Welcome to the sequel of Woods of Winterfell. If you have not read that story please do so. If you don't, you won't understand anything that is happening in the sequel. Other than that please enjoy, review, favorite, and alert this story.

I'd like to dedicate this story to my best friend. Without her I wouldn't have bothered to write it. It's amazing what death threats can do for a writer.

Woods of Winterfell: The North Remembers

Chapter One

Sansa stared blankly at the crackling fire, a rabbit roasting over its flames. She sighed heavily, slowly lifting her eyes to look at the two people standing by the fire. Carn and Arya were currently arguing about Arya's hair.

"Come on Arya. You have to let me do it." Carn said, his hands on his hips. Arya crossed her arms and glared up at him.

"No. I like my hair the way it is." Arya snapped. Carn rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Don't you think Sansa liked the way her hair looked? She dyed it. We can't dye you hair, it's already dark." Carn told her. Arya looked over to Sansa, who looked balefully back. Sansa looked down at her hair. Gone was her beautiful, fiery red hair. Her long locks were now dyed pitch black. She hated it, but her red hair was recognizable. Their horses had been recognizable as well, having stolen them from the royal stables in King's Landing. They had sold them as soon as they could, choosing to continue on foot.

"Just do it Arya. We can't be recognized." Sansa ordered. Arya glared at her sister.

"Don't tell me what to do. You're not mother, and you're not Gwyn." Arya cried. Arya gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes widening. They had been on the run for nearly two weeks, and nobody had dared mention Gwyn since that first night. Arya had wanted to turn back and rescue her. Carn had put his foot down, and Sansa had sided with him. They just couldn't go back, it was too dangerous. And Gwyn had ordered Carn to leave her and get to Robb.

Sansa sighed as she stood and walked over to her sister. Arya's mean expression had evaporated, replaced with one of sadness. Sansa wrapped her arms around her little sister and hugged her tight. Arya fiercely hugged her back.

"I know you don't want to cut your hair, but you have to. I may not be Gwyn, but she would make you do it too." Sansa said quietly, running a soothing hand up and down Arya's back. Arya sighed, looking up at Sansa.

"I know." She sighed. Sansa nodded, stepping away from Arya and holding her hand out to Carn. He took the shears off his belt and handed them to Sansa.

"Ready?" Sansa asked, stepping towards her sister. Arya sighed again.

"Ready." She said. Sansa walked behind her sister, carefully picking up a small section of hair. She lifted the shears up, and snipped it off just above Arya's ear. She threw the discarded hair in the fire before turning back to Arya.

"I'm going to look like a boy." Arya grumbled.

"So no different, then?" Sansa teased. Arya reached back and whacked Sansa on the leg.

"Hey, don't hit me while I've got shears near your head. I'll end up shearing you bald." Sansa laughed. Arya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"If I'm bald when you're done I will give you a haircut to match." Arya muttered, making Sansa laugh again.

Carn smiled as he settled himself under a tree, watching the sisters. Sansa continued to snip off chunks of Arya's hair and throw them in the fire. This was the most spirited he had seen the two girls since their escape. As he watched Sansa cut off another piece of hair he reached up and ran his hand over his cropped cut. Gone were his short curls, which had been completely chopped off. All he had left was a short fuzz, cut extremely close to his scalp.

He let his hand flop into his lap, his head tilting back to rest on the tree. A bone deep exhaustion was settling over him. He hadn't been able to properly rest since they left King's Landing. His mind was filled with worry for Gwyn, and for the girls. He had never taken care of anybody like this before. He couldn't let anything happen to them. Carn looked back to Sansa and Arya. At that moment Sansa glanced up at him, catching his eye. She blushed and quickly looked down. Carn swallowed heavily and looked away. He would protect them with everything he had, even if it killed him.

"Done." Sansa said, stepping away from her sister. Carn stood and walked over to stand in front of Arya. He studied her new haircut, squinting his eyes. Slowly a teasing smile crept across his face.

