"You're allowed to be angry, you know,"

Eddmina kept her gaze focused on the target in front of her, watching as the arrow she'd just shot found its home in the centre. She didn't need to look to see her Uncle Brynden, nor did she want to. He, just like everyone else in her family, had been treading around her carefully in the few days since her mother's arrival in Riverrun, and Eddmina didn't have the patience for it.

Eddmina felt like everyone had simply been glad to see her mother to the point that they forgot Willas was still missing, and that Renly's death meant they lost out on a crucial alliance. She felt like they had lost such an important opportunity, and without it, their war effort seemed a little more exhausting. Perhaps if they had heard from Theon about securing a naval fleet from his father then she might feel a little less stressed, but with hope of a Stormlands alliance lost and no word from Theon and the Greyjoys, Eddmina felt like her grasp on the war was starting to slip. When considering alliances, Eddmina found it easy to forget how they were yet to lose a battle, and how they had the Lannisters surrounded, but since her mother's arrival in Riverrun, unlike everyone else, she felt utterly hopeless and lost.

She kept that to herself though. The only person she allowed to see how depressed she had become since Willas failed to return with her mother was Garlan, and that was only because he felt the exact same way. She did not trust Robb or her mother with her emotions, not after they failed to understand her initial outburst and made her feel like a fool for being worried about her husband. She didn't talk to her uncles either, not knowing them well enough. Even Dacey Mormont, who she counted as a friend, did not get to see, because she was still one of the bannermen, and Eddmina dreaded any of them seeing anything but the cold, stoic persona she had perfected. No one needed to know that she felt as though her entire world was falling apart and her chest hurt every time she looked at her wedding ring. No one needed to know that her nightmares had gotten far worse than they ever had been to the point she'd had her handmaidens set up a nursery in the adjoining chamber so that she didn't wake Uther up or scare him if she started screaming in the night. No one needed to know that she had lost all motivation and even getting out of bed was a monumental effort. She let herself break in privacy, but when she was around everyone else she remained unflinching. She wondered if her family had really picked up on her slight change, the fact that she hardly spoke, hardly ate, and hardly slept, but if they had, none of them said anything or offered anything but sympathetic smiles, not even Robb.

For the first time, she thought of abandoning the cause. Without Willas it felt pointless. She had always felt as though she was fighting to protect her family, fighting to save their future, but without Willas her future felt wasted. She wanted to leave it all behind, take Uther and Honour and flee to the east, starting a new life where no one knew who she was and she didn't have to constantly think of others. It was selfish and cruel, but a life without Willas was even crueller, and she wanted to run as far as possible to hide from how empty her life felt without him.

As always though, her father came to mind when she thought of running away. Any time she thought of it for too long, the image of Lord Stark in the godswood came to her, teaching her about honour and duty, and Eddmina found herself riddled with guilt to the point that she knew leaving was impossible. The war had been started in her father's name, and she knew he would be ashamed of her if she fled.

"Your grace, would you put down the bow and talk to me?" Her uncle addressed her again, though Eddmina let another arrow loose at the target.

"I'm your niece, you can call me by my name," she muttered simply.

"Fine," he said, and for a moment he was quiet and she heard footsteps. She wondered if he'd given up so quickly, but then she heard an arrow thunk into the target next to hers and she saw her uncle stood at her side with his own bow. "Princess Eddmina, would you prefer to talk to me like this?"

"There is nothing to talk about," she sighed stubbornly, knocking another arrow. Brynden did the same.

"The last time Westeros was at war you were too young to remember, but I do, and I recall how, for a long time, we thought it was only a matter of time before we were defeated and executed as traitors," he spoke matter-of-factly, which she appreciated. He wasn't treating her like a child, nor talking to her like she was an emotional idiot, he was merely speaking. "It's an inevitable part of war, and life, to worry about losing."

"I'm not worried," she said, still sounding stubborn, far too used to shoving people away when it came to her feelings. "I'm simply coming to terms with things looking vastly different to what I expected."

"You'd be a miracle worker if you had expected a war like this," Brynden remarked, releasing his arrow. He was just as good as Eddmina, if not a little better. It brought out her competitive streak as she shot her own, cursing when it was slightly off from the centre. "I don't remember too much of what was happening here during the last war, but from what I do remember, your mother was the same whenever she didn't hear from your father."

