Taelerys awoke abruptly thanks to the constant knocking on her door. She lifted herself off from the floor, wrapped up in her bedding and pillows. Taelerys let out a yawn and pushing her messy silver hair out of her face. Taelerys slowly sat up on the floor, reminiscing over the nightmare that she had again.

"Taly, are you awake?" came the authoritative voice of Robb through the door. Taelerys was still in a trance from what she had seen. She couldn't remember what the dream was about. All Taelerys knew was that there was fire and ice everywhere. Robb suddenly opened the door, not at all taken back by Taelerys being in her under garments. He was used to seeing her that way, as was she, as they both "accidentally" would walk in on each other bathing. Taelerys mostly walked in to see Jon though.

"How come you're not dressed? And did you just wake up?" Robb questioned, sounding rather annoyed. "Mother didn't see you at breakfast...again."

She stretched out her arms. "Which mother? Catelyn or you?"

Robb rolled his blue eyes, shutting the door behind him. Taelerys couldn't help but smile to herself as she pulled out the ponytail holding her hair. Robb only woke her up to annoy her. She figured that it was time to get ready for what was left of her day anyway. Taelerys was sure that Lady Stark wasn't happy about her missing breakfast and sleeping in for the third time this week. Although she did that quite frequently, Taelerys was easy to forget that she was supposed to be a hostage and ward given how kind and loving the Starks were to her.

The proper term was an honored guest and it was true, Taelerys had been treated like a first born daughter to the Lord and Lady Stark, who preferred to be called Ned or Cat. She couldn't help but be respectful of them, Taelerys owed them her life and was forever grateful to them. Her abrupt addition to the family t took some getting used to by Lady Catelyn, as well as Taelerys, but the Tully eventually grew to adore the beautiful an orphaned Targaryen child. Taelerys wasn't mad like her father, or at least, not as mad as him. Taelerys knew that she drove Lady Catelyn mad at times by encouraging Arya's rebellious and tomboyish behavior, which in turn caused Rickon to become more troublesome in turn.

Monkey see, monkey do. Taelerys thought.

Taelerys put on a thick long grey dress with warm black leggings underneath, and a dark brown cloak with wolf fur linings. The Starks were used to the cold, but being a Targaryen, Taelerys was not. 'I am a dragon,' Taelerys reminded herself, slipping on her flats. 'Accustomed to the fires of summer.'

But, those days were long over.

No matter how many the years she had been in Winterfell, Taelerys just couldn't adjust to the naturally cold environment. In retrospect, at least the people of the North weren't cold, that much anyway. The Starks were kind and loving family, that was the only thing keeping Taelerys warm. Taelerys glanced at herself in the mirror and flinched. It wasn't because her hair was all mangled. It was because her hair was so white. The bright white Valyrian hair that she now despised. She was the only Targaryen in the Seven Kingdoms, that was evidence of her heritage to any stranger immediately. Theon and Robb made fun of Taelerys when they were young, calling her a 'hag' and 'old lady'. They didn't realize at the time what effect it had on Taelerys. The worst of it was that she would always be known as the Mad King's Daughter.

She roughly brushed her hair before gathering the front of her hair and formed a small braid at the top of her head. The rest of her silvery hair fell in wavy cascade down her shoulders. 'Like snow on a mountain,' Jon Snow had once said, grasping a strand of her hair and twirling it with her fingers. 'Snow.'

Taelerys remembered blushing madly as no one had ever complimented her like that. She only got mad fun of for it, and now Taelerys had a reason to love it. The only other person who did actually like her odd hair color was Sansa. It amused Taelerys that Sansa was so envious of her hair when she had a beautiful shade of auburn. Then again, Sansa was the silliest girl in all of Winterfell just like her best friend Jeyne Poole. It especially annoyed Taelerys when Sansa asked her what it was like to be a princess and live in the Red Keep. After a glare and telling her that the Mad King frequently poured wildfire onto his subjects for torture and sexual pleasure, Sansa never asked again.

