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

Chapter Forty Two: Life Goes On

The bells of Winterfell rang all day and could be heard from far off, calling out the news of the new arrival. Eddmina remembered hearing the bells each time she gained a new sibling, especially when she got her oldest little sister. The bells had rang all day and nearly all night, and Eddmina remembered thinking how loved her baby sister Sansa must be if practically all of the North was subjected to hear about her arrival. It was almost surreal to hear them ring after having her own baby, mostly since she spent the majority of the day sleeping and she could still hear the ringing in her dreams, even as she dreamt she was Honour running wild in the woodlands.

While the couple used the exhaustion as the perfect excuse to limit visitors for most of the day, by the time evening came there were a few exceptions. Robb returned with their brothers, holding Rickon's hand and carrying Bran atop his shoulders, and both of them seemed rather pleased to see her. It had been such a long night Eddmina had almost forgotten that the last time they saw her was at the feast, until of course Rickon decided to tell her that he'd eaten her serving of cake, but she was too tired to mind so merely laughed and ruffled his hair. Bran seemed happy to carry the title 'uncle' and Eddmina promised him that he was already doing a fine job at it. When the boys left, however, it was inevitable that the next set of visitors were the Tyrell's.

For some reason Willas had wanted to keep them away for as long as he could manage, refusing his father and grandmother entry several times in the afternoon, mostly due to the fact Eddmina and the baby had been sleeping, though partly because he wanted their privacy before they risked a repeat of the conversation a few nights before, but of course after the few remaining members of Eddmina's family had called he could hardly refuse them again. Yet the moment he saw Margaery and Leonette flock to his wife's side, hugging her with thrilled sisterly smiles he almost regretted keeping them away. She didn't have her own sisters with her after all, nor either of her parents, so the moment he saw her smile at the arriving visitors he felt guilty for wanting her and their son alone.

"You do realise now you're a father it means you're officially old?" Garlan remarked as he hugged Willas. "I thought I saw a few grey hairs."

"I'd rather be greying than balding," Willas said dryly, ruffling his brother's hair. He darted away, quickly straightening the style protectively.

"Rather one or the other, if we did both we'd end up looking a bit too much like father for my liking," Garlan replied lowly with a smirk of his own, making Willas laugh while Leonette rolled her eyes.

"Brothers," she muttered, as if she'd heard them make such jokes countless times before. She sat down on the bed besides Eddmina, grinning as she looked at her new sleeping nephew. "He's beautiful. May I hold him?"

"What are you going to call him?" Margaery asked, sitting on the other side of Eddmina as she gently laid the baby in Leonette's arms, usurping the spot that had previously been Willas'.

"We haven't decided," Willas told her, hitting her arm so she would move up, allowing him to perch back on the bed. "Hopefully we think of a name sooner than mother and father thought of yours."

"We called you 'girl' for weeks," Garlan grinned at the memory, moving to stand behind his wife, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Well whatever you do don't call him anything frightfully northern, or after any dead relatives with unfortunate deaths," Lady Olenna remarked, announcing her arrival with one of her trademark brutal opinions that left both Tyrell brothers desperately trying not to roll their eyes or groan. "Let me see him then."

Eddmina half expected Willas's grandmother to remark on him somehow, and she felt more than prepared for that eventuality. She'd had to stand up for herself enough in the south after all, but instead the old woman took a look at the baby in Leonette's arms and smiled. She smiled at Eddmina too, and she was certain it was the first time. Not only that but she lent over and took hold of one of Eddmina's hands, giving it a loving squeeze. Eddmina didn't feel like she knew what to do or how to react.