Robb

Robb continued to be stunned at the still-fresh memory of what happened a mere ten minutes ago as he and the other Northmen continued on their way away from the Twins and towards the Neck. He was doing everything in his power to ignore the arrow shaft that was sticking out from the left side of his shoulder, 'at least there's no pain.'

Meanwhile, the stench of burning stone and flesh still wafted in the air and into their nostrils no matter how far their horses galloped away from the column of smoke and the distant yells coming from the Twins. All of them were silent as the image of the flying object firing oval shaped and orange coloured things were etched into their minds. They still remembered the group of Frey and Bolton men coming at them with axes, swords, and spears before they were screaming in pain as they were brought down onto the burnt ground. The Northmen had seen the ground kicked up into the air from what looked like small bursts of fire erupting after the orange objects hit the ground, and when the dirt and dust settled, the bodies of the enemy lay dead before the flying object rushed for the twins.

And Robb could tell that everyone was uneasy – true they were thankful for their lives being saved - but they were still uneasy. And that feeling of uneasiness was exasperated by the bright glow behind them in the distance, towards the directions of the Twins, where there was a bright pillar of flame moments ago. Back then, everyone had their eyes wide open in shock – Robb even heard the Hound whisper something about the Blackwater – before there was the sound of a 'boom'. It ripped through the air as the towering pillar of flame gave way to dark smoke going up into the air.

Back then, Robb then turned his head towards a stunned Arya who was stull holding onto the device given to her by Alayne, someone who looked just like Sansa, his younger sister. A woman who said that he and Catelyn looked like her own mother and brother. A woman claiming to be from another place that was far away.

"Robb, Alayne said the bridge is destroyed," Arya spoke, "she said she will watch over us until… until her people come for her."

Robb heard whispers of "witchcraft" and "magic" from some of his bannermen while nodding his head at Arya and then looking over at the Twins. There was still flickering orange and red light from the distance as plumes of dark smoke rose high into the air.

"Give… give her my thanks… our thanks…" Robb whispered as he stared at the pillar of black smoke… the outline still visible under the dark night sky where wisps of cloud barely covered the half-moon. While Arya relayed Robb's thanks to Alayne, as well as her own amazement at what happened, Robb whispered, "let's go North and take back our homes from the Iron-born."

The other bannermen cheered as Robb, being supported by Lord Cerwyn behind him, turned his horse. They then started making their way towards the Neck while Alayne was flying high above them, the dark sky above hiding her aircraft from the periodic glances of the Northmen and women.

And now, ten minutes later, Robb began to have chills running up and down his spine as his horse galloped at an equal pace to the rest of the group of about nine hundred men, with about half slightly injured from the battle at the Twins. No one made any more sounds or small talk, they simply continued onwards in the direction of the Neck. The young King in the North, only eighteen namedays, was trying to keep as calm as he possibly could, but the series of recent incidents one after another was making it very difficult to keep as calm as possible.

First there was the wedding at the Twins – it was supposed to be an occasion to apologize and to rebuild an alliance between the Frey's, the Tully's, and the North through marriage. A part of him had felt sorry for his Uncle Edmure marrying one of the Frey girls – many of them either ugly or fat – at least until they met Roslin Frey.

'Mother said her beauty is probably due to the Rosby blood in her,' thought Robb to himself. Robb knew that Edmure marrying into the Freys would result in an influx of Frey men for his Northern and Riverlands army. It was an army that was supposed to help him regain control of the North, especially Winterfell, from the Ironborn.

Instead, what Robb experienced was a gross betrayal by his own Northern bannerman – Roose Bolton; the breaking of guest rights by the Freys, and then came the discovery of a woman who looked like an older version of his younger sister Sansa. This was a woman who claimed to be from another world, a woman who saved the lives of his remaining family and allies, a woman who recently saved them once again from a large group of Frey and Boltons through the use of an awe-inspiring flying object.

