Travellers hooves harshly clattered against the stones of the courtyard and his sides heaved with exertion having never fallen beneath a gallop, his eyes rolling in his head wildly, he could tell something was wrong with his mistress and he wasn't happy. Bronn felt slightly bad for pushing Traveller so harsh, but he was sure the horse would recover it was after all bred for stressful situations.
As he came into the courtyard he saw that servants had been assembled and he quickly slid of Traveller and gathered Lyra's limp body in his arms.
"follow me and I'll take you to the maester's they're already working on Bran" Bronn nodded his head roughly as…Tilly? Tulu?...Tila, Lyra's handmaiden walked quickly into the keep and Bronn practically dogged her steps until they made it to the maester's chambers where he shoved his way in and placed her carefully on the cot. He spotted maester Luwin but narrowed his eyes at the other one.
standing protectively in front of Lyra he questioned "fuck, are you?"
"I am maester Phillips from house Forrester, the captain of the guard had me fetched when they started heading back seeing as there are two victims" he said brusquely before brushing him aside not intimidated in the least and Bronn was summarily tossed from the room, so he took up a guard post next to the door opposite from some other guards, Summer and Beowulf soon came sprinting to the chambers and Bronn let them in and they dutifully went to their owner's sides ignoring the protests and snarling at anyone who tried to remove them.
He knew that he looked a mess, his hair in disarray and his clothes ripped and torn, bloodied from the fight he could feel a few cuts and abrasions on his body, but he ignored it they could be seen to later.
He guarded the door with a territorial aggressiveness, anyone who wasn't under the stark family was met with his unsheathed dagger and dead stare, he didn't allow any of them within ten feet of the door and word quickly spread to avoid that corridor or risk getting stabbed he didn't give a flying fuck what any of them thought, those of the stark family were treated with suspicion but cordially.
He didn't spot any of the stark kids they were probably being kept away, probably under guards for safety, as he could hear the chaos going on from his spot. Hours passed, and he remained alert, he stood stock still, always vigilant and his head on a swivel.
Eventually the maester's came out and informed him that they were both alright, he nodded his head and went to go in but was grabbed by Luwin who thoroughly bullied him into being taken care off by him in another room while the other one went to inform the family. After he was stitched up he went and sat himself by Lyra's cot, she was pale and looked so small and delicate, but her chest was rising and falling steadily, and her face was relaxed, a glimpse over at Bran saw him in a similar state although when he woke up he would have some gnarly scars on show.
A servant knocked and hesitantly entered, he stared at her expectantly.
"My Lord Stark has requested your presence in the solar, I am here to bathe the little lord and my lady" she explained, and Bronn nodded silently getting to his feet, brushing his lips against her forehead gently as not to disturb her and exited. He spotted the two guards had remained vigilant and nodded at them respectfully, spotting some stark guards at the end of the corridor he spoke
"oi, you three get your arses up here stand guard over Lyra and Bran, anyone who isn't a stark or loyal to the Stark's aren't to be allowed within ten feet of the door understood?" he demanded, and they nodded hastening to obey.
"yes, My Lord" and the stood straight and proud, their hands on their weapons.
He nodded in satisfaction and carried down the hall, he was curious about the way everyone was watching him and bowing but put it down to the day's event. He ignored it all storming through the door to the Lord's solar spotting the king but right now what he wanted was answers.
"what the fuck did you mean earlier?" he requested trying to keep a lid on his temper, but his hand was twitching.
The Lord Stark looked grave and slid his hand down his face, looking weary.
"when you went over to her, you two were in front of the heart's tree" he halted
"yes, what of it?" he snapped in annoyance
"You placed your cloak around her, didn't you? In front of the tree and she accepted it" he explained roughly, and the king sucked in a deep breath.
"seven hell's Ned you can't be serious" the king exploded but he remained silent.
"I am" he confirmed
"what of it?" Bronn demanded he had a sneaking suspicion but quickly squashed it "I placed my cloak around her, so she would feel covered up and she accepted it"
"in the eyes of the north and in the eyes of the Gods you two married when you placed your cloak around her, you were placing her under your protection and declaring yourself a suitor, a husband and when she accepted it, she accepted your protection and you as a husband and her as your wife" he informed him, his entire being a blank slate.
"but…we weren't engaged! And I didn't intend, and it wasn't…we didn't speak the words!" he argued he was feeling confused, of course he wanted to marry her but properly not by accident and what would Lyra feel about the situation? That they had gotten married and he hadn't even asked! She would despise him. "fuck, I didn't ask, and she didn't consent not properly she was in pain and scared and fucking hell she'll hate me, she'll utterly despise me I didn't want that!" he raved in a panic
"it was a bit…rushed admittedly and not under the best of circumstances but what has happened has happed, it cannot be undone that would dishonour her far more and I will not fucking have that- a threatening look on his face- you are now husband and wife, words did not have to be spoken there more of a spoken confirmation anyways, the ceremony is more important" he continued "the slight…ahh…issue is your base born status"
"damn it! I don't have lands or titles or fuck even a last name how do I rectify it?" he asked
"I'll legitimise you, for Ned I'll do anything" the king proclaimed, and Bronn felt a rush of gratitude.