Taelerys walked through the busy courtyard of Winterfell, greeted by several servants and workers around the small castle. She waved to a couple of them and spoke to Old Nan as she walked inside the house. These were the only people that didn't give her the stares. They knew enough about Taelerys to know that she was nothing like her father. Most admired her for the beautiful and sane woman she was.

Taelerys arrived at the shooting gallery where Bran was practicing his archery skills. He shot an arrow and it hit the very border of the target. Chuckles began erupting quietly among his brothers. Rickon was having the most fun, sitting on a saddle and laughing really hard. "Even I could shoot better in my sleep," Taelerys mumbled, a little too loudly as Bran turned around to glare at her.

Jon wrapped a strong arm around her shoulder, an action that raised eyebrows and made Taelerys blush immensely. Robb had a wide smile on his face, even though Taelerys was supposed to be his betrothed. "Speaking of sleep, did you just get out of hibernation?" Jon joked.

"She sure did," Robb added. "Looking alive, Taly."

"Shut up, the both of you!" Taelerys snapped at them, crossing her arms.

Jon refused to stop his tirade of banter with the Targaryen. It was one of the only few things Jon could ever look forward in his day. She was one of the very few people who treated him right and could make him smile. "Shouldn't you be doing needlework with Septa Mordane?" He asked, putting some of the arrows back in the barrel.

Taelerys rolled her eyes at that. "Piss off," she spat.

All of them began erupting into laughter again. Taelerys was the only one standing there with an peeved look, but eventually smiled. They were always so playful with each other. She was the only girl, no, woman, in the group. They were all still boys to her though. Robb slapped Jon on the back in a brotherly fashion. Theon clicked his tongue a few times, waving his finger in front of me. "Naughty, naughty, Taelerys," he teased. "A lady shouldn't spout such vile words."

"Good thing I'm not a lady then," I smiled up at him.

Theon raised an eyebrow. "No? Then are you a man?"

"I'm sure you're eager to find out."

"Time and place, Taly."

Taelerys was so irritated by the Greyjoy's sexual schemes and frequent trips to the whore house. Robb and the others tolerated it, but at least Jon never did any of that. Though she was certain that he had thought about it. He was a growing boy and they had their own thoughts and needs. Now, Theon was eyeing her like a delicious piece of chicken and Taelerys didn't like it.

She merely gave him a taunting smile. "No thanks, Theon. I'm saving myself for someone who's actually special."

"Ohhhhhh!" cooed the boys as they all began laughing once more. Theon paled after Taelerys had told him that. She had delivered a blow to his ego. It didn't take long for Theon to come up with another insult.

"Who? Jon Snow?" Theon retorted, a smirk on his face before laughing aloud.

Immediately, Taelerys felt her heart skip a beat when he said that. Her heart rate rose as she could feel her blood boil in her face. Not from anger, but from embarrassment, because it was true. Jon looked away from Taelerys, who was as shy about it as her. She glared heavily at Theon as her cheeks blazed with heat. Theon looked quite amused, poking her on the nose. "Someone is blushing," he snickered. "Uh oh, Robb, I think we might have a problem here! Taelerys is eyeing Snow!"

Jon's face turned red as Bran and Rickon laughed from behind Theon, having been there for the show. Robb said nothing about the joke, his face now devoid of emotion. Taelerys decided not to antagonize with Theon any further. This was not how she wanted to start the morning. Instead of getting angry, Taelerys walked away leaving behind a disappointed Theon Greyjoy. She shot Jon a warm smile before walking away. Jon couldn't help but watch Taelerys walk away. She was so beautiful to look at and was the only woman he ever felt comfortable talking to. Yet, she was betrothed to his trueborn half-brother Robb. Ever since Lady Stark had discovered how close his friendship was with Taelerys, she only seemed to treat Jon even worse.

Taelerys didn't do needlework with Sansa, Arya, Jeyne and Beth today. Being twenty-one, she was considered an adult and make more decisions for herself. Taelerys was learning Valyrian with Maester Luwin and keeping up on her swordsplay with Ser Rodrik and the other boys. Initially, it was frowned upon by the Starks, but Taelerys convinced them otherwise when she showed talent. Jon had stated that she must have gotten it from her older brother Rhaegar, but realized his error too late that her brother had kidnapped and raped his aunt, Lyanna Stark.

