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

Chapter Twelve: Blackbird

Two weeks into their journey south and Eddmina reached a milestone, having gone further south than she ever had done before. It was a weird realisation that had hit her the middle of the night as she laid wide awake in bed, and it was one that seemed to anger and upset her simultaneously. She didn't quite know why, as she'd always prepared herself for the prospect of moving far from her family, but now it was a reality it seemed far trickier than she ever thought it would be.

It had only been two weeks and she'd missed her family more than she thought possible. Whenever she caught sight of her face in the mirror at a certain angle she was reminded of her twin, who she'd never lived a day without before, and occasionally on the mornings when her hair was rather unruly she was reminded of her bastard brother. Little cruel reminders like that seemed to exist for all of her family, like the high towers they saw as they passed the Twins that made Eddmina think of Bran and his climbing, or the mean old cat that lived in the inn that they stayed in just past Moat Cailin that immediately softened when she went to pet it, reminding her of Arya. One night as they stayed in a rather rich inn Eddmina was unable to sleep as a singer was performing downstairs, singing a song she recognised to be Sansa's favourite. Even a group of young children playing with toy wooden swords made her want to cry for Rickon.

She missed her parents too. She missed going to prey with her father in the Godswood, she missed talking to him and sitting next to him at mealtimes. She missed his reassurance that she was loved and valued despite her insecurities and uncertainties about herself. Her father was one of the only ones to know the way she felt about herself, how she viewed herself as the black sheep or even 'the other bastard', and she missed him constantly being there to make her feel as if her thoughts of her self-worth were irrational. She missed her mother too, surprisingly, given that she was the one to instil those thoughts in Eddmina's head. Part of her longed for her mother to sigh at her or to lecture her for her strong-will, but another part of her realised just how much she loved Lady Catelyn. Of course she had always put pressure on her and the role she would hold in promoting the future of House Stark, and she could often come across as quite bitter to her eldest child, but that bitterness was purely out of love, something that Eddmina found herself longing for.

There were many things Eddmina was longing for, though. She wanted to sleep, first of all. They spent all day riding and found inns and taverns to rest in overnight, only to rise early the next morning when it would begin all over again. Of course the Tyrells were rich, so it would only be the finest accommodations, but Eddmina would've much preferred the lack of attention that would've come from cheaper places. In an attempt to remain respectable and flex some sort of independence, Eddmina insisted on riding everyday, and her legs felt like leather. Not that she would give in, however, as riding was the only chance she got to speak to Willas.

It was as if his family were trying to keep the two apart, as the rooms he was given were always far from hers that she shared with Margaery, and when they ate he was always sat far from her. Perhaps the Tyrell's intentions were to keep them separated until their wedding in just over a months time, but they couldn't keep them separated in the day when the two would ride their horses alongside each other. Neither of them really spoke, and when they did it wasn't particularly meaningful conversation. Usually it was about the weather, and how everyday it felt as though it was growing warmer, to the extent Eddmina rode without a cloak for the first time ever a week into their journey, much sooner than any of the southerners. Occasionally, however, Willas would point out a bird he'd spotted, or a rare plant or some other part of the wildlife they were riding through, and he would discuss all about it to her. She knew he was smart from the days they spent together in the library at Winterfell, but she never realised just how intelligent he actually was, and it was a part of him she utterly admired.