Desert Wolf

Chapter 26 Word of Conviction

Torrhen woke up the following day with a hangover from hell, "Ugh, my head," Torrhen whispered to himself while holding his head in his hands.

He suddenly heard someone chuckling. Did you have fun last night, Nephew? Arthur asked.

"Shh, not so loud, you insane ghost," Torrhen answered.

Arthur laughed harder. He walked toward Torrhen's dresser and took a vial of hangover potion that Torrhen made. He handed it to Torrhen, who greedily drank it. A few moments later, Torrhen felt better and could get up, bathe, and change for the day. Today, he would spend more time with Dacey and get to know her. It was essential to Torrhen that he not marry a stranger as his father did. He wanted him and his future bride to be friends first. Torrhen wanted a partner, not a woman who would only give him heirs; that's not how he was raised, and it would be disrespectful to his mother's memory.

Once Torrehen was ready, he left his chambers and walked to the guest wing of the castle. He knocked on Dacey's door and waited for the maid to open it. While waiting, Torrehen made sure he looked presentable. He smoothed out his doublet and ran his hand through his hair. When the maid opened the door, Torrhen inquired if Lady Dacey was awake yet.

"No, My Lord, Lady Dacey is feeling poorly this morning," The maid informed Torrhen. At that moment, he heard Dacey groan in pain.

Torrhen instantly knew that she, too, had a terrible hangover. Suddenly, Torrhen felt something pressed into his hand from behind. Gripping the vial, he realized Uncle Arthur had brought his hangover remedy. Torrhen smiled at the maid and handed her the vial, "Have Lady Dacey drink this; it should make her feel better. When The Lady feels better, please tell her I will be in the Great Hall, breaking my fast if she wishes to join me."

The maid curtsied and returned to the room, closing the door behind her. She informed Lady Dacey what Lord Torrhen said and handed her mistress the vial. Dacey looked at it curiously; she shrugged and drank the potion, then laid back to sleep more. The next time she woke up, Dacey felt excellent.

By then, a bath was prepared for Dacey, and she quickly stepped in and bathed. Once she finished, Dacey wrapped a fluffy towel around herself and exited the tub. She noticed her new pet was curled into a little ball and still asleep by the fire. Two maids knocked on Dacey's door and told her to come in.

"My Lady, I am here to help you prepare for the day."

Dacey nodded and allowed the maids to help her prepare for the day. Dacey may be a warrior from Bear Island, but she knew how to behave like a lady. And one of the requirements was to let the servants help her. The maid rubbed scented oil onto Dacey's body while the other pulled out a dress from the wardrobe. Once Dacey was dressed in her tiny clothes, the maid helped her dress. After that, Dacey sat down, and the servant dried and brushed her hair, then braided it in the Northern Style.

There was a knock at Dacey's door, and her sisters came barging in. Even though they had seen Dacey in a gown before, her sisters thought it was funny that Dacey was putting extra effort into looking her best. Dacey glared at her three sisters, which only made them laugh harder.

"You seem to be putting more effort into your looks this morning, Sister," Alysanne commented with a smirk.

Dacey huffed, "No, I am not."

Lyra raised her eyebrow, "Keep telling yourself that, Sister. Perhaps you'll believe it."

Dacey huffed and threw a towel at her sister, which she quickly caught, and laughed at her sister's supposed indignation. But Dacey's three younger sisters knew their oldest sister well; they knew Dacey was excited and nervous to see Torrhen again. And, of course, they'd make fun of her every chance they got. Once Dacey was ready, she and her sisters left Dacey's chambers. Dacey picked up the baby snow bear and carried the little male to breakfast. She needed to make sure that the little one had something to eat.

It turned out that the baby bear was already being weaned from its mother's milk, so Dacey thought of giving her bear cub mashed fish in warm water. She was sure the Stark cooks wouldn't mind preparing it for her.

