chapter two . . .
. . . brans fall
THE atmosphere of Winterfell had clearly changed as Aurora walked the long way to where her family was breaking their fast. It hadn't been long since Bran had fallen from the tower, and even Aurora couldn't escape the grief. She had enjoyed the young Starks company, as he would love to listen to her stories about growing up in Casterly Rock, as well as the small number of stories she had of King's Landing.
The boy had the thirst for knowledge that reminded her of Tyrion.
Aurora had decided to break her fast with her family on the last day there were to be in Winterfell. She had decided to take the long way to where her family was eating, walking passed where they kept the hunting dogs and being surprised when she watched Tyrion slap Joffrey across his face.
"One word and I'll hit you again." Tyrion threatened his nephew as Aurora stopped beside Sandor.
"I'm telling mother!" Joffrey yelled at his uncle, only for Tyrion to slap him again.
"Go. Tell her." Tyrion told him, not caring that it was supposed to be a threat. "But first you will get to Lord and Lady Stark, and you will fall on your knees in front of them and tell them how very sorry you are, that you are at their service, and that all your prayer are with the. Do you understand?" Tyrion finished lecturing his nephew.
"You can't━" Joffrey went to threaten Tyrion again, probably, but was cut of as he was slapped across the face, again.
"Do you understand?" Tyrion repeated himself. If Aurora had been in any other mood, she supposes that she would have found that all amusing.
Joffrey didn't answer his uncle as he just stormed off, most probably to tell his mother what had happened, leaving Sandor and Aurora standing in front of Tyrion.
"The Prince will remember that, Little Lord." Sandor warned Tyrion, getting a light slap on his chest from Aurora for what he called her brother.
"I hope so." Tyrion hummed as he smirked up at the two. "If he forgets, be a good dog and remind him." Aurora never liked how people called Sandor the Hound, though she also didn't know how he got the nickname. "Will you be breaking you fast with us?" Tyrion asked his youngest sister.
"Just because it's your last day in Winterfell." She answered her brother before they left Sandor to join the rest of their family.
It didn't take the siblings long to get to the small hall their family was eating, Tyrion telling the servants when he wanted to eat as they walked towards the table. Tommen couldn't help but chuckle as Tyrion lifted him up, to move him further down the bench so he could sit down, while Aurora took the empty seat between Jaime and Sebastian. Aurora was greeted with a smile from Jaime and a light kiss on the forehead by Sebastian.
"Little brother and baby sister." Jaime greeted the two, making Aurora playfully roll her eyes at what he called her.
"Beloved siblings." Tyrion greeted them in return.
"Is Bran going to die?" Myrcella asked softly as Sebastian lightly slapped Aurora's hand away from his plate, though she was still able to steal a piece of bacon from it.
"Apparently not." Tyrion answered her, making her sigh in relief.
"What do you mean?" Cersei asked her least favourite brother.
"Maester Luwin said Bran might live." Aurora answered as she remembered what Robb had told her, before taking a sip of her water. Aurora didn't miss the look Cersei and Jaime shared, though she couldn't quiet place what it meant.
"It's no mercy, letting a child linger in such pain." Cersei voiced.
"Only the Gods know for certain." Tyrion sighed as he placed his own glass of ale on the table. "All the rest of us can do is pray." Tyrion added as he ate some of the food the servants placed in front of him. "The charms of the North seem entirely lost on you."
"I still can't believe you've been stuck here all this time." Cersei commented as she looked over at her little sister, who was being forced out of a conversation with Jaime and Sebastian.
"It isn't as bad as you make it out to be." Aurora told her oldest sister with a small smile.
"What I can't believe is Tyrion going to the Wall." Sebastian joked making everyone but Cersei chuckle.
"It's ridiculous, even for you." Cersei added as she tried not to roll her eyes.
"Where's your sense of wonder?" Tyrion asked his siblings. "The greatest structure ever built, the intrepid men of the Night's Watch, the wintery abode of the White Walkers." Tyrion added making the children laugh.
