The Winter Rose || Game of Thrones

The Gardens

Lyanna walked and walked, asking every guard to show her where the bloody gardens were, and she was determined to find who she was looking for.

She discovered the gardens to be not so bad a place after all. The sun peeped through the light clouds in the blue sky and washed it with a golden glow. Birds sang songs that filtered through the numerous trees, their squawks and the rushing sound of the water from the fountains mixing with feminine laughter and filling the place.

Ladies sat in the different kiosks and drank their tea, wine and ate cakes to their liking, all the while gossiping about what was going on in the realm, or most likely about what the royal family was up to and what the queen and the princess wore.

Ashara must be in one of the kiosks, and even if it would take her all day to find which one, Lyanna would keep looking.
She searched, and finally perceived a more decorated gazebo, and under it the lady sat, along with other ladies, and Elia.

The princess?

Lyanna wondered how she could be sitting there when her husband clearly said he would go check up on her, which suggested she wasn't feeling alright. But looking at her, she seemed completely fine.

Maybe Rhaegar lied, or maybe she got it all wrong. Either way, Lyanna had no desire to cross paths with the princess again, so she decided to postpone her conversation with Ashara and quickly turned on her heel to leave, only to hear a feminine voice call her name.

"Lady Lyanna!" the voice said, making Lyanna stop for a while with her back to the ladies and her eyes closed, trying to recognize the voice, but also wishing she could disappear and avoid what was about to happen.

"Lady Lyanna! Come join us." the woman insisted.
There was no way for the wolf maid to run then, so she put on a smile and walked to the kiosk where the ladies were sitting to discover that it was the princess who had been calling her, obviously.

The she-wolf's eyes met with Ashara's purple ones, with an intensity and an obvious fury in her look she could not contain.
The princess's lady was intimidated, ashamed, and clearly aware of all the reasons that caused the tension between her and Lyanna considering that they've never spoken before.

Elia could feel the same tension, and although she seemed unaware of what happened, she felt it was time to intervene unless the she-wolf made of her lady a prey.

"Please, do sit." the princess offered her to choose one of the many chairs around the table, and Lyanna chose the one opposite them, away from Ashara.

A servant was disposing small appetizers to go with the drinks when Lyanna arrived.
"What would you like to drink?" Elia asked her, and Lyanna gave her a courteous smile.
"Nothing, thank you." she declined.

"Please, just some tea. And do have some cake. The one with the dried fruits inside it is my favorite. Reminds me of home." Elia suggested.
"Alright, thank you." Lyanna said, taking a slice of the freshly baked delicacy, even though dried fruits were in no way her favorites.

The cake was good regardless, and the tea was warm and tasty.
Lyanna smiled after finishing the small slice of cake to show that she liked it. The princess was doing her best to be a good host to her, which she appreciated.

"So, I hope the road wasn't too much trouble to you as it was to me." Elia giggled, her smile revealing lovely dimples which added to her charm.