GOT ➨ Game of Thrones One Shots

Young!Bran + Young!Reader | The Boy Who Climbed

Growing up as a stable-hand, you had lived quite a sheltered life within the castle grounds of Winterfell; Hullen the stable-master was as strict as he was caring, and though he treated you, Hodor, and the others who helped care for the steeds as though you were just as much a child to him as his own son Harwin, he always kept a stern eye on you and would be quick to scold you if you began to slack. You spent so much time in this summer childhood of yours shovelling hay and shit from the ground you barely had time to admire the beauty of the fort itself, spare the precious moments of peace you had at night where you could gaze across the roofs and up the cobbled walls in wonder. In those moments, you would reminisce on the tales your friend and the young lord in the castle Bran brought to you all from the Maester about Brandon the Builder, the first king in the north.

Though sometimes it would irk you how Bran would wander along with no cares or duties (or some that he was delaying for a time that pleased him) and chatter to you all as you worked from dawn till dusk, more often than not his wonderous mind and excited chatter was a pleasant break from the silent work. Besides, as you would soon find out, it was a rarity for lords and ladies to treat the commoner folk with so much humanity and equality as the Starks did of their people.

Today, you were working even harder than you'd normally be pushed to work. As the sweat began to bead at your brow despite the weather being bitter as rumours of summer coming to a close were whispered all throughout the castle, you hardly had a moment to catch your breath as Hullen urged you all to make sure every horse was in it's finest condition, with gleaming manes and polished hooves. You noticed the anxiety radiating off of the gruff man, and stopped only for a second to catch his attention, "Why we working the horses up so nice today Hullen? They just gonna get all mucky again in a couple days time." Your question was loaded- you knew there was a reason, and you wanted to drag it out of the old master. His brown crinkled with frustration at you standing there, brush in hand as you waited idly for his response, and you were certain he was about to simply snap at you to get back to it- but letting out a disgruntled sigh he quickly sated your curiosity,

"The King is coming to visit, and has given our Lord Stark little notice for his arrival- so we need to make sure we're doin' our part here, understand?"

You spent that morning working so fast that the horses were beasts of beauty by noon.

Heart thumping, the first thing you wanted to do was to rant to Bran about it, ask him to tell you all about the King and how pretty the Queen was and all the great warriors that would be coming down in the King's Guard, and it seemed the little lord had the same idea. As you settled for a small break to steal a few scraps from the kitchen (you were fed well enough under Hullen's watch, but nothing could beat a glorious glazed leg of deer from the noble's suppers the night before), he came sprinting over with a spark in his eyes, "Y/N! Did you hear the news? The King, he's-"
"Coming to Winterfell! Today! I know!" You interrupted, jumping up and throwing your food to the ground to bring Bran into a tight hug. When you backed up from the hug, your excitement had withered away, and you were looking at your feet with a pout- it was truly exciting that Winterfell was getting such a grand visit, and that for a few days it would be filled with charm and wonders from the South- but you know that for you that meant harder, longer hours of work; the only glimpse you'd be getting of the King and Queen would be from the very opposite end of the dining hall, surrounded by just as many northerners as usual.

"I thought you were excited?" Bran snapped you from your glum train of thought and you gave him a weak smile, "I mean, I am... but it's all well and good for you- you're a Stark, you'll get to meet and eat with and talk to all the Lords and Ladies, and His Grace himself- I'm gonna be stuck down here making sure I clean the horses and their muck up all week." Bran looked away, wincing as he realised with some guilt the privilege he had in contrast to you- but then a spark lit up in his eyes and he gripped your arm, "I can get you the best seats in all of Winterfell to watch the King arrive!"
"Bran, your father's a kind Lord but I don't think you could convince hi-"

Before you could say any more he was dragging you away from the stables, Hullen shouting at the two of you as you scarpered around bales of hay and over the courtyard- you began to panic, certain Hullen was on your tail- when Bran leapt upon some stacked barrels and crawled up onto a low roof, "Quickly!" He urged- and far less gracefully you followed him up.