"Tell me you're not thinking of taking the black." Jaime asked, though Aurora knew Tyrion would never do that.
"And go celibate?" Tyrion scoffed. "The whores would go begging from Dorne to Casterly Rock. No, I just want to stand on top of the Wall and piss off the edge of the world."
"The children don't need to hear your filth." Cersei snapped at her younger brother, though her children didn't seem to mind as the laughed along with their uncle. "Come." She commanded her children before she left her siblings.
"Even if the boy lives, he'll be a cripple, a grotesque." Jaime went back to the conversation about Bran. "Give me a good clean death any day." He added before he took a sip of his drink.
"Speaking for the grotesques, I'd have to disagree." Tyrion spoke up. "Death is so final whereas life . . . ah, life is full of possibilities."
"Well, I hope Bran does wake up. He has too much of a kind soul to be taken from this earth so soon." Aurora spoke up from the other side of Jaime, taking a sip of her water as she ate some bread.
"I heard he was an excellent climber, so I wonder what he would say about his fall." Sebastian thought out loud, not having any ulterior motive behind his comment but that didn't stop the look his two older brothers shot him.
"I too am interested in what he has to say." Tyrion nodded along with his youngest brother.
"My dear siblings, there are times you make me wonder whose side you're on." Jaime voice had an unknown undertone to it that Aurora couldn't place.
"Our dear brother, you wound us. You know how much we love our family." Tyrion spoke for himself and the twins as the two youngest of the four Lannisters looked at them confused, not know what they said to have gotten that reaction.
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Once again Aurora found herself in the courtyard farewelling her brothers, though that time Jaime was included.
"I've gotten you a farewell present, baby sister." Jaime told his youngest sister as he joined her and Sebastian beside Tyrion and his horse.
"You didn't have to get me anything, Jai." Aurora had to suppress an eyeroll at his nickname for her.
"Just in case these Northerners cause you any trouble." Jaime joked as he handed her a small wooden box. Aurora shot him a confused before she opened the box only to see a small dagger placed inside. The cover that it was incased in was black and gold, with a mixture of red and green gems decorating it. The handle was wrapped in a white cloth, and when Aurora pulled out the dagger she noticed how the blade wasn't completely straight.
"Jaim━ Why━? It's beautiful." Aurora settled on what she would say before she closed the box and pulled her oldest brother into a hug. Choosing to ignore how cold his golden armour felt against her cheek. "But why?" Aurora asked confused on why he got her the dagger, as she looked between her three brothers.
"Think of this as a late wedding gift." Jaime had to stop himself from cringing at the word wedding. "You just are so far from us to keep you out of trouble. This just helps to put our minds at ease." He admitted as he and Sebastian shared a look. The two brothers had spoke about getting the gift for their youngest sister as normally one of them were always close to her.
"Well, thank you, either way." Aurora smiled at her brothers. "I shall cherish it."
After leaving her brothers ━━ wanting to put the dagger away ━━ she paused as she spotted a familiar white direwolf, and she was reminded of who else was scheduled to leave Winterfell as well.
"Hello Ghost." She greeted the animal as she crouched in front of it. She knew that Ghost didn't like being touched, unless he incited it, so she just wanted for the direwolf to come close to her. The direwolf soon walked closer to the blonde and nuzzled into her side, making Aurora chuckle. "Okay, okay." Aurora sighed before she scratched him behind the ear.
"You're the only other person he lets scratch him." Jon commented as both him and Robb stood in front of her, Ghost and Grey Wind running off to play together.
"Should I be jealous?" Robb teased as the blood stood back up.
"Always." Aurora smiled at her husband. "I suppose this is farewell." She sighed as she moved her gaze to Jon.
"I'm sure, you won't even notice." Jon shrugged, not used to many people caring about what he was doing.
"Nonsense." Aurora scoffed. "Who else will tease Robb and Theon with me?" She jokingly asked, making Robb scoff, before he let out a chuckle. "But I'm sure you'll be the Lord Commander in no time." She shot him and encouraging smile. Thanks to her father, she knew when it was the right time to talk people out of things, and Jon seemed to be set of joining the Night's Watch.
