There was a band of outlaws, not the misunderstood, but the brutal nasty kind, that had taken up residence on the far edge of the Wolf Woods, and they were set on terrorizing Deepwood Motte and its people. A lesser lord would order Lord Gloverto handle the matter and never think of it again. But, Lord Glover was already thinly stretched, and Brandon Stark was certainly not that kind of Lord. Therefore, he readied a force to go and fight them himself.
News of the decisive action of the Warden of the North soon spread to the outlaws and, in retaliation, they decided to ominously name themselves Wolf Catchers. It was this new name that everyone would soon find carved on trees and walls, and - most disturbingly - on their hapless victims.
Lady Mormont was stationed closer than other fighting lords and came to Lord Glover's aid with every haste. But these outlaws proved cleverer than expected. They would stay hidden and cowardly wait in the Wolf Woods when being chased, and with the first opportunity, they would come out and attack the weak and the undefended. Still, Lord Glover and his people remained hopeful that the Lord of Winterfell was coming and bringing with him the full might of his justice.
At last, Brandon Stark arrived in Deepwood Motte with a small force, having left the bulk of his strength behind, at Winterfell. A girl came forward with the location of the outlaws' hideout, but she insisted she would share it only with Lord Stark. He walked into this obvious trap with less men then the outlaws by half.
"Your breaths are numbered now. You die here Stark" the outlaw cried.
"A man does not die. Not when he has children to live for" says Brandon simply, without flinching in the slightest. He was made of stronger stuff than these dishonorable men.
"Your son is but a boy. Defenseless like you are now!" the outlaw spat back.
"Not all my sons are," he says, and that's my cue. From my hiding spot in the trees, I let an arrow loose, signaling the others to jump out and start fighting for their Lord. My aim is true and my arrow finds its way into the outlaw's chest making him fall backward. No longer having a sword pointed at him, Father grabs his sword and leads the charge, as Jon and I jump down from the trees and join the fighting.
"It's quicker than you think it would be," Jon says afterward. It too is my first time fighting, but I already know how quick the action is after that night in the woods all those years ago. The night Jon Connington came into our home and stole me away. The night Brandon Stark came after me accompanied by a great force because he loved me as though I were his own blood. The night Jon Conington died at Father's hand.
"Are you alright?" I ask quietly. Gods protect us should Theon hear us, but Jon is my little brother in more ways than one, and I am desperate to make sure he is alright after his first time shedding blood. He nods in answer to my question. Slowly at first, and then with more confidence.
"We have done everything else together. It was only right that we should fight together now for our House," he says softly. I look over to see Father talking to Lord Glover, and he is a bit distracted, looking over at us.
"He used himself for bait," says Jon, still in disbelief of Father's actions.
"Of course, he did," I agree.
"He would rather risk his own life ten times than another man's once" Jon states, repeating the words Mother used years ago now.
"It's what makes him a great leader," I tell him.
"It will also no doubt be the reason Mother kills him," Jon says, making me laugh.
Suddenly, my eyes catch Dacey Mormont cleaning her weapon and, not for the first time, I think that I could watch her all day and never be bored. My hands are moist, and I tighten my grip on my bow so as not to drop it. It was given to me by my Uncle Doran when he found out I was a gifted archer. My mother was against it because the bow resembles dragon wings, but Father strongly felt I should keep it and even fought with her for me to do so. With as well as this bow has served me in the fight we just won for House Stark and the North, it might as well resemble a wolf instead of dragon wings. My heart beats faster at the thought of the battle and I turn to Jon.
"You saved her," I tell him with the greatest admiration and relief.
"She is a brilliant fighter, Brother. I only kept someone from stabbing her in the back. You would have done the same had you been closer."
"Thank you," I say, thinking that a world without Dacey Mormont in it was a world I never wanted to know.
"Thank me by finally talking to her," says Jon, and I look skeptically over to Father who is already readying his saddle, wanting to be home as soon as possible.
"There is no time," I finally answered.
"He'd choke anyways," Theon says coming from behind us. We had hoped that he would stay at Winterfell and wait for Robb, but no such luck for us...
"He won't choke. He's my son" Brandon Stark says from over by his horse, definitely not out of hearing range, as Theon thought when he decided to let loose his mocking tongue. Theon's mouth drops open and Father smirks and gestures for me to go over to her, before calling Jon to him.
