It was embarrassing enough fainting, but fainting in Theon's arms... Eddmina would have been mortified had she not been unconscious, though when she finally felt herself coming to she felt not only a throbbing pain all over her body but all the shame of the situation washing over her.

It took a few moments to realise where she was, but it was an instant relief when she recognised the bed she was lying in was the one she usually shared with Willas. It felt infinitely safer than the bed in her childhood room, even without his presence, though she wasn't alone in the room. No, if the first thing she felt when she woke was the dull ache of pain, the first thing she heard was Robb's voice, ringing in outrage.

"No, Mother, I won't calm down! You, Bran and Edd could have all been killed!" Robb seethed, his echoing footsteps suggesting that he was pacing round the room in frustration. "How did they even get in, how did no one see them until it was almost too late?"

"Robb, we don't know," their mother sighed, her voice sounding tired and strained, as if she had already said that a hundred times before. "The fire was clearly meant as a distraction to get all the guards into the courtyard and away from our chambers,"

Eddmina cringed, letting out a slight groan as she recalled the events before. She remembered the coldness of the blade as he held it against her throat, she remembered the twisting pain in her arm as he pinned it behind her back to make his attempt on her life, she remembered the hopelessness she felt when she realised she was going to die and how she had thought of nothing but Willas. She shivered, feeling sick as the memories rushed back to her, and by that point both Robb and her mother had realised she had woken. She felt someone squeeze one of her hands, and as she opened her eyes she saw Robb was knelt at her bedside holding her right hand while her mother was sat across the room by the desk. Other than the utterly fearful expression on Robb's face, the first thing Eddmina noticed were the thick bandages on her mother's hands.

"What happened to you?" she asked quickly, attempting to sit up but when she put her weight onto her left arm it shot with pins and needles. She hissed in pain, making Robb move to help her. "Gods, I'm alright. I can do it,"

"No, you can't," Robb told her quietly, helping her sit up, immediately placing a pillow behind her. He was acting as if she was made out of glass. "Maester Luwin is on his way, he said there was nothing he could do while you were sleeping, other than... clean the blood away,"

Eddmina briefly remembered her hands getting soaked in her would-be-killer's blood. With one glance she realised someone had obviously cleaned it all off, and she had also been changed into a nightgown. Sansa had made the dress she had been wearing before, but she hoped to never see it again. She hoped to never see that room either.

"Mother what happened to your hands?" Eddmina asked again, her tone a lot firmer that time.

"We were attacked, he was going to kill Bran... all I could do was grab his knife," she explained carefully, sounding just as overwhelmed with the memories as Eddmina felt with her own attack. "We'd be dead if not for his wolf,"

"He's alive?" Eddmina insisted, looking between her mother and twin until Robb nodded. "Where's Honour?"

"Outside," Robb reassured, and at that exact moment the door opened and Theon entered, making Robb stand, though he didn't let go of his sister's hand. "Well?"

"The entire castle has been searched, there's no other intruders," he told them all before his eyes fell onto Eddmina. "Still alive?"

"Apparently so," she shrugged, managing a weak smile. "Thank you for getting me out of there,"

Theon shrugged as if it was nothing, and for a brief moment Eddmina recalled him kissing her forehead. It was nothing, a gesture of kindness and friendship, but then she remembered what Jon had told her weeks ago and she felt her cheeks grow hot. Surely with everything else Theon was the least of her worries, and thankfully Honour came bounding into the room acting as the perfect distraction. Lady Stark looked annoyed when the wolf pounced straight onto the bed, cuddling up onto Eddmina's lap and licking her face, but Eddmina ignored her as she wrapped her arms around her, scratching behind her ears and kissing the side of her face.

"Thank you, beautiful girl," she whispered, never feeling more grateful for anyone or anything ever.

Robb and their mother had started talking again, the conversation sounding quite bitter as they debated the previous events, but Eddmina wasn't listening, too focused on running her fingers through Honour's fur. She didn't want to think about the attack anymore, she didn't want to give that man anymore thought, so she instead turned her mind to the dream she had shortly before. It had been so freeing, to feel as though she was a wolf, especially given everything that had happened within the last few hours.

