Now, my most beloved readers, I am finally back with a new chapter - which is awfully sweet, I think, yet I love the harmony and the "idyll" as we would call it (as it is quite late I am actually both too lazy and too tired to check if you would use the same word in English.
So, it's only left for me to say that I'm sorry for the long break (I hope to continue regular uploads again, but now university has started soooo...).
And of course: I hope you will enjoy the chapter.
xxx
scuffie
Sansa had seen to Avyn moving to another room which was connected to a smaller chamber with a bed and some toys Sansa had prepared for little Brynden. A very nice gesture, but quite unnecessary, as Avyn knew, because of course Brynden would sleep in bed with his Ann, as he called her. And indeed: She tucked him in, before she went down for dinnner, kissed him on his forehead and he fell asleep instantly. However, when she came back and laid down to sleep herself, Brynden came and climbed up into her bed, cuddling against her arm, sighing and mumbling in peace.
It was the first night, Avyn would sleep through, ever since Sansa had freed her.
It was a short one, though. Brynden was up and about in the early hours of the morning already. He was not exactly loud, but playing with wooden horses and climbing up and down Avyn's bed. She opened her eyes slowly, which, of course, her son noticed right that instant: "Ann", he grinned at her, waving with one of the horses "you awake!"
"Good morning, darling", she mumbled and smiled at him.
"You want to play ho'ses?", Brynden asked.
"I would love to", she said, "I just need to wash my face and drink a bit of water, yes?"
He nodded happily and Avyn felt like her heart would burst with delight as she got up. She had missed him a great deal but now that her little snowlfake was here, she did not know how she had managed without him.
"Can I play with the giant again, today, Annie?", Brynden wondered while his mother washed her face.
"I don't know if Master Giantsbane can find the time, darling", she shrugged "You know, soon, there will be many, many important people here, and Master Giantsbane wants to help Lord Snow to prepare everything."
"Snow?", Brynden asked.
"Yes, Lord Snow owns this castle. Lady Sansa is his sister."
"I like Lady Sansa", Brynden said "She gave me cake."
"So she did", Avyn chuckeled.
"But Master Gia...Giants...Master Giant cannot play today?"
"I don't know, love."
"Can you ask him, Ann?", Brynden pleaded.
"Well, I think you can ask him yourself, if you want to", Avyn smiled and sat down on the bed, next to her son.
Brynden sat there silently, contemplating what his mother had told him.
"Is Lord Snow my brother?", he asked after a while, taking Avyn completely aback.
"Oh, oh no, darling, he is not."
"But he has the same name!", Brynden said.
"I know, Brynden, but it's a little more complicated than that."
"I think he is my brother", Brynden said and crossed his arms, looking up at his mother, who was close to bursting into laughter.
"Well, he is not your brother, but he is a very nice man. Now, how about we play a little with those beautiful horses?"
"I am the black one! And the light brown!", Brynden said quickly, taking the wooden toys as fast as he could to make sure Avyn would not be able to.
They were just having a horserace on the bed, when someone knocked at the door.
Hastily Avyn got up and put on a robe over her sleeping gown: "Come in", she said, then.
It was Lady Sansa.
"Good morning, Lady Avyn, good morning, Master Brynden", she greeted them "I trust you slept well tonight?"
"Very, my Lady", Avyn smiled "I am ever so thankful, that you helped getting my boy here."
"Oh, nevermind", Sansa smiled "It feels good, to do something nice and helpful. Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to join us for breakfast today?"
"Can I come with?", Brynden asked as he jumped from the bed.
"I don't see why not, little Master", Sansa chuckled.
"I fear there will be a lot of boring adult stuff, dear", Avyn said "But if you want to, we can go."
"Yes", the child beamed "I'll get my clothes. You help me dress?", he asked Avyn.
"Of course, now, off you go, and choose something nice", she grinned.
"Very well", Sansa smiled at her friend "I see, you are blooming with your... your snowflake. Like a winter flower. So, I will fetch you in a bit?"
"Thank you, my Lady."
They went downstairs, Brynden holding hands with both the ladies, more jumping than walking.
"Is Master Giant there?", he asked, interrupting the women's smalltalk. Sansa looked at Avyn in confusion, but the lady Umber only shrugged: "He means the wildling, Tormund Giantsbane."
"Oh", Sansa said "do you like Master Giant, Brynden?"
"Ya! He's fun", Brynden said contently, skipping and humming.
"You don't seem too glad about that", Sansa said silently, so Brynden could not hear her.
"Well, I certainly don't like the thought of my...of a three-year-old playing games with a wildling. Especially since Tormund does not strike me as a very soft or careful person. In addition, well, I can hardly tell Brynden that this is his uncle's murderer, can I? You know, Brynden and Smalljon got along very well; he was a good uncle, even though we were never close."
Sansa fell into silence, thinking about her friends words, before she slowly said: "I think you should give Tormund a chance. He seemed to like Brynden, you know, and I think he will make sure that nothing will happen to the child."
Avyn sighed and smiled: "Why are you so smart, my Lady? I cannot seem to find any fault in what you say, and, actually that is quite depressing for a woman such as myself, who loves being right, even though she is rather a silly girl."
They reached the small hall, but before entering, Avyn turned to her son, warning him: "Now, little snowflake, please behave and be nice to our friends."
Brynden looked at her with big brown eyes and nodded intendly.
