Sansa

The drive from the airport to their new house was fairly uneventful. The one thing that Sansa could say was that palm trees were strange and exotic. She couldn't get over how bright the sun was, or how everything shined. It was a different world here. On the street women wore the shortest shorts and the tiniest tops. The men were all gelled and made up. All the cars she saw were new and looked expensive. Tan people were everywhere and they were all fit. Sansa figured with all the extra heat there was here in the South people didn't need the extra layer of fluff as she called it to keep them warm. They drove through the city to the area where the houses were. They were all big and screamed money. She knew that their new house would look like that. It wouldn't have the grace and age that their home had. The new one would have flash and pizazz to fit in with all the other houses around here. It would be new, at least in comparison to the house she grew up in.

She was slightly shocked when they drove to a house completely surrounded by trees and rather far from the road. There was a sense of familiarity and comfort with the trees all around. The house wasn't like the others. This one was made of stone, at least the front was. And it looked graceful in a way that she didn't expect after viewing all the showy houses that they had passed. "Our new home." Their father said when he pulled the car to a stop in front of the door.

"Let's go get settled in. We have a busy weekend ahead of us before school start on Monday." Catelyn said to her children. The Starks entered their new house.

The entry way was full of light and opened. The stairs leading to the second story was on the right as was what appeared to be a study. On the left there was a large room that looked like a sitting room.

"Mommy this house smells funny." Little Rickon complained loudly as he entered the house.

"That is because it has just been painted and had new carpeting put in." Bran explained to his younger brother.

"I don't like it. I want to go home." Rickon wailed. "I want to go back to Winterfell." Rickon being the baby of the family was used to getting his way with everything. He had not wanted to move. This was the first time that his tantrums and fits had not gotten him the results that he wanted.

"Do you want to see your room sweeting?" Catelyn asked in her brightest voice.

"I have my own room here?" Rickon's voice changed from angry to intrigued.

"Yes dear. This way."

Sansa watched her mother lead her brother up the stairs. She just stood there looking around. She felt like a guest, not like a person who lived in the house.

"I guess we should look around." Sansa finally said, unable to deal with the silence between the remaining members of her family.

"Yes, that is a good idea for you kids. I have to make some calls. I will be in the study if you need me." Ned said.

"Let's go find our rooms." Sansa said to Bran and Arya.

Eddard

Ned stood in the doorway of his study and watched his children trudge up the stairs to look for their new rooms. There was a slump in all of them. He knew that Bran and Arya said they were okay with the move, but there was still a deep sadness in them about it. He didn't blame them. He felt the same way. Sansa and Rickon had taken it harder then he had imagined they would. He knew that they were scared more then anything. Ned knew that they would be alright soon. Rickon was young and would bounce back fast as soon as he met some friends. Sansa was a different matter. She had been on the top at Winterfell High. It wouldn't be the same here. She only had one year left in school. Making friends would be tougher for her. He would have to do something nice to make her feel better. Maybe a shopping spree with his credit card or a new car would be enough to make her forget her sadness. She had her license. And she had been bugging him for a new car for months now instead of having to drive her mother's "old car".

He went and sat down behind his desk and pulled out his cell phone. He scrolled in his contact list until he found the name that he was looking for. He put the phone down on his desk and starred at the phone not wanting to make the call that he had to. Robert Baratheon was his oldest friend, but he was a far cry from the young man that he had once known. He had become a bitter drunk who didn't give a damn about anything. Not his company or his family. It was something that Ned could not abide. When a man had as much power that he and Robert had they had responsibilities and duty and honor to up hold. He rubbed his temples and prepared for the call with the man that was once closer to him then a brother. "Hello?" Robert bellowed into the phone. He was already drunk at 1:30 in the afternoon.

"Robert its Ned. I just wanted to let you know that we have arrived in town."

"NED! I am so glad that you called. I have decided to throw you a welcome to town party. Damn Cersie has been planning it. Everything is ready for you and your family."

"Robert," Ned begin, "we only just arrived. I do not think that we are up for a party."

"Now you lessen here Ned. I am throwing you a party and you will be there. You have to come. You are the guest of honor. There is still going to be a party with or without you, but you will just look like an ass if you don't come."

Ned knew that he was backed into a corner. If he didn't go things could become very bad. He would be alienating the very person he was here to help. He still remembered the night when Robert had called him two months ago. Robert was sobbing and sober for once.

"Ned I need your help. My company is going under. I want to purposes a business venture for you and me. It would help me recoup my money and you could make millions. I have had my people crunch the numbers and I know it would work." Robert sounded so desperate and the despair in his voice had pulled at Ned's heart. He could not allow all the good hard working people who are Roberts's employees to suffer because their boss was irresponsible. He had to help them. He had to save them.

"Have your people send over the proposal and I will look it over." That was all Ned said that night.

That one sentence had altered his life and the lives of his family.

"Alright Robert we will be there. What time?" Ned asked with resignation.

"Seven. And do not be late." Robert slurred.

Ned sat behind his desk for a moment then got up in search of his wife to tell her the new development.