'I'm not from around here, that's what she told us,' Robb thought as he recalled what the red haired woman, the one Arya referred to as Alayne, had said earlier, 'she said she had a weapon hidden away…' Robb looked up at the night sky, his eyes searching for the object in the dark, 'is she somewhere up there? Can she not help us? If we are able to retrieve Sansa, if we can ask this Alayne to fight for us using her… whatever that thing is… to wipe out the Lannisters… then we can win.'

Looking back down and forwards, Robb suddenly felt as if he was slipping away from his body. He felt his heart race while a stinging pain formed around the area of the arrow. He felt himself getting weaker and weaker as he held her head forward – something that was getting hard to do thanks to his surroundings starting to twist and turn. He then looked down and eyed the blurred lines of the arrow shaft.

Robb blinked to clear his vision, but he felt his vision continue to blur while the stinging sensation increased. It would be a few seconds later that the stinging sensation radiated towards his chest and was getting sharper, so much so that he gasped before whispering to the man holding him steady, "Lord… Lord Cerwyn." Before he could continue, Robb felt his eyelids come down and he was tilting towards the right. Robb then then heard a male voice yell out his name whilst he felt himself falling. He then heard distant voices… both male and female voices… yell out for him.

"Robb!"

"Your Grace!"

"Lady Catelyn, it's the King!"

"Robb!"

And then Robb heard no more.

Alayne.

Alayne levelled off her Sparrow upon reaching forty thousand feet into the air. She knew that this was the approximate altitude where she regained control of her Sparrow hours ago after encountering the strange barrier. She suspected that there would a risk of the Sparrow losing power again if she went any higher… and it would result in the loss of the signal from the subspace radio in Arya's hands.

'I got back control of the Sparrow after passing the Stratosphere,' she thought to herself as she looked up through the glass canopy at the stars above, 'it's possible I'll lose power again if I continue any higher.' Looking back down and towards the front of the cockpit, she mentally told herself that she could be wrong. However, there was no need to experiment leaving the planet's atmosphere for now, 'Arya and her people are still too close to enemy territory. Their enemies would be too busy to send more people after them.'

Alayne hoped that the more powerful scanners on the Aurora would be able to penetrate the barrier that seemed to surround the planet. She reached towards a button and pressed it down to begin scanning for the familiar metallic and residual energy signature of a Stargate. As the Sparrow began sensor sweeps, her thoughts went back to her cousin and the people who looked like her dead mother and brother.

'I can ask Robbie to wait for me when he and the Aurora come to rescue me. Anyway, once Catelyn, Robb, and Arya,' a smile formed on Alayne's face as she imagined having a sister who looked just like Arya, 'reach this place they call the Neck, then I can try getting into orbit.'

Alayne then reached out towards another button while her Sparrow flew through the air. She pressed the button before leaning back on her seat and read the results of the diagnostics.

'Weapons are all green… well, two missiles have been used and I have ten more,' she thought to herself, 'emergency naquadah generators are green, computer systems are green, engines are green, fuel cells are green, comms are green, primary survival gear has been opened and used, auxiliary survival gear is still unused and available, emergency medical supplies are unused and available.'

She then glanced at her scanners showing that Arya and her group were on the move before her eyes returned to the diagnostic results, 'umm… some kind of electromagnetic screen covering the planet, the power levels for this kind of a screen that knocks out power and prevents orbital scans must have some kind of an extremely powerful source,' Alayne thought as she shifted her eyes to another screen that showed her the scans taken earlier just after the power returned after she was in the stratosphere, 'but there was no sign of a power source. Even when I regained control, there's not even a small sign of a power source… any power source.' She then shook her head before thinking that the Aurora would be able to get a better scan of the planet, 'maybe Robbie will find a power source.'

Alayne shifted her eyes towards the center console as more diagnostic text floated on the screen confirming that no part of the aircraft's computer systems were damaged because of the sudden power surge and the resulting reboot.

