"We dream and dream of being seen as we really are and then finally someone looks at us and sees us truly and we fail to measure up." -Richard Siken

Chapter 15

Things quieted down a bit after Lady Stark and Ser Rodrick Cassel left Winterfell for King's Landing. Mal and Robb were deep into their household duties. Mal seemed to be drowning in all the work it took to manage the household funds. The visit from the royal party put a nice dent into their food storage. They would have have to try and get another harvest out of the surrounding lands before winter hit the castle. She also saw to it that a couple groomsmen and a kennel handler were fired. They had seen the attempted assassin skulking around the Great Keep prior to the attack and had not informed anyone of what they had seen. Mal was furious when she was told, perhaps even more furious than Robb had been, she had wanted to punish them by keeping them in the dungeons for a time but Robb had steered her away from that idea. The Starks were not cruel lords he had told her.

It was late at night and she was sat at her desk in the study Cat used. Torrhen was with his nursemaid, he'd been spending more time with her then he had with his own mother. Mal felt a a huge tinge of regret over that fact. She was looking over the accounts when a groomsman ran into her study. She lifted her head and was about reprehend the man when he started to speak. "M'lady, my deep'st 'pologies, but it's the li'l lord."

Mal felt her hand quiver as a sick feeling rose in her stomach, she took in the man's flushed face and the heavy breaths he took. Whatever he had to say, he was in a rush to deliver the message. "Is Bran d-dead?" She cleared her throat to hide the hesitance in her voice. She felt her world start to crash around her, she had no idea what she would do if Bran was dead. Robb would be devastated, but she couldn't imagine the pain Lady Stark would feel reading the letter she knew she would inevitably have to send informing her of her son's death. It is with the most deepest apologizes that I write to you, Lady Stark, to inform you that sweet Bran was taken from us in the night.

The groomsman shook his head. "No, m'lady. He's awake. T'Maester is with him now. I've come straight from 'im." He finished with a wide smile.

The papers she was looking fell from her hands. She stood up from her chair so fast that her head started to spin from the quickness. "H-he's awake?! Is he fine?"

Sheepishly he shook his head, he had no knowledge of anything beside what he had already told her. Mal walked took quick steps towards the door. "Find my lord husband quickly and inform him of this blessed news." She didn't even turn back to see if the man had understood her request,she made a beeline towards Bran's room. She entered quickly and saw Bran talking quietly with Maester Luwin.

"Bran!" she couldn't help it. From the moment she saw his eyes she felt a rush of love for him. She could feel tears prickle behind her eyes as she practically ran to his side and gave him a hug, mindful not to squeeze too hard. "Gods be good, you're awake." she sobbed.

There was fog behind Bran's eyes. He'd been asleep for so long that it was taking him a while to get used to everything. "M-Mal?" his throat was sore and raspy. Maester Luwin immediately grabbed a cup from nearby and handed it to Bran. "sip slowly." he instructed the boy. Mal ran her fingers through his hair to make sure he was actually real. He was very pale and weak. His eyes seemed sunken in and she could see that he was very thin. His skin was stretched taut over his bones and a ghastly grey hue to it, but he was alive, thank the Gods, the boy was alive.

Robb came in while she was helping feed Bran some bland broth. He didn't have the strength to hold up the spoon, Mal gratefully spoon-fed him and helped wipe his face when he spit up. He was like an overgrown babe and Mal was silently sending prayers to any God that would listen that her own son would never end up in the same situation as Bran.

Robb looked like he was close to tears. He went to his brother's side and gave him a great hug before kissing him on the head. "How do you feel?" he rushed out as he eyes scanned his face, no doubt taking in how poorly he looked.

"Tired." Bran said softly. Robb nodded sadly and turned his attention to the maester. "Bran's body will take some time to recuperate, he's very weak but thankfully it seems as though his mind is intact." Maester Luwin looked troubled before clearing his throat and motioning to Robb. "A moment please, my lord."