A few men tell me nice shot or good aim as I pass by. I make my way to where she is now cleaning her morningstar on a rock. She glances up at me and seeing me makes her smile, and this gives me hope.
"You know your hair sort of sparkles in the light?" she asks and I pull my hood back up.
"That's the best reason I've heard for shaving my head," I tell her, and she pauses before continuing her methodical cleaning.
"I am not going to say nice shot," she says randomly.
"Alright..?" I reply, unsure of why she said it. But I am used to her always keeping me on my toes.
"Everyone who knows you knows that you would never miss. Not when it comes to something you care about" she says and looks up at me. "Come on Stark! Do you have something to say to me or not?" she says with a taunting smile.
"I'm not a Stark" I regrettably remind her.
"If it acts like a Stark and it walks like a Stark..." she muses. And I consider how she is a great warrior who is just as beautiful in armor, as she was in the dress she was wearing when we first met the harvest ball that we danced four times in a row before going to the garden and sparing for the rest of the night. She even made Theon Cry. I do not think it is fair I have been in love with her ever since we met.
"No, I am not a Stark. Which means that anyone marrying me would… well, it would offer no advantages" I tell her, pretty sure my heart can be heard throughout the woods beating wildly in my chest.
"Are you so sure about that?" she asks, holding my gaze.
"I won't ask Lord Stark for anything. He has already done so much for me and Rhae-" I begin to say, but then she hops up on the rock so that she and I are now the same height, and rolls her beautiful brown eyes.
"There are other advantages to you apart from who your father is Aegon, not in the least your skill with a bow. Though, that is far from your best attribute" she says.
"I… Really?"
"You haven't looked at yourself in a looking glass before, have you?" she teases while pushing her hair back and I notice the blood up by her hairline. One of the few southern rules of conduct I abide by is having a handkerchief. My mother was always insistent that both Jon and I should have one to give to a lady should she require it, but I doubt she had this situation in mind. I get it out anyways and she takes it, dabbing her head.
"So... you would have me as your husband?" I ask when she is done cleaning the blood from her hairline.
"Well, your father needs to write to my mother, as it is always done in such matters" she states in a very matter-of-fact way, and I am stunned by her stubbornness. Her need to just tell it like it is, while usually charming to me, I now find myself worrying.
"But… Do you want it?" I ask, sure that I wouldn't want her to marry me just because her mother would wish to please the Lord of Winterfell. After all, when Father asked me if he should write to Lady Mormont for her daughter's hand, I refused to have matters arranged without knowing of Dacey's wishes. If she wanted to be with me as much as I did her.
"I want to marry you, but only with your permission, not your Mother's or my Lord Father's" I continue and she laughs and hands me back the bloodied handkerchief.
"You have my blood and my permission, Aegon," she says so very coolly, but then she smiles that ethereal smile of hers, ecstatic at the thought of us marrying. She looks around furtively, before quickly kissing my cheek, and - exiled prince or not - I am sure I must be the luckiest man in Westeros and beyond...
When I return to the horses, I find that Father is already speaking with Maege Mormont, who is insisting on doing something to honor Jon for saving the life of Dacey.
"Something tells me we will have plenty of time to discuss it," Father says while looking past her at me and my stupid grin. "So, if you will excuse me I must be getting back to Winterfell and my wife."
"I remember a time before Lord and Lady Stark could not keep their hands off of each other, that's how old I am" she laughs and Jon looks pale as she tells him this about our parents.
"I will write to you as soon as I return to Winterfell, Lady Mormont" he promises as he is getting on his horse.
Maege lights up at this and claps my shoulder as I pass her by to get onto my own horse.
I am feeling euphoric as we ride back, and even Theon cannot soil my good mood.
"Aegon" calls Father from the front, and I leave my place next to Jon to join him.
"Is this where you say "don't tell mother"?" I ask.
"No son. I don't hide things from your mother. It never worked, us keeping secrets. We realized we fight less if we are honest with each other. Even when I do things she does not like, she would rather know and deal with it, than be kept in the dark. Hopefully, you won't have to learn that the hard way" he says and I nod.
