Chapter 15: The Pack Survives and Thrives

This is more than anything a transition chapter that will show a bit more of this version of House Stark and the support characters. Also this serves as a 'meanwhile' scenario for the situation in Winterfell after seeing what is happening in King's Landing.

Many of the issues of this chapter may feel like coming out of nowhere but it would better cement the state for future chapters.

-.

Bran Stark, 298 AC –Winterfell

It had been several days since he had open his eyes but part of him felt as if he was still in a dream or more precisely a nightmare.

The world in which he had woken up was very different from the one he remembered: His father was gone, now in King's landing serving as the new hand of the King; his sisters Sansa and Arya were gone as well alongside their cousin Nisai Glacies who had departed to accompany them and in Winterfell his big brother Robb was no longer the young boy training in the yard with a dull blade, he wore the mask of the Lord of Winterfell with a steel sword resting by his belt, and the ancestral valyrian sword of House Stark Ice on his back, his eyes solemn and sharp just like those of their father when passing judgment or attending court. And above all he had lost his legs, he could feel nothing below the belt; part of him wondered if it would have been better to have died in the fall rather than live as a broken cripple.

Yet some issues remained the same, the very first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was the figure of his mother resting fast sleep on a chair next to his bed; there were no words to describe how happy he was to see her after what it felt like a long time in the darkness.

When he call to her, she awoke from her own sleep, staring at him for a long minute before squealing with happiness and jumping to hug him so hard that he felt as if she would strangle him, yet she smiled and weep in immense relief.

Even though the behavior of his mother was puzzling, he was expecting to hear her scolding him for climbing and almost dying in the process; but she never did and she seemed distressed by his amnesia. He remembered nothing of his fall, only that he had started climbing the Broken Tower, when he heard something in one of the rooms near the top…then darkness.

The Broken Tower from where he had fell down was not really broken despite its name; it was the tallest guard tower in Winterfell standing above even the New Keep, despite its age his father had it repaired and refurbished but the layer of white stone and mortar placed above the old withered and darken stone made it looked as if a crack had cut it in half then they had stich it back together, so the inhabitants of Winterfell have never ceased to call it the Broken Tower.

The Old Keep was mostly used as the dorms and household for the servants of Winterfell but the Broken Tower was rarely occupied; only during meetings of the Boreal Conclaves or festivals when it was used to host servants of important guests or others.

As a result it had become one of his favorite climbing places in the castle, when he was at the summit of the tower he felt as he was at the very top of the realm; with the entire castle and Winter City extending beneath him and the fields of the North spreading in every direction up to the horizon.

His dreams troubled him nevertheless: in one of those dreams he saw a beautiful grey she wolf with golden eyes dying with a cut on the neck, her eyes looked sad and filled with sorrow as red leafs fell around her like tears of blood what was strange was that the wolf looked familiar then from his brother's lips he heard about Lady's death in the King's road and knew for certain that the wolf he had seen in his dreams had been Sansa's wolf. It filled him with dread and uncertainty: how it was possible that he had seen lady's death before even hearing about it, according to his grandmother it was possible that he had hear the whispers of the troubles in the King's road while in coma and his mind did the rest… but deep inside he knew there was something else calling him and trying to tell him something.

Yet that had not been his weirdest dream, during his slumber he dreamed of a giant white dragon with crimson red eyes flying over a frozen land, and in the back of the dragon ridding the enormous beast was a man dressed all in black, it was his brother Jon Snow…

But above all else what troubled him more were the words of that voice in the dream and that three eyed raven whose eyes watched him as if studying him.

You have to wake up Bran…because winter is coming

The door of his room opened breaking him of his thoughts, as Theon Greyjoy his father's ward came in followed by Hodor.

"Your brother and mother demand your presence in the Great Hall" he began. "It's time for the trial"

"I understand" he answered stretching his arms out of the bed. "Hodor take me to the hall" he ordered.

The simpleton giant carried him in his strong arms and placed him in the wheel chair that the craftsmen from the engineer's guild have built for him, it helped him move from place to place and maintain an aura of regalia, yet still could not hide the fact that his owner was a cripple.

Hodor carry him in the wheel chair like a backpack down the stairway and once in the lower floor he pushed him to the hall.

The Great hall was packed even though the guests have not yet arrived; at the dais sat the active lord of Winterfell his brother Robb in the winter throne; with their mother and grandmother next to him. Maester Luwin, Ser Rodrik, Governor Woods, High Scholar Reed and Prime Druid Louis Herros sat in the lower table with their place as counselors. His mother smiled when she saw him arriving, Hodor sat him in the chair to the left of Robb who sat in the throne of his ancestors, while his mother and grandmother sat at the right side of Robb.

Then the doors of the Great Hall opened and the guests came through; a dozen praetorian guards with their heavy plate armors wearing the white bat in a purple sky of House Nocturna escorted a young ugly man in chains. Bran gulped upon seeing the prisoner, he had beaten nearly to death, with several missing teeth and a swollen up purple eye.

