A Song of Fire, Ice and Hearts

by Jebest4781

Venturing outside of the Heart of his Somebody, a Nobody enters a World where it's at the brink of self destruction. Will he be able to handle and survive the Game of Thrones. Rated M for language, violence, etc. Pairings hidden at current time. KHXGoT/ASoIaF CoWritten by free man writer. Cover Image by Carlos M. Please leave reviews.

10. Getting Royally Acquainted

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Disney, Square-Enix or Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. They rightfully belong to their respective owners.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Writing/Singing

"Foreign Language/Flashback"

-Scene Shift-

Chapter 10: Getting Royally Acquainted

Tyrion groaned as he rode on top of his horse as his stunted legs were more sore than that one time he bedded a Dornish woman. Cursing the whole rainbow of gods throughout the world, he dearly hoped the honorable Eddard Stark had plenty of the North's famously great ale and mead in a tall, frothing mug at Winterfell for him.

It would be one of the handful of things that'll at least calm him down in the bearable cold as of now. He thought the damnable, freezing could have the decency to numb the aching in his body, but all it really did was bring it to the forefront of his already tender nerves.

A month has passed since Robert had set out from King's Landing to travel to Winterfell upon Jon Arryn's death. And he wasn't alone on the trip, bringing a massive entourage of guards, servants and supplies for the journey.

Though it was quite arguable on who brought more on this trek, Cersei or Robert. Afterall, his dearly beloved *cough* bitchy* *cough* sister brought a whole train of handmaidens and attendants to assist her and her three children on every waking need of theirs.

If it weren't for the additional amount of travelers, a small armies worth mind you, and the constant times of fixing the axles of both the carriage and wheelhouses; the royal party would've made it to their destination a week sooner than intended. It was a mere miracle they all made it to Moat Cailin in a fortnight, but it all could've been shorter without the extra baggage being dragged along for the ride.

Still, in Tyrion's perspective, he supposed it wasn't all that bad.

The dwarf wasn't the most well traveled Lannister in the world; partially blame it on his father. He found going along the Kingsroad through the Riverlands was surprisingly good for him; giving him the opportunity to see new places, meet new people, and most of all… fuck new women.

Same can be said of not smelling the concentrated aroma of piss, shit, brine and smoke filling his nostrils every waking moment. All the while not drowning out the half a million people and countless gulls.

A refreshingly therapeutic take for him once departing from the capital.

Now while the Riverlands were kissed by the warmth of Summer, the road past the Neck was damnably cold as the maesters said it was. And yes, the whole entourage was properly dressed for the cold, but it did little to diminish it. It was as if the North hogged all the cold the South was supposed to have in order to have it stay Summer below the Neck. What warmth there was limited to around campfires and in the clear mornings before everything settled back to the annoying cold later in the day.

And to make matters worse, the North was sparsely populated as it was said to be. So few, in any, inns along the road and even fewer settlements. And camping out in the wilderness was not as fun as it is in the South.

Then again, compared to the likes of King's Landing, mistreatment was complete shit there within the compacted capital. In the North, it is more spacious and everyone is treated fairly; as long as one follows the laws. Oh and same could be said over in Dorne, but Tyrion never experienced it down there for obvious reasons with his family

Yet Tyrion admitted there was a unique beauty to the North. It's vast wilderness, forests, and snow-capped mountains, sprinkled with tiny villages and holdfasts here and there, all seemed to draw a certain sense of adventure and appreciation for nature to the world.

More so now with him hearing these odd rumors about shadowy creatures lurking about in the North. A sense of dread hitting every Northerner as if Winter suddenly came too quickly for their liking. With their mythologic White Walkers and their entourage of snowy and undead creatures from beyond the Wall.

Almost reminded him of what he read and heard about the strange creatures simply called the Unversed, which plagued the land nearly twenty years ago.

Rumors aside, if he had a belly full of wine, a warm bed to sleep in and a pretty girl's mouth around his cock almost every night once passing the Neck, Tyrion would've found this journey quite appealing. But alas, that was never meant to be, only contending with what he presently has.

The only good sibling he has -Jamie- made the trip more bearable beyond the bottom of a keg of ale. And his royal niece and nephew, Myrcella and Tommen, were far more preferable company than their sadistic, moronic bastard of an elder brother.

Many times, Tyrion wondered how Robert sired such a little beast was unbelievable to fattom. Though, considering whose cunt Joffrey came out from, the dwarf wasn't all that surprised he'd turned out to be more like his bitchy sister, Cersei. It was as if the moment he came out, the crown prince ate up all the bad essence Cersei had in her womb in order to make Myrcella and Tommen all so sweet and innocent, with no form of corruption inside of them.

Might be the reason why Joffrey torments them, because he's jealous. Simple as that, he supposed.

Yet things will surely go downhill for the Seven Kingdoms the day Robert finally succumbs to his vices and ends up into an early grave. And yes, Westeros had seen it's fair share of both vicious kings and idiot kings, but with the way Tyrion had seen his eldest nephew develop, Joffrey will become a new Mad King.

Question is, which level of insanity will he sit on?

Surely he will not be like Baelor, far from it, as the religious ruler was considered the lowest of the rankings. Then will he become as violent as Maegor? Will he become sadistic as Aerion Brightflame? Or will Joffery be the second coming of Aerys?

'Still, I hope Eddard Stark will be worth the journey up here.' Thought the Imp, making his way towards Wintertown. 'We'll be here for nearly a week before heading back to the capital.'

With Jon Arryn dead, the vacancy of the King's Hand needed to be filled. And options as to who would do it were as follows: Stannis Baratheon, Renly Baratheon, Tywin Lannister and of course Eddard Stark.

Stannis was a good choice being the second brother of House Baratheon with Renly being the last. The current Master of Ships was honorable and loyal, but stiff and stern. But while Stannis is fair and just, he will never be loved all that well. He's quite wooden and uncharismatic and has a personality which drives people away from him unless needed. And he was once described as being like "black iron" compared to Robert's "steel", strong and generally unyielding, but was liable to break before bending at all.

Renly is the Master of Law, proposing his current position was good practice to help him get into the position as Hand. Many in court loved the charismatic man. But there were a few things about the third of the Baratheon brothers which would not do well in his sought after position.

As Robert was "steel" and Stannis was "black iron", Renly can be described as copper or bronze. Bright and shiny, pretty to look at, but not worth all that much at the end of the day. The youngest of the brothers was too frivolous and flamboyant; which was often distracting at times and in Tyrion's opinion could be easily manipulated at the given moments. And his garnerning popularity could be described as concerning.

As for Tywin, the Great Lion of the Rock, he had served as King Aerys' Hand for twenty years and in those years, the realm prospered greatly. Only reason why he didn't serve longer was due to Aerys' paranoid jealousy. Cersei proposed her father, Robert's good-father, become Hand once more so the realm can become strong.

But Robert didn't want any more Lannisters in the capital. He was already suffocating because of it and he wouldn't want any more on the matter.

This only left with Eddard, or Ned as he is often called, who was Robert's prefered choice.

The two grew up together back in the Vale under Jon Arryn's care. A bond forged over the years, which the king prefered Ned to be a better brother than his actual ones. And they would've become good-brothers if Robert had gotten the chance to marry his betrothed, Lyanna, if it weren't for her kidnapped by Rhaegar Targaryen.

'Highly doubt Lord Stark will do well in the den of vipers we call a capital.' Tyrion thought with a released sigh. 'Will need to make a bet on how long he'll bother staying there before wanting to head back to Winterfell. Might be a year at best.'

Brushing his thoughts aside, Tyrion eventually got off his steed and made his way inside of the nearby brothel.

Knowing they were almost there ahead of time, Tyrion decided to indulge himself on the delectable Northern girls before Robert and his family make it to Winterfell. He got up and readied himself before heading off. He did see Jamie along the way and told him to fetch him when the time came. More so knowing their sister would be on her younger twin if he wasn't present on their arrival.

Making his payment, Tyrion eventually got into a reserved room to one Northerner by the name of Ros. Currently, the voluptuous redhead was on her hands and knees and helping the dwarf getting out of his pants. His leather jacket was already off and lying on the ground nearby alongside the whore's dress. And soon enough, his pants and boots will follow.

"I wonder if all the stories of you Northern girls are true." Tyrion muttered out with a smile, before bringing up a mug of ale to his lips.

"Depends on which one's you're referring to."

Sipping the drink, the Imp brought it back down for a response. "There's the more well known one of being wild in the sheets. Not to mention you have quite the mouths on you that could rival that of the Dornish."

Ros wore a challenging smirk. "Then I'll have to prove to you we Northern girls are better than our our counterparts down there."

Before the brothel wench got the chance to free the dwarf's cock from the confinement of his pants, the door to the reserved room opened up. Looking over, Tyrion saw his older brother standing in the doorway.

Jaime Lannister, the younger twin of Westeros' queen, wore the enameled golden armor of the Kingsguard, the crown emblazoned on his breastplate gilded in whited steel. A cloak of similarly pure stark white trailed behind him from the clamps on his shoulders. At his hip was a luxurious sword of castle-forged steel, gilded and jeweled in the elegant Lannister style. And underneath all that armor was some layers of grey and cream colored cloth and padding.

