First I would like to thank both grandduchess91 and Se acerca el invierno for their reviews. it means a lot. Also thank you to everyone for reading this story I hope you are enjoying. I hope to update every couple of days but this week maybe a little hectic so I'm sorry for any delays.
Chapter 3-
There was quite a bit of commotion around the castle when Elena finally left her room. Her brothers' archery lesson had come to a halt, first by Arya completely showing up Bran by hitting the center on one try and second by the news of a deserter in the Night's Watch. Elena didn't know very much about the Brothers that took the Black except that her uncle Benjen was a member and their job was to protect the entire realm from the things beyond the wall. She knew they took some sort of oath that they would man their post for life but when Theon boasted that the man would be beheaded for his desertion, she felt sick to her stomach. She didn't think the man deserved to die for being scared and regretting a decision. People change their minds all the time. However her father's words were law and when he came around to tell her brothers' to get on their horses, she didn't have the heart to argue with them.
The part that upset her the most was that her little brother Bran was joining her father. Bran was young, just seven years old, and he had never seen a punishment as gruesome as a beheading. As he climbed on his pony, Elena could hear her mother sigh with worry. She had already complained to Lord Stark that Bran was too young to see such things but it had fallen on death ears. Her husband was adamant on letting their young son watch; he was after all not going to be a boy forever. As the party left, Bran in between Robb and Jon, her mother turned swiftly back to the castle and into her room. She asked the servants to not disturb her.
Unfortunately that left Rickon bored and unattended. His brothers and father all went on an exciting adventure; his mother locked herself in her room; his sisters were boring in his opinion and that left the three year old to fend for himself. He opted to throw rocks at the brick walls around the castle to occupy his time. Had it not been for all the dirty looks from the servants milling about in his line of fire Elena would have left him, but she felt sorry for the little boy who was left behind.
"Rickon" Elena called as she watched her little just miss hitting a young girl in the head with a large rock. "Stop throwing rocks."
"I bored" the toddler whimpered. "Everyone left me."
"Nobody left you Rickon, they will all be back soon."
"Hmmph," the kid moaned as he hurled another rock towards the wall.
"Okay come on let's get inside before you kill someone."
He ignored her and instead pushed himself up and went running wildly about the yard. As he began to run in circle around her, Elena sighed "You are going to get dizzy."
"No dizzy" he called as he started to run a little more lopsidedly.
"Mother will kill me if you get hurt. Stop running or I'll go tell her how wild her little wolf is being!"
The threat of tattling clearly frightened him, for Rickon immediately stopped running. "Don't tell Mother!" he bellowed throwing himself dramatically on the ground.
"Rickon" Elena called exasperated, "let's go find our sisters. We can play inside with them."
"No sisters" Rickon cried back; now reaching for some arrows that were left behind from before. "Bow time. I wanna shoot."
"You can't shoot, you're too little. Besides I can't teach you and the boys left with father."
He sat down hard on the ground and crossed his arms in a pout. "I'm not little! I can do anything Bran can do."
Elena sighed softly and took a seat next to her brother. She reached for his arms and held him still. "You're right Rickon, you aren't little. You can do anything Bran can. But," and she overly enunciated the word, "I can't teach you with my wrist broken. How about we go inside and play with Sansa and Arya? When the boys come back you can shoot."
Her brother bit his lip awkward and looked around. The yard was empty now, everyone with some sort of common sense left once the rocks stopped being tossed and the young Lord made his way to arrows. The only people in view were a few scarce guards here and there but no one else that would play with the little boy. With his options all fleeting away, Rickon grabbed onto his sister's good hand and began to pull her up. "Okay 'Lena" he called her affectionately, "we go play."
When she got to her feet, Elena scooped him up using her right arm and swung him softly. "Off we go."
"Can we sneak into the kitchen first" the little boy asked sweetly.
"And spoil our dinners? Of course" Elena smiled and carted him towards the kitchen.
With stomachs full of Lemon cakes, the two siblings continued on their quest through Winterfell for their sisters. Normally all three of the Stark girls would be practicing needlework, but Septa Mordane was busy with other work and left the girls to practice themselves. With her broken wrist, Elena was excused, but Sansa and Arya were still expected to accomplish something. Not having any supervision though seemed to be hindering that.
Heading up to the sewing room, it didn't take long before the voices of their sisters' arguments found Elena and Rickon. They both shared a knowing smile as they heard Sansa shriek in disgust from whatever Arya had just done or said. Elena wondered if there was ever a moment when the two girls got along. She knew they were different; and by different she meant completely opposite in every way, but they had to find some common ground. As she walked closer to the room, she began to pick up part of the conversation and she was shocked to hear her own name being brought up into their mess.
"Of course, you would agree with Elena" cried Sansa's voice. "Swords fights and daggers, and in the middle of the night no less; how barbaric."
Even without being in the room, Elena could sense her youngest sister began to get red with anger. "Just because you can't even lift a sword, doesn't mean the rest of us can't be prepared." Arya's voice was cut off by a loud huff.
"Prepared for what Arya? For winter? Winter is coming, yes we know. But we will be no help in stopping it."
"Speak for yourself" spoke Arya defiantly. "You keep working on your needlework and dream of your knights and princes."
"Is that so wrong of me? To do what ladies do? Arya don't you ever dream of being a princess-"
"No." She spat simply.
