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Post by Ray on Jan 15, 2018 0:22:46 GMT -7
The sun sits high and bright in a sky of cool grey -- washing over the rolling hills, turning the fresh growth of leaves on the cluttered trees a dozen shades of green, glinting on the tips of the spears held by the gate's guardsmen.
Winterfell is not as he remembers it. Years have passed since he'd last stepped foot on the outskirts of this city, much younger then, much tamer. He remembers having to wrap himself in thick furs, assaulted by the cold winds and the drifts of snow that would appear seemingly from nowhere to send ice down his spine. The whole world had been covered in a thick white sheet, barren, freezing. The walls of the city had risen only barely above the surface, masked in fog, but hiding warmth within. A part of him had loved this place for its differences. Winters in Rohan rarely were so all-encompassing unless they ventured to the very northern edges, and even then... nothing like Winterfell. Nothing like its wolves and its ghosts and its solitude.
But that seemed to have passed in his absence. The snow has given way to fields and forests, melting so quickly after so violent a winter that a lake now fills the lower valleys he once knew beyond the northern edge of the city, glittering as it turns wide to the sea at the eastern horizon. And Winter Town -- once an empty hovel long abandoned due to the blight of war -- now bustles again, full of business and noise, spurred by the new opportunity that water trade brings. Spices from the Free Cities, a man calls as he walks passed, taking it all in; Silks from Mereen, a woman says, the very fabric draped over her arm in a colorful array; Fresh mutton, the kind you know and love, a third cries out as a butcher's knife thunks into meat. The voices crash into each other, loud and hoping for business, a dozen offers from a dozen men trying to get some coin.
It feels strange. Unfamiliar. And yet... how many cities has he passed through just like this to get here alone? It's progress, certainly...for a country no longer a shadow of itself.
He nears the gate of Winterfell, and hesitates for a moment, blue eyes skimming over the guards posted there, the grey direwolf emblazoned across their chests. He is not the same boy who came here to visit. He is not the same boy huddled under Thorin's arm, buried in Fili's furs, chattering at the cold. He has not been that boy for a long time.
He turns, his hesitance getting the better of him, and sets a coin down upon the table of the nearest vendor. "You said something about..." he looks around at the items displayed, and blinks a little in sinking surprise, "...hats."
The woman standing there startles a bit at the sight of him, hardly an unusual occurrence. Like his cousins and his father before him, he'd found a home the Rohan Wilderness, a calling. What started as an ill-advised venture beyond the hills of Ash or the safe corridors of Durinhall turned into something far more. Something that lasted for five years of his life. And he bears the marks of it. Bigger now than the small Ashen boy, broader, wearing black and red leathers marked with the Durin sigil upon the edges of his padded shoulder armor. His right arm is exposed to the lingering northern chill in the air, thick with muscle and faintly scarred where the short sleeve of chainmail does not cover. The other is not so exposed -- instead wrapped from shoulder to fist in iron plates. A sword is strapped to his back, long like a spear, foreign, especially to the eyes of any Westerosi. His face is still young, but so young as it once was, not with the short-trimmed black beard that now resides there.
"Oh. Yes." The woman says, trying to regain her composure as she looks him over a few times in rapid succession, as if trying to understand what she is seeing. Perhaps he should have left the sword and armor at home in Ash, but he was weary of what he might find here in Westeros.
This place can be very dangerous for very different reasons.
"What are you looking for? Something short, something tall, something fancy-dress, something casual?" The woman continues, sputtering out her usual tirade and motioning to the hats displayed all around her. None of them appear casual. He spies feathers and jewels and silk and lace and fur, some all on the same hat, some as dull as brown and as bright as pink wildflowers.
"Er..." he begins, furrowing his brows. He glances back briefly towards the gate and the guards, one having caught sight of him and eyeing him a little oddly. "Just give me that one." He says, pointing to a nearby beret. It's blue and ugly but he doesn't care.
"Ah yes, this will suit you..." the woman begins, picking it up and giving him another look over, "Just fine." She finishes with a hint of a nervous laugh. He slides the coin towards her, takes the hat, and gives her a forced half-smile. As he turns away, beret in hand, he grimaces a little and shoves it into the small pouch at his hip. Eyeing the gate once more, he pulls in a deep breath into his lungs, trying to shake off the nervousness, and walks forward.
