Risen From Ashes

by snowflake2410

House Pyralis, Relatives to the Targaryens. Just as House Reyne, every Pyralis has been turned into nothing but mere ash and memory. All except one. Ophelia never knew who she was but when is revealed as the last Pyralis, she is soon thrust into a new world of deceit and limitations. As the saying goes: You can try to burn a Phoenix, but they always manage to survive.

6. Chapter 6

Thanks so much to all who reviewed! As always, I do not own anything. :)

Anyways, let's get on with the story.

1st P.O.V. Winterfell

I remember being eight, when I had my first brush with death.

It was horrific and is the reason why Lord Robb never speaks to me. Or what I believe to be the reason.

Lord Stark had to visit White Harbor to discuss the current flow of trade between the Southern cities with Lord Manderly. It was to be a long journey, about a fortnight's trip to White Harbor, three days there, and then another fortnight back to Winterfell. Lord Stark wanted to take Jon and Robb with him.

I remember him coming to the courtyard where the three of us were playing Knights and Princesses, a game where a valiant knight rescues the princess from an evil foe. We would play this often, though Jon and Robb did make a fuss of who got to be the knight every time we played. Anyway, just as I was about to be rescued from a large dragon, Lord Stark interrupted us. He told the two boys that they would need to pack for a trip because he was taking them to White Harbor to see what sort of duties a Lord does when visiting other Lords, as well as duties pertaining to outside affairs.

The boys were excited, not about seeing their father at work or seeing how he interacts with Lord Manderly, but how they got to leave Winterfell to go to White Harbor.

I recall being jealous for the first time in my life. I was never really jealous of Robb, who was to become a Great Lord one day, or Jon, a bastard with nothing to inherit, but I was jealous of them in that moment. The green monster wrapped its tentacles around me, and all I saw was envy. Why wasn't I able to go? What madethemso special? I was smarter than the two, I never go into much trouble like they did, and I was obviously a lot taller than Robb. By half of an inch! Why wasn't I invited?

In that moment I was determined to go on this trip.

While Lord Stark was talking to the boys about how long they'd be there for, I ran out of there as fast as I could. I ran all the way up to My Lady's solar, and busted in without knocking.

My Lady jumped up from her desk, startled at the sudden intrusion. She placed her hand over her heart from the shock and looked at me with wide blue eyes.

"What in the-" She began.

I launched myself at her skirts and clutched them desperately hard, and mustered up my saddest face. I had to make her understand how much this meant to me.

"Can I please go to White Harbor with Lord Stark?!" I made sure to look her in the eyes as I asked My Lady for this request.

My Lady leaned back at this question, surprise clearly evident on her face.

"Why do you want to go to White Harbor? It wouldn't be safe for a young girl to be travelling by horseback for such a long distance."

I clutched her dark blue skirts even tighter, and stared at her with wide dark crimson eyes.

"Oh please?! I really want to go. I've never been anywhere but Wintertown before. I really want to go. I swear I won't misbehave!"

My Lady shook her head and knelt down to my eye level, gently grabbing my hands in hers.

"It's just not safe. If anything happened to you, it would break my heart. Do you want my heart to be broken?"

Out of all the strategic moves she could've pulled on me, it had to be that one. I hated feeling guilty, despised it even.

However, there was one thing I hated worse than being guilted into doing something and that was being left alone at Winterfell, while the boys got to go to the exciting city of White Harbor.

Yet, I still looked down at the floor guiltily and answered, "No."

She hugged me, her soft pink lips twisting up into a small smile. "Good. Now, I don't want to hear any more of this business about going to White Harbor. Besides, you don't want to disturb Lord Stark's father-son trip with Robb."

She stood up and went to go sit at her desk.

I realized what she said, and decided (even if it was a bit wrong of me) to use this to my advantage.

"Father-son trip? Just Lord Stark and Robb?"

My Lady turned her head around, she nodded, her smile still on her face. "Well with a couple of the House Guard, but yes. Robb will be Lord of Winterfell one day, so he has to learn about all sorts of duties a Lord does. That's why the two of them are going to White Harbor, to teach Robb a bit."

As My Lady went to go sit down again, I piped up, "Jon is going as well!"

I've never seen anybody turn as sharply as she did, all traces of smile gone from her face.

"He's what?"

I gave her my most innocent look and said, "Lord Stark is taking Jon with him."

Her eyes narrowed.

That night, the night before our entourage left, Old Nan was packing the few dresses that I had into a small trunk for me, as I was moving about everywhere, not able to stay still. My Lady made me promise that I was to be on my best behavior and not to go any place in the city without Lord Stark's permission.

I was so giddy that I was bouncing about the room in my brown robe and white nightgown.

I jumped up and down on the bed and asked Old Nan, "Can I pack Nova?"

Nova was a ragdoll filled with straw that I made during one of my first attempts at sewing. Though she had eerie buttons for eyes, an enormous head, and uneven stumpy limbs, I couldn't bear to get rid of her. She played the part of what I wanted her to be and she was there for me in my darkest hours. My Lady at one point, asked if I wanted a better doll, one made of fine porcelain with a velvet dress, because she thought the doll I possessed was incredibly odd. I politely declined her offer, even if my doll did make some people (well pretty much anyone who saw it, with the exception of Lord Stark) uncomfortable. I adored that creepy little doll as if she were actually a real person.

