Gara

-ooo-

There were tears on Gara's cheeks as she looked down on Bran's sleeping form. She hoped and prayed to every god – old and new – that he was sleeping. It had been two weeks. Two long weeks and not a thing; Bran had still not awoken. Cat looked haggard, sick half-to-death with worry, Robb was barely recognizable, and the strength he summoned every day to keep it together astounded her. Little Rickon had been quiet; he didn't seem to understand as well as the girls. Sansa was withdrawn, her eyes red from crying and Arya took it upon herself to follow her brother, Jon, about to keep them both busy. Gara felt such pity for them all. Hastily wiping her tears, she sniffed and gently ran a finger along Bran's smooth, pale cheek and whispered softly into the quiet of his room,

"Will you not wake up soon, Bran? Your wolf still needs a name..."

She heard her voice die in her throat and a hiccup of sadness gurgle up, she bowed her head and tried to swallow her tears. With a quick mental shake, she opened her eyes and uttered to him,

"Your mother needs you."

A footstep behind her alerted her. She turned and stood; in the doorway was Lord Eddard; his face looked just as tired as Cat's. Gara curtsied deeply and she saw him wave his hand; she thought he reminded her of Benjen just then – waving away a curtsy. She folded her hands in front of her and gazed back at Bran, embedded in his furs; with his eyes closed he looked so like he was sleeping.

Please be sleeping.

"My family and I thank you for your support, Gara." Said Lord Eddard with a bow of his head and Gara gaped; she had no idea that even through all this he'd actually be able to tell her and her sister apart. She blushed at that and shook her head,

"It is the least I can do...Seeing Cat – Lady Catelyn – like this hurts me deeply. I just wish there was more I could do, my lord." The Lord of Winterfell chuckled softly and took another step in and looked down so fondly at his boy that Gara had to choke back a lump. He touched the furs and looked at her,

"He's my boy...My second boy – besides Jon. Catelyn loves him so much,"

"I know."

"D'you think he'll wake?"

"I don't know, my lord. Gods be good and he does..."

Gara saw the lines around Eddard's eyes grow deeper then as he sat, his eyes never left Bran's peaceful face, "We'll be leaving for King's Landing soon," He dragged his eyes away and looked at Gara seriously and she felt her throat contract under his mournful scrutiny,

"Will you watch over him when we are gone?"

He wasn't asking her to watch over him. Lord Eddard was wondering if she would keep up her vigil when the eyes of the King and court were gone. He's measuring me – even now, he's measuring me. Thought Gara and she took a breath. Sitting across from him, she looked down on Bran too and replied,

"Yes, my lord...I'd watch over any of my friends." She peeped over at him and blinked, "As I said before, your children are among my closest and most dear. I'd never leave them if they needed me – none of them."

"That's good. You honour your Words well." He nodded and went on mirthlessly – almost to himself, "when you children were small, when the fighting stopped and me and Whykeham returned from battle; we walked into the nursery and there you all were; you, Gifu and Robb. Safe and well, and I think me and Whykeham knew then that we were meant for fatherhood."

"And you brought Jon."

Eddard smiled faintly and nodded, "Aye, and I brought Jon. I have never seen a better sight than all of you safe and well together; there was no danger for any of you then...That's what any parent wants, girl," Gara frowned and listened as he glanced over,

"All any parent wants is for their children to be safe."

She nodded and her eyes returned to Bran. They sat in silence there for a while until Lady Catelyn appeared at the door looking gaunt and frail. Lord Eddard stood and greeted his wife with an affectionate hug while Gara waited until she faced her and curtsied. Cat's face crinkled and she held out her hands to Gara and embraced her too. Brushing the girl's hair away, Cat shook her head and smiled down on her – a laborious smile,

"Seeing you watch over my boy...You remind me of your mother watching over her boy-"

She stopped herself as a sob escaped her and Gara held the woman close and hushed her, "Bran is not like my brother, Cat. He is going to live," Her eyes caught Eddard's and her mouth was set in a line as she said resolutely to no one in particular,

"He has to live."

