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Chapter 4: Those of the North

A few more years had passed and now, Naruto was at the good age of four-and-ten while Joffrey annoyed people with his existence at the age of six-and-ten. The two hated each other at this point. Nothing was going to repair their relationship as brothers. Not only that, but it seemed that his parents supported the notion, or at least showed they didn't care in the slightest. Joffrey was always coddled by their mother and Cersei obviously showed no care to Naruto. It would seem that Cersei hated Naruto as much as she hated Robert.

But for some strange reason, Naruto didn't care in the slightest. He fought through their combined glares and looks of disgust and disappointment and continued living for his little siblings. Searching for his father's praise always came up fruitless so Naruto simply quit the endeavor finally deciding that it was going to be a waste of time. If he was going to care about opinions, he felt that his two uncles', Jaime's and Tyrion's, were the most important ones. If anything they were like real family. And of course Myrcella and Tommen.

With this rift forming between the Royal family, Naruto was clearly feeling let down when he found out that Joffrey was riding North with them, to Winterfell. A Royal Convoy all along the Kingsroad for the next month. Naruto smiled softly at the idea of being on the road and seeing the rest of Westeros. It would at least give him the freedom to see other things and people than the same red walls and the same blond haired, green eyed people he called his family. So many thoughts rushed through his mind as he hitched his saddle to his horse.

"You know there's a reason we have a stable boy?" Jaime's voice came from behind. "You're a prince, nephew, you shouldn't be tying your own saddle. I mean, Joffrey sure doesn't."

"Uncle, you should know that I like to do things on my own." Naruto replied with a smirk. "That stable boy couldn't strap belt around Father's waist, much less a saddle to a horse."

"In the stable boy's defense, no one can strap a belt around your father's waist." Jaime said with a thoughtful look.

"What a strikingly good point that is." Naruto said with a bright smile, clearly trying to hold his laughter in. "Why thank you, Ser Jaime, for your insightful insults towards my father."

"Oh please don't tell anyone." Jaime begged, sarcasm dripping from the corners of his lips. "I wouldn't want such a crime added to my list of wrongdoings."

"Hello?" Another voice came along.

The two blonds turned their heads towards the source. But once they turned their heads, they found no one. Once more, the continued their conversation, this time a bit quieter and resigned to snickering. But once again the voice came out, interrupting their small conversation. Footsteps echoed softly and soon enough there was a cry of joy and the sloshing of liquid.

"Well then, beloved brother, and beloved nephew." Tyrion smiled. "What joy it is to find you two here."

"It's great to know he has a wine-skin." Naruto smiled. "How are you, Uncle Tyrion?"

"Oh, much better now." Tyrion smirked and waved his concern off. "You know, I was just recently in a woman and now, my belly is full of wine, with so much more left to fill."

"Oh little brother." Jaime sighed with a small laugh leaving his lips. "Well, Tyrion, I got you your horse, fitted with your special design. Naruto, you'll be fine riding alone?"

"Of course, Uncle Jaime." Naruto smiled. "I'll meet you at the gates."

"Oh, beloved nephew." Tyrion stopped before Jaime helped him up onto his horse. "Word of advice, please try and be courteous and respectful in the North, and most of all, be wary of Joffrey. We're trusting you to keep him in line."

With that, Naruto's Uncles left the scene. The boy gulped silently and rested his hand against his mount. Why his father allowed Joffrey to come, Naruto never seemed to understand, but whatever the reason, he hoped that Joffrey wouldn't come to embarrass his family. Naruto slid his foot through the footrest and jumped over, sliding into place on the smooth leather seat. With a quick motion, the horse took forward at a slow manageable pace. Naruto stayed silent, letting the clomping hooves match his heavy heartbeat. He was thinking way too hard on this whole ordeal. If there was anything he was to worry about, it was his strange power growing within him.

Naruto gripped the reins through his leather gloves. His power was strange and seemed almost infinite. The only problem was controlling it since every time he used it, he'd pass out or the scar on his head would start to bleed. The boy sighed in despair; there's always something that makes a perfect power not too powerful. Naruto leaned his head back. He didn't even know what to describe his power as. It clearly wasn't magic or else runes and spells would have to have been made. This power was something else entirely and it was healing him from wounds that he normally wouldn't have, and if he trained enough, he could use the power in a fight to make his punches and kicks stronger. But that was as far as the possibilities could get.

Oh Naruto could remember the looks on the men's faces at what they'd seen. Some completely disregarded it as heat exhaustion. Some even went so far as to say that they were simply hallucinating and that the Hound fell back and hit the rocks. Naruto couldn't help but take advantage of their disbelief; their almost unshakeable disbelief. The boy lied through his teeth and kept the lie going until they told themselves that it was the truth. Naruto couldn't believe how easily swayed they were when they were up against something unbelievable. Oh Joffrey, Naruto thought. The boy was so angry at him for hitting the Hound like that.

