Chapter 16: What happened then?

Last week of the fifth month of the Year 298

Keep of the Flints of the Mountains,

Kyria Stark

Jon's departure had been hard to get used to.

He left a hole in Kyria's life. Empty space behind her. A hole she still found herself turning to, a half-formed sentence on the tip of her tongue, for someone who is no longer here to hear them.

Even almost a year later she still needs to get used to it.

Not that her life became any less interesting since then. It was even the opposite. Thanks to Uncle Benjen's intervention, she finally could spend time with her sisters without any headaches and she took advantage of this situation as much as she could.

What once would have shocked anyone knowing them, was now a common occurrence between Arya and Sansa. Every time Kyria spied them bundled together in a corner of the keep, a needle in hand or a book shared between them, she couldn't contain her smile.

Arya still hated anything related to what she felt was the epitome of the weaknesses of the fair sex. And Sansa was still far too proper and naïve for her own good. But things were progressing nicely.

Without Jon, and with Robb leaving so soon after to travel around the North, she got to finally spend more time with the little ones. It was heartbreaking to see how fast they were growing. In her mind, she saw Rickon as the little boy who giggled happily on his saddle and ran around the godswood with no concern for anything else. And then, suddenly, this very same little boy was learning his letters.

Time seemed to fly very quickly to Kyria. Months went by in the blink of an eye. Suddenly Mother ordered them to train their wolves and control them or else to lock them into the kennels. Before long, they spent at least one hour together with their pack of growing wolves and they trained. It didn't take long for them to notice how their wolves reacted better when trained as a group. A pack. They made a habit out of it. Developed themselves and their relationships around it.

Robb, and by extension, Greywind, acted as the leaders, the alphas of the pack. The others followed their lead. Kyria, as the second eldest, was listened to too. And, Frost, as an extension of herself, acted as the second in command. She was obeyed as he was by the wolves, but only to an extent. Though it was more than enough to stop Nymeria or Shaggydog to raid the kitchen for easy treats.

Robb of course couldn't spend as much time as he wished training with them. But the little he had allowed the wolves to come into their dynamics. It was fun, a new and strangely exciting activity, to color Kyria's days with new interesting situations.

The most important being the apparition of wolf dreams. An agreeable change from the nightmares she had every night. Odd at first, unusual, but having the opportunity to share her mind with Frost was something she wouldn't trade for the world. It felt as if he was a part of her now, like they shared a soul.

Then, after the Harvest feast of the year 298, Robb came back. He stayed barely more than a month, before Father pushed him into another quest outside of the keep. This time though, she got to come with him.

"You want me to come?"

Robb nodded enthusiastically.

"It's politics, Kyria. I can attest that you have certainly forgotten far more about politics than I'll ever learn." he argued, "If anyone should come with me to appease a conflict within the Mountain Clans it's you."

"I suppose…"

"Please Kyria… I need your help"

"You managed very well on your own so far."

"Maybe but this time I want your help. I'll have to manage both this mission and the logistics of the glass garden project. And I will need to send ravens to discuss with Lord Manderly and Lord Reed regarding the Moat."

She thought about it. He pleaded harder, puppy eyes and everything.

"Alright then."

"Thank you!"

She mainly made him work for the sake of it. Nothing would have stopped her from joining him once he asked. Going outside of Winterfell for the first time in her memory. Visiting the North. Discovering new landscapes, the forests, the mountains...

For the first time, Kyria could truly ponder how big the world was. How vast. How rich.

"Well, well, what are you doing here all alone little lady?"

Frost looked up, head resting in his giant paws. He snorted curiously at the old lady's skirt as she slowly made her way to Kyria.

The woman was old. Older than Maester Luwin, Old Nan, or anyone else Kyria had met. She was wrapped in a green dress, bundled in a warm cape doubled with thick fur. She reminded Kyria of this baby a woman had in her arms at Wintertown the day they left.

"Good evening my Lady."

The old woman cackled a childish little giggle.

"I am no lady, little Stark. But you, you are an interesting girl."

Kyria blinked. The old woman giggled again, her old face hidden under surprisingly thick white hair.

"You remind me of someone."

"I do my Lady?"

Another giggle.

