Seeing You Again
Chapter I:
Winters Rest: 309 A.C (Fifth Moon)
Lord Jon Stark P.O.V
Built-in the vast plains of the North, the castle of Winters Rest could be found east of the Kingsroad on the borders of the Barrowlands, ruling over half a dozen farms and hamlets.
Where most battlement walls were made entirely of stone, the curtain walls (square in shape) had four thick stone pillars on the corners, each with a wooden watchtower that could be manned with half a dozen archers, while the large unmanned walls were made of Ironwood and oak (with more two more watchtowers built into each wall that allowed the defence of the walls), as were the gates that provided entry into the castle (connected to a dirt track that led moved east to the Kingsroad), guarded by a gatehouse and two more wooden watchtowers which protected the castle.
A single Weirwood Heart Tree could be found in the shadow of the battlement walls to the far left of the gatehouse, with the castle stables and kennels (both of which were made out of solid oak with thatched roofs which were sometimes battered by snowstorms) being built close to the Heart Tree.
A small storehouse could be found near the stables as well, where the Household Staff would store spare pelts (from wolves, deer, shadowcats and bears), silk, linen, cloth, leather and wool among other materials so that they might be used later by the Household Staff to make clothes, armour or other things like bedding and warm rugs.
Close to the keep, the castle armouries and barracks were built alongside the wooden walls (leaving little space behind the walls filled with wooden crates and barrels containing broken swords, snapped arrows and old spearheads), with the castle forge connected to the armouries.
Tall and drum-shaped, the tall, wide stone tower boasted four separate floors with a roof made from red clay brick tiles, several windows and balconies as well as two large wooden doors that led into the castle.
The hall of Winters Rest (used for feasts and holding court) could be found on the ground floor of the castle, smaller than most halls in the Northern castles but still large enough to host around three hundred people comfortably, with the kitchens, larders and brewery being located in the small holdfast connected to the walls which led directly into the hall.
The other three floors played host to several bedchambers (for both guests and the occupants of the castle), private parlours and dining chambers, along with the Lord's Solar.
Built into the walls of the tower were four separate holdfasts (squat and square, and built into the walls around the circular keep), the smallest of which was the already mentioned kitchens, larders and brewery, while the largest housed the servants quarters (belonging to the higher ranking members of the Household) and public baths.
The other two holdfasts joined to the wall also housed quarters used by the Household Staff, with small windows for ventilation and single wooden doors atop small stone steps that led directly into these holdfasts.
Not built as part of the castle, the square tower holdfast belonging to the Maester could be found off to the left of the keep, containing the Maester's chambers, his stores, the rookery and two smaller bedchambers that were used by the two young boys he employed to help clean the rookery and care for the ravens.
Opposite the Maester's tower, were the castle dungeons contained inside an ugly square keep (half the size of the Maester's tower), used to hold prisoners and criminals awaiting punishment.
The rest of the space available behind the walls of the castle served as a large courtyard, large enough to hold at least four wagons and several dozen men, with the courtyard being a bustling hub of activity on this day with Guards and servants milling about, conversations being had as people crossed each other's paths.
Where some Lords in the South might not do so, the Lord of Winters Rest had made sure to train all the men and boys (regardless of their trade) how to fight with proper weapons, both from within the walls of Winters Rest and from the hamlets and farms under his protection, earning their respect as well as giving them the tools (mostly axes, spears and bows) to defend themselves and their families.
As the Lord of Winters Rest (Jon Stark) had been told by his father Lord Eddard Stark of Long Lake, if a Lord wanted the respect of his people then he should provide for them whenever he could, for it was a Lord's duty to protect his smallfolk.
Speaking of Lord Jon Stark, the young Lord walked out of the open doors leading into the keep, making his way down the dirt path in the direction of the main armoury which doubled as a training yard, a line of targets and straw dummies lining the walls for training purposes.
A training yard which today was being used by his Master-at-Arms to teach his only son how to use a sword, while on other days it was used by his Household Guard who would train against each other and himself.
