The North

Lysara Stark

The sound of a small, childlike scream stirred Lysara from her sleep. Her eyes slowly opened and she sat up from beneath the heavy furs that were draped across her body. Her body shaking harshly as the chilling air of the calm night caressed her skin. I have never felt such coldness, Lysara thought to herself as she sat further up and reached out to seek the warmth of both Rickon and Shaggydog but found that they were missing. Her eyes widened as she saw the layer of snow on the ground and wondered briefly if she was dreaming.

"Brandon, are you awake?" Lysara asked quietly, looking over at the shadowed tree and trembled as she spoke once more. "Brandon?"

Lysara's eyes trailed across the ground towards the disturbance of the snow, the footsteps of both the wolf and the boy making their way further into the woods. Where are you? Lysara thought, dread pooling in her belly as she started to rise slowly from the pelts. The pelts slid from her body as she rose slowly to her feet. A sound of footsteps filled her ears causing her to stand abruptly and look ahead into the woods where she saw and heard the movement come from.

"Rickon?" Lysara called but grew worried when no reply came to her cry. "Rickon? Is that you?"

Both cautious and dreading, she began to walk warily in the direction of the footprints. Lysara wondered how far in the woods she had come but the further she travelled the darker and colder the night grew. A sound of a twig snapping made her still. Lysara kept her breathing quiet and laboured as she tried to listen for the movement once more. Whoever or whatever was out there was near. Lysara knew that she was not alone, that was for certain and she knew that they were watching her. Their eyes trained on every jerk of her body, from the movement of her feet to the rising and falling of her chest. It was paranoid thoughts that left her fearful, she searched the woods until her grey eyes landed on a small figure. Rickon. Her breath hitched when she saw him, her brows furrowing together.

"Rickon..." She breathed, edging closer to him.

Lysara took a few more careful steps towards her brother, her pace picking up but she saw him turn slowly and walk further into the woods. Her heart raced as she followed him, struggling against the harsh and icy winds that were pulling at her dress, she felt as if the wind was telling her not to follow him and the snow seemed to agree, as her black boots struggled against the snow. Her footing was terrible as she slipped on the layer of ice that covered the snow like glass, glinting dangerous beneath her.

Lysara could barely keep up with her brother, who without a doubt would be freezing from the winter's deadly embrace and was instantly thrust back into her childhood when she was in his position. R'hllor guide me, Lysara thinks to herself with a fearful thought and closed her eyes as she made an attempt to quicken her pace. Protect us from the night. Protect us from the terrors that lurk in the darkness. She reopened her eyes, not wanting to take her eyes away from Rickon's form as he twisted and turned, in and out of the trees.

As she continued forward, her eyes eventually looked to the ground, she kept them downcast to keep them from watering from the cold. Lysara stilled, feeling eyes on her and gradually looked up only to find her brother had stopped and was staring at her...except, it wasn't her brother. The boy was standing still, so still that it looked as if he was not breathing. Her desire to give chase to the boy she had once thought of as her brother was gone when her icy grey eyes met the icy blue.

"N...No..." Lysara said in a hushed whisper. "T-This...This cannot be..."

Winter is Coming.

Her father's voice echoed hauntingly in her head as the boy tilted his head slightly as if he was trying to understand her. Though he was more likely inspecting her like a predator would do its prey by the hungry gleam in his dead eyes. Lysara knew he would make a move to kill, it was only a matter of when. The boy has been claimed by winter long ago, Lysara thought as she looked on in fear. Her eyes widened at the low growls emitting from the child's body. Or what was once a child, if she wanted to correct herself.