"Should I explain to you the meaning of a closed door in a whorehouse, brother?" Tyrion groaned.

"You have much to teach me, no doubt," Jamie began, "but our sister craves your attention."

"She has odd cravings, our sister."

"A family trait. Now come on, everyone is already near Winterfell's gates and we need to be present."

"Can't I go there later?" Tyrion complained. "Don't you see I'm about to sait my own cravings?"

"Yes, I know. But I don't want our sister to nag my ear off for any further delays."

"Don't worry, milord." Ros said, standing up and slipped her dress back on. "We haven't really started. So you can come back later and I'll give you the service you paid for, free of charge."

This got Tyrion to smile as he reassorted his pants. "Well that is good service, if I don't say so myself." Soon going towards his red leather, embroidered jacket, he continued. "You don't see that happen anywhere else in the Southern kingdoms.

"Well we have to be as of late." Spoke the whore.

Jamie snorted. "And why's that?"

"RWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Silence filled the room following the unnatural loud sound coming from outside of the brothel. The two Lannister's felt truly unnerved once the sound entered their ears.

"Because of that." Ros said before quickly going to her dresser and pulling out a knife from its sheath. It's blade glistened a little once out in the lukewarm air of the room.

Before Ros was able to go outside of her room, Jamie grasped her arm.

"What was that?"

"Our problem as of late, milord."

Soon the sounds of feet scrambling were heard from the nearby rooms with people running out with knives and daggers on their person. The Lannister brothers were utterly confused as to what was going on, quickly following after Ros outside.

The moment they did, a large shadow casted over them. The brothers looked up and saw a gigantic raven with odd bone white plating at every other spot on it's form. And if flew across the sky as it cried out it's unsettling caw once more.

"Is… Is that an Unversed?" Jamie croaked out with a chill running down his spine.

Tyrion looked at his older brother with a quizzical look upon his face when hearing his brother speaking out that word.

"No, milord. It's a Heartless and a big one at that." Ros corrected.

On instinct, Jamie took off in a sprint as he followed after the airborne creature. He pushed and shoved several common folk away, ignoring his younger brother's cries for him to slow down. Said brother tried running as fast as he could, cursing his short legs in the process.

As Jamie kept track of the gigantic avian, he saw a black blur soaring across the sky and striking the monster once close enough. A figure soon fell off it, which the black blur went after eventually grabbing the figure and both plummeted to the ground below.

By the time Jamie reached the field between Winterfell and Wintertown, the Kingsguard member was soon met with many smallfolk blocking his path. Pushing his way through once more, he saw the pair of figures about to crash into the earth.

Expecting to see a splattered mess, the Lannister was surprised to see the black figure landing safely on the ground before depositing the other on the ground. And not long after, what appeared to be a white wolf came up to them before doing something to the man lying on the ground.

Jamie was so surprised on seeing this happen, he didn't notice his brother had somehow caught up to him and was standing right beside him.

"Did… Did they just fall from the sky?" The blond dwarf inquired with surprise marrying his features. "And survive the landing?"

"I… I believe so, brother." Responded the Kingsguard member, who bore a similar reaction as the dwarf.

Over the next little while, both Lannister brothers saw a contingent of Stark men and Kingsguard following after Lord Stark and King Robert. A conversation took place which led to an odd moment of hilarity before Jamie spotted something he hadn't seen in nearly twenty years.

"A Keyblade?" Jamie said in utmost surprise. "H-How?"

"I'm sorry, brother, but what did you say?"

Jamie was about to answer when for the third time this day, surprise filled his very being. As the black clothed being took off his hood, the elder Lannister thought he was seeing a ghost.

His mind practically shut down upon seeing the face of the Keybearer he met back at Harrenhal. He soon came to his senses upon hearing Robert's boisterous laugh. And over the next minute or so, a conversation took place before the King spoke out towards his wife in a joyful manner.

"Jamie?"

"Hmmm?" The Kingsguard member looked towards his side to see his brother's concerned look. "Oh, sorry Tyrion. Lost in thought is all."

"Looks to be more than that." His little brother noted. "You haven't taken your eyes off that boy since he landed in that spectacular fashion."

Jamie remained silent, unsure of what to say as he watched on with the King chatting it up with the blond teen and smiling all the while.

Looking over towards his sister, he saw Cersei holding a look of disbelief and then disappointment and frustration before it settled into a calm expression. One of calculations and plans. And it was clear who the target of her plans were.

"Come on Ned." Robert's voice cut through his thoughts. "I want to go to your Crypts, pay my respects."

Jamie expected his older twin to speak out in annoyance or something of that manner. Yet she said nothing of her husband's intentions, eyes firmly set on the boy.

'Roxas, was it?' Jamie thought.

He'd have to definitely take a moment to speak with him and hopefully even spar. If he was anything like his father, then he would indeed be just as skilled as him.

Lannister brothers saw Robert and Ned heading back to Winterfell, with the Kingsguard members following not far behind to protect their king. One however stood back and lingered as he stared at the Keybearer before joining the rest of his sworn brothers to attend the king.

'No doubt Barristan will want to talk to him at some point.' Jamie realized. 'As for what, I am the foggiest.'

With many people heading back to the keep or Wintertown, the two Lannister brothers soon followed suit. After all, they needed to unpack and get settled in for their stay here.

There will be plenty of time to meet up with the new Keybearer when the opportunity presents itself.

"The king is... an interesting one." Jon began.

"Blunt's more like it." Was Roxas' commented. "Different from the one's I know about."

The only ones in his memory -or rather Sora's- on kings were King Mickey, technically Simba and the emperor of Mulan's world. Each has been respectful and polite. Yet King Triton had been quite stern and harsh at first before later mellowing out. Robert on the other hand was very different than what he expected.

"So what's gonna happen now?"

"I'm probably gonna help the royal caravan get settled before the feast tonight." Responded the Keybearer.

"Don't know which will be focused on more, the royal family or you."

Roxas groaned. "Don't remind me. Each and every one I'm at is basically me drawing in all the attention."

The two soon made their way back to Winterfell, with Ghost trudging along, in order to prepare for later.

"...Would it be offensive if I join you wherever you might run off to tonight."

Jon chuckled. "Not at all. I wouldn't mind your company."

"But you should at least go in for a little bit, just to at least grab some food and drink."

"It's what I usually do."

"What about socializing with others?"

Jon was silent from there, making Roxas not want to push his friend on the matter any further.

As they eventually passed through Winterfell's gates, Jon's mind slowly went back towards the dream he had last night. Something he started remembering more details about throughout the day.

What was all that exactly? It certainly was no ordinary dream because when he woke up he felt… changed. Something about him felt completely and entirely different. As if a hidden fire was lit within him. And the more he had thought about it, the more he began to think that it may have something to do with Roxas.

Now why would Jon assume this? Simple, it's cause out of the entire time that he had spent in that bizzare dream when he saw Roxas, he truly felt that he was physically there. Those brief apparitions of his two siblings and father asking those strange questions were not like the interaction he had with Roxas in that dream.

Roxas held out his Keyblade for him to take and when he grasped its handle, something had… clicked. Though he wasn't entirely sure on how exactly to explain it. All he knew was that nothing had felt the same since. It had only been a day and his entire being felt completely off balance.

He had debated internally on whether or not he should speak to Roxas on this matter but if there is anyone who specializes in the unnatural at Winterfell right now, it was him.

"Roxas." Jon spoke in his usual broody tone.

"Hmmm?"

"There is something I need to speak with you about." Jon said slowly. "Something that has happened to me recently that I honestly can't make sense of."

Roxas quirked a brow, making the bastard sigh a bit in hesitation.

"I-I had a strange dream last night." Jon said. "A dream that felt like one but didn't at the same time. The entire time I was there, my entire being felt like it was floating. Floating yet falling at the same time."

Floating yet falling? Weird. That sounded rather familiar.

"And… what I saw was… me."

"You saw yourself? Like a mirror?"

"No, no." Jon griped to himself. "More like-"

"You there." Called out a bratty voice. "Keybearer."

The two friends blinked before looking around a little to find the source.

"Over here."

They turned and saw the source. By the attire the blonde teenager wore and the scarred, armored man following not far behind him, Jon realized who this was. In response, he knelt a little out of courteous respect.

The well dressed blonde smiled a little when seeing the respect he deserved from the Northerner, yet that smile died a little when seeing the Keybearer not following suit.

"Uh… Can I help you?" Roxas asked.

"Yes, I would like to speak to you."

"Okay. What about?"

The blond teen sneered. "First off, do you know who I am?"

"Sorry, but I don't. Forgive me on that, please."

The blond puffed his chest out. "You speak to Joffrey Baratheon, heir to the Iron Throne."

"Oh… Hello."

This got Joffrey's green eye to twitch, yet he composed himself a little.

"I have heard a great deal about your talents and exploits quite recently, Keybearer." Joffrey said in a condescending manner. "It appears that the Northerners regard you as quite the warrior and hero."

