Chapter 10: The One With All The Stories
We rode for quite a while, much farther than we had on our last ride. Once we were far enough away from Winterfell, I adjusted myself to sit astride Des. Anna spent most of the journey talking, telling us all of her latest adventures climbing on the Great Keep. Apparently she had found a crow's nest with baby chicks in it. She told us the names she had given them, their personalities, and every other little detail she had made up about them.
She also spent her time trying to get Bran's horse to go faster, nudging it every now and then with her foot. I doubt the horse could even feel her attempts, given how tiny she was, but her huffs of frustration when nothing happened were entertaining. I could see Bran trying not to laugh at her when she tried poking the horses back and whispering to it.
She changed her tactics eventually and started pestering Bran. Every now and then Bran would give in to Anna's begging to ride faster, so we would have short bursts of speed, which I really enjoyed myself. Anna's shouts of delight told me she enjoyed them too.
The guards that had followed us as we left stayed as far behind us as they could, riding silently.
We deviated from the main path through the woods once we entered them, taking a maze of dirt trails further into the thickets of towering sentinels that made up the forest. I could feel twigs and leaves catching in my hair every now and then, as low lying branches swiped softly at me. I noticed the same thing happening to Anna, but Bran would pick them out of her hair as soon as they found their way into her messy plaits.
Bran and I didn't speak much on the ride, preferring to listen to Anna's excited babbling. She had that child-like wonder at everything she saw, though I'm certain she would have seen them a thousand times before now. Every tree, animal and stream was fascinating to her, and she repeatedly made Bran pause to look at them for a while. She had a habit of naming everything she saw.
Bran suddenly stopped us in the middle of the woods, dismounting his horse and quickly lifting Anna down. I had both my legs back onto one side of my horse when he came around to help me down too, clasping his hands around my waist and making sure I didn't stumble on the uneven ground when I landed. Once I was on the ground, I straightened my skirts and looked around. All I could see were similar trees to the ones we had been riding through for the past hour.
"Why have we stopped? Where are we?" I asked Bran, feeling as though I were missing something.
Bran opened his mouth to answer but a smaller, more childish girls voice replied before he could.
"It's the Climbing Place, Ally! Come and look!" Anna called out, grabbing my hand and dragging me off farther into the woods. I looked back at Bran, to see him tying our horses to two trees near a small brook and grinning at me, before nodding towards Anna, motioning for me to follow her.
I did, and a minute later, Anna pulled me through a gap in between two trees. We broke out into a small glade which had previously been hidden from view by the wall a wall of trees. Anna released my hand and ran out onto the centre, her arms spread wide, as if presenting it to me.
"Isn't it wonderful, Ally? It's my second favourite place in the whole Known World! There are three climbing trees, a waterfall, a stream, a pond, a cave and seat!" She exclaimed in a rush.
"A seat?" I asked, looking around at the other things she had mentioned. I picked out the three climbing trees fairly easily, located in two corners of the glade, and one in the middle. They were the only ones to have low hanging branches and obvious footholds, their trunks worn smooth from repeated use, most likely by Anna.
The cave was harder to spot, hidden partially by moss and large rocks. The rough ground of the forest meant the glade had a gentle sloping wall on in the north-east part, like the drop-down of a ditch that spread out into the clearing. A small enclave was cut into the rock and earth of that wall, larger boulders and slanting rocks making up the entrance. The inside was cloaked in shadow, but I assumed it couldn't be very deep.
The waterfall, stream and pond made up one scene in the glade, only about a foot from where I was standing. The waterfall as just a small cascade of water running over three layers of moss covered rocks and stones in the ground, little pools forming on each layer, giving the waterfall tiers and curtains of water before it hit the pond, fuelled by the stream Anna had mentioned. The stream split the glade in two, running as a thin, dark blue line that ran out of the glade, coming from one of the small rivers that cut through the forest.
The pond was a similar size to those in the Godswood back in Winterfell, but the water in it was clearer. You could see the bottom of this pond, small fish that had probably been dragged from the main river swam amongst its small pebbles. I could hear faint, uninterrupted rushing of the water, which made the glade feel like it was alive; a very different feeling to the melancholy atmosphere of the ancient Godswood, which walked the fine line between undisturbed calm and stagnation.
