It was a bad combination for Eddmina's mood, a confrontation with the Queen and a disagreement with her twin. She felt as though a swarm of wasps were buzzing within her, and while she wanted to go off and hide in the godswood until her mood improved, she also felt as though she just wanted to scream. Not only did she have the conversation with Cersei running through her mind, the Queen always succeeding in ruining any sort of positive mood Eddmina was in, but she also had the knowledge that for the first time ever she didn't have Robb on her side. They rarely disagreed but his reaction to her news infuriated her, feeling as though she didn't have her other half for the first time in her whole life. Yet, another part of her didn't care. Let him act immature, as if nothing would ever change, as if they would never have to grow up and move on with their lives.
Eddmina headed down to the great hall in the hopes that she would still be in time to get some breakfast. If not, she decided she'd just go down to the kitchens and sneak some food there. She realised then that she was actually rather hungry and it must have been the first morning in months she hadn't woken up feeling ill. She decided after breakfast to go to the library and try and track down any books about pregnancy, feeling severely uninformed on what her own body was going through.
By the time she reached the hall there was only one table still occupied, though she recognised Jon and the Tyrells with relief. She was desperately hungry, but she wasn't sure she was that desperate that she'd sit alone, or worse, sit with any of the visiting Southerners. As she got closer, she noticed Jon was watching her from across the hall, and as the others heard her footsteps they looked up. One look to Jon's serious expression and the smirk Garlan was wearing told her that somehow, they already knew. Eddmina just hoped Jon would take the news better than Robb, as she was in no mood to fall out with two brothers that day.
"Morning," she called, ignoring the fact that the table were all watching her.
At her arrival, Willas rose from his seat, greeting her with a smile and a kiss to her cheek, and Eddmina tried not to blush. She took a seat to his left, the others sat across from them, and though she was determined to act as though everything was normal, one glance to Leonette - who was clearly struggling to hide a grin - and Garlan - who's gaze kept flicking between her and Willas - Eddmina knew it would be impossible to ignore the elephant in the room.
"I've been to see Bran," she said, looking directly at Jon. Perhaps mentioning her sick brother would get the attention away from her. "He didn't look too awful, he seemed as though he was just sleeping. It was my mother who looked the sick one,"
"Do you think she'd let me see him?" Jon asked her, his voice cautious as if he already knew the inevitable answer.
"You're his brother," Eddmina replied simply, deciding that that day was not the best to be reminded of her mother's cruelty, already having plenty on her mind.
It was then that Willas slid a plate of food in front of her, what looked to be bread rolls, cheese and fruit preserve. It was the only full plate left on the table, he'd clearly saved her what was left over from what they had been served, and she flashed him a grateful smile. The small bread rolls were still warm so she quickly went about tearing into them and spreading a generous amount of preserve onto each half, trying to ignore that everyone was still watching her. The table had fallen silent, as if they were waiting for her to talk, but in her stubbornness she decided to just wait, wanting to see how long it would be until someone finally brought up the topic they were all clearly eager to discuss.
She had nearly finished eating when Garlan was the first one to break.
"You must be thirsty, sister, would you like some wine?" he asked smugly, gesturing between the flagon in the middle of the table and her empty goblet, though she also caught his quick glance to Willas, as if he was desperate to annoy him; it clearly worked.
"Oh, you're a prat," Willas muttered with a sigh, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm alright, thank you, brother," she replied calmly, looking Garlan in the eye to see he looked rather satisfied with annoying Willas yet disappointed she hadn't risen to his bait.
"You know, Eddmina, me and Leo were just talking about taking a trip to Dorne at some point," he tried again, though Eddmina felt her face grow hot. "Any thoughts? You clearly had a rather... impactful trip,"
"I don't understand," Jon said quietly, glancing to his sister with a frown.
"Good," Willas said coldly, glaring at his brother, who was utterly amused. So was Leonette, the two of them holding in laughter for dear life. "I swear to the seven, Garlan, don't make me want to murder you,"
"I'd rather you didn't, I prefer him joking about it than being annoyed," Eddmina shrugged before leaning over and resting her elbows on the table, her gaze flicking between the three sat across from her. "Would you just like me to say it though? Get it out in the open so you can stop giggling, and you can stop joking, and you can stop staring? Would it make you feel happier if I just said that I'm pregnant?"
