Chapter 29
Leana's heart stopped for a second, clutching her rein on Stranger. Then she saw the banner, it was a dire wolf and she saw him – her heart soared in happiness.
"JON! JON SNOW!" She shouted as she urged Stranger to the cluster. He still looked the same. His unruly curly black hair, his small face; thought he is definitely much taller!
Jon Snow was on a mission to find his Lord father. He had permission from Lord Cassell, he brought along with him a dozen of men and supply – just in case. He heard the shout, someone was calling him. He looked around and he saw the black stallion with a lady riding him.
"JON!"
"Leana? Is that you? Cousin?!" He replied, he couldn't believe his eyes, as he approached her - he saw the pregnant lady.
Leana threw her arms around him, he hugged Leana like a long lost sister. "You are home, girl! It's too long, cousin! I've missed you. We've all missed you," He felt Leana cried in his embraced. He wondered what had happed to her in those ten years. She is now – pregnant!
"Stop crying. It's not good for the babe. And you shouldn't be riding because you are fat!"
Leana pretended to be angry and smacked him, she seemed happy, as Jon Snow saw her covered her belly fondly. Perhaps being away from the Hound made her happy.
"What a beast, you have!" Jon noticed Stranger, the stallion is magnificent.
"I know, isn't he beautiful?" she said proudly.
"Beautiful is not what's in my mind Leana," Jon looked at Stranger.
"You shouldn't be riding by yourself," Jon didn't look too pleased.
"Go," He signalled his men to continue their way to the other side of the lake when Leana told them where they were.
On their way to the Inn, Leana chattered nonstop – just like when they were young, she was a bloody chatterbox and hardly gave him a chance to talk, since he was a quiet boy – she was his voice. The little girl once told him that she'd protect him - they were the closest.
She was the always the first one to throw a punch if anyone bullied him, he was a bastard, people treated him differently behind his Lord Father. Even though they were the same age; he was the quiet one, she was the noisy one. Unfortunately Leana punched like a girl.
In less than five minutes of their trip to the Inn she pretty much told him about everything! Well, almost everything. She told him about her uncle Tyrion Lannister, Bronn her sellsword, the nasty Queen, sweet King Robert, shit prince Joffrey and The Hound Sandor Clegane, her beloved husband.
Jon was surprised that The Hound was with them, the last he heard from King's Landing only Leana left with his Lord father. Before Leana had the chance to tell him more, they reached the Inn.
Leana was still looking at Jon Snow, still talking to him! She missed the furious look Sandor Clegane gave them; while Lord Stark and Jory looked worried. The big man stalked to her about a few meters away from them but Leana was still too busy talking to notice him.
Jon tried to stop her, he wanted to tell that that there was a very angry man with a half faced burned storming toward her – but she didn't give him the chance, just like old times.
Jon Snow thought the man was about to dragged his cousin down the horse and beat her to pulp, his hand touched the hilt of his sword, but he saw his Lord father shook his head, signalling him.
For a man his size, he was surprisingly gently as he touched her arm in anger, "Leana! I told you not to ride Stranger! You left alone!" he growled, Jon Snow could see that he refrained himself from shouting at her, it looked like he wanted to roar in anger.
"I miss being on Stranger and it was just across the lake," she chirped innocently, like it was nothing...His cousin is still the same, she hasn't change at all, still fearless – to a fault, Jon Snow thought.
Leana then remembered, "Sandor, this is Jon Snow! My cousin! I told you about him, remember?" She looked at Jon as she grabbed Sandor.
Sandor realised she was too happy to be noticed his displeasure. She placed her hands on his shoulder with ease and trust, as she always does, as he helped her down – she smiled at him, very pleased.
Sandor Clegane didn't have the heart to shout at her in such condition and in public. I am weak.
Jon Snow dismounted from his horse and greeted The Hound, "My Lord,"
"Oh, don't call him my lord. He'll bite your head off. He is not a lord. Don't call him Ser either...He is not a ser. You can call him Sandor or Clegane, or Sandor Clegane..." His pregnant wife chirped incessantly as he steadied her on the ground.
Jon Snow only smiled at Leana and then he nodded at Sandor, he shook the man's large hand, "Clegane. Welcome to Winterfell."
"We are not exactly in Winterfell, yet." Leana looked at Jon Snow.
"What do you want me to say then Leana? Good luck being married to my bloody chatterbox cousin?" Jon teased her.
Leana pretended to be angry and gave Jon Snow a playful smack, and she hugged him again. She remembered to reached up to kiss Sandor quickly before she left again with Jon – talking.
Sandor Clegane was speechless; he found a bench just outside the inn and sat like a fool. Moments ago when his boy squire told him innocently that 'my lady' was taking his horse across the lake by herself and then he saw a group of armoured men approached them, he thought she'd been captured and they were ambushed.
