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Post by Ray on Oct 9, 2017 13:21:58 GMT -7
Jon smiles a little as Katherine expresses her worry, a similar thought having drifted through his mind a few times over the last couple of weeks. Kings and Queens have been dropping like flies for the past six years, but for once, finally, the world seems to have calmed. Perhaps that's just wishful thinking, maybe there's still a fire that burns beneath the surface of Westeros, but he hopes there's not. "We can handle anything that comes our way," Jon tells her, reassuringly. He smile grows a little amused for a second, "We have dragons."
Drogon and Rhaegal had followed them from King's Landing, having no where else to go and no one else. They had flown as they had wished, tethered by nothing but their own want. Jon had watched them drift in and out of sight on the journey here, sometimes flying right overhead, sometimes circling far in the distance. He has not seen them since they reached Winterfell, but he knows they're still out there, exploring their new domain.
It's a strange feeling. But also somehow comforting.
His smile fades a little when Katherine asks the inevitable, a question he's heard many times since the throne was burnt into a heap of twisted metal. Jon hadn't slept much in that time, his dreams plagued with dead faces. With her face. Another member at the dinner party waiting for him. He leans forward slightly, resting his elbows upon his knees, rubbing his palms together slowly. His head hangs for just a moment, dark strands of his hair falling around his face and his tongue wetting his lips. "I'll be fine," he replies, looking back up to her and nodding once, reassuringly. "Now that we're home."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 9, 2017 13:57:28 GMT -7
Katherine couldn't help but smile when he said about the fact that they could handle anything, she knew they could but at the same time it didn't help her not to worry so much. She wasn't eager to be joining everyone that has died before them just yet, even if she had been when she was killed in King's Landing. It had felt like peace there but leaving Amelia would've been the worse thing. "Well I can't argue with that" she said when he mentioned them having dragons. Katherine had to admit that having dragons did actually felt good, she was so far from being a Targaryen but when you had dragons no one would argue with you.
She watched him as he moved and then pulled her lip in and bit on it. She hated the knowledge that he had been hurting and she couldn't do anything to relieve it. Katherine had grieved for her sister years ago so she didn't miss Cersei anymore but she knew that other people weren't like her. They would miss siblings and fathers. Jon looked up at her and said that he would be fine. She gave him a soft smile once more.
"We are home" she said and looked around the office. Home.. that sounded so foreign when she had lived out of a tent for over six years. Home had been something that Robb had dreamt about.
Katherine dropped her eyes to Amelia and watched as she breathed in and out and she couldn't help but feel so content. She was with the man that she loved, finally had their daughter back but in the back of her mind she was just waiting for it to all go to hell again. As if she was always going to be looking over her shoulder waiting for the next thing to go wrong. "And it seems like Amelia wants to miss all of it" she said with a soft tease and then looked up at him.
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Post by Ray on Oct 9, 2017 14:14:26 GMT -7
Jon shifts his gaze to the sleeping girl in Katherine's arms, so content and happy and unknowing of the dark events that have happened all around her. Good, he thinks. Someday, she'll undoubtedly learn it all. But he wants her to stay young and innocent for as long as she can. He wants her to have a childhood, a true childhood, not haunted by the faces of war. "She'll have plenty of time to get to know Winterfell," he says as a promise, wanting to make sure of that.
"Speaking of which," Jon continues after a moment, sighing out a breath and sitting straight once more. "I should make sure everyone's settled." He rises to his feet and crosses towards the door, "Try to get some rest," he tells Katherine with a soft smile. "We finally have a chance to." He pulls the door open and steps out into the hallway, sealing the office quietly behind him. Thoughts of Rohan fill his mind once more, the strangeness of it tugging his mouth down in a slight frown.
As much as they need allies, it worries him slightly. The realm of good men is a small one, and getting in bed with a country and a ruler they do not know well could bode ill for their recovering continent. But, maybe its a risk they need to take if they want to survive the winter.
