𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 | Riding

{ Eliza }

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𝕿he smell of horses was something that Eliza had missed since she left Faymont. Soothing the gelding, Eliza tightened the girth to the custom saddle and lead the grey, Dancer, out into the courtyard. Robb was watching her, Bran and Theon on either side of him.

"Are you ready, Bran?" Bran nodded, his face filled with both excitement and fear as Hodor brought him over to the horse. The little pony did not flinch as Bran was set upon his back, leaving Robb and Eliza to do the straps up around his legs. "Just wait for me to get my horse, and then we can go."

Bran nodded, though his body was vibrating with excitement at the thought of riding once more. Eliza grinned, as her own horse was brought over to her. The large chestnut stamped his foot and chomped at the bit, ready to set off.

"Don't let him go too fast." Robb's voice was hushed as he held onto her stirrup leather, eyes pleading. Eliza watched him for a moment, before nodding her head and pulling herself up into the saddle. "Please, Eliza."

"I know." She managed to keep a smile on her face as she checked her girth once more. "Let's get going, Bran. We'll start off slow."

The young boy beamed, nodding his head as he brought his pony to stand with Eliza's. She lead them into the woods, Robb and Theon trailing behind them, though Eliza and Bran payed them little heed.

"Are you excited?" Bran nodded in earnest, though his hands tremored. "Just remember to stay calm and do what we practiced, and we will be fine."

"Do you think that I will be a good rider?"

"One of the best." Eliza smiled, before urging her horse into a trot. Bran followed along behind, his little pony struggling to keep up with the much larger horse. Bran began to laugh, causing Eliza to grin, before seeing that Robb and Theon were still meandering behind them. She huffed, before bringing her horse to a stop and turning to face the boys. 

The fiery horse snorted, prancing beneath her as Bran continued to trot around them in circles, whooping and shouting in excitement.

"Not too fast." Eliza dismounted, holding onto her horse's reins as she listened into the boys conversations.

"When are you gonna tell him?"

"Tell him what?" Eliza asked, looking between the two with narrowed eyes. Robb sighed, averting his eyes as he began to tell her what had happened over the last few days.

Eliza's temper was boiling as she heard what had happened, not just because Jaime Lannister had attacked her liege lord and his soldiers, but also because thought that she and Robb had come to an understanding a few days ago. Apparently, she was wrong.

"I see." Robb caught sight of the cold glint in her eyes, ignoring the rising tension between them.

"Blood for blood." Theon continued, missing the tension between the pair. "You need to make the Lannisters pay for Jory and the others."

"You're talking about war." Robb replied, dodging Eliza's piercing glare.

"I'm talking about justice."

"Don't be a fool, Theon." Eliza replied, leaning back into her horse's flank, pulling a cube of sugar from her pocket and letting the horse take it from her hands. "His sisters are still in Kings Landing. If we go to war, what do you think is going to happen to them?"

"Only the Lord of Winterfell can call in the bannermen and raise an army." Robb continued, as Theon looked between the two in disbelief.

"A Lannister put his spear through your father's leg." He exclaimed incredulously, spooking her horse with his flying hands. Eliza scowled, trying to calm the large war horse. "The King Slayer rides to Casterly Rock where no one can touch him."

"You want me to march on Casterly Rock?" Eliza turned around, ready to talk some sense into both of them.

"You're not a boy anymore. They attacked your father." Eliza paused, not hearing horse hooves as she turned to look for the boy. "They've already started the war. It's your duty to represent your house when your father can't."

"And it's not your duty, because it's not your house." Robb snapped back, his temper finally appearing.

"Where's Bran?" Eliza called.

"I don't know. It's not my house." Theon huffed, like a petulant toddler.

"Stop being a prick, Theon." Eliza called back, as she swung herself onto her horse's back and took off in the direction that she had last seen Bran going in. 

Mud and sticks were kicked up from her horse's hooves and Eliza could just about make out the grey gelding ahead of her. Reaching to her boots, Eliza tugged a dagger from them and shifted her weight to try and see what was going on.

Robb appeared behind her, his sword drawn.

"What's the matter?" He asked, leaning closer to Eliza's side.

"Four wildlings, I think." Robb shot her a look. "Do you have a plan?"

