The night sky was dark and lit up with stars that felt so close one could reach out a hand and capture them. The moonlight illuminated the Godswood of winterfell in a shining silver light reflecting off of the pond and the white of the weirwood trees. The summer air still held a chill in the wind that rustled through the trees.
The Stark siblings sat huddled together with their lanterns, whispering quietly amongst one another. Their direwolves slept curled around the base of the ancient heart tree.
"Sansa, I understand everyone has been on edge about the King coming to Winterfell and what he might have to say, but is it necessary to have a Stark sibling meeting at this hour?" Robb asked.
Jon muttered under his breath, "Says someone who did not return home from Wintertown with Theon the previous evening."
Robb reached over to give Jon's ear a flick before Ghost let out a soft growl in his direction.
"Where is Theon? I could not find him." Sansa asked.
"Still in Wintertown."
She peered around making sure Septa Mordane was not secretly hiding out in the woods before giving a very unladylike eyeroll, "I do not understand why Theon goes to Wintertown so much. The baker only keeps his shop open till sundown. Why bother visiting once it's closed."
"I pray you never know, dear sister. Do not fret, my honor is still intact thanks to dear Jon."
Jon had no qualms about rolling his eyes and shoved his brother off the stone where he sat.
Sansa cleared her throat and gave them a look eerily resembling Catelyn Stark when she was cross with her children, smelled something unpleasant, or made eye contact with Jon Snow.
The boys shuddered in response and gave Sansa their undivided attention.
"Bran and I have come up with another idea to prepare for the King's arrival. Bran?"
"Sansa's nightmares have been happening more frequently since father received the letter from the King." Bran said, "Sansa and I have been researching how we can best prepare for it."
"Old nan gave me a book about heart trees and the Children of the Forest. In the story, the Children of the Forest made a blood oath in order to protect the trees and themselves against the First Men. As we all know most of the heart trees down South are felled and cut down, but here in the North they were never touched." Bran continued.
"So Sansa and I thought, well, if, if, it worked for the, uh, the Children of the Forest, maybe it can work for us." Bran trailed off as he looked at his siblings who stared back at himself and Sansa, as if he declared he no longer wished to become a knight and that Sansa declared her hatred for lemoncakes.
"A blood oath?" Arya asked intrigued. "and you want to do this Sansa?"
Sansa nodded. "Do we remember what we have learned from my dreams?"
"We cannot trust the Boltons!" Rickon responded.
"or the Lannisters," Arya replied.
"Our pack needs to stick together." Sansa finished.
"A blood oath? Sansa I think we all need to sleep on this and discuss it in the morning." Robb looked over at Jon as if to say,back me up here.
"Robb is right Sansa, I know you have not been able to get much sleep lately and you do not even remember what happens in your dreams."
"I think we should listen to Sansa!" Arya spoke up, "Let's hear her out first."
"Thank you Arya," Sansa smiled at her sister, "It is supposed to be a protection spell. All we need to do is prick our fingers and place a drop of blood into the bowl. Then pour it onto the heart tree."
Bran held up the bowl proudly before lowering it to his side, when he saw Robb smack a hand against his forehead and Jon rub a hand down his face.
"Sounds simple enough to me. I have needle with me just stick your finger on the pointy end."
"I appreciate your enthusiasm Arya, but I brought needles of my own."
"I don't know Sansa. This seems a bit, well, unlike you. I know you have continued to have dreams about the King, but do you remember any of it?" Jon asked.
Sansa felt her shoulders slump and her head lower, "well, no, I don't remember," She lifted her head and stared back into his eyes, "but I remember the fear and the pain. Always. Then I wake up each time, remembering those same two phrases. 'Do not trust the Boltons or the Lannisters. Our pack needs to stick together.'"
Arya grabbed Jon's hand and squeezed, "Come on, it's just one prick of the finger what harm could it do. If Sansa says it works then I believe her."
Jon rubbed a hand against the back of his neck and let out a sigh, "Fine, I guess you're right."
"Yes! Yay!" Rickon and Bran cried.
"Robb?" Sansa asked nervously.
"I guess if Jon is okay with it and it will help you feel safer...but Sansa, we still need to come up with other ideas to prepare for the King's arrival. We should prepare for all different eventualities. Okay?"
Sansa nodded, "If that is what it takes for you to agree, then yes, we will."
Robb nodded.
Sansa let out a breath of relief.
"Everyone is in agreement on what to do?" Sansa asked staring at each of her siblings, "and we cannot tell mother or father."
The siblings stared blankly at Sansa.
Arya replied, "Are you sure you won't tell mother or father?"
Sansa let out a pout before sticking her nose in the air, "Great ladies do not lie, but no I will not tell either of them." She stuck a finger out at Arya, "By the way all of those times were warranted and mother needed to be notified—"
Arya scoffed and interrupted, "Warranted? Mother stopped my archery lessons! Permanently! All because of some mashed kidney pie sewn into your dress pockets."
"I helped!" Rickon stated unhelpfully.
