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"Speech"
'Thoughts'
Writing/Singing
"Foreign Language/Flashback"
-Scene Shift-
Chapter 12: Broken Things
What would normally be a warm hallway within the ancient keep was currently uncomfortably cold. And soft, whimpering whines were heard within the corridor, enhancing the feeling even more.
The entirety of the Stark family were either standing or sitting some feet away from Bran's bedchambers. Ned was consoling his wife, who was practically shivering in utter fright. Benjen was sitting next to Robb and Theon who all wore grim, worried features despite their varying degrees of posture. Rickon had dozed off sometime ago, resting his head on Shaggydog. Arya was seeking comfort in petting both Nymeria and Summer, who kept trying to get inside of Bran's room. Sansa was sitting next to Roxas, who held her close as she was softly sobbing into his shoulder. And despite not carrying the Stark name, Jon was of their blood and had every right to be in attendance.
Each of them wanted to go inside and see Bran, but Luwin was already working on getting him fixed up. Roxas wanted to lend his services in casting some Cure spells to speed things up, but the maester said he has things under control for the time being and would seek him out if anything happened.
How did this happen again? Oh right, because Bran fell from the Broken Tower. Wanting to save his human companion, Summer sought out help. The young direwolf soon found Jon, who was the closest to the area and brought him to the injured Stark. Upon finding his younger half-brother, Jon got him to the maester as fast and carefully as possible.
When he, Robb and Theon returned to Winterfell, the majority of its occupants were in a worried, chaotic state. It merely made the situation of things in the revolving area worse, making Roxas fear if any Heartless would appear and be drawn to the keep like moths to a flame.
Thankfully, with the Nexus of darkness being destroyed recently, things in Winterfell will be safer for an unknown length of time. It'll take a while for the Heartless to make another attempt in the area or merely go elsewhere to do so.
When Roxas had arrived, he was surprised at how Arya had hugged him something fierce with Ned taking a moment to check on him before returning to his wife. He and Jon nodded at one another before Sansa had sat down beside him and slowly broke down at the thought of losing her brother.
All in all, it was a rather tense and grim mood.
"Will he be alright?" Sansa whispered, breath shaky. "Will my little brother be alright?"
Roxas wasn't exactly sure on how to answer this but he rubbed her shoulder gently feeling her tremble against him. This was an uncomfortable and new position that Roxas had never exactly experienced before yet he followed what felt natural.
"He… He'll make it. Bran is gonna be fine." Roxas assured. "Promise."
"Is… Is there anything you could do?" Sansa asked.
"Maybe, but I don't know what-"
The sound of the door leading into Bran's chambers creaked opened. It was louder than normal to the lot of them.
Poking his head out, the resident maester spoke. "May I speak to Lord and Lady Stark?"
Catelyn instantly rushed over with desperation in her eyes. "Is Bran alright? Did you-"
"It's best if we talk in here for now." Luwin stated before looking over to Roxas. "And could you come in here as well, Roxas?"
"Me? What for?"
The maester didn't say anything, making the request seem more like a demand than anything.
Excusing himself from Sansa's side, he soon followed Ned and Catelyn into the room with the aged maester closing the door behind him.
Once standing inside of Bran's bed chamber, Roxas stared at Bran's prone, unconscious form. He was laid on top of a stained bed with a bin of bloodied rags and a bowl of used up water to the side. Catelyn immediately went to her son's side, clutching his hand soon after. Ned slowly came up and stood behind her as his eyes were filled with worry.
Roxas didn't like seeing a friend of his in a state like this. Not since he saw Xion in a similar predicament.
Xion only went into a deep slumber for twenty days because of her failing one mission after another. He and Axel figured at the time it was because of high levels of stress and magical exhaustion. But that wasn't exactly the case on what Roxas learned later on.
Bran on the other hand fell from the Broken Tower, one of Winterfell's oldest watchtowers which was ruined by a large bolt of lightning over a century ago. The stones were loose and the mortar was still like ash. And to Roxas, it was considered the most challenging thing to climb, yet Bran said he climbed it dozens of times with hardly any problems.
The Keybearer wondered how long Bran will sleep for in his period of recovery. Could it be hours, days… weeks… or be stuck in a vegetative state until his body finally gives out and dies?
Roxas hoped it was not the last one.
The tension in the room was extremely thick with silence practically reigning supreme. And Roxas decided to volunteer to be the one to break it.
"How bad is it?"
Luwin released a sigh as he looked at both Bran's parents and the Keybearer. "The fall was a high one and the landing made quite the number of critical injuries; due to the jagged rocks at the bottom. His back was heavily bruised and cut, yet the lower part of his back had a very nasty gash on the spine. And his leg bones needed to be broken again and straightened out so they could be healed naturally. Thankfully his head injury was a small one, but is quite bruised as well. If his body was turned the other way around, he would no doubt be… gone."
Hearing this part made Catelyn let out some choked sobs. Ned squeezed her hand as a means of comfort.
"I do have to thank you, Roxas. If it weren't for the Potions you and the others have given for me to use and study on, then things would possibly be much more dire."
Roxas nodded as he gritted his teeth. "There's something else, isn't there?"
Luwin nodded bitterly. "Even with the magical concoctions applied to him, I don't know if everything will be alright in the end. Despite everything I've done, stitching and fixing up the injuries, I fear his spine will not work right. I will need to further test his muscles once everything is fine at a later time. But I fear there's a high possibility that even if young Brandon wakes up, he will never walk again."
It felt like hours had passed once Luwin gave them his report.
Ned tightened his muscles, especially his jaw and hands. He had to fight back the tears for his son's sake, even if the moment gave him the right opportunity to freely do so.
Bran was a nice ray of innocent sunshine in the Warden's eyes. Adventurous and active, the young Stark wanted to explore the world when he was older; especially as a knight. And in a jest one day, Ned didn't call Bran his son at all but as a squirrel due to his love of climbing things.