At the same time, Taelerys kept up on sewing and making new clothes, usually for herself, but she would make or repair clothing for the Starks and the members of the household. All except for Theon of course, she didn't want to know what he did in his pants. Taelerys was happy that Lord Stark encouraged her to continue learning her native tongue, which Maester Luwin had to do to in order to help her learn. Taelerys decided to walk to the stables on her to the study with Maester Luwin. On her way there, Taelerys spotted Arya getting an earful from Septa Mordane.

"Sansa started it! She said my napkin looked like it a two-year old stitched it!" Arya ranted. "I hate Sansa! I hate her so much! She thinks she's so perfect with her perfect hair, her perfect eyes, her perfect manners, and perfect grace! She is far from perfect and I'm sick of it!"

"That's fine, but you know that your mother, your father and I don't approve of your always needing to settle these things with your fists," Mordane scolded with such disapproval in her voice. "You are a lady, Arya. You must practice your needlework. When the time comes for you to be married, you will need to learn these skills."

Arya rolled her eyes. "I don't want to get married and I certainly don't want to learn how to sew!"

"Do as your told!" the Septa retorted sharply.

Taelerys heard voices from far away and turned to see Sansa and Jeyne standing only a few yard away. They were giggling at the scene unfolding before them. Sansa leaned over to Jeyne and said loud enough for Arya to hear, "Who would want to marry her anyway?"

Both girls began laughing with their hands over their mouths. Arya glared viciously at them, that was, until she saw Taelerys. Arya pointed at her with an accusatory finger. "Taelerys never has to come!" Arya interjected, looking for any excuse to escape the Septa's lessons.

"Don't bring me in to this," Taelerys said with raised hands.

Arya would find every excuse in the book to avoid her lessons. Septa Mordane turned around to see Taelerys. Her eyes flickered to the violet eyes and snow white hair. Taelerys flinched from the gaze, the same one that most people in Winterfell gave her. The Septa turned back to the dismayed Arya. "Taelerys is twenty-one years old!" Septa Mordane responded. "She is not the greatest at needlework but even then, Taelerys tried and sat through my lessons! Taelerys fixes up most of the clothing all around here!"

"Especially yours, Arya," Taelerys pointed out with a cheeky grin. Arya stuck her tongue out at her. "I know it's grueling, but just endure it. I survived it after all."

Septa Morande shot Taelerys a slightly irritated look telling her 'you're not helping here'. Indeed, Taelerys wasn't the greatest at needlework or any other ladylike skills, although she enjoyed some aspects of it. Not as much as Sansa or Jeyne, but that was probably why Sansa did so well at needlework, she wanted to do it. Arya didn't, so who could expect her to excel at it. Sansa would make an excellent wife. Taelerys had no idea what she was going to do.

"Perhaps Arya can work on her needlework while I am in the study?" Taelerys suggested. "Maybe a good story about Valryian dragons will help get her work done."

"Anywhere but in a room with Sansa," Arya pouted, her arms crossed. She said Sansa's name with such vitriol.

Septa Mordane looked to Taelerys, then to Arya, pondering whether or not this was a good idea. The Targaryen seemed to be the only one who could control Arya. Perhaps it was because she was a beast herself, though Taelerys was more obedient and less independent than Arya. Finally, the Septa caved in to the future Lady of Winterfell's request and handed the Arya her cloth with the needle dangling by a thread. Mordane didn't want to deal with Arya any longer, preferring the company of Sansa and Jeyne.

"You have one hour to finish, if it is not done by then, I am reporting to Lady Catelyn." Septa Mordane warned. With that, the Septa grabbed the edges of her gown and marched away with Sansa and Jeyne to finish up their sewing lessons.

Arya let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Taly. I think you just saved my life."

