Hello, I'm back! Please read the Author's Note at the end of the chapter! Enjoy! :)
"Don't be angry, Ellie," Robb sighs as I slam open the door to our shared chambers and march through it.
"I'm not angry," I snap.
"Really," he scoffs.
I spin around in irritation as he shuts the door behind him. "I'm frustrated that no one bloody listens to me! King's Landing is not a good place. Your mother and your father both believe that they're going to find all these answers about murder or attempted murder, but they don't understand!"
"Somebody tried to kill my brother, do you just expect them to sit around and not demand justice?" he questions harshly.
"If your parents are foolish enough to believe that justice is found in King's Landing then they are in much more danger than I originally believed."
"Father can defend himself and Mother will be protected by Ser Rodrik," Robb says.
"The danger I'm speaking of cannot be fought with swords, Robb!"
"Ellie, Father has already left and Mother will not change her mind. You just need to trust them," he urges me.
"It's not them I don't trust."
…
I continue to ponder the repercussions of lying about recognizing the blade even long after Cat leaves with it and begins to journey to my old home. None of them suspect me of dishonesty, not even Robb, but it still leaves me sick. I battle nausea each morning after waking from nightmares of the Starks getting hurt in King's Landing. Cat meeting a painful end, Ned being betrayed by someone he mistakenly trusted, the girls being hurt in a way that only men could cause, and soldiers coming to Winterfell just to harm my husband and his little brothers.
Even now, my stomach convulses painfully and I heave the remains of my last meal into a pot.
"My lady!" My handmaiden comes running into the room and stoops in front of me. "You're ill again? Should I fetch the maester?"
"No, no," I wave her off, "I'm all right."
"That's the third morning this week, my lady."
"Stress is all it is," I assure her. She doesn't look convinced, but silently helps me to my feet and guides me to the fresh basin of water she brought me.
I splash the cool water on my face and rinse my mouth until the taste of bile has gone away. Afterwards, I sit in the chair and my handmaiden begins to brush my hair. I try to relax as her gentle fingers braid my hair, but my lie haunts me still. I've never lied to the Starks before, I'm not a liar. It makes it seem like I believe my father to be guilty of something, but I don't.
My father is a good man and he would not harm a child let alone the child of his closest friend. Someone stole that dagger from the weapons Father brought with him. I just don't know who or why they would want to harm Bran. Robb says he must have saw something he wasn't supposed to, but what could he have seen? What secrets could a ten-year-old accidently unearth?
There's a sudden knock on my door, startling me as well as my handmaiden, and a serving girl comes rushing in, out of breath. I look up at the winded girl as she gasps for breath and gives a weak curtsy.
"Milady, I'm sorry, but h-he's awake!"
"What?" I gasp, standing and barely missing a collision with the girl behind me.
"The little Lord Bran, he's awake!"
"Get my husband," I order, running past her as fast as I can.
By the time I reach his room, I'm as out of breath as she had been. I stop in the doorway, seeing the wolf on his bed and his familiar brown eyes open again. Bran props himself up on his elbows when he sees me and gives me a blank expression as the wolf licks his face.
"His name is Summer," he says simply.
…
"Would you like to go outside, love?" I ask from the seat beside the bed.
Bran sits at the window seat, staring down into the courtyard. Upon hearing my suggestion, he turns to me with a withering glare.
"It's not fair," he grumbles.
Bran is awake, he's alive, but he's not the same. He no longer has any use of his legs. He will never walk again or run or climb. He won't be a knight like he dreamed, I don't think he'll father children when he's older. He will be a cripple for the rest of his life.
"It's not, I know."
The gods are cruel for doing this to an innocent boy and he can't even remember what happened. He can't tell us if he fell or if he was pushed. He can't tell us if he saw something he wasn't supposed to. He doesn't know someone tried to kill him with a dagger and even if we told him, Bran wouldn't be able to say if that was the first or second attempt on his life.
"You don't know," he snaps. "You can walk."