I only told him to take Myrcella and Tommen out of the sand and back into the keep! Naruto thought, repeating what Joffrey said with a mocking tone. Horse shit. But of course, I did have to keep that giant of a man alive. After all, if I got kicked in the knee, I'd backhand the first person I see. But to see a man get his left hand removed, is a sight I wasn't prepared for. At least Sandor took his punishment without any qualms. I can't help but feel a bit sorry for the man. Oh well, what can I do?

The boy sighed and returned to his thoughts on his powers. If he ever strained and tried to access more of his powers, he would black out from pain and wake up in a cold sweat. What irked him though, whenever he'd knock out, the dream world he's in is always the same. He's fighting with some black-haired boy wearing strange garb with an equally strange sword. The world around him was always on fire, and no matter what he or the nameless boy did, they would always lose to the woman, revealing her to have three eyes, just before he'd wake from his sleep. Naruto couldn't take those dreams and simply stopped trying to test his limits with his powers. He didn't need those dreams; he didn't want those dreams.

Suddenly, he felt his collar get grabbed. Naruto pulled hard on the reins stopping his horse and finally returning to reality. He turned to see that it was Tyrion that stopped him. His uncles were talking about something, but Naruto rode past them with a steady, slow pace but with a firm thinking face on. The two Lannisters were curious about the boy's thoughts. Naruto smiled softly and conversed quietly enough for only their ears to receive his message. The three shared a laugh and Tyrion even offered Naruto a sip from his wine-skin. For some strange reason, Jaime looked appalled, for once telling Tyrion to stop drinking and put his wine-skin away.

"He's too young, Tyrion." Jaime smirked, trying to move past the awkward tone that set in. "Let him have some normal fun before he dives into the pit that is wine."

"Oh, but it's a pit he's going to crawl into at some point, eh?" Tyrion smirked. "What say you, Naruto? Are you willing to take a wonderful adventure filled with wine and women?"

"Not entirely sure what you're asking, Uncle." Naruto replied with a sheepish look.

"He means getting drunk constantly and bedding whores from every city in Westeros." Jaime whispered. "It seems to be his own bastardized version of the normal coming of age ritual."

"Which is?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.

"We take a ship to Essos and journey across the Free Cities." Jaime smiled, but that smile quickly dropped when Tyrion gave a small cough and took another heavy sip of his wine.

"Well, I never got to know what that was like." Tyrion frowned. "Hopefully one day I will though."

"Oh…" Naruto held his tongue. He was about to ask why he never got to go, but the answer was painfully obvious for all to see.

Tyrion was a dwarf. Naruto frowned. That was the only reason. House Lannister under the ruthless rule of Lord Tywin Lannister thought of Tyrion as a failure; a joke; a lesson, taught by the gods. Tywin hated Tyrion and Naruto couldn't help but feel ashamed that his own Grandfather thought like that. It was no matter, Tyrion seemed happy with his lot in life; drinking everyday and bedding whores left and right. Naruto for a moment stopped and thought about that lifestyle. Truthfully there was nothing wrong with that idea. Sleeping with women and drinking wine all the time; but that just wasn't the life for Naruto.

I want to be a knight, like father… Naruto paused. I mean, Uncle Jaime.

The ride North was rather uneventful. Other than the occasional banditry that tried to attack them, foolishly so, there was little to no excitement. But now that they were heading farther up North, the boy could feel the cold start piercing into his skin. Naruto could have sworn that it was still summer though. He clasped his hands together on his leather reins, feeling the cold drift underneath his open fleece cloak and build within his orange jerkin. Naruto, unlike his brother, embraced the Orange coloring that came out of mixing the house colors of House Baratheon and House Lannister.

Joffrey emblazoned the Lannister red with pride and showed very little signifying his descent from House Baratheon. Naruto's eyes trailed around as they came towards the open gate of Winterfell, finding the ancient castle, arguably the oldest castle in all of Westeros, warm and feeling very much like a home rather than a castle. Once they filed into the courtyard the Stark family standing at the head dropped to their knees with respectful bows to their king. All around, the Stark footmen and servants of the castle followed suit. The King dismounted, embarrassingly needing stairs to get off, and walked over to Lord Stark with a strange stiffness to his steps.

"You've gotten fat!" Robert said suddenly, after almost three minutes of complete silence.

No words were exchanged, but Lord Stark gave the king an incredulous look and eyed him up. People looked around awkwardly but the King suddenly burst into laughter and embraced each other as the close friends they had grown to be. They had a little bit of small talk and Robert was introduced to his children. Naruto looked at each of the children standing with Lord Stark. One was as tall as him with a head of red curly hair, clearly taking after his mother, Lady Catelyn Stark. He looked strong and once Naruto learned his name, it was clear that he was destined to be strong. He was a namesake for their King, Robert Baratheon. Naruto nodded at Robb Stark and surprisingly, Robb responded with a nod of his own.