"You are a little Stark. Your blood and my blood are the same. I knew your great-grandmother. She was my cousin, you know? My Arya."

What?

"Arya? Arya Flint?"

"Aaah yes. Arya Flint. She married a Stark you know? But people still remember her as Arya Flint. I wonder why?"

Kyria suspected her Arya of being the main responsible. She didn't voice it.

"You remind me of her. Arya Flint. Aye, the same eyes."

Eyes?

"I have been told I had my mother's eyes…"

The old woman giggled again. Kyria was still unsure if she was laughing with her or at her.

"Nay, nay, 'tis not the colour. 'Tis what lies inside."

"Inside?"

"Aye child, Lady Arya, powerful woman she was. Not rich, not ambitious, but powerful."

"How so?"

The old lady took a step closer. Frost moved his head, watching warily for any sign of trouble.

"'Tis said her mother had a sight. She knew things. Spent a lot of time protecting her family, aye. Us Flints, we knew to listen when the lady talked."

What? No. Could this mean...Was it possible?

Old Nan legends talked about it, but thousands of years ago. Could this be… that she hadn't been the only one gifted since the children? No. Of course, she wasn't the only one. How presumptuous. She wasn't that special. But… someone so close…?

"What kind of things?" she dared to ask.

The old woman's eye shone brightly, removing half her age from her face for a moment.

"Oh, many things child! And she was never wrong." she nodded thoughtfully. "She was careful though."

"Careful?"

"She told me once, many many moons ago, how hard it was to be right." explained the woman. She twisted her hand in a complicated manner, Kyria supposedly mimicked the gesture her great grandmother once did to explain what she was about to say. "It is a hard thing to do, to reach this balance. Very hard."

"How did she manage?"

There was still a doubt in Kyria's mind that what that woman was talking about was related to her situation. But at this point, every piece of advice was good enough for her.

"The warnings, little lady. She listened to the warnings."

The warnings? Which ones? Every vision was a warning at this point.

"Every time she had advice, she said to pay attention to the warnings. The warnings were important, she said. The gods never offer them without reason. The warnings are maybe the most important parts of any advice she may have."

The advice? The warnings? Why was she talking like that? With riddles?

The old woman giggled again and slowly walked away.

"Wait a moment. What does this even-"

"Kyria!"

Frost's ears perked up. He woofed his welcome as his brother came to sniff his head affectionately.

"Come along, sister, Father asked for us. We must prepare for our leave," announced Robb as he trotted closer.

"What? Why is that? We weren't supposed to leave for another moon turn."

"Things have changed, sister. We need to leave by sunrise tomorrow."

"Did Father say why?"

"He assured me we would learn everything once home."

Kyria nodded thoughtfully. What could have happened back home for Father to make them come back so abruptly? She hoped no one was hurt. No. It couldn't be that. She would have seen it wouldn't she?

The mind confused in doubts, Kyria followed her brother. The old lady had been confusing and dare she say disturbing.

The old lady!

She abruptly turned back, words on the tip of her tongue, only to meet Frost's adoring eyes as she offered her a smile of his own, dutifully following her own steps.

The old woman had disappeared.

"Kyria? What are you looking for?"

"I- There was this woman…"

"A woman?"

"An old lady. She told me about our great-grandmother Arya Flint. She said… she said I reminded her of Arya Flint. That I had the same eyes."

"The same eyes?"

Was he going to repeat every sentence she was saying?

"Yes. The same eyes. She told me a lot of confusing things, about my eyes and the way I looked at things. I am unsure of what she was saying but, I feel like she might imply that… Arya Flint may have been like me…"

Robb blinked owlishly.

"I don't really know what to think of it. I'm not even sure what she was telling me."

"Do you know where she went?"

"No. I didn't even see her leave."

Robb looked behind her.

"Maybe we will see her inside the keep. Come along sister, we must get going."

"Aye."

They didn't find the lady in the keep. Or anywhere else. In the end, Kyria followed her brother back into the keep, without the answers she carved. Maybe it was better this way? She had this feeling that talking to that woman again would have left her with even more questions somehow…

The following day, early in the morning, Robb sent one last raven to Jon and ordered their return back to Winterfell. Wrapped in her simple travel dress, bundled up in one of the cloaks the people of the keep had generously given her, Kyria mounted her mare next to Robb's great stallion and prepared herself for the long trip out of the clans' mountains. Duncan, Robb's Flint friend, volunteered to escort them down with an enthusiastic boom of his loud voice.