The guests representing both sides of the trial took their seats:

-At the right side of the hall were the representatives of Houses Nocturna, Glover and Forrester: leading them was Lord Eldric Nocturna who eyed the prisoner with contempt, the man in chains flinched upon seeing his gaze on him; Lord Galbart Glover the Master of Deepwood Motte was next to him with Lord Gregor Forrester of Ironwrath sat next to him.

-At the opposite side was the fat and angry Lord Ludd Whitehill of Sharp Point sat next to the heir of his liege lord; Domeric Bolton who was accompanied by Bran's cousin Serana Stark now lady of the Dreadfort after marrying to Domeric. Serana his cousin was most certainly one of the most beautiful women of the North, with a lighter complexion of dark skin inherited from her mother, that almost looked golden in appearance making a beautiful match to his light brown hair that was near blonde, and her eyes were of a pale grey that looked like two silver coins, her stomach was swollen in clear sign of being on the first stages of pregnancy.

The issue was simple: they were to decide the fate of Gryff Whitehill and his companions who had interrupted a wedding and broke into the home of House Nocturna uninvited. Also Gryff had openly attacked Lord Eldric without provocation; his house wanted the Whitehill man's head.

"Well let's begin" Robb declared in the voice of the 'lord' not the voice of the 'brother'.

"My lord, this is all just…" Gryff Whitehill began but was interrupted.

"You shall speak when spoken to, Lord Gryff" his grandmother Lady Kaina stated, her golden eyes cold and sharp.

"I apologize for my idiot son Lord Stark, my lords and ladies" the accused's father retorted, with a conciliatory tone. "I shall not mince words, my son must answer for his reckless and deranged actions; I will like to propose for my son to take the black in order to atone for his crimes"

"What?" the prisoner ranted, his face in pure disbelieve. "Father…no…you cannot allow this…"

One of the praetorian guards hit him in the stomach shutting him up, Bran flinched at the violence. "Quiet bastard" the guard ordered.

"House Nocturna will not protest against that solution" Eldric Nocturna answered. "With winter coming sooner or later and the wildlings gathering strength under this new king beyond the wall the Watch will need every man it can get; but our grievances will only be settle if House Whitehill pays in either coin or in service for the insult at my weeding"

Domeric Bolton the heir of the Dreadfort stood up and spoke up.

"House Nocturna is one of the richest houses in the Seven Kingdoms I am sure that you don't need the few coins that House Whitehill may be able to pay you" the young lord spoke, he held a smile on his face but his voice was completely devoid of emotion.

Domeric was shorter yet a little older than Robb about Theon Greyjoy's age; his eyes were of a cold grey more like filthy water than the silver blue-grey of the Starks. He was handsome in a way, more slender than muscular unlike Robb or Eldric Nocturna; with black hair and pale skin the very opposite of his wife. Bran had seen him a few times training in the yard with Robb, Jon and Theon when he came to visit Winterfell with his father, he was decent with a sword but he was better with a long halberd held with both hands; he was also a remarkable rider even better than Jon or Nisai.

"We have heard in the Dreadfort about your plan to improve the infrastructure of House Forrester's land and the villages in the proximity of the Wolfswood" Domeric Bolton began. "As a way to improve the relations between Houses Forrester and Whitehill and cool tensions between both families I propose a solution" he stated and took a depth breath.

"House Whitehill and Bolton could provide a group of workers, builders and engineers to aid in the work; perhaps even through their support they can accelerate the process and finish the improvements on the villages' infrastructure before the changing of the seasons" he made a pause looking at Robb. "As our noble host's is fond of saying winter is coming and struggles such as this, moved by petty rivalries do not benefit our nation".

"I agree with you Lord Bolton" Robb conceded rising to his feet looking at the prisoner and his father with sharp cold eyes. "Lord Ludd do you oppose these terms?" he asked the accused's father.

"No, my lord, I consider these terms agreeable" Lord Ludd conceded looking at the ground, while his son looked completely distressed, an expression of betrayal on his face; as Robb turned his attention towards him.

"Gryff Whitehill in the name of King Robert of House Baratheon; King of the andals, the first men, the terrans and the rhoynar; lord of the Seven Kingdoms and protector of the realm, I Robb Stark active Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North sentence you to take the black in order to pay for your crimes"

The man looked at Robb with absolute loathing, but flinched and expressed terror when his brother's wolf Greywind moved to the front and began to growl aggressively at him.

"Lord Ludd you will provide workers to support the operation in the Wolfswood conducted by Houses Nocturna and Forrester" Robb added looking at the lord of Highpoint. "If there is any other issue or objection?" he asked around the room; no one spoke.

"Then this trial is adjourned" he declared. The guards then escorted the prisoner outside as the rest of the guests left as well with the Nocturnas and their Forrester friends leaving first.

-.

The next day much more interesting visits came to Winterfell; his granduncle Kalinos Glacies returned alongside a group of black brothers and the dwarf Tyrion Lannister.

Robb was seated in their Father's high seat, wearing ringmail and boiled leather and the stern face of Robb the Lord. Theon Greyjoy and Hallis Mollen stood behind him and their mother and grandmother were sat at the right. A dozen guardsmen lined the grey stone walls beneath tall narrow windows. In the center of the room the dwarf stood with his servants, and four strangers in the black of the Night's Watch. Bran could sense the anger in the hall the moment that Hodor carried him through the doors.

