A/N: I'm sorry about not being able to upload all weekend, but there was a big family gathering where we all went to the state fair. It really messed up my writing schedule, and I was unable to finish Robb's chapter on time without sacrificing much quality. This is the first chapter of the story where Stafford does not appear and is only mentioned. This is a relatively short chapter, and I'm sorry for that, but the chapters will get longer during the second Act of the story and will get especially longer in the third act. This might even be the shortest chapter of all the chapters I have written so far, but the next one might be a bit more comprehensive. And after the next chapter when act two begins, another OC will be introduced and will be the final one until one of the current OC's gets killed off (hint: one of the OCs will die in the end of the story). Anyway thanks for reading the chapter, and please continue voting on the polls.

Enjoy!

Robb

It had been more than a month since the soldiers had left Winterfell, and Robb had been left with his mother to oversee the castle and the North. Robb had the assistance of Ser Rodrik and other important people, like the maester, but that didn't stop the flow of stress and hard work coming from him with every passing day. Much of him also missed the company of Jon, Arya, and Sansa, who had gone off to either the South or in the case of Jon, farther on in the north to become a night's watchman. Robb worried for his half brother, but in the end he couldn't see anything more honorable than the Night's Watch for someone like Jon. As for Sansa, he was worried about how the Prince Joffrey would treat her. If he was anything that he showed during their sparring matches in the courtyard, then Robb didn't feel as though Joffrey would even remotely take good care of his sister. Joffrey had been the biggest little brat he had come to know of, arrogant, and big-headed as they come. Arya, on the other hand, also had someone she had been betrothed to, whom Robb thought more of. Stafford Baratheon, although not the most fair tempered, and a little more than boisterous, had more honor and was easily more likeable than his brother. Although Robb didn't know him very well, Stafford seemed like he wouldn't mistreat his sister, and they had certainly spent their fair share of time with one another within Winterfell. Robb sensed that Stafford genuinely cared for her as a friend, which he didn't see with Joffrey.

But now, Robb was alone, his mother gone after what had happened to Bran. Robb didn't know why, but after he had gone to help after a fire had broke out within the Castle walls someone decided for it to be the perfect opportunity to take the life of his brother. If his mother hadn't been there to risk her life in killing the assailant, Bran would have very well have died. Robb could only remember it vividly, although he would not like to.

About a month ago

"My son lies here broken and dying, Luwin, and you wish to discuss a new master of horse? Do you think I care what happens in the stables? Do you think it matters to me one whit? I would gladly butcher every horse in Winterfell with my own hands if it would open Bran's eyes, do you understand that? Do you?" Her mother had exclaimed, not noticing Robb enter the room.

Maester Luwin bowed his head. "Yes, my lady, but the appointments —"

"I'll make the appointments," Robb said. He stood in the doorway, looking at her She quickly resigned herself and calmed down. Robb could tell she had been through a lot in the passing day. Robb could tell the fatigue of having to deal with the issues plaguing her mind as she continued have to bear the possibility of having to live without Bran. Bran had been important to both her, and Robb and he couldn't possibly imagine the pain she had been going through. To think an innocent boy, barely even old enough to ride a horse, would be hanging on the rope of life, after such a harrowing event. The towers of Winterfell were quite high.

Maester Luwin looked from Catelyn to her son. "I have prepared a list of those we might wish to consider for the vacant offices," he said, offering Robb a paper plucked from his sleeve. Robb reviewed some of the names of the people, and gave it back to the Maester.

"Good men," he said. "We'll talk about them tomorrow."

"Very good, my lord." The paper vanished into his sleeve. "Leave us now," Robb said. Maester Luwin bowed and departed. Robb closed the door behind him and turned to her, "Mother, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" she echoed, puzzled. "How can you ask that? What do you imagine I'm doing? I am taking care of your brother. I am taking care of Bran." Robb couldn't believe how his mother had still not left the sickroom ever since Bran had fell off the tower. She had eaten her meals, and done most of everything from inside the sickroom. Robb didn't want his mother to stay in this catatonic state.

"Is that what you call it? You haven't left this room since Bran was hurt. You didn't even come to the gate when Father and the girls went south." Robb stated a little harshly.