Then, he noticed the dire wolf banner and he breathe better, he was about to mount one of the horse to look for his wife when Jory whistled at him, and as he looked up, he saw his wife trotted along with a man with unruly black hair – she looked happy and was chattering nonstop, like her old self in King's Landing when she first arrived.
It took a lot of effort for Ned Stark not to smile when he saw the Hound – speechless. The furious man did not snatched her away from her stead, in his anger he just grab her arm for her attention as she was busy talking to his bastard son Jon Snow.
Now, he was sitting at a bench in front of the Inn – speechless, drinking his wine from his skin – lost in his thought. Ned Stark thought about the Hound's childhood, scars, how he was treated like a dog and now when he finally found Leana, she healed him – he was not about to lose everything he ever had.
"You'll be alright, Clegane." Lord Ned Stark sat beside him.
"I can't lose her. I can't," he said in anguish.
Ned Stark unfortunately understood how the men felt. Five years ago Winterfell was sacked by the Lannister.
"You remember five years ago Clegane. Winterfell was sacked by your brother and Tywin Lannister. I was with my wife at the Tully's"
"I was at King's Landing. Yes I know. King Robert heard about it weeks later and the Queen denied her involvement,"
"It would never happen again. Brann become a cripple. I failed my family. It will not happen again. I am truly glad you are here Clegane. Welcome to Winterfell – Winter is coming." He placed his land on The Hound's shoulder.
"Ready your men," Lord Stark left the Hound.
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The rest of their journey was a happy one as far as Leana could remember. Jon noticed there was a slight hitch as Leana wanted to ride on a horse. Her husband and his Lord father said 'no' at the same time.
Jon Snow knew Leana well, she won't give up, she'd beg until she got what she wanted. She didn't look too please. She was about to argue when The Hound took her to her carriage and swiftly lifted her into it, ignoring her pleads. Jon Snow laughed, he saw the Hound kissed her senseless to shut her up then close the carriage door. He is good to her.
Once– only once his Lord father shouted at her because she got dangerously near to the new horses in the stables, after she was told not to. The little nosy five year old saw the war horses arrived, her eyes lit up and she couldn't help herself. She followed her beloved Uncle Ned, Lord Cassell and their men into the stables – after she was repeatedly warned not to!
Little Leana was more shocked at his shouting than the fierce massive war stallions around her; he could hear his father very loud shout of her name before he grabbed and took her outside the stable.
She cried pitifully until Lady Catelyn his stepmother ran to her, thinking she'd been strike by her husband. His stepmother gave his Lord father an angry look as she carried her away in her arms. His cousin Leana was spoilt!
His stepmother, Lady Catelyn Stark loved her dearly like she was her own daughter. She was a cuddly child who could make adults gave her whatever she wanted. When he was a boy, he truly believed that his cousin could get away with murder unless – his Uncle Benjen was there to spank her. Despite of her naughtiness and curiosity he found no malice in her. And she loved him, she told him so many times...
=/n
Winterfell.
It was almost noon by the time they reached Winterfell. Lord Eddard Stark dismounted from his horse and was hugged and kissed by Lady Stark, his wife. "Welcome home Ned."
"You must be pleased with me, Cat," he whispered to her, "I brought her home,"
When Sandor Clegane dismounted from his horse, he approached the carriage; knowing his wife, he was expecting Leana to jump out from it, but she didn't and he saw the reason. Simon, his skinny squire boy was sleeping, his head on her lap.
Leana smiled at him when he opened the carriage door, she placed her finger on her lips, to signal him not to wake the boy up. She gently placed the boy's head on the pillow before she jumped to Sandor's arms. I am home.
First person who greeted her it was her Aunt Catelyn. Lady Catelyn Stark pushed through the crowd and found her beloved niece. She froze for just few seconds as she saw Leana's belly and she saw the Hound standing next to her. She hugged her girl and they both cried.
She told Leana how much she missed her and told her from now on everything would be alright. Leana remembered, "Auntie Cat, this is Sandor Clegane, my husband." She smiled teary eyes.
"Welcome to Winterfell, Sandor Clegane."
"My lady," He bowed to her.
"You are not guests here. You are family." Catelyn Stark looked at the couple.
"Come now! What are you waiting for? Come, follow me. The rest can wait." She ordered them cheerfully, as Leana and she were still in each other's arms walking toward the keep. She was surrounded by her Cousin Arya, Robb, and little Rickon; Brann was carried by Hodor. Even Theon Greyjoy was there.
She was surrounded by hugs and kisses; Robb messed her already messy hair before he kissed her brow and hugged her, "Welcome home, cousin. You are sorely missed." Then he introduced his wife, Lady Talissa and their one year old girl.