At some point Maester Luwin returned. He'd ordered everyone to leave and despite their stubbornness Robb and Theon obliged but Lady Stark insisted on staying, and Honour let out a low growl when it was suggested she get off the bed.

"I'd be dead if not for her," Eddmina pointed out as Honour curled up on her lap, her topaz eyes watching Lady Stark and the Maester carefully as if daring them to try and make her move. Eddmina kept her right arm wrapped around her tightly. "Let her stay,"

Eventually they both gave in, and Maester Luwin began to examine her left arm, the one that shot with pain any time he moved it. The pain was starting to dull a little, but he diagnosed it as sprained all the same. As he bandaged it she noticed that it was practically black with bruises to the point that she was glad the bandages would cover most of it, having to look away.

"He said he needed to kill me so I wouldn't go seeing anything else, or talk about the things I'd already seen," she spoke quietly, trying hard to not let her voice shake. Honour let out a slight whine as she rested her chin on Eddmina's stomach. "Someone sent him, and the other man, to kill Bran and I,"

Neither of them said anything, though Lady Stark rose from her seat and moved to sit on the edge of her bed, wrapping one of her bandaged hands around her arm. Honour sniffed at her protectively for a moment before settling back down.

"He was glad I was pregnant, he could get paid double," she said before she could stop herself, though those words were far easier to say than her last. few She felt her mother's grip on her arm tighten. "If the Tyrells knew, if Will knew..."

"We can write to Lord Willas in the morning, ask him to return as soon as he can," her mother suggested, though Eddmina quickly shook her head, swallowing nervously. "Eddmina, your husband deserves-"

"He deserves to know what happened from me not from some letter," she snapped before sighing, stroking Honour again and again until she felt herself calm a little. "It's more important to find out who sent the damned men and figure out why,"

Silence fell again as the Maester continued his work. Eddmina's mind drifted to the pile of unopened letters in her old room, the ones that she knew were for Willas from his family. Not once had she been tempted to open them, as she knew they were his, but knowing that she could have died and Willas could have returned to Winterfell with his wife and future child dead only to find a pile of congratulatory letters from his family made her feel queasy. Part of her wished he was with her, so she could just see him and speak to him, whilst another part of her was glad he was absent. She was glad he'd not been there to see her get hurt, glad he wasn't there to have put himself at harm's way at her expense.

"That should do it," Maester Luwin stated, securing the bandage around her arm.

Eddmina glanced at it for a moment before offering him a small smile of thanks. She'd sprained her wrist once before as a child, when she and Jon had been climbing trees and the branch broke from underneath her. She'd been seven at the time and certain nothing would ever hurt more, except for the emotional pain that came after when her mother forced her to stay away from Jon. The Maester had bandaged her up then too, and she wondered if he knew how grateful she was for him constantly being there to tend to her and her siblings.

"I insist you take it easy for the next couple of days, I don't want you leaving your bed," he told her seriously, though cracked a smile when he saw her sour expression. "I expect the next thing you say will be 'I'm fine', but I insist all the same. You've been through a trying ordeal and-"

"Fine, I'll not argue," she sighed as she folded her arms, though Honour let out a huff of annoyance the moment she stopped stroking her. The wolf reminded her of her dream and curiosity got the better of her at last. "Maester, may I ask you something?"

"Anything, my lady," he promised though she could see both him and her mother looking at her sceptically.

"I had a dream before it all happened, but it wasn't like a regular dream or any nonsensical thing," she spoke quietly, frowning as she attempted to figure out the right words to explain her thoughts. "It was like I was Honour. I could feel everything she felt, smell everything, see everything. She was out hunting with Grey Wind and Shaggy, but then they all sensed something and came running back to the keep. In the dream Honour sensed danger, and then when I woke that man was coming into my room. It wasn't like I was dreaming of the future, it was like it was happening in real time,"

"Have you ever had dreams of her before? Or any other sort of vivid dream?" he asked, his frown mimicking hers.

Eddmina nodded. She'd had countless dreams before as if she were Honour, though none had been so vivid as the one that night. As for vivid dreams though, for the first time in months Eddmina recalled the night she flowered, when she suffered a nightmare so violent she woke not only herself up but Jon and Robb also. It had been so vivid she had been sure it was happening, that she was truly dying. Of course, now her life had actually been threatened it was no longer as scary, but it made her shudder all the same.

