Hello :) .

Here we go again with yet another chapter :)

I'm really thrilled you guys like this - honestly I always thought my stories are bit of a bullshit :D

Enjoy! :)

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CHAPTER 12 – MAGIC IN THEIR BLOOD

Bran loved nothing more than to lie back in his bed, close his eyes and become one with Summer's mind. Before they found their wolves, he dreamed of knighthood, of being the best warrior the world has ever seen. Hell, he wanted to join ser Arthur and ser Barristan in being his cousin's kingsguard. Then he travelled away from Winterfell with his father, brother and cousin and that was when he found his Summer. That was four years ago and every day since he focused on his wolf instead of his dreams and as the fate would have it, his wolf found a way inside his dreams in the end.

He thought of them only as dreams at first, in was only after several months of him being in Summer's mind every night that he started to realize it may mean more. His siblings shared his dreams as he later found out and that was when he knew for certain it meant much, much more than he originally thought. Since then, he began to study every book on warging, analyze every story he has ever heard and practicing warging into Summer when he was awake and in time, he was capable to transform his mind into any animal and even into any person he wanted. None of his siblings could do that. His father used to joke that his children will create an invincible group. Robb and Jon with their leadership and strength, Sansa with her charms and manners of a queen, Arya with her cunningness, Bran with his warging abilities and Rickon with his wildness. The Stark children created truly a strange pack of wolves.

He was able to communicate with Summer using nothing else than his thoughts and he learned to do that even with the other wolves, thus he could communicate with his siblings also because they were connected to their wolves. The fighting arts were a beautiful thing but it could not compete with the ways of one's mind. Bran realized that fairly quickly and abandoned his dreams of knighthood and laurels; let others ride on their horses with swords at their belts into the sun, Bran Stark was never meant to be one of them, instead he was born to rule any mind he would choose.

He closed his eyes but warged into Grey Wind instead of Summer. The wolf was running a little ahead of his brother's horse, every now and then looking back to make sure his master was save. Robb was sitting on his horse, fully armed and with proud expression on his face. He had a little army of men around him as they rode for the coast to make sure their people are safe. Bran stopped Grey Wind and waited for Robb to catch him. His brother looked into his wolf's eyes and smiled knowingly.

"Getting bored in Winterfell, little brother?" he whispered.

Bran tried to nod but was not sure if the effect looked the same with a wolf as with a human.

"Well, stay close to Grey Wind's mind; I might need your help."

Bran would have smiled if he could. That was what he loved most in his brother. He was never shy to ask for his help and Bran was more than happy to provide council wherever he could.

Grey Wind howled and Robb petted his head with a small smile and within a second, his wolf's eyes were no longer green but yellow.

-.-

Robb was returning to his tent. He was dead tired and could not wait to get into bed. He spent a fortnight at the coast with his men but no attackers came. They helped the surrounding villagers to repair their damaged houses and raise defenses so they would be better protected if the raiders decided to attack again.

He entered his tent, threw his cloak on his bed and walked towards a small table. He needed to write a report to his father, first.

"Nothing interesting once more, father, are you glad you sent me here?" he told to himself quietly, a little disappointed. He was hoping the raiders would attack again and he, the heir of Winterfell, would show them the price for pillaging their lands. He wanted to prove himself in eyes of his father's bannermen and to show his father he was truly capable of taking care of himself. He knew his father thought very highly of him but Robb wanted more. He rubbed his face and started to look for a clean piece of parchment when he smelled something. His sense of smell was superior than before thanks to his connection with Grey Wind. He smelled wine and ale, a lot of it. He stood still as a statue when he heard it. It was a quiet footstep but a footstep for certain. Somebody was here, in his tent, right behind his back.

Robb closed his eyes. Grey Wind, he said in his mind and quickly tried to touch his wolf's mind. He did not have Bran's vast abilities, so he would have to focus much harder to be sure he made a connection with him but hopefully, his wolf heard him. He put his hand on a dagger that lay on a table and in one swift move he turned, cutting a throat of a man who stood closest to him. There were four more though and two of them had loaded crossbows. This is not good, thought Robb.

"Gimme the dagger, boy," one man said.

