Book One: Chapter 12

The next day dawns cold and white, a heavy cloud settling across the sky with the sort of peace that Eunbi knows means snow. She can taste it in the air as she walks from her chambers in the King’s Tower, to the Lord Commander’s solar. Inside, it is warm with the flickering fire and Sakura already sits at a heavy round table, with the Lord Commander beside her, talking jovially, though they both fall quiet at her entrance, standing before she can gesture them back into their seats.

“Please,” She offers them both a friendly smile, sinking into the final seat at the table. “I think I am friends enough with both of you to dispel of those courtesies. Sit, eat, continue.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” The Lord Commander answers roughly, sinking into his seat again.

Sakura offers her a smile, their eyes meet and something small and secret passes between them even as Sakura sits and greets her.

“Your majesty, I hope the morning finds you well.”

“Very well, and yourself Lady Sakura?” Her lips take on something close to a smirk at the formality they wear around the Lord Commander.

“Well,” Sakura reaches for her goblet, “The northern air agrees with me.”

“It’s the purest air in all of the north,” The Lord Commander agrees, chewing on a hunk of bread. “Apologies, your majesty.”

“No, no,” Eunbi shakes him away, “I agree.” She looks between the two of them curiously as they eat, accepting the eggs and bread that are placed before her. “So, I didn’t get the chance to ask last night how the two of you come to know each other so well?”

“I only know the Lord Commander through hearsay,” Sakura corrects her, looking up at the large man. “And the stories my parents told me. My father liked you very much.”

“Your father was afraid of me, I dare say.” The Lord Commander raises an eyebrow in her direction, “He was a good man, I’ll admit, but Lady Yoona became a part of the family during her stay in the Eyrie. Any man would fall short in our eyes.”

“Really?” Sakura’s brows crease, and Eunbi watches as she sits up a little straighter, her tone draped with steel. “He’s an excellent man, I’m surprised you think otherwise. He is kind and fair and wise-”

“My lady,” the Lord Commander cuts through her with a gruff laugh, a twinkle in his eyes, “Your father is a great man, I’ll admit that now. You’ll know when you have daughters that no man ever seems good enough.”

“Oh, I see,” Sakura deflates a little and the Lord Commander reassures her kindly.

“Your loyalty to your father is admirable.”

“I love him dearly,” She tells him, her voice soft and honest, and Eunbi feels a tug at her heart.

“You must miss him.” The Lord Commander observes, and Sakura nods falteringly, her eyes flickering down to her plate.

“Very much,” She admits, and a moment of silence settles between them all, heavy as thick cream. Eunbi pushes her eggs about her plate, and opens to break the silence, when she is interrupted by a rushed knock on the door.

The Lord Commander has barely finished calling out for the visitor to come in before the door swings open and a messenger in Stark livery almost falls through the door. He is followed by the Measter of Castle Black, who is looking at him with a wrinkled nose even as he bows his head to those waiting.

“Apologies for the disturbance, Lord Commander,” The Measter tells him, his voice pinched and irritated. “A letter has come from the Citadel,” He slides a letter across the table towards the Lord Commander, and the man hums as he begins to open it. The Measter continues, “And this boy,” He nudges the messenger closer by his shoulder, “Would not wait until you were done.”

“I have an urgent message from Winterfell ,” The boy snaps in return. He looks as if he has been riding for days, muddy and shivering, soaked with sweat but fierce with loyalty. The boy bows deeply to her, and Eunbi offers him a smile when he passes her his note. “Your majesty.”

“Thank you,” She runs a thumb over the parchment, wondering what could have made Yujin send her a note so urgently. “What’s your name?”

“Archie, your majesty,” He colours a little under her attentions, and she looks to the Measter.

“Please ensure that Archie is given a hot meal and a bed, and a fresh horse tomorrow.” She tells the Measter, and Archie thanks her enthusiastically as the Measter grudgingly leads him away.

The Lord Commander makes a low sound of concern and Eunbi looks up at him as she uncurls her note. He meets her gaze across the table and in the low light, his eyes are shadowed.

“Did you know about this?”

