Disclaimer: I only own Lyra within this story
The Northern winds blew Lyra's raven dark hair around her face from where she stood just a few paces behind Robb and Bran, Jon even further.
She looked over to where her Uncles men were dragging the deserter towards the block. Her stomach was filled with sympathy for the poor boy, after all he did not look much older than herself, she could almost feel the fear radiating from him.
"I know I broke my oath, and I know I'm a deserter. I should have gone back to the wall and warned them. But I saw what I saw...I saw the white walkers." the young man said.
A chill went down Lyra's spine causing her to inhale suddenly, both her uncle and her cousins heard this gasp and turned towards her. Her Uncle frowned towards her in questioning and concern. She glanced towards Bran and saw him still staring at the man before she nodded to her uncle signalling she was alright, trying to shake the cold feeling that had now spread to her limbs causing her hands to shake.
"If you get word to my family tell them I'm a coward, tell them I'm sorry" the boy said before he was forced onto his knees, his neck bare upon the block.
Lyra looked over as she heard the familiar sing of her Uncles sword as he unsheathed the Valyrian steel beauty Lyra had both admired and feared for as long as she could remember.
"In the name of Robert of House Baratheon, first of his name, king of the and the first men, lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm. I Eddard of House Stark, lord of Winterfell and warden of the North sentence you to die" Her uncle muttered staring down at his sword handle.
"Don't look away" Jon said quietly to Bran. "Father will know if you do"
With one swift motion of the sword, the man's head tumbled to the grass below, his body still rested upon the block. Lyra had to fight the retch that came with seeing the boys eyes staring aimlessly up to the sky above them.
She felt Robb's hand upon her shoulder, turning her away from the decapitated body. She reached out and done the same to Bran, forcing him to walk beside Jon as Robb kept an arm firmly around her shoulders.
"Lyra, was he right...was the boy lying?" Her cousins voice had her turning round to face him.
"Come on Robb, we both know he was" Lyra tried to grin but she still couldn't shake the dull ache at the top of her spine. "None of what he said made any sense"
"But your face..." Robb said until he saw his father making his way towards them. "Never mind" Robb hurried back to his horse as his father approached Lyra .
"Are you alright?" Ned asked looking down at his niece in concern. He noticed the way her face had paled when the boy mentioned the white walkers.
"I'm fine" she tried to smile but she knew her Uncle would see right through it, and he did.
"White walkers have been gone for hundreds of years, everyone knows that" Ned
"But that boy..." Lyra whispered.
"That boy was probably driven half mad from starvations and exhaustion. Maybe he believed what he saw was real but I can assure you, it was probably nothing more than a hallucination" Ned Stark said putting a hand upon her shoulder. "Never listen to the ramblings of a mad man, it could get you killed one day"
"Yes Uncle" she nodded.
"Look at me" he said as he placed his finger gently under her chin and lifted her head to stare at him. Her light blue Baratheon met with his stern Stark grey. "Once someone is mad, there's nothing on this mortal earth that can save them. That boy had to die, you know that right?"
Lyra nodded quickly, of course she understood, didn't mean she had to like it. Ned leaned forward and kissed her gently onto the forehead. She waited until her Uncle began to move back to his horse before she climbed up onto hers, the chill of the boys words biting harsher into her skin than the crisp air around her.
Lyra rode along behind her Uncle, beside Robb after switching places with Ser Roderick, when suddenly the bannermen before them slowed to a stop. She could see Jon's horse already a head of them, but Jon was no longer in the saddle.
Seeing her Uncle dismounting from his horse, Lyra done the same with help from Robb before she moved to help Bran down from his horse. The three of them walked forward until they say what was delaying their trip home
She grimaced as she saw the dead stag a head of them, the animal of her mothers house, only this one was very much dead. Its stomach was torn, entrails spilling over onto the mud below, maggots wormed their way into the warm carcass. Instinctively she reached out and grabbed the back of Bran's cloak and put him behind Robb to shield his eyes from the horror in front of them, much to her younger cousins dislike.
She frowned as she saw the stag only had one antler.
"Mountain Lion" Theon questioned.