The gate sits open, revealing a nice view into the familiar castle within, but as he approaches a guard steps away from his post to halt him before he can enter. He sighs slowly, coming to a stop. "State your business."
"My name is Robin Durin, son of Thorin, cousin to Tristan, Ranger of Rohan, do I need to list every title?" He asks, rolling his head to the side in annoyance. The guard looks him over, looks to the other posted on the other side, and then looks him back in the face.
"Pardon?" The guard blinks.
"Mahal," Robin mutters. He digs a hand back into that same pouch, making the guard jump back a step defensively and turn the point of his spear towards him. "Easy." He replies quickly, holding his free hand up in submission, "I'm getting a letter." He tugs it loose carefully, letting the guards see before holding it out cautiously. The guard eyes him for another minute before finally taking it, and Robin raises his hand into the air with the other. The guard settles back but only slightly to unfold the piece of parchment. His eyes quickly skim it, from the royal seal of Eoin Isildur at the top, to the sigil of Gondor stamped at the bottom. And then he looks back at Robin with the same dumbfounded expression he's used to. "I'm just here to see family friends, that's all." Robin replies with a slight shrug and an innocent-enough smile.
Another second passes as the guard silently but visibly swallows, and folds the parchment back into a small square. Passing it back, he clears his throat. "Go on through, sir. I'll send word you've arrived."
"Much appreciated," Robin replies, taking the paper and tucking it back away. He sidles passed the guard before shaking his head faintly and following the familiar path through the courtyard of the castle. The Stark banner hangs from every post and nearly every wall, fluttering faintly in the wind upon the dreary grey stones. It's been years and a season, but he remembers the way towards the Great Hall.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 15, 2018 3:54:59 GMT -7
She longs to be able to run through the grass with no shoes on and if she's honest she was tempted to go out and do that right now but of course he kept talking. Everytime he laughed he would open his mouth and bare his teeth and it reminded her of a horse. Of course that was the worst thing she could actually say to the man who wanted to take her hand, he was the third so far.
Over the years she had grown up knowing a few love stories, one was her own mother and father. A love born through war and sadly that didn't last much longer, then there was her mother and Jon. Two completely different people who managed to stay together no matter the odds. Katherine had put her foot down and told the Northern Lords just how it was going to go, she wasn't going to be married to anyone other than the man that she loved. Even years on they still weren't married. Everyone wanted a piece of the Stark pie and sadly she was the only one left that was to be married off. The third was her Aunt Sansa and Uncle Fili, two beautiful people that loved so brightly that it made her a little jealous because in the end she knew she would marry someone for land or money or whatever the reason was this time.
Why couldn't she marry for love?
Amelia Stark, Mia, was definitely different from the wild child that would run around the halls of Winterfell and Durinhall and even some countryside in Rohan. In the last few years she had become more of a lady but in her heart she liked to have a laugh, to look at the world differently through those beautiful blue eyes of hers. Katherine had left Mia to talk with Lord uh, whatever his name was, it had been weeks but still she couldn't bring herself to think of his name and now she was starting to wonder if she did marry this man then would their children end up laughing like horses too? It made her shudder for a moment and he noticed it. Asking if she was cold, she gave him a soft smile and shook her head. The less he had to touch her the better.
Mia knew she couldn't be like this forever, the young carefree girl that loved to laugh and chase after her friend was hidden away from the rest of the world. In her room at night she often wondered just what had happened to her friendship with Ro, the boy who had pretty much became the other half of her when she was growing up. With Sansa marrying into the Durin family it meant that they spent a lot of time together so of course Ro and Mia became instant friends. She liked to boss him about a bit and he would follow even if sometimes he wouldn't like it, Mia would drag him along anyway. They would play in the fields in Ash or run through the halls of Durinhall or even watch the snow at Winterfell. The two were always together.
Like Katherine with Mia's father figure Jon, it didn't matter to Mia that Ro didn't have royal blood. He could be a bastard for all she cared and she would still make sure that they spent time together. Mia was fierce when she wanted to be but kind too.
