A Bastard Girl
Callen was a bastard, as everyone liked to remind her. She had never known her parents, but Lord and Lady Stark had taken her in with a bastard of Lord Eddard's, Jon Snow. Callen's last name was Waters because it's assumed she was born in King's Landing… and she is a bastard. Despite their kind treatment of her, Callen knew that the two nobles did not enjoy her company, the company of a baseborn girl. Callen went out of her way to avoid everyone from the Stark family, aside from Jon and his half-sister, Arya, who was 8 years old.
Callen had been not a year old when she and Jon had been brought back from King's Landing. Lady Stark had been more accepting of Callen than Jon, though she did not like how much Callen looked like Lord Stark. As she grew, Callen was often reminded that, though she was no Stark, she looked eerily similar to the late Lyanna Stark, Lord Eddard's sister who was killed in the Sack of King's Landing. She became a woman at the age of 8, extremely young for a girl to become a woman, but she became a woman all the same. She developed her curves and breasts very early, and was quite comely as she grew older. At four and ten years, she could be mistaken for a girl that's eight and ten. While the oldest Stark girl, Sansa, would constantly moon over Callen's beauty, Callen did not enjoy it. She was a bastard, and as such, often pursued by men within Winterfell. Though they never looked at her while she could see, Callen knew that Robb (the oldest Stark child) and Jon would sneak short glances at her. She also knew that Theon (age 18) blatantly wanted to fuck her and actually came out and asked her on one occasion. She had turned him down and he screamed that she would only be good as someone's fuck toy. She got pissed and slammed a fist into his face, breaking his nose.
Callen was forced by the septa to learn to sew and sing and play the harp, but she wanted absolutely none of that. She hated singing and was a terrible seamstress. She would often run off and find books on war in the Stark library. She had found a book on the Braavosi fighting style, 'Water Dancing', and decided that would suit her. So she looked for another book that would teach her the 'dancing' and she read the entire thing over several years. Without a proper instructor, Callen was still able to become quite adept at water dancing. She constantly practiced her skills, but when Lady Stark found out about her adventures with 'water dancing' as well as archery, she sat the young bastard girl down and told her fighting and killing was for the men. Callen listened respectfully, but did not listen to Lady Stark's advice and continued her dancing lessons.
The Hand of the King is dead and is heading to Winterfell to visit an old friend. This starts the ball rolling into a large series of events, but where does Callen fit into this?
A Gift to the Starks
Callen
I suppressed a sigh as I watched Bran notch another arrow. He was only seven, but he should've still had some skill with a bow. As Bran was about to release the arrow, someone shot a bull's-eye from behind him. Everyone turned and saw Bran's older sister, Arya. I laughed with everyone else when he dropped the bow to go and run after Arya. As I watched him run after her, I noticed from the corner of my eye that Theon was staring at me again. He did that on occasion, and never really stared at my face. He was always looking me over, lingering on my breasts, curves, and hips. 'I've been a woman for six years now. It is no new event to have a man stare at me, though I do not enjoy it.' I thought, suppressing a sigh. After a sharp word from Robb, Theon turned away from me and I turned my attention to the balcony where Lord and Lady Stark had been. Now, there was only Lady Stark, who was glaring at Jon quite viciously. I winced in spite of myself and went to help him with the arrows. He smiled at me and I smiled back. We had been friends since birth, and would often steal out of Winterfell from time to time for him to teach me how to hunt and use a bow. Of course, I was just as good as him now, but that did not stop us from having some alone time.
"Do you think she'll ever remotely like me?" Jon said bitterly.
"Honestly? No. You're proof Lord Stark is not the perfect man everyone thinks he is and she hates it. She hates you and probably even me, though I am no highborn bastard." I replied honestly.
"Why would she hate you?"
"I don't know. Mayhaps it is because of my near perfect resemblance to the late Lyanna Stark that she thinks you and I are twins? The Gods only know…"
"Really? You look like Lyanna? I've never seen any artwork or statues of her."
"You don't remember her statue from down in the crypts?"
"No." He replied, slightly embarrassed of not knowing.
Callen looked over to see Lord Stark saddling the horses. He called to Jon to join him. "When you return, I shall show you her statue." She said with a smile.
"Come with us. I know for a fact that you're never upset by the sight of blood and gore."
"I do not think Lord Stark would allow me to accompany you."
Jon did not answer. He only ran over to Lord Stark and spoke with him a minute before returning to Callen. "You can come, so get a horse saddled."
She looked at him, shocked, but she nodded and went to the stables. Lord Stark's company started leaving already, so once Callen finished saddling her horse, she raced after them, only taking 10 minutes or so to catch up.
We arrived at a hill quite a ways from Winterfell. She once she saw who was bound, she knew that a Black Brother was about to be executed for oathbreaking.
"A man of the Night's Watch… What did he do?" I asked Jon silently after he had a small talk with Bran, who had joined them (much to my dismay).
"In the name of King Robert of House Baratheon first of his name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, by the word of Eddard of the House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, I do sentence you to die." Lord Stark said, and every man was silent as he raised his sword, named Ice, above his head.
He brought down the Valyrian Steel greatsword down in a swift and clean blow. The man had the cleanest death possible. Callen said nothing and glanced at Bran who, thankfully, did not look away. I went to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You did good, Bran." Lord Stark said, coming up beside me and I nodded in agreement.
"Did he really see white walkers? Are they coming back?" Bran asked, looking a little frightened.
"The walkers have been gone for thousands of years. And madmen see what they will see." Lord Stark replied.
Bran said no more and the company started to ride back. When we were about to cross a stone bridge maybe half an hour after they left the hill when we heard an odd sound. Theon and Robb had dismounted to follow the sounds and everyone started to follow them down the small path. Two of Lord Stark's men grabbed the reins of Theon and Robb's horses. Getting impatient, I dismounted as well and ran ahead to see what they had found. I came down the path to see the two standing in front of what looked like a dead, gigantic wolf.
"It's a direwolf." said Jon, coming up behind me.
"A direwolf? They haven't been seen in the North for thousands of years. Why find one now?" A guard asked, shocked at the sight of the direwolf.
"And she had pups." Robb said, holding one up to look at it. Bran came running down the path and smiled when he saw the wolves. Robb handed him one and grabbed another. I smiled and counted them. Five. Five direwolves for all five Stark children.
"They'll die without the mother. We should kill them now and be done with it." Theon said, grabbing the one from Bran and pulling out a dagger.
"NO!" Bran yelled, surprisingly loud.
"Direwolves are no pets, Bran." Lord Stark said.
"My lord," Jon started. "Your children were meant to have these pups. Five pups for five Stark children."
"Your sigil is the direwolf, my lord. If that is not an omen, then I don't know what it is." I added.
"Very well. But they will feed them, train them, and bury them should they die." Lord Stark said, walking back to his horse.
I looked at Bran and he looked overjoyed once Theon handed him the pup back. I smiled sadly, knowing that I would've loved to have my own pup. I looked at Jon. There was no sign of his feelings on his face, but I knew he was disappointed as well.
Once the remaining pups were collected, Jon and I turned to walk back to our horses when he spotted something behind a tree. He came from behind it with a snow white pup in his arms. It had red eyes the color of weirwood tree leaves.
"That pup will die faster than the others." Theon said.
I glared at him and he left without another word. "No he won't." Jon said from behind me.