It caught her off guard what he did next. He lunged forward, his lips pursed and his sharp but human teeth bared as he let out feral snarls. It sounds like ice was cracking in his throat. As she looked to the boy and inspected him, she knew that he had been dead for a long time. His clothes hung from his body and he had claw marks on his face, she swallowed when she saw that the flesh of his grey face was hanging off. Lysara took a few large steps back, her eyes unable to look away from the boy in front of her. The boy pounced once again, crawling on all fours quickly towards her causing her to take a step back except the heel of her boot caught on a frozen branch and she slips, flying in the air only to land harshly on the ground. The ice cracked beneath her which made an involuntary whimper escape her lips from the sting.

Lysara immediately scrambled back after the impact, backing away from the boy and kicked at both the ice and the snow. A wight, Lysara thought and that was all she could think of. The stories Old Nan told her were echoing eerily in her mind as she stared on in fright, her dreams had come true. Her heart was skipping beats every time she looked into the ice blue eyes of winter. She lay back, baring her neck when it stood up and made a move to jump on top of her. Her eyes closed when she heard the gnashing of teeth and the unearthly growls.

If I am to die, Lysara thinks to herself solemnly. Let me be brave...Let me be brave...Let me be-

A sound of a sword cutting through the air made her eyes snap open in both awe and fear. Her eyes were met with a sword of the flame, the very sword she had seen a man wielding to end all of winter and would bring forth spring within her dreams. The wight was torn apart by the fiery sword. And as the sword was pulled away from the boy that was set aflame, the boy collapsed, convulsing and twitching until it stilled. It no longer showed any signs of life. Lysara slowly looked up, clutching at her chest which heaved and saw a cloaked figure, their face shadowed by the large hood. Her eyes widened when the man with the fiery sword pulled back his hood.

"Jon?"

Her tear filled eyes opened then, her entire body shaking as she jolted up from lying beneath the tree. Lysara looked around vigorously clutching her throat tightly but a small sob of relief escaped her throat when she saw Rickon lying next to her with Shaggydog. Her tear filled eyes landed on Brandon who was sleeping with Summer across his lap and Osha, who was propped up against a tree but nevertheless was asleep. The Reed girl, Meera was sound asleep but Jojen was nowhere to be found causing a frown to form on her face and she rose to her feet.

"Hodor?" The giant mumbled, looking up at her with wide eyes as he sat up.

"I'm alright," Lysara breathed gently as she placed a soft hand on his cheek, patting him slightly before she picked up her skirts and followed the footsteps. "Go back to sleep."

The giant's lips lifted into a large, child-like grin that reminded her of Rickon before he turned on his side with a large thud. Her lips quirked slightly when she heard his loud snores. She grasped her skirts tighter with her black gloved hands and made her way into the woods, trailing after the footsteps but this time she felt no fear. Lysara ducked underneath a low branch until she came across a small river that had long since frozen over and spotted Jojen sitting by it. She arched her brow, clasping her hands together and let her skirts drop softly, brushing against the white ground.

"You should be asleep," Lysara told him.

"As should you, dreamer of fire," He replied. His soft voice was barely heard before he turned to face her, looking up from the stone he held in his hand. "We always seem to creep up each other. We must stop greeting each other like this."

"True..." She trailed off. Her eyes were fixated on him and she cocked her head to the side before continuing, "I know of your true intentions. I know what you want with my brother."

"You and Brandon are alike," Jojen commented. "You share it."

"Pray tell...what do we exactly share, Jojen of House Reed?" Lysara asks calmly but on the inside she was burning.

"You are his older sister. The same blood flows through your veins," Jojen points out as he stands up from the river and turns to face her fully. A strange look was present in his eyes which made her all the more distrusting of him and his sister, "You share dreams, therefore you are bonded. By soul and heart. Your brother can take over the mind of his wolf, can he not? He can control him."

"The Lord of Light works in mysterious ways," She informs him lightly. "He has given him a gift. A gift that will guide my brother for the darker days and nights to come."

"You have the same gift," He tells her causing her to stiffen.

"You cannot fathom what I have," Lysara seethes softly, her eyes narrowing at him.