Ro had been the first boy she had kissed and then they broke apart and made sure never to do it again, Mia would run through the mud in a new dress and make sure to get it dirty for whoever came to Winterfell, not that many people did in the end. So when the messenger came to her and said that there was someone in the Great Hall and Mia being the only Stark to be found right now she knew she would have to greet the person. She excused herself from horse boy and walked with the guard this time towards the Great Hall, she had been filled in on the details and a smile came to her lips when she found out that it was Ro. That he had finally come to see her all of these years. She couldn't deny that her heart jumped a little.
She walked into the Great Hall and looked around to see the boy that she remembered, the one that she had last seen when they were together all those years before but her eyes caught on someone that she hadn't expected and her lips parted for a moment. Mia couldn't believe her eyes as she took him in. He looked so different and she must look different to him too, older, more serious lines around her eyes now. This wasn't Ro, right? This couldn't be the boy that she had caused trouble with, who she would boss around, who she would laugh with.
Then Mia looked into his eyes and she saw him in there, those blue eyes that were so different from her own. Mia was told that she had her fathers eyes. Kind eyes that Starks weren't always known for but she had Robb's eyes all the same. There had been times when she wished she would've met him instead of hearing stories from Jon or even Aunt Sansa. But she slowly pushed that to one side as she got older. Mia took a step forward and she swallowed hard. "Ro?" she asked softly and watched him.
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Post by Ray on Jan 15, 2018 11:14:07 GMT -7
He finds his way to the Great Hall after only a short walk, stepping up the familiar stone stairs into the familiar stone hallway. It's brighter than he remembers, the sun streaming in through the no-longer frosted panes of glass, making the silver of the empty sconces on the wall shimmer, chasing away any of the shadows he remembers frightening him once. He knows these halls well, and yet he finds himself slowing and looking up at the walls, taking it all in. Winterfell is not like Rohan in many ways, but some are more subtle than others. They hang no portraits upon the stones, no elaborately painted pictures of heroic deeds and fallen Kings. Durinhall has an entire room dedicated to the artwork of all the royalty passed, splashed in vibrant golds and reds and marked with the runic symbols of their names.
But none here. No stoic faces of Stark men. No poised figures draped in furs and accompanied by wolves. No. That remains beneath their feet, carved out of the same stone that makes up these walls, hidden in the darkness to be mourned, not exaggerated. Only the direwolves look back at him here.
He pauses in the midst of the hall as servants and soldiers and people pass back and forth around him, stepping closer to the wall when his dark blue eyes catch upon a sword hanging there. The hilt is leather, the pommel and guard gold, the long, massive blade Valyrian and clean. It's the only sword that they have not buried in the depths of the catacombs. The only sword that stands as a testament of time and endurance.
Robb Stark's sword.
A voice breaks through his thoughts, drawing his dark eyes away from the sword and down the length of hall he had just walked, brows lifting.
A woman approaches, older and fairer but as familiar as the rest of this city. Her dark hair is long and wavy, not as wild as he remembers it once being, and she looks at him with a narrowed and confused eye on a face that has only grown more beautiful in his absence. She says his name in a question, and he is suddenly reminded of how he himself has changed.
"Amelia," he says with a small smile, turning away from the sword to face her. "Hi."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 15, 2018 11:38:51 GMT -7
Mia looked in the direction of the sword that Katherine had been adamant would be put in the Great Hall. Other than the Stark name and the blue eyes, it was the only thing she really had of her fathers. It was probably a little sad that the only thing she had of his was that sword and yet she always made sure she kept it within her eye line when she was in the Great Hall. She slowly moved her eyes away from the sword when her name was spoken and she set her blue eyes on Ro once more.
He gave her a small smile and for the first time she could see the boy that she knew but at the same time she could also see the man that she didn't seem to know. Things had moved on, they both had grown up a lot in the years that they didn't see each other. Amelia's wild ways were locked up tight and there was no way she could run through the grass with no shoes or get her skirts dirty because of the fact that her mother would disapprove and yet she could see Katherine shaking her head and then huffing out a laugh when she wanted too.
Her mother, and Jon of course, were the two constant people that she could rely on in her life. Time changed, things moved on... friends stayed away from each other and yet those two were the only things that kept her grounded. But Ro, Ro had been her childhood friend, he had been the one that she would cause trouble with, the one who would make her laugh and who she would drag with her everywhere. They would hide, if they could, and listen to the meetings that her mother would take in the Great Hall, Katherine would always know they were there but chose to ignore them and pretend to not know.
