I still own nothing, GRRM owns everything. I wasn't planning on updating this fast as I'm having issues with cleaning some of the later chapters, but oh well. Hopefully I'll update again on Monday. Thanks for everyone who has followed/reviewed/added as a favorite. Hope you enjoy! Please read and review!

Daenerys

The North seemed a cold and unforgiving land even in the summer. Daenerys was standing at her window watching the sun set over Winterfell lost deep in thought. She was grateful that the castle itself was heated by hot springs, nothing every seemed to be too hot for Daenerys, which was why she often felt out of place in this cold terrain. She was pondering all the mysteries of the North when her attending maid knocked on the door.

"M'lady," Rose said, "Lord and Lady Stark wish to see you in their solar."

Daenerys smiled at Rose and turned from the window to follow her from the room. She had just begun thinking about the wolf pups Robb and Jon Snow had found while out today, a true surprise in the North. No, not wolves, she thought, direwolves, the sigil of House Stark. She had been as enraptured as all the others playing with the furry creatures, though she was slightly jealous that she would have no new pet. The jealousy must have shown on her face because Robb had leaned down and whispered that they would share his direwolf. That had made her feel better, and the warmth of his breathe on her ear had made her blush and remember their few stolen kisses in the godswoods.

And, she told herself later, it was not like she was a Stark, she was born a Targaryen, so unless someone found some dragons in woods, it was not fitting that she should receive a pet. Daenerys had a hard time feeling like a dragon though. She knew from Maester Luwin's lessons that she was descended from Aegon the Conquerer who conquered the Seven Kingdoms from Dragonstone after escaping the Doom of Valaryia. Dany herself had been born on Dragonstone during a storm, earning her the nickname of Stormborn, but King Robert's men had caught her and her wet nurse while they were attempting to smuggle her across the Narrow Sea where her elder brother now lived. She had been brought north almost immediately to become a ward of House Stark, the family she would one day marry into.

She had always been treated well by the Starks. She and Theon Greyjoy were both wards at Winterfell and they were treated like part of the family. She knew she owed the Starks much as Robert Baratheon had wanted her dead upon capture. She would always be grateful for Lord Arryn and Lord Stark's intervention. Still, sometimes she wondered what it would have been like to know her brother. The only true family she knew now was Maester Aemon in the Night's Watch. He was the elder brother of her great grandfather and he had been very old her whole life. She had only met him twice when he had travelled south to Winterfell in the company Lord Stark's brother Benjen. They had, however, been in correspondence for years.

There were days however when Daenerys yearned for a family. Or at least a family not known for madness. She had been embarrassed as a child when she heard the stories of her father, now known as the Mad King. And even more embarrassed when she heard the tales of what her other brother Rhaegar had done to Lord Stark's sister Lyanna. She had wondered that Lord Stark had raised her at all. She began to have nightmares that King Robert would kill her for merely having the same silver hair and purple eyes as Rhaegar or that Jaime Lannister would cut her throat open with a golden sword as he did to her father. Lord Stark had taken pity on her when she was ten. He had taken her to the godswood and told her a different version of the tale of Rhaegar and Lyanna. With this, she had become a little happier with her heritage. And although she knew she could not speak of Rhaegar's true nature, she held his true history close to her heart.

She passed Theon Greyjoy on her way to the solar. He smiled at her, like he always did. She was fond Theon, an outsider like herself. He had been brought to Winterfell when he was nine years old to be taken on as a ward. Daenerys had only been four years old at the time and had mistakenly believed that them both being wards meant that Theon was her brother. She had followed him around the castle for weeks and he had allowed it in his loneliness. And even though Lady Catelyn had explained things to her, she had never given up the idea that Theon was her brother, and he treated her similarly. When she had nightmares as a child, or when she was sad or lonely, he reminded her that the words of House Targaryen were Fire and Blood, and that she was the blood of the dragon. It was a silly thing to say, as though she were really and truly a dragon, but it comforted her all the same. She hoped one day Theon would wed Sansa or Arya so they could be related through her marriage to Robb.

The prospect of her marriage to Robb had been much on her mind lately. She had grown up knowing she would marry Robb one day but only recently had begun to realize what that entailed. He had grown up to be tall and handsome for which she was grateful, but she was more pleased that he was brave and kind. Dany was also grateful that he found her attractive judging by the way lately he blushed and brought her flowers and kissed her when they had time alone together.

She knocked on the door to the solar and entered and was pleasantly surprised to see Robb waiting with Lady Catelyn and Lord Stark. She gave a curtsey to the Lord and Lady of Winterfell and said, "You asked to see me, my Lord, my Lady?"

Lord Eddard Stark's face was as serious as always, but Daenerys was surprised to see Lady Catelyn seemed somber too. Daenerys momentarily felt panicked until Robb walked to her side and took her hand. She looked up into his eyes and managed to calm herself.

"I received a raven from King Robert today," Lord Eddard began. "It seems he is riding to Winterfell to seek me out. He has asked that we hold your wedding while he is visiting. He is bringing much of the court with him."

As pleased as Dany was to be marrying Robb, the prospect of seeing Robert Baratheon frightened Dany. She squeezed Robb's hand for comfort and said in her strongest voice, "That is good news my lord."

She must not have been convincing because Lord Stark looked at her with his grave eyes and said, "You have nothing to fear Daenerys. You have been under my protection since I took you under my roof. Robert will see you wed to my son, nothing more. I give you my word."

Robb looked down at her and said in voice nearly as serious as his father, "You will be under my protection as soon as I place my cloak around your shoulders. I will never let any man harm you, from a king to the lowest pot boy. I too give you my word."

Dany was surprised to see how much he looked like his father when he was this serious. He normally resembled his mother in appearance. She supposed the blood of the Starks flowed just as deeply in his veins despite his Tully coloring. She managed to give a real smile as she said, "Spoken like the heir of Winterfell, Robb Stark." Everyone laughed and the tension in the room was broken.

Lady Catelyn walked over and took Daenerys into a warm embrace. "Daughter," she said softly. "We have much to plan. But tell me, do you desire to be married in the godswoods or in the sept?"

Daenerys moved her fear of Robert Baratheon to the back of her mind. She could imagine Theon whispering that dragons were not afraid of stags, she wondered if he could be the one to give her away. She knew her answer then.

"The godswood, my lady, I am marrying the heir of Winterfell, it is only fitting that we be married in the sight of the old gods."

She knew she had made the right choice when she looked at their faces. And Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen smiled back at them feeling like she truly belonged in the North at last.