The journey down to storms end had taken longer than Nieva could have ever imagined. Not only did they have to find horses to accommodate Sansa and Theon but they also had to take the longest possible road down to avoid any runs ins with Bolton, Frey or Lannister soldiers. It had been a tiresome month and a half.

They were now only a few days away from the Storm lands and already Nieva could see the tallest tower of Storms End that made her heart drop into her stomach.

Grenn had began to notice the change in Nieva's behaviour, the closer they got to the Storm Lands the more anxious she became, she'd almost stopped eating entirely and was only sleeping in small doses. Sansa had told him she always got like that when she was worried about something and that it would pass in a couple of days once they were in the Storm Lands and away from Tyrell and Lannister Lands.

Nieva felt a sense of dread wash over her every she looked towards what would be her new home and saw the green flag flying in the wind with the Baratheon logo of the stag it was again different to the one she was used to but she remembered seeing it briefly upon the letter her Uncle had sent her before his death. Would the people accept her as their leader if she was unmarried. She knew how well like her Uncle Renly was when he was the Lord.

It was night fall when they finally reached the edge of the Reach and entered into the Storm Lands. Rickon was already fast asleep against Nieva when Grenn decided that they would stop for camp.

Nieva was glad that they were now in the South and there was no need for a fire at night time to keep them warm as a fire would have given them away in the Westerlands. She set Rickon down to sleep besides Sansa before she walked over to the fallen log that was closest to the Castle.

Just the sheer size of it alone was making Nieva shake with nerves.

Her eyes slowly drifted up from the great keep of Storms End up to the stars that littered the sky above her.

"Uncle Ned" she whispered out into the darkness. "If you can hear me, I really need you right now" tears began to sting her eyes and her throat constricted a little. "I'm so scared and I...I don't know what to do. I thought I was ready for this, but I'm not...it shouldn't be me, it should have been Shireen or..." Nieva tried hard to think of the boy her Uncle Stannis had mentioned at Dragonstone, the one who had been her Uncle Roberts bastard but the name had long gone from her mind. "I'm not sure if I can do this. Robb was always the leader, I was the strategist. What if I'm not good enough? What if..." She had to stop herself from sobbing a loud in case she woke any of the others. "What if I get people killed?"

The warm breeze licked at her skin softly, it was a type of warmth she wasn't used to but it was comforting none the less.

"Nieva?" Theon's voice broke through the silence as he stood from where he had been laying upon the ground "Who are you talking to?" Her Uncles old ward asked with a small frown.

"Anyone who'll listen" she replied with a small hint of a smile as Theon sat down upon the log beside her.

She moved away from him a little, still not entirely comfortable being so close to him after everything that had happened.

"You were talking to him weren't you" Theon's eyes showed an emotion that Nieva had rarely ever seen in the young man when they were children. Guilt. "Lord Eddard"

The sound of her Uncles name sent a small shiver down her spine as her heart gave a painful lurch.

"I thought it would help, but the dead can't hear us" Nieva replied with a small shrug.

"I do that too sometimes" Theon said so softly Nieva almost missed it. "I talk to Robb as if he was still stood in front of me"

Hearing her cousins name fall from the lips of the man who betrayed him the most made the hair on Nieva's arms stand up as her entire body filled with a calm rage. Theon sensing the change in Nieva's emotions backed down instantly.

"I know you can never fully forgive me for what I done...I can never forgive myself" Theon spoke not daring to look at Nieva as he kept his eyes upon the dark sky above them. Nieva could see the tears that were running down his cheeks. "I swear to you, if I could go back and change that day when I would...but I can't. I hate myself for betraying Robb, I hate myself for hurting you and this family"

"What did Ramsey do to you?" Nieva asked her face frowned in confusion.

This made Theon flinch visibly.

"Theon" Nieva's tone became concerned as she saw the terrified look in Theons eyes. "You can tell me" She slowly and cautiously reached out and covered on of his shaking hands with hers.

"H...horrible things" Theon stuttered out, his entire frame shaking in fear. Nieva felt a pang of protectiveness over the young boy she used to know, the one who taught her archery and helped her wield a sword. But her hatred for the man he'd become stopped her from reaching out and embracing him.

"You're right, I can't forgive you Theon...not yet, but as much as it kills me to admit it, you're still part of this family" Nieva said as Theon hanged his head in shame and stared at the ground. Nieva scooted closer to him on the log and used her hand under his chin to turn his head to face her. "That means, I promise you that Ramsey will never hurt you again, not while I live"

"I'm sorry Nieva" Theon broke into a sob. "I'm so sorry"

"Don't just say you're sorry Theon" Nieva replied putting a hand upon his shoulder. "I want you to prove that you're sorry by helping me find my cousins and bringing this family back together"

"I promise, whatever you ask of me I'll do it" Theon replied with a nod of his head. Nieva leaned back with a sigh.

"What if they don't except me?" She asked turning her gaze back up to the stars above them. "The people of the Storm Lands"

"They'd be stupid not to" Theon shrugged. "You're a good leader Nieva, I've seen it first hand"

"I'm female Theon, and unmarried" Nieva sighed. "My head is wanted by four different people, the moment news of my where abouts is released we'll have another war on our hands"

"It's nothing you cannot handle, I've seen you run Winterfell since you were twelve years old" Theon replied.

