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

Chapter Six: Expectations

If you didn't know Eddmina, you'd have thought that, whilst she was stood with her family waiting for House Tyrell, she was serene. She seemed calm, collected, but Robb knew she was anything but that. He also knew that no matter how nervous she was feeling, she didn't want him to make a fuss out of her. Even so, he edged closer to her, nudging her with his elbow. She turned her head to face him, her eyebrows creased together, which he replied to with a small, reassuring smile.

"Bugger off, Robb," she hissed quietly, though a smirk was appearing on her own face.

Only moments later the Tyrell procession rode in through the Winterfell gates unlike anything Eddmina had ever seen, their grandeur seeming rather out of place in the grim northern castle. Eddmina often thought her home was beautiful, but it's simplicity compared to the perfect white mounts ridden by Lord Tyrell and two of his sons and the gold embellished wheelhouse seemed rather startling, epitomising the difference between the North and the South. Part of her felt intimidated, but then she remembered that these were guests in her home, and nothing could make her feel out of place in Winterfell.

"Do you think they shit gold?" she heard Theon mutter, leaning forward to hiss in Robb's ear.

His comment made her scowl slightly, knowing his previous opinion on their visitors. She heard Jon let out a quiet laugh, and even saw Robb's stoic expression flick up into a smile. It wasn't just their little group who'd heard the quiet question, as Eddmina noticed in the corner of her eye Arya turn around to laugh whilst Sansa glared at her.

Despite not liking Theon's remark, it did provide a nice distraction, as Eddmina didn't even notice Lord Tyrell dismount his horse, making his way over to her father. If he was a king they would have bowed, but he was just a lord, and the Stark's, despite being descended from Kings, were simply lords too. They were equals here, so the two lords exchanged a simple handshake, not that Eddmina was watching. No, she was too focused on the two younger Tyrells who were still on their mounts. The older of the two, who's hair was darker and sported a short beard, must have made a joke of some sort as the younger, who's golden curly hair was almost to his jaw, let out a laugh, smiling with perfect teeth. They must have been Garlan and Loras. They seemed as close as Eddmina and her brothers, their exchange reassuring her that the Tyrells were friendly, or at least friendly to each other.

She didn't realise she'd been staring at them until the older one, Garlan, met her gaze. He looked at her with fake surprise, winking over to her, before turning back to his brother to mutter something else. Then she felt the gaze of the younger, Loras, fall on her. She guessed what his comment had been, something about her being the reason for them riding a month straight up to a frozen wasteland, but even knowing she was most likely the topic of their conversation she didn't avert her gaze, not wanting to seem as if she was intimidated by them, or at least not until she heard her father speak up.

"Lord Tyrell, welcome to Winterfell," Ned Stark welcomed the visitors, his strong northern accent evident. His accent was one of the things Eddmina loved most about her father, the accent acting as a reminder of their heritage. "I hope your journey up North was not too harsh,"

"Thank you, Lord Stark, it wasn't too difficult," Lord Tyrell nodded in exchange, though she could see his attention drifting from her father to the rest of the group stood with him. "Your family?"

"Yes, this is my wife Catelyn, and our children Rickon, Bran, Arya, Sansa, Robb and... Eddmina," Her father introduced them all, hesitating slightly before gesturing to his eldest daughter.

At first Eddmina was confused by the order he listed them in. She was used to being first, then Robb, not have little Rickon put ahead of her. However she soon realised what her father had done as she felt Lord Tyrell's gaze fall upon her; she was the only one he was truly interested in. She felt Robb elbow her again, this time in the side, though not out of solidarity but more out of worry as the Lord of the Reach moved over to her, wearing a small smile.