Mal quirked an eyebrow at Robb which he returned with a shrug. He slid off the bed and followed Maester Luwin to a corner of the room. They were whispering rapidly and Robb kept glancing at Bran with frantic eyes. Bran made a little moan of discomfort that stole Mal's attention. She straightened his pillow to help comfort him and fed him until he was done with the broth.

She felt Robb's hand rubbing her back as she finished wiping Bran's gaunt face. "I think we should let Bran rest." he told her softly yet there was something in his tone that Mal couldn't distinguish.

"Will Bran be okay?" She turned to Maester Luwin who nodded. "I'll stay in the room with Old Nan and we'll watch him through the night."

Bran was already dozing off throughout the conversation. Mal gave him one final kiss on the forehead and left the room with Robb. When they returned to their chambers she released the nursemaid watching over Torrhen and checked to see if he was doing okay. When she'd satisfied her curiosity she went back to Robb and watched as he changed out of his day clothes.

"What were you and Maester Luwin talking about?" She started taking off her dress and heard his weary sigh.

"It's Bran." he simply said as he went over and helped Mal with her dress, ever so often his fingers would softly brush against her back. Mal stiffened and turned to look at him. "What about Bran?"

He looked away from her eyes. She could see that he was torn up inside over something. "His legs are...ruined. Maester Luwin says he'll never walk again."

A small gasp left her lips. "Have you sent word to your father?" Her mind couldn't wrap around the awful news. She couldn't comprehend the sort of life Bran would be living from now on. He wanted to be a knight, a solider. She thought solemnly.

"Maester Luwin sent a raven. No word yet, and I don't know where my mother is," he sat on their bed and ran his hands through his hair, clearly stressed, "I don't understand how this all happened."

Mal went to his side and rubbed his back soothingly. "Bran will be alright, he'll be heartbroken for a while but he'll survive." Mal's own father had been restricted to a wheelchair for the past several years. The knowledge that the Prince of Dorne was unable to ride a horse was not common knowledge. It was something Mal had never told Robb. Her uncle would have her tongue if she told anyone outside of the family.

"What kind of life will he be able to lead?" Robb asked incredulously, "He'll never ride a horse, or father a son, or lie with a woman."

"There are many things he can do, we should be on our knees thanking the Gods that he's still Bran. His mind didn't go soft and he's awake."

There was silence from Robb as he was lost in his own thoughts. Torrhen began whimpering in his cradle and Mal managed to grab him before he started wailing. Returning back to Robb's side she began rocking Torrhen to get him to settle down.

"I don't know what I'm doing." the statement was quiet, so quiet Mal almost didn't even hear the words as they left Robb's mouth. She turned and gave him a sad look. He was being entirely too hard on himself. Besides the fire and the subsequent attack, Winterfell was running smoothly all thanks to him.

"You're doing what you were born to do." She told him staunchly before handing Torrhen over to him. Robb took him without any word and propped him up so Torrhen could rest his head on Robb's shoulder, "You're doing what Torrhen will one day do."

Robb kissed the baby's head and nuzzled the fine reddish down on his head. "May he have a better go at it than me."

When they had told Bran the news of his legs, he had taken it much worse than expected. He became distant and despondent. Nothing Mal did could bring him out of the funk. Rickon stayed away from Bran's room because he didn't really understand why his brother could no longer play with him outside and Bran was becoming a bit volatile towards his brother. He'd hear Rickon playing outside and it angered him that he could not do the same. Mal couldn't stand seeing him this way so she stayed away too. It was selfish, she could admit it, but there was nothing she could do for Bran, nothing she could say would bring him out of whatever it was that he was in. Bran had always been an old soul, but this recent development had aged him. He was like an old man in the body of child. There were certain things that Bran had to work out by himself, and Mal would let that happen. But if he needed help she would be there in a heartbeat.

