Rickon was being a little shit as of recent, running around Winterfell with no worry about anyone else's safety as Shaggydog bounded around with him, baring his teeth at anyone who came too close to the pair. It would have been fine if the dog was well trained, but Shaggydog was a well-known biter, and three guards had almost lost fingers in the last week. Of course, Rickon wouldn't listen to anyone who tried to reason with him, even when you had asked him to keep Shaggydog in the stables he had rejected the idea, yelling at you for being so cruel to the wolf.
You were sitting in the Great Hall with Robb when you heard the yelling coming from outside of the castle walls and you both fell silent. "If you cannot keep the wolf in line then you will not have the wolf," you heard Eddard speak gruffly over his youngest child's wails, and as the boy's carer you were instinctively on your feet headed towards the boy to comfort him when Robb grabbed your arm to stop you, shaking his head silently.
"Don't go to him. Father is punishing him, he won't be happy with you if you go to him," he uttered softly and you nodded slightly with a frown etched onto your face as you sat back beside him. You had been caring for Rickon since he was a baby and it hurt you to hear him crying and not being able to help him.
"I can't stand hearing him cry like that," you told Robb softly and his hand began to rub soothing circles on your shoulder as you sat in silence.
"It's for the best. He needs to learn," he mumbled at you his hand still slowly caressing your covered skin until you got to your feet.
"I can't sit here and listen to him. I'm going for a walk," you quickly muttered, turning to leave before you were interrupted by his voice again.
"I'll come with you; you'll need the company," he told you enthusiastically, standing to join you in a hurry.
"No," you yelped quickly before regaining your calm exterior. "I would like to be alone if that's alright, M'lord," you added and he nodded in response.
You were soon wondering around the outer walls of Winterfell, your furs pulled tightly around you as you trudged through the snow, you feet wet and cold as you shivered slightly.
"You didn't come to me," you heard Rickon speak from behind you, and when you turned you saw his red nose, sore eyes and damp cheeks. You quickly moved to him, wiping at his tears and pulling him into a tight hug.
"Oh, you silly child. I wanted to but your brother told me that I wasn't allowed," you told him as you kissed the top of his head and he burrowed closer to your chest for comfort. "Tell me what happened," you ordered him softly, still brushing your fingers through his hair.
"They took Shaggydog and put him in the stables. They said he was too wild and that I couldn't have him anymore," he sniffled, burying his snotty face against you. "I want Shaggydog," he cried out, bursting into fresh tears as soon as he was finished speaking.
"We can go and see him, but he can't go running around and biting people anymore, Rickon. Do you understand?" you asked, pushing him backwards so that you could see his small nod.
As you reached the stables, you checked no one was around you, hoping you wouldn't be caught. You would be in so much trouble if Eddard or Catelyn found you out here with Shaggydog, and you would prefer to avoid a lecture from either of them. "You can't tell anyone we were out here, Rickon," you whispered over your shoulder at the sniffling boy as you opened the wooden door for him to slip inside.
Once you were both inside, Shaggydog came bounding over to the two of you, lapping at Rickon's face in excitement as the boy chuckled scratching his jaw lightly before pulling the wolf into a tight hug.
"We've seen him now, we have to go," you told Rickon, placing your hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
"Just five more minutes," he muttered back as his fingers ran through the soft fur.
"Your mother will be furious if she knows you were out here, now come on, out," you ordered, more firmly than before as you moved towards the door of the stables.
"No, I want to stay," Rickon whined back, glaring up at you from his spot in the hay which covered the floor.
"Don't test me Rickon. I'll go and get your mother," you hissed through gritted teeth at the boy, moving forward to grab his arm.
"No," he barked back. "You can't tell mother," he added as Shaggydog got to his feet, growling at you when his master raised his voice.
"Rickon, please. Your mother and father said that you weren't allowed to see him. We'll both be in trouble. Just come inside," you whispered, keeping your voice as even as it could be with the wolf moving towards you with it's teeth bared in your direction.
"I want to stay with Shaggydog, and you have to stay or you'll tell Mother," he told you with a small shrug, his innocence back after his small outburst of anger.
As you went to speak again, you heard voices outside, coming towards the two of you. "I'm sure I heard voices out here," you heard Robb's voice say and you whimpered as Shaggydog began to growl louder, snapping his jaws in your direction and you let out a cry of fear.
"Please Rickon," you whispered as quietly as possible. "Please, just call him off and come inside with me. I promise I wont tell," you whimpered as the wolf snapped at you again, tears springing into your eyes as you pressed your back against the far wall.
"Y/N?" you heard Robb's voice ask loudly and you saw the betrayal in Rickon's eyes when you cried out a response, watching as the doors were thrown open and Robb and Greywind were silhouetted in the moonlight.
His eyes quickly found your panicked form and the wolf standing between the two of you, growling in your direction as you cried. "Call off your pet," he hissed at Rickon before moving towards you, Greywind keeping between his master and the other wolf.
"I'm sorry. I thought it would help. I'm sorry," you cried out as Robb reached you, quickly pulling you close to him as you shook with fear.
"It's okay," he told you as he hugged you, soothing you as his fingers rubbed circles on your back. When you pulled away, you looked around the stables to find them empty of both the boy and his wolf.
"That wolf is a danger to anyone they come across," you uttered as you stared out into the night.
"I'll find them. No one will be hurt, I promise," Robb told you as he ushered you out of the stables and towards the keep to explain the incident to his mother and father.
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