But this man.. this Ro was so different. So much holder and yet there was also this handsome look about him, when they last saw each other they both were in their teens. All goofy and young but now they were older and they had changed in different ways. She never had to be a Princess around him because he had known her for a very long time, in fact she wasn't sure she knew how to be a Princess with him but she would try.
Mia chewed on her lip for a moment and played with her fingers before she finally looked up at him. "It's been a very long time" she muttered and nodded. She wanted to wince at her stupidity but it had been a very long time indeed.
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Post by Ray on Jan 15, 2018 12:17:37 GMT -7
Ro laughs a little at her words, finding himself suddenly feeling that hesitation right on the surface of his skin again as he looks at her. He had not felt this way when he'd returned home to Ash after so long, his bones having been so eager to drop upon the comfortable cushions of his father's chairs, eager to suck down piping hot tea, eager to raid the pantry for sweets. He had been so impatient, so happy, rushing in and grabbing up Bilbo and making the man squeak and chide him for being away for so long.
But this is different. He hasn't said nary a word to Mia or Queen Katherine or Jon or any of those here in Winterfell in years, having left for the wilds with Bilbo and Thorin to fill in the details of where he had gone. And these people, though he's known them since he could remember, though they have always been kind and open, though they'd always made him feel as if they were, were not family. Years can change plenty. He's proof of that. Walking within the walls of Winterfell now after half a decade, with a sword strapped to his back, without his cousins there to blunt the edge of his arrival, might not come with the same sort of welcome arms he once knew.
And, to tell the truth, he's not entirely sure what compelled him to journey this far in the first place. Perhaps nostalgia, perhaps the desire to see familiar faces, perhaps the restlessness in his bones to venture somewhere, anywhere, after years of constantly moving. He doesn't know. And looking at Amelia now, all grown up and looking for once like the princess she truly is, the answer to that question seems even more distant to him.
"Yes, it has been." Ro admits, nodding a little and looking to his feet momentarily before he looks back to her. "Sorry for the uh..." He clears his throat for a moment and then motions at himself and his attire, still looking as if he were traveling through the Wilderness than visiting the royalty of Winterfell. He's drawn looks since he's arrived, looking so out of place here. "I've never quite mastered the art of formality." He says in a small tease, cracking another smile and shrugging his shoulders a little before his hands fall back to his sides.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 15, 2018 12:58:11 GMT -7
Mia watches him, watches as he looks down at his feet and she couldn't help but smile at him. There were times in Rohan where they would roll down the hills and not care about getting grass stains on their clothes or sit in Bilbo's kitchen and eat pastries. There wasn't a day when she was growing up that her life wasn't split between Winterfell and Rohan for whatever reason, sometimes she went over just to have some fun with Ro. Then after a while things seemed to change and they never saw each other. Bilbo and Thorin made excuses to why he wasn't around but the only thing that hurt was she didn't have her friend anymore.
She looks him up and down when he motions his attire and if she's honest she didn't know what to say but then he teases her about the fact he had never mastered formality and she snorted lightly. There are times in the last few years when she would remember the boy that would make her laugh. She missed him over the years that he had been gone and in the end she was forced to grow up into the Princess that he saw before her. Clean clothes and hair up in different styles. But there were times when she would long for her friend and it felt like he had left her.
Mia cleared her throat at that thought because she didn't want to remember the alone feeling that she had felt in the years she didn't have him to talk too. She chewed on her lip once more and for a moment she wanted to turn away from him, to say that Jon was around here somewhere but that would mean her going back to horseboy and that she couldn't do. "I suppose seeing you like that is better than not seeing you at all" she knew it was rude, knew it was probably cruel but for a moment she really didn't care.
Then she looked down at the floor and wanted to apologise but it was true. He had been gone a while but it had felt even longer than the time he was away. A lot of things changed and maybe their friendship did too.
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Post by Ray on Jan 15, 2018 13:26:40 GMT -7
Her reply is not what Ro expects, though perhaps it is one he deserves. The smile slips from his face, turning down at the edges. He looks to the stones at his feet once more.