With that thought, he turns away, feet carrying him towards the Great Hall for a hot meal.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 9, 2017 14:30:04 GMT -7
Katherine looks back down at Amelia when Jon speaks, there was a tuff of brown hair and it reminded her of Robb's hair. How she would run her fingers through it and even one night when they had a rain storm she had dried it for him. It had been the same night she had told him about Amelia's existence. She found herself wondering if she would think of Robb as her father or whether she would look up to Jon. It would be her choice, Katherine would tell her about Robb when she was old enough and whatever she done with that information would be up to her. "I know" she said around a smile before bringing her eyes back up and looking at him when she spoke once more.
She watched him when he rose to his feet and moves towards the door. "I will and I'll try not to be too late to bed" she said and smiled again. Katherine was happy to know that they did finally have a chance to rest, it had felt like a long time since they would go to sleep and not worry about what the next day would bring, or who it would bring to their door. They were free from the troubles of the south, all they had to worry about now was making it through the winter.
He walked out the room and she sighed under her breath and brought the letter back to her and wondered if she should write back and ask them to send someone so they could meet face to face and maybe she would be able to sus out whether or not they wished to harm the Northerners because she really didn't want to go back into another war, they had suffered enough and needed some peace but if Rohan really did want to help them out then maybe they wouldn't object to sending someone over to speak to them. Katherine found herself reaching for a piece of parchment and a quill but she stopped because she would have to talk about it with the others but tonight wasn't that time, no tonight was time for rest.
They all deserved that much right now.
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Post by Ray on Oct 9, 2017 15:29:06 GMT -7
Sansa stands at the window in the Great Hall, overlooking the courtyard as she sips at a bowl of warm soup. This had been the first time since she was a child that she's felt relieved by a journey. But back then, she had been young and stupid and thought that King's Landing was where her heart would thrive. This time, she knows the truth. Even with the thick snow covering all its walls, and the chill seeping in through the cracks of the stone, and the promise of a long and cold winter, she has never been happier to be in Winterfell. Never been happier to look out across the familiar hills and trees. Never been happier to know that this is where she belongs.
Her eyes drift to the men unloading the wagons, catching on one in particular.
Edric carries the barrels of grain with ease towards the doors of the storeroom, lifting them high to rest upon his broad shoulders as if they weighed only a few pounds. She smiles softly to herself as she watches him, eyes trailing over his long, muscled frame, her heart filling with warmth. She had been so scared to lose him at King's Landing, the first man she's ever truly loved. But he's here. Alive and well. And all she wants to do is reach out and pull him closer and feel his lips upon her own...
"Sansa," a voice interrupts, and Sansa jumps a little as her eyes dart away from Edric towards the newcomer. Jon sees the blush creeping up her cheeks as he approaches, and his gaze momentarily looks through the glass. He frowns a little.
She knows he doesn't approve. He'd made that much clear by completely avoiding the subject of Edric altogether and getting that grim look on his face when he's reminded of it. Sansa is just waiting for the moment when Jon finally says something.
"Have you eaten?" Sansa asks, trying to quickly change the subject before it gets to that point.
"No," Jon replies, shifting his eyes away and back to her. "Not yet. I was wondering if you knew anything about Rohan."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 9, 2017 16:00:56 GMT -7
Katherine knew that they should actually be more weary of where they get their allies from but at the moment they only had enough supplies for a certain amount of time and then they would be stuck. If they had allies then they could get supplies but what worried her was what those supplies would cost them later on. Even if it seemed like Rohan had everything in order unlike Westeros. She didn't want to come under the title of being a reckless Queen when it came to where they got their allies from.
It would seem like she was out for blood all the time. Even if that was strictly true right now. But Rohan had reached out to them and not the other way around, although saying that it could be them just trying to take control of a country that seemed like it was out of control right now but hopefully little by little they could put it back together. She would have to keep everything above board so that no one thought she was going behind their back but tonight, tonight wasn't that time.
