The wind blasted through Alys' hair as she walked towards the house, the fresh layer of snow squishing under her boots. She bent down to push the hem of her sweatpants over her cold ankles.
"You said it was nippy, not so cold I'm freezing my tits off," Alys grumbled as she rubbed the goosebumps covering her arms. Her crimson sweatshirt was one her mother had got her for her birthday, it was patterned with gold lions, the sigil of her mother's family. Alys thought it was tacky, but it was fleece and so soft on the inside, she didn't let it bother her too much.
"You'll get used to it," Sansa said, flinching when a high pitched yell and a crashing noise came from inside the house.
"Rickon, you ass!" a girl's voice yelled from inside the house, followed by a scolding from someone who sounded older. Sansa and Alys stepped inside, the warmth coating her icy skin. The large hearth was blazing, and a bunch of large dogs were cozied around it.
A grey one with pretty, golden eyes padded up to Sansa. "This is my dog, Lady," Sansa said proudly, scratching the dog behind its ear.
"Gorgeous coat," Alys complimented. A slender woman with dark hair rose from the couch next to a man with a mop of curly, auburn hair to greet Sansa. Her hair was in a low bun at the nape of her neck, and she had dark wash jeans and a beige sweater.
"Sansa," she greeted warmly, embracing the red haired girl.
"It's so good to see you again, Talisa," Sansa smiled in return. Talisa turned to greet Alys. "This is my friend, Alys."
"It's so very nice to meet you," Alys responded sweetly.
"This is my sister-in-law, Talisa, and that's my brother, Robb," Sansa introduced, pointing to the curly haired man on the couch. He lifted his hand in an awkward wave and gave a small smile. Alys smiled back at him and Talisa returned next to him on the couch. A smokey grey dog curled around Robb's feet and growled in content.
Sansa dragged Alysanne into the kitchen, where a tall man with brown hair was helping a woman with auburn hair prepare some food. He was wrist deep in the body cavity of a chicken, stuffing it with various spices.
"Sansa!" the woman embraced, opening her arms and closing them tightly around her daughter.
"Hi, mom," Sansa said, her words muffled against her mom's emerald green apron.
The woman looked at Alys, smiling at her. "Hi, I'm Catelyn," she said pleasantly. "Who might you be?"
"I'm Alysanne, a good friend of Sansa's. I hope I'm not intruding too much," Alys responded sheepishly.
"Of course not! The more the merrier," Catelyn smiled, waving off Alys's words.
The man who was stuffing the chicken looked up at Alys. "Alysanne Baratheon?" he asked, wiping his hand on a hand towel patterned with ducks.
"Yes, how did you know?" Alys asked, chuckling weirdly.
"I'm a good buddy of your father's. How's old Robert doing these days?" he asked, walking over to his daughter and wrapping his arm around her in a side hug.
"He's pretty good, hunting like crazy," Alysanne smiled.
"I'm Ned, by the way," he added.
Alys just smiled in return. A girl with wet boots and a mud splattered cotton shirt came rushing through the kitchen, a grey dog right on her heels. A little boy with blonde, curly hair followed the girl, a black dog on his heels.
"Arya! Rickon!" Catelyn scolded. "No running in the house! Go back outside!"
"Hi!" the girl named Arya chirped, stopping in front of Alys on her second loop through the house.
"Hi, you must be Arya," Alys smiled, wiping a dot of mud from her forehead.
"And you must be Alysanne," Arya responded, much to Alys's confusion. "I'm not deaf, I heard you introduce yourself."
"Be nice," Catelyn reprimanded.
"I go by Alys," she corrected the girl.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Alys. That's my brother, Rickon," Arya said, pointing to the boy panting in the corner of the kitchen. "He's not as fast as me," Arya bragged, causing Alys to giggle.
Rickon heard and chased after Arya, both of them darting out of the front door. Catelyn shook her head and returned to her cooking, chopping carrots and onions into chunks.
Sansa led Alys into a different living room, where a dark haired boy was watching some documentary. Another dark haired boy, this one with curly hair, was sprawled on the couch playing candy crush on his phone.
"That's my brother, Bran," Sansa said. The boy just looked in their general direction and then back to his show.
"That's my cousin, Jon," she said, smirking. Jon put his phone on the side table and stood to hug his cousin.
"Good to see you again, Sans," he said, squeezing her tightly. His curls fell sloppily over his grey eyes. He wore black sweatpants and a form-fitting black shirt.
"I'm Alys," she introduced herself, holding out her hand for him to shake.
"Nice to meet you," he said, pulling her into a hug. Northerners sure are friendly. He smelled like the woods, a pleasant, earthy scent mingling with notes of evergreens.
"We should get our stuff," Alys suggested, putting her hands behind her back.
"I already got mine," Sansa said, walking backwards back into the kitchen.
Alys rolled her eyes. "Jon, why don't you help Alys get her things," Sansa said.