"Father and mother didn't love each other then," she said before she could stop herself. "They'd only met a handful of times before they married, and they only got to spend a few weeks together before father had to go fight. Our situations aren't the same."

"No, and your mother didn't have the sort of responsibilities you do, but even so she constantly tried to hide how worried she was about your father," he continued, but he wasn't helping as much as he hoped.

"Please don't compare me to my mother," Eddmina clenched her jaw. "She thinks I'm a child, Robb thinks a fool, I don't need you and Edmure looking down upon me as well."

"When would I ever look down on you?" He lowered his bow, turning to face her properly with a frown of disbelief. "I would never think you a fool, Princess, least of all in a situation like this. I actually think you're under-reacting to all of this."

"If I do anything but under-react everyone will think I am some hysterical woman unfit to be here," she explained calmly, lowering her own bow for a moment as she briefly glanced at him. "It doesn't matter that my husband may or may not be dead because of my mother's negligence. You're allowed to overreact, I am not, even if this situation calls for it."

He raised his eyebrow for a moment as he considered what she said, but she did not stay facing him as she turned her focus back to the target. She didn't want to see the look in his eye as he decided she was some foolish girl that didn't match up to the front she put up. Just as she was about to loose another arrow, she felt him place his hand on her shoulder.

"Keep pretending if you want, you do a damned fine job of it, but just know if I was you I'd have screamed the keep down and fled by now," he told her, and for a faint moment, she almost saw him smile.

"What about 'family, duty, honour'?" She asked, feeling her chest tighten at the thought of not complying to expectations. He chuckled quietly, squeezing her shoulder. "What?"

"Has anyone ever told you how much like your father you are?" He asked a little amusedly, though Eddmina felt her face fall and her eyes sting. She looked up to the sky to stop the tears until her uncle squeezed her shoulder, making her look at him once more. "Duty and love very rarely mix, and it doesn't matter who you are, sometimes the latter wins. That is not always a bad thing, especially in your case."

Eddmina didn't cry, but she did drop her bow and fall into her uncle's arms. He held her in a tight embrace, the sort she hadn't felt for a long time. It felt like someone was looking after her, like someone cared enough to shoulder her burdens and try to understand. He'd never understand everything, not as an unmarried man, but he was trying. He didn't get frustrated by her emotions or think her foolish, he didn't just offer sympathies and belittle her, he got on her level. Not even her father had really done that, always turning things into a lesson to teach duty and honour. Eddmina loved her father, and was grateful for him and all his lessons, but to have someone ensure her feelings were valid regardless of what she had always been taught was new. Her father had often taught her to compromise, mostly because that was how he had been taught to live too, but Brynden was telling her to feel and to not regret feeling. It was new, and affirming, and she squeezed him tightly.

"I miss him," she said, her face still buried in his chest. "Not my father. I obviously miss umm, more than I can say, but... I miss Willas. I love him, I never told him enough."

"You'll tell him again soon, I'm sure," her uncle told her, softening his voice as he finally succeeded in getting her to talk honestly. "Don't assume his fate, he may be safe and unharmed, he may come riding through those gates in a matter of hours or days, or yes, he may be dead. Until we know anything for certain, be as strong as you want, but you're not weak for feeling scared or sad."

For the first time in a long time, Eddmina let herself feel, and when she parted in their embrace, she didn't feel like such a fool when Brynden saw her bloodshot eyes and she left a couple of dampened patches on his shirt from her escaped tears.

***

It took two and a half weeks to travel from the Stormlands to Riverrun. It was an exhausting journey, but only travelling with a handful of guards supplied by his father and riding through the night meant that they made good time. They avoided the roads wherever possible, keeping to woodlands and back passages, and they made sure not to venture near any taverns or inns. They kept to themselves, and never let their focus stray from their journey.

