Northern Sun | Robb Stark

Chapter 2

Supper was dull.

It tasted different without her siblings there to make a thousand comments about the temperature of the food, about its texture, about what they'd be allowed to do after they ate. Rickon was a sweet boy but he couldn't fill the emptiness that had once been filled by Myrcella and Tommen.

There was no Jon Arryn. No Uncle Jamie. No Uncle Tyrion. Winterfell was quiet. It felt dead.

Her room was filled with silence that she didn't think to fill with her own words. Talking to herself made no sense. Her earliest memories already had Myrcella in them, a baby sister she could occupy her time with. She couldn't remember ever having to entertain herself for long periods of time.

She decided to get lost in literature.

Books had become her friends a long time ago. If she wasn't with another person, she was reading a book. Entering a new or existing world where she became aware of different realities, of possibilities she had not dreamed of before. There was no more loyal friend. A book would always be there, would remain consistent.

She asked Maester Luwin for books and they became her constant company. If she wasn't eating, she was reading. If she wasn't sleeping, she was reading. If she wasn't watching Rickon, she was reading.

Piles rested by the windows where she sat to read, listening to the sounds of Winterfell. It was quiet without her family there. They lived simple lives. She appreciated it.

But she almost missed the constant noise of King's Landing.

There wasn't anyone her age to talk to. The servants didn't know her, her handmaidens had returned to the Red Keep and would now serve Myrcella. She'd had one or two conversations with Sansa but no friendship could have blossomed in such a short time, especially now that they would be miles apart.

Robb was busy taking up the duties of Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Lady Catelyn was still praying over her little boy. Theon Greyjoy could have been decent company if her mother hadn't always told her that the Greyjoys were vile people who couldn't be trusted. Not to mention she'd heard Theon frequented the nearby brothel. He might not want to hold a conversation with her unless she'd give him something in return.

Her mother warned her about the things men wanted. She told her it was a weapon, a way to get what she wanted by making them believe their needs were being met. Men were malleable when in throes, they let their guard down when they thought women cared for them. She told Eidalya to learn from the legendary Erystia Lannister who nearly changed the course of history and secured victory for the Greens during the Dance of Dragons, but didn't because they ignored her advice. Had she taken it further, she would have had her children on the Iron Throne.

Cersei said they needed to do everything to elevate their family, to leave no stone unturned, to trust no one and never fully let their guard down. They alone held power and they alone had the will to make any situation favorable. It required smarts, it required sacrifice, it required sin. And they were gifted in all fields.

All Eidalya wanted was to be normal. Not to have to fight to survive. She wanted a peaceful life reading and dancing, she wanted to one day have children who she would teach and watch do great things in the world.

It didn't seem like that would be happening.

"You've read them all?" asked Maester Luwin as she returned a pile of books to the library.

"Yes," she said. "There isn't much else to do. Meals are lonely. I've yet to find anything else to explore. Some days I read in my chambers, other days in the godswood. I would like more books, please."