(Winterfell: 10/1/298 AC) Ursa III

A pleasant breeze blew through the small window of their quarters, signaling a crisp, and cool, day. 'A perfect morning for training, but then again, every morning was the perfect morning for training,' Ursa thought. She had awoken to Brienne and Jun readying themselves. Brienne had nearly been completely armored, with assistance from Jun, who grunted as she fastened the last pieces of Brienne's armor. Ursa noticed both hers and Jun's armor placed side by side on Brienne's bed, with their boots resting on the floor, just beneath their respective armors. 'Brienne must have awakened far earlier, than Jun or herself, to have been able to retrieve them from the armory.'

"Ugh!" Jun strained, her small arms struggling with the rough leather strap, underneath Brienne's left pauldron. "Why haven't you taken a squire Brienne? Helping you with this is what they are for."

"I do not enjoy the company of others. Present company excluded, of course," Brienne nodded to her, before looking back to Jun, who was still struggling with the strap. "Besides, that's what I keep you around for." Brienne cast as smug a look, as she could, towards their lithe little friend.

Jun narrowed her eyes, as she finished fastening the errant strap. A mischievous smile crept onto her lips, "Really? I do not recall you thinking as such when Lord Renly visited Dragonstone on his sixteenth birthday."

She saw Brienne turn crimson red, her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Ursa lifted her loose hair and tied it into a firm, tight, bun. She allowed some strands of hair to remain free, just so she could feel the wind rush through it when they went for their morning run.

Jun lifted her hand to her head as if she was feeling faint, "Oh Lord Renly! Come save me from this vile little girl named Jun!"

Brienne suddenly rose to her feet, her face unreadable, before she mimicked Jun's faint expression, "Oh! Jon Snow! Come save me from my horrendously smelling bowels!"

This time it was Jun's face that turned red.

"I will never forget that moment. When all future verbal exchanges with you would forever see me emerge the victor," Brienne smiled.

"You do not fight with honor, you cow," Jun muttered, crossing her arms.

"Oh I do fight with honor, but only with those who show me honor in turn. If you fight dishonorably, I will not hesitate to respond in kind. Remember Commander Lee's teachings? 'Honor is a virtue that only serves you well if your opponent holds to the same principles. If he does not…'"

"'Then you must achieve victory at any cost, for he will surely seek to do the same,'" Ursa finished the sentence, slipping her leather, sleeveless robe, over her red underclothes. Her hooked, gold-trimmed, light boots remained straight and upright, like soldiers standing at attention, as she strode to retrieve them.

"Hmph," Jun replied, eyeing them both, before breaking into a sheepish smile. "Well, I suppose I walked into that one. That's the last time I trust my own 'edible' concoctions." Jun began moving to place the rest of her own armor on. Her second Flameguard protector had since moved away from the plate armor, she and Brienne, had worn when they had first arrived. Ursa knew the plate armor to be far too heavy for Jun's small frame. Which was why Jun had been allowed to bring her own because the Lord and Fire Lord of Dragonstone preferred function over form.

Jun's preferred armor had been a gift from Xai Bau, the Grandmaster of the Order of the Burning Tree, and her father. It was a dark red set of boiled leather armor, paired with a deep black cloak that was fastened to her shoulder pads with two white lotus flowers, cast in steel, and enameled white. A golden coin, engraved with the image of a burning tree, was placed at the center of each white lotus flower. Jun's armor was lighter than the standard armor given to the benders of Dragonstone, her own included, but its light weight allowed Jun far more freedom in utilizing her superior speed, which complimented Jun's moderate bending skills. Jun's flames had little power behind them, but she had mastered the art of 'quick-bending,' a term she apparently coined herself, which allowed Jun to fire off quick blasts of flame while remaining in constant motion. Jun's 'talent' was virtually useless against another moderately skilled bender, who could easily swat her flames away, but even so, Ursa often found herself having difficulty in pinning Jun down. Time and again, she would need to resort to a wall of fire, 'brute force,' Jun would say, to corner Xai Bau's daughter and force a submission.

'However, against a non-bender?' Ursa often found herself pondering. 'A person whom would have no defense against it? Jun was likely to be the smallest nightmare to walk on two feet.'