Roxas shrugged. "I do my best in helping them out. It's the least I can do for them all against the Heartless."

Any Northerners nearby who were listening in felt their lips twitch up at the humble statement.

Joffrey however looked entirely unimpressed and rather aggravated. This peasant's manners needed some serious course correcting considering he didn't bow upon his approach nor has he shown any cadance when addressing his clear superior.

"You must come from quite the backwater country to speak to me in such a way."

Hearing this, many Northerners narrowed their eyes and grind their teeth at the disrespect the prince was giving towards their hero, their champion per say.

Roxas however frowned, thinking on the Worlds he's been to and stayed at and he was pretty sure that Twilight Town and the The World That Never Was were the furthest worlds that would be considered backwater.

"I've been around a lot, seen a lot, fought a lot. Everything slowly becomes a blur at some point in where I've been."

Joffrey's nostrils flared, getting angry at the boys clear lack of not getting his subtle message. He was a prince, dammit! The future King of Westeros! And this fool is showing none of the respect that he rightly deserves.

Not wanting to deal with anymore of this peasant, Joffery turned his heels and walked away with his hand gripping the handle of his sword tied to his hip.

"Come on, dog, we must be elsewhere."

Sandor 'The Hound' Clegane merely grumbled a little as he followed his charge to wherever he wanted to run off to.

Seeing them off, Roxas tilted his head a little as he crossed his arms.

"What was that about?"

Jon only smirked. "Nothing, he's just not used to people like you."

"Seems quite rude to me."

"Don't let the queen hear you say that. I hear she's quite the harsh doting mother towards the crown prince."

"I'll keep that in mind, I suppose." Roxas said. "So what did you want to talk to me about? Something about a dream last night?"

Jon squirmed a bit. "I- I think I'll tell you about it later. I best help the servants out with finishing the preparations for tonight's feast."

"If you say so."

Seeing his friend head off elsewhere, Roxas decided to go assist the servants in unloading the carriages and wagons the royal caravan brought with them.

-Evening, Sansa's Bed Chambers-

The sun had set some time ago, leaving the land cold and dark. Inside of the chamber of the eldest daughter of Ned Stark, Catelyn was attending to Sansa in preparation for the feast very soon. Jeyne would've done this, but Lady Stark wanted to do this personally this time.

Both mother and daughter were wearing the best dresses they have in their wardrobe fit for a proper Northern lady. Each had made their own garments as they were perfect in their own right, due to the amount of time and care they put into their respective outfits from the ground up.

Tying up Sansa's red hair in a unique way, Catelyn smiled and hummed a small tune.

This was interrupted a little as Sansa spoke up with some hesitation in her voice. "Do you think… Do you think Roxas will like this? This look?"

Catelyn halted her actions before confusion settled upon her features.

"I do believe so. You look beautiful."

Sansa smiled shyly. "Do you… do you think he likes… me?"

"Whatever do you mean, sweetie? Of course he likes you. You're his friend, aren't you?"

Mustering up some courage, her eldest daughter spoke again. "I mean like me, like me."

Realization came upon the Tully. "You like Roxas that way, don't you?"

Sansa could only blush, fidgeting in her seat.

"Oh Sansa…"

"It's just he's very nice and-"

"I already know what you're trying to say, Sansa," Catelyn interrupted. "Many girls your age think the same thing about any boy. It's easy to see you're smitten with him."

"But he's different." Sansa defended. "He's actually a good person looking out for our family and people. Everyone loves and praises him. My siblings adore him and… and…"

"And what?"

Sansa fiddled with her hands before grasping the hems of her sleeves. "It's nothing."

"Come on, you can tell me."

"And… he's trying to make me be a better sister."

"...To whom?"

"...Arya."

Catelyn frowned a little as she can understand a bit more as to what's going on.

For some years now, Sansa had been picking and making fun of Arya. Belittling on her skills alongside some of her friends. Whether it's her needlework to any of the other lessons a proper lady should have. Instead, Arya had been getting out of line and landing herself in trouble with Septa Mordane time and time again. Even acting rashly at times in retaliation.

Words like horseface and other slanders were aimed at Arya as means of hurting the young She-wolf. Catelyn had heard about them and often told the two sisters to cease their arguments and settle matters for once. Yet they never reached a true conclusion.

"When did this happen?"

"Shortly after Arya's nameday." Sansa admitted. "She told him all about it and confronted me on the matter. He took his time talking with me and… made me realize how much of a horrible older sister I've been."

Catelyn remained silent whilst Sansa trembled in remorse.

"I should be a role model to her yet all I've ever done is tease and mock her. Calling her names and whining about her behavior." Sansa's shoulders sagged. "When I never even considered how she felt."

The Stark matriarch frowned with a saddened look in her eyes.

A stray tear fell away from Sansa's cheek, showing a greater deal of remorse on the elder Stark sister then Cat would have anticipated. In many ways, Cat herself felt a greater swell of remorse as her daughter showed that even though she loved her own sister Lysa she always felt that she could've done more. She always showered her younger sister with love and affection yet in Cat's mind there was always more to be done. Family came first within the Tully House words. And one can never do enough for their family.

"Well I'm a bit disappointed you haven't done this sooner, but glad you're trying to make amends now than later." Cat appraised, placing comforting hands on both shoulders while giving a loving kiss to the top of Sansa's head.

Her daughter smiled up to her mother, leaning back against her.

"Thank you mother."

Cat smiled lightly, a small teasing glint in her eyes.

"It appears I owe Roxas a great debt. Mayhaps I should inform him of your swooning for him."

Sansa immediately blushed in embarrassment.

"Mother!" Sansa whined.

The matriarch merely giggled at her daughter's dismay.

"But in all honesty, what's got you to like him in such a way?"

"He's made me change, mother, even if a little bit at a time. Now I want a man who will look out for me and love me for me. Not as a Lady of Winterfell, but me; Sansa Stark." She said with a soft, dreamy smile.

Catelyn smiled too as it's something many wish to have in a marriage. Some are lucky to have this, others haven't.

Wanting to shift the topic, Lady Catelyn spoke. "What do you think of the prince?"

"Joffrey?"

"Yes."

"He is… alright. But do you think father will make me marry him? I heard the rumors."

Indeed the rumors have been going around Winterfell by this point. No one knows where it started. Perhaps the servants stationed here in Winterfell or from the royal caravan. It doesn't matter now as Robert sought to unite their Houses together through marriage.

And though a number of the rumors, Sansa being with Joffrey were the most prominent. Given Joffrey was next in line to be king and he needed a queen when the time came. It would work well in everyone's favor to properly unite the North and the South after so many generations.

And if the marriage were to happen, regardless of whichever match between the two Houses, Ned will become the second most powerful man in all of Westeros.

"I wouldn't know for sure, Sansa." Catelyn admitted, resuming her task of fixing her daughter's hair. "But I thought you wouldn't mind that."

"I wouldn't have minded marrying a prince, mother. Who wouldn't? Especially becoming queen as a result. But Joffrey… There's something about him that seems… off."

"Off?"

"I don't know how to explain it. Just a feeling."

Catelyn hummed, tucking more hair strands into the right place.

"If it were to happen, do you think it would be soon? Or do we have to wait?"

"Obviously wait. No doubt your father will want to see how things go between you two."

"And what of you?"

"I'd wait as well."

"Was that how it was like for you when you were to marry Uncle Brandon?"

Catelyn stopped working her daughter's hair as she thought back to the first man she ever loved.

"I didn't want to rush my betrothal with your late uncle. I wanted to see if everything about him was true and see if he was worthy to be called my husband. He had his faults, yes, but he wanted to better himself in order to be worthy of being wedded to me. It was something I greatly appreciated."

"And what of father?"

Catelyn sighed deeply. "We had known each other once Brandon and I were betrothed. We respected and treated each other fairly as we were to be family in the future. Yet… circumstances changed that."

Subconsciously, her hand went up towards her neck before feeling a chain wrapped around it. Smiling a little, she walked in front of her daughter, knelt down and pulled out the object from underneath her clothes.

Eyeing the object, Sansa was mesmerized with its beauty. From the finely cut gems which were rearranged in an intricate manner onto the double sided pendant. One side was the sigil of House Stark while the other was of House Tully in their respective House colors. Not just that, but written along the edges were the House words for each respective family.

"On the double wedding of your father and I with my sister and her late husband, Jon Arryn, Ventus gave your aunt and I these as our wedding gift. Both are similar with one obvious difference with the House we were to marry into. He wished for our unions to be long and fruitful, despite the circumstances. For each of us to have a good family to raise for years to come.

"It's beautiful, mother." Sansa said softly, tracing her thumb over the surface.

"It's yours now." Cat said with a proud smile.

"W-What?"

Catelyn soon unclamped the hook on the back of the pendant before presenting it more to her daughter. As she did, Sansa saw the chain was a more intricate woven metal, all tightly knit with no signs of breaking.

She was a bit distracted with both the little inspection and the surprise as she didn't realize her mother soon clamped the pendant around her neck. The eldest Stark daughter soon felt it's weight above her breast.