"You still need to do your work though," Taelerys told her, indicating that she wasn't going to let Arya fool around. Otherwise, she'd get into trouble too. The two girls walked through the stables towards the study where Maester Luwin was at most of the time. Taelerys was practicing for a test. Maester Luwin was a little better at High Valyrian than she was, having practiced the language a little bit in the citadel. Now, he was just as eager to learn as Taelerys was. Maester Luwin always had a fascination with history and learning, hence why he became a Maester. The elderly man was a wise and kind man to Taelerys, never looking down at her once for her heritage or the crimes of her family. Just like Jon. She appreciated that very much.

Taelerys sat at the desk with her High Valyrian to Common Tongue Dictionary, bent over the book with a piece of paper and quill. She muttering words to herself, studying and practicing the words aloud. Arya sat next to her with her needlework, glancing over to Taelerys a few time. She did a couple of lazy stitches before starting a conversation. That would get Arya going.

A devilish smile appeared on Arya's face. She looked over to Taelerys and asked, "Do you know any swear words in Valyrian?"

Taelerys looked at her suspiciously, flipping the page. Before narrowing her eyes and smiling back. "High Valyrian," Taelerys corrected, before answered Arya. "And yes, I do...why?"

Taelerys knew exactly why Arya wanted to know, but asked anyway for her own amusement. Taelerys had always known that Arya's intentions were usually never good. That Stark was always up to trouble.

"I have a few things to say to Sansa in High Valyrian," Arya replied with an innocent look on her Stark face. Realizing what she meant, the both of them laughed loudly a few times before Taelerys put her head down, face palming at how cheeky Arya was. It was strange, Arya was so much younger than Taelerys, nearly half her age. The common thought was that the major age difference as well as maturity levels would be a road block to it. But, it only seemed to bring them closer and they were the best of friend. An adult and a child.

'More like sisters,' Taelerys corrected herself.

"How do you say 'you bitch' in Valyrian?" Arya inquired. She had stopped her needlework about five minutes ago. It was something that didn't go unnoticed by Taelerys, who tapped the cloth once with the back of her feathered quill to remind the Stark to do her work, Arya let out a groan and continued to try sew double stitches on some pattern she was tracing. "It depends, there's different variations of Valyrian. There's High Valyrian, which I'm primarily learning, Astapori Valyrian, Assahai Valyrian–" Taelerys listed.

"–I don't care which language it is," Arya interrupted. "Just as long as it's a swear word."

"Of course you would," Taelerys snickered. She figured that Arya wouldn't want to know too much about Valyria's history at the moment. She was more interested in getting back at Sansa.

"Ao aspos." Taelerys answered in a heavy accent, not speaking through her nose. High Valyrian had to be spoken in a very pretentious manner, as the Valyrians back before the Doom were very powerful and commanded respect. Now, High Valyrian was spoken just to be arrogant. Although Taelerys didn't consider herself to be arrogant, she spoke High Valyrian with pride as it was her heritage.

"Ow ass pose?" Arya repeated, sounding unsure of what she was saying.

"No, it's ao aspos," I answered. "You need to say it with dignity and pride in the accent otherwise it just sounds like you're saying 'ow ass pose'."

Arya let out a giggle before almost falling out of her chair. Taelerys wondered if they were just as frivolous as Sansa and Jeyne. Were they just two silly little girls at the end of the day?

Arya then grinned at Taelerys. "Ao aspos." she imitated perfectly.

"Good job," Taelerys congratulated. "Maybe you should learn High Valyrian, Arya. I won't say it's easy, but it's more fun than needlework."

"Picking up dog shit is more fun than needlework." Arya scoffed.

Suddenly, the door burst open and the cold swept in. It was Bran and Rickon. They were holding what looked like puppies in their arms, one of which started whining. "Arya, come quick, Father came home with a liter of direwolf puppies!" Bran exclaimed.

"We all get to have one!" Rickon happily added.

"Direwolves? Really?" Arya gasped with excitement. It was like getting a new puppy, only in this case it was a direwolf puppy, which was even better in her eyes. That was far more dangerous than a pet dog. Something Taelerys knew that Arya would enjoy immensely.

