Trying to Grow Strong

The cold air climbed its way into the window and combed its slim fingers in the girl’s brown hair, she paid no attention to it as she pulled the light brown shawl tighter around her tense shoulders. She sat with her feet tucked under her bottom on the cushion of the window seat, it was dark in the small study the only light was the fire lit at the side of the room that face her when she looked straight ahead but her eyes were too busy watching the crow flying towards the castle. She knew her neck would ache the next day for she had been sitting with her face turned right to gaze out the window waiting for something, for the thing that had made her feel uneasy all day, she did not know what to expect. In her small hand she clutched the necklace that carried a medallion with the Tyrell sigil on it, her grandmother had sent it for her name day with the letter clutched in her other hand. It told her of how she owed a duty to her family to marry well, she owed her family honour and not disappointment which had been believed from the moment she was born.

Family, Duty, Honour. They were the Tully words not the Tyrell’s. Maybe her grandmother was condemning her for viewing Edmure Tully as more of a father than her own who when she was born held her over the balcony of the room where her mother had given birth to her and died. He did not do the same to her twin brother Linden as he had been born some time before her and her mother had survived his birth but it would be her that had killed her mother. Her father cared not for family but for power, her sister Margaery was a princess in her father’s eyes and he would stop at nothing to make her become one. But for Elodie he had other plans. When she was old enough to walk and talk she was sent from High Garden to Riverrun as a ward.

Riverrun was her home now and Edmure Tully was her father.

Her blue and golden eyes followed the path of the crow, Dark wings, Dark words, she thought sadly. Was it her family demanding that she marry or denouncing her? She truly did not want to know. She turned the medallion in her palm and smiled softly when she saw the sigil of the Tully House engraved on the back, Lord Edmure had done it for her when he saw it and saw her upset mood, “You are more a Tully than a Tyrell, you are a fish with the patterns of flowers on your scales.” He had said and Elodie had put the gift around her neck with the Tully sigil on show for all the seven kingdoms of Westeros to see and she had wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her and spun her around. That was only a few days ago a whole week before her sixteenth name day.

She did not even flinch when on of Lord Edmure’s guards came into the study but she had clearly scared the seven hells out of him. “Lady Elodie! The Others take you child! Come away from the window, no one wishes you to fall out and break your little neck!” Ser Daniel scolded before striding across the room and offered the girl his arm as she gave him a sheepish smile. She placed her hand on his arm and rose from her seat.

“If someone was to hear all your fretting, Ser Daniel, they would think you were my Septa,” the young girl breathed out a laugh but took in the guard’s appearance. He was tall and was clearly a great fighter with how he held himself, his dark hair and dimpled smile appeared to make him seem younger than he was but in truth Elodie did not know his age.

“Aye, but if I didn’t Lord Tully would have my head,” he chuckled but then his face became troubled causing Elodie to frown which made her lips turn into a slight pout. Ser Daniel sighed before speaking, “Two letters arrived not long ago, one that has no real concern but the other I fear will upset you.”

Elodie stared cautiously at him as they left the study and headed in the direction of her chambers, she stared down the corridor in front of them in deep thought. She had only saw one crow and it had come in the direction of the North. What could one of the letters hold that would upset her?
“Did Uncle Edmure ask you to find me and tell me what the letter beholds?” she only called Lord Edmure uncle in front of others but in private she would call him father. She watched with her blue and golden eyes as Ser Daniel winced and ran a hand through his long dark hair that reached his jaw.

“Your Lady sister is coming to Riverrun for the tourney of your name day,”

Elodie stared at him in shock and in slight fear, what possessed her sister to come visit her? The tourney was not just for her, really it was hardly for her, it was for Lord Edmure’s name day as well which happened to be the same day as hers but it was mostly for the knights, guards and many lords in the River lands who had been begging for a tourney for some time. Elodie could imagine that he sister was coming for the purpose of charming all the lords and finding herself a husband not to visit her sister.

Margaery who everyone preferred, she was a one of the most beautiful women in the realm and her sister was just so plain.

Margaery was a golden rose while Elodie was thorns.

“The good news is that Lord Tully’s sister Lady Catelyn Stark is coming with her eldest son and daughter for the tourney and will stay for some time after.”

Ser Daniel’s voice brought her out of her thoughts and she looked at him with wide eyes. Robb Stark was coming to Riverrun. Ser Daniel paid her no attention and stopped at her chamber door. “Lord Tully wishes to see you first thing in the morning to discuss matters with you and to prepare for Lady Catelyn’s arrival which will be the day after tomorrow, the letter was only sent after they had already left.”

She could only nod and gave him a slight curtsey and opened her chamber door, “Good night Ser Daniel” she murmured and she did not hear his reply as she entered her room and closed the door. She let herself fall onto her bed as her mind travelled back in time to when she had first arrived in Riverrun. Robb Stark had helped her escaped some cruel man in the woods of the castle. She could remember his blue eyes shining like stars as they lay on the forest ground laughing. He told her not to be scared anymore and she told him not to wear a mask and hid his feelings. They promised this to each other, giving the other a gift to symbolize the promise. He gave her a wooden toy carved into the shape of a direwolf and she gave him a necklace with a leather string that held a glass gem with a small flower inside. If you held the gem up in the sunlight it was a blue colour with gold shining through. He said it reminded him of her eyes. She said the direwolf reminded her of his courage.

That was almost 10 years ago. Elodie feared he wouldn’t be the same sweet boy or that Margaery would take him under her spell. But most of she hoped.

She hoped that he remembered their promise.

She hoped that he had kept his for she had broken hers.