MEERA
Tuesday after she got off from work, Meera was very surprised to see Bran outside The Northern Herald building with his car again.
After the things that happened the night before with her parents suddenly showing up unannounced, Meera was glad Bran was able to meet her folks. They were still somewhat skeptical of him, but they seemed to like how courteous and respectful he was.
The one thing that bothered Meera about last night was the conversation she accidentally heard from her parents. Something about a car accident in a snowstorm twenty-five years ago and someone named Lya.
"Hey," Bran smiled as he greeted, then gave her a peck on her cheek.
"Branflakes, what are you doing here?" She asked.
"Picking you up," Bran shrugged. "Unless you've got something else to do, then—"
"No, no, I'm not," She interrupted. "I'm good for the rest of the day. But I'll be working overtime tomorrow though. We lost a colleague today and all the things he left behind were distributed amongst us."
"Someone quit?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No, someone died in the workplace earlier."
Bran's eyes widened. "What?"
Remembering what had happened earlier was still creepy. The Sports Editor, Owen Norrey, had died in the workplace.
He seemed to be taking a nap on his table. When his assistant called him that it was lunch break, he didn't respond. The assistant then came inside his office to tap his shoulder to wake him up, but still no response. When he finally pulled the chair away from the table in another attempt to wake him up, Owen fell to the floor. Medics were called in check on him, but he was gone. They said he died of an aneurysm.
After lunch, both the management and the HR department called for an emergency seminar in the function halls called Grief in the Workplace. It discussed the office protocols on what the company and its employees should do when an employee dies on the job—just the thing they need after eating their lunch. When they were asked to return to work, all the cubicle partitions and dividers and even their desk tables were rearranged. Though, they had mentioned it in the seminar as one of the protocols.
"Scary, I know," Meera said. "And Lyra is convinced that his ghost will now haunt the office." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, why are you picking me up?"
Bran sighed and scratched his head. "I need your help," He said. "I would've said something last night but your parents were there, so I just dropped it."
"I'm listening," She waited.
"Well, they said I have the highest distinction," He started. "They want me to do some sort of inspirational speech and they want to check it by Thursday just to make sure I'm not sabotaging the school system or anything. And you're a journalist, so if I'm a grammar nazi, you're probably—"
"A spelling, capitalization and a punctuation nazi?" She finished. "Yes, I am. And don't worry, I'll help you. When should we start?" She asked.
"Great!" Bran beamed. "We'll start right after we're eating dinner."
"But, Bran," She said. "Let's not eat at a fancy restaurant this time."
"Fine, the Cornucopia then?"
"Sure," Meera smiled. "Let's go then."
Bran started to reach out his hand on the car's shotgun door, but she made a face at him. She hated being treated like she can't handle stuff.
He raised his hand in surrender. "Okay, I'm not touching the door because you can do it yourself."
"Thank you." Meera said as she opened the car's shotgun door before going inside.
They got the grilled pork baby back ribs, pork shish kebabs, fruit kebabs, and had strawberry milkshakes.
Afterwards, they drove to the Aquamarine, where Wex gave them a grin and an eyebrow raised when Bran held her hand as they walked towards the elevators.
As they entered the penthouse, they were greeted by Summer, jumping and wagging his tail playfully.
"Hey, bud!" Bran said as he knelt only to be knocked down to the floor from Summer constantly jumping at him.
Meera giggled. "Hi Summer," She greeted, gently patting his head, then turned to Bran. "I thought you said your Mom didn't allow you to take him here again."
"Nope," He answered. "But last night, after I got home from dinner at your place, I came home to my sister Arya with Nymeria and Summer." He recalled. "She had to take Summer here because she barely had any sleep from him howling all night. And when he howled, Nymeria also howled with him."
"Aww," Meera stroke Summer's hide. "He just missed you, that's all."
"Arya also said she slept on the divan couch in the hallway," He pointed out. "Because they wouldn't stop howling."
Summer then started whimpering.
"Oh, I know that look," Bran said. "You're hungry and you want food."
Summer started running in circles and barked while wagging his tail. Food! Yes, I want food! He seemed to say. Give me food!
"Coming right up," He pulled out his phone, and did a few swipes.
They then heard dog food being poured onto the feeder, making Summer ran towards the kitchen.
Beren was in the living room, sitting on the couch, watching Webiflex on the flatscreen with boxes of pizza on the coffee table.
"Hi, Beren," Meera greeted.
"Oh, hey, Meera," Beren looked surprised, then nodded at Bran. "Bran, you guys want pizza?" He asked.
"No, we're good," Bran declined.
"We just ate, actually." She added.
"You're sober and not partying," Bran noticed. "It's a miracle."
"Well, I took your advice," Beren said. "Just wait until we get our diplomas. So, today is Day 2 of abstinence."
Bran snorted. "Keep it up."
Beren turned to Meera. "Oh, by the way, Meera," He said. "You work in The Northern Herald, right? Is it true that an employee died on the job?" He asked.
"How in seven hells did you know about that?" Bran wondered.
"Well, Talia mentioned it earlier," Beren recalled. "She said her brother's girlfriend told her."
"Yes, it's true," Meera confirmed. "He looked like he was just taking a nap. And when someone woke him up, he just fell to the floor. When the medics came, they pronounced him dead."
Bran had then led her towards the stairs. "Let's go just upstairs."
"Ooh," Beren said. "If you guys are gonna do what I think you're gonna do, don't worry," He assured. "I'll pretend to not hear anything."
Bran threw one of the throw pillows on the couches to Beren. "She's just gonna help me with the speech everyone is forcing me to do."
"Alright, jeez," Beren held his hand in surrender, "I'm kidding."
Bran led Meera up to his room. He made sure to turn on the lights, of course. Because the last time they were both alone in his room, they were stripping each others' clothes and did stuff on the bed.
But this time, he merely needed her help in composing his stupid speech for the grad rites. So if it's possible, he'll have to refrain kissing her.
He let her sit on his swivel chair by his desk and he went to remove his shoes. Then he took the nearest ottoman, placed it next to her by the desk and sat on it.
"Okay, so" Meera started as she took a pen from her bag. "Speeches always start with greetings." She said. "But of course, you'll have to acknowledge the important people. School officials, government officials—"
"Wait, do I have to acknowledge my Dad as Governor Stark?" He interjected.
"That's up to you," She replied. "But to you, he falls under the parents category."
It took them an hour and a half to compose his grad inspirational speech. Bran read it out loud for Meera to hear and after he was done, she clapped her hands.
"Well done," Meera said. "But remember that your attention should be on the audience, like you're interacting with them and not on the paper on the podium. Familiarize that whole thing, it's okay to take glimpses but yeah. You're good."
"This is different, okay?" He insisted. "It's just you listening. Not hundreds of people."
"Oh, you'll be fine." She assured, then sighed. "If you ever get nervous or feel like you wanna throw up, just find me in the audience. I'll help you get through it."
Bran smiled, then gave her a peck on her cheek. "Thank you," He said gratefully.
