"I miss cars. Airplanes. Taxi. Uber. Lyft." Hayley offered. Sandor stared back at her as Tommen smiled happily from her lap. "I know what the hell am I talking about? I make no sense but traveling for a month is awful." Hayley declared.
"Month?"
"Moon. Lunar cycle. Moons fucking moons." Hayley hissed.
"Gramma said a bad word." Tommen declared and she peppered his face with kisses.
"Did not." Hayley countered. "You dont know what you are talking about." Tommen giggled out as Renly rode up beside them.
"Im glad you came." Hayley remarked as she reached out for him. "My sweet boy,"
"Real good reputation as mamas sweet boy." Loras teased.
"You wish I called you my sweet boy." Hayley corrected and loras chuckled. "Hes a cutie though."
"Mum!"
"Its so easy to embarrass you," hayley remarked.
"Almost there. Get in formation!"
"Whats going on?" Hayley countered as they stopped their awfully long journey yet so close to their destination.
"Tommen needs to get in the carriage you as well," robert declared
"Why?" Hayley countered.
"Because women and children-"
"Rethink those words very carefully." Hayley countered. Robert opened and closed his mouth before looking to Renly for help. But renly rose his hands in surrender. Robert was digging that grave on his own.
"You are ride if you prefer."
"Good choice." Hayley agreed as she clicked her heels and they headed off again.
+
'I see them coming, the riders!' Bran announced.
'How?' Catelyn questioned hands rooted on her hips, Bran looked up at her sheepishly. 'You were climbing, you promised you would not to climb anymore.' She reminded him.
'I wont do it again.' Bran lied looking to his feet. Catelyn brought a harsh grip to his chin.
'You know every time you look down I know you are lying.' Catelyn remarked. "Go on, line up.' She demanded shooing him off.
'Where is arya?' Ned questioned looking back to Jon and Theon stood in the second row. Jon shrugged, Ned's eyes drifted to the row behind Jon expecting to see Arya lurking. Arya was trouble but she loved Jon. Catelyn didn't like Jon fraternizing with her children. But arya came running up with a guards helmet on her head.
'What are you doing?' Ned questioned, "where did you get that?' he pulled the helmet from arya's head and flattened her hair down. 'Go.' He told her pointing down the row of starks as the royal family approached.
Ned knew many of the riders. There came Ser Jaime Lannister with hair as golden as the sun, and Sandor Clegane with his burned face. The tall boy beside him could only be the crown prince, Joffrey.
"That is the Kingslayer" Arya said in awe.
"Shut up" Sansa hissed.
Yet the huge man at the head of the column, flanked by two knights in the snow-white cloaks of the Kingsguard, seemed almost a stranger to Ned ... until he vaulted off the back of his warhorse with a familiar roar. Robert.
"Where is the imp?" Arya pondered.
"Shut up!" Sansa demanded.
Ned Stark and his family bowed before him on their knees as Robert approached. Robert motion for Ned to stand, Ned rose as did the rest of his family. But Neds gaze stuck on Hayley.
'Your Grace,' Ned said tipping his head to Robert, robet nodded for him to rise and gave him a bone-crunching hug.
"Ned! Ah, but it is good to see that frozen face of yours," Robet declared looked him over top to bottom, 'You got fat,' Robert noted but Ned looked down to Roberts stomach both men started laughing before they hugged joyously. "Ned, you remember my mother." Robert extended a hand back to Hayley.
"Hayley." She corrected moving to shake neds hand but he bowed to her. Right, she had to curtsey... fuck that. No, she stood awkwardly in a mid almost gave you hand shake fashion before putting her hand back at her side. "Robert has told me a lot about you." Ned took her hand in his kissing it gently, his eyes locked on hers. "Feels like I know you."
"I know its strange Ned but she has come back!" Robert declared.
"It is strange." Catelyn agreed softly.
"She just appeared in the woods, no memory of her life but its her Ned. It's really her." Robert declared proudly.
"Sorry that I dont... remember you." Hayley offered looking down the row of children.
"I know you." Ned offered. "Robert spoke of you often, I met you a handful of times I believe. You corrected my swing."