Robb was taking Bran's recent mood swings more worse than her. He was angry at the way his little brother was acting and he was frustrated that Bran remembered nothing of his fall. He still carried a lot of guilt and felt as though Bran's fall was all his fault. There had still been zero word of Lady Stark and Lord Stark had been busy too. There were on their own and Mal knew Robb was feeling a little lost without the firm hand of his parents guiding him. It was all making him more irritable and he took his irritability out on Mal with little arguments over nothing. Mal's Dornish temper made it easier to go along with Robb's new routine of having pointless fights. It was never anything serious and they made up within a day. But it was exhausting none the less.

Mal was busy taking care of Torrhen who had had a fever the night before and screamed his lungs out. Maester Luwin administered some small bit of potion so Torrhen could rest. Mal watched over him as he slept making sure that he was alright. Her nerves were wrecked. Seeing her son in pain was the worst feeling in the world and she felt like a horrible mother for not being able to do anything to help him. She could only how Lady Stark felt, being hundreds of miles from her son, still believing that he was dead to world. Her only hope was that word would reach Lady Stark and she could take comfort in knowing that Bran was awake and relatively okay.

She was reading to a fussy Torrhen when a maid knocked and entered the room. The nervous maid eyed the fussy baby before giving a small curtsy. "Forgive me, Lady Stark. But Lord Robb requests your presence in the main hall."

Mal stood and placed the book on a nearby table before picking up Torrhen who let out a wail of discomfort. "Is everything alright?"

The girl nodded her head tentatively. "Yes, it's just that a visitor has arrived." The girl seemed skittish and that alarmed Mal.

"Who?" she snapped

The maid's eyes started darting around the room refusing to make eye contact with her mistress. She knew well enough about to her to know that she was going to be furious when she learned the truth. "Lord T-Tyrion Lannister."

"The Imp!?" Mal practically snarled at the poor girl who looked like she was a few moments away from wetting herself.

"Y-y-yes m'lady." The girl's eyes diverted to the floor as though her shoes were the most interesting things in the world.

Mal handed Torrhen to the maid less gently than usual. "Watch over him carefully until I return. Do not let him out of your sight." The maid held onto Torrhen tightly and vigorously nodded her head. Mal exited the room quickly with a grim look set on her face.

Robb was in no mood to receive visitors, especially Lannisters. His mother had changed his view on the Lannisters. He didn't know if they had anything to do with Bran's fall and his mother's attack but he knew they were the only suspects at the moment. He caught his wife's eyes and said a silent prayer hoping that Mal would not do anything drastic. It was true that the Martell's loathed the Lannistersbut he didn't want to end up prying his wife off the Imp when she attacked.

They both sat next to each other in high-backed chairs, Grey Wind lay in front them with his heckles raised slightly. Mal watched as the Imp was led into the hall with a few Lannister guards and a man dressed all in black- a brother in the Night's Watch. She fixed her stare on the man with the coldest look she could muster.

Tyrion Lannister eyed the young couple setting up as Lord and Lady of Winterfell, to him it looked like when children played house together. He held in a laugh when he noticed their cold looks and smirked. "I must say I received a slightly warmer welcome on my last visit."

"Times have changed." Mal told him slowly she was kept her eyes on him out of fear that he would try to pull something at any moment.

Nonplussed he replied with a grin. "I suppose they have, Lady Stark." he mocked.

A low growl erupted next to Mal. Robb's hands clenched where they rested on the great chair. Mal slowly put her hand over one of his in a silent show of solidarity. Robb resisted the urge to have the Lannister arrested and addressed the man in black standing a few feet away from Tyrion. "Any man of the Night's Watch is welcome at Winterfell."

The man nodded but Tyrion seemed peeved. "Any man of the Night's Watch but not I, eh, boy?"

Robb's eyes narrowed into slits. "I'm not your boy, Lannister." Mal sat forward a bit to address the Imp before Robb could finish.

