Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and The Game of Thrones. They belong to their respective authors. I am writing this just for fun and no money is being made.

AN: I would like to apologize for my mistakes in advance as I do not have a beta.

Warning – This is full of swear words.

"My Lady?" A voice called urgently. "Elsa. Wake up."

She blinked, trying to open her eyes and adjust them to the poor light in the chamber. It was still dark, which meant daylight was just rising after dark. Then she heard the noises and lastly, her eyes fell on Torrhen standing at the foot of her bed. He was dressed, holding his sword in his hand.

"Torrhen?" she croaked out.

He seemed stressed and she got out of bed as fast as he could, assuming the worst. Had the Mountain arrived in Winterfell with his men? Were they being attacked? She looked around and her dread increased. Her dragons were nowhere to be found. Where were they?

"Where are my dragons?!" She cried out, rushing out to search for them.

"I haven't seen them, but they must've gone out of the castle in search of food. I haven't seen the direwolves as well." Torrhen stopped and assured her.

She closed her eyes, feeling her dragons through the bond and slumped with relief after realising that they were somewhere, flying happily.

Torrhen waited a moment before adding hastily, "It's the ironborn."

"Theon?" She gasped out. Robb had died because of Theon's betrayal in her dream. Was it happening already? She shuddered.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, looking furious and gritted out, "We need to get out of here."

Elsa nodded, putting on her fur cloak and the two rushed out of her chamber. She stayed behind him, close enough to whisper, "We've to get Bran and Rickon out."

He didn't respond verbally, but they moved towards the main wing where the chambers of the two youngest Starks were situated. The day was cloudy and it was about to rain, but the columns of smoke could be easily seen reaching the sky. They moved through the shadows, staying hidden amid the cries that rang through the air. They should've known Theon would turn out to be a traitor. Now, he and his men were about to destroy Winterfell as vengeance for what Eddard Stark had done years ago, taking advantage of the war being fought in the South.

"How many men do we have?" she asked.

His voice sounded pained as he informed grimly, "Four dead."

'This wasn't good.' Elsa thought. 'Not only were they outnumbered, but they were also at disadvantage because of Theon. He'd grown up here and knew every corner as much as Robb did. How were they going to fight? For generations now, Winterfell had been the capital of the North and seat of House Stark. How would people respect Robb, if he were to lose his hold on the castle, his own home? The war would be lost even before fighting. No, they couldn't let anyone take it from the Starks.'

Nodding to herself, she spoke, "I can stop them."

Torrhen whirled around and declared firmly, "No."

Elsa gaped, looked at him with disbelief and said, "You saw what I did. You know what I can do!"

"Pardon me, Lady Elsa, but you don't know the extent of your – powers. You're still learning and could easily end up harming yourself. The ironborn are savage beasts and wouldn't think twice before…" he stopped, took a deep breath and spat, "The only thing they know is killing and raping."

She glared at him before pushing past and rushing to the west wing where Bran and Rickon's chambers were situated. They did not have the time to argue and she wasn't certain at this point that Theon wouldn't harm Bran just for the show. She heard Torrhen cursing as he followed her, but ignored him for now. She saw bodies, mutilated badly and swallowed the bile that threatened to make an appearance. These were the people they grew up with. How could Theon do this?

"Tell them." They heard Theon's voice.

Hidden behind the stone wall, she didn't miss how Bran didn't look up even as he mumbled, "I've yielded Winterfell to Theon."

"Louder. Say, Prince Theon." Theon demanded.

"I've yielded Winterfell to Prince Theon," Bran repeated.

It made Elsa's blood boil and the only thing stopping her from shoving a sword in the traitor's gut were Bran and Rickon. How could a human turn around and kill the people he grew up with? Did he think taking Winterfell when it was defenceless would make him brave? And taking children as hostages no less!

"My father has donned the ancient crown of Salt and Rock and declared himself King of the Iron Islands." Said the bastard arrogantly. "He claims the North as well by right of conquest. You are all his subjects."

Farlen took a step forward and spat, "Bugger that. I serve the Starks. If you think you can hold the North with it –"

He didn't finish as an Ironborn hit him over the head with the back of his sword and shouted, "Shut up!"

