Hi there! Thanks for checking out my first-ever story here on FanFiction. Before we get down to it just a little disclaimer: Obviously I don't own any of the rights to Game of Thrones, ASOIAF, or any of George R. R. Martin's original characters, etc etc... Only Valerie Snow belongs to me.
I was an active part of the Quizilla community for about ten years, but one thing it seems I never quite outgrew from my old fanfic habits is how much my heart likes to get ahead of my brain when I write... Combine that with GoT's incredibly intricate and well-woven universe and you're bound to run into some slight timeline/continuity errors every now and again. Again though these will be very slight if they're there at all, hopefully it won't take away from anyone's enjoyment of the story but if you do happen to notice one that bugs you feel free to shoot me a message and I'll do my best to fix it.
And so without further ado, it's my pleasure to present to you, straight from the heart of bloody beating heart of wild wild Westeros, "What is Dead May Never Die"!
"Something troubling you, girl?"
The sharp-but-gentle voice of the lady of the house snapped Val up out of her daydreams almost instantly, and the lady watched her as that familiar glaze of worrisome wonder left her eyes as she forced herself back to reality for the third or forth time that day.
"Not at all, my lady, though I so greatly do appreciate your concern. Just... Thinking."
The older woman's brow arched, stretching her pale, thin face out into a look of mildly concerned disapproval. Her deep red hair was pulled back into an unusually elaborate braided bun and she wore her next-best gown, a thick emerald green satin brocade number generously trimmed with decadent fur and accented with a deep brown bodice. The rich color of the fabric accented the lady of the houses' hair and eyes to perfection, and there could certainly be no doubt in the mind of any noble or commoner alike that Lady Catelyn Stark was a great beauty indeed. Her striking appearance made commoners and nobles alike talk all the more, even Val sometimes wondered how her father could have ever...
"...Valerie? Valerie. Are you even listening to me?"
"Yes, my lady? Sorry, my lady."
"There are matters of great importance which must be dealt with right now, girl, and not a terrible lot of time left to get it all done. I understand how you must yearn for the presence of only true family you've ever known..." At the thought of the other bastard Catelyn Stark pursed her lips.
"Besides, you know perhaps better than anyone- this is what he always wanted. Every man must choose his own path eventually, however unfortunate for those he leaves behind in the process. However much easier it may be for you to loaf around and distract your mind and... Mope all day, it doesn't exempt you from being a functional member of this household. Which in fact you still are, and if you ask me it's high time you stared acting like it again. Always be grateful for what you have, child, there's no telling how many have it far worse than you could ever imagine. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to tend to Bran. Go find some use to make of your time... Get yourself and the girls properly dressed and come downstairs within an hour- the royal family should be here within an hour."
"They're... They're coming back? So soon!? And I thought father had declined the king's offer... Bloody mercy! What in fresh hell-"
"Valerie watch your tongue." Lady Cat's face grew sterner, "Yes, they are. And this time, Lord Stark and my daughters are indeed going back with them. There is quite enough friction between our houses right now as is, frankly no one needs your pirate-mouth commentary adding to the tension. Don't look at me like that, you know I'd day the same of my own daughters- though I'm not sure they'd be so... Emboldened as to use such crass language to begin with. Now go, child."
The teenaged blonde tried in vain to fight back a grin about that last comment, but to her relief Lady Cat smiled back. Val nodded, properly dismissed herself, and ran along to her modest but comfortable quarters. She stopped in her room only quickly to grab a change of clothes and a healthy swig of the luscious dessert wine she kept hidden away under her mattress- almost gone. Better sneak down to the kitchen quarters tonight and... Refresh my supplies. Val said to herself, knowing full well how unhealthy it was for a girl her age to be developing such a dependency but not really caring. Cooped up, cloistered away, sold like cattle and bred like sows, on the brink of insanity from boredom- such was the life of a highborn girl, surely they all must have their vices.
Sometimes I'd even like to think myself lucky to have been born a bastard, she thought, with no title to honor at least I shall have some say of what I do with my life. She moved the clutter of canvas and art supplies in varying states of use out from in front of her wardrobe to select an outfit and with that was on her way out the door. And in this life and the next I am Valerie Snow- sister to many but none before Jon. Painter, dreamer, bastard... Alcoholic?
