THEON

Amina polished her knives carefully, one at a time, and replaced them in her knife belt. Then she did the same with the knives strapped to her saddle. Theon watched her, waiting for her to join the rest of the group. They were taking Bran out for his first ride since the fall. Tyrion Lannister had brought plans for an interesting saddle and the master of horse had spent the past weeks training a gelding to respond to the reins.

But Theon had bet Amina that he could bring down a bigger deer with his arrows than she could with her knives, and she was never one to back down from a challenge. "Thinking about what horrible favor you'll owe me after I beat you?" Amina asked, when she noticed him staring.

Theon laughed. "More like what you'll be owing me. Come on, everyone else has headed for the gate."

Amina shot him a look, but turned her mare around to face him. "Always so eager to lose." She gave the horse a kick and headed for the gate without a second look. Theon followed behind, paying closer attention to his friend than where he was going, and earning a kick from Myst when he pulled his courser too close.

The dark-haired girl watched Bran as if her force of will alone could protect him. Amina had always been intense, whether she was training in the yard or stealing rolls from the kitchen. But in the past months it had gotten worse. Occasionally there were moments when she was herself again, especially when Theon could convince her to accompany him to the Smoking Log, but those trips were few and far between. Even her weapons training had taken on an edge; there were no more smiles and jokes between bouts. She was training to kill.

"Have you spoken with Garret since he joined the guard?" Amina asked as the passed by the Winter town's alehouse. From her expression it was not the first thing she'd said to him.

Theon nodded. "Last night. If I tell you just how happy he is to have this job, you may reconsider the decision. It appears he's become quite popular with the ladies of the Smoking Log."

Amina smirked. "As long as they aren't too much of a distraction." She glanced toward Robb at the front of the party. "Garret was the only appoint we disagreed upon."

"Garret was a good choice, don't second guess yourself."

Amina shot him a scalding look. "I am not. Garret was the perfect choice." Theon laughed, and rode ahead, forcing her to pick up the pace. If anyone in Winterfell could badger Amina into acting like herself, it would be him.

"Are you coming?" He called, over his shoulder. "You have a bet to lose!"

Theon drew and arrow just as Amina reached for a knife. "I saw it before you," he hissed, earning another scalding look. They both watched the buck for a moment, neither loosing a weapon. "It's mine."

Amina rolled her eyes, but replaced the knife in her belt. Theon loosed an arrow, and Amina turned her horse in a dramatic circle, crashing through a bush and causing such a ruckus the buck immediately darted for the darkest part of the woods. Theon's arrow lodged in a tree trunk. Theon turned to snap at Amina but she had already disappeared deeper into the trees.

It was only a few moments before Theon spotted a turkey. Not quite the prize the buck would have been, but he would have to settle. He had just shot the bird down and tied it to his saddle when he heard Amina shout in the distance. He waved for the rest of the stragglers to follow him and rode through the forest toward the sound.

When he found Amina, she was off her horse and swinging a sword. The man she was fighting had a knife protruding from his shoulder, but it hardly slowed him down. Behind them, Robb was fighting a woman, while Summer and Grey Wind took on two more. The last had Bran, who'd been cut down from his saddle. "Call them off or I slit his throat."

Amina took the opportunity to stab her man through the gut, and he collapsed at her feet. She turned in Bran's direction, her hand hovering over her knife belt unsure whether or not she had the shot. Theon didn't give her the chance to decide, and loosed an arrow, hitting the man in the chest. A perfect shot. Amina dropped her sword and ran to Bran's side.

"A dead enemy is a thing of beauty," Theon announced with a grin.

Robb threw down his own sword and marched toward him, for a moment Theon thought Robb would actually grab him by the collar and shake him. "Jon always said you were an ass, Greyjoy. I ought to chain you up in the yard and let Bran take a few practice shots at you." Robb wasn't done, but the rest of his tirade fell on deaf ears.

Amina left Bran with Maester Luwin and went to reclaim her weapons. She pulled her bloody knife from the man's shoulder and cleaned it on her cape before returning it to her belt. She joined Theon on the edge of the clearing. "Thank you. It was a good shot." Theon nodded once, though his pride had been wiped away the moment Robb had started in on him.

