The Remnant of the Pack - Book 1 - GoT

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Ylina could feel her bow arm shaking. As she pulled back the arrow getting ready to let fly, she could tell she would miss her target if they kept trembling like that, so, instead, she closed her eyes and tried to breathe in deeply.

That probably wasn't her best idea, however because as soon as she did, she was instantly taken back a few years. She was standing in the training grounds of Winterfell, but she could see a young girl standing there, in that very same position with a bow in her hands getting ready to shot, her arms shook all the same, but that wasn't Ylina. At least not the Ylina of today. No, that girl standing in front of her couldn't be older than twelve. And as the young girl finally let the arrow fly, Ylina watched as it went straight over the target, hitting the stone walls of the castle and falling to the ground.

Ylina watched as the younger version of herself huffed in clear annoyance, tightening the braid holding her hair and got ready to try again. Ylina stood quietly to the side, but she knew that young her wouldn't be able to shoot properly. She was standing wrong on her feet. And as she opened her mouth to warn her, it was almost as if another voice came from her mouth.

"You'll never get this right standing like this."

And just hearing his voice, even in memory, was enough to make Ylina feel a shiver run down her spine. She watched as a younger version of Theon carefully approached young Ylina, smirking down at her, but keeping his distance, knowing that the girl was angry at him. And the seventeen-year-old Ylina could tell exactly why that was. If she was relieving a memory from when she was twelve, it took place in one of the years where Ylina refused to talk to Theon, finally understanding the meaning of being betrothed to him and feeling angry at the world that her Father had taken from her the opportunity to make such an important decision in her life, like deciding who she was going to spend the rest of her life with.

From eight years old to twelve, Ylina wouldn't talk to Theon more than it was necessary. Robb would often stress out over having to spend time with his sister when his friend wasn't around, begging Ylina to at least try and talk to the Greyjoy because he just missed the times it was just the three of them, causing mayhem in the castle. For so long, Ylina wouldn't bulge. It was something all the Starks had in common she supposed, stubbornness, and for so long, Theon wouldn't even bother trying to get Ylina to talk to him. If anything, he found it amusing that she would go through all this trouble just because Ned Stark had decided she would marry him instead of some high-born prick from the North. Besides, Theon was a bit older than Ylina and he already had some... Other interests, taking the times Robb would spend with his sister to pursue different kinds of women in different parts of the city. Nevertheless, Theon knew Ylina, when old enough, was to be his wife and he would much rather have a wife who could look at him than one that always refused to meet his eyes. So, every once in while, Theon would make an effort to try and please Lady Ylina Stark.

"The bow arm looks good, a bit shaky, but nothing that a bit of practice can't solve." Theon continued, walking over to young Ylina and walking around her in circles.

She still had an arrow at the ready, but the two of them knew she would never shot it. Not at Theon Greyjoy, no matter how angry she actually was. So Theon stood right in front of her, in her line of fire, his head tilted to the side and his usual amused smile on playing his lips as he pretended to analyze the girl.

"Yes, I think we just need to fix positioning." The Greyjoy said. As Ylina watched the scene in front of her, she felt goosebumps all over her body, as if everything her younger self felt, she did as well. She breathed out heavily when Theon stood behind her, his arm coming around her waist as he pulled her toward him to keep her steady and used his foot to separate her own feet. "Good. Keep them there, apart from each other and they will give you more balance. And try lifting your elbow a bit more, that could help too."