298 AL - The First Day - Later that Evening

ROBB

Robb and Jon had excused themselves early from supper, and taken to walking in the Godswood-hoping to be alone to speak in private. Jon had given him the look which he knew all too well meant he had something important to talk about.

'Damn his hide for choosing tonight,' thought Robb. Theon had been talking about possibly sneaking him out of the castle to visit a certain brothel, and Robb had been curious about the experience enough to desire to tag along. But that would have to wait for another night.

"What is it Snow?" asked Robb with a more than obvious discontented half groan and half sigh. He was still slightly miffed they'd left before desert had been served.

Jon, like he usually did, went straight to the point by saying, "Something's wrong with Sansa and Arya."

Robb looked at him incredulously, as if waiting for him to say more, but when he didn't he said, "You're going to have to be more specific."

"Haven't you noticed something is off about them? Arya's avoiding everyone-she wouldn't even talk to me and Sansa… Sansa actually apologized to me."

"What for?"

"About how she's been treating me… you know, ever since your lady mother told her that I wasn't hers."

"About time," mumbled Robb with some obvious irritation on the subject. Jon Snow was his brother that he knew to be true, it didn't matter that their mothers weren't the same. The same Stark blood ran through both their veins, and more than once Robb had been irritated by how his mother, Sansa, and Theon all spoke down to him-though he hadn't had the nerve to speak to any of them about it. So to hear that one of them was willing to change their mind-was long welcomed news.

"How is that a bad thing, though? I'd say she's starting to grow up."

"It just came out of the blue today. Yesterday she was still so awkward and formal, but today… the moment she saw me she hugged me and… quit looking at me like that, Stark."

Robb's containment of his grin, probably had failed by that point, so he continued with a slight laugh, "Is this all? You're surprised that our sister can actually be loving when she wants to be?"

"No just that her opinion switched so suddenly."

"I'll admit 'tis odd, but weirder things have happened."

"What about Arya?"

"So she's a bit more moody of late-perhaps she's taking a leaf out of your own book, Snow."

"I refuse not to speak to anyone."

"No, just most people."

"It's not her attitude though that really gets me… it's what she said."

"Make up your mind now, I thought she said she didn't talk to you?"

"She wasn't talking to me; it was more like she was talking to herself."

"What did she say?"

It was at that moment that Jon was interrupted by the calls of their youngest brother, Rickon, somewhere else in the Godswood.

"Osha… Shaggy!"

Jon and Robb shared a look of bewilderment for a moment, before Robb asked, "I thought Old Nan said Rickon was sick in bed?"

Jon silently agreed with him, but then tilted his head to indicate that they should check it out. As they approached their brother, they continued to hear him mournfully call out for those two names once again. What was his little brother looking for? Were they part of some kind of fever made delusion?

The youngest Stark had settled down next to an inky black pool of water so still it reflected what little moonlight reached its surface as well as Myrish glass. The trees in this part of the Godswood were thicker and thus a more solemn and somber mood was strewn about. Rickon collapsed on the edge of the pool, obviously sobbing. Jon and Robb, thanks to the thick moss and heather which covered the ground, managed to silently approach their brother without notice and sit on either side of the obviously troubled little boy.

As they did so, Robb thought he heard their brother say, "They left… now I'm all alone…"

"Who left you?" asked Jon-which startled their toddler brother. Like an animal that had just spotted a hunter, Rickon's head flew up immediately and stared at Jon-then he turned his head and saw Robb. Robb smiled at his little brother and tried to make him feel better by pulling him into a hug. However Rickon struggled against his grasp, eventually resorting to biting Robb's hand in order to escape his reach.

"No… you both left me… you both left! Shaggy! Shaggy where are you?!" wailed the boy as he immediately rose and began to run away from the two of them. Jon however managed to grab him by the arm.

"Let go of me!" said Rickon before attempting to bite Jon as well.

Jon countered by pulling the squirming toddler further into his grasp and scolding him for biting: "Oh, no, you're not going to bite me too. Think not of trying to pull that trick twice!"

Rickon stopped struggling at this, instead settling for a glare at Jon as he took large deep breaths-whether they were out of anger or he was catching his breath after struggling, Robb didn't want to venture a guess. What really shocked him was when the breaths took a low guttural sound that was more like a growl by a feral dog, than anything he'd heard before.

"W-what's wrong, Rickon?" asked Robb to try and distract their brother, and hopefully calm him down.

"You left! Both of you left and never came back! I want Shaggy! Shaggy!" shouted their brother once again at them both as he struggled yet again to get free of Jon's grasp.

"Shaggydog isn't here, Rickon." interrupted a girl's voice-Robb turned to see their sister Sansa standing on the other side of the small pool. Apparently whatever she had said about this 'Shaggydog' immediately caught his attention, and Rickon completely forgot that his brothers were there and instead focused all of his attention on Sansa.

"Where did he go?" bemoaned the toddler.

Sansa responded with a smile that Robb had never seen her give to anyone. It was an obviously forced smile that seemed far too sweet to Robb. She then walked around to their side of the pool, and motioned for Rickon to come to her, which he gladly did. Sansa then picked him up and held him with such experience that Robb could hardly believe that this was the same sister who spent most of her days japing with Jeyne Poole about knights, damsels, and lemon cakes.

Once he was securely in her arms, and leaning on her nearly nonexistent hips, Sansa then chose to answer the curious toddler.

"You know how wolves like it not to be caged up. They like to roam free, hunt, and run wild. Shaggy, went out to hunt. He'll be back soon, sweetling."

Sweetling! Sansa had never in her life called Rickon sweetling! A holy terror, the boy who ruined all her things, name something vexing and she'd have been sure to have said it about their youngest brother. However here was a Sansa that Robb had never seen, an almost motherly figure. Gone was the silly girl, and the reality left him perplexed.

"But he's been out hunting all day, and I-I can't see him. Even when I try-"

"He'll come back. You know that Rickon, doubt that not," said Sansa as she laid his tired head against her shoulder and began to soothingly rub his back-their wild brother obligingly slowly closing his eyes and drifting off to a light sleep-exhausted from having fought with his brothers.

"Sansa-" began Jon after Rickon had quieted down.

Sansa however place a finger over her mouth and she took their brother quietly back through the woods, humming as she went.

When some distance had been made, Robb and Jon both looked to one another in shock.

"You're right. Something's different about, Sansa" admitted Robb.

"Rickon too…" added Jon, and both agreed without speaking that they had to find out what had led to this change in their siblings, somehow.