**Author's Note: Sorry this had to happen guys! Mostly plot filler. Also, I know the Targaryen ancestor was named Daenys, but do you really want that confusing you the whole time? Didn't think so. K BYEEEE**
It had been nearly two weeks since Bran had fallen from the tower, and he still hadn't woken up.
Gianna sat by his bedside, across from Lady Stark. There was a thin sheen of sweat on the boy's brow, and he looked a bit pale. Beneath the covers, Gianna could tell his limbs weren't laying quite right. All in all though, he looked peaceful. Certainly he looked a lot better than his mother at the moment.
Lady Stark had yet to leave his bedside. Her hair was wild and unwashed, and circles darker than a raven's feathers had settled under her eyes. She had barely been eating, so her already thin frame was growing gaunt. Her face was hollowed and haunted-looking. She was constantly praying.
They could hear Robb and Bran's dire wolves Grey Wind and Summer, outside howling. Dilara, Gianna's own wolf, perked up at the noise. Gianna reached over to scratch behind the beast's ears.
All of the Starks had chosen other pups, afraid that Dilara's black fur and bright yellow eyes were a bad omen. But, Gianna didn't believe in omens. She believed in luck. After all, luck was the only reason Bran was still alive.
She had been telling him stories this afternoon. She wasn't sure if he could hear her, but the chatter was comforting to her and Lady Stark.
"Do you want to know why I named my wolf 'Dilara,' Bran?" she began. "Well, to understand I'll have to tell you about the Doom of Valyria." She saw Lady Stark pause her sewing to listen.
"My Targaryen ancestors came from Valyria, a magnificent legendary city in Essos. Five hundred years ago, Dilara Targaryen woke from a prophetic dream. She had seen visions of Valyria's destruction, so she ran to tell her father, Lord Aenar. When she finally managed to convince him, he packed up his family and their belongings, including their five dragons. They all moved to a small island in the narrow sea, just off the eastern coast of Westeros, and called it Dragonstone. Twelve years later, Dilara's prophecy came true.
On the day of the Doom, every hill for five hundred miles exploded and filled the air with ash, smoke and fire so powerful, it killed even dragons. Earthquakes destroyed palaces, temples and towns. Lakes boiled and turned to acid. Valyrian volcanoes sent molten rock a thousand feet into the air, and red clouds rained down dragon glass. Nearly all of Valyria's ancient records and secrets, such as their ability to do real magic and create Valyrian steel, were lost forever that day. And the Targaryens grew to become one of the most powerful families in Westeros," Gianna finished.
"And now they're all dead," Lady Stark added.
Gianna took a deep breath to try and control the spark of rage her words ignited. Lady Stark had been growing more and more ornery each day Bran didn't awaken. Gianna's patience was starting to wear thin.
She looked up at the woman slowly. "Not all of us."
The look on Catelyn's face softened. "No, not all of you."
Gianna paused a beat. "They say I have a cousin still alive across the Narrow Sea. Her name is Daenerys, if I'm not mistaken."
"I've heard that as well," Catelyn confirmed.
Gianna swallowed loudly. She had wanted to broach this subject with the Starks for ages, but hadn't had the courage.
"They say she's wed a Dothraki horselord named Khal Drogo. They say he has 40,000 men in his horde and that she's pregnant with his child."
"Should we send her a wedding gift?" Catelyn snapped sarcastically. Gianna bit her tongue. "Do you think King Robert will have her killed?"
Without missing a beat, Catelyn replied, "King Robert will kill every Targaryen he gets his hands on, you should consider yourself lucky."
"But he can't get his hands on her. What if she crosses the sea? There are still those in the Seven Kingdoms who call King Robert, 'Usurper.'"
Catelyn face went white. She put down her sewing needles and looked at Gianna. For a long time, she didn't speak. Finally, she said, "Careful who you whisper these thoughts to, girl. Those who don't know better would say it sounds like treason."
Gianna nodded, but didn't respond. Catelyn continued.
"Even if she had a million Dothraki, she would be no threat to the realm. They'll remain on the other side of the Narrow Sea. They have no ships," she said. "They will not cross, and if by chance she did, King Robert and the Lannisters would throw them back into the sea."
Gianna nodded again. She wasn't sure what she had been hoping to hear, but knowing there was another Targaryen out there inspired some sort of feverish hope in her. Her thoughts were interrupted however at a soft knock on the door.
"Come in," she called. Maester Luwin entered the room.
