eternity • Brandon Stark

chapter 16- little lord

Bran and rickon alongside valeria, huddled on bran's bed. Their eyes were puffy and dried tears littered their cheeks. "He shouldn't have left" rickon cried once again.

It's been two days and they were miserable. Everyone opted to giving them space so they could mourn.

"I hope joffrey dies" bran said blankly.

"He will" valeria suddenly said.

She didn't know why, but her guts said that he would die a painful death.

"He'll get poisoned" rickon suddenly said making the two turn to him.

Well that was oddly specific...

"Sleep. We should sleep" valeria ordered before helping bran to lie down, tucking rickon in.

The two were emotionless by now, both mentally unstable but they both closed their eyes after valeria kisses their foreheads goodnight.

_____________

It's been days and after much consideration, maester luwin started to accept audiences.

Vivian quietly giggled as she watches bran and valeria progressively get more annoyed as their head bobs in sleepiness.

Since bran was now acting lord they have to help their people with their problems. Which means listening to their complains for the entirety of that day.

Bran's fingers where scratching the wooden table while valeria tried her best to listen to the man.

"—i can't have them fix my home! I've sent all the young men off to fight robb stark's war-"

Valeria's eyebrow raised at his poor choice words, a small smile rising on her face when bran immediately cut him off.

"King robb. And it's not his war. He didn't choose it" he sternly said venom in his voice.

The man seemed irked. "Maybe not my lord. But he called for the banners and took the men-"

"Joffrey killed my father. Your liege lord. Do you remember your vows sir?" He sarcastically said with Spite making valeria smile proudly.

Maester luwin seemed proud but he interjects by giving up four masons to repair the god forsaken castle of the man.

Valeria nudges bran giving him a proud smile.

He'd be a great lord. He can be stern and merciful at the same time, not to mention compassionate.

__________

"I Miss theo." Valeria said as she, hodor, osha and vivian walked through godswood.

"I miss jon" bran replied back to which she hummed agreeing.

Valeria peeked behind her, smiling when she saw vivian and osha talk quietly to each other.

They grew closer these past few days.

"Over here" bran said to hodor as he pointed on small pond he claimed he saw in his dream.

He crawled to the edge to see his reflection, and valeria does the same, her eyes catching the red comet.

She zoned out as the others spoke only to snap out when osha said something. "It could only mean one thing. dragons"

"Speaking off. Have we given draken meat today?" She asked bran to which he shrugged.

They've been to busy running winterfell.

" I did" vivian said easing their worries. "He's growing bigger by the day, he'll need another bigger cage next week." She said as she sat next to osha, leaning her weight onto the girl.

"Who's draken?" Osha asked curiously. "Another direwolf?"

Valeria shared a look with bran and vivian before smiling at osha. "My dragon."

________

"It's weird how jon and theo hadn't written in while— especially robb" valeria stated as they got ready to bed.

Bran said he'd spoken to maester luwin whilst she was gone tending to rickon. She didn't want him deprived of motherly love as lady catelyn was away.

"Maybe jon's busy at the wall— robb might be busy trying to get arya and sansa back. Theon's weird" he said the last part like it was obvious.

Valeria laugh at his theon comment. "Theon's nice. But yeah he can be weird with his lord issues" she said earning a laugh from bran.

"Remember when he tried making everyone call him my lord?" He said to which she chuckled.

She did feel bad for theon but he was trying too hard to feel special when he already was.

"But i still miss him. He's like my older brother" she mumbled with a fond smile.

He treated her like his little princess, maybe that's why he felt special with her.

"I wish they'd come back sooner." She mumbled as she laid beside bran. " I don't think i can listen to grown men whine about their broken houses" she mumbled making bran laugh.

He nods before leaning to give her forehead a kiss.

_________

The continuous slamming of nuts made valeria flinch as she tried her best to listen to the nice man about his need of help in the fields.

"We can send children from the orphanage, im sure they'd like new homes— it's a plus that they can help with the farm work" valeria suggested remembering the children she visited.

Bran smiled nodding approvingly. " We'll send you two boys from the orphanage, whoever you want—if you can give them a room to board?" Bran said.

The guy smiled happily "my wife had been wanting children, we'll take care of them. thank you my lady- and my lord"

Thuds where heard and having enough bran finally snapped. "Stop that" he sternly said.

Valeria sighed, "are you hungry rickon?" She asked sweetly to which he ignored her. "Oh. Should i tell vivian to return the lemon tarts? Vivian! Please ret-"

"I want it!" He spouted immediately.

Valeria and bran shared a look before chuckling quietly.

Maester luwin seemed amused as he smiled.

But they were all startled when ser rodrik entered stating the sudden attacks.

Valeria zoned out, she felt odd about this. Something wasn't right. And maester had a point, why would the Lannisters' attack so far out?.

"—if we can't protect our bannerman why should they protect us?"

"I agree, we should send as much men as we can" valeria second.

Ser rodrick and maester luwin seemed proud and hopefull knowing that these two were the ones left to rule over winterfell.

As soon as ser rodrick left, she turned to bran and the maester.

"Something doesn't feel right about this. We should send word to robb immediately." She said earning nods from the two.