Though, by the time they arrived in the Riverlands, Willas couldn't help but regret their hurried pace. He'd been in a rush, determined to return to his wife as soon as he could, not to mention his son and his brother, but in doing so he'd not thought of himself. Food hadn't always been a focus, and neither was his leg, but he'd run on so much adrenaline to get back to Eddmina that he only realised a few days away from Riverrun how strained his bad leg had gotten. It ached far more than it usually did, and if he moved in a certain way his knee would sting, but he couldn't afford to slow their pace. He didn't really care too much about the pain, nor the fact that he'd hardly taken the time to eat, but he had started to notice how run down he felt.

"My lord," one of the guards said as they stopped their horses just as the sky started to fade from blue to pink so they could have a momentary rest. "Riverrun is only a few hours away. If we set up camp now we can get some rest then make our arrival in the morning."

"When you say a few hours, how many?" Willas asked, reluctant to stop for the night, not if they were so close.

"If we were to carry on today we would get there long after nightfall," the guard advised. Willas knew he wanted to stop, but he also knew it had been such a long time since he'd seen Eddmina, and he couldn't bare to stop when he was so close.

"I'd like to keep going," he decided, noticing the way the guards looked between themselves.

They looked as if they thought he was mad, but said nothing, and so their group continued to push on. The hours seemed to drag, and with each gallop of his horse Willas felt his leg twinge, and each strain became harder to ignore than the last. He tried to put it out of his mind and focus on what awaited him in Riverrun. He'd not wanted to stop because the thought of spending another night sleeping on the ground under a makeshift shelter by a fire exhausted him more than the thought of continuing to ride, and it had been so long since he'd been indoors, let alone in a keep of nobility. There were certain luxuries that he'd decided he was too impatient to wait for, and the thought of a proper bed, and a warm meal, and a hot bath outweighed the idea of arriving the day after.

Outweighing them all though was the thought of seeing Eddmina and Uther, and Garlan too. He couldn't wait to see his brother, to tell him everything that was happening with their family, to tell him about their father and their siblings, and for his brother to catch him up on everything that had happened in his absence. He couldn't wait to see his son, to see how much he had grown and see if he remembered him despite being gone for a long time. As for Eddmina... He couldn't find the words to describe how badly he'd missed her, how much he had yearned for her and how desperate he was to see her, to hold her, to kiss her, to hear her say his name. It felt like part of his soul had departed him, left in Eddmina's care, and his body ached to be reunited with it.

The thought of her was enough to get him through the next few tedious hours of riding, even as the sun set and the stars rose in the sky. He remembered what she had looked like the last time he'd seen her, with her hair braided in her signature style, dressed in a black riding gown with silver wolves sewn on the collar and on the fastenings of her thick fur cloak. She'd worn her crown too, the one the northerners had insisted upon, the one she pretended not to like and simply see as duty. She'd tried to smile, tried to seem strong, and to anyone else perhaps they saw her as steeled and controlled, but to him, he saw the faint cracks of her facade, the ones only he was trusted to see. In moments like that, Eddmina seemed so strong, so powerful in her understanding of duty, and she was beautiful. Yet, if he wanted to think about her being beautiful, he need only think back to their wedding day, when she'd worn a white laced gown decorated with his sigil and flowers in her hair, and even through the nerves she'd smiled.

He loved her. Gods, he loved her. Who would he be without her?

The camps of the Riverlands army and the Northern bannermen surrounded the great fortress of Riverrun, and upon the northern guards surrounding it recognising him, Willas and his small group of Tyrell men were provided an escort to the gates of the keep. Even so, those stood watch at the drawbridge refused to let them enter. Willas wanted to curse at the delay, wanting to desperately get off his horse, but he bit back his temper.

"Who goes there?" the Tully guard called, attempting to sound fierce.

"Ser Willas of house Tyrell, heir to Highgarden," his own guard called before he had chance to introduce himself.

"Consort to her grace Princess Eddmina Stark, the hand of the king" one of the northern men yelled up to the Tully in response to the southerner, glancing at the Tyrell men warily, determined to not let the north be forgotten.

"May I come in, please?" Willas asked, raising his hand in greeting, deciding to speak for himself at last.