"Wh-Why are you giving me this? It's yours."

"I'm giving it to you so you may remember to cherish and love your family. Honoring them to the bitter end. And hopefully one day, you may give this to your own daughter so she may give it to hers."

Sansa didn't know what to say, only hugging her soon after with a smile on her face.

She promised her mother she'll do all she can to do as such. Not knowing what trials will become because of this.

-Winterfell's Great Hall-

Three or four hours have passed with the festivities kept many within the great hall happy and entertained. Whether it was from listening to the music playing to feasting on the boar, deer, poultry, fruits and vegetables and bread. And with plenty of ale and wine going around, it would not be long before some people get pretty drunk and start a ruckus.

Roxas' deep blue eyes spotted Robb and the rest of his full blooded siblings were seated with the royal children. From where he stood, the Keybearer saw Sansa was sitting next to Myrcella and Jeyne as the two Northern girls were slowly becoming friends with the princess. It was a little hard to see what was going on with Bran and the young prince Tommen, but Roxas did see Robb was silently glaring at Joffrey. Said prince didn't pay attention to Winterfell's heir as he seemed to be focusing on his meal or focusing his attention on Sansa in some weird fashion.

Roxas was told earlier the direwolves had to be kept outside in the kennels or back in the Stark children's living quarters. The Lord and Lady of Winterfell didn't wish for any problems to occur with them around, to which they complied on the request.

On the high table were Queen Cersei and Lady Catelyn as they silently ate with their husbands elsewhere in the great hall. And to his guess, they were conversing with their subjects.

Eventually looking on to see Robert lip locking with a serving girl, Roxas winced. Guess the stories he heard about Robert have been spot on. And his wife's just watching him go. Must've been after witnessing this for so long, she probably became numb to it all.

Though it was at that moment, Cersei's eyes left her husband's form and met with his. The greater Nobody was suddenly confused as her oddly cold, saddened gaze quickly became warm all of a sudden with a curious smile etched onto her face.

Roxas didn't know what he could really do but wave a little towards her with an awkward smile.

When he met the queen earlier in the day, she was rather polite towards him. He knew that he was talking to someone extremely important apparently, so he had some decorum in the way he spoke with her though he did break a few times shifting into a more casual and conversational tone. Cersei had shown her surprise at those instances yet did nothing in reprimanding or scolding him.

If anything, there was a reminiscent fondness in her eyes every time he had done so with a forlorn and longing smile on her face the entire time she spoke with him.

And it appeared very much genuine, not the plastic and practiced expressions she appeared to normally give off around everyone else. It was honestly rather strange, but hey she wasn't mean or anything to him. Though it did get a bit awkward when the two were alone in one of the Winterfell's hallways.

She had told him of proper greeting customs towards a queen within Westeros, speaking on how subjects would kiss the Queen as a sign of respect and acknowledgment of her beauty. Though she was aware of him not being from this country, she believed that he should be educated in Westorosi customs.

She held out her hand in dainty fashion which was ignored by Roxas who looked at the queen with a contemplative expression.

Thinking hard on what she had said moments prior, it was clear that she expected him to follow through on the action as a means of practice.

So he did what he thought was the proper thing to do. Getting right into her personal space, he leaned up and gently pecked her on the cheek before stepping back to see her face in stunned shock and disbelief with a crimson hue on her cheeks. She gaped, closing and opening her mouth several times before bowing her head, muttering a quick goodbye and walking off hurriedly.

Confused by her reaction, Roxas scratched the back of his head and figured he must have done it wrong.

'I'll have to apologize to her when I get the chance.' He thought, before eying his cup was empty. 'Time for a refill, I suppose.'

Back at the high table, Cersei watched the Keybearer walk off after giving her the briefest of waves and smiles.

She felt her lip twitch upwards, her hand subconsciously moving up to stroke the spot in which he kissed her on the cheek. It radiated with warmth sending a swelling feeling of want within her. A feeling that she had not thought of since Harrenhal.

So much like his father, that one.

"What do you make of that boy, Lady Stark?" Cersei abruptly spoke up, catching Catelyn's attention.

"I beg your pardon, your grace?"

Cersei nodded her head in the direction of Roxas who was refilling his drink when several Northerners that seemed to be familiar with the boy, surrounded him. They began talking excitedly, one young one in particular with Roxas appearing to take his time in speaking with each one individually until it ended with the Northerners laughing merrily and toasting to him. He gave off a bashful expression, earning more laughter from the men.

"That boy, Roxas. That is his name, yes?" Cersei inquired. "What do you make of him? He has been in your home for quite some time now, has he not?"

Catelyn looked at the queen before turning to Roxas who was now speaking with Robb who had gotten out of his chair at some point. Both appeared to be exchanging a humorous conversation as they laughed several times.

"He is…" Catelyn thought about her words briefly. "An exceptional young man. Everything I have seen him accomplish and display is nothing short of miraculous, if not heretical depending on certain areas within the Seven Kingdoms."

"You refer to the Seven, yes?"

"Yes, your grace. The Seven don't exactly speak on such fantastical abilities and magic in such a positive light."

The queen hummed a little, taking a sip of wine from her goblet. "I remember when the boy's father made his spectacular debut back at Harrenhal, many septons and septas proclaimed him in mixed manners. Some called him an agent of the gods while the rest called him a blasphemy."

Catelyn nodded, remembering such things when she attended the great Tourney in the Year of False Spring. She had indeed thought Ventus was indeed an agent of the Seven, in some manner of speaking, and never thought any less of him back then. He protected the Tourney's attendees from the Unversed and earned the respect of many with his kind deeds.

"But, from what all have spoken of him, just like his father he has won over all who has bore witness to his actions. He really can't help but be a hero." Cersei said with a glint in her eyes, keeping them locked onto Roxas who had seated himself to enjoy his meal as discreetly as possible. Which of course was impossible considering his black coat, blond hair and the fact that most attendees that weren't with Robert's caravan recognized him in a glance.

"He was quite the hero, wasn't he?" Cersei remarked.

"Roxas or are you speaking of his father?"

"Ventus." Cersei said with a longing smile. "I remember when he first appeared before me, saving me from those vile creatures. What were they called again? The Unversed, yes I remember those things." The queen brought a hand to her lips to cover a growing smile. "If I were being honest, I practically swooned as I was in his arms. Carrying me to safety like the gallant knights of the old stories."

"What ladies wouldn't, your grace?"

"Indeed. Even with the late Elia Martell, if I recall."

Catelyn shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the previous princess of Dorne and Westeros. She was to be queen had it not been for the Rebellion.

From what she remembered, Ventus saved the Dornish princess and her daughter Rhaenys from an Unversed attack on their way to Harrenhal via carriage with her guards were indisposed of in said attack; leaving the two royals defenceless. They would've died then if it weren't for the Keybearer's timely arrival, showing exceptional bravery as he fought off wave after wave of those maddening monsters before escorting them to safety.

The Martells present at Harrenhal all lauded and admired him at every chance they got due to the Starks essentially hogging them all to himself as many claimed. Yet she knew that was not the case. Ven simply chose to remain with the Starks as he got along so well with Ned and his siblings. Yet the Martells would come around often in order to get some time with the resident hero. It's where she learned of Oberyn Martell's roguish, untethered ways. She shivered at the thought of him.

She had seen it. Brandon laughing boisterously while ruffling Ven's hair. Lyanna hugging him in a manner similar to the way she did with her brothers. Ned and Ven simply being together, conversing peacefully with easy going grins. Ven showing Benjen how he gripped his Keyblade in the backhand which the youngest Stark took to mastering however he can.

It seemed like such a distant memory now. Another lifetime ago.

Breaking away from chatting with some of the Northerners, Roxas kept moving throughout the great hall. Often smiling a little and having not that long of a chat with some people wishing to speak with him.

As his eyes wandered, Roxas occasionally locked on the forms of some of the Kingsguard members throughout the festive space. Either some members standing not far away from the royal family to eat and drink with some of the attendees; regaling whatever stories they had in store.

Roxas learned on some of the present members of the esteemed order: Meryn Trant, Arys Oakheart, Mandon Moore, Boros Blount and Preston Greenfield.

One in particular stood out due to his aged visage yet stalwart and unwavering stance. This was Barristan Selmy, commander of the Kingsguard. He was a Knight that Roxas had heard much of through some of the Northern lads his age and older.

Robb, Jon and Theon had spoken of how he had boldly challenged another knight at the young age of ten and had earned the moniker of Barristan the Bold that day. Whenever Bran spoke of him, the young pups eyes lit up with awe and hero worship speaking on how he hoped to be half the knight Barristan was.

Even Lord Stark had mentioned him once or twice, telling him how above most other Knights alive today, Ser Barristan was in a class unto himself.

While he had heard a great deal of this one knight and only sparse comments on the others, he knew that there were seven members.

Who was that last member again?

"I can see why some would think you're a long lost relative of ours."

Oh yeah, the queen's twin brother and the king's brother-in-law: Jamie Lannister, the Kingslayer.

