As the white and heavy snow dwindled down onto the dark roofs of Wedgewood, a small raven struggled against the strong wind, carrying a roll of parchment in between its claws. Its wings faltered every time a piece of the wind whooshed in, but nevertheless the parchment was indeed intact and the raven was slowly nearing its destination. The bird showed no signs of stopping with its head held high and its wings stronger by the second.
Not too far from the raven, from the second story of the main castle of Wedgewood, stood a tall, lean man by the name of Kaegan Wade. His pale skin was in deep contrast with his black hair. His dark eyes were tired from the years past, but they were still dancing with curiosity of the near future. All the other Northern houses could not deny that he was indeed the cleverest-looking man there ever was in the Seven Kingdoms. The way that he stood his ground was mesmerizing, and when he opened his mouth to speak it was an even better treasure.
Kaegan was not the only one with these characteristics that lived in Wedgewood. There were six children that he was raising: Natari, Darick, Evelyne, Asten, Kyra, and Bryer.
Natari was the oldest of the six. Being the firstborn child had a lot to do with the overload of confidence that she exhibited at all times. Not only was she slick, sly, and sharp, but she was always calm, knowing exactly what to do before anything started. If someone got in her way, may the Seven be with them; Natari would slowly pick them apart until they were exposed to the bare. She was proud of being oldest child, and with how mature she was, she deserved it, too.
The word "manipulator" was used in abundance whenever House Wade was mentioned, but no one claimed the title as accurately as Darick Wade did. Darick was undoubtedly attractive, with his silky brown hair and his calculated chocolate eyes, but his charming composure was what turned many heads. Natari got what she wanted due to her words, but Darick added the looks along with it, which could be useful except he was arguably the most selfish person in Westeros.
Asten and Evelyne Wade were the twins that were never expected to survive after birth. Evelyne was so small that all the Maesters expected Asten to eat her alive in the womb. Despite all of the doubts, they both managed to stay alive through and through. As they grew older, they became some of the favorite Wade children from outsiders. They were mostly known as the most attractive Wade children — both with pale, clear skin and dark eyes. The twins stuck together, no matter what and no matter the cost.
Kyra Wade was the outsider. She never considered herself as charming as her other siblings, but Kyra was the most cunning one of them all. The girl completely disregarded making dresses and braiding hair; her attention was on the metal swords that Asten or Darick would be playing with. As much as Clare Wade tried to get her away from the weapons, it just wasn't enough. Kaegan Wade saw her eagerness, and thus taught the girl how to fight more than he taught his own sons. He trusted Kyra more than his own men to fight in a battle.
Last, but not least, was the youngest child — Bryer Wade. He was the curious one, yet he was also the quietest. The young lad tended to observe more than he spoke, so he knew just about everything that was going on. From the dining table to the outskirts of Wedgewood, he always seemed to be everywhere at once, taking in pieces of information to use later to his advantage.
"Father, not fair! She's much better than me!"
Kaegan blinked. The high-pitched voice came from down below him, where a smirking Kyra was standing with her sword held high up against Asten's neck. His chest heaved, out of breath, as he held his palms up towards his sister. Meanwhile, his twin was watching from a distance, giggling under her breath.
The father gave a toothless smile from above them. This was the normal behavior of his children; they would all fight each other, eat, and then repeat — a never ending cycle.
Or so they thought.
"She disarms you every time," Kaegan reminded Asten bluntly. "Try something different."
"She needs an opponent her own size," Darick butted in, learning his back on a wooden post beside Evelyne. He had his usual smirk plastered onto his face, and Evelyne's eye roll could be seen from a mile away. Darick ignored her. "She'll never learn if she keeps fighting cowardly men who are below her."
"Go on, then." Natari's voice rang from opposite side of where Darick was standing. Her thin frame stepped out from the shadows of the tin roof, her arms crossed as she stepped forward. "Fight her."
Kyra lowered her sword a bit, scowling. "You all know I'm standing right here, right?"
"I'd personally love to see Kyra disarm Darick," Evelyne said, ignoring her. "It's like a dream coming true."
Natari waved her hand out in front of her, gesturing to the pair with the swords. "Go ahead, Darick. The duel awaits."
Darick's face went red, blushing from up his neck. "Oh, please, I didn't mean me. Surely one of father's men would be a sufficient partner for her."
Kyra blinked and dropped her sword on the ground. "I'm tired. Goodbye."
The screeching of a raven halted her traveling steps, though; with a small shadow to follow its tracks, the raven reared to a halt to Kaegan himself, who was standing quietly before, watching the scene below him unfold. The bird fluttered beside him, squawking nonstop.
Kaegan reached down and grabbed the parchment from its claws. The seal etched an image of a wolf. He closed his eyes and slowly breathed in; the seal could only mean one thing, and he was sure he didn't even have to read it to know what it meant. Winter is coming, Ned Stark had always said. It seemed it was coming sooner than Kaegan Wade thought it would.
His children from below watched curiously as he opened the seal to read the letter. "Well," Evelyne wondered aloud. "What does it say?" Darick elbowed her to shush her, and she narrowed her eyes at him in response.
"The Starks are coming to Wedgewood," Kaegan announced with a bit of worry, folding the paper in his hand.
"The Starks?" Natari repeated. "But they haven't ever been to Wedgewood before, so why now?"
"They've been here before," Asten said, turning to Natari. "You were probably too busy sucking the farmer's son's cock to remember it."
Darick and Evelyne bursted into laughter in the corner, their heads thrown back and chests bouncing — even Kyra herself had the smallest itch of a smile on her face. Natari immediately clapped back. "I believe I remember that visit now. The way you went on and on about Sansa Stark after she left made my head almost explode."
When the group was just about to roar with laughter, Kaegan's voice echoed throughout the square, bellowing, "Enough!" Silence followed, and the children shut their mouths. He shook his head. "Seven hells. I can't even tell you all anything anymore without you tearing each other's heads off."
"Get ready," Kaegan told them. "The Starks will be here in a few days."
And may the gods be with them all.
— ♛ ♛ ♛ —
author's note: yes i'm back on my game of thrones shit and what about it
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