✓ | 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝑾𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑻𝒐 𝑹𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 (R.STARK 2/3)

Chapter Eight::So Close

The house grew quieter with every night that strolled past, leaving, in it's wake, a still darkness that haunted the corridors beyond mahogany doors. Delvin was back in his room, Finn was in his, Asher was in the guest room at the end of the hall, that Greyson had eventually got round to making up for him, and Esme's room was a cold tomb of silence, one Raina felt unstable entering alone. For the first time in years, that room frightened her more than she cared to admit. The youngest Glover had been awoken by a clattering of voices on the floor below, echoing up the grand stairwell and looming in the corridor beyond her own chambers, bringing her out of her still dreams. Wherever her thoughts had landed during the night, they were not good enough to return to, as Raina was soon on her feet. The dark was scary, but she had faced worse in desperate times, and the booming voice from the ground floor could only have meant one thing that night. He was here.

After so long, Raina had almost forgotten the tremendous boom of the northern slurred man stood in the Great Hall, his head not bothering to alter from another man's attention, despite the girl whom had swiftly made it down the stairs, catching only Clerk's eye. He'd nodded solemnly at her, but paid no effort in introducing her to her parents, not while they spat it out with Greyson, beside the embers of the hearth. Raina hadn't understood much of their argument, but could clearly see her father's fuelled anger seeping into the conversation like a leak in a roof, letting in a heavy downpour. His rage was mostly aimed at whomever was stood the closest, and in this scenario, it happened to be Greyson. He didn't noticed Raina stood in the doorway either, only Clerk; who had scuttled away surprisingly quickly for a man of his stature. But Raina made no attempts to alter it, she merely lurked where the few and far between candles could not shed light on her, but instead shrouded her in shadows between the two rooms, a bystander to her parents fury. She didn't want them to know that she was observing, as judging by their current moods, they would naturally scold her for eavesdropping, or the topic of the debate would soon divert to her. None of which she wanted this late at night, with as little sleep she'd managed to get so far.

"Are you aware of what that man has done? You were there, Galbart, you should be more than familiar with the consequences he brought down so heavily on the King and his men," Raina winced at Greyson's words, the mention of her King biting her like a fresh, icy breeze, sweeping the corridor and clawing at her spine. She struggled not to shout at her uncle for referring to the man as though he were not a human, but instead an object; yet somehow she restrained from doing so, and instead pushed herself further into the dark corner. It was only when taking a step back, that Raina caught sight of Finn moving swiftly to her side, blond hair splayed in all directions as he hid beside her, a taunting smirk faintly gracing his lips in his tired state, before he too cast his focus back to their bickering parents. "Damn you, man, of course I know what he has done. But we have no further options. Lord Bolton has been named Warden of the North, and we must abide by those rules, keep on his better side, in fear of falling short, just like the man you name as our King." Galbart sighed, his tyrant reign slipping through the cracks now, the boiling fury leaving him a worn, tired man, with a bitterness that had been prominent in his personality since the day Raina was born; presumably since Delvin's birth, at that. "But what of her?" Their mother whimpered, head hung long, hand intertwined with her brothers, hovering beside the curdling flames of the hearth. Raina's hand, instinctively, caught with her Finn's, knowing full well whom their parents now spoke of, without knowing of her presence. Finn gripped her tiny fingers in his large grasp, his cold hands feeling safe compared to the looming abyss surrounding them. "She must do as she is told." Galbart replied sternly, saying nothing more, his brow clearly furrowed, and casting shadows across his frowning face. He was not easy on the eyes, Raina had inwardly noted, having always thought that about the grotesque man, but now noticing how the lumps and molds of his face looked even less appealing in the light of raw embers. "Look what happened the last time you insisted she do so, I don't want her to do the same the second time around," The Lord's wife persisted, balanced on the edge of the ebony furniture, knuckles baring white as she fought with her husband over the matter Raina had all but seen coming. "She won't. She knows better than to run again." Galbart sounded so sure, like he had already consulted Raina on the topic, and had heard her promise never to leave so abruptly, again.