Jon nodded sharply and followed close behind Alysanne as she led him out of the house. His hands were shoved deep into his pants pocket. Alys pressed the button on the trunk and it popped open, she took a bag in her hand and Jon took it from her, grabbing the other one from the trunk before she could.
"Oh, you don't have to," Alys objected.
"I don't mind," Jon responded, walking back towards the house. He opened the door and held it for Alysanne with his foot. "Follow me," he instructed, ascending the staircase.
Her fingers trailed the glossy banister as she looked at the photo wall, laughing at a silly picture of little Sansa. Jon looked behind himself to see what she was laughing at, but her eyes went down to her feet, embarrassed.
He led her down a hallway and into a room at the end. There was plaid bedding and a fire burning in the hearth, heating the room to a comfortable temperature. "On the bed, please," she said, and he silently placed the bags on the bed.
"Thanks," she said, smiling at him.
He gave a smile back. "No problem at all," he responded, lingering in the room for a bit. He was fairly muscular, with a sharp jaw and attractive features. Maybe Sansa playing matchmaker would work better than anticipated.
He eventually left. Alys watched him walk to his room across the hall, his grey bed sheets strewn all over his bed. He didn't close the door as he changed his shirt, opting for a navy blue sweatshirt. Alys hadn't noticed how rudely she had been staring, until he looked up at her, meeting her eyes.
She quickly turned the other way, hearing a snicker behind her back. "Dinner is gonna be ready soon," Jon said, walking past her door. Alys nodded her head and followed him down the stairs, where Sansa and Talisa were helping Catelyn set the table.
Sansa noticed the crimson stain on Alys's cheeks and smiled to herself. Alys grabbed two plates in her hands, filling the remaining empty spots. "Already getting along well, I see," Sansa whispered.
"Sansa!" Alysanne squealed. "Stop it! Nothing happened."
"Something will, I can sense it. He obviously likes you," Sansa said, putting the wine glasses out.
"I've known him for thirty minutes. How can you possibly know?" Alys laughed.
"I've known him for nineteen years. I think I'd know," Sansa responded.
Alysanne just exhaled at that. Jon was lingering in the kitchen on his phone, sitting at the island while Ned checked on the chicken in the oven, the aromatic herbs extracting their fragrance into the air. "Hey, Jon," Sansa called, looking at Alys.
Jon made his way over, putting his phone in his pocket. "You know, Alys really likes that one show you like. Law and Order, isn't it?" Sansa said, nudging her friend.
"No, Sansa," Alys whispered, grabbing Sansa's arm. Jon noticed the encounter between the two girls.
"It's a good show," Jon agreed, looking at Alys. His eyes were the color of a stormcloud, all dark and a perfect shade of grey.
"I've watched all the seasons at least a couple of times," Alys admitted, maybe a little shamefully. Jon widened his eyes at that, mouthing a wow.
His eyes drifted down her body, stopping on her ugly sweatshirt. Sansa had since walked away, content with her involvement. "That's quite the..." he trailed off, not being able to think of a kind word.
"It's fucking tacky, I know," Alys laughed. "It's quite soft, though."
Two of his fingers dipped under her shirt, feeling the soft fabric. "That's a bit of an invasion," Alys said quietly, her voice shaky at their contact.
"I doubt you minded," he responded, pulling the hem of her sweatshirt down where he had disrupted it. He saw the hue of red come to her cheeks and she brought her cold hands up to her face, feeling the burn of blood beneath the skin.
"All that blood rushing to your face constantly cannot be good for your head," he smiled at her.
"Then maybe stop saying such things," she responded, tapping her nails against the wood of the chair.
He was about to say something, but the oven dinged behind them and the children started rushing into the kitchen. Jon sat in the chair he was standing in front of, pulling out the one next to him. "This one is the guest chair," he informed her.
She sat down. "Conveniently next to you, I see."
"As it happens," he responded, pushing her close to the table. Catelyn and Ned carried the dishes into the dining room. Chicken, brussel sprouts, brown butter carrots, and mashed potatoes were on the menu for the night.
The dishes were passed around, everyone making pleasant conversation with each other. Jon helped himself, and then also scooped the food onto Alys' plate. Everyone saw, to her sheer embarrassment. Arya was stifling a laugh with a spoonful of potatoes. And Sansa had said he was awkward with girls. Alysanne thought she should've used bold. Maybe being at an all-boys school made him desperate.
"Are you going to say thank you?" he asked in a low voice.
"Thank you, Jon. That was so very kind," she responded sarcastically.
The food Catelyn has prepared was phenomenal, but the meal was partially disturbed when Rickon's dog grabbed Sansa's chicken from her plate. Everyone laughed, but Catelyn made the boy put his dog outside. They finished the meal with champagne and lemon cakes, Sansa's favorite.
1.8k words.
lord the flirt is real. stay tuned for hella tension
ngl i blushed when i reread this tbh
-claire <3