Winter Is Coming

~Rayne | The Sick~

-Age 10-

"So what are we waiting for?" Robb whined just like a child.

"We are waiting for the other Lord's of the North to join us." Ned spoke to the impatient boy.

"But I'm hungry!" Robb childishly threw a small tantrum.

"And later in the future you'll be hungrier than you are now. You're going to face worse than an empty stomach." Ned chuckled to the lad and ruffled his hair. "Run along now. Go preoccupy yourself and then you can eat your fill at the feast."

Robb did as he was told and sprinted down the hallway. Ed turned to the girl behind him who watched the whole ordeal in amusement.

"Hello, Little Lady." Ned greeted the little girl who smiled brightly.

"I have a question, My Lord." She spoke too proper for a ten year old.

"And what kind of question might that be?"

"Well, this question doesn't really have a category?" She spoke in inquisition rather than certainty.

"Alright. Go ahead." Ed began walking towards the castle and Rayne followed him, nervously wringing her hands.

"Septa Mordane said that I was to be, in the future, sent away to marry a man of royalty." The girl queried carefully.

"Ah, yes. I will find you a good man. Is that all you were worried about?" Ned began walking towards the stairs.

"But that's not what I want. What if I don't want to marry some Lord? What if I want to fight and help people? Just like you." Ned and the girl stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"You can help people if you are a queen."

"I don't want to be a queen. I want to marry someone I love."

"It's expected of you, Rayne. And eventually you are bound to fall in love with the man." Ed responded honestly.

Catelyn and Ed didn't love each other at the beginning either, but they wed anyway. Soon, it just sort of happened and Ned had no doubt in his mind that the little girl that was so full of love and affection could learn to love the man she married.

"I don't want people to expect anything from me. I'll only let them down. I fight just as well as Robb and Jon. So why can't I be a knight or a soldier or even a-" Rayne rambled in anxiousness.

"I don't see why a ten year old should be worrying about these types of things. We'll see what happens in the future." Ned excused the tough topic for him.

He didn't want to marry his daughters off to some arrogant Prince who only wanted his daughters for their birth titles. After Ed had said those words, little Jon Snow walked around the corner in the corridor. Rayne's head snapped over to him and a smile lit up her face and the same one was mirrored on his. The two children seemed to have a silent agreement with each other before Jon turned on his heel and bolted back around the corner. Rayne giggled before chasing after him at speed not recommended in skinny corridors.

Lord Stark laughed before walking back to his and his wife's chambers to get ready for the feast. He could hear the sounds of the Septas yelling at Rayne to behave. He could also hear the sound of chatter happening around the busy hallways in the stone castle.

When he emerged through the doors to his chambers he found his beautiful wife stood before him. She was wearing a dark red gown and her hair was done by the ladies who dressed her and she looked breathtaking. When Catelyn turned to face Ned her own breath was taken away. Even though he wore nothing that he wouldn't usually wear but everytime she saw him it reminded her of how much she loves him.