Farlen stumbled to the ground with a pained scream, making everyone shudder. Elsa wasn't sure if the man knew about his daughter – Palla as her body was still lying in the east corner of the castle.

"If you serve me as loyally as you served Ned Stark, I will be as good to you as he ever was. Betray me, and you will wish you hadn't." Theon continued before turning to look at the maester and stated, "Maester Luwin, send a raven to Pyke informing my father of my victory here. And one to Deepwood Motte to my sister. Inform her that she's to bring You are a maester of the Citadel, sworn to serve the Lord of Winterfell, are you not?"

"I am." Maester Luwin nodded gravely.

"I am the Lord of Winterfell as Bran just informed you. Send the ravens." He announced, just as some called loudly, "Greyjoy!"

Two ironborn were dragging a man who was bound and bloodied into the courtyard. The man was old, had white hair and Elsa instantly recognised him as King Robert's Kingsguard – Ser Barristan Selmy. He was bleeding steadily from a wound on his chest, still glaring defiantly at the men around. 'What was he doing here?' Elsa thought.

"He's Barristan Selmy. He was the kingsguard to King Robert." She whispered to Torrhen, who tensed beside her and his grip on the sword tightened further. He didn't get the chance to speak as another man dragged Ser Rodrik Cassel behind him.

Both Elsa and Torrhen stopped breathing momentarily because Ser Rodrik seemed dead, but Bran wasn't able to stop himself and cried out, "NO! Please no!" he turned to look at Theon and begged, "You promised you won't hurt anyone if I yield Winterfell!"

The man dropped Ser Rodrik in the middle of the courtyard and cheered, "We caught this one on his way back from Torrhen's Square. Put up a good fight, but couldn't stand the end of my sword."

"Who is this?" Theon motioned towards the man on his knees.

"Old man took out four of ours before we got his sword." One of the men holding him stated.

Theon frowned at the man and asked, "Who are you?"

Instead of answering, the old man spoke, "You were raised here under this roof. These people are your people."

Theon straightened, not thinking much of the old man and remarked, "They are not my people."

The man shook his head as if disappointed and said, "Lord Stark raised you as his own. Robb Stark thought of you as his brother."

"My brothers are dead. They died fighting Stark men. I was his hostage, taken from my home." Theon's eyes burned with rage as he gritted out. "Lord Stark is dead. The Seven Kingdoms are at war. And Winterfell is mine."

He turned to his men and ordered, "Take him to the cells. Lock him up."

'She could see 12 in the courtyard, including Theon.' Elsa thought frantically. 'There must be a couple more, but there couldn't be more than 25 men.'

"Where are the others?" She asked.

Torrhen caught on quickly and said, "4, at the gates."

"My prince." The man standing behind Theon moved closer and said, "He killed four of our brothers. You cannot let that stand. He must pay."

"Lock him in a cell until he rots," Theon ordered.

"No, he has to pay the iron price. They'll never respect you while he lives." The man provoked.

They held their breath collectively as Theon considered this and announced, "You've committed a crime against the ironborn. Thereby, I sentence you to death!"

Unable to do anything else, Bran cried out, "Stop it! You said no harm would come to them if I yielded."

Theon looked at Bran breathing heavily, his eyes wild as he spoke, "You don't give commands anymore, little lord."

It started raining heavily, soaking everyone within seconds, reminding Elsa of Bran's dream – The 'sea' indicated to 'the Ironborn', who had flooded the castle. Drowned men could only be the corpses she'd seen. Ser Rodrik being one of them. Undoubtedly, more will die if Winterfell was left to Theon.

She looked around. Theon had pushed the people of Winterfell in a corner as his men stayed on the exists. Theon was standing with one of his men in the centre of the courtyard, while two others were holding Ser Barristan. Her plan wasn't full proof, but if her shield worked, they might just be able to save Winterfell.

"Take care of the ironborn manning the gate and stay there until you see the smoke." She muttered to Torrhen and before he could stop her, she rushed out of the hiding place, ignoring the furious calls of 'My Lady!" and 'Elsa!' behind her.

She couldn't let Ser Barristan die. Not until she found out why was he here and why did he put himself in danger by killing the ironborn? Stepping into the courtyard and called, "Theon!"

"Elsa!" Theon's eyes widened as soon as he saw her. Evidently, he hadn't known she'd left Robb's camp just after he did and she was glad to have the element of surprise. She wanted to see him scared. To see him rotting in a cell in Winterfell.