"Yes, see, it's over there!" Anna's voice rang through my thoughts, dragging me back to the present.
I looked at her to see her hand pointing to the west side of the glade. I turned to see a stone outcrop a few feet away to my left, jutting out of another green, ditch-like wall, the earth that would have covered it long since fallen away. The exposed rock was shaped like a seat, complete with stone armrests. It wasn't carved, or at least, the rocks were arranged in way that looked like they had formed naturally. Anna appeared next to me whilst I was looking at the seat.
"I call it the Stone Throne in my head, but it actually looks more like a bench, I think. But it rhymes, and it's fun to say. I think it's nicer than the Iron Throne too, because that throne looks really uncomfortable and scary in my books." Anna told me with a shrug, before running off in the direction of one of the trees. I walked over to the seat and sat down, watching Anna run and jump onto the trunk of the closest climbing tree. She scaled it with astonishing speed, disappearing into the higher branches in seconds. Rustling in the leaves, gradually occurring further and further up the tree gave me a faint idea of her progress.
I heard the slightly uneven crunching of twigs and leaves behind me which told me the Bran had finished taking care of the horses. I glanced to my right in time to see him sit down next to me on the stone seat.
"Sansa's going to kill me when I bring her back covered in twigs, moss and grass stains." Bran said, watching the tree that currently housed his niece. "She blames me for Anna's little hobby. I suppose she's right, since it was my favourite thing to do when I was her age."
"I wish I had had trees like this at Starfall when I was growing up. Most of the trees in Dorne are to thin and flimsy to climb. My father's orchards were alright for hiding in, at least." I told him.
"My mother hated it when I climbed. The rooftops and towers of Winterfell were a second home to me, and she was forever scared I'd fall. Once, she told me that I wasn't to climb anymore. I promised her I wouldn't." He took paused, a sad smile on his face for a second, before it was gone. "I lasted about a fortnight before I was up there again. The next day I felt so guilty that I had broken my promise I went and told me father. He sent me to the Godswood for a night, under guard, to think about what I had done. They couldn't find me at first the next morning." He stopped again and a somewhat happier smile found its way to his face this time. The pause was longer this time.
"What happened?" I pressed. Bran leaned back and rested against the stone back-rest of the seat, laying his cane against his armrest.
"They found me fast asleep, in the tallest tree in the grove. My father wasn't even angry with me. He just said "You're not my son; you're a squirrel." And let me continue to climb, as long as my mother never found out." He finished. I laughed a little at his father's words, as did Bran. But the sad smile from before appeared again for a second, so I couldn't laugh for all that long.
I knew Bran's mother and father had died during that wars, but I didn't know the full details. Neither would I ask him now. I just left him to his thoughts for as long as he needed and sat silently with him A short time later, Bran straightened up where he was sitting and leaned forward, watching as Anna shimmied down the trunk of the tree during her descent. Once she was back on the ground, she turned and sprinted towards us.
"Uncle Bran! Ally! I found a squirrel nest!" She yelled, reaching us and jumping into the small gap between Bran and myself, before spinning around and sitting there properly. The gap was, in truth, very small, so she was rather squashed. She leaned her head on my shoulder, her shoulders tight to Bran and I; her arms tight to her side.
"Really? Where is it?" I asked, moving over slightly so she would have more room. Instead, she moved along with me and picked up my arm, placing it around her shoulders and relaxing into my side; pulling her feet up to curl on the seat near Bran.
"There." She said, pointing to the upper left hand side of the tree she had just climbed up. "There are three babies and one big one. I think that one was the mother."
"Well, you mustn't go up there and disturb them, then." Bran said, poking Anna's ribs when she started poking him with her foot. She let out a giggle and burrowed further into me, her pointy little elbow digging into my ribs.
"Why not?" She said, moving back to her previous comfortable position when he stopped.
"If she feels that you're threatening her young, she'll attack. I don't want to have to explain squirrel bites to Maester Thalwyn, as well as moss stains to your aunt." Bran rolled his eyes at Anna, grabbing her ankle as she tried to poke him again.
