Theon stared back the castle that had been his home and prison for twelve or more years. He wished he could have found a way to stall them from making the journey to his rightful islands and his people. He had to deal with his uncles and his sister. Show them that he was still Ironborn and had not been softened by his time on land. Theon had the rightful claim as the last living son of Balon Greyjoy. King Robb had married his sister to Theon, the heir of the Iron Islands not the ward of Lord Eddard Stark. He was returning to Pyke at last.

With the Boltons and the Freys dealt with, Robb decided to answer the Night's Watch's warning and plea for aid rather than lead his host to the capital to make the Lannisters pay for their crimes. I should go ride north with Robb. But that meant parting with Sansa, which was the deciding factor to just simply go take his seat of the Iron Islands.

"Is your lady mother there with your sister?" asked Sansa as they rode side by side. As much as Sansa was skittish around horses, it saved time to simply ride rather than travel by wheelhouse. Theon thought about his lady mother.

"She lives back at her brother's castle on Harlaw." Sansa looked surprised.

"Since your lord father died?" Theon shook his head.

"My lady mother stopped living on Pyke almost as long as I have lived at Winterfell."

"Are we going to Harlaw first to visit your lady mother?" Theon hadn't thought to go to Harlaw right away since business lay on the main island. Name day gifts and letters stopped arriving from Lady Alannys around the time he was four and ten. Theon figured she had stopped caring. Now, Theon wondered if she had become ill or if she stopping caring about him.

"Yes, we are," Theon decided.

"Your mother, Lanny is no longer how you remembered her, nephew," warned Lord Rodrik Harlaw as they walked through Ten Towers to Lady Alannys' chambers. Cries could be heard from the closed door. "Lanny, sister, your boy Theon has come home to see you. He's brought his young lady wife to meet you as well."

Rodrik opened the door. Sansa had been expecting a woman who bore resemblance to Theon and the lady that Theon described. Theon's lady mother had long white hair that appeared to not have been cut for a few years. The strong woman Theon had known had become sickly and frail.

"Mother?" Sansa looked at Theon for his reaction to seeing her again after thirteen years. His face was pained. "It's me, Theon, your son."

"Where's my baby boy? Also, tell Maron and Rodrik to come here." Sansa shivered.

"Lanny, your baby boy is right here. Look." He gently pulled up his sister's chin to look up at her last living son. Lady Alannys gaped at Theon confused.

"Are you sure? He looks different," she said finally with nervous disbelief. "Theon's tenth nameday is coming. I'll send him something. Balon says what's the point." Her voice grew higher and angry. Then she stared at the wall and whispered softly, "It's too quiet in Pyke, brother." She's gone mad with grief.

"I got your letters and the gifts, Mother," Theon tried again.

"Oh," answered Alannys flatly. "You are a handsome young man." She doesn't recognize Theon. Sansa slipped her hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze. He was upset and disappointed.

"I am sorry, Uncle Rodrik. We shouldn't have come." Theon turned away. He gently tugged Sansa away. Sansa looked back at Lady Alannys.

"Theon, wait."

She's been waiting for you to come home for years. Theon's lady mother gazed at Theon properly as if she was properly seeing him at last.

"You look like him, but you have my chin unlike your sister. My youngest is the tallest. Come here." Theon glanced at Sansa before he walked slowly to his lady mother. "You came home alive." She reached out to embrace him.

"I don't care if your father wants to be king or to bring back the glory days of the Iron Islands. I won't let them stags and wolves take you away again," she whispered in Theon's ear frantically with tears in her eyes as he returned the embrace. Sansa smiled happy for Theon that his lady mother did remember him. She also looked around the dreary chamber, feeling awkward at Alannys Harlaw's words. Dull, dark eyes peered over Theon's shoulder at her. "Who's she?"

"I'm-" Theon pulled away from his mother and took Sansa's hand.

"Mother, this is my lady wife. Sansa Stark. She's my rock wife." Sansa steeled herself to seen as only the daughter of Theon's captor or as just a soft greenlander girl.

"I remember your lord father after Baratheon decided to take my last son as a hostage for my husband's rebellion." Her voice faded away and her eyes seemed to be reliving that horrible day.

"Theon is my elder brother's greatest friend and I love your son. He stole me from the Great Keep in King's Landing." The Ironborn seemed to hold stock by things paid with the iron price. "Neither Baratheon or my late lord father ordered our marriage." They were long dead. Sansa looked down, forcing herself to not be sad about her late father at this moment. Sansa and Theon's future children would only have this shell of Alannys Harlaw as a living grandparent. She would be happy for Theon. The majority of her childhood had been perfect, whilst his had been disrupted and displaced.

"You didn't forget our ways," Alannys smiled weakly. She held Theon's other hand in hers. It must be strange to see her youngest at last and to also find out he was married. "Was she the pretty one?"

"Aye," confirmed Theon.

Theon almost died of embarrassment, when his lady mother walked in on him in the middle of having his second wedding night with Sansa. He would have laughed it off if he got caught having sex with a maid by Lord Eddard or Lady Catelyn. But Mother still thought he was nine years old, despite attending their wedding before the Drowned God earlier that day.

"Is Maron tormenting you again, little one?" Sansa gasped. She quickly covered her breasts with her hands and her long saltwater smelling red hair as Mother walked in. No, that wasn't what you were hearing. Never had a mood had been killed so fast.

"No, Mother," Theon groaned. "Maron and Rodrik haven't tormented me in a long time. I'm fine."

"Good, they are finally listening to me." Alannys nodded and fiddled with her white braid.

"Well, um goodnight, Mother." Theon smiled awkwardly.

"Would you like me to sing to you or tell you a story before bed?" Whilst I am naked on top of my equally naked wife? Sansa's face was pink. I am a grown man now. We lost those moments. Theon believed he didn't have to go backwards and pretend to be a little boy to have a relationship with Mother. But Sansa argued with him that Mother's frail state and madness had taken toll on her mentally.

"She might only ever remember you as a little boy."

"Now is not a good time, Mother."

"No, you can sing or tell us a story, Lady Alannys," exclaimed Sansa tucking a blanket over her after Sansa unceremoniously moved Theon off her. Theon spluttered wordlessly and pulled another blanket to cover his nakedness. He stared at Sansa with question now? Sansa smiled at his lady mother kindly.

"I am comfy and tucked in. Are you tucked in, Theon?" enquired Sansa with enthusiasm. Her flushed pale skin was slowly returning to normal.

"Yes," he sighed as he leaned back on his pillow. Theon held Sansa's wrist as Mother sat down at the end of the bed and began her story.

"She's telling a story to her last son and her first grandchild," Sansa whispered with a watery smile.

A/N: a tad longer than the last one but still short! It's not much happier than the last one either, except for the last line. I'm sorry.

Thank you for the comments. Jeyne Poole may turn up at some point. I just haven't worked it out since chapter 5 was inspired by awful season five of GoT.