At twenty-five Name Days, the Lord of Winters Rest was of average height with a slightly stocky build, his curly dark-brown hair ending at his shoulders while his cheeks were lined with brown stubble and a neatly trimmed moustache that matched his dark-brown hair.
As it was a slightly cold day, Jon was dressed a thick knee-length surcoat (dyed black with a snarling white Direwolf head with red eyes sewn into the front of it) over a grey quilted gambeson, along with warm britches, leather gloves, and a wolf pelt on his shoulders fastened with cross-guard leather straps for additional warmth.
Fastened to a belt that was tied around his waist, was a bastard sword (complete with a white snarling Direwolf head pommel) and a long-bladed dagger, both of which had tasted blood from defending his lands against Wildling Raiders and bandits over the years, along with the Greyjoy Rebellion of 300 A.C.
Walking towards the armoury with his hand on the pommel of his sword, Jon approached the space which was being occupied by his Master-at-Arms (a former Hedge Knight named Ser Bael Miller from the Harrentown in the Riverlands, who had married a Miller's daughter and had two children with her) who was instructing his eldest child and only son Lyonel Stark on his swordplay lessons for the day.
The eldest of his two children and the heir to all of his lands and titles, Lyonel Stark (who was dressed similarly to Jon with a quilted gambeson, warm britches and leather gloves) was six years of age and had inherited the Stark looks from his father, with short, straight brown hair that was a lighter shade than Jon's, though his eyes were a soft brown as opposed to Jon's purple.
Having trained with a wooden sword and shield for nearly half a year now, Lyonel was swinging his sword at a straw dummy, listening to the advice sent his way by Ser Bael whenever the man spoke.
Moving closer to where his son was training oblivious to his presence, Jon felt proud of Lyonel as he applied himself to his training with more discipline than Jon had when he was six.
Just as he felt proud of his son, Jon spared a moment to think about his late wife Bethany Branch, who had given him two children (Lyonel and Alyssa) before she passed away three years ago in early 306 A.C at the young age of 24, less than half a year after the difficult birth of their daughter Alyssa.
A birth that had been made more difficult by the miscarriage she had suffered the previous year (caused by slipping and falling in the hallway after an inexperienced maid had been scrubbing the floors and had forgotten to dry them properly), though Bethany Branch had always been prone to illness ever since she was a child.
Of course, Jon had mourned for her after she died, though he would be lying if he claimed to have loved her wholeheartedly as some men loved their wives, viewing his marriage to her as having done the duty that was required of him just as she did.
He might not have loved her. But he respected her and was always kind and courteous to her, treating her with the respect she deserved and staying faithful to her, with the love they both had for their children vastly outweighing their feelings for each other.
Just as his children missed their mother (more so Lyonel who got to spend some time with his mother whereas Alyssa did not, as she had little to no memory of his mother), Jon also missed his wife of six short years, feeling a little lost without her especially when it came to their children as he sometimes doubted his ability to raise them properly.
Not wishing to distract his son, Jon just stood there watching them in silence, with that silence only being broken when he heard his daughter Alyssa (a short skinny young girl with long braided dark brown hair) approaching him in the arms of the Governess Ros.
His Governess was a reddish-brown-haired woman of twenty-nine who had once served as his mother's handmaiden who had joined his Household shortly after his wedding, now serving as a Governess who along with the Castle Maester, oversaw the education of his children.
Just as she now helped run his Household at Winters Rest, taking on the responsibilities that would normally be carried out by the Steward in addition to her duties as Governess.
After all of this time, Jon was grateful that Ros had stayed in his employment instead of moving on and seeking her fortunes elsewhere, knowing that his children were very close to her and would miss her very dearly if she left.
To his children, Lady Ros (as they liked to call her) was the loving Aunt that doted on them.
Taking Alyssa from her arms, Jon thanked Ros.
"Father look!" Alyssa told him, her voice brimming with excitement as he held her close to his chest.
"What is it, Angel?" Jon asked of her.