"Do you know how long it took the washerwomen to get the smell out. Those were some of my favorite blue silks!"
Jon and Robb let out coughs that sounded suspiciously like laughter.
Arya had the decency to look shamefaced, "How did you even know it was me?"
"Your stitches were abysmal and it left the fabric puckered throughout the garment and–," Sansa took a breath then looked at her sister, "It was not right of mother to punish you like that and you know I begged her to reinstate your lessons. I even went to father."
Arya held up her hands in surrender, "You're right, Sansa. It was not right of me to do it either, but your reaction was very funny."
Another choked cough from Jon, before he cleared his throat when Sansa sent him a glare.
Arya looked at her sister apologetically, "I'm sorry for what I did. It will never happen again and your request is the reason father gave me water dancing lessons."
Sansa nodded at her sister imperiously before changing the conversation back to the topic at hand, "We cannot tell mother and father about what we are going to do…they would not, do not understand."
Bran spoke up, "Are you sure we should not tell them?"
Jon shook his head, "You have seen your mother's reactions when Sansa shares anything about her dreams. If she hears we are doing a blood oath because of them..." He trailed off and all the siblings shuddered as one, visualizing Catelyn Stark's wrath.
"I suppose it is very Whent of us to be performing a blood ritual. Grandma Minisa would be proud." Robb stated.
"or horrified," Sansa cleared her throat, "Let's get started then."
She brandished six sewing needles from her pocket and passed it to each of her siblings.
Bran held out the small bowl and passed it to Rickon. He stood and held it out to all of his siblings, as they pricked their fingers until blood drew and dropped into the bowl.
"How long will this take?" Robb asked, taking the bowl and holding on to Rickon's hand as he pricked his baby brother's finger.
"We don't know," Bran said looking over to Sansa.
"What do we do if mother or father say something about this?" Rickon asked, holding up his bleeding finger.
In unison the siblings said, "Rickon bit us."
"Hey!" Rickon cried out.
Each sibling lifted a hand, ankle, or arm to show an injury in which the scar left a tooth indentation.
Jon reached over to pat Rickon on the shoulder, "For my 20th name day this year, you bit my hand for not sharing my cake with you."
"the same for my 14th nameday." Arya pointed out.
"and my 17th," Sansa replied, "So within the past two years, Rickon."
Rickon pouted and settled down beside Bran, "I don't bite…anymore."
Bran pricked his finger before passing the needle to Sansa who pricked her own, while Bran held out the bowl for her.
Sansa curled her nose at the sight of the blood, but got up to stand before the heart tree.
Lady let out a soft whine and bumped her head into Sansa's shoulder. "It's alright girl." Sansa stated, rubbing under Lady's chin. Her direwolf leaned into her hand before settling down beside her.
Sansa poured the blood onto the white trunk of the tree before returning to her spot next to Arya.
"And how is this exactly supposed to offer us protection?" asked Robb who stared at his sister, who tended to be more sensible, but had been acting stranger than usual since the letter arrived from the king announcing plans to come north, "We need to remember that Sansa's dreams are just that, dreams."
Sansa hunched in on herself and felt shame course through her. She felt Arya's eyes on her.
"You sound just like mother!" Arya crossed her arms over her chest glaring at her oldest brother.
"I think what Robb istryingto say," Jon said as he laid a hand on Arya's shoulder before making eye contact with Sansa, "Is that we may need to prepare ourselves that it may not work."
The Stark children sat and waited and waited and waited. Only the sounds of their breaths filled the air as they stared at the heart tree.
Robb looked at his sister, who appeared crestfallen after more and more time passed and gently said, "I am sorry Sansa, we will find another way."
Arya interjected, "Perhaps you all will agree with my first plan to take needle and—"
"NO!" Jon, Sansa, and Robb spoke at the same time.
"But you didn't even let me finish!"
Jon and Robb shuddered and covered themselves protectively, "We heard your idea when you first told us. Kicking or, uh, slicing all the Lannister and Bolton men between their legs will not help."
"Arya, not everything can be solved with a sword... or your knees." Sansa interrupted then softened, "but thank you for your idea."
A crow overhead let out a caw before landing on Bran's shoulder. Bran froze his eyes widening. All siblings turned to look, noticing that the crow had three eyes.
"Is that supposed to happen?" Rickon asked, attempting to pet the bird but it kept pecking at his fingers.
"Oh, well, no." Sansa replied tilting her head to the side trying to decide what eye to look at. "At least, I do not believe so."
Sansa felt herself become dizzy as she looked into its eyes. She brought a hand up to her throbbing forehead. Bright flashes of light filled her vision and she closed her eyes tightly. A chill wracked through her body and she reached for her sister's hand.
"Sansa?" Arya asked, feeling her sister's tight grip and turned away from watching Robb hoist Rickon over his shoulder, who had began to chase the crow that left Bran's shoulders as it flapped around them in circles.
"Something feels wrong. I don't feel right." Sansa said.
Jon turned to look at Sansa, her face pale in the moonlight and moved to sit beside her. "What is it Sansa? Did you eat too many lemoncakes?" he asked jokingly.
