Among Lions and Wolves • |Book 1|

.chapter eight.

She found him again, this time by pure accident. Winterfell had been mildly empty except for the ladies and those left behind. The King and Lord, with their eldest sons, left for an early hunt that day. Rhaella felt safe to leave her chambers and curious to explore.

She had first come across Tyrion in his usual place, the library.

"I see you have the bastard's wolf," he commented looking up from a large dusty leather book. Rhaella simply smiled in response, danced along the aisles and glided her fingers over the books, old and new. "Good, he will keep you safe."

And that was all the dwarf said to her. Their meeting in the library had been the first since their arrival into Winterfell, but then again she never ventured beyond the castle walls toward the village where a small brothel resided with the imp within it.

And after their brisk meeting, she had set off again, exploring Winterfell while she could. Ghost trotting along beside her, tail wagging. It was near the stables where she found Jon Snow saddling a horse. He had been wearing a black cloak, one without furs, unlike the one he gave her.

"Hello," she said softly, her eyes on the stable rather than him.

Jon stood up, his eyebrows furrowed, "Hello?"

"Where are you going?" She asked, forcing herself to push aside those painful memories and to look only at Jon Snow.

"Thought I'd go out for a ride," he replied, returning back to tacking up his horse.

"Can I come?"

Jon froze upon hearing her words. Slowly he stood up, turning to stare at her.

"Please?" Normally he found her unreadable, but now she stood before him, her eyes sad and pleading. "I need to get away, even if it's for only a moment."

A war raged inside Jon, taking Rhaella meant betraying Robb, but leaving her meant betraying Rhaella. She trusted him, she felt safe with him. Even though it was wise to break that trust, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Alright," he said finally. "Can you ride?"

"A little," she admitted. "Ladies aren't meant to ride and their is little need in King's Landing."

"Then you'll have to ride with me, do you still want to go?"

Rhaella stepped forward, "I don't mind it," she said. "I know you would never hurt me. You've been kind to me, I trust you."

He sighed, reaching for the reins and pulling the horse along with him. There was no one in Winterfell to talk and they would return before the others, he would see to it that they had.

"Very well," he tied the horse to a post and turned toward her. "He's very gentle, he won't spook while you mount."

Collecting her skirts into her hands, head held high, Rhaella approached and without asking for assistance, she stuck her foot in the stirrup and tried to jump up. Had it not been for Jon, she would have stumbled backward and into a muddy puddle.

"Are you laughing at me?" She pulled away from him, face flushed red from embarrassment.

Jon sobered up, his smile quickly vanishing. "No, my lady."

"Stop calling me that!" She ordered, rolling her eyes and turning back to the large beast. "Rhaella, call me Rhaella. Now help me, Snow, it's very rude to leave a damsel in distress."

Smiling, Jon moved forward to help her into the saddle. Once up safely, he instructed her to move forward so that he could sit behind her.

"Are you sure about this," he asked when they were both in the saddle and he reaching around for the reins.

"We are already up here," she replied, turning her head to look at him. "No sense getting down now."

They left the castle behind, Ghost running along, weaving in and out of trees as they rode through the woods. Despite hating Winterfell, she found it to be truly breathtaking on the outside.

"Incredible," she said as they rode along. Jon pulled the horse to a stop and dismounted, leaving Rhaella confused. "What are you doing?"

"Come," he held out his hands for her. "I have something to show you."

Trusting him, she slid from the saddle into his hands. He placed her gently on the ground, reached around for the horse and pulled him toward a fallen tree where he tied the stallion securely.

"What is it you want to show me?" She asked, following along.

Jon turned toward her, a finger pressed to his lips. She closed her mouth realizing that whatever it was, it required them to be quiet as possible.

She could hear the faint rushing of water and beyond the trees a stream could be seen. They drew closer, their footsteps now light and airy.

Jon pulled her down behind a bush, and because she trusted him, she followed. He peered around and when he found what he wanted to show her, he crept along the bush, beckoning her to follow.

She did so, out from behind the bush. Slowly the waddled, and then she stopped.

Rhaella lost her balance and fell to her knees. She had been quiet in doing so, careful not to startle the creature on the other side of the stream.

"Is that a unicorn?" She whispered, turning back to Jon, excitement welling up inside. "A real unicorn?"

"It is," he replied softly from beside her. "They are very rare and nearly extinct. I believe this may be the last of her herd."

"Oh poor thing," she whispered, her ice blue eyes filling with tears. "And she does not mind the cold?"

Rhaella had always thought unicorns to love the warmth, but then again, she had never thought them to be real either.

"No one to bother her here," he replied. "No other animal will dare to go near her. I've been watching her for some time now."

"She's beautiful," she said, her breath nearly taken away. "I wish I could get closer but I do not want to scare her. Will she attack if startled?"

"I do not know," he replied.

"Do you think she has magical powers? I read in books that unicorns had magical powers."

"I do not know," he said again.

"Do you know anything?" She turned to look at him. Jon was smiling at her. "Explains why the books in your library are covered in dust."

"I know some things," he replied.

"Do you?" She sat back on her heels, "Like what, do share,"

"I know how to fight," he said. "And to survive on my own."

"Do you?" She turned back to the unicorn and titled her head. "Will you teach me?"

"Teach you?"

"How to fight," she turned back to him. "I don't want to feel so defenseless."

"I don't think it's wise for me to teach you," he said softly.

"I don't care," she replied. "I want to be able to defend myself. I won't always be at King's Landing and I won't always have you or Ghost."

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I know there is a bit of confusion in the first part since she found Jon and then switched to Tyrion.