Now Ned possibly doesn't like that kind of activity anymore at all. Adding yet another thing into the batch of bitter-sweet memories he collected over the years.
It was at this point Catelyn spoke up, with her voice so low and cold. "You let this happen…"
Roxas, Luwin and Ned -who just snapped out of his thoughts- looked at her in confusion.
"You knew he'd keep on climbing, despite my warnings. You didn't even stay and watch him, Roxas."
Roxas took a step towards her. "Catelyn, I-"
"Now he's like this!" She snapped at him, with reddened eyes hotly boring into him. "Crippled forever because of your encouragement!"
Roxas looked towards the cold wooden floor, not being able to meet her gaze. Pain swelled in his chest with the blame aimed towards him.
Call it an accident or not, but with how things are; Catelyn was right.
"Catelyn, you can't blame him for something beyond his control." Ned said onto her, trying to halt her anger.
"No, Ned, she's right." Spoke the Nobody. "I should've been a better friend to Bran. I should've stayed behind to watch him climb if anything were to happen. After all, the powder he had isn't exactly perfect all the time; only giving him a better grip on things."
His case wasn't making things better on Catelyn's mood, causing her husband to defend the Keybearer.
"But if you weren't with us, then Robert's hunting party may not have been-"
"I know, but it's hard to tell the results on the 'what ifs'." Roxas interrupted. "If I stayed at Winterfell; you, the King, Robb or someone else important would've been taken by the Heartless. And it doesn't matter how trained the Northerner members are who joined without me there. I can't be sure everything would've been fine either way." The greater Nobody shifted his gaze back onto Catelyn. "I understand you will never forgive me for what happened earlier, but let me at least do this for him."
"What are you talking about?" Luwin inquired.
The maester's answer came as Roxas pulled out an object from his back, which miraculously seemed to appear from out of nowhere. There was no sign of there being any large pocket on his person; much less on the outside of his Organization coat. Yet this was something no one really bothered questioning about at this time.
In Roxas' grasp was a large spherical, crystalline object. It was gold in color with stars and crescent moons carved onto its surface. And on top were more golden crystals poking out which looked reminiscent of a mountain top.
"What is that?"
"An Elixir. Something that's far stronger than any Potion and Ether you can get your hands on. Fully restores one's health and magical reserves -or in other cases, stamina- to their fullest. Even gets rid of all ailments such as poison, paralisis and some forced states of sleep."
Luwin looked at the Elixir with intrigue while Ned and Catelyn bore looks of dire hope.
"And how did you acquire that?" Asked the maester.
"It's really hard to come by these things. Drop rates from the Heartless are very slim." He stated with an added thought. 'And purchasing them is very expensive.' He then continued. "It's been a long time since I got this one and have been hanging onto it since."
"...It doesn't look like a bottle that can be opened easily."
Roxas merely shook his head. "Normally I would crush this and throw it on myself to get the effects working right away. Much like some versions of the Potions and Ethers. But since we need his internal injuries fixed, it needs to be drunk."
"Like the Potions and Ethers you've given me?" Luwin figured, drawing a nod from the lad. "But it's a large crystal, not a liquid container. How can we-"
*CRUNCH*
In an instant, Roxas crushed the object in his hand and kept it's remains in his closed hand. The act seemed to unsettle the three adults to varying degrees. Making them wonder how exactly strong the Keyblader truly is.
"...That can work."
"Now we just need to thoroughly mix it with a clean batch of water and carefully pour it all down Bran's throat."
It took about a minute to get the concoction prepared. A clean pot of hot water was ready with Roxas carefully dumping all of the Elixir remains into it. The powder mixed well with the water as it seemed to glow a bright light.
Placing the bowl near the boy's lips, Luwin had Roxas part his lips so he can carefully pour the rich golden liquid down the throat. It took a handful of seconds for every drop to go down before prying the bowl away.
A faint gold glow quickly formed around Bran's comatose body. As it was still seen, the room's occupants could hear faint sounds of cracking. They briefly thought it was from the nearby fireplace, but that wasn't the case. And they soon ceased once the golden light died down.
Wanting to sate his curiosity, Luwin looked at the places where he corrected Bran's injuries and saw all of the areas to be fully healed. No signs of cuts, bruising and discoloration. The only things to be out of place are the stitches, which would no doubt need to be removed far ahead of their required time.
Despite all this, Bran didn't wake up at all.
The men heard a sniffle and looked over to Catelyn. Her shoulders were trembling as she used her husband for support.
"Y-You said it would work, Roxas. You said he would wake up."
Roxas frowned. "Despite the Elixir being a stronger concoction, the means of waking people up takes time. It's not always instantaneous."
"I concur, Lady Catelyn." Luwin said, coming to defend the Keybearer. "Bran is out of the woods for now, but I believe he must awaken naturally as he suffered quite the head trauma. Be thankful everything else seems to be in working order. And hopefully once he wakes, he might be able to walk again in no time."
Catelyn was conflicted a little on what to say, but fought the urge to do so. All she could do was nod and trust Luwin's logic for the time being.
She then heard steps heading towards the door. Looking over, Catelyn saw Roxas was exiting the room.
"Where are you going?" Asked her husband.
"Letting your family know before letting them inside."
Ned and Luwin nodded on the action. The Warden merely held his wife tight with bits of joyful relief filling his very being. The maester was starting to clean things up before trying to have things be a bit more presentable for the upcoming arrival of the children, Theon and Benjen.
Right when Roxas grasped the door handle, Catelyn spoke up.
"Roxas," she began, "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I-"
"It's alright. You were just extremely concerned. I can't fault you for being a mother."
He left without saying anything else, gently closing the door behind him. And it didn't take long for a clamoring to be heard from the otherside with everyone there being happy on the recently made, good news.
