Author's Note:
Here's the nineth chapter of my Game of Thrones fanfiction, Winter's Dragon. Enjoy and please remember to review!
WARNING: Events in the story will be a little crisscrossed or drawn out compared to what happens in the show.
Chapter IX – Talks, Direwolves & News
Leila moved to the balcony that over looked the training field as she watched Jon and Robb helped Bran with his archery as Rickon sat on the side, looking on at his brothers. Leila smiled as she watched them, she could see the love Jon held for his 'brothers' and it warmed her heart to know he wasn't completely alone all these years.
"Leila, Leila, watch me!" Bran yelled and Leila smiled a small smile as she turned her attention onto Bran Stark, who had an arrow trained on the bull's eye in front of him as Jon and Robb stood on his side giving the young boy pointers.
"Go on Bran, I'm watching!" She called back to him and Bran grinned as he trained his eyes on the blue painted circle at the center of the bull's eye. When he was certain he couldn't miss, he let the arrow fly but sadly it was way off.
"You look so much like your mother." Came a familiar voice behind her and Leila jumped and immediately turned to see who had joined her. "Lord Stark." She said as she bowed her head respectively.
Leila normally wasn't so formal with him, but they were out in the open and it was best to keep up appearances. "Sorry if I startled you." Ned replied as he walked closer and came to stand beside her. Leila smiled at him before she looked back down, her eyes focused on Jon.
"I know you wish you could tell him." Eddard said quietly as he noticed where her focus was. "He deserves to know." Leila said coldly as Eddard sighed sadly but said nothing. He understood very well of her anger and frustration, but the truth held too many dangers.
"It would be dangerous for him to know. It's dangerous for you to know. If Robert knew who you two really were, no one will be able to protect you or Jon. Not even me. Robert will mostly likely see you as a threat to crown, because you do have legitimate claim and have you killed." Eddard whispered calmly from prying ears as he looked his niece directly in the eye.
But Eddard didn't know how right Robert would be. Leila did want the throne and she was patient and cunning enough to get it all by herself but truly she wanted her brothers and aunt by her side and if she couldn't get the throne for herself, she would get it for them.
"He deserves to know, instead of feeling like a worthless bastard." Leila said quietly, looking Eddard directly in the eye, her eyes flashing in anger and Eddard nodded in understanding as he cupped her cheek with his hand and he stared into her dark eyes.
"I know. But not yet." Eddard said sadly, pondering Leila's words as he stood next to his niece and they watched his sons and his nephew below as they helped Bran with his archery. She was right and although he truly did love Jon like a son.
Leila nodded as she reluctantly agreed. Jon didn't remember his mother and Eddard would see the pain and rejection in his eyes when he would refuse to speak of her when Jon would ask. He deserved to know, he had every right to know, but not yet.
"You know when you get angry; I can't help but think back to that day when Lyanna died." Eddard said as she calmed down and he saw that fire leave her eyes. 'Why?" Leila asked as she looked at him in curiosity.
"When Lyanna died and I told Benjen to get you and Jon out of King's Landing before Robert arrived, I saw this fire in your eyes, it was like a blue flame, as you and Jon clung unto Lyanna screaming as Benjen took you both away…It was then that we were fully convinced you and Jon were truly born from the dragon and it was best to separate you." Eddard explained.
"One dragon is powerful on its own. But two are unstoppable." Leila said as Eddard nodded in agreement before Catelyn joined them on the balcony. Lord and Lady Stark watched as Bran practice his archery with proud smiles upon their faces and Leila joined them down below.
"Go on, Father's watching… and your mother." Jon whispered in Bran's ear as he stood next to his ten year old half-brother. Bran pulled the arrow back and released it and much to his disappointment it flew into the trees behind the target causing Jon, Rickon, Robb and Leila to laugh.
Bran gave them a meaningful look as frustration etched on his young features. "And which one of you was a marksman at ten?" The booming voice of Eddard Stark said from above. "Keep practicing Bran, go on." He continued encouraging his son.
"Don't think about it too much Bran." Jon whispered in Bran's ear. "Relax your bow arm." Robb instructed him, but before he could release the arrow, one flew past him and hit the center of the target.
Everyone turned in surprise to see Arya standing there, bow in hand and she gave a mocking curtsy before taking off as Bran ran towards her causing everyone to laugh. "He'll get it eventually." Leila said as she made her way over to stand beside her brother as Theon came running up to them.
"We have to go." Theon stated abruptly as he came to stop in front of them. "Why?" Robb questioned curiously. "They found a deserter. Your father has to go do his duty." Theon told them before walking away before Robb, Jon, Theon, Bran and Leila accompanied Eddard as he left Winterfell to pass judgment.
Bran Stark was silent as the company made their return from the decapitation of the Night's watch deserter. This was the first time Bran had seen anyone die or executed for that matter, in his father's attempt to make a man of him and it left him somewhat shaken.
"It gets easier." A familiar voice said softly beside him and Bran looked to his right to see Leila riding beside him on her large black horse, Shadow. Bran didn't say anything as she gave him a small comforting smile, before returning his attention back to the road ahead.
Leila knew the first time when you see a person die it can be a little nerve racking, hell it would a whole lot worse when he made his first kill. Its one thing to watch someone die, it another to take the life yourself, but Leila knew that Bran was strong and he would learn to overcome it.
Suddenly the company stopped when Eddard Stark and his 'bastard son', Jon Snow dismounted their horses and the smell of a dead animal drifted to their noses and the rest of the company dismounted.