Suspecting that she knows what he has just read, she nods, and he shakes his head, muttering,

“Utterly foolish. Baratheon is not a young man, he cannot-”

“Baratheon?” Sakura’s eyes widen, looking between them with surprise, “What? What is it?” She looks between them, and the Lord Commander opens his mouth to answer her but before he can get a word out she darts forwards and takes the letter from his hand, saying urgently. “May I?”

As her eyes skim down the letter, Eunbi glances down at her own note, her eyes narrowing with concern as she reads the few words Yujin has sent to her.

“ No!” Sakura’s cry draws her attention away again, and her eyes widen in surprise to see the horror  written across the girl’s expression. “No, I- I don’t believe this.” She fixes the Lord Commander with a determined glare, but her hands are shaking. “Wells would never do this- he would- he wouldn’t just abandon his kingdom, his duty!”

“I’m afraid it is true,” Eunbi says, as gently as she can. Sakura is so distressed she fears she could become hysterical. “I also received a raven about it.”

“You knew ?” Sakura turns on her, outraged, and she is so surprised by the rage in her eyes that she finds herself momentarily lost for words.

“I did,” Her brows raise, and she glances at the Lord Commander, who watches them closely. “Lady Sakura.”

Sakura doesn’t flinch, “You didn’t think to tell me ? You didn’t think I could have helped ?”

“Lady Sakura,” She starts, her voice low with her warning, but Sakura ignores her thoroughly.

“I can’t believe you let me just wander around not knowing, he is my prince Eunbi, my friend , I deserved to know!”

“Lady Sakura!” Eunbi stands, her chair legs scraping against the stone flagged floor loudly. “I didn’t discuss this with you because I am not in the habit of discussing the politics of the north with southerners. I’m sorry that your mother didn’t think to keep you informed, but that is not my responsibility.” Sakura stares at her, open mouthed and astonished by her sudden outburst, and Eunbi doesn’t give herself the time to feel sorry, instead she squares her shoulders and tightens her jaw. Looking every bit the queen in the north, she fixes her eyes on the Lord Commander and continues, as calmly as possible. “I’m afraid our visit will have to be cut short, Lord Commander. Prince Yujin is in need of me in Winterfell. I will find a moment to discuss the upkeep of Castle Black and the status of the wildlings before I leave, but I must tell my captain to make preparations for our departure.” Her gaze turns to Sakura, who’s eyes have narrowed, “Lady Sakura, after you.”

---

As they arrange to leave, Chaewon argues against the journey fiercely.

“Yujin has specifically told you not to return!” Her voice is loud as they stride down the stairs of the King’s Tower and into the courtyard, and Eunbi shoots her a warning glance. Chaewon’s jaw clenches, furious, but she obediently lowers her voice. “He told you that he had everything under control, he’s been trained for this!”

“He’s been trained for diplomacy and to fight in a vanguard,” Eunbi retorts, sharply, coming to a halt to check her horse’s tack before she mounts. “Not to ward of Karstark and Bolton when they claim I am too lenient with the south.”

“Do you not trust him?” Chaewon demands, as she swings herself into the saddle, and Eunbi grunts in frustration.

“Of course I do!” Her agitation must translate to her body, because her horse sidesteps nervously beneath her. “I have to be there, to defend myself.”

“It’s going to snow ,” Chaewon tells her, grabbing her horse’s reins so that she can’t move. “There’s a storm coming in, you know that as well as me.”

“We’ll make it to the Umber holdfast in time to wait out the storm.” Eunbi snaps, angrily, and pulls the reins from Chaewon’s hands with such conviction that her captain stumbles. Peering around, she finds that there is no head of golden hair upon a mount close by, and in her frustration she demands of a passing stable boy. “ Where is Lady Sakura?”

The boy gapes at her, and it is Chaewon who steps in to answer, coolly, “She didn’t want to ride with you, your majesty.”

A lance of something between hurt and anger races through her at the words, and she attempts to keep her expression even. “Fine then, but her carriage had better not slow us down.”

