Kailasa watched as the boys practiced with their swords. Bran was learning the words of all the great houses is Westeros so he wasn't outside with them. Kailasa wore men's clothing, though it looked very feminine on her, especially with her corset on. Her silver hair was braided back into a ponytail on the back of her hair, and bound with a leather strap before going into a thick rope of a braid and bound again with leather. She looked like a warrior.

Theon and Robb were practicing with swords. That was never a weapon Kailasa never felt too comfortable with. Jon was with a bow and arrow; her weapon of choice. She wandered over to him, and appeared right over his shoulder.

"Are you usually on your own, or do you all take turns and today is your day of solitude?" Kailasa asked, making him jump and miss the target completely.

"Has anyone told you that you walk like a cat?" He asked, turning towards her.

Kailasa laughed. "Perfect, then my opponent will never know when I am coming his way."

"How do you know it will be a man attacking you? Why can't it be a woman?"

"Most women fight with words." Kailasa replied. "That game is all too different from physical fighting."

"And how did you get so smart?" Jon asked. "You have never been in court."

"And how do you know that, Jon Snow?" She asked. "Now take your shot again."

He sighed before doing as she said, when he was about to let the arrow fly, Kailasa stopped him.

"Humor me." She said softly, her voice right behind his left ear. Kailasa's soft yet cold fingers touched his warm hand that held the arrow. "Use your mouth as an anchor."

He touched his hand to his mouth, making her thumb touch his lips as well.

"Elbow down." She whispered.

He did as she ask.

"Take the shot." She whispered.

He let the arrow fly, hitting directly in the center of the target.

"Good job," she said taking a step away. "Now try that again, but another ten paces away from the target."

He gave her a slightly confused look. "And how did you become so good at archery?"

She smiled. "When I was growing up all I had was my brother. After my lessons with my septa I would go outside and he would teach me what he wanted to do. He wanted a little brother, but instead he got me, and being me, I wanted to make him happy."

"Like you could be a disappointment."

Kailasa smiled. He he really have no idea how big of a disappointment that she could be? That she is?

"Girls cannot be lords. My father wanted an heir and a spare. My brother wanted a little brother. They got me instead. There are many ways I could be a disappointment."

"Then be happy to know that here you are not. Even Lady Stark likes you after you told Arya that lessons with her septa were important." Jon told her.

Kailasa licked the right corner of her lips-a nervous habit. "Lessons are important. Learning is important. She will understand when she is older. I always loved learning when I was her age." She shrugged slightly. "Either way, I like being liked."

"Then why have you rejected every man that has asked for your hand?"

"Would you marry someone you just met?" Kailasa asked. "Everywhere I went they just assumed that I would marry anyone. I barely stayed a night or said two words and they asked my father's permission for the match. I am never going to marry someone I just met."

"Is that a message for me to pass on to my brother?" Jon asked.

"No. Keep it to yourself for all I care." Kailasa said. "It makes no difference to me."

Jon looked at her peculiarly. He did not understand her at all, if anything he was confused by here. Why was she standing over here with him when she could be with either of the lords?

"Don't look at me like I have three heads." She told him, her eyes flicking over his face. "Would you like me to leave, or...?"

"Or?" He asked.

"Do you want to have a shooting match?" She asked him. "You against me. We can see who wins."

"You're on."

Kailasa got her bow and arrows, and they stood in front of the targets as she put on her leather arm guard.

"What do you want to shoot?" She asked him. "You can decide the challenge."

"What if I make it too hard for you?" Jon asked.

"As if you could." She scoffed.

"Where the color changes on the target." He said. "Anywhere along those lines as long as it's between the colors, and then directly in the center."

Kailasa nodded. This would be easy for her.

So they shot, taking turns. Kailasa learned with taking a breath before letting each arrow fly. It was calming. It reminded her that it was just her and how bow. She knew she would hit the target, it was almost too easy.

Until she reached the last shot, the bulls eye. When she took the shot, she breathed wrong. A part of her could feel it coming. One wrong breath and pain shot through her like a knife was inserted between her ribs. It still shocked her enough to make her release the string, but she had barely had drawn her bow when she released it. The arrow flopped to the ground. She knew she lost with that shot.

"Are you okay?" Jon asked, taking the two steps quickly over to her and touching her back as she leaned backwards slightly. He had seen the pain flash in her blue eyes.

"I'm fine." She told him, though her voice sounded constricted. If she took anything but a very shallow breath she knew she would feel the pain again. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." He replied.

"I'm just sore from the ride yesterday." A half truth. She was sore, but that wasn't the problem. "Nothing to worry about, my lord."

"I'm not a lord."

She shook her head as she took a shallow breath; any deeper and she would feel the knife between her ribs. "Sorry." She looked at the target. "It looks like you won." She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Well done. Perhaps you should teach me how to shoot."

"Retake the shot." He told her.

She shook her head, still smiling. "No. You won fairly."

"Go on, shoot again." He replied.

"It's not fair. We took the same amount of shots. You win." She stated stubbornly.