Kyria spent the trip down observing Robb and his friend with a barely veiled fascination. She was unsure of what to think of him, the events that led to this blooming friendship were vague and most of it had been while they went on this infamous hunting trip that -she swore it- must have given her her first white hair. Robb refused to tell her what happened during this trip, beyond that Duncan saved his life. He seemed to trust him, and Greywind was friendly toward him too, so all in all she didn't really have any room to complain. He sounded like a good friend to her brother.

Kyria watched them laugh and joke all the way down the mountains. It lasted an entire day, much less than what it took to climb up there. But then again, this time they were escorted by someone who knew this place much better than either of them. As the sun started to set and bathed the land in soft orange light, the time came for them to depart from their Mountain friends. Kyria bowed to Duncan Flint, who winked back at her in this annoying way of his that non-doubt was the main reason behind his many problems.

"It was a pleasure my lord," she said politely, only half thinking about it.

He was kind of annoying…

"The pleasure was all mine." he boomed with a large smile on his face.

He kind of reminded her of Theon. Maybe this was why Robb liked him so much…

The atmosphere changed as Robb turned to face his friend.

"I will not forget what you have done for me, Robb Stark." rasped Duncan solemnly, his hand firmly wrapped around Robb's arm.

He looked down into Robb's eyes, intensely. As if he was about to swear an oath to the gods themselves. Maybe he was. The few clansmen gathered around him nodded their heads, respect blooming on their battered faces as Robb treated the moment with the gravity they implicitly demanded from him. She was proud of him.

"Nor will I Duncan Flint."

"Aye, 'till we meet again my friend."

They smiled and with one last bow to Kyria, he turned his heels and ordered his men to follow him. A moment later they were gone, disappearing into the deep woods. Kyria breathed, a little bit dizzy. It was strange, to think this trip was now over. The mountains were different from what she expected. Leaving now felt almost like waking up from a dream.

Robb sighed quietly and turned back his horse. What was he thinking about?

"Brother?"

"It's…Strange."

"How so?"

"I couldn't tell. I feel like I just stepped out of something special…"

Oh…

"Yes, it's quite strange isn't it?"

"Indeed."

Kyria smiled.

Robb watched the forest pensively for a little while longer, and Kyria would have loved to know what was happening inside this head. Then, when his contemplation finally ended, he turned his horse and ordered them to move back to Winterfell. Greywing started off first, eagerly running along with his master and Kyria followed them on a slower path, Frost on her right. The wind blowing in her hair forced a happy smile on her face. She loved this feeling.

The journey from the Wolfswood to Winterfell was ridiculously short. Much to her dismay. She would have gladly enjoyed an entire week riding around the wide lands of the North, cloak and hair floating in the winds, with her wolf running around her. Such freedom was incomparable.

Unfortunately, far too soon, the tall outer walls of the fortress were standing in front of her, shadowing their mounts from the shy summer sun. Looking at it again after being gone was odd. She felt like something was amiss. Like she was not supposed to look at it that way. Not supposed to leave maybe? Who knew…

No. Ridiculous. She was Kyria Stark. She was the eldest daughter, so of course, she was going to have to leave home. Soon. There was no avoiding it and thinking otherwise was just stupidity.

The trip home lasted less than a sennight, but it was more than enough for Kyria to ardently wish for a warm bath and the comfort of her own bed. For sure her mind was confused by the fatigue in her bones and she spared a thin smile to the guards who warmly welcomed them back home and the stable boy who took her horse from her.

"Kyria!"

Rickon threw himself in her legs, his high-pitched laugh vibrating through her entire being. She happily threw him in the air and savoured his delighted giggle, then snuggled his wiggling little body close to her and hugged him tight.

"Welcome home sister!" he chirped happily.

"Thank you, little lord, I am glad to be back," she said softly.

"Well I feel loved…" complained Robb loudly.

"That's because you're stupid, no one misses you."

