ROBB II

Jon and Robb had spent most of the night in his room arguing about how to approach their wayward sisters and baby brother. Jon had sat quietly on a chair while Robb had paced back and forth the length of the room.

Rickon, they both agreed, was too volatile to approach again—either of them was likely to have to end up wrestling the wild toddler and neither wished to be bit or scratched by his sharp baby teeth and nails.

Arya was the wild card, but Robb was confident enough that together they could crack her tough shell eventually.

This of course left Sansa. After the performance of the Mother that Sansa had given, Robb really wanted to get to the bottom of her change most of all. And so they spent most of the early morning before breaking their fast searching for their red-haired sister. However she wasn't in her rooms, which marked them both as rather odd. After searching there they then thought long and hard of where else in the castle she might have gone. They tried the Sept, the Godswood, the crypt, the kitchens, and even the armory before consigning to their rather starving stomachs—all right his stomach, Jon wasn't much in the mood for food he said—plea for nourishment and ending their search in the Great Hall to break their fast.

"I understand it not, I thought for sure she'd have been in the Sept" muttered Jon still perturbed that they hadn't found her. His summer wheat mash barely touched.

"I'm shocked she wasn't in the kitchens" added Robb.

Jon rolled his eyes and rebuffed him, saying, "Only you would think she'd go there. Sansa always picked at her food like a little bird, as though she weren't ever eager to eat more than a tiny portion. The kitchens would be the last place she'd go."

With his mouth partially full, Robb slyly commented, "You know so much about our sister then, do you? I thought she only started talking to you yesterday."

Jon became even graver, too solemn for Robb's liking, saying quite low and in a hushed tone, "When you're the lone wolf you notice a lot more about your pack away from them than you do amongst them."

The way Jon had said that irritated Robb. Jon wasn't the lone wolf-he had him and all their brothers and sisters, not to mention their father! Robb met Jon's eye and nearly growled, "Never doubt you're part of the pack, Snow."

They finished the rest of their meal in silence-Robb hated to eat this way, but after that comment, he could feel that neither of them felt like talking, and both were more worried for their respective siblings. After having their fill, they left the Great Hall for one last search before changing for the practice yard when they came across Sansa crossing the courtyard.

"Sansa!" called Robb, causing Sansa to stop in her tracks, and turn to them with a slightly worried look upon her face, which melted as soon as she saw them. Robb thought that was weird but they caught up and he continued with, "Jon and I have a few questions we want to ask you about last night."

"Last night?" asked Sansa, as though she had no idea what they were talking about.

"With Rickon," added Robb.

She recomposed herself upon hearing Rickon's name, saying, "Oh, he was just tired and needed to sleep is all. I put him to bed and he calmed down."

"Who's Shaggydog?" asked Jon, speaking for the first time.

Sansa gave a small laugh and then said, "Oh, uh… Shaggydog is just the name he's given to that wooden wolf he's been teething. Old Nan took that away from him yesterday and he's been grouchy ever since."

There was something about the way she spoke that made Robb doubt her words, they too easily tripped off her tongue with a little nervous laugh. Apparently his doubt appeared rather obvious to her as she chided him for it.

"And Osha?" asked Jon, his face betrayed nothing of whether he believed her or not.

"I have no idea what he's talking about. Maybe it's a person he created in his mind to ease how lonely he's been. I mean none of us have been there to spend much time with him the past week or so," said Sansa with a certain emphasis.

That last point, though said to both of them, Robb felt was purposely intended for him most of all. He was about to say something along the lines that he paid attention to all his siblings-but the words died before they left his mouth. The more he thought about it, the more she was right. He wasn't as great of an older brother as he should be. He mostly spent his time with Jon and Theon, and sometimes Sansa herself—when she wasn't giggling with Jeyne Poole that was. The younger ones never really had held much interest to him, most especially Rickon the babe. Had he made a mistake?

She cleared her throat in a ladylike manner and then said, "Now if that is all, I have to speak to the Septa-unless either of you would like to explain to her why she'd missed her lessons yesterday."

As Sansa walked away, Robb couldn't help but feel as though he'd just been scolded without actually being so, and he kicked the ground in frustration.

"What about Arya?" asked Robb moodily.

"If we can find her. She's taken to hiding even more than Sansa has," said Jon coolly.

"Let's try every shadow-she's got to be in one of them."