Lives Intertwined

Welcome to Winterfell

They met at his house, standing behind the french doors, watching as the snowflakes drifted to the ground. Behind them, the glow of the fireplace left soft shadows dancing on the walls. Teenagers lounged on the suede couch. By the time the wooden clock perched above the mantle struck one o'clock, the buzz had simmered down, replaced by low murmurs of conversations filling the room with a comfortable ambience.

He looked around, catching the eye of his brother who was spread out on the couch, talking to a group of guys and girls he recognized from school. With an arm casually swung around the back of the couch, Robb let out a laugh before interjecting his own recollection of a story. Conversations had branched off about an hour ago and Jon knew that it was only a matter of time before Robb, in his Robb-like manner, would thank everyone for coming before treating them to a smile and a promise to do it again sometime soon.

Jon often could not believe he and Robb shared the same genes. They were on two separate sides of the social spectrum. As he often did, Jon was lost in thought when he heard the soft footsteps approaching.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A girl noticeably younger than all of the other houseguests took a step towards the door, gesturing to the falling snow. No, she wasn't Robb's friend, but she looked a couple of years older than Sansa's playmates. The first thing that startled Jon was her hair. The girl in mention had hair so blonde it was a blindly platinum. As she turned to look at him, her eyes appeared like they could pierce through him. They were a glistening blue with wisps of violet intertwined. Jon did not know how to respond, deciding to just smile and nod in response.

"Dany," she outstretched her hand, seemingly pleased when he reached out his own and clasped it on hers before he uttered, "Jon." Jon shifted his weight from his left foot to his right, diverting eye contact with her. She took a step towards the window. The colors of her face reflected off the glass doors.

"I've never seen snow before," she kept her eyes locked on the wilderness outside, "We moved up here from California just last weekend." She wrapped her arms around herself, covering herself from the slight draft.

"Must've been quite a change, then," Jon spoke, turning to glance at her.

"You have no idea," Dany gave him a slight smile.

He watched as she continued to gaze outside. They stood in silence for a minute until he began,"If you want we could . . ." Jon reached his hand for the handle, turning the lock one time. He looked down at her, waiting.

She took a second, but then nodded. As he pulled open the door, they were hit by a brisk breeze. The snow had just started to fall. The grass was still green and tiny flakes glided to the ground. Dany took a step outside with Jon at her heel. He watched as she gazed up at the sky, a childlike wonder clear in her eyes. She spun around, lifting her hands to feel the drifting snow.

As she did, she was almost knocked over. "Ghost!" Jon exclaimed, watching as his dog slid past, narrowly avoiding her. She just let out a laugh as she ran after Ghost until they were a couple of feet away from Jon. He couldn't help but notice how she blended into the white surroundings, her silver hair matching perfectly with the fresh snow. He was about to go after them when he heard footsteps quickly approaching.

"Dany," someone yelled. Jon turned on his heel to see one of the boys Robb was talking to running outside. He unmistakably had the same hair color as Dany. Jon guessed the genes were strong in their family. Dany spun to look at her brother, her hair falling gently, framing her face with her silver locks.

"You're gonna freeze out here," Dany's brother wrapped his arm around her shoulder, rubbing it for warmth. Dany just rolled her eyes before taking a few steps ahead, "You worry too much, Rhaegar."

Jon followed them inside, closing the door behind them. "Maybe so," the now identified brother, Rhaegar, began, "But Mom and Dad would kill me if you got sick on my watch." Jon fumbled with the lock, trying not to intrude on their conversation.

"We should probably get going anyway. It's getting late and we have school tomorrow." Dany sighed, crossing her arms, but her tactics did not work. With a huff, Rhaegar led Dany towards the front of the room, stopping by Robb, "Hey, thanks for inviting us, Robb. See you in school tomorrow? It'll be nice to see a friendly face."

Robb immediately stood up, walking the two of them towards the door. While their brothers were talking, Dany looked at Jon, mouthing, "See you," and she gave him a quick smile before she was led outside.

Robb shut the door behind them before walking back towards the living room. Passing Jon, he offered, "They were nice. Cool to see some new faces here." Jon nodded.

.....

Winterfell was a tiny town a little drive away from Boston. It was secluded enough that the community was small and the school district was even smaller. The Starks had grown up there and their parents had no intention of ever leaving. With their father as the mayor, it was their own little paradise.

The center of town had all the necessities. There was a convenience store where Arya, Bran and Rickon would always make Jon stop to get them snacks. The coffee shop was by the corner where everyone knew everyone and the baristas already remembered Jon's order. A little past the school was a pathway through the woods that Jon would always take with Ghost whenever he needed a little peace and quiet. Winterfell was good. It was quiet. It was home.

No one had moved to the town for a good five years or so. The small town life wasn't for everyone and that was okay. As Jon learned later, the Targaryen family moved to Winterfell from Los Angeles, well not the entire family. It was strictly gossip from around the streets, but it seemed like the only Targaryens at Winterfell were Daenerys and Rhaegar. Something about their parents having to take an emergency trip to visit the other brother, Viserys, who was working through some things at a center in Calabasas.

There was a lot of talk about the poor children without their parents. What type of parents would do that? Leave a high school senior in a house to take care of his kid sister (Dany would argue that she was only 4 years younger, but her opinion on this matter did not matter).

By the time school came around, the news of the Targaryen arrival was well circulated. The real reason Robb invited them was because Ned thought it was a good idea to invite them over with open arms. Catelyn wanted to know if the gossip was true, but she kept quiet.

.....

"And did you learn anything interesting about them," Catelyn had asked at breakfast the next day. Robb gave her a knowing look before she put her hands up, "Look, I was just asking." Robb took a bite of an apple before swinging his backpack over his right shoulder. He snaked through the mess of backpacks on the ground and shoes tossed about.

"There's nothing to talk about. They're both really cool," Robb stuck an english muffin in his mouth. With that signal, Catelyn knew to stop questioning. Jon took one last bite of his french toast before clearing off his plate and pulling on his shoes one by one.

"See you later, Mom," Robb called back, halfway out the door. Jon followed suit, jumping into the passenger seat. They drove for a bit, Jon looking out the window at the streets lightly dusted with snow.

"Excited for your first year of high school," Robb said, shooting Jon a smile.

"It'll be the same as every year," Jon responded, "Same kids since elementary school."

"Can't argue you on that," Robb pulled into the school parking lot. As they pulled into a spot, Robb immediately was summoned by a couple of way too loud for a Monday morning guys and way too dressed up for any school day girls. Jon hung back, watching as Robb got pulled away into a sea of students.

As he started towards the school entrance, he saw a car pull into a spot by the front of the school. The windows were pulled down and he could see strands of platinum hair blowing in the wind. The two passengers exited the car, unaware of Jon's presence. Dany was wearing a long coat that went way past her knees. Bundled up with a scarf, hat and matching gloves, you would've thought she was taking a trip to the Arctic.

Robb, now a few steps behind Dany and Rhaegar, called out, "Long time no see." Rhaegar smiled, giving Robb a fist bump before introducing Dany and himself to Robb's group of friends. As they walked into the building, Jon followed, only a few steps behind.