There was a moment of hesitation, then the drawbridge was lowered, and before anyone could get in front of him Willas kicked his horse into a trot. Once he was through the gates he was straight into the courtyard, which given the late hour was practically deserted, save one man. He was in the corner of the courtyard in an alcove designated as the armoury, cleaning down the weaponry, taking special care of one particular sword. He recognised the sword first, the golden hilt with two emeralds embedded in, with a pummel carved in the shape of a rose. He remembered seeing that sword for the first time, on his brother's ten-and-eighth nameday, he remembered how his parents gave him a similar one with only one emerald, while Loras' had three. The swords were a set, just like the three Tyrell brothers, and they had been made so they were one of a kind. Only one man had a sword with two emeralds like that.

Willas felt an elated grin grow on his face as he pulled his horse to a stop, relief washing over him at the sight of his brother. He pulled his horse to a stop, dismounting as quick as his leg would allow. When riding he kept his cane fastened to the side of his saddle, so he leant against his horse for a moment as he retrieved it. In the meantime, he heard a curse, and when he looked up, Garlan was staring at him as if he'd seen a ghost.

"You!" Garlan exclaimed, dropping his sword. It clattered to the floor noisily, but Garlan merely stood there, awestruck, staring at Willas with his mouth agape. "You're alive."

"I believe so," Willas nodded. "Are you?"

"Just about," Garlan said, still staring at him in shock. "I thought you were dead."

"I'm not," Willas nodded again, then forgot all about the aches in his leg as he rushed to his brother's side, pulling him into a tight embrace.

It took a moment, but Garlan broke out of his shock and quickly hugged his brother back, so tight Willas could barely breathe. Garlan was gripping him as if he might disappear at any moment, and Willas remembered the last time he'd held him like that, with that sort of force, when the maesters were re-breaking his leg and he was making him swear that he wouldn't die. The memory hit him and Willas had to fight not to give into it, instead focusing on Garlan, realising he felt smaller than he remembered, as if he had shrunk, gotten skinnier. Garlan was always the bulkiest of the three Tyrell boys, with Loras being the slimmest, but clearly in the time that he'd been away his brother had lost weight.

"I'm alright," Willas promised him, feeling Garlan's grip remain as stiff as it had been upon their embrace's beginning. "Garlan, you're going to suffocate me."

"I'm sorry," his younger brother said quietly, loosening his grip, stepping away to look at him properly, though not releasing him completely as his hands remained on his shoulders. "When Lady Stark returned without you we thought whatever killed Renly got you too. Is everyone else alright? Margaery? Loras? Father?"

"They're all alive, they're fine, I promise," Willas told him. "Loras is as you'd expect, Margaery is upset too but she has to be strong for Loras, and father... Well, father said he was sorry."

"He what? Our father?" Garlan frowned, finding that the most shocking part of Willas' explanation. "What was he sorry for? Was he feeling well?"

"Well, for my joust for a start, then for how he's been acting," Willas explained, laughing at his brother's shocked expression. "I know, that's what I thought too. He said he's going to try and understand more."

"And is he going to be joining us here?" Garlan asked when he managed to recover from the surprise.

"He will, once there's peace in the Stormlands," Willas nodded, though Garlan immediately rolled his eyes doubtfully; Willas had certainly been there. "Where's everyone else? I'll need to tell Robb. More importantly though, where's-"

"She's at supper," Garlan said quickly, a smile crossing his face before it dropped and he looked his brother up and down again, regarding him sadly. "Forget everyone else, you go find that wife of yours and you tell her just how much you bloody love her, because the way she has been the last few weeks-"

"Is she alright?" He interrupted, panic- stricken.

"Willas, we thought you were dead," Garlan stated bluntly. "We thought whatever killed Renly killed you, Margie and Loras too."

"But Mina-" Willas began to ask again, stopping himself when he felt guilt surge through him, as well as anger that Lady Stark had left him behind.

"Has been utterly remarkable, but since her mother came back..." Garlan began to explain, but trailed off as he struggled to find the words. He reached out and hit his brother's arm gently, forcing a smile. "It doesn't matter, you're here now."

"It does matter, if it was Leonette-" Willas tried to point out but cut himself off when he considered how much it would hurt his brother to mention the wife he hadn't seen for almost a year. "I didn't mean for Lady Stark to leave me behind, and I'd have come here sooner if not for Loras. I knew that you would all think something had happened, and I felt awful, but I couldn't leave him. Did you know he thought we hated him?"