-Few Days Later-
A lot of noise filled Tyrion's ears as his vision was blurred. He tried focusing his senses, wondering what was going on and where he was at. The dwarf realized he was not in his guest chambers at all, or even back at the Library Tower.
Soon enough, his nose picked up a scent which made him quickly lean up. Especially once feeling a wet tongue on his face and not around his cock.
Opening his eyes, Tyrion saw he was in a dog kennel as he was surrounded by a good dozen or so dogs walking about.
'Probably gonna be the last time I'll be drinking so damn much.' He thought before quickly shaking his head. 'Well at least outside of my own sleeping arrangements.'
"Better looking bitches than you're used to, uncle."
Tyrion looked and saw his nephew, Joffrey, standing outside of the kennel's fence with his sworn sword, Sandor, standing right next to him.
The dwarf stood up, brushing the dirt and straw off of him with his nephew continued to speak.
"My mother's been looking for you. We ride for King's Landing today."
Scratching his head to rid himself of an itch, Tyrion soon made his way out of the kennel.
"Before you go, I believe it's time for you to call on Lord and Lady Stark and offer your sympathies."
Joffrey merely rose a brow. "What good will my sympathies do them?"
"None, but it is expected of you. Your absence has been noted."
Indeed it has. Out of everyone from the royal family, Joffrey has been the last person to give his sympathies. The crown prince has not bothered to say anything close to the Starks. Only giving snark insults behind their backs.
Too many wolves in Winterfell, he says. They won't miss one, he says.
Well those insults will eventually reach their ears and will probably ruin any possible marriage there might be between their Houses because of Joffrey saying such things. After all, alliances have been cleaved for less… or more depending on the people in question.
Joffrey merely scoffed with a smug smile. "The Stark boy means nothing to me. And I can't stand the wailing of women.
Whatever expression the crown prince wore was quickly smacked away… by his uncle slapping him across his face.
"One word and I hit you again."
"I'm telling mother!" Joffrey exclaimed.
*SMACK*
The other side of Joffrey's face was slapped, making both cheeks reddened from the hits.
"Go. Tell her." Tyrion challenged. "But first you will go to Lord and Lady Stark, and you will fall on your knees in front of them and tell them how sorry you are. That you are at their service and that your prayers are with them." He then gave his nephew a deeper look. "Do you understand?"
"You can't-"
*SMACK*
"Do you understand?"
All Joffrey did was give his dwarf uncle a small nod before walking away.
Seeing the crown prince scurry off, Sandor looked at the Lannister. "The prince will remember that, little lord."
"I hope so. If he forgets, be a good dog and remind him."
With this said, Tyrion made his way towards the dining hall to get some breakfast.
Drawing closer to his destination, the little Lannister briefly saw the expressions worn on most of Winterfell's servants. He released a sigh on the mixed feelings they gave out and he did not blame them at all.
Things have been tense in Winterfell since young Brandon Stark's fall. Talk had been spreading of the Warden wanting to resign his position as Robert's Hand; wanting to be there for his distraught family. Yet Robert wouldn't let that happen, despite the Baratheon king being the first to give his sympathies. He could not accept anyone else as his Hand and was really stubborn because of it.
The feast which took place the night of Brandon's fall was a solemn one. Nothing too over the top, like the welcoming one on the previous night; for instance. It was merely out of courtesy and respect towards the Starks on their recent troubles. And for the rest of the week, the dinners were just personal between the respective families.
And it was only recently did Tyrion learn more about Brandon's condition from Roxas, which did warm the dwarf's spirits to some degree.
Entering the dining hall, Tyrion saw servants left and right walking to and from the kitchen with freshly prepared food.
"Bread." He called out to one servant, catching their attention for the briefest of moments. "And two of those little fish. And a mug of dark beer to wash it down. Oh and some bacon, burnt black."
The servant nodded and went to fetch Tyrion's ordered meal.
Seeing the servant off, Tyrion went onward and eventually saw his brother, his sister and her two youngest sitting at a table as they ate breakfast.
Coming up to the table, Tyrion surprised his youngest nephew as he playfully picked him up and placed him over to make room for himself. With the free space available, the dwarf sat down in between Tommen and Joffrey.
"Little brother." Jamie greeted.
"Beloved siblings." Tyrion said, picking a piece of bacon and took a bite.
Cersei didn't greet him at all as she continued eating her morning meal.
"Is Robert still in bed?"
"You know him, Tyrion." Cersei said in a hinted tone of disdain, not wanting to reveal the full might of it in front of her two youngest. "He's hardly slept these past few days. You know how his usual remedies are. And right now he's with Ned Stark, sharing their sorrow."
Tyrion nodded at this bit of information, already knowing such little details.
"Do you have news on Bran, uncle?" Tommen questioned.
Tyrion knew his younger nephew had quite a soft heart, very unlike his older brother. And the timid lion-stag struck a quick friendship with the climbing, comatose wolf since their arrival.
"I stopped by his room again yesterday to pay my respects." Informed his uncle. "There's no change in his condition."
"Is Bran going to die?" Mrycella asked innocently.
"Apparently not."
As Myrcella and Tommen smiled on this bit of news, Cersei stopped eating her meal for the briefest of moments.
"What do you mean?" Asked the queen.
"If you bothered asking the right things, you'd know this sooner." Tyrion said as the servant he spoke to earlier came over and gave the dwarf his requested food. He gave a brief 'thanks' before continuing. "The maester says the boy will live."
Jamie and Cersei hid their concern as best as they could, sharing a brief moment of eye contact.
"Is he going to get better?" Myrcella asked.
"It's no mercy letting a child linger in such pain." Cersei said, not easing her daughter's worries.
"True, but it's up for the gods to decide for when he'd wake." Tyrion started digging into his given meal. "Although I heard the boy received something special from Roxas to mend the crippling injuries he received from his fall."