Looking down, his smile widened as he saw the favour she had sewn, a dull grey with a white Direwolf head stitched onto it.
A Direwolf that she had modelled after his Direwolf Ghost, a faithful companion that had been at his side for eleven years now, ever since Jon had been given him as a pup by his uncle Lord Brandon Stark of Winterfell in 298 A.C.
Larger than an ordinary wolf with fur as white as snow and blood-red eyes, Ghost had earned his name from Jon as the runt of the litter had barely made a sound when Jon claimed him as his own, just as his siblings and cousins had claimed and named Direwolves of their own.
Speaking of Ghost, Jon spied his faithful Direwolf sitting under the shade of the walls near the gatehouse near the Winter Hall, his red eyes scanning the courtyard in an ever-vigilant manner.
As for his daughter's stitching, it was remarkable work given that it looked so detailed and well done for a girl as young as she was, even down to the detail of the red eye which matched Ghost's red eyes perfectly.
"Lady Ros helped me" Alyssa was excited as she answered him.
Being low-born, Ros was by no means a Lady (at least not a noble one) but it was nice to see his children refer to her as such.
Pressing a kiss to Alyssa's forehead, Jon looked over to Ros who smiled at the both of them.
"I thought it was time to let her try her hand at sewing… seems she might have a gift for it if she keeps practising" Ros told him, her voice soft and fond which showed just how much she cared about Alyssa Stark.
Giving her a small nod and a thankful smile, Jon took another look at the favour in his daughter's hands before telling her.
"Wow… this is very good"
As he placed on the floor, he heard Alyssa ask him.
"Will you wear it?"
Jon smiled and ruffled her hair.
"I would love to wear it" Jon replied.
As he let Alyssa tie her favour around his wrist, Jon heard one of the guards who was standing atop the gatehouse call out to him, letting him know that a small retinue was approaching the gates.
"Open the gates!" Jon called out to them.
As the gates slowly started to creak open, Jon had Lyonel come and stand on his right-hand side while Ros came to stand on his left, holding onto Alyssa once again, with the Starks of Winters Rest ready to greet their guests.
With some effort, Jon stood by the side of his two children, standing up straight while Lyonel tried to do the same, though he could not help but fidget occasionally.
With the gates now open, a small wheelhouse trundled into the courtyard escorted by half a dozen guards who were not accustomed to the cold climate of the North, owing to the excessive amount of fur lining their shoulders.
To Jon's surprise, a Direwolf with light grey and white fur entered the courtyard alongside the guards, two of whom were carrying spears adorned with banners showing a black plowman on a brown field.
The sigil of House Darry of Darry, a powerful House from the Riverlands who had close ties with the Crown.
The sight of these banners along with the presence of the Direwolf (which made its way over to Ghost who perked up in curiosity) left him in little doubt as to who was in the wheelhouse.
A little puzzled as to why this person, in particular, was paying him a visit at Winters Rest, Jon did not let that show on his face, though he did notice the confusion on Lyonel's face at the presence of a Riverlander House in the courtyard.
The confusion that soon turned to curiosity when they saw who emerged from the wheelhouse, helped down by one of the Guards.
A young woman of around twenty-two Name Days, a little taller than your average woman (around half a head shorter than him, Jon reckoned) with long auburn hair that was close to light copper, styled into a simple braid behind her head exposing her soft, heart-shaped face and deep blue eyes.
Blue eyes that looked a little pained when Jon locked eyes with them, causing the young woman to send him a soft smile.
A smile that would have made Jon recognise her instantly, had he not already recognised her even if he had not seen her since her wedding nearly seven years ago.
His cousin, Lady Sansa Darry nee Stark, the eldest daughter of his Uncle Brandon Stark and Aunt Catelyn Stark nee Tully, herself a widow just like him (though her Lord Husband Mervyn Darry had only died less than half a year ago), dressed in her favoured light blue and grey colours as opposed to the colours of House Darry (which were usually a mix of red, gold, bronze and black), while her modest gown was designed to accommodate the cold Autumn weather and lined with grey wolf fur.
