✓ | 𝑾𝒐𝒍𝒇'𝒔 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒆 (R.STARK 1/3)

Chapter One::Running

It was dark outside, the harsh winds nipped at her exposed skin and the rain managed to drench her to the bone. Yet she continued to run. Running as fast and as far as she could; not entirely sure as to where she was going, just knowing that if she stopped she'd be found and dragged back kicking and screaming, and probably wouldn't live long enough to see winter. If she was right about her father, which she was, he would have sent a garrison of men after her as soon as he found her missing, and that wouldn't have taken long. So she continued to run, hoping to find somewhere to hide soon in fear of not being able to run for much longer. The ground beneath her was uneven and possessed many obstacles, some more challenging than others, and with her energy decreasing, it was unlikely she'd make it much further. Her name was Raina Glover, of Deepwood Motte, and she'd ran away from home. Her father being Lord Galbart Glover, had promised her hand to the monster known as Ramsay Bolton, and she would rather be dead than marry him. He was a beast, a murderer and a savage, and Raina wasn't prepared to give up her life because her sleazy father was willing to ship her off like cattle in order to gain a few more soldiers in return. She could see her worth, in his eyes, and thought her survival chances were much higher the further away from home she was - that may have appeared less true the longer she spent running.

The darkness would have frightened her, the rain would have discomforted her, in any other situation she would have gone home, she would stopped and gone back without hesitation, but she knew she had to keep going. She knew Ramsay for what he truly was, and she was not prepared to marry a man like that - she wasn't prepared to marry at all. Her father, Galbart, would happily allow his sons to do as they please, and his eldest daughter, but not her, not Raina. For this, Raina had always hated him but had never expected such a thing. But clearly her father was the man she had accused him of being, and clearly her family weren't what she thought they were, thus why she was running from them, running as far away as she could get.

When she finally stopped, the rain had ceased and the sun was on the horizon. She knew it would be easier to find her with the daylight on their side, and knew that any chance of finding civilisation any time soon was slim to none; the only idea she had that may postpone her being found, was to find some means to disguise herself - make herself less recognisable. There was surprisingly not an ample supply of spare clothes in the middle of nowhere, so the only other method she had was to cut her hair short and hope that that would be good enough to get her somewhere safe, where she could find a real disguise. Retrieving her dagger from the strap on her leg, Raina lent against a nearby tree and began sawing at her long, blond hair until it was at her ears. She knew it would look haphazard and easy to see that she'd done it herself, but in that moment she didn't care. She ditched the remainder of her hair in the shrubbery and continued through the trees. Her breath was ragged and her head felt heavy, this being as a result of not having much sleep and having been running for many hours. She hadn't eaten in a while, nor had she brought any supplies with her; it having been a quick decision she had made, to leave, and hadn't prepared for it at all. Her sister's handmaiden had come to tell her of the engagement, and that she would be leaving the next morning, and once they had left, Raina made for the window - knowing damn well that she would be leaving a lot sooner if she had it her way, which she did. She'd thought about finding her sister, making her go with her for her own safety, but knew it was too big a risk. Leaving her family behind, she'd jumped from the window -a jump she had succeeded in doing many times since she was a child - and began to run, not thinking about taking a horse instead, only running.

Once she reached the edge of the wood-like area, a large stretch of land lay in front of her. Fields and hills for as far as the eye could see, no civilisation, no troops or garrisons, no palaces, no nothing. Sighing in discontent, she continued to walk, not bothering with running anymore. She'd gotten a good head start on whatever men her father had sent after her, and was sure a few hours of merely walking wouldn't cause any harm. They didn't even know what direction she'd gone in, let alone how long she'd been gone, it would take them some time to catch up to her, she'd thought, so she was safe for a few more hours at least. Raina didn't know where she was going in, only knowing it was south. She knew for a fact that she'd made it through the Wolfswood and was now on the other side, but where she was to go from there, she wasn't sure. The only thing she could think about was the journey ahead of her, and how far she would have to go before her father gives up, and she can finally live her life without the consistent fear of Glover men tracking her down. She had feared running would mean she's be running to the furthest corner of Westeros, and even then she feared she wouldn't be safe for long. But she couldn't care now, all she could care about was whether her legs were moving and if she was still breathing.