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

Chapter Sixty Five: Tea

Jeyne was so sweet it was sickening, and that was coming from Eddmina who had already thrown up multiple times that day.

She had beamed when Eddmina entered the solar, practically jumping to her feet and embracing her the moment she got close enough. Eddmina had to fight not to tense up the moment the younger woman wrapped her arms around her, and she forced all the necessary smiles and courtesies. It was difficult, and took her back to being a child in Winterfell, when all the other girls seemed more perfect than her. They had all known the right songs to sing and how to dance without tripping, and they laughed and blushed whenever the younger handsome guards looked their way. Yet there she was, awkward and uncomfortable, knowing what she had to do but so often feeling incapable of doing it.

Jeyne Westerling reminded her of Jeyne Poole, Sansa's childhood best friend. She had always been polite to Eddmina, unlike Arya who she had nicknamed Horseface, but she knew secretly Jeyne Poole had thought her strange and odd. Jeyne Westerling took Eddmina back to that time, back to when she had no real friends save her siblings, the household staff, and Theon. Jeyne's sweet nature made her feel irregular once more, a feeling she hadn't endured for what felt like a lifetime. She was surprised that deep inside, she was still the insecure eldest girl of Winterfell, constantly putting on a front of confidence and self-assuredness, desperate to impress and be dutiful, anything to avoid feeling like a disapointment. She had to keep telling herself that it was not Jeyne's problem, that it was a problem she had to face within herself, but even so, her brother's cheery wife couldn't help but put her on edge.

That made her feel like a failure too. She was Robb's wife, his Queen, someone that Eddmina should embrace and accept. Margaery had done that for her, so had Leonette. They had welcomed her into the Tyrell family as another sister, and as much as Eddmina wanted to follow their example and accept Jeyne as a Stark, something deep inside felt quite unsettled by that idea.

That was what lunch was for though, even if Eddmina could think of a thousand other things she wanted to do. She would have rather tracked Willas down and talked to him about Highgarden. She would have rather been with Uther, who only the day before had attempted a few shaky steps. She would have rather danced with Sansa, even if that meant trodding on her toes until the younger girl scolded her and they ended up in fits of laughter. She would have rather practiced sparring with Dacey. She would have rather locked herself away in her study and gotten on with some real work.

Even so, she took a seat at the table filled with breads, cheeses, cold slices of meat, and what few fruits they had to spare. They were in the beginning days of autumn, and Riverrun wasn't particularly affluent even when it wasn't catering for thousands. To Eddmina it just looked like a normal lunch, but she wondered what Jeyne thought, if their simple lunch was the first sign that her marriage was an introduction to a life very different from her upbringing. Jaime Lannister had told her the Westerlings were not particularly rich, but Jeyne's gown was a shimmering gold, and her necklace pendant alone would have been enough to feed a Riverlands village for at least half a year. Then again, the same could be said for Eddmina's own silver locket, and her wedding ring, and so she tried not to judge.

She did, however, judge when she realised Jeyne had brought her own tea. The tea pot itself must have been from the Westerlands, as well as the matching cups. Eddmina felt a burning ache in her gut when she noticed the golden lion emblem on the handle, surrounded by Westerling seashells.

"I hope you do not mind," Jeyne said, the moment that she noticed Eddmina's eyes lingering on the pot. "I thought since you were kind enough to invite me to lunch, I should at least bring something to contribute."

Jeyne took the opportunity to pour it out into the two cups, offering Eddmina one. She took it, noting how much it steamed, and how it immediately smelt of herbs. There was an instant odour of mint, as well as honey and a few other plants that she couldn't name though was sure Willas with all his botany knowledge would be able to decipher. There was something familiar about the combination of ingredients, though Eddmina couldn't place them. All she knew was that the smell was instantly unappealing. When she had been pregnant the first time there had been plenty of smells that disagreed with her, and from experience knew it would be best not to keep it near her. She placed the cup down just out of her reach, instead sipping on her goblet of water as she tore into a chunk of bread, immediately reaching for the cheese next.