"not quite Rob" Ned informed him, and he spun in confusion
"what do you mean Ned? It's not a big deal" he reassured him "and your girl deserves the best after all in a better world I would have been her uncle"
"Bronn has a last name" Ned stated
"spit it out Ned! Enough with the fucking riddles" the king demanded in anger.
"it's an old Northern tradition that's fallen out of use, dating back about four thousand years, the Stark family was nigh on extinct, this law was implemented by Queen Elize Stark she was known as the last wolf, her family was killed in a Bolton uprising so she married a bastard who had proven himself to her and she would cause the collapse of another family if she married nobility and gave him her name, so she married a bastard and gave him her last name, he was a prince consort to her, he became a stark and their children were starks so the name continued" he explained and both Bronn and the king looked shocked.
The puzzles clicked into place "so what? I'm a Stark?"
"yes, due to you having been baseborn, she has elevated your status to hers, your now Lord Bronn Stark consort to Lady Stark of Star Forest, Lady of celestial keep" Ned told him
"what forest? She has titles" Bronn probed
"she didn't as she was going to marry into another family but due to circumstances out of our control, she needs titles and land so I have given her some" he gestured for Bronn to come and look at the map, there was Winterfell, surrounded by the Godswood to one side, the wolfswood to the other dotted with houses like Forrester and Glover and smaller houses like bole. Past the Godswood to the east was house Hornwood and above that was Star forest and almost in the exact centre was Celestial fort.
"Star forest has been named for its silver tree's, it's two days ride east of Winterfell and a day's ride north of Hornwood, in the woods is an old castle that I had fixed up and maintained on the news of my wife having twins in the case of two boys but I kept it maintained in the event of more boys, it's been named for the large pool that reflects all the stars in the night sky, I'm not sure what the castle is made from as it was built eons ago but it's a silverish coloured stone. The forest is a vast resource, but it isn't the only one, within the forest lies a lot of mines filled to the brim with precious metals and jewels, we mostly mine iron and bronze so haven't had a need for it and it was a backup. The veins go so deep we haven't managed to catalogue it all, I dare say we could rival the Lannister's, at any rate Robb will get Winterfell, you and Lyra will get star forest, Sansa will marry a Lord as will Arya, Bran will get moat Calin and I'm planning on giving Flint Fingers to Rickon if he wants it, you have nothing and I won't see my first born turned into a beggar on the street, so I name all of this to you and Lyra as a wedding gift and after all you saved Bran as well"
Bronn was gobsmacked at how today had turned out and he recalled the words of Lord Forrester "the starks are good to us, they take care of us" indeed they did.
The king roared in laughter and Bronn jerked, he had forgotten his presence "A bastard turned Stark, richer than the Lannister's oh Ned, I have missed your conniving ways! I'll be off to find some wine leave you two to bond" he grinned and slapped Bronn across his back with a meaty paw before turning and leaving the room.
"any questions?" Ned asked
"yea, what happened today with the horse? Its eyes were Lyra's eyes" Bronn interrogated him and Ned stiffened.
"you noticed?" Bronn nodded "who else did?"
"probably Tyrion" he answered easily "never misses a trick" Ned nodded and headed to the door ordering a guard to fetch Tyrion, telling them to be discreet and polite.
"what's going on?" he asked
"wait" came the order
Wait they did.
Eventually a knock came at the door and Ned bid for them to enter.
"Lord Lannister for you My Lords" the guard said before bowing and leaving the room revealing a haggard looking Tyrion.
"my lord stark is everything alright? Lady Stark and Lord Stark? Such a senseless act pains me so, please tell me that they are alright it means would mean the world that they are" he said and Ned smiled slightly at the Lord, he was a far improvement to his siblings and a nephew, Catelyn at first had been all for pushing the crown prince to his daughter Sansa but now she just complained about his haughtiness, his arrogance and cruelty after spotting him several times with those of a lower status, Ned hadn't bothered to point out the hypocrisy with Jon and her treatment of him.
"Bran and Lyra are fine my lord I wished to talk to you about the events of today" he gestured for them all to sit before handing goblets and a pitcher of wine, well knowing that the Lord liked to drink.
"truly awful what has occurred, do we know the extent of the damage?" Tyrion asked
It was Bronn who answered after draining his goblet of wine and refilling it, talking about it was difficult and made him want to bring the bastards back from the dead and make them pay.
