GoT AU: The Heart Wants What It Wants

1: Camping Out (Part 1)

Ages:

- Robb, Jon, Gendry, Meera, Ramsay – 19; Sansa, Joffrey – 18; Arya – 16; Bran, Jojen, Myrcella – 15; Rickon, Tommen – 11

Bran

After several days of convincing their parents, they had finally agreed to let them go camping by themselves. Their father, Eddard had agreed almost immediately when his brother, Robb proposed the idea to them during dinner, but their mother had said an instant no.

The Stark household consisted of six kids total, with Jon, the son of Eddard's younger sister, Lyanna, adopted into the family after his mother died giving birth to him. He was the same age with Robb, only about three months younger. Nevertheless, Jon had only ever known the Stark household as family. And the kids saw Jon more than their cousin, but as their brother.

Robb and Jon almost went overboard with maps explaining the safety of them if they go out camping. They printed out a map of the entire Great Barrowton National Park.

"Come on, Mom," Robb pleaded. "It's just in the North."

"Yeah, Aunt Cat," Jon added. "It's only like five kilometers from Moat Cailin."

"And if we need any help," Robb added. "We'll just call Meera's dad since Greywater Watch is only a kilometer from Great Barrowton."

Their mother Catelyn was silent, until it was finally their father who spoke up. "Cat, just let the boys go." He said. "They'll be off to college in three weeks. Let them have their fun."

When Catelyn finally agreed, Arya spoke up. "Can I come with you guys?" She asked.

"No, Arya," Cat said. "You're not going."

"What?" Arya complained. "That's not fair! Meera's going with them. Why can't I?"

Catelyn turned to Robb. "Meera is going with you?" She asked.

Robb nodded. "Yep," He said. "She's bringing Jojen with her. And Gendry's coming too."

When she heard the Reeds were coming, their mother had allowed Arya and him to go with Robb and Jon, much to Rickon's dismay since he would be stuck spending the weekend with Sansa in the Stark manor. She allowed them to go on one condition, they bring their dogs with them.

The dogs were only puppies, but you can hardly tell since they were already as large as two-year-old hounds despite being only four months old. The dogs' breed was called Northern Husky. It was three weeks into summer vacation, their father had been escorting President Robert Baratheon in one of the Military Bases in the North when he came upon six pups, which he had brought home to his six children.

Their mother had been convinced that the dogs had been gifts of the gods to them to stand as their protectors, that is, when Rickon had wondered in the Wolfswood with his husky, Shaggy, when it drove away a wild animal with its loud bark about last week.

Robb and Jon's best friend, Gendry Baratheon is the eldest child among the four children of Robert Baratheon, the President of Westeros and his wife Cersei Baratheon. They had been friends with him since about pre-school, alongside Meera Reed, the only girl in their clique. Meera was the daughter of Howland Reed, their father's good friend from Greywater Watch. Meera's younger brother Jojen was Bran's best friend together with Myrcella Baratheon, Gendry's younger sister.

Like the Starks, the Reeds were also from the North Region of Westeros. Even before Bran and his siblings were born, the two families lived quite close to one another.