She dropped her voice at the last two words, practically hissing them as she was still wary of people finding out. Despite her subtlety, the reactions were jubilant. Garlan and Leonette let out a cheer, and much to Eddmina's relief, Jon cracked a smile.
"The damned fool actually already knew," Willas confessed, and despite his annoyance Eddmina still noticed he found it impossible to hide his smile.
"Can't be that much of a fool if I figured it out before the both of you," Garlan shrugged proudly.
"And then Jon happened to overhear us when I was telling him to keep it quiet," Willas explained.
"Are you annoyed?" she asked Jon, turning her focus purely onto him, Robb's reaction running through her mind. "Because I'd rather you just tell me how you feel about it,"
"How I feel about it?" Jon asked, looking both amused and confused. "I'm happy for you, but I don't think it's much of my place to feel annoyed,"
"Perhaps you should have a conversation with our brother then," she muttered, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
Jon frowned at her words, knowing that Bran was still sleeping and Rickon would never dare be rude to his beloved big sister, and so he was left wondering just why Robb would be mean to Eddmina. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Willas sit up a little straighter as if he too realised her twin must have upset her, but without looking she reached over and took hold of his arm, squeezing it as if to control his emotions. She shrugged, forcing a smile.
"I'm glad you're happy," she said, hoping to steer all of their thoughts away from anything negative.
"You know who else will be happy?" Garlan chimed up, and Eddmina was silently thankful that he knew her well enough to recognise when she really wanted to avoid certain topics. "Mother,"
"And your grandmother," Leonette added. "Perhaps now they'll stop pestering us,"
Eddmina cracked a small smile, especially as she felt Willas place one of his hands on hers.
***
After Lord Stark's meeting with the King regarding Bran, they were permitted with another five days in Winterfell before they would begin their long journey back to King's Landing. Eddmina initially wanted to celebrate, the thought of the royals leaving at long last being such a relief, yet it was tinged with bitterness, because the only reason the visit was extended was due to the unknowing of Bran's delicate condition, and when the visit did end it would also mean her family was torn apart. In trying times like those it felt cruel for them all to be separating, and she wanted nothing more than to shout at both of her parents until they saw sense, until they decided not to break up their family, but then she remembered that Winterfell wasn't technically her place anymore.
Well, it would be her place again, at least for the next few months, and Garlan and Leonette had happily volunteered to remain in Winterfell with Eddmina and Willas, seeing it as an extension to a holiday. The Tyrells explained their extension to the royals easily, not divulging into Eddmina's condition but simply saying they wished to remain north until they knew Bran was alright, so very few people knew of the truth.
Of course, Eddmina had told the rest of her family, keeping the news quiet and personal. She'd told her Uncle while he and her father were in the Godswood, and he had been so kind and congratulatory, hugging her and shaking Willas' hand, until he turned his focus on joking about his brother becoming a grandfather. She'd told her sisters alone while they waited for their morning lessons with the septa, and though Arya asked a dozen dark questions about Eddmina's mortality and the safety of it all she did seem rather subtly pleased to become an aunt, though Sansa wept and couldn't stop crying the whole morning, making plans to sew an entire wardrobe and promises that she'll become such a good aunt who'll visit all the time. She decided not to tell Rickon until all of the royals were gone, because even though he was little so would barely understand the situation, he would definitely blurt out the news when it was least wanted. She didn't tell Theon either, assuming Robb had told him considering both of them avoided her in the days following Bran's accident, not that she really cared.
Willas wrote a letter home, to his parents, his grandmother, and Margaery and Loras. He wrote all about their trip, about the royals, about Bran, and then at the end breaking their news. Eddmina was more than used to reading letters written by Willas, but reading the way he wrote about their baby made her feel rather happy about the whole situation. He also wrote letters to Old Town, to inform his maternal family the Hightowers, and knowing it would irritate his family, he wrote a final letter to Dorne for Oberyn. Eddmina had asked if her mother wanted to write letters to the Eyrie and to Riverrun, to inform her siblings and her father, but Lady Stark had not been up to facing much at all, other than sit by Bran's bedside and weave together his godly dreamcatcher. Every morning Eddmina would visit the Godswood for more sticks, and she'd spend hours sat at her mother's side, watching as she worked the wood into a thing of art, neither of them speaking.