Ro had been young and stupid when he decided to leave for the Wilderness, determined to make a name for himself as Thorin and his cousins did before him, determined to be more than the young, Ashen boy he was. He grew up surrounded by greatness, by heroes, all bearing the marks of their adventures with the grand stories to match. And for a boy from simple means, an orphan, born in the quiet hills of a quiet city with not a drop of Durin blood in his veins... he had wanted to prove himself. And how else could he do so but venture into the very darkness that no one has been able to tame. If Bilbo could do it -- soft, happy Bilbo -- then he should be able to as well.
Looking back, it's easier to justify his reasoning, his impulsiveness. But it's also easier to see the wrongs in it as well. He'd left with little warning, left with just a letter to his fathers, and remained gone for years. When he returned, he expected the anger and disappointment of his adoptive parents, but he should have also expected the hurt from Mia. She had been his friend since they were babes, and he had not even said goodbye to her.
"Perhaps I should have apologized for that first," he admits, lifting his dark blue eyes back to her face. His lips turn up in a small, apologetic smile. "I uh," he says suddenly, remembering, reaching for the pouch at his hip, "I brought you something." He digs passed the letter and the ugly hat to pull free something small and easily held within the palm. Taking a step towards her, he untangles the dark twine which holds it, and holds out the small trinket towards her. Even in the lit corridor of the Great Hall, the tear-shaped glass bottle glows a bright, translucent blue. "Me'a en' i' giliath." He says, his smile turning more warm as the bottle sits upon his gloved palm. "Or...simply, starlight. A gift from Esgaroth."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 15, 2018 13:44:46 GMT -7
Mia watched as the smile slipped from his lips and for a moment she wanted to reach out towards him and apologise herself but at the same time there was a part of her that meant what she had said. One day Ro was just gone and it had been hard to think that she wouldn't see him again. There were times when she would watch the gates to see if he was coming in and then day after day she slowly started to come to the realization that he wasn't going to be here. That he had left and she couldn't find him.
Maybe that was when she started to shut herself away, to concentrate on being a Princess, reading and sewing and dressing like a Lady. Now this was the woman she had become.
Her features softened a bit when he spoke and she licked her bottom lip when he spoke about maybe apologizing for that first but then he speaks once more and said that he had gotten her something. Mia went to say that he didn't have to get her anything but then he steps towards her and is showing her something and her blue eyes move away from his face and down to the trinket that he had in the palm of his gloved hand.
It looked really pretty and it was enough to close the gap between the two and with a hesitant hand she reached out and took it from his palm. A smile pulled at her lips and for a moment she had forgotten what she had said as she looked down at the tear shaped glass glowing in her hand. After a moment Mia looked up at him, the smile still on her lips, and said in a very soft smile. "It's beautiful, thank you" in honesty she had had many trinkets from men wanting her hand in marriage but this, this one meant more because Ro didn't want to marry her. He had brought it because he knew she would like it.
Even after all of these years she couldn't fault him for getting her something on his travels.
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Post by Ray on Jan 15, 2018 14:15:53 GMT -7
"It's not much, but better than the alternative option of bear pelts or orc teeth," Ro replies in an amused tease after she takes it and thanks him, letting his hand drop to clasp the pouch closed once more. He smiles as he watches her look over the bottle, looking at its glow, at the faintly engraved elvish written along the glass. "They say it will light even the darkest of places and guide your way home. Never tried it myself, but... I'm sure one day, it will come of use." He explains. There is far more to the story, as there is with anything that comes from Esgaroth. Their deep-rooted history is lengthy and intricate, best left summarized unless they wish to weave through the stories for days.
But as Ro watches her, his smiles softens once more, knowing that even the most beautiful and expensive of trinkets from a faraway land could not make up for the years he disappeared. "I am sorry." He says after a moment, exhaling a slow breath. "To tell the truth, I had not planned on being gone for so long. And...more than that, I simply did not plan. But I should have been a better friend. I should have told you or at least written. You of all people at least deserved that." He admits. He's apologized so often recently, that the words do not come as difficulty as he thought they might. But he still feels a little awkward standing here in Winterfell after so long, looking at a woman who is far more collected and refined than the wild girl he grew up with, with no one but himself to hide behind.