Arya crossed her arms and threw her nose in the air feigning contempt for her wayward brother.

"Aw, aren't you adorable!"

He promptly lifted her off the floor and smashed his cheek against hers, rubbing the short hair of his beard against her soft cheek.

"Ack! Let go!" laughed Arya, struggling against his strong grip.

"No! Not before you confess your undying admiration for your big brother you little rascal!"

Kyria hid a giggle behind her hand and turned away from the scene, dropping the squiggling little Rickon back on the floor just in time to welcome their last remaining siblings.

"Welcome back sister!" smiled Bran with a pull on her skirt.

"Thank you, Bran," she smiled.

The younger boy happily welcomed the kiss she pecked on his round cheek along with the hand she dared to run through his longish hair. Behind him, Sansa bowed perfectly to welcome them and Kyria silently held a hand to encourage her closer. She blushed prettily but obediently took the hand.

"Welcome sister."

"It's good to see you too Sansa."

Her shy smile seemed to shine brighter and Kyria's heart swelled with affection for this family she had learned to love.

Their warm sibling reunion was soon interrupted by the heavy boots of the Lord himself whose solemn face immediately dropped Kyria's stomach right down her heels.

"Father."

Kyria gulped back the dread growling in her throat. Something happened. Something big. Mother, one step behind him, looked somber. Not daring to forget her manners and despite the tightness of the muscles in her thighs after so long on a horse, Kyria bowed to her Lord Father and Lady Mother.

"Welcome back children." nodded Lady Catelyn with a tiny smile.

"Thank you Mother." smiled Robb.

He seemed oblivious of the tightness around their parents, maybe he wasn't as skilled in reading the room as Kyria thought. She still had work to do with this one apparently…

"I am afraid your rest will have to wait for a bit more children," announced Father promptly, "I have news to share."

"News?" asked Kyria with a searching look around her.

What was happening?

Without answering, Father turned around and offered his arm to Mother who followed him without a word. The rest of the Stark pack followed their parents, and Sansa took her older sister's arm as soon as it was possible.

"Father received a raven a sennight ago," she said in a whisper, "he immediately called for your return and refused to say more about it until you came here."

"What could have happened?"

"I don't know…"

"I heard Maester Luwin say it was from King's Landing." offered Arya on Kyria's other side.

The capital? What in seven hells-

Kyria's thoughts were interrupted by a sharp look from Robb, who seemed displeased for some reason. What now? She raised an eyebrow.

What?

He raised one of his own and looked between her and their sisters. What are you saying?

"Later." she mimicked with her mouth.

If it was going where she thought it was, they would know soon enough anyway.

The heavy door of the private family solar closed behind Bran and the entire family dropped into the various sits sprinkled all around the warm room. Father choose the massive chair close to the fire, from where he could see the whole room.

"We received a raven from the capital."

Silence.

"Jon Arryn is dead. The King announced his decision to visit Winterfell."

Oh no.

Sansa squeaked, slapping her hand on her mouth as soon as it was out. She blushed furiously. Unfortunately, by the time Kyria's eyes left her, any first reaction from the rest of the room was forgotten behind the bubbling excitement of the news.

"The King?" repeated Robb.

He didn't sound as enthusiastic as the rest of them, but then again Kyria wasn't either.

Father nodded. He spared a few words to explain the content of his letter while around him the children whispered between them under the cracking of the burning wood. Above the exciting chatting, Kyria looked at Robb. They both knew what it meant.

Things were going to change. Drastically

…or not?

After Father's solemn announcement, Kyria had expected many things to change in her life. But things were surprisingly…normal? As soon as she woke up the following morning, she and Robb returned to the easy routine that had been theirs before Robb's first trip around the North. It was as if the months they spend separated and away from the library were disappearing in front of them. It was odd.

After a first slow day to recuperate from their trip, which they spent together in the library, things went back to their usual schedules. In the mornings, she would have her lessons with her sisters and, more often than not, Mother. Then part of her afternoon was for Robb and their studies, and to the wolves whom they still trained together. Then before supper, she would either spend more time with her sisters or take care of the younger boys.