"Oh, it's nothing," She shrugged. "It's all in a day's work."
He caressed her cheek with his hand before kissing her on her lips.
Then she broke apart from him, stood from her seat and sat on Bran's lap before kissing him again.
Bran seemed startled at first, but went with it as he kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her waist.
The only thing keeping her from straddling him was her pencil skirt. Meera then wrapped her arms around his neck as she explored him with her tongue.
He moaned into the kiss, then moved down to her neck, biting and sucking a spot on it.
"Bran," She called breathlessly.
"Hmm," He asked, still sucking spots on her neck.
"I can't really move in these clothes." She pointed out.
"Then we'll take it off, and move to the bed."
Meera's eyes widened at his words. She did not expect that at all. "I thought you'd never ask."
They went back to exploring tongues as one of Bran's arms went to her back and the other went under the back of her legs. She understood what it meant, he was gonna carry her.
All of a sudden, he stood and walked towards the bed with her clutching and hanging on to him. He gently settled her by the foot of the bed, then started taking off the buttoned sweater she wore over her light blue long-sleeved blouse.
Meera tugged the end of Bran's long-sleeved shirt and he began removing it without question. As Bran went shirtless, she rubbed her hands down his chest, over his stomach, down to his trousers. She then undid his belt and tugged open his trousers' zipper.
As his trousers fell to the floor, he was left in his boxers. And Meera took advantage of the situation as she cupped the bulge of his throbbing cock against his boxers.
Bran clutched her shirt and pulled it from his skirt in which it was tucked in. He had then started unbuttoning it down to the last button.
They kissed again, before breaking free and locking eyes. Aligning his face with hers, he gently brushed his nose against hers and gave a hint of a smile.
Meera giggled before pushing Bran to the bed, surprising him.
As Bran was seated on the bed, she gave her a puzzled look.
"Let's try something new, shall we?" She said as she took off her unbuttoned blouse and then her skirt.
Bran gulped. "Ooh, that's interesting. I'm liking what I see."
She smirked as she started stripping off her underwear. "Hmm, now take your bloody boxers off. I'm not gonna do that for you."
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
Once Bran took off his boxers, his cock popped up fully erected. Then he leaned back, had his arms spread out behind him, supporting his weight.
He smiled at her wickedly before crooking a finger, motioning for her to come closer.
Meera crawled on top of him making Bran bite his lip for half a heartbeat before pulling her closer to him. And not long, their lips touched again.
They were once again both naked on his bed.
She then began stroking his member with her hand, making him muffle a scream. "Godsdammit, that feels so good."
Meera then lowered herself, gripping his cock firmly.
"Uh, what are you doing?" He asked.
"You'll see." She then engulfed his cockhead in her mouth and tasted it with her tongue.
"Meera—oh my gods!" He groaned as he drew his head back.
She pulled his cock out of her mouth. "Hey," She whispered. "Do you want Beren to hear us?"
"This room is soundproof," Bran assured. "And I locked the door, so it's fine."
"In that case, brace yourself." Meera winked then went back to his member.
She moved her head back and forth across his member, pushing more and more of his cock into her mouth. Picking up the speed, she could hear Bran's moans getting louder.
"Oh my gods—hmmpf!" Bran moaned as he gripped the sheets.
Meera kept bobbing her head back and forth as fast as she could.
"Hmm—fuck!" He screamed as he slowly stroked her head, pushing part of her hair behind her ear.
She had never given anyone a head before and she wasn't sure if she was any good at it or not. But glancing up at Bran, with his eyes closed, his head drawn back and his soft moans, he seemed to be enjoying it.
"Meera," Bran said in a small voice. "Agh! I'm close."
Just as Meera pulled his cock from her mouth, he spurted. And a length of white warm cum sprayed across her face.
Bran looked embarrassed. "Sorry." He apologized, then reached out to one of his nightstand's drawers for a pack of wet wipes.
Meera took one and wiped herself clean off his cum.
Afterwards, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her.
She had then wrapped her arms around his neck and she climbed onto his lap, straddling him.
Bran leaned back and stared at her, smiling. "Damn, you're so beautiful." He blurted out.
Meera raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? You're choosing now to tell me that?" She said.
He turned red in embarrassment. "Um, no!" He protested. "I mean, I meant it, but not because we're—" He started to say.
Meera placed a finger before his lips, interrupting him. "Shh." She said. "Stop talking."
Bran traced his hands from her hips up to her waists, then higher to her bare breasts, gently caressing them. Her breasts aren't really that big, and she considered them to be smaller than average, but she loved the way Bran played with them.
He began kissing her neck, and went lower to her shoulder, to her collar bone and finally to her breasts, sucking one of her nipples into his mouth as he pinched the other earnestly, making her groan loud.
She panted as she raked her hands through his auburn hair. Then she pushed him backwards, and he lay with his back flat on the bed with her climbing over him, locking her knees tight to his sides.
"Wow." He said, gawking at her. Then chuckled and let her do her thing.
She rubbed her hands down his chest, over the ridges of his tight stomach, down to his member and gave him a wicked grin. "Just relax." She assured.
Meera perched one hand on his shoulder and used the other hand to position his hardened cock at her entrance, but Bran sat up and stopped her.
"Wait, wait," Bran interrupted. "We can't—I mean, not without protection." He went back to reaching his nightstand and took a box of condoms.
"Since when did you have a stash of that?" She asked.
"I bought some yesterday, before I went home." He explained as he rolled. "I figured I couldn't just keep taking some from Beren."
"Oh my gods," Meera's eyes widened. "You what?"
"I know it sounds stupid but—"
"Shh, it's fine." Meera assured. "I get it. And honestly, I think I should start taking birth control pills. You wanna know why?"
"Why?"
"Because I want to feel you without a piece of rubber between us." She said as she pushed him back, laying him flat on the bed, then whispered on his ear. "I want to feel you bare."
Meera then slowly impaled herself on his cock.
"Meera…" He moaned as he gripped her hips hard.
By the time she was able to catch her breath, Meera began rolling her hips and rode him. She pulled herself up and dropped back down, making Bran shut his eyes and roll his head back onto the bed.
Meera panted and had her mouth dropped open and submitted to the unbearable pleasure.
Suddenly, Bran sat up and caught her mouth in a kiss and soon enough, their tongues were exploring each other's. He moved his hands down to her arse, grabbing and squeezing it firmly and guiding her movements, making his length enter deeper and deeper than the last.
She broke free from their kiss. "Oh my gods!" She grunted.
Bran smirked. "I reckon you like that."
She opened her mouth. No words came out but a moan. It felt so incredibly good and satisfying that she couldn't utter a word except moan.
His lips slowly inched down to the curve of her breasts and licked her nipple as it got even harder than before. Later on, he began biting her nipples, which made her groan even louder before she could stop herself. He bit them softly at first, and then just hard enough to make her feel pain that she thoroughly enjoyed.
Meera again wrapped her arms around his neck as she continued riding him.
