For the next few days, it has been nothing but showing my face in the villages to stop the rumors of my rein for being anything more than that. The more people we spoke to, the more whom have seen me and knew of my face, the more people in the North were starting to believe in the fact that the Stark Household was true and not ending, not once. More and more men, slowly but surely, were coming to Thedra Ascent and swearing to help me. Before I knew it, Thedra Ascent was back to it's original form, looking just as it was months before this all happened. It was a good memory for me to have, a great one, because of all that was happening around me, all of the chaos that was haunting my mind in both the nightmares and the discoveries, I had one sense of hope that Thedra Ascent was going to stay good and true. Which led me to the next fortress to bring back to glory.

Winterfell.

James was a good amount of help for me, since he had experience in the field when it came to war and knighthood. I was only a dressmaker, that was all I knew, yet I felt myself leading a army that came to me, not the other way around. But I was only glad that I was no alone in this, I had a allies with me whom were just trying to find a way to live and survive beyond the reigns of the South. War was not in my cards, I only wanted to regain the North and it's glory. They all saw the same, at least that's what I hoped.

It wasn't until one morning when we were working at Winterfell when we had our first attack against us, at least, a taste of our enemy. I was with James and Gendry and the three of us were working together at the table in the middle of the courtyard and using a map that we grabbed from one of our local villages. We were seeing where we would ride next, while plenty of men around us were working and getting some of the things together. Most of these men were Northerners with no home because of the South and the Lannisters. I wanted them to know that they could leave if they wished, that I had no ruling over them, but they were still under the belief that I was the one Stark that could bring them all together and make the North strong once more.

"We should head East, toward Lady Arryn whom is your Aunt by blood." James explained to me, pointing to the East and having me see the Rivverrun area.

"Can we trust her?" Gendry asked aloud to him in wonder.

"Blood is thicker then trust in the North, and she will help when he hears of her niece being alive and well." James explained to him, having me see him being short with Gendry more than he was with me, showing me that he had no respect for him.

"Lady Arryn has been known as chaotic when it comes to the protection of her son and her realm, do you think she would sacrifice it to save me?" I asked him aloud in wonder as I had my hands on the table, bending over the map slightly to see what was in front of me. My bow was on the table next to my hand and the sheath as well, Gendry's Hammer was next to his hand. James had his sword on his hip, a hand on the handle and never one loosing it from his grip. I could tell he saw things in his past, things that brought him both misery and pain and maturity and growth. With Brennon still in bed from his wound, James was the one person I could see as both my guard and as someone I can talk to when it came to strategy. Brennon was still resting, and I had Nymeria be his body guard and personal protection in case something were to happen, since I already had Astrid and Gendry had Koda. Astrid was by my side, Koda next to Gendry, and they were watching for anything around us.

"It's better to find more allies than to question them at this point. You want to bring the North from it's knees, then you have to go to the allies that once held it up from its knees." James explained to me, having me see him eye Gendry hesitantly and suspcisiouly. He didn't trust him, I saw it in his stance and how he was more towards me than him.

"He is my ally." I said aloud, having me see both Gendry and James look over at me, my stern eyes on James the whole time, "We met in Flea Bottom and have been together ever since. if there is one person in all of Westeros that I can trust with my life, it's Gendry." James eyes me then, seeing that I was not lying to him and then he nodded his head once, showing that he understood what I was saying to him. Gendry was going to be trusted by me, and he was going have respect from people because of it, and that was the end of it. I loved him too much to let him go and not be near me as my friend and someone whom I can console with.

"I am only one girl whom everyone is under the belief that will kill the South in one stroke, yet I am only a dressmaker." I explained to him in a low tone, seeing both James and Gendry watch me once more, "If we are going to have any war on our hands, we need to find Bran and Rickon, as well as my sisters."

"And we will." James reassured me with a nod of his head, "You and your siblings are the key to getting the North back to its prime."

"It can't just be me though." I said to him aloud in a cold tone, having a hint of fear in it.

"It won't be just you." Gendry finally spoke up in his softer tone, having me watch him as he stared at me with his blue orbs and a determined look on his face, the same look he would use in the forge when he had a great mindset, "We will find your siblings, I know we will. There's nothing wrong with looking at the small hope in this, Nora." I knew he was right, yet with him he was more stubborn about it and less of the hopeful one. That was my role, not his. I was the hopeful one, the one who looked on the brighter side in the situation, I learned that from Sophia. But now the roles changes that they were in reverse. How was it that it came to this, because of the new situation we were in now? Was it because of all that we went through together, both the good and the bad?

Within one moment I had my head turned to the left, my cheek showing against the wind, then I felt the tinging pain of being shot and barely being hit, the arrow slicing my cheek and having me scream out in pain. Gendry instantly grabbed me as I felt the sting and the blood on my cheek, James pulling out his sword and looking behind us as I heard Astrid growl in anger. I looked behind me as well, seeing someone about fifty feet away from us with a bow out still and his hand down, a hood over his head and he was then grabbed by two of my men by the arms. He was stronger though, about to break free when I saw Astrid leave my side, running over to the man and jumping on him, pushing him to the ground and biting at him. He screamed, his face stills covered as Koda stood in front of us in defense, bearing his teeth and snarling as he watched his sister.

"Being him here." James said in a gruff as I wiped away the thing amount of blood on my cheek, grabbing his arm from him advancing to the man. James watched me in disbelief as I watched my direwolf attack the man.

"Down Astrid." I said aloud, seeing Astrid hop off the man but bare her teeth at him with a low and threatening growl in her tone. I walked away from both James and Gendry grabbing my dagger from my hip and having it at my side as I walked over to the man, whom was clutching his face from the attack of Astrid. I stood over him, seeing him look up at me with his blood on his hands and his neck almost mangled to the point of death. But I was looking at his face, seeing the cold eyes and the tan skin he had. I knew them, it was certain.

He was no Northerner.

"You came from the South." I said in a low tone, seeing him squirm under my eyes and gaze with a shallow breath and heavy stance on the ground, "You came to find me and to report to your master." I then saw his jacket that he was wearing, how it was covering most of the front of his body. It was a unique cloak, something that I haven't seen in awhile, and it made me suspicious.

"I don't know what you're talking about you bitch." He said in a snarl, having me throw up my knife for him to see and hearing nothing else around me. I then knelt down over him, seeing him shake in anticipation as to what I was about to do with him. But I drove the knife over his cloak, slicing it up to tear the opening wider to show what he was wearing underneath his cloak. Everyone around me was shocked as to what they saw: gold and scarlett.

Lannister.

"Seven Hells." James said in a sneer as I got back up to my feet and pointing my dagger at him, seeing him eye the dagger and shake as I looked at him the same way that I looked at Jamie Lannister, with both anger and pain.

"Cersei sent you to find me and to tell her that I am alive." I said to him, but louder for all to hear. I wanted them all to know what Cersei was doing these past years. how she was killing children whom looked like me and was trying to make sure that I was not going to bring the North it's glory and power again, "But you can tell the Queen one thing, and it's very simple." I then dropped to my knees, driving the knife into his arm and hearing him screech in pain and anguish as I had the dagger in my hand and in his arm. He was trying to move out of it, but I saw James squash his hand with his own boot and I looked over the man, seeing him eye me in horror as I told him my message.

"Winter is coming."