"Yes, we all get to have one, including Jon!" Bran stated all at once, before turning to Taelerys. "Sorry Taly, you don't get one! You're not a direwolf!"

"You're right," she smiled, putting her hands on her hips and feigning disappointment. "Now, where's my dragon?"

Immediately, Arya threw down her needlework on the floor and ran with Bran to the kitchens. Taelerys sighed once, picking up Arya's needle and cloth. The design and sewing were beyond awful looking. It looked like Arya was trying to make a flower, though the pedals and vines were misshapen and some of the stitches too large. Arya was also doing the wrong stitches that Mordane asked for. Taelerys placed it on the table before walking outside. What Bran said to Taelerys stung her in the worst way possible. She would never truly be a part of this family, at least, not yet when Lord Eddard planned to wed her to his son, Robb. The thought made her sad as she didn't want Robb, the next in line to be the Lord of Winterfell. She wanted Jon Snow. A bastard, not the handsome noble lord's son. By this point, even Robb could sense that she didn't love him like his bastard brother. Yet to her shock, he never said anything, Robb never displayed jealousy or got upset with her. In fact, Robb didn't say a word about it. Taelerys didn't know whether to be worried about it or not. She ultimately decided to push the thoughts away and go see the direwolf puppies.

Jon slid the little ball of white fur into Taelerys' arms, the direwolf puppy whimpered once. He was definitely a lot smaller than the rest of the liter, also a completely different color. The pup was an albino, his fur was white as snow and had blood red eyes. The wolf pup stood out like a red, or in his case, white flag, it reminded Taelerys of herself and her own ridiculous white hair. "He's the runt of the pack," Before Taelerys playfully nudged Jon in the arm. "Just like you are."

Taelerys had an innocent smile on her face, to which Jon fringed his lips and snorted at her. He lightly hit Taelerys on the back of her head, just as teasing as she was being. "Says the one with white hair!"

"You mean, 'hair as white as snow'?" Taelerys teased.

The both of them laughed. Arya, Bran and Rickon made disgusted looks, with the youngest Stark pointing to his tongue.

Taelerys adored Jon more than she should've. Jon was the only one who never gave her the freakish stares. They were both outsiders and knew what that was like to be looked down upon. She had never seen Jon's eyes this close before. There was something different about his eyes. Yes, Jon was Lord Stark's bastard son and he looked just like him, but his eyes weren't the same shade of grey that his half-siblings Arya and Bran were. At times, Taelerys could've sworn his eyes were the same shade of amethyst that hers were. But, that was only when the sunlight refracted in the iris of his eyes. Like it was right now.

"Taelerys can't get enough of Jon's gorgeous blue eyes." Theon teased, interrupting their moment.

Jon was instantly on the defense. "Shut up." he hissed to the Greyjoy.

"His eyes are grey, idiot." Taly answered with a sting to her voice.

The wolf really could howl with laughter. Taelerys felt her face burning hotter than a dragon's fire breath. She didn't know if it was because she was blushing or angered. Theon turned around and pretended that he was making out with someone. Theon made obscene moaning noises, to which Jon, Arya, Bran, and Rickon were sniggering with laughter. Without even thinking, Taelerys grabbed the nearest object, which was a wooden cup, and chucked it at Theon. It hit him on the back of his brown bob. Theon yelped as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ow, that really hurt!"

"That did not!" Taelerys snorted with an eyeroll.

The young Starks as well as Theon continued to laugh at them. Taelerys and Jon stood beside each other, not at all amused by the situation. Theon, of course, always enjoyed teasing the two relentlessly.

"Do the ol' in and outsie yet?" Theon continued to joke, before winking at them. Theon repeatedly put his pointer finger into an 'O' formed by his finger and thumb on his other hand. Taelerys knew what he was imitating. That was when Jon grabbed a knife off the kitchen table. "The only thing that is going to be doing the in and outsie is this knife in your asshole!" Jon shouted, running after a laughing Theon. But, Robb knocked the knife out of Jon's hand, which promptly fell to the muddy ground.

