As Torrhen and his escort passed through the main gate, with Rhaegar close behind, they emerged into chaos. The royal party, as well as members of the Stark household traveling with Father and the girls, were making their final preparations for departure. As he rode toward the stables, he saw Tyrion walking toward the Great Hall.

"Tyrion!" After catching his attention he dismounted, handing Swiftwind's reins to a nearby stable boy.

"Ah, the conquering hero returns!" Torrhen bowed in response. "I think I see a little jaunt in your step."

"Your eyes would not deceive you, my friend. In fact, I would still be at that inn if your messenger hadn't fetched me."

"My apologies, but we are leaving today and I would hate to leave you behind."

"How considerate of you. Well, I don't know about you but I am starving. Care to have breakfast with me?"

"I would love to, but my siblings are expecting me. You should probably say goodbye to your family." Tyrion suggested while Torrhen looked to the Great Keep.

"You're right, I should. I'll meet you in the courtyard when we depart."

"Until then, my friend." After clasping arms firmly, the two men parted. As Torrhen climbed toward his room, he neared Sansa's room. He almost passed by it but something stopped him. Instead, sending Rhaegar ahead to his room, he turned and rapped his knuckles against the wood.

"Who's there?"

"It's Torrhen." There was silence until he heard the latch move and the hinges creak as the door swung open, revealing Sansa wearing her best traveling gown and Lady faithfully at her side. "May I come in?" With a nod, she wordlessly allowed Torrhen entrance while she returned to packing. As he sat on her bed, Lady came over and put her head in Torrhen's hand at which he scratched behind her ears lovingly. "You look wonderful. I'm sure Joffrey will approve."

"You think he will?"

"He'd better. Otherwise, Robb and I will have some very stern words with him. I'm sure even Lady would like to put in a good word or two." Torrhen grinned as Lady whined in response.

"You would lecture your future King?"

"Well Father is going to be lecturing his father, so why not? Besides, you are the most beautiful girl in the North. If he can't see that, then you would be better off declaring him a lost cause."

"Well, I think you're wrong. Joffrey will be a great king and I will be right beside him as his loving and loyal queen." Sansa said with a small dose of arrogance, which made Torrhen roll his eyes.

"Alright, San-san. If you say so, I will believe you. But first I want to give you this." Rolling up his left sleeve, he unclasped a thin silver bracelet from his wrist. He handed it to Sansa who looked at it mystified. "Mother gave it to me after Father returned from the Greyjoy Rebellion."

"What are the markings on it?"

"They're runes of the First Men. Mother said that it once belonged to the Blackwoods of Raventree Hall when they ruled the Riverlands as kings before the Andals came. No idea what the runes say, though. Mother believed it was some sort of good luck charm or a ward against evil spirits. I wear it as a reminder of my heritage." He took it from her and clasped it on her left wrist. "Now you will. Never forget who you are and where you come from. You are a Stark of Winterfell, with the blood of the First Men in your veins. Promise me that you won't forget that."

"I...I won't, brother." Torrhen smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

"Good. And promise me you and Arya will get along. You will have only each other in the capital, so try at least."

"I will try. But you know Arya."

"That I do, but that doesn't make me love her any less." The two siblings embraced warmly. "Now, I have to go check on Bran. I'll let you finish packing." With a pat on Lady's head, he left Sansa's room. Making his way to his room by way of the kitchens where he seized and devoured a rather large piece of roast chicken with some hard cheese, he disrobed and proceeded to give himself a quick wash from the basin near the window while Rhaegar lounged quietly on his bed. "Well Rhaegar, are you excited? We're going to see the Wall." Rhaegar barked in response which made Torrhen smile. "I thought so." Grabbing a fresh shirt and pair of trousers, he began to dress when he caught his reflection in the mirror next to his bookcase. Silently he stared at himself; He had his father's hair and face, unlike Robb, but they shared their mother's Tully eyes with Torrhen's having more gray in them. They both had a stocky build common among the men of the North, but Torrhen's arms and shoulders were slightly bigger from his constant sword training. He looked at his hands, comfortable with both a sword grip and with the pages of the many books he kept in his room. As he dressed, he decided to take some of his books with him. If only for something to pass the time with Tyrion while en route to the Wall. Jon would probably be spending time with Uncle Benjen learning all about the Night's Watch. Suddenly, his stomach turned at the thought of Jon swearing himself to the Watch. Giving up any chance for a normal life. 'But then when have we Starks ever been normal?' He thought as he buckled his sword belt and grabbed an extra saddle bag to fill with books. After selecting a dozen titles and securing the bag, he made his way out but not before taking one last look at his room before whistling to Rhaegar and closing the door behind him. As he made his way through the keep, he decided to say goodbye to Bran. Walking up to Bran's room, he saw the door was slightly open. 'Mother must still be with him. Better keep it short and see if I could get her to bed.' He thought as he bade Rhaegar stay outside with his saddle bag. As he pushed the door open, he saw Jon kneeling next to Bran while Mother looked at him with eyes full of hatred. He could hear him talking about how he would show Bran around Castle Black when he got better, even going beyond the Wall. Then he felt his father behind him. Silently they watched until mother said something to Jon that made his blood boil.

