Among Lions and Wolves • |Book 1|

.chapter seven.

He had not been hard to find, she thought as she watched him sitting near a window overlooking the yard below. Ghost padded over to him, nudging him with his cold, wet nose.

Startled by the presence of his wolf and Rhaella, Jon jumped to his feet, "My lady," he said in a gruff voice. "I-I didn't... I-uh..." he struggled to string together a sentence. Drawing in a deep breath of cold air, Jon tried again, "How are you?"

Rhaella looked at her gloved hands, she hadn't really thought much of the man that tried to rape her since that night. She had forced herself to try and forget, after all, he had not succeeded. But it was still the thought of being stripped naked by a man twice her size and doing nothing about it that haunted her.

"I suppose as well as any could be... given the circumstance," she replied softly. And after much silence, she reached up to unbuckle the cloak. "I've come to return something that belongs to you."

"Keep it," he said. Her fingers hovered over the leather straps. She looked up at him to see he looked to be in pain. "It's cold here."

She lowered her hand and her eyes. Ghost sat between them, his head swiveling this way and that, watching them.

"Thank you," she finally said. "I don't know how I can repay you for the generosity you've shown me. It's more than anyone has shown me since I've arrived." She stepped forward, curious about what he had been watching out the window just before her arrival.

Jon stepped back, he wasn't sure if she still required distance but all the same, he gave her some.

She leaned against the window, he eyes looking down at the boys with their wooden swords. "Are you not allowed to join them?" She asked, spotting Joffrey snickering behind his hand as Tommen whacked Bran on the arm.

"I'm a bastard," he replied. "Lady Stark doesn't think it wise for a bastard to interact with the royal children."

"I wonder how she'd take this," Rhaella commented under her breath. She turned to look at Jon who was staring down at his hands. "I suppose it is wise, the queen would be none too pleased if she saw you and Joffrey would torment you. He always torments those who can do nothing about it."

"My lady, forgive me for what I am about to say, but why are you speaking to me? I am a  bastard."

"No," she found herself smiling at him, "you are human. Your parenting is no fault of yours. And I can trust you."

"Robb can be trusted too."

She turned back to look out the window, her eyes meeting his. "Can he?" She asked. "I should be able to go to him, to cry into his arms and to wear his cloak and have his wolf by my side, yet I can not. All I can do is look at him from afar. I do not feel safe with him," she turned from the window. "But I do feel safe with you."

She had left Jon Snow alone in the room over looking the practice yard. Where she went, he could not have guessed.

Jon returned back to the window, glancing out to find the crowned prince had left and so had Robb. Theon remained, cheering on Bran who looked as if he was growing bored of swinging the wooden swords. Tommen merely struggled to keep up.

"You should stay away from her." Jon turned to find Robb standing there, his face red. He said nothing as his half brother walked further into the room. "People are already talking. Do you know how that makes me look?"

He kept silent, watching Robb carefully as the Stark boy walked over to the window and stared out it.

"I know it's not every day a beautiful girl like her comes to Winterfell but she is mine! She could never marry you, you're a bastard and she is the ward of Tywin Lannister. You think he'd allow her to marry you?"

"I had no intentions of marrying her," he said. He had no intentions of even speaking to her, yet she sought him out. "I had no intentions of speaking to anyone or even being seen for that matter. Your mother made it perfectly clear."

"Good," Robb turned to face him.

He and Jon stared at one another, Robb's blue eyes narrowed into tiny slits while Jon just stood there.

"She's frightened," he finally said, realizing he could probably fix things by helping Robb out. "You will have to be cautious with her but if she sees you trying, she might let you in. Go to her, offer her your cloak. Give her your wolf. Make her feel safe in Winterfell."

"How do you know this?"

Jon sighed, jealously was clouding Robb's better judgment, "I was the one that found her that night," he admitted. "She was petrified. I only gave her my cloak because she had no clothes, and Ghost refused to leave her side. She begged me not to fetch anyone. You're her intended, not I! It should be you making here feel safe in Winterfell, after all, as you've said, I'm only just a bastard."

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I had a grasp on Jon, and then I sorta lost it. I was also conflicted on letting you in on the little detail that Jon encourages Robb to approach Rhaella.

Also isn't it sad when two brothers that get on so well are torn apart?
Jon is all; "I don't  want your girl" and Robb is all; "Yes you do, everyone does!" Because little do we know, Joffrey is never one to be quiet.