Magic, Power and Glory (Game of Thrones)

Winterfell Was Once My Home

a/n: there's gonna be a bit of smut at the end of this

I sat in the Godswood, listening to my surroundings. In the dead of winter no birds caw or cry, and no bugs are around to make their noises. You can barely hear what men are doing with heightened hearing, as everyone is inside, most likely huddled by the fires.

When I was young, Winterfell was full of life, even on cold days. Birds would sing, and bugs would make those odd noises, and you could hear men running around if you listened hard enough. Of course, I never had much time to just sit here, but when I did I enjoyed it just as much as I enjoyed playing games with my family.

Theon is in the Godswood somewhere, but he is probably just as quiet as I am. He never liked to sit before the Heart Tree when he was alone, and I understand that. The leaves were five-pointed and looked a bit like blood red hands, and the face was carved to make it look like the tree was weeping. The blood red sap spilling from the eyes of the tree made it even more eery.

Snow fell down onto the trees, and every once in a while a large collection of it would fall to the ground, further dusting it with snow. The hot pools were frozen over, which has apparently never happened before, and a few of the trees were dying. No living man has seen a winter this cold, and it worries me.

The White Walkers are drawn to the cold, and they also intensify it. This winter will either end very soon, or never at all. It is such a sad and difficult thing to think about, but it is merely the truth. The truth hurts a lot, especially now that I have my own children to care for.

Robb must have felt a similar way at the Red Wedding. He knew that he would either live or die, and it was the same with his wife as arrows rained down. I know he hoped that at least mother and I lived, but he wanted to live too. He was rather selfless, but not by that much. Very few are.

"My queen?" Theon asked, quietly. "May I sit with you?"

"Theon, we have known each other since we were children and were in love for a while," I reminded him, smirking out of amusement. "Of course you can sit, and there is no need to call me your queen when it is just us. I do believe Robb told you the same thing."

"Before I betrayed him," Theon muttered, sitting next to me. "I should have died with him. I should have been at the Red Wedding, protecting him and dying by his side. Last time I told you this, you yelled at me and it hurt. All I wanted to do was something I now have the courage to do once again."

Before I knew what Theon meant, his lips were on mine. I reacted by kissing him back, but then I realised what was happening and I pushed him away. He did not look surprised or hurt. There was a grin on his face, which will never be as handsome as it once was.

"I still want to make you scream my name and to make you wetter then the sea," Theon said. "You get that from Aegon, though. I am happy that he loves you more then I ever could and ever have. I am sorry, Valyria. For everything. I have done things you do not know about too."

Theon looked like a small child again. He looked like the same scared little boy who had first come to Winterfell as my father's ward all those years ago. I wanted to comfort him, but at the same time I wanted to slap him. He knows he is confusing me, but he does not care.

I saw how torn he was inside. He was still trying to move away from being Reek, but surely the memories are still there. They must be, or he would still smile the way he used to, and be as confident too. He is not the same young man who hides how broken he is anymore.

"I had Allister wipe something from your mind," Theon whispered. "Please, just let me show you."

He held out his hand, so I took it. I could feel power, but it just was not enough. I opened up my mind and focused on finding what he was trying to show me, which is hard to find through gloves. When I say hard, I mean it hurts my head a little bit...