With her hands on the controls, Alayne slowed the thrusters down to cruising speed as she released the breath she only just realized she was holding. Her mind was occupied with the faces of people she thought she would never see again – the faces of her mother and brother, as well as the face of a possible sister. No, Alayne was sure that Arya would have looked like the baby Becka would have had if the latter didn't miscarry.

'Arya,' Alayne thought to herself as the Sparrow continued on at a steady speed, 'Catelyn and Robb.' Her face stilled at the thought of Catelyn and Robb. At the thought of the two who looked like her mother and brother; memories that haunted Alayne for years, memories that she had pushed to the back of her mind, since the Brotherhood attack on Earth returned with a vengeance.

Alayne remembered the greyish clouds in the sky that day in Ashwell near their family estate; she remembered the chill in the air as she and her family got out of the car that picked them up. It was in Ashwell that the family was gathered in the aftermath of the attack before being driven to the local mortuary where the funeral would be held.

As the Sparrow flew in the air over the Riverlands, Alayne recalled entering the hall where there were rows of empty chairs, a lectern in one end of the room, and then the two caskets which were closed. Next to each casket were large pictures of Becka and John Collins smiling back at their family. Their bodies were so badly mangled and burned that it was recommended to hold a closed casket ceremony with the pictures being the representation of how the two of them should be remembered.

Alayne tightened her grip on the controls of the Sparrow as she recalled walking towards the two caskets with her father, Robbie, and her Aunt Karla. She barely felt Robbie's hand on her back while her left hand held tightly to her father's right hand. Alayne didn't even glance at her crying Aunt who was holding on to her older brother's arms; no, Alayne's eyes were focused the two caskets through the tears that flooded her eyes and were streaming down her cheeks.

"Alayne!"

Alayne's thoughts were brought back to the present day upon hearing Arya's panicked voice yelling in her ear. Her heart racing at the memory, Alayne spoke into the microphone in her helmet with urgency in her voice, "Arya? What's going on? Is an enemy on your…"

"It's Robb! He fell… he fell of his horse! Something is wrong!"

Alayne was breathing hard now as she remembered Robbie squeezing her shoulder before she released a sob while placing a hand on the oak casket. She remembered bringing a hand to cover her mouth as more tears streamed down her cheeks while her father held her other hand tight as if he was afraid to let her go.

And it was the same when she and her father went to Becka's casket while Karla and Robbie, now holding his mother's hand, said a quiet prayer over John's casket. It was then that Arya's voice brought her back to the present once again.

"Alayne! Help!"

Shaking her head while pushing her own memories to one side, Alayne exclaimed, "I'm on the way!" She then banked the Sparrow to port and went into a steep dive before levelling off, "is he breathing?!" There was no answer. 'Come on, breathe!' Alayne thought to herself as she accelerated – the inertial dampeners doing their job in not letting her feel the G-forces, 'the arrow must have pierced something…. Damn it!'

"Arya!" Alayne barked as she stared at the screen which was showing her how far she was from the Northmen, specifically the signal emanating from the subspace radio that she handed to Arya, "Arya! I'm on the way! Is he breathing?"

Still no answer.

Alayne bit her lower lip in worry as she accelerated.

'50 kilometers more before I reach them!' she thought to herself, "Arya, if you can hear me, I'm close. I'm on the way." She leaned forward and pressed a few buttons. Before long there was a listing of the emergency supplies – medical, offensive, and defensive supplies - underneath her seat. Supplies that were designed to be ejected along with the chair in the event of a catastrophic emergency.

She scanned through the lines of text before her eyes stopped on the items listed under 'emergency medical supplies' – three medical hybrid nanite pens, a small blood oxygen meter, a miniature hybrid heart monitor and defibrillator, and an oxygen canister – along with several other medicines and supplies. These were all contained in a backpack encased within a trinium lined case just underneath the ejection seat.

With the Brotherhood surging in power among the former Goa'uld and Ori enslaved worlds through the use their yet-to-be identified technology, Homeword Command ordered that all F-502 Sparrows, and all subsequent models, have the updated 'emergency medical supply' kits. In the event of any ejection, the medical kit and another case containing emergency offensive and defensive supplies would accompany the pilot down to the ground. It was hoped that any pilot who ejects would be able to use the supplies, along with the primary recon supplies, to support themselves before being rescued.

