Francine played hookie today, too hungover to work properly. Josh visited Francine in the castle, and they both decided to head out to the village within the surrounding walls of Winterfell. Francine had never been in the village, and Josh showed her around. It was a small little town, really. They went to visit some of their 21st century friends, and Francine was surprised at the kind of jobs they did. They were bakers, blacksmiths, toy makers, fishers, etc. "Oh, a book shop!" Francine exclaimed seeing booked shelves in a store, her inner passion for reading ignited once more.

She ran inside and saw the book shop owner wiping the books with a cloth. The man looked up and smiled greeting, "Hello there, miss. Care for some books?"

"Yes. Do you mind if I browse around, sir?"

"No, not at all." Francine observed the books on the shelves while Josh stood at the doorway waiting. She recognized a few in the familiar languages of Valyrian. She was in complete shock. Francine tried to make two and two together but she just didn't want to believe it. That would've meant she was living in the ancient past. She started to doubt that this was her dream, feeling as if this was true reality.

"Can you read the language?" the book store owner asked, seeing Francine just staring at the book in her hand.

"I try. I'm not that fluent in it." The book store owner looked quite surprised. No one knew the ancient language of Valyrian near this area, not even Lord Stark. He wondered where this girl was from, and Francine asked, "How much will it be, sir?"

"I would gladly let you keep that book."

"Really? I can keep the book?"

"Yes, go ahead, child," the book store owner nodded with a smile. "Not many people come into my store. I'm just glad to see someone still interested in reading." Francine thanked the book store owner and promised to return soon to look at the other books. She bid the owner goodbye and walked back with Josh, excited to start reading her new book.

"What language is that in?" Josh asked, referring to Francine's new book.

"Valyrian."

"How did you know that? I never heard of that language before." Francine bit her lip. "What? You seriously can't tell me how you know that language?"

"Well...back in Egypt, my museum curator was handed these ancient documents of 3 unknown cultures. There were some language similarities between all 3 to our modern day. Valyrians had language similar to that of Latin. So I sat there transcribing their language into ours, and it took a hell of a long time."

"Wow. Must be some kinda special language around here," Josh noted as if to himself.

The two finally met up with Roger and Hayley in the village, and they sat near the water fountain talking about the regular life of a citizen of Winterfell. There wasn't anything much special to it. Roger was a baker's assistant while Hayley was a knitter. "You know what we should make around here?" Francine asked. "A basketball court."

"Oh yeah, you said you like playing, huh?" Josh asked. He himself wasn't really into basketball, and neither were Roger and Hayley.

"C'mon guys, it'll be fun! Think of it like us being inventors. We gotta be creative now in medieval times like this. We could be the next Benjamin Franklin, think about it."

"Hey Francine, how come Robb didn't come to the club last night?" Hayley asked not wanting to help Francine with her basketball idea. Francine felt as if Hayley completely dismissed her idea, and needed to get someone on her side, no matter how.

"I'll make him come if you help me make my basketball court."

"Deal," Hayley said rather quickly without hesitation.

"Alright, but you know I gotta have my basketball court first."

"What? Then how is Robb gonna come tonight?"

"The deal wasn't for tonight. I said I'll make him come but I didn't specify when. I have to see the basketball court first, then I'll make him go to the club." Hayley groaned, accepting Francine's deal. Josh and Roger were just shaking their heads, smiling while watching the scene. Hayley told the 3 to follow her, and they followed her to Frank's house.

"Hey Frank, can you help us make a basketball court?" Hayley asked to Frank.

"Why?"

"Because I want someone to come to the club, and Franny promised she'd bring him if I make her a basketball court."

"Okay, so why're you asking me?"

"Cus you're the engineer and blacksmith apprentice. C'mon, Frankie. Help me out this once, will ya?" Hayley pouted her lips, and Frank sighed. Besides, he wasn't doing anything at the moment. Frank promised he'd prepare a basketball court and that it'd be ready in about a week.

When the sun was starting to set, Francine excused herself. She headed back to the castle by herself and met up with Jon Snow for lesson 2. He tested her on her footing and balance, and she was getting better at an alarming rate. Francine saw how impressed Jon was, and it was because of her fuel of desire to play basketball. That was all she could think about, and she even pretended she was playing basketball while practicing to fight. She used the same footing, the same mental tactics, and the same game.

Francine easily dodged Jon Snow's swing, and she faded from left to right. Jon was still too fast, and he caught her from behind. He spun her, and he had his sword to Francine's throat. Jon stepped back, allowing Francine to lift up her sword again. He immediately went after her again, and Francine was starting to get tired from training physically too much. "Jon, I'm getting tired," Francine said as her shoulders started to get really sore.

"Death does not get tired." Jon went to attack Francine again, but all she did was dodge.

"No, seriously, Jon. My muscles are aching."

"Death does not give a shit if your muscles ache." Jon went to attack again, and Francine dodged again. She was getting frustrated, and she went on the offensive. Jon was too good, and he knocked her off her feet. Francine fell on her back and Jon put his sword to her throat again. He took a step back and Francine wobbled back onto her feet, breathless yet still holding tightly onto her sword. She kept her eyes on Jon's eyes, watching his every move. "You traveled from your land to ours. Now, you must journey inwards to what you really fear. It's inside you. What do you fear?"

