eternity • Brandon Stark

chapter 20- bled

"osha no! i haven't even bled yet" she embarrassingly said as she tried hiding her face on bran's chest.

both osha and bran chuckled. "well it's been two days since you've married, are you sure you don't need space?" she suggestively said with raised eyebrows.

valeria grew redder as bran laughed at her.

but they all jumped when the sound of chaos suddenly erupted from above.

bran immediately wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. "rickon come here" valeria said with opened arms.

scared rickon immediately swooped into her arms as he flinched every now and then from the screams.

osha and hodor waited to see if someone would stumble upon them.

they hoped it was robb. coming back home to take winterfell, but it was too far fetched.

soon the chaos stopped, and after much  consideration they decided to go up and check since it was too quiet.

they stepped outside the crypts after much contemplation and what they saw was worse than what they imagined.

Winterfell was burnt to the ground.

It was gone.

Valeria was sure now that everything won't be the same ever again.

She gulps her feelings down to her stomach as she turned to see the mournful eyes of the two starks.

Her eyes widened, remembering something.

"Where's vivian?" She mumbled nervously.

It was dead quiet and everyone didn't want to answer her question. "A-and draken" she croaked out as she tried not to cry from the anxiety she was feeling at the moment.

"T-they probably escaped my love" bran softly said as he tried to comfort her from Hodor's hold.

Valeria could only nod as she shakes the bad thoughts away. They tried to look around but no body seemed to be alive.

They all turned to notice summer and valeria felt her heart swoon, thankful that one of her children was surely alive.

She sighed in relieved as she called out to summer but the wolf seemed to have other plans as it turned around signalling for them to follow.

And so they did.

They walked through godswood following him, only to run as they noticed someone sit under a tree.

Rickon ran the fastest, before collapsing to his knees as he began to cry after seeing it was maester luwin.

He immediately touched rickon's face in delight. Smiling widely as he saw bran.

"Maester luwin!" Valeria gasped out as hodor sat bran beside her and rickon.

Her mouth trembles after seeing the blood he tried to hide. She can feel her tears trickle down her face as she grabbed her cloak with trembling hands, immediately trying to press on his wound to stop the bleeding.

"I. Tell us what medicine to take from your chambers-" bran tried to say. "We'll make you better" rickon's trembling voice said.

"No. Im quite fine"

"Stay still. Please. I- I was a doctor once. I- I'll make you better i promise!" Valeria said as she cried.

Maester laughs a little as he tried ruffling her hair.

"They burnt it. They burned everything down" bran angrily said.

"Not everything. They didn't burn you. All of you" he encouragingly said to them.

He was happy. He was happy to see them alive and not burnt to crisp. And that was enough for him.

"Hurry now. They may come back. Wear your warmest clothes. Carry as much food as you can and head north to jon". He instructed.

Osha and him fought about going south as the north is dangerous but valeria drowned them out as she shut her eyes close in despair.

She was losing everyone, one at a time.

Maester luwin urged them to go, and valeria initiated on grabbing rickon's hand immediately pulling him away. She knows that if they stay a bit longer it'll be harder to leave.

She swallows the lump on her throat, trembling when she heard him call out to osha. Most likely to end his misery.

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They did as he told, took their warmest clothes and as much food that wasn't burnt. Valeria took daggers for bran and secretly for rickon before taking a bow and a bunch of arrows for hunting.

She took the lightest fur blankets they have to keep them warm on the coldest nights and after that they left almost immediately.

Hodor pulled bran as he lays on a cart whilst the others walked.

They walked on days and camped wherever they are when the night arrived. It was a hard routine for them but after weeks they came to get used to it.

"Well that's our last bread" osha said with a shrug as they watch little rickon swallow it down.

Valeria giggled from bran's cart before she sat up to grab a basket.

They were resting on the grass, it was a somehow pleasant afternoon and they were tired from walking so much.

"Where are you going?" Bran immediately asked.

"I'll go forage some berries- maybe even mushrooms" she said with a smile.

She was one of the reasons why they get to eat other things than stale bread and osha's tasteless rabbits.

She strolled away with summer by her side as she looked at bushes and fallen trees, soon enough she did find blue berries, raspberries and some puffballs.

It was almost dark when she came back but atleast she was able to fill her basket enough to keep them going for a few days without foraging.

They all rested around the fire as they chewed on the berries. "I wonder how you make sure not to get the poisonous ones" osha suddenly said making valeria laugh.

After eating they decided to rest, with osha roaming the place around camp as their look out.

Valeria loved her more as days go by. She saw how much they've grown on her to the point that she was willing to go back north to make sure they're safe.

"Love."

Valeria face bran as she hummed.

"What do you mean when you said you were a doctor once" he finally asked.

Valeria sighed knowing that he'll soon ask about this. She was too panicked with maester luwin dying that she didn't even know she mentioned her past life.

But she had always been nervous of bran being weirded out and losing his love for her once he finds out.

So she breathed nervously before she opened her mouth. "Bran, love. We're men and wife now. So you can't throw me away. Ok?" She softly asked as she nervously looks at him.

With furrowed eyebrows he cups her cheeks." I would never" he whispered sternly. "Do you understand?" He said with raised eyebrows.

She smiled softly as she nods. "i have memories of my past lives."