Bastard // Ned Stark

19. Sneaky

'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpti Dumpti had a great fall; Threescore men and threescore more, Cannot place Humpty dumpty as he was before.' Bran couldnt stop laughing.

'What happened?' Rickon questioned

'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,' Everly repeated putting rickon up on the wall. 'Humpti Dumpti had a great fall,' she picked him up spinning him around, he laughed in her arms. 'Threescore men and threescore more, Cannot place Humpty dumpty as he was before.' Everly repeated with a laugh. 'Humpty dumpty was climbing and he sat at the top of the wall but he fell oh no!' She exclaimed flopping down in the snow between the boys. 'And he broke and Everyone tried to put him back together again threescore and three more tried but they couldnt. You know why?'

'Why?' The boys echoed

'Humpty dumpty was an egg and once you crack an egg you can fix it can you?'

'I thought humpty dumpty was a person.' Bran told her.

'Nope. An egg, thats why egg should not climb.' everly told them with a laugh.

"HOUND!" Joffrey yelled catching Everly attention she turned around to see one of the largest men she had ever seen, his face pinched as he followed after the prince begrudgingly.

'He's huge!' Rickon declared and Sandor turned back to them.

'He is,' Everly agreed. 'I would want a big strong man like him protecting you boys.' Everly told them and the ghost of a smile appeared on sandor's lips as he kept walking.

'My lady!' Joffrey said as sweet as venom, Everly's eyes followed them as the boys started to run around the courtyard. 'Ever so lovely you are.' Sansa was clearly smitten with the prince but Everly couldn't help but think that something was off with him.

'Everly,' she jumped up startled as Benjen's hand grazed her arm. 'Sorry sweetheart.' Benjen said laughing.

'Don't sneak up on me.' Everly told him.

'I didn't realize I was sneaking.' Benjen told her.

'what do you think of the royal family?" Everly questioned leading him into the stables.

'Royal twats.' Benjen remarked softly.

'Sansa is to marry the prince and she is so happy... but she is a child she doesn't know what she wants.' Everly said confidently.

'You knew what you wanted 17 years ago.' Benjen remarked.

"I was not a child. Marriage to man she doesn't know, in a new place I don't like it.' Everly told him.

'You are very protective over all of them.' Benjen remarked.

"I raised them.' Everly reminded him. 'I want the best for them, every last one of them. I don't marrying a prince is going to be as magical as she hopes.'

'You sound confident.' Benjen remarked.

'He talks down to everyone. His own guard he calls a hound, that man is assigned to protect him and he belittles the man.' Everly told Benjen. 'a man that is supposed to keep you safe you should at least be kind to him. He could keep his ungrateful head on his neck.'

'Damn right.' Everly jumped again at the low grumbly voice of sandor.

"i... I...' she looked back to Benjen. She was going to lose her head.

'Don't look so scared girl.' Sandor told her as Benjen took a protective step in front of her. 'The prince is a little cunt, he is going to make that girls life hell.' Sandor agreed leading his horse out of the stables. Everly watched him speechlessly.

'Maybe we don't talk so out in the open?" Benjen suggested and a broken smile appeared on Everlys face. 'we could meet in your room tonight.' he mused and Everly slapped at his chest.

'Bye Benjen.' Everly called over her shoulder.

+

Everly knew she had to be sneaky. So she sat on the edge of sansa's bed and prepared to tell her a story. Everyone loved everly's stories she always made them feel like the most important person in the world. When you had her attention it was like no one else existed.

'Once upon a time there was a man who could spin gold. He sat at his spinning wheel turning straw to gold.' Everly told sansa

'Magical.' Sansa said dreamily as Everly smiled down at her.

'Yes very much so but all magic comes with a price.' Everly told her. 'Everyone wanted this magical gifts what he could possess. After all he spun straw into gold.'

'Was his name tywin Lannister?' Robb asked from the door

'Rumpelstiltskin,' everly corrected.

'I hear he shits gold.' Robb told her.

'Whos story is this?" everly questioned smirking back at him. 'So some people made a deal with this magical man... one was a girl that wanted to be a princess. She said she would do anything give anything if the prince would notice her.'

'Are you sure this is fictional?' Theon mused

'Hush now.' everly said with a smile

'What did she do?' Sansa questioned hopefully.

'She made a deal. Signed her name on the contract and Rumpelstiltskin had the biggest smile on his face.'

'What did she give up?'

'Something she didnt have yet.' Everly told her

'What?' Sansa questioned 'how can she give up something she doesn't have?"

'He knew that she would get what he wanted once her wish came true.' Everly told her.

'What was it?'

'Her first born child.'

'What!' Sansa exclaimed

'She wanted so badly to be a princess she didn't see anything past the crown and the throne and the handsome prince.' Everly told her thinking of Joffrey and his golden crown. Sansa always was a girly girl and loved the finer things, wanted a prince to some and sweep her off her feet.

'Sounds familiar,' robb sniggered

'The girl got what she wanted the prince was hers but the prince was not what she expected. He wasnt sweet or charming he was vile and vindictive.' everly told sansa and her face soured. 'When she fell pregnant she thought that baby would be her life line someone that would love her right but once the baby was born Rumpelstiltskin came to collect.'

'She didnt give up her baby!' Sansa exclaimed 'did she?"

'She had to. She begged him to let her keep her baby that his deal was a shame. She wanted a kind prince someone to love her but at the time she just wanted a prince and crown she was young and she didnt know what she really wanted. He ripped her baby from her and laughed a trill little laugh. All magic comes with a price deary. He told her and just like that he was gone and the princess was all alone.' Everly told her

'That was an awful story.' sansa told her

'They can't all be winners.' everly remarked 'but they all have a message worth sharing. '

'Whats the message with humpty dumpty?' Theon questioned

'Be careful when climbing on walls.' Everly said simply.