Jon gave her the same confused look.

"Whatever you say, my lady." He replied.

"Kai." She replied, before looking down. "I'm sorry I bothered you, I'll leave you alone now." She walked away.

"You weren't bothering me." He said softly, but she was already too far away.

XXX

Kailasa laid naked on her bed as her nurse laid cold wet towels on her back.

"I was hoping for snow." Her nurse had told her. "But this will have to do until some comes this way. It shouldn't be too long. The North is known for it's summer snows."

"It feels good." Kailasa whispered, though she flinched away from the wet cloth when it was first placed onto her back.

"I saw you with the bastard this morning." Her nurse told her. "Why were you not with the heir to Winterfell?"

"Because he was busy." Kailasa said softly. "It's also partially because it must have been hard growing up being raised here as a bastard."

"Why do you say that?"

"Thunderstorms for one." Kailasa said. "I crawled into bed with my parents when I was frightened. Jon had no one. He grew up with no mother to hold him when he cried, and that breaks my heart. Every child deserves the love of a mother."

"Are you are pushing your feeling about your mother onto him?" She asked.

"I don't know." Kailassa answered honestly. "But he just looks so sad all the time. I've only seen him smile once. Once. Do you know how sad that is?"

"Not everyone smiles as much as you do." Her nurse told her. "You always smile."

"No one likes a woman who is always upset." Kailasa said softly. It was something her father and brother always told her when she was upset. Put on a good face. No one wants to hear about your woes. No one cares. "Smiling is the opposite of being upset. It shows ease and happiness."

"You do not have to be happy all the time." Her nurse told her.

"No one else is willing to be the happy one. Someone has to be the light in the darkness."

"And who will be your light?"

"I don't need one." She answered. "The darkness does not frighten me."

XXX

A package was sent to Winterfell for Kailasa. She opened in when she was in her room, eager to see who it was from. It was from her brother.

I thought you would need something to keep you warm. I'm sorry you can't come to Dorne. I miss my little sister. Just get married and then you can have Silversheet and come to Dorne whenever you like. Meara misses you. The children miss you.

How is everything going over there? Has the next lord of Winterfell stolen your heart? Father does want you to marry him, but you probably already know that. I honestly think he just wants you to get married so you will be married. If not, there is always talk of marrying you to Joffery. We both know what a cunt that one is. I think you would even marry Tyrion before him. But if you marry Joffery, you would be queen one day. That is an upside.

Send a raven soon.

Callum

Kailasa smiled at that and opened up the rest of the package to find a white fox fur cloak. It was beautiful, and would keep her very warm. She picked it up, and it almost felt warm to the touch. Or maybe that was her cold hands finding anything slightly warm.

"Is that from Master Callum?" Her nurse asked as she laid out a dress for Kailasa to wear. It was a light blue dress, that was so flowing that it looked like she was wearing water. Or ice. She would wear her corset with it, making it hard for her to eat or breathe.

"Yes, a cloak for the cold." Kailasa said, hugging the cloak to her.

"Your brother is very good to you." She stated. "I remember when you were young and he would place your playthings around you when you fell asleep on the floor. He refused to let any boys near you."

Kailasa nodded. "He always wanted to protect me." She whispered. "Meara and the children miss me. I miss them too."

"You love children, my lady, you always like being around them." She said.

"Which will make it sadder when I cannot have them." Kailasa sighed.

"We do not know that, my lady. You could be very fertile, but we just don't know yet. Thank the gods." She looked up, as if she could see the gods on the ceiling of the room.

Kailasa didn't know if she believed in the deities or not. They had not given her anything put heartache and pain in the past. If she did still believe in them, she did not believe they were there to help people such as herself. They were there to watch as people destructed.

"I guess it is time to get dress." Kailasa said, standing.

"That it is."

XXX

Kailasa laid by the pond. For the North, it was a very warm afternoon, though in the shade it did feel a little chilly. Kailasa craved the sun. She craved the heat on her skin, bringing out the slightly yellow shades in her hair with its rays. She had gone out there for some time to be by herself. She was all alone there on the soft grass with nothing but the sound of the water lapping against stones and the cool breeze in the leaves of the trees.

She unlaced some of her dress to push down her sleeves, letting her arms and chest show besides what was hidden underneath her corset. She didn't care if her skin would tan, it never made much of a difference in her skin tone before. She thought of her home as she laid there. It had barely been more than a week since she arrived at Winterfell, and just over a month since she had seen her home. She dozed in and out of consciousness, dreaming of something she couldn't remember besides the color gray. She remembered that.

Jon saw her form on the grass. One arm on her stomach and the other above her head. She wore a lavender gown pulled down enough so he could see the light pink corset that pushed her breasts up to make them more pronounced. She looked like she was asleep.

"There she is." Arya said, pulling him forward by his wrist. For a moment Jon had forgotten she was there with him.

"She's indecent, Arya." Jon replied, grabbing her arm so she wouldn't run forward towards the Southern visitor.

