Ellie is introduced to the entire Stark family, shown her chambers as well as a few important places in the castle, and completely overwhelmed by the new life being forced upon her. She did want this, she looked forward to leaving the Red Keep behind when she came of age, but now she's terrified and on the verge of suffocating. So, it's no surprise that she manages to slip out of sight of her guards and all the others who won't allow her a moment of freedom.

She likes the Starks and she thinks that a future surrounded by them shouldn't be too hard, but she still feels caged. The princess sets out to find a good hiding place in her new home to go with the thousands she has in King's Landing, but the grounds of Winterfell are so unfamiliar, she doesn't know where to start. The first familiar place she stumbles across is the stables, so she settles for wandering inside to check on her horse.

Rain, Ellie's white horse, has already been given a stall and she goes to pet the animal, but catches movement farther down and stops. There's a boy petting the snout of a different horse, unaware that the princess is there. She examines him in the short distance, seeing his dark curls tickling his cheeks and his eyes of a similar color. He can't be much older than her, but he looks so serious with his pout and big, sad eyes. He's dressed far too nice to be a stable boy, but she hasn't seen him at all today. She thought she met all the highborns in Winterfell.

Ellie continues to study him in silence until he realizes she is watching. He looks up suddenly and jumps slightly in shock. His eyes widen so much that the princess thinks they might fall right out of his head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she tells him, moving until they stand right in front of each other.

The boy does not respond, instead he continues to stare with his mouth agape. For a moment, Ellie considers that possibility that he may not be able to speak. Ser Illyn doesn't speak, but the Mad King cut his tongue out and she can see his lying unmoving in his mouth. She read once about people who are born mute, though. Perhaps, he's one, she considers.

"Is this your horse?" Ellie asks as her fingers reach out to brush the mane of the brown filly. Still, he does not speak. "Do you talk?"

"Y-you're – yes, Your Grace," he stutters, briefly surprising the girl. He drops to a sudden bow and Ellie releases a tired sigh.

"You don't have to do that, there's no one around," she says. The boy straightens, glancing around as he realizes they are completely alone.

"I'm sorry, Princess. I wasn't expecting you…Where are your guards?" he questions as his eyes dart about nervously.

"Looking for me, probably," Ellie says.

His brows furrow in confusion. "Shouldn't you be inside? With the others?"

"Yes," the girl answers simply. "What is your name?"

"Jon Snow, Your Grace."

"Snow? Isn't that the bastard name of the North?" The princess asks, but she quickly tries to backpedal in embarrassment when she sees how the boy's expression hardens at her words. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just – I know it's Waters in King's Landing."

"You didn't offend me," Jon Snow tells her, though his tone says differently.

"You're not a very good liar," she scoffs. "Who is your father?"

"Lord Stark, Your Grace," he mutters.

"Your…Lord Stark's?" Ellie blinks in surprise. "Do you live in the castle then?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Oh, stop calling me that! Call me Ellie," she tells him. "If you live in the castle, then we shall live together! Oh, we'll have lessons together and meals…"

The princess smiles brightly at Jon, but he does not return the gesture.

"We're to be family, you must call me Ellie."

"I don't think I can, Princess."

"Why not?" she demands with a grin still planted on her face.

"I'm just a bastard," he mutters, looking away.

"So?" The girl questions. Jon's eyes snap back to hers, wide and confused. "You're just Jon and I am just Ellie."

Jon Snow still does not smile, but, for whatever reason, Ellie's refuses to wane.

There is a feast that night to celebrate Princess Eliana's arrival. Robb Stark waits at the entrance of the dining hall to escort her inside where the others are already waiting. She comes to a stop in front of him and offers a nervous smile. Silently, he bows to her in respect, but she frowns in response.

"Good evening, my princess," he greets in a trembling voice.

"My lord," she returns with a curtsy.

"You – you look beautiful," Robb compliments with red cheeks.

Ellie's skin reacts the same and she ducks her head to hide it. "Thank you."

"Shall we go inside?" he asks quickly before the air gets too awkward.

The princess nods and hooks her arm with his before they glide through the doors. Everyone stands and bows as they pass while Robb leads her to the high table. She notices Lord Arryn, Lord and Lady Stark, and one of Robb's younger sisters, but she's momentarily disappointed that Jon Snow isn't there. It's no surprise, he's a bastard and he wasn't even introduced to her, so there's no reason to expect him. However, with their brief conversation in the stables still playing through her mind, she inappropriately cranes her neck around until she locates the dark-haired boy.

Their eyes connect as she passes his table with Robb and she sends him a kind smile. He immediately responds by bowing his head, but that bothers her.