Once more, Cersei's present offspring smiled. Though the princess held a bit of a blush at the mention of the Keybearer.
The adults noticed this and could already tell Myrcella has already been smitten by Roxas.
Tyrion thought it would be good teasing material to use on his niece. Cersei smirked a little, already having things forming in her mind. And Jamie frowned, feeling guarded in some manner.
Mycella was starting to become a beautiful woman. Give her another year or so and she'll blossom into a younger version of her mother. And hopefully she'll be a much kinder version to add more attraction towards the loveable princess.
She will be quite a catch if someone courted her properly. Any man would be lucky to have her. But it will be more worth it if they don't screw up the relationship, unlike Robert.
Clearing her throat, Cersei made Tyrion look at her once more. "And what was it that Roxas gave to the boy that would aid in removing such a critical injury."
"Can't say. Haven't had the time to ask." Tyrion shrugged. "The maester said the item given was the only one he held. Quite rare and hard to come by."
"So Bran is going to be ok then?" Tommen asked innocently.
"Very much so." Tyrion assured, ruffling his nephew's hair. "It is only a matter of time until he wakes up. Mayhaps we could ask Roxas on whatever it was that he had used to help young Brandon. Could be useful for us later on should we ask."
Jaime and Cersei eyed one another whilst Tyrion munched on his breakfast.
"The charms of the North seem entirely lost on you." Tyrion said casually.
Cersei sighed as her twin rubbed his eyes.
"I still can't believe you're going. It's ridiculous, even for you."
"Where's your sense of wonder, sister? The greatest structure ever built, the intrepid men of the Night's Watch. The wintery abode of the White Walkers."
Myrcella and Tommen laughed.
"Tell me you're not thinking of taking the Black?" Jamie asked.
Now that would be something that would no doubt please Cersei and their father, Lord Tywin.
It is no secret in House Lannister that it's Head despised his third child immensely. More so after nearly twenty years since Jamie -his heir- became a member of the Kingsguard. Forsaking all lands and titles, Tywin's first son no longer became eligible to become the next Head of the family. Only being released from his service will make Jamie become the heir once more, yet the Kingslayer could never do such a thing.
Thus Tyrion is now the supposed heir… until Tywin can think of someone better to fit the role.
So if Tyrion were to take the Black, he would be forced to give up his claim as Tywin's heir to Casterly Rock. And with that, Jamie would be forced to become an Oathbreaker and take up his originated role all those years ago.
Oh if that were to truly happen.
"And go celibate?" Tyrion asked in disbelief. "The whores would go begging from Dorne to Casterly Rock. No, I just want to stand on top of the wall and piss off the edge of the world."
"The children don't need to hear your filth." Finishing up her plate and gazing at those in front of her children, Cersei gave a small order. "Come. We best finish getting ready."
Tommen and Myrcella nodded, getting up from their seats and made their way towards their guest quarters to take care of things before heading back towards the capital.
With them gone, the Kingslayer drank more ale before speaking to his younger brother.
"And how do we know that this… item that Roxas used will save the boy from his condition?" Jaime asked as it was now just him and his brother.
"Come now, Jaime, you yourself spoke on the awe inspiring actions and abilities the lads father displayed during your younger days." Tyrion remarked. "And with magic, anything seems to be possible. I dare say he shall be making a full recovery. Not to mention what you heard with the late Dornish princess on what Ventus did for her. Who's to say the young Stark will be in the same boat."
Jaime shifted about uncomfortably in his seat. "Still… to risk living the life of a grotesque cripple, give me a good clean death any day."
Tyrion took a sip of his drink. "Speaking for the grotesque, I'd have to disagree. Death is so final wherein life, ah~ life is full of possibilities. Besides, I'm very interested in hearing what the boy would say upon his awakening."
"My dear brother. At times I have to wonder whose side you're really on." Jaime said in a rather dark tone.
"My dear brother, you wound me." Tyrion countered. "You know how much I love my family."
-Arya's bedchamber-
Arya was in her room, busy packing away clothes and other items with her Direwolf Nymeria assisting her. Having Nymeria help was a true blessing as her mother stated that they would need a great deal of clothing and essentials when traveling and staying at Kings Landing for an extended period of time.
As she rolled up some leggings, Jon entered the room.
"Septa Mordane told me that I have to do it again." Arya said straight away as she saw Jon's quick sweep of her messy room.
"What do you mean by that?"
"My things aren't properly folded." Arya said in a mocking tone. "Who cares how they're properly folded, they're only going to get all messed up again anyway."
"Then it's a good thing you have help." Jon said looking to Nymeria who had sat down near some shelves.
"Watch." Arya gave a confident smirk. "Nymeria, gloves."
The Direwolf only stared at her, Arya subtly nudging her head in the direction of the gloves that were literally right behind her.
Jon nodded his head. "Impressive."
"Shut up." Arya said quickly. "Nymeria, gloves."
Nymeria only tilted her head in response.
"I swear she was more helpful earlier."
"Unresponsive to orders and only stares at you." Jon noted with a small chuckle. "It seems we found you the perfect companion."
Arya only stuck her tongue out at Jon, making him laugh at her childish action.
"I have something for you." Jon said, holding up a wrapped up package in his hand. "Something that I commissioned from Mikken with Roxas's help. This one will need to be packed with great care."
"A present?" Arya said with a grin.
"Close the door." Jon instructed, with her quickly doing so while he placed the folded gift onto the bed. Removing the clothing covering it, Jon glanced behind him to see her anticipation.
"Remember your name day present I was supposed to give you?"
"How could I forget? I kept waiting and waiting for it."
"Sorry, but it took some time to make it just right." Jon said, holding up a sheathed blade.
"A sword?" Arya said in disbelief and awe before taking note of it. "It's so skinny."