A whining from the trees caught her attention. It was far too high pitched to be anything big. She began to walk towards the trees at the side of the road.
"Lyra?" Jon questioned following his cousin. His father and brothers soon followed behind them.
"Lyra what do you hear?" her uncle asked looking at the concentration on his nieces face as she led them further into the wood.
"That" she said pointing down at the mound of fur and blood a head of them.
She rushed forward and saw a large grey direwolf laying upon its side. An antler forced into it's neck, the one the stag was missing. Six pups scrambled around their mother obviously trying to get a feed.
"It's a freak" Theon said causing her to glare up at him from her kneeling position beside the body.
"It's a direwolf" her uncle snapped in retaliation as he knelt beside her. "Tough old beast" and with that he yanked the antler from the beasts neck.
"And it's beautiful" she smiled stroking the coarse fur with the palm of her hand.
"But there are no direwolves south of the wall" Robb said in confusion.
"Well now there are six" Jon proclaimed lifting one of the pups into his hands and handing it to Bran
"Where will they go?" Bran asked looking up at his father. "Their mother is dead"
"They don't belong this far south" Ser Roderik spoke up
"Your right, give them a quick death" Lyra gasped in horror at her uncle's words. "They won't last without their mother"
"Right give it here" Rage filled Lyra as Theon grabbed the pup from Bran, pulling out his dagger.
"No" Bran cried out reaching for the pup but was held back by Jon.
"Put away your blade" Robb growled.
"I take orders from your father not you" Theon snarled back.
Before anyone could blink Lyra had unsheathed Jon's sword and had its blade against Theon's neck.
"Release that pup or I will kill you" She growled. Theon looked up at Eddard.
"Please Father" Bran pleaded but his father only shook his head.
"I'm sorry Bran" Lord stark sighed.
"Lord Stark" Jon interrupted glancing between his father and the direwolf. "there are six pups here, one for each of the Stark children. The direwolf is the sigil of your house, they were meant to have them"
"It would be seen as disrespectful to our banner and Winterfell if we killed them" Lyra said backing up Jons claim.
"Not to mention the gods" Robb chimed in.
"You will train them yourselves, you will feed them yourselves, and if they die you will bury them yourselves" Lord Stark sighed knowing he wasn't going to win this battle.
Lyra pulled the sword away from Theon's throat as he handed the pup back to Bran. She turned and placed Jon's sword back in it's sheath.
"Do not ever do that again" Jon warned fastening the metal buckle around the handle of his sword before he reached down and grabbed two pups which he handed off to Robb.
"What about you?" Bran asked looking towards Jon.
"I'm not a stark" Jon replied.
"Technically neither am I" Lyra shrugged.
"Your father was a Stark, you share the name, you still get one" Jon said with a hint of resentment in his voice.
Lyra moved back to the wolf to see Robb extending two pups out towards her. "I think you should be the one to give Arya hers don't you think" he smiled as she took both pups from him before he leaned down and grabbed another two, handing them to Theon before he grabbed his own.
"They are adorable" Lyra giggled as one of the pups nuzzled against her cheek while the other nipped agitatedly at her hands. She knew instantly which pup was Arya's.
She grinned keeping both pups held tightly in her arms as she began to make her way back to her horse. However Robb stopped dead in front of her forcing her to halt. She turned back to where Jon was standing looking down at something.
"What is it?" Robb asked as Jon bent down. As he stood, he lifted up another small pup, it's fur was white as snow, its red eyes striking out against its bland colour
"Ah the runt of the litter, that one's yours Snow" Theon smirked.
"A snow white pup for a Snow, perfect fit" Lyra grinned before she turned and made her way back up to her horse.
"Uncle Ned, do you mind?" She asked holding out the direwolves for him to take. With an irritated sigh Ned Stark leaned down and took the small pups from his niece.
Once Lyra was comfortably in her saddle she took the pups back with a grin. She could not wait to see the looks upon her younger cousins faces when they saw the puppies. The one she held under her right arm was all black with frost like blue eyes that seemed to stare up at her in wonder before it licked gently at her hand A wide smile brightened her face, she had found her pup.