"How do you know about things at the Wall?" Robb asked the question that Jon was wondering.
"Tyrion." Aurora answered simply. "He is an endless source of knowledge." She added as she looked between the two brothers. "Though I must ask you a favour, Jon." Jon gave her small nod, encouraging her to continue. "May you make sure Tyrion doesn't get himself killed while there. Not everyone appreciates his comments, and most people underestimate him."
"I can try, my Lady." Jon nodded, making Aurora supress an eyeroll, no matter how much she told him to just call her Aurora he insisted on using her proper title. "Only if you do the same for Robb?"
"I can't promise that I won't be the one to do it." Aurora joked, making the three chuckle. "But I can try." She added, repeating what Jon had said.
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Since everyone had left Winterfell, Aurora couldn't help but feel lonely. Catelyn had refused to leave Bran's side ━━ not that Aurora blamed her ━━ so Robb had taken up the duties of Lord of Winterfell. Rickon ended up following the young married couple around. When Robb was too busy for his youngest brother, Aurora would spend time with him, the two spending most of their time in the library as Aurora read him stories of the world.
Rickon had long since fallen asleep, demanding Aurora to tell him a story to help him, and Aurora couldn't help but smile as she brushed his hair out of his face. As she left the boys chambers to go to her own, she couldn't help but think of the letter her father had sent her.
Aurora was pulled out of her thoughts as people were running up and down the hallway, seemingly in a rush to get somewhere.
"Aurora." A voice pulled the blonde from the chaos, someone grabbing hold of arm. "Where's Rickon?" It was Robb.
"Asleep. I just left his chambers." Aurora answered. "What's happening?" She asked as she looked to where everyone was running.
"There's a fire." Robb informed her. "I need you to join my mother in Brans chambers." He informed her, leaving her before she could argue.
Aurora went to say something, but he was already to far for her to stop him, so she just nodded to herself before she turned back to Brans chambers. Once she entered the room, she was surprised to see the older Stark woman by the window and not in her usual chair beside Brans bed.
"Robb told me to come here." Aurora informed the red head when she looked over at her. Catelyn just nodded at the blonde, and she took it as okay to walked further into the room.
"How bad is the fire?" She asked as she walked closer to the woman, just still gave her some room ━━ not wanting to invade anymore of the woman's space.
Catelyn turned to answer the blonde but paused when she saw someone in a hood standing not that far from the two. Aurora turned to look at what Catelyn was looking at and froze as she too spotted the man.
"You're not supposed to be here." He spoke as he looked between the two. "No one is supposed to be here." Aurora couldn't help but slowly step back until she stood beside the older Stark women. "It's a mercy. He's dead already." He added as he looked over at the boy in the bed before he pulled out his own dagger.
"No!" Catelyn rushed past Aurora as the man walked towards her son. Aurora didn't know what to do as the two scuffled, though once Catelyn was thrown to the floor the man set his eyes back on the child, making Aurora's blood run cold.
"Stop!" Aurora called out, making him turn to her. "Stop!" She tried to sound demanding, but she couldn't help how her voice quivered as he walked towards her.
Aurora went to push him away from her, but he pushed her back and held her against the window, "Aren't you a pretty thing?" He mocked as he used his dagger to brush back a few strands of hair that fell in front of her face.
Aurora was frozen as his eyes racked over body, stopping at her breasts and Aurora could only imagine what he was thinking. She couldn't help but notice that the dagger was coated in blood and she could only assume it was from the older Stark woman.
"If you knew what was best, you would leave this place." Aurora hissed as she found her voice. She could see over his shoulder that Catelyn was slowly getting up and Aurora was hoping that she would go to get help from some guards.
"If I knew what was good for me." The man mocked, pushing her closer to the wall.
She couldn't help but notice that there was something cold press into her back, suddenly remembering the dagger her brothers had given her before they left. Aurora was able to slip her hand behind her back and slowly pull the dagger to her front, using the layers of her dress to conceal it.
