The One Who Was Promised || Game of Thrones Fanfiction

Chapter 5

RAGNELLE

One month had passed since the royal party had arrived in Winterfell, and roughly three weeks had passed since Bran Stark had fallen from one of the castle's towers. There were many times the Maesters feared he would draw his last breath, but Bran was young and strong, and he fought through whatever complications arose during his recovery. Ragnelle prayed each day for his health; she visited Bran a few times to check on his condition and offer Lady Stark her sympathies. Looking at the young boy laid in his bed, he looked almost peaceful. It was as if he was dreaming of something sweet, but in reality, his situation was dire. The chances of him walking were slim, or even having full mental cognition upon waking.

During the royal party's extended stay in Winterfell, Ragnelle recovered from her encounter with the wildlings. The savages that escaped the battle were never caught; both northerners and southerners tracked them into the vastness of the northern countryside but the trail ran cold quickly. The princess spent two days sick in bed; her sore, cold body trembled violently and no hot bath could cure her ailment. Robert Baratheon spent dawn to dusk in his daughter's room, eating and drinking nothing, even at the behest of his other children and the Queen. It was only when Ragnelle made her full recovery that the King returned to his natural appetite, almost immediately. The King was not the only one ever present in the princess' room while she fought against her sickness; the white hart had slept and waited by her side for the two days it took for her to regain her health. The only time the small creature was missing from her chambers was when he ventured off to graze grass just outside of the walls of Winterfell.

Both northerners and southerners were stunned to see such a magnificent creature. While there were some who wanted to have it killed for the King's glory, Robert forbade anyone from touching the hart. After Robb and the others explained how they had found Ragnelle with the white hart trying to protect her, the King ordered no harm to fall upon the creature.

Once Ragnelle was able to move about the castle, the hart continued to follow her faithfully. He was a friendly creature but displayed blind loyalty to the princess. Myrcella and Tommen tried to play with the fawn while out in the courtyard, but for some reason, the hart paid them no mind unless the princess was around. He was especially displeased with the presence of Joffrey. The crown prince was irritated that the white hart claimed Ragnelle as his master, and he declared that the hart's loyalty should have belonged to him. Robert immediately dispelled that thought to which Joffery begrudgingly obeyed. The prince would sulk every time he attempted to claim the white hart's favour and was unsuccessful.

"Has he a name?" Tommen asked.

The King dined with his wife and children alone while the Lord and Lady of Winterfell took their meals at the bedside of their injured child. On their last night in Winterfell before returning to King's Landing, while they ate their supper, with the hart lying peacefully behind Ragnelle's chair, the children had inquired about what to call him.

Ragnelle chewed her food slowly, smiling at her little brother as she ate. "I've considered all of the suggestions given to me, and I've decided to name him Ban," Ragnelle answered.

Joffrey scoffed to which Ragnelle frowned. "Ban, what a stupid name."

"I think it's lovely," Myrcella piped. The easily recognizable displeasure on Joffrey's face was ever present when his younger siblings did not agree with him.

"I like it too!" Tommen exclaimed. "But what does it mean?"

"I thought of Ban when I was thinking of our family name," Ragnelle explained. The King's eyes moved from his food but he continued to hunch over while eating. "Considering the white hart will become a fully realized stag, which is the sigil of our House, I thought it only appropriate to name him after our family."