"Lord Tyrion, brother good to have you back" his grandmother spoke first with a smile on his aging face. "How was your trip to the Wall?" she asked.

"I would say the Wall is a sight to behold and my experience there was truly life changing" Tyrion Lannister spoke in a somber tone, looking at the ground with a troubled expression.

Bran looked back at her grandmother who shared a short glace with her half-brother Kalinos, their matching golden eyes telling more than any word could.

"In any case Lord Tyrion, Lord Kalinos and honorable members of the Night's Watch you are welcome to stay in Winterfell for as long as you wish" his mother Lady Catelyn spoke in a cordial tone, but her voice held none of the usual warm she held for everyone, and he looked at the Lannister dwarf with a gaze frostier than the very lands beyond the Wall.

"Have you heard about the troubles on the King's road Lord Tyrion?" she asked the dwarf.

"Yes, my lady I apologize in the name of my family for the actions of my idiot nephew" the little man seemed honest in his answer. "Nevertheless, I am glad to hear that your husband and daughters have arrived at the capital without any other issue" he smiled at the three Starks who looked at him as you would look at a rat that has attempted to take a bite of one of your toes.

Then the dwarf turned towards Bran a gentle smile on his face.

"So it is true, the boy lives. I could scarcely believe it. You Starks are hard to kill."

"You Lannisters had best remember that," Robb said, lowering his sword. "Hodor, bring my brother here."

"Hodor," Hodor said, and he trotted forward smiling and set Bran in the high seat of the Starks, where the Lords of Winterfell had sat since the days when they called themselves the Kings in the North. The seat was cold stone, polished smooth by countless bottoms; the carved heads of direwolves snarled on the ends of its massive arms. Bran clasped them as he sat, his useless legs dangling. The great seat made him feel half a baby.

Robb put a hand on his shoulder. "You said you had business with Bran. Well, here he is, Lannister."

"I am told you were quite the climber, Bran," the little man said at last. "Tell me, how is it you happened to fall that day?"

"I never," Bran insisted. He never fell, never, never, ever.

"The child does not remember anything of the fall, or the climb that came before it," said Maester Luwin gently. "Curious" said Tyrion Lannister.

"My brother is not here to answer questions, Lannister" Robb said curtly. "Do your business and be on your way."

"I have a gift for you," the dwarf said to Bran. "Do you like to ride, boy?"

Maester Luwin came forward. "My lord, the child has lost the use of his legs. He cannot sit a horse."

"Nonsense," said Lannister. "With the right horse and the right saddle, even a cripple can ride."

The word was a knife through Bran's heart. He felt tears come unbidden to his eyes. "I'm not a cripple!"

"Then I am not a dwarf," the dwarf said with a twist of his mouth. "My father will rejoice to hear it." Greyjoy laughed while Kalinos Glacies smirked.

"What sort of horse and saddle are you suggesting?" Maester Luwin asked.

"A smart horse," Lannister replied. "The boy cannot use his legs to command the animal, so you must shape the horse to the rider; teach it to respond to the reins, to the voice. I would begin with an unbroken yearling, with no old training to be unlearned." He drew a rolled paper from his belt. "Give this to your saddler. He will provide the rest."

Maester Luwin took the paper from the dwarf's hand, curious as a small grey squirrel. He unrolled it, studied it. "I see. You draw nicely, my lord. Yes, this ought to work. I should have thought of this myself."

"It came easier to me, Maester. It is not terribly unlike my own saddles."

"Will I truly be able to ride?" Bran asked. He wanted to believe them, but he was afraid.

Perhaps it was just another lie. The crow had promised him that he could fly.

"You will," the dwarf told him. "And I swear to you, boy, on horseback you will be as tall as any of them."

Robb Stark seemed puzzled. "Is this some trap, Lannister? What's Bran to you? Why should you want to help him?"

"Your brother Jon asked it of me. And I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples and bastards and broken things." Tyrion Lannister placed a hand over his heart and grinned.

The door to the yard flew open. Sunlight came streaming across the hall as Rickon burst in, breathless followed by several guards. The direwolves were with him. The boy stopped by the door, wide-eyed, but the wolves came on. Their eyes found the Lannister's guest, or perhaps they caught his scent. Summer began to growl first. Grey Wind picked it up. They padded toward the little man, one from the right and one from the left.

"The wolves do not like your smell, Lannister" Theon Greyioy commented.

"Perhaps it's time I took my leave," Tyrion said. He took a step backward… and Shaggydog came out of the shadows behind him, snarling. Lannister recoiled, and Summer lunged at him from the other side. He reeled away, unsteady on his feet, and Grey Wind snapped at his arm, teeth ripping at his sleeve and tearing loose a scrap of cloth.

"No!" Bran shouted from the high seat as Lannister's men reached for their steel. "Summer, here. Summer, to me!"

The direwolf heard the voice, glanced at Bran, and again at Lannister. He crept backward, away from the little man, and settled down below Bran's dangling feet.