"Nothing," Francine scoffed.

"You fear your own power. You fear your anger, the drive to do great or terrible things. There is no turning back. Your parents' death was not your fault." Francine attacked Jon with her sword, but he reflected it with his own power. "It was your father's." Francine glared at Jon. She couldn't believe he was blaming their death on her father. Her anger boiled, and Francine furiously attacked Jon, but she was easily defeated. "Anger does not change the fact that your father failed to act."

"The man had a gun!"

"Would that stop you?" Francine attacked Jon again, but once again was met with failure. "Your training is nothing. The will is everything." Jon beat Francine once again. "The will to act. Do you still feel responsible for your parents' death?"

"My anger outweighs my guilt."

"You have learned to bury your guilt with anger. You must confront it, face the truth." Francine got on her feet with her sword. She failed at another attack. "I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger strangling the grief, until the memory of your loved one becomes poison in your veins. And one day, you catch yourself wishing the person you loved had never existed, so you would be spared your pain." Francine had enough of this talk, and she yelled in frustration as she swung her sword down. She swung it so hard she scratched the pavement.

"Your anger gives you great power. But if you let it, it will destroy you, as it almost did me."

"What stopped it?" Francine asked breathless, still grabbing onto her sword.

"Vengeance."


Robb was in the Great Hall for dinner, and he watched Francine setting up the meal on the tables with the other maids. He wondered how her day had been because she looked like she was in pain while carrying the plate of turkey meat. Robb knew that Francine was training with Jon as her mentor, and he had asked Jon how her first day watched Francine smiling and greeting the citizens of Winterfell friendly. Robb didn't doubt that Francine had a day full of laughter and many talks even with all that physical training.

Robb just spent the day learning from his father the responsibilities he would inherit in the future. Robb and Francine hadn't spoken since she apologized for the kiss the night before. But Robb couldn't stop thinking about Francine and the night at the club together. He replayed Francine's impressive performance, the way her body moved made Robb feel butterflies in his stomach. Even though he was upset that Francine didn't mean the kiss she gave him, he still couldn't seem to give up on the foreigner. He thought that if he stayed away from Francine, then his feelings for her would dissipate but the opposite was happening. He kept thinking about her more.

The more Robb waited to talk with Francine, the more he longed for her interest. Robb excused himself from dinner early, and he left the Great Hall quietly. The hallways were silent because everyone was eating in the Great Hall, and he quietly walked towards his room passing by the kitchen. Just as Robb had secretly wished, Francine came out through the kitchen doors. She jumped seeing Robb there and it was obvious he didn't know what to do. "Hello," she greeted first.

"Hello," he fidgeted.

"How come you didn't meet us at 10 yesterday?"

"I didn't know I was supposed to."

"Well...I kinda assumed you would've wanted to go again. I mean, you said you had a fun time, right?"

"I did," Robb answered starting to feel a little guilty, yet still trying to put up a defense mechanism by reminding himself of the kiss that meant nothing.

"Wanna come tonight?" Francine asked.

"I'm afraid I'm being kept busy by my father."

Ah, I got some time left to keep my end of the deal. "Oh, well, alright. Maybe another night would be good, right?" Robb merely nodded. "Kay, well then I'll talk to you later." Francine walked past Robb and he watched her heading towards the Great Hall to tend to his family and the citizens.

At the end of tonight's dinner, Francine was wiping the tables clean when the plump maid approached Francine. "Lady Stark wants to see you outside, Francine." Francine put down the wet cloth and wiped her hands on her dirtied white apron. She stepped outside and saw Lady Stark waiting for her. Her icy blue eyes pierced through Francine's gaze, but Francine didn't look away. Francine approached Catelyn Stark standing tall and strong.

"You asked to see me, m'lady?"

"You will tuck in Bran for me tonight." Francine nodded and headed up towards Bran's room. She saw the boy dressed in his pajamas and bouncing on his bed with Summer watching him with wide open eyes.

"Where's my mother?" Bran asked jumping on his bed and a big smile seeing Francine.

"Get down from that bed, boy," Francine ordered. Bran plopped onto his bed and sat up, looking at Francine.

"Where's my mother?" Bran asked again, breathless from all his jumping.

"She's busy doing other things, so I'm here to tuck you into bed." Bran jumped under the covers and smiled at Francine. "Will you sing me a song, Franny? Mother always sings me to sleep."

"You won't know my kinda songs."

"That's alright. As long as it sounds lovely." Francine thought for a good lullaby song, and she got one. "Alright, I got one. Close your eyes and relax." Bran closed his eyes and had a smile on his face, anticipating the lullaby song.

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue. And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then – oh, why can't I? If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh, why can't I?

"Wow, that was lovely," Bran replied in a dreamy state, half-awake and half-asleep.

"Go to sleep, champ. I'll see you tomorrow." Bran nodded and closed his eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep by the time Francine reached his door.


