Viserys had not interrupted at all. He simply ate the dinner before him in silence, occasionally lifting his cup for a sip of wine. He seemed utterly unconcerned by the conversation.
Dinner continued in that delicate atmosphere. Though Ygritte no longer viewed Rhaenys as she had before, she still maintained a strange distance from her.
The two occasionally exchanged a few words, their topics ranging from the weather in the North and Beyond the Wall to the current arrangements for the Free Folk, like two strangers meeting for the first time and cautiously testing each other's boundaries.
Just as dinner was drawing to a close, Ygritte suddenly set down her bread, looked at Viserys, and asked bluntly, "Your Grace, you said you would leave tomorrow and take me south with you. Does that still stand?"
Viserys raised his head, his purple eyes resting calmly on her. Without the slightest change in his tone, he said, "Of course it does. You will leave with us first thing tomorrow morning."
Ygritte nodded, then bowed to everyone at the table. Having said her piece, she rose, gave one last nod in Rhaenys's direction, and glanced at Viserys again before turning to cross the Great Hall and disappearing into the shadows of the doorway.
Rhaenys watched Ygritte leave and remained silent for a while before saying softly, "Brother, Miss Ygritte may be rather blunt, but I don't particularly dislike her."
"Most people who grow up Beyond the Wall are like that," Viserys said, continuing to eat the food on his plate.
"I know." Rhaenys lifted her cup, took one last sip, and set it down. In a gentle voice, she said, "Still, being around her feels more reassuring than being around those noble ladies who say one thing to your face and another behind