"Now, if you knew what was good for you, you will stay quiet." The man threatened. Just as he went to press closer to the girl, she pointed the dagger at him and he walked into it, impaling himself in the stomach.
He looked down in surprise and stepped back, taking himself off the dagger and Aurora just looked down at how it was now covered in blood.
"Why, you bitch!" The men slapped the blonde across her face in retaliation, the force behind it pushing her to the ground. He went to attack her once again but was stopped as Brans direwolf attacked the mans back.
Aurora didn't hear the screams and snarls that came from the two as her hands shook and covered her ears. Her eyes filled with tears as she couldn't take her eyes of the blood covered dagger that laid at her feet. She didn't even notice the pool of blood that was slowly making its way towards her, thanks to the now dead man.
She also didn't notice how Robb had rushed into the room ━━ someone had informed him that someone had attacked his mother, wife, and brother. Robb didn't see her at first as the blonde was frozen on the floor. It wasn't until his mother pointed to the window did, he see the frozen blonde, surprised to see a blooded dagger at her feet.
"Rory." He called to the girl softly as he slowly made his way towards her, not caring about stepping on the blood that was almost touching her dress. Though she still didn't look at him, her eyes locked in to the bloodied dagger.
"Rory." He repeated she he crouched in front of her and slowly blocked her view from the dagger. "Aurora." He softly said as he gently moved her face to look at him.
"I━ I━ . . ." Aurora couldn't find her voice as she locked eyes with Robb. She couldn't help as her eyes looked passed him and saw the dead man behind him.
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Aurora had tried to act like what had happened didn't bother her, but Robb could very much tell as when every he would touch her, she would freeze for a few moments before moving slightly out of reach. She would spend most of her time with Rickon in the library ━━ and that was only because she couldn't find it in herself to say no to the youngest Stark.
That was how Robb was able to slip away from her and join his mother and a few others deep in the Godswood.
"What I am about to tell you must remain between us." His mother spoke as they ━━ Robb, Theon, Ser Rodrik, and Maester Luwin ━━ stood in a circle. "I don't think Bran fell from that tower. I think he was thrown."
"The boy was always sure-footed before." Maester Luwin explained.
"Someone tried to kill him. Twice. Why? Why murder an innocent child?" She asked the group. "Unless he saw something he wasn't meant to see."
"Saw what, my Lady?" Theon asked, wanting to know what she was talking about.
"I don't know." Catelyn sighed. She was truly hoping she was wrong. "But I would stake my life the Lannisters were involved. We already have reason to suspect their loyalty to the Crown."
"Did you notice the dagger the killer used?" Ser Rodrick asked the group. "It's too fine a weapon for such a man. The blade is Valyrian steel, the handle dragonbone. Someone gave it to him." The Master-at-Arms explained to the group, only adding to the theory.
"They come into our home and try to murder my brother? If it's war they want━" Robb started the threaten but was cut off by Theon.
"If it comes to that, you know I'll stand behind you." Theon encouraged.
"What, is there going to be a battle in the Godswood?" Maester Luwin asked sarcastically. "You must remember that that is Lady Aurora's family," he reminded the group, "and too easily words of war become acts of war. We don't know the truth yet." He added before turning from Robb to his mother. "Lord Stark must be told of this."
"I don't trust a raven to carry these words." Catelyn shook her head.
"I'll ride to King's Landing." Robb offered.
"No." His mother was quick to shut him down. "There must always be a Stark in Winterfell. I will go myself."
"Mother, you can't." Robb went to argue.
"I must." Catelyn pushed.
"I'll send Hal with a squad of guardsmen to escort you." Ser Rodrik started to make the plan in his head but was shut down by Catelyn.
"Too large a party attracts unwanted attention." Catelyn shook her head. "I don't want the Lannisters to know I'm coming."
"Let me accompany you at least." The white-haired male offered. "The kingsroad can be a dangerous place for a woman alone." At thank, Catelyn nodded.