"If it makes you feel better, I bought a horribly ridiculous hat just in the town outside," Ro comments, pointing back the way he'd come and bobbing his brows upwards, "And trust me when I say it is awful." He adds on a full-bodied shudder for effect, though he hardly has to force it.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 15, 2018 14:35:56 GMT -7
Mia listened to him and she couldn't help but smile when he spoke about the light guiding someone home and he said that he had never tried it and before she could stop herself she said "It guided you home to me" and she felt her cheeks start to burn and she closed her eyes and wondered just how stupid that had sounded. Then she tried after a moment to rectify the situation and tried again "What I mean is that it guided you back to Winterfell.." she pushed her eyebrows together but kept her eyes down on the bottle. For a moment she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
After a moment he apologized for being going so long, for leaving and not telling her and that she deserved to be told by himself and not from Bilbo or Thorin. She had to admit that it did hurt her to think he had gone away because of her, gone away and wasn't coming back. Mia never knew a lot of loss in her life, she never met her father so she didn't really feel the loss of his death especially when she had Jon. Jon who had become her father figure with his wild black hair but the never wavering love for her mother.
She chewed on her lip and then looked up at him, the softness of her blue eyes looking over his face and taking everything in that was different about him and she couldn't deny that he looked so much better than the young boy that she had remembered chasing after her or who she would yell at when he wasn't doing something that she wanted him to do. He then spoke about the hat and she laughed when he said that the hat was awful. Mia could believe that actually, she would venture out sometimes and look at the hats and none of them seemed that appealing to her so in the end but she would give the vendors a smile and walk down into the other part of town.
"I'm not sure any hat would fit on your big head anyway"
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Post by Ray on Jan 15, 2018 14:58:48 GMT -7
His brows bounce high in surprise when she speaks, saying that the bottle of starlight led him back to her. Her cheeks turn ruddy with a blush that suddenly floods across her face, eyes boring straight into the bottle and nothing else and her tongue quick to reword what she meant. But her previous words still hang in the air. "I'm sure it did," Ro replies and can't help the small, amused smile that tugs at one corner of his lips, a wondering thought lurking at the back of his mind.
He remembers what it was like during those summers with Amelia. They found their way into trouble more often than not, Ro always left to chase after the girl two years his younger as she created the games she wanted to play. As they grew, her quickness to chastise him for not following the rules precisely grew as well, turning her into a very loud, very exuberant young girl. Mia was headlong, bossy, scared of nobody, and full of vinegar. She'd annoyed him most days to no end, and he remembers a few times when he ran off to complain to Bilbo about her, full of vitriol. Other times...
Well, Bilbo of all people knew of the crush Ro had had on her.
She laughs, and Ro finds himself chuckling as well, even at the insult that follows. "Okay, okay, I'm sure I deserve that." He snorts, shaking his head and looking away for a moment. "But you're probably right. Hopefully you're right, I can't imagine how I'd feel if it did fit." He admits, a little reluctant now to pull it out and see. He's sure she would never let him live it down if the hat fit his head perfectly, and Ro would probably be tempted to burn it right there on the spot for witchcraft.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 15, 2018 15:20:56 GMT -7
Mia smiles when he speaks about the fact that maybe it did lead him back to her. She watched him for a moment and wondered if he thought about her when he was away. Did he miss her like she had missed him? Did he wonder whether he would walk into Winterfell ever again or did he just put her out of his mind the second that he left Ash? She remembered the day she had gotten the news that he had left for whatever reason and now here he was standing in front of her and he had brought starlight for her and she had blurted out that it had brought him home to her like an idiot.
It wasn't like she could just have feelings like that for him. It wasn't as if she even had feelings like that for him.
She is actually tempted to want him to put the hat on now but she knew that she wouldn't let him live it down because that was the kind of girl that she was. If something happened to Ro then she would make sure to keep it in her mind til she could tell someone. She then moved her eyes over to see that they weren't alone in the hall and for a moment she considered telling them to go away but instead she said to a passing servant. "Bring some tea for me and my friend" she said softly and smiled before watching as the servant left them to it.