Old Nan gave me a slightly toothless grin and said, "Why of course! She would be lonely without you." I squealed in delight and leapt off the bed to get Nova, who was sitting by the fireplace reading a book.

An intruding voice rang out. "Who would be lonely without you?" I twisted around to see both Robb and Jon, still in their day clothes, looking curiously at me. I grabbed Nova, and ran to Old Nan who packed her in my trunk.

I went back to the bed to jump out my excitement.

"Nova will be lonely without me if I don't bring her with us!"

Robb snorted, "You're bringing that raggedy doll to White Harbor? She'd scare all the fish away." Both he and Jon started to laugh, with one doubling over clutching his stomach due to his loud guffaws.

I immediately stopped jumping and furrowed my eyebrows at them. I dove off the bed, my braid whipping behind me and I shoved Robb back and slapped Jon on the back of his head.

"Oi! What'd you do that for?!"

"That wasn't nice, 'Felia!" Robb's and Jon's voices rang out, but I put my hands on my hips and did my best to impersonate My Lady's 'stern' look.

"I don't want you to say anything bad about Nova! You aren't going to make fun of us on this trip! You leave her alone, she's my family!"

The playful frustration that lingered on Jon's face vanished as he looked at me shame-faced. His grey eyes looked apologetic as he said, "Sorry 'Felia. I didn't know how important she was to you."

Robb merely rolled his Tully blue eyes and hit Jon in the shoulder. "Snow, it's just a doll. Besides, she shouldn't even be coming along." I scrunched my eyebrows together, confused if he was talking about me or Nova. Either way, it wasn't very nice of him to be critical.

"Well neither should I!" Robb and I looked at Jon who, at the age of eight and a half, already knew of the struggle that was a bastard's life.

He looked down (something he often did as a child to hide the fact that he was crying) with his curly black hair hiding his face and said, "You heard your mother. All of us did. She was raising her voice about how I shouldn't be going to White Harbor. We could hear her and Lord Stark through the door of the solar, all the way into the corridor, she almost didn't let me go." He wiped his nose as he sniffed.

I suddenly felt like crying as well. Back in those day, it made me sad to see Jon so distraught.

Robb's eyes widened as he saw the two of us ready to burst into sobs.

WHACK!

I clutched the back of my head, as did Jon, and we both stared at Robb who had a determined look on his face.

"I don't want to hear any more of this!" Robb made his way inside the room, and rushed past Old Nan who was packing some of my socks, and climbed on top of the bed.

"Now listen up, you lot!" Jon and I looked confusedly at each other but walked over to the edge of the bed where Robb was standing, both feet apart and arms crossed. Like a leader commanding a fleet before attack, he started to speak.

"Can't you see how lucky we are?! We're going on our very first adventure, the three of us! We're going to White Harbor, the Kings Landing of the North, the place where mermaids' roam, the place with traders from Essos, the place that has a quest waiting for us! Father agreed to let the two of you come along, and I'm glad he did." He vaulted down to us, his auburn curls bouncing whilst doing so, and put a hand on my left shoulder and Jon's right.

"Stop being sad. You heard Father. His word is final." My sadness left and I glanced at Jon who had the same look of happiness slowly flooding his face.

Jon smiled and said, "You're right, Stark."

Robb clapped his hand on Jon's shoulder and boldly stated, "Of course I am!"

We three children smiled at each other, enthusiastic to enjoy the journey ahead of us.

The next day I was riding on a horse with Lord Stark, heading towards White Harbor. I was to ride with him and not on my own in the case of there being a Wildling attack. Who better to protect me than Lord Stark?

Or at least that's what My Lady told me.

My Lady let me go on the trip as a form of spite, though I don't really see how.

I got to go and as did Jon (though part of the deal of me going was that he would leave Lord Stark and Robb alone when it came to important lordly manners), so in my eyes I won an incredible victory.

I kind of felt smug all the way to White Harbor.

Lord Stark made sure the three of us were to be on our best behavior. He told us that out of the five major cities in Westeros White Harbor is the smallest, yet it is still bigger than Wintertown. He told us we would be guests at Lord Manderly's home, New Castle. When we got to the Northern city, I was amazed by the size of it.

White Harbor was five times the size of Wintertown and twice as exciting. The walls to the city were huge, thick, and white. The guards let us in after seeing the Direwolf sigil on the banners held by some of the many guards that accompanied us (something that My Lady vehemently insisted upon). The Watch that was on lookout for the city let us in, and as we entered I was amazed by the spectacle of everything within the city's premises. The roads, unlike that of Wintertown, were made up of cobblestone. The houses were made of white or grey smooth stone, with wooden roofs, barely a thatched or clay house top in sight. There was a great port in the distance with ships from the North, South and across the Narrow Sea. There were light sea green banners everywhere that had a single white merman in the middle, poised to strike with a trident in hand.

Banners of House Manderly.

The steeple of the local Sept was tall and formidable. A sign that, unlike most Northern houses, House Manderly keeps the Faith of the Seven. And just as formidable was Lord Wyman Manderly himself, riding upon a white stallion, accompanied by his house guard and by his son, a man who must've been in his mid- twenties.

The two parties met in the square of White Harbor, a brilliant clash of grey and green. Lord Stark held me in place on his saddle as he got down to treat with Lord Manderly.

For a moment, I was scared that this was all a horrible idea. Who would want a lowborn girl amongst their midst? I'd only be a nuisance. But Lord Stark, for the briefest moment, gave me a reassuring smile, and turned to his friend.

They went and shook hands. Lord Stark then leaned in and spoke in a soft voice, that none could understand. And Lord Manderly, for a second, glanced my way and nodded.

When he came bounding over, one of the younger guards helped me off of my saddle while the boys were already on the ground. I could tell they were nervous like me, but did a better job at hiding it. I stood on the right side of Jon, who stood in between Robb and me. Lord Manderly looked at Robb and said in a booming voice, "So this is the small Stark I've been hearing so much about."

The white bearded man held out his hand and after a brief moment's of hesitation, Robb shook it. His voice was slightly shaky, yet he still held a steely gaze that masked his nervousness. "Pleased to meet you, Lord Manderly."

Lord Manderly chuckled and said, "You have quite a grip. A sure sign you'll be Alpha one day, Young Wolf."

He moved onto Jon, who was as white as his namesake. But like his half-brother, he maintained a gaze that showed the might of who he is, as person and as somebody that has the blood of a Stark.

"You must be Jon. Lord Stark tells me that you already have the skills of a great warrior." Jon's body slightly slumped as he breathed out in relief, his face dropping its impassive look, and said, "I practice a lot, My Lord. I hope to serve at Castle Black one day."

Lord Manderly shook his hand and nodded, "You'll be a fine Man of the Night's Watch, just as your Uncle Benjen is."

Then he moved to me.

Unlike the boys, I didn't do well under the pressure of meeting new people, especially people of importance. Usually, I laughed because of my nerves or I remained frozen like a statue. However, I knew that either one was not an option at the time, lest I embarrass Lord Stark and his House's name.

I focused on my shoes, finding them interesting all of a sudden and clutched Nova (whom I ended up unpacking) tightly.

I felt a close presence and heard a masculine voice say, "Girl, look at me." I looked up at Lord Manderly, all traces of smile gone from his face as he studied me.

"So the rumors are true." He murmured. A flash of sympathy went through his light green eyes as he looked me over.

Lord Manderly then knelt down in front of me and gave me a small smile. "What is your name?"

I held Nova closely to my face and peeked at the white-bearded man over the large head of my doll.

"I'm Ophelia."

Lord Manderly gently took my left hand and kissed it. "Welcome to White Harbor."

I lowered my doll a bit and blushed.

Lord Manderly gestured to Nova. "Who is this?"

I heard both boys groan as they knew about my fondness for my doll.

"This is Nova! She's my doll and friend, and she's my family!"

Lord Manderly gave me a sad sort of smile and kissed my doll's hand. "Welcome to White Harbor, Lady Nova." I giggled as Lord Manderly stood up.

"Lady Nova, would you care to meet my son?"

I made my doll nod its head. "She's saying yes!"

"May I?" He grinned as he offered his hand to me.

I shook my head in agreement.

Lord Manderly took my left hand and we walked over to where Lord Stark and another man stood.

"This is my son, Wylis. He's a great deal older than you, but he's not a codder like one would expect." He said chuckling lightly.

Wylis was tall, like his father, and had green eyes with dark blonde hair. He was extremely muscular and had the same imposing stature as his father.

Wylis Manderly gave me a grin, and bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you fine Ladies. I hope you find White Harbor to your utmost liking."

I heard footsteps behind me to and looked to see the rest of the House Guard, Jon, and Robb steadily approaching us.

Both the Stark and the Snow took their place beside me as I looked ahead at the city that would hold our adventure.

Lord Manderly, still holding my hand, gave us a limited tour of his city. He showed us the houses made of fine stone, some that had been built when the Manderly's first arrived from the Reach many years ago. He took us to the commerce district of town, where there were many shops of different varieties. There were shops for shoes, for toys, for fine clothing, for candles, for postage, it kept going on! We went past the marketplace, where there was many stalls with merchants offering to sell things from Myrrah Silk to oils that can cure any ailment.

While walking throughout the marketplace, we three children were given one silver piece by Lord Stark. Robb and I spent it on a piece of rare crystalized pomegranate, which was delicious, while Jon merely saved his piece for later.

We concluded the tour by arriving at the hill where New Castle stood, though we didn't finish seeing the entire city. Lord Manderly believed it was getting too late and said that we would be able to see the rest the following day when we would visit the docks with Lord Stark.

To say New Castle was fancy would be an understatement- it was lavish. The guard, just as their counterparts that accompanied us during our tour of the city, were dressed in blue-green wool cloaks and carried tridents rather than spears.

Inside the white ramparts of this beautiful edifice were artifacts that decorated the walls from a time long ago. Wylis bent down to my ear and whispered, "Besides the banners, anything you see hung up are collected treasures of evidence from victories that House Manderly has won in the past."

My eyes widened as I clutched Nova tightly against me, amazed at the sheer number of artifacts that lined the corridor alone.

The Merman's Court was in the center of the castle, which was decorated the same as the rest of the castle with the exception of the walls having a light green tinge to them.

Soon, some maids took me and Jon to the room that we would be staying in, while Robb had to stay back and watch his father converse with Lord Manderly, and several other Minor Lords that gathered from the area to greet the Warden of the North.

Our room was connected to another room by a door. The suite that connected to ours was where Lord Stark would be sleeping. Our room, which had three beds, had a dark wooden ceiling with white walls. Opposite of our beds was a fireplace that was already lit making the room warm and cozy. There was a small table with three chairs by the wardrobe, furs on the floors, and a seat on the window that had dark blue tapestries hanging off of them, made of the softest material I have ever felt. Our trunks had already been placed at the foot of each of our beds, with a modesty screen next to my bed, and to our delight, there was a bowl of exotic fruit on the table, waiting for it to be eaten.

Jon turned around, his black curls framing his face as his grey eyes lit up with enjoyment.

"Can we eat the fruit on the table?" He asked one of the maids, who nodded in reply.

I untied my blue cloak and put it on my bed along with Nova, and ran to over to Jon who was looking at the bowl with wonderment.

"What should we try first?" I piped up, making Jon look at me.

"Let's try that yellow one." I nodded. We both got a piece of the sliced yellow fruit simultaneously and bit down.

It was acidic and sweet, with a rough edge that I ended up spitting out, but it made my tongue feel funny. I only ate the one piece, whereas Jon ate another two.

Next was a circle fruit that was furry. Jon took out his knife that he always carried, and cut it in half to reveal a green center. Clueless on how to eat it, we both cautiously bit into it. This one was a bit more tart than sweet, but had a unique flavor. Jon spat his out, and gave me his half eaten piece that I gladly ate.

Following the furry fruit was a fruit that was yellow and green on the outside, but had a vibrant yellow color on the inside. It was already cut, shaped into a flower, and was staked on a stick. Jon and I got our own sticks and ate bit down. By the look on his face, (and probably on mine) this was the best one out of all the other fruits we've eaten. It was sweet and sticky, but was desirably delicious.

We sat there, for Gods know how long, and ate our sticky fruit.

Robb and Lord Stark entered to see the both of us chowing down on our third fruit stick, our hands and faces sticky.

Lord Stark was amused at how two small children could polish off a good portion of a large bowl of fruit.

I ran up to Lord Stark.

"My Lord, can we get some of this sticky fruit and take it back with us?"

He chuckled, and walked past me to the small table.

"Maybe a piece or two, but not a bowl full of them. These fruits come all the way from the Summer Isles and are quite an expense."

My eyes widened at the thought of how lucky I was to be able to have a taste of the exotic produce that grew in a faraway land.

Lord Stark turned to us and said, "Now, the three of you wash up and get ready. The Manderly's are throwing a feast and we mustn't be late." With that being said, he plucked one of the furry fruits from the bowl and went to his room to get ready.

After hearing the door shut, Robb turned to the both us, his blue eyes lit up in excitement.

"Can I try some of the sticky fruit?"

After getting ready with the help of some maids behind the modesty screen (and after washing off our faces and hands) we left our room to follow Lord Stark to the banquet hall. Robb followed his father and I was escorted by Robb. Jon trailed behind us.

I was wearing the only formal gown I owned, a bright yellow one that was made from silk and had blue sleeves and blue embroidery. My hair was pulled back into an elaborate bun, adorned with small white flowers. Robb and Jon dressed in their finest Northern garbs, even going as far as to wear their nice cloaks with copper chains and having their hair slicked back.

I held onto Robb's arm, as we entered into a crowded banquet hall filled with mostly men, though there were some women, and we passed through the middle of the loud hall, everyone's eyes were on us.

Robb whispered in my ear, "Don't be nervous, 'Felia."

I wasn't nervous though. In fact, my mind was very far from being preoccupied with thoughts of nervousness as it was rather preoccupied with thoughts of hunger.

This was my first grand banquet and, as it was the Manderly's way, no expense was spared.

There were tables that lined the sides of the room and a center table, which had an enormous turkey in the middle of it. There were globules made of different kinds of meat such as boar, venison, pork, chicken and cattle. There were more exotic fruits, and an assortment of vegetables. There were cakes and candies, hams, fully glazed chickens stuffed with a savory bread pudding, a variety of mushrooms swimming in butter with mounds of black bacon rashers on the sides cooked crisp to perfection. There was towers of stacked fried dough sprinkled with sugar and adorned with honey, wines from the Arbor and Dorne. There were pigs with apples in their mouths, frothy drinks, and pots of soup that came an array of colors from red to green to white. There was many kinds of jerky, nuts, and if you can believe it, pies filled with persimmon, pumpkin, potatoes, and sugared mint! On one of the side tables it was only occupied with foods from the sea. There was kelp, shrimp, lobsters, oysters, crab, tuna, snappers, (even shark!) all decorated with spices from the East and South.

My mouth was watering and my stomach was growling.

I paid no mind to being introduced or even Robb taking me to my seat.

I was hypnotized.

Never in my life had I seen a banquet of this grandeur.

As I sat down, a maid came up to me and served my plate, filling it with mostly vegetables.

I stopped her from proceeding to fill it up some more.

"No, I said, I want to try something else!"

The woman looked confused at my request.

"What would you like to try?"

I threw my hands up in the air. "All of it!"

A couple seats down, Lord Manderly heard me and choked on his wine in an attempt not to chuckle at my request.

After a few coughs, a pat on the back from Lord Stark, the Lord of White Harbor looked at the maid and me and said, "You heard her, Woman! Give the girl what she wants, which is apparently the whole buffet."

A round of laughter erupted from our table, and my cheeks felt hot. I looked down in embarrassment (though it's to my firmest belief that Lord Manderly did not intend to embarrass me) and stayed quiet.

"I'd like to try everything as well!"

My head snapped up to see Robb standing up and looking at the maid with all seriousness. He grinned as he said. "Let me start with cakes, then I'll work my way backwards." He looked at me, smiling in reassurance then added, "Same goes for her." He pointed his thumb at me.

My smile returned and I mouthed a quiet, "Thanks!" to him.

This caused even more laughter of amusement, but Robb was not embarrassed. He merely puffed out his chest in pride and said, "I can eat anything you put in front of me."

"Oh I'd like to see that, Young Wolf." replied Lord Manderly completely entertained by our antics.

So the two of us, both Robb and I, ate our way through the buffet. At first, we would clear everything off of our plates, but as we got half way through the seafood portion of our meal, we both only took a couple bites then would move on to the next dish. During this, Lord Stark mildly chastised us to not be wasteful with our food, but Robb stubbornly replied, "I have to prove my point."

My favorite point during all of this was Robb's obvious aversion to crab, only willing to take a few bites, his face scrunching up in disgust but still swallowed it.

My favorite dish was a small baked quail, slathered in mint rose sauce, stuffed with peppers from Dorne. It was a perfect combination of sweet and spicy. I ate just the one and sadly had to move on so I could taste everything else.

It finally ended, halfway into the night. The party was in full swing, and while Jon was still eating his first plate of food, Robb and I were pretty much done, even if we didn't taste everything. Our bellies were swollen and puffy, and we were both about to fall asleep after eating so much.

I lasted longer than Robb, with him making it to the end of the seafood table, and with me managing to make it to the turkey that sat in the middle of our table.

I nibbled at a turkey leg not really eating it though, just stuffing the meat in my cheeks, unable to swallow it. Robb was merely sipping his soup when he passed out into his bowl, broth splashing everywhere.

Soo, I fell out of my chair with the turkey leg still in hand.

"Aye, they proved us wrong!" I heard a booming voice, followed by a round of laughter. Then I fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning in our guest room, with Robb snuggled in his bed and Jon sprawled out in his.

I noticed I was in my nightgown and Nova was right next to me on my pillow.

I heard the door open and the maid who brought us to our room yesterday, opened our door carrying a pitcher, basin, and some small hand towels.

"Morning miss! Did you sleep well?" I nodded. I looked around to see that a new day had begun, which meant that we would be visiting the harbor and the rest of the city. I would've started to jump with excitement if not for one pressing question I had on my mind.

"How did I get changed?" I asked her.

The maid smiled and said, "After you passed out last night, Lord Stark had me and another servant carry you and the Little Lord to this room. We dressed you for sleep and put you to bed."

"Oh, thank you!"

She grinned and nodded. "It's no trouble miss."

She put the pitcher on the table after pouring the hot water in the basin. She soaked up a hand towel and said, "I'm sorry miss, but there'll be no time for a bath this morning. You're due to visit the docks in about an hour. Still, there's no need for you to be unclean."

The maid got me up and took me behind the modesty screen and wiped me down, after stripping me from my nightgown. She then got me ready, in a light purple dress made of wool. She took down my hair, which was still in the bun from last night, and braided it into two separate braids. As she was helping me get ready, the other maids came into the room and woke up the boys to get them prepared for the day as well. Since I was done first, I left the room to go to breakfast, taking Nova with me.

To be honest, I wasn't that hungry but when I entered the hall from last night, only the Manderly's and Lord Stark were eating breakfast.

Wylis saw me first and said, "There she is, the hungry beast from the forest!" My cheeks burned but I still gave them all a toothy grin and ran over to Lord Stark, who made room for me on the bench he was sitting on.

I grabbed only a couple rashers of black bacon and nibbled on them.

"Where are the other two lads?" questioned Lord Manderly, cutting into his large ration of buttered bread and blood sausage.

I looked at him and said, "They're still getting ready, My Lord. I woke up first so the maid said I get to come to breakfast first."

"Aye, she was right. But we are leaving soon. Hopefully they can hurry up."

About fifteen minutes after he said that, Lord Manderly commanded some of his House Guard to ready the horses, which we would be leaving in five minutes. Just as he stood, both Robb and Jon came running in the hall, in time to see everyone else standing ready to leave.

"Well, it's about time you've come here. We're to leave right now, so there will be no time to break your fast." Lord Stark said and he glanced at Robb adding, "Though I doubt you need to."

Before the servants cleared everything away, I quickly took some more bacon off the table as well as a couple boiled eggs and bounded towards Jon and Robb. The three of us walked behind the group, so no one saw when I handed the bacon and eggs to the boys.

"Thanks 'Felia." Both boys replied in unison, stuffing their faces with their morsels of food.

We went outside to the stables, which was an actual building, not outdoor stall like we have in Winterfell, and saddled up. I was put with Lord Stark once more, and we went off to the harbor.

The day was beautiful, with the sun actually out and only a light breeze wisping in the air. A sure sign of good things to come. When we arrived, Lord Stark got off the horse and then he got me down as well. The horses were left in the care of some of the House Guard from both Stark and Manderly. Before we ventured going between the ships, Lord Stark took us three children aside as well as a young Jory Cassel and said, "Robb, you are to come with me. Jory, I need you to keep an eye on Jon and Ophelia. They may walk around, but make sure they do not stir up any mischief."

"Yes, Lord Stark." Nodded the young man, who went to stand behind us. I smiled at the Lord, who smiled back (well it was a small smile) and he took his son, and went off with the other two Lords.

Being with Jory was fun, and it seemed that he was familiar with the city. He took us between each ship, and would point out who was from where. We made a game of it, and had to guess where the ship came from, where they were heading, and what they were carrying.

Usually, both Jon and I were wrong but it was fun. When we got to a fishing boat, the three of us observed a man gutting a fish. After a while, the man noticed he was being watched and looked up at us, and beckoned our trio over. There, we got a free lesson on how to properly move intestines from the inside of a fish. It was fascinating, even if it was slightly gross.

As the man gutted his fifth fish, he asked us, 'Do you know what mermaids eat?"

"Ummm, crabs?" I guessed, sitting down on a barrel in front of the man.

"Fish! Big fish that swallow other fish." Answered Jon, sitting on the wet wooden ground beside me.

Without looking up, the man replied to our answers.

"Humans. Mermaids eats humans."

Suddenly fearful, I clutched Nova tightly against my chest.

"I thought mermaids were nice?" asked Jon, scratching his curly-haired head in confusion.

The man grabbed another fish, after tossing the previous hollowed out one in a crate, and started to gut it. "Aye, they are nice…to their dinner. If all the fish are clear from a spot that means mermaids are near. Not even sharks go near them for fear of death. They lure their victims in with sweet songs and drag them to a watery grave." The man looked out into the horizon, where the sea laid. "Don't ever go swimming in the ocean, for if you do, a mermaid might just snatch you up."

I shivered with fear, as Jon and Jory exchanged a look and the looked at this man skeptically.

"Well thank you for this lesson in fish gutting, but we must be going." Jory said, pulling us to our feet.

The man nodded and returned to his fish, and we left that portion of the dock, only to run into Lord Stark's party.

Robb looked a bit bored, so when he saw us, his face lit up.

He came over to us and we told him about our made-up guessing game with Jory and how we learned to gut a fish.

"Did you know that mermaids eat humans?!"Exclaimed Jon, which was responded by a round of laughter among the older men.

I looked at Jon and said, "I thought you didn't believe in mermaids."

He blushed and while averting his eyes said, "I-I- I don't."

"Aye, and you shouldn't boy. I've lived here all my life and never once seen a mermaid. They're the stuff of legend and old fisherman tales. No use into putting any worry into them." Said Wylis.

Our two parties joined up after that, and we came to a dock with traders from Dorne. As the men were speaking to them, I went to the edge of the dock and looked down into the water. Even if they didn't believe in mermaids, how were they sure they weren't real? People thought dragons weren't real, yet they still existed. Who's to say that mermaids don't exist?

Suddenly, I felt Nova being snatched from my arms. I turned to see Robb with a mischievous look on his face, as held up my doll by her arms, wiggling her in front of me. The men were aboard the ship, talking to the captain so they didn't notice that Robb snuck away.

"Robb, that's not funny! Give her to me!" I demanded, trying to get her back as Robb dodged my every move.

"No, I'm having too much fun. Catch Snow!" Robb threw Nova to Jon, who was looking inside of a large empty crate.

"What?" Jon asked. He stood up too late as he missed Nova, who flew over his head and went into the water.

My eyes widened and I ran over to the side of the dock, to the edge, where I saw Nova floating on the surface of the water, due to her being filled with hay.

I sighed in relief, as I looked around me for something to grab her with. There wasn't really anything to get her with. Everything was either too heavy of filled with something else. I got on my knees and held onto the pillar beside me as I reached forward to get Nova. My hand was outstretched as I reached out to get her. Knowing I would never reach her if I still held onto the pillar, I let go and used one hand to grasp the edge of the dock and the other to get my doll. My body leaned forward and my heart was pumping. I did my best to put any thought of mermaids out of my mind, as my fingertips came in contact with the fabric of Nova's dress.

Then I heard a "ROAR!" behind me and I jumped up in fright, effectively falling into the water. I made a loud splash and my body submerged.

I started to panic.

The biggest body of water I ever swan in was the shallow hot springs by the Weirwood tree at Winterfell.

My eyes stung from the saltwater, and when I managed to come back up for air, I let out a blood-curling scream.

"HELP!"

I screamed once more, something incoherent, before going back under taking in some water as I did. I choked as I wasn't able to breathe. I tried to get back up flailing my arms above me, but the weight of the wool from my cloak and dress dragged me down to the near bottom, to where my hands brushed the soft sand below me.

My lungs started to squeeze under the pressure of not being able to let out a breath. Everything was groggy, from my sight to my hearing.

Then I saw it. Something coming towards me.

A human-like figure.

I opened my mouth to scream, but only bubbles came out. Liquid filled my lungs and nose, as this creature came to me, grabbing me by the dress.

I scratched the back of their hand, causing them to bleed as I began to feel worn down, almost tired. Dark spots clouded my vision and I felt the creature grab my body.

They were going to kill me and haul me to the darkest depths of the ocean. They were going to feast upon my remains and Nova's as well. I felt my head limp back as it gathered me it its arms and swan upwards.

Air hit my face and I started to cough. I gasped, choking on this huge on sought of air. Black spots still clouded my vision, and my throat felt raw.

"Grab her!" I heard someone command. Several pairs of hands grabbed me by my dress and pulled me up onto solid ground.

Someone started pounding on my chest, as I heard something exit the water and slosh down next to me.

Several voices filled my ears, including a large smack.

"What in the Seven Hell's happened?!"

"I was only playing, I swear it was an accident."

"Will she live?"

"'Felia! Open your eyes!"

"I damn near pissed myself when I heard her scream."

"I'm sorry, Lord Stark. I should've paid closer attention, this is on me."

"Poor girl."

I started to cough up some water, and the person pounding on my chest sat me up, allowing me to cough up some more.

I heard a collective sigh of relief, and my eyes cleared up to see everyone, plus the captain and some wet sailor, surrounding me.

Then Lord Stark came over and took me from the wet sailor. He stood up and cradled me, carrying me against his body.

I started to cry.

Well actually, I started to cry loudly. By the looks of everyone, it made all the men uncomfortable watching me cry.

"There, there child. There's no need to fret, you're safe now." Lord Manderly stated calmly. I stated to hiccup due to my sobs.

Through my tears, I saw the wet sailor. He was young, well about Lord Stark's age, and he was looking intently at me.

I looked up at Lord Stark to see his grey eyes focused on the sailor, and the sailor staring back at him, both silently communicating something.

Then I saw the scratches on the back of the sailor's hand. So it wasn't a mermaid. It was him.

He saved me.

"Thank you." I croaked out to him.

He snapped his gaze away from Lord Stark, and the sailor looked at me. His expression, I can only describe as melting. Perhaps it was me imaging things, perhaps it was me being delusional, but his gaze softened and he looked as if he were ready to cry. It was probably just the sea water though.

He tilted his head to the side and looked me over, then asked, "Are you okay?"

"I was scared. I'm sorry I scratched you." He gave me a reassuring smile, his dirty blonde hair sticking to his face. He shrugged and gestured to his hand. "Oh, this? This is nothing, I have more scars than what you did. Just another to add to the collection."

The captain bounded over to him, and gave him a pat on the back.

"Good job, Mr. Flowers." The sailor nodded and looked me over.

"Thank you, Captain."

"What I want to know is how you managed to fall into the water." Stated Wylis glancing from the water to me.

Then everyone turned to stare at Robb.

Jon, who was right beside him, shifted slightly away from him as everyone looked at him.

Robb went pale and stammered. "I-I-I-"

"Boy, if you don't start speaking clearly now there will be hell to pay." Lord Stark rumbled lowly, looking at his son who started to shake in fear.

Lord Manderly, sensing the tension, put his arm on Lord Stark's shoulder and quietly said, "Ned, he's just a boy. I'm sure he meant no harm. It was an accident." Lord Stark jerked his shoulder from his friend's grasp and glared at his son.

"Only an accident? That accident could've killed somebody. I told you to say aboard with me, and you ran off, disobeying my command."

Tears started to pool in Robb's eyes as he glanced around him, seeing that everybody was watching him get reprimanded.

"I know, Father. I'm sorry."

"SORRY DOESN'T FIX THIS, ROBB!" Everyone, including me, looked at Lord Stark who was fuming. We were all shocked, since Lord Stark was the epitome of a patient parent. I swore, if he wasn't still holding me, he would've swatted Robb on his bottom.

He lowered his voice to a normal volume again and said, "Life is not a game you can play with. Being Lord is not a game you can play with. Every decision you make can affect your people for better or worse. Eating contests, being late to breakfast, disobeying my command…It's time you've grown up. You won't be a boy forever Robb, this stops now."

With that he left behind his now crying son for the horses. Lord Stark had Jory take me, Jon, and Robb to New Castle. When we got there, Robb wouldn't look me in the eye.

We got to our room where the Maester had some tonics ready for me to drink, in order to prevent sickness and a nasty sore throat. After he left, the maid who got me ready that morning, dressed me for bed even though it was still light out.

After I was tucked in and the maid left, Jon came to my bed ad sat next to me. We sat in silence, then I started to sniff a bit.

"Nova is gone."

Jon looked at me with pity and stared ahead, his small body slumped against my headboard.

"I know. I saw her go under after you did. I'm sorry, 'Felia."

I glared over to where Robb was laying, his back turned to us, his hand underneath his head. He gotten humiliated today in the form of a reprimand in front of some very important Lords'. Usually, I would've given him a big hug and asked if he wanted to play with Nova.

But Nova wasn't here and that was because of him.

"I hate you." I muttered quietly glaring over at Robb. I was little at the time and extremely angry. It was lost to me what a word like hate could do to someone. I didn't understand the gravity of the word or the implications that would come because of it, but all I knew in that moment was that my blood was boiling. Looking back, I didn't actually hate Robb but I was very mad at him. Still, I uttered these words that would forever change the course of our relationship.

Jon looked at me in shock, and said, "Ophelia you don't mean that." I nodded as I sat up and looked at Robb's back.

"Nova is dead because of you. I loved her and she's fish food now! I almost died today, Robb. And you don't even care. You're not my friend, you're a mean bully. And I hate you. I Hate You. I HATE YOU!" I bellowed the last part out as Jon looked between me and Robb with wide eyes.

For once, he had no anecdote to say to make it better.

Robb got up from his bed, and looked over at me his gaze hardening.

"Fine. If you hate me, then I hate you too." He then got up and left the room. As soon as the door closed I screamed and threw my pillow at it.

Jon looked at me in pity, then opened the door to run after his brother.

I was alone.

The next day, I stayed in my room taking my meals in bed like the night before. It was a precaution in case I was sick. The boys left to go with Lord Stark, and when they came back Robb refused to look at me.

Jon came over and then placed something at the foot of my bed.

"I got this for you." I crawled to end of my bed see what it was.

It was a bracelet, made of intricate multi-colored threads, with a single piece of sea glass resting in the middle.

"Thank you Jon." I put it on my wrist and hugged him. He patted me awkwardly and said, "A man was selling them in town today for a silver a piece. I thought it would make you feel better."

I let go of him and made a point of looking at Robb who was glaring at the both of us. "You're a real friend, unlike some people." I said narrowing my eyes at the Stark boy.

Robb's hands balled up into small fists and his cheeks reddened. "You're stupid, Ophelia. She was just a doll, get over it." I got up from my bed and pushed Robb.

"You're stupid!"

He pushed me back. "No, you are."

Push. "You are!"

Push. "You are!"

Push again. "I hate you. Your face looks like poop!"

Pushed harder. "I hate you more! Your eyes look like evil fire!"

"That was a stupid comeback, Lord Whiny Baby!"

"Your life is a stupid comeback."

"STOP IT!" Jon yelled. Robb and I looked at him, and he turned red upon the sudden attention. "Just shut up the both of you."

After a moment's pause, I looked at Robb and said, "Stay away from me. Don't ever talk to me again you...You...You murderer!"

"Fine. I wouldn't want to talk to a stupid lowborn girl anyway."

I gasped. Jon's jaw dropped. And Robb stood there as angry as I was.

So we ignored each other.

The next day, when we left White Harbor we said our goodbyes to the Manderly's. Seeing how Robb and I weren't even so much as looking at each other, Lord Manderly muttered to Lord Stark, "Good luck with that."

On our trip back, Lord Stark did his best to repair our friendship but it was to no avail. We would either get mad, not talk, and at one point I actually lunged at Robb pulling his hair as Lord Stark tried to get me off of him. It took him, Jory, and Jon to get me off of Robb, whose face was left full of scratches.

When we got to Winterfell, My Lady greeted Lord Stark first at the gate. He gave her a couple of the sticky fruits but they were unsliced, and she smiled in thanks.

Then when she saw Robb and Me, her eyes widened and she looked over at Lord Stark who looked beyond exhausted.

"I'll explain later." He said. And he did.

But the damage was done. It was no use to try and repair what was left of our friendship, as hard as My Lady did try.

It was burned beyond repair and that is one of the things I probably regret most in my life.

So there you have it, an extra-long chapter explaining the reason why Robb and Ophelia never talk. Also, it gives you an in-depth look at the relationship between Ophelia and Jon, as well as Ned Stark and Catelyn. Sorry, I haven't updated in a while. I've been busy taking summer courses at my school. (Shrugs) Also, I was originally going to make this chapter about the aftermath of Ophelia's whipping, but I believe this one may be of more importance. So please read, review, and rest easy. P.S. If we could get this story up to at least 22 reviews, it would make my day!