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

Chapter Forty: Nameday

It had been a wolf dream that night, thankfully. Eddmina was sure that after the emotions of the evening she wouldn't have coped with a nightmare. Even so, dreaming that she was running through the woodlands was exhausting, and by the time she felt herself waking in the early morning she couldn't help but wish for more hours of darkness. It helped that she woke in Willas' arms, his embrace providing a warm sanctuary from her own mind, especially as he placed a trail of light kisses against her forehead, making her sigh in contentment.

"Good morning, my dearest," he told her softly, his voice barely louder than a rough whisper as his fingers carefully brushed the hair out of her face. "And happy nameday."

She had nearly forgotten, having far too much on her mind what with helping run Winterfell, hr pregnancy, the drama of the Tyrells' arrival the night before to even think of her own nameday. it didn't help that she didn't feel any different. She felt old enough as it was, it didn't really matter that she now had the title of being ten-and-nine to justify her maturity. Still, she smiled in gratitude, placing her hand on top of Willas', intertwining their fingers. She felt his other hand move to cradle her stomach just in time to feel their child kick, making him laugh softly in amazement.

"It's alright for you, you don't get it constantly," she reminded him, rolling her eyes as she sat up in bed.

"What you said last night, about your grandmothers and how you're worried about your family hstory repeating itself-" he began with a frown of concern but she cut him off as she shook her head, refusing to allow him to ask the question. "Mina, please, if you're scared-"

"I'm not, and I never said I was worried either," she told him, squeezing his hand. "I'd rather not talk about this."

"No, alright, but you know you can, don't you?" he ensured, and when she nodded he smiled, leaning in to kiss her lips gently. "I think I need to go find my family, I said some things in my anger last night that I still stand by but definitely said in the wrong frame of mind and I fear that if don't apologise they'll forever resent me for it."

"Go then, I want to find Robb anyway," she agreed with a nod, remembering just how tense the study had been the night before, so much silent animosity it had been suffocating.

They got ready together, Eddmina helping Willas with the buckles of his leg brace while Willas helped Eddmina lace up her boots and fasten the ties of her dress as she struggled to fit into a light blue cotton number that matched her eyes and made her hair look lighter. Each morning she felt as though her body had changed, but that morning in particular, her stomach looking larger than usual, and much lower too. She put it out of her mind as she braided her hair back, all the while feeling Willas' eyes on her.

"I don't know if I tell you enough how beautiful you are," he marvelled, making her roll her eyes amusedly.

"You tell me far too often, considering," she joked, knowing she was no great beauty.

Her mother was beautiful, even more so in her younger days from what her father said, and Sansa had inherited that for certain. Arya too was beautiful in her own way, and everyone always said how beautiful their aunt Lyanna had been, a true wonder of the North. Compared to them all, Eddmina didn't feel like anything special or remarkable, nothing to inspire poetry or the pretty songs her sister loved. Yet Willas had a way of making her feel as though all of the songs were worthless, like she was the most important thing in the world, and it wasn't something she would ever get used to.

She felt his hand on the small of her back as she finished her braid, flicking it over her shoulder as she looked over to him with a smile. He was watching her face carefully as if looking for something, which made her frown until she realised he was still bothered by the night before and was looking for signs that she too was still upset.