All of a sudden, one of Bran's knees sprung up, startling her. He rolled them over, using his weight and pinned her beneath him. Now he was on top of her.
"Even until now, you still manage to surprise me." She remarked.
Bran shrugged. "You'll get used to it." He said as he spread her legs wider.
"Wait, don't—ugh!" She gasped as he thrust into her hard.
He gripped her hips and pounded harder and faster into her than he ever did before, making her gasp and moan involuntarily at every thrust.
Meera shut her eyes and arched into the surge. "Bran, oh my gods!" She said, out of breath. "Seven fucking hells, don't stop!" She pleaded. "Please—don't stop—agh!"
Bran started sucking and biting on her neck again, before going down to her breasts, making her scream uncontrollably. He was aggressive and dominating and she liked it.
Even if she bit her lip to keep herself from screaming as she dug her nails on his back. She couldn't help but moan out in pain and pleasure at how good it felt. And Bran thrusting harder and faster wasn't helping at all.
"Meera," Bran whispered next to her ear, still drilling into her. "You feel so fucking incredible." He said.
Hearing him say that, turned her on and made her smile. Bran had then removed his hand from clamping her mouth and kissed her.
They once again, explored each others' tongues as Bran grabbed both her wrist and pinned them on the bed. He continued fucking her harder and faster making her moan into the kiss.
The more he pounded into her, the more painful it's becoming and her legs started shaking uncontrollably. But despite it being painful, it still felt so good.
Suddenly, Bran broke free from the kiss, let go of her wrists and grabbed her hips. He thrust faster then went as deep as he spurted into the condom, coming hard. Meera came hard as well, but she can't remember how many times she did. She had lost count.
Bran collapsed on top of her, both of them breathless.
"Oh, gods," Meera spoke up as she stroke his back with her hand. "That definitely took an unexpected turn." She chuckled.
"But you were incredible either way." Bran murmured, then kissed her forehead before pulling himself out of her and lying beside her on the bed.
"Well, I'm with the Brandon Stark," She said as she used his arm as a pillow. "I have to be." She frowned. "By the way, Brandon is a common Northern name. Didn't your parents ever thought of other names to separate you from the other Brandons in the North?"
"That's why they call me Bran for short." He said as he pulled the covers on them. "But I've also thought about that. Then they explained that I'm named in my uncle's memory. My Dad's deceased brother, he died in a bombing in the capital with my grandfather years ago."
"So you and your siblings are all named after deceased family members?" She asked.
"Sort of," He said. "Well, at least me and my sisters are."
"Arya and Sansa?"
"Well, we each have two names." He explained. "And all of us boys have the same second name, Eddard. After our Dad, which our Mom added."
"So you're full name would be, Brandon Eddard T. Stark."
"Yes, and my sisters have different second names." He continued. "The name Sansa came from some female ancestor generations ago and her second name, Lyarra was from our grandmother, Dad's Mom, who died giving birth to my Dad's youngest sibling, my Uncle Benjen."
"And Arya?" She asked.
"My Mom mentioned that Arya was the name my Aunt Lyanna wanted to name when she will have a daughter, but she had a son instead. My cousin, Jon." Bran recalled. "It was also a name from some female ancestor. I think it's my Dad's grandmother from the Flint Clan. Her second name, Lyanna was after my Dad's sister. She died years ago, before we were born. It's kinda scary because some of our staff said Arya looks like our Aunt Lyanna. Our old housekeeper even calls her Lya, the same way she calls our aunt that."
Lya, there was that name again. Maybe it's the same Lya her parents were talking about. But then again, Lyanna was also a common Northern name.
Meera cleared her throat. "How did your Aunt Lyanna died again?"
"Oh, it happened like twenty years ago, I think," Bran remembered. "Oh, wait, my cousin, Jon is twenty-five so it's twenty-five years ago. And I don't really know much because our Dad never talked about it. All I know is she died in a car accident during a snowstorm in Moat Cailin, clutching the then baby Jon."
Oh my gods! Meera mentally screamed. Everything fits. The name Lya, the car accident in a snowstorm, twenty-five years ago. Bingo! The question now is, how were her parents involved? Maybe Ned Stark has been giving her parents the cold shoulder after what happened to Lyanna, who knows.
Meera was so deep in thought that she hadn't notice Bran calling her name several times.
"Meera?" Bran called. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," She assured. "It's just…it's so tragic."
"I know," He said. "My Dad lost three family members within two years."
She cleaned herself up in the bathroom and put on her clothes before Bran drove her back home.
That night she couldn't sleep because of the conversation she heard from her parents the night before and the things she learned from Bran earlier.
Meera wanted to find the answers but didn't know where. So she got up from her bed, walked to her desk and opened her laptop. She went to the most common source: The Internet.
She opened a new tab on her browser. On the google search bar, she typed in the keywords: Lya snowstorm 283AC. And of course, it tried to correct her. Did you mean: Lyanna snowstorm 283AC.
Sure enough, the top article on the page was a news article from The Northern Herald.
1 Dead in a Zero-Visibility Blizzard in Moat Cailin, the heading of the article said. The one scary thing about the article was because it had a picture of Lyanna Stark, and she looks exactly like her niece, Arya—from her dark brown hair, grey eyes, right down to her smile.
Then the rest of its content follows:
Over the week, three deaths were reported due to the blizzards. Friday morning, the snowstorm yet again claimed another life as it hit the Neck. The victim named, Lyanna Stark, who was then on her way to White Harbor with her six-month-old son when the car severed sideways and hit the median strip. The car was said to be borrowed from a friend, to which the DMV stated that it was registered to Howland Reed. It took a while for the first responders to get to the scene due to the storm. They found Stark clutching her son from the wreckage. She was then declared dead on arrival at the Moat Cailin District Hospital. Stark's son, Aegon was now placed in the custody of the former's brother, Eddard Stark.
"Oh my gods," She gasped. Meera's father had tried to help Lyanna Stark by lending her his car, but she died in a car accident. Though it still doesn't add up on how Ned Stark supposedly cut ties with her father, or how he is involved in everything she just read.
Plus, she spotted a flaw in it. According to Bran, his cousin's name was Jon. But this news article said it was Aegon. Then she remembered Bran also telling her that he and his siblings all have second names, so that's probably the case.
She continued reading:
But after the deaths of the late governor, Rickard Stark, his son, Brandon and 8 others in King's Landing—dubbed as 'Massacre of Wolves', last year orchestrated by the assassinated former president Aerys Targaryen, others are questioning whether her death is plotted by Targaryen loyalists or an act of the gods.
"Massacre of Wolves?" Meera repeated. She then googled it and two articles from The Northern Herald were highlighted. She opened them in another tab.
The first news article read: Northern Governor Killed in King's Landing Bombing.
The rest of its content said:
Governor Rickard Stark traveled with his convoy and staff to the capital for the annual State of the Nation's address of the President. On their way back North just as they were leaving King's Landing, all five van convoys exploded instantly killing 10 people, including the Northern Governor, Rickard Stark, and injuring 15 others.