"Bran has a fractured cheekbone, bruises and small abrasions, he was stabbed a total of ten times, he's lucky he's not dead, his ribs protected his organs but they're now shattered and he almost lost the use of his legs if the dagger had been a centimetre to the right, his wrist is broken and might cause a few problems due to its lateness in being set"
"and Lady Stark?" Tyrion whispered, his skin pale as he chugged the goblet of wine
"Lyra is stable, she has a fractured cheek bone and cracked eye socket, her throat was…crushed by the whip so she will have extreme difficulty with speaking for a few weeks, eating and drinking will be just as hard, she had a dagger in her thigh that has been removed and cleaned but it'll be hard for her to walk but with practice she'll get back to her old strength she also snapped some bones in her right hand from throwing punches, she's covered in bruises and they've placed snowpacks on her back, there will be scars while the leader tried she was not…defiled…" he ground the last word out as red hot rage raced through his veins, even the thought of that fat cunt or any bastard trying to harm her sent him into a rage.
"by the gods, at least their safe now" Tyrion said wanting to look on the brighter side of things, but they were pretty grim.
"I wish to ask you of what you saw with Traveller, Lyra's horse if you tell the truth then so shall I provided you give an oath of your silence on the matter, I will not risk Lyra's safety" Ned informed Tyrion his voice gruff after holding back his emotions.
"will Bronn be giving the same oath?" Tyrion asked
"No, Bronn is family he doesn't need to swear an oath" Ned stated confidently and as much as Bronn would deny it, he felt a warmth rush through him at that, family he had a family and a name and a wife.
"Family how?" Tyrion wondered
"he's Lyra's husband" Ned dryly informed him, feeling a jolt of amusement at how he choked on his wine and gaped at the pair.
"what? Bloody hell how?" Tyrion demanded eyeing them
"in front of the heart's tree Bronn place his cloak around her" Ned trailed off seeing that he had put the pieces together
"oh, well my congratulations Bronn…?" he trailed off with a raised eyebrow
"It's Stark now, Lord Bronn Stark, consort to Lady Lyra Stark of House Stark, Lady of Star forest and celestial fort" he informed Tyrion with a shit eating grin.
"your truly work fast" Tyrion remarked "very well, I swear on my honour and in front of the old gods and new, I won't breath a word of what is said in this room or my life be taken" he intoned formally knowing that Lord Stark would accept it, after all the Gods were always watching.
"what did you see with the horse?" Ned asked
"he was panicked and spooked, his eyes were grey, and you let him off his hitching post and he ran straight for the river instead of stampeding and trying to hurt anyone" Tyrion recalled feeling confused at the trust Lord Stark had shown a horse.
"what do you know of Northern tales?"
"what of grumpkins and grendels and white walkers?" Tyrion let out a laugh but soon grew sombre at Lord Starks grim face "oh they can't be true there just stories"
"what do you know of wargs" he ignored the disbelief in Tyrion's face and urged him to answer
"well, Wargs are people with the ability to enter the minds of animals and perceive the world through their senses and even control their actions. The act of doing this is called "warging" Tyrion said all that he knew of them which was sadly not much.
"The ability starts out as vivid dreams in which the warg sees and perceives the world through the senses of an animal. Over time and with practice, a warg can enter the mind of an animal at will. A warg's human body will become comatose when his consciousness leaves it to enter the mind of an animal, and his eyes will glaze over white, until his consciousness returns to his own body.
Warging is a separate ability from Greensight, the psychic ability to perceive future and past events in dreams. However, some people who are wargs can also possess greensight.
Wargs cannot easily enter the minds of other humans to control their actions, though few even attempt it." Ned informed them "roughly 8,000 years ago my ancestor Bran the Builder built the wall to keep the great other, the night king and his army of the undead out of Westeros. The night king came from magic of the children of the forest on a man in order to wreak havoc on the first men but when they realised what terror they had released onto the world they and the first men came to an agreement to band together and defeat the night king, which they did, to seal the pact Bran the Builder married a child of the forest, Their son married a person with the greensight, whose son married a warg and so on. Our family has magic and sometimes that magic is doormat and sometimes the magic is…active but it presents itself in different ways. For me it's my instincts for Jon it's his fighting abilities for Lyra she is a full warg and capable of slipping into the minds of animals that bond to her, Traveller and Beowulf being her only ones at the minute she also sometimes has dreams as does Robb, Bran, well I suspect his magic is presenting and very powerfully at that" Ned grimaced "I worry for the need of my children to have such prevalent power but it is up to the Gods"
"you…can't be serious…surely" Tyrion nigh on begged not a hint of humour on his face while Bronn leant heavily on his knees
"I am and if word got out about it well Lyra and the rest of my family would be hunted by the south and protected by the north it would incite war, and while she and Robb can control it and Bran will too she needs protectors and you need to keep your mouth shut, I know, Jon knows, Robb knows, Sansa is too in the clouds, and Arya, Bran suspects- with him suspecting the same for himself- Rickon is too young yet" Ned explained
"you have my word I'll stay quiet and I'll do what I can for Lady Stark, she is very dear to me already" Tyrion gave a half smile to the lord whose lips twitched back, practically beaming.
