Maya looked down at Jaime who was smiling up at her as she sat on his bedside. "Gods, I want to hurt you right now."

Jaime chuckled. "I didn't want to worry you."

"You were stabbed, you mad man," she whispered harshly at him as the handmaidens fluttered about the room almost like birds. "You're lucky that it wasn't infected."

"We had to move," Jaime explained to her. "I knew that if you knew than I would just only slow you down. I'm fine."

"Jaime-"

"I am fine," he told her softly as he held her hand. "I promise. You know that I've never broken any promise that was made to you."

Maya sighed heavily, smiling in the end. "You're right, sadly."

"So I hear that your brother has returned…"

"Yes," she said coldly. "My crippled brother is back."

"I want to speak to him."

"I'm sorry, Jaime, but I can't. I love you, but those wounds become fresh every time that I see Bran. He won't talk to you either and for me to ask him...I don't want to lose him or any of them. I can tell that they disapprove of my love for you."

"They always will," Jaime replied. "No matter what I do or who I save, I'll always be a Lannister in their eyes. Neither of us can change that. I don't care what they think of us because it's none of their business. I don't love them. I'm not here for them. I'm here for you. I love you, Maya. Always and forever."

Maya leaned forward and kissed him hard on the lips, relishing in the taste of him. She felt Jaime's hand in her hair then laughter.

"What?"

"Your hair...it's white."

Maya rushed to the mirror and curled a single strand of white hair around her finger. She examined it as she heard Jaime muse, "Look at that. You're getting old now, Rose."

Maya glared playfully at him and hit him on the shoulder when she walked back to him. "That's not funny."

"I have white hair too."

"But it looks nice on you."

Jaime eyed her as he inquired curiously, "So you didn't like the way I looked before?"

Maya laid beside him on the bed, shaking her head. "No, you looked like an rich southern idiot. When I saw you, I thought how you were trying to scare me so I stared back. I did think that you were handsome and that was the reason why you were smug and arrogant."

"Well, I'm still the same."

Maya shook her head. "No, you're not. You're better."

Arya knew what she had to do. It started to claw itself into her mind even when she was smiling with her family. She knew that she couldn't stay here any longer especially not when the people who ruined her family were still out there and alive.

They all must die. They have to pay for what they did.

Arya looked to Malakhi who was busy staring at Brienne and Podrick sparring with each other. "I have to leave."

"Where?"

"You're not coming."

"Seven hells, Arya! I thought we already established that wherever you go I go now, seeing as how we both need vengeance."

Arya stared blankly at him. "I have to do this on my own. For my family. I still need to finish off my list then I'll come home."

"Arya-"

"I'm going to kill the queen," she announced. "My family can't know or else they would try to stop me."

"Arya," he tried again, but was cut off by Arya.

"Nothing is going to make me change my mind. My family is preparing for a war that should kill all of us. I need to finish my list. You're not going. You should be here and protect my nephew. In a way, I'm protecting him too. Cersei will come after him and Maya. I can't let that happen."

With those last words, Arya turned around and mounted her horse, riding out of Winterfell as Nymeria followed behind her, without saying goodbye to her family.

Brienne and Podrick sparred with each other while they noticed two other men lurking about in the shadows. Podrick looked over at them, asking his lady, "Why do they keep doing that?"

"Because they're idiots. Now focus or I'll hit you and I will cause damage."

Podrick sighed, but nodded with obedience. "Yes, my lady...but they won't stop-"

Brienne hit him on the shoulder, pushing him to the snowy ground. Tormund approached the pair as did Malakhi which prompted him to say, "Stop following me."

"Why in the seven would I follow you, wilding?"

"I have a pretty good idea," Tormund said as he looked towards Brienne who had an exasperated look on her face.

Brienne then started to laugh hysterically which prompted everyone to look at her strangely. "All my life...you both are idiots...this is hilarious!"

Brienne turned around walking to Sansa as Malakhi called out in question, "Is there another?! Don't tell me it's Jaime Lannister!"