Whenever Eddmina wasn't sat with her mother at Bran's bedside, she dedicated herself to Winterfell. She practically became lady of the keep, as her father was busy readying the men who would be going south with him, and though Eddmina tried to spend time with her sisters, she also made sure to help her father, making sure the castle would still be running once they all left. It was a job Robb was expected to step into, but Eddmina took over, deciding that if she didn't busy herself she would be free to think. She didn't really like thinking, not when the only things she'd managed to read about pregnancy was how dangerous it was and how few women actually survived with their health fully in tact, and not when her brother was still in such a deep sleep. There were far too many dark thoughts threatening to take over her mind, so she decided that if she kept herself focused, she would be able to bury the thoughts away.
That wasn't true though, as the thoughts surfaced at night. Ever since Bran's fall she hadn't slept properly, her mind racing at such a speed even closing her eyes felt like a chore. Though she still spent every night curled up in Willas' arms, her head buried in the crook of his neck, one of his hands resting on the small of her back, his thumb tracing over her soft pale skin while his other hand was placed on her stomach, she remained unable to find proper rest. It was exhausting, constantly thinking over the dark possibilities of life, but she refused to tell Willas. He had become rather concerned for her ever since finding out about her condition, becoming protective over every little bit of her health, and she knew telling him about her insomnia would only worsen his worry. She tried to keep him busy, having him and the other Tyrells keep the royals occupied while the Starks were distracted over Bran.
It turned out that Willas and Eddmina were even more dissimilar than they both initially thought, as Willas rather enjoyed their company. He could easily make friends with anyone, given how charming he could be, yet he somehow seemed to even impress the Lannisters. He had become rather friendly with Tyrion Lannister, and though the Queen's brother had done little to offend Eddmina she wondered if the way she felt about their friendship was the same way the Tyrells felt about his friendship with the Dornish. She realised one night when she finally agreed to join the two of them that perhaps Lord Tyrion's company wasn't so awful. He was rather nice, and quite funny, and Eddmina rather enjoyed herself, not that she would admit it out loud.
One morning, two days before everyone was set to go their separate ways, Eddmina returned to the great hall from Bran's chambers to see the last of the people breaking their fasts. As always one of those tables included Willas, Garlan and Leonette, though the Tyrells seemed less content than usual. Willas was clearly trying to disguise a smirk behind his hand, forcing a frown as if to attempt to be serious, though Leonette looked genuinely frustrated and Garlan, ever the dutiful husband, looked rather distressed at the thought of causing his wife annoyance. In all the months of knowing them, Eddmina had never seen Garlan and Leonette argue, or even bicker. Their marriage had been for love, and they certainly had an abundance of it for each other, but that morning they just seemed on edge.
Willas saw Eddmina approaching from across the hall, subtly raising his eyebrows at her as if to signal for help. He rose to greet her as soon as she was close enough and though he pushed a kiss to her cheek as always he used the closeness to whisper a message of warning in her ear.
"They're awful when they're annoyed at each other," he hissed to her, parting from her so they could both sit back down.
As always he'd gathered her breakfast for her, so while she began eating she attempted to figure out just what had happened. Garlan kept leaning over to take hold of Leonette's hand, while she kept hitting his knuckles with her breakfast spoon, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, by the gods, the two of you are acting worse than my sisters!" Eddmina exclaimed after a few minutes, not able to tolerate them any longer. "What's gone on with you both?"
"Technically, it's Willas' fault," Garlan spoke quickly, flashing a quick wink to his brother who merely folded his arms across his chest, Willas not even having the energy to be annoyed; Leonette didn't feel the same.
"Sorry, I forgot you were still a child who cowers behind your big brother," Leonette muttered frustratedly, fiddling with her hair so she didn't have to look at her husband.
"Lovely Mina," Willas began, and Eddmina knew he was using the sweet pet name because he was about to ask something of her. "How would you feel about me and my gallant fool of a brother accompanying your brother and Uncle to the wall? I was speaking to your Uncle last night and he thought it would be a good idea, he thought seeing it first hand would help us encourage more of a southern interest for their cause, and- Ow! Gods, Leo!"
It was Willas' turn to feel the wrath of Leonette and her spoon, his knuckles getting the same treatment as Garlan's. Meanwhile, Eddmina was shocked. Was that all this was for, a trip up north? She glanced between the three others before quickly covering her mouth with the back of her hand, hoping it was enough to hide the laughter that was desperate to come out. Leonette glared over at her.