"I won't leave her side, she's my wife now and while it's all a little rushed I'll do whatever is necessary to protect her, Tyrion you'll have to find someone else to go with you to the wall, I'm not leaving her side" Bronn informed him, and Tyrion nodded understandingly
"yes, yes of course I won't take you from her we'll meet again in king's landing and it'll only be a quick visit with news like this I fear leaving you in that snake's pit Lord Stark, although that is an insult to snakes" he jested the humour creeping back in.
"we won't be travelling until Lyra and Bran are better although Jon will be leaving with Benjen in two days perhaps you can travel with them? I'll send a guard with you of course to ensure your safety, after all if you hadn't of brought Bronn with you who knows how today would have gone, you've been named a friend to the north and to house stark" Ned offered
"thank you, it would be most appreciated" he took him up on the offer and bid the pair goodnight, Bronn watched as his good father sunk into himself seemingly exhausted.
"so much to do, so little time" he admitted wearily "how many guards are at the maestor's door?"
"five, Summer and Beowulf are inside and I'm going to go back" Bronn told him
"good, that's good you should change and bathe, I need to check on my children and wife inform them of the situation" he stood up and pulled on the façade of strength before striding out of the room, Bronn sighed heavily feeling weary and drained the goblet before standing himself and making his way back to Lyra after changing his clothes and wiping himself off, he made himself comfortable in the chair by her cot, Beowulf was stretched out beside her, periodically laying his head on her chest as if reassuring himself. Bronn's head fell back, and he allowed himself to fall asleep for a few short hours.
He jerked awake from the nightmare he was having, it was the same events as yesterday, but he had been too late glued to the ground and unable to help as she begged for him. he saw that Beowulf was staring at him and he fondly patted him on the head, looking out the window he saw that the sky was beginning to turn pink. He stood up and stretched quietly some bones popping in relief and he felt his stomach grumble, he would head to the kitchens and get himself something and scrape together breakfast for Lyra and Bran they had been sleeping for a long time they should waken soon.
He had walked down to the kitchens in order to scavenge what he could, only to find that the kitchens were already a bustling hive, he sneaked in and decided not to bother anyone, moving over to the platters he was startled when all the noise in the kitchen suddenly stopped.
He glanced and saw the head cook staring at him with a raised spoon and expecting a spoon to the head he quickly backed away, but he was surprised when they curtsied and rushed him enthusiastically.
"My Lord is there anything you desire?" the head cook was loud enough to be heard over everyone else, a strict looking matron with wiry flame red hair and ruddy cheeks, she was rotund with smiling wrinkles in her face and a bright smile.
He fumbled slightly but answered "uh, breakfast for Lyra and Bran oh and Lemon cakes she likes them, and Bran likes crispy bacon"
They quickly rushed off and came back with a tray laden with far more food than he asked for
"and for you my lord? What does our lord like?"
"anything is fine, and I like those honeyed oat cakes" he answered raising an eyebrow in curiosity and immediately three honeyed cakes were placed onto the tray with even more bacon and sausage, the tray began to teeter slightly, and he had to adjust it in his arms.
"we can take it my lord!" a voice cried out and two servants rushed forward but he waved them off
"not it'll be alright thank you though" he walked back through the doors and overheard them beginning to gossip so he loitered and eavesdropped
"he's ever so polite for a Lord- "
"perfect for our lady- "
"bringing her breakfast! How romantic- "
"wish my husband would- "
"hasn't left her side- "
"such devotion! We must do well for our new lord and not disappoint- "
He rolled his eyes at the twittering birds and walked off back to Lyra, nodding at the guards who hadn't moved from their spots.
As he entered he saw Lyra stirring and he hurried over placing the tray on a bedside table.
"here, love it's all right I've got you" he soothed helping her up, so she leant against her pillows, she tried to speak, and he handed over a cup of water so that she could soothe her throat.
"Bran...?" her voice was rough and scratchy
"he's okay and you're okay you're going to be fine" he reassured her.
Lyra felt tears trail down her cheeks in relief she had been so sure that they had both passed on, as she struggled to wake up all she had was flashes of memories and then pain and blood but there was also Bronn. She collapsed into his arms and sobbed her relief and her anguish over everything that had happened he held her tightly and brushed his hand over her hair.
After a while Bronn sat back onto his haunches and grabbed the bowl of porridge that had sugar and honey on it along with blueberries sprinkled on top, he showed her the porridge and she burst into tears again, he hurriedly placed it back on the tray.
"it's alright, it's alright we can wait a little while" he assured her
"I should've had my weapons but mother had forbidden it and I didn't want to disappoint her because I'm supposed to be a lady and give a good impression but if I had gone against her, if I defied her then I wouldn't have gotten hurt and I could've protected Bran and he wouldn't have almost died oh, gods it's all my fault everyone will hate me" she sobbed harshly and Bronn felt useless.
He stood up and Lyra thinking he was going to leave, disgusted with her, sobbed harder, but to her shock he toed off his boots before moving her gently forward in the bed and climbing onto the bed behind her, placing his long legs either side of her, he gently maneuvered so that her back rested lightly against his chest and he could envelop her in a hug. Lyra was shocked with how gentle he was being and felt even more tears run down her cheeks at how he wasn't disgusted by her.