"Melodramatic little shit," Garlan muttered as he rolled his eyes, yet both brothers knew he was merely being sarcastic to hide his true feelings. "Eddmina has spent the last few weeks thinking she is a widow. She barely speaks to her mother because she's furious that she left you behind, and Robb... Well, all I will say is that it's not been a bed of roses around here lately."

"Using floral metaphors, you sound like grandmother," Willas managed to remark, despite the dread stirring inside. "She's alright though, isn't she? And Uther?"

"Are you buying time because you're nervous?" Garlan pointed out bluntly with raised eyebrows as he hit his arm once more. "Go and see them for yourself."

Willas nodded, knowing he was right. He'd been so thrilled to see his wife, but upon hearing of the discontent that had settled over Riverrun made him a little reluctant to face up to what his absence had caused. He'd never wanted to upset Eddmina, nor had he intended to create rifts between his wife and her mother and brother, but it had happened anyway, and now he had to face up to what had happened while he'd been missing.

Bidding farewell to Garlan, he headed into the keep, being shown to the dining hall by one of the servants of the keep, a teenage boy dressed in Tully colours. Riverrun, to Willas' eye, was rather similar to Winterfell, yet it didn't have the same sort of charm as the northern fortress. He'd never spent much time in the Riverlands before, and the old habits of his curiosity kicked in, wanting to explore the wildlife and the nature of the area, but there were more important things to focus on, especially as the boy showed him into the hall.

The table wasn't filled with food, but there were several platters of half-carved meats and bowls of vegetables, as well as a few flagons of wine. He hadn't realised how hungry he was until he saw the leg of lamb on the wooden carving tray, partially sliced yet with plenty of meat on the bone with the carving knife stuck into it, though he managed to tear his eyes from the food to look at the people around the table. Two strangers sat at the head of the table, looking similar enough to Lady Stark for him to assume they were Brynden and Edmure Tully, while Robb was sat next to them, his chin resting on his fist as he stared at the table seriously. Lady Stark was next to him, her expression mimicking her son's to the point that Willas knew they were discussing business. Even so, he didn't care enough to wonder what exactly it was that they were talking about when he noticed the little boy sat on his wife's mother's knee; his little boy.

Gods, he had grown. Willas felt stunned at the sight of him, feeling a rush of absolute love. That only increased when he noticed the woman sat on the opposite side of the table to everyone else, completely alone. Her back was to him, but he'd recognise Eddmina anywhere. Her hair was braided as usual, and he felt his heart sink when he noticed she was wearing black. He wanted to grab hold of her and never let her go ever, but merely seeing her and Uther had him frozen to the ground. It hit him just how much he had missed them, and just how much he needed them to simply exist.

It was Lady Stark who spotted him first, and he watched as a look of shocked recognition and guilt settled on her face. She rose to her feet, her arms wrapped around his son protectively, though the little boy saw him too, and Willas realised he must have remembered who he was as he smiled and began to reach out for him, struggling in Lady Stark's hold. Robb and the Tully's were next to see him, Robb and the eldest trout smiling, while the younger merely glanced between him and his niece, who remained with her back to him.

In the same way that he was stuck to the spot, he knew Eddmina wasn't turning. She had obviously noticed her mother, and the conversation had died instantly upon him walking in the room, but she stayed with her back to him. Surely she was clever enough to figure out who had come into the room, but she was saving herself the heartbreak of being dissapointed. She must have known it was him, but she didn't allow herself to look just in case it wasn't, just in case she had to break her own heart all over again.

"Good evening," he called, raising his hand in a wave. "I hope I'm not interupting anything."

Upon hearing his voice, Eddmina couldn't stay with her back to him for much longer. Hesitantly she turned, and he saw the look of restrained stoicism on her face quickly dissolve into absolute joy mixed with heartbreaking admiration, her mouth twisting as she let out a gasp that almost sounded like a sob. Once her eyes caught sight of him, she launched herself from the dining bench and stormed across the hall to him. Even at the speed she was moving at, he could tell she looked different to the last time he'd seen her. She looked exhausted, drawn out, almost older in how serious she looked. He did not have time to dwell on that, not as she threw herself at him.