"Right. Time to drop the annoying niece in the pond." He said with a grin, and lunged towards us, grabbing Anna around the waist and standing up quickly, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack. He quickly limped the few steps towards edge of the pond, before moving Anna firmly into his arms and holding her out over the water. Squeals and giggles of delight and terror came from Anna as she kicked and tried to wriggle out of his arms. I got up and followed, trying not to laugh out loud.
"Uncle Bran, put me down!" Anna shouted, laughing between words.
"Alright." Bran replied, before pretending to drop her into the water for a second. She let out a quick scream of "No!" quickly followed by even more giggles.
"Put me down on the ground!" She clarified, trying to grip onto his arms so he couldn't drop her again.
"Are you going to start poking me again?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and trying not to smile.
"No no no no no! Ally, help me!" She answered, trying to twist to look at me, her arm flailing behind her, towards me. Bran spoke before I could.
"She can't help you. The only thing that can help you is a promise not to poke me again." Bran stated. "Do you promise?"
"Yes!" Anna cried, giggling and trying to reach for Bran's shoulders.
"Good." Bran said, pulling Anna back over dry land and holding her closer to him. He then put her on the ground and took a step back as she dashed away, running across the short distance from us to the tree and scurried up it to safety. Bran turned to me and beckoned me closer.
"Come on." He said with a smile. I walked quickly to catch up with him and took the hand he held out to me, my hand tingling at the contact as usual. We walked slowly across the glade, Bran limping more than usual without his cane. I thought to run back and grab his cane for him, but we were already under the tree Anna was sitting in. He released my hand stood under the tree, looking up.
A rustling came from the tree above us and a shower of leaves and twigs fell down, getting stuck in Bran's hair.
"You do realise you'll have to come down eventually, right?" He called up. Her response was a giggle that came from somewhere in the foliage. More rustling followed; no doubt caused by Anna climbing higher.
He shook his head and laughed, placing a hand on his leg and limping the rest of the way to the tree, before turning and sitting down, placing his back against the trunk. He sighed heavily once he had finished, stretching his right leg in front of him. He watched as Anna started hanging out of the tree and generally messing around.
I sat down beside him again and watched him watching her, as he absentmindedly rubbed his leg.
"Are you alright?" I asked, realising that maybe his leg was causing him pain. I had never given much thought to Bran's limp before now. I knew that he had been crippled as a child, as most people in Westeros did. When he first became King of the North, I had heard some people were unhappy with the thought of having a "cripple for a king."
But those thoughts, opinions and questions had never taken hold against Bran, as far as I knew. He had proven himself to be a remarkably good King within the first few official months of ruling, if my father's words were true.
I faintly remember when the news broke that the King of the North could walk again a few years ago; but since I was a Dornish girl, living so far from the North, more interested in hiding swords and bows from my mother than politics, that was all I knew of the matter.
"Yes, I'm alright. Using my leg without my cane for that long can sometimes hurt for a short time afterwards. It's nothing to worry about." He assured me, finishing rubbing his leg and leaning back. "It's a small price to pay for being able to walk again." He said with a casual shrug, looking me in the eyes.
A new-found curiosity wormed its way into my consciousness, wondering how Bran had recovered. From what little I knew, I had heard he had fallen from a tower in Winterfell when he was young and hadn't been able to walk from then until a few years ago.
Bran must have seen something in my eyes that informed him of my thoughts, because he smiled gently and said,
"A story for another time. Only because it's long, and not for Anna's ears yet. I will tell you eventually, though, Alianor." He told me, something of a promise in his eyes. I nodded and let the matter go.
We spent a few more hours in the clearing, playing games with Anna and talking. Anna asked me a lot about Dorne; mainly wanting to know any stories we had. I told her as many as I could remember, but I ran out after about fifteen. I told them like my old nurse had told them to me, giving every character a voice and a presence. Anna sat there enthralled as I raised and dropped my voice when the story demanded it.
After that, she told me she wanted more, so I just made them up for her. I seemed to do an alright job of being a story-teller for Anna, as she sat quietly and listened for more than an hour.
We decided to return to Winterfell around midday; a need for lunch being the main driving force behind the decision.
We mounted the horses, Anna riding me with me this time, and met back up with the guards, who had been guarding the glade the entire time we had been there. The ride back to Winterfell involved even more chatter from Anna, who questioned me even more about Dorne and Starfall, and about the stories I told her, wanting even more depth and insight into them.
