CHAPTER 14

Later on in the afternoon, Ned found Lyra playing with the children in the snow again having their snowball wars in their coats and mittens. Lyra was telling and showing her secret of throwing snowballs to Arya, Sansa and Jon on her side. Her silly lion was still catching them in her mouth and spitting them out. Ned thought it was so humorous. Arya started hitting the other side more often than not. Ned was surprised at his six name day old girl getting the better of Theon and Robb. When the war was over Lyra declared Crystal the snowball fight winner for eating more snowballs than anyone else. The children all cheered congratulating Crystal. He never got over how Lyra and his children could all bond together on everything. No arguments, no teasing, no fighting and no crying. All laughter, kisses and smiles. Not one of his children was ever left behind on anything in any way.

He went down in the Common Room of the Great Keep and the children were gathered by the fire drinking hot cider again with Lyra laying on her stomach on the floor. He stood at a distance and watched them. He didn't realize Caitlyn was standing there too.

Lyra said, "I'm going to blow bubbles on Crystal like when she was a baby." She put her mouth on Crystal's belly and blew making a brrtfftt noise. The lion roweled. The children laughed.

Lyra said giggling, "She's ticklish too. Not like you and I are ticklish and we laugh. It's the only way I can get her off of me when she rolls over on me pinning me to the bed."

Theon asked slyly, "Where is the spot?"

Lyra said like it's a secret, "Now why would I tell you, Theon? I may want her to roll on you and make a bigger wet spot on the floor. Well, bigger than Arya's wet spot." They all laughed.

Theon said, "You're so much fun, Lady Lyra. We are going to hate to see you go."

Lyra shrugged saying, "It doesn't mean forever. I'll definitely be back knowing all of you are here. It's wonderful having such great people like all five of you in my life now. You all need to watch out for each other, help each other and protect each other from the Ramsay Snow's of this world while I'm gone. You're all here to be a family. Believe what you want but it's true. I have no blood family left in the world. I think of you and Crystal like my family. Crystal has no family but thinks of me and all of you like her family. Why can't you all be a real family of brothers and sisters? Besides, one day you'll all come sailing with me when you come visit me on Bear Island and see my ship." Ned noticed they were all listening to her every word.

Robb said, "I think of us all as family, even Theon with his blonde hair and smelly feet." They all were laughing.

Theon said grinning, "And your stinky air from you know where, Robb." They all laughed.

Jon laid his head on Lyra's shoulder and said, "I wish you were my mother, Lady Lyra."

She kissed his head and said, "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, Jon." She kissed his head and hugged him.

Theon said, "Me too." She held out her other arm and hugged him too, kissing his head.

Caitlyn said in a whisper to Ned, "She is so good with them. I won't mistreat the boys anymore, Ned. They're all just innocent children." He turned and kissed her, holding her in his arms.

The servant girl came up to them and said, "The evening meal is ready, my Lord and Lady." Ned said thank you and to fetch the lords.

He said to Caitlyn, "Go on and get Bran and I'll tell everyone." Caitlyn went to the nursery.

Ned walked in the Common Room and said, "The evening meal is ready. Come on, let's go sit." They all got up smiling and went together to the Great Hall.

Ned pulled Lyra to the side and said, "I believe you now. I suppose there are necessary reasons to do some things you normally would never find yourself doing if you knew you must change the future to save lives." Lyra nodded. Ned put out his hand and Lyra moved ahead of him to sit with the children. Jorah came in and kissed her as he sat down to get ready to eat dinner.

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The following morning, Lyra and Ned were in his study and told him all about the Second Long Night War to come. She explained that he would need to stockpile dragonglass for making weapons the sooner the better and that Dragonstone was sitting on tons of it. She also told him when the war occurred at the end of 304AC into 305AC and how Jon would take the black. He was needed to handle the wildlings that are crucial to bring south of the Wall to not add to the ranks of the army of the dead. She also told him about Arya and how she was crucial to train in all forms of fighting. That last part truly surprised him.

After talking it all out about the information she supplied to him, Lyra was going to prepare to get ready to leave soon when Jorah went back to his island. Jorah decided to leave in a few days, so Lyra started preparing with her sellswords to leave to go back to White Harbor. The children were disappointed talking about them leaving. She had quickly grown attached to the children and it was going to be hard to leave.

