+++ Thank you to all my latest followers and favorites, it gives me a little thrill of hope every time I see the emails come through and makes me happier still when I see them reviews {do not feel obligated to review unless you want to}. This chapter was actually pretty hard to knock up, I've been re-reading ASoIAF as well as watching GoT and there isn't much in the way of covering what happens up North whilst Robb waits at Winterfell for his mum to come back, so I'm literally just winging it at the moment.

On a side note, who watched the final of season seven? I was a little disappointed at the D+J scene...which I am not gonna do in this. Sorry if you ship that but I do not...I totally ship Tormund and Brienne though...anyway, totally babbling right now.

I do not have a beta so all mistakes are my own.

As usual, all rights belong to GRRM.

Enjoy +++

Three

"Jayse…can I ask you something?"

Jayse looked up from his seat on a sawn-off tree trunk where he was with a sketch book propped up on his knees, a serious look on his face. The look fell when he realised that the intruder on his time was indeed a lady with whom he was happy to spend some time with; Elaeys. "Elaeys!" he smiled before moving over so that she could take a seat beside him. "To what to I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Jayse questioned, taking not of the serious look on her face. "I haven't seen you in four days. It would appear that you are no longer on bed rest. Are you okay?"

Elaeys sighed and fiddled with the sleeve of the dress she was reluctantly wearing and then pulled her cloak over her like a protective shield. "My ribs hurt sometimes when I breath, the master says that I am a nice blanket of bruises but they are fading away. I've just got to take it easy for a couple of weeks and I'll be fine." She glanced sideways at him and the picture of the lands he was drawing. "My question still stands Jayse, can I ask you something?"

Jayse close his book and put the charcoal he was drawing with back inside the little pouch where it lived. "Ask away Elaeys…I have nothing to hide from you."

She sighed and took a deep breath. What Catelyn had asked of her four days ago before she left was playing on Elaeys' mind, she hadn't really been able to sleep because of it. Catelyn was asking her to betray a friend and whilst she had thought that she was able to play the game that they were so easily playing, it was obviously that Elaeys was not as strong a player as one would think. "Lady Stark…has come to the conclusion that Bran's accident was not an accident and that someone intended to kill him…the attack on him where I ended up like this…"

Jayse farrowed his brow and frowned as he took all this information in that Elaeys was presenting him. "So you're saying that someone pushed your brother from the tower and then tried to kill him?" he asked, wondering if he was getting that right.

Elaeys nodded. "Yes. That about sums it up…" She shifted and looked away, finding a point in the distance and started to really stare at it as the next words came out of her mouth. "Lady Stark asked me to spy on you because she thinks the Lannister's had something to do with this. She wants me to find out what you know and report back to her…it's part of the reason that I've been avoiding you because I didn't want to do it. I concluded that the best thing to do was to tell you."

Jayse was stunned. As soon as the words came out of her mouth it was like she'd slapped him in the face then kicked him why he was down. Yes he understood that as a Lannister he was always going to have people who hate him, but for someone to automatically assume that he had something to do with an assassination attempt on a child was very hurtful. Jayse knew that he could be ruthless when the situation called for it but this was downright vindictive and painful to hear. He didn't know what to say as his mind processed the information.

"You're my friend Jayse…you had the right to know," Elaeys spoke after several minutes of silence.

Those words struck deep. His whole life Jayse had listened to people throw about empty promises; his family did it, his mother did it, the people that wanted something from him always did it…but there was something to how Elaeys said it that made him believe her. He jumped a little when Elaeys reached over and gently clasped his hand to squeeze it. "I trust you…" he spoke, lifting his head to look at her. "Elaeys…please trust me when I say I had nothing to do with it. I'm not like my father or my siblings…I'm trying my hardest not to be. I would never have something to do with an action like that. I would never. I swear."

"And I believe you," Elaeys added before quickly letting go of his hand. "I just wish that the rest of the family would believe me when I said you had nothing to do with it. It just felt nice to be including in something you know…right up until I found out that Lady Stark wanted to use me to spy on you…" she sighed and looked back at the foggy mountain view. "I just wish I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I'm seventeen, by all rights I should be married by now but…that's not in the cards for me. I never even wanted it to be."