She had noticed for a while now that spending time with everyone seemed to quiet her mind. It was similar to what happened with Frost when he ran along with his siblings to hunt their food like a pack or just to run in the Wolfwood. As if being around pack settled them somehow. Spending so much time taking care of the wolves and adapting their own behavior to go along with their instincts seemed to affect them somehow. Even proper delicate Sansa wasn't bothered anymore by the blood staining her Lady when she came back from a hunt. Her last fuss over her precious wolf's stained fur happened moons ago already.

Maybe spending so much time with Arya also changed Sansa a bit?

She was delighted to learn how much time the two girls spent together in their little secret gathering while she had been away. Training with a bow as they did before Kyria left. She was a little sad to see herself been the less gifted with the weapon, but it had always been this way with Arya training for so much more time and Sansa being the gifted little cookie she was.

Training with the single practice bow Arya snatched eons ago was thrilling. Mother was still fiercely against it so more often than not training was an affair of secrecy and sneakiness. It was quite…fun, to play the rebellious child like this. The thrilling sensation she got every time a guard came to the yard and they had to hide their little activity under the pretense of simply walking around, or when they abruptly sneaked behind a bush in the godswood to avoid an unwanted visitor… She lost count of the number of times they had to push their hands on each other mouths to stop a giggle. Nymeria had become quite good at guarding them and warning them when someone was coming.

The sole exception to Nymeria's perfect score was Father. Seeing him slowly applause from his post on the catwalk had been maybe one of the most emotional moments of her short memory, as odd as it sound. He approved of them, of their need to learn how to defend themselves. It wasn't much, but she couldn't ignore the tightness in her heart every time she thought about it.

This routine was easy. Comfortable. And for a brief, wonderful moment, it made her forget what was quickly coming for them. Unfortunately, it couldn't last, and as much as she wished to ignore it, this was something one could not forget easily.

The King was coming.

She didn't know what to think of this. How to react. They talked about it a lot with Robb. Why he would wish to visit Winterfell. Why now? The answer was easy. The implications were not. Neither of them liked that.

Father was going to leave. Soon. For a long time certainly. She had the time to ponder this. Father's relationship with the King. The way he talked about him. The loyalty he showed the man. She knew this was not going to be another hour of the wolf. If Father left for the capital, he would not come back for years.

Politics…

She was already getting tired of it, and the heart of it still had at least two weeks of the journey from there. This visit was going to be a real headache, she just knew it.

Slow, heavy breath. In. Out. Quiet. Silent. She felt the cold feed his lungs.

His brothers and sisters were gathered around him. Slow. Silent. Quiet. Like the wind. Big Brother Alpha was before him. He was behind. Always behind. Still, silent. Loyal. Yes. Loyal.

Little sweet pack sister huffed behind him. Big sister pack snapped silently, commanding silence. Silence. Silence was key. Key yes. Pack brother black was the most dangerous for the hunt. The most gifted. Fast, strong. Ferocious. She was happy he was among them. On their side. Their pack. Not side. Pack.

Pack.

Big Brother Alpha stopped. Prey. Right there. Big. Big enough for a snack. For all the pack. Good. Good prey.

Big brother Alpha was good tracker. Good tracker yes. Good at finding good prey. Brown brother perked up excitingly, his tail wagging in little sister pack's face. She huffed again.

Hunting together felt good. Good but strange. There was a hole between them. WheRE True Alpha White was supposed to be. But True Alpha White was away. To the North. After the big white Mountain where Mother came from. Before they were pack in the world.

Even far away, they felt him. He was alive. Protecting his human. As they all did. It was their purpose, to protect their beloved humans.

They remained silent. Slowly crawling within the bushes. Slowly. Slow breathing. Slow movements. In. Out. Silence. Patience.

Pack brother black jumped first. Big pack sister followed. Fast and strong. Then it was his turn. Fast. Fast, quick, strong.

He pushed and jumped. The flesh was still warm and alive when he bit it. He got the behind. The fleshy behind, full of juicy meat. The prey cried but with one movement of his head, Big Brother alpha killed it. He growled at them and took the first bite like it was his due as Big Brother Alpha. Then he could eat too, then both pack brothers and then pack sisters.

The snack was quick. Good. Satisfying. He waited for little sweet pack sister to finish before heading back to the big rocky home their Humans lived in. Big brother Alpha in front of them, like always.