"Sansa, Arya", Val called as she padded down the hall to the immaculate bedroom her little sisters shared, dropping all formalities as she most always did in private company. Despite the fact that they may not have shared that same infamous bastardly bond she did with Jon, they were her sisters nonetheless.
"Your mother has sent me to see that you're dressed and presentable in time for dinner so- what on earth are you two doing?
Valerie had walked in on the next Great War of the Seven Kingdoms, or so it would appear- overskirts and underskirts and linen kirtles and thick wool cloaks in a myriad of colors littered the floors and beds alike, a flurry of tiny feathers from inside one of young Lady Sansa's expensive down pillows flew through the air in such quantities that they rivaled the misty squalls of snow coming down outside, and the tall wicker chair in the corner had sustained a broken leg- probably the battle's worst causality. Taking it all in as she drew a deep breath, Val acted quickly:
"Does someone care to explain this?"
Much to Val's surprise Sansa was the first to speak, gushing forth in panicked response as little Arya's pretty, wild, eyes shown ferociously in the shrinking light of evening. "Don't blame Arya... For once, this one's all on me. My journal, you know, the one with the red ribbon binding that Robb gave me for my last name-day... It's not here! Hasn't been for two days..." The redhead side-eyed her little sister suspiciously, blubbered a little more, carried on: "And I thought Arya took it, I really did, she has before, but..."
"But this time I didn't!" I swear to you before the old gods and the new I didn't, and the more I denied it the madder Sansa got, she started tearing apart my side of the room insisting I had to have hidden it somewhere, so I said she lost it and started doing the same to hers, until, until..."
"Until this." Sansa chimed in once again, gesturing halfheartedly towards the frightful mess that sat before the three of them.
"Please don't tell mother, it was all just a big misunderstanding, we... We're so sorry." Arya sighed, her sister nodding in agreement.
"Well, if it was truly a misunderstanding that's all well and good, I appreciate your honesty. So long as we can get this mess cleaned up in a timely manner I see no reason either of your parents need to know of your little altercation... As for the chair, oh I don't know, we can tell them one of you sat down and it just gave out." Val smiled, "Not a big deal at all, really."
"Goodness, what ever would we do without you?" her middle said, returning the much-appreciated warmth.
"One thing I honestly don't get though... If Arya doesn't have it, and you don't have it... Just where exactly is your journal, Sansa?"
"Looking for this!?" as if on cue, a young man's amused voice cut through the recently restored calm, and Valerie Snow and her sisters whipped around to be met with ruddy hair framing eyes the color of the ocean and a very satisfied smirk. Theon Greyjoy, their father's ward/exceptionally well-to-do political prisoner, stood in the open doorway. Dangling between his forefinger and thumb was a small unmarked leather book with a red ribbon binding.
"Just what do you think you're doing, Greyjoy? Haven't you got anything better to do with your time than listen in on little girls as they dress?"
He laughed sarcastically. "No no, you've got it all wrong! I was just on my way to my quarters when I heard an awful commotion, from what I gathered it would seem young Lady Sansa has lost her diary." His animated face reflected a mocking pout of feigned concern that drove Val crazy. "And as it would so happen I've been reading the most interesting book lately, one that seems to match the physical description of the one in question to a tee... Strange." His smirk widened into a full-blown shit-eating grin.
"Might have been a bit quick on the draw to blame her sister, eh? Just look at what a mess they've made! You've your work cut out for you tonight, Snow-bird." Those burning blue orbs glowed mischievously as he taunted them.
"MY DIARY, HE HAS MY DIARY! VAL DO SOMETHING, VAL HURRY, VAL-"
The eldest of Eddard Stark's daughters was quick on her feet. "Sansa, stop acting a child, I'll get your damned diary back if it's the last thing I do... And don't call me Snow-bird." She started towards Theon, the brown and mahogany skirts of her casual day-dress sweeping across the floor.
"You want it, girl? Come get it!" And without a second to spare, the redheaded young man tore off down the castle halls as fast as his lean, agile limbs could possibly carry him, making it quite difficult indeed for a certain small teenage girl clad in two long, thick dresses to keep up.