"I-yes, perhaps, that is it. Too many lemoncakes."
All the siblings made worrying eye contact with one another at the statement.
Suddenly their wolves let out whines that turned into ferocious growls that vibrated in their chests. The direwolves sat on their haunches, eyes wide and hackles raised. Summer and Lady had their ears pulled back and snarled showing the white of their canines.
The three eyed raven landed before the spot where their blood had dripped down from the tree onto the green grass. The raven turned to Sansa and continued to caw at her. Sansa lifted her head to stare at the raven and she knew what it wanted. She stood and took the raven's place, who flew and returned to Bran's shoulder.
She placed her hand on the bark of the tree and heard a faint whisper that turned into a howling wind. It blew around her, rustling the leaves and blowing through her hair. She shuddered at the cold icy winds.
She felt snow upon her cheeks spinning around her in its icy grip. She could feel the branches wrap around her body and coiling around her arms and legs.
She could not see beyond the trees carved face, blinded by the vortex of snow. She observed distantly to herself, that red sap began to run down the carved face eyes.
She must have let out a scream because her siblings began shouting her name. They could not reach her for the wind, snow, and branches would not let them get past.
She heard Arya draw needle from her scabbard and began hacking away at the branches and leaves. Still she was surrounded by her wall of ice and then she could no longer hear her siblings voices, but her own screams.
A searing pain spread from her chest enveloping her whole body in waves of burning, ripping, and tearing. She could feel her bones breaking and molding back together. Her muscles tightening and expanding at a speed she could not handle. She could feel the skin breaking, bleeding, and reforming over and over. The pain was a relentless drum, the rhythm echoing through her skull and all throughout her body.
Her pain was forgotten for a moment because now she could no longer breathe. It felt like her lungs had shrunken in on themselves and ice filled her veins. She let out desperate gasps, but still no breath filled her lungs. When she felt herself begin to fade, darkness filling her vision, from the pain and the lack of air, the breath entered her lungs in a rush.
As suddenly as it started, the pain stopped. After the pain faded, a numbing chill took its place, as if her body belonged to someone else.
The icy winds, snow, and rustling branches stilled and fell away from her. She felt tears on her cheeks that did not belong to her and looked down at her fingers to see her nails chipped and broken, crusted over with blood.
She felt a heavy weight upon her head and reached up a tentative hand before quickly drawing it away at the feel of sharp spikes upon her head.
Then her family descended on her, Arya the first to fly into her arms, followed by Rickon and Bran. Robb and Jon wrapped their arms around the siblings enveloping them with their warmth.
Sansa did not know whose voice belonged to who as they spoke over one another.
"Sansa, are you okay?"
"We heard you screaming, are you hurt anywhere?"
"I tried to get through with needle but the branches kept reforming and I couldn't get to you. I'm so sorry Sansa. I tried, but I wasn't strong enough."
"We are not doing that ever again. You could have been seriously hurt! This is the last time you convince me to do a blood oath!"
"Are you okay Sansa? You said everything would be okay!"
"Sansa, please be okay!"
Sansa let out a sob and then another until she could not stop herself from crying. She felt an ache in her chest that did not come from any physical pain, but felt that way all the same. She felt such a yearning for her siblings and could not stop crying because a voice echoed in her head.
Pack. Pack. Pack.
She felt her shoulders being shaken by someone, "Say something, please!"
She took a breath and spoke through her sobs, "I am okay. I am okay."
She held on desperately to her siblings until her breathing calmed and her tears dried.
Bran was the first to notice the change.
"Sansa, you, you, look different." he said, pulling back from her tight grip.
All the siblings pulled back to look at her.
"What are you wearing? How did you change?"
"You have a crown on your head!"
"You must be a princess!"
"No Rickon, she would be a Queen, if she wore a crown like that."
"Why are their seven wolves if there are only six of us?"
Robb cleared his throat as he saw panic rise up in Sansa's eyes, "Let's all take a step back so Sansa can gather herself."
Jon was the last to speak, "What happened Sansa?"
"I, I, don't know," she paused, hearing subtle changes to her voice, no longer sounding like her seventeen year old self. She sounded more confident and self assured, though she did not feel like it at this moment.
The crow flew from Bran's shoulder and landed on her own. She froze and turned to look into its eyes.
A pounding filled her head then and she fell to the ground, visions flooding her brain. Too fast and flowing to understand what she saw. She shook her head trying to make sense of the images.
Rickon reached out to grab the crow resting on her shoulder, now that it was within his reach. The crow flew out of his grasp and back onto Bran's shoulder.
The images came to a sudden stop and she was back in the present moment.
She shakily stood up aided by Rickon and Arya, who wrapped an arm around her waist. She observed that her oldest brothers appeared shorter and that she stood above them. She looked down to see herself wearing an elaborate grey dress and dark cloak wrapped about her shoulders.
She stared at her siblings with varying expressions on their faces.
"I suppose we have to tell father and mother now."
A beat, then Bran spoke up, "Perhaps we could hide you with the cloak?"