"Of course, some things you will learn the hard way. I wish I could shield you from it all, from any pain and heartache, but I cannot. It is the worst part of being a parent" he says, and I notice how his hair is graying on the sides and an old wound makes him walk slightly off - though he tries to hide it. A part of me, though, will always see him as this towering man who would pick me up whenever something was wrong and call me Silver.
"I know" I utter, but he continues:
"Out of all of you, you were the one most burdened with the Targaryen legacy. I never wanted that for you. I desperately wanted to protect you from that, and it left you unprepared for the evils out there in the world. I will never do that again" he promises.
"You're a good father," I say and he smiles at me.
"Call me a daft old man if you must, but I still remember you as a little tot. Now you are a man of nine and ten… Which must make me older than time" he says, making me laugh. But he suddenly focuses his attention on a slight sound, as if he were a wolf himself, and we rush towards the clearing.
We find that Lord Eddard is there along with Uncle Benjen, Robb, and even little Bran. Uncle Ben was to watch over Winterfell while Father was away, and Lady Catelyn and Lord Eddard were coming with their children to finally get their own direwolves, as Uncle Benjen's wolf was due to give birth any day now. Apparently, a deserter from the Night's Watch was found, and it was up to Ned Stark to see to his execution - the very scene we come upon.
"So it takes four of you to make one of me?" Father jokes and Uncle Benjen smiles, but Lord Eddard is busy speaking with young Bran after his first time witnessing the execution of a man.
"I told him he was too young," Benjen says to father quietly, and I ride next to Jon, while Father and Uncle Benjen start discussing their opinions on the matter. I think my ordeal with Connington made my father and Uncle Benjen want to preserve their own sons' childhoods for as long as possible.
"Aegon, Jon! It is good to see you both" Robb exclaims as we ride up to him. I turn my head to greet him, smiling. We may have used to fight as young boys, but he is as a cousin to us.
"Good to see you as well, Robb," I tell him.
"How is your sister?" Robb asks immediately, making me laugh.
"We have a lot of sisters, so you'd have to be more specific" Jon teases when we both know he speaks of Alarra.
"You have seen her more recently than we have" I add, reminding him that they had come from Winterfell.
"I think she was hiding from me" Robb answers, making Theon laugh at him.
"Alarra doesn't hide. If anything, she simply keeps a low profile so you won't see her coming when she attacks" I laugh with Jon.
"That is not very comforting" he replies with a healthy dose of fear in his voice. He is not Alarra's only suitor, but he is by far her most resilient. At first, it was his mother pushing for the match, since Alarra was the heir to Winterfell, but even now that she is not anymore, he won't give up on her, though Alarra is not receptive to his attentions. Even so, we promise Robb to look for Alarra for him, once we arrive at Winterfell.
At Winterfell, we find Beren and Don playing. They are both pretending to be their father, the great Benjen Stark.
"Where is Adri?" I ask them, curious as to why he is not with them or with Bran, especially since he was usually attached to Bran when he was around.
"He's angry you all went off with Uncle Brandon, while Uncle Ned took all the other boys" Don shrugs.
"Your father is already looking for him" Beren adds.
"The next Lord Stark has wolf blood for sure..." Jon sighs as we start walking around, looking for Alarra.
"Myriah, where is Alarra?" I ask her as they are rarely apart, similarly to Jon and myself I suppose, but Myriah just glares up from her book. "Just leave her alone," she says simply. Jon and I share a look, before turning to Raya for an answer.
"Come on Raya, help me out here," I ask her. She is usually much more agreeable than Myriah.
"She will do no such thing, Aegon. Alarra does not need to be guarded or watched; she is her own person," Mryiah says.
"You do realize that we are not keeping her jailed, right?" Jon askes making Raya giggle.
"Well, you are trying to keep her sheltered" grumbles Myriah.
"I'm afraid I cannot help you," Raya says sweetly, glancing from me to the glass gardens and smiling.
Indeed, we soon find her in the glass gardens. She is there with Domeric Bolton, who is sitting down, lovingly smiling at her while she paces around him.
"You should bring up your love of horses because my father loves horses, but don't bring up the harp. My mother is not fond of it. Just say you play instruments" she is imperiously dictating to him.
