I stayed with Brennon throughout the next few days, since he only spoke for that moment or two before he went back to sleep and was far gone in his dreams. I never once left his side, since I was in fear that he could both pass in his sleep or be wide awake with me there to help him. He was gone for far too long, having me wonder as to how he got here in the first place and what brought him back. Did he have hope? How was it that he got injured, which thankfully Coen helped with getting some herbs found in Wofswood that was going to help with the healing process. The more we worked with Coen, the more I was both trusting and worried about him. But then again. this was normal since I hardly knew of his life and only saw him once or twice when we were in the traveling caravan.

Gendry was growing worried about me, having him see me watch and wait next to Brennon and his unconscious body on his bed, still breathing and having his own sleep. He wanted me to sleep, since we were still trying to get Thedra Ascent back in order and back in place. But there was no use, since I was too worried about him. To me, he was more than my protector, but as my friend and mate even my second father. I got to know him more than just a knight and someone who was meant to look after me, he wanted to know me as well which made me feel more appreciated and special.

One night, I felt Gendry's arms around me from behind as I sat by the bed in my chair, my eyes were burning from the lack of sleep and my stomach was turning in knots as he held me from behind me. Astrid was laying down by my side, her head on my frets and looking up at me with worry, but I was too far into Brennon to think about her. I knew it was him since his grasps on me were both gentle and protective, and his head was against my own.

"You need to sleep." Gendry explained to me aloud, having me hum and feel him kiss the side of my head in a soothing and loving manner.

"Not until he wakes." I replied back, trying to fight the fact that I wanted to go with him and sleep away the fears and pains that I had. But he then squatted down to face me, having me see his face that was worried and sad for me. He slowly traced the circles under my eyes and I saw how carefully he was watching me in case I was going to do something.

"Nora, you need to sleep. You haven't eaten in awhile and you're about to pass out." He explained to me in a slow tone, having me see that he was trying to find the right words to tell me, "He will be here the next you wake. But please, come to bed with me." I scanned his eyes, seeing that he too was worried about me and was scared. I sighed in defeat, thinking that I was making Gendry worry over me and that was nothing that I wanted. But he leaned in and kissed me lightly, a sweet kiss that made me loose my thoughts and forget where I was for a moment. That was the one thing that I hated about him: He made me forget with his kisses. So while he kissed me, he lifted me in his arms with ease as if I was a feather, having me wrap my arms around his neck and giggle against his lips as he kissed me once more. He walked us over to our room next to Brennon's, lowering me to the mattress and still kissing me softly.

We never made it this far in our kisses and embraces, so by this point I was nervous that he wanted to do something more with me. But before he even could, with his hands on my sides and his kisses against my lips and next, he pulled away and looked down at me. I smiled, for the first time in awhile, I smiled at him and felt him trace my face with his fingers.

"Sleep." he said to me, rolling over to my side and wrapping his arms around me to pull me close, having me feel his warm and strong body against my own. I sighed in relief as I rested my head in the crook of his neck. His scent of the fire we stared to keep us warm and the wood he chopped, no to mention the new forge we created for him, was still on his skin as I felt the warm of sleep flood over me and have me fall into a deep sleep.

"He will wake soon, Nora." He said to me against my forehead as he was falling asleep as well. I said nothing, knowing that what he said was true. He was going to wake soon and he was going to be fine, since if I knew one thing about him was that he was a fighter and he was never going to give up so easily. So in reply I kissed him on his collarbone, hearing him hum and we both fell into a deep sleep. The first sleep I had in days, and I dreamed that I was Astrid once more, running with Nymeria and Koda through the woods with nothing but joy in our hearts.

Running with Gendry and Arya, our own Wolf Pack.

Drawing back on my bow, having me hearing nothing from Astrid next to me, I released the bow and I saw it sink into the doe that I was hunting. The doe fell dead onto the forest floor, having me place the bow back on the sheath and walk over, grabbing my dagger from the hip and dig the arrow out. Astrid stood next to me, painting and watching as I got the arrow out and then look behind me, giving one whistle and then hearing another art of foot sets coming my way. Koda trotted over to me, his towering figure over my smaller Astrid was making him almost have the same size of a bear more than a direwolf, with his black fur and caramel eyes. He trotted over to the doe and grabbed it in his mouth with his teeth, starting to drag it with the help of his sister, whom bit into another part of the doe and I followed them.

Brennon was still out of it, and after another day or so, I knew that Coen was going to watch him so he was safe without me. I decided to help out more with the rebuilding, getting the shops and areas back to looking more normal than it did before, and then I decided to go out hunting and make the more use of myself. Gendry was very helpful in the process, since he knew that I needed to get my mind off of Brennon and my paranoia with his health. Even though we never went far that night when he distracted me with his kisses, I was still hesitant about it. Gendry was never one to push with my boundaries, but I knew that there would be a time when we would be together and something would happen, was I ready? I knew what it was that would happen, I was no naive, but was I ready?

Koda and Astrid dragged the Doe back to Thedra Ascent, having me smile and watch as they dropped the doe on the ground and look around for Gendry. He was at the forge, getting some tools together on his new table and Nymeria was sitting next to him, watching him and then looking over at my direction. I walked over to him, seeing him get things in order and it made me remember that he was back in his element that was old and original for him.