Robb had been holding his breath. He let it out with a sigh and called, "Grey Wind." His direwolf moved to him, swift and silent. Now there was only Shaggydog, rumbling at the small man, his eyes burning like green fire.

"Rickon, call him," Bran shouted to his baby brother, and Rickon remembered himself and screamed, "Home, Shaggy, home now." The black wolf gave Lannister one final snarl and bounded off to Rickon, who hugged him tightly around the neck.

Tyrion Lannister undid his scarf, mopped at his brow, and said in a flat voice, "How interesting."

"Are you well, my lord?" asked one of his men, his sword in hand. He glanced nervously at the direwolves as he spoke.

"My sleeve is torn and my breeches are unaccountably damp, but nothing was harmed save my dignity."

Even Robb looked shaken. "The wolves… I don't know why they did that…"

"No doubt they mistook me for dinner." Lannister bowed stiffly to Bran. "I thank you for calling them off, young ser. I promise you, they would have found me quite indigestible. And now I will be leaving, truly."

"A moment, my lord," Maester Luwin said. He moved to Robb and they huddled close together, whispering. Bran tried to hear what they were saying, but their voices were too low.

Robb Stark nodded in silence. "Lord Tyrion… I may have been hasty with you," he said.

"You've done Bran a kindness and, well…" Robb composed himself with an effort. "The hospitality of Winterfell is yours if you wish it, Lannister."

"Spare me your false courtesies, boy. You do not love me and you do not want me here. There are several inns outside your walls, in the Winter City. I'll find a bed there, and both of us will sleep easier. For a few coppers I may even find a comely wench to warm the sheets for me." He spoke to one of the black brothers, an old man with a twisted back and a tangled beard. "Yoren, we go south at daybreak. You will find me on the road, no doubt." With that he made his exit, struggling across the hall on his short legs, past Rickon and the guards and out the door; his men followed.

Once the Lannister and his men were out; the members of the family exchanged gazes: Robb with their mother and Lady Kaina with her brother.

"Kalinos with me" the old woman ordered, leaving the hall her half-brother following suit.

Catelyn Stark instead turned towards Bran. "Hodor take my son to his room, I will go with you" then she looked at his older brother. "Robb take Rickon and go prepare yourself for the Manderly's visit" she ordered; Robb gulped and nodded, Bran couldn't help but smirk at his brother's expression.

Hodor climbed the steps towards his room with Bran in his arms like a baby, Lady Catelyn following them.

-.

Once he was back in his bed his mother ordered everyone out of his room and sat next to him.

"So is it true that Robb is to marry a Manderly girl?" he asked. "I heard it from the servants" he added.

"Yes, your grandmother, your lord father and most members of the Boreal Conclave have been discussing it for months; even before the King's visit" she explained before taking a deep breath.

"Your brother is practically a man full grown and as the future lord of Winterfell he is meant to marry and have children sooner than later; with your sister Sansa's betrothal to the Crown Prince" he could see his mother somehow suppressed a scowl upon speaking of the royal family. "The rest of the lords of the North are pushing hard for their own marriage offers. And they feel like they were overlooked in the last generation with your father's matrimony with me and your aunt Lyanna's betrothal with Robert Baratheon"

"The lords of the North have served House Stark with valor and honor; they deserve to be rewarded for their loyalty and with House Manderly being the wealthiest House of the North, we have accepted Lord Wyman's offer"

"What about the rest of the houses? Wouldn't they feel cross if they are overlooked in favor of the Manderlys; wasn't an offer of Lord Karstark to have his daughter Alya married to Robb?" Bran asked.

His mother smiled it looked as if her eyes were about to be fill with tears, she looked at him and for a brief moment he could see her eyes aiming at his legs. "You are a sweet and attentive boy Bran" she said with pride.

"Alys yes the daughter of Lord Rickard Karstark, she is now betrothed with the Hornwood heir" his mother explained.

"As for the rest of the houses of the North, many of them can be placated through marriages with other heirs amongst our allies in the other kingdoms while the most powerful houses of the North have already been appeased: Lord Bolton's heir is married to your cousin Serana, your grandmother was a Nocturna and Lord Umber means to marry his youngest son to your cousin Miranda"

"I see" he muttered, surprised that his mother was being so honest with him about everything.

Then she approached him and put a hand on his legs, he felt nothing, not warm, not cold, nothing. He could see that his mother was doing her best effort to hold back tears.

"Bran I know that you feel weak and helpless, but you are not, you are not alone, you have your entire family, your wolf and the entire North with you. You might be a Stark but through your veins runs the blood of the Tullys of Riverrun and you know our words"

"Family, duty and honor" he muttered.

"Yes" she said with a smile. "Always remember them:"

"Family is our greatest strength, wolves are stronger when they stand as one, as a single pack, you Bran are never alone, and whatever challenges you may face, you shall carry our strength with you. Duty is both a chain as it is an armor; as a Stark you have a duty to the North; we have a duty to others, to those that choose to put their trust in us and those that don't. And finally honor is also a form of duty; it is the duty to oneself, the duty to carry ourselves with pride, honesty and wisdom; to hold our heads high" she put her hands covered in bandages over his cheeks.

