The days since their arrival flew by, the wedding growing ever closer.
Eddmina tried to be as helpful as possible, staying out of the way as not to be a burden but helping where ever she could with the wedding arrangements. She tried her best to settle into life in High Garden, trying to settle into her soon-to-be family. She'd eat dinner with various members of house Tyrell each night, trying to get to know them all, though she still felt like an outsider. That wasn't hard though, as every night she was reminded of the vast differences between her upbringing and life in the Reach. She might have been highborn and the daughter of the Warden of the North, but life in High Garden was far more grand than anything she'd ever encountered.
The only ones who didn't make her feel a little like a spectacle - other than Willas, of course, who was also treated as something exciting among his family the closer they got to the big day - were Garlan and Leonette. The two were so settled into their own marriage that their presence felt more calming, more like they were advisory figures and the guides of how to have a successful marriage. Sometimes when Willas took her out walking with his hounds he would tell Eddmina about how fond he was of his brother and his wife, but he never went into exact detail, making her wonder if he spared her from them on purpose, knowing that the relationship he had with Garlan was so similar to the one she shared with Robb.
Leonette often invited Eddmina to have dinner with her, which was nice considering that Willas couldn't see her in the evenings thanks to his parents trying to keep them separated. At first Leonette had been almost intimidating to her, but soon Eddmina realised she was not only one of the most beautiful women she'd ever met, but also the kindest. Eddmina liked Margaery, but somehow she seemed to get on far better with Leonette, as if the woman understood her far better. Margaery had always seen Eddmina through the lens of a future sister-by-law, but Leonette seemed determined to be her friend; Eddmina had never really had a proper friend before.
Willas wrote her more letters, a new one each night. Even if she could not see him in the evenings he certainly made sure she did not forget about him, a knock coming at her door at the same time each night, a folded piece of parchment awaiting her. She didn't know who was posting them under her door but she was so grateful, his letters bringing her such sweet words, sometimes even more complimentary than the original. She never wrote back, not knowing where to send them to, but if anything that made them feel more exclusive, more precious, as if it was just his feelings she had to think about, rather than her own. Sometimes she would commit phrases he had written to memory so that she could reference them whenever they saw each other the next day. Subtly quoting his own words often made him flush bright red, a sight that Eddmina enjoyed a lot more than she thought she should do. He never said anything similar to his written flattery, which made it sweeter, as if when they were parted he was left to dwell on how he felt until his feelings overflowed into his letters.
Sometimes she wondered if he was falling in love with her, but that thought seemed utterly absurd. Why would he love her? Their betrothal was their parents doing, and only the truly lucky ones fell in love with their betrothed. Eddmina didn't feel as though she was destined to be that lucky. If he didn't love her though, what were his feelings, and what were his intentions through all the letters? Eddmina hoped that they were good, that he was just trying to make her feel safe in her new home, make her feel appreciated and at ease about their wedding, which was only a week away. That was her hope, anyway, but the cynic in her whispered constantly that she was thinking too positively about it all. The realist in her wanted to sneer at her anytime she felt dizzily happy reading his letters, and in the back of her head she heard Theon's voice mocking her.
'Thought you always said Sansa was foolish to fall for the idea of a good betrothal?' she sometimes heard Theon subconsciously mocking her one night as she tried to fall asleep, the pile of Willas' letters on her bedside table. 'You always refused to sing her the pretty songs about knights and princes, the ones where the girl would be a hopeless damsel and relied on the kind and handsome men around her. Who's the hopeless, stupid damsel now?'
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Only A Northern Song ~ Game of Thrones / Willas Tyrell ~
Fanfiction"I cannot sing for you. You want me to sing you the songs of the south, where the pretty ladies fall in love with the brave knights and all is well with the world. I don't know those songs. I only know Northern songs, about winter and wolves, and yo...