"Wha – what are you doing here?" He stumbled across words, looking around with what could only be described as fear.

She stopped in front of him, ignoring the eyes of everyone around, especially Bran and Rickon. She needed to concentrate; else her plan would fail secularly. Looking him in the eyes, she asked, "I should ask you the same. You went to get the ships. I don't see any."

"I'm a Greyjoy. I can't fight for Robb and my father both." He explained as if it justified his betrayal before looking in the sky and asked somewhat shakily, "Where…"

"Father? She scoffed, deliberately cutting him off, unwilling to alert his men about the dragons or her magic and asked instead, "The Starks went to war for their family. What did your father do to free you?"

He loomed closer and hissed, "Shut up!"

The way his eyes burned with fury and desperation, made her realise where his anger came from. The reason behind his hatred for Jon was clear as a crystal now. She blurted, "That's what is wrong. Isn't it? That's why you're jealous of Jon."

He outright laughed at her, one hand on the hilt of his sword as if he would slay her within seconds, but asked incuriously, "Jealous? Why would I be jealous of a bastard?"

Now that she understood his jealously, she pressed, "As much as you tried, as hard as you wished, you are not a Stark and you never will be, which is why you hate Jon."

"SHUT UP!" His voice echoed throughout the courtyard as he screamed.

She didn't stop and added, "The Starks are the most honourable people you will ever meet. If you would've informed Robb before joining your father, he might've forgiven you, but if you do this, he never will."

The man standing beside him rushed forward and grabbed her hair in his fist. Elsa hissed with pain, her eyes watered as the man threatened, "The prince asked you to shut up, you cunt!"

She could hear both Bran and Rickon crying, but it won't be long now. Theon's men were exactly where she wanted them to be.

"The prince?" She asked mockingly.

He stood at his full height, trying to make himself taller and stated hotly, "You should address me as Prince Theon now. I've taken Winterfell. I took it. I'm occupying it. I sent men over the walls with grappling claws and ropes. The Lord of Winterfell surrendered in front of everyone."

"The Lord of Winterfell? Do you mean Bran? He's 8!" She exclaimed, unsure whether she wanted to burn him alive or leave him for Robb.

Squaring his shoulders and clenching his jaw, Theon stood there, looking at her as if she was a pest, but she didn't budge and glared right back. The hand in her hair tightened as the man pulled her back and said happily, "Say the word and I'll be more than happy to show this whore her place, my prince."

Before anyone could respond, a loud screech drew their attention. Theon paled rather dramatically, much to Elsa's satisfaction. Every head snapped to the sky to search for the source, but couldn't because of the heavy rain and clouds covering the sky.

The ironborn were scared now, looking around until their eyes fell on Balerion. Not only was he the largest, but he was faster than his siblings. He was the size of a horse now, his siblings just a bit smaller, but they were enough to take care of a few rebels.

Theon's men stared with horrified awe as the red dragon landed on the wall. Rhaegal, Silverwing and Aeghar followed surrounding all four sides of the courtyard.

"How…?"

"Impossible!"

"Dra-gons…?"

Elsa watched the men brandishing their swords as if to slaughter her children. She ignored everyone around, looked straight into Theon's eyes and hissed in a language only her dragons could understand, "Burn the traitors, my children."

A split second passed, stretching out as several minutes. Despite the thunder, the air rippled around all her dragons' heads and they unleashed the inferno. Everyone around her screamed and ducked to cover themselves, but the shield she had conjured worked. The fire didn't enter the invisible ball, keeping the innocents safe. The ones outside though didn't stand a chance as the dragon fire burned stronger than a normal fire. The screams of ironborn could be heard as they tried to run frantically but didn't get a chance as they turned to ashes right in front of her.

Ser Barristan was shocked to see that the fire didn't touch the area where people of Winterfell had huddled close together, while the ironborn surrounding the courtyard burned. He had been a knight all his life and knew time was of essence, which was the only reason he collected himself and took advantage of the distracted irnoborn who had been holding him. Noticing that they weren't focused on him anymore, he snatched the sword from one of the men holding him. These men weren't trained and despite his old age, he was still agile. Before the men could recover from the horror of seeing their… friends burning by four large dragons, he slit their throats in a swift motion. They fell to the ground, coughing blood and turned his attention towards the princess and the man still holding her.