The knight stood before him, garbed in far more casual clothing unlike the rest of the Kingsguard yet kept his sword strapped to his hip.

"Never thought I'd be surprised when first hearing about them, but here you are." Jamie Lannister smirked and crossed his arms over his chest as his green eyes met with Roxas' blue. "If it weren't for the fact you are a spitting image of Ventus' son, I would've thought of us as distant cousins. I mean, you don't have our smug veneer down at all."

"Thanks... I guess."

Jamie gazed intently at the boy, his eyes glazing over for a brief moment.

"You look exactly like him." Jamie found himself muttering. "As if he were standing right in front of me. Not a day aged upon him. Seven Hells, and I thought that the bastard of Lord Stark looked like him."

"Ventus right? Yeah, I've been hearing that a lot." Roxas said with a sigh.

Jamie blinked, finding the casual way he spoke of Ventus unusual. Moreover, how he addressed his father.

"You never knew of your father before, have you?"

"Since coming to the North, nope."

Jamie frowned. "Such a shame. Your father was a great man."

"I guess."

"Orphan, I take it."

"Uh… sort of. I think. I just kinda lived the way I did for a while."

The Lannister hummed a little, seemingly accepting what he heard.

"And I take it you to possess a Keyblade, just like Ventus?"

Roxas nodded. "Two."

"...I'm sorry, two?"

Jamie heard the odd detail on the Keybearer before him from the servants that he can wield two at a time. He thought it was a mere jest. All he remembered with Ventus, he can only wield just the one.

"Yeah, I've got two of them."

Squinting at the boy to see if he was giving off any deceit, Jamie found none.

"That… is certainly a surprise." Jamie said slowly. "When I knew your father and spoke with him, he told me that each Keyblade wielder has one that is unique to them and them alone. I understand that they can change form upon circumstance but I thought you were only allowed one."

"Well… I'm a special case." Roxas plainly stated. Though they were not necessarily his. Yet what was even more surprising was the fact that Jamie apparently knew a great more about the Keyblade then he had anticipated. Strange really. He had visited many Worlds and recalling Sora's own memories, aside from a few instances, not many had ever spoken of or questioned much when it came to the Keyblade.

"I do not doubt that." Spoke the Kingsguard member. "Perhaps we could duel sometime."

"Excuse me?"

"Just a simple one. Merely wish to know how different you are from your father."

While put off by the sudden challenge of sorts, Roxas merely took it in stride by this point. The Gods here know how many times he had been challenged already.

Before he could give the Kingslayer his response, Jamie walked off as he went to converse with someone else.

"One thing after another, I guess." Roxas said to himself, rubbing the back of his head.

"Roxas." The Keybearer turned and saw Ned coming towards him with a bearded man beside him with his hair tied in a ponytail in the back. "Here's someone I'd like you to meet."

Roxas saw the bits of surprise in the man's gaze before smiling. "Hello there. I'm Benjen Stark, Ned's younger brother."

"Oh, the one at the Wall. First Ranger, right? He's told me about you."

"Same with you." Benjen offered his hand as Roxas firmly grasped it. "I can see why Ned has taken a liking to you now that I've seen you myself. A few vague messages did you no justice."

"Your brother's a very good man. I couldn't have asked for better to be with."

Benjen chuckled. "Then I'm glad to see he hasn't forgotten his manners then."

"All I've known of him is being polite and being a good ruler for his people."

Benjen smiled and nodded.

"How long are you gonna be here?"

"By weeks end."

"We can chat more during that time, if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that."

Roxas nodded as he soon walked away from the two older Starks.

With the Keybearer moving along, the First Ranger noticed something going on with his brother.

"You seemed troubled, Ned." Benjen stated. "Something the matter."

The Warden sighed before nudging his head for them to move elsewhere. "It's about Roxas, Benjen."

"What about him?"

"He's not as I was led to believe."

Feeling as he's been in the great hall long enough, Roxas decided he needed some fresh air.

Carefully maneuvering through the crowd, the Keybearer eventually made his way through the halls and was greeted with the cold outdoors.

The faint sounds of festivities were heard behind him as he stepped further away from the building.

It was a good contrast right now, in Roxas' opinion. The quiet, open coldness from the loud, cramped hotness.

With him outside now, the Keybearer wondered where Jon was presently at. He wanted to at least hang out with him before possibly going back to the great hall for a little while longer.

"You there."

Roxas turned to find an unusually garbed man sitting upon a bale of hay. The outfit the man wore was like a patchwork of different furs. It was odd in appearance, but Roxas wasn't complaining. He had seen much odder ones, either through his own eyes or through Sora's.

"Me?"

The man gave him a slightly amused smile. "There's no one else here to talk to."

Roxas saw that he was right.

"Are you a brother of the Night's Watch?"

Funny how that was a question he hadn't heard in a while given the explanation for the all black attire of said organization.

"No. No I'm not. But I was mistaken as one a few times. Saying my attire seems too good for the order at the Wall."

"Ah." The man nodded. "Then may I ask who might you be?"

Now this was a bit of a surprise though not an unwelcome one. Practically everyone here knew

"I'm Roxas." Introduced the Nobody. "Are you not from around here?"

"Aye, I'm not."

"Visiting?"

"Passing through." Was the man's answer. "Heard the king was coming here and I wanted to see how good of a ruler he is. And suffice to say, he's not the kind of king I'd like at all."

"Right."

Roxas heard people have mixed feelings with Robert and he doesn't mind they think that way. It's their thoughts and theirs alone. And he has no means in changing their opinions.

The man looked at him questioningly. "What do you make of the king?"

Roxas brought his hand up to his chin in thought. "Well… he's friendly enough. Ned spoke highly of him and he seems to know my dad."

"Dad?"

"Er… Father. He knew my father."

The patchwork furred man hummed.

"So uh… what's your name?"

"Mance. You may call me Mance Rayder."

"Nice to meet you."

"And you as well." Mance said pleasantly. "So I hear you've been slaying these darkened creatures for at least a month now."

"Heartless." Roxas informed. "Yeah, they can be dangerous if you don't know how to face them."

"You seem to know a great deal about them."

"Fought them all my life. And I'm not exaggerating."

Mance's eyes held a glint of intrigue. "Did you now? Well I believe ya."

"You do?"

Mance stroked his chin as he inspected the black coated lad.

"You don't appear to be the lying type. From what I could tell…" Rayder leaned in closer. "You don't like liars."

The greater Nobody found himself blinking before a small grin appeared. "Yeah, they're annoying."

"And why is that?"

Roxas sighed. "I've been lied to quite a lot where I once resided. From most people I've worked with. Manipulated into their dirty work for whatever agendas they had for me. After certain circumstances, I wanted out."

Mance grunted, finding the boy to be a great deal more similar to him than he had anticipated.

"I know that feeling lad. To be fed a purpose that is not your own. Only to discover a greater existence and meaning. Lies have only caused more harm and ruin to this world."

"It sucks."

Mance burst out laughing at Roxas's rather quaint and simple description of it.

"It certainly is." He chortled. "I cannot disagree with you on that matter."

Mance leaned back, letting out a haggard and tired sigh.

"For me, I too have fought all my life. I've bled enough and fought enough."

"What have you fought for then?"

"Two things. The right to survive. And the freedom to make my own mistakes."

"Freedom huh?"

Roxas felt that word resonate with him in a way he had not realized. When he had thought about it… that's the one thing he never truly had. In his short existence, he had only served either the Organizations purposes or DiZ's purposes of reuniting with his Somebody, Sora. His choices were not his own and whenever he had tried to make one, someone or something came in and ripped that away from him.

He never had freedom until coming to this strange new World.

"I can respect that, Mance."

Mance nodded at him. "I hope you do, lad."

"So, what are you gonna do now?" Roxas asked. "Now that you've seen the King and all."

"Probably gonna head back home very soon." Responded the patchwork furred man. "It's a very long trek back and I'd like a good start."

"Then I hope you have a safe journey back."

"I appreciate it."

Mance made his way through the grounds, walking past Roxas in the process. But stopped as he was some steps away from the greater Nobody.

"There are… things where I come from." Mance said in a dark, haunted tone. "Things that would make even the sanest man lose himself. And I fear for my peoples survival as this is something I know we cannot best alone."

Roxas was rather put off by the serious change in demeanor by Mance.

"And those Heartless I've seen here can only be mere babes to the likes I've fought against all my life."

"Really?" Now Roxas was curious, facing him as they were closely face to face. "What exactly are you fighting?"

Mance's expression became stony, yet the fear was evident. "An ancient threat. One forgotten by these lands. I had hoped coming South that I may find allies or even clues to the whereabouts of one of the ancient weapons used against them but alas, I will return empty handed."

A part of him felt foolish in informing this lad on his goal in coming here. Berating himself on possibly revealing his true identity. Yet another felt like needing to do as such, given what he heard of the lad before him combating the Heartless.

"Ancient Weapons? Like what?"

"Daggers and spears imbued with ancient lost magic. A sword made from the soul of a man's wife. A weapon shaped like a Key that can bring about great prosperity and destruction."