Among the victims were the governor's son, Brandon and their staff namely: Martyn Cassel, Willam Dustin, Ethan Glover, Theo Wull, Mark Ryswell, Kyle Royce, Elbert Arryn, and Jeffory Mallister. 15 others were injured and were taken to a hospital.
KLPD chief Manly Stokeworth speculated that the bombs were planted under the convoy vans while parked amidst the President's State of the Nation's Address as nothing suspicious was found or detected when they were checked. It was then triggered as the governor and his party were leaving the capital. Rebels and political rivals were suspected to have masterminded the bombing. Thus, further investigations ensue.
The second news article she opened had the headline: President Targaryen, Alleged Mastermind behind the Massacre of Wolves. And its contents said:
The King's Landing Bombing is now dubbed as the 'Massacre of Wolves', as most of the victims were Northmen. Three weeks after the incident, a whistleblower came forward and pointed a finger at the president of the country himself.
The whistleblower, Qarlton Chelsted, a former employee of the president, having only resigned after the bombing, claims that he did not want to be involved but was forced to reveal the truth out of his conscience.
"This saddens me to inform you that he is, in fact, the instigator of everything that happened." Chelsted had said, "He may already have hired assassins to kill me now, but it's alright. Before he does, the truth has to come out."
Chelsted revealed that he instructed three White Cloaks to plant bombs under Governor Stark's convoys. All three of the presidential guards also came forward and claimed they only did it by the president's orders, no questions asked as it was their jobs to do so. Chelsted also revealed that all that happened was simply a stunt for the president to prove to his eldest son that he was skeptical about Northmen.
President Targaryen had denied all the accusations against him. "The opposition would say anything to put me in the red light and I'm not surprised. Chelsted is a former employee who got mad because he was fired. Simple."
But suspicions were raised when two of the presidential guards, who had agreed to stand witness, died mysteriously before being placed in the Witness Protection Program. It also only fueled protests in the North to impeach the president.
Northern Vice Governor—now Acting Governor, Jon "Greatjon" Umber, directly called Pres. Targaryen a coward in a presscon. "The law excuses no one, not even you [Pres. Targaryen]! If you are indeed not involved from these accusations, you shouldn't be hiding from the towers of the Red Keep, you should be out there proving your innocence." Governor Umber had then urged the Congress for a move to impeach the president and have him tried for mass murder.
The President was then placed under house arrest by the Supreme Court when his own son, Rhaegar Targaryen came forward with a 6-minute audio recording of his conversation with his father admitting the truth to him, confirming Chelsted's story about Pres. Targaryen's skeptical discrimination on Northmen. The presidential son, who was dating the late governor's daughter, Lyanna Stark, expressed his sorrow and recent over his father's actions. "My father did a lot of things in his term, but this is something beyond us." He had said in a press interview. "They were right, the law excuses no one. And for that, he has to go through trials just like any ordinary citizen. Only the gods hold his fate now."
"Holy shit!" She exclaimed. Meera only realized now that there are a lot of things that were not taught to them in history classes in school.
At the bottom of the page, three suggested news articles caught her attention, so she opened them on other tabs.
The first one's headline said: The Riverlands and Vale Join the North in their Revolt Against the Targaryen Administration, Threats of Civil War engulfs. And it even had an image of the regional flags of the North, Vale, and Riverlands placed side by side. The rest of it follows:
Following the King's Landing Bombing, the whistleblowers that came forward, the region of the North had locked the borders from outsiders. Prayer rallies for the victims and political protests of impeachment were held in various Northern cities against Pres. Targaryen. But despite the accusations against him, he continues to deny them, prompting protests even in the capital city itself.
"The North remembers," Acting Governor Umber declared. "We will not take his denial lightly. Lives were lost and the people injured were traumatized. No one wants a ruthless leader who kills people for his own pleasure. Don't be a coward, you old bat. Face the consequences of your actions. You don't want an entire region against you."
Following Acting Governor Umber's statement, the Vale Governor, Jon Arryn and Riverlands Governor, Hoster Tully came forward and made declarations with the full support of their people to the North.
"My own nephew was killed in the bombing," Vale Governor, Jon Arryn had said, "President Targaryen did not just kill Northmen, he killed Valemen as well. What he did defiantly violates the law by using his seat of power to eliminate rivals in politics. Therefore, if the North will declare war on the Red Keep, the region of the Vale will stand with the North."
Riverlands Governor Hoster Tully expressed his condolences to his son-by-law, Eddard Stark, who had lost a father and a brother in the bombing, and the other victims' families. "President Targaryen should pay his debts as the law excuses no one," Governor Tully declared during a presscon. "Even if he holds the country's highest position. How heartless and impotent can a man be to resort into this kind of violence? We are not blind, and if this is the kind of leader that we have, promoting violence over peace and killing without mercy, then he can go f*ck himself. Thus, the North will have the full support of the region of the Riverlands in their campaign to oust Aerys Targaryen from his seat of power."
Rebel uprisings have been reported in the Riverlands after Tully's declaration, while the gates of the Red Keep were flooded with protestors threatening the safety of the first family.
In the second article she opened, it said: Pres. Aerys Targaryen Impeached and Charged Guilty of Mass Murder, VP Robert Baratheon Inaugurated as New President.
It had two images below the headline, placed side by side. The one on the left showed a picture of Pres. Targaryen in a Kevlar vest over his orange prisoner jumpsuit and he was in handcuffs. And he looked like he hadn't shaved for weeks. Its caption said: Pres. Targaryen impeached and charged for mass murder at the Supreme Court. While the image on the left showed a young Robert Baratheon with his two brothers. He had his right arm raised before a judge in black robes. The caption below describing the image said: VP Robert Baratheon, joined by his brothers, Stannis and Renly, takes his oath as the new president of the country before the Great Sept of Baelor with Chief Justice Lucerys Velaryon.
The content said:
Around eight in the morning, Supreme Court Chief Justice, Lucerys Velaryon released his verdict on Pres. Aerys Targaryen's cases. After the House of Representatives approved articles of impeachment on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Pres. Targaryen was also tried for mass murder due to the bombing of King's Landing that claimed 10 lives, including Governor Rickard Stark. This morning, after receiving unanimous votes from justices and the jury, he was charged guilty beyond reasonable doubt and will, therefore, suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment without pardon, parole and with the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office.
On the same day at noon, the Vice President Robert Baratheon was inaugurated as the new president of the country before the Great Sept of Baelor, with Chief Justice Lucerys Velaryon presiding. On his oath, he proclaimed:
"I, Robert Estermont Baratheon, Vice President of Westeros, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill the duties as the new President of Westeros in the service of the nation. So help me, gods."
Former Pres. Targaryen will be escorted to the Wolf's Den in the North on the following morning where he will serve his sentence for the rest of his life. In the meantime, the rest of the first family was forced to depart the Red Keep and back to their ancestral lands in Dragonstone Island.
