My little Queenie is back;
She took a brief hiatus to work out her issues and I got a little busy with work, but we are back and she's ready to get the ball rolling.
Besides, who needs boys when you have potential to rule the world?
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At last a large gray keep came into view. Rhaella sat atop her spotted mare, eyes welling up with tears. It had been a long journey, one filled with much grief. From this very keep a raven had been sent to inform her of the untimely death of her husband and his men. And from both the news and her exhausting journey, she was convinced she had lost her only true link to the man she had lost.
"My lady," Alwin appeared beside her, his handsome face sun kissed and lined from worry. "Shall we proceed?"
She nodded her head and followed behind as they continued across the terrain where they were greeted by her father's own men. Words had been exchanged, Alwin speaking for her, and then they were brought through the gates.
Pale flesh draped in ivory and silver basked in orange from a burning candle, stood outside large oak and iron forged doors. She appeared older than Rhaella imagined, though perhaps it was because she had last seen here many years ago.
"Your journey has been long," she spoke. Even her voice sounded different.
Rhaella dismounted with the assistance of her men. Her body ached, sore from their endless riding. She wanted nothing more than to lay for a good while, or perhaps forever.
"Come sister, I assure you would like to rest awhile," Rayne stepped aside as the door creaked open. "As for your men, Maester Tywelle will show them to the barracks and will see to it that they are well fed and looked after. You needn't worry, you are safe here."
Alwin appeared beside Rhaella to assist her. Since her departure from Robb he had became insufferable and far more protective than before. But had it not been for him, this journey would not have come to an end.
He carried her into a chamber she presumed was to be her's for the stay. And while he placed her on the bed, Rayne appeared at the foot of it.
"Maester Tywelle shall be in soon to see you," she informed. "I know there were some complications... I can assure you your heir is still very much alive."
Tywelle came and went. The old man confirmed Rayne's comment and eased Rhaella's doubts. She was able to rest now and that is what she did.
Many nights had passed before she regained strength and at last she was brought up to her father. At first she had been confused when Rayne led her up a flight and then down a dark corridor, but when she entered a candle lit room, she saw the balding head and instantly knew.
Rhaella ran to him and knelt beside him, taking his aging spotted hand into hers. She looked upon his face for the first time and tears blurred her vision, but the image still remained burned into mind. Alwin and her father were the same in age yet her father looked as if he was much older than the maester. He looked so frail and sickly, his eyes were cloudy and the thick head full of white had long. This man looked nothing like the one she remembered.
Lord Tydore knew it was his youngest that wept silently in his lap. He wiped at her tears, drying him with his bony hands. A small sob passed and more tears fell.
"I am so sorry, father," she sobbed. "I should have come sooner."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," he peered directly at the fire while stroking her hair. "You have done us proud."
He said no more and pulled away his hand. Rayne came forward to retrieve Rhaella. Once the door was closed behind her, she whirled around on her older sister.
"How can you keep him locked up in there!" She wailed. "How can he get better when the air is so thick... it's so hot in there! And so messy... how can you let this happen?"
She heard her sister sigh, but Rayne kept her silence and walked on passed Rhaella.
The following day her father passed on. As if she had not suffered enough with her husband, she now lost her father too. And it was not even a day before she was forced to leave Shadow's End.
The castle fell to the eldest, that being Sofera, and Sofera was not at all like Rayne. It had been by Sofera's hand that Rhaella nearly met her end so long ago and it was now, again, that she would perhaps be sent back to the Lannisters if she did not act fast.
Rayne accompanied her this time, along with Mystic and Sia, her twin sisters. It had even shocked Rhaella when one of the guards approached her with a plan to lock Sofera in the dungeons so that Rhaella could remain where she belonged.
"As much as we all would love that, you made the right decision," Rayne assured as they began there journey.
"I hate that you did," Mystic was quite the opposite of Rayne and Sia, she reminded Rhaella of the youngest female Stark, Arya. The thought of the two together both pained her and warmed her heart.
"As much as I agree with you, Shadow's End is not my home. Winterfell is and I have a duty to my husband to find his sisters and bring them home."
And for many months they traveled, trying to remain one step ahead of the Lannisters and their men. Unfortunately, a month too soon, Rhaella went into labor hindering their progress. And as touching as it was to finally meet the child that resembled her husband and now bore the very name he had said to her on the day they said their final farewells, she had made the excruciating decision to part with her.
"Are you sure?" Rayne had reached down for the infant, a look of uncertainty etching her tired face.
Rhaella was not, she wanted more than anything to cling to the very thing she had left of Robb but she knew that it was only a matter of time before they caught wind of her trail.
"They will kill her if they find her, Rayne," she whispered, "I could never live with myself knowing I've gotten this fair only to fail my own daughter. Please..." white caught her ice blue eyes, "Winter, take Winter with you."
This time Rayne appeared taken aback, "No!" She glanced at the wolf who mirrored her bewildered expression.
"My daughter is most important to me now," she turned toward her direwolf, hand outstretched to touch her loyal companion. "Someone has to protect her, and I trust no one more than you."
"I hate to be the one to do this but we have to go now," Mystic appeared inside the tent. "Let's go wolf!"
Even though it had been her decision, she still sobbed hysterically as her daughter and direwolf were taken away. Helplessly watching on, Alwin sat outside with the few that Rayne ordered to remain. Rhaella had intended for herself to be caught in order to throw off the trail, so that meant she was to have less men to protect her.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Alwin said to Rayne as she readied herself and the child.
"Unfortunately," and her face had said it as well, "I do not, Al. This was not apart of the plan."
"I don't think any of it was."
She sighed, the infant stirring in her arms. "It was not," she whispered. "It all went wrong. She was meant to be with him, yet she ended up with another."
Alwin stood up to look at the baby one last time, "If this is all for nothing, I will personally see to your end." And he walked away.
Mystic appeared beside Rayne, she stayed for a brief moment to peer after Alwin and then glanced toward Rayne before going to mount her horse.
"She will speak to you eventually," Sia appeared beside Rayne this time. "You are our mother, she can not hate you forever." And like Mystic, she too left Rayne's side to take up her position on her horse.
Roose Bolton's men had been the one to discover Rhaella. They had beaten her men and drug her from the tent to lay at Roose Bolton's feet. It had come as a great shock to Rhaella when instead of mocking Rhaella as his men had, he had them later flayed alive for mistreating her.
"You're a queen," he said to her, "they should never mistreat a queen."
•a.n•
Would you hate me if I ended this book and started up the other one?
I had planned on waiting till fifty instead but felt it was better to just jam it altogether start fresh anyway. I think I may just make this a four or three part series because I kinda don't want to brush through the second one nor do I want it to be so long as this one.
So with that all said, book two is called She Wolf and if you want to go add it to your libraries I made it so you can. That is of any of you truly care to still read on 🙈
If so, see you there 😊