"I see…" Roxas then did a double take. "Wait, what? A Key-shaped weapon? Where'd you see something like that?"

"Ancient carvings near my home." Mance said. "Carvings from an era long forgotten in these lands."

"This Key… It didn't happen to look similar to something like this?"

Holding out his hand, Roxas called forth Oblivion making Mance inhale sharply.

"Something… similar to that. But yes, I believe that is the weapon I seek." Mance said shakily. "Wha-What is that?"

"This is a Keyblade." Roxas answered, holding out the Oblivion for Mance to observe. "It's what I use when fighting the Heartless. And from what you've just told me, what was used to fight this other enemy back at your home."

Mance was silent, processing the bit of information he has been given.

"When the time comes, will I expect your help on the greater threat?"

Roxas was certainly put off by the request yet… Mance held a great intensity and desperation all at once. It was clear that this man before him had come down to Winterfell in hopes of finding some kind of sliver of hope. More for his people than himself. And as much as he finds it annoying at times, Roxas can't deny that he has these two Keyblades with him for a reason. He had a responsibility to the Worlds at large.

"I'll do all I can to fight for others so they may live another day."

Mance beamed at the boy, going over to him and patting his shoulders appreciatively.

"Then you fight for the living."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll know when the time comes." Mance said simply. "Thank you, Roxas. You don't know how much hope you've given this aging man but… I feel that tomorrow may hold a dawn for the next generation yet. You're a good lad."

"Well don't be a stranger, Mance." Roxas said cheerfully.

Mance Rayder merely nodded at the Keybearer as he made his way out of Winterfell.

This trek coming south of the Wall was risky. He would've died if he were found out.

Yet it was worth it in the end.

All he hoped now was surviving long enough to properly recruit Roxas to fight the dead.

-Later, Ned and Catelyn's Bed Chamber-

Of all the rooms in Winterfell's great keep, the bedchamber shared by it's Lord and Lady were the warmest. The castle was built over hot springs and the scalding waters rushed through the walls and chambers like blood through a man's body. It drove the chill from the stone halls and filled the glass gardens with a moist warmth that kept the earth around them from freezing. That was a little thing in the Summer here in the North. In Winter time, it was the difference between life and death.

But as of now, the bedchamber became extra warm due to the sessions of love making Ned and Catelyn had shared.

Lying barely underneath their sheets, the Lord and Lady of Winterfell cuddled as a slight bit of sweat glistened their skin. Their breathing was becoming a bit controlled in order to get their beating heart back to normal. And it can be argued the glow emanating from Catelyn was either due their recent, pleasing and satisfying actions or from the roaring flames from the fireplace at the other side of the room.

For all her years being wedded to Ned, she often has been put into a state of disbelief of how wild her lord husband is underneath the sheets. And here she originally thought his brother, Brandon, was the only wild wolf in the Stark family.

It is as they say, the quiet are the ones you should look out for the most.

As she trailed her fingers over some of the scars on her husband's chest, she heard him speak. "I should probably refuse him, Cat. I'm a Northman. I belong here with you, not down South in that rat's nest they call a capital."

Upon hearing this, Catelyn tightened her hold on her love. "I won't let him take you."

"The king takes what he wants." Ned soon huffed. "That's why he's king."

Prying herself off him a little, her river blue eyes met his steel grey ones. "I'll say, 'Listen, fatman'. You are not taking my husband anywhere. He belongs to me now'."

Ned laughed before pulling her into a kiss.

As they broke, Catelyn frowned a little. "Then what do you think with the proposal? Of joining our Houses with Robert's?"

"I don't know for sure, Cat. He's ambitious as he wants what he wants. He'll no doubt want one of our children to marry one of his, one way or another."

"Then what do you propose?"

Leaning his head back into the pillow, he raked his fingers through her hair. "I had been doing what I could to pay attention to his children throughout this day as best I could. Get a feel of them to see which would do well."

"And?"

"First off, Myrcella is a sweet girl and has great qualities of being a lady, no doubt."

"But…"

"But I noticed how close she is with Cersei. Questioning this to others, I've learned aside from Joffrey, Myrcella was the closest to their mother. I feel she will be off the table as the queen will want to decide who will be the proper match for her only daughter."

Catelyn hummed before ushering him to continue.

"Tommen is… well… extremely shy and closed off. Don't know if this will change in the coming years, but I highly doubt Arya will want to be with him at the moment. Even with how the courtship will turn out."

The couple could only imagine how that match will result along the way. It was a little hard to picture a more mature Arya at the given time as she'll do whatever she can to get away from the proposal. No doubt scaring the poor little prince far, far away from her.

As this happened, a frown crossed Ned's mind as he remembered Lyanna.

If Arya was truly like her deceased aunt, the Warden will truly know what will go through her path in life. Not an exact copy, but something vaguely similar.

"And then there's Joffrey." Ned muttered out. "Had seen him try to be polite, but I couldn't get anything else from him unfortunately."

"You'll have plenty of time to inspect him before the weeks end, Ned."

Ned only nodded silently, thinking over everything that has transpired since Robert's arrival.

"The Queen has been asking of Roxas."

Quirking a brow, he looked down to his wife that had her head resting upon his chest.

"What for?"

"I don't know for certain, Ned. She's merely curious about him."

Ned scrunched his face up in thought, thinking over why Cersei would hold interest in Roxas. There's of course the obvious things like his striking appearance, abilities and so on. But what else could she be asking about him for?

"What did she wish to know?"

"Merely asking on my own thoughts on him. She spoke of Ventus several times, though I figured she would."

Her husband gave a brief nod. "Anything else?"

"Well… the way she looked to him then to Myrcella…"

That made Ned pause his hand that was gently stroking his wife's hair.

"Did she now? What fo-"

"What do you think of Roxas marrying into our House?"

The question threw him off guard right then and there.

"Pardon?"

"I know it seems sudden, but the idea does sound good when you deeply think about it." She began. "It would honor Ventus' memory with our family with his son joining us through marriage. Our already existing status could rise substantially. From having a great fighter to even having magic of all things once again like your distant ancestors supposedly had thousands of years ago from your House's founding. He's even earned the respect of many Northern Houses, which in turn could bolster ours even further."

Ned mulled over the notion, though what stuck out to him above all else was the glaring revelation of sorts Roxas had told him a few days ago. He wasn't Ven's son, he was merely an entity of nothingness that gained sentience. How in the Old God's names was he supposed to wrap his mind around something like that? And he had seen the madness of the Unversed and now the Heartless.

"Where did this come from?"

Catelyn sighed. "It appears our eldest daughter is quite smitten with the boy."

"Sansa?" Ned had at first considered denying such a possibility yet he knew that out of all within Winterfell aside from the swooning maidens and women grown, Sansa would have been the easiest to have fallen for the Nobody.

He hummed to himself. "Aye, she would fall for the lad. He is in many ways the true personification of those gallant knights and heroes of old."

Cat chortled slightly. "In all my years, there have been a mere handful of men who could truly hold that distinction. Roxas has definitely earned such a title."

"Aye. Many knights these past years have all been those of Summer, never Winter."

For those who view knights, Northerners see them as two different kinds. For those called Summer knights, they've never experienced true battles; let alone wars. Winter knights are the complete opposite.

Battle hardened by true conflict with the unrelenting Winters of the North, Winter knights were a breed unto themselves.

Summer knights merely play in tourneys, only proclaiming they experienced true fighting through those. They merely spit upon the idea of what a true knight's supposed to be. And all of those reside in the South, hardly earning the real title as knight.

It's all a game to them in the end, which many Northerners pity. Reason why there are hardly any knights in the North at all.

Ned heaved a small sigh, returning back to the matter at hand.

"So then, what do you propose for this union? He is becoming a desirable bachelor with our daughter being a viable option for marriage."

"Yet the rumors of Robert wanting Joffrey and Sansa to wed-

Soon the rapping on their chamber door drew in their attention.

"Yes, what is it?" Ned asked.

"It's Maester Luwin, my lord." Spoke a guard stationed outside. "He says it's urgent."

Ned and Catelyn looked at each other for a moment before the Lord of Winterfell gave the command. "Send him in."

It wasn't long before the guard outside opened the chamber door and let the resident maester in before closing the entryway.

"What's the matter, Luwin?" Catelyn inquired.

"A rider rode into the night, my lady, from the Eyrie." Luwin began, holding out a sealed letter. "From your sister."

This confused Catelyn as she was handed the sealed letter. She had been told earlier today from her husband that Lysa fled the capital and headed back towards the Eyrie with her nephew, Robin along with the possible reason behind it. Lysa had never been back there since their double wedding before everyone had to head out to participate in the Rebellion.

Breaking the wax seal, she read the contents of the letter and realized it was written in a unique way which only Lysa and herself would know.

As children, they needed things to do to help relieve themselves of boredom from all the lessons they've taken. One such thing was creating a private language and it took many months to even a year to perfectly ingrain it all to memory.

As she read through the contents of the letter, her river blue eyes became filled with worry. She had reread it again and again in order to see if her eyes were not deceiving her.

