LESHA

It took the rest of the day to make it back to Winterfell, and by the time their horses trotted onto muddy and familiar grounds, the sky had sunken into a starless darkness. It didn't take long for everyone to go their separate ways for the night. Ned went on ahead to do his duties as warden of the North while Robb and Bran went to take the wolf pups to their sisters. Who would, without a doubt, be excited to see them. Once everyone was gone, the only ones left in the courtyard were Jon, his white pup, and the Black Rider who was putting all the horses away.

"There is a spare room near the stables. I'm sure Lord Stark wouldn't mind if you took that one for the night," Jon said to the silent Rider, hoping his awkwardness wasn't showing. He wasn't sure how to talk to someone who never once spoke before.

The Rider looked at him before turning in the direction of the stables, seeing a small building that was right behind it. The Rider gave a nod of acknowledgment and settled the horses in the stables. Without saying much as a word, he silently went to the spare building and walked inside, leaving Jon alone with his new pup.

Jon looked down at the small wolf, meeting its unusual red eyes. "I suppose I have to name you now…but I don't know what that'll be yet," he whispered in a low voice.

Jon turned to leave the courtyard when an odd sound made him stop and listen. He looked around the seemingly empty space, but as clear as day…he heard what sounded like falling bricks. Confusion quickly morphed into fear though, when a distinguished growl of a large animal suddenly followed the sound.

The noise was clear to him, and his mind only told him one animal that could make such a heart-stopping growl.

"The Highland tiger…." Jon breathed out, suddenly feeling weak from the cold.

Jon immediately hunched down low with a frightening thought filling his head. Was it possible? Could the Highland tiger have followed them all the way back to Winterfell? It had been hours since they'd all seen it, and Jon had nearly forgotten about it until he heard the deep, guttural growling noise. He can't even fathom how it managed to get inside. Tall walls surrounded Winterfell, and the only way it could've come in was through the front gate, but no one saw it then.

How? How did it get inside? Jon asked himself with a shiver, holding tight to the little wolf.

Jon wasn't really sure what to do. He still had his new direwolf pup in his arms, but the tiger sounded far too close for him to turn the other way and get help. And to make matters worse, it sounded like it was coming from the lone building the Rider had just walked into.

He couldn't leave it alone. He just couldn't.

As quietly as he possibly could, quieter than a mouse, Jon inched towards the building while slowly reaching for the door handle. He held his breath and gripped it tightly, simultaneously listening in for the growling noise, which was louder than before and sounded like it was coming from inside the building.

As the inside was revealed, he pushed the door open with a loud creak. Jon came to a startling halt in the doorway, not daring to move. The scene before him…wasn't anything like he expected it to be.

The Rider, now uncloaked, had his back turned to Jon and was knelled down, petting the large head of a giant saber-tooth tiger. The beast had its eyes closed and was purring as if it was enjoying being petted, but once it opened its eyes. The tiger started to growl once it saw Jon standing in the doorway.

"Maira?" the Rider finally spoke, but the voice wasn't what he expected. It was light sounding with a flare of a strange accent.

The Rider turned around, revealing the youthful face of a young woman. She had the same silver, ashen eyes as the Black Rider and dark reddish hair that was swept back, cut right below her ears.

Her eyes grew wide when she saw Jon but quickly narrowed as she turned her body fully around. The tiger walked up beside her and growled even more profoundly than before.

Jon quickly picked up on the danger he was in. "I…I wasn't…."

The Rider was quick. She had swiftly pulled out her battle axe from her side and raised it over her head. Rearing back, she threw the axe with all her might right at him.

Jon closed his eyes the instant the axe was thrown and heard it hit something, but it didn't hurt him. He felt nothing at all, actually. Jon dared to open his eyes and looked to his right, seeing the axe embedded into the wall, inches from his face.

The Rider moved on him, stomping hard against the ground. She grabbed him by his collar and yanked him entirely into the room, slamming the door shut. She had pulled him so hard that he nearly stumbled into the tiger that looked ten seconds away from tearing his face off. He was so close that he could see its blue eyes and the whiskers on its face. Especially the teeth. He could count how many teeth the tiger had in his mouth. Far too many.

The Rider spoke again. "Lord Snow. You are one lucky bastard. Because that was a last-minute course correct," she said, yanking the axe out of the door frame.

"I didn't come in here to peek. I swear," Jon defended himself, but he knew his words were weak.

"I don't give a shit what you came in here for," she hissed and suddenly pointed her axe down at him. Her tone was different now. It was deep and demanding. "Now…I'm only going to say this once. Sit down…and listen."

Jon froze rather than move, but after a bit of nudging from the tiger's deep growl, he eventually unstuck himself and sat down in a chair.

Jon sat silently for a moment, watching the strange woman as she walked around the room. She closed the window to their left and made sure they were truly alone. It was then that it finally struck him. Her accent was an odd one. Very odd. It had a weird flare and twang that was far too recognizable not to know where it came from.

"You're a Highlander," Jon realized with wide eyes.

"Yeah, which is the problem half the time."

It made sense to him once she said that. The reason why no one had ever heard the Black Rider speak before. It was because of her accent, which was a dead giveaway that she was a Highlander. A woman from a different kingdom. Someone who had no reason to be in King Robert's domain.

The Rider pulled up a chair and dragged it over before Jon. She sat down and said nothing momentarily, watching him closely as his eyes flew all over the room. Going from the window to the door.