"You definitely look like a little boy." He said with a laugh. Arya growled and jumped at him, catching him around the waist. Carn barely budged, which made him laugh harder. He grabbed her up and held her tight in his arms.

"Why is that a bad thing?" He asked. "You're always hell bent on not looking like a lady anyway."

"I want to look like a girl because I am one. What I look like shouldn't control what I can and can't do. Girls can do everything boys can." Arya said grumpily.

"I never said they couldn't." Carn said with a broad smile. "I was just teasing you, Arya." Arya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Whatever." She muttered. Carn glanced at Sansa who was watching the exchange with a small smile.

"Whatever? Whatever this." Carn crowed as he started tickling Arya. Immediately their clearing was filled with the sounds of Arya's high pitched shrieks of laughter, and Carn's taunts. The sounds bounced through the trees, echoing through the forest.

Not too far away two men stopped, listening closely.

"Should we check it out?" The younger one asked the other. The older one nodded.

"Running low on cash, aren't we?" He asked, smiling a dirty, toothless grin. The younger one chuckled as they turned off their original course, heading for the laughter.

"Carn, Carn. Stop." Arya begged.

"Do you give?" Carn asked, still tickling her mercilessly.

"Never." Arya giggled.

"Then I will never stop." Carn bellowed. Sansa chuckled, shaking her head. Suddenly a twig snapped behind her in the forest, making her whip around to look at the trees.

"Carn, Arya." She hissed. They paid her no mind. "Will you two stop?" She barked, making the pair freeze in place, Carn practically holding Arya upside down.

"What is it?" Arya asked, her brows furrowed. Sansa turned back towards the trees, her hand hovering over the dagger at her hip. After their escape she had given Carn the sword he had given her back, not feeling comfortable carrying it. He had insisted she at least carry his dagger. Arya had Needle. Though her sword was small she was somewhat protected. Carn told Sansa she needed some sort of protection as well.

"I thought I heard something." Sansa muttered.

"I don't hear anything." Arya said as Carn slowly placed her back on her feet, his hand going to his sword. He unsheathed it and pushed Arya behind him, suddenly alert. They all stood still, their ears pricked painfully for sound. There was a tension in the air that put Sansa's teeth on edge. Suddenly there was a high pitched whistling sound. Seconds later Carn cried out in pain. Sansa whipped around to see an arrow protruding from his shoulder.

"Carn." Sansa cried. Arya ran around to his front as he fell to a knee, his face screwed up in pain. She drew Needle, standing protectively in front of him.

"Arya, what are you doing?" He asked through gritted teeth, yanking the arrow out of his shoulder.

"Protecting you. What's it look like I'm doing?" She snarked. Another high pitched whistle sounded. Sansa jumped out of the way just in time, the arrow embedding itself in the ground where she had been standing.

"She's quick, this one." A gruff voice sounded through the trees. Sansa pulled Carn's dagger from her belt, slowly backing up towards her companions. A man entered the small clearing, a bow and quiver strapped to his back and a sword in his hand. His dark hair and beard were grizzled and dirty. When he smiled at Sansa she could see that his teeth were yellowed, and a few were missing. He chuckled as he looked her up and down. Without any warning he lunged forward, sword raised. Sansa jumped off to the side, leading him away from Carn and Arya.

"Dance little one." The main cooed, coming at her again, swinging his sword about. Sansa jumped away again. She could feel her legs shaking in fright, she feared they would not hold her up for much longer.

"Sansa." Carn yelled pushing himself up to stand.

"No you don't." Another man's voice called.

"Carn." Sansa cried, as the new and younger man came up behind Carn, but it was too late. The man hit Carn over the head with the flat of his sword, knocking him out. Arya jumped out of the way, narrowly missing being crushed by Carn. Sansa's eyes widened as the new man turned his sights on her little sister. He slowly started to creep towards Arya who began to back up, Needle raised in front of her.