"I always had Robb to fall back on" Nieva reminded him. "Now I'm completely on my own"

Theon knew nothing else he could say would help in this situation, because she was right. No one could help her this time, she was alone.

"Get back to sleep Theon, we leave at first light" Nieva said standing from the log and making her way closer to the darkness that surrounded them.


There was a brisk air around the Storm Lands that surprised Nieva slightly, it was no where near as cold as she was used to but it still bit lightly at any exposed parts of her skin in a calm and comforting way. Her rational mind told her that the change in climate was due to the sea air changing, but the Northern part of her soul told her that it was caused by the winter that was slowly creeping upon them.

Nieva had still not slept when Grenn awoke the following morning, to the nights watch members surprise she'd already hunted down three rabbits and an owl which were all now being stewed above the fire she had built. She had a quiver full of new arrows that she made herself during the night. She'd sharpened her sword to the point where she could not touch the blade without it slicing her skin. She almost looked like she was preparing for a battle.

Sansa and Theon awoke not long after Grenn had, the three of them all too happy to tuck into the warm meal Nieva had provided. Rickon on the other hand was not so content about being woken so early and whined the full way through eating about how tired he was. Grenn assured him he could sleep once they were back on the road.

Nieva felt her heart racing in her chest as they reached the large iron gates of Storms End. She could see the people staring towards her as she rode up toward them. The castle seemed much smaller than she remembered but was still a good bit bigger than Winterfell.

Before they entered the gate Nieva made everyone stop and regroup.

"What's wrong? Why aren't we going in?" Sansa asked with a frown of confusion at seeing the panicked look upon her cousins face.

"We need to blend in for now" Nieva said removing her small Baratheon pin from her cloak.

"What? But Nieva we came all this way..." Grenn began to argue but Nieva cut him off

"I know what we came here to do Grenn, but cannot proclaim myself Lady yet! I have no army, no support! Grenn I don't know these people and they do not know me! I need to know their ways if I am to rule them! This is going to take time" Mieva snapped.

"She's right" Theon replied. "We need an army before Storms End is hers. The moment the Lannisters and the Freys find out she's taken back Storms End it will be a blood bath"

"So we blend in, leave all Northern clothes at the door" Nieva replied shrugging off her large cloak in replace for her smaller one.

Sansa looked as if she was going to argue but one look in her cousins eyes and she backed down from her fight. She may have grown to be a she wolf, but Nieva was born one, Sansa knew she would not win.

They abandoned their Northern clothing, something Nieva believed that the horse were grateful for as Frost seemed to move more freely without the weight of hers and Rickons cloaks slowing him down.

Storms End was busier and noisier than Nieva had ever expected. Blacksmiths hammering away on anvils, children running and laughing through the small stalls, the horses in the stables were whining and grunting.

They dismounted and decided to explore the place on foot, deciding to try and find a local inn to spend their time before Nieva revealed herself.

The full journey Nieva could feel the older generation of people around them staring towards her like they'd seen a ghost of some sort.

"She looked like Lady Jocelyn" a female whisper came from the left of them making the hair on the back of Nieva's neck stand up. Now she knew why they were staring, they thought she was her mother.

Slowly more and more people stopped and joined in the crowd that was watching them.

"Some of these men were in my Uncle Stannis' army, they must have fled before the Boltons slaughtered the rest" Nieva whispered to Grenn as she spotted a few familiar faces among the crowd who suddenly began to part a head of them making more nervous and anxious as she clutched Rickon to her, someone important was obviously approaching them.

A man who looked incredibly familiar to her was making his way towards them in a pace that made Nieva reach for the hilt of her sword.

"Lady Nieva!" The man called over catching the attention of those around them Nieva stopped dead out of fear, she had not expected someone to actually recognise her, nor announce her true identity to the full castle. "Lady Nieva, thank the gods you are safe"

People around them began to stare and whisper amongst themselves and nodding as if they were confirming their suspicions. A few even approached to see what the rumble of noise was about.

"We have been waiting so long for you to return, a true born Stag...or Doe" The man smiled as he finally reached Nieva and kissed her hand gently.

"I remember you, you were the guard I met my first night in DragonStone" Nieva smiled as she suddenly realised why the man seemed so familiar.

"I was your Uncle Stannis' guard until the end my lady, he told me to come here and protect Storms End from the Lannisters, they have been relenting in their attacks upon the place but thankfully we've been able to hold them off for now" The man replied before he looked around at the crowd that had gathered around them.

"Lady Nieva has returned to us, she is the last true Baratheon, the one true Stag" The man's voice echoed, silencing the place around them. "She has come to take her place as the Lady of Storms End, she had come home"

The entire crowd was looking at Nieva with varied expressions of emotion, some with joy and relief, others with distrust and anger.

"Why did you come here?" An unknown voice shouted up from the crowd around them. "You are wanted by the Lannisters, if they find out you're here they'll attack with force"

"They are the reason why I came here!" Nieva shouted back. "I know we do not have the men or the swords, but when have the people of the Storm Lands ever been intimidated by people from the Westerlands. Baratheons do not bend to Lannisters! Storms End had always been in the Baratheon family, Tommen is not a true Baratheon! My Uncle Renly discovered this and named me as his heir before he died! Queen Cersei will deny this and try to claim Storms End for her own gain but I assure you of the Lannisters think that they can dig their claws in and take away the place of my mothers birth, they will pay dearly and they will play with blood!"