The last article completely bothered her. The headline said: Former Pres. Targaryen Assassinated by Rebels on the way to the Wolf's Den Prison. The image below showed convoy vans barricaded and WBI people in Kevlar vests and rifles. One of the vans was surrounded by caution tapes and orange traffic cones. Its content read:
Saturday morning was while the Westeros Bureau of Investigation (WBI) and the Westeros Department of Corrections (WDOC) were escorting the former president to the Wolf's Den Prison in White Harbor, the entire entourage was ambushed by a rebel group in the Kingsroad, right before crossing the Trident River in Harroway's town northwards.
The rebel group was known as the Brotherhood Without Banners, recognized by their plain black banner. According to residents in Harroway, the rebel group doesn't follow the government but protects the common folk across the Riverlands.
Former Pres. Aerys Targaryen was shot through the head with a sniper rifle and died on the spot. Five others, who were with him in the convoy van, only suffered minor injuries.
Some speculated that the opposition or Stark loyalists orchestrated the whole incident. All parties denied the allegations. The new head of the Stark family, Eddard Stark assured that they had nothing to do with it, but did not face the media. Instead, a family friend, Howland Reed, spoke on his behalf.
"I have known the Stark family for years," Reed declared. "Not once did they ever think worse of other people. Yes, they lost family members in the bombing, but having the former president charged with a life sentence is justice enough for them."
Whilst the assassination, the former president's widow, Rhaella Targaryen, who is 8 months pregnant gave birth prematurely to a healthy baby girl. But she only lived long enough to name the newborn baby as she passed away 30 minutes after.
The firstborn son, 24-year-old Rhaegar had then regained custody of his younger siblings, including 7-year-old, Viserys. He had stated that after burying their parents, he will flee the country with his younger brother and sister to start a new life. The status of his relationship with the late governor's daughter, Lyanna Stark is still unknown.
Meera had then closed her laptop in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she had just read. There were definitely a lot of things she hadn't learned in school about it. The disturbing parts were: that Aerys Targaryen killed Northmen just to prove a point to his son; that there's a plothole to Rhaegar and Lyanna's story; and lastly, that her father is involved.
For the most part, her Dad had mentioned that he had known the Starks for years and he was very good friends with them. But somehow, cut ties with them for twenty-five years. She still didn't understand.
It kept her up late for the past three days. Meera considered calling her Dad, but she felt like her father would just evade the question and change the topic. So it's better if she just confronted him head-on, that way he'll have no excuse.
Saturday came, and as Jojen ate his breakfast, Meera was ironing Jojen's black toga and the mint green graduation hood when their parents came.
Their Mom, Jyana went straight to Jojen, who was at the table eating his breakfast and planted kisses on his forehead.
"Aww, my baby boy is graduating." Jyana said.
"Mom, I'm eating." Jojen complained.
"Oh, come on, Jojen," Meera chuckled. "This kind of thing doesn't happen everyday. Just finish your tea so we can go."
As Jojen finished his tea, Meera approached her parents, who were all dressed up and sitting on the couch waiting for them.
"Mom, Dad," She spoke up. "I wanna talk to you about something."
"Sure, sweetie," Her Dad said. "What is it?"
"It's about the Starks and—" Meera started to say.
Their parents' facial expressions were like, here we go. Like they were trying to think of a way to change the topic or try to do something to avoid talking about it.
"I'm ready!" Jojen yelled, clutching her toga and grad hood as he got into the living room. "Let's go."
She instantly saw her parents' sigh of relief as her father stood up with a smile.
"Well, as much as I would love to chat with you, sweetie," Howland said. "We're going to be late. We have to go, now."
Meera shrugged. "I guess."
As they left for UWH, Meera promised herself that she's going to print all those news articles she had read as further proof if their parents try to deny anything. And she will have to talk to Bran about it too.
BRAN
After meeting Meera's parents, Bran became determined and eager to introduce her to his parents. But since they were back home in Winterfell, he would just have to do it during his graduation rites.
He was in lively spirits when he left the Reeds' flat. He ordered two boxes of pizza, drove to a pharmacy and bought a box of condoms before heading home that night. But as he entered the penthouse, he was surprised to see his dog, Summer greeting him at the front door.
"Summer?" Bran said as he knelt and scratched Summer's neck. "How are you here, buddy?"
"Oh, fuck!" He could hear Beren groaning from the living room.
And then, there was his sister Arya's laughter. "Try to move and you're dead." She responded.
"Come on, Stark!" Beren complained. "Just let me out!"
At that point, Bran's imagination was getting wild so he sprinted to the living room. He found his sister, Arya, with her dog, Nymeria, and his roommate Beren in an intense videogame tournament.
Apparently, Arya's character got Beren's character trapped in a blindspot out of Arya's sniper range. And they were both focused on the flatscreen with their videogame consoles.
"Hey, guys," He greeted. "I bought pizza."
"Oh, hey, Bran," Beren said.
"Headshot!" Arya yelled in delight.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Beren said, dropping his videogame console.
"Woohoo!" Arya smiled wickedly. "No one has ever beaten me."
Beren turned to Bran. "This the third game we had and I have never won against your sister." He grumbled. "I mean, how is that possible?"
"I know, man," Bran assured. "We all went there. Unless you give Jon the console, then you'll have a chance."
"Jon isn't here," Arya argued. "So it doesn't matter." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, it took you a while to get home, little brother. Were you on a date with Meera again?" She asked.
"Technically, no," He said as he settled the boxes of pizza on the coffee table. "It's more like a dinner date with her parents."
"You met her parents?" Beren asked as he opened one of the boxes and took a slice of pizza.
"They sort of made a surprise visit," He explained. "And they seemed really nice. Meera even said they like me."
"Well, that's good news," Arya said, then took a bite from her slice of pizza.
"What about you?" Bran asked. "What are you doing here, hmm?"
"I came to bring you Summer, obviously," Arya replied. "I cannot stand him howling all night. Then this one—" She pointed at Nymeria. "—decided to howl with him, which makes the noise twice as loud and worse. And I slept on the divan couch at the end of the hallway the entire night."
"You what?"
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Robb or Dad." She insisted. "And when Mom found out, she agreed to have me take Summer back with you."
"Thanks," He said. "I guess."
"Well, after I won three games against Tallhart Number Four," Arya pointed out. "And right after finishing this box, I'll be heading home."
The following day after grad practice, Bran once again drove to The Northern Herald just in time for Meera as she got off from work.
Bran had two reasons why he was there. First, it's because he missed her and he loved spending time with her. And the second reason was sort of, a solution to the first. He needed her help in writing a speech for the graduation rites. Sure, he could write a paper on his own, but Meera's a journalist. He figured she can spot grammar and punctuation mistakes better than he can.
That night, after she helped him with his speech, Bran ended up sleeping with her—which was not part of the plan. But it was a good thing he bought that box of condoms because it'll be embarrassing if he took another one from Beren's stash and he'll tease him about it.
The next succeeding days to graduation, he hadn't seen Meera since she'd been very busy with work and the guy who died on the job won't be replaced until next week. But he called and exchanged text messages with Meera before they both went to sleep and he had promised her that he will introduce her to his parents on his graduation.