"Forgive us, for not being too welcoming. The last time we welcomed your lot my good-brother mysteriously fell from a tower. Of course that's nothing compared to when your father was welcomed into King's Landing and slaughtered my aunt and her children." She could feel her temper bubbling up and felt her color start rising as result. There were alarms going off inside her head that she should have heeded. Mouthing off to the son of the richest man in the seven kingdoms wasn't the brightest idea. Her temper was going to be the death of her.

"Ah, I see this atmosphere has not stomped out your Dornish temper." he observed dryly

"What can I say to the man who's father murdered members of my family?" What would my father say if he saw me like this. Doran Martell had always been more level-headed compared to the hot-headed Oberyn. When she was younger, Mal prided herself on being more like her father: not letting her temper get the best of her like her spirited older sister. But it seemed like the moment she stepped foot in Winterfell, her temper took control more often than she liked.

Tyrion waved his hand as though to dispel the venomous words Mal was sending his way. "The price of war. Unfortunate yes, but that has nothing to do with me."

Mal was about to jump out of her chair in indignation before Robb raised his hand. "I am Lord of Winterfell, while my father is away," he sent a small glare to where Mal was silently fuming in her chair, "Should you have a complaint over your treatment Lord Tyrion address it to me."

"You might want to learn a lord's curtsey then," he sent a small smirk Mal's way, "and learn to control your lady wife. She's more wolf than you." he japed.

Mal opened her mouth to retort but then a door opened on the side of the hall and Hodor came in with Bran in his arms. Tyrion looked shocked. "So it's true. Hello Bran. Do you remember anything about what happened?

Maester Luwin spoke up from beside Robb. "He has no memory of the day."

"Curious." Mal could see the wheels turning in Tyrion's head and didn't trust it one bit.

"Why are you here." Robb was growing frustrated and tired of the conversation and had no interest in continuing it.

Tyrion ignored Robb and turned to Bran. "Would your charming companion be so kind as to kneel? My neck is beginning to hurt."

"Kneel, Hodor." Bran said eying the Lannister lord warily.

"Do you like to ride, Bran?"

Mal huffed at the rude and hurtful question. "Yes. Well, I mean I did like to."

"The boy has lost the use of his legs." Maester Luwin informed Tyrion.

"What of it? With the right horse and saddle, even a cripple can ride."

"I'm not a cripple." Bran cried indignantly.

"Then I'm not a dwarf. My father will rejoice to hear it. I have a gift for you," he pulled out a scroll and passed it Maester Luwin, "give that to your saddler. He'll provide the rest. Your must shape the horse to the rider. Start with a yearling and teach it to respond to the reins and to the boy's voice."

Bran looked optimistic for the first time in a very long while, the brightness in his face tugged at Mal's heartstrings. "Will I really be able to ride?"

Tyrion nodded with a little hint of a smile on his face. "You will. On horseback you will be as tall as any of them."

Robb sat up straighter in his chair. "is this some kind of trick? Why do you want to help him?"

Tyrion glanced at Robb with an arrogant look that made Mal roll his eyes. " I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards and broken things." he droned sardonically.

Robb looked like he was fighting with himself internally. Mal watched him swallow before addressing Tyrion. "You've done my brother a kindness," he looked over at Mal and she knew what she had to say. "The hospitality of Winterfell is yours." she told him with a false smile spread on her face. She wanted nothing better than to lock him in a dungeon and throw away the key. But the man had made a smile appear on Bran's face, something that was not any easy feat these days, so she supposed she could house Tyrion for a few days.

"Spare me your false courtesies, Lord and Lady Stark. There's a brothel outside your walls. There I'll find a bed and all three of us can sleep easier."

He bowed to both Robb and Mal before making his way out of the hall. Mal glared at him as he left. He was right though, she would sleep better without him skulking around the castle. She spied the man from the Night's Watch hovering in the background and sent a smile his way.

"We are overjoyed to be able to house a member of the Night's Watch, good ser." She nodded softly.

