Love and Duty (T. Lannister)

Prologue

An envoy travels along the King's Road, a horse-drawn carriage, guarded by soldiers dressed in grey and black armour adorned with griffins. Riding black steeds with red and gold heraldry. A House Gryffindor. And behind, two more carriages, one a fully enclosed carriage, clearly not used for people, unlike the second, whilst smaller than the lead carriage, it does still have windows, as if to carry people inside of them. The envoy has been travelling for some time now. Weeks and weeks of nothing but road and carriage and horses and soldiers. The walls of Winterfell appear ahead of them, rising from the snow like a welcome pit stop on the road. And it is a welcome sight to those that have been travelling the road. In the largest of the carriages, Vaella and Godric Gryffindor sit across from one another as they travel. Vaella has a book open in her lap and it has her complete attention. There is little else to do during these sorts of journeys. Vaella chooses to read, and Godric chooses to drink and watch the world pass him by. Vaella assumes that most lords choose to spend their time travelling with a goblet of wine provided by the house-elf sat beside him, clutching to a jug of wine, ready to refill Godric's cup when need be. Pandey has been with the family for as long as Vaella can remember, a few of the house elves at Godric's Hollow have. She has grown up with them around her. She actually enjoys their company and she knows that Godric treats them with far more respect than some other wizarding houses. He pays them. He gives them decent living space, they have their own tower back at Godric's Hollow, and each house-elf has its own room and space. She knows there are worse places for them to be. Across the Narrow Sea is one. She's heard stories. Godric shifts in his seat, shaking his goblet at Pandey with a soft asking look.

"Pandey, fill Vaella a cup, will you?" Godric asks, breaking the silence that has sat over them since they set off that morning, though if he is honest, she has been quiet since they left Godric's Hollow. and Vaella shoots him a look.

"I don't want wine" She argues and then looks back down at her book. Pandey takes another goblet from the box beside him anyway and fills it before holding it out towards Vaella. She lets out a breath and takes it. "Thank you, Pandey" She whispers and then takes a sip of it. Godric watches her. He's worried about her. She doesn't exactly seem happy about being in the carriage, and she isn't. It's not that she is upset about going to Winterfell. She likes the idea of exploring somewhere new. But she is upset about taking the long way. The carriage and horse way. It means that she is going to be away from home for far longer than she likes. She dislikes being away from her animals and she can only take so many with her. Through a lack of space and her father telling her to stop packing animals. It is hard for her to pick out favourites to take when she would rather just take them all with her.

"Are you still pouting about leaving the Hollow?" Godric asks, he then lets out a breath and looks at her. "The servants have instructions regarding your....animals" He adds, she snorts and turns a page of her book. Her animals only like her, asking others to tend to them is not going to make their jobs any easier, because the animals will make it difficult. And there are some that it is just going to be downright dangerous for others to get close to.

"It is a long time to be away" She argues as she keeps her eyes on the book in her lap. "And you know how he gets with you, let alone with strangers"

"That's why I sent for Salazar, he should have arrived the day after we left" Godric counters, she pulls a face, she knows that Salazar was the best choice there, but still. It is a lot to ask. Dangerous to ask. "He knows what to do...and how best to do it" She hums a little. He tilts his head, studying his daughter. "And you are sure you are not upset about this arrangement?" He pushes.

"You are reaching" She argues with a smirk. She has no issue with him remarrying. She knows that he loved her mother and she knows that it hurt when she died but he is allowed to remarry and move on. She's not a child anymore, he doesn't have to worry about her. It's not like she thinks Lyarra is going to replace her mother. There is no way she can think of her that way because she knows that Lyarra is actually a year younger than her and she can not think of her as a maternal figure. She doesn't begrudge him marrying her, if a good political match has been forged and Lyarra is fine with it, then Vaella is fine with it. "We have been through this" He reaches over and closes her book, taking it from her. She stretches her fingers and sighs. "If you feel that marrying Lyarra Stark is what you want, what you think is best, then that is for you to decide" She offers and looks at her father. "I am not a child anymore" She adds.

"Trying to keep me sweet so I don't wed you off to some plump lord?" He asks, and she scoffs.

"Perhaps" She comments as she takes her book back. "You know I have no interest in marriage" She reminds him, but his eyes soften. He might have put it off longer than most lords would. But Vaella is his only heir, he wants her to inherit his holdings, he wants her to inherit Godric's Hollow, if she is married off then she will take her husband's name, and will lose any claim on his landings. Him keeping her home is as much about him as it is about her. But he will only be able to do it for so long. The letters that have come to him in years gone. They are just becoming more numerous. And he is being pushed to wed her off to someone. His own betrothal to Lyarra bought him only so much time.