Katherine stood up from her seat and made sure that the blanket was wrapped around her small daughter before she moved towards the door, grabbing her gloves on the way out. She wasn't tired but she could do with some downtime in her room. She pulled open the door and looked back in the office before shutting the door and heading down in the direction of the doors but she did put her head in on the hall. It was definitely noisy and for the first time she actually liked moments like this, it had been so long since this was the scene that met her.
She looked over and saw Sansa and Jon talking by the window and then moved over to where they were standing. "Probably a country of wild men" she said and looked over at Jon with a soft smile.
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Post by Ray on Oct 9, 2017 16:24:26 GMT -7
"Rohan?" Sansa asks, surprised by the question. Katherine joins them only a second later, smiling softly and making a quiet joke. She's not all that wrong. Everything she's heard about Rohan has made her all to glad to be in Westeros. She's survived betrayal and war and dragons, she does not know if she could survive the monsters prowling through Rohan's woods that Old Nan used to tell them about. Giant spiders and deformed monster men and trolls. Ned used to reassure them when Arya and Sansa would wake from nightmares that none of it was real, much like the rest of Old Nan's stories. But with all that's happened since then, all that she's seen, Sansa is more than willing to believe a few of the stories now. "Why do you want to know about Rohan?"
Jon looks to Katherine for a moment, pulling in a deep breath before looking back to his sister. "We received a letter from them. Offering aide."
"A little late, don't you think?" Sansa comments, arching a brow. Jon huffs out half an agreeing laugh. "Well I don't know much." Sansa adds on, a little unsure. "I know Cersei received letters every once in a while. But she never let me read them."
"You know anything about an Eoin? Claims to be the new ruler." Jon tries, sighing slightly.
"Sounds familiar." Sansa shrugs a little, "But I don't remember."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 9, 2017 16:38:13 GMT -7
Katherine looks out the window and sighs softly before turning her eyes back to both Sansa and Jon. "I did hear about them going up against their old ruler but other than that I don't really know much" she admitted. When Katherine would stay here in Winterfell when she was younger she would sit and listen to Old Nan's stories but surprisingly enough she didn't find any of them scary.. it made us want to go on adventures herself
"What worries me is if we accept the supplies will there be a cost to it" she said. "There might not be they might be eager to help out but now we have to be careful who we trust" Katherine said and nodded. But that didn't mean she didn't want to meet this new ruler, it didn't mean she didn't want to look in his eyes and ask him questions to see if he would lie. Something inside of her told her that maybe this man was genuinely trustworthy but it would be on her head if it turns out he wants their help in a war or wants to take over the north too.
"We will have to answer at some point but for now we all need rest and some food" she said and looked over at Jon with a raised eyebrow. As if go say 'you need to eat'
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Post by Ray on Oct 9, 2017 16:52:14 GMT -7
"There's always a cost," Sansa reminds them, a little bitterly. This is something she learned very quickly when the world began to sour around her. This is something Littlefinger never quite let her forget. Even self-proclaimed good men, choosingly honorable men, want something in return for their kindness. At that thought, her eyes drift to the center of the Great Hall, where Lord Baelish's blood had once been. She swallows a little, and looks back down to her bowl of soup.
"Fine, fine," Jon sighs when Katherine pointedly tells him to get food, holding up his hands in quiet surrender. "I'll eat." He gives her a faint smile before turning away towards the tables. Sansa watches after him, a little amused at how easily Katherine gets him wound around her finger. He's always been so obstinate, so obtuse.
"It's good seeing him happy." Sansa admits, looking up to Katherine. "He worries me sometimes." More recently than ever. She'd seen his face when they burned Daenerys' body upon the pyre. Seen the grief in his eyes. She only found out the truth after the fact, and not from Jon himself. But with everything that has happened to them, all the family they have lost, she knows it could not have been easy to suddenly gain and lose a sister within a fortnight. And after Robb...
Jon deserves more than just the endless deaths of the ones he loves.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 9, 2017 17:03:08 GMT -7
Katherine can't help but note the bitterness in Sansa's voice but decides not to say anything because it would probably lead to questions that the girl didn't want to answer and if she was honest Katherine wouldn't want to answer them either. She gives a smile to Jon and then looks over her shoulder when he leaves the two girls alone.