"What was it?" Robb asked Theon as they headed down the bank towards the creek."An elk…with its insides out. Something's not right." Theon called back to him as Eddard stopped beside the creek, where a dead giant wolf lay covered in its own blood, surrounded by five squalling pups.
"It's a freak." Theon said with distaste."It's a direwolf." Eddard corrected, sounding concerned. The direwolf was the sigil of House Stark and its death was clearly not a good omen. The rest of the party from House Stark along with Leila Castus looked upon the direwolf, uneasy.
"Do you want to hold it?" Jon asked Bran as he lifted up one of the direwolf pups and placed it in Bran's arms."Where will they go? Their mother's dead." Bran asked. "They don't belong down here." Replied one of Eddard's oldest advisors in both war and time.
"Better a quick death…They won't last long without their mother." Eddard agreed and Theon drew his dagger and quickly moved forward, apparently all too eager to serve Eddard as hastily as he could.
"Right. Give it here." Theon said as he held out a hand for the direwolf pup that Bran now clutched protectively to his chest."No!" Bran exclaimed, horrified as Theon snatched the direwolf pup from him.
"Put the blade away." Robb ordered with a scowl upon his face."I take orders from your father, not you." Theon reminded the oldest Stark child rather contemptuously."Please, Father." Bran begged, unable to bear the thought of the tiny direwolf pups being so ruthlessly killed.
"Sorry, Bran." Eddard replied as he turned away. Jon, who still remained by creek with a thoughtful expression on his face as he observed the direwolf pups turned to face the Lord of Winterfell and spoke.
"Lord Stark. There are five pups, one for each of the Stark children. The direwolf is a sigil of your house. They were meant to have them." Jon said and Leila smirked at her brother's cleverness as everyone looked to Eddard for his decision on the matter.
Eddard looked down at his younger son, whose eyes now shone with hope before he sighed jadedly. "You will train them yourselves…you will feed them yourselves…and if they die, you will bury them yourselves."Eddard muttered wearily and Bran smiled at his father as they began to collect the pups to take them back to Winterfell.
"What about you?" Bran asked as the gathered all the pups and he looked to Jon. "I'm not a Stark…Get on." Jon said calmly but Leila could hear the bitter undertone tone to his voice and wished with all her heart she could tell him the truth.
Suddenly something caught Jon and Leila's eye as they turned to leave. "What is it?" Robb asked when he noticed Jon and Leila weren't followingas Jon and Leila spotted two more direwolves. Jon lifted them up as everyone turned to see what Jon he had found.
The two direwolves were very different than the others. Both were males, but the first had pure white fur and red eyes, while the other also had white fur like the first but with patches of black and ice blue eyes.
"The runt of the litter. That one is yours, Snow." Theon said mockingly and Leila scowled at him."But there is still one left." Bran pointed out as he looked at the direwolf that Jon held with black and white fur.
"That one is Leila's." Eddard said a faint smile appeared on his face, now all the Stark children had a direwolf. Leila smiled as she took the direwolf into her arms and carried him back to her horse before the company continued to ride back to Winterfell.
"So what are you going to name yours Bran?" Leila asked as she kept her direwolf to her chest with one arm while the other held Shadow's reins as they came closer to Winterfell. "Hmmm…how about? Summer!" Bran said happily.
"Summer?" Robb asked unsure if that was a good name. "Yes, after my favorite season, Summer." Bran explained and Robb nodded in understanding."What about you Robb?" Jon asked as Robb looked at him before looking down at the grey direwolf in his arm.
"Grey Wind…And you, Jon, Leila?" Robb answered as he smiled at direwolf before looking back to his half-brother and his family's guest."Ghost." Jon replied referring to his direwolves albino fur before Leila spoke.
"Black Snow." Leila replied and Jon smiled at her. "Naming your wolf after the bastard are you, Leila?" Theon asked smugly with a smirk upon his face as Leila rolled her eyes. "That's Lady Castus to you…and to answer your question, no. But even if I was, its still a better name than Greyjoy." Leila replied frostily before Robb, Jon and Bran laughed at the scowl that formed on the Stark ward's face before they arrived back at Winterfell.
Once one of the stable boys took Shadow's reins, Leila with Black Snow still in her arms made her way to her room, where she found Draco waiting for her. "What is it?" Leila asked as she closed her room door and noticed the apprehensive expression on Draco's face.
"A raven came today for King's Landing." Draco replied as Leila took off her coat and placed Black Snow on her bed were he quickly got comfortable beneath her sheets. "Dark news on dark wings?" Leila guessed and Draco nodded in agreement before he spoke.
"Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King is dead." Draco said gravely and Leila looked at him sharply before she took a seat on his bed as she felt her knees go weak. "How did he die?" Leila asked calmly, although she felt a great deal of sadness.
Jon Arryn, the great Lord of the Vale was a wise counselor and canny tactician and although he never knew her true parentage, Leila truly loved and respected the man. "A fever." Draco replied as he walked closer to his mistress and he kneeled in front of her.
"So the one man keeping Robert from completely destroying the crown is dead." Leila stated gravely and Draco nodded. "There is another thing…Robert is coming to Winterfell." Draco said and Leila looked at him in surprise.
"He's making the journey this far north…there can be only one thing he wants." Leila guessed and Draco nodded once more in agreement. "He comes ask Lord Stark to take on the role of Hand of the King." Draco replied and Leila smirked.
"The smartest decision he's made since he took power." Leila stated irritably. "Indeed…Will we be here for his arrival?" Draco asked and Leila looked at him with a smirk upon her face as she spoke with a smile. "Of course we will."
What do you think? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I will update soon.
REVIEW! Please remember to review!
- Dark Alana.