Jayse reached over and took her hand so that he could give it a gentle squeeze. "You'll find out what you want to do in time, Elaeys…and thank you for trusting me…it really means a lot to hear that coming from you." He took mental note of how warm her hand was and sighed happily, filing the feeling away for later.

The pair of them sat there for what seemed like an age before Laenyx came to attention and growled, issuing enough warning that they were no longer alone. Elaeys sat up and pulled her hand away from Jayse as the familiar figure of Theon came into view, a scowl on his face. "Great," Elaeys huffed before she stood up leaving Jayse seated. "What do you want Theon?" she asked in a dismissive tone, annoyed that Theon was interrupting their quiet time.

"Robb sent me to get you," Theon replied, a dangerous undertone to his voice as he stared accusingly at Jayce like he was a bug underneath his feet. "He requests your presence immediately."

"He requests my presence immediately…" she huffed. Elaeys whistled to Laenyx and the direwolf got to his feet before trotting after his mistress. She looked back at Jayse before making her way after Theon. "In case you're wondering Theon, I told Jayse everything."

Theo glared at her back as they walked. "Are you a bloody idiot!" he snapped when he came up beside her. "You were asked to do one thing and you fucked that up! You're fucking useless!" Angered by the fact that she was ignoring him, Theon followed her into the keep before slamming her up against the wall. "Don't ignore me Elaeys."

Elaeys growled at him and looked down at the hand Theon had on her shoulder. "You want to remove that Theon? Or Laenyx here is going to rip your dick off." The direwolf growled at Theon and took a step toward him. "And I won't feel sorry about it." In the past, Elaeys had enjoyed kissing Theon and being close to him in a kind of naïve teenage manner when she was first discovering her body and who she was but when Theon discovered prostitutes. Elaeys made sure he knew that she wanted nothing to do with him. "I'm giving you a warning here, Theon, and a second chance along with that first warning I issued you when I was fifteen. If you ever touch me again without my permission, I will be delivering your corpse back to your father without a dick."

Theon glared at her and stepped back without a word. Shaking his head, Theon stormed off giving the girl and her wolf no other choice but to follow him to where Robb was in their father's office, acting as the Warden of the North. "Found her," Theon told him when he was let into the room. "She told Jayse."

Elaeys closed the door as Robb got to his feet. "You told him?! Elaeys how could you be so stupid!" Well Robb had imitating their father down to a fine art, didn't he?

She laughed. "At least that was better than what Theon asked. There were a few choice words and touching when I didn't want to be touched."

"You were the one sitting there holding his hand!" Theon snapped. "Look at you acting all enraptured Elaeys," he teased earning a death glare from the girl in question.

Robb pinched his noise. "Elaeys…why did you tell him?"

"I made a judgement call Robb," she answered truthfully. "You know Jayse was right. Just because you see Lannister does not make him evil. Jayse has been nothing but kind to me this entire time he's been here. More so then anyone else ever has. The call was mine to make and as far as I'm concerned, I made the right one. Whatever game you want to play, I'm not buying into it."

Robb sighed as he looked her over. "Elaeys…this is serious. You could have died for the sake of a silly crush. Now suppose he goes back and reports to his family on what we said? We can be accused and tried for treason…my mother is in King's Landing now, suppose they find out and then find her. She could be dead."

Elaeys glared at him. "Exactly. She's your mother Robb. And as everyone does a great job of reminding me, I have no mother." She looked Robb right in the eyes and walked from the office in serious need to be alone with her thoughts.

Jayse took a deep breath and raised his hand before knocking on the office door where he hoped that Robb Stark would be at this hour. Hearing a muffled voice from within telling him to enter, Jayse let himself in and closed the door behind him. "May we have a word, Lord Stark? My visit here has a dual purpose, one of which I hope you can assist me with."

Robb appeared to have been feeding some chunks of meat to Grey Wind, he sat up, surprised to see the Lannister standing in the doorway of his father's office. "Lord Lannister, it's a bit late don't you think?" he asked him.