Pulling off her covers, Catelyn got out of the bed and strode across the room as she was bare as the day she was born. Hardly a single blemish at all about her beauty, except for the small bits of sag on her breasts, due to the many births of her children with Ned. And if one to pay close attention to her lower half, they'd see a small trail of Ned's essence trailing down her legs.

"Perhaps I should withdraw-"

"No, we will need your counsel right now." Catelyn interrupted as she soon tossed the letter into the fireplace. "Except for Robb, you've delivered all my children. This is not a time for false modesty so soon."

Ned got out of bed and pulled on a robe before grabbing his wifes and giving it to her. "What's going on, Cat?"

As she soon wore her robe, she answered. "I don't believe she fled the capital for the safety of her son because of Tywin Lannister. She fled because she says Jon Arryn was murdered. By the Lannisters."

This got Ned to shake a little in disbelief. Shock filling him on what his wife is saying.

"And she says the king is in danger."

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Ned tried to reason with her. "She's freshly widowed, Cat. She doesn't know what she is saying."

"Lysa's head would be on a spike right now if the wrong people had gotten that letter first. Do you think she would risk her life -her son's life- if she wasn't certain her husband was murdered?"

Ned was having a hard time believing this. Running his hand through his hair, he soon heard Luwin speak.

"If this news is true and the Lannisters conspire against the throne, who but you can protect the king?"

Catelyn looked over to the maester with worry in her voice. "They murdered the last Hand. Now you want Ned to take the job?"

"The king rode for a month to ask for Lord Stark's help. He's the only one he trusts." Luwin's gaze met with Ned's soon after. "You swore an oath to him, my lord."

With the argument given, Catelyn gave her counter argument. "He's spent half his life fighting Robert's wars. He owes him nothing. In fact, it's the reverse." She strode up to her husband and grasped his arms with worry filling her voice. "Your father rode South on a king's demand after your brother went to the capital first. And you know what happened then."

Yes… he knew all too well.

Upon learning of Lyanna being taken from the Riverlands by Rhaegar, Brandon immediately rode to the capital with a handful of his friends and compatriots in order to get her back. And it was the last time Catelyn ever saw her betrothed as they were set to wed a few days from that moment when the news reached their ears.

Soon after, more news had reached the ears of the Starks and Tullys with Brandon had been captured with his companions were slaughtered upon arriving at the Red Keep. And soon after, a letter arrived demanding Rickard Stark to come to answer for his eldest son's actions.

Ned's father complied and wished everything would turn out alright in the end.

Unfortunately, it did not. Rickard Stark was burned at the stake via wildfire as Brandon watched on as he was strangled to death by hanging. This soon resulted with the Rebellion igniting with righteous fury.

"A different time, my lady." Luwin said, causing Catelyn to grind her teeth a little. "A different king."

"It doesn't matter if it was a different time or king. He can't go."

"The Hand of the King has great power, my lord. The power to find the truth of Jon Arryn's death. To protect your good-sister, Lady Arryn, and her son, if the worst were to be true."

"And be surrounded by the Lannisters at every waking moment? His life will be at risk if he goes down there."

Massaging his temples a little, Ned cursed in thought. 'Let the Others take you both.'

Breathing out a frustrated sigh, the Lord of Winterfell finally spoke. "Catelyn, I need you to help Robb govern the North. And Luwin, give them your voice in all things so everything will run well."

Luwin nodded while Catelyn felt like crying. "W-What of the rest of our children?"

"Rickon is too young to go. The others I would take with me."

Tears started to form in her eyes. "No. I can't bear it."

"I'll do all I can to possibly not have Sansa wed Joffrey, like you've asked, but Robert will no doubt push it to happen one way or another. And it's probably time Arya learned the ways of the Southern court."

Catelyn hesitantly nodded as that part on Arya was something she hoped could happen one day. Yet the Lady Stark would've wanted to happen at the Riverlands, not like this.

"Please, Ned, for all the love you bare me, let Bran remain."

"I wish Bran to grow up with the young princes and become their friend as Robert became mine. Our House will be safer for it."

Seeing the look in his eyes made her heart tremble with river trails falling down her eyes. Her husband will not change his mind further on the matter.

"Ju-Just keep him off the walls, Ned." She shakily said. "Yo-You know how he loves to climb."

Ned nodded. "And I'll have Roxas come with us."

This caused Catelyn to look at her husband in surprise.

"I can think of no other better than him to help protect us down South."

"B-But what about the Heartless here in the North?"

"Roxas has done all he can to help us learn how to fight them. We might not be able to drive them back all the way, but we'll be capable of holding the line until his return to the North with us. Robb, Jon, Theon and the rest of our Men have been training extensively. Instructions have been sent out from Winterfell and Ironrath on combating these dark beasts."

With his wife hugging him as she silently wept, Ned briefly thought of Jon.

He and Robb have been close for years, with his heir never thinking of Jon as a bastard. The Warden hoped Jon would help Robb while he was gone in several ways. But Catelyn would never see to it, given her silent wrath towards him.

And even if Ned decided to bring Jon down to the capital, it'll be quite hard for him. From what he had learned, Queen Cersei has seen to it that no one of bastard status is ever seen at court. If they do, then they would be shunned… and probably worse.

Yet a solution has been known to him for a long time now, which Jon intends to follow: taking the Black.

There is a great honor in service on the Wall and those of the Stark bloodline have served there for thousands of years. And even those born out of wedlock may rise high in the Night's Watch. It is a hard sacrifice, yet it has its own rewards.

But for years now, the Night's Watch has slowly become a shadow of its former self. What was once an esteemed order numbering of tens of thousands, occupying and manning the many keeps along the icy structure, has been diminished to roughly a thousand and only manning three keeps in total.

Not to mention it has become a dumping ground for criminals of all kinds. Thieves, rapists, murders, you name it. It was either becoming a Watchman or serving out their punishment depending on their sentenced crime.

Ned will discuss this matter more with his brother in the morning as they had previously discussed it during the feast. And it will be less than a week before Ned and his chosen group join the royal family in traveling back towards the capital.

The Warden would rather have Jon enjoy these last few days before seeing the truth with his own eyes at the Wall. Summer will end soon and so will be with what innocence his son has left.

-End Chapter-

AN:

Getting through a bit more through the first episode events with some little add ons in order to change things for later events.

So on the original book material, not all of the Kingsguard were present when at Winterfell, due to them still at King's Landing for whatever orders and headed up to meet the others at the Crossroads Inn when everyone's heading to the capital. This was to help relieve some parts of duty; somewhat like a security team.

In the TV show adaptation, not everyone was present due to two things: budget and screen time. Outside of Jamie Lannister, only a few Kingsguard members were present and they were simply extras and we see no other of them until we hit King's Landing. This was just to help focus more on what needed to be done in a simplified manner on their scripts.

Here, free man writer and I agreed ALL of the Kingsguard needed to come up to Winterfell. Just to make things more realistic, despite the amount of Lannister and Baratheon guards coming along for the trip. Not to mention wanting some of the Kingsguard seeing Roxas first hand and having some of their own reactions… the more noteworthy like Jamie, Barristan and Arys before reaching King's Landing. The other members are just not that special asides from being thugs in knightly armor.

Now it wasn't specified why Arya had to come South with Ned and Sansa in the show. But in the books, it was explained that Ned decided to take her with so she can be able to properly learn the ways of the Southern courts from her mother's heritage. Just thought to clear this up for all you readers if you lot never bothered reading them at all.

Anyways, be sure to review this story guys! Would like the criticisms. Please and thank you!

R&R

-Omake-

At long last, after what felt like more time then he had thought had transpired Tyrion Lannister managed to get the famed Roxas of the North a moment to himself.

"So you are Roxas."

The blond-haired, blue-eyed teen stared down at the dwarf.

"That's me."

"A pleasure to meet you, lad." Tyrion stuck his hand out to shake and was pleasantly surprised at how Roxas immediately shook it. "Tyrion Lannister. I'd ask for your own introduction but I had beaten you to it."

"Right." Roxas said.

"If you may, Roxas, I'd like for you to follow me." Tyrion said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I wish to get to know you better away from prying ears."

Shrugging to himself, Roxas began to walk alongside the Dwarf of Casterly Rock.

"You've been here for some time now, yes?"

"Yeah, about two months now."

"Hmmm, and I have been hearing about your growing reputation." Tyrion said in an overly grand fashion. "The boy who wields blades of light and dark battling against creatures of darkness. What were they called again? Heartless, correct?"

Roxas nodded in affirmation.

"Ghastly things, from what I hear. Apparently killing many in order to replenish their own ranks."

"Yeah, they steal the Hearts of others to do that." Roxas remarked. "Thankfully none of the bigger ones have appeared."

Tyrion found himself gulping slightly. "And what of that giant bird earlier this day?"

"That was just Wyvern of some kind. Probably a new type." Roxas said in thought, thinking back to that overgrown Heartless. "Never really seen one of those before."

"A Wyvern? I dare say it's close to a dragon if I remember correctly."

"A weaker subspecies. Not anywhere close as strong as dragons, yet share similar traits in appearances."