Their conversation in the stables ended quickly because Lord Arryn found her. Ellie was disappointed and spent the rest of the day trying and failing to get away to find Jon Snow again. She can't explain it, but there is something about him that she just enjoys. She felt comfortable with him instantly and the depth in his dark eyes begs for her to dive in and learn more about him.

She just wishes that he would be comfortable with her too.

"Your Grace," Lord Stark says with a bow as she arrives at the table.

Robb releases her arm before pulling out her chair. Once she is seated, the rest of the dining hall sits as well and her intended takes the place beside her. Ellie glances at him from the corner of her eye and wonders if she'll feel the same comfort with him. Maybe if no one was around and she could just be Ellie while he was just Robb it would work. However, that thought quickly fades as she looks out at the dining hall and spots Jon once more. The warmth she feels when his ears turn pink from being caught staring is much different than anything she's ever experienced.

It must be him, the princess concludes.

"I heard you enjoy riding, Princess," Lord Stark calls her attention, forcing her to look away from his bastard.

"Yes, my lord. Though, I do not get to go very often."

"Well, riding in the North is much different. There is more space to roam up here," he explains. "Would you like to go tomorrow?"

"Go riding?" Ellie's eyes widen in shock. "You'll let me?"

"Of course, Princess."

The young girl looks to Lord Arryn to see if this is just a joke, but the older man's smile assures her that it's not. She catches Robb's eye to find him watching her curiously, but she is too surprised to be embarrassed.

"I'd love to!"

"Wonderful," Lord Stark says.

Ellie can't believe it and she spends the rest of the night shaking with excitement. She was certain that she would be forced to continue as the proper princess her mother loved and her father hated. She thought her days would be spent inside by the fire, sewing dresses, and singing songs. This small gift renews her hope of a different life, the one she had given up a year ago. If there is more space to roam, then perhaps there is more freedom to be had.

Even for a princess.

Rain trots alongside Robb's horse while Ellie looks around in wonder. The princess would be lying if she said she wasn't frozen solid, but the surrounding woods outside the walls of Winterfell are too beautiful for it to matter. She is truly bewildered by how clean the air is as well. She sucks in breath after breath, smelling the mossy trees and the damp dirt. The wind sends strands of her black hair flying out of the braid it is twisted in and the chill seeps through her cloak, but she loves it. Her skin aches from the cold, her eyes burn from the wind, yet her smile is brighter than the southern sun.

"Are you having fun, Princess?" Robb asks her as he takes in her happy form.

"Yes, this is nothing like riding in King's Landing," she says. Ellie glances over to meet his warm gaze. "Are you?"

"Yes," he answers simply. Silence falls over them once more, the air turning awkward.

Ellie is unsure how to form a relationship with the boy she's meant to marry. Things are so formal and uncomfortable between them. She begins to suspect that Robb has no interest in being promised to her, but is trying his best to be polite. The thought makes her think of her parents and she grimaces at the image of them standing next to each other like strangers. Cersei's stony-faced expression and Robert's blatant disrespect for his wife is evidence enough that they never wanted to be together. It's everything Ellie doesn't want her marriage with Robb to be.

But she's only ten. How can she create a lasting relationship when they are just children?

As Ellie considers an array of options, she spots something of interest further in the forest. She pulls Rain to a stop and slides off the horse with ease.

"Your Grace, what are you doing?" Robb questions as the others come to a stop around her.

Without answering, she dashes into the thick tree line, ignoring the calls of the others. Her boots sink into the ground as she treks through the woods until she comes to a stop in front of what caught her attention. Beautiful wildflowers stretch towards the sun surrounded by dewy grass. The white and blue plants are different than the range of colors she's used to seeing, but she can't help thinking they are prettier. They must be strong to survive the northern weather because the ones in the south would wilt in minutes at these temperatures.

Ellie kneels in the dirt, forgetting about the nice dress she's wearing, and reaches out to gently stroke the blue petals.

"Wildflowers, Princess?" Lord Arryn's voices comes from behind her.

The young girl looks back to respond to her Uncle Jon, but the person closest to her is actually Jon Snow. He watches her with a guarded expression, but she can see the curiosity in his eyes.

"Aren't they wonderful?" Ellie replies to the older Jon while keeping her gaze on the younger one.

"They are," Jon Snow agrees quietly. The princess probably wouldn't even have heard had she not seen his lips move.

Ellie beams in response and she can barely make out the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Must you go so soon, Uncle Jon?" Ellie questions as the older man checks the straps of his horse. The company that brought the princess to Winterfell is ready to return home, waiting only for the Hand of the King to take their leave.

"I must, my princess. I need to return to your father and the council," he tells her. "I also need to return to my wife and son."

"But I don't want you to go yet," she says. "I'm not ready."