"How's it coming?" I asked him in curiosity as I placed my bow and arrow on the table next to his tools.

"Whoever ransacked the place took the tools I need in order to make some swords." Gendry explained to me as I watched him, "I need a few more tools, and there aren't any of them here. If I tried without the tools, then it would take longer than I anticipated."

"So we need to find you some tools." I said in more of a statement than a questions. He nodded his head at my remark, having me think of what we can do in order to make this work. Thedra Ascent was coming along nicely between Gendry, Coen and myself, along with the help of our direwolves, but we were still in over our heads now and we needed more than just our strength and will power. We needed more people, but it was getting harder to trust people now since Gendry and I were both victims of the subject of trust. It was now a matter of getting over that barrier, and that would take awhile. I tried to think of places that we could go that would help us out in the matter of not only tools, but getting other supplies such as food, rope, and maybe a weapon or two. But one place was in my head, once place that I knew was going to be a longshot of a chance to find anything.

"Winterfell." I said aloud, having me see Gendry gaze from his current tools and over at me. I stared back at him, waiting for his reaction to the notion of going back to Winterfell. It would be dangerous, since that was a place of both pain and suffering from the both of both the Lord and Lady, my parents, and also my brother and twin. No one was there, and it would of been just as abandoned as Thedra Ascent was. Nothing was right in the world anymore, but Gendry and I needed to get our own world back into place and back into normalcy. His reaction, however, was not the same reaction that he would usually harbor. I was under the belief that he would refuse our passing to the place, thinking that it was dangerous and not safe for us, mainly me. On the contrary, he only picked up his hammer that was on the table next to him and grinned at me, having me see that he was not moved by fear.

"When do we leave."

Winterfell was just as abandoned and isolated as Thedra Ascent was when we got there: nothing but burned down shops and stalls and turned over furniture. The snow from the Winter was scattering on top of the wood and stone, having me look through the halls and think back to when I was a guest there so long ago. It felt like ages ago, nothing was the same now, now that Westeros was in mass chaos and no longer filled with hope and joy. Not that it ever was before. But this, this was way over my own head. My mind was no longer in hopes but in fear, fear of thinking that I could die in the morning from either a traitor in my mist or someone whom was passing by. Either I would win or I would die, it was a matter of what I was going to choose and what I was going to do myself. Nothing more or less.

Gendry found some tools in the old forge that was there, having Koda be next to him as I waited on my own horse with Astrid by my side. Nymeria stayed with Coen at Thedra Ascent in case of trouble, though I doubted there would be any. She was better at protection that at patrol. Koda sniffed around as Gendry stuffed his bag that he had over his shoulder with what he needed and what we found that we would use. At this point it had been a week since we came back to Thedra Ascent and started to get it back to looking like it did before. A solid week of work and refurnishing, and there was still more work that needed to be done. Was there going to be a end to it?

When Gendry walked back over and mounted his horse, we paced over to the courtyard once more and I looked to the top of the walls, seeing that the banners, like Thedra Ascent, were all down and not in use, as if it was on purpose. I wanted our status to be known that we were no threat and we were not going to be taken lightly. There were three of us, four when Brennon awoke, and we had three direwolves whom would kill for us, and that right there looked like a army to me. It had to, since I and nothing else to really live on at that point but hope that I would live to be a old woman and in one piece.

As Gendry and I trotted back into Wolfswood, The Theda Ascent banner was risen high over the walls of Winterfell, showing that we were in tact.

And we were not going to be killed. Not Today.

The next day was a big day for me, since I was helping Gendry with his tools and getting them safety in his forge. Coen was working away in the kitchens, getting it back in place and trying to make stew for us with the leftover meat from the doe that I killed. Nymeria was circling Thedra Ascent, making sure that we weren't being watched at all, leaving Koda and Astrid to sniff around the place. It was a cool day and the snow was lightly falling on the place. The snow gave it a sense of innocence and peace as we worked, with the heavy clothe we had and us seeing our breaths in the chilled air.

Nymeria howled, having the both of us stop what we were doing and look over, seeing both Koda and Astrid trot over to the front of the opening into the wild. They moved out of the way, ear to their heads and teeth barred as a few more people walked through the opening and into the courted with only their clothes on their backs and barely anything else. I watched carefully as they were shivering, all of them looked either poor or out of place, but strong none the less. Were they soldiers, of even hired assassins. I had no clue, but I grabbed my bow with a loaded arrow and Gendry had his hammer, the both of us walking out into the fallen snow.

I saw Astrid and Koda walk over to us, standing at out sides and remaining close as they men looked at us, mainly me. As soon as they saw me, seeing my red hair braided behind me and my blue eyes, I knew they they saw a Stark. It was the same look that Coen had, the look of both relief and fascination. So, one by one, they fell to one knee and their heads bowed to the floor, having me seeing them pretty much pay their allegiance to me.

"Lady Stark, we are at your service." The man in the front said aloud, head still bowed, "We saw your banner at Winterfell, the banner of Thedra Ascent, and we wish to work for you in hopes of receiving shelter, and for keeping our promise to the North." I watched as they were all still bowing to me, as if I was a ruler. Well, I was a Lady, and they saw me as someone that would help them. Wasn't I? I would want the same thing if it was given to me, and they were already loyal to the Stark family, which was good enough for me. My prayers were answered.

I had a army. Small, but a army none the less.