We made it back to Winterfell about two hours after midday, entering through the South Gate. We went straight to the kitchens, where we had a small feast to ourselves. Once we had finished eating, Anna spotted a friend of hers, a small girl with plaits even messier than Anna's. She said quick thank yous and goodbyes to us, before running off with the girl and disappearing out of the brightly lit doorway that led from the kitchens to the courtyard. I turned back around from watching her leave, and continued sipping the sweet wine we had been given with our lunch.
"Ah, the Lady Alianor. And another Stark. I just escaped your sister." A lazy drawl came from behind me. I turned to see Lord Tyrion Lannister sauntering through the doorway Anna had just left through.
"Tyrion. A pleasure as always. Which sister of mine are you hiding from this time?" Bran asked, a genuine smile on his face as he greeted the man.
"You should know from the terms I use. One "escapes" from my wife, as one "flees" from Lady Arya." He replied with a wry smile as he jumped up onto a stool by the large oak table we were seated at the back of the kitchens.
"That sounds about right. Well, you can hide here as long as you wish. Would you like some wine?" Bran asked, reaching for a glass already.
"If you please. It appears I've angered Sansa over some thing or other, and it was starting to get a little too dangerous to remain in our chambers." Lord Tyrion said, jumping up onto one of the stools by the table we were sat at in the centre of the kitchen. "That reminds me, we're going to need another looking glass in our chambers. The last seems to have magically shattered into a thousand pieces." He took the glass of wine Bran had poured and was now holding out to him. "Thank you."
"I'll see to it as soon as I can." Bran sighed, but he was still smiling.
Lord Tyrion turned to me. "Lady Alianor, I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance properly again during this visit. It has been a while since you were with us at Casterly Rock. How are you liking your time at Winterfell?" Lord Tyrion took a large draught of his wine after he spoke.
"It's lovely, thank you. Everyone has been so welcoming." I said, fiddling with my own glass a little and watching the man who sat across from me. He was watching me with intelligent eyes, but they were not unkind. His unwavering gaze was a little disconcerting, though. I felt myself getting a little nervous for some reason.
"I've noticed." He smirked, raising an eyebrow and sending Bran an almost imperceptible glance. But I caught it, and the meaning of his words was clear to me. Some people obviously had noticed I had been spending a fair amount of time alone with Bran, Lord Tyrion being one of them. Though nothing about Lord Tyrion led me to believe he would have any reason to use this information for malicious purposes.
From what I knew of Lord Tyrion, he was Lord of Casterly Rock, loyal to the High Queen and still held sway in the courts of King's Landing. From the way he and Bran greeted each other, I assumed they were at least amicable with one another.
Regardless, I supposed the worst he could do was tell my mother, and little more than my reputation would be damaged in that act. Not that I even had created much of a reputation to uphold.
I didn't talk much when I went on visits with my family, preferring to hide in whatever library or study that castle or keep had. My activities at Winterfell were the first of their kind, in almost every way. I had never gotten along so well with any of my previous hosts.
"You enjoy reading, my lady." Lord Tyrion stated, leaning forward and resting an arm on the table in front of him, running a finger along his wine glass, catching a stray drop as he did so.
"Y-yes, my lord. I do. Very much so." I replied, cursing myself for stammering a little. I'd have to do something about this stupid habit of getting nervous when people watch me. But I was confused as to why Lord Tyrion was bringing that up. Of all the things to talk about, reading didn't seem like an obvious choice for conversation.
His face was a mask of polite interest, but something in his eyes made me feel like I was a puzzle box he was figuring out. I was probably just being paranoid.
"Have you been to the library at Winterfell yet? I seem to recall you spending most of your time in our library when you visit." He drawled. "Before you, I felt I was the only one to set foot in that place for a decade. I can't say the same for Winterfell. Apparently our King often hides in there for hours on end. With such lovely company like my darling wife and I, I can't imagine why." He said, good-humoured sarcasm lacing his words. I heard Bran scoff at my side.
"I do not hide from anyone. And you're one to talk, you're hiding right now! Are you so afraid of my sister that you have to skulk around the kitchens for hours until you see her again?" Bran jested.