-ooo-

Saddling her horse, Gara lengthened her stirrups and breathed deep. This was the first time she'd even thought of saddling her horse after her accident at the hunt, but she had to go out today. She mounted up without a sound, ignoring her throbbing knee; she cast her gaze around her. The King's Guard were still milling about quite uselessly, as well as the noble lords and ladies who were even more useless. Gara shook her head; the fact that they still hung about after Lord Eddard and Lady Cat's personal tragedy annoyed her quite plainly and she didn't speak to any of them unless she absolutely had to. To her chagrin, Jaime Lannister strode up to her horse and patted his mane,

"Handsome beast you have there," He remarked and Gara thought snappishly, not as handsome as you reckon yourself. She didn't voice her dislike of him and instead nodded – she didn't trust her wilful tongue at that moment. He was not to be put off by her silence and flashed a dazzling smile up at her. Gara's knees did not melt, neither did her loins burn; to her, he was just another blond-haired, silver-tongued snake. The only one she really even liked in the slightest was the Imp – and she didn't even really like him.

"I hear you and I may well be cousins one day. Such a shame."

He flirted and Gara cocked an eyebrow, looking quite grand atop her horse – she knew she resembled her sister in looks and in attitude then and replied stoutly,

"Don't Goldcloaks like yourself renounce any family ties and take no wives when they join? Not unlike the Night's Watch in that regard," Jaime Lannister stepped around to her side then and nodded, his smile remained,

"So you're the clever one, eh? I'd say your sister must be the pretty one, but, well...You do look so alike. I wonder if she has your sharp mind."

"She has a sharper tongue. Good day, Ser."

With that she tapped her heels into her horse's side and rode away from him. Leaving the Lannister to stare after her, she didn't hear him utter,

"Oh, I doubt it."

She rode light and fast towards the Godswood. It was a short ride and she had not been in there since that day with Robb. Under the boughs she could remember so vividly Robb's lips on hers. It had been such a sweet day, and one that she held close to her heart – not even telling Gifu. It was private, the one thing she didn't need to share; her love for him. She didn't need to halve anything with Robb, it was so refreshing that she thought she may have loved him on that alone; but his tenderness, earnestness and sheer charm had won her over also. As she padded through the underbrush, she inhaled the sweet air of the Godswood – this was a holy place, but it was also a place of tender touches and whispered words for Gara. She hoped the gods were not angry with her for that.

Gara was here to plead with them today. She hoped her pleas would not fall on deaf ears and made her way to the heart of the wood; the old Weir Wood wept upon her approach. It wept always. Blood-red tears, the colour of her own hair streamed from hallowed eyes and stained alabaster bark. The cherry leaves dripped from the branches, almost mournfully, save for their cheerful colour. She halted in her approach; there was already a figure there and she blinked in the cold.

Robb was kneeling before the tree; seeing him kneel, with his curly head bowed and his strong shoulders hunched over nearly made Gara balk in reminisce of her nightmare, but she tried to reign in her thoughts and dismounted. Upon her boots crunching the earth, Robb looked up and his eyes were like chips of glass. Slowly Gara stepped towards him and in silence they eyed each other. She stopped just shy of him and bent down and sat on her heels, not very close to him; she thought it best to keep her distance and smiled faintly and warmly.

"You beat me to it," She said lightly, looking up to the pinkish leaves of the Weir Wood. Glancing back down to look at him; he hadn't taken his eyes off of her and she explained,

"I came here to pray for Bran."

"Do you think he'll ever wake up?"

That was the second time a Stark had asked her that today. Gazing at him very straight in the eyes, Gara nodded and whispered,

"I hope so...I truly hope so, Robb."

