Page 28 (1/2)
Catelyn
My lady, you ought cover your head," Ser Rodrik told her as their horses plodded north "You will take a chill"
"It is only water, Ser Rodrik," Catelyn replied Her hair hung wet and heavy, a loose strand stuck to her forehead, and she could ied and wild she must look, but for once she did not care The southern rain was soft and warentle as a mother’s kisses It took her back to her childhood, to long grey days at Riverrun She re branches heavy with hter as he chased her through piles of daht of theers They had served the, and he’d eaten sothey all had been
Catelyn had alotten In the north, the rain fell cold and hard, and soht it turned to ice It was as likely to kill a crop as nurture it, and it sent grownfor the nearest shelter That was no rain for little girls to play in
"I ah," Ser Rodrik complained "Even my bones are wet" The woods pressed close around the of rain on leaves was acco sounds their horses made as their hooves pulled free of the ht, my lady, and a hot meal would serve us both"
"There is an inn at the crossroads up ahead," Catelyn told hi with her father Lord Hoster Tully had been a restlesssomewhere She still remembered the innkeep, a fat woht and day and seemed to have an endless supply of smiles and sweet cakes for the children The sweet cakes had been soaked with honey, rich and heavy on the tongue, but how Catelyn had dreaded those smiles The sourleaf had stained Masha’s teeth a dark red, and made her smile a bloody horror
"An inn," Ser Rodrik repeated wistfully "If onlybut we dare not risk it If ish to remain unknown, I think it best we seek out some small holdfast" He broke off as they heard sounds up the road; splashing water, the clink of mail, a horse’s whinny "Riders," he warned, his hand dropping to the hilt of his sword Even on the kingsroad, it never hurt to be wary
They followed the sounds around a lazy bend of the road and saw the a swollen stream Catelyn reined up to let the sodden and lio cloaks and on their shoulders flew the silver eagle of Seagard "Mallisters," Ser Rodrik whispered to her, as if she had not known "My lady, best pull up your hood"
Catelyn made no move Lord Jason Mallister hihts, his son Patrek by his side and their squires close behind They were riding for King’s Landing and the Hand’s tourney, she knew For the past week, the travelers had been thick as flies upon the kingsroad; knights and freeriders, singers with their harps and druons laden with hops or corn or casks of honey, traders and crafts south
She studied Lord Jason boldly The last ti with her uncle at her wedding feast; the Mallisters stood bannerifts had been lavish His brown hair was salted hite now, his face chiseled gaunt by time, yet the years had not touched his pride He rode like aCatelyn envied him that; she had come to fear so , but it was only a high lord’s courtesy to strangers chance nition in those fierce eyes, and his son did not even waste a look
"He did not know you," Ser Rodrik said after, wondering
"He saw a pair of mud-spattered travelers by the side of the road, wet and tired It would never occur to hie lord I think we shall be safe enough at the inn, Ser Rodrik"
It was near dark when they reached it, at the crossroads north of the great confluence of the Trident Masha Heddle was fatter and greyer than Catelyn reave thehastly red smile "Two rooms at the top of the stair, that’s all there is," she said, chewing all the while "They’re under the bell tower, you won’t be h there’s some thinks it too noisy Can’t be helped We’re full up, or near as makes no matter It’s those rooarrets at the top of a cramped narrow staircase "Leave your boots down here," Masha told them after she’d taken their coin "The boy will clean the mud up my stairs Mind the bell Those who come late to meals don’t eat" There were no smiles, and no , the sound was deafening Catelyn had changed into dry clothes She sat by the atching rain run down the pane The glass wasoutside Catelyn could just reat roads ave her pause If they turned west from here, it was an easy ride down to Riverrun Her father had always given her wise counsel when she needed it athering storm If Winterfell needed to brace for war, how , with the power of Casterly Rock loo to the west like a shadow If only her father had been stronger, she ht have chanced it, but Hoster Tully had been bedridden these past two years, and Catelyn was loath to tax hierous, clih rocky foothills and thick forests into the Mountains of the Moon, past high passes and deep chasers beyond Above the Vale, the Eyrie stood high and i for the sky There she would find her sisterand, perhaps, soht Surely Lysa knew ht have the very proof that Ned needed to bring the Lannisters to ruin, and if it came to war, they would need the Arryns and the eastern lords ed them service
