Stranger - hotd

27

Valaena deeped regretted having torn her dress apart as she and Cregan departed the wall, because despite Cregan's body warmth and her cloak she felt frozen in place when they took to the skies.

They had the wind in their back, and Sapphire gained massive speed, leading them to slightly warmer skies within a few hours, and while Valaena told Cregan of Old Valyria, he instructed Valaena to land slightly on the other side of Winterfell. There she joked that he must have married her for transportation only. To which he shook his head in laughter and bellowed out a yes, ofcourse!.

The sun was shining, and while days ago she would have complained Winterfell to be cold and drab, the gentle breeze and green hills that surrounded the castle made Valaena feel lighter on her feet immediately.

She kissed her dragon's snout, offering the Dragon to venture slightly further away. "I won't let them lock you in a pit, I'll come up with something."  Mused Valaena in High Valyrian. She wanted to draw up plans to construct something for Sapphire herself, atleast before the Builders of the North would think to lock her up in a dark cage. Sapphire couldn't freely roam the hills of Winterfell forever.

"Come, we can enter the castle through the Godswood." Offered Cregan as he nodded his head towards the gates. The guards greeted them by bowing their heads low. "The walk will be long but worth it." Promised Cregan as he waited for the men to open the guards. "Inform someone we're home." Ordered Cregan as he led his wife through the gates. Wisteria hung low around the walls and Valaena sucked in a breath, it wasn't spring, yet this part of the garden eluded that it might very well be the coming of spring. Hyacinths grew around a path and Valaena frowned as she inhaled their scent. "How come these grow at the end of summer?"

"Maester Keltan likes to experiment on their seeds." Mumbled Cregan. Valaena had heard of the strange Maester, whose reputation had reached her ears thanks to Willem Blackwood, who told her of the man almost becoming shunned by the Citadel because of his experimental nature.

Valaena didn't mind though as she looked up at the flowering gardens of the Godswood. Despite the Northern cold she felt pleasantly warm underneath the sun. She and Cregan had been away for only days, yet the atmosphere did feel like coming home, if just a little bit.

A tiniest bit, that spread through her veins as Cregan bent down to pick a deep blue cornflower, it's centre a soft yellow like the dresses Valaena and Helaena used to wear in the capital, back when both of them were still unwed and chasing insects and drawing pictures in the garden.

Valaena hadn't picked up a pencil to draw or paint in weeks and suddenly her fingers ached to be sat in these gardens, a piece of parcel on her lap while she drew pictures of the flowers and blooms.

He placed it between her braid, kissing the tip of her nose before he bent down and picked another blue flower. Valaena smiled at him, her cheeks blushing as if she were a young maiden being courted, and by the time she and Cregan reached the greener, less floral part of the goodswood, her braid had been covered with various northern flowers. She she and Cregan had both taken off their cloaks and she was glad to not be wearing the thick cotton. "It hasn't been this warm for weeks." Mused Cregan as he trailed a finger down the side of Valaena's arm.

They walked past the weirwood tree, where they had gotten married a while ago, it had softly snowed that night, but no traces of winter could be found in the sunlit skies of the godswood today.

Upon their return in the courtyard Valaena felt slightly dissapointed to be met with the muddy grayness of the castle. The courtyard appeared sandy today, it had not rained then.

"That's a lovely braid there Princess." Mused Willem Blackwood as he and Bran Glover greeted Cregan with a pat on the shoulder. Valaena smiled at the man. Offering him her thanks. 

"Ryswell and Cerwyn had to tend to their lands I'm afraid." Spoke Bran. "The council has awaited your return, we've not yet finished the construction of-"

"Bran, meet me in an hour or so, Princess Valaena and I wish to lunch first." Cregan dismissed his old friend with a grin, eyes meeting those of his wife. "Come."

Cregan took her up to one of the finer dining rooms, where a luncheon so extensive had been sat out that Valaena frowned as the two sat down.

"Do you presume summer will last?"

"Mhm, our house's words speak true, however I wouldn't be suprised if this summer lasts another six moons."

Valaena smiled absently as she stabbed a piece of veal with her cutlery. "Tell me about Winter."

"Well it gets cold." Mused Cregan as he stared up at his wife, bringing his cup of ale to his lips. Valaena mirrored him, relief flooding through her as the sweet taste of Elderflower wine filled her mouth. "It gets so cold outside that were you to pour a cup of water, it would freeze instantly. There's miles of snow, everywhere, the hills are beautiful during Winter, sadly there is also a lot of hardship, we prepare our stores during autumn so that we can hand out food to the poor and sick."

Valaena thought about winter, and how she could easily take Sapphire to the sky and escape the freezing cold, she imagined that she would want to. Would that be unfair? For the people of the North to have a Lady who fled towards the sun whenever she felt like it.

Then again she couldn't bear the thought of Sapphire remaining in the frozen North.

She bit her lip thinking about it, her eyes drifting to meet those of Cregan, she could feel him staring at her earlier so she kept his gaze.

"How do you spend winter in the south?"

"I abstain from swimming, and we dress a little warmer." Hummed the Princess while brining a piece of cherry pie to her lips. She preferred it sweet taste over the too salty meat they were served.

"You swim?"

"Don't you?"

"Hardly ever." Admitted the Lord of winterfell his eyes sliding down Valaena's hair. "You more like our Lady Mirsa of the flowers than a Lady of Winterfell."

"One of your old gods?"

"Mhmm."

Cregan got to his feet suddenly, and the stride with which he neared Valaena made her breath flutter. She sat her fork down, leaning back in her chair and looking up at Cregan with a sly smile.

He reached out to her sliding two fingers underneath her chin again. "You are very beautiful Laena." Hummed the Lord as he clenched his jaw.

He felt a little crazed around Valaena,  she did things to his body that made him shudder just by looking at him. He was glad to have wed her, of course, but gods he was grateful when she kissed him feverishly and wound her fingers in his curls in that damned bathtub. The idea to order that same tub to be brought to his chambers in Winterfell so that he might relive the moment and take her as she sat on top of him had crossed his mind a million times.

So he didn't hesitate as he slid his arm around her body and pushed her plate, cutlery, cups and everything else in his way off the table to set her down on the table. Her hands were around his hair before he knew it, their tongue's slipping past one another and he groaned in her mouth as her hands moved to pull down his clothes. He hissed when he bit her lips, but sunk into the kiss nontheless. Moaning her name when her hand slipped around his member.

"I want to lock you in my room and fuck you all week long." Whispered Cregan as he pulled up her skirts to slip his fingers past her folds. She moaned his name softly, and the sound rung through his ears like a prayer. "Why don't you?"

"Because I want to bury myself into you in every bloody corner of this castle." Admitted Cregan as he slipped inside of her. She closed her eyes for a second before letting out a happy sigh. "Well-" she was cut of as he slipped his hands underneath her thighs, to bury himself deeper and she cursed as he hit something inside of her that hurt so bad that it turned to please. "I- please do."

"Laena..." drawled Cregan as he kissed her again, hands gripping her hips as flowers fell from her hair. "Laena I'm going to. I swear, every goddamn corner."