He placed a soft kiss into her curls before speaking "none of what happened was your fault nor was it Brans but those lowlife scum that dared to hurt such treasures to me, you are not weak, you are a wolf and you are strong as is Bran who fought to protect his big sister like you fought to protect your little brother, which you did and get help, which you did. You did not fail, and no one hates you, how could they? But here's what's going to happen you will rest and get healthy again and then I'm going to teach you how to use daggers and you will always carry those daggers without question, regardless of what anyone wants of you or proper etiquette understood? You'll be able to defend yourself if you can't reach your other weapons" he crocked a finger below her chin and gently made her eyes meet his, firm and full of resolve "I'll teach you different ways to look after yourself so you'll know what to do if it happens again and I ain't there to slit the cunt's throat but for now eat. Please?" he begged her placing the bowl of porridge and spoon into her lap "I'll give you a lemon cake afterwards" he bribed slightly, and she let out a watery chuckle.
She took small tentative bites of the porridge she always received when she was sick or had buttered the servants up and Bronn stayed behind her, passing her honeyed water when she needed it to soothe her throat and running his fingers through her hair, encouraging and praising her when she ate, he allowed himself to be comforted by her eating and her body pressed up against his and she revelled in the reaffirming touches and encouragement to eat even if she wanted to vomit it did help her feel stronger.
As she finished off the last bits of the porridge, she felt exhaustion hit her and slumped against Bronn who placed the bowl on the bedside again and got up so that she could lay down and sleep some more.
Bronn tucked the furs around her tightly to ensure that she wouldn't get a cold as Bran began to stir her moved over to him and helped him sit up, glad that the milk of the poppy hadn't worn off completely yet.
"Ly…where's Lyra...where's my sister?" he demanded weakly
"it's alright kid, your sister's fine she's resting are you hungry? Thirsty?" Bronn cursed himself internally, the fuck did he turn into a mother hen?
"bit of both" Bran admitted tiredly
Bronn nodded and helped him sip some refreshing juice and then tore up some bacon and sausages for Bran to chew on slowly, Bronn manged to feed him a good portion of food before he began to nod off, He checked his forehead and frowned slightly, it felt a little hot so he took a rag and some cold water, wetting it and resting it on his forehead. Bran let out a relaxed sigh at the action.
Bronn went and sat down at his chair his hand running through Beowulf's fur as he and his brother started begging for scraps and Bronn shared the leftover meal, taking a few morsels for himself. He waited around occasionally swapping out the cool cloth for Bran and ensuring Lyra didn't get cold, he looked up again as the maester came walking in along with Lord Stark who was sporting a cherry red cheek.
"what happened?" he asked in curiosity
"I told your good mother that she's gained a son in law, it evidently didn't go over too well" he gestured dramatically to his cheek, Bronn let out a low whistle.
"how are they? Have they woken up?" the maester asked
"Yea Lyra woke first, I fed her some honeyed water and she had some porridge with blueberries, she fell asleep soon after and then Bran woke up and I gave him several rashers of bacon and a couple links of sausage and juice but he was tired and I think the milk of the poppy was still working, he crashed soon after and I placed a cool cloth on his forehead, felt a little warm" Bronn explained as Luwin started checking over them
"you've done very well, all we can do now my lords is let them rest and give them plenty of nutrients" Luwin explained "best not overwhelm them too much though"
"the kids will visit later when they're awake, Bronn you need to join us for breakfast I need to make the official announcement"
Bronn nodded and followed Ned through the halls to the great hall where everyone was beginning to break their fast, he was placed next to Rob who looked awful, his skin a sickly white and large bags under his eyes, Sansa's eyes were red rimmed as were Arya's and Rickon didn't seem to understand what was really going on, Theon looked severe and his new good mother was glaring at him viciously, lovely.
Ned waited until everyone had sat themselves before he called order and the hall fell silent, he stood up and began to address the room.
"as you all know yesterday there was a senseless and unprovoked attack on my children, both Lyra and Bran suffered with some harsh injuries but thanks to the quick work of my people and of Bronn, they are both okay and are now resting-" cheers went up at the news and Ned gave a brief smile before continuing "but yesterday there was an event that the Gods deemed fit to make happen, the old rites were invoked-" murmurs broke out "by both Lyra and Bronn, underneath the heart's tree Bronn placed his cloak around my daughters shoulders and she accepted it and as we know, an oath taken whether with or without words is an oath sealed in the eyes of the Gods, they are, after all always watching. So, I would like for you to raise your goblets and drink deeply to the swift recovery of my children and the happy union between Lady Lyra Stark of star forest and celestial keep and her Lord consort Lord Bronn Stark" Ned raised his goblet in toast and cries of 'Our Lady and Lord' rang through the room before they took a deep drink.