You struggled to keep pace as you wound your way across the roof towards one of the large towers, but the thought of Hullen's rage at catching you spurred you on further till you finally reached the base of the tower. You knew what Bran was planning to do and, gripped with fear, you finally froze in place as you stared up a tower that seemed impossibly tall to your child eyes.

"Bran... are you sure about this? It really doesn't look safe." You spoke, your voice wavering with uncertainty. Stopping still at the very base with a hand already gripping onto a loose cobble, Bran stepped back, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder and giving it a squeeze, "Trust me Y/N. I've done this hundreds of times- just follow what I do, and you'll be okay. It'll be worth it, I promise." You gave him a hesitant nod, and the climb began.

It was exhilarating- you were flooded with energy from the sheer fear of falling, and yet every gripped stone and firmly placed foot that pushed you higher and higher gave you a rush you hadn't felt in all your years of living at Winterfell. Eventually, you made it all the way to the top, and Bran leaned down and hauled you up to sit beside him on the parapets. You were taken aback at the landscape that stretched out before you- vast expanses of green fields, almost blue from the touch of morning frost- cattle moseying around far beneath you without the thought to look up and see that they were being eyed from far above by the creatures that normally hurry them along on the same level. Then, the King's Road, that stretched out far beyond what you could see- you'd be able to watch the entire King's party arrive from up here, clear as dawn.

"This is... amazing, Bran. I never knew you could climb like that!... lucky I been working for so long or I wouldn't have the strength to keep up."" Your words were a whisper of awe into the air, and they were met with the quiet smile of a sheltered boy who's moments of energy and excitement were a rarity. 

You both sat up there peacefully for a while, till the thoughts of lordly duties and Hullen's fury were swept from your minds as you quietly chattered about the great knights, how you thought they'd feel about Winterfell; the Lannister Imp and the great, strong Robert Baratheon who won the rebellion against the Mad King. After about an hour, your chatter died down as you both sat there contently, enjoying the company of one another and swinging your feet over the vast drop before you as you squinted down the King's Road for sight of your goal.

Then, as the sun began to sink and fill the fields with a golden glow, you saw the troupe of men riding slowly over the hill in the distance- you both let out a soft gasp, and grinned at each other as you balanced yourselves atop the stone you sat on in the hopes that the few extra inches would somehow make a difference in your sights. There were so many men- no wonder you'd been worked to the bone at the stables- Robb loved his hunting, and was sure to want to stir up a large party of men within hours of his arrival. It wasn't long before you saw him riding before you clearly- he was a lot less... muscular, than you'd expected- especially after hearing the great tales of the War at the Trident- but you also knew you shouldn't underestimate someone's strength simply because they weren't hardened with muscle; Bran looked like a skinny little boy and yet he hoisted himself up that tower with ease, and Hodor was one of the softest looking stable boys around but could soon hammer a person into the dirt were he to be alarmed or angered. 

You didn't have much time left up here, as was confirmed by the worried Catelyn Stark calling out Bran's name and looking up to the rooftops (she was clearly in the know about his dangerous habits)- you soaked up as much of the parade of men as you could before Bran hopped off of the parapet and you followed, knowing he'd have to leave, "Sorry I can't stay any longer... but my father will be expecting me to be there when they all greet the King- and mother won't be happy about me climbing again. Wait here for a few minutes before you leave, so she doesn't get mad at you too." You agreed with a sadness in your heart having to part from this liberating experience. Wrapping your arms around him, you squeezed Bran in a tight hug for a few moments, before letting him jump back round so he was hanging off the parapets. As you turned to face the King's Road again, he called for your attention one last time, "I don't want you to get into too much trouble with the stable-master but... it would be really fun to do this again. It gets boring climbing alone, sometimes." 

"It would be me honour, me Lord." You replied back in a half-mock, curtseying to the boy, before his head disappeared out of sight and you were alone to blush at your friend-turned-crush.