Right in front of Lady Catelyn.

The atmosphere immediately changed, now it was suddenly was as cold as the climate should be. Lady Catelyn glowered at Jon, who could only stare at his feet. She hated how much Jon looked so much like her lord husband. A constant reminder of his infidelity. "Take the knife and get out," Lady Catelyn nearly barked at Jon. "Someone could've gotten hurt!"

Jon just nodded, before picking up the muddy knife and walking past them. Taelerys shot him a sympathetic glance as he abruptly left. They were only playing but, understandably, Lady Catelyn didn't see it that way. Taelerys followed after Jon into the kitchen. She still hadn't had her breakfast, or lunch, considering it was now the afternoon. One of the maids handed her a plate of bread with a slab of bacon. They had grown adjusted to Taelerys's messed up schedule of sleeping and eating. Taelers greedily ate the food and washed it down with some High Garden pear wine. She could hear the boys still chattering outside. They were just like little girls, Taelerys swore. Unbeknownst to them, Taelerys could hear what Jon and Robb were saying.

"So, ya tell the girl ya love 'er?" Robb asked, placing a hand on Jon's shoulder.

"No," Jon answered, clearly not amused. "She's supposed your betrothed, Robb."

"Don't remind me," groaned Robb. "She fancies you, ya know."

"No, she doesn't."

"And you fancy her!" Bran interjected with a wild laugh.

"No, I don't!" Jon proclaimed in an even louder voice.

"It's a wonder how a Snow managed to seduce a Targaryen."

"I didn't seduce her, it's not like that! Taly is Robb's to wed! She isn't mine or anything!"

That made Taelerys's heart sink. Theon sneered once, "Like that's going to stop you, wouldn't stop me."

"Shut up, Greyjoy! You haven't a shred of honor."

Marriage.

'If only Jon had been born a Stark.'

Taelerys was almost twenty-two years old, still a virgin and unmarried. That was unusual for someone of her age, especially given that she was of noble birth. At least, originally she was. Although Taelerys was no longer royalty, her name wasn't without merit, even with all the carnage it cause. Taelerys knew that Lord Stark had her betrothed to his eldest son, Robb. It was only natural, Taelerys had been their political hostage and ward for the last seventeen years. They would marry her into the Stark family so she could officially be one of them. By proving her loyalty, Taelerys would be accepted back into the Seven Kingdoms. To do so, Taelerys would be sacrificing her love for Jon and her remaining family. Taelerys even yearned for the comfort of her twin brother, Viserys was the one she was supposed to marry and be with forever.

'We shared a womb, we came into the world together,' Taelerys thought with a familiar crippling sadness. 'We were destined to belong together.'

After her father and brother destroyed their entire family from the Targaryen madness. The very madness Taelerys feared everyday that she might have. Taelerys would never see Viserys or her meet her younger sister. She didn't even know her name. The very thought was enough to depress her for days on end, just like it did when Taelerys learned that her mother Rhaella had died giving birth to her sister during a terrible storm. They were her real family, or what was left of it. Just as much a victim as Taelerys was. Her beloved mother, her sister-by-law Elia, her niece and nephew, Rhaenys and Aegon, and so many others were dead.

'The Seven Kingdoms was lost to the Usurper and the Old Lion.'

Taelerys was just going to rot in the coldest place in Westeros for the rest of her life. There would be no more happiness or joy. She had to stay bound to the Starks like a bitch on a leash. At one point, Taelerys even planned on running away to Essos to be with her remaining siblings, but it was too risky. And she loved the Starks too much to betray them. Taelerys soon realized that they were now her joy and happiness.

After Taelerys was finished with her plate, she went outside for a walk. By the Seven Gods, the boys were still making a fuss of Taelerys and Jon. If Lord Stark caught wind of that, she was certain he would not be happy. Taelerys was to be Robb's, not Jon's.

