She heard the howls of wolves. The howls were full of sorrow.
There was a scream, a piercing one.
And there was something falling from a tower.
A young boy.
"BRAN!"
Leve woke up wide awake, sitting up straight away just like she did yesterday morning. As a matter of fact, she always woke up like this.
She gasped heavily, her heart beating fast. The newest dream scared her, especially since it featured a young cousin of hers.
"It was only a dream. It has to be."
But as much as she wished it to be, the dread in her heart didn't go away.
The day was the worst for Leve.
While most of Winterfell was out hunting with the King and Lord, she was with Jon in the godswood, allowing her to pray to the old gods alongside him. Forming a close friendship, they rarely stay away from each other. A close family love was blooming, although she wasn't pleased with his decision to join the Night's Watch.
Then there was a howl of a wolf. The howl made Leve and Jon tensed. The howl sounded like it was sorrowful. Their wolves heard it too. Then a scream from a woman followed.
Jon and Leve ran back to the courtyard where they saw a small crowd gathered around a screaming Lady Stark kneeling next to unconscious young Bran.
All of the seven direwolves howled together.
Leve howled along. "BRAN!"
Lady Catelyn rarely left Bran's bed. Leve felt sympathy for her, despite the coldness between them. Catelyn was a fish of Tully with the fierce nature of a Stark wolf mother.
Leve was supposed to go back to Dorne with Lord Stark as he goes with the King to King's Landing to be his hand. Something about that gave her a strange feeling. She hugged Robb and Rickon for long, although Rickon held onto her and refused to let go so Robb and Jon had to pull him off. But she wanted to see Bran before she go. She waited until Catelyn left for something and snuck in. The sight of Bran in bed broke her heart. The maester said he was crippled for life. A cruel fate.
Suddenly Bran woke up quickly. He woke up the same way Leve does.
"Leve…" Bran said weakly when he saw her.
"Bran," She came over to his side and hugged his head. He was too weak to hug back. When she pulled back, she put on a straight face yet her eyes were fierce. "Bran…do you remember what made you fall?"
"…made…me?" Bran said. "Why?"
"Because I know you are a great climber and would never fall."
"I…I don't…remember. My dreams are strange. I dreamt of a crow. I don't know what it means."
Leve nodded, understanding. "I have strange dreams too. Mostly about your family and my parents. I don't know if they're actual visions or just dreams."
Bran used all of his strength to smile at her and then rolled his head over to face his nameless direwolf, howling by the window. "Summer."
"Hm?" Leve hummed confusedly.
"I found a name for my direwolf. Summer." His no-longer nameless direwolf came over to him, got onto the bed and licked Bran's face.
Leve beamed. She giggled when Summer licked her too. She stayed with Bran for a while, talking about their odd dreams until Bran fell asleep. She kissed his head and left a summer rose in his hand when she left. She found Catelyn waiting outside and looking angry.
"Bran is finally awake." Leve said.
"But crippled for life." Catelyn spat out, glaring hard at her. "I saw you climbing with him, you encouraged him. If you have never come here, Bran wouldn't be hurt like this."
"If the fault is mine, I take full responsibility."
"If?" Catelyn's duty to uphold a ladylike manner wasn't as strong as her anger and hatred for the feisty South Wolf. Jon was never this outspoken. He actually gave her no trouble.
"Well, I don't know why he fell! Bran is a great climber! Why would he suddenly fall?" Leve's reply was lashed out.
Catelyn held her frown straight and firm. "You dare to come here and for that, you change everything, just because of Brandon."
Leve knew she was talking about her father, not namesake cousin. She snarled angrily, baring her teeth like canines. Her laughing eyes were howling mad. "Don't talk like you knew my father better than I do. You only loved him because of the betrothal. You didn't love him as the wild wolf he was."
"Neither have you."
"I've been told stories of my father's family. My father loved me when I was in my mother's womb. He had the honour to marry her. He spoiled me with promises he never fulfilled."
"The promise to legitimize you."
"If you bother to like your husband, you would've known how much the Starks value honour."
"By Starks valuing honour, you mean how they jilted their brides or bring home bastards."
"Don't bring Jon into this!" Leve unleashed her wolf-like fury, throwing Catelyn back in shock. "Jon is more Stark than you! He never asked to be born! He never asked for anything! He's taking the black because he felt like he has nothing else to live for!"
Catelyn stood speechless while Leve breathed heavily after yelling. Leve brushed pass the lady as she walked to the door, heading for outside. She stopped when Catelyn spoke out to her.
"You love him and my husband and children very much." It was a statement.
Leve turned back, her hand on the doorknob, her eyes looking back to Lady Stark.
"Yes. I do. And I will come back."
"You don't have to do this." Leve pleaded. She and Jon were alone on the road, where Jon was heading off to the Wall.
"I do." Jon stated firmly.
Leve groaned, breaking down in tears and hugged him fiercely. He returned the embrace before he pulled away.