"I do not think it is anything to concern yourself over," Lady Stark remarked, though Eddmina shot her a slight glare, feeling a little undermined.

"Your mother is right, you are in no danger from a few vivid dreams," he told her with a kind smile, though his expression suggested there was more he wasn't telling her.

Eddmina knew that neither one of them would indulge her in answering any more questions so she merely nodded again and made a silent vow to herself to ask Old Nan about it. Surely the old woman who was full of tales would humour her with an explanation. Luwin bid her goodnight and left the room, while Lady Stark hesitated, her gaze flicking between her daughter and the direwolf.

"I remember when your father and brothers brought that litter of pups home with them, it was so bizarre to me that they went off to execute a man and came back with seven pets," Lady Stark mused, daring to reach her hand out and pet Honour on her back. The wolf let out a content sigh. "I thought they'd be dangerous beasts. I certainly didn't want them running riot in the castle,"

"Bet you're glad for them now," Eddmina commented, unfolding her arms so she could go back to petting her wolf with one hand while she rested the other on her stomach.

Lady Stark's expression darkened slightly, as if realising the true severity of the situation. If not for the direwolves, not only would she be dead but two of her children would be too. She lent over and wrapped her arms around Eddmina's shoulders tightly, pushing a kiss to the top of her head. Usually Eddmina would recoil from such a gesture, not too used to physical affection from her mother, but she was just so tired, and so relieved to be alive, that she hugged her back.

"Would you like me to stay with you tonight?" Lady Stark offered, but Eddmina merely shook her head.

"I'm fine," she insisted as her mother pulled away, looking a little disappointed. "Honestly, I'm alright. I have Honour anyway. I'll be more than safe here,"

If Lady Stark truly wanted to stay - either for her own sake or her daughter's - she did not push the matter. Instead she kissed her again and got up to leave, shutting the door behind her. Eddmina was barely alone for a few seconds before she immediately regretted the decision, nerves twisting inside of her at the thought of having to go to sleep. Staying awake all night didn't seem particularly appealing either, not with the possibility of the memories resurfacing. Part of her wanted to call out and see if her mother could still hear her, but just as she was about to a knock came at her door and without waiting for her to invite them in, Leonette opened the door, hesitating in the doorway in her nightgown and thick fur cloak.

"I wanted to come sooner, I'm sorry," she said in place of a greeting. "I was with your little brother, with all of the chaos he was a bit scared. Robb's looking after him now so I thought... Oh, gods, Eddmina!"

"I'm not dead," Eddmina stated dryly, hoping to break the tension and make her sister laugh, but instead it looked as though Leonette was on the verge of tears. "Please don't cry,"

"It stinks of blood upstairs, and with everything... may I sleep in here tonight?" Leonette hesitated at first but rushed her question out as if scared she would back out of asking, though Eddmina instantly nodded and beckoned her in, relief washing over Leonette. "Thank you. I thought you might like the company too,"

"Right as usual," Eddmina cracked another small smile, determined not to foster any worry or sympathy in her sister, instead leaning over and patting the half of the bed that was usually Willas'. "Maester Luwin has put me on bed rest for a couple of days, neither him or my mother said anything, but I think they're worried about the baby,"

"They will be worrying for nothing, everything is going to be fine," Leonette reassured her as she climbed into bed, keeping her fur cloak around her, shivering slightly. It was only then that Eddmina remembered her sister's aversion to the cold.

"When Garlan and Will return, the two of you can go home if you'd like," Eddmina suggested, watching as Honour sniffed at Leonette and, as if sensing that the newcomer was a little unnerved with the events of the evening, she shifted off Eddmina's lap to lay between both of them as a protector. "I know you hate the cold,"

"No chance," she chuckled slightly, reaching over and taking hold of Eddmina's hand as she curled up. "Besides, I don't hate the cold, I'm just not used to it. Before now the furthest North I'd ever been was Harrenhal, my parents didn't really value travelling much. We'd travel around the Reach based on who was throwing a ball or a torney, but I'd love to see my father's face if he knew I was in the north right now,"

"What's Cider Hall like?" Eddmina asked, adjusting her position in bed so she was laid down properly, one of her hands intertwined with Leonette's while the other rested on her stomach.

