The Bastards of Winterfell

Michael Snow I (Ten years later and twelve years old)

Robb, Jon, and I were running around the courtyard of Winterfell playing tag in the afternoon, an hour before supper.

- "Hey I have a great idea!", Robb said.

- "What?", Jon asked.

- "How about we nick a few wooden swords from the armory and play Knights?", Robb offered.

- "Sweet! I call being Barristan the Bold!", Jon said.

- "I am Sir Author Dayne!", I shouted.

- "I'm King Robert!", Robb announced.

Sneaking past the guards in the armory was simple because we used a secret tunnel underneath the floor and in no time, we were in the training yard playing Knights. For around 15 minutes we were sword fighting with our wooden swords, pretending to be the great warriors in Roberts Rebellion. Me and Robb were dueling when he hit me in the chest and I fell to the ground, playing dead. Then and he and Jon started to duel for a few minutes, but Jon accidentally hit Robb in the head. The hit was hard enough to cause Robb to fall to the ground. As we rushed over to him to see if he was all right, when we heard "HOW DARE YOU STRIKE MY SON?!". I turned around in horror to see who it was, but I already knew, me and Jon's most hated person in the Seven Kingdoms: Lady Catelyn. I knew well enough what she was going to do to us both. And I swore a vow at the Wierwood that I will never let this hateful bitch harm my brother again, not after what she did last time. When she came marching in our direction I stood in front of her, not letting her near Jon.

- "Get out of my way, bastard!", she growled. I shook my head, staring into those hateful blue eyes.

- "Jon run!", I screamed, not daring to turn away from her steely glare. Then Lady Catelyn raised her hand and smacked me in the face so hard that I could taste blood.

- "Do you want another one, Snow?!", she shouted as I was cupping the cheek she hit, holding back tears. I will never let her see me cry.

- I stood up and said with a glare, "I will never let you harm my brother again, so if that is what it takes for you to stop being a bitch to him, then I will ".

Lady Catelyn raised her hand again, but was stopped by the commanding voice of Lord Eddard.

- "What in seven hells is going on here?!", father demanded. Lady Catelyn turned towards his direction.

- "That black-haired little shit struck your son and I want him punished!", she screamed.

- "It was an accident; we were just playing Knights", I pleaded.

- "I don't believe that for a second", she scoffed.

- "Enough Catelyn! Michael, do you know Jon ran off to", commanded father. I nodded. Not looking at him.

- "Ok, where is he?", father asked.

- "I cant tell you that", I answered.

- "Why not, son?", asked father.

- "Because that is where we go to hide from your hateful wife", I growled. Earning a glare from her.

- "Catelyn take Robb to Maester Luwin", father said.

After Lady Catelyn took Robb, father took me into his study.

- "I am sorry for Cat", father said.

- "You don't have to apologize, you're not the person that hit me for protecting my brother. Anyway, I have given up on caring on how she treats us a while ago. Especially when Jon got the pox", I said.

- "What do you mean?", he asked.

- "A couple of years ago I was going to the sept. You see, I was interested in the Faith of the Seven and I wanted to know more about their gods. So, I walked in and Lady Catelyn was there praying. She looked like she was crying, and I was about to ask if there was anything wrong but then she started to pray aloud", I said.

- "About what son?", he asked.

- "She said that she couldn't stand it anymore. That she couldn't look into our grey eyes without thinking about your betrayal, how Jon and I shouldn't be alive. And then she prayed to the Stanger to take us away, to make us die. I ran out hoping that her gods wouldn't be so cruel, but it wasn't until a week later that Jon got the pox", I continued.

- "She shouldn't have done that", father said.

- "Yet she did it anyway. That is when I knew that there no possible way for that women to be a mother to us. And after Jon got better, we found the hiding spot. Father, when you're not here, there is no one to restrain her for punishing us. I wont tell you where he is hiding, but I will go get him", I spoke and left his study without saying another word.