"Who the fuck is he?" Tormund asked bluntly.

Malakhi stared at him. "You've met him. He's the blonde asshole who is the husband of Lady Maya Stark, Jon's sister...he has a golden hand-"

"That bastard!" Tormund exclaimed, his eyes wide with anger and lust for battle. "We should kill him! For just this time, we band together and get rid of him."

Malakhi entertained the idea for a moment then nodded. "Fine."

Tormund spit on his hand and held out towards him and Malakhi scowled at the hand as if it had offended him. "Don't be a pussy. Shake!"

Reluctantly, Malakhi shook the wilding's hand.

Maya jumped in surprise as Bronn popped up behind her, scaring her. "You stupid head-wait, why are you here? I thought Jaime sent you away."

"He called me back. You lot are going to meet the Dragon Lady and her hand who happened to be my former employer."

"And your friend," she added.

"Sure," he shrugged. "You need all the help that you can get so here I am. A word of advice, those idiots vying for the lady knight's hand are plotting to take out your husband because they think his dick gets hard for her."

Maya narrowed her eyes at them as she stormed towards them, yelling, "Why in the Seven are you trying to kill my husband? You idiots, he's not in love with Brienne. Can't a man and a woman be just friends and that?!"

"No one can be just friends with him," Bronn explained. "You weren't."

"That's because we were getting married!"

"Still. You've never thought of him as only just a friend now, did you?" Bronn questioned as Tormund and Malakhi nodded in agreement.

Maya curled her hands into fists and moved her feet to lunge at him when Jon stepped in and held her back. "Maya, don't."

She shrugged. "Why not? It will be fun. For me at least."

"We need to discuss how we plan to negotiate with Daenerys Targaryen," Jon said. "Malakhi, are you packed?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Good."

"I'm coming with you," Maya said defiantly.

Jon sighed. "No, you're not. Your husband and son need you."

"Jon-"

"There always has to be a Stark in Winterfell. You're the eldest." Jon remained her.

"Sansa can take care of Winterfell. I love my home, but I need to be out there fighting. You know me, Jon? I'm not some domesticated wolf."

"I know," Jon replied. "But I need you here. We just go back our home, we can't lose it again. I know that you and Sansa will keep it safe. We shouldn't be gone long."

"What if it is a trick," Malakhi suggested.

Maya shook her head. "She wants us on her side, Varys made that clear when I went to Sunspear. I told him that she will have us only if Daenerys Targaryen promises not to harm Jaime-to pardon him."

Jon scoffed. "He killed her father and his father killed her entire family. What you are asking of her, Maya...it is like asking us to spare Ramsay, Joffrey, or even Tywin because of the love someone bares them. You are the reason why his head is still on his neck. Your love saved him or else he would be dead before the next hour."

Winter growled at Jon as she stood beside her mistress, Ghost came beside Jon, growling back at his sister. Maya nodded, appearing unaffected by his words. "You're right. I know what I am asking. He isn't who he was before. He's better. He killed the Mad King because he wanted him to not only kill his own father, but to stand by and watch as he burned half a million people to the ground. Jaime made a choice, he did it to save his father and people who really didn't deserve to be saved since they now call him Kingslayer. This world is cruel because it seems the good are punished and evil is rewarded."

Jon stared coldly at her. "You are always defending him-"

"I am defending the man I love," she seethed. "Look me in the eyes and tell me what you've never done the same."

Silence filled the air as Maya and Jon stared defiantly at each other, both never backing down from their stubbornness. Sansa stepped in, sighing, "You both are right whether you'll admit it or not. Maya, you must stay here. The Night King wants your son, he can't be left alone. Ser Jaime needs you too and so do Arya and I. You're needed."

Malakhi cleared his throat. "Actually, my lady, Arya left."

"What? Why? How could you let her leave?" Jon asked harshly.

"She is just a girl," Sansa added in.