The sheer willpower it took not to scoff at the old man's comments was more than Raina believed she had, though with Finn's shocking iron-grip around her small hand, there was a lot of persuasion against her making any sound, let alone causing further argument on the matter. "So you will rearrange the engagement? Sell her away when she has only just returned to us?" Raina's mother, though an irritable woman, appeared to be fighting for her, something Raina had never before seen. True, Raina had always prefered her mother to her father, as she had probably spent more time with the Lady than the Lord, yet with age she found them both as ignorant and plain annoying to be around, as the other. But upon hearing the words her father replied, Raina felt sick, no amount of reassuringly, soft-spoken words from her mother could fix that. "That is what I intended to do, yes. Ramsay has request our daughter as a bride, and it would be foolish if we declined, especially considering the havoc she has already caused between our families, this needs to be done, once and for all." With the harsh words spat out like ill tasting wine, Galbart Glover marched out of the Great Hall, still oblivious to his children lurking in the corner, yet too hot headed to really pay much attention to anything surrounding him. Raina almost wished he'd been cut down at The Twins, save her the trouble now. Finn let out an uneasy breath, and as their mother and uncle began to whisper frantically between themselves on the other side of the room, Raina's brother side-stepped back through the doorway to safer territory, dragging the youngest Glover with him.

They stood in the brisk opening to Deepwood Motte, the large, mahogany door trembling in the stormy weather battling it on the other side, and casting echoing thuds throughout the entire ground floor. "You must leave." Finn was quick to bark, his voice still low, but not as cautious as his actions had been when in the company of their parents. "Seven hells, I have had this discussion already today. Finn, I have nowhere to go, and I do not intend on playing another game of hide and seek. I am tired. Of running, of lying, of being useless. I just want to be home, warm, and dry for at least a week, without worrying about who might show up next, or constantly having to look over my shoulder." Raina sighed, her breath shivering in her throat as she got the words out, unaware of how scared, and cold, she truly felt right then, and suddenly a lot more alone than she had been the day before. Her fate had just been decided, yet again, and there was no more fight left in her to keep it for proceeding as planned. "I am not handing you over to the traitors, Raina. You are my baby sister, and I will protect you, that's my job, remember? I don't care if you're done running, I will keep you safe, whatever it takes. Do you hear me?" Finn lent down, his hands gripping her shoulders, as he stared at her imploringly. Whatever loneliness had previously been simmering in her stomach, had just been amplified by the hopelessness in her brother's eyes. They both knew there was nothing that could be done now, no use running when everywhere to run to his owned by the people you're trying to escape, both the Glover's knew that, and now they were merely lying to themselves to bide time together. But Raina, despite lacking all effort or energy to keep up her facade any longer, nodded, willing to conceal what little interaction she had with her older brother for as long as possible. Finn straightened his posture, but only after placing a tentative kiss atop her head on the way up, one that flooded warmth over the secretly petrified girl in his embrace. "Good night, little sister." Finn breathed cooly, before sauntering back up the stairs to their rooms.

Raina stood, frozen in place, gripping her fists at her side and trying hard not to scream. She hated this. Not only for herself, but for those she loved surrounding her. She was prepared to stand aside, and let her father act as he would, bargaining her marriage with the Bolton bastard, but that meant her siblings had to see her back down, her friends had to stand, and watch as she was handed over like currency, and her parents had to let their daughter drift into the hands of traitors. Raina hated the look in their eyes now, the one that let on the belief that they were all just counting down the days before goodbye. The one that was so pathetic, and sickening, that even Raina feared having it herself. She didn't want to be hopeless, she didn't want to give in, but there wasn't anything left to stand for, when the only things keeping her going, had been brought down long before now. Now, there was nothing but a hollow wind, that pounded her front door, and sounded it's groans through the entire corridor. If one thing was certain, and more terrifying to all those awake at that time, it was that winter was coming.