Winter's Promise

7th Month of 298 A.C. Somewhere in the Riverlands

Bran Stark

Father was gone, he was most likely dead, the men who were riding with them would not speak of it, but from the way their lips would purse whenever he asked, he knew that was the truth. Bran mourned for his father, mourned for the fact that his father had charged into the throne room like a fool disobeying everything he had ever told them, and for what? To provide a distraction? To give Robb and Jon-no Aegon- something to fight for? Bran resented that thought and he did not want to think that that was the reason why his father had done as he had done, but more and more he was beginning to think that that was exactly why he had done what he had done, and Bran was not sure what to think of that. Sansa remained silent, as she always did at these times, but today Bran was determined to break her silence and to get her to speak. She was his older sister by the love of the gods, and they should be able to speak freely now they weren't in King's Landing.

"So, Jon is a King eh?" Bran says suggestively, opening up the road for conversation. "What do you make of that sister?"

He is grateful that they are not riding now, and that they have stopped, for he thinks if he had asked this when they were riding, Sansa would've merely ridden on. Now she cannot and she has to face him and answer. "I think that it was something that was obvious from the start, and that we should've known about it before now."

Her answer surprises him and angers him in turn. "And why is that Sansa? What difference would it have made to you if you had known the truth about our cousin from the start?"

Sansa stares at him for a long moment before replying. "You would not understand; you are too young to understand."

Her dismissiveness angers him. "No tell me, I am old enough now to be able to understand how these things work. Do not hold back just because I am your younger brother Sansa."

Sansa bites her lip then, in an action very similar to what their mother does, thinking about mother makes his heart ache, and he tries to push the feeling down but it refuses to go away. After a moment Sansa speaks. "I would not have had to completely hide what I felt for him. Yes, we knew him as our cousin, but it was still the thing of him being of uncertain parentage and that he could've been father's for all we knew. We would never have had to hide our feelings for one another if I had known. It would have made more sense then."

Resentment grows inside of him then. "So you would have preferred it had father risked his life to tell us all the truth so that you could be more open about your desire to fuck our cousin?"

The slap stings, and his cheek feels as if it is on fire. "Bran!" his sister snaps. "What has gotten into you?"

Anger begins clouding his vision, and it feels white hot, still he takes a deep breath to calm himself and says. "What has gotten into me? Sansa, I think we need to ask what has gotten into you. You did not have a problem being betrothed to Joffrey, hells you did not seem to have a problem going south, and yet now you know the complete truth about Jon, you simply wish father had told you sooner. What for? So you could have asked father to start a gods damned war to make you a Queen?"

A look of shock and horror crosses his sister's face then, and he feels some deep satisfaction at seeing that expression. "That is not it at all Bran, how could you think such a thing of me?"

"You haven't exactly given me a reason not to think like that Sansa. The entire time we were in King's Landing not once did you complain about being betrothed to Joffrey, and yet now here we are, and you want to be with Jon-Aegon- whatever the fuck his name is so desperately so that you can be his queen? Or is it that you wish father had told you the truth and risked his life, so that you wouldn't need to hide your shame so completely?" Bran snarls back.

A second slap comes, and this one really stings. "There is no shame in what I feel for our cousin, none at all. Our family has married nieces to uncles before, and our own grandparents were cousins. I do not know what is wrong with you."

He laughs then, he really laughs, he laughs because if he did not laugh he would cry, his father is dead, and a war is coming and for what? He does not understand what for, nor does he think he wants to know what for. "Nothing is wrong with me sweet sister; I merely want to know why you so desperately wish father had told you the truth. Considering what the truth has cost him."

Sansa looks at him surprised then, and he remembers bitterly that she still sees him as a child, despite all else that has happened within the capital. "Father should have told us to prepare us for what needed to be done when he was not around. Do you honestly think Robb and the King know what to do?"

"Oh so now he's the King is he?" Bran asks sarcastically.

"Yes of course our cousin is the King, he is the rightful King." Sansa snaps.

"That wasn't what you said when Joffrey was your betrothed." Bran points out.

His sister huffs in frustration then. "I did not know the truth then, I do now, it is different."

"How? How is it different? The only thing that is different is the fact that our father is fucking dead, and we shall never see him again, or Arya. Those are the only two things that are different Sansa, nothing else fucking is." He growls, Summer growling alongside him.

