For Those who have followed or favorited this fic, I beg pardon for this chapters late coming . the reasons for which are religious in nature.

I'm a short burst , long charge writer (like my phone), also I have no excuse I ask your apologies.

Forgive me for the amount of I's in this chapter , this is a experiment in the first person.

Winterfell 271 Same day , three hours laters

Rickard's P.O.V

To say I don't like the idea of fostering my children out is like saying I despise gambling dens that have brothels , both are true ,but only one is useful to my vassals. If you think I'm the man with harlot on his knees , that's amoral and I'd rather see them find husbands or a trade as weaver or alewife or milkmaid or something not ...immoral .

"Lord , Your decision." Said the Wallace snapping me out of my mental rambling on the sinfulness of whoring and brothelmonging.

" ah yes..." I sighed .

I grabbed the two letters , these foreign choices would either cement me as the 'second old man of the north' or ' Rickard the imbecile' . I've gambled many things , my horse , my gold and my trewsers on one occasion.

I have made my death pyre , now but to burn in it .

" give me the letters again " I asked .

Wallace handed me the letters, I started to read Jon's letter.

Dear Rickard .

It has been long since we've wrote each other after the Nine-penney King's War.

But we both know you know the reason behind this letter, you have two sons of age for fostership.

He would be accorded bread and salt , he would be reared amongst my son, nephew and wards .

All I ask is you consider your old aquantice in this matter.

Then the Greyjoy's letter.

To the Stark in Winterfell greetings .

I'll be blunt . I do not know you or you me . But we both know this, we both want our lands to prosper,we both want ties to the green-lands . Let us make ties , my sons are men grown ,my eldest has two sons your son's equal in years, send your third for from experience I can say they are often wild and unruly as are we Ironborn, send us him for foster . If his manner ,knowledge of letters and arms are pleasurable unto you we could talk trade or betrothals then .

From the Greyjoy in Pyke.

I was very thankful that I had already drank a tankard of ale .

I knew where my sons were going, now but to choose who gets who.

It was four hours afterwards ...I'm tired , Wallace is asleep with his head in the pile of fostership letters, if it was'nt for Wallaces snoring , and the fact his wooden foot was charcoal in the dead fire at the moment I wouldn't of moved him. but since both were true ,I moved the drunk Bondsman to the cot I had placed in my office for admittedly such occasions as this.

I put everything in its spot and left a note for the servants to use the fostership letters as kindling after being dipped in beeswax or pine-tar and stored in a primarily stone room.

I entered the hallway and ambled over to the training grounds , whilst proper training for weapons

wasn't Eddard's or Simo's lot for atleast two years , but both were interested in it , play-fighting with Cassel giving pointers from time to time was good for them . The twins approaches were very different for it, Eddard wanted to be good at fighting so he asked Cassel for extra pointers , Simo simply dragged a mace into the Great hall three years ago at the harvest feast , walked up to Lady Maege Mormont and asked "How do you swing one of these?"

Admittedly I didn't know of it until afterwards .

I was welcomed to the Training grounds by battle-cries..

" Jon Barleycorn!" was Eddard, and "Arson Iceaxe!" was Simo.

Stick and Training Sword were surprisingly well matched, Eddard's shield-work vastly needed improvement just as Simo's footwork needed equal improvement.

In roughly three minutes this scrap which seemingly started out so seriously turned into a shield shoving match , both sides laughing,fuming and hurling their most hated nicknames for each other.

"Momo , Sisi ,Leg-Grabber ,Mace dragger ,Wildling-Lover, Reader-Runt!" Eddard spouted

" Eddie, Puppy, Pageboy, Andal, Numbernut,Septa's lad !" Simo Spewed forth in return.

"Villainous Dregg"

" Stuck up Prig!'"

And anyone who says " there is no strife in a wolfpack "...they can lick my boot leather.

" Eddard , Simo , Settle down now" I said in my lord's voice, they did as I said and they stopped fighting but the hateful glares were there still.

If these two don't go down as the 'Kin-killers' I'll make The Bolton marry my horse.

"Get your gear off you there is something I must tell you" Said I.

" What is it/ Tell us!" The twins exclaimed in unison, then returned to glaring ... it wasn't murderous like before , so some improvement.

Their eyes were on me so I started with " Do you know why I have called you ?"

"No " Eddard answered, Simo remained silent , both were giving me looks of ' tell us' with tinges of ' please !' drizzled in .

Better now than never.

" Do you remember the letters from Brand ?" I start with .

" Yes...?" they answered , Simo looked like he had some inkling of what I was getting at . Eddard was still thinking 'where is this going'and his face showed it.

"do you both know where he is? " I follow up with.

"The Barrows" Eddard answered , the cogs grinding the plodding path.

Simo's eyes looked like they were about to pop out, he just figured it out.

Simo sputtered " where are... we going?"

I looked at him and sighed , his tendency to figure things out quickly would either get him far or a shallow grave. Whereas Eddard would plod on until he learnt the name of every part of his aim was understood, which made him reliable .

" You're both going to be fostered" Said I.

Both face's had the ' live deer in the greathall look', which on their faces is priceless to me .

I wish there was a way to preserve such memories as if they were portraits.

I motioned for them to follow and walked back to my office , the twin's feet paddering behind me.

I have not returned!

We have met the protagonists... and they loathe each other.

The next chapters will be the letters home from the twins, some will be serious , some

will show the vices and virtues of both and some will be hopefully humourous.

Enjoy , God bless and Good whatever day it is.