"I said my farewells to them here, and watched them ride out from that window," his mother stated,"I can't leave him, even for a moment, not when any moment could be his last. I have to be with him, if … if ." She began to trail off and Robb could feel the intense sadness in her voice. Robb could understand why her mother had been acting this way. Sooner or later, she would have to accept what will happen to Bran will happen. He could stay asleep for months or even years, and he wasn't about let his own mother rot in the sickroom not accepting the fate of her son. While it his hard to move on and accept what would happen, and if Robb were in his mother's position, he wouldn't either, it is often the best thing to do. Besides, with her staying with Bran all the time, poor Rickon seems to think he had been abandoned what happened.

"He's not going to die, Mother. Maester Luwin says the time of greatest danger has passed." Robb explained.

"And what if Maester Luwin is wrong? What if Bran needs me and I'm not here?" his mother retorted

"Rickon needs you," Robb said sharply. "He's only six, he doesn't understand what's happening. He thinks everyone has deserted him, so he follows me around all day, clutching my leg and crying. I don't know what to do with him." He paused a moment, chewing on his lower lip the way he'd done when he was little. "Mother, I need you too. I'm trying but I can't . . . I can't do it all by myself."

Outside the tower, a wolf began to howl. His mother trembled, just for a second. "Bran's." Robb opened the window and let the night air into the stuffy tower room. The howling grew louder. It was a cold and lonely sound, full of melancholy and despair. Soon enough, Robb heard his own wolf Grey Wind and Rickon's wolf Shaggydog join in.

"Make them stop!" she cried. "I can't stand it, make them stop, make them stop, kill them all if you must, just make them stop!" Suddenly his mother fell to the floor, and it caused Robb to have to catch his mother.

"Don't be afraid, Mother. They would never hurt him." He helped her to her narrow bed in the corner of the sickroom. "Close your eyes," he said gently. "Rest. Maester Luwin tells me you've hardly slept since Bran's fall."

"I can't," she wept. "Gods forgive me, Robb, I can't, what if he dies while I'm asleep, what if he dies, what if he dies . . ." The wolves were still howling. She screamed and held her ears again. "Oh, gods, close the window!" Robb couldn't bear the sight of seeing his mother like this. All she clearly wanted was her son to live, and the uncertainty of his fate made her even more anxious and restless. Robb knew she was tired, but she wanted to make sure Bran would survive to the best of her abilities. Robb thought however, that she shouldn't ruin her life just because of how Bran was. Bran wouldn't want to see her like this, she needed rest to clear her mind of what was happening around her.

"If you swear to me you'll sleep." Robb went to the window, but as he reached for the shutters another sound was added to the mournful howling of the direwolves. "Dogs," he said, listening. "All the dogs are barking. They've never done that before . . ."

Suddenly, Robb realized with dread what was happening,"Fire!"

"Help me," she said urgently, sitting up. "Help me with Bran." Robb did not seem to hear her.

"The library tower is on fire," he said. "Mother, stay here. I'll come back as soon as the fire's out." He ran then. Outside, there were shouts of "Fire!" in the yard, screams, running footsteps, the whinny of frightened horses, and the frantic barking of the castle dogs. Robb quickly began to bark commands to the people to help take the fire out. After a long arduous process of putting out the flames with water. Robb quickly began to take inventory of what was lost in the fire. He went to Ser Rodrik, who had also helped put out some of the flames.

"Did anyone perish in the fire?" Robb asked.

"No, M'Lord, the fire wasn't major. But there is some evidence that the flames was set on purpose," Ser Rodrik stated in reply. Robb wondered why someone would set the library tower on fire on purpose. There was hardly anyone there at any given point, but then he realized with a thought of dread what could have been a motive. He needed to get back to his mother and Bran as soon as possible.

"Ser Rodrik, gather some men and bring them here," Robb ordered. Ser Rodrik without another word followed and as quickly as he had gone returned with much more men than he had asked.

"Good, come with me to the sickroom. Someone might have paid a visit there while we were dealing with a fire," Robb explained as they began to make the short trek to the sick room.

Once they got to the sickroom, Robb and Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik burst in with half the guards in Winterfell. As Robb expected, something had gone on in the sickroom while he was away putting out the fire. His mother was on the ground in front of Bran's bed, and she was pretty badly cut up. His mother was laughing hysterically, but Robb didn't understand why. She truly needed rest now. Robb saw there was also a dead body in the room, and it already smelled putrid, like a latrine. Robb saw that Bran's direwolf lay next to him in his bed, which wasn't really that surprising.