Malakhi raised his eyebrows in amusement. "She is not."

"What?"

"She is not a girl anymore. She's different- this war changed all of you including her. She had to survive by herself in this world. Arya was no one at one point in her life, and I heard that she learned from it. She could be one of the best in history if you let her," Malakhi explained.

"Where is my sister," Sansa asked angrily.

"I promised her. I cannot tell you."

"As your king-" Jon began, but was cut off by Malakhi.

"You are not my king. My sister is dead because of your brother."

Jon sighed. "Robb did not kill your sister. The Freys and the Lannisters did."

"I know, but he may as well have."

"This is why I want Malakhi to ride to meet the Dragon Queen," Jon said to Maya. "He hates the Lannisters just as much as we do. Ser Davos and Malakhi ride with me. End of discussion We leave in an hour."

Jon mounted his horse as Ser Davos walked to Maya and said softly, "Don't worry, my lady. I will look after His Grace. I'll protect him with my life."

"If it were anyone else then I wouldn't believe them, but you've proven yourself to be loyal after all, Ser Davos. Thank you."

Maya decided then as she watched Jon that she would leave Winterfell and follow them. She didn't trust the Dragon Queen at all, and she knew that the Starks had spent too much time dying instead of being smart. They finally took back their home and the North, Maya was not going to let her brother screw it up for them. She loved Jon, but she and Sansa both knew that he didn't know enough about the people that he was dealing with. He didn't know Cersei nor Daenerys Targaryen. The only comfort Maya had was the knowledge that Tyrion was her hand. Maya remembered that they planned to take Casterly Rock and she needed to ride to there with Jaime to establish a firmer claim to that land before either of the queens got their claws in there first.

Maya spied Littlefinger staring at Sansa and thought, But first I must kill a mockingbird.

"My lady," Brienne began. "I need to discuss a matter with you. It's about your mother."

Maya knitted her eyebrows in confusion. "Brienne, what could you possible discuss with me about my mother? She is dead."

Brienne leaned closer as she recounted to Maya, "She was not. The Brotherhood Without Banners brought her back to life, such as the Red Woman did with your brother. She is their leader and they call her Lady Stoneheart. She is not the woman who we all knew. She captured Podrick and I, she would not release us unless I promised her to bring her the head of Jaime Lannister. She wants vengeance."

"I heard from Ser Davos that the entire Frey family was killed...they're now extinct," Maya informed her. "Was it her?"

"You believe me then?"

"I do because how can I not?" Maya questioned. "We have seen dragons, greenseers, white walkers, and resurrection. Why can't my mother come back from the Red Wedding as well?"

Brienne nodded. "Yes, well as you can see, I did not keep my promise to her."

"She will come after you. If what say about my mother and her thirst for vengeance is indeed true then she will surely kill you the minute you step out of Winterfell."

"I agree, my lady."

"Which is why I am asking you as your friend not to ever be by yourself. You have to be around someone, you are too valuable to us to be killed, Brienne of Tarth," Maya replied in a such a fierce tone that it almost surprised Brienne. "Now as your lady, I am commanding that you tell me why you did not tell me when you saw me about my mother?"

Brienne gave her a small smile. "You love your mother. I thought that if I told you about her, then the image that Catelyn Stark had would be tarnished in a way. She was a good woman and there are too many words to describe how good she was. This person was not her. This person wanted blood and was looking to kill anyone who ever went against her family. I am sorry for speaking ill of her, my lady, but it is the inevitable truth and I did not want Lady Sansa or you or even Jon Snow to have to see her in that kind of light. You've all lost so much and...she should be remembered just as she was before her death, not as this person."

Maya returned the smile given to her by Brienne. "I understand, Brienne. Thank you, but my mother will come eventually."

"She will come for us."

"And we will be ready," Maya responded. "Don't tell anyone about your meeting with her. Tell Podrick the same. We can't have anyone know that Catelyn Stark is back from the dead."

