The Harsh Reality of Winter: A Game of Thrones Story (Watty Awards 2012)

Her legs trembled in the cold

Alone, binding through the woods

She stood out from the harsh surroundings

A torn and tattered dress that had peasant written all over it,

Brown legs that seemed much too alien to originate from the area...

This was her, unnamed girl, wandering the cold without proper foot-coverings

She happened upon a strange place

Where she saw a boy-no, a young man-walking by

She quickly dove, avoiding all contact with that weird alien

He heard her sounds, became alarmed

Withdrawing his sword, the man of the snow surveyed his surroundings

Nothing there, nothing here

He wouldn't let go of his slight fear, not that easily

She shifted through the snow, trying to escape

He spotted her behind the tree, quickly and surely

He was faster than she, throwing her to the ground and sticking his sword at her throat

It was then he realized, this unknown girl was but a child

He guessed she was three or four years below his ageyear

"Are you going to hurt me like all the others?" she asked through tears, "are you going to hurt me, paleman?"

He was taken aback, mirroring himself within her innocence

"I'm a Dragon! now stay away before-before I set you ablaze!" she shouted.

He chuckled, "you are not a Dragon."

She backed away, still fearing this man, "yes I am!"

"Where is your tail, Dragon?"

She stammered, "it's not that easy..."

Life, she meant, was not that easy

That's how he interpreted her utterance of words

She was still shaken, her arms trembling in the cold snow

"Where is your family?" he asked, knowing better than to say such a thing.

"Dead," she said without remorse, "dead like all the others."

Having been through a heavy loss himself, he could see the sadness that plagued her eyes rather than her words.

"You're from the wall, aren't you?"

He expected that question, "yes, I am."

"I knew you had to be. A man dressed like you with a shiny sword and clean skin is no wildling."

She drew her legs closer to her chest and buried her face

The tears came faster than ever

Maybe she was sensing the sadness coming off this man?

He reached out to her, but quickly drew away

I shall take no wife

He must remember his vows

Suppress any and all feelings...

He didn't want to feel anything for her

She was nothing