Oathkeeper

Chapter 73: Falcon

Lady Helenys gripped the skirt of her gown and held it up slightly as she left the Godswood. Sansa had it made for her personally, and she would not let the morass of mushy mud ruin her relationship with the Queen. Helenys carefully calculated every step she took. She skipped over the rippling puddle, slipped through the crinkling leaves, and stepped out into the courtyard. After spending an hour failing to console the prince and his frustrations, she figured maybe a moment to himself would do him justice. That was how she found herself out here. She didn't particularly enjoy roaming Winterfell on her own. But she figured if this was meant to be her home someday, she'd just have to get used to it. The castle was just as noisy as it had been for the past few weeks. Rickon stated that it was only like this during unique occasions, and a civil war amongst the North would be considered unique to most. It took a moment for the castle to adjust to their new method of receiving goods. With the Cerwyns controlling the Kingsroad and White Harbor, Winterfell was forced to rely on the goods that came from their allies castles, and the imports at Widow's Watch. A smaller port, which meant less goods, which then increased the amount of back and forth they'd have to do to maintain the kitchen.

Things were difficult at first, but Sansa handled it all efficiently and gracefully, and Lady Helenys had a front row seat to it all. She had always admired the Queen dearly, even from afar. She could still remember meeting her for the first time. It was in the Keep of Karhold, where her mother hosted her twenty-third name day celebration. When Helenys entered the Keep with her father, she was completely captivated by the beauty of the Queen. Her gown was a lavish deep rooted lavender. Helenys' favorite color. And her face . . . Sansa's eyes sparkled brighter than diamonds, her lips curved to a gentle smile, and her cheeks were flushed with delight and alcohol as she giggled with her wife.

So, when Ser Bael's voice bellowed behind the knocks at her chamber door two weeks ago, she was completely startled and when she heard that the Queen was asking for her, she nearly soiled her pants. She met Queen Sansa in the Great Keep and they engaged in plenty of food and even a bit of wine during their discussion. At first it was just the nitty gritty. The Queen wanted to know as much as she could about her, and once Helenys was through spilling her guts like an open stomach wound, Sansa offered her the opportunity of a lifetime.

"You should sit in on some of my meetings, shadow me around the castle, help me write out some scrolls," She smiled, "A Queen's work is hard, you should begin to learn it now."

And so she did. On days where Sansa wasn't too busy, or badgered with sensitive war information, Helenys would follow her everywhere. Her day would start off simple. She and Sansa would roam the castle; they checked on the cooks in the kitchen, the people occupying Wintertown, the castle workers of the keep, the hounds from the kennel. They looked into everything and everyone, and if something wasn't right, Sansa made note of it and promised a solution that came rather quickly. Then, they'd head into her private meeting chamber in the Great Keep and whatever was left out for her by the Grand Maester or the Lady Hand. Eventually they'd stop to eat but the second the Queen was through washing her meal down with a glass of rich red wine, they'd be on their way to the Library Tower for a small council meeting. This is where she would act as no more than a cupbearer, but she listened to every word they spoke. Once the meeting was through, Sansa released her back out into the world.

Her favorite part was when she stood beside the Queen while she greeted those meant to defend Winterfell. Everything was loud, the commands coming from the South Gate, the ascending stampede of horses and marching soldiers. The throng of fighters intimidated Helenys to where she needed to gulp down something thick before approaching. The fact that a decent portion came from beyond the wall only seemed to make it worse. There were very few residents in Karhold who were born free, and those who were, she had little experience with them as they were commoners who lived in the town beneath the castle. But when she looked over to the beautiful sternness of the Queen, a subtle wave of ease washed over her. Her honey eyes paid close attention to each banner that rolled in through the gates. She was confidently able to label the three arrows piercing the heart on a field of grey as the Parklers, the silver fist on a field of red as the Glovers, the shield with the broken chains on a field of brown as the Free Women.