As Brienne moved to the window, she looked the part of a respectable knight clad in a polished black cuirass, with matching tassets, greaves and vambraces. Two five-lame pauldrons with sword breakers, protected her shoulders and upper arms, while an armored collar protected her neck. All the pieces had been trimmed in gold. On Brienne's back, rested a pristine black cloak with the sigil of house Tarth, yellow suns on rose quartered with white crescents on azure, placed over the Fire Nation flame, meeting near the base of her neck and serving as a metal clasp. The most recognizable piece of Flameguard attire, the helmet and skull faceplate with the flame-like crest, sat atop Brienne's oak night table.

A knock sounded at the entrance of their room, and they all stood on their guard before Jon Snow's voice was heard behind the sturdy wooden door.

"My Ladies Ursa and Jun? Ser Brienne?" Jon remained silent a moment, behind the door. Jun tripped over herself to answer it, nearly knocking over her half-finished bottle of Huangjiu.

'Contraband,' Ursa thought. 'It is far too strong a drink, and it looks like piss, but Jun claims it helps her 'relax.' So she can better meditate. Lies.'

The small woman patted down her tussled hair and peeked out. "Well, hello," Jun uttered sensually.

Jun's body blocked the slightly opened door, and Ursa heard Jon clear his throat. "When you find yourselves ready, we will be waiting in the Great Hall to break our fast." Ursa began moving towards the door.

Jun arched forward, her head passing through the open door. Ursa heard a kiss landing upon a cheek. "It will take us, but a moment, my love."

Before Jun could shut the door, Ursa shot her hand out and held it open. "We?" she asked, opening the door halfway to look upon Jon.

"Yes," she heard a voice sound off to the side. She poked her head out of the door and saw Robb, standing in his armor, holding a gentle smile.

'Oh, wonderful,' she thought, a frown nearly lining her lips. She looked at him, holding out her hand, and smiled an empty smile. "What an unexpected surprise!" she exclaimed, far too loudly. Robb had taken her hand and planted a soft kiss on the back of her palm. Ursa's cheeks grew hot, "Eager to face the training of Dragonstone?" She blurted out. "I should warn you, it is not for the faint of heart."

"I am looking forward to it, my lady, but only for a moment," Robb replied, looking into her fiery golden eyes. She froze, and could do nothing, but gaze back into his brilliantly blue ones. She felt a small elbow jab into her side and heard Brienne snicker. Jun seemed to be struggling in holding a straight face, while Robb smiled. Only then, did it dawn on her that she may have stared too long? "As acting Lord of Winterfell, I have other duties to attend to."

"Of course," she replied, nodding her head slightly, while still holding the false smile. 'Duty,' she understood. "And Arya?"

"My mother summoned her to her chambers. I am unsure if she will be joining us, but Jon has told me she rarely misses the morning training now that my mother knows about you two. So she may surprise us with her presence," she saw Robb and Jon smile, likely thinking on how Arya had a habit of appearing randomly. "Well, I do not wish to keep you any further, my lady." He nodded. "We will be awaiting you all in the Great Hall." As Robb walked off, Jon lingered, his gaze focused just to the side of her, smiling.

Poking her head out, from behind her, was Jun, holding a sparkling smile on her face, and waving furiously. She felt her own eyes narrow and shut the door in response.

They stood there silently, hearing the men's footsteps recede. When they heard them no more Jun blew a raspberry, and spoke, holding out her hands in confusion, "What in the spirit world was that?!"

"Shut up, Jun," she warned, moving to retrieve her boots from the floor.

"Five minutes! Five minutes you just stood there and stared at him!"

'Five minutes?! Impossible!' she thought. 'It had only been an instant!' When she looked to Brienne, a solemn nod was all she gave. 'Damn! I ruined it.' A memory flashed into her mind, seemingly as a response to this debacle.

"Idleness provides only weakness. Activity provides strength. There is always room for improvement, and advancement," she remembered Instructor Chang's words. A man she had found to have been an acceptable teacher. Until she cast him aside. 'It had been necessary, to prove worthy of her place as the next Fire Lord, and to account for Steffon's failure.'

Ursa sat on her bed, in silence, placing her boots to the side, as she slid her feet into a new pair of cloth foot coverings. She looked towards her two companions. "Do you think he sees me as being foolish?"

"Of course not," Brienne replied, securing her helmet, and double checking her armor as she did so.

"A little creepy maybe, but not foolish," Jun added. "Staring at people like that is not exactly acceptable unless you two were…" her little friend cleared her throat, "together."