Sitting himself down in a chair without being asked, Jayse sat his hands in his lap. "I understand you think I've had something to do with your brother's current condition and the subsequent attack on both him and Elaeys." The look on Robb's face was all that Jayse needed in the way of an answer. "I know you won't believe me in any way shape or form without proof and I do not have any to give you but I had hoped that my word would be enough."

Robb paused as he considered his words carefully. "I would like to believe you Jayse. It's hard not to think that you've just been sent here to spy on us and report back to your family."

"Have you once seen me send a raven or anyone that I associate with sending a raven?" Jayse asked him, silently begging him to consider logic and reason. "If I was in your place I'd be having me watched which I am correctly assuming is exactly what you're doing." Jayse shifted in his seat and sat back in an informal manner. "I vow to you that I had nothing to do with what happened to Bran. Honestly, I hate the political games that my siblings enjoy playing. Which is why I stay as far away from King's Landing as possible. I usually spend my time in Casterly Rock or out in the training houses with my men. Ask anyone, father hates that I have no desire to play the games that all noble houses play…I see what it costs everyone."

"That is a convincing argument but it's not me you have to convince," Robb answered calmly. "If you claim that you're not a part of this…you say you can't offer proof…what can you offer up that would even help in this? If my mother returns home with proof of your family having involvement, what would you do?"

"I will accept the consequences," Jayse replied. "My honour is my word and my honour means everything to me. A Lannister always pays his debts." Even if they cost him his life.

Robb studied the other man in the room and sighed when he sat back. "I don't know what you're expecting out of this Lord Lannister."

"Jayse, please," he corrected him. "I've come here because I want to ask your permission to send a raven to your father."

"You want to ask my permission to send a raven to my father?" Robb asked him, the confusion showing in his voice. "Why?"

"There are some things I want to ask of your father and as lord of this house, I would ask him and only him," Jayse told him stubbornly.

Robb studied the man closely and sighed. "This involves Elaeys, doesn't it?" he asked him. When Jayse nodded, he started to laugh unexpectedly.

"Did I say something that you find funny?" he scowled, getting a little annoyed at being laughed at like he was the subject of some joke he didn't know he was involved in.

"You are talking about Elaeys?" he questioned. "The one that your sister threatened to kill if she got involved with you? The same Elaeys who likes to hunt and track and has raised a beast-like direwolf to do exactly that?"

Jayse glared at him. "She's your sister and you claim to love her but you are putting her down like this? I don't understand how you can call yourself her brother and be so cruel like that!"

"I'm worried for her!" Robb argued back. "Your affections could kill her! You didn't see what she was like when Cersei finished telling her exactly what she was going to do to her! I've never seen her cry like that before…how exactly will your affections be doing my sister any good?" he demanded to know.

Jayse rubbed his head and sighed. "I like her. She's kind and caring, and despite what she tries to put up, Elaeys is sweet. Sure, she's rough around the edges but most Northern girls are and frankly I like it."

"Are you not betrothed?" Robb questioned. "If you're betrothed then how exactly do you intend to spend your time with my sister?" he demanded to know.

"I was right up until she threw herself off a bridge," he replied. Jayse tapped his finger to his head, "my cousin wasn't very…right in the head, gods rest her soul. But according to father she was pretty enough and pliable, listened to what she was told…he neglected to mention the fact that she wasn't right in the head until she killed herself." Jayse shifted in his seat. "I want to send that raven, Lord Stark and the only threat I have to gain permission is I'll just tell Elaeys you said no."

"Very well…you may send the raven to my father but only if myself or Luwin can read the letter first," Robb answered. "And you have until tomorrow to do so."

Jayse got to his feet and bowed his head respectfully. "May I be frank, Lord Stark?" he mused, making his way to the door. "It is true that both my family is up to something and if it may be the case…I may only have thirty men but you may count on me and mine for our full support." He bowed his head respectfully and made his way from the room, closing the door behind him.

As he watched her move through the trees with all the grace of a predator, Jayse cocked his head to the side at the same time Elaeys notched an arrow into her bow and let the bolt fly straight into the flank of a deer. She grinned and grabbed a bag off the floor and whistled to Laenyx to follow the deer as it took off. "He'll follow the blood trail," she told him, "cook will love to have the deer tomorrow for dinner."