"Bran, my sweet," I murmur, setting aside my stitching, and moving to his side. "I don't know what you feel, but I know that it's terrible, I know that you don't deserve this."
"Will I ever walk again?" he asks quietly. I glance out the window and see Rickon running around with Shaggy Dog.
I sigh sadly, unsure what to say. I run my fingers through his hair as I try to think of an answer. In the end, I can neither lie to him nor tell the truth.
"I don't know."
"I won't," he says. "I know."
…
Summer growls as the door to Bran's room opens from the outside and Theon comes in, hesitating for only a moment when he spots the wolf. I eye him for a minute before returning to my stitching since I have little interest in talking to the Greyjoy.
"We have visitors," he says.
"I don't want to see anyone," Bran quips.
"You don't have a choice," Theon tells him.
"I don't want to go."
"Neither do I, but –"
"If he doesn't want to see anyone, he doesn't have to," I interrupt. "Leave him be."
"Robb is waiting," he says. "You'll want to see the visitor too."
"What are you talking about?" I ask with a sigh, finally looking up from my fabric.
Theon just smirks before calling for Hodor and telling him to take Bran. Biting back the urge to snap at him, I set my things on the bed and follow them out of the room. We make our way to the great hall in silence as I force away my irritation from being called on by the Greyjoy in front of me. I don't think I'm getting enough sleep because my mood is easily shifting these days at the slightest disturbance.
As we reach our destination, I hear a familiar voice commenting on the truth to Bran's condition. I peek out from behind Hodor and see my uncle.
"Beloved niece," he greets as his attention shifts to me.
"Uncle Tyrion," I say with a warm smile, my attitude immediately brightening. "You really did go to the Wall then?"
"I did," he answers before turning back to my brother-by-law. "Hello, Bran."
Bran stares down at my uncle with a blank expression, completely uninterested in any sort of conversation. Tyrion isn't fazed, however.
"Do you remember anything about what happened?"
"The boy has no memory of that day," Maester Luwin answers for Bran.
"Curious," Uncle mutters.
"Why are you here?" Robb demands in annoyance.
I turn to glare at my husband as my uncle ignores him and continues a conversation with Bran. Robb doesn't even look remotely apologetic for the tone he's using with a member of my family. After I'm certain he knows how angry I am, I turn back to the two closest to me.
Uncle Tyrion offers Bran a gift in the form of a rolled-up piece of parchment. "Give that to your saddler, he'll provide the rest."
"Will I really be able to ride?" Bran questions him with a hopeful smile.
"You will," my uncle assures.
"Is this some kind of trick?" Robb asks suspiciously. "Why do you want to help him?"
Incredulous, I turn back to my husband, confused at his continued disrespect. He looks at me only briefly before shifting a hardened gaze at Uncle Tyrion once more.
"I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things," he answers.
"You've done my brother a kindness, the hospitality of Winterfell is yours," Robb says, albeit begrudgingly.
"Spare me your false courtesies, Lord Stark," Uncle tells him dismissively. "There's a brothel outside your walls. There I'll find a bed and we can both rest easier."
"Please, Uncle," I say with another glare at Robb. "We can provide a much nicer bed."
"No need, Lady Stark," he tells me. "Farewell, sweet girl."
My uncle exits the great hall and my anger boils over as I turn to Robb once again. Just as I am about to go off on him, I realize that I can't. He's the acting lord, but he's still young. Men won't likely follow him if they see his wife scold him so I swallow my words and march out of the hall as well, silently promising a fight in the privacy of our own chambers.
I rush after my uncle, catching him just before he mounts his horse. I call out to him and he turns with a small smile.
"You don't have to leave," I say. "Forgive my husband, he's under a lot of stress these days and he's very protective of his younger brother."
"Thank you, Ellie," he says sincerely, "but I'll enjoy myself at the brothel, I assure you."
He winks at me and I roll my eyes good-naturedly before growing serious again. "What you did for Bran…you can't imagine what it means to him. I'm so grateful, Uncle Tyrion."
"I understand how it feels to be different and this is a small piece of his old life that he can have again. It's not much, but it is something."