Bran had also cleaned the other vacant bedrooms as his sisters have mentioned that they would be staying overnight. So by Friday night, he had placed bedsheets over the mattresses, pillowcases on the pillows, and comforters for blankets.
As for Beren, he had already packed up his stuff as he'll be moving back to Torrhen's Square on the same day.
When graduation day finally came, Bran was both excited and nervous at the same time. Excited, because another chapter in his life closes and another one opens. And nervous, because of the speech he had to make in front of an audience and there's of course, introducing Meera to his family.
Bran and Beren were eating their breakfast when their family came.
"What up, B's!" Rickon's voice echoed through the penthouse.
"Hey, little Stark," Beren gave Rickon a high five.
"Your family's here too."
Bran's entire family was there, his parents, Ned and Catelyn; his brothers, Robb and Rickon; his sisters, Arya and Sansa; and even his cousin, Jon, and foster brother, Theon Greyjoy. Beren's family was also with them, his parents, Leobald and Berena Tallhart; and his older brother, Brandon.
They greeted each other as they entered the penthouse. And their dogs were there too.
Ned and Catelyn sometimes visited them back when there were more of them staying in the Aquamarine. When Robb, Theon, Sansa, and Arya were in college, Bran and Rickon would always come with their parents.
The visits stopped when only Bran was left in the penthouse. And since then, he was the one doing the adjusting. He would always visit his family in Winterfell. He went home on the weekends, but as the school year progressed he became more and more busy. And that's why they allowed a roommate to stay with him so he won't be alone.
And with Rickon starting college in the fall, their parents allowed Bran to stay in the Aquamarine so he can review for the boards and also so he can watch over his wild little brother.
Their Moms showered them with kisses, much to Beren's dismay. Then their parents began chatting with each other in the living room, talking about politics and business, while Robb and Jon were also catching up with Brandon and Beren Tallhart just by the kitchen. And Rickon, Arya, and Sansa were in the kitchen.
Rickon and Arya went directly to the fridge and rummaged for a quick snack.
"You people have no food." Rickon complained.
"They have food," Arya argued. "What the fuck do you call these?" She said, gesturing to the contents in the refrigerator. "They're fresh ingredients so you'll have to make from scratch."
But then Arya opened the freezer and pulled out a Minisa's Ice Cream solo cup in a Cookies n' Cream flavor, making Rickon's eyes widen in surprise.
"Ooh, ice cream!" Rickon screamed in delight. "Now, where do you keep the spoons?"
"Rickon, you just ate." Sansa spoke up.
Rickon shrugged. "I'm hungry again."
Then suddenly, Theon entered the penthouse with their security team headed by Jory Cassel. And they were carrying a sort of, bellhop cart similar to the one in hotels, will all their stuff.
Bran frowned at them. "Um, how many days are you guys staying here?" He asked.
"Just overnight." Robb answered.
"Overnight?" He repeated, then glanced at his family like they were kidding, then at the luggage, then back at them. "You looked like you packed for a week."
"Um, hello?" Sansa interrupted, waving her hands at him. "There's like eight of us."
"Yeah, and Sansa has like, three bags," Arya interjected. "And it's kinda self-explanatory."
"No, I don't," Sansa argued. "For the record, I only have two."
"Oh, of course," Arya laughed, mockingly. "Because one bag contains your actual clothes and the other has all your skincare, makeup and all that organic shit you put in your hair."
They all knew it was gonna turn into an argument between them, so Robb and Jon had to step in.
"Okay," Jon spoke up. "That's enough arguing."
"Can you both please, keep it together for a day?" Robb pleaded. "We're all here for Bran's graduation not for your bickering."
. . .
Afterwards, they all headed to the UWH Auditorium where the commencement rites will be held.
Most of the candidates for graduation were gathered outside the auditorium with their families.
Their graduation gowns and caps were black, of course. But the hoods they had on were of different colors, and each color represents the field of the degree that they had finished. Bran's was orange since he was in the engineering field. He vaguely remembered her older siblings' hood colors, Robb's was purple as he finished Law; Sansa's and Theon's were dirty yellow as they were in the Commerce, Accountancy and Business field, and Arya's was a brown as she finished Architecture—it's how their parents found out she took a different program a week before graduation because hers had a different hood color from Sansa's.
Before the ceremony, was also the time where families met families. Or in other people's cases, their significant others' families.
Bran recognized his friends among the crowd, Lyanna Mormont had a purple hood and was with her four sisters, and they met the Tallharts—as Dacey Mormont was dating Brandon Tallhart, Beren's brother. Beren had a dirty yellow hood because he was in the business program.
He also spotted the Reeds by the oak tree. Meera was fixing Jojen's mint green grad hood. And Meera, well, she looked so beautiful in her green dress.
Meera spotted her across the crowd and smiled and waved at him. He wanted to approach her but they were already told to go inside.
And as they did, Bran heard his father, Ned grunted. "I can't believe they're here again." He complained.
"Ned," Catelyn scolded. "Would you please pull yourself together? It's your son's graduation, for the Seven's sake!" She reminded him.
"First, I find out his daughter is in Robb's year." Ned continued. "And now his son is in Bran's year. I mean, I don't even know if the fates are trying to tell me something."
"Ned." Catelyn gritted her teeth, the way she does when she's angry but they're in public and it's as if she's saying, I'll deal with you when we get home. Also, she gave his Dad her famous death glare like she's saying, Not now!
Ned took a deep breath. "Right, sorry." He said, then forced out a smile.
As for the march and the seats, the graduates were arranged alphabetically by their last name, regardless of their fields of study. Normally, they were accompanied by a maximum of two persons during the march and occasionally, those positions were filled in by the parents.
Other guests were already seated inside, the same thing with his brothers and sisters while his parents stood on either side of Bran.
"So, your girlfriend is here, am I right?" His Dad, Ned spoke up.
Bran frowned at his Dad. "How did you know—"
"Your sisters mentioned it."
He huffed. "And I thought Rickon was the most talkative."
His Mom chuckled. "Brandon, you can't blame your father for wanting to meet her." She pointed out. "As I've said, it's very rare for both your sisters to agree on anything. And when they do, I consider it a good sign."
"And if they liked her," Ned interjected. "There's a very high chance that we'll like her too."
The ceremony with the march of graduates, then after they were seated, the university Vice President, Dr. Halys Hornwood gave the opening remarks, then followed by the individual distribution of the diplomas to the graduates, which was, of course, done alphabetically.
The diplomas were placed in blue-green faux leather folders with the university's official seal in dark green print.
When they call your name, you had to go up the stage, shake hands with the University President, Marlon Manderly before he hands you your diploma, transfers your graduation cap tassels from the right to the left, and allow you to take a photograph with your family up stage before taking a bow.
Finally, Bran was called, "Stark, Brandon Eddard T.," And they also announced from which field you came from and your special award. "Bachelor of Science in Civil Structural Engineering, Summa Cum Laude."
