✓ | THINKING OF SNOW (J.SNOW)

~Chapter One~

The Carriage

The cold was not the worst part of the journey, no that honour went to Livia's babbling about weddings and dresses. Cynthia showed no interest in either topic, instead she was more likely to jump from the back of the carriage and place her bets on surviving in the wild than listen to her sister's insufferable choice of conversation. Her mother did not help the situation either, instead she encouraged her eldest daughter to talk of such things, and love dresses and their beauty - knowing full well that there was a large chance of being strangled by a dress if she ever tried to put Cynthia in one. Cynthia was not a lady by a long shot, instead she preferred to wear breeches and fight with the boys (usually beating them in any form of combat) rather than sit insider fretting over her hair and learning to play an instrument she had no interest in, only doing so because it was to be expected of a high-born girl. Cynthia spat at the term, parents reputation should not have any hold on their children's lives or way of life. If only that were the way of the world, instead everyone would have Cynthia curtsey like a proper little girl, and not accept the fact that she is probably better a fighter than half the kings-guard put together and does NOT wear dresses.

Winterfell was quite far away and Cynthia had to endure the company of her mother and sisters for the entire journey, rather than ride on horse back with her brothers. "You are a lady," her mother had said, "and we ladies ride in a carriage, your brothers and father ride on horses."

The Iris family were travelling to Winterfell to see an old family friend, Ned Stark. Cynthia's father - Benedict - had practically grown up with Ned Stark and thought of him as a brother. Considering this, Ned and Ben thought it best to seal their alliance by marrying Livia to Ned's eldest son, Robb Stark. Of course, Cynthia avoided being shipped into an unwanted marriage as she was not the first-born daughter, though she was sure her mother would waste no time sending her away as well. Her younger sister, Alyssa, sat nearest the door, playing with a doll and humming softly to herself; Alyssa was a sweet girl, and Cynthia's favourite sibling. Alyssa had a twin brother, Asher, and they were the youngest of the family - merely 10 years of age - and quite easily swayed. Cynthia had made quite the impression on her younger sister, who now favoured archery over poetry and armour over dresses, not unlike Cynthia at her age. Cynthia was 15, her sister 17 and their older brother 19. Alec had been the reason Cynthia took a liking to fighting, becoming jealous that Alec did not have to spend afternoons reading stories but got to be outside with a sword or a bow.

Winterfell finally came into view, Alyssa and Livia both rushing to the window to peer out and gaze upon the beauty of the place. It was fair to say Livia was disappointed that it was not a sky-high palace like she had read about, but it was secluded and peaceful whilst possessing it's own sort of beauty. Cynthia was not particularly interested in watching the castle as if it were supposed to move at any given moment, instead she was more than happy to stay seated and continue reading her ever so interesting book, that she clutched for dear life as the carriage rode over bumps and dikes in the rode. "We haven't got long left, girls, try not to get too excited," Their mother, Frea, smiled softly at her eldest and youngest daughters as their eyes stared longingly out of the carriage and at the dull countryside rolling by. The North was still The North, just because they weren't at their own home did not mean that everywhere else in The North was different from where they were from. The Iris family were northerners, living further towards the coast than the Starks. This meant that Cynthia had grown accustom to the scenery in The North, knowing that the grass was not greener or that the sky did not display a different colour in Winterfell, so she bared no interest in sticking her head out of the carriage like a child and gazing at the familiar landscape. She was, somewhat, excited about visiting the Starks, not as excited as her sister, but she was pleased to be away from home for some time. Her sister was aware of her parents intention to get her married to Robb Stark, this only making her more excited and frantic throughout the journey.