"Yes. Yes I am. The older she gets, the more her beauty increases, but the force of her wrath does the same. Once we passed her twenty-fifth name day, I decided the safest course of action when she got angry was hiding. I found I quite enjoyed not getting hit in the face with flying hair brushes." Tyrion retorted. "But, my lady, have you been to the library here?" He queried again.
"I have, yes, my lord. Only once, earlier in my visit." I responded, wondering why Lord Tyrion was so interested in me visiting Winterfell's library.
"Wonderful. Once your parents return, I doubt Bran will have much time to entertain you like he will over the next couple of days. I would be honoured if you would join me in reading there, after their return." He entreated, before raising his glass to his lips and tipping the rest of his wine down his throat.
"Thank you, my lord. I think I would enjoy that very much." I said, surprised but Lord Tyrion's invitation, but it was a kind thought none-the-less.
"You're welcome, my lady. Now, I fear I must leave you. It doesn't do well to stay in the same place for too long when hiding from an angered woman. Especially when they're a Stark." He sighed, "I suppose I shall see you both at dinner tonight. Farewell." He concluded brightly, hopping off his stool and turning his back to us, before walking towards and out of the doorway to the courtyard.
Once he was gone, I turned to see Bran leaning against the wall his stool was situated by, his hand loosely clasping his wine goblet on the table.
"That's the third time during their visit that something's been broken during one of their arguments. The first time it was a window, the time after that a dish. Their quarrels are short and heated, but they're over the smallest matters. When they aren't bickering, they actually suite one another rather well. Both are too stubborn for their own good." Bran observed with a smile, still watching the doorway Tyrion had left through. "They're friends, though, and have been since the wars. Tyrion did a lot to keep Sansa safe when I could not, and for that I am ever grateful." His voice became a shade more serious on the last sentence, but when Bran made brief eye contact with me when he finished speaking, his eyes
"They did seem happy when I visited them at Casterly Rock those years ago. I think it's a wonderful thing if you can at least like the person you marry. I've heard ladies in my father's court speak of how they loathe their husbands, though some have been married decades. I can't imagine what that would be like. Trapped in a marriage to someone you hate." I chose my words carefully. What he had told me didn't seem like the sort of information he would tell just anybody. I felt like I should tell him something in return. "My parents don't fight much, but they don't talk to each other an awful lot either. My father is always with his advisors and knights, doing business, so I suppose that's one reason they hardly speak to each other. I was surprised he accepted the invitation to visit Hornwood, right in the middle of your trade talks, though. I would have thought he'd send me and my mother to go in his stead. Business is everything to my father. He always puts it before everything else, or has for as long as I've known him at least."
"Well, we are almost finished with the talks. I believe we will finish a day or two after he returns." Bran replied, his voice holding a strange tone. I brushed it off; he had a thoughtful look in his eye as he looked at me for a second, as if he were trying to figure something out. His mind was probably somewhere else as he spoke, though, as his gaze wasn't entirely focused on me.
The conversation ended there, as Bran leaned forward, took his glass of wine and finished it. He put it back down and stood up.
"Have you finished?" He asked, retrieving his cane from its place, wedged between a barrel and the wall near him. He began walking around the table slowly. I looked at my cup, almost empty, and quickly downed it, wincing slightly as the sweet spice in the wine tickled my throat.
"Yes, I'm done." He offered me his arm and I took it.
We began walking out of the kitchens, the harsh glare of the hidden North Sun from behind grey clouds hurting my eyes a little after the relative darkness of the kitchens.
"We can go to the Godswood if you like. It'll be more private there and I can tell you those things I couldn't when we were with Anna today." He offered, steering me around the library tower and towards those familiar wooden doors. I nodded and let him lead me onwards, towards the wood.
We entered the Godswood for a third time in so many days. It was now firmly my favourite place in Winterfell. As soon as the doors shit behind us, everything grew quiet. The noise of the world outside was cut off, and the air always smelt sweeter than anywhere else in the castle. Bran and I made our way down the main path a short distance, before breaking away from it like we had before. I recognised the different markers that led to our clearing that I had memorised from our return journey last time.
