Gara

-ooo-

"What was my father saying to you?"

Jon asked a little tersely as he walked alongside Gara, his fine leather boots crunching in the frozen earth as Gara's petite little riding boots pattered along with them. "Nothing of much consideration, if I'm honest," Gara saw Jon glare at her from the corner of her eye – he was so inquisitive sometimes that Gara oftentimes thought that Jon felt it was his duty to know everything. So she relented with a shrug and a shake of her head,

"He was asking me if I knew why we Northerners do things in the old ways..." Jon frowned, but Gara was lost in her thoughts and she stopped mid-stride, staring blankly out before her, Jon turned back and watched her face as her shoulders trembled slightly,

"I killed a man last month, Jon."

He was silent as he watched her – waiting for her to continue walking; hoping that she'd say something else, but she did not. She merely waited for Jon to speak. Did he not ask her what his father spoke to her of? Well, now he knew. Taking a shuddering breath, Jon stepped towards her and took one of her cold hands,

"I'm sorry, Gara. I shouldn't pry in matters that don't concern me," He frowned when he saw a tear slip from one of her eyes, "D'you know, I hadn't thought about him until your father mentioned him..." Jon averted his dark eyes and sighed with a jerk of his shoulders and then shook his curly head,

"Are you alright?" He asked, his handsome face etched with concern. Hastily wiping her tears away, Gara shook herself and smiled, Jon watched her as she did this and noted how much she reminded him of Gifu at that precise moment. She exhaled a breath to calm herself before smiling a brilliant smile at him and pulling him by the hand into a walk. Confused, Jon followed behind as Gara let go and held her hands behind her back and took a few paces. He couldn't see her face when she asked,

"So, is it true you want to join the Night's Watch like your uncle?"

Jon stopped dead in his tracks and held that position. Gara stopped too, but she did not turn around and he saw her take a breath; her shoulders rising and falling gently. "Where did you hear that?" He demanded and Gara turned and he immediately felt ashamed of his tone and took a step back. Her eyes were red-rimmed and there was silvery streams cascading down her cheeks. She held his gaze, she could hold Jon's gaze and it was he who looked away first before responding,

"What more for me is there here?" He began sadly. Gara sniffed and stepped forward a pace, stopping herself when he spat,

"I'm a bastard, Gara! And no matter what I do I can't shake it...At that Wall, the men of the Night's Watch come from all walks of life." Gara's pretty face was so full of sympathy that Jon started to feel angry and clenched his fist,

"They don't care that I don't know who my mother is or was. It doesn't matter there, but here...Here it seems to be everything to most people."

He was so consumed in his rage that he didn't see Gara come up alongside him and grip his arm just above his wrist and squeeze it gently. He was half turned away from her as she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed,

"But you'll come back to us, won't you?"

He turned at that and his face had lost none of its pain. Gara had borne such pity for Jon in all the years she had known him; he had been faced with such cruelty at the hands of pompous people looking down on him because of his father's folly. Gara was not such a person, she saw what lay beneath; Jon was very like his father, honourable beyond measure. He was kind and never complained openly of his treatment by others, Jon Snow was more rounded that the pretty little upstart the Prince of the whole Seven Kingdoms was rumoured to be, and to Gara he was a prince of Winterfell, just like Robb, just like young Bran and little Rickon. There were still tear-marks on her face when she smiled up at him and shrugged, waiting for Jon to speak.

"Of course I'll come back...whenever they let me."

She sniffed again, her upturned nose reddening as she wiped it on the sleeve of her gown like a peasant. Jon chuckled warmly at that and rested his hands on her shoulders as she ducked her head and conceded,

"Alright, alright; just be sure to return and be the best crow you can be."

He nodded and gave her his arm and in silence he walked her to her chambers, leaving her at the door with a shallow bow.

"See you at dinner?" She asked lightly and Jon sniggered and replied darkly,

"You might not see me, but I'll be there."

Was all he said before leaving her at the door which lead into her and Gifu's chamber. Stepping inside, Gara was surprised to see Gifu sitting at the mirror running a brush through her long red locks. Her eyes were dim and unseeing, Gara cocked her head and stepped around her sister and frowned,

"Gifu?" She enquired carefully and her sister's eyes fluttered up and rested on Gara. "Oh, it's you is it?" She spat coldly and Gara watched her as she placed the brush on the table and ran her fingers through her curls. "Where did you get off to? Did the next Lord of Winterfell summon you to the Godswood for a rut?"

Gara was angry. Spinning on her heel, she walked over to the bed, sat and removed her mud-splattered riding boots.

"I told you, Gifu, it's not like that!" Raged Gara and her sister spun with perfect grace around on the stool and eyed Gara quizzically, "No, not yet, my sister. But he'll eventually get sick of cows eyes and words, believe me." Gara flung her boots across the room and stamped over to the divider and got changed behind that while Gifu called,

"Don't wear the red gown, we're wearing those tomorrow for the King."

"The King?"

Gara frowned, her head popping out from behind the divider. Gifu shrugged and looked back at her reflection and spoke to that instead,

"Yes, the King. He is arriving a day earlier than scheduled; he sent a raven this morning." Gara's eyes trailed the floor as Gifu sneered over her shoulder – her black eyes were like flint,

"If you weren't out gallivanting and shooting bolts like a boy and actually paid any attention to the things that concerned you, you'd know that."

Rolling her eyes, Gara retreated behind the divider and continued to slip into a dark blue gown of warm satin. No point dressing up tonight, she concluded and emerged from behind the divider only to see Gifu's critical eye examining her and one of her arched eyebrows cocked,

"You're wearing that?" She asked incredulously. Gara shrugged and nodded, "Yes, why? What's wrong with it?" Gifu shook her head and chuckled,

"Well you and the young lord must be happy. Not even bedded him yet and you think you can shirk dressing up because you've had a midnight kiss with him a few times," Gara's chest tightened at Gifu's words and her sister came up beside her – her face was pitying.

"Oh, my sister," She began, sweeping a lock of hair off her shoulder and twirling it between her long fingers. "My sweet sister, how stupid you are. You'll never hold him like that, you're only seventeen and you're stagnating. He's a young man, not a fat old one. Get back in there and change into your yellow gown – you actually look suitable in that."

Gara's brows twitched, "Are you sure?" Gifu nodded, "Yes and you can even borrow my golden girdles and I'll do your hair." At that Gara backed away and eyed her sister suspiciously. "What's going on, Gifu?" To Gara's annoyance, Gifu shrugged and looked appalled, "What?! I cannot lend my sister a few baubles to make her look nice? Well fine, wear that awful drab, you'll only make gold look like gilt anyway!"

"Gifu!"

Gara exclaimed as he sister fled the room in a swirl of dark purple silk and the patter of her heels; leaving Gara alone and more than a little confused.