A/N: GRRM still owns it all, I'm just writing for fun. I want to thank everyone for their kind reviews last chapter, I was pretty nervous about writing Theon so I'm glad that everyone seemed to enjoy it. As for this chapter, I had surgery on Thursday and so I'm still on pain medicine so if there are more mistakes than usual, I apologize and I'll try to correct any that are spotted. I had a lot of trouble writing this one, probably because I still feel like I just had surgery. Hopefully the writing will get easier the more I recover and thank goodness for spellcheck. This chapter again has a lot of dialogue directly from the book, but hopefully it will still be enjoyable reading.
Daenerys V
They had been going over the books with Maester Luwin when Theon rushed into the room to tell Robb that Tyrion Lannister and a party of men from the Night Watch were approaching Winterfell. Dany could feel the tension elevate in the room as she struggled to articulate something to say but found herself too surprised to do much more than stare at Theon.
Robb, however, had handled the news rather well and said that they would receive them in the Great Hall, then he had turned to Dany and asked if she was feeling well enough to be present. Dany had tried not to roll her eyes at the way Robb had begun this habit of treating as something very breakable since she had told him she was with child. She blamed Maester Luwin at least in part for telling him that the first few months of a woman's pregnancy were the hardest and that Dany would be very tired. She imagined Robb would have served her all her meals in bed if she would have shown the slightest indication that it would help her. As it was, he was always attempting to make sure she was comfortable, bringing her extra pillows or getting the cooks to prepare some special dish for her. She knew it was sweet of him, but she did not feel delicate at all. Aside from some sickness in the mornings and a tenderness in her breasts, she felt much the same.
In fact, for the most part, she was extremely happy. She was a bit frightened of the prospect of having a child, and she knew Robb was too, but they were both well pleased. Robb had kissed her and spun her around when she told him the news, as that was before Luwin had made her sound delicate. It had been a happy day in Winterfell with Bran waking up as well and Robb had practically run off to send ravens to his mother, his father, and Jon at the Wall with instructions for him to tell Aemon the good news. Her only worry that day had been whether or not her old childhood nightmares of Robert Baratheon would return. She had said as much to Robb that night as they were preparing for bed, but he had reassured her that the King was nothing for her to fear. He'd seen them married after all, he had to know that one day they would have children. She had agreed with him and that night she had no nightmares of the King, rather she dreamed of dragons, something that never failed to put a smile on her face.
The only true sadness in her life right now was young Bran. After they had all celebrated him waking up, they had had to tell him that he would never walk again, a hard truth for a boy of eight to hear. His whole world had changed while he was asleep. His sisters, father, mother, and a good portion of Winterfell's household guards and servants were gone. Plus she and Robb were now so busy that he was frequently left alone with Old Nan to watch over him. Dany tried to spend time with him in his room, but it seemed that every time she settled down to do so, there was some urgent matter or another that she had to attend to.
Such as unexpected guests arriving at Winterfell. She wondered if Tyrion Lannister was innocent or just arrogant to show up after the attempted attack on Bran. Either way, they would have to act pleasant towards him until they had some concrete evidence against the Lannisters, something she doubted Robb would do on his own. He had been taught well by Eddard Stark to be a leader of his men, but Robb definitely lacked the savvy to be friendly to someone he saw as an enemy. Dany imagined if she didn't say anything, Robb would greet Tyrion with his sword in his lap, a clear warning for enemies.
Thinking of that, she pulled Robb aside, "Robb, we must be pleasant to Tyrion. The Lannisters can't know that we suspect anything right now. It would put the rest of the family in danger."
She could see Robb pondering that, but the Starks were nothing if not completely open about their feelings. She loved them for that, but it was a dangerous trait at times. Before Robb could answer, Theon seconded her words. "She's right Robb. The Imp will probably already be curious as to Lady Catelyn's whereabouts. There's no need to add fuel to the fire."
Robb nodded reluctantly, "Fine, but I still want guards in the hall and you and Hallis near the high seat. I want you to guard Dany, Theon. I won't let the Lannisters take me by surprise again."
Theon agreed before Dany could point out that Tyrion Lannister was hardly likely to attack her in front of Robb and the Winterfell guards. As Robb took her by the arm and escorted her down to the Great Hall, Dany looked back at Theon to see if he thought this was ridiculous as well, but he only smiled. He was no doubt imagining some thrilling fight with the Lannisters, or at the very least an amusing fight with a dwarf.
As Dany and Robb settled into Lord and Lady Stark's high seats, Robb waved for their guests to be admitted into the Hall. Dany wondered if they would be able to sense the anger in the room. Even though the guards did not know of their suspicions about the attack, these men were Stark men and not a one of them was particularly fond of the Lannisters. However, Tyrion Lannister did not seem remotely troubled by the harsh looks he was receiving.
"I welcome you to Winterfell in the absence of my parents," Robb said formally donning what she had heard Bran refer to as his Robb the Lord face. Dany tried to smile as pleasantly as she could to contrast with the sternness in Robb's face. "How can we help you?" he asked.
"I was actually hoping to speak with your Bran, Stark. I have business with him, or rather I have something to give him," the Imp said smiling.
Dany could feel Robb tense up next to her, she knew that was about the worst thing the Imp could have said. She squeezed Robb's hand hoping that would remind him of what she said about not letting them suspect anything was amiss. Before Robb could answer, she turned to Maester Luwin and asked him to go retrieve Bran.
"Thank you, my lady," Tyrion said smiling. "Married life seems to suit you. And young Jon Snow tells me that congratulations are in order. I also carry a letter from your Uncle Aemon, no doubt expressing his good wishes as well."