He bowed to Lady Stark. "It's time we reviewed the accounts, my lady. You'll want to know how much this royal visit has cost us," he announced.
"Talk to Vayon Poole about it. He's the Steward of Winterfell after all," she snapped back.
Gianna felt her heart break for the women. She had been in this dark room with her comatose son for so long, she was starting to lose touch with reality. Gianna reached out and grabbed her hand gently.
"Poole went South with Lord Stark weeks ago, my lady," she whispered.
Maester Luwin looked at her compassionately, "We need a new steward and there are several other appointments that require our immediate attention."
"I don't care about appointments!" Lady Stark yelled. She was nearly hysterical now.
A voice came from the doorway. "I'll make the appointments."
Gianna looked up to see her handsome fiancé in the doorway. He gave her a tired smile. Maester Luwin nodded. "Very good, my lord," he said and exited the room.
Gianna gave Robb a worried glance, and he nodded to indicate that he understood her concern. He walked over to the window and opened the shutters. Fresh air filtered into the room for the first time in days.
"When was the last time you left this room?" he asked his mother.
"I have to take care of him," she insisted.
"He's not going to die, Mother," said Robb.
Lady Stark looked to Gianna. "Do you think he's going to die?"
Gianna shook her head. "Apparently, not. Maester Luwin has said the most dangerous time has passed, and he should live."
"What if he's wrong? Bran needs me," she replied.
"Only the gods know for certain. All the rest of us can do is pray," Gianna told her.
At this, Lady Stark let out a wailing sob. The direwolves outside were still howling. Together it almost sounded like the woman and beasts were crying in harmony.
"Please close the windows! I can't stand it! Make them stop," Catelyn shouted. Robb walked to the window to close it, but he paused. "Fire!" he yelled.
Gianna walked over to where he stood. Sure enough in the distance one of the large wooden storage sheds was ablaze in the night.
Robb turned and grabbed her arms, "You two stay here. I'll come back," he ordered firmly.
However, as soon as he was out the door, Gianna crossed the room and exited as well. Dilara followed close behind.
Lady Stark stood to see out the window. She watched the huge flames engulf the building outside. Behind her, she heard footsteps.
"Robb sent you back?" she asked, assuming Gianna had returned.
"You're not supposed to be here," a low manly voice said. It definitely did not belong to Gianna. "No one is supposed to be here."
The voice sent chills up Lady Stark's spine. She turned slowly. Behind her stood a man with a hooded cloak pulled low over his face.
"It's a mercy. He's dead already," the man muttered darkly.
As he lunged for Bran, Lady Stark stepped between the two grabbing the blade's edge and pushing back with all her might.
The man grabbed her hair and pushed her up against the wall. All that was between his blade and her neck was her hands. She felt the blade slice through her palms flesh, digging deeper and deeper until it hit bone.
Blood spurted and hit the walls and ground. The man spun her around and slammed her head against the wall. She slid to the floor.
She cried out as she saw the man turn back towards the bed. She saw him lunge, but it was somebody else's voice that shouted, "Idakōs!"
All of a sudden the room was filled with fur and blood, growls and screams. Dilara had grabbed the man's throat in her powerful jaws and ripped it out.
Catelyn felt blood splatter across her face. She wiped the warm, sticky liquid from her eyes and saw Gianna standing in the door. Staring at the now still corpse of the man.
"Keligon," she ordered, and Dilara padded back to her side, blood dripping from her mouth.
Suddenly, Gianna dropped to her knees. She brought her head down to her hands, and a long mournful wail left her lips.
Lady Stark felt her stomach drop. She looked up to the bed where Bran lay. She slowly stood and stepped over the body of the dead man. Lodged in Bran's chest, surrounded by dark red blood, was the assassin's dagger.
The women's sobs brought the men back to the room.
Robb screamed in anger when he saw the body, and it took three men to pull Lady Stark off of Bran's lifeless corpse.
The maids spent days cleaning the blood from the room, and the maester prepared the body for the burial.
Neither Gianna nor Lady Stark had spoken since the fateful night. Robb had tried endlessly to cheer Gianna up, but she had been avoiding him.
The Stark family was given no closure, as the identity of the now-dead assassin was still unknown. This was a fact that bothered Catelyn greatly. Who would want to murder a 10-year- old boy?
The day of the funeral, she walked to the eastern tower where Bran had fallen. She climbed the old, crumbling stairs and entered the turret room. The tower had been unused, left empty for years now. Now though, there were fresh footprints on the dirty ground, and the hay was scattered like there was some sort of brawl.