And now, Alayne needed to use the medical supplies to save someone who looked just like her dead brother.

'You are not dying, John, not again,' Alayne thought as she neared the group of Northerners, the face of her brother now in her mind while she recalled Robb being shot with an arrow back at the Twins, 'not again.' As she continued onwards, the landscape blurring around her, Alayne disabled the ejection mechanism.

As the Sparrow shot ahead over trees and grass, Alayne's mind was already going through what she needed to do, 'land the Sparrow, dismantle the connectors on the seat bottom, move it out of the way, grab the medical kit, get out, and then use the scanner on Robb so that the pen can program the nanites to repair any injuries.' She took a deep breath, 'the nanites will repair any internal injuries; the nanites, that's the key component. That will have to work on Robb… please, they have to work.'

With a look of concern on her face, Alayne breathed in and out very deeply while nearing Arya's location, 'Come on! Come on!'

Arya

Arya was panting as she kneeled next to Robb laying on the grass… the latter gasping for breath. He was being cradled by a tearful Catelyn while the other Northerners were standing around helplessly – a few even said that they would travel back to the Twins, which was in chaos, and steal their Maester so that he could help Robb. Arya heard others saying that they needed to carry Robb and then continue towards the Neck – they were just hoping that Robb would live that long. Arya wanted to tell them all to shut up, she wanted to yell out that Robb would be fine. She looked over at Catelyn and could see her mother's cheeks stained with tears.

Even Arya's own tears were staring to blur her vision of her mother and Brother. She could make out the blurred outline of her brother gaping like a fish as he struggled for breath.

"Robb!" she exclaimed while holding onto his gloved left hand. Her eyes switched from his wide eyes and panicked expression, to the hand she was holding, to the tearful Catelyn who was whispering with a cracked voice.

"My boy, my boy," Lady Stark said as she leaned forward and placed her forehead against Robb's, "Don't go! Please, don't go."

Arya looked towards the sky. She had already called for Alayne, and was about to once again call for her when she couldn't feel the object that had been placed in her ear; it was missing. She turned her head while bringing a finger to her ear to confirm that the object was missing… and it was, much to her shock… and looked past the legs in leather coverings that surrounded them. However, in the darkness she was unable to make out where she could have dropped it after she got off the horse she was on, her body slipping from the Hound's grasp after Robb fell to the hard ground with a THUD.

'Help, Alayne,' Arya sobbed as she turned back towards Robb. She kept on mentally telling herself that they didn't have a Maester with them, and there was no way they had the time to find a Maester given the urgency in leaving the Twins. Arya understood the need to leave as quickly as possible, but a part of her blamed herself for what was happening.

She turned her head towards the Hound who stopped next to her… and then looked up to his scarred face. He had his lips pressed together, his hand on the pommel of his sword, before Arya looked away and towards her brother.

It was then that everything seemed to crash around her; she was about to lose her brother.

"Robb!" Arya yelled out when she saw that he was starting to close his eyes while wheezing sounds could be heard escaping, "Robb!"

"He will not have long," the Hound said as he glared at Catelyn and then at Robb. Arya looked over at him, his hand was already around the handle, "I can make it easy for him…"

"No!" Arya yelled out at the Hound when she noticed the steel of his sword. She guessed that the others nearer to them must have seen the Hound begin pulling out his sword because there were sounds of steel being drawn all around them. Some, such as Dacey Mormont, was by the side of the Hound just as quickly with her sword at his throat.

"You will not harm the King," Dacey growled just as several other men surrounded the Hound with swords at the ready.

The Hound eyed them all and then growled. Arya could sense that he wanted to fight… that he would kill all those who surrounded him before he died.

"He's alive!" Arya yelled out while Catelyn was cradling her oldest son; the older redhead just looking down at his face as his breathing got shallower and shallower.

