"No," Karlon shouted stamping his foot, he wasn't going to put on the tunic that he had to wear; everyone was busy preparing for the trip to Riverrun and Karlon was no exception since he was expected to be there as heir to the North.
This was the first big occasion that his parents had permitted him to attend and they both agreed that it was time; they wanted to show off their son at an event that many lords would be attending.
Karlon was the future King in the North and it was important for his people to see him, they would want to see how much of a healthy little boy he was and that the Stark line was strong.
"You must," Kari Frey insisted trying to get the little prince into his clothes, they didn't have much time and she had to get him dressed for the trip.
Kari had spent the better half of an hour attempting to get Karlon ready to leave and they didn't have much time left; she was sure that Osric would have been the easier choice to get ready for this trip despite being one years old.
Kari sighed attempting to get Karlon dressed, she thanked the gods every day that she hadn't ended up being slaughtered after what had happened; she had kept her head down for a while not wanting to anger anyone after what had been done.
It hadn't been easy, she had been loyal to her Queen since the day that she had entered her service but there was no ignoring the whispers that were said about her.
She and Fat Walda had feared that they would both end up on the wrong side of a war that their father's actions had caused; no one trusted Freys any longer even if they had been allowed to keep the Twins.
Walda was now Lady Bolton, serving as regent to her four year old son who was the new Lord Bolton after Roose had been executed for his actions against House Stark.
"Karlon... we must get ready," Kari insisted again trying to get the little boy to let her dress him, this wasn't she was meant to be doing but everyone else was busy making sure that everything was ready for the trip.
It was rather strange to think that they were heading back to Riverrun, they would pass by the Twins and it made her think about what had happened five years ago.
Karlon pouted taking a step back, he didn't want to get dressed and he wanted to get back into bed; it was cold, and it was far too early for him to be awake right now.
Osric was being taken care of by one of Sanira's other ladies and Karlon was a little jealous of his baby brother who didn't have to get dressed up; he was still sleeping, and everyone was letting him.
"I don't want to," Karlon replied shaking his head, he made sure that there was space between them since he didn't want to get dressed; he didn't want to go to the stubborn tourney that his great uncle was hosting.
He didn't want to leave the place that he called home, he didn't want to leave behind his grandmother who would not be travelling with them as they headed to the place that she had once called home.
It was hard not to notice a slight cooling in Catelyn's treatment, the looks that she offered to his Uncle Jon when she thought that no one was looking; it made Karlon uncomfortable because he liked his Uncle Jon.
It was his Uncle Jon that was teaching him to shoot arrows, even practice with a sword along with Tobin, who had served as Karlon's decoy when the Lannisters had come to Beckton.
Tobin had spent most of the war trapped in King's Landing, serving as a hostage to the Lannisters who thought he was the real Karlon Stark.
Kari groaned looking at the little boy, she had no idea what to do with him and she knew that they weren't going to have much longer left before they needed to get moving.
Packing had been completed for the trip and most of the Northern court would be making the trip with them; this was about promoting peace and that was what mattered.
"Do you need some help?" Aiana asked stepping into the room, she had just finished helping Sanira get ready and she knew that Karlon was a handful when he wasn't getting his own way.
It was clear that Catelyn had been spoiling the boy while he had been with her, something that his parents were eager to correct; they would not allow him to be a spoilt brat.
They needed to get outside to make sure that nothing was forgotten and Aiana knew that there was so much that they had to do without fighting with Karlon right this second to get him dressed.
***
Sanira took a deep breath and smiled a little at the mist that formed when she did so, the snow crunched under her feet as she left the warm castle behind and walked towards the horses that were waiting for them.
The trip was going to be a long one and Sanira was sure that things would fly by when they reached Riverrun; the tournament was important, and it would help improve relations between the three Kingdoms.
They were enjoying the peace that came after the war and Sanira knew that everyone would have eyes on her and her family when they arrived as they would be eager to see the King and Queen of the North.
Robb had been a little unsure about taking Osric with them, but the decision had been made to take both princes with them since people would be pleased to see the royal family together.
Catelyn would remain behind at Winterfell to make sure that everything was okay, she would handle any problems that appeared while Robb and Sanira were away.
Plus it allowed them to break the news of who Jon Snow really was to Stannis without also having to deal with Catelyn at the same time; Robb being left unsure how to break the news to his mother that his father had lied to her for years.
Aiana smiled waiting at the bottom of the stairs, she wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she was hopeful that the trip was going to make things easier.
No one wanted another war to break out after the last one, it had been the worst one in years and so many people had died during the war that had changed the Seven Kingdoms and had turned them into three.
There was a carriage prepared to carry the royals to the South, it was to keep them safe and comfortable while they travelled to Riverrun; although it was mostly for the children and for when Sanira could no longer ride.
Karlon was waiting with Septa Myranda and Osric for their mother, he pouted a little not liking that he couldn't ride with his father at the front of the company as they made their way out of Winterfell.
"We are nearly ready," Aiana said peeking about, there was a lot of people that would be traveling to Riverrun and it reminded her of what had happened when they had arrived in Winterfell.
Sanira nodded her head, she was relieved that they would be getting on the road soon and she was sure that the trip was going to be a simple one; she would be glad when they arrived at Riverrun.
Her eyes swept the court yard. she smiled a little when she spotted Robb, he was talking to one of his men and looked rather comfortable for the ride South, it had been rather strange for them to stay in one place after years of traveling.
The new normal was not something that any of them had been prepared for, a change of pace that they had fought so hard for and it sometimes didn't seem real that they were actually free.
The court was moving with them and Sanira was a little nervous about how many people would be waiting for them; she had done her best to prepare for what came next, especially with her dreams continuing to set her on edge.
There was so much riding on the tournament, it would be the first time since they had left King's Landing that they would see Stannis and the last thing that they needed was for anything that could go wrong.
"Shall we?" Sanira asked wanting to get out of the cold, she was starting to shiver, and it would be a lot warmer in there; she smiled at her sons knowing that she would do anything for them.
It had been for their sake that they had fought to free the North, they had such a grand legacy to live up to after what their parents had done.
Karlon and Osric meant everything to her, she had lost one child and Sanira didn't want that to ever happen again; she wanted to keep them safe no matter what.
It played on her mind even now that she was pregnant again, she thought often of Little Ned and what he might have turned out like if given the chance to live.
Sanira doubt that she would ever forget her second child, the one taken from her in such a way; a power grab from a family that should have been loyal to them.
The war had taken so much from everyone and Sanira would do anything to make sure that another war never broke out; her dreams warned her of what was coming.
There was no ignoring the dreams that she had, the threats that lay ahead that were coming even if Sanira and Robb wished that they weren't.
***