"But we are! Or am I trying to be!" she exclaimed. "I embarrassed myself in front of him! And after all the work I put into maintaining a pleasant conversation with him in the Godswood! Mother will not be pleased," she angrily stuffed her foot into her boot.

Brienne inhaled, looking towards Jun. "I do not think that is what Jun meant with 'together.'"

"Huh?" she asked, looking to the smallest of her group, not counting Arya. "What did you mean?"

"Well," Jun chuckled nervously, tugging at her leather neck guard. "You know, 'together'," she emphasized.

"I don't understand," she replied, the confusion evident in her eyes.

"Are you kidding me, Ursa? Do you know how children are born?" Jun asked in exasperation.

"Yes! The mother to be pushes the child out, and a midwife helps in the delivery! Do not speak to me like I'm some uneducated child!" She rose to her feet, glaring at Jun.

"She used the wrong words," Brienne stated, snapping the skull faceplate into place beneath the frame of her helmet. "Ursa, do you know how children are made?"

"Of course I do! They…Ohhh…" she looked to Jun and Brienne, "Ohhhhh….." Her cheeks felt far hotter than they had felt when Robb had kissed her hand. A thought sprang forward, "Wait! How do you know this?" her focus returned to Jun. "You are only a year older than I am!"

Jun shrugged her shoulders, "I read a lot. I talk to people."

"But?" she began, absent-mindedly reaching for her armor.

"Ever wonder why those girls in the upper classes would stare at Theon and Kai like they did?"

She shook her head, morbidly fascinated by the discussion, still trying to grab on to her armor, before a firm hand stopped her. Turning, she saw Brienne lift her armor, over her head, with the intention of helping place it on her. Ursa relaxed her arms and spread them outwards to give Brienne room to affix the armor on her.

"Well, I spoke to them. You wouldn't believe what stories they had. Your brother's friends are very active," Jun said, placing both of her hands behind her waist, and arching backward to pop her back.

"I'd rather not know," she replied, briefly wondering if her brother had been a recipient of those glances. Try as she might, Ursa could not recall. Her body jerked back a bit, as Brienne secured the armor together. When Brienne was finished, Ursa stretched and twisted her body to get comfortable with the armor. She stopped and marched forward to her small ornamented cabinet. Centered on the Fire Nation furniture piece was her golden flame headpiece, which identified her as Fire Nation royalty. It was displayed as one would a holy relic, and the moment her hands touched it, she felt at ease. She held it in her hands, removing the golden pin from its center, and lifted it up, above her head. As it came down, she slid it over her hair bun and replaced the golden pin, that secured her 'crown' onto her hair. When she turned back to face Jun and Brienne, she saw them standing stiffly and at attention.

"Let's move," she ordered.

"As you command," they replied in unison, bowing their heads, and issuing their own salutes. Jun placed her fist beneath her open palm, while Brienne slapped her right fist against her chest.

Together they exited the room, with Jun taking point. Brienne held back, shutting and locking the door to their quarters. They marched down the cold, sparsely lit, hall, and passed several servants and Stark household guards on their way out of the guest house. Jun swung the doors open, and moved forwards, glancing both ways, surveying the grounds, with the discipline only the Academy could instill. She and Brienne exited afterward, bringing them out near the courtyard. The sun was beginning to slowly rise out from behind the horizon, and the few eyes that had been awake and present nearby were focused on her and her Flameguard, as they passed through, on their way to the Great Hall to break their fast.

In silence, they passed through the gate separating the Courtyard and Great Hall areas. She could not help but smirk as she heard several, light, hurried, footfalls following closely behind them, accompanied by the soft padding of a large animal.

Jun remained in front, her body tense and attentive, eyes watching everything.

It did not take long before she felt two forms close up around her. A large gray wolf on her left, and a small stern-faced one to her right. "Arya?" she asked, glancing towards the little Stark girl, who seemed excited. One look at her attire revealed why. Arya had been clad in a similar uniform to her own, only far smaller and bearing the Stark colors; dark gray leather armor, shoulder pads, neck guard, and boots, trimmed in light gray, over black underclothes. Her hair was in a bun, with silver paws wrapped around the base, and a polished silver head of a direwolf resting on top, pointed to the sky, howling its silent howl.

"Apologies, Ursa. My mother wished to gift me something before I set out for our training," Arya broke and smiled, looking to her.

Ursa cocked an eyebrow and felt her lips twitch upwards ever so slightly.