Arya heard the Hound huff before he stared her down and said, "he's in pain. He is alive but in pain. Would you see him suffer, or would you see him…" Before the Hound could finish saying that he could bring Robb peace by quickly killing him, Arya screamed out loud.

"Alayne's coming! I told her what happened!"

"Do you see her now?" the Hound replied.

"She…"

Then suddenly, just as it was night all around them, their world turned as bright as day; at least their immediate area. Arya, as well as the rest of the Northerners, turned their heads and watched both in both awe and fear as bright white lights shone down on them from the object in air before it made a sharp turn behind Arya with the lights constantly on them.

Arya covered her eyes, as did the others, so she was unable to make out the outline of the object. She turned around towards Catelyn while still remaining on her knees with the Northerners and the Hound standing alongside her were using their arms to block away the harsh light. Arya glanced at Catelyn to see that she was squinting her eyes while one arm blocked the harsh light and the other hand held tight onto Robb's gloved hand. Arya looked back towards the lights which had now dimmed.

She then heard a hiss, followed by other metallic screeches and sounds. It would be a moment later that a voice reached her ears.

"Out of the way!"

Arya heard whispers around her from the other Northerners with the words "move" or "witch" or "magic" being prevalent.

She heard the Hound whisper in awe and fear, "fuck me."

Arya heard the voice yell out again before she responded at the top of her lungs, "Alayne!"

"Arya!" was the response.

Where her eyesight was filled with lights flashing when she blinked, Arya could slowly begin to see the Northerners and the Hound moving to the side to give way to Alayne. Arya watched Alayne getting down on both knees next to her; she could hear Alayne panting while a sob escaped from Catelyn's lips before the former reached down and placed two fingers on the left side of Robb's throat.

Arya had so many questions in her head; all of which had to be pushed away for a later time. She wanted to beg Alayne to save her brother, she wanted to say that she didn't want to lose any more of her family.

"Pulse is weak… really weak," Arya heard Alayne whisper. Arya wanted to ask how she knew that fact, but decided to hold off questions. In the meantime, Alayne pulled her hand back and said that everyone needed to get back; that she, Robb, Arya, and Catelyn needed some room.

No one moved. Arya was frozen, afraid to let go of Robb's hand – afraid that if she did then her brother would die. Arya looked up at her mother who had a look of worry on her face; it was the same look she knew was reflected on her own face.

Arya turned her head to see Alayne looking down at Robb. Alayne then looked up at the others around them before she sighed and said, "here goes."

Silently, Arya watched Alayne as the latter took off a black-grey pack on her back before placing it on her side. Arya then heard gasping sounds coming from Robb before turning her head towards Catelyn who was sobbing now as many of the other Northerners stood helplessly. Arya didn't know what to do except for holding Robb's hand so that her older brother didn't think he was alone.

"When I give the order, I need someone to pull the arrow straight out of his body," Alayne said after opening the pack; Arya could see it was made of some cloth that had yellow lining around the edges that reflected the lights behind her. Thanks to the dim lights, which cast shadows all around the fairly large group, Arya saw Alayne taking out a cylinder shaped device; it was all black, even in the dim light. The object was wider on one end while the other end was slightly narrower. Arya thought the object to be the length of Alayne's hand from forefinger to the wrist.

Upon realizing that Alayne asked for the arrow to be pulled out, Arya stared stunned at her before saying, "you said that it would be dangerous to pull out the arrow."

"It still is," Alayne said as Arya watched her twist the wider end of the object in her hand before she held it out towards Robb, "I didn't think he'd be in danger… I thought he would be alright until you reached where you needed to go. Then, when you reached your destination, you could have had someone take the arrow out of him."

Alayne finished speaking before Arya watched in awe, while many of the others stepped away in silent fear, as beams of light criss-crossed Robb's right arm, chest and abdomen. The lights were coming out of the wider end of the object… the end being held out towards Robb's unmoving body.

