Talk between sisters

Alynna went to find her siblings as soon as they'd returned in Winterfell. They weren't very hard to find however since nearly everyone that had stayed behind was waiting in the Great Hall for news. Arya, Bran and Rickon were there, playing a card game with Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen under the watchful eye of lady Stark and all six of the wolves.

Soon all those that had gone fighting excused themselves to clean up. Alynna had no choice but to follow since she was covered from head to toe with blood and gore. She threw another subtle warning glance to Arya who responded by nodding to no one in particular.

Knowing she would not have to rush now that Arya seemed to have the situation under control, Alynna took her time to make herself presentable. She dressed once again in one of her finer dresses since there would be a feast at sundown most probably. She didn't do anything special with her hair this time though knowing that it would only get in the way if she had to fight again.

She was not wrong in her assumption and that night at the feast the King proclaimed loudly that the fighting skills of all three of the eldest Stark children were of the finest he had ever seen. He was joined in that statement by Ser Baristan and that was a marvelous compliment indeed. The King also invited Jon to join the feast to celebrate the victory in honor of those skills. It made Alynna respect the King more seeing that he could be gracious if he were sober enough.

Alynna loved feasts but she was exhausted and so she left as soon as was possible without being impolite. Jon had already taken Bran and Rickon to their beds and now she was approaching Arya to do the same. She knew it was still relatively early to do so but she wasn't planning on putting her in her bed immediately.

"Come on Arya, time for bed." Arya looked up startled, she would have complained on any other day but tonight she held her peace, wondering what else this unusual day would bring.

Alynna took her to her bedroom instead of Robb's where they had all been sleeping together for a week. All but Sansa who had claimed such behavior was childish and refused to participate. Alynna sat on her bed and patted the spot beside her. Her little sister sat down and patiently waited for her to begin.

"How did your mission go today?" Alynna smiled.

"Well, I think. It didn't turn out to be that hard. We stuck with maester Luwin until mother found us. We followed her to the Great Hall and that's where you found us when you returned." Arya frowned when she finished "You were right though. The Queen was glaring at Bran the whole time. It's strange that mother hasn't noticed yet."

Alynna sighed and nodded "Very strange."

"Why don't you just tell father?" Alynna shook her head at that "I don't have any proof yet. You know that father wouldn't approve of making accusations like that. The Queen has been glaring at me since the first night as well but that doesn't necessarily mean anything other than the fact that she doesn't seem to like me." She stood up to pace the room "It's different with Bran though, I know it is."

She stopped her pacing and turned back to Arya. "I'm sorry to have alarmed you little sister." She said with a rueful smile "I couldn't tell Sansa though for she wouldn't have believed me."

"Why would you want to tell Sansa?" Arya asked indignantly "She can't even fight!"

"No she can't." Alynna's smile grew a little wider "But she is older than you and so her right to protect Bran trumps yours."

"What do you mean?" Arya asked curiously.

"Didn't father explain this to you already?" Arya shook her head so Alynna continued "We are wolves Arya, and as father is fond of saying, wolves live in a pack. When winter comes they protect one another as we must protect one another. In a pack, the younger the wolf is, the more fiercely it is protected by his pack mates. In our family this means that it is our parents responsibility to protect all their children. It is Jon's, Robb's and my responsibility to protect our younger siblings and one another, Sansa's responsibility to protect you and the boys and so on. You carry responsibility only for members that are older than you."

"Does that mean I can't help you if you need it?" Arya asked distressed.

"No of course not!" Alynna exclaimed "But if you ever have to choose between my wellbeing and Bran's or Rickon's, you have to choose them." Alynna noticed that her words were distressing Arya more but also knew they had to be said. She sat down behind her sister and proceeded to undo her braid. "I know it is scary to talk about but you have to know these things Arya. Especially considering the Lannister's hatred towards Bran and the fact that we'll be going south in a few days."

Arya nodded and turned towards her. "I understand" She said quietly "And I'll look after Bran as much as I can, I promise." That last part was said with determination.

Alynna hugged her little sister to her and stroked her hair "Thank you Arya. I'm so very proud of you, I hope you know that."

"Will you teach me how to fight? To help defend him?" Arya asked hopefully. Alynna rolled her eyes at Arya's one track mind "I cannot promise you that but I will promise you that I will speak to father about it." Arya nodded and then yawned.

"Let's go to bed shall we?" Alynna said, standing. "Oh and Arya, don't tell Bran anything yet. There's no point in scaring him unless we have a solid reason to." Her little sister again nodded and then went to her own room to change into her nightdress. When they were both ready they went to join their brothers who were already sleeping. That night Arya moved her cot next to Alynna's and slept in the knowledge that whatever happened, her big sister would protect them at all costs.


Author's note: I know this is a rather small chapter but I have my last exam tomorrow (yay!) and so I have to go study now. Please review to let me know what you thought (or just to wish me luck :) ) !