"It's more than something," I tell him. I step back as he expertly maneuvers his way onto his horse, using a stool provided for him by one of the Lannister men he travels with. Once he is situated, I step closer again. "Uncle?"
"Yes?"
"At the Wall, did you see Jon Snow often?" I ask, attempting to mask my concern.
"I did," he answers with a quirked brow.
"Is…is he happy? Does he like it?"
I can tell just from my uncle's expression that I won't enjoy the answer. "He was disappointed to learn the truth, but he's doing well. He excels at everything and he's made friends."
"He has?" I release a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
"He told me to tell you that he loves it there," Uncle Tyrion shares with a knowing smile. "He said you would worry and asked me to promise that I would make sure you knew there was no need to."
"Nothing you could say would stop me from worrying," I sigh.
"No," he nods in understanding. "I can tell you this, though. As far as I can see, Jon Snow is exactly where he needs to be."
…
Knowing I'm upset, Robb comes to our chambers shortly after my uncle leaves the castle walls. After watching Tyrion leave, my anger with my husband has grown exponentially. So, when he finally closes the door behind him and we're alone, I relinquish the hold I have on my emotions.
"How dare you speak to my uncle that way?" I snap. "He's a guest and you blatantly disrespected him! And when he's gone out of his way to give your brother a gift. He didn't pay someone to design that, you know, he did it himself!"
Robb makes no move to defend himself or apologize for his actions.
"I don't speak to your uncle that way! What has he ever done to you?" I demand.
His expression shifts suddenly and he has the same guarded expression his mother had in the godswood when she spoke of the man who tried to kill Bran.
"What?" I press. "What are you hiding from me?"
"Nothing," he mutters, rubbing his eyes.
"I'm your wife," I remind him sharply.
"She didn't want me to tell you, she knew you'd be upset," he says.
"It's too late for that," I quip. "What secrets are you keeping from me?"
"Mother thinks she knows who played a part in Bran's fall."
"My uncle?" I ask in disbelief.
"The Lannisters," he tells me. "Your uncles…"
My blood nearly boils as I hear his accusation. "And my mother?" I finish for him.
"…Yes."
"Am I a suspect too?"
"Ellie –"
"I'm part Lannister!" I growl. "I go into the broken tower, I could have thrown your brother from the top."
"Stop," Robb orders.
"I could have hired that man to go and kill him," I continue, my words growing harsher even as I start to lose my breath. "Maybe I even started a fire in the library to distract you!"
"Ellie, enough!"
"No, I can't believe this," I shout. "My family may not be as good and honorable as yours, but they're not monsters!"
"Ellie," Robb begins, but I'm already walking towards the door.
I tear it open and slam it shut as I stomp down the hall and away from him. But even as I put more distance between my husband and myself, I start to doubt my own words.
Who had the easiest access to my father's weapons?
Okay, so I am so unbelievably sorry for the delay on the update. I'm also sorry that this chapter is mostly just a filler, but I wanted to get something up for you guys since you've been waiting.
I obviously had a plan for the way this story was going to go, but I've decided that it's stupid :/ However, I have a whole new plan which is going to be a lot better, or I hope it will anyway. I'm super excited to continue the story on this new path. It will end up changing a lot of big things from the show, but it won't take any of them out completely, if that makes sense. I also believe my new plot will be truer to all the characters including my OC. I know I'm being vague, but I don't want to reveal everything yet.
So, the main reason why I'm sharing this with you guys is because the new plan will keep Jon and Ellie apart way longer than I originally intended. I hope that doesn't disappoint everyone too much or make anyone want to stop reading. I promise, I will keep things interesting if you guys just stick with me. But it will be Robb and Ellie for a while.
I hope I didn't lose any readers, but I am sorry for switching things up and, of course, for taking so long to update! Thank you, as always, for reading. Please, please, please review and let me know what you think about me changing my original ideas. Questions, suggestions, and requests are always welcome as well. I'll be posting another chapter tomorrow for sure.
Thank you so much for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing!
-V :)