"Not just any." Jon stated. "This sword was made from specifically recovered materials Roxas and I… how did he say it? Farmed? Yes, Farmed from multiple Heartless that they dropped upon us defeating them."
"This was made from the Heartless?" Arya asked in greater amazement.
"Not exactly. But we wanted to make it proper."
Removing the sword from its scabbard, Arya's eyes widened in excitement.
"It's so… shiny." Arya whispered, gingerly taking the blade out from Jon's offered hand. "Is that Valyrian Steel?"
"Not exactly." Jon said with a smirk. "Fluorite, Frost, Blazing, Lightning, Lucid, Writhing and Hungry Shards and Stones. Along with several other materials for a normal forging process."
Arya scrunched her face, sounding off the names in her head. "Those sound like silly names."
"They are, aren't they?" Jon chuckled. "But Roxas assured me that they are some solid metals that will undoubtedly make your sword a cut above most others."
'I sure hope so.' Came the thought, her eying her newly acquired sword more and more.
If she remembered correctly, the blade was reminiscent of a Braavosi sword. She saw the designs of it in the Library Tower some time back.
The shiny, rippled blade was long, but it would be of normal length once she's old enough. Same went with the handle being larger than her own hand. She can practically wield it with both hands right now, but obviously only one years later. The guard was straight before one part curved over and attached at the end of the hilt. And at the guard's center was a grey jewel with the carved insignia of House Stark.
"Now it won't hack a man's head off… I think, but you can poke him full of holes if you're fast enough.
"I can be fast."
"I know, but you'll have to work at it every day."
"I know, I know."
"This isn't a toy." Jon informed, slightly joking, slightly serious. "First lesson. Stick 'em with the pointy end."
"I know!" Arya said with an annoyed expression that changed into a beaming grin upon hearing Jon laugh.
"Septa Mordane's gonna take it away from me."
"Not if she doesn't know you have it."
"Then be sure to practice with Roxas. He told me that the materials used to make this have a special binding property."
"Binding property?"
"You know how Roxas is able to summon his Keyblades with a flick of his wrists?" Arya nodded. "Well, he'll show you how to do the same with your new sword."
Arya gaped in stunned silence. "...I can do that?!"
All Jon could do was chuckle at her gobsmacked look.
"So… what are you gonna call it? After all, all the best swords have names."
"Like Ice." She said. Giving the sword another inspection, one thing came to mind. "Needle."
"Needle?"
Arya nodded.
"Huh… seems it'll be the only needle you'll be fine working with."
"Sansa has her needle. I have mine."
They laughed, sharing one last memory of being together for who knows how long. The final hug they shared meant more to Jon than anything he had ever experienced.
Despite them taking different paths now, they may meet at some destination later in their lives.
-Later-
Jon climbed the steps slowly, trying not to think that this coming moment may possibly be the last time he'll ever have in seeing Bran.
He knew days ago of Bran's condition had significantly improved due to Roxas' involvement. Something Jon felt truly indebted to his friend for his actions.
Bran had a much higher chance in no longer being a cripple, said the resident maester. But all they could wonder now is when he will finally wake back up.
Entering the room, it should come as no surprise to the bastard that Catelyn would be right by his side. There was a small part of him that hoped she wouldn't be there.
Catelyn had practically lived in this room for days now. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to see her son wake before her. The only time she did have to leave was to use the privy and the bath. Other than that, she had her meals and clothing brought to her each and every time.
Lady Stark had fed, cleaned and clothed her comatose son; not wanting anyone else to do the task other than her.
Ever since she took up residence here, Jon had not once stepped foot in here. He stayed away out of respect.
But now there was no more time. He wanted to see Bran one last time.
As soon as she saw him, once more she gave him that glare only this time there was a marked heated fury underneath it all.
"What are you doing here?" Catelyn asked coldly.
"I came to see Bran," he said. "To say goodbye."
"You've said it." Cat said in a harsh manner. She returned to working on her little handmade talisman that was an item used for prayer in the faith of the seven.
Jon ignored Lady Stark's callous demeanor approaching his younger brother's bed.
"I wish I could be here to see you wake up." Jon said softly. "I'm going North with Uncle Benjen. I'm taking the Black."
Kneeling down to him, he grasped his hand.
"We have to leave today, before the snow falls. So please wake up for all our sakes. Me, Robb, Roxas, Theon, the girls… everyone. I promised you that the two of us would go see the wall together didn't I? I need to keep that promise, so wake up soon so I could see you riding up to the Wall."
Lady Stark watched on. She had not spoken at this moment, which Jon took as a moment of acceptance.
As this went on, Ned walked into the room. He saw what went on before him and wondered how long this moment of solidarity peace occured.
Of course, all times of peace have to bitterly end sooner or later.
"Bran… He was my special boy. I wanted him to stay with me." Catelyn admitted. "I went to the sept and prayed seven times to the gods that he can stay here with me." She let out a bitter sob. "And sometimes prayers are answered."
Jon looked further down. "It wasn't your fault, Lady Catelyn."
Catelyn stared at him, face expressionless and difficult to discern. Leaning down, Jon placed a soft kiss upon Bran's forehead letting his own rest upon him for a moment before leaning back.
Ned held a sad smile which was quickly wiped away upon his wifes words.
"I want you… to leave."
It took several moments, which felt like hours, for Jon to comply with her request. He stood back up and walked out of the room, never sparing his Lord father a glance.
As Jon left Bran's room, Ned walked up to his wife and sat at the edge of the bed.
She didn't spare her husband a glance as she spoke up. "Seventeen years ago, you rode off with Robert for one rebellion. You came back a year later with another woman's son. You left again, seven years later, for another rebellion. You came back again with a Greyjoy." She tightened her fists soon after. "And now you're leaving again."
Ned sighed. "I have no choice."