"I think it's a terrible idea, all of you!" Leonette exclaimed, tossing the spoon aside as she placed her elbows on the table, leaning closer to them all, hissing the reasoning as she continued, "Mina is with child, Will, and you want to go running off on an adventure? You can't just abandon her!"
"You do know Winterfell is my home?" Eddmina bit back another laugh, because it was rather sweet that her annoyance came from a place of concern. "It's hardly abandonment. Besides, it's not as though I'm due anytime soon, it's still months away, and it's not as if we're doing anything crucial here that they'll miss out on,"
"But the Wall is dangerous!" Leonette reminded them all, her tone desperate to be heard. "The only people who go there are criminals! Murderers and thieves, and worse!"
"And a long line of Starks and northern highborn second sons who want to find a place in the world and do some good protecting the rest of us from unknown dangers," Eddmina spoke calmly, though her jaw clenched out of instinct. She turned to look at Willas then, taking hold of his hand. "I'd like you to go. In fact I'd be thrilled if you went to Castle Black. You've said ever since reading the history books that you want the south and the Reach to be of more use with the Watch. Seeing it in person might help you with that, they can tell you what they need, how we can help,"
"See?" Garlan nudged Leonette with his elbow, gesturing to Willas and Eddmina. "It is a noble cause after all, and I'm sorry you don't like the idea of it, but I want to go. I want to go stand on the edge of the world,"
Leonette huffed, before she kicked back her seat and stormed out of the hall. Garlan sighed, his head falling into his hands for a moment, and as he ran a hand through his dark hair Eddmina couldn't help but think how similar he was to his brother. Willas looked a Tyrell, but he favoured the Hightower looks more, just like how Eddmina's siblings looked more Tully than Stark, but what Willas and Garlan lacked in physical similarities they made up for in mannerisms. When Garlan lifted his head he wore the same exasperated grimace she'd seen Willas wear a few times. He smirked apologetically at them, the typical Tyrell smirk laced with regret, and then he got up, following in his wife's footsteps, leaving Willas and Eddmina completely alone in the hall save a few servants moving about.
"He does know there's an entire world beyond the wall, it's just that the first men decided to isolate them away from the rest of Westeros in the fear that they were savages?" Eddmina frowned in amusement, and Willas chuckled, wishing that they were back in their own rooms so that he could kiss her on the lips because of how beautiful she looked when she pulled that expression. "I feel that Leonette is going to be annoyed with me,"
"She'll manage," Willas shrugged, his own smirk of amusement appearing on his face. "How are you feeling this morning? How was your brother, any change?"
Willas had only been to visit Bran with her once, on the second day after the fall. He had volunteered wholeheartedly to accompany her, and though he refused to complain she could see that the stairs were causing him some pain. She knew he was far too proud to complain about his leg, and also knew that he was too dignified to make a fuss over an old injury when her own brother was hurt, so she saved him the trouble. That was one of the reasons why she visited Bran in the mornings, while Willas was still sleeping, still unused to not being woken by the first rays of sunlight like he enjoyed in Highgarden. If Willas knew that, he hadn't said anything.
"I'm the same as always, and so was Bran," she told him, looking down to her half-finished breakfast, biting her lip in thought. "He's going to get better, I know it,"
"I heard Robb say the same yesterday at dinner, to your sisters," Willas said, immediately regretting it when he saw the second-long glare that appeared on her face. "You're both so similar, you know,"
"Can't be that similar," she shrugged stubbornly. "If he was in my position... I'd try harder to be there for him. Any word from your family?"
"It's only been a few days," he reminded her, though he knew she was only concerned about their reaction. "I'm sure something will arrive whilst I am at the wall. If so, feel free to read whatever,"
Eddmina flashed him a small smile of appreciation, liking that there were no real secrets between the two of them. She opened her mouth to reply, but stopped herself, interupted by the sound of footsteps. Both of them looked over to see the newcomers, only to recognise Lord Tyrion, and his older brother, Ser Jaime. Eddmina was yet to have a proper conversation with the man known as the Kingslayer, but she had once noticed her father looking at him rather distastefully, and that had been enough for her to form an opinion on him. Of course, Willas was entitled to his own opinion, and he raised his hand in greeting to the two Lannisters, nudging Eddmina when he noticed her sigh as the two of them headed over to her table.
