PART ONE-CHAPTER TWELVE
"Life is a series of a million miracles. It's only a matter of noticing them."
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She wasn't feeling particularly exhausted, considering the fact that she was just sitting inside the bloody carriage, while everyone else did some actual work. So when everyone wanted to sit down, she wanted to take a walk. But when she saw her father and Ned Stark seated at a table with fruit and wine, and her father beckoned for her to join them, she went there instead and took a seat.
"Father, Lord Stark." she acknowledged both of them and sat down. "What are the both of you talking about?" "Just sit girl, have something to eat." Her father said, and so she did.
"Gods, this is country. I have half a mind to leave them all behind and keep moving!" her father said, and Rhea couldn't agree more. She felt like it all the time too. But what surprised her was honour and duty bound Eddard Stark saying, "I've half a mind to go with you." She turned toward him in inhumane speed and looked with a shocking expression on her face.
"What do you say, just you and me on the King's Road, swords at our sides, a couple of tavern wenches to warm our beds tonight?" he asked, and Rhea laughed a little. "Of course, Father, are you trying to influence your best friend now?" she asked with a little smile as she swallowed some wine and smirked. They both laughed a little and Lord Stark looked to her father and said, "Should have asked me twenty years ago."
"There were wars to fight, women to marry. We never had the chance to be young." her father said, and turned to her and said, "You should be glad you do." But when Eddard Stark said, "I may have gotten a few chances." she just choked on the last bit of wine that she had just tried to swallow. And when they both started laughing, and her father started talking about some tavern wenches from their younger days, she just said, "I really don't want to be a part of this conversation. I would rather not speak about your younger versions and the days of your youth that I think you shouldn't be proud of." She laughed as her father grinned a little and walked further away.
She heard their distant voices, talking about Targaryens and the Dothraki, both of which she had learnt about only from books and her father's hostile statements against them. But, right now, she really could use some company. While at Winterfell, there wasn't scarcity for that, people were always ready to talk, but for a while, she'll just have to put up with this, just until she and Robb get married. Then she would be able to be as she pleased, and talk with anyone anytime she wanted, without the fear of being judged, because she would be a Princess no more.
Until then, it was going to be a long ride.
***
There was a blazing fire in front of them, and there he sat with Sara at his side and Robb and Theon across them. They were fifteen name days old, and Jon and Sara had just gotten together. "So, what you two are just going to stay quiet and keep looking at each other while Robb and I get sick?" Theon had asked. Sara, being the free spirit out of the two- one of the million traits that had made him fall in love with her- gave him a sarcastic reply, and said, "Yes, Theon, we are, now shut up." Robb laughed at that statement, and Theon too, despite being proud, had smirked a little. "Bastard's got game!" he said, and all four of them laughed a little. They were careless kids back then, a long while ago.
And now, Jon sat in front of another blazing fire, with Tyrion Lannister across him in place of Robb and Theon, with his nose deeply buried in a book, in the middle of the woods. He watched as his Uncle Benjen brought men with him, tied up at the hands. Men, who were to join the watch. "Sit." Uncle Benjen told them, and the two men did as they were told. "Untie them." he told to his companion, and he untied their hands.
Of course, his questioning reaction had brought out Tyrion Lannister's mood to talk. "Ah, rapists. They were given a choice, no doubt. Castration or the Wall. Most choose the knife." he said, and went back to his book.
Rapists? What had he gotten into? The Wall, or prison?
As if he could sense his feelings, Tyrion asked, "Not impressed by your new brothers?" and then he added, "Lovely thing about the watch, you discard your whole family and get a whole new one." He turned to see Benjen Stark sitting against a tree, deep in thought, as if he were in war with himself.
"Why do you read so much?" Jon asked. "Look at me and tell me what you see." he said, without bringing his nose out of his book.
That wasn't what I asked.
"Is this some sort of trick?" he asked, and Tyrion smirked. "What you see, is a dwarf. If I had been born a peasant, they would have left me up in the woods to die. Alas, I was born a Lannister of Casterly Rock. Things are expected of me. My father was the Hand of the King for twenty years-" "Until your brother killed that King." Jon said, interrupting the little Lannister lord.
He smirked, and said, "Yes, until my brother killed him. Life is full of these little ironies. My sister married the new King, and my repulsive nephew would be King after him." After a little while, he added, "I must do my part for the honour of my house, don't you agree? My brother has a sword, and I have my mind. My mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone. That's why I read so much, Jon Snow." He waited until he spoke again.