Naruto's blue Baratheon eyes trailed over and nearly shot from his head when he laid eyes on the next Stark child in line. He'd never seen someone like her before. In the South there weren't that many young redheads but for him to see one in person, his heart began to pound in his chest. Her skin was pale and seemed as smooth as polished stone. Her hair though, stood out amidst the dull and grey of the North, looking like a fire raging but calm. He wanted to say something but he realized that her eyes weren't for him. It seems that Robb caught on that she was staring at someone and followed her trail.

Naruto looked back and laid eyes upon his elder brother, Joffrey and nearly felt the urge to punch him from his high horse. Joff had a small cheeky smirk that the boy was about to knock off. Joffrey suddenly had an air of superiority about him and even gave Sansa some knowing looks, to which she looked down in embarrassment. Naruto shook his head and dismounted his horse with Jaime finally arriving with the rest of the Kingsguard. Naruto sighed and started leading his horse to wherever the stable may be.

"Let me take that for you, Prince Naruto." A voice said from behind.

"No, no thank you, I can handle it on my own." Naruto politely declined. "It seems you've already got a horse to put away."

"It appears to be your brothers." The boy replied with a frown.

"That does seem like something Joff would do." Naruto frowned as well. "So, you think you can show me where the stable is?"

"Of course I can, follow me." The boy said with a smile. "By the way, my name is Jon Snow."

"Snow?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are you a…"

"Bastard?" Jon asked with a glare.

"I erm, meant no insult by it, Jon." Naruto quickly apologized. "Truly."

"Oh well, Prince Naruto." Jon sighed.

"Call me by my name, Naruto." The blond said suddenly. "It's weird hearing all of this respectful talk to someone like me."

"What do you mean by that?" Jon asked with a raised brow.

"I don't like all of this serious talk." Naruto simply replied. "I don't know, it just feels weird to me."

"Oh, well here we are at the stables." Jon smiled. "Just hitch your horse to wherever since I doubt you have the stable boy do it for you."

"Thank you, Jon." Naruto nodded his head. "I'll see you around I guess."

Naruto walked from the stables, wiping his gloves against his breeches. The boy started walking aimlessly, exploring Winterfell on his own. For some reason he felt a strange feeling in his heart the longer he walked through the courtyard. Some of the servants and guards bowed to him as he passed and some even gave him full explanations of the different places within the castle walls. He turned on his heels once he arrived at the godswood though. Someone not believing in the Old Gods couldn't step foot in the godswood.

So with a sigh, he walked back smiling and waving at the people he came across and even managed to set up a training match with someone on the morrow after an insightful conversation with the Master-at-arms Rodrik Cassel. Naruto kept walking, minding his own business but bumped into someone. This person was clearly a child since Naruto didn't even realize it until a voice made itself known. Naruto quickly turned and laid eyes on the second to youngest son of Lord Stark, Brandon. He had a head of light brown and auburn hair that clung to his head like a helmet.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bran, right?" Naruto bent down and helped the boy to his feet. "I didn't see you running there."

"It's now worry, Prince Naruto." Bran replied.

"Heh, just call me Naruto." The boy said. "So. Where are you running off to?"

"Nowhere in particular." Bran said, obviously trying to hide something

"Doesn't seem like nowhere in particular." Naruto said questioningly.

Bran looked left and right, almost as if he was trying to hide from someone. Next to his a dog of sorts was wagging his tail excitedly waiting for Bran to make a move. Naruto watched with a small smirk when Bran froze with a comic style.

"Promise that you won't tell my Lady Mother." Bran said suddenly. "But I was going to climb the watchtowers on the western wall of Winterfell. Always did want to get a better view of the west."

"Climb the towers?" Naruto asked with wide eyes. "That sounds dangerous!"

"Why do you think it's fun?" Bran asked with a sly smirk.

"You know…I like the way you think." Naruto smiled. "Would you mind if I joined you?"

"Y-You climb too?" Bran asked with wide eyes.

"Ha-ha! Gods no." Naruto scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "I never once tried it. I was always afraid of falling."

"Oh, well I'll see you at the feast, Naruto." Bran said and took off through the courtyard, his wolf-dog following close behind.

What an interesting bunch of people. Naruto sighed. It's a breath of fresh air compared the liars and the cheats in King's Landing. They're so welcoming here. I like it.

Naruto wrapped his fleece cloak around his body as he headed through courtyard. A cold wind wisped through, despite the natural warmth the castle held. He was welcomed into the keep and there, he found people already getting prepared for the feast. candles were already being placed into their chandelier placements and the food was started to flow in on the large serving plates. The smells were intoxicating, each carrying him through the keep as if he'd stepped onto a floating cloud. He kept walking though, completely minding his business and didn't even look where he was going.