The two of them laid awake exchanging stories of their childhood, with Leonette giving a detailed account of not just Cider Hall but every keep within the Reach she had seen, until they both fell into dreamless sleep in the very early hours of the morning.

***
For once Eddmina actually followed instruction and remained in bed. For the three days that followed the attack she didn't dare leave her bed let alone the room, but in truth she didn't really mind. She spent most of the time sleeping, not realising how exhausted she truly was, immeasurably grateful that most of the sleep she got wasn't plagued by any awful dreams. At first she feared seeing that man's face again, the man who nearly took everything from her, but she quickly decided not to let him rule her life. She didn't have anymore wolf dreams either, much to her disappointment, as she was desperate to experience it again just to see if it had truly happened and wasn't just a fluke.

When she wasn't sleeping she had Leonette for company, the fellow Tyrell refusing to leave her side, except for when Eddmina had asked her to retrieve a few things from the other chamber for her. She brought back the letters, the knife, and Eddmina's lute, and thankfully she discovered that even with a sprain she could still play. Leonette slept in her bed with her for the three nights that followed, and they passed the time in the day with songs and stories, the two of them exchanging anecdotes, though most of the stories came from Leonette as she relayed any snippets of gossip she knew about the other Tyrells or Reachmen. It turned out she was rather observational and insightful, as she seemed to know a significant amount, and she had a way of telling her knowedge that had Eddmina almost cackling with laughter.

Throughout the day Robb would bring her food, and in the evenings he would eat with her, giving her any updates about Winterfell or their family. On the second day when he brought lunch he also brought Rickon, who was more than happy to hide from his lessons in her room to keep her company, and even though he was rather restless and barraged her with thousands of questions about everything, she was silently thrilled for him to join her.

There was only so much she could truly take, and so on the fourth morning after the attack she woke up feeling completely normal except for the overwhelming itch of boredom. She knew she needed to leave the room regardless of advice, and as Leonette was still sound asleep she slipped out of bed quietly, quickly changing into a dark blue dress and a thick fur cloak and braiding her hair for the first time in days. When she saw her dagger sat on her dressing table she hesitated, before quickly attaching it to her belt. It was an odd feeling to feel unnerved and unsafe in her own home, but she couldn't imagine walking around unarmed, not after such a close call. As soon as she fixed it to her, she glanced to the bed where Honour was was still laid watching her closely, and as she nodded her head in the direction of the door the wolf stealthily hopped off the bed and followed Eddmina out into the corridor.

The two of them made their way down the corridor and Eddmina couldn't help but smile slightly, feeling utterly liberated to be out of her chambers for what seemed like the first time in forever. Honour clearly was the same, because as soon as they got to the stone archway leading out to the courtyard, she looked up at Eddmina, her tail wagging and her ears pricked up, so she gestured for her to go off, and she quickly bolted to find her brothers and sister. Eddmina didn't mind, not after Honour had spent days cooped up inside with her, and besides, she had things to do.

Instinct told her to go to the godswood, but she instead headed over to the smith's furnace, the heat of the roaring flames contrasting the cutting cool breeze of the North. Lord Stark often told his children that Winterfell's staff were the greatest in all of Westeros, and the compliments certainly extended to Mikken the blacksmith. As Eddmina approached he was lent over the anvil, but upon hearing her footsteps he looked up at her, offering her respectful nod and a smile.

"Morning, Lady Edd," he greeted, and she couldn't help but smile at the name.

"Morning, Mikken," she said, glancing down at the blade he had been working on before looking back to him. "I was wondering, could I commission something from you? Obviously if you're busy it's no rush, I just wanted a blade and I know all the spares in the armouries are a bit heavy for me,"

"That's the same that Jon said," he chuckled slightly, though let out another laugh when he saw Eddmina frowning. "Did you not know? He had me make something for Lady Arya Underfoot. Pretty little sword, thin as a needle,"

"And to think while I was warning her against wreaking havoc in the capital my brother was arming her," she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Could you make me a sword too? It doesn't have to be as small as Arya's,"

