A/N: SORRY FOR THE LONG NOTE! BUT I SPOKE WITH MY BETA AND WE BELIEVED IT TO BE BEST... FIRST THERE IS A LIST WITH AGES:

Arya, Bran and Sansa - 13 y.o.

Tyrion - almost 18

Jamie - 29 almost 30

Cercei - 28

Tommen - 4

Myrcella - 3

Robb - 19 (so, Robb is about one year older than Tyrion)

Jon - 20

SOULMARKS:If the soulmark is on the dominant hand its a romantic mark. If the soulmark is on the non-dominant hand its a platonic mark. And the marks present, as in that's def a soulmark, are always romantic. As for the shapes and colors: in my mind, soulmarks are connected to each other. So colors representing what the soulmates felt for each other, the colors on your skin represent your soulmates feelings for you or even their qualities. The form of the mark represents: qualities of the mates and even identifications that either they ID with or the other Ids them with. But the soulmarks also reflect what the other half felt: So there comes the play of ash colored mark, if you were the rejected one our soul got to bear that scar and even if it can show the mark you will never see the colors of what your soulmate felt for you, a defence mechanism maybe? And so if you where the one rejecting your other half the outer part of the mark and colors won't fade into ur skin, but it would become smokey and ash colored: representing the severed bond.

REUNION PT3: GROWING UP STARKS.

Catelyn and Ned looked at their growing twins in silence while the worry ate them alive. The twins had grown closer after that dreadful night five years ago: they had grown closer due to their shared guilt and soulmate. They both wore wristbands, the world thought that Sansa wore one because she had realized how intimate her mark truly was and how dangerous it could be if nefarious people knew what her mark was and that Bran simply had one to commiserate, but while it was somehow truthful it was also wrong. Sansa was ashamed of the actions of her past self and couldn't look at her mark without feeling bad and Brandon was very protective and to some point possessive of their soulmate.

All in all they were growing up well, healthy and happy. Their parents could only be proud of their children - since the incident they had grown closer and could often be found talking to each other about things none, but they understood and about their soulmate: their crowned lion they called him. Sansa was more considerate of others and their differences while Bran had calmed a lot and had grown wiser than his years, both were sure they would find their lion and fix the mess their past selves made… But as parents Ned and Catelyn couldn't help but fear what the two would do if their lion wasn't as forgiving as they remembered: it was after all another lifetime and in this one his mark must have told him daily that he wasn't worthy. How could they help their children with something like that? And could they really hate or blame their soulmate if he rejected them this time? What would they all do if he only forgave one of them?

Some days they just wished that their children had never been born with a soulmark and others they prayed to the gods that may listen for them to never find their soulmate. They knew that their wishes were unkind, both for the twins and their as yet unknown soulmate.

Most of the time it was easy to forget that they even had a mark and they liked to pretend that the twins were simply like all other people, but it wasn't always the case.

It was a nice Spring evening when Lord Robert Baratheon, Neds best friend from middle school all the way up to college, was visiting Winterfell with his young wife Lady Cersei Baratheon nee Lannister, age twenty-eight, their children Tommen and Myrcella, four and three respectively, who were born only ten months apart so in the North they would have been known as Skaggosi twins. All the Starks were there to welcome Roberth, even Lyanna (who had a history with the flirty man) with Aegon and Benjen with his wife Asha and Arya were there for a visit during the long vacation before another school year started.

This year Robb, by then nineteen years old, would start his first year at Kings Landings University making his parents proud. He would be Aegon's flatmate. Aegon, at twenty, who also attended KLU, was in his second year of his Sociology mayor and getting started in his Arts minor, lived in a flat in one of the better places of the city and as his last flatmate had graduated, had been about to hunt for a new flatmate when Robb texted him all about how he got accepted into KLU for his Bachelor degree in engineering. So the time they would spend together at Winterfell they would put to good use to see exactly how compatible they were in living together. Sansa, Bran and Arya, all at age of thirteen, couldn't wait for their last year in middle school to start and make that big jump toward high school.

The evening was progressing rather well: the families started to get to know each other and shared a nice ambience until just after dinner when Cersei noticed the wristbands on the twins.

"Is it me or do the two of you have soulmarks?" asked Cersei in a bitter tone, raising an eyebrow, causing the twins to lose confidence in themselves and making them lower their marked arms. "You know, I have a younger cousin that has one: I hate him. So full of himself, he believes himself to be so very clever and all my family just adores him. I believe he is just a freak of nature… he is so abnormal! My aunt and uncle are probably the only ones in this world who have seen his mark; they covered it immediately! And the way his eyes gleam… he isn't natural, but the two of you seem pretty normal to me."