She collided into him with such force that he almost lost balance, but her arms were wrapped around him tightly, fixing him in place as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. He felt her breathe, her chest heaving as she struggled against the shock of seeing him, and as he was so close he could almost feel her heartbeat thundering away in her chest. It was a wonderful feeling, not just holding her again after so long, but being held by her. He sighed in relief as he pulled her close, lacing his arm around her waist. If he had any sense he would have let her go and save such a close reunion for when they were in private and not stood before her family, but he didn't care, and neither did she, not as she pulled her head from his neck to push her lips to his.

Eddmina was trembling, but it was okay, because Willas knew he was too. In fact, his hunger had gone and was replaced by a sickening sensation, his insides twisting as he considered how much he had missed her. It was only upon having her back in his arms that he knew just how much he needed her. She was a part of him. She was his life. He kissed her back, sighing and closing his eyes as he felt her hand stroke up to his head, her fingers knotting into his curls.

He savoured it all, knowing it was the moment he had spent every waking hour thinking of. The way she felt in his arms, the way her lips moved in-sync with his, the way her hair smelt of rose oil. The smell of roses made his chest ache, making him think of home; she was his home.

"Hello, my darling," he breathed out the moment his lips parted from hers. She made a quiet noise that sounded like a laugh and a sob as her eyes shut in joy and relief.

Something changed in her then, like a switch being flipped, like she had woken up from her blissful daze. Eddmina looked up at him, her eyes serious once more, her expression steeled. He'd seen that determination time and time again in council meetings or whenever she had to stand up for herself or something she believed in. She moved her hand from his back to instead grip the front of his doublet, pulling him close.

"I love you," she told him, her voice low enough so only he could hear, but fierce enough to show how much she meant it. "Willas, I love you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, darling, of course I do," he promised, nodding quickly, hiding his surprise at her sudden change of manner. He pushed a kiss to her forehead to show how much he meant his words. "I love you, too. More than words can say. More than the sun. More than the stars."

"I thought you had left me," she said, her voice threatening to break once more. "I thought-"

"I will never leave you," Willas vowed, moving his hand to hold her face, his thumb stroking over her cheek. "Not that easy, anyway. You're stuck with me, princess."

"And you're stuck with me, Ser," she cracked a smile for a moment, before her strong facade dropped once more and her head dropped back onto his shoulder.

She went to kiss him again, but their reunion was interupted when Uther let out a rather loud shriek, desperate for his parents' attention. At the same time, two direwolves came bounding out from under the dining table, and made a bee-line for Willas, Honour licking at him while Grey Wind howled. Eddmina let out a laugh, and Willas tried to ignore how it sounded as though she had not laughed for such a long time. He let his grip on her drop as he began to pet the wolves, while Eddmina went straight to her mother, and without a single word, took Uther out of her arms, grinning at him as she carried him back to his father.

"Lord Willas," Lady Stark called, looking at him a little ashamedly. Willas wondered exactly what Eddmina had said to her mother upon her returning alone. "It is good to see you."

"And you, my lady, I'm glad to see you returned safely," he forced a smile to her, before he turned his focus to Robb, nodding respectfully. "Your grace, I trust you're well?"

"Better now you're back, I know my sister was quite worried about you," Robb said with his own smile, though Willas noticed the way a crease appeared between Eddmina's eyebrows as she clenched her jaw, even if only for a second as she turned her focus onto Uther, moving to stand at Willas' side. "These are our Uncles, Lord Edmure and Lord Brynden. We were just talking about our next course of action. Take a seat, I'm sure you've got much to tell us-"

"No, your grace, that won't be necessary," Eddmina told him formally, like he wasn't her brother at all.

She gently passed Uther into Willas' arms as she went back to the table and picked up the carving tray holding the leg of lamb he had previously spied. If it was heavy she didn't make any indication, not as she then began to place a few of the bowls of vegetables and a flagon of wine onto it as well before she nodded her head to her brother in a subtle curtsy.

"Where are you taking those?" Edmure asked in bewilderment.