The shield kept the ones inside safe, while the ironborn surrounding them burned.

It had gone according to plan.

She watched as the banners atop the tower caught on fire, the wooden poles burning up quickly before the fire hit the stone and burned out. Stone would not burn as she'd known. The screams died quickly, charring men to the bones. Ever eager and childish, Aeghar flew down, landing in front of the roasted corpse. She felt his happiness as he reached down and fastened his jaws around the body. There was a sickening crunch, as the sound of the dragon munching on the man filled the air.

Balerion, Rhaegal and Silverwing weren't as impatient or hungry, so they flew in circles around the courtyard.

THWACK.

The sound had been sickening.

"NO!"

A wave of pain slammed into Elsa and she felt the same burning anguish that Aeghar was feeling at the moment. Her eyes flew at the arrow lodged in Aeghar's shoulder and she shuddered in horror as he fell, landing on the inner side of the courtyard. The panicked cries of Bran and Rickon were faint in her mind, only focused on the pained cry of her dragon.

She turned to look at the culprit who had dared to hurt her child and her eyes landed on Theon – who was holding his bow. How had she forgotten that Theon was one of the best archers in Westeros? Her entire being burned with fury as she mentally came up with numerous ways to torture the youngest Greyjoy before feeding him his cock.

His siblings shrieked in rage, expressing their anger and ready to burn everyone who had harmed their brother. It wasn't easy to calm them down with her mind and keep the shield intact. The fire was dying, so she lowered the shield. Entirely focussed on the cries of the youngest of her dragon and easing his pain, she forgot about the man who'd been holding her.

She could feel the man behind her trembling as he pushed a knife deeper into her throat, drawing blood and demanded, "Stop them or you'll be dead, you fuckin' bitch!"

But before she could even think of something, Ser Barristan threw a dagger straight at her, but instead of hitting her, it flew over her shoulder. She heard the man behind her gasp before his hold on the knife loosed and it fell on her feet. She whirled around, only to find the dagger embedded between the man's eyes.

"Stop! I command you… or I'll kill him!" Theon cried out, pointing another arrow at Aeghar.

His hands were shaking badly, but this time, she walked towards him and repeated his earlier statement coldly, "You don't give commands anymore, lord Greyjoy."

All of a sudden, the bow and arrow he had been holding caught fire, making Theon shout.

"Lock him in a cell until King Robb decides the fate of this traitor." She ordered, not even bothering to check who took Theon to the cell. All his men were gone after his betrayal, many would want his head on a spike.

Her focus was solely on Aeghar, who was still shrieking with agony.

Cursing at the stubbornness of King's sister, he moved quietly towards the castle gate. He knew what Lady Elsa could do – had experienced it first hand, but Torrhen knew that she was still learning. It had been nearly a year since the King asked him to protect his sister – one who was merely Lord Stark's ward. His father had raged at the injustice. He had been disappointed at not being at front of the war – that was until Lady Elsa had saved Eddard's life.

When his Lord father had heard, he'd jumped at the prospect of having a maiden in his household who was a witch and one who was the King's sister. He'd been embarrassed but thrilled at his father's suggestion. He wasn't blind to her beauty, nor was anyone else. She had striking lilac eyes, likes of which he'd never seen on anyone else. They were typically known as one of the Targaryen features and a famous proclamation of their Valyrian heritage. He remembered his father's words when he'd first laid eyes on her.

'Look at her. Dark hair, those purple eyes... she is the blood of old Valyria, mayhap the daughter of Ashara Dayne, no doubt, no doubt...'

Nearly everyone in the North was pale because of the lack of sun, but Lady Elsa's skin was so fair as if it had never seen the sunrise upon it. Her hair tumbled down her waist in neat black curls, which she mostly kept in braids, away from her face. Her lips were full and sensual over a sharper chin, high cheekbones and a delicate nose as if the gods had carved every feature with his own hands.