"Cersei, dear, you know better than most that it is bad manners to inquire about soulmarks so openly. And I really don't know what you have against the kid, Rider has never acted the way you describe him to and even our kids adore him!" scolded Robert, feeling embarrassed by her. He felt thankful when Robb went out of his way to save him even if he knew that the young man only did so for his siblings.

"While you are right, Uncle Robert, we are all family here," at this Robb took a moment to smile benevolently at Cersei. "Aunt Cersei, as one your cousins has a mark, you must be aware just how special the soulmarks are to those who have one, so when Sansa decided that she wanted to cover hers, Bran, being a good twin brother, decided that he would use a wristband himself as a show of support and all of us have worn one at one time or another," Said Robb, looking at the blond with cold eyes before he returned to normal.

"Do they have their marks on different sides then?" Asked Cersei and no one really wanted to go into details on that. The family had decided that they would keep the special circumstances of the twins to themselves: a shared soulmate was almost unheard of, even if Bran's mark indicated a platonic connection. Marks for the same soulmate happened, but they were much more rare than even the platonic soulmarks and the twins didn't need the world looking into their lives.

"My sister has a romantic soulmate, while I have a platonic one, if you must know," Answered Bran with some hostility. He didn't know why, but he was starting to feel hatred towards the woman and his instincts basically screamed at him to hide, to get away. And he knew from the look in her eyes that Sansa felt the same, his mark burned up for a moment not painfully or anything it just made him feel warm and safe before it returned to its normal state: it was simply there a weight that grounded him.

"Hey, buddy, do you want us to find some things for you to play with?" Asked Aegon, who was sitting next to Tommen. He wanted to diminish this potential disaster and was happy when the young boy nodded happily. "Bran, Sansa, do you think you two can help me look for something he can play with: like those oversized baby-proof Legos?" He asked the twins as he stood up, giving them an excuse to leave the room.

"You mean Duplo, Jon?" Teased Bran as he and Sansa stood up.

"I remember where we put them in the attic, but I'll need you guys to do some lifting." Said Sansa with a smile to the boys, happy to be able to leave the room under a reasonable pretense. The way that woman Cersei talked about her, going by uncle Robert's use of the word kid, younger cousin left her uncomfortable… It seemed like she was a hateful and jealous woman.

Later that night Aegon and Robb had excused themselves from the company to play video games and Arya had happily followed her older cousins. Tommen had been put to bed hours ago after he had played some with the duplo Aegon brought back with him, Myrcella had been put to bed before dinner and the twins had disappeared after going to the attic. Lyanna, Asha and Catelyn were doing their best to include Cersei in their conversation, leaving Benjen, Ned and Robert in Ned's study to have some drinks.

"I'm really sorry for that, Ned, I had no idea Cersei would react that way! Hell, I thought that she would know the right etiquette around marked people or at the very least know which things not to ask!" Exclaimed Robert agitated.

"I'm not blaming you. Rest assured, Robert, many people who should know better always ask questions or make comments. That is nothing new, what is new is that a person who admits to having such a close relation to a marked person to say something like that." replied Ned looking at his drink. He wanted his friend's visit to be over. He started to dislike Robert's new wife - when he met her at the wedding she didn't seem so petty.

"What did ya call the cousin, Rider? What kind of name is that? And is he really that strange? She made it out like he was some kind of twisted guy," Said Benjen.

"Rider is the nickname I gave the kid: he seems happy with it," Shrugged Robert before continuing. "And yeah I'll admit that the kid is strange. He is absolutely obsessed with dragons and Old Valyria; hell, he can even read and speak High Valyrian. Not Braavosi or some similar language, but, honest to god, High Valyrian like those scholars that spend their lives dedicated to the study of the Empire. But I suppose that as a marked soul one might expect him to have his things, but Tion is a great kid: not sure what Cersei has against the boy."

"So he is basically a normal kid with a soulmark that loves dragons and the history of Valyria a bit too much, is what you are saying?" Asked Ned. He was dying to ask his best friend for more information about the boy and his soulmark but would refrain from doing so.

"As normal as he'll get I'd say." Responded Robert before finishing his drink.

"What does his mark look like?" Asked Benjen, not having any reservations, even though this type of personal question was frowned upon. "And what is his take on having a soulmark?" This caused both Ned and Robert to almost choke on their drink.

"Benjen!" Roared Ned.

"I've no clue what his mark looks like. As much as the kid might like me, he wouldn't share something so private with the husband of his cousin! He ain't like those kids that publish their mark online in hopes to find their soulmate or something, he reminds me more of Aegon, Lyanna's kid, if you want a personality comparison. And as for his take on soulmarks, I've got no freaking clue: the kid has enough issues with his memories-dreams, I take, seeing as he goes to therapy for it."

