A/N: This is my first Game of Thrones story, so here goes nothing! I hope that you enjoy it! And huge thanks to Maddie Rose for being an amazing beta!

A/N2: I don't own anything...

Chapter Seven

Morning came and went. It wasn't unusual for Daena to disappear in the early hours of the day, but when the noon meal came and she wasn't there, Robb noticed that he was not the only one to notice Daena's absence. Jon was looking to where she would normally sit next to Arya, but she wasn't there.

"Has something happened to Daena?" Robb asked, looking over at his father who stopped bringing his food to his mouth.

"Now you care?" Arya asked, glaring in his direction.

"Arya!" Catelyn said in a disapproving voice.

"I bet that it was his fault she left without saying goodbye! She was my friend and now she's gone because he thought she did something wrong and she didn't."

"That's enough," Lord Stark said. "Daena left before dawn this morning."

"Before dawn?" Jon asked his father. "Did someone go with her? The roads can be dangerous."

"She was by herself and she isn't traveling by the main roads. She will be fine once she reaches her father."

"How will we know when that is?" Bran, who had been sitting quietly asked.

It wasn't just Arya and Rickon who would miss her. Daena had left her mark on all of Winterfell, especially the Stark children.

"I'm sure that she'll send a raven as soon as she can." Lady Catelyn Stark told them. "Eat up. Bran you and Rickon have your lessons with Maester Luwin. Sansa will you and Arya be sewing today?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Sansa didn't look up from her plate of food. She was pushing it around her plate, but not really eating it.

"Father?" Sansa said as she found her voice a few minutes later.

When he looked her way, she looked at Robb before looking back to him. "Why did Daena leave without saying goodbye to anyone? Did she not like it here?"

"It was my understanding that her father was very insistent that she come right away so when she received the raven she got to work on gathering what she needed," Lord Stark told his eldest daughter. "What was your other question Sansa?"

"Did she not like it here, Father?" the young girl repeated herself.

"I know that she truly loved Winterfell," Lord Stark said. "But as much as we want it to be, this was not Daena's home. Her own father wished for her to return to him. I believe he might have found a new home for them."

"In the North?" Rickon asked. "May we go and visit them?"

"Perhaps one day we shall."

"Do you think she will miss us?" Rickon asked

"Some more than others." Jon said looking down at his plate.

It was hard to believe that she was gone to someplace not even his father knew. Without saying a word, Robb stood up and left the hall.

It was Sansa's name day and there was to be a celebration that night. Apparently when your name day comes around in Winterfell it was a cause for a celebration. Robb along with his half-brother Jon Snow and his father's ward Theon Greyjoy were the last of them to arrive to the hall for the celebrations. When he looked towards his father, he saw her. Daena, his father's guest for the time being. She looked beautiful in a dress that his mother had given to her. The dark blue with silver embroidery looked amazing on her.

Feeling an arm bump into his shoulder, Robb looked at Jon who he considered his best friend with a confused look upon his face. Leaning closer to Robb, Jon whispered so that Theon wouldn't hear so there would not be a chance for him to tease either Robb or Daena.

"Instead of staring at her, why don't you go speak to her?"

Looking at his brother, Robb had a look of surprise on his face.

"She's speaking with Father."

"You two must be the most stubborn in Winterfell," Jon said as he glanced at Daena as she made her way towards the brothers who had been slowly making their way over to them. "I don't think she's busy right now."

When Daena stopped in front of them she gave a smile that didn't reach all the way to her eyes as it usually did.

"Isn't being late to your younger sister's name day considered rude?" she asked looking back and forth between the brothers. "And don't even try and say you forgot that it was today. Everyone in Winterfell has been made aware of what day this is for the past week by Sansa herself."

"But if we don't pay attention to what Sansa says then how are we to know what day it is?" Robb asked, a grin spreading across his features.

"Who got Arya into a proper dress?" Jon asked as he interrupted the banter happening in front of him.

"I did," Daena smiled as she turned and looked at the youngest Stark daughter. "I think she looks lovely."

"How did you do it?" Robb asked as he looked to where Arya was standing on a bench talking to their father.

"Have you ever tried to convince her to put one on before?" Daena asked them.

"Once or twice before I quit trying," Robb said with a small laugh as he glanced at Jon who had a grin on his face. "It can be tiring to get her into a dress for name day celebrations."

"Are you jesting with me?" Daena asked. "Because I found it done fairly easy."

"Truly?" Robb asked, not hiding the surprise in his voice. "Did you bribe her with something?"

This time the grin upon Daena's face did reach her eyes which were the beautiful shade of violet that he had ever seen. It was said that only Targaryen's had those color of eyes, but looking at Daena he didn't see a Targaryen, just the daughter of a friend of his father's. He doubted that his father would allow a Targaryen into his home so freely, not after what had happened with his sister. But it didn't matter because Daena wasn't a Targaryen, she lacked the silvery blonde hair that truly set them apart.

"Why would I have to do something like that?" Daena smiled at him. "I mean just because I refused to go riding with her next week if she did not put that dress on does not mean I had to bribe Arya with anything."