Mikken agreed, and the two of them discussed the exact proportions of the weapon. As a younger teenager Eddmina had taken enough sword lessons from Jon and Robb to know how to work a sword with some skill but she favoured archery and was severely out of practice. Even if it felt odd to be requesting such a weapon, she knew it would be peace of mind considering the night she'd had. Just as she was finalising the details she heard footsteps behind her and then someone placed their hand on her shoulder. She hated the fact that she jumped out of nerves, especially when she noticed it was Robb who immediately looked apologetic.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said to both of them before solely focusing on Eddmina. "Mother wants to speak to us in the Godswood. She said to meet her there as soon as we can,"

Lady Stark never went to the Godswood, not unless it was completely unavoidable. It was a holy place that her faith in the Seven isolated her from, so Eddmina knew it was serious whatever was occurring. She quickly dismissed herself from Mikken with promises to call by later on and joined her brother, linking her arm through his as they paced through the courtyard and down the archway alley out of the keep to the path to the godswood.

"I thought you were on bedrest?" Robb said, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought you promised not to be a prick?" she mimicked his expression, making him roll his eyes in annoyance at her. "Have you ever tried staying in bed for a week straight? I'm surprised I even made it this long,"

"Edd-" he began but she cut him off with a dramatic sigh. "Fine, I'm saying nothing!"

"You never say nothing," she muttered, shaking her head with a small smirk of amusement. "Do you know what this is about?"

"No," he replied, his voice a little wary. "I've hardly seen mother since that night, she's not even been in Bran's chambers, she's just... been vacant,"

"She nearly died, Robb, we both did," she said, her voice a little strained. "It does things to you, being that close to oblivion,"

"Well what's it done to you?" he asked, his protective sibling instinct rearing its head.

Eddmina just shrugged, deciding it was better than telling him half of what had been running through her mind over the last few days. She'd not even told him how ever since finding out she was with child she'd been thinking about her mortality, but her experience that night had left her shaken and considering her state of existence in ways she never really had done before. Even though she'd had the constant company of Leonette, she'd felt truly lonely, especially when she began to consider the very real possibility of her death.

Arya had mentioned it, and until then it had just seemed like an irrational thought, but when she knew her sister was concerned, her little sister who was so often fearless, that made it seem very real. Both of her grandmothers had died having children, thousands of women died each year having children, what if she was no different to any of them? Usually she was able to navigate her way through her worries to the point that even knowing Arya's fear wouldn't have consumed her, but after being so close to death, it seemed much more inevitable. Perhaps the gods had wanted her to join them that night and now her days were numbered. Childbirth could claim her easily and the gods could finally get what they were owed.

Why would she tell Robb any of that though? He worried for her enough as it was, he would surely overreact if she told him her certainties of her own death. That, and she didn't even want to talk about death with her brother. It seemed far too morbid, and it certainly wasn't something she wanted to put onto her brother, even if he was looking at her with burning curiosity. Thankfully that was when Theon met them and he and Robb fell into a conversation that excluded her. She was glad for that, as it allowed her to try and forget every dark thought in her mind. If her mother needed to speak with them about something important, the last thing she needed was her focus pulled elsewhere.

When they got to the Weirwood tree, a sight that was as familiar to Eddmina as the faces of her family, their mother was already there, and so was Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik Cassell. Eddmina had been surprised he hadn't gone south, but she was glad he had stayed, feeling a little safer knowing he was in charge of the guards. They both looked serious and stoic, and so did her mother, her expression much different to how she had looked the last few weeks. Rather than looking the image of devastation as she had done every time Eddmina had visited her in Bran's room, she seemed determined and controlled. Eddmina hadn't realised that she'd actually missed the way her mother had been before Bran's fall.

"What's all this about?" Eddmina asked as the three of them moved to join the circle, the elders looking at the new arrivals cautiously, as if carefully deciding whether to truly include them in the conversation. Eddmina rolled her eyes as she said, "You wouldn't drag us out here if it wasn't something important,"

"What I am about to tell you must remain between us, and only us," Lady Stark spoke, looking around each person with wariness, her eyes landing on Eddmina as she said the last part. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't think Bran fell from that tower. I think he was thrown,"

Eddmina instantly had to try her hardest to stay focused as fury coursed through her. Who would are hurt her brother? Robb stiffened slightly too, standing up straighter even if he was trying to hide the shock on his face. Both of them looked to their mother, knowing how dangerous her words were, knowing the position they would be in if anyone else knew about this conversation.