"Riding on the horse must have moved the arrow head, maybe it cut something important," Arya watched in stunned silence as Alayne brought the object in her hand down to Robb's sides. The lights criss-crossed the left side of his abdomen and chest, specifically near where the arrow impacted him. At the same time, Arya saw Alayne performing circular motions as she slowly moved the object over his body.

And then Robb stopped breathing.

Arya felt Robb's hand go limp in her own hand just as Catelyn cried out telling him not to die. Arya was about to call out to Alayne to do something, anything. She saw Alayne twist the middle section of the object before turning it around in her hand and leaning forward.

"I need someone to pull the arrow out, there's only a few minutes before we lose him for good," Alayne said. Arya could tell there was a crack in her voice, followed by an intensity in her eyes as she looked up at the people around her, "I need someone to put this damn thing out so that there is a chance he could be saved. Now!"

"Lord Umber," Arya looked up at the giant man standing close to Catelyn. She remembered from his visits to Winterfell – a boisterous man who looked so subdued right now. She didn't want to speak to the Hound, especially since he tried to kill her brother… who knew what he would do when given the chance now.

Arya then looked back towards her mother who was sobbing as she looked down at Robb. She then looked back up, mentally telling herself that she needed to be brave now, and said, "pull out the arrow."

Lord Umber – the GreatJohn – rushed round the group before going down on one knee next to Arya. He then grabbed the arrow shaft and stared at Alayne who was pulling up the sleeve covering Robb's right arm. She then pressed the narrower end of the object against the skin of his wrist before looking up at the GreatJohn.

"Now," Alayne said as she pressed the narrow end of the tube into Robb's wrist. Arya heard a soft 'hiss' sound from the tube before there was a sickening 'squelch' sound. The second sound – the arrow being forcefully removed from Robb's side – was enough to get Catelyn out of her reverie before turning her head towards Arya.

The both of them had tears still streaming down their cheeks. Arya then looked down at Robb's body while the GreatJohn threw aside the bloody arrow onto the green grass. What remained of the Northern host was holding its breath; even so Arya heard whispers – that there were a few Northerners prepared to grab Alayne and the Hound so that they could be executed for killing the King..

"Come on," Arya heard Alayne whisper next to her while staring at Robb's body, "five, four…" Arya turned her head towards Alayne who continued staring at Robb, "three, two…"

Suddenly Robb gasped as he arched his back and snapped his eyes open. The other Northerners were mumbling among themselves now while Arya snapped her head back towards her brother who tightened his grip on her hand.

"Robb!" Arya and Catelyn both yelled out while Robb was panting before his face scrunched in pain, "Robb!"

"How?" many in the group asked in astonishment.

"What the fuck?" the Hound whispered while Dacey and a few others that had surrounded him earlier looked on in fear as a dead man was revived. Others yelled out, "Witchcraft, it has to be witchcraft!"

"Take it easy, calm down," Alayne ignored the voices around her while placing a hand on Robb's chest. The young King in the North stared at Alayne, Arya, and then at an amazed Catelyn for a few seconds before falling unconscious. Arya looked towards the woman who looked so much like an older version of her sister, and had multitudes of questions that were just ready to be asked. She parted her lips but she couldn't say anything; instead Alayne continued, "you're going to be alright."

Arya saw Alayne turning her head towards her, and then then back to Catelyn who was staring at Alayne with an expression of shock.

"He was dead," Arya said, her voice low as she wiped the tears off her cheeks with her other hand.

"It's a little complicated to explain right now," Alayne replied with a low voice, "for now, his bleeding has stopped…" Arya followed Alayne's eyes towards the ripped-up flesh caused by pulling out the arrow. Where it once was bleeding profusely, now there was none of the warm red liquid flowing out of Robb's body. Arya then looked back towards Alayne who continued, "it's still dangerous to stay here… we're too close to…" Alayne nodded towards the Twins before looking at Catelyn and then at Arya, and back at Catelyn again, "by rights, he shouldn't be travelling at all. But we can't stay here. We need to move soon… very soon."