"Don't touch her." Sansa yelled, backing away from her adversary, but keeping her eyes on Arya and the other man. Both men laughed. Sansa looked to Arya and nodded. Arya nodded back, the fear in her eyes receding. In the weeks since their escape Carn had been preparing them for this sort of thing. He wanted to make sure if they were attacked they would survive it. While her man was distracted with his laughter Arya dropped to the ground, dashing between the man's legs. At the same time Sansa shoved her dagger into her belt and dashed towards Carn, grabbing up her sword which he kept on his belt with his own.

"What?" Arya's foe crowed. Moments later Arya was up and behind him, plunging Needle into his back.

"No." The older one cried as his friend fell to Arya's feet, dead. Arya's eyes were wide as she looked from Needle to the man, her blade coated in blood.

"You'll pay for that you brat. That was my brother you just killed." The last man growled. He lunged at Sansa who managed to raise her sword in time to block his blow. Her blocks were weak. Every time his blade struck hers she could feel the force of the blow radiate up her arms and through her body, painfully rattling her teeth. He moved too fast for her. She was unable to find any opening to strike at him. Suddenly a slightly disoriented Carn was behind him. Carn grabbed his shoulder and ran him through with his sword. The man froze, sputtering in surprise before falling to the ground. The three Northerners were silent for a few moments, all of them breathing hard.

"Are you two alright?" Carn asked, staring at Sansa searchingly. She nodded, audibly swallowing. "Arya?" Carn asked. When Arya didn't answer he looked over to her. "Arya?" Arya was staring down at the man she had killed, her mouth hanging slightly open, her eyes vacant. Sansa felt tears prick her eyes at the sight. Her sister, her little eleven year old sister, had just killed a man. Sansa shoved her sword into her belt and stumbled over to Arya. She grabbed Arya's arms, forcing her to turn away from the man. Sansa fell to her knees in front of her sister, her grip on the girl's arms tight.

"Arya?" Sansa practically whispered.

"I." Arya started. "I killed him." She said, her voice small.

"It's okay. It's okay." Sansa said quickly. Arya shook her head. Sansa could feel her trembling. Carn sighed, coming over to the pair and kneeling down beside them. He placed a large, warm hand on Arya's shoulder and shook her a little.

"Look at me Arya." He said softly. Arya slowly looked up at him.

"Your first kill is always the hardest. I'm sure you've heard your father, or somebody else, talk of it before. But it will get better, you will be okay. He was trying to harm you, your sister." He said warmly.

"Gwyn." Arya said.

"What?" Carn asked, glancing at Sansa in confusion. Sansa shook her head, not sure what her sister was on about.

"I heard Gwyn talking about killing someone for the first time with Robb once. They didn't know I was listening. She was on a patrol with Father when they were attacked by wildings. She killed people. She stayed locked up in her room for days after. I was worried. So I went to see her, and I heard them. She wasn't okay after." Arya said worriedly. Carn sighed, now understanding what she was getting at.

"She's one of the strongest people I know. If she wasn't okay," Arya said quickly.

"Arya." Carn said, cutting her off. He knew of what she was talking about. A memory came to him of a late night on the trek to King's Landing from the North. Gwyn had been unable to sleep, plagued by dreams of her first kill. She had told him she often still dreamed of that day. She hadn't just killed a stranger who had been attacking her, she had killed her brother and his wife, her family. The guilt one experienced after killing someone for the first time had been magnified tenfold for her.

"That was different. You cannot compare yourself to Gwyn. She killed people very important to her that day. She had no choice. And neither did you. Gwyn learned to deal with it eventually, and so will you. You've seen her now. You said she is one of the strongest people you know?" He asked. Arya nodded. "She is stronger now because she came out the other side of her battle alive and learned to deal with what she did. You will be stronger now because of what you did. You fought honorably Arya. You were protecting your family. Take comfort in that."