The news seemed to have cheered everyone up slightly except from his new mother who was still glaring at him, he avoided it and answered questions from his new siblings. Sansa was quite as could be, she wouldn't eat or look at anyone, Arya was excited that she was getting a new brother and asking if he would teach her how to fight and seeing no issue with this he agreed which got him another narrowed eye glare and he glared right back, if his Lyra had her weapons or Bran even a dagger then yesterday could've gone a lot differently. Rickon was more interested in his meal and Robb was crowing to anyone that would listen that his new brother was a hero, although his eyes betrayed his worry.
Soon the breakfast ended, and Bronn walked off and headed towards the Godswood, he wasn't exactly religious, and he knew that winter roses grew there in abundance, he might as well pick his wife her favourite flowers before he had to drop the news that they were married, hopefully it would stop her from slitting his throat at the soonest opportunity. He entered the forest and relaxed almost immediately, strolling through the forest he eyed the flowers with a critical air, some were too pale or too wilted or didn't smell fragrant enough or too fragrant.
He finally spotted the perfect flowers, they were a beautiful deep sapphire blue tinged with purple and stood to attention, as he moved closer he could pick up their faint fragrant, only problem was they were in a precarious place on the edge of a steep hill.
He debated with himself slightly but they were the perfect flowers, he sighed-knowing this was stupid- and scrambled his way up to them, he managed to get up alright and he smirked before reaching down and pulling the roses up by their roots intending to trim them, they stuck slightly and he tugged harshly only after they came out did he feel the ground shift beneath his feet.
With a colourful curse he was sent tumbling down the hill earning himself some bruises as he landed on his lower back, with the wind knocked out of him he let out a pained groan before lifting his head to check on the roses, with a triumphant grin he spotted that they were still in the perfect condition he found them in.
He grunted and pulled himself to his feet, it bloody hurt but the bruises were worth it, he made his way back to Winterfell and spotted Sansa waiting at the gate, he went to move past her, but she got in the way. He raised an eyebrow at her and she flushed slightly.
"can I talk to you my lord?" she asked politely, and he snorted
"no need to call me my lord, we're family now call me Bronn" he told her and settled himself onto some barrels nearby gesturing for her to sit but she remained standing, fiddling with her grey dress. He waited for her to speak, calmly cutting the roses to the right length and taking off the thorns.
In no time at all she seemed sick of the silence and blurted out "what happened yesterday? My father won't speak of it and I thought it was like the stories, but mother was so upset, and it was chaos and so scary…" she trailed off when Bronn fixed her with a look.
"listen I'll give you some advice that you've probably heard before and probably ignored because you've been kept nice and safe in your little gilded cage all your life- "
"it's not a cage! - "she argued hotly
"if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck it's a duck little sister" he answered easily and she glared at him slightly "look not all prisons have bars and you've been kept in your precious ivory tower all your life and patted on the head and told not to worry your pretty little head about things and keep thinking off your precious golden prince who's going to sweep you off your feet and carry you into the sunset am I wrong?" he asked her and she flushed but remained quite
"Now, I wasn't raised like you, I was a gutter rat and learnt plenty quick life ain't a fairytale, it's a cold gruesome bloody place where people smile in your face while stabbing you in the back or manipulating you, there are very few people you can trust and that bloody cunt you've set your eyes on? He's the worst fucker I've met in a real fucking long time and he's only just started, I was little when the mad king was killed but I remember what it was like and as a baseborn I suffered, we suffered a lot and that prince of yours is a hell of a lot worse than the mad king at least with the mad king he was kidnapped and tortured first, your prince does the kidnapping and torturing, I have been all over the seven kingdoms and not one place has ever been a fairytale that ain't real, you can trust your family and that's it" he told her seriously and she nodded, he didn't like scaring her- he had some standards- but she had to learn.
"can I trust you?" she asked brazenly
"before yesterday? Could you fuck, I woulda happily manipulated you to get to Lyra but now, now I have Lyra and your precious to my wife- it was odd saying it out loud but bloody hell did he get a thrill doing so- and therefore make her happy and I'll do whatever necessary for her happiness, so yes, me, you can trust but I'm not a good person, not at all, you'll find that sometimes the best of people are the worst" he informed her, she looked completive and he started to walk away.
"Mother was looking for you, she's in the training yard" Sansa called to his retreating back and he veered off to see what she wanted.
As he strode through the training yard he received a lot of calls, he raised an eyebrow and waved at them, but he carried on towards the stairs to get to Lady Stark who was watching over the men, a squire suddenly stopped in front of Bronn halting his progress.
"is there anything my lord needs or wants? I'm Torr a squire to Ser Rodrik, I can fetch anything you want! I heard of your deeds yesterday" he looked at Bronn with stars in his eyes and he felt slightly unnerved. Thankfully the Lords came to his rescue.