"Therapy? Ain't that a bit extreme?" Asked Ned who knew that the soulmark dreams could be difficult, but he never expected anyone needing therapy for that. Why didn't the boy speak with his parents about them?

"Normally I'd agree with you on it, Ned, but you haven't met the kid... I dunno what he went through in his last life, but the gods can be cruel. The kid does suffer from PTSD, so I'd say the therapy has more to do with that than with the soulmark. When we stayed with them last month he had a full blown episode: it was heartbreaking, his mother was able to get him through it, but he didn't know where he was after he woke from a nap…"

At this the tree men stayed in silence all contemplating different things. Robert was reliving how the gentle, happy smiling kid that took his kids as uncle, went to nap and a haggard soul woke up screaming something unintelligible. Eddard was thanking the gods that neither of his kids suffered from memories intense enough to put them in therapy and Benjen was wondering how a simple reunion could end on such a tone...

Brandon and Sansa were happy to leave the adults and stay in their shared living room talking together before they did some of the homework their teachers had given them for the break to distract themselves from the events that had transpired that evening.

"So you wanna talk about it?" Asked Bran looking at his sister with concern.

"About Uncle Robert's wife bashing her cousin for no other reason than him having a soulmark and her being petty? No, I'd rather forget," was Sansa's dignified answer. Bran knew that something was troubling her, but decided to let it be as she would come to him when she felt like talking about it.

While his sister started to get her table ready for the homework, he was more than happy to take his wristband off and trace his soulmark for a while. Bran loved the peace tracing it brought him: it was as if in those moments it was just him and the mark, in those moments he felt as if he were in the presence of Tyrion's shadow or one of his hugs and all the comfort that that brought him. He didn't know how much time had passed; as he was tracing the crown on the head of the lion - a mocking reminder to him that he and Sansa had only been crowned because of his abdication, somewhere far away in the Westerlands a dark strawberry blond haired young man in his late teens fell asleep while reading a book about philosophy on a couch as a feeling of peace fell over him: causing his mother to grab a blanket and put the book on a coffee table.

"Why do you always do that?" asked his sister, with curiosity coloring her voice.

"Do what?" Bran asked absentmindedly.

"Trace your soulmark? You do it when you are feeling edgy or frustrated or in any way overstimulated really, but you also do it just so, for no apparent reason," clarified Sansa. At this Bran tilted his head.

"I trace it because it brings me peace of mind, if I trace it long enough I can almost feel as if Tyrion stood right next to me," explained Bran, causing Sansa to frown. "Don't you ever trace it until you relax? Until it's just you and the soulmark?" Now it was Bran who became curious.

"Well, I do trace it from time to time, but mostly I do so when I feel guilty, and then it burns and for a moment I feel kind of like back as I did when we were married, safe and protected as if no one could harm me… not even I and my worries just disappear, just without all the resentment. There are also days when it just burns suddenly and fills me with a crippling guilt, anxiety, resignation or simply makes me feel lost; but most of the time the mark simply is and feels like a weight reminding me that it's there: as if it doesn't expect anything." After she said this, Sansa's eyes opened wide. "OMG you're right! The mark is almost a shadow of Tyrion: always there without expecting anything, which is comforting and also disturbing."

After this, the silence returned to the room and Bran's mind went into overdrive. He started looking at his homework, but in truth he was just staring at the pages frankly, not really seeing them.

"Why do you think the mark just starts burning suddenly? Does yours do it too?" asked Sansa.

"Aye, some days it does… but most of the time it is to answer or to balance my own feelings." said Bran with a thoughtful look on his face. "Maybe when we are distressed and our marks burn out of nowhere with peaceful feelings, it isn't really out of nowhere, maybe it's Tyrion who sends those feelings." Theorized Bran.

"And when my mark starts burning with those nasty feelings? Does yours ever do it, too?" asked Sansa, fearing her brother had come to the same conclusion as her.

"Aye, mine does so sometimes as well… It leaves me trying to find my footing again from all the intensity, even if it does happen seldom. The last time it happened was last month: I felt all those feelings you mentioned and then I felt the need to sleep a whole week. Maybe those are Tyrion's feelings?" asked Bran with a grimace. "Have you ever thought of sending positive feelings in those moments or thinking of good things?" asked Bran guiltily; Sansa just shook her head. "Me neither…."