She pushes her riders too fast and too hard, and she knows it objectively, in the back of her mind, but she will hear no complaint from Chaewon and instead urges them onwards, even as the snow starts to fall around their shoulders and the wind whips at their cloaks. The storm seems to move in from nowhere, the skies turning dark in a matter of moments, and soon the world around them is barely visible in the raging snow storm that surrounds them. Flakes sting at Eunbi’s cheeks and fall into her eyes, and when Chaewon leans forward to touch at her shoulder, she eventually hesitates.

“We have to find shelter!” Chaewon shouts, above the roaring wind, and though she is loathe to stop before the Umber castle, Eunbi finds herself nodding.

They plough onwards, it would be suicide to stop in the vast, open plains, where they are completely at the mercy of the weather. It is one of Eunbi’s scouts that finally returns on his horse, galloping through the snow to shout.

“Shelter! A barn and a house, this way!”

Relief courses through her veins, and Eunbi glances back at her party, utterly grateful not to have killed them all with her rash decision making. There is no time to linger on her thoughts, though, as they are led through the snow by the scout. Occasionally they are forced to stop, to clean the snow from the wheels of Lady Sakura’s carriage, and though Eunbi knows she ought to demand the woman disembark, she doesn’t dare to face the utter fury which she knows is awaiting her. Despite their slow progress, in the distance a dark form mars the horizon, and takes the shape of the waiting house and barn.

The house is a small, ramshackle little thing, which Eunbi suspects holds only one room, but the barn is large and built sturdy enough to withstand the battering of the elements. A farmer stands at the doorway of the barn, and Eunbi swings herself from her horse when they get close enough, holding out her hand in greeting.

“Your majesty,” The man doesn’t seem to know what to do with himself, and eventually settles for taking her hand, his fingers wrapping around her elbow in the customary northern way, and bowing. “I’ve been expectin’ you, your scout said you needed somewhere to wai’ this out.”

“We do,” She admits, and watches as a farmhand hauls open the door to the barn. Inside, it is dark and dry enough, the floor covered with hay and a flock of sheep penned in the corner, shivering. The farmer ushers her out of the wind, and she steps inside gratefully.

“Well I got room to spare, ‘specially for a queen.” He glances back at the farmhand. “It’s only me and Tom out here tonigh’, we can fit mos’ o’ you in the barn, an’ you can take the ‘ouse, your majesty.”

“That’s not necessary,” She insists, but her eyes are drawn back to the waiting carriage, and she admits. “We may have enough guest who needs the house.”

“O’ course your majesty,” He nods, sound and sensible. “I’ve go’ some braziers and firewood, ough’ to warm your men up enough. You’ll wan’ to get those ‘orses in too, fine beasts like tha’ won’t last long in this cold.”

“Quite right,” She agrees, and gestures to Chaewon, who stands nearby listening to their conversation. Her captain nods tightly, turning to bark orders to the waiting soldiers. “Thank you again,” She tells the farmer, “I’ll see to it that you are greatly rewarded for this.” At his grateful nod, she turns back to the snow and braces herself, before striding through the cold towards the carriage.

Hyewon lingers at its door, trembling despite herself, and she brushes snow from her hair as Eunbi approaches. She knocks lightly at the door, and opens it only a crack to peer into the darkness that awaits her. Lady Sakura is huddled under all of the furs she has, trembling lightly, and her eyes are wide and worried when she looks at Eunbi.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“We have found a place to take shelter for the night,” Eunbi tells her, swallowing against the urge to reach out and reassure her. “A farmhouse, it is safe but I’d like to see you inside, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“A farmhouse?” Sakura’s eyes widen, but she steels herself and nods. Together, they battle through the snow storm, their heads bent against the ferocious winds, and push through the door of the farmhouse to step into the warm, dry room.

As Eunbi had suspected, it’s no bigger than one room, flames flickering in the fireplace in one corner, shutters closed tightly across the only window on the other side of the room. In the dim light, they can see a bed pushed up against one wall, strewn with blankets and lumpy pillows, and a table against the far wall, upon which a few candles burn and half of a loaf of bread sits, peeking from its cloth rap. The floor is stone, covered in woven mats, and two wooden chairs are pulled up beside the table. Eunbi’s eyes dart to Lady Sakura, who is hesitating in the doorway, and Sakura must feel her gaze because she looks up to meet her, her eyes hardening before she steps into the house.