"leave the lord alone" Umber called gently and shooed the boy off with a platter sized hand before turning towards Bronn, he leant in conspiritally "if there's anything you need Lord Stark, you can come to the Umbers, we have been serving your family faithfully for thousands of years and after yesterday we'll do it for you"
"the Forresters have been serving for longer my Lord, if there's anything you need from us, you'll have it in an instance, we can provide the best meats and pelts, our Lady Stark said she loves the herbs we use" he puffed up in pride
"if there's information you need my lord that the Bolton's can procure it, we have always had the best spy network and can always find the information you want" the leech lord spoke quietly but there was a certain gleam in his eyes.
"Of course, if Lord Stark requires anything of us Manderly's we would hasten to obey" Lord Manderly had inserted himself into the conversation.
"Call me Bronn, after all we fought together" Bronn lied, they had coming charging it was true, but when they got there Bronn had already dealt his justice "we're practically brothers and right now I need to speak to my good mother" he saw how treating them kindly worked out for the Northerners as the Lords let him go all of them beaming in pride, apart from Bolton but he imagined that was par for the course with him, his eyes gleamed though.
He made his way up to Lady Stark and stood beside her "it seems they're already trying to curry my favour" he spoke lazily, and she looked at him.
"I have lived in the North for twenty years, I have married the Lord of the North and given him Northern children and yet, I still feel like an outsider after all these years, I was born in the south and grew up being taught southern politics and how to smile and curtsy and be a lady but to have a cunning mind and a dagger sharpened, but the north it's different. I've never done particularly well with Northern Politics, Northerners aren't interested in honeyed words unless their courting and there aren't any tourneys to gossip and hold business, they tolerate me because I am Ned's wife and gave him plenty of children but not like my Lyra, she has always been able to understand Northern Politics, they're not trying to curry your favour" she looked at him with derision.
"then what are they trying to do?" he interrogated her
"They want Lyra's favour, they want to impress her by impressing you, male succession isn't as much of a big deal here as it is in the south, and the northerners follow Robb because he is the heir to Winterfell and he's a good solider who knows a lot of battle tactics and how to win but I know deep in my heart if Lyra ever wanted to be Lady of Winterfell that all banners would rally to her- but she's devoted to her twin, they've been together all their life and while Robb is more aggressive, it's Lyra who is in charge, she directs Robb, makes the decisions and keeps the order within her siblings. Lyra is called the beguiling wolf for a reason, not just her looks but her personality, she entranced everyone since the moment she was born. She's constantly pushing for the happiness and protection of the smallfolk and settling arguments amongst the Lords, she listens and promises and always follows through with her promises. I remember it must have been five years ago, a sickness swept through the north and it was bad, we had to lock ourselves down and a lot of the smallfolk died but Lyra was determined, and she travelled the North for months with several maesters and she cured them and stayed with the grieving and helped bury the dead. Lyra has given herself to the North, to the Lords and to the smallfolk freely and in return they have pledged themselves to her with a fanatical devotion. If she asked for the stars, they would pull them down. You saved my daughter and your married now, you're a northerner, I expected the same devotion because Lyra will dedicate herself to you and if you hurt her I'll hunt you down and kill you, I'm certain Lyra will find another husband but you also need to protect her from herself she gives her all to everyone and everything and it leaves her with nothing and vulnerable she needs someone who will force her to put herself first and defend her from the world you're a cutthroat sell sword I'm certain you could manage that" Lady Stark finished easily before turning and walking away leaving Bronn with slack jawed, it seemed towards the end she almost…approved of him?
"I'll defend her with my life" he vowed to himself silently "I will give her my all, body, mind, heart and soul it will be hers to do with as she pleases she will never be alone and never be left wanting this I swear" the Gods looked on in approval.
He made his way to the maester's chamber and noticed that the guards had been swapped out and Ned was just exiting his eyes were suspiciously damp, but no one commented on it.
"Bran's asleep at the minute and Lyra's awake I took the liberty of telling her what's happened and the…marriage" Bronn nodded his understanding, plans already forming in his mind's eye for his wife and her family she deserved a proper ceremony before watching Ned walk away, he took a second for himself to brace, and strode into the room swiftly closing it behind him.
He turned and saw that Lyra was propped up on the pillows, Beowulf on one side of her and book in her lap, she was staring at him and even though she had been through hell the other day she looked beautiful, her eyes were like a winter's storm and he felt himself shuffle in nervousness slightly, were was the charming façade when you need it?
"I brought you flowers" he told her and shoved them into her hands, his anxiousness causing him to be slightly heavy handed, as she opened her mouth to speak he launched into a rant "I had heard stories of you, you know, when we were travelling north and the further north we got the more frequent the stories and the more fantasised they seemed. The Beguiling wolf they call you and the way the lords or the smallfolk talked of you in the inns and markets well it was with such reverence that half the time I thought you to be a mass delusion some mythical story but, sometimes…sometimes I just thought…maybe…maybe you were real and I had always wanted to make something of myself and one of those things is to have a wife who was beautiful as the maiden and kind as the mother, as wise as the crone, as understanding as the father, as strong as the warrior, as creative as the smith and as capable of taking on the unknown as the stranger and I, I wanted that but I also wanted a wife who was as wild and free as the North, it's said that dornishwomen are the most beautiful in the world and I had always agreed but then, then I met you and I had to stop myself from touching you to see if you were just a vision and then we spoke. And your eyes they beguiled me and your personality entranced me, all that I have seen of you, you have all the attributes of the seven but your wild, untamed and free like the North, like the old gods and I've never had the need to be romantic or too court, honestly I usually just pay, but for your I will and I'll prove to be a good husband and defend you from all that dare harm you, I'm enthralled by you and would happily spend the rest of my days as your humble thrall if you would only consent to being my Goddess." He finished earnestly, his eyes pleaded with her to see his sincerity as he heaved slightly, running a hand through his black hair.