Francine took a hit of the joint that was being passed around the underground club. Tonight's theme was a more of a chill, laid-back lounge feeling instead of the upbeat hip-hop feeling. Francine was feeling so light even until 2AM. Everyone was chilling around the leather couches or the bar with joints being passed around. Francine was sitting around with Josh and Hayley at the bar. Roger was on his break and he chilled with them, too. They were all sipping their straight hard liquor over rocks.

The friends were talking about all sorts of thoughtful buzzed conversations. Francine wanted to speak up, needing to speak with someone about these irritating thoughts. "Guys, I gotta admit when I first woke up in that cave and came to Winterfell for the first time, I seriously thought it was all in my dreams. And when I got to this club for the first time, and even when I was doing Billie Jean, I thought I was dreaming. But today, I think my bubble burst."

"Whaddya mean?" Hayley asked.

"When I saw that Valyrian book, I...I seriously had doubts. I feel like this is real. I think that this is reality now, but in some kinda weird parallel universe shit. I know it sounds fucking weird but...but I just can't make sense of any of this."

"Listen baby," Hayley said after sipping her drink, "you're analyzing things too much. I understand, it's because you're new. But if you've been here as long as we have, you'd give up trying to make sense of it, too. It just doesn't. And you have to accept it."

"And just how long have you guys been here?" Hayley was here for 3 years, Roger was 5, and Josh had arrived a week before Francine.

"So you guys just accept this life we live in, and you roll along with it?" Francine asked, not agreeing with what Hayley was saying to a certain degree.

"What else can you do, Franny?" Roger asked. "We're just baker assistants, toy makers, shit-jobs like that. And look at you. You're just a maid."

"So? Just cus we have shitty jobs doesn't mean we don't have the knowledge we have from our era. Roger, you were a fucking med-student for god's sake. You probably have the utmost knowledge of medicine in the entire country here. And Frank is an engineer. Do you know what we could do with the knowledge we have right now? We could do anything. We can start making things from our era. Like cars, the radio. Start out with the basic needs of the people, then start building the luxury things we've had before but NOT to the cost of the environment here. We know the bad things that come with our technology. Why not try to build a land where we learn from our mistakes, a land where there's no pollution, no global warming, no nothing like that."

"You wanna build a utopia?" Josh asked amused but slightly with a disbelief in Francine's idea.

"Yeah. We could help people with our knowledge, make the best of our situation. You say you just accept that this is our new reality and you're waiting to wake up from it. Well, fine. You've convinced me on that. But trust me on this one. We could live better lives here by using our knowledge. We should gather everyone up when we're all sober, and we should make a group. Not a political one, but not a casual one. It'll be for us to gather and to talk about any concerns with one another, any work of progress we'd like to see or any new ideas anyone has. What do you say, guys?" Hayley, Roger, and Josh looked at one another.

"I'm in," Josh smiled and chuckled to himself. He couldn't believe this girl. Here she was, this maid, this nobody girl who wanted to change things, make a revolution. Roger and Hayley said they were in, and Francine thanked her friends.

"It'll be tough, but it'll be for the better of all of us," Francine said to her friends as a word of encouragement.

Francine wanted to head back an hour later, and so she left with Josh, Roger, and Hayley. The 4 friends had 2 more joints rolled up for their walk back, and they were smoking their first one. Josh chuckled again, and Francine confronted him. "What's so funny? I saw you laughing to yourself before, too. Tell me, what's so funny?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You wanna make a revolution, girl. You think you got the chops to do it?"

"What'd I tell you before, Josh? Don't doubt me," Francine smiled.

"Where do you get the balls to do what you do?"

"I didn't do anything, actually," Francine felt a bit flattered.

"You know what I'm talking about. Where'd you learn to think like that?" The thought of teaching the people of Winterfell their knowledge had never occurred to Josh before. While Francine wanted to assimilate, Josh wanted to dissimilate.

"You don't really learn how to think like that. You just...act upon instincts." Josh had doubts about this girl, but he knew deep down inside one day this girl was going to prove him wrong of all his doubts. The friends finally arrived at the castle, dropping Francine off. She bid her friends goodnight and watched them walk back to the village, where they all lived. Francine sighed, walking towards the stairs.

She always dreaded the walk back to her room, but that was always the case. The night terrors that haunted her every night were unbearable. They started since the night of her parent's murder, and Francine still wasn't numb to it. It became even worse because of this extra unnecessary stress of living a reality in a world she didn't know. She always woke up in cold sweats, waking up to the clouded sky of Winterfell when she wished it was the blazing sun of Egypt or California.

And the same happened tonight. Francine woke up at 5AM, sweating from her nightmare, reliving the night of her parent's murder. Francine sighed and sat on her window sill with her blanket around her to keep her warm. She looked down at the snow-glistening forest. Francine remembered the book she got from the book store in the village, and she held it in her hands. She read the words on the page, and it was history on the Valyrians from the rise of their empire to the fall. Francine sat on her window-sill, reading her new book being completely submerged in the graphic history of the Valyrians.