"What about Bran?" Robb argued, not wanting his mother to leave.
"I have prayed to the Seven for more than a month. Bran's life is in their hands now." Catelyn told him sadly.
"If the Lannisters were involved why would they harm Aurora?" Robb thought out loud, not knowing why Aurora was put in harms away.
"Maybe she wasn't supposed to be there. Neither of us were supposed to be there." Catelyn answered his son. She was hoping that the wife to her son wasn't involved with anything her family were doing.
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Aurora let her fingers play with the rings that adored her hands. She had four rings across her fingers all together, though they were the usual ones that graced her fingers.
The one that stood out the most was her wedding ring. It was the only iron ring she has, but it was still full of detail, as it looked that the wolf was biting its own tail. It was always placed on the fourth finger on her left hand.
It was rare that the Lannister bought her own jewellery but when she and Kiera found two matching rings at the markets, they just had to get them. It was a simple gold band with gems imbedded across the top of it. It lived secured around her second finger on her right hand.
On the middle finger of her right hand held a ring she's had for as long as she could remember. She was told that it was her mother's ━━ like most of her things. It was collecting of small pearls and emeralds, crafted to look like a flower wrapped around her finger.
Above her mother's ring was a ring that was gifted from her father. It looked similar to the one below it but it was made of gold and ruby ━━ to resemble her born house colours. It was a gift for her last name day in Casterly Rock.
The blonde was looking out the window of the library ━━ she was waiting for Rickon to pick a book to read. She spun her father's ring around her finger as she thought of her family.
Foot steps are what pulled Aurora out of her thoughts. They were familiar steps, but they weren't Rickon's or Robbs. She looked over and her Arryn blue eyes locked with Kiera's Dornish brown ones.
The Sand girl gave a quick curtsy as the guard closed the door behind her. "Where is your little Stark shadow?" She asked as she waltzed closer to the blonde.
"Do you mean Rickon or Grey Wind?" Aurora tried to jest but it came out dry. "He is choosing a new book." She replied as she knew who she meant.
Once Kiera reached her close friend she took her right hand in her own, stopping the girl from fidgeting. Her left hand holding her right as her right hand rest on top of it ━━ her matching ring catching some of the few rays of light coming through the window. Her eyes looking over the girl in worry.
"I am worried about you, my love." Kiera voiced in a hushed tone, as to not be over heard. "We both are."
"I am well. There is no reason to worry." Aurora tried to reassure her, but her smile did not reach her eyes.
"Lady Stark is travelling to Kings Landing, you should inquire to accompany her. The warm weather will favour you." Kiera suggested as she fixed her rings, making sure that they were on the correct fingers and facing the correct way. "And I know the sun and your family will lift your spirits."
"But Kings Landing will not." Aurora hummed as she watched her fix her rings.
Kiera opened her mouth to try and convince her but stopped herself as the familiar steps of the youngest Stark came towards them. By the time Rickon joined the two, Kiera had moved back towards the door, and Aurora and moved closer to the table in the middle of the room.
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"I wish you safe travels, Lady Stark." Aurora smiled at the old woman, as she stood in the doorway to Brans chambers. Her presence surprised the red head, but she was also surprised that she knew. "The halls echo." Aurora explained how she found out. Though it was a lie.
"You mustn't worry, I won't tell my family." Aurora told her, putting her mind at ease, she wanted to walk into the room, but her eyes drifted to where the body once was, and she couldn't.
"If my family had anything to do with what happened to Bran, I am sorry." Aurora apologised for whatever her family could have done to the youngest Stark. "I'm not someone who would wish someone harm, let alone a child."
Catelyn went to tell the blonde she didn't blame her for what her family could have done but Aurora cut her off before she could say anything.
"If it helps, I'll watch over Bran and Rickon while you're gone." Aurora nodded to herself.
"And Robb." Catelyn added, noticing how the girls gaze didn't look up from the slightly red stained floor.
"And Robb." Aurora nodded, her gaze quickly flicking to Catelyn before leaving the room.