A/N: Hey everyone, sorry about the lateness of this chapter. I was inwardly fighting with myself about whether to publish this as a standalone chapter or simply put it at the beginning of the next on. Finally I decided to use this as a bridge chapter, leading into the next one which will feature the arrival of the royal party. This chapter may be a little on the short side, but it is necessary as a way of getting a deeper understanding of who Steffon Baratheon really is.
Also I would like to give a shout-out to those who have reviewed, favorites and followed this story. Thank you very much, your support is everything! ANd I promos I will reward you with the only way I can, writing a great a story as I can and getting it to you in a much more consistent time haha. With that, enjoy this chapter and I promise chapter 4( which is actually ch. 3) will be up by this saturday at the latest.
P.S. KyraJane was kind enough in her free time to make some wonderful banner pics of Steffon and Sansa for this story, which I have posted on my profile(take out the spaces and parentheses when you put them in your web browser). Due to a lack of usable pics of Benny Feilhaber, Kyra used Ben Barnes, also known as Prince Caspian in the Chronicles of Narnia movies, as Steffon. This is fine as I almost used him as well and only didn't because he has dark eyes. SO i hope everyone takes a look at these and thanks again Kyra for these wonderful banners!
My family is coming to Winterfell. Steffon thought as he wandered through the halls of the castle. Steffon would finally get to see his mother and father again after seven years in the North.
Not to mention little Joffrey, who was just a babe last I saw him. Plus I get to meet my sister and baby brother. I get my family back. At that realization, Steffon couldn't help the smile that spread across his face; to a point where it was so big his face muscles ached under the strain.
Immediately hurrying through the castle towards the doors to the courtyard, Steffon knew there was only one thing he wanted to do right now. Hurrying through the courtyard to the stables, Steffon nearly broke into a run, catching the startled eyes of those going about their usual days, which normally didn't include princes nearly knocking them over.
After one of the stable boys saddled and readied Storm at Steffon's request, Steffon nudged Storm to a gallop and flew out of Winterfell, heading towards the nearby Wolfswood. The forest is where a Baratheon is truly at home, father used to say. Steffon thought, as he and Storm delved into the woods which served as the only place he could be alone and think.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, Steffon pulled on the reins, bringing storm to a halt in a lush, beautiful meadow with a stream running right through the center. Steffon quickly dismounted and walked over to the stream, effortlessly climbing onto a large boulder situated right on its bank.
Steffon sat down, stretching one leg out, while resting his arms on the knee of his other leg. Taking in his surroundings, Steffon couldn't help but think of the time he discovered this place, nearly six years earlier.
Angry at his father for sending him away, Steffon was a terror for the Starks his first two years. On this one particular occasion, Steffon disobeyed Lord Stark's command that Steffon, Robb, Jon and Theon stay away from the ruined towers, which had become all the more dangerous due to the current summer snowstorm. Rebellious as he was, Steffon talked the other boys into going to one of the towers anyways. While there the boys were pretend sword fighting on top of the remaining base of one of the older towers, which stood only fifteen feet above the ground.
Hitting Steffon with more force than required in his stomach, Theon happily declared Steffon dead, and him the winner of the duel. Steffon, in a particularly foul mood that day, pushed Theon back hard, trying to provoke the young Greyjoy into a fight. However, Steffon, not knowing his own strength, pushed Theon clear off his feet and several feet forward, sending him over the edge of the tower base and falling to the ground. With a loud thump and a terrifying cracking sound, Theon cried out in pain, clutching his arm.
Climbing down, Jon and Robb quickly sprang into action, with Robb going to Theon's side and ordering Jon to go get their father. Steffon, consumed by uncontrolled anger and now guilt for hurting his friend, took off running.
He didn't know how long he ran until he tripped on a tree root, stumbling forward several feet trying to regain his balance. Failing, Steffon fell face-first right into the cold water of a stream. Quickly getting up, he realized he ran into the Wolfswood, and was now standing in a clearing. Steffon climbed onto a large boulder and sat there, shivering from the cold water and scared because he was lost.
Despite efforts to stop them, Steffon's traitorous tears soon fell from his eyes, and silent sobs began to rack his body. He cried over being lost, cold and hungry, over hurting Theon, but mostly, he cried over being abandoned by his parents. His mother and pretty much abandoned him the moment Joffrey was born, but his father had always shown him more affection, even more than he showed his own wife.
Quiet footsteps approaching caused Steffon to snap his head up, where his eyes came locked with the stern, grey gaze of Eddard Stark. Quietly, Lord Stark approached Steffon and climbed onto the boulder, taking a seat next to him.
The two sat there in silence for what seemed to Steffon to be ages. Finally, with a sigh Lord Stark said, "When I was fourteen, my father sent me to foster with Lord Jon Arryn of the Vale. I had only ever been south of the Neck once, and never to my new home. I was terrified the entire way there, but once I had arrived and settled in, that fear was replaced by anger at my father. I had been taken from my home, while my younger brother Benjen was sent to take the black, and my older brother was riding to Riverrun to meet his betrothed, the eldest daughter of Lord Hoster Tully, Catelyn.
Eventually my anger led to a moment very similar to this, where I sat at the edge of a cliff and look down into the Vale. In that moment Lord Arryn turned to me and said, 'The hardest moment in a man's life is when he becomes a slave to duty.' The words did little to comfort me at first, until I realized that I was living that moment." Ned said, his eyes softening as he looked over at Steffon.
"What I am saying Steffon, that before you truly give in to hating your mother and father, remember that they too have felt the same way you do at this very moment, and most likely have felt it every day since they sent you away."
With that, Lord Stark rose and turned to look back at Steffon,
"This is a beautiful and peaceful place you found here. I will be just a few steps over here, waiting. Take as much time as you need, whether that is to think or simply to forget everything that is bothering you. When you are ready, come find me and we can return to the castle and get ready for supper." Ned said before slowly walking backs towards the way he came.
Steffon sat for a few minutes longer, just watching some fish swimming down the stream. Finally, he stood and walked in the direction Lord Stark had gone. As he came upon him, Steffon looked up and opened his mouth, when Lord Stark's hand silenced him.
"I won't tell anyone of this place you've found. Its location is yours alone to share with whoever you want." Ned said before beckoning Steffon to follow him from the woods and back towards Winterfell.
Steffon silently followed, realizing how much better he actually felt. Lord Stark had reminded him that just because his father sent him away, didn't mean he wasn't missed every day he was gone. This thought was enough for him, for now.
I'll forever be grateful to Uncle Ned for that day. That was the day he began teaching me how to be a better man. Steffon thought with a slight smile on his face. That day shaped who Steffon had become. He may be cocky, arrogant, and at times rash, but on the inside, Steffon was kind and caring. He had developed patience beyond his age, and had become a sharp thinker, quickly surpassing Theon and the Stark children in all his lessons.
Steffon, shaking himself from his thoughts, rose from the boulder and jumped down, quietly walking over to Storm.
"Father's coming boy, and when he leaves, we will be going with him. Back home where we belong." Steffon said stroking Storm on his nose a few times before gracefully mounting the stallion and turning him to head back to Winterfell.
Surprising to even himself, Steffon was not the least bit nervous about the reunion with his family. He loved the Starks for what they had done for him, and Winterfell would always be a second home to him, even though he wasn't made for the cold the way his foster family was. But Steffon knew that a piece of the Starks would always be with him, even when he was far south back in King's Landing. There is no stronger bond between houses than that between Baratheon and Stark. Steffon mused to himself; leisurely heading back with the comfortable knowledge that he had become the man his father had always hoped him to be.