"Ugh, sometimes I wonder how we are related."
"I wonder that too sometimes." Elena called as she carried Rickon into the room. She looked to the oldest of her younger sisters and saw her blush in mortification and look to her needle work as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Arya's needlework laid untouched on the table in the center of the room; clearly she had no desire if there was no Septa Mordane to supervise. The feisty brunette smiled and reached for her baby brother excitedly. "Rickon, were you the one throwing the rocks at the servants before? They were yelling something awful all throughout the castle about it."
"Wasn't me" Rickon announced innocently reaching into his pocket for a hidden lemon cake. "Want half" he offered hoping to change the subject.
"Yum" Arya said as she took the treat greedily.
Elena meanwhile pulled out another treat and placed it in front of Sansa. "We stole you one too" she said kindly.
Sansa smiled. "Thanks" she whispered then her face blushed again. "Elena I didn't know you were out there. How much did you hear?"
Elena smiled and took a seat next to her red haired sister. "I heard enough. But don't worry Sansa I agree with you."
"You do?" she asked in shock.
"You do?" asked Arya as she and Rickon began to play with a ball on the other side of the room.
"Yes. It was very barbaric of me and Arya, Sansa is right, it's not proper for a lady."
"See Arya" she seemed to get her confidence back now that she knew her older sister wasn't mad, "if you ever want to get married-" Sansa began.
"I don't want to get married." Arya argued, "and no one would want to marry me either."
"Well that's obvious."
"Sansa" Elena scolded. "Don't say that." She turned to her youngest sister. "Any man would be lucky to marry you Arya. And one day that man will take you to his castle and you will run it. And you'll have kids who are stubborn and determined like you."
"You sound like Mother."
"And is that so bad?" Elena asked thinking of her talk this morning with her mother. Lady Stark had been so disappointed in her actions and had warned her about discouraging Arya from similar behavior. "Like it or not we will all be married someday. If we end up like Mother we should count our blessings-"
"Not I. I would rather go live at the wall."
Sansa sighed, "There really is no reasoning with her is there?"
Elena smiled, "no I'm afraid she will always be rebellious."
"How can you yell at me for talking about becoming a knight if you were off playing with swords last night with the stableboy?" Arya stood up proud on the table.
"Off the table please" Elena warned as she offered her right hand to help her sister down. Arya ignored it and jumped down herself. "I was wrong in going out last night. It was foolish and it was a good thing Theon found us so we could stop our childish playing-"
"You can't honestly mean that?"
It was true that Elena found no truth in her words but she didn't want her sisters thinking that her behavior was right. She looked over to the brunette girl and nodded. "I do. I mean it. What I did was wrong. Don't follow my example."
"Don't worry I won't" Arya declared. "I won't be foolish enough to get caught."
"ARYA" Sansa screeched. "You are impossible."
"Arya's a knight" Rickon called as he tried to stand on the table as well.
"Yes Rickon! I am! A fierce knight! Defender of the realm!" She soared across the room like she could fly.
"Children please!" Sansa cried putting down her needle in frustration. " We are supposed to be working on our stitches not jumping around on-"
"A raven!" Arya exclaimed excitedly jumping to the window. "It's got a message! I wonder who it's for."
"It's probably for father." Elena answered as she picked up Arya's needlework and tried to do a few stitches. Her wrist screamed in protest and she threw it down angrily, earning her a sympathetic look from Sansa. "I could stitch something for you if you needed. At least until your wrist is better."
"Thank you" Elena whispered back.
"Maester Luwin got the bird! Rickon lets go see what the letter said." Arya grabbed her little brother and pulled him to the door.
"He's not going to tell you" Sansa called in a sing-song voice.
"Yes he will, but I'm not going to tell you what he says. You'll have to find out yourself." And with that the young boy and girl were gone from the room.
"You want to go see if he'll tell us" Elena asked expecting her younger sister to chastise her for being curious as well.
To her surprise Sansa smiled, "Yes please" and the two hurried to catch up to the others.
Maester Luwin's room was at the top of one of the northern towers; open to intercept and send all messages and letters. Arya who reached his door first, knocked eagerly. "Maester Luwin" she called, "Maester Luwin, who sent the letter."
It took a few minutes but the Maester finally answered. "What are you children doing up here?"
"There was a letter" Arya explained.
"I am aware but-"
"Who is it Maester?" Rickon asked excitedly, standing on his tippy-toes.
"It is not addressed to me Rickon, so I cannot open it. I need to go deliver it to you mother though." He heard past them but not before Sansa caught a glimpse of its seal.
"It's a stag!" she announced. "It's from the King. A stag is the sigil of the House Baratheon."
"Very good Sansa, but now if you will all excuse me, I must go to your mother." He left them in the hallway and hurried down the tower steps.
"I wonder what the King wants." Elena spoke as she watched the Maester leave.
"I don't know but the boys are back and I think they brought home puppies!" Arya exclaimed as she looked out the window.
"Puppies?" Sansa asked as she too stuck her head out the window to get a better look.
"There is something fuzzy in their hands! Let's go look." Arya tugged her little brother one more time and hurried downstairs. Elena and Sansa shared a look and quickly followed.
Hope you enjoyed; I know it was a bit of a filler chapter but I need to get past these points to really get into the story. Please review and I'll see you all soon for chapter 4!