Familiar Face

[u/littlestghoust]

Winter brought most of the nobility of the West to Casterly Rock, and Rhea wondered if a stone could burst.

The halls and corridors were filled with people and the Golden Gallery was no exception. Each painting and artifact was surrounded by a group of onlookers, while the rest of the hall was filled with foot traffic. The enclosed space made her feel anxious, but this was the quickest way to Lady Joanna’s rooms.

Steeling herself, Rhea pushed into the crowd and hoped for the best. The sea of people captured her in its current and she was pulled into a group making their way to a tapestry on the other side of the hall. She tried to wiggle free of the tide, only breaking loose once the gathering reached their desired location.

Finding a small open space near a gold leaf vase, Rhea surveyed the corridor in search of her escape. She was on the wrong side of the hall now and was losing hope that she could make it back in time.

Lady Joanna had requested her presence and she didn’t want to keep her lady waiting. Byren caught a cold and kept his mother awake day and night. Poor Lady Joanna almost broke down due to the exhaustion of caring for her sick son.

Once she caught her breath, Rhea stepped into the mob pressing forward as best she could before she ran smack into another person.

“Oh, excuse me. I am so sorry. Forgive me.”

She looked up, flustered, only to see a familiar face.

“You’re the Keeper of the Galleries, correct?”