Author's Note: She is making progress on her journey! I hope you all like this chapter. Thank you for the favorites and follows.

Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones, but I do own Alara and her mother.

Chapter 5: Winterfell

They made a stop among the rocks, each man finding a place to sit while Alara stood beside Lady Stark with her head bowed, occasionally glancing at Bronn. He had been teaching her to fight in private and she had grown quite fond of the older man. He told her stories of all his travels, even taught her the names of all the kingdoms in the Seven Kingdoms. He would compliment her when they fought, always telling her how beautiful she was, she liked to attention, she missed the attention. He was kind to her, and she secretly hoped that the people she would meet in Winterfell would be just as kind.

"This is not the road to Winterfell." The half man was finally rid of his hood and Lyrina saw him once more.

She was not impressed by him much, though he did never shut up. He would offer people money constantly to take him away, to return him to his family. Alara steered clear of him, and spent most of her time with Lady Stark or Bronn. She knew Lady Stark did not see it fit for her to speak to the sellsword but the woman let her do as she pleased.

"No it is not, but that is where everyone will think you are going."

"Clever, Lady Stark."

The man was smug for such a tiny fellow and Alara did not find the interesting. He seemed pompous, arrogant and annoying, though she was sure most must have been an act. No one gets kidnapped and acts so obnoxious.

"My father will no doubt be offering a handsome reward, we all know Lannisters pay their debts."

Alara did not understand the saying, she thought everyone paid their debts it was law. But the way he looked at the men made it seem as if it was something more. Alara looked to Bronn who just smiled at her.

"Now be so kind as to untie my hands."

"Why?" Alara had not spent too much time with Lady Stark but when she spoke to the short man her voice was as cold as winter.

"Where am I going to run to? The hills tribes will kill me before I get far."

"Hill tribes?" Alara had never heard of Hill tribes but they seemed dangerous.

"Don't worry, dear." Once more Lady Stark put a calming hand on Alara's shoulder.

But she did worry, she worried a lot. Between wolves, and hill tribes Alara was going to die on the road. She was going to be murdered or swallowed whole, she stood no chance. Even with Bronn teaching her to fight, she would never be good enough to save her own skin.

"If not hill tribes than a shadow cat will eat me."

Alara was sick of the Seven Kingdoms, she was ready to be back in the rat infested streets of Kings Landing. She knew the dangers there, grabby men, thieves, rapists and murderers but outside the walls much more vicious things roam. She left Lady Stark's side to sit beside Bronn as he sharpened his sword, the short man and Lady Stark began to argue.

"Shadows cats, wolves and hill tribes? What is this place?"

"You have nothing to fear, you are a safe among these people, Lara. You can hold your own and there are no wolves here, only farther north."

That thought did not comfort her, she was headed farther north. Alara was headed for the wolves.

"I can barley hold my own, I have had only a few lessons."

"You have a natural talent, one that I have not seen in some time, miss."

"Why thank you, old man."

He stopped sharpening his sword to place his hand upon her knee and Alara smiled at him. His company was something soothing but she saw the glare that Lady Stark cast her way. She took the man's hand from her knee and looked back down to the ground, ashamed.

"What is the Vale like?" She became curious as the half man spoke of it, she never asked Lady Stark of it.

"Mountains."

Alara waited for Bronn to say something more but he didn't because before he could one of the men in the company was hit with an arrow. Alara began to panic as men appeared in the grass surrounding them. Bronn stood up with his sword looking down at Alara as he did.

"Stay down, if you can grab a sword use it to defend yourself."

Alara fell down next to the rocks cowering in the corner trying to avoid the men as they swarmed in from the sides. She felt a panic in her chest, she had never seen something like it before. She had seen people murdered in the streets, but never something so brutal. She watch Bronn cut down men like they were nothing, and when she saw Lady Stark cowering across the way she went to move toward her but the woman put her hand up. She was telling Alara to stay where she was, sitting and hiding.

A man fell dead in front of her, his sword still in his hand. Alara took a breath and stole the sword from his hand. Just as she took the sword a man appeared before an ax swung over his head ready to attack her.

Alara did not know what to do but as the man's ax came down she stuck her sword through his belly. She felt sick to her stomach as the sword dug deeper in to the man, the blade sinking into his flesh. She pushed the sword and man away from her just as she watched the small man defend Lady Stark.

"Lara, are you alright?" Bronn came to her side as she sat shaking. She wanted to learn to defend herself but she did not ever plan on killing a man.