Sansa's voice pulls her away from Jon and she looks over at her. Seeing Jon happy was one of the best things. "I think he's just happy to be home in Winterfell" she admitted. They both had been happy since finding each other again. Jon and Katherine had been one of those couples that could never really keep things to themselves even though they try. She loved him and would love him for the rest of her life, however long her new one may be.
"Me too" she said when Sansa admitted to be worried about him. Katherine had heard the anger in his voice when she told him at the wall that she was going to kill the Frey's, it had hurt him to know that he couldn't be there with her and the anger in his voice telling her to kill all the Frey's has made her feel like she wasn't completely alone in her quest but to see the grief on his face with Daenerys, it had hurt her so much because she knew she could only be there for him but sadly he would have to go through it alone.
Jon would have to deal with the grief mentally on his own. Katherine looked back over at him and watched him. Watched as he sat and started eating with the men. "But with enough love we can help him through it it might not be enough but at least he will know we are there should he need them" Katherine looked over at Sansa and gave her a soft smile.
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Post by Ray on Oct 9, 2017 17:24:15 GMT -7
"I think he'll be fine," Sansa replies, turning her eyes back towards her brother, watching as he sits among the other men comfortably. She smiles softly. He's one of the strongest people she has ever known. Brave and gallant and a fighter most of all. She does not know anyone else who could have walked in his shoes and made it this far. She does not know anyone else who could be so humble and kind and courageous. Whether he believes it or not, Jon is more of a King than any history has ever remembered. More of a King than Robb could have ever been, as hard as it is for her to admit that. "He always is."
She gives Katherine another kind smile before her eyes turn back out of the window, watching Edric down below once more. As he sets a barrel down with the others, the man chances a glance upwards and catches her eye. A slight smile curves his lips, and then he returns to his work. Sansa's own smile grows a little more, turning sheepish. For a second she almost forgets that Katherine is still there, but when the thought returns to her mind she clears her throat and sips some more at her soup.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 9, 2017 18:10:36 GMT -7
Katherine smiles and nods, if there was ever going to be one person who was going to be alright it was Jon. She looked back over at him and bit on her lip but would he be alright knowing that she had died too? Knowing that after Cersei had been killed a guard had put a sword in her and she had died? Katherine doubted it very much. She didn't want to see the look of pain in his eyes again because she would never forgive herself for causing it.
She looked back at Sansa and then said "I'm going to head to bed, it's been a long journey and with Amelia asleep I'm going to get a few hours myself" she said and then smiled at her. "You get some rest too, I'm sure Edric won't mind" she said knowingly before nodding and then moving away. Katherine moved towards the great hall doors but before she left she said to the room "Goodnight everyone, don't celebrate too hard" she said and smiled at them before she looked over at Jon and gave him a subtle wink and a softer smile before she turned and walked out.
Katherine found a servant and asked for the tub to be brought up to her room, she could do with a nice soak because it had been a long ride and she was getting used to the new abilities she could do but she did want to get into the tub. She walked out the hall and moved in the direction of the Great Keep and up to the room that she shared with Jon. She had been aware that Edric was in the courtyard but she gave him a wide berth as he did with her.
Once in her room she found that there was a small bed in there for Amelia and as she put her to bed there was a knock and the tub was brought in with hot water, once she was alone she stripped and sank into the water and closed her eyes. For the first time she could rest and relax and all the other things she could do.
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Post by Ray on Oct 9, 2017 18:41:35 GMT -7
Sansa is about to bid her goodnight when Katherine knowingly teases her about Edric with a smile and a nod. The words die upon her tongue, replaced instead by an embarrassed laugh and a blush that creeps up her cheeks. She should not be so surprised, not when she has hardly been very subtle about her feelings for Edric since King's Landing. Throwing herself at him had been impulsive, the desperate act if a girl who had been terrified she'd find a corpse. But since then, it's been harder and harder to keep it a quiet secret. Even from Jon.