Lord Arryn kneels in front of the girl so they are on the same level and gives her a gentle smile. "I have already seen a difference in you, Princess. You seem so much happier here in the North. It's as if you can breathe for the first time."

"I like it here," Ellie admits. "I'm just afraid that I will never see you again."

"Of course you will," he assures. "The next time we meet, sweet child, will be for your wedding."

Ellie scowls for a moment, not appreciating the reminder that marriage is in the near future. However, Uncle Jon's soft expression melts away her sadness and frustration.

"Do you promise?"

"I do," he vows. "You will see everyone again. And until then, you will learn to call Winterfell your home."

Later that night, Ellie retires from dinner early as an excuse to go exploring. She can sense that there is more freedom to be had in Winterfell, but the lack of hiding places she is aware of makes her uncomfortable. She needs places to escape and it will take a lot of work gathering a good amount of locations. It basically took ten years to find every secret nook and cranny in the Red Keep.

As she wanders around the castle grounds, the princess comes across a broken tower. Without hesitating, she heads inside and climbs the high stairs of the dilapidated stone. The cold air is sharper in the night as it bites her cheeks. She pulls the cloak impossibly tighter for warmth but continues to the top unfazed. At the top of the crumbling tower, she spots a window that looks over most of Winterfell. However, she is distracted from the beauty by the head of dark hair looking out of it.

"Hello, Jon," Ellie greets softly, surprising him again.

He fumbles to his feet as he sees her and quickly bows. "Princess," he mutters.

"It's Ellie," the girl reminds him. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, I'm just…" he trails off with a glance out the window.

"Hiding?" The princess finishes. "What are you hiding from?"

"I'm not hiding," he argues stubbornly. "What are you doing?"

"Hiding," she says with a grin. "Well, I'm looking for places to hide. I had tons in the Red Keep. The best ones you could imagine. None of the guards my mother sent could ever find me."

"Why do you hide?"

"Why do you?"

Jon looks away in discomfort. Ellie walks towards him and stops in front of the window to look at the grounds and people below. Winterfell is so different than the Capitol. It's busy as all castles are, but there is no chaos. When she breathes in the icy air, she doesn't feel as if she'll toss her last meal from the smell. The people do not fight each other or yell in anger. They always say the Northerners are out of control, that their old ways make them savage compared to others, but this place is far more civilized than any other place Ellie has ever seen.

"There isn't anything I want to hide from right now, but I'm sure I'll need a good place to go soon," the princess tells him. "Perhaps we could share this place?"

"If you like," he says with a shrug.

Ellie smiles as she sinks to the dirty floor with her back pressed against the wall before looking up at Jon expectantly, waiting for him to join. He seems torn, to sit with the princess like this is improper and to ignore her is the same. His inner torment only amuses Ellie, but she is relieved when he finally chooses to sit next to her.

"I hated it in the Red Keep," she admits quietly. "I hate the rules and expectations. I always feel like everything my mother does is to torment me. As long as she has a say, I must be perfect, look pretty and sing pretty words. If I so much as I stepped the wrong way at home, I was in trouble."

"So, you'd hide," Jon says.

"Yes, it was the only way to breathe. And I'd find a good place to watch and listen as all the guards ran about in search of me. Some days, I would have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing," Ellie explains before her tone darkens. "But most of the time I just prayed that they wouldn't so I could have a break."

Taking comfort from her honesty, Jon finally decides to share. "No one will call me bastard when I'm up here," he mutters. "That's one of the reasons I like to hide."

"There are other reasons?" Ellie presses.

"All of them are because of what I am," he answers vaguely.

Ellie knows she won't get anything else from him tonight, but she's nearly giddy that she got as much from him at all. The sense of comfort she feels from sitting beside him is so foreign, yet she already craves more. It's a testament to her childhood that she feels so desperate for the warmth she receives in the presence of the strange boy.

"Shall we make an agreement, then?" The princess suggests.

"An agreement?"

"If we ever need to hide from things, we'll meet here. I won't be a princess and you won't be a bastard. Not as long as we're together at the top of the broken tower."

Jon stares at her for a long time like Ellie is the strangest person he has ever met. For a moment, she thinks he won't agree. Sadness falls over her as she considers the idea that the friendship she thinks they could have is not the one he wants, but then he nods hesitantly and smiles for the first time since she arrived. It's small, only half of his mouth quirks up, but it's enough to make the tower feel a little warmer and bring a smile of her own to her lips.

Friendship, true friendship, is something that Eliana has never known, and she thinks that this may be the very beginning of one.


What do you think so far?

Chapter 3 should be up in a little while! Also, I made this story rated M for later chapters.

Please review! I'd love to hear what you think.

Thank you for reading,

- V :)