Flowers in the Snow- GoT Bastards

Chapter Two

Snow Alone
Ben Snow was hunting when the news of the king's death reached him. He had two rabbits and some fowl already in his bag, and he'd barely been out an hour. Next to him, Robb Stark was tying the deer they had simultaneously shot to a cart to be dragged back to Winterfell. Maester Luwin came riding through the undergrowth at a vicious pace for an old man, a tightly rolled scroll in his hand.
"My lord," he said, ignoring the bastard to his right. "A raven from the Citadel. I'm afraid... I took the liberty of opening it. Pardon, my lord."
"What does it say, maester?" Robb asked, clearly too distracted by Luwin's sudden arrival to comment on would some would call treason.
"The king is dead. King Joffrey Baratheon now sits on the throne."
"How fares my father? In his last letter he mentioned things not going to plan..." The maester hesitated. Only now did he glance at Ben, who was looking concerned as Robb waited on the maester.
"Luwin! Ben is as much a Stark as Jon, but I have always considered him my brother. Anything you have to say to me, can be said to both of us."
Ben smiled grimly. Him and Jon had often talked long into the night about how unnecessarily nice the future Lord of Winterfell was to his father's bastards. They talked of what it must be like to be a true Stark, it's privileges and its drawbacks. Although, Jon had always been more resentful of his parentage than Ben ever was. They were very close in age, and so now at seventeen, the two bastards and the lord knew each other better than they knew anyone else.
"Was there any mention of the girls?" Ben asked, giving the maester some time to get out whatever he was trying to say.
"No, Ben, however, I also received a raven from Kings Landing, with the Lannister seal, signed by your sister, the lady Sansa."
The Lannister seal, Ben thought, concerned for his sisters' safety. He could rely on Arya to be safe, she would end anyone who came near her, but Sansa was soft, and death would worry her, he wondered what the letter was about.
He had thought often of his sisters and half brother. Jon would be taking his vows by now, the poor bastard, swearing off girls and warmth and having fun for the rest of his days. Until now, Sansa would have been spending her time melting over Joffrey and eating as many lemon cakes as was socially acceptable, and Arya would be training with the little sword the Jon and Ben had had made for her. The king's death would make no dent in her, he was sure. She was a fighter. She could live through things worse than most grown men and not be deterred.
But Sansa...
"Come on, Ben, let's go home," Robb whispered. The bastard could tell he was scared. Although the heir to Winterfell made everyone think he was impenetrable, he had shared his weaknesses with Jon and Ben, and his biggest weakness was his family.
******************
"Treason?" Robb said, confused. "Sansa wrote this?" Emotion filled his voice.
"It is your sister's hand, but the queens words," Maester Luwin said soothingly. Theon looked confused, having been summoned to the great hall. "You have been summoned to King's Landing to swear fealty to the new king."
"Joffrey puts my father in chains and now he wants his arse kissed?" Robb was angry now, seething. Ben put his hand on his shoulder.
"It will be fine. If our father kneels, they will show mercy and he can come home. The worst that will happen is that he'll be sent to the Wall."
"This is a royal command my lord," Luwin interrupted. "If you refuse to obey-"
"I won't refuse," Robb said quietly. "If His Grace summons me to King's Landing, I'll go to King's Lading. But not alone."
Ben could see the gears turning in Robb's eyes as his love for his family swallowed him. Ben knew what his next words would be even before his brother did. He winced.
"Call the banners."
"All of them, my lord?" Luwin asked, as Theon smirked; proud bastard.
"They've all sworn to defend my father, have they not."
"They have."
"Let's see what their words are worth." The maester grunted his approval and left the room.
"Robb, you are declaring war on the most powerful house in Westeros!" Ben said. "I know that family means everything thing to you, you have more of your mother in you than you think: Family, Duty, Honour. But what you are proposing means war."
They sat in silence while Robb brooded, before Theon asked, "You afraid?"
Robb looked down at his shaking hands. "I must be."
"Good."
"Why is that good," Ben and Robb simultaneously asked.
"Because it means your not stupid. The bastard's right." Theon said, throwing a glance at Ben. "You just started a war."
**************
Rieka was waiting when Ben went outside that night. He was feeling rather alone in the world, given that his father and sisters were being held hostage in the south, Jon had gone to the Wall, thinking he could be worthy of being a Stark and now Robb had declared war on the Lannister's by bringing his banners to Winterfell.
He buried his face in the direwolf's white and grey fur. He never had anyone to hold, no mother to hug him when he cried. Rieka, who's name meant power of the wolf, was all the bastard had. He had ever been stunning with a sword, or overly conversational. Even Jon had been recognised for his swordsmanship. Ben was the forgotten bastard. And that was saying something; he was the forgotten of the forgotten. And now he had no doubt that Robb would command him to stay at Winterfell while he took Theon of to war, leaving Ben to babysit Bran and Rickon.
The second bastard of WInterfell sobbed into his wolf's shoulder, who whined in response. Together they padded through the warm corridors and out onto the battlements. The stone was cold, and the last of his tears froze to his face.
Ben didn't know how long he stood there, but too soon a glow appeared in the west, lighting the summer snows a golden colour that was too bright for his mood.
Ben Snow warmed himself up, wiped away his tears and prepared to become the acting lord of Winterfell. Oh, what he would give to have Jon here beside him, his sisters, his father, even Lady Catelyn. At this point, even a cold stare would be better than being left alone in the North to freeze to death, because whether or not Robb noticed or cared, it had snowed that night. Like it or not:
Winter was truly coming.