"To my chambers," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Willas watched her in awe, a grin inevitably growing. "I'm going to have supper with my very-much-alive husband. I will see you all in the morning."

"Edda, we need to talk-" Lady Stark tried, but stopped herself when she saw her daughter shake her head. "This is important."

"No, it's not," Eddmina said, moving back to Willas' side, and though he wanted to look at her, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the food, feeling his hunger return. "You may talk to him in the morning, after I have talked to him."

"This is urgent, Eddmina!" Robb pointed out, rising from his seat, his fists resting on the table as he stared at her in shock, not expecting her stubborn refusal.

"No," she shook her head simply, before nodding to her mother and her uncles. "Goodnight, all."

Willas could hear Lady Stark sigh, and Robb call her 'stupid' and 'childish', all while the elder Tully seemed to be laughing, but if Eddmina cared, she didn't show it, not as she led him out of the hall, Honour padding after her eagerly, and Willas had no choice but to follow, their son on his hip. Even so, as he followed her out into the corridors, he was reminded just how much his leg had ached on his exhausting journey home, and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up.

"Mina," he called as she had gone a little ahead, though she immediately spun around to face him. He felt a fool, but knew there was no other option. "I'm sorry but... I can't carry him, could you..."

He didn't need to say anything else, she instantly knew, and though she looked guilty for a split second she replaced the expression with a caring, reassuring smile. Luckily there was a servant passing that she handed the platter of food to, asking them to take it to their chambers, and as soon as she was free of it she moved back to his side and pushed a kiss to his cheek. Gently she took Uther from his arms and held him close, stroking his hair, though not even that could keep him happy as he instantly began reaching for Willas once more.

"I thought he wouldn't remember me," he remarked, grinning down at the boy in amazement. Eddmina frowned at him for a second, upset at the thought.

"I thought he would be fatherless like me," she admitted. He placed his hand on her shoulder, feeling his chest ache at the thought of her unnecessary grief for him. "I'm glad that we were both wrong."

"Me too," he nodded, though grimaced as he leg ached again. "I don't suppose our chambers are far, are they? I was rather stupid and insisted we ride hours on end."

Eddmina nodded again, and began to lead the way down the corridor, taking care of her pace to make sure she did not go too fast for him. They didn't speak, but merely being in her presence was enough, and she was humming quietly, anything to keep Uther content in her arms when he would much rather be held by his father. Willas knew she was doing it for their boy, but it seemed to work on him too, having missed every part of he, especially her voice and her songs.

When they reached the chambers the servant had set the food out on what looked to be Eddmina's desk, and she quickly began moving aside books and maps to make room, pulling out the plush leather seat for him to sit. It felt wrong, knowing he was the man and it was ettiqutite for him to do such things for her, but he let her, knowing that it brought her some sort of happiness to look after him. For herself, she pulled up the stool that had been placed by the vanity dressing table, setting it up right next to his seat as she placed Uther back onto his knee. She did not sit though, not as she began to carve the meat.

"I did not think to bring a plate or cutlery," she sighed, glaring down at the platter.

"That doesn't matter," he told her, reaching out to stroke her arm. "Please, Mina, sit with me. I want you to tell me everything."

She didn't though. Instead she went to summon her handmaidens, asking them to bring a bath and to bring more pillows for the bed. He watched as she helped the two young women, and though she was doing what she always did - providing help wherever possible - he couldn't help but want her to sit down. The food was an excellent distraction, as was Uther who kept taking hold of his hands whenever they were close enough, but he wanted Eddmina.

"Mina," he called again, once he was done eating, once the bathtub had been prepared and the handmaidens were getting ready to leave. "Why don't you-"

She moved to his side, kissing his cheek, and he thought for a moment that she was going to stay there. The thought didn't last long, as she instead lifted Uther from his lap. He had begun to grow tired, and immediately curled into her arms without resistance.

"I am going to put him to bed, then I will be with you, I promise" she said, stroking Uther's hair as she rocked him gently. "Say goodnight to your father, my boy."