"The boy was always sure-footed before," Maester Luwin nodded.

"Someone tried to kill him twice," her mother spoke, and Eddmina cringed as the memories resurfaced, thinking about how her own killer said he was 'dead already'. "Why? Why murder and innocent child? Unless he saw something he wasn't supposed to. Edda, what was it your assassin said to you?"

"He, erm... he said that I'd be going somewhere where I wouldn't be seeing anything I'm not supposed to, somewhere where I can't talk about the things I've seen," she said, her voice trembling a little as she felt everyone looking to her, feeling like she had been put on the spot, before she steeled herself off, quoting him exactly as she had the entire event committed to memory despite wanting to forget it all. "I saw Bran fall, but it didn't look right. He was stood in the window ledge and then just fell back, like someone pushed him. Whatever he saw in that tower, I was a witness to the aftermath,"

"What would Bran see?" Theon asked, his tone surprisingly protective, and Eddmina was unsure if his sudden fierceness was entirely for Bran's sake.

"I don't know," Lady Stark admitted, looking around the group as she prepared herself, seeming as though she was about to drop a bombshell. "But I would stake my life that the Lannisters have something to do with it. We already have reason to suspect their loyalty to the crown,"

"You suspect the Lannisters loyalty yet you still let my father and my sisters ride off far from home, surrounded by Lannisters?" Eddmina exclaimed before she could stop herself, annoyed when she felt Robb place his hand on her shoulder as if to calm her. She quickly shrugged him off as she glared at her mother. "How long have you had suspicions about them?"

Lady Catelyn merely looked at her daughter, as ordering her to be quiet, but Eddmina was furious. She was certain she was missing a huge part of the story, sure that her mother hadn't told her something. As she continued to glare at her mother, she realised that if the Lannisters were truly against the crown, her mother might have encouraged her father to go south in order to protect the King. He was the King's oldest friend after all, but in her desire to protect the crown, she had endangered Eddmina's sisters, and endangering Sansa and Arya was unforgivable.

No one else felt the same though. That was clear as Ser Rodrik drew the blade on his belt from it's sheath, and then he drew another. Eddmina was disgusted with herself as she flinched, instantly recognising it as the one that had been held at her throat. Only Robb noticed, elbowing her in the side as a gesture of moral support.

"Look at the blades that were used," he suggested, though Eddmina was sure if she looked she would be sick. "The one for Lady Edd is a nice blade, but Bran's, it's too fine a weapon for such a man. They're both Valerian steel, but this one's handle is dragon's bone. Somebody gave these to them,"

"Please can you put them away?" Eddmina asked, looking up to the sky to avoid seeing either weapon, feeling ashamed at how queasy she was. Thankfully Ser Rodrik obliged, though Eddmina didn't look at anyone, scared to see their looks of sympathy or pity.

"They come into our home, try to murder my brother, and then attempt to slaughter my sister while she sleeps?" Robb said, his voice laced with disgust as he wore a grimace of fury. "If it's war they want-"

"If it comes to that, you know I'll stand behind you," Theon interrupted, sounding supportive yet too eager considering the bloody implications.

Though Eddmina felt herself nodding out of instinct, forever having her brother's back, she felt herself run cold. Shivering, she considered an awful future where her brother went marching off to war. Not all men who went to war come back, and the thought of Robb in battle made her want to throw up. It was an awful premonition, one that Eddmina didn't want to consider, but it was impossible to rid it from her mind, so she nodded along, knowing that even with the horror of it, she would still be behind him.

"What, is there going to be a battle in the Godswood?" Maester Luwin's tone was condesending, clearly finding the escalation of conversation to conflict too dramatic. "Too easily words of war become acts of war. We don't know the truth yet. Lord Stark must be told of this,"

"I don't trust a raven to carry these words," Lady Stark shook her head.