Ser Davos and Malakhi mounted their horses and started to ride away, following Jon. Bran looked from the window of his old chambers, he watched them carefully. He wanted to tell Jon about what he saw and what their father did for not only him, but for Maya.

A FORTNIGHT AGO…

Bran Stark was taken into the past as he walked down the halls of Winterfell. He heard a babe crying loudly. The Three-Eyed Raven followed him behind him as he questioned and entered the room, "Why are we in Winterfell?"

"Look."

Bran walked further into the room and saw his father holding a wrapped up blanket in his hands. Maester Luwin sighed and said softly, "I'm sorry, my lord. The babe did not survive, but the boy did."

Confused, Bran looked towards his father as he covered the small thing in a blanket. "We can't tell her. My wife must never know. We can switch them."

"My lord, this child is not yours," Maester Luwin warned him as Ned handed him the blanket. He walked over and took the small babe from a cradle. The babe stopped crying and Bran could hear bubbling laughter coming from the babe as his father smiled down at it.

"If I give her back, tell Robert about her, two lives would be lost. My wife would know that her daughter is dead and Robert would have slaughtered an innocent girl."

"Where did you find her, my lord?" Maester Luwin asked curiously.

"She was hidden behind a dresser in the Mad King's chambers. This is his daughter, Maester Luwin-she has the Targaryen features."

"I've never seen a Targaryen with eyes like that," he reminded him.

Ned shrugged. "She's different. That could be why Aerys kept her away from the world because perhaps, he thought that this child wasn't his."

"Her hair is white, my lord."

"I'll have the maids put dye in her bath every fortnight," Ned answered firmly. "I can't...I won't let anyone hurt her."

"My lord-"

"When I came to find her, she wasn't crying. She was sleeping. I stared at her for gods only know how long. She opened her eyes and smiled at me. I've never felt...I was filled with hope when there was none in this world anymore. The light in the darkness."

Bran turned to the Three-Eyed Raven and inquired, "Who is that? Tell me."

"You know who it is," he replied.

"My father would have never done this. He wouldn't have lied to his family about Maya. She's a Stark," Bran proclaimed fiercely. "Out of my entire family, she best represents the Stark name. Maya is a Stark."

The Three-Eyed Raven sighed and stared at the boy. "No, she is not. She is a dragon raised by wolves. Her name is Princess Visenya of House Targaryen, the Second of Her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. That is her true name."

Bran became distressed at this as he quickly asked, "You showed me Jon's true parentage and what my father did for my Aunt Lyanna. Why would he claim another Targaryen? Why did the Mad King hide his own daughter?"

"Eddard Stark is a man of honor, what would it say if he were to leave innocent babes in this world? Aerys Targaryen saw something powerful in his daughter and he became so paranoid that someone would try to take her away from him so he led everyone to believe that his wife suffered a miscarriage from an early birth. Her beauty only ignited the need to hide her in the shadows."

Bran shook his head. "I know that I must believe you, but I find myself not wanting to. She's my sister, she practically raised us, Robb and Maya had such a close relationship-they knew what the other was thinking. How can they not be related?"

The Three-Eyed Raven nodded and put his hands behind his back. "Yes, that is true. Do you know why she isn't like a Targaryen? She was taught differently, she was with good people who taught her from right and wrong. A dragon raised into a wolf. Your sister is still your sister. Your family are the people who raised you and stick by you. What was it your father used to say to you?"

"The lone wolf may die, but the pack survives," Bran answered as he stared at his father smiling down at Maya who was waving her arms everywhere, giggling. "I never knew what it really meant...until now. No matter who dies, we'll always be a family and survive as long as we're together."

"You must be always by them, Bran Stark. You are stronger together, not apart," The Three-Eyed Raven said to him. "You won't win against The Night King if you're fighting each other."

Daenerys Targaryen stared at the wolf marker on the table carved out into the map of Westeros as she heard Tyrion tell the room, "We need Casterly Rock and Winterfell."

