Stark of Winterfell

Alynna had just finished grooming Midnight. All the other horses in the Stark family were taken care of by the stable boys but her black stallion had an extremely foul temper and never allowed anyone to take care of him but her. He had been trained much too harshly as a foal. Her father had thought to put him down when he made his way to Winterfell. But Alynna found that her stallion had much the same temper as she did and so was able to calm him. She hadn't ridden any other horse ever since.

When she crossed the courtyard dressed in one of her oldest dresses and still quiet grimy looking from her early morning ride, she noticed her brother Bran practicing his archery. It was his second lesson from her twin brother Robb and her half brother Jon but it didn't seem to be going very well. To make matters worse, she noticed that her parents were watching, making Bran even more nervous. And more likely to fail.

As she approached the lesson abruptly came to a halt with an arrow fired by her sister Arya. Alynna briefly felt a sense of pride. It had been her who had taught Arya how to walk a bow after all.

"Such progress your pupil seems to make brother." She remarked jokingly to Jon to distract him from the venomous glares of her mother. Her father seemed to be discussing something with Ser Rodrick.

"He just needs some time. He'll get there." Jon retorted while putting the arrows back in their place.

"Mmm, eventually maybe. You're going to need to give him more than just some tips here and there you know. Actually teach him how to fire."

"I suppose you think you could do a better job than the both of us then, don't you?" Robb said, joining them with even more arrows.

Alynna smirked at him "Your words brother, not mine."

Rob was about to retort to that, undoubtedly to defend his teaching methods, when Ser Rodrick interrupted him.

"We caught a deserter from the Night's watch. You three need to prepare yourself, and Bran too."

Alynna knew this would happen sooner or later. That was the price her father insisted she herself pay when he allowed her to learn how to fight. If you want to learn how to kill, than you have to know death he said. And now it was Brans turn.

Alynna watched as her father talked to the deserter. Whatever it was that the man had to say was enough to shock even Eddard Stark. Though most people wouldn't be able to detect the emotion, Alynna could. She stood a ways aside from the grouping at the beheading block. She always did since she found it easier to mask any and all emotions at the sight of the execution if she were standing alone.

She could also see that Bran was having difficulty doing the same. She even felt him flinch when the sword came down. She stopped herself from going to him however since it would defeat her father's purpose of bringing him along. This purpose was to show that the world was a far harder place than he had known in his ten years. He would only be able to survive if he knew and could protect himself and those he loved from it. Better to learn such a thing sooner than later. Winter was coming.

She could not go console him now since mothering him would soften the blow. She would not go against her father's wishes and Robb and Jon would do a fine enough job as it was. She would talk to him on the way back.

"How is your archery going, Bran?" Alynna asked as she urged Midnight next to his horse.

"You saw how it was going." He muttered "I'll never be able to do it right."

"I think you will" Alynna assured him "though perhaps you will need a bit more instruction."

"Will you teach me then?" Bran asked hopefully "Like you did Arya? She learned in only two months!"

"Robb and Jon won't like that…" Alynna hesitated "And Arya practiced at all hours of the day in the Godswood to get it right."

"She did?" He asked surprised.

"Aye she did. Barely got any sleep while doing so I might add and nearly got herself ill." Alynna warned.

"I won't do that! I'll only practice when you're there, I promise!" Her little brother had gotten all exited. The deserter far from his mind which was exactly Alynna's intention by hesitating as she was.

"Well…"

"Please Aly!"

"Fine, but you'll have to ask father first understand?"

"I will, thanks Aly!" Alynna smiled at her younger brother. She was glad to see him act like a kid again.

Suddenly the whole group stopped. Alynna couldn't make out what was said between Jon, Theon and her father but then they moved down the riverbank and she saw what the commotion was about. A dead stag was lying across the way, it's belly ripped wide open and already rotting.

When they stopped again they saw who was responsible. A giant wolf, bigger than any Alynna had ever seen, laid there. Also dead, killed with a broken antler poking out of its stomach. Her six pup's were still trying to coax some milk from her body.

"It's a freak!" Theon exclaimed. Alynna rolled her eyes. You'd think that after living with a family since you were nine, would mean you would at least know that their sigil was a…

"It's a direwolf." Her father confirmed looking at Ser Rodrick. Alynna exchanged a look with her twin. A stag and a direwolf both killed in a fight to the death, leaving behind six pups alone to fend for themselves. If this was an omen from the Gods, it was a rather grim one.

"It's a full beast." Her father ripped the antler out of the wolf.

"There are no direwolves south of the wall." Her brother said, his posture wary and looking to our father for meaning.

"Now there are five." Jon said, ever practical "Who wants to hold it?" Bran held out his arms and Jon gave one to him.

"Where will they go?" Bran asked worried. "Their mother's dead."

"They don't belong down here." Ser Rodrick said. While that may be true, Alynna dreaded the conclusion her father would come to. And sure enough…

"Better a quick death. They won't last without their mother."

Theon ever the eager servant immediately stepped forward. "Right, give it here." He ripped the pup from Bran's arms and prepared to strike. "No!" Bran exclaimed.

Theon sickened Alynna and she was about to speak up when her twin voiced her thoughts for her. "Put away your blade." Robb said disgusted and protective over Bran.

"I take orders from your father not you." He said with a triumphant undertone. Alynna glared at him but she was again interrupted. This time by Bran who decided to plead directly to their father. "Please father"!

He shook his head "I'm sorry Bran."

"Lord Stark" Jon exclaimed. Alynna and Robb both grimaced. They hated it when their brother spoke to their father that way. "There are six pups, one for each of the Stark children. The direwolf is a sigil of your house, you were meant to have them." Alynna sighed. Our house Jon, she thought, when will you see that?

Everyone looked to her father for his judgment. "You will train them yourselves, you will feed them yourselves and when they die you will bury them yourselves." He gave in reluctantly.

Alynna was glad for it. Bran didn't need to see anymore death today and a pet would give him a responsibility. It would help put things in perspective. Besides the pups were adorable she decided when Jon handed two of them to her. The right one immediately started licking her face. Right she thought, that one's mine then, smiling at her pup.

"What about you?" Bran asked to Jon. Alynna hadn't thought of that. There was no seventh pup.

"I'm not a Stark." Jon said "Get on." He urged Bran back up the riverbank and then looked at Alynna who shook her head at him. "Aly…"

"Jon, you and I both know that…" She stopped talking when she heard the yip. She wasn't the only one who had heard. She and Jon started looking around. "What is it?" Robb asked.

Jon found a seventh pup and held it up for inspection. This one was smaller and an albino one at that.

"The runt of the litter." Theon smirked "That one's yours Snow." Alynna felt like hitting him but with two pups in her hands that was quiet impossible. She couldn't help but smile at her half brother and felt her twin doing the same beside her.

Author note: Okay, hi everyone! This is my first fanfic so this is a little scary. I love GoT and can't wait for the third season! The idea for this story has been spinning circles in my head for months now so I decided to put it out there and see what you think! I'm going to warn you right now though that I'm going to build it up slowly so you can get to know Aly better :) Please review but be kind :)