Arya looked down at her feet for a moment, biting her lip. She sighed, but nodded. She stepped back from Sansa and Carn, forcing them to let her go. She wiped Needle off on her breaches and put it back in its scabbard. She looked up at them, putting a brave face on.

"That's my girl." Carn said, giving her a small smile. Together he and Sansa stood, but he stumbled. He put his hand up to the back of his head. His fingers were instantly covered in warm, slick blood. Sansa stepped closer to him, taking his arm and putting it over her shoulders. She wrapped her arm around his waist.

"We should go." Sansa said, eyeing the two dead man on the ground.

"Yes, go." Carn said, gritting his teeth.

"What about your wounds? Your shoulder. Your head." Arya asked Carn.

"We'll take care of it later when we are far from here." Carn said. Arya nodded before dashing around the clearing, grabbing up their packs. Carn managed to strap his to his back. He started to strap Gwyn's on as well but Sansa stopped him. He had insisted on carrying it everywhere they went.

"I'll take it." She said, snatching the bag from him and strapping it to her back with hers before taking his arm again. He tried to protest but she silenced him with a rather Catelyn-esque glare. "Arya, are you ready?" Sansa asked, looking to her sister to see she already had her pack on her back, but that she was bent over one of the dead men, looting his pockets and bags.

"Arya." Sansa snapped.

"What? He could have something useful." She said shoving the man's things into her own bag before doing the same to the other man. Sansa rolled her eyes before starting to guide Carn out of the clearing.

"Come on." She said exasperatedly. Arya scoffed at her, running over to the fire where their long forgotten rabbit was done cooking. She grabbed up the stick it was on and ran after her sister and Carn, taking a huge bite out of it as she went.

The sun was setting, and the two men had been riding around the forest all day. They had been tracking the two bandits, Lannister spies, since the early hours of the morning.

"If we don't find them soon his majesty will skin us alive." The lighter haired one griped. The darker haired one rolled his eyes, and nodded and hopped off his horse. "What are you doing?" The lighter haired one asked.

"Looking for their trail." The other answered. The lighter haired one scoffed.

"You won't find it in this light. Slithery, sneaky snakes those two." The darker haired one ignored his companions comments as he knelt amongst the brush of the forest floor, carefully looking about. A few quiet moments later he pointed slightly to his left.

"There. There are a few twigs broken on those bushes, and there are foot prints." He said, standing.

"The horses won't be able to carry us through that. Low hanging branches." The lighter haired one said gesturing to the nearby trees.

"Then we go on foot." The other said, grabbing up the reigns of his horse as the other man jumped off his. As they started to pick their way through the bushes the lighter haired one started to whine.

"Where's that bloody wolf of yours? He'd be better at this tracking thing than we are."

"Hunting, probably." The darker haired man said with a casual shrug. Eventually the two broke out into a clearing. There were their bandits, lying dead on the ground, near a spent fire. The darker haired one squinted stepping forward towards the fire.

"They've been looted." The other said as he knelt down by one of the men, searching him. "Jon?" He called, looking over when he didn't respond. Jon Snow bent down by the fire and picked up a clump of what he thought might be half charred hair. He held it up for the other to see.

"Theon." He said.

"What is that?" Theon asked.

"Hair. Human, I think." Jon said.

"Why would someone burn human hair?" Theon asked as he stood. Jon stood as well, dropping the hair back on the ashes of the fire.

"The only reason I can think of is someone is trying to disguise themselves and get rid of the evidence." Jon said. "Otherwise they would have dropped it anywhere, left it for the birds and their nests." He said. Theon nodded, looking around the clearing.

"There was quite the scuffle here." He said. Jon nodded, carefully walking around the clearing, eyes on the ground.

"There were two, no three, others." Jon said, tracking the footsteps in the compacted dirt. He stopped and stared at a tiny set of footprints that went from the fire to the other side of the clearing. "One of them is a child." He said. Theon raised his brow.

