For as long as Robb could remember, he had dreamt of this. As the eldest Stark child and the firstborn male, the seat of Lord of Winterfell would pass from his father to him. He'd played the scenarios in his head numerous times in the past, even playing at being Lord of Winterfell when he was younger with his half-brother Jon. He'd confidently make calls in those plays and imaginations, pictured himself making his father proud and bringing the North to new heights. The region would love him for it, women would throw themselves at his feet to be his wife.
Real life was not as easy.
Had Robb not seen what he had, maybe he'd still retain his confidence in himself in his fantasies.
Now, all he had were questions, fear, and anger.
He questioned himself before deciding, no matter how small the decisions were. He was afraid of how his decisions would reflect on him, on his father, and how his people would perceive it. And he was so angry all the time! The people who had killed him were living luxuries when they should all be dead. Theon, Roose, and that bastard Ramsey should all be dead right now, or groveling at his feet for mercy.
Yet Robb could do nothing because Jon made a point that hit Robb harder the more he thought about it. Jon wasn't wrong, he couldn't punish any of them for acts they'd yet to do, for backstabbing, they had yet to commit. But it was still not easy to just let them be.
How could Robb just sit back patiently and wait for the right time?
When will the right time even be? When one of his brothers is dead? Or when there's a knife buried in his heart?
A knock on the door and Robb was out of his musings. For a moment he was confused about his surroundings until he remembered that he had been looking through reports in his father's solar.
Sitting on his father's seat.
"My Lord" Maester Luwin spoke softly.
Immediately Robb fought a flinch from surfacing.
"My father is Lord Stark, Maester Luwin. Please, just call me Robb."
How many times had he told the good Maester till now? How many times had he told the remainder of the people of Winterfell who called him such? His father was alive, and Robb would be damned if his father did not live a long and healthy life.
The Maester only smiled in reply, unaware of Robb's thoughts.
"The Night's Watch sends a raven, requesting for more provisions to be sent. The Wall grows colder each day" the Maester spoke, stepping inside the room.
A shiver ran down Robb's spine. The boy knew full well why the days grew colder… knew what caused the days to grow shorter and colder.
Robb took the raven with a small word of gratitude and read it over. It was probably written by Maester Aemon… Jon's some great uncle. It still did not settle for Robb that he and Jon were not brothers but cousins.
"We'll wait until Father returns to deal with this. I'm certain he'll have more to add after he's spoken to the King."
Maester Luwin took with without any questions. The man knew that he wouldn't get any answers, after not getting anything from all the questions he'd asked previously.
"How are… anything to report about the new appointments?" Robb asked. Much like before, his father had gone to the capital with a sizeable number of people. It was in no way comparable to the numbers he'd taken in the visions, but it included some key members from the Stark household, members that Robb had to replace on an interim basis until their return.
"They all seem to be doing well, nothing negative to report" Maester Luwin explained, to Robb's relief. It had been Robb who named the replacements, of course, just Robb and no one.
His mother seemed to be shying from the duties that did not fall on her with Robb being present, which meant she was sticking to her duties as the Lady of Winterfell and nothing more. Even with Robb asking her, she'd declined and chose to remain in a certain lane.
"You chose well, Rob. Take pride in the decisions you took" Maester Luwin said with a smile. "You seem to be the only one who can stay afloat in the absence of your father."
Robb's brows furrowed.
"Bran has been missing his lessons" the maester explained. "It would not do well for the boy to miss lessons in this stage of his life. What he learns now will be invaluable for him in the future."
"I will speak to him," Robb said with a frown. He had an idea of where to find his brother.
-x-
"Lord Stark!"
Robb stopped, holding his flinch back once more. He turned and found the Septa rushing towards him. Confused and a little alarmed, the male rushes to meet her halfway.
"Are Arya and Sansa all right?" he asks immediately.
The Septa looked taken aback by the question, but she recovered quickly enough and cleared her throat.
"Last I had seen them, they were both fine" the woman explained.
"Last you had seen them? Should they not be in their lessons right now with you?"
"That was what I was trying to speak to you about" The woman now looked slightly uncomfortable. "I had tried to speak to your father about this but he seemed… distant and cold. I tried with your mother but she didn't seem herself either. Your sisters have been skipping on their lessons with me."
Robb blinked slowly.
"Arya used to do that often enough, but she's stopped coming entirely now. And Sansa seemed to do the same these days. Arya's influence might be rubbing off on her. At this rate-"
"Septa Mordane need I remind you that you are speaking of my sisters?" Robb raised a brow. The Septa shrunk back and looked abashed. "Arya and Sansa are as different as night and day, one can't simply rub off on the other. They are both going through something from the sound of it. I would ask you to be patient with them."
"I have been" the Septa insisted. "Sansa does not have much in ways of flaws that I need to worry about. Arya on the other hand-"
Robb cleared his throat and the Septa lowered his head.
"As I said, my sisters are as different as night and day, you can't expect results from Arya if you treat her like Sansa. Sansa has a natural talent for what you teach, Arya does not. Perhaps you could think of some other way to grab her attention so she may be more interested in attending your lessons?"
"Some other way?"
"When I was younger, I did not find learning as fun as I found training" Robb explained. "Maester Luwin found a way where he connected my learning to my training. I was instantly more interested in my lessons ever since. Perhaps you can find some way to connect with Arya in ways where she'd enjoy your lessons for a change. She is not Sansa, so maybe if you stop teaching her like you'd teach Sansa then perhaps she'd be more receptive to what you're teaching her. Now, if you'll excuse me."
Robb turned and walked away, leaving a startled and ponderous Septa Mordane. Unbeknownst to the two, a person stood at the corner of the hall behind the Septa and heard it all with a small smile.
-x-
"Molen said I'd find you here."