Mia then held her hand out to indicate the tables behind them and started walking in that direction. Bilbo had always made her tea when she went to Ash and she would often catch him watching the two of them as if he was cooking up some plan for them. Mia never asked, and he never told. "So what did your fathers say when you got back home? I mean you have been to Ash, right?" she wasn't sure if she could handle finding out that he hadn't gone home before coming here to Winterfell.
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Post by Ray on Jan 15, 2018 15:56:51 GMT -7
Mia gestures towards the tables within the Hall itself before she begins walking towards the nearest empty one. This time of day, there aren't very many people sitting down to dine or share tea, all busy with their mid-morning chores and trying to make use of the newfound sunshine. So he follows, glancing around once more, trying to see if there is anything else he's missed, anything else that is new, but the castle has remained much the same in his absence. He's doubt it would take a lot to alter any of these stones.
As they approach a table, Ro reaches back and hooks a thumb into the latch of his sheath, undoing it with a single flick. And, with considerable ease, he swings his loosened blade free from its perch across his back and twists it around like winding water around his knuckles. A nearby servant pauses, startled by the display, only to relax just enough to return to her duties when Ro props the long spear-sword against the side of the table. It stands nearly as tall as him, a black and red sheath case covering the blade itself, and intricate runes running up the length of the hilt.
He arches a brow at Mia as she asks her question, before lowering himself into the seat across from her, cups of tea already appearing before them as the servant nervously hurries over. "Oh, yes..." Ro says, laughing a little under his breath. He scratches a little just beneath the curve of his jaw, "That was a uh...fun conversation." He says, a hint of sarcasm upon his tongue. "Thank you." He says to the servant girl with a smile as she pours, before letting his fingers wrap around the short teacup.
"Bilbo was just happy to see me, but...Thorin was...well, Thorin." He admits, huffing out another laugh. "It could have been worse."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 15, 2018 16:23:42 GMT -7
Mia watches as he swings his blade and then twists it around and for a moment she can't see the boy that she had been friends with for years doing that. She couldn't see much of that boy in Ro right now but she was sure he was there somewhere but right now she couldn't see him when he done that with the blade.
He sat down opposite her and she smiled at the servant when she put the cups in front of the two and poured the tea and milk and then she curtsied and moved away, even to this day Mia couldn't get used to anyone doing that, she didn't feel like a real Princess even if she wasn't sure what a real one was meant to feel like. But either way she had been too wild growing up, bossing Robin around the way that she did and then stamping her feet when he didn't do the things right. It was a strange sort of friendship but it had lasted up til the day she got the news he had left.
Mia put her mind back on the conversation when he spoke about the fact it hadn't been a fun conversation when he had turned back up in Ash. She chuckled softly and grabbed hold of her own tea cup. "I'm sure it will be worse at some point" she smiled and then took a sip of her tea. She remembered times when she never had manners when it came to tea, slurping it back like it was water or even the wine that her mother never allowed her to have but somehow she had some anyway but now here in front of him she had manners and sipped at her tea like a Lady should then put the cup back down on the table in front of her.
There was silence between the two of them and she looked over his face. It looked so different from when she remembered him and she guessed that she looked different to him too. Older and could now fill out a dress, her hair longer than it had been last time even if it had been sheared to keep it from getting too long. Her eyes maybe a little bit harder for someone she had spent her whole childhood with.
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Post by Ray on Jan 15, 2018 16:45:21 GMT -7
"Most likely," he replies with a soft laugh.
Truth be told, coming home had been...much easier than he expected. A part of him had anticipated the worst. Even when he was young, Bilbo was fiercely protective of him -- perhaps a byproduct of his own tumultuous childhood, or because of the accident which brought him to Bilbo's home. And Thorin...the man is perhaps the greatest father he could have ever asked for, but he is a hard man. Strict. And Ro had disobeyed him. Both of them. By running into the wilds on his own. And perhaps if he had come back differently, perhaps if he had come back weary and worn and a failure. Perhaps then they would have been angrier with him. Stern and disappointed with his stupidly thought out dreams of grandeur.
But that is not how he came back.
"So," he says, lifting the cup into the air and letting the steam bathe his face. Winter might have ended, but a slight chill still resided here in Winterfell, "Tell me all that's new." He says with a smile, sipping at the tea. It's good, sweet. But not how Bilbo makes it. A fact that has troubled him across most of the cities he's been in.
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