"Come and get it," growled Robb.

The man laughed quietly. "Two crossbows are aimed at ya, I'd advised you'd do what I say and don't even think 'bout screaming for guards."

They were not here to kill him, Robb realized. He would be dead already if they were. They wanted him alive, why Robb did not know but if they want to capture him they will see one hell of a fight; that he did know.

He started to feel Grey Wind's presence. His wolf rushed to his aid and Robb was thankful once again to all the gods that they led them together. He closed his eyes and focused only on Grey Wind. It was never easy for Robb to truly warg into his wolf but after hours and hours of practicing and Bran's advices, he always managed it.

He ran inside the tent and jumped at the first man with a crossbow just as his human body fell to the ground. The others started to scream in terror as Robb in Grey Wind's body cracked the man's throat with his teeth. He quickly jumped on another man, killing him instantly. Only four men were no challenge for a ferocious direwolf.

Few guards came running into his tent just as the last two intruders dropped their weapons to the ground and started to move backwards from the growling wolf covered in blood. Robb's mind snapped back.

"Oh, gods," he groaned and tried to sit up. "I could have fallen better."

"Are you alright, m'lord?" Jory Cassel asked him as he knelt next to him. He looked truly worried about him. Poor Jory, Robb must have scared the hell out of him.

Robb nodded and the young soldier helped him up. He picked up his dagger from the ground and went towards the two men. "Who are you?" he asked in threatening voice.

"Don't… don't kill us, please," whined one of them. "We're only blacksmiths."

Robb pressed his dagger against the man's throat. "Since when do blacksmiths make attempts on a lord's life?" he growled.

"We… we needed the money."

"What money?"

"There… there… there's a bounty on yer head."

"Bounty? What bounty? Written by whom?"

"The King of Skagos, m'lord."

"Skagos is bound to Winterfell; there is no King of Skagos."

"There's a king now, m'lord. We declared ourselves a separate kingdom."

"Well, you will not be a separate kingdom for much longer," Robb said. "Why did he write a bounty on my head?"

"The crew you've slaughtered, the king's heir was a captain there. He put a price on every Stark, dead or alive, but you especially. He wants the North to lose an heir as well."

"How did you know who I am? You have never seen me before, how do you know I am the heir of Winterfell?"

Robb pressed his dagger closer to the man's throat when he did not speak, while Grey Wind growled, showing his sharp fangs. "Our king received information about how you look. You and your entire family; and your probable locations; he let everyone know."

"Who send him this information?"

"I don't know m'lord. We only needed the money, I swear."

"The heir, what did he look like?"

"It's a she, m'lord."

"She? But there was not…" Robb paused and closed his eyes. "Long light hair, blue eyes, pretty face and a tongue as a razor?"

"Aye, that's our princess."

Robb could only laugh at the irony of fate. Of course she was a king's daughter. She thought too much of herself and took too many liberties to be anything less.

"Put them in chains," he ordered his men. "And ready my horse, my father needs to hear of this as soon as possible."

-.-

Robb rode throughout the night as fast as he could towards Winterfell. Skagos rebelled once again and by a struck of luck, they held a Skagosi princess in captivity. It would seem they have the leverage to result this peacefully but they must act swiftly before every man in Skagos sets sails towards the North and try to assassinate every living Stark.

Robb could still taste the blood from Grey Wind's attack in his mouth. He hated that feeling. He loved his wolf dearly but he preferred them as two separate beings, instead of one. He knew Jon shared his opinion on warging but Bran, well Bran embraced his abilities. He loved to be inside Summer's mind or any animal for that matter. He could even enter a human's mind; though he never did it without permission. Robb once allowed him to enter his mind and it was the strangest feeling he ever had. He was in his own body but was dominated by someone else. His consciousness was pushed back by his brother who now controlled him. Robb thought that the wolves must have felt something similar when they warged into them and that was another reason why he was not very fond of the act. His other siblings did not share his reluctance towards warging but they did not practice it on such a scale as Bran. Arya loved to be one with Nymeria as well, but in a different way. She would rather ride on Nymeria's back throughout the North than to be inside her mind. Sansa has shown no affection towards warging also, Lady was a bit of a snuggling bunny for her, she was the calmest and sweetest wolf from her pack and she never moved away from Sansa and Rickon was still too young for his warging abilities to truly show; though he liked nothing more than to run next to his wolf anytime he could.

