"You were supposed to make sure Bran was safe!"

"He lives still-"

"As a cripple! I told you to make sure he did not go anywhere near the tower! That he was safe!"

"Why do you care so much? He wronged you."

"In a time that will never come to pass, as a man, he will never be! He is but an innocent child who now fights for his life!"

A moment of silence passed between the two, Jon taking the chance to calm himself. Brynden just stood there and stared at Jon, not an ounce of regret at his inaction to save Bran. To him Brandon Stark was not necessary; his life mattered little to him. He of course had his own grievances against what the boy became when he was chosen as The Raven, but he told himself that he did not let that cloud his judgement.

"Will he live?" Jon finally asked.

"He might" Brynden answered.

"Make sure he does" Jon swallowed, turning back to his blood and sworn sword with a cold look in his eyes. "If we are to work together, I need you to listen to what I say. I need to be able to trust that you would accomplish whatever task I ask of you to accomplish. I need to trust you so that when you give me sound counsel, I do not doubt you and do not end up listening to you. Do I make myself clear? Can I trust you?"

"You can trust me" Brynden gave a small inclination of his head. "I will see to it that Bran makes it through. But I will not have him be my successor."

"I am your successor" Jon assured him with cool ease, "I am your blood, and together you and I will reclaim what our family has lost because of one man's madness. You have my word on that" Jon promised. "Tell me about the dragon eggs" Jon stated calmly.

"As I had said before, they do not exist" Brynden answered coolly. "Mushroom was a court jester, a lackwit dwarf. He spoke nonsense to get a reaction from people in court. Jacaerys Velaryon had flown here to meet Cregan Stark on the back of his dragon Vermax, but the dragon did not lay any eggs here" The Raven explained. "Even if there were eggs, are you trying to substitute them for Daenerys' eggs? Were these eggs your backup in case bringing Daenerys over was not feasible?"

"Daenerys is coming back to Westeros, where she belongs. I have not changed my mind about it nor do I doubt that I can bring her back" Jon assured his man. "Those eggs would have added to the ones Daenerys has or will have. The more dragons, the better it is for us for when the time is right."

"Aegon Conquered all seven Kingdoms with three dragons. Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal are more than enough for when you begin your conquest of The Seven Kingdoms. But if it's the other thing that worries you, without a dragon they can't break the wall down. The wall is strong still and will remain so for thousands of years to come. You have nothing to worry about as long as it stands."

"I suppose" Jon muttered in reply. "Let's go back before someone comes looking for us" Jon added and moved without a response from Brynden. The Raven followed after him in silence.

Winterfell Yard

The sunlight was harsh when Jon walked out of the crypts, making his shield his eyes. The yard was more or less empty, barring for the servants that went about their work. The Lannister men at arms were moved away from this part after complaints were made that the servants had found it difficult to work with all the men stationed there.

Jon shared a smile with one of the passing servants, a young woman with mousy brown hair as he walked towards the main castle. The King was probably with Ned right now, who was with his grieving wife as they waited for Maester Luwin to give them some respite. Bran would wake again, Jon was certain of it. But he couldn't just go and tell them that right now. For one Lady Catelyn would physically throw him out of Winterfell if she saw him now.

Nearing the barracks, he heard the sound of blades clashing against one another. Going a little closer, Jon found Robb and Theon engaging in a fight. Robb was more vicious than any other time Jon had seen him before now. He was grieving in his way. Jon decided not to interrupt them, so he walked by without a word. He ascended the steps next and found Arya looking down at the fight between her brother and her father's ward. She looked on with pure concentration on her face, but Jon could see the emotions dancing in her eyes.

"What are you doing here all alone?" Jon asked his little sister as he approached her. The girl jumped at being caught unaware but when she saw who it was, she ran into him and hugged him tightly. Jon returned the hug just as fiercely. Arya was a strong and wild child, easy to show her emotions but hardly will she outright breakdown in front of anyone. Even now she was trying her best to hold it together, but the shaky sobs did not help her cause.

"Where's Sansa?" Jon asked softly, his tone kind and a hand rubbing her back.

"The sept" Arya mumbled against Jon. "She's praying with her friends for Bran. She asked me to go with her but I couldn't. I just couldn't go there. The sept never felt right to me."

"You have more of The North in you than your sister," Jon told her kindly. "It's all right if you don't go there. The Godswood is also a place of worship if you need to pray."

"He'll be okay, right?" Arya questioned, pulling away from Jon and looking up at him with her innocent grey eyes.

"Of course, he will," Jon told her with a smile. "He's a Stark. Starks are hard to kill" he informed her and Arya sniffled slightly. "Come on sister, let's get you to The Godswood. We can both pray there together."

Arya gave a short nod of her head and walked beside Jon, her hand holding his tightly. Scarcely had they descended the steps, they ran into someone whom Jon had not expected to see anywhere near here.

"Oh you're here", a young Myrcella Baratheon spoke. There was redness in her eyes and the crack in her tone suggested that she had been crying. "Sansa was looking for you, She insists you join her for prayers at The Sept."

"Princess, Arya is accompanying me to The Godswood to pray for her brother" Jon spoke softly before Arya could bite out any harsh words. "You could have sent for a servant to relay this message, princess. You had to walk out here on a wasted effort."

"It is no wasted effort, Jon Snow" the princess spoke courteously and Jon found it a little surprising that the young girl knew his name. He also noticed the shifting emotions in her eyes when she looked at his and Arya's joined hands. But the emotions came and went far too soon for Jon to decipher them. "If it isn't a bother, could I accompany you to The Godswood? I don't keep to The Old Gods but I have heard that the place is peaceful and silent. I would like to offer my prayers there."

"Of course" Jon spoke after a moment's thought. Arya looked at him with a look of surprise and Jon gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "But I must warn you, princess, The Old Gods won't take too kindly if you offered prayers to The Seven in their holy lands."

"I'll pray to The Old Gods then. Maybe they'll listen to me" the girl smiled. Jon smiled back before leading the way to The Godswood, Arya clutching his hand while Myrcella walked on the opposite side and matched each step he took with the ease and grace one would expect from a princess.