I was also getting better at walking through the Godswood, and wasn't so worried about tripping and falling. Bran noticed this, as he relaxed his grip on my arm and we settled at simply holding hands as we walked.
We got to our clearing a lot faster than last time, as we both knew the way and I didn't have to walk as carefully. On settling beside the small pool, Bran waited a moment to begin talking.
"I'm going to tell you the full story, if you don't mind. It's easier that way, and you'll probably need to ask fewer questions if I just tell you everything from the start, alright? This is the first time I've told this story in full to anyone."
"Alright." I agreed, crossing my legs and getting comfortable to listen to him. He took another moment to collect his thoughts, and then started.
"When I was ten, I fell from one of our towers. I can't remember actually falling, but I did. I was near death for weeks, and didn't wake from a deep sleep after the fall. My mother sat by my bedside for weeks, until I woke up. The maester of Winterfell at the time, Maester Luwin, believed that I would never walk again. Throughout all of the wars, I was crippled. At first, I was carried on the back of a man named Hodor, who worked in my father's stables. When I grew, wheelbarrows, horses and various other methods were used to move me about. Tyrion designed for me a saddle to let me ride without the use of my legs." Bran smiled at that point, but it was gone soon after. "A lot happened during the wars, and I learned to live with the idea of never using my legs again. It taught me a lot about humility and accepting help from others." Bran hesitated a moment and looked to be thinking, before shaking his head and looking at me.
"I'll tell you my stories from the wars another time. They're infinitely longer than this one, and much more complicated. For now, I will move on to the end of the wars, when Daenerys became the High Queen and took her place on the Iron Throne.
When she assumed power, many people from the Free Cities came to Westeros. Among them were healers, scholars, maegi and others of the same sort. Once I was pronounced King of the North, hundreds of them flocked to Winterfell, wishing to "cure" me. For years I turned them away.
Sansa was forever sending me ravens from Casterly Rock, begging me to accept one of them. To at least try something they offered. But I didn't want to hear any of it. She said nothing aloud, but I know Arya felt similar frustration at my inaction as Sansa did.
But I thought their promises and offers of healing to be false. Empty. I questioned their motives, and the answers I came up with for those questions kept me from even listening to them after a while. Anyone who came to offer their services in healing me was given food and shelter for a night, before they were turned away."
Bran stopped again and slowly looked around at the tall sentinels that surrounded us, giving me a moment to take in the story so far. He didn't falter when he spoke, his words rang clear and flowed almost melodically, with a similar perfect rhythm as the story-tellers my father employed back in Dorne.
"It was only a few years ago that I gave in to Sansa's pleas and agreed to listen to someone. But I told her I would only listen to one more person. After that, she took it upon herself to find the person who would be allowed to come to me. It took almost a year before I got a raven from Sansa that told me who she had chosen.
He was a maester from the Citadel. His name wasn't well known before the wars, and he wasn't assigned to any keep, castle or holding yet. His chain links were made of Silver, Copper, Black Iron, Bronze…and two of Valyrian Steel. Silver shows studies in Medicine and Healing, Copper means History, Black Iron means Ravenry and Bronze means Astronomy." Bran took a deep breath before he continued.
"Valyrian Steel shows studies in Magic. From what I knew, I had always thought that magic was looked down upon by maesters. Maester Luwin once told me that "A man who trusts in spells duels with a glass sword." But I had promised Sansa I would at least listen to her chosen candidate out. And so I did." Bran was looking at his hands by this point, on the point of fiddling with them like I did when I got nervous. He seemed to be choosing his words more carefully now, though he still didn't falter as he spoke.
"I can't tell you exactly what the maester said to me that convinced me to let him try and heal me, as there are some secrets I still have to share with you in the future before his words make sense, but it was a far cry from what any of the others said to me. I can tell you that he had once studied with Archmaester Marwyn, who was the leading researcher in magic for the order.
He used his knowledge of medicine and magic to heal me, though the details are too complicated for me to even begin to describe, or even understand fully myself. But he healed me, and gave me back the use of my legs.
However, growing from the age of eleven without using my legs meant that once I could move them, I had no real muscle or strength in them. Ever since I could walk again, I've used this cane whilst I fully heal. I can feel myself growing stronger almost every day, but it will take some time before I am anything like I was before the fall." Bran's face was almost happy, but there was a mix of something else there that sobered him in a way. If I had to give it a name, I would call it determination.
