A/N - This chapter is based on the song 'Wolves' by Selena Gomez and Marshmello. I hope you all enjoy it.
You had known, from the day you were able to understand the concept of marriage, that you would marry Theon Greyjoy. No one had ever told you as much, in fact, when you had mentioned it to your mother she had been disgusted by the idea. The Greyjoys didn't have a good reputation and she wouldn't be letting her little girl go running off to marry one of them.
But your dreams had shown it to you. Him standing at a weirwood tree, smiling in your direction as you made your way down the aisle towards him. It wouldn't be a big ceremony. Neither of you would have your families there, but you would be happy and that was all that would matter to either of you.
It wasn't until you turned sixteen that your mother had attempted to marry you off to someone else. Some boy from the Riverlands, who you had no interest in ever meeting.
"He would make you a good husband," she had told you one evening as she helped you brush the knots out of your hair. "And you'd have strong children with a claim to a house."
You remained quiet for a moment, looking at your reflection in the mirror. You didn't quite look like you had in your dreams. You were still skinny, waiting to take on the curves you remembered so fondly when you thought back on what you had seen. And though you had always been pretty, you had yet to lose the childish features that you were certain would give way to a much more mature appearance. No. You would still have a while until you became the woman who would marry Theon, and you would spend the entire time fighting off betrothals that your mother was so in support of.
"But I'm not supposed to marry him," you uttered, your eyes shifting from your reflection to watch your mother in the mirror.
She rolled her eyes, releasing a deep sigh. "Again with this silly dream," she murmured, shaking her head as she locked eyes with you. "It's about time you started to grow up, Y/N."
Your brow furrowed as you considered her words. "If growing up means marrying some random Lord's son, then I don't want to do it," you started, watching as her expression tightened into something more stern.
"I won't hear any more of this ridiculous fantasy of yours. You'll marry the Ryger boy and you'll not mention that Greyjoy filth ever again. Am I understood?"
There was a moment of silence as you stared at your mother, before you were giving a short nod. In all honesty, you knew you would break your promise the moment that you made it, but what else was there to do? You would lie to your mother and you would find a way to find Theon on your own, if that was what it took.
*Time Skip*
You had left your home a few days later, taking off into the night before anyone could notice you intent. Find Theon; tell him of your dream; marry the man you were destined to fall in love with.
But the road was harsher than you had been expecting. Cold night after cold night left you tired and scared with no protection but yourself. It wasn't until you'd stumbled across the King's Road that you had realised that you would actually have a chance of finding the man you had been so obsessed with for all this time.
You had reached Winterfell a week or so later, looking a little worse for wear. You'd not had a chance to wash properly since leaving home, and now you grew self-conscious. You were still yet to become the woman you had seen in your dreams, and you were certain that Theon would be disappointed in what he found when you turned up at the gates.
So, as you reached Winterfell you hesitated, going instead to a small stream that ran along the outside of the city walls to bathe. The water was icy cold as you plunged into it, attempting to clean yourself to the best of your ability. You had just finished washing your hair when the sound of footsteps startled you, and you quickly span around to find yourself looking up at the man you had spent so long searching for.
"I've never seen you before," he started, a smirk pulling at his lips as you attempted to cover your body with your hands. You shook your head, your mouth hanging open as you attempted to figure out what to say. And then he was laughing. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you," he told you, raising an eyebrow when you remained silent. "I'll turn around," he uttered. "You can get dressed."
He did as he had promised, turning his back on you as you scrabbled up onto the bank, tugging your shift over your body. The fabric clung to your damp skin in a way that left you feeling sticky and uncomfortable, and for a moment you felt as though you may just burst into tears right there and then.
"Are you decent?" he murmured again, and you nodded, only to realise your mistake.
"Yes." It was the first word you had ever said to him, and it was so simple that it left your heart sinking. Perhaps your dream had been wrong, like your mother had told you. Perhaps it was just a dream after all.
Theon turned to face you, giving you a small smile as he looked at your blush-covered cheeks. "You look lost," he started, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he watched you carefully.
You quickly shook your head. "I'm not," you murmured. You released a shaking breath, pausing for a moment before a burst of confidence came over you. "I was looking for you. I've come a long way."
Theon's brow furrowed as he absorbed your words. "Who are you?"
