The Stag and The Wolf

Chapter 5

Skylea's POV

Everything happened so fast but it felt like an eternity. Before I could even think I ran to him, feet pounding against the hard packed soil. I was too late though. His broken body had landed awkwardly and his legs were put at odd angles. I scooped him up gingerly. He had never felt so light. I ran as fast as I could in my dress, not thinking where I was going. Eventually I reached Maester Luwin, who saw to him at once.

It wasn't long after I had left Bran with the maester that my mother had sought me out. "Is it true? Did he fall?" She asked, her voice thick with tears and shaking slightly. I could only bring myself to nod to her, afraid that if I said anything I would break down into hysteria. I had to be strong now, stronger than I'd ever been before. I noticed her tears and guided her inside a vacant room, away from the servants and others who would see her tears as weakness.

Once inside she broke down. "My baby boy!" She sobbed into my shoulder, body shaking from the pain of it all. I rubbed circles into her back and tried my best to offer her some comfort. I felt too numb to cry and too scared to say anything. Nothing I said could take away her pain so I let her sobs fill the silence instead. Sitting together like that made the world seem so far away. My world felt shattered.

It seemed like an eternity ago that Robb and I had been standing outside our parents bedroom huddled together in the hallway waiting for our baby brother to be born. We couldn't of been older than five or six and we had been so excited we couldn't possibly sleep. It was hours before my father finally poked his head out of the door and called us in but we were so eager to meet our new sibling it didn't seem to matter. My mother seemed to shine in the summer sunlight that morning, with a pride and joy that I'd never seen before. I held Bran first, despite Robb's protest. I had never experienced something with so much life in it.

"Lady Catelyn, Lady Skylea." Maester Luwin bowed to us as he entered. "I have news about little Brandon. He's very weak and he has not yet woken. If he does awake he will never walk again, that is for certain." He said sadly.

"Can we see him?" My mother asked, her voice rising in urgency.

"Of course m'lady." He bowed low before leading the way to Bran's room. It was a swift walk with my mother leading the way, practically running to her son. Seeing him laying there I almost could trick myself into thinking he was just asleep, that any moment now he would pop up with a goofy grin on his face and yell "Gotcha!" He didn't though. He didn't laugh or yell or do anything. I might've been able to mistake him for a corpse had I noticed his little chest rising and falling slightly as he clung to life. Tears formed at the corners of my eyes at the sight of it all. I stayed at my mother's side for as long as I could bear, eventually being replaced by my father. His strong arms encircling me first, wrapping me into their warmth. His gray doublet smelt of all the scents of the North, sharp like winter frost and earthy like the rich forests that littered the North.

"My little wolf." He said, planting a light kiss on my forehead. He turned his back to me then and made his way toward my brother and mother. I took that as my dismissal and left as quickly as I came, wanting nothing more than to leave such a sad place. I needed a break from it all, a warm bath or a good book to clear my mind. Instead I found the queen standing outside my door with a light smile playing on her lips. Even though I had only known Queen Cersei Lannister for a couple of days but I knew her smiles never reached her eyes unless they were directed toward her family (the king excluded from that list).

I hurried to the queen and quickly invited her inside. "Hello your grace." I managed as gracefully as possible while I simultaneously tried my best to clean up my messy room. "My dearest apologies but I hadn't been expecting anyone." She nodded her understanding and took the liberty to find herself a seat at my desk which had scrolls as old as Winterfell strewn everywhere.

"I'm so sorry about your brother. It sadden me greatly to know of his fall. I could only imagine what your mother is going through right now." Her voice was soft, full of comfort.

"He's a strong boy, a fighter though and through. He'll make it through, I know he will." I said though I found the words much easier to say than believe.

She smiled at my statement of faith. "I'm sure he will. Just in case though I will make sure to pray to the Seven he makes it through. I lost a son once, I would never want to see that happen to another family." I appreciated her sentiment greatly but it was the wrong gods she was praying to for Bran. He's a northerner and the North belongs to the old gods not the Seven of the South. "I did not bother you just for my condolences though, I want to offer you a deal. You're a clever girl and someday shall be my good daughter. If you should take the throne with my son Arthur I'd like to help you take those steps and show you how to play the game of the South, the game of thrones." Her face spoke of the real matters at hand. No one had ever won the Iron Throne without help of course but Cersei Lannister was hardly the ally I wanted or needed but perhaps she could be useful when it came to becoming queen.

"Of course your grace. I would be delighted to learn from you." I said to her, a slight smile dancing on my lips. She smiled at our agreement, a true genuine smile. I wonder if she ever stopped to check for the knife I held at her back.
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Thank you everyone for reading and please vote of comment if you enjoyed! I love you all and hope you have an awesome day! Thanks again!

-Syd