Torrhen shook his head at the line of his thoughts. It was known by now that even though King Robb and Lady Elsa didn't share blood, she was as precious to him as her siblings. Some of them also hadn't missed that the young wolf might not listen to her mother at times, but Lady Elsa's influence on him was strong. Some even speculated that there was more between the two and she shared the King's bed, but by now, Torrhen knew for a fact that there was nothing more than love which was platonic between 'the siblings'. Whatever the world may think, the Starks were raised to be loyal and he wondered what happened with Theon… but Greyjoy's were known for being treasonous sons of bitches, similar to the Frey's. He still wondered what urged the Greyjoy to betray Robb Stark, after knowing about Elsa's magic and the dragons.

That was a question for another time. Right now, he needed to kill the invaders.

He saw two men standing guard at the front gate, while two were at the back of the castle. Torrhen stayed in the shadows, unsure how to proceed when he heard the direwolves howling outside, but these men had it firmly shut. If the wolves were near, the dragons wouldn't be far behind. The beasts went hunting together and the pattern had been similar ever since they'd returned to Winterfell.

Making sure he was well hidden, he edged behind one of the two men and stabbed his sword in the ironborn's back. The man fell on his knees, but Torrhen was focussed on the other man, who charged at him. The poor fighting techniques of the ironborn showed. They lacked the training and skills men in the North had. It wasn't difficult to stab the enemy and slashed his stomach open. Blood splattered all over his face, but he hurried to open the gates. The two wolves nudged their way inside as soon as they entered and Torrhen was surprised that they instantly took off towards the other gate. He heard the familiar roar of Elsa's dragons and cursing again, but decided to follow Summer and Shaggy. He heard them growling and a scream before he rushed towards the back gate where the ironborn were standing guard. The sight that met him was gory and he couldn't help the grimace that touched his face. They were choking on their blood as the direwolves tore into the throats with their sharp teeth.

He looked away as there was no time to dwell and rushed towards the courtyard. He had to stop when he heard the screams and his eyes hurt with the smoke in the air.

Her legs took her towards Aeghar and she knelt next to him.

Now standing beside her, Rickon cried, "He's hurt."

Elsa couldn't bring herself to respond, instead rubbed Aeghar's head to comfort him. She looked at the arrow still lodged in his shoulder and hissed to him, 'Hold on sweetling. It's going to hurt.'

Her youngest hooted weakly, nudging her side, informing her of the pain as a child to his mother. Praying to the gods for strength, she held the arrow and pulled it out in a swift move. She tried to calm him through her mind, but her dragon screeched with pain loudly. Dragons had hard skin and thankfully, the cut wasn't deep, but he was a child – so unaccustomed to feeling the pain that Aeghar couldn't help but cry. She wasn't sure if she would be able to heal his wound or not, but damned if she wasn't going to try. She couldn't just leave her child in pain.

She moved her fingers over the wound on his shoulder and whispered lovingly, "Easy, my love. The pain is going to fade.'

Her fingers glowed orange and slowly, Elsa felt Aeghar's pain diminishing, but no matter how much magic she pushed, the wound didn't seal completely. She tried again, pushing more magic, but to no avail. Someone shook her, breaking her concentration and she heard a voice yell, "Stop!"

Violet coloured eyes flew towards Torrhen, looking murderous when another voice called tentatively, "Elsa…?"

Her head snapped towards Rickon, who was struggling to get free from the arms of the wilding – Osha. It was the look of fear on his face that made her blink out of her haze.

"Elsa?" Bran spoke cautiously as if she was a wild animal.

"Lady Elsa?" Torrhen asked slowly. "Are you alright?"

She had to blink a couple of times, looking around at the smoke and nodded indifferently. It took her another moment to realise what was wrong when she received jumbled images of burning everyone and everything around from her dragons along with a sharp spike of anger. The three dragons had surrounded her and Aeghar and were ready to burn whoever posed a threat.

"NO!"

She hissed, forcing the image to three dragons and was surprised when Balerion opened his jaw and uttered an ear-splitting roar. She along with everyone standing close, clapped their hands over their ears to mute the sound. It was the first time she'd seen him this angry, but before could assure him that everything was fine, he rose in the sky and wheeled west. Silverwing followed her brother, but Rhaegal stayed beside her and his brother.