"And you? What's your story, bastard?" he asked. And the second he did, a particular girl with beautiful blonde locks flashed before him.
"Asked me nicely and maybe I'll tell you, dwarf." he said, to which Tyrion laughed. "A bastard boy with nothing to inherit, off to join the ancient order of the Night's Watch, alongside his valiant brothers in arms."
Jon felt the irritation surge through him and said, "The Night's Watch protects the realm from-" "Ah, yes, yes! Against grumpkins and snarks and all the other monsters your witness warns you about. You're a smart boy, you don't believe that nonsense." Jon wanted to smash his fist into a wall, when Tyrion tossed a wineskin to him and said, "Everything's better with some wine in the belly."
And at that moment, the offer was very enticing, he drank it.
***
Meanwhile, at Winterfell, Maester Luwin went into the chamber which housed Brandon Stark's sleeping figure and stood near the door. His mother was yet to notice him. "It's time we reviewed the accounts, my lady. We need to know how much this royal visit had cost us." he said, and his mother couldn't care less.
"Go to Poole about it." she said, and right after, Maester Luwin said, "Poole has ridden south with Lord Stark, my Lady. We need a new steward and there are several other appointments that require you to be present-"
She interrupted him, "I don't care about appointments!" Maester Luwin was taken aback by the harshness of his Lady's tone, something none of them see every day.
He heard the whole conversation between his mother and the Maester and he knew he had to interfere before his mother's grief clouded her judgement. "I'll make the appointments. We'll talk about it, first thing in the morning." he said, and watched as Maester Luwin got satisfied with his answer and left.
The darkness of the chamber felt depressing to him- fitting, given the fact that his seven name days old brother lay unconscious inside it. He opened a window, and the howling of the direwolves sounded throughout the chamber. He knew he'll have to address the consequences of his mother's actions to her soon enough and now was the time. "When was the last time you left this room?" he asked, as his mother kept on knitting like a madwoman.
"I have to take care of him." she said.
"He's not going to die, mother. Maester Luwin said the most dangerous time has passed-"
"What if he's wrong? Bran needs me!" she said, the firmness in her voice, completely lost.
"Rickon needs you. He's six. He's following me around all day, clutching my leg, crying. There's only so long Sara can watch him every day, but you're his mother-"
"Close the windows, I can't stand it, please make them stop!" she cried, referring to the direwolves' howling. He turned to close them, and that's when he noticed it.
The fire.
"Fire." he had to run. So he looked to his mother and said, "Don't go anywhere. Stay here, where it's safe." and then sprinted as fast as he can in the hallway until he saw Sara walking toward him.
***
She had finished her work for the day and was at her leisure. After watching Rickon along with Beth for a while at Robb's request, she had grown bored of it. She let them both play for a while on their own at the castle gardens, after which Theon would take him to the training yard and Beth would come back home.
She walked through the passageway that would lead to Bran's room, to check on him. The night was dark and it was quiet, if not for the fact that the direwolves had been howling all the while.
Gods, why are they howling so much?
She was nearing the door when Robb came running out of it. He just stopped abruptly and told her, "Stay with her, I'll be back." referring to his mother. "Wha-" but he sprinted before she could complete her question. She then went into the room, and smiled at her encouragingly and nodded her head a little, to no avail. She then walked toward the window and Sara followed her to see a blazing fire on the grounds.
"It's a fire! We-" but before she could complete her sentence, she turned to see a hooded man in the chamber. She lightly tugged at Lady Catelyn's hand, and she turned too. "You weren't supposed to be here, both of you. No one was supposed to be here. It's a mercy." he said, head inclining towards Bran's sleeping figure. "He's dead already." he said and pulled a dagger out of its sheath.
"No!" Lady Catelyn said and went forward when the man pulled her behind and put the dagger to her throat. Sara went front and punched him on the head, and was able to remove him from Lady Catelyn. He then held her instead, his dagger piercing her stomach and Sara bit his hand, hard. He screamed but he was able to push both women to the floor.
Sara regained her footing and composure and got up to pull him away from slitting Barn's throat when Bran's direwolf lunged at him from behind and started tearing at him. Growl, growl, growl.
It kept tearing at the man's throat until his screaming ceased to happen until he died. It then looked at the girls and went and lied down near Bran on the mattress, and Sara saw the blood gushing out of the man's throat, and the flesh and blood scattered across the room. The man's dagger from when he was holding her had brought out lots of pain from her stomach, but all she could do was watch as Lady Catelyn looked at the animal, with all the gratefulness in the realm.
And then everything went black.
***