Arya

She found her new room with no problem. She knew it was hers right away, not only because her stuff was in it but because of where it was at. It was in the farthest corner of the house overlooking a patch of trees. It was a very nice view. Most of her stuff was still in boxes, but her bedding was unpacked and most of her clothes were as well. The deep purple bed spread that she had picked out was one of her new favorite things in the world. Her mother wanted her to pick something feminine and soft. But there wasn't much in her personality that was soft. She picked her purple, silver and black bed room set instead of the yellow and orange one that her mother and sister had wanted her to get. Her walls were painted a light lilac color that was a combination of the purple and silver. Her furniture was a dark wood almost black. Her iPod dock was on the desk overlooking the view and her dresser was in the closet. There were not many personal effects cluttering her room.

She had some paintings on the walls that she had done at an art camp that her parents had made her go to the summer before the move. She had been very pleased with the paintings and had enrolled in art classed at Winterfell, and had at Kings Landing as well. One of her best painting that she had made was of a car motor that her brother Jon was working on to restore. She loved cars. They were something that she could really understand and she loved to tinker with. She had talked to her father about taking some auto classes in Kings Landing. It had been something that she had wanted to do at Winterfell but her mother had shot that idea down faster then Arya could blink. Catelyn was not happy when she found Arya hanging around her brothers when she was 10 when they tinkered with their cars. She had yelled and lectured all four children about how unsafe it was for a little girl to be around an automobile and all the paraphilia involved with them. But Ned had agreed to let her take the classes at her new school. She was over the moon because it meant that she didn't have to take the home economic classes or the interior design classes, or sewing or some other stupid homey classes that her mother had made her take in the past. She was sprawled on the bed when there was a knock at her door.

"Come in." She called.

"We have to go shopping." Catelyn said when she entered Arys room. "Robert has organized a welcome to town party for us. You, Sansa and I need something suitable to wear. And we will need to have a hair appointment as well."

"Come on mother. Shopping? We just got to town. Do we have to?" Arya wined while she flung a pillow over her head.

"Yes dear. All our nicer things that we could have worn tonight are still in transit and will not be here until Sunday. Most girls love shopping. It is a beautiful Saturday afternoon in a now place. There are new places to explore and people to meet. Try not to be a stick in the mud." Catelyn pulled off the pillow off her daughters face.

Catelyn smiled at her daughter in a way that she knew would have Arya saying yes to her just to get away from her.

"Alright mother. I will come shopping and let some yahoo do my hair." Arya grumbled.

"Thank you sweet heart. Get your shoes on and let's get going. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can, you get the idea."

"You don't want to do this either do you mother?" Arya asked with a smile.

"No I don't. But it is our duty as Starks to attend this party. After all it is for us."

Bran

His room was perfect. It was better then his room back home. He had a feeling that it had once been a study or office. There were built in book shelves, with a window seat and quite a bit of wood. He knew that it was cherry and that the walls that were not bookshelves were painted in a muted moss color. The windows over looked the front of the house and the road.

He watched as his mother and sisters got into the car and embarked on their shopping trip. Sansa was bubbly and happy now. There was nothing more exciting to her then shopping. Arya looked like she was formulating a plan. He knew that she was up to something. Their mother looked stern. There were worry lines written all over her face.

He had Bach playing very low in the background as he shelved his books. At Winterfell he had to have his books in a separate room but he had left half of them in Winterfell. He loved that he was able to have them in his room here. The fire place that was once built into the wall had been converted into a desk. He had already set up his computer and had it whizzing looking up information on their new home and the people that he was likely to meet at this party tonight.

Bran liked to know everything about a situation before he entered into it. He downloaded the public profile on Robert Baratheon. He was born 43 years ago in Storms End on the east coast. His family had money and he invested wisely after he inherited everything. He had to support his two younger brothers. He was 18 when his parents died and he had to "raise" His younger brothers. His brother Stannis was 11 and Renly was 2. He went to college and took over the family corporation. He moved to Kings Landing to start a new headquarter for Baratheon Inc. Business was on an all-time high and things for him couldn't be going better. When he was 24 he married Cersie Lannister. She was the only daughter of his first major investor, they had a fairy tale relationship by all accounts and they fell in love at their first meeting. She was a rather young bride at 20 when they were wed. They have been married for the last 19 years and are rumored to be still madly in love. Two years later the couple had a child, Joffery age 17. By all accounts he is a good student. Quarterback for his football team and going to a very nice college next year. Their daughter Myrcella came next. She is 15. She is an above average student and in most clubs and activities that the school has to offer. She is a dancer and is not into other sports. Their youngest child, another boy Tommen is 9. He is a sweet boy who is not like his brother Joffery in any respects.

Bran doubted that much of what he read was true. But since he was working with a small time window to dig around for dirt this was the best he could do. He had a theory that the Barathons didn't really love each other. His first clue was that she kept her name. Bran also knew that business was not going to well for Robert. If it was really doing well the Starks would still be in Winterfell. He was not sure about the info on the Baratheon children. He suspected it could be true. He would just have to wait and see.

He hoped that Arya could be friends with the daughter. He had finished putting one box of books away. There was a chime on his computer. It was an instant message from Robb.

Robb Hey there brother. Saw that you were online. Wanted to check in and see how your new room is treating you.

Bran I very much enjoy my room. Are you procrastination from doing your homework?

Robb You know me. I always put things off until I have to do them. How are Rickon and the girls?

Bran Rickon is playing in his new room. Mom took the girls shopping and to get their hair done. Baratheon has surprised us with a party tonight in fathers honor.

Robb That is not good. I bet Sansa is happy to be shopping. Well I have to go study. TTYL

Robb signed off and Bran went back to unpacking.