At the mention of dragons…

"You've seen dragons?" Tyrion asked with a hopeful tinge in his tone.

"Outside of the Heartless type, I've only seen one. Never personally met it."

"And how big was it?"

Roxas looked at the dwarf before giving an approximate guess.

"About this big, size of our heads maybe." Roxas said, holding his hands around his heads to display the size. "Always heard he complained about it."

Tyrion nearly did a double-take. "It spoke?"

"Yeah, it did."

"Surely a jest."

"No, he had a name and everything. Mushu."

"Mushu… Sounds Yitish."

"Yitish?"

"From Yi Ti, on the far end of Essos."

"Right." Roxas nodded when he noticed something. They were standing in front of that large house where all those women resided.

"Ah, we've arrived at last." Tyrion said with an eager tone.

He didn't know how long they were walking out of Winterfell's gates. It surely couldn't have been that long of a conversation to quickly traverse that long of a distance by merely walking.

Before Roxas could say anything, Tyrion rapped on the wooden entrance.

The door swung open and the red haired woman he met here when coming to Winterfell for the first time answered. She looked at the dwarf, who nudged his head back towards Roxas. As her eyes landed on his form, she smiled greatly.

"Ah~ our esteemed hero. Finally come at last."

"Uh… Hi… Ros, was it?"

Ros only nodded with a beaming smile. "We'll take it from here, Lord Tyrion."

"I sure hope you will. I leave him in your care."

Before Roxas could question what the Lannister was talking about, two more women came outside, grabbed his arms and dragged him inside. The door was closed shut with the sounds of locks being set into place not long after.

Smiling to himself, Tyrion turned around and waddled back to Winterfell.

Visiting the brothel in Wintertown earlier this day, the Imp of House Lannister had purchased the services of Ros and a few of her fellow whores. It wasn't for him per say- well not after a long session to relieve his stress. No, it was for a second transaction that day.

The reason? Why to finally kill the innocence of the infamous Keyblader, of course. His weapon of choice? Why the purchased whores. The best he could get in Wintertown.

Tyrion heard of the lad's physical prowess through many servants and people attending the feast. With his plan into action, the dwarf needed more than just one girl to properly satisfy the innocent maiden boy and make him into a man.

King Robert would no doubt be proud of his actions. Though Tyrion wouldn't know if he would want to punish him or not for beating him to this act first before him. Afterall, he did hear back in the days of the Rebellion, Robert had sent wenches and whores to Ventus in order to finally bed him. Yet every time there was no success with the Keybearer back then seemingly avoiding them.

He firmly believed in a Hero's Reward for his services to the realm and its people.

When the whores heard of Tyrion's request, they gladfully took on the request. Each had their eye on the blonde haired, deep blue eyed teen for a while now and wanted to bed him badly. They would be utterly fine if they were to end up carrying Roxas' bastards once they were through with him.

Honestly, what Tyrion wouldn't give to be in the boy's position right now. The young lad must be skipping internally for having so much attention from the ladies. If that were the case.

Roxas always seemed vacant if not openly disinterested or uninformed so to speak when dealing with the gazes of women with clear lust in their eyes towards him.

As a man who is a connoisseur of wine, women and culture, Tyrion considered this a civil duty to rectify the boy's vacant gaze into that of a man with a purpose. A purpose of knowing the pleasures of the flesh and enjoyment of youth.

Oh he couldn't wait to hear the results in the morning.

-Next Day-

Tyrion sat within the great hall of Winterfell, breaking his fast by his lonesome for this morning. Not that he minded. He needed to be alone as he awaited the return of one person in particular.

Seeing Roxas walk into the dining hall, Tyrion smiled and waved him over.

"Ah, Roxas." Tyrion greeted with a personable smile. "How was your night?"

"It was fine." He answered casually.

"Really? Just fine?"

"Yeah, what else would it be?" Roxas said with a shrug.

"And what of your company? Did you enjoy your time with them?"

"Sure." Roxas said with a more calm smile. "We stayed up all night, if you were wondering." He adopted a thinking posture, not seeing the glint in the dwarf's eyes. "Lost track of time on the whole thing if I'm being honest."

"Really~"

"Yup." Roxas nodded. "I actually gave them one of my personal favorite treats. Shyla really took a liking to it."

"Truly?"

"Yeah, I told them they'd like it." Roxas said cheerfully, feeling rather proud of himself. "They said the same thing I did when I first tried it. Salty, yet sweet."

It took everything in Tyrion's willpower to not sputter out and make a scene. Instead, he opted for forcefully gulping down the entire strip of bacon whole while quickly downing his drink.

"And I think by the end of it all, Ros and her friends wanted to do it again on a later day."

"I'd expect no less." Tyrion scooted out of his seat. "If you'll excuse me."

Seeing Tyrion waddle out of the dining hall, Roxas raised an eyebrow on what was going on through the dwarf's head.

-Wintertown's Brothel-

Tyrion trudged through the snowy ground with surprising ease considering his stature and the amount on the ground but that did nothing to slow him down.

After hearing all that, Tyrion knew that the only way to truly confirm all that Roxas said he had to go to the source.

Sitting in Ros' personal bed chamber, Tyrion poured her a cup of ale before pouring one of his own.

"Now then, tell me everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes, everything. Leave out no details."

Humming to herself, Ros held a coy smile as she began recounting Roxas's last night "visit".

"For starters, he was very sweet and kind to us. We talked for a bit."

"Seems Roxas is that kind of person for a first timer." Tyrion stated.

"Oh he was more than we thought he'd be." Ros said with a wide smile. "So much more insightful than he lets on. Lyra found him quite endearing."

"Endearing?" Tyrion said in clear amusement. "Do go on."

"After some time getting into it, he gave us his treat."

"Treat? What treat?"

Ros' coy smirk merely widened. "Oh it was very sweet on top of the saltiness that came with it."

This perked Tyrion's interest greatly.

"I'd never tasted anything quite like it myself." Ros admitted making Tyrion's heart stop in abject disbelief.

He had not paid for Ros' involvement in this whatsoever but to hear that she had joined in?!

"It was so good, the girls and I wanted to have more and more of it. The substance was to die for. And when it dripped all over us, we had to lick it off ourselves before-"

"Buh! Buh! Buh! Buh! Stop!" Tyrion commanded before shifting himself in his seat. "My cock can only go so erect before I start question myself."

Ros only giggled with a mischievous smile now.

When he heard these coming from Ros' mouth, Tyrion could rightfully say he was truly proud of his accomplishment last night. Not only did he slay Roxas' innocence, but helped give birth to a slayer of women.

He very much wanted to state this to many in the surrounding areas, yet chose to keep it to himself. This would be something for personal enjoyment to look back on, with no one ever the wiser on his own personal joke.

And then came the ultimate shocker. Ros handed Tyrion back half of what he had paid for. Apparently, the whores had insisted on giving Roxas the time for free yet he refused to leave them empty handed so they compromised for half.

Prodigies come from the most random of places.

What Tyrion didn't know was that Ros and her fellow whores… never did any sexual acts with the Keybearer at all last night. In truth, they merely talked for hours until Roxas tired them out through pleasantries.

No man who ever stepped through their establishment ever bothered wanting to get to know them. All they wanted was to get a nice screw or get a nice warm mouth around their cocks.

Instead, Roxas had wanted to know about their lives and displayed genuine interest in them. Call it what you will with his unique naivety with their advances, but it was a refreshing take on what they were used to.

However this little nugget of knowledge would elude Tyrion, upon seeing one of the whores he had paid for approach Roxas and peck him on the forehead leaving a bashful young lad as she stroked his hair and told him she couldn't wait for next time.

Now as for this salty, yet sweet substance which came from Roxas… he called it ice cream. It was an interesting cold treat. Nothing neither Ros or the other whores ever had before.

In the middle of getting to know them, Roxas had to excuse himself and had to leave for a bit. He did promise to come back soon. The girls thought he merely wanted to relieve himself as they believed he wanted to butter them up before finally getting busy~

Yet to their surprise, he came back five… maybe ten minutes later with a whole bag full of those oceanic blue treats on sticks. No one knew where he got them; let alone how he got them.

All that mattered in the end was the night that they had enjoyed more than they had expected to. Whores they may be and pleasure their business income, when they experienced something new and refreshing it was worth more than any regular night of having a man's cock in between their legs.

"Then I believe I best be on my way." Tyrion said, quickly gulping the cup of ale down his gullet. "I have things to do back at Winterfell and don't want to waste anymore of our respective times."

Ros nodded as she saw Tyrion walk out of her room. "When you see Roxas next, tell him we said hello and can't wait for the next time we chat."

Tyrion's eyes twinkled. "I solemnly swear to do so."

Free Man Writer: Well that was fun, wasn't it? Nothing like some good old humor to lighten the mood. So yeah, got a lot done and more to come next chapter. Jebest and I have been bouncing back and forth between this story and Infinite Wars like no tomorrow and boy does it light a fire under my ass and fingers primarily to get as much out as possible. So until next then, my Comrades.