The human at the entrance let them pass, smelling like fear. It happened often. Since they grew big and strong, other weak humans were afraid. Poor humans.

Big Brother Alpha barked one last time and made his way back to his human, and each one of them took the direction of their own.

He was soon alone, slowly going through the tall rocky walls to his human's room. He found her rolled up under the heavy furs. He whined and sniffed his human. She wasn't scared that night.

Good. Human shouldn't be scared. He was there to protect human.

Kyria woke up in a start to Frost's big head looking right back at her. She sighed and pushed back the furs. Frost's big yellow eyes blinked rapidly, not phased by the sudden movement of his mistress. His tail happily wiggled behind him as he rolled his tongue out of his massive jaw. She frowned at the smell.

"Hello my friend," she grimaced, "you smell like old meat!"

Frost woofed happily. For her trouble, he licked her nose. She snorted.

Disgusting.

She remained on her bed. It was still the middle of the night after all. Outside, the wind was knocking against the wooden shutters. It was nothing unusual, but somehow in the silence of the night, the sounds seemed louder. Maybe she could fall back asleep. Have a dreamless night. It would be a good change in her routine.

As the wind slapped again, her mind wandered to the people on the road right now. Coming their way.

She didn't know what to expect of the King. Father spoke of their friendship with great fondness. But it had been years since they last saw each other. And everything she read about Kings Landing and the political climate within it made her shiver. A snake pit. Where everyone crawls on everyone else to gain the prestige of the position above themselves. The one with more power, more influence. It's not really obvious. Not completely. But with the books she devoured, Kyria had learned to read between the lines.

What could something like that do in their peaceful Winterfell? She dreaded the day they would arrive. But on the other hand…maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Something excited shivered inside her belly. An impatience she couldn't completely claim as her own. But she equally couldn't deny its existence.

Why was she feeling so conflicted about this?

Morning came too soon for her. She was dozing in her morning porridge when she noticed Sansa squiggling in her own seat. She had been especially excited ever since Father pronounced the dreaded words "King" and "visit". Kyria supposed it was a dream come true for the girl.

The King. The Queen. The Prince! Too much royalty for her to remain level-headed. Kyria felt like watching her sister falling back into the old habits and gimmicks she had fought to teach out of her. Suddenly everything was seen in rose-tinted glasses again. She sighed dreamily and chirped impatiently about the incoming visits and everything it brought.

Thankfully, Arya shared her excitement, which allowed everyone to avoid another round of endless fights between sisters.

Today seemed to be something different. From the moment she entered the room, Sansa hadn't stopped wiggling on her sit. She kept looking shyly up in Kyria's direction, then back down with a frown.

"What is it?" ask Robb on her right.

"I think Sansa wants to ask me something," she whispers back.

He looked, snorted, and smiled at her. They shared an eloquent look.

"Do you think she'll work up the courage to approach you before tonight?"

"Who knows."

Robb smiled knowingly and turned back to his food.

Amused despite herself, Kyria waited for the unavoidable confrontation with her little sister.

She lasted until noon.

Kyria was enjoying some peace in the library tower, curled up in a comfortable chair when soft slippered feet swiftly brushed against the cold stone of the floor. She looked up with a smile on her face.

"Sansa!"

The girl smiled shyly and took the hand her sister gave her.

"What can I do for you?"

The younger girl blushed.

"I- well, that is-"

Kyria waited patiently. Sansa looked away shyly.

"I was wondering if… You know, with the King and the court and everything. And- I can't stop thinking about it. The King and the Queen and… oh Kyria! Can you believe this? The King! The court! This is- It's- It's more than anything I can dream about. Imagine! The Prince Kyria, the Prince will be there too!"

Sansa sighed dreamily and batted her lashes. Oh my. Alright then. This was where she wanted to go.

"And the Queen! Oh Kyria, imagine! The Queen!"

Kyria nodded along.

"They say she's the most beautiful woman of all the Seven Kingdoms! Every lady wants to be her! Dress like her, act like her. Oh Imagine Kyria! How wonderful she must be!"

My oh my. Chirping little bird.