"I killed a man." Eighteen namedays and Alara had never as much as hit a man.

"You defended yourself, we all did."

Alara looked around at the dead the littered the ground. Her body felt frozen, so much blood and so many dead people. Lady Stark came over to her and pulled her into a hug causing Alara to freeze once again. She was not used to affection outside of Gendry and her mother.

"I am glad you are alright."

"Me too, M'lady."

Alara caught a laugh from Bronn as he and the half man stared in her direction. She felt the small man's eyes graze down her body, making her feel disgusted. She had no doubt there was a comment regarding sex, she knew Bronn was not subtle about his needs as a man. He had told her a few times of the women he had seen, of the brothels he had visited. He once made a joke of never having the chance to visit the one she lived in but he promised he would if he ever made it to kings Landing.

"Alara, say your goodbyes. The road from here I fear may be too dangerous, one of these men will take you to Winterfell."

"Yes, M'lady."

She was not truly ready to go to Winterfell, she was nervous. She was already ripped from her home, now anyone she was comfortable around would also be taken from her. What if the sons of Lady Stark were rude? What if they did not like her? How could she help raise children? What if she met a wolf on the way? She had to push her thoughts from her mind and say her goodbye to Bronn, she did not know if she would ever see the kind man again.

"I guess this goodbye, thank you for trying to teach me to fight." She smiled at him.

"Keep practicing, love, you have a natural skill. Don't be too good in the north, they can be so proper." Bronn pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"I wish you could come with me. I don't know if we will ever see each other again."

"I am sure we shall, I don't see you lasting in Winterfell too long. The cold is not meant for a southern girl such as you."

She laughed and she was sure he was right. Alara only knew the warm sun on her skin, she had never dealt with cold.

"Ride safe, and good luck finding your family."

Bronn did something Alara did not expect as his finished speaking he leaned down to kiss her. Her eyes went wide as he lips landed on her own before he pulled away quickly. Alara was in shock, she had been kissed before and she had kissed before but never by someone of Bronn's age nor did she expect him to kiss her. She looked over to Lady Stark with wide eyes but the woman had her back turned to her.

"Be careful I don't know if the boys in the north can resist those beautiful eyes." She pushed Bronn shoulder as he spoke.

"Hush. I can handle myself, old man."

They hugged for a moment and Alara did not wish to let go. He was the first person outside of Gendry to understand her, to actually know her. Lady Stark was kind, and nothing but sweet to Alara but it was formal. It was a relationship based on something other than friendship, she did not know what Lady Stark truly thought of her. With Bronn it was different the man told her how he felt about her, he was open with his affection to her. He spoke to her as an equal because they were equal.

When she let go of Bronn she made her way over to Lady Stark.

"My sons will be kind to you, I promise. Robb is my eldest, Bran is ten and Rickon is six. I promise they will be kind to you."

"I am alright, M'lady, I am just glad I can be of help to you."

"My husband will send word directly to Winterfell when he knows of your family, I hope you find peace in knowing."

"I will see you again, M'lady."

She did not look back as they rode away, she could not look back. Looking back was not only looking at the new friend she had made, or the Lady she had become attached too, it was looking back to everything. They had to backtrack to the Kings Road and as they did Alara thought of home. She could ditch the man escorting her and ride home to the city she belonged in, to the people she loved but if she did she may never learn the truth. As much as she wanted to see her mother, to see Gendry again, she needed to find her other family, find the second half of who she was.

She did not speak to the man, though she knew he was a kind man. He did not leer at her, or make moves to touch her. He spoke to her with kindness, and tried to calm her fears of wolves and wild beasts that wanted to kill her. She did not need his words of protection she kept the sword she had used to kill the man, she would use it again to protect herself.

Thankfully Alara did not need protection on the road, they encountered no horrors. They even slept outside under the stars one night, of course it was cold, but the sky was beautiful. They stayed their until dawn and at dawn they finished their ride to Winterfell.

When they road up to Winterfell Alara was in awe. It was nothing like her home of Kings Landing, it was not nearly as big but it was large in size. The bricks were all dark and grey unlike the light colors that filled the streets of Kings landing, and the castle was large with towers and odd shapes. It looked nothing like home, it seemed to be the farthest thing from home and the farthest place from home. When they rode into the courtyard they were greeted by a Maester, and young auburn haired child, no doubt the youngest of the boys.

"Alara, we have been awaiting your arrival." The old man seemed kind enough.

