The Wolf Priestess and the Lion Knight

Chapter 2 Daddy's Girl

As Ned walked towards the castle with Lyarra in his arms, he noticed that most of her babbling he understood, which he found intriguing. Some of it took him a moment to decipher as Lyarra couldn't pronounce the words well, but still, Lyarra spoke better than most babies her age. Ned was delighted that his daughter felt so comfortable in his arms, and he slowly began to realize that Lyarra would have him wrapped around her little finger in no time.

When they reached the castle, Lyarra wiggled out of Ned's arms when she spotted her great uncle Brynden, “Bryn!” She screamed when she saw him and rushed towards the older man on unsteady legs. Brynden Tully laughed and held out his arms so his great-niece could run into them. He picked her up and tossed her into the air, making the baby squeal in delight.

“How are you, my little wolf? What mischief have you gotten into today?” Brynden asked.

Lyarra babbled for a moment, then pointed towards her father, “Dada!”

Brynden smiled and nodded towards the child, “Ah, your father is home. Are you happy to see him?”

Lyarra nodded her head so vigorously that Brynden thought it would pop off, “Uh-huh,” The little girl answered.

By this time, Ned had caught up with Lyarra and heard her exchange with her uncle. He made eye contact with the knight and shook Ser Brynden's hand, “It is good to see you again, Ser Brynden; I hope your wound has healed well?”

Brynden flexed his leg and nodded, “Aye, it feels better than it has in years; thank you for asking Lord Stark.”

What neither man knew was that Lyarra had snuck into her uncle Brynden's room after the Maester had treated him and had given him Milk of the Poppy to ease his pain. When she was sure he was unconscious, Kagome used her healing powers to heal his wound and arthritis that set into the old knight's knees. The last thing she wanted was for her uncle to suffer any discomfort if Kagome could prevent it. But since Kagome was so young, her powers were still underdeveloped, and it took more out of her to heal a person. Nevertheless, she was able to accomplish the task without anyone realizing it.

Ned watched as his daughter interacted with her great uncle and decided to ask him if he could watch her while he freshened up and rested for a while. The knight readily agreed; of the two twins, Lyarra was more adventurous than her brother, probably because she was developing faster. But that didn't mean Lyarra didn't adore her twin and would spend as much time with Robb as possible. At this time, she was helping Robb to learn how to walk and teaching him the words she knew. Aside from that, the twins had developed a secret language that only they understood.

When Eddard left Lyarra with her uncle Brynden, she began to fuss that she wanted to go with him until he explained that he would be right back for her once he had rested. It took Brynden bribing the baby with lemon cakes to get her to calm down. Brynden laughed and took the child to the kitchen for her snack. After Lyarra had her lemon cake and a glass of milk, Brynden took her to the nursery, where he laid her down for her nap. A few moments later, Robb joined her; the twins snuggled with each other and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Catelyn was in her chambers, preparing for the welcome home feast for her husband and his men. As she braided her hair, she could stop thinking of Eddard's bastard child and why he would bring the child with him. What had happened to the child's mother? Did Eddard love the woman? Would this bastard try to usurp her son's place as Lord of Winterfell? With a determined look, Catelyn vowed she would never let that happen no matter what. Catelyn knew what the Seven said about bastards; they were inherently evil and tried to reach above their station. When the child was old enough, she would demand that the boy be sent away. For now, Catelyn had no choice but to accept the bastard into her new home.

Once Catelyn was ready, she went to the nursery to dress her children for the feast. She was going to dress Lyarra in a pretty blue frock, the color of House Tully, and braid her hair in the Southern style. But the child cried and threw a fit, refusing to let her or her nursemaid dress her. Lyarra kicked and screamed and pointed at a dress that Catelyn had only finished the day before that represented House Stark. She had embroidered little wolves on it chasing each other. Catelyn smiled and took the dress out of the wardrobe and put it on the child, who squealed in happiness. Catelyn decided to braid her daughter's hair in the Northern Style to match her dress. After Lyarra was dressed, Lyarra thought it would be in Robb's best interest to dress in the same colors of his House as well.

Once her children were outfitted, Lyarra carefully took Robb's hand, then her mother's, and they walked out of the nursery and headed for the Great Hall, where the Welcome Home feast was about to begin. As they walked down the halls of Riverrun, they met Eddard as he walked towards the dining hall. He had gotten dressed earlier and had left, giving Catelyn time to get ready. The minute Lyarra saw her father, she laughed and let go of Catelyn's hand and dragged Robb with her towards their father.

Lyarra made grabby hands towards her father, wanting him to pick her up; Ned bent down and picked up his daughter, who wrapped her arms around his neck. Robb watched his twin's actions curiously and decided he wanted up. He whined until Ned picked him up, also. When they were settled in Ned's arms, the twins began babbling to each other in their private speech. Ned chuckled and fell in step with his wife as they walked down to the Great Hall to join the feast.