Jayse nodded. "I love how you've come out here with me so I can do more drawing and then I end up coming out hunting with you…how did you get so good at it?" he inquired.

Elaeys twirled her bow in her hands. "Well…I guess I got good at it because I kept running away from my lessons, the ones that Sansa loves and Arya loathes. Eventually father and I came to a compromise. One half of the week I get to go out and learn tracking and hunting whilst the other half of the week I must attend my lessons. I caved but at least I learned how to hunt and track…usually I bring in the best animals…apparently I have natural talent…it's easier though with Laenyx," Elaeys confessed. "And what about you? Tell me all about Jayse Lannister."

Jayse shrugged as the pair of them walked through the forest. "Well my mother was Arenna Greenfield, she belonged to a minor house…my father married her in the effort to have another child and she died giving birth to me…but not that he cared. He's Tywin Lannister…why would he care?" He sighed and pulled the cloak around him for a little more warmth. "Fool on him for letting me be raised by the Septa's…I think it turned me into a halfway decent man if I do say so myself."

Elaeys laughed. "You are a decent man Jayse, which is more than can be said about anyone else I know…I mean aside from my father and all…he could have left both Jon and I to die but instead we were brought back here despite knowing the shame it could bring upon him." She perked up when she heard Laenyx howl, letting her know that he had the deer.

"So you don't think that Robb is a decent man?" Jayse questioned. "Or your brother?"

"If Robb were a decent man, he wouldn't have gone along with his mother's request that I spy on you," she answered, coming out into a clearing where the beast had fallen. Elaeys drew a dagger and trudged over to slit the creature's throat. "And Jon's my brother, of course he will always be a decent man."

Jayse shook his head. "I don't agree with that. Robb is just doing what he thinks is best. His intentions were good, Elaeys, even I know that." He watched her and cringed a little at the sight of her slitting the deer's throat. True, Jayse was trained in combat but he'd never actually taken a life, a fact that he was kind of proud of despite Jaime's constant ribbing. "You Northerners really do live in a whole different world…don't you?" he asked.

Elaeys raised an eyebrow and rolled up her sleeves as she moved the creature away from the pooling blood and over to Laenyx who allowed her to tie it onto his back. "Perhaps I should go to King's Landing one day and see how you live," she joked. "But I have a feeling I'd be eaten alive up there."

"No kidding," Jayse grinned. "Shall we hunt some more or would you prefer to return to the Keep?" he queried.

"The Keep." Elaeys pulled the arrow out of the deer, cleaning it in with some water before putting it back in her quiver once deeming it good enough to keep. "Leanyx is still growing so I don't want him dragging around all that weight…then he's getting a bath. That's the fun part. You can help Jayse."

Jayse would have argued but he felt as though he'd get nowhere by doing just that. Instead the two of them played a game of questions and answers to which one person would ask a question and the other would answer followed by a question of their own. The pair had almost reached the gates when a frazzled looking guard came up to them and bowed. "Lord Lannister, your brother, Lord Tyrion, is here and asking for you. He's returned from the Wall."

Jayse sighed. "Guess you and I will continue this discussion at a later date."

"Yes, we will," Elaeys nodded. "I will skin and clean this creature and take it to the kitchens. I swear tomorrow we can spend the day doing what you so desire to do." She bowed and pretended to curtsy earning a laugh from Jayse when he slipped away. Elaeys made her way down to the butchers in the Keep and after a few words, the large man agreed to assist her as long as he could take some of the meat for his own family.

Only when that task was done did Elaeys grab her wash bag from its place in the stables that had a spare change of none bloodied clothes in it before making her way to a river just outside the Keep. The maids would have a fit if she'd taken her bloodied self plus direwolf into the castle so she was stuck with the freezing cold river to bath in.

She didn't muck about when it came to this, Elaeys stripped herself and immediately plunged into the river with a scream, her body getting a slight shock from the cold. Laenyx on the otherhand looked at her like she was crazy and sat on the edge of the riverbank refusing to get in…yeah this is where she needed a helping hand.