Daenerys nodded, agreeing with her Hand. "I want the Starks as allies. They hold the North, Casterly Rock, and have the armies of House Arryn on their side along with wildings."

"We have half of the Iron Islands, House Tyrell, and Dorne," Tyrion added in. "If we manage to make a successful alliance with the Starks then we will have completely surrounded Cersei."

Olenna scoffed. "And how do you plan to achieve that? Maya Stark is the wife of the Kingslayer. She only has one request and that is to pardon her husband. Do you think that she will fight for you if you do not swear his life to her?"

Ellaria looked closer at the sigils on the table map. "Lady Olenna is right. The Starks are stubborn. Maya trusted Oberyn at one point, but only because they could relate to each other. The Lannisters took everything from the both of their families."

"She and Oberyn were more than just allies," Tyrion said to Ellaria. "She cared for him."

"Spit it out already, would you?" Olenna scolded. "I don't like games."

"Me either," Yara added in with narrowed eyes.

"I know Maya, she was the only one in my trial against my family to be on my side," Tyrion said. "She was determined to prove to the world that I did not kill Joffrey, she spoke against everyone there. She was my own person hero, protecting me in a sense. She is a good person. The people love her."

Theon cleared his throat as he spoke, "Maya loves her family. She just doesn't want them to get hurt again. We've all been hurt, but her family has suffered the most. If you truly want her on her side, you have to show her that you are different than they are. She doesn't know you, Your Grace. She will fight for her family, her friends, for honor and justice."

"Thank you, Lord Greyjoy," Daenerys said as Theon stared blankly at the map of Westeros. "I will try my best. Is Jon Snow better than his sister?"

"Just about the same, my Queen," Tyrion quipped then smirked. "He's brooding like his father and brother. His sister likes to laugh."

"Do you think that she will join him on his way to Dragonstone?"

Tyrion chuckled. "I know Maya and she doesn't trust you, Your Grace so even if Jon Snow tells his sister to do something, she will not do it."

"Is that a yes then?" Daenerys asked.

"We will most likely see her." Tyrion answered. "She likes to make an entrance. Her direwolf is another story."

Daenerys' eyes shot to Tyrion in shock. "She has a direwolf."

"Full grown with a frightening white eye named Winter," Tyrion informed her, grinning. "Pleasant creatures they are. You have your dragons and the Starks have their direwolves."

TBC…

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAVORITES! WOW! 500 FAVORITES! That's so amazing, you guys! I am so grateful that you guys like this story so much, I mean every time that I am overdue in updating it, I just look at all of you and continue to keep writing.

So there you have it, Maya is the daughter of Aerys Targaryen. I am sorry that it took like 60 chapters to tell this, but I hope you guys liked it because this was in development for such a long time and I didn't know how to put it out there or when would be the right time. I didn't want her to the daughter of Rhaegar because it didn't make sense. She is older than Robb and Jon, so it wouldn't make sense for her to be Jon's twin when they really have nothing in common.

Maya and Dany are barely a year apart so when Ned found baby Maya, she was still a semi-newborn because Aerys had her taken out early because he was crazy. Ned accepted Maya first when King's Landing fell and then he went to the Tower of Joy to rescue Lyanna and there Jon was born so he decided to keep them both safe. Catelyn had twins and the girl had died so Ned switched them out to save her from grief since she thought that he cheated on her when he brought home Jon.

In the end, Ned went to great lengths to save them both from such horrible fates. He saw what happened to the children and he guessed what would've happened if Robert got a hold of Maya/Jon. Maya and Jon were lucky.

I wanted Arya to stay, but she needs to finish that list of hers before she can be with her family. So she's going on an adventure, but I think that she will discover more of herself and realize that she needs her family. They need each other.

I have so many plans for the chapters from here till like 65 because I know that you all will hate me for what will happen. These characters are too safe is all I have to say. I hoped you liked this chapter.

REVIEW. FOLLOW. FAVORITE. Until next time...