"And should your mother ask me what instrument I play, should I lie to her or run out of the room?" Domeric teases. He may be a quiet man, but always good of humor.
"I had no idea you were here, old friend," I tell him, getting both of their attention. He stands up alarmed to see me, but Alarra only gives me a glare.
"It is almost as if we are not who he came to see" teases Jon.
"You two will always be my truest of friends, but no, I must confess that this time I did not come here for you," Domeric says simply enough.
"Why is everyone trying to get married?" Jon askes with a laugh.
"You do realize that our younger sisters cannot have formal betrothals before I do, don't you brother? As things stand, they are going to revolt any day now" Alarra states while crossing her arms in anger.
I consider the truth in her words. SmallJon Umber has recently won Myriah over. He appreciated how tough she is, and as close to the wall as the Last Hearth is, it is a good thing for its next lady to be strong. Ashalyen and Cley Crewyn have been in love with each other since they were small children. And Raya… Raya is the great beauty amongst them. She has a lot of suitors, but if she has any preference for one of them, she has not shared it with me. I know Father is praying that she picks a northerner. Like Mother, he has no southern ambitions for his daughters. In fact, neither of them want their precious daughters to leave the safety of the North, though both Edmure Tully and Harold Harding had made it up north, in addition to inquiries from the Tyrells and the Blackwoods. All such inquiries, however, had either been declined by our parents or outright rejected by our sisters themselves.
"We will need to work on you next," I tell Jon, hitting his back.
"I've been thinking about that... Alys Karstark would be a great match, and Rhaenys could facilitate it between us and the Karstarks" Alarra says wisely.
"I am going to New Castle in a few weeks to talk to Lord Manderly about trade matters. You could join me. He has two granddaughters. Wylla and Wynafred, I believe their names to be" Domeric offers Jon.
"All good options, but you are both incorrect I'm afraid. Jon is going to fall madly in love with one of Dacey's sisters at our wedding and he will live on Bear Island with me" I tell them, not quite jokingly.
"Not a bad plan" comments Domeric, but Jon only smiles.
"I always knew they would end up together" Alarra sighs.
"Dacey and Aegon?" asks Jon.
"No, Aegon and you" she teases us "How will Dacey take the bad news?"
"There is someone else who needs to be told bad news," Jon says more seriously now, and Alarra can't help frowning.
"Is he back already?" she sighs, already knowing the answer.
"I will talk to him," Domeric says decisively, not liking that another man was in love with the woman he loved.
"I think that might sound like gloating from you," I say and Jon nods his agreement.
"I will talk to him after Dom talks to Papa. Will you go with him, Egg? You know how Papa can be..." Alarra says and I can't help but think of how she looks the most like Father. She has his eyes, her hair may be black, but it is straight like his, and she shares a light golden skin with me, which is paler than all of our sisters.
"I cannot imagine anything I should like to do less," I tell her. making her glare at me again.
"No Alarra, your Father would not respect me for that. When I speak with him, it has to be man to man. You have to tell Robb though, that you don't love him" Domeric says finally and she nods.
"I can go with you if you like" Jon offers kindly.
"Jon is my new favorite brother" Alarra teases, but I can see the relief in her eyes as she accepts his offer.
"You are so lucky to have all of them. I always wanted a brother" the young Lord Bolton says. He has two half-sisters, but they are so much younger than him, and he has always wanted what Jon and I have. I honestly felt for him. I would be lost without Jon in my life.
"Well, we are going to be your brothers now," I say and he smiles.
"If your Lord Father agrees," Domeric says hesitantly.
"I am assuming that soon enough Dacey will be our sister as well since you did not come in here all broody and gloomy," Alarra says and happily hugs me.
"I would like to think so," I tell her.
"She bled on his handkerchief. You should have seen it, sister, it was all very romantic" Jon jests.
"Alright, that's enough of making fun of me, I need to go tell mother my news. Come along! We are not leaving the two of you alone in here" I order my sister.
"But we are going over important details for when Dom talks to Papa!" Alarra pouts.
"Really? Because it sounded like you were bossing him around." Jon teases.
"Am I bossy?" Alarra askes Domeric as we walk out.
"Not at all" he assures her lovingly.
"That is love" I mutter to Jon as we go off to find our parents, having no idea what is to happen when we do.