𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕹𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖍 𝕭𝖊𝖑𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗

𝕺𝖓𝖊

𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐄

The Twins, few months earlier.
Elise was not happy to be running towards the Gods' Wood, but she also didn't wish to displease her Lord father.

The reason why she didn't was hard to explain, and she only could've come up with a satisfying answer: the thing is that although she couldn't really say she cared about her father, she wasn't eager to be under constant scolding on the daily either; so, if she could avoid it, she would.

And if in order to please her dad, she had to run quickly towards the Gods' Wood before he would be done welcoming his hosts – so be it.

Truthfully, she'd got quite annoyed when Roslin, her older sister, had come up to her to report the news: the norhmen had arrived, dad was receiving them, they were not to be seen...

"What does he mean, not to be seen?", she'd asked, most pissed. "Why would he not want us to welcome our hosts?"

Roslin had immediately got very anxious. "I knew, I knew I should've sent Olyvar, but he said that I'd manage to get you going..."

Elise had stopped her with a quick hand gesture, and had descended the tree on which she was reading: it was not in her intentions to drive the poor sister insane. "Why does father not want us there?", she had asked nevertheless, once she'd reassured the sister by starting to walk with her towards their bedchamber.

"I don't know... Olyvar says he hopes to send them away as soon as possible..." had answered Roslin, and Elise had been happy to hear her brother's name being mentioned: Olyvar was very intuitive; and if those really were his words, there was a great chance she'd just got the answer she so much wanted.

Even so, she'd still snored. "Impossible. If it is the Starks who have come to ask for help, he can't just send them away. We're linked to Riverrun, and Lady Stark is a Tully, before else".

Roslin had shook her shoulders uncomfortably. "I don't know... I don't know what to think. Only Olyvar told me that father wanted all his sons well away from the Hall, up in our rooms, until the northmen were gone..."

Elise had put a hand on her shoulder, to try and calm her down: although she might not have been the most intelligent of women, her sister was good-hearted; and she was sure all she was saying wasn't but her best intentions.

"Don't worry, Rose. I understand. I won't come close to the Hall, I promise. But do let me go to the Gods' Wood: it's where I was meaning to go after finishing this chapter, but given the situation... I still want to get a quick stop there, though", she'd prayed the sister, and Roslin had not had – just as Elise had anticipated – the heart to refuse her request.

"But be quick about it!" she had told her nevertheless. "Don't linger there too much!"

Elise had kissed her cheek, "Thanks Rose", and then she'd sprinted off towards her destination.

A quick smile escaped her lips as her mind re-visited the dialogue with her sister: the fact that, although being one year younger, she could still have such an impact on her made her feel helplessy powerful.

With Olyvar, – her other brother – however, it was a different story: and as she was sure Roslin would in a way or the other end up telling him all about her cheeky run, she really had no wish to spend too much time praying.

As she entered the Wood, she gradually stopped running, and took the time to fix her emerald-green grown, that she'd so neglected during the run: she could spot a few folds where there shouldn't have been, but overall she'd done a great job at keeping her figure gracefully appealing.