"That's what men always say when honor calls." She snapped at him. "That's what you tell your families, tell yourselves. You do have a choice. And you've made it."
He reached out a hand out in wanting to grasp one of hers. "Cat-"
She pulled her hand away, refusing the bit of kind gesture her husband wanted to give her.
Catelyn then released a stream of tears. "I can't do it, Ned. I really can't."
"You can." He said, trying to be strong for her sakes. Yet it was becoming much harder seeing her like this. "Bran is well, Cat."
"But will he ever wake?"
This was something he could not truly answer.
-The Crypts-
Roxas stood before the now familiar statue of Lyanna Stark. Why was he down here again?
It had become an unusual recurring instance where every now and then, Roxas would just find himself alone down here and simply stare at the statue of Ned's deceased sister.
That would normally feel and sound creepy. Yet… not so much. In fact, he felt a bizarre feeling of longing and regret. That there was so much more that he should have done but never got to it.
What was going on? Then there were those flashes. Every time he came down here, when he looked at Lyanna's statue long enough there was a brief image of a young woman with brown hair and grey eyes. She looked like an older version of Arya for that matter. Her laughter was kind and smile loving. And did he smell flowers?
"Well todays the day we're leaving for King's Landing, Lyanna." He began. "I'll be joining your older brother and nieces down there while your nephew, Jon, is heading with your younger brother at the Wall."
The greater Nobody could oddly feel some form of sadness coming from the grave before him, but that was just his bit of imagination.
"Probably won't be able to see you for a while… then again I could just pop back in with a Corridor so… that shouldn't be a problem then." Roxas said chipperly. "So I'm a literal doorway away in case you get… lonely… down here…"
The low sound of wind echoing from the crypts was all he heard.
"Am I going crazy?" Roxas asked himself. "Cause talking to the statue of a dead person makes it feel that way. Not that there's anything wrong with yours, Lyanna."
He felt a sense of amusement radiating from the statue.
"I wondered where you were at."
Looking back, Roxas saw Sansa coming towards him with a small lantern in her grasp. It helped light her way towards him.
"Where I was at? Looks like you're getting the hang of my patterns of speech."
"I've been practicing." Sansa said, standing beside him now. "It is rather quaint and unusual. But fun. Is this how everyone back from where you come from speak?"
"More or less."
"What are you even doing down here, Roxas?" Sansa inquired. "Everyone is preparing for the departure to Kings Landing."
"I know." Roxas said. "I just… feel like I needed to do something down here. Say goodbye so to speak."
"Goodbye?" Sansa muttered, turning to the statue of her late Aunt.
"Your father told me how apparently she was really good friends with my… dad." Roxas still felt extremely weird in having a "father". "Did Ned ever tell you about her?"
"My father never talks about her. He rarely does." Sansa admits. "I often find him lighting more candles here than anywhere else in the crypt. She says she's beautiful and Arya is so much like her." She then frowned. "I think this might be the reason why I picked on her so much, because of not knowing our aunt at all."
Sansa could swear she felt a cold glare from her deceased aunt as she spoke.
"Wish he would talk about her more often." Roxas said. "All I got were a handful of stories and that was it."
"No doubt unfair for all of us."
"He has his reasons."
"Like how you don't talk about your friend? Xion, was it?"
"Yeah… her…"
A silence permeated the air around them as they looked at Lyanna's statue a little longer.
"What was she like, anyways?" Sansa inquired.
Roxas stared at Lyanna's statue, recalling many sunsets with his two best friends.
"Xion and Axel were my best friends. Practically the only real friends I had before I came here, Sansa. We spent almost every day together. If we didn't, we would always meet at our same hangout spot at the end of each day. We'd watch the sunset for hours while having our sea-salt ice cream."
"I heard you talk about that treat a while back. I wonder how good it is."
"It's pretty good, but it's an acquired taste. It's not always for everyone."
Sansa nodded, ushering her crush to continue.
"We spent so many days taking on Heartless, eating ice cream and just spending time together. We even got to go to the beach once. The place we went to was beautiful. Had all of Xion's favorite seashells."
"Seashells? Xion collected seashells?" Sansa found the concept odd. She's never seen a seashell.
"She liked hearing the ocean. It helped calm her down on the most stressful of times."
"And how could one hear the ocean through such things?"
"When you put one up to your ear, there's an echo inside that… captures the sound I guess." Roxas said. "I'm not entirely sure really. All I know is that they could do it."
"It sounds lovely."
"I'll be sure to give you one when I get the chance. It helped me out a few times too."
"I'd like that."
She was a little glad the limited lighting here helped hide her growing blush as she gazed at his deep blue eyes with his warm, faint smile being shown.
"So~ Whatever happened to him?"
"Hmmm?"
"Your friend, Axel. Where is he now?" She asked. "I know you said Xion… died, but what of him?"
Roxas' mood took a dive, looking away from the Stark girl as his gaze grew distant.
"I just wish… I only wanted…" Roxas let out a haggard sigh. "I couldn't even say a proper goodbye to them. It ended in fights that none of us wanted to do."
Sansa saw how dejected he was, moving to be closer to him. "How did this happen?"
"The bastards that we worked under forced us to do it." Roxas said in a bitter tone that made him clench his teeth in anger. "We were just puppets and tools. To be used and tossed aside when we fulfilled our purpose. As Xion died in my arms in the end, Axel sacrificed himself to help several others get back at the Organization. It was all for nothing in the end."
"Roxas." Sansa said softly. "You're crying."
Blinking, Roxas felt streaks of tears go down his cheeks with him reaching up to graze at his chin to see that it was wet.
His face grew solemn, wiping the tears away. Even after all this time, it still felt strange that he could display such a strong emotion like grief and sorrow.
"I'm sorry." Roxas said softly.
"You're sorry, whatever for?" Sansa inquired in disbelief. "I should be sorry. Me asking about your friend lead you to this."
