Chapter Three:

It is high morning when Eddard Stark joins his wife on the balcony. He is exhausted, having spent the whole night catching up on lordly tasks. He preferred the more solitary, monotonous task of Lordship, but that did not mean they weren't taxing.

He spotted her easily, her blue eyes and bright red hair that he loved so much stood out amongst everything. Her face was impassive but content as she watched the boys train on the field down below.

Upon his arrival on the porch, she turned her head to look at him with a warm smile and he felt his eyes soften in a way reserved only for his family.

"Ned," She greeted, and he was reminded of the first time she greeted him upon returning from the war. It seemed like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.

She reached to kiss him, briefly but meaningful, and they both let out a sigh as they pulled apart.

For a moment they held each other's gaze.

Their marriage had been a political one forged in a time of war and chaos, not born out of love. In fact, their hearts had belonged to other people at the time. But it was moments like this that the two could hardly picture a life without the other.

They broke the trance at the same time, Ned joining their hands together as he leaned over the railing of the edge.

Catelyn took a moment to study her husband. His eyebrows were furrowed and his face looked more sullen than usual.

"Something the matter?" She asked him.

"Last night, I received two letters concerning Minisa's hand."

"Marriage betrothals?" Catelyn questioned, now more alert.

Ned waved her off. There had been no official proposals. Just unofficially letting him know that they would be interested in such matches. "Nothing that serious."

"Who were they from? What did they say?"

"Tallhart and Hornwood. Lord Helman has requested a short fostering of him and his eldest son. To see if there is any potential in the match, no doubt."

"You should consider the matches." Catelyn advised.

"She's young Cat, there is much time to discuss such matters."

" She won't be a little girl forever. And it's our responsibility to plan for her future."

Ned let out a breath. He knew his wife was right. The children were getting older and the time for betrothals and such would be upon them soon. He had already been receiving letters about Sansa and Robb for months.

Minisa was different though. Arya was his youngest daughter and Rickon his youngest child, but Minisa, she was his baby.

She had always been a sweet and sensitive girl with a big heart. Big and innocent. He did not think her weak, but the wolf's blood didn't run as deep in her as it did her other siblings. He worried for her.

It had only gotten worse since the event with Theon in the library. He did not doubt the interaction between his ward and daughter was innocent, and he did not hold it against them.

Still, it had forced him to realize she was getting older. An idea that these letters further enforced.

"I know." He responded to his wife. "I just wish for them to be like this for as long as possible."

Catelyn didn't think it a good idea to put off such important matters until they were unavoidable. Ned was a second son, raised to follow, but Catelyn was a first born. Her fathers heir until her brother Edmure had come along. She knew the way of the world and the importance of being in control of such things. But she relented. For now.

She returned to looking at the field, forcing her eyes to skip over her husband's bastard.

They were helping Bran with his archery. He had not too long ago started training and still needed much practice.

He drew back the bow and aimed.

Catelyn had never held a bow before but she had often watched Edmure and her Uncle Brynden shoot, and could tell his form was all wrong.

As predicted, the arrow missed. It flew into the trees behind, not so much as grazing the target.

The boys let out a laugh at him and little Bran's face flushed red in embarrassment.

"And how many of you were marksmen at the age of ten?" Ned shouted from the balcony.

Robb and Jon looked down sheepishly at the reprimand.

Ned and Catelyn shot Bran looks of encouragement. "Try it again."

Bran drew back the bow again but before he could release it, another one shot from below, hitting the center perfectly.

Catelyn looked towards its source to find Arya standing there smiling. She must've snuck out of her lessons with Minisa and Sansa.

They all let out laughs, amused as Bran chased down his sister.

Catelyn's youngest girl had always been difficult and unruly. She would have preferred her to be just a little bit more ladylike, but a bow was better than a sword, and years of motherhood had taught her to choose her battles carefully.

Shortly after, a voice calls out from behind them. "Lord Stark."

And just like that, the moment is broken.

Ser Rodrik approaches with Theon in tow. He greets her upon arrival before turning back to Ned.

"A guardsman just rode in from the hills. They've captured a deserter from the Night's Watch."


In a little crook towards the woods of Winterfell, is a bloodwood tree. And under it sit Minisa, Sansa, and Jeyne, where they had been since the end of their sewing lessons earlier.

Since discovering it at the age of five, it had been their secret spot where they hung out. Well, technically it wasn't a secret spot. Everyone knew the girls could be found there together, but no one ever bothered them.

Minisa was sprawled out on the ground, looking up at the clouds while Sansa braided Jeyne's hair.

The three were talking about Jeyne's upcoming nameday. The oldest of the three (by only a few months), she would be turning thirteen and her father had already begun making talks of betrothal.

The two girls were excited for their friend, but she didn't seem to share their enthusiasm. She was of course excited at the prospect of an upcoming union (they had all spent years planning their own weddings), but the Poole's weren't a major house like the Starks. She would never get the kind of prospects as Sansa or Minisa, or even Arya.

She tried not to be jealous of her friends, but sometimes it was really hard.

"Do you have anyone in mind? Someone you fancy?" Sansa asks.

