A Dance of Frost and Flame

Chapter 4. Connections

Morning light seeped into the stone castle room in which Visenya had taken residency. Upon pulling apart the drapes from the window, she saw that it was snowing and her newfound excitement to travel back home was put into doubt. Cannibal and Vermax would not be happy to fly through such a snowfall. She'd discuss it with Jace later in the day, in the meantime, she'd get presentable to have breakfast.

Jace and Visenya ate in the castle hall alongside Cregan and his son, Rickon. They had also been accompanied by the older woman she had met the day before. Visenya learned her name to be Anya. The gray-haired lady was seated next to the young boy, cutting his sausages into pieces and feeding him herself. On occasion, Cregan would reach over to encourage him to eat. The bond between father and son seemed to be strong, not to Visenya's surprise given the passing of Lord Stark's wife during Rickon's birth. She never had the honor of meeting Lady Arra, and wasn't sure how much their son inherited from her, as he was almost the spitting image of his father.

"I did hope you two would stay a while longer," Cregan's northern-accented voice broke the silence. Visenya had been chewing, so Jace answered.

"It has been a pleasure, in all honesty, but our responsibilities back on Dragonstone can not wait."

The Velaryon girl sipped her water. "I actually think it best if we wait another day or two before traveling again. Cannibal and Vermax would not do so well in these snowy conditions."

Cregan nodded, a subtle smile creeping up as his eyes remained fixed on his infant. "I'm sorry to say the snow may only get worse from here. If you wish to leave so soon, I will have essentials packed for your journey and see to it that your dragons are fed accordingly."

She thought it was a generous offer, considering he was still preparing for the upcoming winter, and supplies were scarce. Not to mention, a dragon's appetite was demanding to keep up with. Jace nodded his thanks. "Thank you, Lord Stark. Your generosity has not gone unnoticed; our mother will be pleased to hear of it." He turned to his twin, his brown hair falling to the side. "Tomorrow then?"

She nodded, silenced by the food in her mouth. Once finished, she spoke distractedly, "I did promise the blacksmith's son I'd help with his archer skills." Cregan turned his attention from Rickon to her, likely recalling their conversation yesterday. She didn't return his gaze, still off-put by his comments and subtle, unspoken assumptions.

Jace smiled at that, Visenya assumed he was happy to hear her seemingly involved with the northmen, though she wouldn't consider it as big a deal as her brother. Despite all that was happening in the north, she couldn't help but wonder about what was happening down south. Raven's can take an inconsiderable amount of time to deliver letters; if anything goes wrong, they'd be the last to hear of it. She tried her best to push that aside, focusing on the here and now just as her brother did. "I'll accompany you; you've always been the better archer; perhaps I could show you some swordsman work."

Lord Stark expressed his interest, "If you'll have me, I'd care to join. War may be brewing as we speak, training as soon as possible seems reasonable."

Jace smiled, "I agree. We'll be honored to have you in the courtyard with us." Visenya, suddenly outnumbered, nodded along. Given what Cregan said during their interaction in her chambers, Cassian had likely hoped to train with her alone, she thought. Though she did not seem to mind the others joining, she'd never seen Lord Stark fight but had assumed he was rather skillful. Today, she would find out just how much.

Noon had approached, and Visenya stood on the stone balcony above the courtyard. The familiar black-haired boy had just arrived, skimming his fingers along the bows laid out on a nearby wooden stand. She made her way down to join him. His gray eyes met with hers, greeting her politely. Jace joined them soon after, "Cassian, is it?"