"It just… felt appropriate I guess." He defended himself. "You wanted to know what Xion was like because you didn't know about your aunt."
"I guess." Sansa said, unsure of it all.
Roxas gave her a shaky smile, turning back to her aunt's statue with a somber look.
Sansa gazed at him, frowning at his more down demeanor. Glancing down at his hand, she felt her cheeks begin to burn as she slowly reached out. Hesitating for a moment, Sansa grasped Roxas's hand.
Roxas felt the sudden feeling on his appendage. Looking down, he saw her hand was in his as she gently squeezed it. She didn't have to say anything in order to get the message across.
He squeezed her hand back in appreciation, giving her a side smile which made her blush even further.
She let out a shaky breath, feeling her heart rate spike while they both stood in silence. For some reason, Sansa could have sworn that Lyanna's statue radiated a gushy and amused feeling as they stood before her.
In a bit of embarrassment, she soon let go and composed herself.
"We best get going. It's about time for everyone to depart."
Roxas nodded, seeing the Stark girl walk on ahead. He only took a step when his ears heard a faint series of clinking. Looking down, he saw something peculiar buried in the soft dirt.
He crouched down and picked up the object. Brushing the dirt away, he blinked in surprise upon gazing upon what looked like-
'A keychain?'
Indeed it was a keychain. It was odd to see such a thing here of all places as it was very out of the ordinary to see in this World. And there was a distinct feeling he knew this was no ordinary keychain at all.
Instead of it being for a regular key, this one was for a Keyblade.
The chain's length was of standard size with a small clasp on one end while the charm was on the other. The actual charm itself was the sigil of House Stark, a snarling direwolf made out of metal.
'Why is this here of all places? And how-'
Roxas looked towards the statue and blinked several times.
"Did you give this to me?"
He didn't feel any kind of response coming from Lyanna's statue.
"Well… thanks for this, I guess." Pocketing the newly acquired keychain, Roxas started blowing out the candles. Once done, he made his way out of the crypt. "I'll see you later, Lyanna."
-Winterfell's Courtyard-
Much commotion went about in the area. Servants left and right were loading up the last of the items for both the royal caravan and for those Ned Stark was taking with him. Several weeks worth of provisions here and there for both human and animals alike. Even other supplies to help make the journey run smoothly.
Roxas helped one servant load up a trunk onto one of several carts that belonged to the Stark Household. Alongside those trunks belonging to the Starks, the one recently loaded up was his.
It was of decent size and had pretty much all of his clothing and belongings inside of there. And instead of a typical container one would normally see, there was none at all. The only means to unlock it was through his Keyblades. And no matter how many times one tries to break through the sides, there would be no signs of cracks or damages.
'Still gotta thank the Forresters on supplying the Ironwood.' Roxas thought with a small smile. 'Took some time making this, but their supply made this possible for me. Don't want anyone snooping in my belongings down south.'
"Roxas."
The greater Nobody turned to see Jon approaching with a riding saddle over his shoulder.
"Hey Jon." Roxas greeted. "What's up?"
Jon paused for a moment, looking at Roxas then up at the sky.
"I meant what can I do for you." Roxas clarified, forgetting how much of his lingo isn't really all that known here.
"Ah, right." Jon felt a bit silly for not figuring that one out. "Are you departing along with the King and Lord Stark."
"Gotta see the rest of this place." Roxas said with a shrug. "There will undoubtedly be more Heartless crawling around out there with no means of fighting against them. Besides, your father asked me to come with in order to help him in whatever he has going on in the capital."
"True enough." Jon agreed with a nod.
"But, I'll still manage to stop by every now and then." Roxas assured. "Now that I know the place, I could come back to Winterfell in an instant."
Jon stared at Roxas in bewilderment.
"And how will you do that?"
Roxas merely smirked. "I have my ways. With the proper focus, one corridor is all I need."
He wanted to question Roxas more but he shook his head, remembering why he needed to speak with him in the first place.
"Anyways, what's going on Jon? Something on your mind?"
"Yes, there's something I believe you may have an idea with what it was I saw." Jon said. "Remember me mentioning something about a dream?"
Roxas tilted his head. "Yeah, you did. What was that about?"
Jon exhaled, running his hand through his hair as he thought about how exactly he should explain this.
"Alright." Jon said slowly. "So, a while back there was this dream I had. But it didn't feel like an ordinary dream. It felt to… real."
"Real? Real how?"
"It was as if I was there but not at the same time." Jon said, feeling stupid.
"Why don't you start from the start." Roxas suggested.
"Yes, yes, right. So… the start." Jon frowned. "When the dream started, I was… falling. Everything around me was black until I saw this platform of some kind. It was a large circle and looked like glass."
"A glass looking platform?" Roxas murmured. He had a strange feeling about this one.
"When I landed, there was a voice that didn't really have a voice at all." Jon said. "Just that I heard it, like it was in my head, and it talked about how there was so much to do."
This was starting to sound a bit too familiar for the Nobody.
"Then there were these pedestals with a sword, a shield and a magic staff." Jon went on.
Ok, now this wasn't familiar. This was straight up something he had experienced once before. During his time in the Organization and his last seven days of existence before he somewhat assimilated back with his Somebody.
How was this happening to Jon? How is it he was experiencing a Deep Dive?
Roxas sighed, hanging his head. "I know what it is you went through."
Jon blinked in surprise, telling the tone of recognition in his friend's voice. "You do?"
"Yes, cause I had the same experience when I started to wield the Keyblade." Roxas stated. "It's called the Deep Dive… Though I never really heard anybody call it that. Just that the name came to me after everything was said and done."
"Wh-What is it?" Jon asked nervously. "This Deep Dive?"
"First, what exactly did you see?" Roxas inquired. "Each Deep Dive is different in its own way even if the result should usually be the same."