Theon shot her a look that was between amusement and disappointment. "Targaryens must have low standards if they like to sleep with bastards." he sneered. That wasn't a joke from the way Theon said it. It was clearly an insult disguised as comedy. Nothing could hide the contempt Theon had for Taelerys for not returning his lecherous affections.

"I'd rather be this bastard's whore than your wife." Taelerys retorted coldly.

Theon looked like he was struck repeatedly in the face. Robb spat out his drink, making some of it come out of his nose. Rickon sat on the crate cackling and laughing alongside him. Taelerys couldn't help but crack a smile when she passed Jon. She felt the anger dissipate when he returned the warm smile back, grateful for defending him. Grateful for loving him.

"I'm going to call him Ghost." Jon informed Taelerys, holding the white pup in his arms. Jon, Theon, the Stark children and were outside with the six direwolf puppies. They were all debating names for each of them. Taelerys was the only one that felt left out.

"Shaggydog!" Rickon cried out, hugging his red haired direwolf pup. "Shaggy!"

"That's a stupid name," Arya snorted.

Rickon kicked his sister in the leg, but before any fight could break out Robb had already separated the two. The brown wolf pup at his feet barked once. It was so shrill and weak compared to when this wolf would be full grown. "I'm going to name him Grey Wind," Robb decided with pride.

Taelerys reached down to pet the small wolf, only to have it growl back at her. Maybe it was a sign that she and Robb were never meant to be. Or maybe she was just thinking to much about it and the direwolf was just unfriendly. Most likely the latter, Taelerys sometimes overthought things. She quickly stood up from her crouch.

"Feisty," She smirked. "Just like his owner."

Robb lightly socked her in the shoulder with a wide smile. Sansa ignored our interaction, raising her head high like it was her official turn to talk. "I'm naming mine 'Lady' because she will be a lady," Sansa smiled at her direwolf. "Just like her mistress."

The grey and white puppy sat down beside Sansa. Lady was the only one who didn't bark wildly like her brothers and sister. Maybe Lady really was a lady like Sansa, hopefully she wouldn't be as airheaded. Bran was silent as he held his pup, deep in thought. Bran was still trying to come up with a name for his direwolf.

"I'm naming mine Nymeria because she will be a warrior queen," Arya said, before grinning at her sister. "Being a warrior queen is way better than a stupid lady."

Sansa scoffed at that, walking away with Lady at her side. "You should have named your dog 'Ruffian' because that's all you are, Arya."

Arya stuck her tongue out at that sister of hers. "And don't you forget it!"

"Shaggy! Shaggy! Shaggydog!" Rickon chanted, the little six year old hopping happily around the pup. The wolf looked to his master as Rickon circled him like a wilding. The little red head was ignoring all the tension between his sisters.

"Taly, what's a good name?" Bran asked.

Taelerys shrugged. "Balerion? That was the name of my cat back in King's Landing."

"It's a direwolf, not a dragon."

"Come on, Balerion the Brown Dead, that's a great name!"

"No!"

Robb and Theon started listing names to him. Every name they suggested was rejected by Bran. Although Taelerys had to admit that the names were getting more stupider than the last. Theon wasn't taking it as seriously as Bran was, who was intent on giving his pup the perfect name. Theon twirled around once with his finger tapping his chin repeatedly, deep in thought. An idea sparked into Theon's mind, Taelerys knew from the sudden look in his eyes. She wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. Theon was smiling.

"How about...Taelerys?" Theon suggested, before stupidly laughing at his own joke. "We can call her 'Taly' for short."

"It's a boy, not a girl!" Bran exclaimed.

"Taelerys is a boy name."

Theon was clearly amused by this. Taelerys merely shook her head. "I'd have Bran name his bitch 'Theon', but the name and role are already taken by you." she immediately retorted.

