Robb had seen Jeyne disappear, but it had taken him a bit of time to realise she wasn't coming back. He's noticed that she's been withdrawn, and he has a fair idea of why, but there just hasn't been time or opportunity, with the chaos of a new baby's arrival, to have a moment alone with her to talk about it.
So as soon as he's sure Sansa and Eddara are settled and have everything they need, he exchanges a few short explanations with his mother and starts out with Grey Wind to track down his wife.
They find her in a garden, huddled in the shade. A butterfly lands on Grey Wind's nose and he regards it curiously as Robb sits gingerly down. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Jeyne hadn't expected Robb to find her, and then realised what a foolish thought that was; someone with a wolf could find anyone they wanted. "It's nothing," she said, her voice a bit unsteady. "It was just a bit mad in the house and I wanted some air." She felt guilty for lying to Robb like so, but it felt such a selfish and ungrateful thing to be bothered by that she felt even worse to admit it.
"It is, at that," Robb agrees, though he knows better. Summerfell is always full of people, but no more so than Riverrun or anywhere else where they come from. Grey Wind is still as a statue of a wolf, his nose lifted as he watches the wings of the butterfly slowly moving.
Jeyne watched Grey Wind with the butterfly on his nose for a moment, the corner of her mouth turning up at the sight despite how miserable she felt inside. "How is Sansa?" she asked hesitantly.
Cuddy had taken a walk, not for any reason other than she hadn't wanted to run yet. Running was for forgetting, for pushing unpleasant notions far out of her mind. She didn't need that now, she just wanted to think. Think about Jack, about Tony, about all of the things in between that she really needed to figure out.
The walk had brought her to a garden she hadn't visited before, and there was a quiet serenity about the place that Cuddy thought had departed all locations in the world. Apparently, the island was filled with surprises.
Another surprise came at the sight of a woman, again one that she hadn't seen before, who had a troubled look on her face.
"Are you all right?" Cuddy asked softly, not wanting to startle her.
"Oh, no," said Jeyne, looking up, "I mean, yes. I'm fine. It's only that my goodsister's baby has come yesterday, and it's a bit mad in the house with people coming and going, visiting." She managed a smile for the lady and added, "This seemed a much more peaceful place, for the moment."
"I can say I've never been here," Cuddy said, "even though I've been here on the island for..I guess it's close to a year now. It's beautiful."
She stepped around carefully, coming to sit beside her. "A new baby does bring that chaos," she said. The familiar pang in her heart was there, but she forced it to quiet.
"I've never seen it before either," said Jeyne, moving over a bit to make room for her in the shade, "but I've only been here just past the moon's turn. It's very beautiful. We don't have such things where I'm from, at least not that I have ever seen." If they did exist they would likely have been destroyed in the war anyway.
There was something in the other woman's voice that caught Jeyne's attention, but she didn't remark on it out of courtesy. "I'm Jeyne Stark," she said instead, introducing herself. "I live at Summerfell, with my lord husband and his family."
Catelyn had managed to get a little sleep at least, but she'd been too restless to sleep for long. Perhaps it was the new babe, or just the general state of uproar in Summerfell, but after her fifth circuit of the main room of Summerfell, Ned had given her a faintly amused look that had made her want to slap him and suggested she take a walk and get some air. After a tense moment she'd nodded, realizing he was likely right. She needed to relax.
She ensured that Sansa and Eddara were comfortable and looked after (not that there weren't half a dozen people and nearly as many direwolves that would come running at the slightest need) before leaving Summerfell, walking quickly at first, then slowing to a stroll as the tension gradually eased from her.
She was not entirely surprised when she came upon Jeyne, looking upset. She hesitated, then called out softly to the girl. "Jeyne?"
"Lady Catelyn," said Jeyne, a little startled, getting to her feet. She was still deferential to Robb's mother, as the habits of sixteen years' training of courtesies was stronger than a few short months of being Robb's queen. "Has something happened? Is everything all right?"
"Everything is fine," Catelyn reassured her, holding a staying hand out. "I simply decided I could use some fresh air and exercise." She drew closer, smiling gently at the girl, hoping to put her at some ease. "And you? Is everything all right with you?"
Jeyne sat down again, moving over a bit so that there would be room in the shade for Lady Catelyn to sit as well if she wished. "The house seemed rather full," she replied, "and I thought it could do with one less person for a while. Besides, it's lovely out today."
Comments 72
So as soon as he's sure Sansa and Eddara are settled and have everything they need, he exchanges a few short explanations with his mother and starts out with Grey Wind to track down his wife.
They find her in a garden, huddled in the shade. A butterfly lands on Grey Wind's nose and he regards it curiously as Robb sits gingerly down. "Do you want to talk about it?"
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The walk had brought her to a garden she hadn't visited before, and there was a quiet serenity about the place that Cuddy thought had departed all locations in the world. Apparently, the island was filled with surprises.
Another surprise came at the sight of a woman, again one that she hadn't seen before, who had a troubled look on her face.
"Are you all right?" Cuddy asked softly, not wanting to startle her.
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She stepped around carefully, coming to sit beside her. "A new baby does bring that chaos," she said. The familiar pang in her heart was there, but she forced it to quiet.
Reply
There was something in the other woman's voice that caught Jeyne's attention, but she didn't remark on it out of courtesy. "I'm Jeyne Stark," she said instead, introducing herself. "I live at Summerfell, with my lord husband and his family."
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She ensured that Sansa and Eddara were comfortable and looked after (not that there weren't half a dozen people and nearly as many direwolves that would come running at the slightest need) before leaving Summerfell, walking quickly at first, then slowing to a stroll as the tension gradually eased from her.
She was not entirely surprised when she came upon Jeyne, looking upset. She hesitated, then called out softly to the girl. "Jeyne?"
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