"I want you to leave." Torrhen was clenching his fists so hard he could almost feel his nails cutting the skin. But he was able to restrain himself thanks to his father's strong hand on his shoulder. Wordlessly, Jon rose and kissed Bran on the forehead before walking past the two men. Torrhen put his hand on Jon's shoulder and squeezed affectionately before he walked out. All the while looking at his mother with cold anger.

"Is it alright if I say goodbye as well? Or would you like me to leave to?" She remained silent as he walked over and stood next to Bran, brushing hair out of his face. "Hello, Bran. I'm sorry I won't be here when you wake up, but I'm going to the Wall with Jon." His mother's eyes widened in horror, but Torrhen pretended not to notice. "But don't worry. I will be back. I just want Jon to know that someone is this family cares about him. And when I come back, I'll tell you all about the Wall and the Night's Watch. You, me, and Rickon will sit by the fire in the Great Hall with Rhaegar, Summer, and Shaggydog and have a grand time." Looking over his shoulder at Father, volumes were spoken and Torrhen knew it was time to go. "I love you, Bran. Never doubt that." Giving him a quick kiss on the forehead, he gave his mother an icy glare and walked out without another word.

(-)

It took a few more goodbyes before Torrhen made it to the courtyard. He had to say goodbye to Old Nan first, thanking her for all her stories and promising to keep warm and stay out of trouble. Maester Luwin gave him some words of wisdom and promised to send a raven the instant Bran woke. Ser Rodrik swore by all the gods that he would keep his family safe and Torrhen thanked him for all the advice he had given. The most difficult goodbye was Rickon, who didn't seem to understand why all of his brothers and sisters were leaving. Fighting back tears he embraced him tightly, promising to return soon and making him promise to be good for Robb and mother. He even gave Shaggydog a hug for good measure, who licked his face in return. The tears were still brimming in his eyes as he stepped outside into the chaos of the courtyard. Rhaegar looked up at him, concern evident in his eyes. "I'm alright, boy. Just trying to keep my hopes up." This seemed to please Rhaegar, who proceeded to bound over to where Ghost was waiting by Jon's horse and Swiftwind. Torrhen smiled, as the two misfit wolves enjoyed each other's company. He also saw Jon and Robb walking his way

"Well, I am certainly glad I didn't miss you, Jon!" He called out to them as he strapped his saddlebag to Swiftwind. "And I am so pleased to see you, Robb. It certainly wouldn't do for the acting Lord of Winterfell to not see his brothers off on their great adventure." Both Jon and Robb had legitimate looks of confusion.

"Torrhen, what are you talking about?" Jon asked while Robb continued to look bewildered.

"Oh, you don't know? Must have slipped my mind completely. I'm going north with you and Tyrion to the Wall." The looks of confusion turned to shock.

"You're taking the Black as well?"

"Of course not! But Jon is my brother and one of us should be with him. Since it can't be you, Robb, then the task falls to me."

"But what about Uncle Benjen?"

"He'll probably be too busy with his Ranger duties to be good company. Besides, Tyrion and I have a great deal more to talk about and we would be happy to include you in our little talks. Also, I've never seen the Wall before and should make the effort to see it at least once before I die. Now if there are no further arguments, Jon and I should get going. Don't want to get left behind, now do we?" With a smile, he turned back to Swiftwind while Robb and Jon looked at each other.

"Well, the next time I see you, you'll be all in black."

"It was always my color," Jon said with a small chuckle.

"Farewell, Snow."

"And you, Stark." With that, they hugged tightly and Robb turned to Torrhen who received a hug just as fierce.

"You take care of yourself up there, brother."

"And you too. Make sure Winterfell is still standing when I get back." With that, he turned and made his way back to the keep while Torrhen and Jon looked on.

"Are you sure I can't change your mind?"

"Absolutely not. I promised Tyrion I would join him and I would hate to break a promise. Besides, I meant what I said. You are my brother and I want to be with you."

"Torrhen..." Jon's response was cut off by a wave of Torrhen's hand.

"No time for that. We wouldn't want to keep Father waiting now, would we?" He said, climbing into his saddle. Jon nodded and joined him. With a whistle to Rhaegar, the four of them joined the column of men and horses leaving Winterfell. As they passed through the gate, Torrhen took one look back at his home and silently prayed that all would be well when he returned.

(-)

Before too long, the column reached the stone waypost which marked the Kingsroad: The royal procession would turn left and make the month-long journey south to King's Landing, while Torrhen, Jon, Benjen and Tyrion along with his two escorts and the two wolves turned right towards the Wolfswood...and the Wall. As Benjen and Tyrion made their way ahead Ned, Jon and Torrhen stopped and watched the procession pass by.

"It's a great honor serving in the Night's Watch. The Stark have manned the Wall for thousands of years, and you are a Stark. You might not have my name, but you have my blood." Torrhen smiled at this, but Jon looked troubled.

"Is my mother alive? Does she know about me? Where I am, where I'm going? Does she care?" The look on Father's face spoke volumes: He knew the truth, but something was holding him back. Was it fear...or something else?

"The next time we meet...we'll talk about your mother. I promise." Jon nodded silently in response before father turned to Torrhen. "Look after your brother and be safe."

"I will, father. And the same goes for you. Make it easy for Jory to keep you safe."

"I'll do my best." With that, he rejoined the column. The two brothers silently watched him ride off before turning their horses and galloping north, their wolves keeping pace, and not looking back once.