"I'll ride to King's Landing," Eddmina promised sharply without thought, though her suggestion was met with looks of patronisation from the whole group. "You've sent my little sisters down to the capital with suspicions of Lannister treachery, gods forbid I actually want to make sure they're safe and tell my father about what happened myself. It was me who was nearly murdered, in case you forgot,"

"We'll both go," Robb said quickly, taking hold of her arm and squeezing it gently. In that moment he was the only one who didn't make her feel entirely useless.

"No," their mother's voice was firm, and they had heard that tone enough in their lives to know there was no arguing with her. "You both stay, there must always be a Stark in Winterfell. I will go, alone,"

"At least let me accompany you, my lady? The Kingsroad is a dangerous place for a woman alone," Ser Rodrik suggested.

Lady Stark made a singular, reluctant nod, and Eddmina clenched her jaw in frustration, crossing her arms. She glanced to Robb, and saw he was just the same; upset, confused, angry.

"What about Bran?" her brother demanded, sounding truly tired of their mother's decisions.

"I have prayed to the Seven for more than a month," she said gently, though that did nothing to quell the twin's utter bafflement at her actions. "Bran's life is in their hands now,"

"Forgive me if this is blasphemy in a godswood of all places, but the Gods won't physically be there to hold Bran's hands while he wakes, nor will they be at his side while he realises he will never walk again, nor will they be there to comfort him when he realises he has lost all of his dreams," Eddmina seethed, practically speaking through her teeth as she forced back tears. "If the last month was all for the bloody gods you may have spent it in your bloody sept and not his damned room,"

Robb was silent, but somehow Eddmina knew he was thinking the exact same, yet he just didn't have the heart to say it all. Eddmina didn't care, even though her mother was looking at her with her eyes widened, begging for understanding. She felt frustrated, her emotions building up inside of her. She was desperate not to cry, not in front of everyone while she was trying to appear level-headed. If she cried, she'd not only lose everyone's respect, but she'd lose respect for herself, so she bottled it all up until she felt a tenseness deep in her stomach. Keeping her cold gaze fixed on her mother to show she wasn't going to back down, Eddmina knew if she didn't leave she would make herself look a fool, and so without another word she turned and began to stride away, unfolding her arms to rest her hands on her stomach.

She could hear Robb and Theon calling her name, but she ignored them both. If she turned back, she'd look a fool, and if she went back she would definitely start crying in anger and make herself look a fool. Eddmina didn't want that, she she stubbornly ignored everyone, and in a bitter gesture to her mother's departure, Eddmina decided she would go and spend the rest of the day in Bran's room.

***

It was late evening when the peace of Bran's room was disturbed.

Eddmina had been there all day, sat in her usual seat with her dagger placed next to her in perfect reach just in case the worst happened, Honour and Bran's wolf curled up at her feet. A pile of sewing surrounded her, most of her work nearly complete considering she'd been at it all day to the point her fingers kept cramping up. She'd been working on things for the baby, since it was only a few months away. Blankets for the time they would spend in Winterfell, lighter wraps for when they went home, each one carefully embroidered with either a silver rose and a golden wolf. On one blanket she had even sewn snowflakes to pay homage to her roots, and on another butterflies, remembering how much Willas liked butterflies. It had been hard, time consuming work, but was a perfect distraction from everything going on in her mind, though the tense feeling in her stomach hadn't quite disappeared.

When the door creaked open, the sky had already darkened and Eddmina had turned to working by candlelight, and though she knew someone had come into the room she didn't even glance up from her work. She could tell by the quiet, hesitant footsteps that it wasn't a malicious intruder but merely her mother, and she was in no mood to look at her. Despite her focus being solely trained on her sewing, Eddmina's anger had only swelled in the hours that had passed, and she didn't trust her temper. She wished she would just leave already, or at least go away and leave her alone.

Lady Stark either didn't understand that or chose to ignore it completely as she crossed the room to Bran's bed. He was still the same as he had been for the last month, still sleeping, still far too peaceful. Sometimes if Eddmina thought too much about it she felt herself begin to tear up, so she kept her eyes trained on her sewing, determined not to cry, not in front of her mother. She steeled her emotions off, clenching her jaw, especially as she noticed out of the corner of her eye her mother hanging her dreamcatcher of the Seven above Bran's bed.