The day had come and everything was packed up and ready to go. Lyra's wagons were filled to bursting with food and their supplies. She was down to nine sellswords because one had fallen in love with a local Northern smallfolk girl. Lyra was happy for him and they would leave in the morning. The nine sellswords were going to watch the wagons overnight as they camped. After dinner, she and Crystal played, told stories and laughed with the children before bedtime. They all kissed her good night with a few tears showing.

~~~~4yr 8.5mo(4yr 7.25mo)293AD

Lyra had spent ten days with Lord Ned Stark's family. Early in the morning, Jorah and Lyra woke up together and had made love into the night. They got up and got ready to depart for their separate destinations. They walked holding hands into the Great Hall to have their last meal with the Stark family. When she walked into the Hall, chairs scooted back and the children all ran to her in a group hug. She hugged and kissed them all.

Lyra said, "It's ok, my sweet children. Let's eat together and spend some time together as a family." They all nodded and went back to their seats and she sat between them Robb and Theon. Jorah could tell it was just as hard for Lyra to leave because she had bonded to the Stark children. Crystal walked up and down the seated children and was licking and nuzzling each of them making them all giggle, pet and kiss her.

Arya said, pouting, "I wish you could stay with us forever."

Lyra said softly sitting down in her chair, "We're family, Arya, my little love. I promise to send ravens and come stay with you again. You can't ever think I would forget you all just because I have to sail all the way around Westeros to stay at Bear Island. I'll let you know where I am. We are family, right?"

Ned answered for them all, "That's right. You are definitely considered family to us all. We will look forward to your ravens, Lady Lyra. You are always welcome here with us." Lyra smiled at him and Caitlyn as they smiled at her.

Jorah said respectfully, "My home is always open to you and your family Lord Stark. We would love to have you at our wedding. Come stay with us all of you are welcome as our special guests." Lyra was happy to have them at the top of the guest list. The children cheered.

Ned said smiling, "We shall see once you both set a time." Lyra smiled at him.

After eating, she and Jorah had their belongings packed up and with them. Lyra got down on her knees and kissed and hugged all the children telling them she loved them as they kissed and hugged Crystal who nuzzled them all roweling. They all had tears in their eyes even Lyra as she hugged Caitlyn and Ned goodbye. She thanked them for their kindness and hospitality.

Jorah led his packed horse and Crystal followed Lyra in her coat and paw mittens on. It had gotten colder. They walked all together to the East Gate where her sellswords were waiting with the wagons. They hugged, kissed and Lyra said, "I wish you a safe journey home and me a safe journey all the way to Bear Island. I love you, Jorah Mormont and I will see you soon." He didn't know what magic she had just done to protect them.

Jorah said, "I'll be dreaming of you every night until I can hold you in my arms again. I love you, Lyra Wyldwood." They kissed and held hands until their fingertips parted as they slowly walked away from each other. Lyra climbed up on the wagon, watched Jorah mount his horse, he rode away, he stopped looking back at her and continued riding towards Deepwood Motte.

Lyra said loudly, "Come on my wonderful guards, let's get back to 'The Wyldwynd' in White Harbor." She snapped the reins and her lead wagon lurched forward and they started their three week journey to White Harbor.

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One night as they were camping out, in the middle of the journey to Moat Cailin, Lyra and Crystal were out in the woods hunting. They came upon a doe and Lyra shot it through the eye with her arrow. It dropped where it stood. Crystal spotted a group of rabbits and darted off to play and catch one. Lyra went to her doe and pulled the arrow out of it and cleaned it off in the snow, putting it back in her quiver. She squatted down examining her kill.

Suddenly, she was surrounded by a band of men. One said, "Looky here mates, a little lost girl with our dinner for tonight." Lyra stood up tying the legs together, the front legs and then the back together, ignoring them.

Another man said, "Rast, she be a perty one all in fur. I bet she be a bit of fun." Lyra perked up at the name Rast the known rapist on her list. He served on the Night Watch and killed Jeor Mormont with Karl Tanner. She stood up, took off her coat laying it on the clean snow and looked at all five of them. They were all filthy looking and looked like a band of thieves.

Lyra said, sighing, "If I were you, I would start running about now. But, I suppose you're all to stupid and will stand right there not listening to me."

Rast walked up to her and said nastily, "Not until we all get a turn fucking you til your dead." He reached out to grab her. She grabbed his arm and bent it behind his back with her dagger to his throat. There was a loud roar and Crystal attacked one man tearing out his throat and going after another. Lyra slit Rast's throat and grabbed another man stabbing him through the heart. Lyra threw her dagger into another one's leg as he ran. Crystal pounced on him.

Lyra said, "I wish for all of these five men's valuables to pile at my feet in a bag." The items flew off the thieving rapists and piled in a bag at her feet. She wiped off the blood on her gloves in the snow after cleaning and retrieving her dagger. She grabbed the front feet of the doe and Crystal grabbed the back feet. Together they dragged the deer to camp.

The guards came up to her and the leader said urgently, "What happened? We heard screaming in the forest but you told us not to follow you while hunting or you'll mistake us. Are you ok?"

Lyra said handing the deer over to the others, "We were set upon by a band of five rapist thieves. Crystal and I had to kill them all, so there will be animals feeding tonight in the forest. I expect you all to stick close to camp. Five men is a feeding frenzy." They nodded agreeing.

Lyra went to the fire, got a pot of snow, melted it and began to wash the blood on Crystal off. The lioness sat there patiently as she cleaned her face and paws up. She praised her lion and said, "You are a good girl and did well helping protect me. I love you, Crystal, my baby girl." She nuzzled Crystal like the lioness does her all the time. The lion roweled and let Lyra dry off her paws and face.

The guards cleaned the deer and cut it up like they did the deer on the way up to Winterfell. They talked among themselves. One guard said, "She never ceases to stop surprising me. She fights like a man. Her and her lion just took out five men. I never met a woman who could do that even without a lion to help her."

Another guard said, "I know. You got to admire a woman that is pretty, yet a warrior and successful merchant. Jorah Mormont is one lucky bastard. I guess she will be the Lady of Bear Island. I wonder if he knows what a She-Lion instead of She-Bear he is getting for a wife?" They chuckled, packing the meat in snow in the back of the wagon. Lyra had started a large kettle of stew from a part of the venison haunch she cut up into pieces with the vegetables. She thought while cooking that it was 14 out of 21 people off her list of people now.