eternity • Brandon Stark

chapter 17- sea came to winterfell

"what are we doing" rickon whined as he and Valeria stayed still, watching the dragon.

Draken was almost the size of a direwolf. He was definitely odd, he seemed to like the cold. "I'm trying to warg" valeria answer.

"What's that?"

"Some people can enter the minds of animals. see through their eyes, feel what they feel.  That's called warging" she explained.

"Oh. Maester said those are not real" he said munching on some nuts.

Valeria smiled before she focused once again. Rickon, now interested, watched silently as he waited what would happen.

And then she felt it.

The force pulling her.

Rickon gasped quietly as he saw her eyes roll back and draken, who was moving around earlier suddenly stop as his eyes clouded.

Silence covered the place as rickon continued to look back and fourth at the two.

"Val?" He called out to which the dragon seemed to nod. "I- uh. Can you I don't know? Jump two times then flap your wings!" He excitedly said.

Valeria deadpanned at this but did as he said earning an excited yelp from rickon as he clapped his hands. valeria mentally rolled her eyes before she pulled herself back into her body.

She blinks as her dual eyes came back into view.

Rickon amazed, smiled widely at her. "Teach me!" He whined to which she laughed. "Soon dear"

____________

Valeria shifts in her sleep, feeling bran move away from her.

She opened her eyes hearing muffled voices as her eyebrows furrow in confusion. Her head turned upfront and her eyes widened.

"Theon! You're back!" She excitingly said ready to stand up only to be stopped by bran.

Theon's stern face seemed to falter, he almost forgot about her staying in bran's room.

"Can i have her?" The man beside theon said, looking at valeria with lustful eyes.

Valeria's eyebrow furrow at the man's word. Who was this guy? And why was he looking at her like that. Im a child for goodness sake!

"No!" Theon and bran immediately said.

"What's happening.." she trailed off as her eyes met with theon's.

"He's trying to take over winterfell." Bran explained, as he glared at theon.

"What?" she mumbled dishearteningly as she turned back to theon. Her heart pounding as it dropped to her stomach. "He. He would never" she mumbled.

Theon gulped as he looked away much to her disappointment. "Where's hodor?"

"I don't know" bran sternly said.

"Find the halfwit" he ordered the guy to which he left. "My men are already rounding up your people-"

"Theon why are you doing this" valeria asked sadly confused.

"- so you can tell them that you've wielded winterfell."

The more he talked, the more she felt betrayed. Her theo wouldn't have done this.

Theon insisted that bran yields as he stepped forward to sit on the bed, "- you'll yield to keep your people alive"

Valeria stared blankly at him, her hands gripping on bran's beneath the sheets. He knew she was feeling more betrayed than him.

"Winterfell belongs to the starks" valeria said after bran insisted on not yielding.

He kept ignoring her. Thinking that if he were to pretend she wasn't there, then he wouldn't be directly hurting her.

And it was easier that way.

He stood up to leave, "dress him up" he shakily said, finally meeting her teary eyes.

"Theon." Bran called out. " Did you hate us the whole time?"

Theon seemed stunned at the question especially after seeing A single tear leave Valeria's eyes at bran's words.

"I prayed you'd come home everynight. But i didn't think you'd come home like this" valeria said earning a spike through theon's heart.

He gulps, "this isn't my home"

and he left.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Valeria mumbled as she helped bran dress since hodor and vivian are kept outside.

Her dainty fingers tied the laces of his upper clothes as she sighed, sniffing.

His hand immediately cups her cheek, wiping the tears away. "D-do you think he hated me the entire time? He must've thought i was a brat-"

"You're not. Theon's stupid for doing this" he angrily said before giving her forehead a kiss.

Valeria closes her eyes as she sighs.

"On the plus side he seemed to get over his 'lord' obsession" he said trying to make her smile.

"Huh?" She was confused.

"He called himself a prince" bran said. "Prince obsession?" He suggested with a shrug

Valeria choked on her breathe as she tried not to laugh, and bran could only smile at her red face, satisfied.

.
.
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Bran sat on a barrel as he announced yielding winterfell to 'prince theon'. Valeria stood by his side looking sadly upfront with rickon holding her hand.

"Please don't speak ser barley" valeria pleaded, as one of their loyal people tried to fight off.

Theon's men wasn't having it though, immediately striking the poor man's head. "Theon!" She screamed in horror.

"Please just do as he says" bran sternly said, glaring at theon.

"Maester, send a letter to pike. Informing my father of my victory, and that he is to send my sister with 500 men" he said to which maester stood still, ignoring him.

Theon was irked. "You are the a maester from the citadel, you serve the lord of winterfell. And that's me" he urged to which maester luwin sighed knowing he was right.

As he turned to leave theon stopped him further. His eyes glances at valeria as he gulps. It's for the best.

"Send a letter to the vale. Im marrying valeria to lord arryn's son" this way she wont be married off to some old man..

Valeria's heart dropped at his words. "You wouldn't. " She murmured as she stepped to him. "I am already betrothed!" She said angrily.

"You're not taking her anywhere theon" bran angrily said as nervousness overtook his senses.

He already took his home, betrayed his brother and now he's taking away the only good thing left.

"Bran won't be lord of anything. At least you'll be lady of the vale" he sternly said to her , grabbing her shoulders and she squirmed.

"I don't care. I wasn't suppose to be lady of winterfell anyway" she sternly said.

Theon sighed. He was trying to do what was best for his little sister. "If the other houses finds that the starks have fallen they'd want to get the only targaryen left" he sternly said making her froze.

"Take her to her room" he ordered. "She'll leave in three days time."

"No! Bran!" She said turning to him.

Bran's heart pounded as he watch "Let her go!, Theon you can't do this! She's mine. The king said so-"

"He's not the king anymore"