No sooner had he arrived did Tyrion Lannister decide it was time to leave and this time both Jayse and Elaeys made plans to go with him until they reached the edge of the Winterfell and then Jayse would make his choice whether or not he was going to continue going south or if he would return back to Winterfell with Elaeys. Hearing that he could possibly be looking at returning home actually stung…more so then it had when Jon left which was strange…harder still was the fact that Elaeys had no one to talk to about it.

Feelings were incredibly messing things to contend with. And Jayse was a Lannister, whatever feelings she harboured for him couldn't even be acted upon considering her bastard status. When in the seven hells did things get so complicated?

"What could you possibly be thinking about that has your brow so furrowed, bastard?" Tyrion questioned, watching Elaeys as they made their way towards the Crossroads; this was the furthest from Winterfell that she'd ever been.

Elaeys raised an eyebrow and stared at Tyrion; she'd gotten used to him calling her bastard instead of her actual name. For some reason, it didn't exactly sound like an insult when it was coming from him, more like a compliment. "Oh me? I'm contemplating the weather."

"And I'm thinking of taking a vow of celibacy," the dwarf sneered followed by a heart felled laugh. "All the whores in the Seven Kingdom's would weep at the loss." Elaeys laughed at him and Tyrion turned his attention to Jayse who was riding his mount beside Laenyx. "It would appear that my brother is smitten with you, bastard, and you with him. I would advise against it."

"You and everyone else," Elaeys mumbled before nudging her horse further up the road when the inn came into view. Laenyx rushed off after her and fell into a steady rhythm beside Elaeys.

Jayse looked at Tyrion and shook his head. "Tyrion, don't okay? I don't need you to stick your noise in my business as much as I need father or Cersei to."

"Not Jaime?" the dwarf asked.

"Jaime does whatever Cersei does," he answered. "My feelings for Elaeys are my own and I won't be a part of these sick games you play."

"Your seventeen," Tyrion reminded him. "What feelings could you possibly have? Besides, nobility do not get to play games of the heart. Only the common folk do. People like Elaeys-" Jayse promptly punched his brother in the face, nearly knocking him from his saddle before nudging his mount ahead.

"You probably shouldn't have punched him in the face," Elaeys warned him when the two of them stopped outside of the inn whilst Tyrion and some others went inside. She grabbed a bucket and half-filled it with water to give to the horses. "He is your brother."

"He's also a bastard," Jayse scowled.

"No that's me," Elaeys laughed.

"I wish you wouldn't say things like that about yourself." Jayse brought his mount over to drink from the bucket, "just because other's think it so doesn't mean that you have to. Okay?"

Elaeys snorted. "Excuse me? I've always been called a bastard, it's a natural state of being Jayse. What else can I be since I can't ever see father making Jon and I proper heirs?" She patted the horse and smiled. "Now come on, I want some food and my ass needs a soft bed to sleep on for the night." The young lord put his hand over hers when she went to put the bucket back. "Jayse what are you-"

Jasye cut her off when he claimed her lips. He half expected her to slap him or maybe even knee him in the groin but instead Elaeys fit nice and neatly in his arms like she was supposed to be there. He put his arms around her and pulled the young wolf close at the same time as he walked backwards until they hit the wall.

Elaeys grunted and pulled away from him, her pale cheeks tinged a perfect shade of red that made Jayse smile. "What was that for?" She had been kissed in the past, many times and mostly just by Theon but this was different…it felt different.

Jayse groaned internally at the sound of arguing coming from inside and sighed knowing that his brother was most likely the source of said arguing. "Elaeys…I want to do that again…you and I should sit down and talk but in the meantime…I think my brother has gotten himself into some trouble."

Elaeys bit her lip and nodded in agreement. "Yes. We do need to sit down and talk, but after we sort Tyrion out." She whistled to Laenyx and together with Jayse, the three of them walked into the inn just in time to see several of the inns inhabitants arresting Tyrion. Elaeys scanned the room and her sight fell upon Catelyn and Ser Rodrick. "Oh Jasye…bad idea-"

"Elaeys!" Too late, they'd been seen.

Elaeys stepped in front of Jayse but he gripped her hand to stop her. "If my brother indeed had a hand in trying to take the life of Bran Stark than he deserves everything he gets, but don't you dare look at me and put me in the same boat, Lady Stark."

Why did everything have to be so damn complicated?