"I love yoy my summer child, never forget it and never give up" she stated with deep love in her voice.

Bran nodded, as she kissed her in the brow. She is right, I will not give up, I am not dead, I am not broken, I might not be able to walk, run or stand but I still have my mind and my strength as well as mother, grandmother, Robb and uncles Kalinos and Benjen to help me. I have to be strong for Rickon, he is barely more than a baby; I will not let these wounds break me.

-.

Kalinos Glacies, 298 AC –Winterfell

"I still can't believe that you allow Nisai to travel to King's landing" Kalinos practically ranted to his sister. "King's landing? That snake pit, the lion's den itself?"

"I know Kal" she massaged her temples and for a single moment Kalinos realized just how old and fragile his once iron willed older half-sister.

"Kaia please, she is your granddaughter and she is like a daughter to me, a sister to Daresa, Lionel and Andreus; if something were to happen to her… my wife would skin me alive"

She smiled at that, she moved her hand through the table and hold his own hand, her finger were old and skinny filled with wrinkles but they still held some strength as she gripped his hand.

"Ohh Kal, you were always the sharpest of us" she smiled. "You know, when our father fell for your mother and took her as a lover, I deeply resented him and hated her for usurping my mother's place in a way, but Damian approached me and told me that I had every right to do that, but that our father had every right to be happy again. I could not understand that until Rickard died, he was not a perfect husband but he was a damned good man, a true lord of the North, I miss him still"

"Yet not even as much as I miss my children; my strong and bullheaded Brandon and my beautiful and wild nature Lyanna. I see her every time I look at Jon or Nisai" she nearly wept.

It had been a while since Kalinos Glacies had seen her sister cry, in truth it was the first, as a child Kal had always feared the much older woman; she was more than twenty years old when he was only a young five name days old whelp, she had always looked at him with some sort of mistrust or dislike while her brother and sister Damian and Mirala the other daughter of Lord Nocturna always treated him with kindness and respect. And now the three of them were old and far away from each other: one brother in the Wall and a sister on the other side of the Narrow Sea. And all I have left is the one sister who didn't like me very much… I wonder how Jon feels about Sansa? Perhaps the same as Kal felt, no one choses their family and in the end Kal had been luckier than most when born on the wrong side of the blanked.

The Andals and the faith of the Seven proclaimed that bastards were born from lust, lies, and weakness and as such, they are said to be wanton and treacherous by nature; they constantly used the Blackfyre Rebellions as an example, forgetting that half the realm supported Daemon Blackfyre against his brother King Daeron 'the good'; in Kal's experience men and women with ambition and thirst for power didn't need an excuse to try to fulfill their dreams.

Because of the stigma bastards had to deal with, they were said to grow up faster than trueborn children. Even after being legitimized, bastards will usually have considerable difficulty in removing the stigma of having been bastard-born.

In the North Glacies was the surname applied to natural born children outside marriage who were recognized by their parents and were inducted into the Glacies Clan, as some sort of middle term between bastard hood and true born children of nobility. Terran philosophy placed the value of someone in their choices and actions instead of their birth and most northerners have adopted that set of values, so bastards even those born with the name Snow were much better treated than in other kingdoms, also they were in possession of something that many of their trueborn siblings lacked: freedom, the free will to decide their own fates and build a life for their own, just like Kalinos Glacies had done it.

"What is that I heard about a weeding?" Kalinos finally asked.

His sister smiled at that. "There will be a meeting of the Boreal Conclave tomorrow as it was planned, after it we will celebrate the weeding of my grandson and Lord Wyman's eldest granddaughter Lady Wynafryd Manderly"

The wheels in Kal's mind began to turn; the marriage proposal between Robb and Wynafryd has been discussed for months. It was a golden union; House Manderly was the third greatest house in the North and one of the wealthiest in the Seven Kingdoms. White Harbor was after King's landing the largest port in western shore of Westeros, handling most of the trade with Essos regarding their exports of timber, fur, whale oil, steel, ivory and silk; also the city guarded western entrance to the Great Northern Channel, the Manderly's wealth was nearly a match to that of the Hightowers of Oldtown.

They were also one of the most loyal and respected bannermen of House Stark he could see the political prestige and stability born from that union, yet for Kal there was a concerning issue that troubled him. The marriage brought no new allies to the North and seeing as things were brewing both north of the Wall and South of the Neck Kal was certain they would need as much help as possible.

He voiced his concern to Kaina and to his absolute surprise she began to laugh.

"And who would you have my grandson married to? A Frey?" she smirked. "This marriage will represent a future of stability for the North"

"What does Lady Catelyn and Lord Eddard think?" he asked. "What about the rest of the conclave? The provost council said anything?"

Every meeting of the Boreal Conclave signaled a substantial milestone for the history of the North, important subjects were discussed and joint projects pushed forward by all the houses and guilds of the North; through that mindset of one people, one nation the kingdom had managed to maintain a constant stream of progress even through several hard and long winters.

