First off, I have to apologize to all of you for not updating this story in so long. Having no internet at home made it extremely hard to update my stories on a regular basis. But thanks to my parents, I was given internet as my birthday present. So now I can update more often!

Secondly, some of you might find this chapter a little slow. Since I haven't written this story in a while, I feel like I had to get back into the swing of things. But don't worry, it'll pick up again in the next chapter!

Also, I caved and got Twitter. So if anyone wants to follow me, you can do so! I'm Zombieslive4evr. I know, weird name. I assure you if I had more letters available it would have been better!

Thanks a lot for reading, everyone, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the others!

"Gwynne, I-" Arya's small voice erupted in the room and Jon and Gwynne couldn't have jumped further away from one another.

The young girl simply stood by the doorway, her wide eyes darting back and forth between her brother and Gwynne, a grin spreading across her thin lips. She might have been young, but she wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what she had just walked into.

Jon was quick to leave Gwynne's side, rushing over to Arya and grabbing a steady hold of her arm as he dragged her out of the room.

"What? I didn't do anything wrong!" Arya protested as her brother came to a stop outside of Gwynne's bedchamber.

"Arya, what have I told you about knocking before you enter a room, especially Gwynne's room? You can't just barge into bedchambers whenever you feel like it, you know that."

Arya's grin only grew wider as Jon knelt down to her level, looking her square in the eye. "You mean you don't want me to walk in on you and Gwynne."

"No, there is no me and Gwynne. And you can't tell anyone about this."

This time, Arya frowned. Why wouldn't he want anyone to know? If they were in love, shouldn't they be shouting it loudly for everyone to hear? At least, that's what Sansa would tell her. Sansa always bored her with love stories and songs where the characters always seemed to do that. "But why? Father will be happy for you both. He would want to know!"

"Please, Arya, don't speak of this to anyone."

She saw the look of desperation on her brother's face and nodded solemnly. Jon always seemed in trouble with Lady Stark, and though Arya couldn't fully understand why this had to be kept a secret, she knew it was probably for the best. She loved Jon more than anything. The last thing she'd want to do is get him in trouble.

"I won't, don't worry."

Gwynne crept out from her bedchamber and leaned against the doorframe, smiling sweetly at the small girl she had come to think of as her own blood. If anyone else had walked in on her and Jon, she would be terrified they would speak of what they saw to someone. But she knew Arya. She knew how much she admired Jon, and knew their secret would be safe with the little girl.

"Gwynne, I just wanted to see if you wanted anything to eat. I overheard Robb talking to mother and father. He said he was going to bring you some food since you didn't eat much at supper."

"Oh. Well, that's very sweet of him. Jon already brought me something to eat, though."

The corner of Arya's lips twitched upwards into a soft smile. "I'll tell Robb, then."

"Tell me what?"

Jon got to his feet as his brother approached them. His eyes fell to his hands, carrying a plate of food. He flashed a smile and held the plate out towards Gwynne. "I brought you supper."

"Thank you. Jon actually already brought me something to eat."

Robb turned to his brother and rested a hand on his shoulder, tapping him gently. "Of course. My brother is always thinking of others." He glanced down to look at his youngest sister. "Arya, shouldn't you be preparing for bed?"

"Right." She stuttered quickly. "Good night!"

Everyone said good night to the young Stark as she spun around on her heels and ran down the hall. No one spoke a word until her footsteps could no longer be heard echoing throughout the castle walls.

"Are you feeling better, Gwynne?" Concern was written all over Robb's face as he watched Gwynne carefully.

"I am, thank you. I imagine I'll feel much better in the morning. I suppose there isn't anything I can do about what I did now."

The truth was, no matter how much Robb and Jon tried to make her feel better; they weren't able to understand the concept of taking someone's life. Neither of them had been in battle before. Neither of them had taken the life of another human being. Therefore neither of them could relate, no matter how hard they tried.

Robb had grown up watching his father swing the sword against those he sentenced. When he was a child, Robb vaguely remembered asking his father how he did it. How did he swing a sword knowing it was ending someone's life? Did he feel bad for the man's family? For his wife and children who would be eagerly waiting for him to come home, not knowing they'd never see him again?

He remembered his father's words and had kept them in the back of his mind for when he found himself swinging a sword as his father had all his life.

Pray to the Gods for forgiveness but always remember that if you don't take their life they will take yours and the life of everyone you hold dear.

Robb always had the image of standing between his family and the threat to their lives. He would do anything for them; even take a life should it ever come to that. He would strike every man in the Seven Kingdoms if it meant his family would remain unharmed. That included Gwynne.

"Pray to the Gods for forgiveness and I'm sure they'll grant you peace. That's what father used to tell me."

"And how many times have I told you not to bother Gwynne so late at night?" Ned Stark walked up to his children, a smile spread across his lips as he watched them in the dim lighting.

"Sorry, father. We just wanted to make sure Gwynne was alright." Jon said, looking up at him.

Ned cocked an eyebrow, glancing over at the young girl. "Why wouldn't she be alright?"

Robb answered quickly. "She didn't eat much at dinner. We were worried she wasn't feeling well."

"That's right. You'd better go back to your bedchambers, boys. It's getting late and you have training first thing in the morning."

"Yes, father."

It wasn't long before Gwynne was left standing alone in the hall with Ned. She shifted nervously, suddenly worried that he knew all too well about why she hadn't eaten much at supper. No matter how much she tried to hide things from him, he always seemed to know. When she was younger she used to wonder if her father's spirit was watching over her and whispering what she had done into Ned's ear.

"Can I speak to you for a moment, Gwynne?"

She nodded and entered back into her bedchamber. She took a seat on the edge of her bed and watched as Ned approached, taking a seat beside her.

"You know that I think of you as one of my own children, right Gwynne?"

"I do, my Lord. I've always been grateful for how you've treatment me so equally to your own children."

Ned smiled. "So then why don't you tell me what truly happened earlier today?"

Gwynne folded her hands in her lap, squeezing her hands together tightly. "Nothing happened, my Lord. We went for a ride."

"Gwynne, please. I always know when my children are lying to me."

She took a shaky breath. "I just don't want to get them into trouble…"

"You won't." Ned assured her softly. "What happened?"

"Wildlings."

Ned nodded slowly. "Did they hurt you?"

"They could have done worse. A lot worse. Jon, Robb and Theon came back just in time. Theon killed one of the wildling."

"One of? How many were there?"

"Two, my Lord."

"I see. And who killed the other one?"

"I did, my Lord." Her voice had lowered to a mere whisper when she spoke.

Ned sighed heavily. Dealing with taking your first life is never an easy thing, no matter how much a man may say otherwise. Closing his eyes tightly for a moment, he relieved his first kill and how it had affected him for the next several days. No matter how much he tried to put himself in Gwynne's shoes, he knew he would ever truly understand how she felt.

She loved life more than anything, constantly rescuing injured animals and bringing them within the castle walls until they had healed. She could never stand to see an animal suffer, much less a human. Sometimes he feared she was too soft for the world they lived in.

"Gwynne, you did what you had to do. Had they had the opportunity, they would have done the same to you without blinking or a second thought."

Gwynne smiled weakly. "That's what Robb said, too."

"That's how the world works, Gwynne, as awful as it may seem at times."

"I know. Thank you, my Lord."

"Try to get some sleep, okay Gwynne? Tomorrow is another day."

She nodded, her eyes following Ned as he made his way towards the door. He paused for a moment, turning to look at the young girl over his shoulder. "Your father would be proud of you Gwynne."

She smiled to herself when she heard the door edge shut silently. When she laid down that night she found Ned's words had given her some sort of comfort.