Bran shook hands with the university president, took his diploma and gave him the gold summa cum laude medal. His entire family went up to the stage and took a few pics with him before bowing to the crowd.
And because Bran had the highest distinction, he was asked to give a speech, much to his dismay.
Bran was never one who volunteered to speak up, even in class. Unless he was asked to do it for a recitation or it was a requirement for a class report and/or oral defense.
His hands were literally shaking as he went up the stage and to the podium. He considered backing out, until he spotted Meera in the crowd, giving him an encouraging nod and a two thumbs-up.
"University President, Marlon Manderly, Ph.D.," Bran started. "Vice President Halys Hornwood, Ph.D., Dean Ondrew Locke, Ph.D., Board of Trustees, professors, staff, administrators, parents, friends, guests, and fellow graduates, a pleasant morning to all."
"Honestly, I'm not good at public speaking," He continued. "Never was, and it's not hereditary, so just please bear with me." He cleared his throat. "Today marks an important day of our lives. You know, I didn't realize until I'm making this speech why people call graduation, commencement. It's called such because it means it's not the end of something, it's also the beginning. The beginning of a new chapter in our lives. It is a great privilege for me to stand here today and represent all my fellow graduates. All of our achievements represent the sacrifices, hard work, perseverance, and determination that we have mustered here in the University of White Harbor."
"I would also like to take this opportunity to say that I am very grateful," He wholehearted said. "Not because of the awards I was given, but for the memories and guidance that I had received from the people close to my heart. To my Mom and Dad, for their never-ending support in everything that we do and for always encouraging me and my siblings to do things that we love to do, in the right sense, of course."
He could see his Mom becoming teary-eyed in the audience and his Dad giving him an approving nod.
"To my brothers and sisters," He carried on. "For always being there to help no matter how busy they get—may it be school projects or life advice. Even though they annoy me most of the time."
The audience laughed at his remark. And Bran could see Arya raising her middle finger at him, but Jon swatted her hand away.
"For my friends, for always standing by me and knocking some sense into me whenever I do something stupid—you know who you people are. And for my girlfriend—"
Most of his fellow graduates started talking to their seatmates. He has a girlfriend? They seemed to say.
"Yeah, that's right, I have one." Bran declared. "She also helped me made this speech, which I added tons of adlibs that I think works." He snorted. "My Stardust, for always reminding me that I don't have to pretend to be someone else to please people and that I just have to be myself and let fate do the rest."
He could see Meera smiling wide at him and gave him a flying kiss.
Bran was also becoming teary-eyed himself, so he cleared his throat. "I think the speech is getting too long." He chuckled. "One last thing, if there's another thing I learned in college other than the actual education, is that we can be what we want to be, and what we love to be. We shouldn't adjust to fit in into the world we live in, we define ourselves as we choose. And no matter where we go—near or far, the bonds that we have formed here, we will always cherish. Congratulations to all of us!"
The audience cheered as they gave him a standing ovation.
As Bran went back to his seat, the University president, Marlon Manderly went back to the podium and gave his closing remarks. "As president of this institution," He said. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the graduates of the University of White Harbor Class of 308 AC. Congratulations!"
The graduates cheered and they tossed the caps as high as they can in the air while everyone else clapped their hands.
. . .
After the commencement ceremony, Meera approached him outside the auditorium.
"Congratulations, Branflakes." She greeted as she hugged him from behind.
"Hey," Bran smiled as he returned the hug. "So, how was it? Did I did okay?"
"You're a liar," She pointed out. "You said you were terrible at public speaking."
"I am," He admitted as he let go and faced her.
"No, you were brilliant!" Meera insisted, then kissed him on his cheek. "And the adlibs were lit."
"Meera!" Bran could hear his sister, Arya's voice. "Hi."
"Oh, hello, Arya," Meera greeted as Arya gave her a hug.
Sansa followed after her and greeted Meera the same way. "Oh my gods, finally!" She turned to him. "Aren't you gonna introduce her to Mom and Dad?" she asked.
"I'm going to," Bran said. "It's just that they get stuck up meeting people."
Then his brothers got out of the auditorium. Robb spotted them first, then approached them followed by their other brothers.
"Hello, you must be Meera," Robb said, holding his hand out for a shake. "Wait, you look familiar."
"You were in the same year, big bro," Bran informed, turning back to Meera. "This is our eldest brother, Robb. You probably remember him."
"Of course, I do." Meera said as she shook Robb's hand.
"Seven hells!" Robb exclaimed. "We were also in the same row during graduation."
Bran continued to introduce Meera to his brothers. "This is Rickon, our youngest brother."
"Hi, Meera," Rickon grinned. "Did you know Bran always talks about you and—"
"Okay, baby bro," Robb placed his arm around their youngest brother and gently slapped his mouth. "Stop embarrassing us."
Bran cleared his throat, gesturing at Jon and Theon. "And that's Jon and Theon."
"Hello, Meera," Jon nodded in acknowledgment.
Theon took Meera's hand and shook it. "Hello there, holy shit!" He said. "Wex is right, you are pretty."
Bran pulled Meera's hand from Theon's grasp. "Dude, back off, she's mine."
Theon raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, jeez."
When their parents finally got out of the auditorium, followed by their security and a few friends, Bran fulfilled his promise and introduced Meera to his folks.
His Mom seemed excited, while his Dad looked curious.
"Mom, Dad, this is Meera," Bran introduced her to them. "My girlfriend."
"Hello, my dear," Catelyn smiled, shaking Meera's hand. "It's great to finally meet you."
"Likewise, Mrs. Stark." Meera said.
Ned gave Meera a warm smile then shook her hand. "We've heard much about you, darling." He said. "And we're meeting you at last!"
"Thank you, Mr. Stark," Meera acknowledged. "It's an honor as well."
His parents then had a short conversation about Meera, where she's from, what her job was like, why was she staying in White Harbor and other stuff.
It's also the time Jojen approached him and congratulated him. It also allowed Bran to introduce Jojen to the rest of his family as Meera's brother.
But when it came to Howland and Jyana Reed, he could feel the tension that hung in the air. All their parents' facial expressions weren't right.
Howland and Jyana had guarded expressions, with Howland visibly taking a deep breath and standing taller and Jyana gripping her husband's arm tighter.
Ned and Catelyn's smiles disappeared in an instant. Catelyn had a calm expression and a half-hearted smile, while Ned had a calm, deathly glare. And it's the same expression he had given Roose Bolton when they were hearing Ramsay's trial on his crimes against them. Like he wanted to punch someone in the face, but he's only restraining himself to not cause a scene in front of a lot of people.
"Howland," Ned nodded in acknowledgment, in a steely, cold tone. "Jya, it's been a long time."
"Ned, Cat," Howland nodded in respect.
Bran looked back and forth between his parents and Meera's parents. "You guys know each other?" He asked.
Neither of them gave him a straight answer.
Ned shrugged. "It's a long story."