It was a merry but busy occasion. Lady Catelyn Stark ordered the servant boys to ready the bigger room at the other side of the keep. She didn't know that the Hound would be coming, the last she heard, it was only Leana. She wanted the couple to have privacy. Arya wasn't too happy with the arrangement because they had prepared a room next to hers for Leana.
Jon Snow took Sandor Clegane to the bath house, along with Robb then followed by their Lord father. Her aunt made her sit on a feather settee by the fire while she waited for her quarter to be readied.
"Are you comfortable Leana? Early supper will be served soon at the dining hall."
"I am comfortable, auntie, thank you." Leana smiled and nodded
Leana was still bombarded by kisses and hugs, her Cousin Arya was knelling by her side – asking lots of questions.
"Arya, stop asking questions, your cousin is tired; Later girl." Lady Catelyn looked at her youngest daughter.
Leana hugged Arya, Lady Catelyn looked at the girls and her eyes welled up and laughed when Arya looked at Leana's stomach and said cheerfully, "It kicked me."
"It's saying hello you, Arya," Leana kissed Arya's head.
Then Arya looked at her belly, "It's the hound's baby?"
"Arya!" her mother shouted at her, "Don't be rude!"
"It's alright, auntie," Leana looked at her aunt.
"Yes, Arya. It's the Hound's baby."
"He looked – scary, his face..." Arya was being honest. Lady Catelyn couldn't believe her ears.
"His face was burned when he was six," Leana told Arya which made Arya cringed.
"He is good to you?"
"Yes."
"And..." Arya wanted to know a lot more about the babe, Casterly Rock, the Hound and King's Landing; before she was cut off by her mother.
"Arya, you are not a child anymore. You are almost fifteen! Enough questions for the day." Lady Catelyn reprimanded her.
Leana was six when baby Arya was borne and she told her father and her Uncle Ned that she was so happy that Arya was a girl – Finally! She had another girl to play with! As she had been playing with boys and she said boys were unruly!
Her Uncle Ned looked as her and laugh, "You are as unruly as the boys, love." Before he picked her up and took her to see baby Arya. She was so pleased when her Aunt Cat made her sit at the edge of the bed and placed Arya in her arms, made her feel so grown up. She said to her Aunt Cat that she wanted to give birth to a baby too.
Leana felt sorry for Arya, she was only six years younger than her, they shared a chamber when they were young. She looked restless "Arya, I live here now. We can talk about anything anytime, alright. And are you still good with your bow and arrows?"
"I am better than Brann." Arya answered proudly.
"That's because she is older than me and I am a cripple now," Brann cut his sister off.
"Brann, you will learn to shot an arrow from a horse."
"Maester Luwin said I could do so,"
"What did I say, now?" Maester Luwin entered the hall. Leana jumped off from the couch, running toward the old man who fixed her blistering feet when she was a child because she hated wearing shoes.
"Leana, please girl, you are with babe!" Lady Catelyn was scared for her niece as she jumped and run toward the old Maester. She was still as lively as ever, she fondly remembered how the little girl used to run into her arms.
Lady Catelyn remembered when she panicked, one particular night; she checked on the girls and found Leana's bed empty. She ran to her husband who then sleepily walked into Benjen's chamber to found the little girl asleep in her father's arms.
She even recalled when little Leana would knocked on their door in the middle of the night; the guard announced 'it's the little ladies, my lord' before her husband opened the door.
Little Leana was dragging half asleep barely three years old Arya with her, said to her husband that there were big scary monsters under their beds and politely asked if she could sleep with them. Her Lord husband picked them up and throws them in their bed and Leana would squeal cheerfully.
While Arya fell asleep right away in her arm, Leana was in her husband's arm, she kept talking about the scary monsters under their beds, until her husband said that if she did not sleep right away, he'd make the monsters came and kiss her good night. Leana gasped, cover her mouth with her hand and finally shut up...
"Maester Luwin! I miss you," she ran to his opened arms. She saw the old man eyes glistened with tears.
"The last time I saw you...I plucked a bee from your palm...now, look at you now. You are about to become a mother, "he looked at her proudly. "You are home, girl."
"Leana, last month we have four dire wolf pups – I am taking you and Sandor tomorrow to see the pups. You can have them all." Little Rickon spoke up. Not wanting to miss out.
Leana laughed as she kissed her cousins. Lady Catelyn looked at her girls and boys, they were all happy. She just wanted to be happy tonight, undisturbed by worries of war and their safety, just for one night she didn't want to think about anything else and what to be of their future. Her husband gave a look which she knew something wasn't right, she'd found out soon enough...
TBC
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