Elsa looked around, where people were staring at her with wide eyes, still covering in the corners. Torrhen was a few feet away; Maester Luwin had a tight hold on Bran, while the wilding was still holding onto Rickon. Aeghar nudged his head in her stomach, seeking comfort, reminding her that even though he wasn't in pain at the moment, she had failed to heal him. She needed someone to help her get Aeghar back to her chamber where he could rest in front of the fire. She didn't think he would be able to fly freely until his wound healed.

He was searching for warmth, so, she kept her hand over his head, even as she asked, "Is everyone all right?"

"Seven hells!" Torrhen said, voice sharp.

The rain had stopped and there was nothing but silence until Rickon asked in a small voice, "Is – is he going be fine?"

Elsa plastered a smile, one that didn't reach her eyes and nodded at the youngest Stark. It was all he needed as he bit Osha's hand to get free and all but slammed into her. His small fists clenched into the back of her coat, which was wet as he sobbed hysterically. Her eyes met Bran's over her shoulder and for the first time, she noticed that his face was strained with tears as well. The two Starks were too young and she shuddered to think what would've happened if her dragons hadn't been there to save them.

He'd been staying at the inn with the clear view of the castle for more than a few moons now and could say that Winterfell was nothing if not a quiet or peaceful place. He had been freezing since he entered North, but he would choose this place over Kings Landing any day. Which was why he was startled by a massive commotion that morning. The man who had been with Princess Rhaenys while returning from the camp, clearly loyal to House Stark led a part of nearly 200 men out of the castle. He took his horse and moved towards Winterfell. When he saw men trying to invade the castle, immediately, Barristan was on high alert and drew his sword without even having to think of it.

She was the only living heir of Rhaegar Targaryen and by old laws and the new, had the best claim to the Iron Throne. She was in the direct line of succession after her father, Rhaegar. Viserys and Daenerys were now second claimants to the throne. Rhaegar's daughter was alone and needed protection, now more than ever. He had already failed his Prince, but he wouldn't fail the princess.

The ironborn were notorious for their treacherous ways. They were also known for their lack of skills in a fight. He easily killed four out before they got him. He wasn't surprised to see young Greyjoy leading the party and betraying the man he called his brother, already knowing what hunger for power can make one do.

What he saw next though, was something come true from the tales he'd heard as a child and read in the books. The four dragons burned everyone, but the fire didn't touch the people of Winterfell. It was as if a force had stopped it from entering a particular space. He had heard rumours about the wolf having a witch within his fold… now that he'd seen, Barristan wasn't sure what to believe anymore. There was also the way Rhaenys commanded the dragon, who by the looks of it, left in a fit of rage. His prince would've been proud. By the end, he managed to save the princess, glad he still had the skills despite his old age.

He watched as a huge man named 'Hordor' was called to help in carrying the injured dragon to the chamber. He waited for the crowd to disperse before approaching the princess.

"My Lady." A voice stopped her and she looked up to see Ser Barristan standing in front of her.

Rickon was still clinging onto her skirts, so she rested a hand on his head before addressing the man. "Ser Barristan. Thank you for saving my life."

"As you did mine." The man nodded.

When she'd met him first time more than a year ago, she hadn't known what to do. It was known that Ser Barristan Selmy's loyalty lay with the Targaryen's until the usurper pardoned him and named the man Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. She still remembered her father's words – 'Ser Barristan is as valiant and honourable as any man in the seven kingdoms.'

He had kept his word, not informing about her real identity to anyone or else, Elsa was sure she'd been dead by now. The man looked older but with the same qualities of strength and kindness, she had seen in him. He had saved her by risking his own life today, but still, Elsa wasn't sure of the old man's purpose. Why was he here now?

Finally, she asked, "I – I am grateful and indebted that you saved our lives, but what are you doing in Winterfell?"

"I took a vow to protect your family, princess. I failed them." He bent the knee, bowed his head and continued, "Allow me to protect you, princess Rhaenys of house Targaryen. I've failed you once, but I will not fail you again. I will shield your back, keep your counsel and give my life for yours if need be. I swear it by the old gods and the new.

Rickon looked confused; Torrhen's eyes looked ready to pop out of his skull as he had heard the last part; while Elsa blinked at the old man owlishly.

EN: Ser Barristan does not know about Jon. He also doesn't know about Viserys 'sadly' demise because of obvious reasons.

Many people wished to read Jon and Elsa's sex scene, so I'm nearly finished and it will be posted sometime this month. 😊