Inquire Further

You cannot deny that she has a valid point. Even so, there are other things to consider. You remark "What if you happen to catch my cold?"

"That is not likely," Elissa debates, "I have lived in the North for over twenty years. In all that time, I have never once caught a cold. Not even when my own children had one."

"And is THIS how you helped them get over their illness?" you ask in interest, genuinely curious. Is she that kind of mother?

"Yes," the Lady of Ironrath answers straightforwardly, "I am very close to my sons and daughters, Brynden. Not in the manner of the Targaryens, of course. All the same, I do not believe there should be a limit to how affectionate a mother can be with her children."

"But I am not one of your children," you point out.

"I realize that," Elissa assures you, "However, you are clearly no more a native of the North than I am. Yet you came all the way to the Wolfswood simply to look for work. At such a young age, as well. All that together suggests that your own mother is no longer living. Am I right?"

You are impressed by how observant she is. You just nod your head and admit "You are, milady. Both she and my father have been dead these past ten years. I've been all on my own, travelling across Westeros since then."

"That ends now," Lady Elissa insists firmly, "I know what it is like to lose one's entire family. My brother Malcolm and I were the only ones to survive King Robert's Rebellion. If not for my marriage to Gregor, we might have perished with our parents and siblings. Although I survived, I was saddened by that loss. My husband and children helped me to cope."

You are taken aback. "Then your new family filled the void left behind by your old family?"

"Indeed," says Lady Elissa, giving you another loving hug, "Perhaps I may be able to do the same for you."

How do you react to that?