The freeholds worked together with the different guilds and noble houses with the aid of the scholars from the University and the academy. Scholars just like maesters were the intellectual force of the realm and they performed their duties through a simple yet efficient hierarchy:

Young men and women who had just entered the University and haven't yet passed the admittance test were known as neophytes, when they passed the tests and chose a scholar track were call adepts. After completing the entire career track and finishing their specialization as one of the five tracks they were finally honored with the rank of boreal scholars alongside their corresponding title: alchemist, healer, engineer, custodian or druid. Those that finished further specializations like advanced metallurgy for engineers or alchemists; or herbalism for healers were known as master scholars.

The elder scholars who served as high ranking councilors of powerful lords or teachers at the University and Academy were those that completed the careers of several tracks and just like maesters with their chains had multiple medallions hanging by their necks receiving the title of High Scholars upon receiving at least three medallions. They hold immense knowledge regarding engineering, mathematics, history, philosophy and even art.

Yet the highest amongst the scholars were the heads of each academic track and de facto leaders of each of their orders. They were the eldest scholars who have completed their specializations and maintain a long track record of success and honorary service through their lives. They formed the Provost Council composed by five people who had received the titles of Prime Engineer, Prime Alchemist, Prime Healer, Prime Custodian and Prime Druitt.

The Provost Council in a way served as a similar institution to that of the Archmaester Conclave of the Citadel; overseeing their career tracks and supporting any project that requested the aid of the University and its associated guilds.

"The scholars' main concern now is the same as most of the North: The winter" she explained. "The observatory and the astronomy order are forecasting a long grueling winter" she said in a much somber tone.

"Speaking of winter I need to speak with you about the troubles brewing in the North; we had some troubles back in Castle Black" his sister looked at him troubled.

He took a deep breath and began to tell the story of the monster in the castle's morgue, the aging lady Kaina stood quiet as he spoke; but her eyes shone with fear and concern when he showed her the ice forged blade that was like pure glass his brother had given him alongside the one made of the ancient valyrian steel.

"So Jon and Lord Tyrion were witnesses of the event as well" she pondered. "Maybe we can use this to our advantage, you should accompany him to King's landing, we have a reliable witness and evidence now, even Robert Baratheon and Tywin Lannister would not be able to deny the cold winds rising north of the Wall"

Kal sighed, she made a very good point, the king and lord Eddard needed to know about this, but he didn't feel right by abandoning his family for gods knew how long, he voiced his concerns to her.

"Then go spend the night with your wife and children, speak with them and pack your things" she made a pause. "I received a report from my contact in the capital; the investigation into Jon Arryn's death will require someone with an inquisitive mind and sharp instincts, my son will need your help, also Bran deserves justice…" she made a pause.

"Did you spoke with the Imp? Did he tell you anything worth the effort" she asked.

"Nothing unexpected…" Kal answered. "He admitted that his sister might have many lovers, one of them being her own cousin Lancel the King's squire, but he was accompanying the king during the hunt at the time of Bran's fall. Lord Tyrion doesn't seem to hold much love for his sister or eldest nephew but he certainly loves his brother and his youngest nephew and niece"

"Interesting…" she merely answered. "Another reason then for you to accompany him and try to cultivate further trust"

"Very well them, I will go home and tell my family about the mission" he stated before smiling and sighting. "It's quite a shame that I am going to miss the weeding"

-.

A few minutes later Kal arrived at his home in the upper district of the city, it was large yet modest house for someone of his position and prestige but it was more than enough for Kalinos Glacies and his family. Before he could even cross the front yard he heard the whining as a small white shape crossed the yard.

Kal lowered his gaze to find his pet artic fox Breeze; it had been an interesting find two years ago when he had traveled with the wolven hussars to the lands of House Lin to track down an elusive group of wildling raiders. The wolf had been a pup at that time, a small ball of white fur whining and crying for his mother or anything else; incapable of abandoning such a beautiful creature he had taken instead back home and gifted it to his children who had immediately fallen in love with it.

Yet it was Kalinos the one who felt a deep connection with the adorable beast and the small fox always follow him like a lost puppy, curious and wild the beast was nevertheless loyal and accustomed to obey Kal's orders like a well train hound.

Over time the presence of his pet had been noticed by his subordinates in the Silver Cloaks who ended up dubbing their commander the White Fox. Despite the obvious comparison to his half-brother the legendary Damian Nocturna the White Bat, Kalinos liked his new nickname; as his wife said it, the tittle described him perfectly as a capable warrior with a sharp intellect and cunning.

Looking back at his pet an interesting idea came to his mind, there were talks of a Tourney in honor of Lord Eddard Stark back at the capital, if he leave tomorrow with Lord Tyrion he may arrive in time for the joust and melee yet would need a new paint job for his shield and some trimming in his doublet and armor.

-.

Bran Stark – Winterfell, 298 AC

The guest came through the castle doors in an endless parade of banners, colors, leather, silk and steel plate; their parade eclipsed even the king's visit several months ago. They had all came to attend his brother Robb's weeding with Wynafryd Manderly and participate of the Conclave assembly. From the window at his room sitting on his wheel chair Bran watched them all.