"I'm a girl. It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Trust me, Arya, it's much larger than you've ever seen before." Jon muttered under his breasts.

"You mean her tits?"

"Don't use that word."

"Why? I've heard you, Robb, and Theon using it." Arya replied.

"Yes, but-" Jon let out a frustrated sound. "Never mind."

"So...are you going to let me wake her up or would you rather?" Arya challenged.

Jon frowned, pausing only a moment before responding. "You go wake her up." A part of him wanted to go himself, but his honor was what stopped him.

Kailasa woke up the moment Arya touched her shoulder, sitting straight up. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yes, you did." Arya told her. "We were just looking for you, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." Kailasa shook her head, trying to get her dreams out of her head. "How was your lessons?"

"Boring." Arya told her, kneeling beside her. "What did you do?"

"Sent a raven to Dorne. A bit of archery. Read for a bit." She looked up to the sun, which was not making its descent in the sky. "I'm afraid the sun was calling to me."

"If you tie your dress back up, Jon will come join us." Arya told her, gesturing to Kailasa's dress.

She laughed, and looked over her shoulder. "Do I make you uncomfortable, Jon?" She didn't particularly care if he saw her in her corset, she came from a world where everyone would swim in the sea when it was hot out, no matter what status they had. But, she still tied up her dress the best she could and stuffed the lacings in her cleavage.

"Not at all." He said as he reached them.

"I thank you for letting me get dressed." She told him. "I know you Northerners are not so used to so much skin being shown. I am sure many others would walk over here and not care if I was properly dressed or not."

Jon nodded, looking to the ground. "You are very welcome."

"Please, sit." She patted the grass beside her, smiling brightly. "What did you do with your afternoon after I left the castle? Apparently Arya's lessons were boring, and I didn't do anything with my life. How about you, Jon? Are you accomplished?"

"I would like to think so." Jon stated.

Kailasa leaned towards Arya. "Your brother is being vague with us. What is the best response to that?"

"You could always ask."

"But I just did and he did not answer." Kailasa replied.

"You could not reply."

"Again, not something I enjoy doing." Kailasa frowned.

"Are you always like this?" Jon asked.

Kailasa looked up at him, smiling. "Always like what?"

"Like..." He seemed to struggle with his words for a moment, so instead he just waved his hands towards her. "Like this."

"Maybe it's just who I am." Kailasa replied. "I am unwilling to change it. I challenge anyone to try to. Does it bother you?"

"I don't know." Jon told her honestly. "I am certainly not used to it."

Kailasa's smile reached her eyes. "Good. I like when people are not used to me."

"Do you like wearing dresses?" Arya asked, wanted to remain in the conversation with the blonde girl.

Kailasa nodded. "Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. It depends how I feel at the time."

"But you shoot arrows and can fight, but you are still called a lady. Do you want to be a lady or a knight?"

"I don't feel the need to choose." Kailasa told her honestly. "Lords can fight without giving up their lordship, I don't see why a lady should be any different. If I ever found the need to fight, I would without a second thought. Until then, I am a lady. I like wearing my dresses and having hair that goes down to my waist. I like being seen as weak by men and having it come back to hurt them when they realize I'm not. Recently it's been happing quite a bit, and Arya, the look on someone's face when they realize they are unable to control you is the most amazing thing you will ever see."

Arya looked a little confused. "So you want to be a lady and a knight?"

"I would prefer the term, 'warrior.'" Kailasa said. "I would prefer being called 'lady' before my name than, 'ser.'"

"Can you do that?" Arya asked.

"If they try to stop me I will go to Dorne. There are more freedoms there." Kailasa said. "I have been blessed with a free life, and I plan to keep it, Arya."

"Is that why you are still unmarried?" Arya asked. "Sansa said you have been of marrying age for many years now."

Kailasa closed her eyes and smiled.

"You don't have to answer her." Jon told her, but when she opened her eyes, he looked like he did want to know.

"Are you scared to hear something you don't like?" Kailasa asked.

Jon rolled his eyes. "I'm not scared."

"Then I shall answer." Kailasa replied, turning back to Arya. "I am not married because I am unwilling to give up my freedom. I am not willing to marry someone that does not love me, or will not allow me to remain free. Every lord I have ever met has wanted a good little wife and give them heirs. I don't want to be just that. I am my own person, even if people do not want me to be."

"Even my brothers and Theon?" Arya asked.

Kailasa paused. "To be completely honest with you, I don't know. I've only been here a week and I haven't been told to sit down and shut up yet, but I've been taught to think the worst of people."

"What do you mean by that?" Jon asked.

Kailasa smiled sadly. "Oh, Jon. Shouldn't you understand expecting the worst from someone more than anyone else?"

"What?" Arya asked.

Kailasa sighed. "Nothing, Arya." She said softly, not taking her eyes off Jon's.

A/N:

danceegirl92: Again, thank you for telling me about that! Thank you for your review!

Finlee: Thank you! Thank you for your review!

xxxRena: Thank you! Thank you for your review!

Please review!

Kat