The Remnant of the Pack - Book 1 - GoT

Prince of Winterfell

Bran's eyes snapped open as soon as the door to his bedroom did too. He frowned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he watched Theon walked inside.

"Where is your sister?" He asked.

Bran took a moment to look around and noticed how Theon was wearing a full armor with a kraken on his chest. He frowned more when he saw an unknown man behind him, his chest also displaying the sigil of house Greyjoy.

"Away." Bran answered, as Theon groaned.

"Where?"

"I don't know. She didn't tell me."

"How long has she been away?"

"A fortnight."

Theon let out an annoyed breath.

"Well, I've taken your castle anyway." He said.

"Theon?" Bran asked, rather confused.

"It's Prince Theon now." He corrected. "Get up. You have to get dressed. I've taken Winterfell. I took it. I'm occupying it. I sent men over the walls with grappling claws and ropes."

"Why?"

"To take the castle."

"You went with Robb." Bran noted, using the lever over his bed to sit up on his own.

"And he sent me back to Pyke." Theon said, looking away from Bran and out through the window of his bedroom. "I'm a Greyjoy. I can't fight for Robb and my father both. Where's Hodor?"

"I don't know." Bran said again.

"Find the halfwit." Theon ordered the man that came with him, as he nodded and left. Then, he turned around to face Bran again. "My men are bringing your people together in the courtyard."

"Why?"

"So you and I can go down and tell them how you've yielded Winterfell to me."

"I won't." Bran challenged, as Theon rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you will."

"I won't." The young boy insisted. "I'll never yield. We'll fight you and throw you out."

Sighing again, Theon sat beside Bran in his bed and looked down at him. He had expected that kind of behaviour from Ylina, but he supposed he should have known. Bran had been basically brought up by the girl and he looked up to her almost as much as she did to Robb.

"The castle is mine. But these people are still yours." Theon argued, trying to convince Bran to yield to him without any sort of fighting. "You'll yield to keep them safe, to keep them alive. That's what a good lord would do."

Bran stayed silent for a moment and Theon lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Think carefully about what you want to say."

Sighing, Bran realized Theon was right. He had heard a few of Ylina's conversations with Maester Luwin before she left a few days before. We don't have the men to protect the castle, she had said. Even if Ser Rodrik returns, we don't have the numbers. If she was right, there would be no use in trying to fight the Ironborn. And Ylina was usually right.

So he nodded. Theon got up from his bed and moved to walk out of the room. Before he could leave, however, Bran called out to him and he stopped, turning around.

"Theon. Did you hate us the whole time?"

And, for a second, Theon felt his heart heavying in his chest.

"Hodor will come to help you down."

And that was all he said before walking out of the room and toward the courtyard, hoping that Hodor would hurry up so it could be all be done soon.