“I hope this will be acceptable for the night, Lady Sakura.” She says, at last, when it seems that Sakura will not break the silence and Sakura startles, as if she’d forgotten she was there.

“Yes, of course,” The words roll from her tongue, pretty and polite, but they are belied by the wrinkle of her nose and Eunbi glances back at where Chaewon and Hyewon stand in the doorway.

“We will have food and firewood brought to you, if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask.” She makes to leave, but Sakura’s voice pulls her to a stop, her reluctant feet hesitating.

“Where will you sleep?”

“Oh,” She glances back at her, swallowing heavily. “In the barn, with everyone else.”

A noise of complaint escapes Chaewon, and Eunbi casts her a frown which doesn’t deter her stubborn cousin. Chaewon’s brows have pulled together, her eyes clouding with disapproval.

“You can’t stay in the barn,” She tells her simply.

“I agree,” Sakura steps closer, and Chaewon’s eyes widen, clearly astonished to find them in agreement over something. “You’re the queen, you should take the farmhouse.”

“I can’t have you staying in the barn, my lady.” Eunbi rejects the idea immediately, almost smiling at the thought of Sakura sleeping on the ground among her other soldiers. “That would be improper.”

“More improper than the queen sleeping on the ground?” Sakura counters, sharply and Chaewon hums her agreement.

“You can’t stay with the soldiers, Eunbi, it would demean you in their eyes, especially when-” She cuts herself off, abruptly, but her eyes slide to Sakura and the southern lady is sharp enough to understand.

“Especially when a southerner has a real bed. You pull rank over me.”

Frustration bubbles in the back of her chest and she can’t help rolling her eyes at the two of them as they argue. “I’ve slept on the floor plenty of times as a squire and at war.”

“That was before you were a queen.” Chaewon retorts, “Lady Sakura is… right,” The word seems to pain her to say and Eunbi thinks she sees Sakura hide a smile in the corner of her lips. “You should pull rank, that’s what a real queen would do.”

“I am a real queen,” She barks, and her eyes move to Sakura, incredulous, “You would willingly sleep on the floor, surrounded by snoring, stinking soldiers?”

The words make Sakura hesitate, her nose wrinkling again as she considered the prospect, before her expression clears and she offers, a little uncertainly. “There’s room enough for two in here.”

Eunbi’s eyes widen, dropping open as her stomach spins. Sakura has barely looked at her since their argument, and now she is proposing that they share an enclosed space for the night, or at least until the storm passes. It’s enough to make dry, and while she struggles for words Chaewon answers for her.

“That would be acceptable. We could have a bed roll brought in and laid out near the fire.”

Finally, Eunbi finds her voice, though it breaks while she speaks. “You would be… comfortable with that?”

Under her gaze, she thinks she sees Sakura colour just slightly, her cheeks tinged with pink, but she gathers herself enough to lift her chin and say, defiantly. “Perfectly comfortable, your majesty, as long as you are.”

The words and the gleam in her eye leave Eunbi spinning even after she steps from the small house to check on her soldiers, and she wonders at how she will cope spending an entire evening with a woman who hates her so fiercely.

---

Sakura agonises over sitting on the bed. She is not, as Eunbi seems to think, utterly out of touch with the lives of her people, but she has never been in a place like this farm house before. Her time in Kingslanding was spent accompanied by a retinue of guards and all of the luxuries the crown could provide, and Highgarden was so far from any town that she rarely left without her mother or father. Even the Smoking Log in Winter Town has a touch more luxury. To be in somebody’s home, and somebody who likely hates her simply because of where she was born, feels too private and personal. There are iron pots hung against the wall, and when she inspects them she finds that they are marked with years of care and use. A whittling table sits in the corner, covered in the shavings of a project half finished, and along the rough mantel above the fireplace there is a line of small, carved figurines, perhaps for the farm hand to play with, or the remnants of children now moved away. The candles are all burnt down low, dripping wax across the table, and an old r