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

Chapter Seventy Two: Much to Discuss

It had been nice to sleep, nice to lie down and rest, but nightmares plagued her as usual, to the point it was equal relief when she woke and heard voices and laughter coming from the next room. Honour was still there at her side, hogging most of the bed, though when she saw Eddmina was awake she thumped her tail onto the bed repeatedly before jumping up and bounding to the door. It took Eddmina longer than her wolf to get up, her back still aching from a night of being on her feet, but when she eventually rose she went straight to her wardrobe, knowing she couldn't go out into the solar still in her nightdress.

She was technically still meant to be wearing black. The rest of the keep was, observing full mourning customs until after the funeral, but Eddmina only had one black dress that hadn't gotten too small and she was saving it for the next day, so she glanced over the rest of her dresses nervously. Wearing grey felt like the obvious choice. Wearing green would be a bold statement she was comfortable with but might surprise others. She hardly wanted to make statements when all she was dressing for was a day in the keep with her family and the Tyrell's, and so Eddmina settled on a Tully blue day gown, one that she could lace up herself even if it did feel a little tighter than the last time she'd worn it. A glance to the mirror told her that her condition was not overly obvious, it was not noticeable unless you were looking for it, but she remembered how quickly it all happened the last time, and knew that she would be needing a new wardrobe sooner rather than later.

Much to Honour's relief that was all she did to dress, not bothering to rebraid her hair. She crossed to the door the direwolf was waiting by and as soon as it was open she bounded through to the living area on the other side. She wasn't a particularly noisy wolf, normally the silent yet watchful type, but she let out a howl as she ran to the table, tail wagging as she ran to where Willas was sat, his mother sat across from him. There was food on the table, which made Honour's excitement understandable since Willas had made a habit of spoiling her with crumbs of their food constantly all while acting as if he wasn't doing anything.

He saw the wolf first, grinning as she licked at his hand, then he looked up and saw Eddmina. Ever the gentleman he reached for his cane and rose to his feet to greet her, while his mother stayed seated and merely turned to her with a warm smile. Neither of them had Uther, which struck panic in her for a moment, until Willas gestured his head in the direction of his room.

"I've just put him to bed," he told her, taking her hand and kissing her cheek the moment she was close enough. "He was exhausted."

"He's not the only one," Eddmina sighed with a small smile. At that, Willas looked almost ashamed, until she shook her head. "It's fine, Will. How many times have I left him with you while I've had to work?"

"The pair of you seem to have made a formidable team," Lady Alerie noted, glancing at their intertwined hands with a pleased smile. "I will not lie, I was a little concerned about how you would make all of this work, him and the war, but you seem to be managing rather well. I'm assuming your family have been helping too, Eddmina?"

"My mother is usually a lot more helpful than she was today," she admitted with a shrug. She felt like a traitor to complain about her mother to her goodmother, but it felt therapeutic, remembering how stressed she had been. "Everyone has been helpful to us, whenever possible. War doesn't exactly make it easy."

"I can imagine," Lady Alerie nodded sympathetically. The gesture on anyone else Eddmina was sure she would hate, but Willas' mother had mastered how to be sympathetic but not at all patronising. "Do take a seat, dear. I've brought you tea and cakes."

The thought of tea made her throat tighten, remembering the last time someone brought her tea to drink in that very same solar. The incident had remained a secret, only herself, Garlan, and Jeyne knew the truth of what had really happened that lunchtime, and Eddmina knew if Willas of his mother found out they would both be furious, so she tried to keep her face straight. That became easier when she caught the smell of it and knew it to be the same one from Winterfell, and then she saw the plate of cakes waiting next to the tea pot, and her nerves were replaced with joy.