"We aren't sure that Tyrion sends those peaceful feelings our way in a conscious way… so there is no way of knowing if what we do or don't in those moments does or doesn't affect him, but we can promise to do better next time." Said Sansa looking her twin in the eye who nodded with resolve in his eyes. "Let's do our homework…."

"Let's, but I gotta say that the mark burning before flooding us with foreigh feelings sucks as a warning system…" Concluded Bran.

About an hour after the conversation they were finishing their homework, filled with a burning desire to start their research anew and find Tyrion, when someone knocked on their door.

"Come in." called Bran after getting a nod from Sansa, while he began to arrange his books and his sister started pulling up their corkboard along with their research.

"Hey, guys, may I come in for a few?" asked their cousin Arya. The twins looked confused, but nodded.

"Sure, come in and grab yourself a beanbag." said Sansa while Bran went to grab their beanbags.

Arya smiled at the twins gratefully before doing so and sitting down with them, Bran opened a mini fridge and offered both Sansa and Arya a soda, both accepted. They sat in silence for a while each doing their own thing until Arya broke it.

"Do you guys know what the fuck that was? I mean, I gotta admit that I disliked you, Sansa, when we were kids: you being the perfect picture of a lady and having a twin and a soulmark and bragging about it! It didn't help that you never wanted to play the same games I wanted to play, but the bitching that woman did was on a whole new level! What could her cousin have done to make her so hateful towards him?" Exclaimed Arya out of the blue, not taking the silence any longer, causing Bran to drop the ball he had been playing with and making the twins look at her.

"I just want you to know: both of you, that I don't think you guys are freaks of nature or abnormal or something like that… maybe you guys are a little strange, but who isn't! Plus, what is normal when there are people walking around having soulmarks! People who can connect so deeply with an animal that they can possess it! When there are still reports of dragon sightings in Essos close to the Valyrian sea?" Bran and Sansa looked at each other and did that stupid twin thing they usually did before Bran spoke up.

"We never believed you thought we were freaks: well, bigger freaks than we are I mean." said Bran with a smile causing Arya to scowl at him and Sansa hit him on his shoulder before taking over the talking.

"Thank you, Arya, for your support, but what do you say: haters shall be haters? I think that applies well in this case. I don't believe that her cousin did anything for her to really hate him, but it seems to me that Cersei is a shallow, jealous and petty woman who hasn't outgrown her resentment for not having a soulmark while her cousin has one. We know you never thought us abnormal and I know that our enmity during our childhood is partly my fault. I was pretty full of myself wasn't I?" Asked Sansa with a smile; Arya returned the smile and relaxed.

"So what are you, double trouble, up to? Have you guys already found any clues about your soulmate? And I promised myself I'd never ask, but how do you guys feel about that?" Asked Arya.

"We are making progress in our research, well, at least partially we have read all historical indications about all three of us, but we might need to open up another line of thinking as our research is hitting a wall at this moment," answered Bran. "As for us having the same soulmate, I believe we might differ on our feelings, but seeing as our soul bonds are essentially different I have no problems with it: I love him and Sansa does love him too, we just love him differently: only one of us would snog him and that one isn't me." This caused Arya to laugh as Sansa turned redder than a tomato. "Not that I wouldn't be happy to do almost anything else with him..."Finished explaining Bran in his almost detached way.

"I agree with Bran, even if I'd have used other words," Said Sansa.

"So why are you getting nowhere with your research?" Asked Arya.

"We might need to broaden our search to some new things we hadn't thought about yet: wanna help us?" Asked Bran.

"Sure. What do you guys need me to do?" Asked Arya, opening a laptop that belonged to one of the twins.

"Search for anyone named Tyrion and look for anything that might come close to scandal-worthy behavior," Answered Sansa with an impish smile.

"For real?" Asked the shocked girl.

"Yes from what we remember, and we asuming that personality wise he hasn't changed much, he used to get into some crazy stuff… boardline suicidal stuff." Explained Sansa with a grimace.

"Please don't ask, just do," Saiid Bran, not really feeling like getting into a long winded explanation while he continued their previous line of search. The possibility of both him and Sansa staying Starks, keeping their first names and having the same father, in name and titles at least, while their soulmate wasn't even a Lannister didn't add up to him, the chances of that happening were close to none! So he wasn't giving up yet.

"So, Sansa, have you given Ashton's proposition a thought?" asked Bran while he was busy trying to distract the three of them.

"Bran, we are thirteen, I have a soulmate and if I ever date before finding him it won't be with Ashton Stone, nor will it be at this age!" Exclaimed Sansa, throwing a ball at her brother who just gave a cheeky smile while their cousin laughed.

A/N: Thankyou skyjadeprincess for following and let's thank my Beta Elliecat78.