She cupped the back of his head, making them look into her twinkling, honest eyes. "You may think you're a Snow but you're always my cousin."
He smiled more than he ever did in his life. "As you are mine. My light in the dark."
The outcast cousins hugged once more with a kiss on the cheek for Jon's 'light in the dark' compliment. And then they parted ways, with Leve going with her lord uncle, cousins and the king and Jon off with his uncle and the Imp to the wall.
No sooner after that, a horrible incident happened on the Kingsroad. It began on the riverbank. Leve was having fun in giving Arya and Mycah, a butcher's son, sword lessons while Sansa watched on and brushed Lady's fur and Moon rested. Then Joffery showed up and ruined their fun. He flirted with Sansa, touching her in a very forceful manner and then went up to Mycah and cut his face with his sword. Outraged, Leve threw him off and he yelled at her, offended that a bastard touched him, a prince. Outraged, Arya hit his head with a stick, provoking Joffery's violent temper. He swung his sword around carelessly and wildly, causing Arya to fall back and threatened her at close sword point. But before Leve could swoop in for Arya's safety, Arya's direwolff had beaten her to it.
It happened so fast. Arya, Nymeria and Mycah were gone, Sansa was pale in shock, and Joffery was roaring painfully, clutching his arm. Leve grabbed Sansa gently by the arm and went to Ned for help.
And then the young Stark girls were taken before the King, Queen and King's new Hand, all three were angered and the queen and hand were blaming one another's children.
Robert was blaming Arya and Mycah for 'beating' his son. Sansa decided to stay quiet to avoid more trouble. Joffery would've got away with it if Leve wasn't there.
"I saw him! He cut an innocent boy and threatened Arya with a sword! Arya defended herself and he threatened her again, that was when Nymeria bit him, to protect her mistress! If anything is a beast in the tale, it's Joffery!"
Joffery seethed, furiously glaring at her. So did Cersei. But Leve was braver than they thought. She wasn't scared of them. Robert was easy to convince as he had a weak spot for Leve for her likeness of Lyanna. He failed to see that she was truly more of a likeness of Brandon.
"The direwolf must be killed!" Cersei persisted, demanding some form of punishment for her son's 'injuries'.
"Nymeria is no longer to be found." Ned said calmly.
"We still have a wolf to kill." Cersei looked pointedly to Lady.
Sansa gasped and grabbed onto Lady.
"No!" Leve jumped as fast as a wolf, mad and vicious as one. "You can't take an innocent life for another's deed! I'm not letting that happen to Sansa!"
"King's Landing is no place for a wolf, much less a direwolf." Robert replied.
"Then let me take her." Leve quickly proposed. "Gives my family an excuse to visit Dorne." She cheekily grinned to Sansa and Sansa smiled.
Ned wasn't amused. "Leve…"
"She's family, isn't she? Let her take the wolf." Robert shrugged drunkenly.
Leve curtsied. "Thank you, your grace. I'll be leaving now."
She turned and headed for the door of the inn. Then she looked over her curtain of dark curls, seeing a pair of angry lions. And then she went out, knowing she made an enemy in Joffery and Cersei. And they made an enemy in her.
"I'll take good take of her." She promised to Sansa. Sansa was hugging Lady desperately and burying her tearful face in her wolf's soft fur. "You can come to Dorne to see her whenever you want." Leve turned to her second cousin. "Arya, do you want me to take Nymeria?"…and noticed her heavy sniffles, the tough way to cry. "Arya? Arya, what's wrong?"
"I had to let her go." Arya admitted.
Leve understood why Nymeria wasn't with her after the incident.
"Arya…" She took her in a hug. Arya buried her face in Leve's chest, hiding her tears. Sansa joined in the hug, sad to see her beloved cousin and direwolf off.
Leve kissed their foreheads and then got onto Moon. Sansa hugged Lady one last time.
"Come on, girl." Leve tugged on Lady's leash and rode off.
Leve was smiling as a hot wind hit her face. She knew she was back in Dorne. It took almost a week, but she enjoyed seeing the sights and helping the smallfolk in any trouble.
When she reached the castle where she was born and raised, the sky was dark. The moon was glowing and stars were scattered. It was the perfect evening for Leve to arrive. The guards instantly recognized her and let her in. The very moment she entered inside, the castle doors opened and a young boy with pale blonde hair and dark-blue eyes that appeared purple ran out.
"Leve!"
"Edric!"
A delighted cry escaped Leve as she ran forward and caught Edric, throwing her arms around him. Edric hugged her tightly as if she had been gone for years.
"I missed you, Leve."
"I missed you too, sweet Ned."
Her Aunt Allyria, a beautiful young woman with the same hair and eyes as Edric, approached the hugging cousins, beaming at Leve."Leve, how was your visit to the North?"
In the midst of feelings and nerves shaking inside of her, she answered. "Eventful."