WE MIGHT FALL (J.SNOW 2)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ALEC HAD CONVINCED HER TO STAY a week longer. She did not know what the occasion was, but her brother had become incredibly excitable the day before she was due to leave, eager for her to stay at Stillwater for a few days more, despite not disclosing the reason why. Cynthia did not complain, though she was sure her husband would be displeased at her delayed return (that was if he had returned to Horn Hill by the time she got there), as she was more than happy to remain with her family for as long as possible.

She spent a great amount of time with the young ones during her time back at home, she realised that for some time she had been neglecting them to focus on the elder members of her family, and on others, rather than enjoying their company as she often used to. 

"How about archery?" She queried. Cynthia was lying flat on her bed, or rather not hers but Alyssa's, while the twins lay either side of her. The three of them were staring at the ceiling as if expecting it to conjure its own idea of what the three of them should get up to during Cynthia's few remaining days at home. She did not think she would see this place again any time soon, nor them until they were old enough to visit her at Horn Hill, so they wanted to make every moment last as long as possible. 

"I am far better than you at archery now, Cyn." Asher exclaimed, much older than he had been when the family had visited Winterfell. Though that had only really been 3 years ago, for a growing boy 3 years meant a lot more maturity, and Asher was almost a young man now that Cynthia looked at him closely. 

"I highly doubt that." She challenged. No one was better than her at archery, that was merely a fact, no hint of boasting at all. "How about our own miniature tournament. Even Alec will participate, I'm sure." Not that Alec was, in reality, much good at archery, but having a tournament between the two of them would neither last very long nor be very interesting. 

"Yes." Alyssa, bounced up and off of the bed with excitement, finally having found something to do. "Oh, do say yes, Ash." She insisted at her fair haired brother, whom begrudgingly clambered off of the bed to join his sister on their feet. Cynthia followed, deciding to go and find Alec and join the twins in the courtyard after. 

Something had been off with Alec of late; since Livia had left for her new home at Hornwood, he had been acting strangely. Not necessarily in a bad way, it was not as though he were ill or concerned for any particular reason, but he seemed more alert, as if waiting for something, more excitable than he had seemed in some time. Perhaps with two of his sisters married, it reminded him that he and Wylla Manderly would soon seal their alliance. Or maybe there was something going on that Cynthia simply did not know anything about. Either way he did not seem open to talk about it, for every time she asked what it was that had him so changed in his behaviour, he merely said nothing with a mischievous glint in his eye. She hoped, whatever it was, she would find out soon, as the curiosity was killing her in suspense. 

"Alec?" She knocked on his bedroom door and then let herself in. He was sat by the window, looking out on Stillwater with eager eyes. "Would you, at all, be interested in going us in a friendly archery competition?" She smiled, despite the fact he had his back to her. 

"You, competing at archery?" She was sure he would have his eyebrow raised, she did not need to see it to know that much. "Surely you already know the winner." He chuckled, and stood up with the same, warm smile he always wore when around her. 

"Is that a yes?" She cocked an eyebrow up at him, and his smile widened somewhat. 

"Yes, all right." He nodded slowly. "I presume by us, you mean the twins." 

"Do you truly think I would manage to convince mother and father to participate?" She snickered, as Alec followed her out of his bedroom and they began to walk through the winding corridors of Stillwater Keep. "I doubt Alyssa will be joining in, but Asher is determine to try and beat me."

Alec still seemed distant, he smiled at her comment and his eyes remained ahead but his thoughts didn't look as though they were registering. She had tried to ask what was so different, but he would not answer her. She was sure it could not be anything bad, but it was infuriating not knowing, nevertheless. 

When they reached the courtyard, Asher had already retrieved a bow and some arrows, while his sister set up multiple targets at ranging distances. The pair of them were truly going all out for this, which made both Alec and Cynthia smile with pride and mild enthusiasm, but it also reminded them both that this would be the last time the four of them spent any real time together, so it was only right to put in all of their effort. 

"Asher, why don't you go first?" Alec said calmly, approaching where the bows were kept on a neat rack, and obtaining two. "Then myself, then Cyn." 

"Save the best till last." She smirked, nodding at her brother before accepting one of the bows from his extended hand. She would miss him, she realised, when she left. She had missed him already, having been away for a year, but she would miss him more when she left again in a few days. He had always been one of her best friends, despite being her brother too; where Cynthia and Livia had despised each other since they could talk, Alec had forever been Cynthia's big brother, whom she looked up to and adored. He had been her hero, and out of all of her siblings he was always the one she had the most in common with. He trained her, hunted with her, read to her - he became not only a sort of replacement father, but the person she trusted the most. It had been painful saying goodbye to him, first for the war with Robb and then when she left for Horn Hill, and it would be harder to say goodbye again, especially so soon after being reunited. 

"All right," Asher cocked his arrow and shot. He hit the target, which was far better than he had achieved the last time Cynthia had seen him attempt at archery - in fact, his arrow hit the blue ring with ease. Alyssa clapped excitably from the nearby fence, all the while impressed. 

"My turn." Alec stepped forward and shot his own arrow. His arrow was close to Asher's, though just within the red. Alyssa continued to clap with enthusiasm and a broad smile.

Cynthia stepped forward and shot her arrow. It landed straight on the bullseye without even a hint of straying. Alyssa clapped even more. 

They continued for a few rounds, each target getting further from where the three were stood. Asher was good, and getting better with each arrow that hit the target; Cynthia was proud of him. She could remember the hopeless endeavours to teach him when he was younger, and all of the arrows which simply flew straight over the target and hit something way off in the distance. It was hard to believe that the same boy was competing with her now. Competing being the correct term, because although he was trying to beat her, his arrows had not yet hit the yellow. Whereas Cynthia scored a bullseye each time. 

"I'm backing out." Alec sighed in the penultimate round, raising his hands solemnly. He had seemed a bit more with it while playing, and now as he leant beside Alyssa on the fence, his focus was trained on the archery more than anything else. Whatever had been capturing his attention earlier must have been forgotten about for the time being. "This one is between the pair of you." 

Alec stepped forward and shot his arrow; it landed in the yellow, but not close enough to the middle to be a bullseye. Both Alyssa and Alec clapped at him as he put down his bow and turned to watch his sister line up her final shot. In seconds, her arrow had hit the target. Bullseye. 

Only one person clapped though. And when she turned to her right, she found that it was not any of her siblings, but rather someone stood behind her, bearing an all too familiar smile.