The man gave a little half bow. "I thank you, Lady Stark. I won't be a bother to you and your. I'm only staying for a night before I continue on my journey."

"Well, we are happy to help you in any way we can." Robb told him. His mind still on the dwarf who had most likely already left the castle grounds.

"Thank you m'lord." He bowed to the young couple before turning to make his way out of the hall.

When the man left, Robb eyed Maester Luwin who quickly nodded. He started ushering people out of the hall until only Mal and Robb were left in the room. The moment the doors closed behind the last man Robb's shoulders shagged and he let out a frustrated sigh. Mal looked down at her lap where her hands were clenched together prepared for the scolding she was about to receive. "He's right, you know?" Robb began quietly, "You need to control your temper. This isn't Dorne. Women do not have the same rights as men here. I allow you many freedoms because I love you, but I will not have you disrespect me in front of nobility especially in front some blonde-haired shit Lannister." He didn't even wait for her response. The moment he finished talking he all but leapt out of his chair and stormed out of the room.

Mal let out a shaky breath she had been holding and leaned back in her chair. She felt a few tears run down her face before she wiped them away. Rising from the chair she silently exited the Great Hall through the door opposite the one Robb exited through.

She found him in their room. He was leaning over Torrhen's crib watching the boy as he slept. Silenty, she walked up next to him to join him in watching their biggest joy.

"Who do you suppose he'll marry?" Robb quietly asked her.

Letting out a sigh, Mal adjusted Torrhen's blanket before answer. "He's got Dornish blood in him. Whoever, he marries, he'll have an easier time taming her than you." She finished looking up at him

Robb's eyebrows quirked ever-so-lightly and a small frown grew on his face, he studied Mal's face and opened his mouth to retort before thinking better of it and shook his head. "Another Dornish Princess is the last thing we need." He stated before wrapping his arms around Mal and resting his head in the crook of her neck.

Mal snorted. "I will agree with you there," she turned in Robb's arms to address her tired husband. "I love you and I'm sorry for being.. disagreeable. The North is different from Dorne. I'm starting to understand that now."

"I don't want to take away your fire, because that is what I love about you. Behind closed doors you can be as disagreeable as you want, my little Dornish love. But in front of others, I need you to be a strong Northern lady."

"Your mother would have never acted out like did earlier?" Catelyn Stark, in Mal's opinion, was the most reserved women. Firm, yet still warm, her face a perfect mask in front of strangers. The perfect consort of a Lord of the North. Mal always felt inferior to be following in the footsteps of such a grand lady.

"No, I doubt she would've done what you did... before Bran's fall. Had my mother been here, I don't think she would act like a proper northern lady towards Lord Tyrion." he finished with a smile

A groan escaped Mal's mouth as she hid her face in Robb's chest. "He is the most disgustingly lecherous and arrogant man I've ever met."

Robb chuckled as he wrapped his arms tighter around Mal and kissed her head. "He did do a nice thing for Bran." he quietly said.

"If it does work and Bran can ride again, I'll personally kiss the bastard on his slimy lips." he japed.

The arms wrapped around Mal wrapped tighter still. "I don't think so." Robb growled as he captured her lips in a hungry kiss. She eagerly returned the kiss and pressed her lower body sharply into his. A low keening sound erupted from his throat as he pulled back and led her back to their bed.

"Are you truly sorry?" he asked her in-between kisses as they hurriedly threw off their clothing.

"More than anything." she replied her a hazy smile.

Robb gave her one of his roguish grins that always managed to light a fire deep within her. He lightly pushed Mal onto the bed. "Then show me how sorry you are." he growled out before climbing on top of her.

A/N: Hello! No, I am not dead. I've just been very busy with school, work and life in general. I admit I did lose my passion for this story a bit but it has been rekindled. I don't think it's fair to string you all along and not finish the story and there's a lot of story we still need to cover. I will say that updates will be sporadic and I'm extremely sorry about that. Thank you again for all the support you've given me. I don't deserve readers like you.