer enough in the past, yet selfishly she wished she'd woken him just to hear him tell her she was safe. He was the voice of reason that always pulled her back from the edge of darkness after a nervous attack or a nightmare, and with him still sleeping, she had no choice but to battle through it alone. She couldn't move for a while, practically paralysed by fear, but when she could, she knew she didn't want to go anywhere. Nowhere was safer than Willas' arms, nowhere was warmer, or more peaceful.

There was no such thing as warmth in the halls of the Twins, or in the bedchambers, or the cells down below... As the specific details of the nightmare began to fade the more her mind came to, the details of why she had been in the cells and rooms to know how cold it was slipped, no matter how hard she fought to remember it. It was impossible to forget how cold she had been though, or how all she had heard was screams. She couldn't remember why she was cold, or who had been screaming and for what reason, which was the next thing that bothered her. The nightmare of seeing her father's execution had been crystal clear and she could still remember every detail, as she could with so many others. Willas in his research of Green-seers had told her that dreams had meaning, so how was she supposed to know the meaning of a dream that slipped so quickly from her mind?

She sighed, screwing her eyes shut tight as if willing herself to slip back asleep and into the nightmare. It was reckless and ridiculous, given that her heart hadn't settled back to normal, but at least if she went back she could understand it, she might remember it. No such luck, as it was almost like the dream had never happened. It must have though, as she was still shivering, and someone's scream was echoing through her head.

Perhaps it was a sign to not go to the Twins. Perhaps it was her longing of not leaving Willas and Uther driving her to madness, making up signs of ill-intentions to not go. Either way, it was annoying, as she was so tired that sleep was so desperately wanted, yet now her mind was buzzing and would not settle again. She tried to lay there, thinking of all the possibilities of what the dream could mean, but in truth none of them mattered. In the end, she would still be going to the Twins. To say a dream had put her off made her sound like a mad woman, and if a dream drove her to not attending then that would only impact those who did go. She had no choice, even if her mind was searching for ways out of it.

She stayed in Willas' embrace for a little while longer, until she could no longer bare to be in bed. Rising carefully, desperate not to wake or disturb him, Eddmina got up and wrapped a robe around herself, barely noticing that it was not hers but her husband's, and quietly slipped out of the room. Honour had been curled up outside the bedchamber door, where she could guard both Eddmina and Uther's rooms, yet at the sound of her coming out she jerked awake, jumping to her feet and bounding over to her, tail wagging as she walked in circles around her. It was as if she'd not seen her mistress for days, as if she had been separated from her for a long time and was finally being reunited.

"Have you been dreaming too, my girl?" Eddmina whispered to the wolf, kneeling in front of her so she could scratch her ears and fuss her properly. In response, Honour pushed her cold wet nose against her cheek and licked at her face. "You don't happen to remember it, do you? Or do you just feel scared for the sake of it too?"

Honour answered with another lick to her cheek, one that made Eddmina laugh softly and pull the wolf in close, kissing at the top of her head. When she was alone with her, Eddmina almost forgot who she was and who she was meant to be. She felt as if she was still just a girl, a child spending time with a beloved pet. Maybe it was because Honour made her feel so safe that she could afford to let her guard down a little and not worry over so much, or maybe it was because her father and brothers had been right. The direwolves had been a gift from the old gods, sent as protectors and extensions of themselves. She loved her so dearly that it didn't particularly matter, and so Eddmina merely petted her, burying her hands into the fur of her neck, drawing the wolf close so she could rest her forehead against Honour's.