She hesitated for a moment before moving to sit on the seat next to Eddmina. She leant over, attempting to take her hands, but Eddmina quickly yanked her hands out of reach, adjusting her position so she was a little further away. She knew the gesture would hurt her mother, but she didn't care, not considering how hurt she was herself.

"This work is wonderful, Edda," Lady Stark attempted conversation, leaning over and picking up one of the finished blankets, one detailed with shining roses of delicate silver thread with careful words stitched into the fabric, words that she knew so well that it made her heart sink slightly. "'Family, Duty Honour'. Why those words?"

"They're words I was raised on," Eddmina shrugged, her tone helplessly bitter as she continued her work. "Everything I've ever done was for my family. I've done everything out of duty, everything for my family's honour. They're good words to remember, even if they're words that sometimes slip out of people's minds,"

"You know I don't-" Lady Stark began, understanding exactly what Eddmina was implying, though she was interupted as her daughter let out a short laugh.

"Don't say you don't have a choice," she said sharply. "Because you do, and you're choosing to leave us. It's not just Bran you're leaving, you're leaving Robb who needs your guidance to look after Winterfell, you're leaving Rickon who still cries for Father most nights, you're leaving me even though you said you'd be here for me while I'm with child!"

Emotions finally got the better of her, and Eddmina quickly moved her sewing to one side to make sure it didn't get ruined. She let her head fall into her hands, hiding her tears from her mother in determination to not let her see the full extent of her feelings. That didn't stop her mother leaning over and wrapping her arms around Eddmina's shoulders, and though she wanted to pull away and storm out, she found herself unable to move.

Part of her wanted to use that opportunity to scream at her mother, to unload exactly how she felt on her, but the words wouldn't come. Besides, Eddmina wasn't one to admit to fear, and she found the thought of admitting just how scared she was of not only what had happened in the days previous but what was to come in the following months utterly humiliating. There was no shame in fear, she knew that, she knew fear was the only true time for bravery, but to tell it all to her mother was too much. Their relationship had never existed past brief moments of affection, mostly residing in difficulty, so even if Eddmina had begun to think about how much she needed her mother for what was to come, it seemed impossible to actually speak the words.

"I wanted you to be here for me, for all of us," she said eventually, pulling away from her as she managed to stop her tears, looking at her mother with a cold stare. "We've all needed you desperately this last month but you've been mentally absent, and now you're going to be physically absent too. Fine, go. We can manage well enough,"

"Eddmina," Lady Stark's voice was sharp, as if trying to maintain some sort of discipline and authority over her daughter, even if those things were lost the moment Willas wrapped Eddmina in his cloak in the sept. "One day, you'll understand, when you have children and a family of your own to protect,"

"I have a family, I know what it means to want to protect the ones I love!" she exclaimed, getting up from her seat and pacing over to the window, looking out across the darkened sky as she wondered just how far away the Wall was.

"I'll be home before you even have chance to notice my absence," her mother promised, though Eddmina clenched her jaw stubbornly, especially as her mother followed her to join her at the window. "I'll be back before you're due, I promise. You'll not be alone,"

Eddmina had been in more than enough arguments with her mother to know when to call it quits, and so she let out a slow sigh. She still had her back to her mother, her arms folded across her chest, so at least she wouldn't let her see the pained grimace that graced her face as she considered everything. It was then that she felt something in her stomach, not the tense nerves she'd been feeling all day, but an odd prodding sensation, as if something inside of her was moving. As she realised what had happened, she felt a faint smile crack onto her sullen face, her hands drifting down to her bump.

"Are you even listening to me?" her mother's exasperation drew her back out of her mind, and Eddmina realised her mother had been ranting on about family and duty yet she hadn't been paying any attention at all.

"Not really," she shrugged bluntly. "I just felt the baby move for the first time,"

Lady Stark looked as though she was going to start crying. Not tears of sorrow, not tears of joy, but somewhere in between. Eddmina was pulled into another hug, one of her mother's hands moving to rest upon her own, and for a brief moment Eddmina felt her anger towards her mother fade, instead feeling as though she would actually miss her.

When Lady Stark departed only moments later, leaving Winterfell with only Ser Rodrik for protection on a journey none of them knew how long would last, Eddmina wished she'd told her mother that very thought.

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