He didn't say anything but turned his head away and exhaled a shuddering breath. His breath came out as a white cloud and it took all of Gara's self-restraint not to hug him around the shoulders and hold him tightly. When he turned back, his eyes were red-rimmed and Gara could feel her heart break at the sight of him. Moving closer, she opened her arms to him and he bent down and allowed her to enfold him in her arms and cuddle him tight. It was hard to stop herself from weeping too as she heard a half-stifled sob escape him and his arms wrapped themselves around her slight waist under the warmth of her cloak. Holding him close, she cradled him like that for awhile, him cleaving to her until his breathing resumed a normal pace and he pulled away.

She didn't – couldn't – quite let him go and kept her hands on his shoulders as he gazed at her. Her face was so full of sympathy and care that he smiled. He actually smiled and for the first time since Bran's fall, Gara saw a little glimmer of light re-enter his eyes and she smiled a weak smile in return. Cupping his cheek, she nodded and felt a coating of tears shine in her eyes at his distress; but he shook his head and leaned his forehead against hers and whispered,

"Thank you for coming out here for Bran..."

She chuckled then and blinked, pulling away, she threw a glimpse up to the sky and shook her head before gazing back at Robb and saying exasperated,

"Of course, Robb, your family is like my family. I'd pray for all of you. Don't forget it."

His eyes were soft as he looked at her; his mouth curling into a fond smile as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear and leaned in and softly kissed her lips. There was a call in that kiss; Gara could feel a break and she felt her lips parting to let his tongue graze hers. He moved in closer and gripped a hank of her hair gently and pushed his mouth against hers more urgently than he ever had. The contact made her redden; she could feel herself falling even deeper into strange territory as they kissed. It was only when Gara let out a soft whimper did Robb pull away; Gara's eyes opened as he did and she saw him grimace faintly, he looked almost pained. She let out a chuckle, and Robb looked at her for a long moment. Gara tried not to squirm under the weight of his clear blue eyes, but Robb only smiled and caressed her cheek,

"I should get you back..." His voice trailed off as he looked up to the branches of the Weir Wood and Gara watched as his throat contracted and he glanced back at her,

"Gara...?"

He began and she sat straighter. But his head was bowed, a wry smile on his face as he tilted his head back to look and her and he merely got to his feet; seemingly abandoning whatever he was going to say to her. Gara's big brown eyes watched him as he got up and turned back to her, smiling and offering her one of his gloved hands; she took it and was smoothly hauled to her feet. The only sound that resonated throughout the Godswood was the chirp of the birds and the babbling of the little brooks; but Gara reckoned she could hear Robb's heartbeat through the muffle of his furs. His breath was slightly uneven as he looked down on her and held her hands to his chest and smiled,

"Come on," He said with a jerk of his head and walked her to her horse. It was only then that Gara caught on that Robb didn't have a horse. The evening was rolling in quickly, Gara looked up to the darkening sky and Robb followed her gaze upwards.

"That's a sign of winter."

Gara uttered and Robb nodded, more to himself than her and lifted her onto her saddle. When he stepped back, Gara frowned down on him and queried, "You're walking back?" To her surprise he smiled and frowned before shaking his head and gripping the pommel that she had hooked her knee around and his other hand grasped the back of the saddle. She watched with a smile as he hoisted himself onto the horse until he was seated behind her; his arms coming round her to grip the reigns and his legs on either side of her. She leaned back gently and felt the warmth of him and sighed. This was perfect; and Robb flicked the reigns and scoffed, she could feel his warm breath on her neck and ear,

"'Course I'm not walking."

-ooo-

When Gara returned to her chambers that evening; her mood had improved greatly. She was still sad in her soul for Bran, but the fact that she'd made Robb smile made her so much happier than she had been previously. Gifu was absently gazing out of the window when Gara slipped back to their chamber. Her head snapped in Gara's direction upon her intrusion and she barked,

"Oh, so you're back are you? Run off to see 'Ser Gallant'?"

"Ser Who?"

"Never mind, fool!"