Suddenly, once again, he bumps into someone. He was beginning to wonder if this was going to be a normal thing here in the North. He looked down and nearly felt his skin run cold. In a beautiful dress, Sansa was sitting on her floor, her red locks of flowing hair splayed across her back, and he'd clearly been the one at fault. He reached down to help her up, but the girl didn't even look at him. She slapped his hand away and finally, showed him a pair of the fiercest icy blue eyes he'd ever seen in his life. She was about to say something but her open mouth dropped. Naruto almost burst into laughter when her rather pale face turned almost as red as her hair.

"I'm so sorry, Prince Naruto!" Sansa bowed her head. "I didn't know it was you-"

"It's ok, Sansa." Naruto reassured. "It was my fault that I bumped into you. Please, it's ok."

"Are you sure?" Sansa asked meekly. "I wouldn't want to make you angry…"

"Nonsense!" Naruto laughed. "If it were Joffrey you were talking to, he'd make you grovel and not even have the decency to apologize! You have no reason to fear me, My Lady Sansa."

Sansa stayed quiet though, almost as if his presence scared her voice away. Her icy blue eyes trailed down to the floor beneath them and up to the walls around them. But not once did her eyes meet his, except for that one moment where she didn't know who he was. She fidgeted with her fingers trying her best to say something to the young prince, but nothing was coming out. But with the coming sound of a young girls complaining, Sansa had never felt more relieved with Arya's presence than this time in her life. The little girl was getting pushed through the hallway by their Septa.

Naruto raised a brow at the little girl. She kept yelling about not being a lady and being a warrior. She kept declaring that she didn't look good in dresses and would prefer not to go to the feast at all. She fought and tried her best against the Septa's strength, but to no avail. The little girl was, well, just that; little. Septa Mordane easily pushed Arya along and grabbed Sansa's sleeve along too. But before Sansa could disappear, Naruto turned to her and gave her a bright white smile.

"It was nice talking to you." Naruto waved.

Nice talking to you?! Naruto slammed his palm into his forehead. What kind of trash is that? Oh, I'm going to need something better to say the next time I see Sansa.

He hunched his shoulders, a sigh of defeat escaping his lips, and headed through the feast hall and followed the stone halls back and forth, exploring Winterfell. The boy kept walking and enjoyed the various tapestries of direwolves and the North, displayed along the walls of the Castle. It was unlike the Red Keep where everything about the Targaryen Dynasty was brutally put to torch and destroyed during the sack of King's Landing. It was a little heartbreaking to know that centuries of history were destroyed on such a horrible day, but enlightening to know that there are still families like the Starks that hold true to their ancient roots.

"…is a little shit." Naruto heard Jon say from down the hall.

"Is someone talking about Joffrey?" Naruto asked, bursting through the door without even thinking.

"What makes you think we're talking about Joffrey, Naruto?" Jon asked with a nervous look.

"It's because he is a little shit." Naruto laughed.

"Prince Naruto." Robb bowed his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Please, just call me Naruto." Naruto sighed. "And well, I was just journeying around the castle since no one told me where to go after I tied my horse up in the stable."

"Well, we're just talking before the feast." Robb shrugged. "Well, Naruto, if you don't mind, I'd want to know if you're really up for a sparring match in the training yard tomorrow."

"Of course I am." Naruto smiled. "After a good night's rest, I'm ready for a good fight to stretch my bones out. Sitting on a horse for many weeks is really strenuous."

"Understandable." Theon nodded. "Would Joffrey join in on the fights?"

"Yeah?" Robb asked too. "I want to beat him like the right little prick he is."

"Right you are again, Robb." Naruto smirked. "Well, I can only hope he'll join in but knowing him, he'll just make a scene and back out like the little girl he is."

"You know, Naruto." Robb laughed. "You and I are going to be great friends in the future."

"I look forward to that day, Robb."

"The feast will begin in a few hours." Rodrik Cassel called out. "Get into your fanciest clothes."

The boys got up and headed out after bidding each other good bye. Robb and Theon took off fast but Jon was a bit weary. He looked around nervously but headed off anyway. Naruto was just about to leave the room, until Rodrik Cassel stopped Jon from leaving. The hurt in Jon's eyes was clear. He was a bastard and apparently Lady Catelyn felt that he shouldn't be in there. Rodrik Cassel was clearly heavy hearted by this but he had orders and he was going to follow them. Jon's shoulders slouched and he walked back to his seat, collapsing down with the weight of his pain holding him down.

If only there was something I can do…

Lots of interaction between Naruto and the Starks.

What'll that lead to? :O

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