"Should we follow them? The spies might have written their findings about our camp down, and whoever looted them left nothing behind." Theon said warily. Jon nodded with a sigh, running his hand down his face.

"Aye." He walked back to the fire and held his hand over it.

"It's barely warm. They've been gone hours, but still. They couldn't have gotten too far. It looks like one of them might be injured." He said, pointing to a spot on the ground where there was blood and a large skid mark in the dirt that looked like someone had fallen there. Theon nodded.

"Well, let's go then." He said.

Sansa grimaced as she stoked the fire. She glanced over to Carn and Arya where they fell asleep. Carn was leaning up against the base of a tree. She noted that the bandage on his shoulder had spots of blood on it. It would have to be changed soon. The bandage on his head was slightly askew from getting caught on the tree bark. Nestled into his side was Arya, curled into a tight ball. Carn had his good arm wrapped protectively around her. His other hand was resting on the hilt of his sword where it lay across his lap.

As she looked at them she felt the terror she had felt earlier resurface. She had been so afraid that they would be hurt or worse. She could not be more thankful for how things turned out, even if that meant that Arya had to kill someone. She gave her sleeping sister a soft, loving look. Before they left the North she would have told anyone who asked that she couldn't stand her sister, and until a few weeks ago that would have been true. When the guards came for her the day her father was arrested all she could think about was if something happened to her what would happen to Arya? If she died would her sister think she died hating her?

Sansa shuttered as she looked away back to the flames. If they had killed her instead of putting her and Gwyn on house arrest she would have died with so many things having gone unsaid. She didn't hate Arya, not really. She annoyed her greatly, that was a fact. So Sansa was often short with her, which led to fighting. But deep down she loved Arya, and would die before letting anything happen to her. Earlier, when they had been under attack, and she saw the man bearing down on her little sister she thought her heart would stop in her chest. And then that heart broke as she watched Arya run the man through. She sighed as she sat back from the fire, pulling her knees up to her chest. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against her knees, forcing herself to take deep and calming breaths. She had to stay strong, for all of them, for Gwyn.

Slowly, she picked her head back up and looked to Carn. She felt her pain and fear recede slightly. He had been a great comfort to her the past couple of weeks. She felt sure that they would not have survived without him. As her eyes roamed his chiseled cheeks, his strong jaw she felt herself blush. Since meeting him she had found she rather enjoyed looking at him, speaking with him.

Sansa jumped as she heard a twig snap in the forest behind her, all thoughts of Carn evaporating.

"Not again." She muttered, standing quickly and removing her sword from her belt. She hadn't given it back to Carn, not this time. "Carn." She whispered. She glanced at him to see he was still sleeping. "Carn, Arya." She whispered, her eyes dancing over the dark trees. Moments later a large white beast emerged from the darkness, his eyes glowing red. Sansa immediately lowered her blade, standing up straight in surprise.

"Ghost?" She asked loudly. He yipped at her excitedly, looking over his shoulder once, before cantering over to her and bumping his nose against her free hand. She limply placed her hand on his head as she heard more twigs breaking and the low rumbling of men speaking. She raised her sword once more, stepping in front of Ghost.

"Put that sword down, you look ridiculous." A rather familiar voice called.

"Theon?" Sansa called as the man himself stepped through the tree line. He gave her his characteristic smirk.

"Sansa?" Another voice called. Sansa dropped her sword on the ground as a man with dark curly hair stepped into the light of the fire.

"Jon." She breathed out in surprise.

The small, nearly spent, candle flickered in the slight breeze that was coming through the open window. All was quiet. The room's only inhabitant, a woman with long matted dark hair, lay completely still in the bed, asleep. A loud clattering sound floated in from outside her window, followed by loud cheerful laughter. Gwyn Stark's honey colored eyes snapped open, staring up at the red stone of the ceiling, as her heart pounded painfully hard in her chest.