Gara shrugged and went about changing into her nightshift and heard Gifu sigh. Gara stopped and peeped over to her sister; for the last week or so, Gifu had been different; she was terse – not the regular Gifu-kind of terseness, there was something playing on her mind. Gara stepped out of the pool of gown that had flooded about her ankles as she slipped out of her dress and moved closer to Gifu. To her surprise her sister looked at her, not maliciously, nor condescending and said,

"You look pretty tonight..." Gara's brows twitched – the wound Gifu had given her had healed now. Sitting beside her sister, Gara took her hand and uttered in the half-darkness of their room,

"Gif, what's the matter? Is it Thegane?" Gifu shook her head. Gara's chest began to tighten with worry as her sister's face crumpled and she looked up and tried to bite back her want to cry. Gara squeezed her sister's hand and leaned in, her face always so soft in comparison to Gifu's; and Gifu squeezed her hand in return before she glanced at Gara. The younger twin silently gasped as on her sister's cheeks were tear-tracks.

"Gifu...What have you done?"

She took a shuddering breath before bowing her head and mumbling,

"I haven't bled, Gara. Not once in this month since the beginning of last – I have not bled."

Gara clicked her tongue and smiled reassuringly,

"You'll be fine, you're probably just late. You've been under a lot of pressure this month..."

"No, Gara. I'm not late. I simply just haven't bled."

Realisation dawned on Gara then and her face went totally blank. Shivering in her shift, Gara shook her head mute.

"B-but, you've not...? Gifu, please say you haven't."

Gifu's silence was enough and Gara sighed heavily and moved closer to her sister and whispered,

"What are you going to do? You ride for King's Landing in two days...Father-"

"You will not tell Father!"

Gifu snapped coldly and pulled her hands away from Gara and her fear and sadness suddenly hardened into spite and anger as she got to feet and began to pace back and forth frantically.

"Well, you'll have to do something...You're to be married soon."

"You think I don't know that you stupid cow?! It's the only thing I've thought of for the last week!"

Gara's brows climbed her head at Gifu's tirade and she sighed and got to her feet.

"Where are you going?"

Asked Gifu and Gara turned; she looked vulnerable, so unlike Gifu and Gara had to try and breathe out her initial annoyance and be there for her sister.

"Nowhere; Come on, Gifu, why don't you sit. You'll be doing yourself more damage storming about."

With a sigh, Gifu did as Gara suggested and sat down with a heavy thump. Cradling her head in her hands, Gara watched her sister's shoulders slump.

"Is – was – it Cyle?"

Gifu nodded.

"Oh, Gifu..."

"Don't simper at me, Gara! The way you moon around for Robb Stark is disgraceful!"

"Yes, but this isn't about me, Gifu! I haven't allowed Robb to get a bastard on me!"

There was a loud crack as Gifu got up quick as a striking adder and slapped Gara across the face with such force, the younger twin was thrown back and felt her back smack off the lip of the table that had the mirror on it. Gara gasped at the sharp pain and held her flaming cheek as Gifu stood over her like a fighter and rasped,

"Don't you ever speak to me like that! You are beneath me, Gara! You hear?!" For a moment Gara was about to retreat, but then she thought; No, no, you are not above me. Getting herself upright, Gara stuck her chin in the air and Gifu's eyes flashed; it was like looking into a dark mirror, where all her flaws and blemishes were shown; Gara with her wilfulness, her naiveties and total lack of grace. But Gara looked like Gifu when she spat,

"You are not above me Gifu. You will be the mother of a bastard – the very thing you hate. I hope you're happy because you've just dashed your inheritance. No one likes a slut, my sister."

There was silence as they eyed each other; looking so alike, but simply being so different. Gara looked on as Gifu sank to her knees and began to weep tragically. Gara watched for a moment; frightening herself as she enjoyed seeing her sister's distress. It's what she deserved, thought Gara, but she was still her blood. Her very likeness in everything but nature and she knelt before Gifu and felt her sister wrap her arms around Gara's slight shoulders and wail unintelligibly. Gara felt a lance of grief for her sister when she managed to make out what she was saying over and over again,

"I'm ruined, Gara! Oh, gods, I've ruined myself! I've ruined it all!"