#touchedbyice

[undeadned]

Days Long Gone | Chapter VIII : Eddard

He chuckled softly, " Raced? Yes, I used to race with my brother and sister when we were about your age. And i am glad that you and your parents feel that way, though i should still apologise for not receiving a family such as yours properly,"

When Loras offered to run off to find his parents in the gardens, Ned shook his head and spoke, not unkindly, " You should not run off on your own. Winterfell can be confusing to a visitor. You may lose your way," He was quiet for a moment, " But if you think that your lord father and lady mother are in the gardens, i will take you there,"

Then, Jon spoke up, offering to pass the news to the kitchens. He knew that if the whole castle greeted the Tyrells, ( or if by the very least, the castellan or steward ) the cooks will be the first people that were informed. No doubt they entire kitchen was in chaos right now trying to prepare a breakfast an hour earlier at thrice the amount of food ( assuming of course, the rest of the Tyrells and their men will be arriving in time for breakfast ) . He wondered if Jon knew that. But even if he did not, Ned knew the exact reason why the boy wanted to rid himself from his presence. He knew that him being in the sights of any of the guests will be an insult to them. He knew his place too well. And that made Ned sad. Jon should not bear any shame or burden.

He thought for a moment longer and nodded his head, " Allright, go on. And tell them to light the fires in all the hearths in the great hall. It is a cold morning," For the Tyrells at least.

He turned back to Loras, " The gardens are this way. Let's hope we can find your parents there," He took a turn and up a flight of stairs, careful to slow his pace so that the boy will be able to walk in step with him, " I do hope they are not too disappointed with our gardens. They are small compared to the ones you have in Highgarden, i'm sure,"

[undeadned]

Days Long Gone | Chapter IV : Eddard

Ned was about to go to Jon when he saw another boy run inside from the main doors and crashing into Jon, nearly knocking the boy of his feet. Were they playing a game? But Jon looked confused, and Ned concluded that they weren't. He then looked up to study the other boy, fair haired and bright eyed. Ah. A Tyrell. They've arrived. This cannot be Lord Tyrells eldest, for he was much too young, too young even to be the second.. if he was the third.. " Loras Tyrell," He started nodding his head in a slight bow, " Welcome,"

Then, he turned to Jon, " You went into the crypts?" He asked, adding a faint smile after a moment to show that he was not angry, " You were not afraid to go alone?"  When Jon came to stand by his side, hugging his middle, as brief as it was, the smile on Ned's face grew and he gave the boy's head a light pat. He wished that he could hug him back, but even if Cat was not here, they were in front of a guest, who will most likely find out ( if he had not known already ) the nature of his relation to Jon. He took a breath and straightened, stepping forward towards Loras.

" I was told that you were like to arrive in the afternoon," He said, " I hope that the morning ride was not too troublesome for you and your family,"

He looked around, seeing the empty hall. The other Tyrells must be elsewhere, " We should look for your parents and siblings. They would be looking for both of us,"

He began to walk, crossing the great hall to a smaller door at the side that lead to the rest of the castle. Lord and Lady Tyrell would have surely been invited and shown to their rooms, and bid to spend some time to warm by the hearth whilst they wait for breakfast to be served. A part of him was almost embarrassed that he was not the one to greet the Tyrells at the gate. He could imagine what that would look like, to have the steward or the castellan welcome a lord of one of the greater families in Westeros. He hoped that they would not see it as a slight and would forgive him.

[princessindragonstone-blog]

Hello, lady Shireen.

Hello, Lord Snow. How are you doing?

[bywordordeed]

Days Long Gone | Chapter III : Loras

Loras never understood why they'd been forced on this trip. Rather, he resented that Renly pushed him to travel with his family all the way North without any reason as for why. Loras had surely missed his family the past year, but hadn't desired to ascend into the cold and snow to spend time with them.

Willas had spent a good portion of their ride telling Loras every detail of his steed's breeding as though Loras cared more for that than anything in the world. Garlan had sped past him several times in an attempt to challenge him to a race, and Margaery let her pony trot along, smiling at her brothers as they played and pranced. But Loras was not amused.

