The Long Winter | Jaime Lannister X Stark OC | GOT/ASOIAF

The Trident

The journey south passed much as it had done on the way up to Winterfell. The Queen's wheelhouse was as slow as ever, as was the huge baggage train, all trundling along at agonisingly slow speeds, for league after league after league. The first time he had travelled down this way, Ren had been four years old, riding down with his mother to Riverrun, sitting in front of her on her horse. That journey had gone in a blink of an eye, his child self eagerly taking in all the new sights and sounds. This journey, on the other hand, felt like even more of an eternity than it had on the way North.

His days were spent riding with Loreon, often Tommen too, as the boy did not like to be left with his father without his half-brother there. Crow - growing larger every day - ran beside his horse at times, and though went off hunting with Arya and Sansa's wolves at others. Sansa's Lady was sweet-natured and docile, whilst Arya's Nymeria was adventurous and fierce. Crow was darker and leaner than the rest, with a mean, hungry look in his yellow eyes that made him menacing despite his young age. The wolf was known to snap at anyone he disapproved of who got too close. As a result, Tommen tended to give Crow a wide berth, as did many others, and even Loreon and Jaime still gave the wolf wary looks every now and again.

Ren didn't see Morganna much during the day; she was always riding with Princess Myrcella, whom she had befriended, against all odds. Myrcella was a nice girl, and not nearly as vile as her twin Joffrey, but she seemed far too well-behaved for his little sister to be interested in her. She must have had a hidden side, for Morganna rarely hung around with people who bored her, regardless of whether they were a Princess or not.

Sansa was still fawning over Joffrey. Apparently the way he had reacted to Edrick beating him up hadn't put her off at all, which was a shame. Whilst Ren had to admit the little shit could be charming when he wanted - and acted like a gentleman around Sansa - he knew it wouldn't last. He only hoped that his innocent little cousin would not find that out the hard way.

Arya, on the other hand, was never to be found, darting throughout the column causing trouble and making friends with anyone and everyone. Her latest companion was a butcher's boy, Mycah, who Sansa turned her nose up at. Arya came back covered in leaves and dirt every evening, looking like she'd had the time of her life, babbling about exploring some place or other off the road.

Travelling through the Neck was always the worst part of the journey. The wheelhouse and heavy wagons got stuck in the muddy ground more times than could be counted, and sleeping on the ground at night was always damp and miserable. By the time they reached the Trident, the whole party was frustrated and irritable; the Northmen because of the frustratingly slow pace and the southrons because of the boggy lands they had just gone through.

Once in the Riverlands, things were somewhat better. The going got faster, conditions improved and there were far more inns where some of the party could sleep inside. That rarely included Ren, however, so he was largely indifferent to that. There was no chance of Crow being allowed inside, either. In the night hours where the direwolf wasn't hunting with Lady and Nymeria, he liked to curl up next to Ren's bedroll.

"If that thing gets any bigger, I won't be able to fit into my own tent," Loreon complained; the two of them shared.

"Just shove him out the way if he's on your side," Ren said.

"You've got to be joking," His friend was incredulous. "If my toe so much as touches that wolf in the night, he snarls like he's about to tear my foot off. He's not a tame hunting hound, Ren,"

"If I didn't have Crow here, you'd have brought back half a dozen camp followers by now without a care," He said, amused. "Which is exactly what happened on the road North, so don't deny it,"

Loreon laughed despite himself. "Nothing stopping you doing the same,"

"You know exactly what's stopping me,"