Kyria waited a couple of minutes, listening to Sansa babble about everything she was about to live and how all her dreams were coming true. And she waited to know why the girl bothered to climb up there to fantasize about it while she could have done it at any other moment of the day. Every day.

When it became obvious she wasn't going to bring up the topic on her own, she intervened.

"This is all very exciting Sansa but, may I ask, why did you climb all the way here? I am sure it is not to tell me those things."

Sansa blushed violently.

"I- well… this is a little embarrassing, to be honest."

Oh my. She expected the worst.

"I've been wondering. Since, since Father told us about the King's visit. "

Yes…

"Wondering? About what?"

"About the King. And the prince."

Oh boy. Was this about what she suspected this was about?

"What of it?"

"He- You know my… All my life, I dreamed about the South. About the ladies and the lords, the knights, and the tourneys. And, I can't help but think about it. The court coming here, it's like a dream coming true you know."

"Yes, I know." It was hard not to at this point.

Sansa looked up expectantly and Kyria forced her lips to smile. The point sister, the point.

"Y-yes. I- Father is the King's closest friend. It had been that way since they were boys. Like Robb and Theon." That was not completely true… Theon's situation was very different from what had been Robert's in the Eyrie, but now was not the time to point it out. "And I thought… I thought… Maybe the King would agree to marry his son to one of Father's daughters."

"Indeed." nodded Kyria.

How far was she going to dig herself into with all of this? It was like watching a puppy running after his tail, cute but a little bit tiring after a while.

"And I- The truth is-"

"Take a deep breath, Sansa, no need to worry yourself in such a way."

She nodded and breathed long and hard.

"Oh, Kyria. You are the oldest of us." she sighed longingly. "And I know it is only proper for you to be married before me or Arya. But- I hoped to ask… Marrying a Prince has always been my greatest dream, you know."

Part of Kyria wished to precise how marrying a knight had always been Sansa's dream. But she was too surprised to say anything.

"You… want to take my place and marry the Prince?"

Sansa nodded eagerly. Hope shone in her eyes. Oh dear gods who watch over us what was she supposed to do with that child…

"I do, sister."

"A marriage that had not been discussed with any of the parties included?"

"Yes."

Goodness, gracious.

"I see…"

Confronted with her lack of answer, Sansa insisted.

"I am sure the King will propose it! I know it! How could it be any different? Father always wanted to unite his family with the King. And the King wished for a Stark bride! He had since he was betrothed with aunt Lyanna."

Kyria gripped Sansa's hand. The girl's mouth snapped close and Kyria took that time to think. Sansa's dreams… They have never been a secret. But being confronted with them so brutally made Kyria uncomfortable. She didn't have enough information to determine if she liked this dedication and ambition Sansa was showing. It was against a lot of the things she had learned about her sister, and memories of that conversation moons ago came back to her. Was it truly Sansa who wished such a thing?

"Why do you want this so ardently?"

"I- It's everything I've ever liked and hoped for. The South, the court, the dresses, the knights… being in the center of all those attentions. And it would be… perfect. Everyone would love me, want to be like me."

…Why did that sound like she never really thought about it before?

"Would you, Kyria? This is all I've ever wanted." insisted the younger Stark.

Kyria was conflicted. So she brushed it off.

"The King isn't there yet Sansa. And even if he was, I have no intention to ever be Queen of anything. We will talk about it once there is something to talk about." she decided maturely.

Sansa smiled.

"Now will you come with me sister? I think I want to practice a little."

Her little sister's smile turned ever brighter, and Kyria's worries were at peace for now.

The King arrived a short sennight later.

TBC

BN:You may wonder why there is a BN and not an AN at the bottom here. It may be that this is so, because it isn't written by the wonderful author of this story, but by the beta reader of this story!

I am this guy you never notice, but everything you read here has gotten looked at by me to find those pesky typos, which hide themself very well…

Anyway I am here to tell you that the mountain clan arc will maybe be featured later in the story in some way and that there is a reason it isn't shown here [Rubyy is just too lazy ;) ].

Sooo, I believe that was everything, now go, sho, sho follow, favourite and such stuff and dont forget the comments, the comments feed the author, motivate her to write more, and they are important for us to decide on things we aren't sure about, like Duncan's name!