Theon veered left and right through what was almost a maze of upstairs halls and chambers, trying to lose the girl but not really; He mostly just liked to keep her on her toes. The chase carried on, him laughing, her screaming, but while he was undeniably faster and stronger she was almost always smarter.
Valerie was well used to these little games by now, ridiculous pranks and trials of all kinds at the hands of Theon Greyjoy- they had been close once, almost as close as she and Jon... The two had bonded over not only their mutual feelings of rejection and ostrasization in the very household and community where they grew up but also in their shared sense of humour and tastes in food and music and art, in their liberal use of foul language and secret love of chaos and mischief and all things delightfully terrible...
Well, hers was secret, anyway. But that was before the pair had begin to grow up and come into themselves, before he'd discovered whoring and she boys and boozing, before things had grown awkward.
Now it seemed that the only way these two teens who might have even once called themselves best friends could comfortably acknowledge one another was when he was taunting her... So taunt her he did. Was there an older cliche in the book?
"Ooh. Come onnnnn, little Snow-bird, so close! I know you can run faster than that! Remember our races through the woods when we were children? You bested me nearly every time, you-" SMACK. He'd had been so busy looking over his shoulder calling out names and jests he had let his own feet get ahead of him, sending him flying square onto his stomach. Only a few steps behind and running far too quickly to stop herself in time, Val was quick to join the boy who had once been her friend in his epic fall.
To make matters worse, Theon had just enough time between his fall and hers to collect himself a bit and roll over... Before either of them knew it they were nose-to-nose and chest-to-chest on the cold stone floor.
The blue-eyed young man lying frozen below the blue-eyed young girl in silent bewilderment, Val was first to come to her senses, sitting up.
"Good Gods, Greyjoy, see what happens when you test me? I could've broken your back."
"Could have? You nearly did. Have you gained weight, Valerie?" Theon smirked underneath her. She snatched the journal from his limp hand and couldn't help but smirk back, teasing him with it for just a moment before realizing she'd been insulted and got off of him.
"Well maybe next time I'll do it for real! Serve you right, all the shit you pull at my expense. Those girls tore their bedroom apart at the seams, may very well have torn each other apart too had I not come in when I did!" She rose to her feet, rubbing the sore elbows where she'd taken a good part of the weight of her fall to avoid crushing Theon's ribs or sternum with them. One was already black-and-blue.
"The only true brother I've ever had is gone, and one of the others is lying in his room half-dead! My father and sisters leave for King's Landing tomorrow... Winter is coming, Greyjoy, and if this pattern continues the entire House of Stark will be in shambles before it even hits. Is your best solution in all of this truly to torment me!? What do you get out of it?"
Val thought saw a brief reflection of shame take over the redhead's face as he finally came to his feet, only to be quickly replaced by his usual airs of arrogance and cynicism. Oh, Theon. If only you had half the courage and prowess you like to claim, maybe then you wouldn't be so damn ashamed to be let your real self show every once in awhile...
"The family that you love and cherish and value ever so much, I'm sure. And if you ask me, dark days such as these call for even more fun and mischief than usual than usual to lighten them up... Regardless of who's expense it's at. Even you understood that once."
"I grew up!" Val brushed the the dirt off the hip of her dress, turned around and headed back towards her sister's room. "You should try it sometime. Now if you'll excuse me, my lord, I have two little ladies who require my attention so that their last night in Winterfell for awhile can be a memorable one. I trust I'll see you at supper."
"Hey Snow-bird! Ya know, I didn't even read the bloody diary!" He called back. She believed him. Not even Theon Greyjoy could ever get bored enough to actually want to read a young teenaged girl's diary, not at this age, not with all the whores and parties in the North at his disposal. No- it was all for the sake of the games. These little games with Val that he seemed to love so much, they were both the end and the means. She shook her head, and tired of the shenanigans as she may have been she couldn't help but laugh.
"No, of course you didn't... A word of advice, Kraken-boy," she scoffed, using his childhood nickname right back at him. "The next time you seek some of my attention, bear in mind that there are plenty of other ways to get it than through your foolish games."
And so, having nothing particularly clever or poignant with which to retaliate, the Kraken-boy watched the girl who had once been his little Snow-bird walk away, her full hips swinging side to side under her waist-length shroud of icy blonde hair.