The room all gives a loud spatter of cheers to Katherine as the woman leaves. Shaking her head a little, she turns her eyes back towards the window and pulls her lower lip between her teeth. Edric still stands down below, and when her eyes find him once more, he nudges his head subtly in a beckon.
Maybe Katherine's advice isn't all too terrible.
Sansa sets her nearly empty bowl onto the table as she rises to her feet, laying a kiss softly onto Jon's cheek, and then walks towards the door herself. Edric still waits outside when she steps out into the cold, tugging her cloak tighter around her slender frame. He smiles when he sees her, his black hair dusted with snowflakes, his eyes crinkling around the edges. "You look happy," he comments as she approaches. But before he can say anything else, she rises high to the tips of her toes and kisses him upon the lips, fingers drawing him towards her. Edric presses back after a moment of surprise, her smile curving against his lips.
She pulls back after a moment, looking up to him and settling back down flat on her feet. "I am happy." She replies, and then her fingers snake through his, and she pulls the man with her towards the Keep.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 9, 2017 19:08:39 GMT -7
Katherine can't say that she's ever been this relaxed, it had felt like it was one thing after another and she was sure that she hadn't helped with going to war all the time. The North needed to heal, they needed time to get back on their feet and for the Northern Lords to realise that in the end they were free. They were safe for now and that although not everyone came home there were some men that would be going home to their families but would always be remembered by Kat for what they done, in the end they stepped up. The men had been wanting a fight and in the end they got one.
Now she wanted things to settle down. The fire was burning in the grate and the hot water was steaming on her skin but she felt so good. Katherine grabbed her nose and held her breath before she went under the water and let her dark hair get wet before she came back up and ran her hands over her face. Making sure the water was out of her eyes. She remembered taking soaks in the pools at King's Landing with how hot their water got. She loved it and even now sh could still remember the smell of the soap that was used.
-Across in Rohan-
Her dark eyes looked out at the window and she shivered lightly, it had felt like a while since the letter had gone to Winterfell but even she wasn't sure they would get anything back or at least she wasn't sure if Eoin would get anything back. It had been a very long time since Rohan had finally settled into quiet, there was no wars, no fighting. But that didn't mean Eoin's job was any easier.
Jeyne felt her heart ache when she had heard about all the fighting in Westeros, it had sounded like it had descended into chaos just like Rohan had all those years before. The only difference between the two countries was that Rohan was quiet, Westeros had still been fighting after six years. To her it was crazy how the country had gone from quiet and into a war. King's and Queen's had been dropping like flies but it seemed like the Lannister's had held on for as long as they could. But now that was all at an end, they had heard about the battle of King's Landing. It sounded worse than anything else they had heard about coming out of Westeros.
In the end Eoin had reached out to Winterfell but they hadn't heard anything back yet. Maybe soon but for now she had to deal with the two boys wanting her to go on another adventure with them.
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Post by Ray on Oct 9, 2017 19:52:01 GMT -7
Jon eats his fill, the soup warming his belly. As he leaves the Great Hall, walking the pathways of Winterfell with no real purpose, he realizes for the first time just how comforting idleness can be. When he was younger, all he wanted was to do something -- to run, to fight, to keep his feet and his fists and his mind busy with something. He joined the Night's Watch to escape the lazy resignation that waiting for him here, the slow crawl of a bastard in a city that did not want him and had nothing for him. And ever since, all he's known is chaos. A never-ending ladder of turmoil and trouble and always-sparse time.
But not anymore. The snow falls, the winds wail, and Jon has nowhere to be but here.
He smiles faintly at that thought, before turning in through the doors of the Keep. His feet carry him to the top of the tower where the Lord's chambers sat -- now the Queen's. He knocks softly on the closed door before stepping through, already feeling the wafting of warm air against his cheeks. He pauses as he steps in the room, his dark eyes falling to the tub standing squarely in the center, and the woman sitting within.
"Did not mean to interrupt." Jon comments, closing the door softly behind him.
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