Yet the mountain road was perilous Shadowcats prowled those passes, rock slides were co fro away like snohenever the knights rode out froreat a lord as any the Eyrie had ever known, had always traveled in strength when he crossed the ht, arht, Riverrun and the Eyrie would have to wait Her path ran north to Winterfell, where her sons and her duty aiting for her As soon as they were safely past the Neck, she could declare herself to one of Ned’s banner ahead with orders to sroad
The rain obscured the fields beyond the crossroads, but Catelyn saw the land clear enough in her mee aa small stone sept There would beand peaceful North of here the kingsroad ran along the Green Fork of the Trident, through fertile valleys and green woodlands, past thriving towns and stout holdfasts and the castles of the river lords
Catelyn knew them all: the Blackwoods and the Brackens, ever eneed to settle; Lady Whent, last of her line, ith her ghosts in the cavernous vaults of Harrenhal; irascible Lord Frey, who had outlived seven wives and filled his twin castles with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and bastards and grandbastards as well All of them were bannermen to the Tullys, their swords sworn to the service of Riverrun Catelyn wondered if that would be enough, if it came to war Her father was the staunchest man who’d ever lived, and she had no doubt that he would call his bannersbut would the banners coers and Mootons had sworn oaths to Riverrun as well, yet they had fought with Rhaegar Targaryen on the Trident, while Lord Frey had arrived with his levies well after the battle was over, leaving some doubt as to which army he had planned to join (theirs, he had assured the victors solemnly in the aftermath, but ever after her father had called hiht fervently They must not let it
Ser Rodrik caor "We had best ht, ht and lady until we pass the Neck," she told hihter taken to the road on some family business, say"
"As you say, hed that he realized what he’d done "The old courtesies die hard,whiskers, and sighed with exasperation
Catelyn took his arm "Come, Father," she said "You’ll find that Masha Heddle sets a good table, I think, but try not to praise her You truly don’t want to see her s and drafty, with a row of huge wooden kegs at one end and a fireplace at the other A serving boy ran back and forth with skewers ofher sourleaf all the while
The benches were crowded, townsfolk and far freely with all manner of travelers The crossroads made for odd companions; dyers with black and purple hands shared a bench with river of fish, an ironsmith thick with muscle squeezed in beside a wizened old septon, hard-bitten sellswords and soft plump merchants swapped news like boon companions
The company included more swords than Catelyn would have liked Three by the fire wore the red stallion badge of the Brackens, and there was a large party in blue steel ringrey On their shoulder was another fail, the twin towers of House Frey She studied their faces, but they were all too young to have known her The senior a them would have been no older than Bran when she went north
Ser Rodrik found them an empty place on the bench near the kitchen Across the table a handsooodfolk," he said as they sat An empty wine cup stood on the table before hier," Catelyn returned Ser Rodrik called for bread and er, a youth of sohteen years, eyed the, and fro the questions fly as quick as arrows and never pausing for an answer "We left King’s Landing a fortnight ago," Catelyn replied, answering the safest of his questions
"That’s where I’m bound," the youth said As she had suspected, he wastheirs Singers loved nothing half so well as the sound of their own voices "The Hand’s tourney means rich lords with fat purses The last time I came aith more silver than I could carryor would have, if I hadn’t lost it all betting on the Kingslayer to win the day"
"The gods frown on the gambler," Ser Rodrik said sternly He was of the north, and shared the Stark views on tournaments
"They frowned on ods and the Knight of Flowers altogether did me in"
"No doubt that was a lesson for you," Ser Rodrik said
"It was This time my coin will cha at whiskers that were not there, but before he could fra up He laid trenchers of bread before them and filled the with hot juice Another skewer held tiny onions, fire peppers, and fat mushrooms Ser Rodrik set to lustily as the lad ran back to fetch theer said, plucking a string on his woodharp "Doubtless you’ve heard me play somewhere?"
His ers ever ventured as far north as Winterfell, but she knew his like froirlhood in Riverrun "I fear not," she told him
He drew a plaintive chord from the woodharp "That is your loss," he said "Who was the finest singer you’ve ever heard?"