Winter Is Our Fury

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Three-Eyed Raven

The days that Jon was gone, Aris found herself constantly surrounded by the Lords and Ladies. They asked for her opinion of what action to take next, the next step in preparing for the winter and the dead it brought with it. It was a great responsibility as Lady of Winterfell. She now had the responsibility of lives and the entire North in her hands. Aris was grateful she had Sansa to turn to when she came up short. Leading an entire nation was something she never wished for, Sansa was always the one who wanted to be queen someday.

Snow was falling lightly over Winterfell. Washing the land in a layer of white snow. The people worked hard rebuilding parts of Winterfell, others worked on building armour and keeping to the animals.

While Sansa was dealing with Lord Royce, Little Finger and Maester Wolkon about food storage and numbers; Aris was busy dealing with the issue of reinforcements.

She was inside the warmth of the Hall at a table with a map of Winterfell and pawns of each house in the North. Around the table were men in charge of the workers.

"We have to close off every other possible entry into Winterfell except the main gates of course." explained Aris. "They'll have to be built stronger. Each corner of Winterfell will have to be manned from the walls. We're expecting every house in the North to come to Winterfell."

"My Lady," said a man. "Where will all these people sleep?"

"The men fighting will have to set up tents outside the walls, the women and children will have to be inside. We can find any place for them, they can fill up the hall if must."

"Of course, My Lady."

"I also want shipments for arrow sticks. Hundreds- thousands. We'll need them once Jon brings back Dragonglass."

"All do respect." said another. "What if Lord Jon can't and the Dragon Queen refuses."

Aris fell silent. She stared down at the map laid across the table. "Keep faith my brother will do what has to be done. I know he'll convince the Dragon Queen to help us."

The hall door came open and a gust of cool air rushed into the room. A man came forward and said, "My Lady, there's people at the gate... They claim to be Bran Stark, My Lady."

Aris' heart leapt threw her chest. It was impossible. Bran was dead and the vision she had with Bran after she left Kings Landing when Joffrey was killed sent her mind into a spiralling whirlwind of confusion.

She left the table and followed the man outside into the snow. She tracked through the growing layers of snow and her warm breath was visible on the cold air. People surrounded a cart at the gate, her heart pounded. Aris hurriedly pushed her way threw to the other end of the cart unsure of what to expect.

There was Bran. Her brother laying on the back of the horse cart covered in Wilding furs and snow. His face became slimmer and longer and his hair was still the same brown tuff of mess. Beside the cart was a black headed girl wearing the same Wilding furs.

A breath escaped Aris at the sight of her brother alive.

Bran stared back at his sister with dull brown eyes. For as long as they had been apart Aris barely changed, it was almost like they left Winterfell yesterday. Bran's eyes trailed to the evident bump on her stomach knowing full well about the horrors she endured.

Aris climbed onto the cart and threw her arms around Bran's wide shoulders. "I'm so glad you're alive." she whispered to him.

Bran remained silent and unmoving. He wasn't the lively boy he used to be. Winter had changed the boy she once knew. "Hello Aris." he greeted with a deep monotone voice. She pulled back and smiled warmly.

Sansa had now broken through the crowd and paused seeing Bran with Aris. A shaky breath escaped her and tears swelled.

"Hello Sansa." greeted Bran.

The red headed Stark girl threw herself onto Bran enveloping him in a tight hug overwhelmed by his sudden appearance. Aris smiled at her brother and sister reuniting.

They welcomed Bran Stark back into their home, back to Winterfell. It was a shame Jon wasn't here to see him home. They gave Bran new clothes and gave the girl he was with a room after thanking her for looking after their brother. They fed Bran and the Wilding girl who scoffed her food hungrily as she sat by the warmth of the fire.

Aris then introduced Randyl to Bran and Bran claimed to know who he was already and claimed to be something he called 'the three eyed raven'.

Randyl glanced upwards slightly confused and Aris shrugged unsure. But ever since Bran came through the gates, a heavy thought weighed her mind. She had to tell Bran she was with a child. The child of a man who was a monster.

The three Stark siblings sat under the great red oak tree in the Godswood and the pond that was frozen over. Bran was hoisted beside the tree to sit by the face carved into the white wood. Sansa sat on the rocks of the frozen pond and Aris stood by the tree, with Randyl in her sights who attempted to build a man out of the snow.

"I wish Jon were here." said Sansa.

"Yes. I need to speak to him." replied Bran.

"You're fathers last living true born son. You're Lord of Winterfell now."

"I can never be Lord of Winterfell." said Bran striking shock into his sisters. "I can never be Lord of anything. I'm the Three Eyed Raven."

Aris furrowed her eyebrows. "You keep saying that, Bran, what does it mean?"

"It's difficult to explain."

"Try. For us."

"It means I can see everything." explained Bran and the sisters shared a look. "Everything that's ever happened to anyone. Everything that's happening right now. It's all pieces now, fragments. I need to learn to see better. When the Long Night comes again, I need to be ready." he then glanced from the face in the tree to his eldest sister. "You have the gift too, Aris. You can do it too if you tried. You've done it before."

"I don't know how..." she trailed off nervously. She never though anything of these visions she had while she slept or how she saw through the eyes of animals.

"I can show you how."

Sansa interrupted, "How do you know all this?" she was mostly curious.

"The Three-Eyed Raven taught me."

"I thought you were the Three-Eyed Raven?"

"I told you it's difficult to explain."

Sansa sighed frustrated. "Bran-"

"I'm sorry for all that's happened to you. To both of you. I'm sorry it had to happen here in our home." said Bran looking between his sisters before his dull eyes settled on Aris. "It was beautiful that night. Snow falling, just like now. And you were so beautiful, in your white wedding dress."

Aris swallowed nervously fiddling with her dress and she gazed at Sansa who shared the same expression. Aris was reminded the horrible night of her wedding to Ramsay Bolton.

"You're pregnant, I know." announced Bran. She gazed down at her feet. "I also know what happened to the Bandits, I saw it happen. Wyllim betrayed you and killed you're friends. You helped Randyl escape."

The boy stopped gathering the snow and paused. His baby blue eyes pierced across the frozen pond in shock. What Bran was saying all along was true. Although his body was broken, his mind was the strongest tool.

"I need to go." Aris murmured and hurried away. Randyl looked from Aris' retreating form back to the Stark siblings shocked and confused.

For a moment she wondered how she could care for a baby during the Winter and with the threat of the Night King and the dead, she wondered if her baby would even survive.