"Daena, I do not know how you figured out how to do it and without a big fuss," Robb said with a smile. "But I am happy for it."

"It won't take away from Sansa's name day celebrations. There would have been hell to pay if it had." Jon stated as he ran a hand through his curls that he had attempted to tame before he had met up with Robb an d Theon before adventuring into the hall.

"I understand that Sansa likes to enjoy her name day celebrations, so it was my pleasure to help out in a small way."

"It is bigger than you think it is."

Smiling at Robb, Daena could feel the blush rise to her face.

"They are starting to dance." Jon said, trying to get his brother to make a move on Daena.

Both brothers had heard how Daena was an only child who grew up with just a father and there was no close village where she could have made friends. It came as no shock that she would be shy around everyone, but the way she avoided Theon was just a mystery to the Stark children.

Although she had grown up with only her father around, Daena seemed to handle life in Winterfell fairly well. It wasn't just the people that talked about her it was the way Arya seemed to idolize her. There were days when Robb and Jon would find them at the archery range practicing and it made Arya happy to know that there were some females that did not act like Sansa when they were older.

"Daena," Robb said grabbing her attention away from where couples were making their way to the dance floor. "Would you care to dance with me?"

Her eyes were full of surprise and for a moment Robb was about to take the words back, but she had agreed by putting her hand in his which allowed him to lead her out there.

"I must confess that I am not a very good dancer," Daena told him as they made their way over to the floor that had been cleared. "I haven't had much practice."

"It almost sounds as if you are trying to get out of our dance," Robb smiled as he pulled her closer. Leaning down so that he was a breath away from her ear he whispered, "Do not fear, I will show you all you need to know."

"Robb?"

Turning and facing his brother, Robb held up a dagger. "I meant to give it back to her today. I wanted nothing more than to ask her to forgive me for my behavior and now it looks as if it will be too late."

"I think we shall see her again one day."

"Why do you say that?"

Shaking his head at his brother, Jon looked at Robb. He was ever the image of his mother while he was the image of their father without a second thought, but Robb only saw them as brothers and Jon knew he needed to know. "After you left the hall father was questioned more about Daena and if he really thought she would return one day."

"And what did Father have to say about that?"

"He spoke to her about Winterfell before she left. She spoke of how she fell in love with the people and if her own father hadn't needed her then she would love to come back to the North and spend her days here."

"Why did I wait so long?" Robb asked. "I am so stupid! I just didn't think that she would leave so soon or that she wouldn't even say goodbye to anyone."

"No one knew she was leaving," Jon told him. "And I am sure that she would have said goodbye to everyone if she had the chance. Father says the letter was urgent that she go to him. And who is she to disobey her father? Was she given a reason to stay in the North or even in Winterfell?"

"She could have stayed for me!" Robb shouted at his brother who was trying to contain a smirk. "I kissed her."

That was not what Jon was expecting to hear from his brother. "You kissed who?"

"I kissed Daena. It wasn't planned, but I would do it again if I could. It happened three days before that ride."

"The ride that changed many things," Jon said. "When she does come back I would suggest that you talk to her about everything and make sure that you apologize."

"Apologize for what?" Robb asked.

"Apologize for what happened after the ride, but also for not asking her to stay in Winterfell."

"Father said that her stay was only temporary."

"That doesn't mean you couldn't ask her to stay."

It only took her two days to meet up with her father and Daena felt her eyes fill with tears at the sight of him. When he saw her she gave him the smile that reached to her eyes as he made his way to her. Dismounting her horse, she quickly made her way over to him. Throwing her arms around her father, she hugged him tightly and she felt him wrap his arms around her as well.

"I have missed you so much," Daena told him. "So much has happened since I last saw you."

"I told you that Lord Stark was an honorable man."

"You did," she said with a grin on her face. "And like you like to always believe you were right. But that was not what I was speaking of."

"Then what were you speaking of?" her father asked.

Untying the laces of her cloak, Daena let him see the creature that was resting upon her shoulder.

"You have a dragon."

Nodding her head, she smiled as she placed her hand on allowed the blood red dragon step into her hand. "Lord Stark had a dragon egg. He found it with the body of his sister and that was where he had been hiding it until he deemed me worthy of my life."

"And what is your dragon's name?"

"North."

"Uncommon for a dragon name."

"He was brought to the north where he was hatched and it is where he shall grow to be big and strong."

"You love this creature already."

"I do."

Nodding his head, her father led her closer to the camp fire and that is when she noticed the other person sitting by the flames. Moving her hand to hide her dragon, her father shook his head. "That won't be necessary."

"Lady Daena Thorne."

"I believe you have me at a disadvantage," Daena said looking at the man in front of her. "You know my name but I do not know yours."

"I am Benjen Stark and my brother is the Lord of Winterfell. He has written to me about you and how I should help you if you need it. You have earned high praise from him and that is enough for me."

"Even though Targaryen blood runs in my veins?" Daena asked.

"You saved my brother's children," Benjen said. "Something you did not need to do, but did it anyways. You have earned my trust and I will help you in any way that I can."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think!