"Your brothers told me," Jojen said and tilts his head to the side. "You have such horrible dreams...such dreadful night terrors...no one should endure such pain."

"They lie," Lysara responds stiffly but her mind was reeling.

His eyes held sympathy causing her to grit her teeth and clench her jaw. I do not want your pity, Lysara thinks to herself. Lysara rolls her shoulders and straightens up her back before turning to take her leave, the Reed boy follows after her and grasps her by the arm and gently tugs her back until she faces him once again. Although she towered over him to the point she found it amusing, his eyes were firm and trained on her as he leant closer to her face, inspecting her features.

She lifted an eyebrow, her face remaining impassive but she could feel the fire that burned within her roar in protest at the worshipper of a false Gods' touch. She made an attempt to shrug her arm out of his grip but his hand tightened around her arm. Lysara looked down at Jojen with cold eyes, her hand reaching up and gripped his wrist.

"I know what I am talking about," Jojen said. "And you do too."

"Unhand me," Lysara retorted evenly. "Or else."

"You are like me. You are like Bran," He insists. "You are a greenseer."

Lysara always had an opinion on everything and anything, many years of being subjected to name calling such as 'demon' and 'witch' had prepared her along with the looks. Yet as she stared at the ever serious Jojen, she had no words. He had made her apparently speechless, all she could do was stare at him as an anger filled her. I am no greenseer, Lysara thought coldly as her ruby necklace began to glow brightly. The red light reflecting in his eyes as she piercingly stared at him. I am a worshipper of light...I do not belong to those false Gods.

"How dare-" She begins, her eyes ablaze but he interrupted her.

"You cannot deny who you are," Jojen protests. "You are Lysara Stark of Winterfell."

"I know who I am!" She spits viciously, snatching her arm from his grip roughly and finds herself uncaring for the sting it leaves. He walks closer towards her but she moves back, though she grunts softly when her back hits the tree. "And I know who you are too! The trickster crow visited you on your deathbed, dying of fever from the grey waters. R'hllor found me at the young age of seven, I was fading and I was fearing the darkness and death but then I found the light. I found R'hllor. You dare and try to deceive me!"

"I-" Jojen began but was cut off when they heard footsteps.

Osha.

The woman had her spear pointed towards them but slowly lowered it upon discovering it was them. Her eyes remained narrowed though as she stared at Jojen with caution and Lysara came to realise how it must have looked to the Wildling woman. She had her back against a tree, hissing angrily at him as he continued to near her. Lysara held her hand out to Osha, to wordlessly tell her that she was alright. Osha nodded, twirling her spear in her hand. Her eyes never left Jojen as he took a few steps back from her, his eyes reluctantly leaving her own before making his way back to their camp.

"Did that frog eater hurt you?" Osha asked, looking on Jojen's retreating figure resentfully.

"No," Lysara said after a long while. "He did not. I would not let him even if he tried. Do you trust him, Osha?"

"No," The wild woman answered, confirming her rightful suspicions as they began their short walk back to their camp.

"Good," She responded staring blankly ahead. "Nor do I."

Lysara saw that Rickon was still sound asleep as was Bran but she knew better when she noticed the yellow eyes of Summer was trained on her, the direwolf's head tilted to the side. She lifted up her skirts, minding her footing and took extreme care not to slip on the ground that had frozen over. Lysara approached Bran's sleeping form and knelt beside him, her eyes never leaving Summer's. The direwolf rose to his feet and approached her before resting his head on her warm lap, she stroked his fur softly while staring down at him.

"How about I tell you a story?" Lysara asks though all she receives is a small huff from the direwolf. She runs her hand through his pelt and smiles softly down at him. "I had such an awful night terror, Bran...I was so terrified, knowing that I was dreaming of what was to come...but let us not dwell on that dream. I will tell you the story that I hold dear to me. Your favourites were always the scary ones. I like the scary ones too."