"Good morning", Jon Snow greeted the newly arrived, raising up to give his sister a quick kiss on the cheek before bowing in Avyn's direction.
"Good morning, Lord Snow", she smiled "May I introduce? Brynden Snow."
Brynden looked up at his mother with a curious look before staring at the man in front of him.
"Hello, Master Brynden", Jon said and squatted before the kid "It is a shame we could not get to know each other yesterday – after all, we share the same name."
"Is you my brother?", Brynden asked, without any ado and Avyn did not know if to laugh or be embarrassed "Because Ann says you's not."
"I am sorry", Avyn said quietly but Jon did not seem to mind; instead he chuckled warmly.
"Well, I feel like, in a way, all Snows are brothers and sisters, more or less", he explained to Brynden "Would you like to sit next to me while we eat, little Master? If Lady Umber does not mind, of course." Both the Snows' faces looked up to Avyn in silent hope, and it amused her, how warm and lovely Sansa's brother suddenly seemed.
"If Brynden promises to behave, I don't see why not."
Her son nodded proudly, feeling like she had given him an extremely important task.
But before he would sit down next to the Lord of Winterfell, Brynden had made up his mind about something else, very important that he needed to do, and so he tucked at his mother's dress:
"Annie", he whispered as she bended down to him "Can I first say hello to Master Giant?"
"Quickly, and then I'll take you to your seat", she said, excused them from Lord Snow and took Brynden by the hand.
"Good morning, lass", Tormund greeted them as they stood next to him "And good morning, Master Dwarf – how are ye today?"
"I'm fine, thanks", Brynden mumbled. He liked Tormund a great deal already, but the wildling's stature always managed to make him shy again.
"Ye look good this morning, lass", Tormund said, giving the little one a little more time "Looks like ye finally got some sleep."
Avyn looked at him in surprise, as she had thought she had managed quite well to hide how tired she had truly been the last few weeks.
"Thank you, Tormund", she managed to say "indeed I did."
"Aye", he grumbled „that's good to hear."
Avyn was so taken aback, she did not know what to reply, but luckily Brynden seemed to be ready now, and he tucked on Tormunds furr-clad leg:
"Master Giant?", he asked carefully.
"Master Dwarf?", Tormund replied with a slight chuckle "What can I do for ye?"
"Do you want to play again?", Brynden asked, with beaming eyes.
"Well, now we all eat first, little lad. And ye have to, too, if ye want to be big and strong. So when ye have eaten and if the lass...sorry, if the lady allows it, I am sure I can find the time."
Brynden looked happily from Tormund to Avyn and something in Avyn's heart seemed to melt while seeing her son as joyful after she had thought she might never see him again – even though she still did not truly like the thought of him playing with the wildling.
They spend the morning in the library, Avyn knitting, Sansa reading stories to Brynden and looking at maps with him. Around noon, he became grumpy, so Avyn let him have lunch and then send him to bed right away. Those last few days had been exiting for him, they still were, so naturally he needed all the sleep he could get. She left one of the new hired handmaidens with him, and went outside to get a bit of fresh air. Avyn had not forgotten how tumultous a little kid could be, and she had indeed missed it, but those short moments of complete solitude were one of the best parts of being a mother, she thought. Truly, she never more enjoyed silence, than when Brynden was happily asleep and she knew she would spend the rest of the day with him.
While Avyn walked around the castle grounds she noticed some men fighting in the courtyard. Especially the tall, fiery haired wildling, who was watching the fighters, caught her eye. Slowly she went over, not really sure about what to say.
"Lady Avyn", Tormund greeted her, and Avyn was sure that there was a moment of insecurity or maybe surprise on his face, but he hid it too quickly for her to truly grasp it.
"Good afternoon, Master Giantsbane", she said and curtsied before turning to watch the fighters. There were Westerosi and wildlings, competing against each other.
"Master Brynden is not with ye, I see", Tormund said after a few moments of silence.
"No, he was very tired so I had him sleep for a little. Though, I fear he will still want to play with you, once he's awake again."
"Aye. I do not mind the lad. He's a good boy."
"That he is", she smiled, facing the fighters.
"Ye know, lass, in some ways he looks just like ye."
"He does?", she said and tried not to look too nervous about his statement "what a funny coincidence."
"Aye", he mumbled and watched her from the corner of his eye.
"It's nice", Avyn said with a gesture towards the fighting men "I would not have thought that the Southerners would get along so well with... your men."
"Aye. Not all of 'em do, but it's a start", Tormund nodded.
Avyn was unsure of what to say next, but as she spotted Jon Snow walking out of the door, she excused herself quickly and went over to the Lord of Winterfell.
"Lord Snow", she said "I don't think I have found the time yet to thank you for being so very kind, to both me and Brynden. It was truly heartwarming that you found such a nice answer to him thinking that the two of you are related."
"Well", Snow said, and smiled a little – which still astonished Avyn everytime he did so "It is actually my somewhat genuine belief. I wish more of us would think that way."
"At least one little boy does so now", Avyn said and smiled as well "and I am very grateful to you for treating him that way. His life has not been easy, even though we kept him quite shielded from any nasty comments."
"Most of us experience that kind of hatred", Jon Snow nodded slowly "It makes me happy to see your ward so very light-hearted."
"I never wanted anything more for him than being treated for what he is – a child, first and foremost. But people mostly seem to think of him as a bastard."
Avyn sighed a little. If only bastards were not seen as such a horrible sin, she might have lived a normal life with her son.
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