Jeyne blushes. She had had a crush on the same guy for a while now, but she could never reveal the identity to Sansa or Minisa. It would be too embarrassing. "Yes." She admitted.

Minisa's head piped up at that, turning to match gazes with her sister. All though they couldn't actually hear each other's thoughts, they both felt each other's curiosity. Who did Jeyne fancy?

"But I doubt anything will come of it." Jeyne waves them off.

Before Minisa could question her, Arya came running at them.

"Arya!" Sansa exclaimed. "This is a private space! No kids allowed."

But she just ignored her. "Father just returned and he has a surprise for us. Come on!" she yelled with a smile, before taking off again.

Minisa picked up her skirts and chased after her immediately, excitement coursing through her body.

Arya wound up leading her to Father's study. She flung the door open, Minisa hot on her heels.

Huddled around the middle of the room was Theon, Jon, and the rest of the Stark siblings. They all leaned over father's desk examining something on it closely.

Except for Theon, who stood straight with his hands crossed over his chest and a wary expression on his face.

His eyes meet Minisa's as she enters the room and she goes to shoot him a smile, but before she can move her lips his attention is back on the desk.

While everyone else had gone back to normal, her and Theon's relationship had not.

The next day after she hugged him in the library, she went to apologize to him for getting him in trouble. He had accepted her apology and she had thought all was fine, but it wasn't.

He was distant from her. Awkward. He would greet her when he had to and he would speak to her in polite sentences, which just felt wrong.

Theon wasn't polite. He was cocky, and mischievous, and fun, and fearless.

It hurt. She considered Theon a friend. A good friend. And she did not want to lose that.

"Look 'Nisa" Rickon called out, pointing to the desk. His red curls bounced as he turned to her.

Minisa came to get a closer look at what held their attention, and spotted something with fur on it.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Direwolves." Jon answered. "We spotted a litter of them on the way here."

"There are no direwolves this far South of the wall." Said Sansa, who had finally caught up to the girls.

"Well, there are now." Robb spoke for the first time, backing up so they could get a closer look.

Jon and Robb both held one in their hands and on the table were five. Minisa glanced upon all of them, but she only really saw one.

One layed in the middle of the pile, snuggling underneath the rest of her siblings. She had dark brown fur except for on her underbelly, which was tan. She was quiet, watching everything going on around her with an almost disinterest.

She was perfect.

"Within minutes, the Stark children had all picked out their direwolf and one by one made their way out of the study to go play with them.

Robb, Jon, and Minisa had been the last to leave until the two brothers eventually made their way out as well.

It was only her and Then for a brief second before he realized it, and went to follow the boys.

"Wait!" she called out, and to her surprise he actually paused. "I'm coming with you."

Theon just stared at her blankly before rolling his eyes. "Come on then."

Minisa picked up her direwolf and joined him.

It was quiet at first as Minisa tried to figure out something to say. She kept glancing at his face, then back to the ground again, trying to will up some words.

The young ward looked straight ahead, his face blank with disinterest but his mind filled with the exact opposite.

He had been trying to put some distance between him and the middle Stark girl as of late. He had thought them as something like friends, like Robb, but there was one key difference between Minisa and her brother. Minisa was a girl. A girl he was fond of, and thought was sort of pretty, and liked talking to and hugging, and after witnessing him crying she had comforted him without thought...

It was too confusing to be her friend. But she hadn't done anything wrong that called for him to be mean or completely separate from her. So they were at a weird middle ground.

"How'd you guys find the direwolves?" She finally asked.

"Jon and Robb did. They heard them crying and called the rest of us over. I said they should have killed them." Theon answered truthfully, but at the startled look on the girl's face he knew he'd said too much.

He cursed himself. This was exactly what he meant by confusion. Robb wouldn't have been appalled by such statements. And even if he did, Theon wouldn't feel as bad as he does now.

"Well-" Minisa paused, unsure how to respond."I'm glad that you didn't."

"What are you going to name her?" Theon asked, eager to change the topic of discussion.

"Nori." She fired back, taking herself by surprise. She did not know where the idea came thought of picking a name hadn't crossed her mind's eye, but once it came out naturally, as if she was saying the name of a person she had known her whole life.

She did not know when they had stopped walking, but the two had found themselves just standing there, Theon staring at Minisa with a strange expression on his face.

"Like Iron backwards?"

"Yes." She nodded, "Like Iron backwards."

Theon stared at her for a moment more. She had named her direwolf after him. Not directly after him, but still. A million thoughts swarming his head, none of them were safe. None of this was safe. He had to put a stop to it.

"Minisa. We can't be friends anymore."

"...What?" She asked, looking at him with those blue-gray eyes filled with such confusion and hurt that it pained him. "Why not? Did I do something?"

No. Yes. Theon is not sure what answer to give her. There's the truth, but he cannot bring himself to say it outloud. He can't even bring himself to say it in his thoughts. Because once he did, it'd be real. There'd be no going back.

He could lie too. Tell her that they never were friends in the first place, or that all he saw when he looked at her was a reminder of all that'd been taken from stomach churns at the thought of saying that and he knows that no matter what, his heart would never allow him to say such things.

Instead, he settles on nothing. He leaves her there in the hall, her eyes full of sadness and his heart heavier than ever.