Jon frowned, thinking back to that vivid dream and all that he had experienced.
"Aside from those choices, I saw myself." Jon murmured. "A strange drawing of myself that had these five empty circles around my head. Every time I did something, a face was filled into one of the circles."
"Who did you see?"
"Arya." Jon answered straight away. "And Robb and Father… Ghost and… you."
"Me?" Roxas was surprised about that piece of info.
"Yes, actually, you were the only one there of sorts."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, there was a part where I was here in this very courtyard and I was speaking with Robb, Arya and Father." Jon elaborated. "With them, it felt separate but with you… you presented me with your Keyblade and I remember how you told me to take this Key and basically unlock all my boundaries. Nothing to hold back my heart."
Both were now silent, thinking on what's been discussed.
"What does it all mean?" Jon asked.
"Honestly? I-I think you may have something coming your way." Roxas said plainly.
It didn't take long for Jon to realize what his friend meant by that. "Do… Do you think-"
"I don't know for sure when it will come." Came Roxas' interrupted response. "It could be days, weeks or even months. It's supposedly different for everyone. And I'm not all that knowledgeable on how the Deep Dive's fully operate. It's only happened to me once."
Jon's head hung down to the ground, a thousand thoughts running through his mind.
"Listen, I don't know everything about the Keyblade." Roxas admitted. "I didn't have that kind of dream until a year after I got the Keyblade."
Jon looked up in surprise. "Truly?"
Roxas shrugged. "Yeah, basically. Listen, when the time comes I'll try to find you and help you figure out what's going on. You won't do everything alone."
"I'll be at the wall, Roxas. How will you be able to come to me in time?"
Roxas patted his free shoulder with a friendly smile. "Like I said before, I have my ways, Jon."
Jon didn't say anything else before he held out his hand towards his friend. "I'm gonna miss you."
Roxas clasped the offered hand in a firm hold. "Yeah, I'll miss you as well Jon."
"Just watch out for father and my sisters, please."
"You can count on it."
"And go easy on Sansa." Jon paused. "Actually, I think she should go easy on you."-
"Huh?"
Jon smirked. "Nothing, ignore the advice from someone who's never been with a girl."
This only confused Roxas even further as the Bastard of Winterfell walked away.
Grabbing his saddle, Jon made his way towards where his horse resided. No doubt it was near where his Uncle Benjen was at. To his knowledge, Tyrion Lannister and a handful of people were coming along as they made their way towards the Wall. And they would be stopping by several Keeps instead of just going straight there.
To him, this will be a long ride towards his future home.
"You said goodbye to Bran?"
Jon glanced over to see Robb walking beside him.
"You know he's not gonna die."
Jon merely smirked. "You Starks are hard to kill."
Robb nodded before a passing thought was voiced. "And my mother?"
Winterfell's heir knew quite well on his mother's distaste towards his half-brother. Practically everyone knows it.
Jon answered once placing the saddle on his horse. "She was very kind."
Robb clicked his tongue while his brother fastened the saddle onto his steed. "Next time I'll see you, you'll be all in black."
"Always was my color."
"Wonder if you'll pull it off more than Roxas."
Both brothers looked over to said teen, who was helping out Princess Myrcella get into the carriage. And once inside, she continued chatting with the Keybearer who soon joined Sansa for some discussed conversation.
All the two sons of Ned Stark could do was chuckle.
"Then this is farewell, Snow."
"And you, Stark."
The two of them embraced each other, hugging tight for a goodbye. Neither minded much of each other, but they still cared for each other as actual brothers more than anything. Trueborn or baseborn, be damned.
Robb left, making his way towards his father and sisters to give them his goodbyes. And he wasn't the only one with Jon seeing Ghost making his own with his litter siblings.
It wasn't that much longer with everyone saddled up and ready to head on out. The large convoy went out past the gates and made their way through Wintertown.
The smallfolk watched on as they bowed and gave their respects towards both the King and their Lord Warden before the resident Keybearer. He had done a great service for them since his arrival and they will all miss him dearly.
Making it to the King's Road, the royal caravan went south while a small group consisting of Benjen Stark, Tyrion Lannister and several others went down the road which lead north.
Ned had his steed stay back as he gave his ancestral home one last long look, not knowing when he'll see it again.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Jon in his peripheral vision.
"There's great honor serving in the Night's Watch." Ned began, giving Jon a good hard look. "The Starks have manned the Wall for thousands of years." His voice then carried a great deal of pride in it. "And you are a Stark. You may not have my name, but you have my blood."
Jon nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat before asking something which he wanted to say for years.
"Is… Is my mother alive? Does she know about me? Where I am, where I'm going?... Does she even care?"
Ned gave his son a hard look, releasing a deep held breath as he spoke. "The next time we see each other, we'll talk about your mother. I promise."
Jon nodded as bits of hope filled his heart. He knew fully well his Lord father kept his promises and always fulfilled them all the way through.
With a firm pat on the shoulder, Ned soon departed and rejoined the King's party heading south.
Looking onward, Jon soon ushered his horse to move northward to get with his Uncle Benjen's party.
Who knows what may happen to him at the Wall and beyond that. But one thing is for sure, his life will change even further than what it was originally intended.
-End Chapter-
AN:
We are now going underway with everyone heading off to their separate destinations.
Getting into things here and now, don't know when I'll get back with Jon. Sure free man writer and I do have plans for him, but don't know what to exactly add on for him before he goes beyond the Wall. So with him, things will relatively be the same up to the start of season/book 2 of the series.
Free Man Writer: With Jon, while he does have a great deal planned out for him this is one of those character instances where when we get to certain events and scenes, we'll write it out in the manner that makes sense and that fits in line to what we've already established.
Anyways, be sure to review this story guys! Would like the criticisms. Please and thank you!
R&R