Amongst all the dozens of riders and guests Bran's attention was draw to a small group carrying no banners but wearing clothes of scholars and at the center of the group were three men and two women dressed in elegant cloaks. All of them wearing necklace talismans with multiple metal rings; Bran recognized them; they were the five prime scholar of the University's provost council.

The one who most draw Bran's attention was the old one with white hair and skin as pale as a bone wearing fine white clothes covered by a weaving of branches and multiple pieces of metal; it was the Prime Druitt for certain. Bran directed his gaze at him for a long time and immediately looked elsewhere when the Druitt exchanged gazes with him. He could feel the red eyes of the mystic on him even after he stood back from the window.

-.

Catelyn Stark

"The last supply of food from the Reach has arrived to the city my Lady" Maester Luwin informed him.

"Very well, how are we with the preparations for the party?" she asked the Maester.

"Almost completed, we are expecting a large group of guests nevertheless, almost all the great and minor lords of the North will be attending and there are also a few lords from the other kingdoms: Lords Jason Mallister and Lord Tytos Blackwood are coming from the Riverlands and so is Lord Royce of the Vale" the old grey robed man explained.

"Very well, have rooms in the city's main inns prepared for them" she ordered, the castle was full with guests there was no way they could hold them all.

-.

The marriage ceremony was held in the Godswood of Winterfell following the traditions of the old gods and the first men. The Prime Druitt was to officiate the ceremony as the highest ranking member of the northern Druitt order, as always Catelyn felt like an outsider when standing in the primeval forest with the frightening red eyes of the heart tree watching them as if they could pierce a hole into her very soul.

Yet to her eternal gratitude and spiritual comfort the Manderlys due to their religious traditions regarding their loyalty to the faith of the seven brought with them a septon who was to present his blessing to the newlywed couple once the first men ceremony ended.

She did not felt right nevertheless there were just many troubling thoughts in her mind: her husband and daughters were in a dangerous place surrounded by enemies, while they should have been here at home to see her Robb finally become a husband. Also while he understood perfectly the need for this weeding she felt that her eldest son was still a child even though he counted six and ten name days with the attitude and maturity of a man full grown. And last but not least she could not stop thinking about her sister Lysa's message and the state of her little sister and young nephew.

Lysa has experienced several miscarriages and stillbirths according to all rumors she was constantly at the very edge of insanity with her body and soul broken by all the trauma and misfortune; she could not help but grow with grief upon thinking about her sister the little red hair girl running through the halls of Riverrun, kissing and speaking with their father's ward Petyr and returning to the castle covered in mud after playing in the gardens.

If the situation allowed she would have departed to visit her in the Eyre accompanied by at least one of her children, but she could not abandon Robb, Rickon and most of all Bran. As much as she would deny it from time it had been a long time since Riverrun had stop being her home and Winterfell was it.

After what it felt like an eternity the ceremony began, long rows of guests have gathered in the godswood, all the great lords and ladies of the North. Amongst them was his brother in law Benjen Stark with his wife and children; Bran and Rickon were delighted to have their cousins in their home.

Whatever doubts she had about the weeding they vanished upon seeing her son Robb standing tall in his finest doublet accompanied by Theon Greyjoy, his cousin Rodrik and his giant direwolf at the altar, the banners of House Stark hanging from tall posts.

Everyone turned silent when Wynafryd Manderly the bride came walking arm in arm with her father; she was a beautiful young woman with long brown hair bound in a long braid, she was followed by her younger sister Wyla who had her hair dyed in green. To Catelyn's surprise around Wynafryd's neck was necklace holding the seven pointed star made of platinum and silver. Her godmother was right she could not imagine a better match for his son and a better future for her house.

Upon hearing the words from the Prime Druitt and the septon proclaiming them husband and wife a thundering cheer came from the crowd; with all the great and small lords of the North congratulating the heir of Winterfell, their future liege lord and imperator.

Catelyn stood next to her godmother for the entire ceremony until a young servant came rushing through the crowd to give the old wolf matriarch a message, the old woman seemed to turn beyond surprise upon hearing it.

"What is it?" Cat asked.

The old woman didn't answered instead she called for Benjen and the Prime Druitt to accompany her into the castle.

A few hours later Catelyn was called from the party in her son's honor to a spot near the kennels where she saw the reason for such surprise: her godmother's pet direwolf Huntress which had been in confinement for days had finally given birth to eight precious and healthy puppies. Eight more direwolves south of the Wall for the first time in centuries.

There were a lot of reactions from all the different lords of the North:

Greatjon Umber proclaimed that it was a sign from the old gods, blessing her son's weeding.

The lord of House Lin stated that it was a good omen as amongst the Silk Terran 8 was a sacred and good luck number; while for the andals it was seven, the first men and other terrans believed that five was the holiest number as it represented many aspect of nature and the world: the five elements; the four cardinal points and the center; the five senses and the five fingers on each hand.

Lord Alexander Nocturna proclaimed that the pups were gifts of the gods to the six children of Lord Benjen and the two remaining pups belonged to any future child of Lord Stark; in that issue Lady Kaina agreed as there were six grey and brown pups, three males and three females for each of Benjen's children just like there had been five wolves found in the forest, one for each of Catelyn's; and a sixth for Jon Snow.

