sansa stark warrior

She spared a glance at him from the corner of her eye, catching the bead of sweat that rolled down the side of his face. He'd be much cooler without all that hair… and that beard, she thought. His thick sideburns too. She thought of Ser Elbert and Patrek Mallister, and every other southern gentleman's clean shaven face and she bit back a snort too late while imagining Lord Eddard Stark ridding himself of his hair. He caught the sound, turning his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow, aware that it was aimed towards him.

Catelyn cleared her throat. "I was only thinking that perhaps we were mistaken in taking a walk in the mid-day. We will all come back to the picnic tired and hot." Though it would only be Lord Stark who would really suffer, she thought as she looked to those walking ahead of them. No doubt they were enjoying the heat, as she did.

"Yes, I’d say so," he agreed. "It might have been better to have left a little later. Do you need to rest?"

"No," she answered, not wanting to prolong their time together.

"You're faring better than I am. I will admit that I am not… used to the heat," he said, grimacing like he regretted even speaking. "I had come only last year to the capital for my sister's wedding, but it seems I have forgotten how brutal the weather can be." He looked up at the sky, squinting at the sun.

"Brutal? If I may ask, my lord, that if you are struggling now, what will you do when late summer comes?" He grimaced again, looking as if he was just told he would be soon sent off into battle. Again, a laugh threatened to bubble out of her but was able to hold back. Against making him scowl, she did not mention that in a short time, King’s Landing would unbearably reek.

Catelyn did not know what possessed her in that moment, but she said, half jokingly, "if only you could take a dip in the Blueburn. You would cool off then."

"In the river?" He asked, pausing to contemplate her words and it was her turn to grimace with regret. "Is that your method to fend off the heat?"

Catelyn looked foward, refusing to meet his curious gaze. She could see Lysa and Ser Elbert talking animatedly and ahead of them was a view of Cersei's umbrella, and the duke turning around to say something to Ser Balon. Catelyn and Eddard were too far away to hear what he was saying, but his booming laugh carried over.

"Not here," she answered, clearing her throat. "Obviously not. But in the midlands, yes."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. It is quite common for the children, and some families, to go to the rivers to swim in the summer months," she said, paused, then added, “is that strange?"

"No. I wouldn't say so." Lord Stark fell back into silence and Catelyn almost welcomed it. He was no conversationalist, this she knew since the Tyrell ball, and she could not fathom why she even made an attempt to be anything more than cordial in the first place. The peals of laughter from up ahead caught her attention and she almost sighed, slightly jealous that the rest of the group was able to enjoy themselves.

She was so focused on it that she was taken by surprise when Lord Stark spoke up. "We don't visit the river. There is one, the White Knife, but the water is too cold for any sort of swimming. Even in the summer. But… we mostly go to the hot springs."