The young ladies walked to the Great Hall to join the Stark family and the other Northern Lords for breakfast. When they arrived, breakfast had not begun as they waited for the women from Bear Island. As soon as they entered the Great Hall, Torrhen stood and walked toward Dacey. He smiled and kissed the hand that was not holding the bear cub. Torrhen led Dacey and her sister to the dais, where their mother sat next to Ned, discussing the wedding between their children.

Dacey couldn't help blushing when she heard the conversation that her mother and Lord Stark were discussing. Torrhen led Dacey to the seat next to his while Torrhen's brothers escorted her sisters. Torrhen took the baby bear from Dacey and put it on the floor with Nyx. Nyx picked the bear up and took it to the kitchens, where she'd have breakfast and share it with the cub. The cooks in the kitchen already learned that Nyx was different from her siblings; she would wait patiently until one of the butchers could give her a chunk of raw meat.

As always, the cooks smiled at seeing their Lord's Direwolf in the kitchen. She was the only one that ever came in. When they saw Nyx's extra burden with her, the staff gave her a more significant portion. Nyx ate the meat and then regurgitated it in front of the cub so it could eat. The little she-bear looked at Nyx, confused, but the wolf nudged the cub towards the meat, and the baby bear began to eat. Once they had eaten, Nyx padded out of the kitchen, and the snow bear followed.

Dacey was worried when Torrhen's wolf took her new companion, but Torrhen explained that it was likely that Nyx was feeding the cub. When the duo returned, Dacey relaxed, seeing the bear happy and full, playing with Nyx and her siblings in the middle of the room. So, as the Starks and the Mormonts had breakfast, Torrhen talked with Dacey. He wanted to know everything about Dacey and her home.

After breakfast, the young couple went for a walk around the grounds. Dacey asked about his squiring with Prince Oberyn and if he had enjoyed it, "Aye, it was a great learning experience. I learned many things that I want to apply to the North, especially new techniques for battle. I want the North to be unstoppable," Torrhen informed his betrothed. He knew they would go to war so Jon could claim his birthright, and Torrhen would be damned if he let the North lose after seeing the Unsullied fight.

Torrhen remembered how the Romans conquered the known world in his old life. He planned to use the same strategies that Julius Caesar used to take the throne for Jon. Of course, having two fully matured dragons would help, but Torrhen knew he couldn't put all his faith in only the dragons. 'I need to speak to Father about having a standing army for the North, but that is for another time,' Torrhen thought as he and Dacey walked. Right now, Torrhen has to concentrate on building a solid relationship with his wife-to-be.

As they walked and talked, Torrhen explained to Dacey that he didn't expect her to be a typical Lady of Winterfell, "I know that you are a warrior as well as a Lady and that you were heir to Bear Island," Torrhen told Dacey, "And because of this, I would like you to rule the North alongside me as my equal. There are many things I do not know about the North since I was fostered in Dorne. So, I would appreciate any help you can offer to rule our people well."

Dacey smiled at Torrhen. She knew he had a different way of thinking, being part Dornish, but she never expected that he would be so open-minded. Dacey was even surprised that Torrhen declared that if they were blessed with a daughter first, she would become his heir, as was the tradition in Dorne.

They walked into the Godswood and sat in front of the Weirwood tree. Torrhen took Dacey's hand and looked deep into her eyes, "Dacey, I want you to know that no matter what our parents decide, I will leave it up to you whether or not you want to marry me. And if you accept on your own accord, we can marry whenever you are ready. We are still young and can take as long as you need," Torrhen explained.

Dacey smiled at Torrhen, then leaned towards him and kissed him, "I would be honored to be your wife, but you are correct; I would like to get to know you a bit more before we wed."

Torrhen nodded, "Then we shall inform our parents of our decision. They may not like it, but that is how it will be," Torrhen announced. He stood and held his hand out for Dacey to take, "I think it is time we returned to the Keep. We must inform our parents of the arrangement you and I have made."

Dacey nodded and took Torrhen's offered hand. She wrapped her arm around Torrhen's, and the two walked back to Winterfell, ready to face their parents's wrath together. Though Torrhen was convinced, it wouldn't be as bad as Dacey thought.