Alayne then looked towards the direction of the Twins once again before saying, "I'm sure it's going to be chaotic over there but I'm sure they'll send someone in this direction when everything's calmed down." She then reached into her open pack and took out something Arya and the others couldn't make out.

"What is that?" Arya asked as Alayne tore the rectangular object, which made a sound of paper being torn, before reaching into the torn package. Arya watched Alayne pull out what looked like a rectangular piece of cloth while placing the torn package into the pack.

Alayne pointed at the hole where the arrow used to be and said, "pull up his tunic… quickly." She turned to Arya and then to Catelyn, "the wound's exposed. There's a higher chance of him being infected…" she held out the cloth in her hand towards Catelyn, "this will seal the wound while, at the same time, it will prevent infection. Now, I need someone to pull up his… well… his tunic."

Catelyn and Arya, with the help of the GreatJohn, pulled up the tunic to Robb's chest. They turned to Alayne who then peeled away something shiny and transparent away from one side of the cloth before she turned it and placed the brownish coloured cloth over the hole made by the arrow.

Once it was over the hole, Alayne and Catelyn pulled the tunic back down.

"He should be alright," Alayne whispered as she stared at Robb, "his wound will heal in a few days, and…"

"A few days?" Dacey asked.

"A few days," Alayne confirmed as she continued to stare at Robb, "the entry wound will seal, and any infection will be staved off."

Greywater Watch

The Lord of Greywater Watch was staring out the window in the chambers he shared with his wife. The swamp around the floating castle known as Greywater Watch was shrouded in darkness and low fog with the occasional fireflies proving specks of light. In the meantime, people with torches – crannogmen holding out lanterns on small boats – on the surrounding water were searching for fish and frogs. In the distance, there were four other columns of dimly lit boats being rowed away from the castle.

"Howland," a soft voice spoke as an arm wrapped around his shoulders. A slim woman in a shimmering green dress stood walked up and stood next to him, her violet eyes staring out into the sight of the lights rowing away from the castle, "how long will it take to reach the King and his retinue?"

Howland looked over to his wife whose eyes were puffy from shedding tears for the past few days at the fate of their youngest son; it was a fate that the Lord of Greywater Watch revealed a few days ago to his wife. He had told her of how Jojen had a greendream that he and Meera, their eldest child, would lead Bran, Rickon, and Hodor to the lands beyond the Wall. His wife was constantly in tears, and a deep depression for days after revealing what Jojen had told him; that their youngest child… and only son… would not make it back. Howland explained how it was Jojen's destiny to bring Bran beyond the Wall so that he could learn ways to battle the coming darkness.

His wife was so enraged with him that she did not speak to him for days. It was her Dornish blood, he would think to himself when he was forced to sleep in the Meal Hall instead. It was only hours earlier that he returned to his chambers and faced his wife with grave news given to him in a greendream.

Howland had seen the King in the North be betrayed; that he was gravely injured and was on the way towards the Neck. He saw his wife's anger take a back seat as she pulled him into heir chambers and sat him down. He then further explained what he had seen in the greendream where the Northmen were from the Twins which were smoking ruins. He thought the dream was much stranger than his usual greendreams, particularly when Robb and the others were being protected from the air by a swooping falcon.

And then it was the second part of the dream that had him even more confused. His wife stared at him with an eyebrow arched upwards after he spoke of a long-buried stone ring in the South Eastern part of the Neck.

"Seven glowing orange lights with a pool of water within the ring," Howland said, "and then I awoke."

"Howland…"

"Ash," Howland said as he reached for and gently held the hand of the woman he fell for at the tourney of Harrenhal so many years ago, "Ned's death, the burning and sacking of Winterfell, Jojen and Meera leading Bran to the land beyond the Wall, Robb's survival, this swooping falcon, the glowing stone ring, and the dreams I have had of the coming darkness…. I believe it is all connected."

"How?"

"I… I do not know" Howland admitted shaking his head, "I really do not know."

TBC.