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

Chapter Fifteen: First Day

Eddmina's first morning in High Garden was bright and sunny, though she was grateful for the slight breeze as she tried to find the kennels.

When she'd woken up and seen the letter resting on her pillow next to her the emotions of the night before had come rushing back to her, and surprisingly she wasn't nervous at all to see Willas. If anything she was excited, though as she'd gotten ready that morning, braiding her hair and getting dressed into one of Margaery's old dresses, this time a mint green dress that gave her a little more coverage than the one before, she decided that she would not make a big deal over it. She wasn't going to mention it, not wanting to seem overly eager like a soppy lovestruck girl. She'd wait until Willas brought it up, and if he didn't that was fine too, she was just glad she now that the insight of the letter to better understand him and how he felt.

The thought of the letter was enough of a distraction for her to not start worrying when she realised that she had no idea where she was going or where the kennels were. She'd initially assumed they were near the stables, and she'd been there yesterday when they'd first arrived to drop Flint off safe, but as soon as she'd gotten to the stables she realised she must have assumed wrong. With a small sigh she wondered if that was how she was going to spend her whole morning, wandering around lost, too stubborn to ask for help, until she heard a quiet whistling coming from one of the stalls.

Deciding to check it out, Eddmina wandered over to the stall, recognising the tune of the whistle, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was. The tune became the least of her worries the moment she realised it was coming from the very man she was looking for, catching sight of Willas grooming one of the horses, so focused on his work he hadn't noticed her at all. He was frowning in concentration, the very facial expression that Eddmina admired the most, though she stopped herself from admiring for too long as she leant against the closed stable door.

"Good morning," she called, offering a small smile and wave at her betrothed, who quickly looked up from his horse the moment he heard her voice, his eyes wide in surprise until he realised it was just her, when a smile of his own grew onto his face. "I didn't mean to interrupt you,"

"No, don't apologise," he smiled, struggling to meet her eye as he looked between her and the horse. "It's me who should be sorry. I didn't think you'd be up so early so I thought I'd have time to come to the stables first, and I didn't even give you directions,"

"What can I say, I'm a morning person," Eddmina shrugged, earning a small laugh from Willas. "Do you want a hand with anything?"

"I'm just about done actually," he said, stroking the horse's nose as it let out a slight whinny. "We can head over to the kennels now if you'd like?"

Eddmina nodded, and once Willas had locked up the stables the two of them were on their way, Willas leading her down a path behind the stables. She heard the kennels before she saw them, and couldn't help but smile as Willas headed off slightly in front of her to open the gates up, and as he did so four excited hounds came running out, all of them barking and running circles around him as they jumped up at him. He seemed just as excited to see the dogs as they were to see him, grinning as he petted them with the hand that didn't clutch his cane, and as he saw Eddmina standing back behind him he beckoned her over, and the moment the dogs noticed her they made a beeline to her.

She took a step forward, smiling as the hounds jumped at her. They weren't like the dogs they kept in Winterfell, the big dogs that appeared like wolves with thick fur coats to keep them warm through the northern chills, these were long legged to the point of being gangly, with shaggy fur, floppy ears and long tails. Even though they all came up to Willas' hip, Eddmina didn't realise quite how big they were until one of them jumped up at her, placing their front paws on her shoulders, licking her face.