The North Remembers || Game of Thrones

02|Defiance

After a long time riding, all Rhaena wished for was a hot bath and a very good night's sleep. However before she could have that, she needed to do her civil duty and that was to honor House Stark and to greet them.

Which meant seeing her oldest and best friends, Elayna and Robb Stark and then, their siblings besides.

"You didn't really ride from the Dreadfort in a day, did you?" Jon Snow asked and Rhaena shook her head at him.

"No I didn't just ride from the Dreadfort in a single day Jon Snow. I mean honestly do you know nothing?" Rhaena said and she shook hands with everyone that was stuck out to her. "You lot have grown a fair amount." Rhaena stated as she hugged Robb briefly, who was now taller than she was by a good foot at least.

"That is what happens to people, when you don't visit. They get all shocked, when they see the people that they had been expecting." Robb countered and Rhaena tilted her head a bit, before she nodded quickly.

"That is fair. True enough." Rhaena replied and she looked around Robb to look at Bran and Rickon, who were attempting to hide in the crowd of the Starks and their crowds of Winterfell, as she smiled a little. "Hello there, the two of you there. You must be Bran and Rickon. The last time that I visited, Rickon wasn't with you and Bran was much smaller were you not?" Bran nodded and Rhaena chuckled, and she shook hands with him briefly and Rickon hid behind Robb.

"Young one, you must be truly exhausted from your far travels from the Dreadfort to here." Catelyn was rather skilled at interrupting her children, as Rhaena turned her attention toward the lady of Winterfell, as she bowed to Catelyn.

"I would rather not admit it to anyone, but yes. The ride was long and hard, but so are the people of the North." Rhaena replied and at that, the entire family was laughing.

"Now, where by the seven, did Elayna disappear off to?" Catelyn questioned and Rhaena's eyes scanned the area, as she had not even noticed that her best friend had completely disappeared.

"Shall I go and find her?" Robb questioned as Catelyn nodded at her eldest boy, as Robb took off running and he made a familiar beeline toward the training yard and he disappeared into the dark quickly. But his voice didn't. "Hey! Come and see this, all of you!" He called out and Rhaena lifted her eyebrows, and she jogged after him.

She had the sense that the rest of them now were following her, as Rhaena stopped next to Robb as his eyes were apparently frozen to watch what it was that he had seen.

Rhaena laughed rather loudly a bit at the sight of Elayna and Theon was going to their sparring matches with real swords, as Robb was laughing. "My money is now definitely on Elayna." Rhaena murmured.

"Ten silver pieces?" Robb asked.

"Done." Rhaena replied with a rather wide grin on her face as they all together watched the fight. Which looked to be going in Theon's favor at the moment... at least until a shape exploded out of the darkness and sent him down onto his knees.

"Winter won it for Elayna." Robb said and now, they were all laughing and Elayna was shaking her head at the sight of Winter, who leapt off of Theon as she wound around Elayna's legs swiftly. "We will both keep our pieces?" Robb asked.

"Fair enough. But that is only since the direwolf won it for her." Rhaena replied as they shook hands on it, and Elayna walked over to them with lifted eyebrows.

"Thought I heard laughter. That must have been from you two." Elayna noted as she put away her sword.

"Where did you get, a fucking high Valyrian steel blade from?!" Rhaena swore as Elayna chuckled at the words as she brought out the sword and held it in her hands.