SOLIVAGANT ─ HP & GoT [ON HOLD]

☽ Chapter VI ☾

Time passed slowly while they waited for the return of the heir of Winterfell, who would return later to take the guests to their proper rooms for the night.

Lord Stark and Maester Luwin were still a little incredulous at finally having a real member of House Peverell in front of them - the House they thought had been dead for dozens of years - and no longer a fake in an attempt to steal inheritances from other unfortunates souls.

Eddard sat down again behind the desk, but when he heard a maid walking down the hall, he was quick to ask for two chairs to be brought. Thea had said it wasn't necessary, not wanting to demand too much of the man's hospitality, but he had been quick to retaliate that he would not let a Lady stand while he himself sat.

In the time it took the maid to leave and carry out the orders of the Lord of Winterfell and return with two chairs with the help of another woman, Amalthea watched Eddard and Luwin closely. Both exchanged glances and slight signs, in a silent conversation that only they understood, trying to be as discreet as possible. Of course, they were not discreet enough, because the hawk eyes of the young woman with black hair captured all their gestures, despite not understanding any of them. However, she knew what it was about and the issue at hand was her.

Amalthea thanked the two maids who left in a hurry but with an extremely interested expression, and Thea was sure that, that night, she would also be a topic of conversation in the rest of the castle.

She approached the chairs in front of Lord Stark's table, and sat on the left while Kreacher joined her on the right. She was correcting the skirt of the dress that was wrapped around her legs and carefully smoothing the creases she had on the fabric when the Maester, on Eddard's right side, said: "My Lady, I am sorry to question you again because I know how tired you must be, but I can't control my curiosity and I hope you will forgive this old man for that, but please tell us your story."

Her story... Amalthea knew she would have to say something, but she had nothing prepared. She wanted to avoid that subject but she had the notion that it wouldn't be possible, they wanted a justification for why they only appeared now, and they also wanted to know where they had been all this time...

But the young woman couldn't tell them the truth. How could she tell them that she was in fact from another world, that she had magic in her veins and that a Goddess they had never heard of before had sent her here after a blood sacrifice? They would certainly have her arrested and later tried to execute her as well. She thought for a minute about the chosen method of execution... would it be hanging? Or maybe they would try to burn her at the stake like so many others tried to do to her people, unaware that most of those who burned in the flames didn't have a single bit of magic in their bodies...

"We thought that House Peverell was dead, my Lady. You must understand our curiosity." The Stark man interrupted her thoughts. "Please explain to us."

Well, Thea knew she was going to have to do something she didn't like that much. She would have to lie...

"Essos, my Lord." She said carefully, forming her story mentally.

"Essos?" The man with the stiff posture repeated.

"Exactly, Lord Stark. I lived there my whole life as well as most of my family. One of the many exceptions that tried to make a living in a new place, was the one you know, my ancestor, Harlan Peverell. My family started out very poor, you see, as well as several others who have this unhappiness. They were simple farmers and lived with the little they had. Harlan and his brother Hamish were young but they followed in the footsteps of their father, grandfather, and the great-grandfather before him... they were all farmers, and as farmers, they would one day die. But Harlan was different, he was too curious and always had his head in the clouds when he should have a rake in his hand. He was always an adventurous soul, a child who could not be quiet for a long time, and he always wanted more than his family had or could give him.