He fights to hold back the tears that are threatening to come forth, and through blurred vision sees Sansa walk toward him, Lady at her side. "I am sorry Bran, I…. I am sorry, I have been thinking only about myself the past few days and not about you. I am sorry, Bran really I am."

Against his better judgement, he allows himself to be pulled into her embrace, and the moment he is, he starts crying, he knows Sansa won't say anything to anyone else about this, but it is still embarrassing to him. "It's not fair. Why did they have to take Arya and father away? What are they going to do next Sansa? Are they going to take mother away? Are they going to take Rickon away? Will they take Robb and the King away? I don't understand why any of this is happening."

Sansa is silent for a while, but then she replies. "Because the Lannisters are bad people Bran, and they will not rest until all those who oppose them are gone and dead. We cannot allow that to happen."

Bran pulls back then and looks at his sister. "How though? How can we defeat them? We have nowhere near enough the amount of gold and resources that they do? Father never managed to access all of the resources available within the north. I do not know how we can out fight them."

His sister sighs then. "I know Bran, but we have to try. If we do not try then we will be lost, everything father worked and fought for will be lost. We cannot allow that to happen, can we?"

Bran sniffles a little and clears the tears from his eyes. "No we cannot, I am sorry Sansa, for how I acted earlier, I did not mean to say the things I said."

His sister kisses him on the cheek. "It's fine Bran, truly it is, we are siblings, what else are we here for if we cannot talk to one another?"

Bran is silent then, for he can hear men approaching, he hurriedly wipes away his tears for he does not want them to see them, for now he is the acting Stark Of Winterfell and he must act as such. When they stop before him and his sister and bow he tries to keep his voice as calm as possible. "What news have you brought?"

There is silence for a moment, followed by coughing, then Harwin speaks. "My lord, we have finally managed to shake off the pursuers from the capital. We lost them by the bend of the rush, and managed to lay a false trail for them." Harwin pauses to catch his breath, that done, he continues. "Furthermore, it seems that Tywin Lannister has brought the strength of the west to Riverrun, for he believes that the Tullys are holding his sons' hostage."

"Fool, he is bringing war where there need be none." Sansa says almost to herself, Bran acknowledges the comment but looks back to Harwin desperate for more news.

"That last piece of news is old though my lady, it seems that there was a battle at Riverrun, Ser Edmure Tully was badly wounded during the fighting and Ser Jaime Lannister had to take command." Harwin continues.

"The Kingslayer was allowed to take command of the Riverlands forces?" Bran asks amazed. "How did this happen?"

"Lords Blackwood and Vypren were killed during the fighting, it seems Lord Tywin had archers with him, and he was not afraid to use them." Harwin responds.

Bran mulls over this fact, Tywin Lannister is known for his deep love-perhaps love is the wrong word, care seems more appropriate- for his eldest son Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, the fact he would willingly fight his son and put him in danger means that things have really changed. He is not sure what to make of that, and so he takes his time before responding. "So Jaime Lannister commands the garrison in Riverrun, and there is still fighting?"

"From what I can gather, yes my lord, it seems that the Westermen are reluctant to completely destroy the Rivermen with Jaime Lannister commanding them. And furthermore Riverrun is not that easy of a castle to take." Harwin responds.

Bran thinks over this piece of information, he wants to go to Riverrun, it is said to be unbreakable as a castle, but if there is war going on and fighting outside its very walls, then their getting there let alone inside it will be very difficult. He is not sure what to do and so he looks to Sansa, asking with his eyes, and not words for advice. His sister speaks then. "Perhaps we could head toward Harrenhal, Lady Whent is our mother's aunt after all, and surely she would not want to turn away family?"

Bran seizes on that option. "How many days' ride are we away from Harrenhal?"

Harwin's face scrunches up in concentration then and he takes his time to respond, but when he does Bran is satisfied with the answer. "I would say around three days ride away no more, my lord. We should be there within time for the moon if we ride hard and fast."

"Very well, let us set off for Harrenhal. The horses are rested?" he asks.

"Yes my lord they are." Harwin responds.

Bran nods looks at his sister and smiles when she nods as well. "Let us go then, there is no need for tarrying." As they walk toward the horses, Bran hopes that they are making the right choice, he hopes and prays that they will survive through this, he wants to see his family again, and he wants to laugh and play with Rickon, he wants to mourn Arya, and most importantly, he does not want to let his father down. He mounts his horse, Summer at his side, and then he calls out. "To Harrenhal." And off they go.