"Baseball?" Hayley offered before realizing that was a stupid question.
"My swing." Ned remarked putting a hand on the hilt of his blade. Hayley gave him a thumbs up.
"That sounds more like me." Hayley agreed.
Robert's queen, Cersei entered on foot with her younger children. The wheelhouse in which they had ridden, a huge carriage and gilded metal pulled by heavy draft horses. Ned knelt in the snow to kiss the queen's ring, while Robert embraced Catelyn like a long-lost sister.
'Cat' Robert said happily hugging her before fussing with rickon's hair.
'Nine years it has been nine long years, I have not seen you where have you been?' Robert asked
'I've been here guarding the for north for you, your grace.' Ned said obediently. Jon and Theon stood like statues behind the starks.
"Guarding the north." Hayley repeated looking around. "From frost bite?" she mused and Ned smiled staring back at her.
"From monsters." Bran corrected.
"Monsters?" Hayley questioned moving to him.
"Is that really his mother? Shes younger than him." Arya whispered.
"Shut up." Sansa hissed. Robert went down the row of stark children greeting them happily.
"Mum, this is Robb, named him after me, right Ned?" Robert laughed out. "Their eldest." Hayley moved away from Bran and back to Robb, he was about Hopes age she thought with a sigh.
"It's an honor to meet you." Robb said politely.
"Such gentlemen you have raised Catelyn." Hayley remarked. She knew at least where she came from in her experience it was the mother that tried to make her sons into decent men. Daughters into respectable women. Which is probably why she was a bossy a bitch. Raised her Hope to be strong too, manners and curtsey's she was going to die their of politeness. But Hayley looked to Catelyn and she seemed proud that Hayley singled her out and not Ned. Hayley also came to realize that the men got all the credit and if she was stuck here, she was going to change that.
Cersei cleared her throat waiting to be announced but in all honestly Robert had forgotten she was even there, he didn't care for his wife or his children, he wasn't a kid person considering the amount of bastards he had running around kings landing. He was just so excited to have his mother here.
'Right, right, Cersei, Joffrey, Tommen, Mycella,' he said rushed.
'It is an honor to have you, your grace.' Catelyn said curtsying before cersei.
"This is Sansa and Arya." Ned remarked as Catelyn doted over the queen. Sansa was the perfect little lady. Arya stared up at Hayley in pants, not a dress, her hair falling around her face, she didnt seem the proper lady, not proper Kings mother like she suspected.
"Nice to meet you both, do you use a sword?" Hayley questioned looking over Arya as well. "Train with your brothers?"
"No." Arya answered but Ned chuckled.
"Dont lie to Lady Hayley." ned instructed.
"I'm better with a bow." Arya answered and a smile curved Hayley's face.
"Well then you will have to show me your skills." Hayley declared and Arya nodded eagerly. Ned heard Catelyn hiss a breath, she wanted Arya to be the perfect little lady. She was failing. Arya didnt fit into her mold.
"And this is Brandon." Bran smiled back at her.
"You are going to need to tell me about those monsters still." Hayley reminded him and Bran nodded eagerly.
"He likes the scary stories." Ned remarked.
"Me too." Hayley declared. "I got all the scary stories... I warn you Brandon they are really scary."
"I want to hear them!" Bran declared jumping up and Ned couldnt help but feel like Hayley, a stranger had bonded with his children better than their own mother had in ages.
"And this little one is Rickon." Ned added as Rickon ran up to them. Rickon waved a hand beckoning Hayley closer and she crouched down.
"I like stories but I dont like scary stories." Rickon whispered.
"I know lots of stories. I'm sure I could think of a fun one for you." Hayley offered and Rickon had always been shy with strangers, yet he hugged Hayley and she felt so content.
'Ned,' Robert declared patting his back. 'Take me to the crypts.'
'We've been riding for a full moon don't you think the dead can wait?' Cersei whined.
"What's in the crypts?" Hayley questioned.
"Ghosts!" Bran remarked with a smirk. Hayley winked back at him. She was going to like winterfell.