I could feel his eyes on me, looking for my reaction. I was lost for words on what to say to his story, but felt I had to say something. I expect my thoughts were written clearly on my face.
"You needn't say anything, Alianor." Bran said quietly, taking my hand and smoothing a finger over the back of it. I nodded once in acknowledgement and stared at the ground, thinking through Bran's story and unable to shake the feeling that something had to be said. I finally decided what.
"You're brave." I all but whispered, still looking at the ground. Bran's hand tightened a little around mine and I felt him turn towards me. When I looked up, I was met with a look of curiosity.
"How so?" Bran asked.
"You let him try to heal you." I answered plainly. "Even though you were scared."
Bran looked surprised for a moment before he spoke again.
"How do you know I was scared?"
"I'd be worried if you weren't. I wouldn't believe you if you said you weren't. He was the final person you were willing to speak to about healing you. If he turned out to be a fraud and his offers false, you would think there was no hope in you ever walking again. You say you resigned yourself to never walking again, but the fact that you gave in to Lady Sansa's pleading shows me that you still held some hope that you might have a chance at being healed.
You let him try regardless of what might have happened, or rather not happen. You did that, despite being scared. I call that brave." I explained. Bran opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, relaxing his grip on my hand.
"When I was young, my father said that the only time a man can be brave is when he is scared." He told me, playing with my fingers, weaving them loosely with his between us and squeezing them gently.
"Your father sounds like he was a wise man." I replied, smiling softly.
"He was. He was the most honourable man I have ever known. I wish every day that I had somehow paid more attention when I was young. I never thought I would have to be the Lord of Winterfell, so I never learned half the things Robb did. He listened to father; knew what was expected of him. I just ran around the roofs above them. I know I could have learnt a lot more from my father." He said, his voice sounding strangely hollow. He was watching our hands as I had done earlier, his hair obscuring his face just enough that I couldn't see his eyes.
I held his hand tighter, wanting to do something for him, but not knowing what. He sighed deeply and looked up, not meeting my eyes, but looking out over the pond. From beside him I could only see his profile, and how his jaw was set hard.
"He left Winterfell for King's Landing at the before the wars had even properly begun. He was to be King Robert's Hand. I was meant to accompany him and my sisters there. Rickon was too young to go with us, my mother wanted to keep him with her a while longer. Robb had to stay and be Warden of the North in our father's place. I fell right before we were set to leave. I was still asleep when the left. He was killed by Joffrey Baratheon before I ever saw him again." Bran said, an underlying tone of sadness more apparent in his voice, which had gotten quieter by the time he finished speaking.
I struggled to find something so say; nothing I could think of seemed like the right thing to say. So I thought back to how Orla used to comfort me when I was upset back in Starfall. I moved a little closer to him and wound my arms around his waist. I felt Bran stiffen in surprise for a second, before he relaxed and brought the arm nearest to me around my shoulders and pulled me a little closer until I was pressed against his side.
We sat like that for a long while until Bran broke the comfortable silence.
"Are you happy here, Alianor?"
I pulled back slightly at the question and grinned at him.
"Of course. You have all been incredibly welcoming. Arya and Meera let me train with them, you've shown me the direwolves, this clearing, the sun-rise, the glade in the woods…" I rattled off. "I can't remember the last time anything like all of that happened at Starfall. I spend most of my time hiding from the people of my father's court in my father's library or his orchards when I'm there. I've had no such need to do anything like that here." I announced happily. Bran looked pleased with my answer and pulled me back closer to him.
"Good, I wouldn't want you to be unhappy here." He said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "May I ask you something else, Alianor?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"When you are at Starfall, where do you train with bows and arrows? I assume you don't use the archery training grounds, if it took that much effort for your mother to let you train here. Does your family know you can shoot?" He asked. I froze by his side.
Seven Hells, how did he figure out I could use a bow and arrow?!
He asked you earlier which target you used when you were shooting with Arya and Meera. Maybe that has something to do with it. Here's a revolutionary idea, why don't you ask him? The snarky voice in my head replied. I heeded it's words for once.