"It's a pleasure." Alara jumped off her horse and bowed her head the small child lord. "Hello, My Lord."

"My name is Rickon."

Alara could not help but smile at the young boys fire, she did not doubt he got it from his mother.

"Well Rickon, I am Alara and your mother sent me to help look after you."

"Well I want my mother."

"Rickon, be polite to the young woman."

Alara just smiled at the child, she could understand his want for his mother. She too wanted her own mother. She knew what it was like to be left, or to have leave your own family. She was sure the child missed his family, his father and mother so far away. She could understand the child.

"It is alright, Maester..."

"Luwin, my dear, Maester Luwin."

"Yes, as I was saying he is alright, Maester Luwin, I can understand." She smiled at the young boy before she knelt down to his level. "Would like to speak? We can get to know each other."

"Alright."

The young boy took her hand leading her toward the imposing castle. Alara had never step foot in a castle before, she never dreamed of setting foot in a castle before. The young boy had a tight grip and he walked with a rushed pace. She didn't have to walk fast to keep up, she was taller than the child and his legs did not take big steps. She could not help but laugh as he pulled her along, he was rambling but Alara could not understand what the boy was saying to her. When he stopped pulling her she found herself in a giant empty hall.

"Can you have lunch with me? My brothers are gone and I don't want to be alone."

"Of course."

She sat with the young boy as a woman brought out bread, water and some other things. Alara smiled at the woman who just bowed her head to them before leaving the room. Alara began to eat quietly as the boy did the same, constantly staring over at her.

"Your eyes are very pretty."

"Thank you. I like your eyes as well, and your hair is so long."

"I am not cutting it until my mother comes home."

She smiled at the young boy while she drank her water.

"Let's make a deal. I can cut hair, let me cut yours and I will play any game you want, whenever you want."

She knew how to make deals, she had seen Lord Baelish do it a million times. She did not want the boy to go on with messy long hair just because he did not want to cut it. She knew what it was like to be angry but it would be better with neater hair.

"Maybe." She saw the small boy smile and she was happy.

Alara knew nothing of children, she did not even think her deal would work. She took a chance and she was happy to see the boy smile. When she was his age all she wanted was a whole family, a family that was real. She could understand his loss without his parents around.

They finished their meal as the Rickon rambled on about Winterfell, his family and everything he could think of. Alara did not understand half the things he was saying to her, but she did not speak up. She wanted the boy to feel free to rant, to tell her things. She wished she had someone at his age to just listen to her. Her mother had always been working, and she did not know Gendry then. She could tell by the way the child rambled on that no one in the castle listened to him, no one paid him much mind.

She let the boy pull her through the castle, speaking of all the different rooms and she allowed him to pull her through the grounds as well. He showed her where everyone trained to fight but him because they told him he was too little. He took her past the horses, through the gardens and into the Godswood.

"Do you pray to the seven here?" Alara had never seen a Godswood and it was beautiful. The great tree in the middle was magnificent.

"You can but mostly Northerners pray to the old Gods."

Alara had never heard of the old Gods but she did not ask the boy of who those were. She was used to the faith of the Seven, it was her faith. She did not pray often, but she did believe in the laws of the faith, which was saying something coming from the bastard daughter of a whore. She followed the boy as he continued to take her through the areas inside the walls of Wintefell. It was not nearly as large as Kings landing but Alara felt like she could lose herself among the buildings, and inside the walls. She would need a map to keep everything straight inside her head.

"This is where my brother fell." Rickon stopped her in front of a broken tower. "He used to like to climb everything but now he can't walk."

"I.." Alara did not know what to say, she knew that Lady Stark's son of ten was injured, and crippled but what could she say.

Before she could come up with something to say Rickon was pulling her along again, leading her back to the hall they were just in. He took a seat beside a fire place a small smile on his face. She was glad he was no longer the bitter boy she had encountered earlier. She hoped she could make the other child smile as well, if she did that then her job was complete. She was proud of her ability with children, something she did not even know she had.

"Where is your family?"

"Well, my mother is in Kings Landing."

Her mother was all she had for now.

"My father and sisters are there, I wonder if they like it." She could hear the sadness in his voice.

"Kings Landing is a boring place, I am sure they miss you quite terribly."

She wanted the boy to be happy, she did not want to see sadness in his eyes. She did not want his feelings over his family to turn him bitter. He was much too young to be bitter.

"What about your father, where is he?"

"He died before he could marry my mother, I never met him."

"So you are a bastard?"

