the songs of winter // j.snow 3.

7.5 Brandon

Not only ten days later Arabella received a letter from Jon. She smiled, thanked the Maester and unrolled it.

She saw his handwriting and chuckled softly, missing him so much.

My dearest Arabella,

Gods are good. They're keeping me alive. Dragonstone is near, and I miss you like never before. How hard it is to be without you, my love.

Ser Davos misses you as well. I'm not the brightest writer there is, but I want you to know that I love you.

I hope Gods will continue being good, and I can't wait to see our beautiful girl as you know.

I wasn't lying when I said that I'll marry you. There's nothing more enjoyable as to calling you Arabella Snow, my wife. I hope you are safe and good.

Thank you for not abandoning me. I couldn't leave without your blessing. Forever and always, Arabella. I love you.

Jon

Arabella smiled and rolled the letter before placing it under her bed. She sat down and touched the sheets. She missed Jon so much everyday and prayed for him to be good and alive.

A single knock appeared on her door and Arabella sighed. It was hard to stand up. "Come in!" she raised her voice and Sansa walked in, holding a bowl of hot soup.

"You've missed your supper," she said and Arabella looked at her softly before taking it into her hands. The bowl was boiling but she didn't let go, trying to get used to the hotness. "I heard you received a letter from Jon..."

Arabella nodded and started to sip her soup, loving the warm liquid going down her throat. "Yes. I miss him," she mused and handed Sansa back the bowl, who took it and placed on the table before sitting next to Arabella.

The Princess felt a kick and scrunched her nose before giggling. Sansa smiled. "May I?" she asked curiously and Arabella nodded.

Sansa placed her hand on Arabella's stomach and felt another kick before laughing cheerfully. Arabella smiled at her, because she missed Sansa. "How's the North?" Arabella questioned curiously.

The ginger shrugged slightly. "Lord Baelish is helping me," she answered and Arabella looked away with a grimace. "I know you don't like him, but he told me he doesn't have any bad intentions."

"Did he tell you that? Or do you think he doesn't have bad intentions?" Arabella asked curiously and Sansa sighed. "I don't trust him. Never did."

"I don't trust him too, Bella," Sansa argued then took her hand away from Arabella's stomach. "How do you feel?"

Arabella looked at her with a confused face. "How do you feel when you knew you had to be the real heir to the Iron Throne, but now you have nothing..."

The Princess had thought about it many times, but after Reddard's death, she forgot that idea. "I'm just happy to be alive," she answered calmly and Sansa raised her eyebrow. "Sansa... You don't think I can't see the pleasure in your face when Jon left you to rule the North? I can."

"Does that make me a bad person?" Sansa questioned quietly and Arabella quickly shook her head and grabbed Sansa's hand before intertwining their fingers.

"Of course not," she answered then kissed the younger girl's head. "You've grown so much, love. I'm proud to see you all in power."

"But I want you to have power too," Sansa said calmly and Arabella looked down at their fingers. "You deserve happiness as much as I or Jon."

Arabella thought of Caine in that moment. She wondered whether he was safe back in Highgarden or not. "Power isn't everything, Sansa. I learned the truth. I've accepted the truth and I live with it. I live to become happy. And happiness to me now is my child, Jon and you."

"What about Caine? He is a Tyrell. Allied with Daenerys Targaryen," Sansa told Arabella, who knew that already. And she wasn't mad.

"To avenge my mother, who murdered his whole family," Arabella answered with an angry face. "I can't believe I left that woman alive..."

Sansa couldn't understand what Bella meant. "Cersei Lannister was my mother. Because now she's as good to me as dead," Arabella explained then stood up and walked closer to fire. "She's a Queen. Because all of my siblings are dead. And she never asked for me to become one. She knew I found out the truth about her and Uncle Jaime. She practically kicked me out of the family portrait that I so admired before. But she doesn't know what a normal family feels like. What I feel while being with Jon or you."

Sansa stood up and smiled. Then Maester Wolkan rushed inside. "Lady Sansa, Princess Arabella, there's something you should see."

The two looked at each other and left Arabella's room before quickly walking outside.

Bran Stark was sitting in the carriage, unable to walk as he held a face with no emotion. People were gathered around him, so Sansa and Arabella brushed past them and saw the brother they thought were long gone.

Arabella remembered the small boy, but now he was a man. Yet still unable to walk. Sansa stared at him with hurt felt eyes so Arabella placed a hand on Sansa's back. "Go," she whispered with a smile.

Sansa started to cry as she rushed over to Brandon and hugged him strongly. Another Stark was alive and back home.

Bran just continued staring ahead of him, not hugging Sansa back as he glanced at Arabella, who felt cold by his look.

Vote, read, comment.