They have been riding for nine days. On the seventh it had started to snow and Bran had been glad that Rickon rode with him on Dancer because sometimes he lost sight of the other horses. They had always found them again but Bran didn't want to imagine the temper tantrum Rickon might've thrown had they accidentally been separated. In a way Bran is also thankful for the snow as it covers their tracks from anyone that might be chasing them even if Bran is skeptical anyone has been back to Winterfell yet, other than wolves, that is.
He tightens the cloak around them and pushes Dancer forward, Summer and Shaggydog running faithfully on different sides of them. Osha is riding in front of them with Jojen, Hodor is just behind the pack horse tied to Dancer, leading the second pack horse, and Meera came last with the last pack horse.
Suddenly Osha and Jojen stop forcing Bran to a stop too.
"What is it?" he calls ahead.
"Men," answers Osha warily. "With a grey hand on a red shield."
"Members of House Glover," answers Bran with relief. "Deepwood Motte isn't far then."
Eventually Bran can see the men Osha and Jojen had seen as they ride towards them. Rickon burrows further into Bran's chest and the cloak around them so that his face is barely distinguishable.
"Who goes there?" the man in lead shouts.
Osha and Jojen shift their horses aside so that Bran can ride forward with Rickon and the direwolves. "Brandon Stark, with my brother Rickon, my friends Meera and Jojen Reed and my servants. To whom am I speaking to?"
"Well bless me, I thought Lady Sybelle mad for sending us to look for the dead princes but here I find you," the man says, shaking his head. "Mattie Forrester, at your service, your highness. We'd heard of the sacking of Winterfell twice over, and of your heads upon spikes but the ironborn have been causing more and more trouble and we had no men to send to your help. Then the raven came from Master Galbart to go out to look for you, that you'd survived and sent word to his Majesty King Robb and were heading here. We better get you inside, your horses look half dead," he says and turns his own men around, starting to lead Bran's company slightly to the left. Now Bran rides in the lead, Meera and Jojen behind him and Osha and Hodor behind them, reflecting their hierarchy.
It takes them half an hour to get to Deepwood Motte and Bran knows they would have missed it had Lady Glover not sent men to look for them. They ride through the wooden gates and the wooden town to the wooden fortress. There the men start to get down from their horses and Bran and Rickon wait patiently for Osha and Hodor to come to them. Bran has charged Meera with taking care of the jewel sack and Jojen with the unicorn horns after Rickon had gotten bored of carrying them around after the second day. Hodor lifts Rickon off the horse while Osha unstraps Bran from the saddle, finally lifting him to the basket that Hodor had on his back. Many of the men in the yard watch this with wide eyes but when they catch the eyes of Meera and Jojen who glare fiercely, they go back to their original tasks.
In the end Mattie Forrester leads them to the Great Hall of Deepwood Motte to meet Lady Sybelle Locke Glover who turns out to be a woman of three-and-twenty with honeyed long hair in a northern style braid and grey eyes, much like their father's had been. She has her children with her, a boy of six, Gawen, if Bran recalled correctly, and a girl of four, Erena. She stands up gracefully and Bran can see the relieved joy in her eyes. "Your highness, it is good to have you here safely."
"Believe me, it is my pleasure to be welcomed so warmly," Bran answers, trying to remember what Maester Luwin had taught him. But he's been taught to greet people as the second son, the spare, of the Warden of the North, not as Prince in the North, his brother's heir until he has children of his own. He sees Rickon's hold tighten on his leg and hears Shaggy growl lowly. "I am sorry to be so abrupt but we have ridden for nine days and all of us are tired."
"I understand," lady Glover says with a nod. "I've had rooms prepared for you. If you need anything at all, the servants have been instructed to obey. Martha, lead the Princes and lord and lady Reed to their rooms."
Bran gives the lady of the Deepwood Motte a thankful smile and has Hodor follow the servant girl out of the hall and upstairs. He talks with Martha as they walk, and Martha tells them of the fuss lady Sybelle had made when the raven from Master Galbart had come the day before. She tells them they had the best guest rooms aired out and readied for them and how they had sent a second hunting party out today to be able to send them off to Bear Island with enough food for the journey. Bran tells her that he can pay for the provisions but Martha (or lady Sybelle) had seen it coming and tells him it would be a slight on their honor if they accepted payment from their monarch. Bran counters that the Winter is here and that they should use all the extra they have to buy and store food for themselves. Martha says that they're all hunters and can survive as long as there's any game in the Wolfswood.
They come to a corridor and Martha points at two doors. "The right one is for the Princes and the left one is for the Reeds. There are servants' room attached in each."
"Would it be possible to have baths brought up?" Bran asks. "As warm as possible. We're all used to bathing in the hot springs at Winterfell and no one probably would want a cold bath after riding through a winter storm."
"Of course your highness," Martha answers with a smile. "Shall I send up food as well? Or will you be joining lady Sybelle for dinner?"
"I hope she won't consider us too rude if we eat in our chambers this evening. Had we arrived but a few hours earlier we might've joined her but now we're all much too tired," Bran tells her with an apologetic smile. "And could you ask if the word has been sent to my brother of our arrival?"
"Oh, yes, it has," says Martha excitedly. "Lady Sybelle had the word sent when she heard you'd ridden through the lower gate. Maester Jeor says it was to be sent by the fastest raven we have to Riverrun from where they can forward it to your brother."
"Thank you for your help, Martha," Bran nods to her and has Hodor follow Osha, Rickon and the direwolves inside, smiling as Meera and Jojen only then go to their own rooms. They come to a solar with two doors on opposite sides of the room. Osha and Rickon have gone to investigate the one on the left and Rickon runs out of it happily. "The bed, Bran! It's bigger than the one at home! Though the quilts aren't as nice nor is it quite as soft, it is better than sleeping on the snow," he tells Bran excitedly. "And did you see that boy that sat next to the lady? He looked like I could play with him! Do you think he'd want to play with me and Shaggy? Or will we be leaving right away tomorrow? I hope not, I don't really like riding, it makes my butt hurt."
Bran smiles. "We won't be leaving tomorrow, the horses need the rest and lady Sybelle must send word to Bear Island before we can go. And don't worry, you won't have to ride much anymore, the shore is barely a day's ride North from where we'll take a ship to Bear Island."
'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'
It is two nights into their stay that Jojen wakes them up, whispering frantically about the sea and krakens coming to Deepwood Motte and Bran knows they must flee again. He sends Meera to the kitchen to gather some food for their journey and has Jojen and Osha pack their clothes. He has Hodor go saddle the horses and then come back. Rickon he sends running to lady Sybelle to tell her of the threat and then come back with the lady if she doesn't believe him. He returns in less than five minutes the lady on his heels and Bran gives her a quick explanation of green dreams and their accuracy. She gives a sharp nod in the end and wakes up the household to help them prepare and to prepare Deepwood Motte for a siege and to send a raven to Bear Island. Then she asks Bran if they could take her children with them. Meera volunteers to ride with little Erena and grudgingly Jojen agrees to share his horse with Gawen and so the party of eight rides into the night, careful to follow the directions to ride straight to North and once they reach the sea to follow the coast left. It isn't long until the three youngest of them are asleep, Rickon slumped against Bran's chest, Gawen against the horse's neck and Erena cuddling up to Meera.
When sun rises they stop for a short breakfast but carry on as soon as possible and don't stop until at the sea shore that evening, setting up camp to sleep. Next morning they ride left and by midday they see a ship with bears in their sails. Bran slumps in relief and the man that comes on the rowboat to the shore tells them there is a fishing village maybe an hour's ride North and that they can board the ship there with their horses.