In fact, by the time they reached Winterfell, Loras was rather cross, unseating himself from his horse quickly, his year as squire making it difficult to hand the reins over. He was resisted the urge to help his brothers, or even Margaery down and watched, dumbfounded as they were greeted with kind hospitality. Even in Winterfell, the Tyrell name was known, but Loras hardly remembered he was one of them, and not a Baratheon as he'd so practiced.

Their introductions had been short, and the awe of another noble family was not quite so impressive. They dispatched, and Loras watched as his brothers trailed after their parents, Margaery walking ahead of them, her little bouncing curls unaffected by the chill.

But Loras was not so easy to follow. Instead, he left the family to find warmth, heading back toward the stables, looking at the Northern ponies and patting a few on the nose when they came by and whinnied at him. He chuckled as one latched it's large tongue over his fingers and tried to nip at him. He pulled his hand away and forgot for a moment that he wasn't in Storm's End, and these were not horses accustomed to him and familiar with him.

Leaving the stables, he crept around, ever silent, looking for the cracks and crevices of the great Northern Keep. He watched a boy, not much younger than him, come racing out of some wall and knocking into some poor boy. Loras smiled, watching as he scampered away. He followed him, watching as he crashed through the heavy doors of the Great Hall.

When he took in the sight of Ned Stark, so much taller than he'd ever truly pictured, Loras felt the impulsive need to protect the boy. Launching from his feet, he clamored in after the boy, almost knocking him over, but holding on to his shoulder to keep him upright.

"Got you!" Loras exclaimed, a smile spread wide over his lips as she slowly turned his attention from the boy to the towering Lord. If nothing else they could at least pass for having played a boy's game of tag so bright and early. "Sorry, My Lord, it was my fault. I was chasing after him," Loras smiled, bright eyed as he looked over the man. He was impressive. Much like Renly's eldest brother, and looked equally terse, but Loras had never known himself incapable of charm, even at such a young age.

[undeadned]

Days Long Gone | Chapter II : Eddard

He had woken early that morning when he heard Bran sobbing in his cot. He left the bed, pushing the furs off his legs and walked drowsily across the room. Cat had always insisted to have their babes sleep in their room, at least on most nights. She wanted them to be close to her and Ned agreed to this, even if it meant losing hours of sleep. But Bran was a pleasant enough babe. He did not cry as much or as loudly as Arya had, nor was he as restless. Still, Ned was a light sleeper and he knew Cat needed as much rest as she could get. Bran's birth was the hardest of them all, so much so that Maester Luwin had told them that it will be best if she did not bear another child. That was six weeks ago.

He scooped Bran up and cradled him in his arms, wrapping the blanket closer around the babe's body. Bran quieted almost immediately though his eyes were still wide. He turned his head to his left, as if searching, and Ned knew that the boy was simply exploring the world around him, and that he was crying because he wanted attention and to be held. He smiled and gently rocked his son against his chest, hoping that he would fall asleep. Ned crossed the room again, glancing to his wife on the bed, still buried under the furs. The fire had been reduced to a few sparkling embers now and he freed a hand to reach for a log and toss it into the hearth. Cat's room was always too warm for him, but he doubted his son felt the same. He would need all the warmth he could get.

By the time Bran closed his eyes once again, Ned was too awake to return to bed and sleep. Besides, it was probably an hour till dawn. He may as well stay up.

He laid Bran in his cot, pulling another blanket over him before making his way to the closets to find a new pair of breeches, a tunic and a leather doublet then, his boots. Once dressed, he walked to the bed and kissed his lady wife on the brow, brushing the fringe from her face.

He closed the door behind him and hurried down the corridor. He had thought that perhaps he will have something light to eat as he knew that it was still too early for a proper breakfast to be served. Perhaps after that, he will visit the Godswood and pray until the sun had risen higher. And once the boys have woken, maybe he shall take them riding in the wolfswood. Along with the guests(?).

He arrived at the great hall and he sees Jon running through the main doors. He smiled, " Jon," He said, the emptiness of the hall magnifying his voice, " What are you doing up so early?"