"How do you know I can even use a bow and arrow, Bran?"
"When I asked you earlier which target you used. I was in the Great Keep, speaking with Jojen. He mentioned that you, Arya and Meera were just entering the training grounds, so I went to see how you were doing.
You can see the arena from the top floors of the keep. I could only see your targets, but as you began shooting, you were all hitting the targets' centres. My question was simply to know if you actually shot an arrow when you went with them that day.
Since I now know you did, and no arrow I saw fired truly missed its target, I'm assuming you were a proficient archer like Meera and my sister and had prior training. You could just be naturally talented, of course…" Bran said, raising an eyebrow at me, as if waiting for me to contest anything he had said.
That thought had crossed my mind briefly, but I quickly realised that my secret was hardly much of a secret here at Winterfell. There was no way Bran would use the knowledge that I trained at Starfall against me; with everything he had just confided in me, I felt I could trust him with this at least.
"I train in my father's orchards. I also taught myself to fight with swords and daggers, but I'm not all that great with them. My family know nothing of my activities, and Orla helps me keep it that way. I told Arya and Meera this, before we started training so they wouldn't think they had to teach me."
Bran looked strangely happy with my answer. He turned to face me, crossing his legs like I had when we first sat down.
"So you enjoy things like that, then? Shooting, sword-fighting and such?" He asked, almost excitedly. I nodded in response, amused at his reaction.
"Gods, you really aren't like other ladies, are you?" He muttered more to himself than to me.
"I suppose not." I replied with a grin. He leaned back on his hands and looked at me.
"Have you ever been hunting?" Bran enquired.
"Yes and no. I was allowed to go riding with Orla around the grounds surrounding Starfall, but there was never much to shoot. More often than not, I would just use the thin trees as targets whilst I rode Des. The mountains around Starfall are fairly void of large game. Wild boar are sometimes spotted and hunted, but they are much farther out than I can ride. The most I've shot are hares, which Orla cooks for us before we return from our ride, but even they are few. Besides, I don't shoot so I can hunt, exactly; I just love having something that's mine. Something my sisters and mother would never do, and I can focus on.
The most my family had planned for my sisters were good marriages. When I visit them, all they seem to do is sit around with other women and talk. That's all my mother ever seems to do as well. I like having something that gives me a purpose. It distracts me from the thought of living my life as just someone's wife. I fear I'd go mad if all my day consisted of was gossiping and perfecting my stitching."
Bran nodded at my response, seemingly thinking over my words for a moment or two.
"Well, now you know the biggest secret I have. Not a very well kept one, since I've come to Winterfell. Three people have learned of it in so many days. Life in Starfall is not exactly one filled with intrigue and secrecy." I joked. "Do you think we should be going back for dinner? We've been in here a while." I observed, noticing that the sun was a lot further along in the sky than when we had first entered.
"Yes, we should. Come on. I think we both need to tidy up a bit before we go." Bran smiled, nodding to the smudges of dirt that dotted my dress and his tunic. He got up and grabbed his cane, before offering me a hand and pulling me up too. We made our way back through the Godswood quickly and out the oak doors.
"You don't need to bring me back to my chambers; you must go and get ready yourself. I can get there well enough on my own this time." I told Bran, nodding to the guest quarters near us.
"As you wish." He replied, sounding vaguely reluctant, most likely realising we didn't have the time for him to fight me on the matter and then escort me to my chambers if he won. "Farewell, Alianor."
"Farewell, Bran." I answered, before turning and walking towards my quarters to get ready for dinner. It wouldn't be incredibly easy without Orla, but as long as I didn't choose a dress that required lacing down the back, I could manage without her for one evening at least.
We started off with a FRIENDS reference for a title, and ended with another author's note apologising for the wait. Sorry it has taken so long to update, life was acting like a fussy little toddler and demanded to be dealt with. Throw in a lack of access to my laptop for over a week and you get this late update. Sorry. :(
But I promise, I will go above and beyond to make sure the next update won't take nearly as long. :) I hope you at least enjoyed this chapter, which was a bit more centered around explaining Bran details than anything else. But comment, critique or correct as you wish in the reviews section telling me what you think if you want.
Have a great time in whatever time zone you live in and DFTBA,
Jennifer XO