As she turned to face the wheelhouse, Jon kept his eyes locked on Sansa as she helped a young girl, around four years of age with long auburn hair (who herself was wearing a dress and warm cloak that were black and gold) out of the wheelhouse.
Straightening up as Sansa took the hand of her daughter and led her over to Jon and his children, Jon's eyes never left hers, not even for one second.
As they stood opposite each other in total silence, Jon did not know what to say to her before she caught him off guard by letting go of her daughter's hand and wrapping her arms around him.
As he slowly returned her hug, he heard giggles coming from her daughter as Sansa embraced him wholeheartedly, nuzzling her cheek against his slightly as her eyes closed for a few seconds.
Even Ros was smirking at the sight of him and Sansa.
"It has been a long time," Sansa told him, her voice soft as she held onto him tightly.
"It has" Jon did not know what else to say.
As he and Sansa let go of each other, Jon watched as she bent down in front of Lyonel.
"And who is this handsome young man in front of me?" Sansa addressed Lyonel.
Jon placed his hand on Lyonel's shoulder.
"My son and Heir Lyonel" Jon replied, patting Lyonel on the shoulder as he looked up at Sansa curiously.
He then turned to Alyssa who looked nervous in Ros's arms as she looked at Sansa who was a stranger to her.
"My daughter Alyssa… kids, meet your Aunt, Lady Sansa Darry… my cousin and sister to your Uncle Robb" Jon continued, becoming concerned when he saw that Sansa looked a little hurt when he referred to her as Lady Darry.
A look that she quickly pushed down, smiling warmly as she gave each of his children a soft loving hug.
Once she had finished greeting his children, Sansa stood up straight and beckoned for her daughter to come closer, with the young girl looking rather nervous as she did so.
"My daughter, Alayne" Sansa told him, introducing Alayne (aged 4) greeted him with a quiet but polite "Hello".
Politeness that he was not surprised to see from Sansa's daughter, knowing how his cousin had always prided herself on being a perfect Lady when they were growing up.
Once Jon and his children had greeted her daughters, Sansa continued.
"Alayne… this is your Uncle Jon Stark, the Lord of Winters Rest"
Now that both Jon and Sansa had introduced their children to one another, Jon watched as Ros greeted Sansa, who was a little shocked at the sight of the woman who had once been her Aunt's handmaiden, though that did not mean that she was not pleased to see her again.
With the introductions out of the way, Jon glanced at Sansa for a moment.
"Son, perhaps you ought to take your sister inside and play with your cousin, if that is okay with your Aunt Sansa" Jon told Lyonel, glancing back at Sansa as he spoke.
Sansa nodded her head with a small smile in reply.
"Go inside and play with your toys… and remember to share them with your cousin" Jon told them sternly.
"What about you Father?" Lyonel asked of him.
Jon ruffled his hair.
"Your Aunt and I can entertain ourselves… now off you go," Jon told her.
As Jon watched his son approach the young girl, Sansa reassured her and told her to go with her cousins.
Watching as their children ran towards the open doors of the keep followed by Ros who kept hold of Alyssa, Jon felt Sansa take his arm.
"Come on… supper will be ready in a few hours, I will have a bath drawn for you" Jon told her.
"Thank you" Sansa replied as she took his arm.
Waiting a few moments so Ghost and Lady could move towards them, Jon told her.
"You can use the bath in my chambers, I will make sure to have a change of clothes ready for you as well"
Once Sansa had thanked him once again, Jon led her back towards the path in the same direction that their children had gone, trying to ease her into a pleasant conversation.
"You look nice… being back in the North is doing wonders for you"
Looking him up and down, Sansa flashed him a smile.
"Thank you… you look nice as well Jon" Sansa told him softly.
Later that evening…
Jon P.O.V
Sat around the long rectangular high table in his hall, Jon was enjoying the sight of his family enjoying supper with Sansa and her daughter, with both Jon and Sansa happy that their children were getting along so well together.