The Rider chuckled. "Don't even think of trying to escape. I could still nail you in the back of the head at thirty yards. And if not me…Maira will do it herself."

"Maira?" He spoke the name, but somehow, his eyes fell on the Highland tiger still growling at him.

"You're thinking right." The woman nodded and suddenly snapped her fingers, speaking in a language he had never heard before. "Maira, valdi."

Immediately, the tiger responded to the strange command and walked beside the Rider. She circled the chair once before settling at the woman's feet.

"Who are you?" the words came out before Jon could even think about it. He regretted it, too, from how the Rider looked at him. He couldn't exactly put it, but there was a heavy feeling about her. Something that thoroughly intimidated him. "I don't know…if you want to kill me.

For a brief moment, a wave of unreadable emotions shimmered over her silvery eyes. Her lips then turned into what Jon knew to be a smirk. "You can call me Lesha…and I'm not gonna kill you. If I wanted you dead. I would've hit you instead of the doorframe. You're lucky you're a Stark, Lord Snow."

Jon physically recoiled at those words. "I'm not a Stark. Snow is the name of a bastard."

Lesha scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Bullshit. The concept of a 'bastard' doesn't exist In the Highlands. We don't label a child at birth because of the faults of their parents. You're only half Stark, but that's good enough to not warrant an axe in that pretty face of yours. Be thankful that the Starks are about the only respectable family left within the Seven Kingdoms." There was a pause in her words as she took a breath. Lesha stared at Jon, then back at the little wolf he was still carrying. It whimpered slightly, not knowing what was happening but sensing the tense atmosphere. "Listen. I don't want any trouble. I was just wanting to sleep a little before heading back to Castle Black…but I think I'm going to head out much earlier than I thought."

A growing scene of curiosity suddenly struck Jon. He could see that she was trying to calm the situation down, which is why she gave her name and spoke softly. "Are women allowed at the Wall?"

"They're not, but my business isn't your concern either," Lesha responded sharply.

"I won't tell anyone. I swear. I wish to be part of the Night's Watch as well," Jon insisted, daring to become a little more vocal now that he knew he wasn't in immediate danger.

The Rider's face twisted up into a perplexed stare for the first time since she was revealed. She looked generally confused by his statement and even at a little loss for words. Jon could really get a good look at her features now. Her skin was red from the cold, and her cheeks were slightly hollow from her time at the Wall. Lesha was definitely young, though. He could see it in her eyes. If he had to guess, she was probably still in her teens. Just a little older than him.

"You wish…to be part of the Night's Watch?" Lesha managed to croak out.

"I do. I really do. There is nothing for me here."

Lesha looked to come out of her shock and sighed sincerely. "I wouldn't If I were you. Life at the Wall is not an easy-"

"I don't care. It's what I want," Jon cut in, sounding much firmer. He didn't like having someone say what was best for him. He'd rather figure it out for himself.

For a moment, Lesha looked taken aback by his tone. He wasn't in the right situation to be blunt…but she still oddly looked pleased to hear it. "Then you're going to end up regretting it, but at the same time…it's not my place to say what's right and wrong for a man." Lesha got up from her chair and patted her leg, getting the tiger's attention. "Maira, da."

"Where are you going?" Jon asked, following her movements closely as she circled the room, gathering what little she had.

"Back to the Wall," she said, pulling her scarf back around her neck. "I trust you won't say anything, but that doesn't mean everyone else here will be that lenient if they find out." She covered her face again and opened the door, walking outside with Maira trotting close behind.

Jon stayed seated for a bit longer before quickly hurrying after her. "It's the middle of the night. It's too dangerous."

The Rider cocked a brow. She stared at him, then at Maira… then back at him. "I don't think that's going to be a problem."

Jon stepped back as Maira walked around to the back of the building. She put her front paws on the stone wall and suddenly pushed up with her back hind legs, hooking her front claws against the stone. The tiger was actually scaling the wall.

Jon was beside himself with amazement. "Was that how it managed to get inside?"

"There's no wall that a Highland tiger can't climb," the Rider remarked proudly. She returned to the stables and got out her horse, mounting it in seconds. Before she could take off, she turned back to Jon, leaning over so she wouldn't have to speak loud. "Look. I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if you really want to join the Night's Watch…then I guess we'll be seeing each other again real soon. Oh, and be careful when out at night...you don't know what wild animals might be lurking around," she said, winking a mischievous eye at him.

Lesha pulled her hood back over her head and turned her horse around. She gave the reins a slight flick, and the horse sped off, galloping out of the front gate.

Jon stood in the middle of the courtyard for the longest time, staring at the gate and the distant figure of the mysterious Black Rider, Lesha. And he swore…he heard the distant roar of a giant Highland tiger.

Author's Note:

So let me get this out of the way since I was silent in the first chapter. This a new series that has been in the making for quite some time. I have a lot of plans for this series, and I hope you'll love it.

And another thing. The idea of the Highlanders is heavily based on Vikings, and the land was very much taken from the Highlands in Scotland.

The chapters in this story are going to be paced differently too. Like in the books and show, we get multiple POV's from different characters around the world, but mainly I'm going to be focusing on my characters and what they're doing. As we've already seen with Lesha, the next chapter is going to be a different POV of someone else.

That's all I really have to say for now. I'm not much for author's notes, but I really hope to hear your opinions on this story. I do hope you enjoy it, and I hope to see you here again soon.