The handmaidens followed her out of the chamber, as did Honour, who had previosuly been waiting determinedly for any scraps of meat. Usually she and Willas had a silent agreement at meal times that he would always slip her something, but that night he had been far too hungry, and she gave up in favour of following Eddmina. As the door shut, he tried to wrap his mind around everything that had happened.

Not only had his wife thought him dead, but so had the rest of her family. She'd started to mourn for him, and in doing so she had changed slightly, becoming more serious and methodical in how she worked and faced the world. In the time he'd been gone, she had gotten their son settled into a routine, their son who still somehow knew who he was despite having grown so much. Not to mention, something had obviously happened between her and her brother. Willas assumed it might've had something to do with their mother leaving him in the Stormlands, considering he'd already noted the tension btween the two female Starks, but it ran deeper than that, it had to. Eddmina had always put the war first, and she'd always done anything Robb asked of her, but she had rejected both of those things in favour of him. It was so out of character, and even the way she looked at Robb and spoke to him were very unusual. Something had happened, and though he was unsure what, Willas knew it was not good.

He tried to take his mind off things by getting into the bath, but even the hot water soaking into his exhausted body could not still his thoughts. He sighed, sinking into the water, trying not to think about the tension between his wife and her family, trying to ignore the fact that the war rested on them working together, yet the three Starks seemed to be at odds. Well, not all three of them, as Robb and Lady Stark seemed to be fine, it was just Eddmina they had a issue with and vice versa. It was typical, and not entirely unexected, he simply hoped that it would not ruin their progress with the war, remembering what he'd said to his father about returning home to Highgarden as soon as possible.

Willas didn't realise Eddmina had returned to the room until he felt her getting into the tub. He opened his eyes quickly, catching a glimpse of her naked body before she settled under the surface of the water. At first she sat on the opposite side of the tub to him, until he opened his arms and she didn't hesitate to adjust her position. She moved so that she was sat next to him, the bathtub thankfully wide enough to accomodate such a position even if it was a squeeze, and his arm wrapped around her shoulder, drawing her close as her head rested against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. His other hand snaked around her waist, moving her as close as he could without actually having her sit on him, and she sighed, closing her eyes as she wrapped her own arms around him. Under the water, his hand was tracing light circles on her skin, his fingers moving from her waist to her stomach, feeling the dints of the faint stretch marks that had started to fade slightly from her time carrying Uther. He knew almost every inch of her, yet every inch remained precious, and after so long it felt like an absolute privilege to have her in his arms. As he stroked her softly Eddmina sighed and curled up into him, one of her hands cupping the crook of his neck while the other slowly went to work massaging his bad leg. He'd not asked her to, and though he tensed a little at the contact and the aches, he relaxed into her, leaning down to push a kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you," she whispered after a long silence, her voice gentle and tired.

"I know, I love you, too," her told her, squeezing her shoulder three times.

He wanted to ask her everything that was happening, everything that he had missed. He wanted her to tell him why she was annoyed with Robb, what she had said to her mother about his disappearance, how the war was going, whether they had heard from Theon about the Greyjoy alliance or the Lannisters about their peace terms. He wanted to know it all, but he didn't have the energy to ask, nor could he bare to ask, knowing it would only put pressure on her, and it was clear by the way she was holding him that it was the first time in a long time she'd allows herself to relax. He wasn't going to ruin that for her, so instead he let his questions go, and simply enjoyed holding her.

"Don't ever make me live without you again," she mumbled tiredly, tightening her hold on him. "I cannot bare to be without you."

He knew how much courage it took for her to say something like that, knowing she was lowering her guard. She constantly put on a front of absolute strength, not allowing anyone to see her as anything but a stoic, unemotional being in the hopes no prejudice against women would affect her position. He knew how much that reputation meant to her, knew how long it had taken her to craft it, and in saying something like that... it meant more to him than a thousand 'I love you's'.

"I'm here, my darling, you're not getting rid of me in a hurry," he promised, kissing her head again.

They laid like that for what felt like an eternity. It took a while for Willas to realise that after settling into a long, comfortable silence Eddmina had fallen peacefully asleep against his chest. As much as he wanted to get out of the tub and into the inviting-looking bed, he stayed exactly where he was, savouring every second he spent feeling her wrapped up against him.

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