"Kill them." Eliza shot him a withering look, before angling her horse so that he would cut between the wildlings.

"I can take at least one of them down, more if the others don't jump out of the way quick enough," She commented, stretching out her shoulders in preparation. Robb nodded, before drawing his own dagger.

Eliza leant forward, shifting her weight as her horse perked up. He knew what this meant. The stallion charged off in the direction of the wildlings, his nostrils flaring. The wildlings all looked up at the sound of thundering hooves, their eyes widening comically as Eliza came barraging through their midst.

Like she had predicted, she managed to trample one of the wildlings as a hoof landed on his head, before she spun back around to go back for the others.

In that time, Robb had appeared and had managed to take out another of the wildlings, and was holding the female by her hair, with a knife at her throat. The last wildling, the leader presumably, had dragged Bran off of his horse and was staring at the two of them with wide eyes.

Eliza reached up to grab Dancer, holding onto him as she stared at the stalemate in front of her.

"Robb!" Bran called, looking panicked, as the wildling looked between the two, panic clear in his eyes. "Eliza!"

"Shut up!" Both horses whinnied, stamping their hooves. Eliza's stallion had been trained as a war horse, meant to lead a cavalry into battle. This was what he had been trained to do, and it was taking all of Eliza's strength to keep him under control. She couldn't try and charge down the other wildling whilst he held Bran. "Drop the blade!"

"No, don't." Bran called, looking between the two.

"Do it." The wildling shouted. The man was looking for an escape anywhere he could, but he was being blocked in by both Eliza and Robb.

Robb and her shared a glance, before he slowly dropped the knife that he held to the woman's throat and Eliza backed up. There was a whistling sound, causing Eliza to look up as an arrow pierced the wildling's chest, shot from behind the woman. The man glanced down at it, before dropping to the floor as Robb rushed to Bran's side.

Theon had the bow aimed at the wildling woman, whilst Eliza grabbed onto the two horses and watched Robb and Bran.

"Are you alright?" Robb asked, glancing down at the cut on the young boy's leg.

"It doesn't hurt." Bran replied, looking between the two as he spoke.

Theon and Robb began to argue, as Eliza checked to see if the man was really dead, keeping her eye on the other woman in the clearing.

"It was the only thing to do, so I did it." Theon hissed back, the pair glaring at one and other. Eliza shot them an unamused look.

"Are you two quite done?" They glanced down at her as she sighed once more. "What are we going to do about her?"

"Give me my life, my lord, and I'm yours." She pleaded, falling at her feet in front of them.

"We'll keep her alive." Robb replied, before he stood up with Bran in his arms. Theon relaxed and began to pull the woman to the castle as Eliza hopped back onto her horse, reaching down for Bran. "What are you doing?"

"He can ride with me. It'll be quicker." She replied, helping Robb place the boy on the saddle in front of her, as they set off back towards Winterfell.

✧✦✧

Later that evening, Eliza found herself getting to bed at the same time as her husband, which was a rarity. It was silent in the room, both going about their own business as Greywind slept soundly close to the fire.

Robb cleared his throat, causing Eliza to look at him in the vanity as she removed her earrings and necklace.

"Was that the first person you'd killed?" Robb had his head tilted, much like Greywind often did when he was confused.

"Aye." Eliza nodded, before braiding her hair quickly so that it wouldn't become a mess overnight. "It was my first but I am sure that it will not be my last."

She struggled to hide the tears growing in her eyes as she thought of taking someone's life. She wished, more than ever before that she could go back to Faymont and hug one of her brother's. In Winterfell, everyone was closed off or just rude, and Eliza missed her home and the comfort that came from it.

"Why do you say that?"

"With everyone's talk, it seems inevitable that we are going to war." She wiped the tears in her eyes away, hoping that Robb hadn't seen them, before blowing the candles on her vanity out. "Thus, I am sure that I will have to kill more men in the end."

Little beknown to her, Robb had noticed her tears but he did not reach out to comfort her, still unsure if that was even appropriate.

Hiya,

So, Eliza and Robb are just plain awkward half the time and I really love it. Bran and Eliza is such a sweet brother sister combo and I just love her.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx