The quiet of the morning air calmed her nerves as Aurelia walked to the heart tree. She had already prayed to the Old Gods, and every other, to keep her counsel with Lord Reed, to protect him from sight and suspicion. She knew it was a tall order on the suspicion part. Roose was suspicious of all, and Ramsay's cunning could not be underestimated.
The snows had slowed, though the air turned colder. Aurelia's boots crunched and hissed on the snow with every step. She found herself wondering at Stannis' delay.
Roose seemed to have little concern for Stannis' position for the moment, having even reduced watches the past two nights. Wherever Stannis was, Roose did not see him as an imminent threat, nor had she received any signal from the wildlings which meant Stannis had not crossed their path, or he had and they were all dead. She doubted the latter as though there was no love between Stannis and Tormund, she trusted Tormund would get her word to Stannis and that would give him enough pause not to slaughter the wildlings.
Wherever Stannis was, even if he was preparing for a siege of Winterfell, it allowed Aurelia to work to her own ends. Stannis had treated her well as a captive and councilor, and she had no wish to bring harm on him, so long as he did not prevent the reestablishment of the Stark seat by a Stark lord.
Lady Stark, she thought to herself. A title I once thought could never be taken from my future, until it was. And then I realized it was not the title which mattered, but the home. The people. Jon.
She almost sighed his name as she reached the heart tree. She knelt before it, running her gloved fingers along its ancient grooves and knots. She did not hear Lord Reed until he was two steps away, and turned sharply at the unexpected approach.
He held his hands up. "Apologies, my lady. I am accustomed to moving in near silence. Sometimes I forget that it can startle others."
"I have been known for stealth myself, but not a sound on fresh, icy snow, that is a trick I would love to learn."
He knelt near her. "Perhaps I will be able to show you one day. For now I believe there are more pressing matters."
"You are in earnest, my lord, that you consent to give me away at my wedding?"
"If you wish it of me, I have no reason to protest."
"Then I may tell the Lords Bolton you assent?"
"Yes, my lady."
His soft-spoken voice soothed her, though it was not only his tone. There was the shadow of a warrior in him to be sure, but Howland Reed appeared to her one who was made for diplomacy. Nature had made him a man of strong character and resolve. Circumstance had made him a cunning fighter as well, and there seemed to exude from him, for reasons she had not discerned, a deep sympathy toward her.
"Then it is settled," she smiled. "Though now I am compelled to ask, for you have little knowledge of me, why you are so willing to consent to this, and openly profess to me your loyalty to Winterfell."
"You have honored me with great favor in asking to give you away. You could have requested a Glover or Manderly, Umber or Kartstark, or even an unorthodox choice in the lady Mormont, but you asked me. I assume it was not only for rebuilding a stronger North for the coming winter, but because you anticipated, hoped for, loyalty to something else."
"And that would be?"
"The Starks. All of them. And Winterfell. They are intrinsic to one another, and that I believe you know as well as anyone."
She gave a small nod.
"You know I sent my children to Bran Stark."
"You- no, my lord, I did not."
He nodded, pensive. "I have not heard from them."
"Bran and Rickon- "
"I know. I know what is said. And yet I know what I feel. If my children had found them murdered, they would have returned to me. Unless the same fate befell them. Yet if they were dead, I would know." He looked at her with such intense certainty Aurelia wanted to cry. "The Stark boys are alive. Both, I believe, and my children."
"They are not here, my lord."
"No. I had hoped perhaps, but... no. There is something here, though. I felt it even as I neared Winterfell."
"Felt what?"
"The presence of a Stark."
Aurelia swallowed. "There are many Starks here, dozens and dozens. The crypts are full of them."
"Do not play, my lady." His tone had shifted, his eyes striking her, penetrating in ways Roose's never did. He knew. Somehow, he knew. After a few seconds, his expression softened. "Do you know of seers?"
Aurelia nodded, trying to find her voice again. "A bit."
"And of the greenseers?"
Aurelia eyed him, suspicious. "They are no more."
Howland Reed smiled, a sad upturn of thin lips. "Nor are they any dragons these days. Or white walkers. Or worse."
Aurelia considered before replying. "Do you know how my time was spent after Robb Stark's death until recently?"
"You were, I suppose 'ward' is the kind term, to Stannis Baratheon."
"And do you know of the woman who guides many of his counsels?"
"I have heard a few mentions of the red woman, some might call her a witch."
"Some do, though not to her face, nor within Stannis' hearing if they value their lives. Whoever or whatever she is, I have seen her make prophecies that never come to pass, and claim credit for some coincidences that connect in ways she later says she saw in her fires. I have known her to do truly remarkable things, acts that would shame a maester to his grave. Yet I have not seen her supposed gift of prophecy yield result. If there is information to be had, she finds it, but to now I have seen no indication of that knowledge arising from being able to tell the future."
"Yet she is but one woman, an extraordinary one from what I am hearing, and while her talent may not lie in the seeing it lies elsewhere, beyond what would be considered the normal realm."
"I am sorry, but I find it difficult to believe my circumstances could have been foretold, let alone any of ours. We make actions happen for ourselves."
"There I do not argue with you. Nor will I press you to believe in something you have not yet witnessed or been given proof of. Still, you flinched when I indicated I knew there was a Stark in Winterfell. I had hoped it might be one of the lads, that there might be information on my children, but I see that it is not so. It cannot be the lady Arya. That only leaves lady Sansa."
Aurelia closed her eyes, took a breath. Beneath her cloak she gripped a dagger. You have to trust him, her mind whispered. You need him.
"It is not Sansa."
"Then who?" His mouth formed the question, but his eyes gave hint that he already knew.
"Not a Stark, not in name, not yet anyway." There was a heavy pause. Aurelia flexed her hand on the dagger.
"Word was received that the young lord commander is dead."
"He is dead," Aurelia said firmly. She then replied, barely above a whisper, "And soon he will rise again."
Aurelia had eased an inch of the dagger out of its scabbard, already knowing how she would explain Reed's death to the Boltons if need be, but she desperately did not want such a result. Howland Reed watched her, studied her. The wind blew and the heart tree groaned, a sound that almost sounded like a name. Howland held up his hands again.
"Lady Aurelia," he said, in a calm, smooth voice. "I pledge, before the Old Gods and this heart tree of House Stark, my undying loyalty to you, and to every member of this house who shares its blood. I will keep your secrets and fight for your honor, and for those you hold dear. Will you accept me?"
Aurelia searched his eyes for anything less than pure honesty. Finally, she released the dagger and extended her hand to him. He took it, and pressed his lips to it.
"Lord Reed," she said softly, "When I was younger, Ned Stark spoke of you little, but when he did it was with the utmost respect, in praise of your skills and loyalty. He is gone, and his eldest son taken from us by the very man who now calls himself lord of Winterfell. It is my intent to restore this place to its rightful lords, to its rightful station, and to rid it of those who betrayed Ned and Robb Stark. Will you help me?"
"I shall, my lady. I will do whatever you ask of me."
She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. His face was surprisingly warm, and when she pulled away, she saw tears brimming in his eyes. "I would offer you promises of great reward, my lord, but I feel that your motivations are much deeper. Will you not tell me what inspires such loyalty in you?"
He smiled. "In time I will explain all. At present, I think it more appropriate to tell me what you intend should happen over the next few days, and in what way I may best serve you... and House Stark."