It made Bran excited. He turned back to the Reeds. "Well, Mr. and Mrs. Reed, we're having a lunch celebration at the Aquamarine, you should join us." He suggested.
Howland Reed gave him a sad smile, which he didn't understand. "We'd love to, but we've already made other plans."
"Oh, maybe next time, then?" Bran prompted.
"Of course, Brandon."
On the ride back to the Aquamarine, Robb beat him into asking the question he'd been dreading to ask.
"Dad, you never told us you know Meera's family," Robb said. "You've known them for a long time?" He asked.
"We met in college," Their Dad reluctantly answered. "He was a friend."
"Was?" Arya spoke up. "Past tense?"
"Arya," Catelyn scolded. "Would you please give your father a break?"
"I'm just asking," Arya defended. "And Dad looked like he wanted to punch him so—"
"Arya!" Catelyn said again.
Bran nudged his sister, who was sitting beside him.
Back at the Aquamarine, they had a lunch celebration with the Tallharts. And none of them ever brought up the Reeds. But Bran didn't even dare to avoid being scolded by their Mom again. He didn't even understand his Dad's beef with Meera's Dad, but he'll find out soon.
At around late afternoon, Beren was packing up his stuff, ready to go back to Torrhen's Square.
As Beren's brother was carrying his bags down to their car, Beren bid his final farewells. "Hey, Stark B," He called.
"So, you're going now, huh?" He asked.
Beren nodded. "It's been a wild ride going through college with you, Brandon Stark." He said. "You mostly kept me from doing all the shitty stuff and helped me with school work, and for never failing to remind me of all the stupid things I did when I was intoxicated. For all that, I, thank you. You're the best roommate anyone can ask for."
Bran snorted. "Likewise."
Beren suddenly gave him a quick hug. "I'm gonna miss you, man." He said, then let go of the hug. "But don't worry, your sister said our companies could have joint ventures so we'll probably see each other in a board meeting or something."
"Just don't bring liquor beverages to a board meeting."
As the Tallharts left, Bran prepared Beren's former room as it's where his older brothers would be sleeping for the night. His sisters will be sleeping in Arya's old room. Bran himself and Rickon would be on the pull-out mattress of the king-size bed in the master bedroom, while their parents will take the actual bed.
For dinner, their older brothers stoke up the grill for barbeque and they huddled around the fire pit in the area by the pool for s'mores afterwards.
Their Dad had popped the champagne and Theon distributed the champagne-filled glass to each of them.
"Hey," Robb interjected. "Why did you give Rickon a glass? He's underage." He said, attempting to take away the champagne glass Theon had given him.
Rickon moved away from Robb. "I'm eighteen." He insisted. "I'm not underage."
"Yes, you are," Robb argued, still trying to get Rickon's drink from him. "Legal drinking age is twenty-one."
Rickon walked around the pool to get away from Robb. "We're in the North," He reminded him. "Not the Crownlands or the Stormlands. The legal drinking age here is eighteen, not twenty-one."
"Oh my gods, baby brother," Sansa spoke up. "Did you actually checked it out?"
Rickon shrugged. "Sort of," He then forced out a smile.
"Boys," Ned called out. "Go back to your seats."
His brothers obliged and went back to their seats.
Ned cleared his throat. "I would like to propose a toast to Bran, for graduating with the highest distinction." He turned to him. "Congratulations, son. We are very proud of you."
"Thanks, Dad." He said.
"Oh, and also," Arya stood up, holding up her drink. "For our future construction company honoring our ancestor, Brandon the Builder!"
"Cheers!"Everyone raised and clanked their champagne glasses together before drinking.
"Wait," Robb suddenly spoke up. "Arya, is that gonna be your company name?"
"What?" Arya asked.
"Brandon the Builder?"
"No, of course not," Arya defended. "First of all, that is a shitty name for a company. It sounds like a tablet game for toddlers. No offense to all the Brandons in the family," She jabbed a finger at Bran. "Including you, little brother. Second of all, there have been far too many Brandons in our family, the last thing we need is to confuse people."
Jon emptied his glass. "What's it called then?" He asked.
"The Northern Alliance." Arya blurted out.
"That's a nice name, Cupcake." Ned complimented.
Arya shrugged. "It was Bran's idea, and it somehow clicks."
"Of course it does," Bran said. "Normally, I'd brainstorm since you're kind of hard to please, but I guess it works."
. . .
That night as they went to sleep, Bran had figured out a little about his Dad's history with Howland Reed.
Apparently, Rickon had too many glasses of champagne, which made Robb and Jon literally half-carry and half-drag him to the master bedroom.
"If this is how Rickon drinks with us," Jon wondered. "How much more if he drinks with friends on weekends? No doubt he'll be even more wasted than he is now."
"That's what I'm worried about." Bran admitted.
"Well, good luck, little brother," Robb said as he patted Bran's shoulder. "But in hindsight, Rickon listens to you more than he does to me, so I think you're gonna be fine."
They placed him on the pull-out mattress and his younger brother passed out just as his head hit the pillow.
Not long after, Bran fell asleep next to his brother. But sometime between the night, he woke up with the comforter over him, Rickon snoring loud beside him and to his parents' hushed conversation.
Thankfully, Bran had his back from his parents, so they obviously didn't notice him being awake.
"—the boys really asleep?" His Dad, Ned asked.
"Yes, they are," Catelyn replied. "Rickon is snoring. Bran is a light sleeper but he didn't even budge when I pulled the covers on him."
There were a few seconds of silence until he heard his mother's voice again.
"I know that face," Catelyn said. "You're thinking about what happened earlier with the Reeds."
"I just can't believe it, Cat," Ned huffed. "The North is the largest region in Westeros, and how in the old gods did Bran ever meet Howland's daughter?"
"You know, Ned, I'm seeing this as a sign," Catelyn insisted. "We've stayed away from the Reeds for too long. Don't you think it's time to—"
"What?" Ned interrupted. "Make amends? Have you forgotten what Howland did? My sister died because of him."
"Lyanna died in a car accident, you know that."
"But if he hadn't interfered she would've been still here," Ned argued. "And Jon might still have his mother. Unless he can get my sister's life back, then maybe I'll consider it."
What?! Bran mentally screamed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Our children are already asking questions," Catelyn reminded him. "And eventually, we are going to have to tell them. You know how they are, if they can't get answers from us they will search for it elsewhere."
His Dad became quiet again.
"Ned," Catelyn said in her pleading tone of voice. "Meera seems nice and Bran likes her. Just—whatever your squabble was with Howland, please leave our children out of this."
That day, Bran figured out his family's feud with the Reeds. But there some things he didn't understand though. Why weren't he and his siblings informed about it? Was Howland Reed really involved in his Aunt Lyanna's death? Do Meera and Jojen even know about it or were they kept in the dark as well?
There were tons of questions on his mind and he will find out all the answers soon. But he needed to talk to Meera about it first.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
It's safe to say the Starks are the Kennedys of Westeros. HAHAH Anyways, there's gonna be Gendrya on the next chapter.:)