All three of the Stark brothers burst out with laughter. Taelerys knew always won these little showdowns, no one could be as witty. Theon's face darkened with anger. His beady brown eyes glaring into her violet ones. Theon picked up a small rock and threw it at her. It hit Taelerys on the side of her silvery head, but it was only a mere peddle. Sometimes, no one couldn't tell whether Theon was being serious or not. He could be so rude and arrogant. Yet, Taelerys should've been closer friends to him. Theon was the same as her, a prisoner, a political hostage, and a ward. Taelerys knew that at the end of the day that Theon genuinely cared about her and her safety, but he had a different way of showing it. Theon was more insecure about being a hostage and ward than even Taelerys did. They just didn't get along as much as they should've, given their own similar backgrounds.

Bran slid off the crate with his unnamed puppy in his arms. Jon was outside of the courtyard with Ghost, who was rolling around in the grass. It was a very misty day out just like it always was, other than it snowing frequently. "You just found these direwolf pups out in the woods?" Taerlerys inquired, rubbing the ear of Bran's brown puppy.

"Yes," Jon answered, not looking to her. "It's strange though, direwolves are very rare to find. They stay up in the mountains yet we found them here down below."

Taelerys stepped closer, eager to be beside Jon. "Very strange indeed," she agreed. "I wonder what brought them down from the mountains."

Now their shoulders were touching. Taelerys felt happy from the warmth of his arm through his leather sleeve. She was practically dressed to hike through the snow. Stark blood ran hot, while hers ran cold. That made living in Winterfell more difficult than King's Landing. Bran looked to be remembering something. "I think I know why, that deserter who was killed today said something,"

"You watched Lord Stark execute a man?" Taelerys nearly gaped. "And this happened today?"

Jon shot her an amused look. "Yeah, while you were sleeping in, you lazy bum."

"Oh," Taelerys merely said, feeling even more dumb.

"The deserter said he saw the White Walkers," Bran interjected, trying to stay on the subject. What Bran had said broke the ice, it was such a ridiculous concept. Jon scoffed at the idea of the Others, or White Walkers, as some called them, ever existing. Taelerys noticed that it had gotten much colder. around her. The chill in the wind was always too much for her. Taelerys wondered if that was just her or the just the winds of the upcoming winter. "That's ridiculous, the Others never even existed." Jon insisted.

"If they didn't exist, then why was the Wall was built and the Night's Watch were created?"

"To defend our kingdom from wildling."

"White Walkers," Taelerys replied. "Some say the Wall the reason the Wall was built so quickly was because of magic."

Bran turned to Jon and raised his eyebrows, as if he were saying 'see? she believes me!'. That only irritated Jon that Taly even considered believing this wet nurse rubbish. "No one has seen a White Walker for eight thousand years, Bran," Jon countered. "Come on, you can't be serious."

"Now, you just admitted that the Others existed," Taly frowned.

Bran continued on as if they had never said any thing. "Dragons have left this world and the Night's Watch is weaker than ever. Don't you think that would be the perfect opportunity to strike? The deserter said the Others killed a bunch of wildings and the rangers he was with. This man was on the Night's Watch for fifteen years. Why forsake your vows now?"

"Because he got tired of it." Jon immediately assumed.

"Come on, Jon! That's not it!" Bran stomped his foot into the ground like an upset girl. Taelerys was unsure of what to think of all this. Bran did present a good argument, but it was only hearsay at this point. It was like believing in the Children of the Forest. Those were only fairytales. There were only one thing she was told to fear growing up: winter is coming. No one ever said anything about the White Walkers. But maybe, it did refer to the White Walkers, because they were creatures of winter, cold, and ice. The Stark words were an interesting one, they were one of the few noble Houses who family words were not a boast or a threat. Instead, the House Stark family motto was a warning:

'Winter is coming.'

'What were the Stark ancestors thinking when they came up with that motto?' Taelerys wondered. An abrupt whistle interrupted their conversation. They turned around to see Robb standing at the entrance to the Winterfell castle. "Enough chatting, ladies. You need to help around the castle and lay out your best clothes," Robb ordered. "Oh, and Taly, clean your chambers."

"Why?" Bran asked, just as confused as we were.

"The King is coming to Winterfell." Robb replied, turning around and heading inside.

Taelerys frowned once. "Why do I have to clean my chambers?"