He panicked slightly as tears spilled onto her cheeks and he panicked falling to his knees next to the cot.
"ah, please no, no crying hey, remember your face is meant for joy not sadness" he tried to soothe her, and she let out a laugh
"it's happy tears, promise, just you have proven yourself to me, you protected me and you've protected Bran you haven't left my side and you've been so patient and caring and you went and fetched me flowers to make me feel better you've proven yourself to be a good husband multiple times" she praised him and Bronn felt heat rise in his cheeks and neck, he was used to beratement and curses not praise.
He looked into her eyes and felt nervous but also determined, deftly moving his hand behind her neck he leant in and captured her lips with his own, eyes closing in bliss as he felt her silken lips submitting to his expertise, she tasted like paradise, like home.
Lyra had felt nothing but shock since she had woken for the second time that day, she had noticed Bronn missing and had felt a twinge in her heart but pushed it away knowing he was probably busy, she had attempted to get over to Bran but Beowulf, the treacherous rotter had tugged on her tunic with his sharp teeth, eventually resorting to pinning her down with his weight and with her weakened state she had quickly given up to his satisfaction.
Then her father had visited, laughter and relief evident on his face at her position and that she was feeling well enough to moan about being confined to a bed, they had both shed tears, her for feeling responsible over Bran getting hurt and him for letting them off on their own without a contingent of guards. They had both reassured each other and spoke of their love, her father had then tried to be delicate about her new status but he was rather ham fisted about it and she felt shock course through her, she had always known and wanted to get married but she didn't think it would occur in such a brutal fashion, she also felt a tinge of worry at the news, what if her father had told Bronn and he had ran for the hills? She had burst into tears at this point and when she sobbingly told her father, he had wrapped her up in his strong, warm arms and dispelled her fears, telling how he had panicked that she would hate him and that he had wanted to court her properly. They eventually came to the agreement that it was the will of the Gods and she comforted her father saying that she was happy with the arrangement even if it was slightly rushed when he had offered to kill Bronn or spirit her away, a smile on his face but a deadly look in his eye.
Then her father had left and Bronn had entered and given her such beautiful roses, she had gone to tell him that she was content with her marriage to him and that she hoped it could be a happy one filled with love like her parents but he had ranted over her and she had listened with rapt attention only to burst into tears and what he had been putting across, joy swelling up in her chest. And then he had kissed her.
She could feel his warm, chapped, slightly thin lips against her own and her eyes slid close in pleasure, he felt like slipping into a warm bath on a winter's night, she could feel his lips moving with finesse and she tried to emulate him, earning a groan and his fingers burnt into her, scorching her as he stroked her cheek with a calloused thumb. With what happened yesterday she had felt helpless, disgusted and ashamed and so much rage, but Bronn lit her up like the stars, made her feel warm and secure and desired. He was the fire that burnt and cleansed and purified where the he touched her the flames of his touch lingered and destroyed the feeling those bandits had left behind, he had forever marked her as his, he was her fire.
He eventually pulled away for breath, leaning his forehead against hers as they both panted lightly, he would've smirked at the dazed look in her eyes if it wasn't echoed in his own.
"that, that was…" he said
"most certainly" she concurred
He pulled away fixing her with a serious look as his thumb kept stroking her cheek, she was the softest silk. "Marry me?" he asked
"what?" she questioned
"I said marry me" he reiterated
"we're already married" she informed him dryly
"I know, it's just you deserve a proper marriage ceremony so I'm going to arrange another, then your family can attend, and it'll be the perfect one but if you don't want to then I can fake my death or something and get you out of it" he informed her
"you would do that?" she asked shrewdly
"I want a happy marriage and I want a wife who loves me not one who'll slit my throat or do what she has to out of duty" he admitted
"I wouldn't kiss you if I didn't want you and a proper ceremony will be nice…husband" she teased him and kissed him on the cheek finding his perplexed look adorable.
He grinned at her widely before pressing a kiss to her forehead "you, you just rest my beautiful wife and I'm going to go and plan a wedding ceremony fit for a goddess- which you are" he winked at her loving the flush that stole over her cheeks before disappearing from the room.
Hey! Please review? It feeds my muse and I like to know what you think love it hate it? Carry on? Burn any and all copies and my laptop for safety so it never sees the light of day?