"Good morning," he greeted as the two men took a seat across from them. Eddmina sat up straighter as she looked between them both.
It was impossible to ignore the fact that Ser Jaime Lannister looked strikingly alike to his twin sister. Eddmina and Robb were twins too, but she was certain that they didn't look so similar. For one, Robb's hair was more auburn, favouring their mother, while Eddmina was the more Stark-looking of the two of them. Ser Jaime, however, was exactly like his Queen sister. They were both golden haired, both carried themselves with an air of superiority, and both had a look in their eyes that made Eddmina want to proceed with caution. If Willas got the same vibes, he was better at hiding it, better at playing the game.
"I don't believe we've yet had the pleasure of meeting," Jaime spoke, looking at her, holding his hand out. Eddmina took it to shake, because no matter how she felt her parents would hate it if she forgot her manners. "Ser Jaime Lannister,"
"Eddmina Stark," she said in a similar tone, forcing a smile. She hoped Willas wouldn't take offence at her omitting her marital name, but it had felt right because she was a Stark by blood and she was in her home, and these were visitors who thought her below them. It felt only right to remind them of where they were. "I hope you've enjoyed your stay in Winterfell,"
"It certainly has been an experience," Lord Tyrion said, before looking at Willas. "And I hear you're off to the Wall? Not enjoying the married life?"
"On the contrary, I'm enjoying marriage that much I want to learn more about my wife's heritage, and that includes going to Castle Black," Willas said, and under the table he took hold of her hand, squeezing it. Eddmina had to fight off a smile. "I'm rather looking forward to it, Mina and I have been studying the history books for a while, and I think that there's a lot more the south can do to support the Night's Watch,"
Ser Jaime snorted out a laugh, and it took everything in Eddmina not to glare at him. No wonder her father didn't like Lannisters, no wonder her Uncle rolled his eyes at them.
"Perhaps I'll accompany you," Tyrion mused, earning a look of shock and amusement from his brother. "What? I think it's rather a good idea. Plus, I've always wanted to take a piss off the edge of the world,"
"I'm sure the Wildlings down below will be very grateful for that, my lord," Eddmina muttered dryly before she could stop herself.
"And what will you be doing, while we're off on this adventure?" Tyrion asked her, leaning over the table as if severely interested in her next move.
"I'm going to be here to look after my little brother," she said, her voice serious.
At the mention of Bran, she refused to break her focused gaze on the two Lannisters. Lord Tyrion looked almost sympathetic, yet he also looked interested, as if he had a dozen questions to ask. His brother, however, remained unchanged, if not for a slight flicker in his eyes that seemed to signal that something wasn't quite right. It reminded her a little of how the Queen looked the day after Bran's fall, when the two of them bumped into each other in the corridors. The strange look of guilt that had been in the Queen's eyes seemed to be echoed in her twin's, but it looked more hollow, more careless. She couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but something wasn't right.
"Ah, that's right, you were there, you saw it happen," Tyrion nodded, curiosity in his eyes, while his brother frowned as if he was hearing new information.
"I did see it," she said, swallowing as she forced her emotions away, feeling Willas squeeze her hand. "Our great grandmother was a Flint, of the mountains. She was apparently an excellent climber, and Bran inherited that. He could scale the Eyrie and not fall, he never falls. We've all watched him do trickier climbs than the broken tower a thousand times, scares my mother half to death, but Bran never falls. At first I thought he was climbing into the tower, he's done that sometimes to make dens and hideouts, and I saw him stand on the ledge for a while as if he was going to climb in, but then he didn't. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't watched it happen,"
"I watched him scale one of the towers of Highgarden when he visited for the wedding," Willas recalled, forgetting the company as he lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a dozen reassuring kisses to her knuckles. "You Starks are made of strong stuff, he'll recover,"
"I'd be interested to hear what he has to say, once he wakes up," Tyrion considered, though his brother stayed silent.
In the moment, Eddmina interpreted Ser Jaime's silence as arrogant ignorance and a signifier of a superiority complex. Yet within the space of a few months it would all seem much more serious, and Eddmina would go on to regret not listening to her uncomfortable instincts.
***
Word count: 4660
***