"Thank you, my lord," Dany replied summoning up all the courtesies that Lady Catelyn had instilled in her as he handed the letter over to one of the guards. "Both for your words and the letter from my uncle. And we are also pleased to have men of the Night's Watch joining us. It is an honor to receive the brave men who serve our realm so valiantly."
At those words, Robb seemed to remember himself. "Yes, any man of the Night's Watch is welcome here at Winterfell for as long as he wished to stay."
"Any man of the Night's Watch, but not me?" the dwarf asked slyly. "Do I understand you correctly, boy?"
Dany felt Theon inch closer to her chair at those words and she felt Robb tense even more at her side. She looked around the Hall desperately trying to think of a way to contain this situation. Luckily, she saw Hodor carrying Bran into the Hall. "Look, Bran, Lord Tyrion Lannister has come to see you."
"So it is true," the dwarf said studying Bran with his mismatched eyes as Hodor carried the boy over to where they sat. "You Starks are hard to kill."
"You had best remember that Lannister," Robb retorted. "You said you had business with Bran, here he is."
"I'm told you were quite the climber, Bran," he began. "Do you remember how you came to fall that day?"
"I never fall," Bran said as Dany knew he would, they had been over this as soon as he awoke, hoping for clues.
"The child has no memory of the fall, or the climb that came before it," Maester Luwin said gently as he knew how much the topic distressed Bran.
Before Robb could say something else rude, Dany quickly interjected, "I believe you said you had something for Bran, my lord."
The dwarf appraised her for a moment before he answered, "Indeed, tell me Bran, are you fond of riding?"
"The boy has lost the use of his legs," Maester Luwin interjected. "He cannot sit a horse."
"Nonsense, with the right horse and saddle, even a cripple can ride," Tyrion replied.
Dany looked at Bran and saw his face fall as he said through tears, "I am not a cripple."
She felt as though she would cry herself, she turned to glare at the dwarf, all her good intentions forgotten. But the dwarf seemed as unperturbed as ever as he only laughed and said, "Then I am not a dwarf, my father will rejoice to hear it." She heard Theon laugh at the jest behind her and Dany had to struggle with the urge to kick him.
She was still fighting her anger while Maester Luwin and Tyrion Lannister discussed the plans for the horse and the saddle he had designed for Bran. From the way Luwin was exclaiming over the drawing, it seemed as though it would work. Bran piped up, his voice full of hope, "Will I truly be able to ride?"
As Tyrion assured her that he would and that he would seem as tall as anyone on horseback, Dany exchanged a puzzled look with Robb. This was not what they were expected to happen during this visit. If this indeed would work, it would be a wonderful present for Bran, far better than anything anyone else had been able to do. And judging from the happy look on Bran's face, he felt the same way.
Robb turned and asked the question that Dany had been thinking, "Is this some trap, Lannister? What's Bran to you? Why would you want to help him?"
"Your brother Jon asked it of me. And I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples and bastards and broken things," he said sardonically and placing a hand on his heart as some of the men in the room laughed.
Dany could feel some of the tension in the room begin to alleviate and she was about to offer the hospitality of Winterfell to Tyrion and his party when the doors opened and Rickon rushed into the room with the direwolves behind him. Rickon stopped as soon as he saw the party in the center of the room, but the direwolves continued on, advancing on Tyrion Lannister growling as they picked up his scent.
"The wolves do not like the smell of you Lannister," Theon remarked.
"Perhaps it's time I took my leave," he replied attempting to back up, but the wolves kept coming and suddenly Shaggydog lunged at him and the others began to do the same. Dany could feel her panic mounting as the wolves attempted to bite the dwarf, yet all she could do was sit in shocked silence. Luckily Bran came to his senses as he called Summer to him and Robb and Rickon followed suit.
"Are you alright, my lord?" she asked cautiously when the wolves were contained.
"Save for my dignity and a dampness in the front of my pants, I am, my lady," he answered dabbing his forehead. "I thank you for calling them off of me, Bran, though now I will truly be taking my leave before they decide I am dinner once again."
Dany gave Robb a sharp look which he apparently picked up on as he said, somewhat reluctantly, "I thank you for your kindness to my brother, Lannister. The hospitality of Winterfell is yours as well."
Tyrion smiled at that but said, "No thank you, I saw an inn nearby, I think we shall all sleep easier if I am under a different roof for the night. I thank you and your lady wife for receiving me. Yoren, I shall see you on the road at daybreak."
With that, Tyrion Lannister took his leave while Robb turned to the men from the Night's Watch and told them that they would be honored if they dined with them that night and baths and beds would be available to them. Dany called Hodor over and asked him to take Bran back to his room to rest before dinner. When the hall was cleared, Robb let out a sigh of relief and turned to her and said, "That was not what I was expecting, do you think he would do that for Bran so we would not suspect his family?"
Dany thought hard about that, Tyrion Lannister did seem too clever by far, but there was no need for him to design a saddle for Bran. "I do not know," she answered honestly. "Bran is a sweet boy, perhaps he really did just want to help him for Jon's sake like he said."
"I don't know if life is that simple anymore," he answered looking much older than his fifteen years.
Truthfully, neither did she, but she was determined not to focus on the negatives. Bran would be able to ride a horse again and that was all to the good, whatever the dwarf's motivations were. She decided that she would only focus on the good for the rest of the night. She smiled up at Robb and asked him if he would like to join her in their room before dinner and was rewarded by the flush in his cheeks as he quickly stood and escorted her out of the Great Hall. Perhaps, she thought, Robb would like to focus on the good as well.
A/N: I definitely enjoy chapters more when I don't just have to rehash what already happened in the book, but hopefully everyone liked this one anyway. I'll try to update again soon as the plot thickens with all the chaos that is about to happen for the Starks. I'm not working for the next week with my knee still being out of commission so I will try to update again before Wednesday. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read! Please review and thank you to everyone who already has, you guys keep me motivated.