She walked to the window and looked down. How many times had she told Bran not to climb up the towers? That's when it caught her eye. A single, long golden hair stuck to the stone windowsill. She needed to tell the others.
After the burial, Catelyn gathered a group of seven people in the Godswood. Before her stood Ser Rodrik Cassel, the Master at Arms. Beside him was Robb and Theon, and next to them stood Maester Luwin, Gianna, and for some reason...Artemis.
Lady Stark looked at the pretty green-eyed girl confused. Before she could speak, Gianna intervened.
"I'll be Lady of Winterfell someday, and Artemis is bound to be one of my most trusted confidants and advisors. I'd like to have her here with me, if it pleases my lady."
Lady Catelyn was too tired to argue.
"What I am about to tell you must remain between us," she began. "I don't think Bran fell from that tower. I think he was thrown."
Gianna agreed. "He was always sure-footed before," she told the group.
"Someone tried to kill him twice," Catelyn continued. "Why? Why murder an innocent child?"
"Unless he saw something he wasn't meant to see," Artemis injected. The group stood in silence.
"Saw what?" Theon asked.
"I don't know, but I would stake my life the Lannisters are involved. We already have reason to suspect their loyalty to the Crown," Catelyn said.
"Did you notice the dagger the killer used?" Gianna asked, as if the answer should be obvious. The rest of the party stared at her, waiting for an explanation. She sighed.
"It's too fine a weapon for such a man. The blade is Valyrian steel, the handle dragonbone. Someone gave it to him."
At this realization, Robb's anger burst forth. He punched the heart tree. "They come into our home and murder my brother? If it's war they want..."
Theon was behind him in that instant. "If it comes to that, you know I'll stand behind you."
"War?" Artemis scoffed. "What, is there going to be a battle in the Godswood?" she asked.
Gianna placed a gentle hand on her friend's arm. "Too easily words of war become acts of war. We don't know the truth yet." She clarified.
The boys looked at the ladies sheepishly.
"Lord Stark must be told of this," Maester Luwin added.
Catelyn shook her head. "I don't trust a raven to carry these words."
"I'll ride to King's Landing," offered Robb.
"No," Gianna interjected, panic rising in her voice at the thought of Robb leaving.
"Gianna's right. There must always be a Stark in Winterfell," Lady Stark agreed. "I will go myself."
"Mother, you can't."
"I must."
Maester Luwin held up a hand to silence the two. "I'll send Ser Rodrik with a squad of guardsmen to escort you."
Catelyn refused. "Too large a party attracts unwanted attention. I don't want the Lannisters to know I'm coming."
Finally, Ser Rodrik who had been silent during this meeting spoke up.
"Let me accompany you at least. The King's road can be a dangerous place for a woman alone."
Catelyn nodded and that was that. It was decided.
Ser Rodrik and Maester Luwin escorted Lady Stark back to the castle to prepare for her trip, and Theon and Artemis left the Godswood whispering conspiratorially.
Gianna stayed behind staring into the reflective pond between the trees. Robb approached her and placed a gentle hand on her back.
Her eyes hadn't been the same since the night of Bran's murder. Before where there had always been a warm glow, there was now a raging fire.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
"You know they say that every time a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin."
Robb nodded. "It's an old saying. It implies half of the Targaryen's were mad due to the inbreeding. But your mother was a Baratheon, you don't have to worry about that."
Gianna was quiet for a moment. "But my grandfather's father was married to his sister, what if it skips a few generations."
Robb laughed and grabbed her face in his hands. "You are perfect exactly the way you are. There is nothing wrong with you."
Gianna didn't smile.
"The other night, when I ordered Dilara to kill that man, I expected to feel something when he died. I should feel bad about what happened. I took a human life. ...But I don't," she said.
"He killed Bran, Gianna," said Robb.
Desperate to change the subject, he added, "Mother said you commanded her in Valyrian. You had Maester Luwin teach you then?"
Gianna shrugged. "Why shouldn't I speak the tongue of my forefathers?"
The couple stood together, not saying anything.
"There's a war coming, Robb." Gianna finally spoke. "I don't know when. I don't know who we'll be fighting, but it's coming."
Robb shook his head and looked at the girl, "And how do you know that?" he asked.
"The same way I know Daenerys will cross the Narrow Sea," she said. "I saw it in a dream."