It was said that the ghost that haunted the Twins could be heard for miles and miles, and there was nought anyone in the keep could do to get it to quieten when it chose to sing.
That had been proven by their constant tries. In the first few weeks each day a different Frey went down to the cells in an attempt to break her spirit, and each day, the chosen Frey was lucky if he left with his life and health in tact; many did not. In the end, after the first month, they realised that while she was singing, while she screamed and cursed, that was her at her easiest. It was when Eddmina Stark was quiet that they had to truly worry.
She had been quiet when three days after the wedding she had been in tears asking for food. They had been smug, thinking they'd broken the proud woman whose hands were still stained with blood - though none knew if it was her brother's blood or Rose Bolton's that marked her skin. They had presented her with a stew, and five snickering Freys watched as she ate desperately, waiting for the moment where she realised what meat she was eating. Yet, when she got the flavour of horseflesh and realised they were humming the tune of Brave Danny Flint, when she knew with sinking dread and horror that they had fed her horse to her, a childhood nameday present from her father, she didn't show anything. She kept eating, because unknown to the Freys at that point she was not eating to take care of herself, and made sure to not break eye contact with any of them. She forced it down, tried not to retch as she thought of how beautiful Flint had been, and said nothing but a quiet thanks to them. It was only when one of them came close to take the bowl away that she managed to pull him to the ground and strangle him, and when another tried to stop her he found her spoon driven into his eye so deep it might as well have been a knife. The rest fled, and the next day was when they had her hands bound with chains. Still, that did not stop her from further violence when they attempted to take her jewellery from her. She didn't come away unhurt, certain that they had broken her nose, and they succeeded in taking her wedding ring and crown from her, but another Frey lay dead at her feet, two more critically injured, and one so scared he left a messed puddle behind as he fled, all without her saying a word.
When she was singing, the Freys rejoiced, as that meant she wasn't plotting. When she was singing, they knew she was not committing any violent acts of vengeance to whoever ventured close enough. She never hurt the women though, and plenty of Frey women had dared to visit after they discovered her condition. At first it had been to support their brothers or cousins as they tried to force moon tea down her throat, but when she managed to pin one of them down and drown him in it, they dare not try any other acts against her.
The women were scared of her, but not nearly as scared as the men. It was thanks to them that she was moved from the cells and instead locked away in one of the tower rooms. It was the highest room in all of the Twins, and the smallest, but it had a proper bed at least so she no longer had to spend her nights curled on the floor shivering, and it meant her sore and blistered wrists could get a break from the chains. She wasn't sure how long they had kept her down in the cells, daylight a distant memory, but it had been long enough that her belly had swollen into a neat little bump and her babe started kicking at her properly. It was for him that she sung, because it kept him moving, and it was for him that she ate and slept.
In the tower room, the women took better care of her than the men. It was only one meal a day, but it was hearty and warm whenever it came. They did not give her the opportunity to wash or sort her hair, but she was given new dresses, simple woolen garments that itched but were warm enough and compensated her growing stomach - and were not stained with blood. It was still cold, but she was given enough blankets to stay warm. She didn't get to see her uncle anymore, Lord Tully still being banished to the cells unless he was retrieved to visit his wife, but she had a window, and one of the younger Frey girls brought her an embroidery hoop. It was taken away after a week after she was visited by a male Frey and he found her sewing needle in his eye, but it had been nice while it lasted.
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Only A Northern Song ~ Game of Thrones / Willas Tyrell ~
Fanfiction"I cannot sing for you. You want me to sing you the songs of the south, where the pretty ladies fall in love with the brave knights and all is well with the world. I don't know those songs. I only know Northern songs, about winter and wolves, and yo...