That was the way it had always been. Robb Stark might claim to be his friend, but to him Theon would always be a Greyjoy. On the other hand, Amina knew what it was like to be on the outside. They could parade the girl through the North and pretend she was a Beldish Lady, but her blood would always mark her as other.

Even as Robb continued to mutter that Theon's arrows "could have killed Bran," and that he was "reckless, always so reckless," Amina slipped a gloved hand through his. The blood of the Night's Watch deserter she'd killed speckled her grey riding cape. They stood by the little creek, watching Robb and his men tend to Bran and question the surviving wildling woman. "Good shot with the knife," Theon told her. Amina's eyes flashed, vivid purple for a moment in the pale light. "You were alright with your sword too."

"Only alright?" She said, crossing her arms. "I killed him, didn't I?"

"I could have done the same in half as many strokes." She hummed disapprovingly. Theon shook his head, draping an arm around her shoulder. "But it was good enough."

"You're insufferable."

"But you wouldn't trade me for the world." Amina rolled her eyes but leaned into him. No matter what trouble they were getting into, it was always like this between them. Amina was the sister he'd always wanted. He had one back on the Iron Islands, but he hardly remembered Asha and couldn't imagine she would be any better than the one he'd chosen for himself. The daring little dragon girl, and the kraken lordling.

Amina eyed the dead wildlings they'd each taken down and looked up at him with a smirk. "I believe I win."

Theon looked at her a moment, before remembering their bet. "That isn't a deer."

She glanced toward the turkey thrown over his saddle and raised and eyebrow. "Neither is that."

Back inside the walls of Winterfell, Theon followed Amina to her rooms, still trying to weasel out whatever task she'd deem appropriate for her winnings. "I told you, I'll just have to save it for something important."

"Alright, alright, I volunteer to ride to the Wall and drag Jon back by his ear." What Theon had meant as a joke wiped Amina's smile from her face.

She turned her back and grabbed a large book off her desk. "I have matters to discuss with Maester Luwin. You should go do whatever it is you do when you aren't bothering me."

Theon caught Amina's wrist as she grabbed for another tome and spun her around. Her face was unreadable, though her eyes glimmered with what he suspected were unshed tears. "Ever since they left, you've acted as if nothing was worth your time. Not me, not Robb, even the boys seem like an obligation. Just because Cersei Lannister is an Ice Queen, doesn't mean you have to follow her example. You can't be distraught over a bastard forever."

Amina recoiled as if he'd hit her and pulled her wrist from his grasp with such force they both stumbled backward. "Distraught?" She repeated. "Is that what you think of me, that I am a pampered princess who cannot endure heartbreak?" Amina scoffed. "I am not distraught, I am terrified."

Theon shook his head, not quite understanding. "Catelyn will be home soon, and surely this conspiracy with the Lannisters is just a misunderstanding. It will all be resolved and soon Lord Eddard will tell the King who you are. By this time next year you and Robb will be wed."

Amina let the book slip out of her hand, and it landed on her desk with a thwack. "I know you mean for that to be reassuring, but it is not. Whether or not the Lannisters plotted to murder Bran, or Jon Arryn, or both, Catelyn's conspiracy is not the only thing that could get our family killed."

Theon put his hands on Amina's arms, and she looked up at him. "Robert and Ned grew up together, he'd never–"

"You're right, they're friends. But a secret like this could tear even the best of friends apart. I am a threat to everything Robert has built. Perhaps he would look the other way, for Ned. But what about Tywin Lannister or the Queen? If the Lannisters are who we think they are, they will do whatever it takes to maintain their hold on the Crown. What happens to Ned and the girls then?" Amina shook her head. "I've gone over every scenario a thousand times, and almost every one ends with the people I love dead."

"If I were kinder I would leave, but I am not. I'm selfish. I can't leave the only family I've ever known. Where would I go, Beldain? The North believes that one day I'll rebuild Castle Corrigan and give it to my sons, but I won't. I can't set foot on that island and claim a birthright that doesn't belong to me. I will not live a lie forever. But the longer I lie the more terrifying the truth becomes."

Amina leaned against his chest and let him fold her into his arms. If there were a way to reassure her, Theon couldn't find it. She didn't cry, just stayed in his arms, breathing heavy as if she'd just fought a battle. "You don't have to be alone," he promised her. "Wherever you go, I'll go with you."