Summer or Bran pants softly as she absentmindedly strokes his fur while she speaks in a low voice, mindful of not waking Rickon nor Hodor. Osha was sat nearby, sharpening her spear and eyeing the Reed siblings with hostility but she appeared to be listening earnestly to her and by the looks of it so was Jojen and the now awake Meera, although their backs were turned to them. The siblings were talking quietly but nevertheless, she knew that they were listening.

"The story is about the Long Night. The Long Night and how it will come again, winter will come like we have prophesied and what a cold winter it will be. The sun will hide for many years. We will look up to the heavens and we will see no sky, no stars nor moon. Only darkness...and the dead that will be brought by the winds of winter. The last night we bore witness to was a long one, it lasted for years and years. No one was safe from the winter's wrath. The highborn in their pretty clothing and gold froze to death in their castles and the lowborn froze to death in their huts. In the end, winter showed us no remorse and told us all. We are nothing but a game to them, we all play the game, Bran. We are all at different levels of the game, some higher than the rest but in the end, we are all dealing with the same hell and the same devils..." Lysara murmured, her voice picking up with the icy wind. "The White Walkers. The army for the Other."

"Winter is Coming," Osha agreed, her face paling and her eyes were deathly afraid. "And the dead come with it."

"The Prince Who Was Promised," Lysara breathed as her eyes stare on into the distance, recalling her vivid dream and she held onto her belief fiercely. Her grip tightens lightly on Summer's fur. "The stars will bleed when the last of the dragons sing. The winter will breathe life into the dead and the world will fall into darkness once they reach the realm of living men. As the world becomes ice...a warrior shall come forth with a sword of flame. And they shall be named the wielder of Lightbringer. The wielder of fire. The winter will bow before the reborn Azor Ahai. And the many that dreamt of spring, they will witness as it covers the world once more...bringing heaven at long last to this hell we live in."

"The realm needs a hero," Osha concludes but Lysara shakes her head softly.

The realm needs no hero, Lysara thinks to herself. The realm needs Jon Snow.

Author's Note: Hey, hopefully you like Chapter Sixteen. I would like to thank all of you for reading this story, it means a lot to me. And I'd also like to thank all of you who have made this story one of your favourites, followed it and of course a special thanks to all of you who have left a review. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions feel free to ask. The next update should be up soon!

Reviews-

Saint River: Thank you, I'm glad you liked Chapter Fifteen and thank you for reviewing. There will be a lot of tension between Lysara backed by Osha with the Reed siblings and hopefully I can prove it in chapters to come. I'm glad you liked that quote, I wanted to show that she was alike her mother in some ways. Yep, Osha isn't a believer but she does believe that Lysara can do things that aren't exactly ordinary. Lysara will be able to one day control her powers but it won't happen for a long while so for now it will just happen without her control, it would seem to easy for her to control them because she wasn't looked after by someone who is like her, she mostly has had to try and figure it out for herself. As for Aegon going North, Jon will try and convince him otherwise and to take Storm's End like they had originally planned. The ancient part is really a matter of perspective on Jon Connington's part. I was sort of unsure if I should've put that part in or not because they did only rule for nearly 300 years but since Jon's a firm believer in Targaryen rule, I put it in anyway to fit his character.

Maester Aemon: All of this will be revealed in the next two chapters. Jon Connington will be convincing Aegon to take Storm's End because the army they have is very little and if they were to go into the heart of the North, not many houses would take too kindly to a fleet of soldiers with Targaryen banners raised. Lady Catelyn will have a pov in the next chapter and both she and Robb will be discussing different things in Chapter Seventeen. The fate of Winterfell is set in stone, Theon still has it and Ramsay will take it.

TWDzombie: Thank you, I'm glad you like Lysara and Bran's connection. Hopefully you liked this chapter! Lysara and Aegon may cross paths in the distant future but it won't be as it seems.

ZabuzasGirl: Thank you, hopefully you like this chapter!