[for ygritte, dated 26th June]

[onceaqueen]

"Not again," Susan said, as Rickon began to cry for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. Susan had hardly slept the night before, for it had been her first night alone with Rickon since he was born--Lucy, Edmund, and Jon had all gone with Caspian aboard the Dawn Treader for whatever adventures might come their way. She had jumped at every

Comments

[youknow_nothing]

"I take it y'did not miss me all that much?"

Ygritte raised one red eyebrow in what she thought was almost an aristocratic way. She looked down at the wolf, then the baby, not sure which one to hush. Putting out her hands like she might have received a jar of fire-breathing snakes, she said, "Well, shall I hold the baby?"

It didn't have teeth yet, she was quite sure.

[onceaqueen]

Susan did something she had never done before, which was to hand her crying son to someone else besides Jon to be comforted. It was her job to do that, but she wasn't doing very well at it today, it seemed. She carefully put Rickon in Ygritte's arms and scrubbed her hands over her face, trying to get herself together. "He's been fussing all day."

[youknow_nothing]

Though she knew to be careful, since they were fragile little things, Ygritte took him with the sort of rough grace that defined her movements. She held him out at arms' length, trying to figure out what the problem could be. "Aye, well, let's go for a walk, little one."

She looked over at Susan. "Take a sleep, won't you?"

[onceaqueen]

"You can't hold him like that," said Susan anxiously. "You have to mind his head." She moved to take Rickon back from Ygritte, not wanting him to keep crying.