And there were also two albino white wolves both of them female beside them; the Prime Druitt proclaimed that they were for Robb's new wife and future child.

For the next few days Benjen's children, even his heir Rodrik and eldest daughter Serana Bolton huddled around the new born litter. Trying to pick their respective wolves and name them; they could not grab them yet nevertheless, Huntress the old she wolf of their grandmother was very protective of the them and so was her mate White Fang, the eight tiny pups just huddled around their mother feeding of her milk as their father stood watch over all them, growling at everyone who came close to them.

Surprisingly it was Benjen's younger children who chose the first names; Miranda the nine year old girl so close to her Arya in personality called her wolf Winter taking inspiration in Bran's name for his own wolf; the youngest of Benjen children the twins Lyarra and Karlon also followed suit and named their wolves Autumn and Spring.

Benjen's heir Rodrik named his grey fur wolf Vhaggar in honor of the legendary Targaryen dragon rode by Aegon's sister-wife Visenya, Serana married to Domeric Bolton decided to call her wolf Bloodspill as her she-wolf had a coat of reddish brown fur and the name for certain inspired a sense of dread just as much as the banners of House Bolton.

Cregan the last of Benjen's children ended up calling his wolf Swiftkill, taking the idea from a suggestion of Eldric Nocturna.

Finally there were only the two female white fur wolves which were reserved for Robb and his wife; Wynafryd and his son decided to call them Spectre and Blizzard.

Later that night before the bedding ceremony began he saw his three boys mingling with their cousins and the other noble heirs of the North; laughing and drinking as they spoke with each other, next to them were the three direwolves eagerly eating large pieces of meat reserved for them, yet keeping a close watch of their masters, protecting from any harm.

It was her first born weeding, she should feel ecstatic or nervous but at that moment she felt calm and happy. Their children were growing up fast and have each developed their own strengths, when Bran fell she felt as if nothing would be the same and that she would never be happy again, more so with her daughters and husband at the other side of the continent. But now she realized that things would never be the same but no necessarily worse or better, just different.

Her family was stronger than ever now, having the protection of their wolves, their friends, their allies and the whole North, as Ned always said: When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.

-.

ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:

Subject: Jon Snow in the Wall

I know many of you do not approve my decision to have Jon join the Night's Watch but the story shall justify itself sooner or later; not only it serves to guide the path of my version of Jon Snow but also give us an inside to the state of the realm north of the Wall. The Frostlands are different from cannon, with a more powerful and prepared Night's Watch but also more integrated and progressive free folk with the expansion of northern influence into the far north.

We will also see many key characters sooner or later in Jon's story that will contribute to enrich the story.

-.

Story and Chapter:

This was a very difficult chapter to write, the truth is that I have been suffering from writter's block lately and a lack of enthusiasm. In any case I wanted to show the development of my version of House Stark in this story, having Robb marry the daughter of one of his most powerful and loyal bannermen is a smart move as not only eliminates the dangers regarding unexpected and not suitable marriage unions as in cannon:

As Jaime Lannister pointed out Robb Stark won the war in the battlefield and lost it in the bedchamber; in the books when he married Jeyne Westerling he lost the support of the Freys and earned their enmity leading to the Red Weeding. The same in the show when he married Talysa, who also came out of nowhere and proved to be the downfall of the Young Wolf's short reign.

In this fanfic the North is more akin to a parliamentary monarchy than the absolute monarchies of the other realms, House Stark still rules through a lord paramount or king but even the ruler has to answer and take advice from the Boreal Conclave which serves as a parliament of some sort; the northerners are better organized, supplied and much better ruled; something that would come to weight a lot at the beginning of the next war.

There are a lot of critics regarding the excessive protagonism of my OCs but for the beginning of the Story I needed to present them and develop through their actions and backstories. Don't worry in further chapters I will put more focus in the cannon characters.

Also this chapter served as a presentation board for Bran and Catelyn; I know many of the readers hate Catelyn Tully for her mistreat of Jon Snow and her overall stupidity: Believing Littlefinger, capturing Tyrion and releasing Jaime, etc; but this is not that Catelyn, she knows about the true parentage of Jon and Nisai, she is wisest through the mentorship of her godmother, she is not so devout to the seven as she is cannon because she had forced herself to integrate with the North her home. And to be fair, if you read in the books the part of the Red Weeding you cannot help but feel for her.

Also Bran shall have a different path than in cannon with the Prime Druitt serving as a sort of mentor for him with his greenseer and warg power.

-.

COMING UP NEXT:

Next chapter will return to King's landing with the tourney of the hand and the clash of many of my new characters with the cannon champions of the Tourney. Also we will see the investigation into Jon Arryn's death through different POVs; with many secrets both cannon and new many still unanswered shall be revealed.

-.

Hope you have enjoyed this new chapter

Diclaimer: I own nothing; a Song of Ice and Fire belongs to George R.R. Martin

The names for some of the wolves in this chapter are based on those of the characters from the fantastic yet never completed web comic Black blood alliance from Kayfewa.