The sun just started to rise slowly when Grey Wind, who was far ahead of Robb stopped and started to howl. He must have spotted Winterfell. Within a second, Robb heard five more howls.

-.-

"Father, mother, wake up," said Bran when he dashed into his parents chambers. Both of them snapped from their peaceful sleep.

"What is it?" asked his father sleepily.

"Grey Wind is in Winterfell. Robb will not be far behind. Something has happened, I can feel it."

Both Eddard and Catelyn Stark jumped out of their bed, put their gowns on and followed their son to the square to meet Robb. Their entire family was there, awaiting their brother. They did not have to wait long before their eldest rode in on his horse, breathless.

Sansa jumped into her brother's arms. "Are you alright? You gave us quite a scare."

Robb gave her a little smile and kissed her on her cheek before he turned to his father. "You must send a raven to Skagos. They have rebelled again; declared themselves a separate kingdom. And the King has put a price on our heads."

"What? Why?" asked Catelyn.

"The raiders we killed, his heir was among them. He thinks her dead and he wants our heads to avenge her."

"Well, his heir is dead, we killed every man," Jon said.

"It was not a man, cousin. The King has a female heir."

"The woman you captured," said his father.

"Aye, it is she. Father, we must act now, otherwise there will be hundreds of Skaags on our lands soon, trying to kill every living Stark."

His father nodded and walked back towards the castle with his mother right behind.

-.-

"I want twice as many guards in and out of Winterfell. Nobody is entering the castle or even the Winter Town without you knowing it, understood?" ordered Ned to his son and nephew.

"Of course, uncle," said Jon.

"I must return to the coast, father. My men need me. Jon will take care of protection of the castle."

"You are not leaving Winterfell under any circumstances. Jory is on the coast, he will take command."

"No, you cannot do that," said Robb angrily.

"Excuse me?" growled Ned.

"I am sorry, father, I mean no disrespect but I cannot stay here. I was given command of those men and I will not abandon them."

"The command is taken from you then. You are to stay inside the castle and look after the safety of your mother and siblings. That is an order from your lord, young man."

"My lord has taught me that I should always look after my men. I have left to inform you but I will return to them."

"Robb, do not…" started Jon but was interrupted by his cousin.

"No! I am no coward and I will not stay hidden in my father's castle."

"There is a bounty on your head, you fool," his father said. "You are my heir; I will not risk your life so carelessly."

"Aye, I am your heir and I have to obey your orders, but tell me, father, what your men will think of their future lord hiding behind his mother's skirts? How am I supposed to lead them when they will think me some weakling?"

"You are no weakling," Ned said. "They all know it."

"Their minds can still change. You have given me a command and I need to see it until the end. I cannot stay."

"Yours and Jon's survival is imperative for the future of our house and the entire North. Threat of a continuance our war with Robert is hanging over our heads even as we speak and your brothers are still too young to lead the northerners. When Robert hears of Skagos' rebellion, he will not hesitate to strike against us once more, I guarantee you that."

"The King of Skagos will bow his knee to you when he finds out you have his daughter in captivity. The south will never know of this."

"We cannot know that," Jon said.

"Even so, I must return. You know I can take care of myself father. Besides, there are men who would die for me and Grey Wind will be always at my side."

Ned sighed. He knew he would have acted the same if he was in Robb's position and that it was the right thing to do for him as the future Lord of Winterfell but most of all, his son was a good, honorable man who would do absolutely anything for their people. Ned himself had taught him these values but how, by all the gods, is he supposed to let his own son undertake such a risk?

"Go for the coast then; yet I insist you take at least hundred more men with you."

"Father…"

"Otherwise, you are staying put."

Robb nodded.

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Author's note: So, what did you think? :)

Btw. My exams are coming :)... Slowly, but they are way to close already for my taste :D - damn! ... Anyway, I'll try to write as much as I'll be able to but in case I'll be buried beneath a pile of books - hang in there with me, I most certainly intent to continue :)