He did not ask it in a negative way and she was used to being called a bastard but the words felt wrong coming from a child.

"I am."

"I have a bastard brother named Jon, my father raised him here with us."

Alara had never heard of such a thing, then again she only knew the bastards of her own kind. Bastards whose parents were not noble, or did not care it acknowledge them. She was different but she still counted herself among the bastards who never got acknowledged, though that would soon hopefully change.

"My Lord, why don't we give Alara some time alone and I believe Bran would like to see you." Maester Luwin came and interrupted the pair.

Alara could see Rickon did not wish to leave, but Alara saw the look on the Maester's face. The man wanted Rickon to give her space but she did not need space. She was in a strange place and finding kindest, even in a child, was comforting for her. Rickon did as he was told and ran off leaving her alone with the Maester for a moment.

"Miss you had a long journey and if you wish there are hot springs that appear here naturally if you wish to relax form the trip." Maester Luwin said nothing more leaving her there confused.

Wintrfell was such a different place than her home. She did not even know if they had a brothel in their small town outside, and they had such a tiny sept for the faith of the Seven. She used to seeing Baelor's sept in the city, and seeing all the brothels that filled the street. Hypocrisy at it's finest.

When she was left alone in the hall Alara did not know what to do with herself. She could go find the hot springs the Maester mentioned, something about warm water made her smile. It had been some time since she had bathed, she was sure the water would feel good on her skin. As she was going to leave she noticed her plate and Rickon's was still on the table, she felt guilty leaving a mess. She bent over the table and began cleaning as someone approached her from behind. Alara let out a holler as a man's hand reached around her and groped her breasts.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Alara whirled around to face a handsome man, but something in his smile turned her stomach.

"I am Theon Greyjoy, son of Lord Balon Greyjoy, heir to the Iron Islands. You need better manners kitchen wench."

"I am no kitchen wench, and you need to learn to keep your hands to yourself."

Alara was sure she would not have minded the man's hands upon her in a different time and place. As she looked him over she saw how handsome he was but even still his attitude was horrid. She did not know who the Greyjoy family was but they did not seem polite to her.

"I have manners. If you are a not a servant then who are you?" She watched his eyes scan down her body.

"My name is Alara, and I was sent here by order of Lady Stark to look after her young sons." She was not formal, she would not give this boy her respect.

"I heard a passing mention of you, a bastard and the daughter of a whore."

He called her a bastard as if it was poison and she wanted to punch him. The sword she had gained earlier had been taken by the man who brought her to Winterfell, so she could not stab him. She knew who she was, she knew who her mother was, but that did not give this man a right to speak to her as some kind of vermin. She had never been treated such a way, no one had spoken to her in such a way.

"I am a bastard and my mother is a whore. There is nothing wrong with who my mother is."

She would not allow this boy to look down on her mother. He may have been the son of some lord but that did not make him better than her. He did not have the right to go around groping women and then speaking down to them in such a way.

"You.."

"Theon."

They were interrupted by Maester Luwin and Alara was beginning to wonder if the man was watching her. He seemed to show up whenever someone brought up her family, and once more Maester Luwin shooed someone from the room. Though this time instead of shooing who was with her Maester Luwin shooed her from the room. He told her to take his advice and pointed her in the direction of the hot springs.

Alara found her way after much difficulty, which made the thought of soaking in hot water all that much better. The hot springs were empty and for a moment Alara felt lost even more. She had found comfort in Lady Stark, in Bronn but they were both stripped away from her. She was leagues away from home, the furthest she could be from her mother and Gendry. She did not have Lord Baelish's guidance, and the only person to truly be kind to her was no doubt tucked in bed. She found no peace in being alone, not this time.

She stripped herself of everything before she dipped her foot into the warm water. She was reminded for a moment of the night she said goodbye to Gendry, the moments they spent in the Blackwater bay. The hot spring was much warmer but it felt colder without Gendry's arms around her. She would have loved to love him, would have faked it if it meant she could have been there with him. She knew he was the best chance she had at having a family, a family of her own.

Alara tried to push the thoughts of Gendry, the thoughts of home, out of her head and just relaxed. The water was calming, warm and soothing as she sat there. She was not scared as she was in the bay, the water was not nearly as deep, she had nothing to worry about. She did not worry about giant wolves, shadow cats or hill tribes, she just focused on the feeling of the water. She did not worry about the man who put his hands upon her breasts, she did not worry about a thing.

"Don't move." The worry came back as Alara felt the cold sting of a sword on her throat.