Sansa jumped a little, looking up from the various books opened in a messy heap in front of her. Robb stood before her, arms folded over his chest and a small smile on his lips.
"You are skipping lessons," her older brother said not unkindly.
"They are useless for what's coming" Sansa muttered. "I've been doing something better. All of these books, they are about the legends and lore about the White Walker, the Long Night anything that is similar."
Frowning slightly Robb looked over the books. None of them were new books, most of them were ready to fade away.
"And what have you found so far?"
"More or less what we already know" the girl sighed in frustration. "I want to help… But…"
Robb took the seat beside her and ruffled her hair.
Sansa slapped his hand away with a scowl.
"You can help, but don't forget to live your life in doing so."
"I am trying to make sure I live long enough to have a life to live" Sansa muttered.
Robb smiled, ruffling her hair again.
This time Sans did not slap his hand away.
Robb reached out with his other hand and procured one of the open books that caught his attention. Or to be specific, the opened page that caught his attention. This one wasn't a book, not in the sense that it was written by some Maester or some greatly learned man. The words were simple, the sentences were simple. It was more like a journal.
"Dragons?" Robb raised a brow.
"Lord Alaric Stark's journal. He was the Lord when Queen Alyssane flew North. I was hoping he'd have some input. I was also looking for something of Lord Vregan Stark's but from the looks of things he was not a man to keep a journal."
Robb read through the thing and the writing in it was… something.
"There is nothing useful in there" Sansa sighed, though there was a slight pinkish tinge to her cheeks. "I'd hoped to find dragon-related things there as well… so it would help Jon when the time comes."
"Help Jon?" Robb asked in confusion. "How would dragon-related information help Jon?"
Sansa looked at her brother for a moment, before she sighed.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten" she whispered, her voice almost a hiss. "Jon's a Targaryen, he's bound to claim a dragon."
Robb almost physically reeled back. Jon? A dragon? What- why? How?
It was as if Sansa could read his mind, which made the girl roll her eyes.
"Daenerys will hatch three eggs and it's obvious that all three are attached to her. But only the black one seemed to truly bond with her. The other two have not bonded to her to the same degree. So it stands to reason that Jon may be able to bond with one of them."
Robb was too stunned to speak.
-x-
It was weird to see Bran so… calm.
The boy was knelt before the Weirwood, hands clasped as if in prayer. Perhaps he was praying to the Old Gods.
Robb waited a moment before approaching his brother. He gave the boy's shoulder a tap and Bran jumped from surprise.
"You should be in your lessons right now," Robb said with a small smile.
Bran stared at his brother and shook his head.
"Maester Luwin can't teach me anything helpful against the White Walkers. Only he can."
It took Robb a moment to understand what his brother meant. The older Stark looked up and felt as if the eyes of the heart tree were boring through him. A shiver ran down his spine.
"Brynden hasn't contacted me once since we returned. Maybe… maybe if I become a cripple…"
Robb acted before his mind caught up with his body.
Bran stared into his brother's eyes in fear, being hoisted to Robb's eye level by the collar of his tunic.
"Never say that again" Robb shouted in the boy's face. "Don't you ever think like that again!"
"But it's the only way!" Bran argued back, his voice small and shaky. "He only took notice once I was no longer able to walk. Maybe if-"
"Maybe if that was the right choice, he wouldn't be brought to watch the future with us."
Both brothers looked behind Robb and found Arya there, looking emotionless and gripping a wooden sword. "Please put Bran down, you're scaring him."
Robb blinked a few times and lowered the boy slowly.
"I- I'm sorry. I didn't know what came over me."
"You're angry because Bran said a stupid thing" There was now a glare and a scowl on Arya's face. "What you're thinking is stupid and selfish. Don't you remember what happened to everyone else after your fall?"
Bran lowered his head.
"But… he isn't wrong. Maester Luwin doesn't have what we need. Not anymore" Arya added.
"And what about after? What about when Bran grows to be a Lord of a small holdfast in my name? How will he lead his men then?" Robb asked.
"That is if we survive this" Arya argued.
"We will survive this," Robb said with the utmost belief, enough to startle Bran and push down Arya's argument. "We will survive this. We have been given a chance and we will fight back and come out on top. Our father is doing everything in his power with the King and everyone else who was there. We must play our parts as well, which includes trying to continue our lives as we did but also prepare to fight."
Robb turned to Bran.
"You wanted to be a Knight right? So why are you not training? Why are you putting your hopes on some man far North? You need to do everything in your power to prepare. Now get up and go to your lessons with Maester Luwin."
Bran nods, standing up and rushing away.
Robb turned to Arya who shrugged.
"I am not going to sit and do stitches."
The interim Lord of Winterfell snorted.
Arya turned and began to walk away. Robb turned and threw a look at the Weirwood Heart Tree. It was as if the thing was staring at him.
"By the way, we have guests. That's what I came to tell you."
-x-
"Lord Stark, it a pleasure to have you come to welcome us personally."
"Lord Stark is my Father. Please, call me Robb" Robb held back the urge to snap at the sarcastic remark from the man. "We were not expecting you, Prince Oberyn."
The Prince of Dorne smiled his ever-easy-going smile.
"I had come to seek your father's advice on the matter of the wall. But I hear he's not here" the man spoke.
"He's been summoned to the capital to sit the trial of the Lannister Twins as a judge" Robb explained slowly.
Oberyn's eyes flashed in surprise for a moment.
"When did that happen?" the man muttered softly and Robb tried his best not to gawk. How did the man not know about the trial? It's the most talked-about thing right now!
"Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to present my daughter Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene, and my niece Arianne Martell."
Obaram Nymeria and Tyene, Robb knew those girls from the vision he had seen. Arianne, he did not.
And his first impression of her left him almost breathless.