"Have people see that my mother's wounds are taken care of. I need to get to the bottom of this," Robb stated. Why would anyone attack Bran and his mother?

Now his mother had left for King's Landing to investigate, who the owner of the dagger truly was. Ser Rodrik and her had left leaving him with Maester Luwin to run the castle while they were gone. Things got harder on Robb, but he felt like it only made him a better person and leader. It would prepare him for things to come in his mind.

Robb had been wandering the castle and exploring different places. He decided to visit the place where the king's family had stayed while at Winterfell. This might hold some clues as to who the perpetrators were. He didn't seem to trust the Lannisters much, and the Baratheon's seem harmless. However, if the Lannisters tried to do anything, there could be clues in the places their guests stayed at. Robb started with the room, the King and Queen stayed at, but everything was all in order. The bed was made, and there was no mess to be found in the room. There was no stray belongings, or there was nothing to indicate anything had been planned to hurt Bran.

Robb looked at the royal children's temporary quarters, He checked on Joffrey's room first, and then Stafford's, but none of them had anything of note. There was something in Stafford's room that he seemed to have forgotten. It was a tiny booklet, and it looked like the cover had aged a little bit. Robb curious opened it up and read something in it. It turned out to be a journal and judging from the dates, the person, who he assumed was Stafford from the contents of the events, wrote in it for almost two years sporadically, until he had run out of room. The last date he had on here was exactly the day, Bran fell off the tower.

Fourth day of the third moon, 298 AC

A lot happened today,, so there might be a lot written in here. Well, what can I say? First a bear assaults me during the hunt, and then a small child managed to fall from the tower. There's a lot on my mind, and words can't really express or even remotely explain what I feel right now. One thing is for certain, there is definitely something that caused that fall, and I don't think little Brandon lost his grip on the castle walls and fell off. I used to climb when I was a child and I never fell off any tower, and I was climbing the damned Red Keep. I don't know if he was pushed by someone, someone purposely threw something at him to make him fall down, and frankly I don't want to know how they did it. My question is why would someone do this? Did they have a grudge on poor Brandon, no that's just nonsense. I don't know if it is just paranoia, or I'm actually right about this, but by the seven, there should not be this much going on in a day….

Robb continued reading, but most of the other parts were just ramblings about how mad Stafford got at his brother over a conversation over dinner, his little accident in axe practice, which almost cause Ser Rodrik to kick him out of the training yards, which Robb had saw and boy he almost knocked his opponent's head off with that blow to the face with his axe. No wonder he killed someone with a tourney axe. It also talked about how he wrote a letter to a blacksmith's apprentice that he was going to make a rider deliver once they had left for King's Landing. I wonder why he would write a letter to some random blacksmith's apprentice in King's Landing. None of that mattered however, Robb knew this was something urgent he had to talk to his Maester Luwin about.

He quickly pocketed the journal and headed to where the Maester was at this moment. He saw the Maester at his observatory in broad daylight doing some mathematical calculations for some reason. He slammed the book down on the Maester's desk, and this quickly got the Maester's attention.

"Bran could have been pushed off the tower!" Robb declared. Maester Luwin looked at him skeptically.

"What? That's absurd, where did you get this kind of idea from?" Maester Luwin asked.

"Read the last entry in this journal I found," Robb instructed. The Maester grabbed the book and flipped to the last entry. The maester gleaned over it and his eyes turned wide, when Robb assumed he got to the part he was getting at.

"This is Prince Stafford, who wrote this," Maester Luwin stated as he looked through previous entries, "I can tell by the entries before. Why would he write something or even think something like this. Robb shrugged. He was clueless about Stafford's thoughts about what happened to Bran, but there was clearly something he thought that no one had brought up before. Suddenly, woman burst into the Maester's room panting and out of breath.

"What is it?" Robb asked her.

"He's awake, he's awake, he's awake," Robb looked at Maester Luwin and sprinted out of the room.

When his brother Robb burst into the room, breathless from his dash up the tower steps, the direwolf was licking Bran's face. Bran looked up calmly. "His name is Summer," he said.