It even warmed his heart slightly to see Alyssa sat on Sansa's lap as she fed her small pieces of food from her plate, making her look completely at home in her lap, nor had she stopped smiling ever since she offered to hold the young girl in her arms.
As they enjoyed their supper of pork and vegetables (the latter of which he made sure were always growing in the small glasshouses in the courtyard), Jon was listening intently, much to his embarrassment as Sansa (who had insisted on sitting next to him) told their children a slightly embarrassing story about a time when Jon had agreed (rather reluctantly) to dance with Sansa at a small feast at the Last Hearth (to celebrate Jon "Smalljon" Umber's wedding in 297 A.C) only to stumble and cause both of them to fall to the floor in front of all of the guests who could not contain their laughter.
"Daddy clumsy" the young Alyssa interjected, making Sansa laugh while Jon rolled his eyes.
As she managed to stop her laughter for a moment, Sansa replied.
"Yes Sweetheart… your daddy was very clumsy… and very apologetic afterwards as he knew that he had embarrassed both of us"
"And you would not stop going on about how I embarrassed you in front of most of your Father's bannermen" Jon retorted.
Rolling her eyes as she kissed Alyssa's forehead, Sansa turned to Jon.
"Well you did… no one else would dance with me after that, it is bad enough that some of the boys used to say I was too tall for a girl my age… then you have to go and embarrass me like that, making them think I was as clumsy as I was tall" Sansa replied.
Jon sighed and clapped her on the thigh, making her jolt slightly as the heat rushed to her cheeks.
"You might have been a little taller than most girls… but you were one of the prettier ones" Jon told her, a little shocked that he had just admitted to his cousin and their children that he thought she was one of the prettiest girls when they were growing up.
Seeing her cheeks flushing red at this, Jon remained silent as he heard the children giggling at him and Sansa.
Even Ros was struggling to contain her laughter at this.
"Pay no mind to your Father you two… he and your Uncle Robb used to use those lines on every young girl within earshot at Winterfell, most of whom were far too clever to fall for such useless attempts at flirting" Sansa teased him, leaning down and pressing another kiss to Alyssa's forehead.
"Right, two can play at that game" Jon thought, glaring at Sansa mischievously.
As she caught his eye, Sansa bit her lip nervously and shook her head, correctly guessing that he was about to embarrass her.
"Alayne… has your mother ever told you about what your Aunt Arya used to do to her when they were fighting with each other?" Jon spoke up.
Hearing Sansa let out a rather unladylike growl made Jon smirk at her.
"You better not" Sansa growled.
Squeezing her thigh with a teasing look in his eyes, Jon chuckled.
"They used to fight all the time when we were young… and when your Aunt got really mad at your Mother, she would cut a hole in her mattress and stuff it with sheep doodoo" Jon told them, knowing better than to swear in front of young children.
For he remembered how Ros had shouted at him for a good twenty minutes and slapped him so hard that she left red marks on both of his cheeks, all because he swore after getting frustrated with the castle accounts in his solar, at the very same time that Ros was walking past his door with Lyonel.
As their children erupted into laughter, Jon glanced at Sansa who was glaring at him.
"I will get you for that" Sansa mouthed to him.
Jon chuckled and turned away from her.
"It drove your grandmother mad trying to work out why your mother smelled like sheep doo-doo every morning… and it was at least three or four days before they replaced her mattress with a new one… and then she did it again the next time they argued," Jon told them.
"Yes well, my little sister could be a right little monster when we were young… and you only encouraged her to torture me like she did Jon" Sansa retorted.
Jon laughed.
"Oh you wound me dear cousin… but alas in this instance I am guilty as charged" Jon told her amusedly.
Knowing that she was now rather embarrassed, Jon chuckled as he watched Sansa return her full attention to her supper, stabbing one of her potatoes with her fork.
"Well children, it appears I have embarrassed your mother quite enough for one night… how about she and I tell embarrassing stories about all of you instead" Jon told the five children.
As their children quickly shouted for him not to embarrass them, Jon turned to Sansa who flashed him a small smile, agreeing to his suggestion.