"Y/N. My parents are the head of House Caron," you uttered, your eyes pulling away from his as you attempted to regain the confidence that had been there moments before.
"At Nightsong?" You nodded, taking a deep breath. "You're a long way from home, My Lady."
You nodded again, finally glancing back up at him. "I came here for you," you muttered, lifting a hand to rub at your eyes for a moment. "I have these dreams, and most of them come true," you told him.
"Like a Greenseer?"
"Exactly," you answered softly, biting down on your bottom lip.
"And what does that have to do with me?"
You shrugged slightly. "Nothing. I shouldn't have come here," you bit out, grabbing at the mess of what was left of your dress and attempting to pull it over your head. A hand on your arm stopped you, and you glanced back up to find Theon standing far too close for comfort.
"Tell me what you saw," he ordered you, his eyes staring into yours in a way that took your breath away.
"I've been having the same dream since I was six," you started, shifting slightly to move away from his touch. "We get married," you added, hearing a snort of laughter escape him.
"If I marry anyone they'll be from the Ironislands," he muttered, and suddenly the frown on your lips deepened.
You should have known that he would never live up to the expectations that you had created in your mind. You should have known that he would disappoint you. You should have known that your mother would be right.
"Sorry," he added, glancing down at you. "I'm sure you'd make a great wife, but we do things differently back home."
You nodded slightly, biting down on your lips. "But I saw it. I've never had a dream not come true before."
"There's a first time for everything," he uttered with a shrug.
A second later, you had your dress back on, properly, and you were shoving your feet into your boots as quickly as you could manage.
"You should come inside for a while. I'm sure Lady Stark would be happy to help you find some clean clothes. Sleep somewhere comfortable before you go marching back to the Stormlands."
You shook your head as you continued on your mission, forcing your foot into the boot with all of the power you could manage with little progress. And then you were crying, the frustration becoming too much as the tears escaped you.
Theon looked like a startled rabbit as you slumped down onto the floor, watching as you gasped through the sobs. "Are you alright?" he uttered, and you managed to glance up at him between whimpers. "Stupid question," he added, moving to sit opposite you. There was a moment of silence as you sniffled beside him, rubbing at your eyes until you could see galaxies blooming behind them. "You wouldn't want to marry me, anyway," he murmured, nudging you with his shoulder. "No one who knew me would."
Your brow furrowed as you slowly lowered your hands from your eyes, allowing yourself to glance over at him. "That's a horrid thing to think," you muttered.
He looked as though he wanted to argue with you, but then his face softened. "So, this dream of yours. What happens?"
You shrugged slightly. All sense of excitement at having met him completely gone from you. "Doesn't matter. It's not going to happen," you murmured as you got to your feet.
Theon's hand gripped your wrist, holding you in place. When you looked down at him, he was staring up at you like a lost puppy. His eyes were wide and hopeful, and you couldn't help but sit back down beside him. "Tell me," he started, so softly that you just nodded your agreement.
"We were in the Weirwood. I always assumed it was here; Nightsong doesn't have one." You paused for a moment, pressing your eyes closed as you thought through the dream. "It's nighttime and the sky is so clear that you can see every single star as if they were within touching distance." The smile the spread across your face was perfect and Theon felt the air leave his lungs as though he'd been punched. "I don't know any of the people in the crowd; I guess I haven't met them yet. But you're smiling like you couldn't care less about those other people, and-"
Your eyes shot open in that moment, landing on him in an instant. "And what?" he uttered, watching your smile fade slightly.
"And I always assumed that the feeling I got from you smiling at me was what love would feel like."
Theon was moving before he could even think about his actions. His lips pressed to yours caught you off guard at first, and then, as if by magic, it just felt right. The pads of his fingertips brushing against your cheek as he pulled you closer left you breathless. As he pulled away from you, you felt your heart shudder in your chest, so caught up in the moment that it felt as though it might just give out. "It sounds perfect," he uttered, his fingers still lingering along your jaw line.
"But it was just a dream. You said so yourself," you murmured, shifting backwards, away from his touch.
"It was a stupid comment," he started, watching as you released a shaking breath. "I didn't know what I was talking about." A second later, he was pulling you to him again, wrapping his arms around you to keep you in place. "Please just come inside. Lord and Lady Stark will help you get home if you still want to go."
You nodded against him, your face pressed into his neck. "Okay," you murmured, your words muffled by his skin.
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