The Dalyngridge Girl ➝ Bran Stark

Chapter 23

The next day, they all left the windmill and continued to the Wall. Mare's bow was slung around her back and her quiver of arrows was also around her back, and she was running with Summer, trying to keep up with him. They ran ahead of the rest of the group, and Mare felt more free than she had in a long time. They were venturing in the woods when Mare heard a whining, small and canine-sounding. Her and Summer stopped in their tracks, and looked at each other. Mare inched towards the whining coming from a bush, and quickly pulled it apart with Summer right behind her. In the bush was a russet direwolf pup, whining her little heart out. Summer rushed forward but Mare picked her up already.

"Summer, let's go see Bran," Mare said, and Summer started trotting back to the rest of the group. When she arrived with the direwolf pup in her arms, which had stopped whining, she got confused looks from Jojen and Meera.

"I found her in the woods, no mother or other wolf pups in sight. I couldn't just leave her there," Mare said, rubbing the pup's ears.

"Well, you're a Stark now, even if it's by marriage. Keep her, she's going to need some care," Bran said, giving her a small smile. A tired, lazy, but nonetheless amazing smile.

"What are you naming her?" Meera asked, and the pup looked up to Mare with grey eyes that were as grey as the storm clouds above her.

"Felan," Mare cooed, rocking the pup back and forth a bit. "Her name is Felan." Her little wolf pup reminded her of a baby, making little cooing sounds and blinking sleepily.

"You might want to put her down so she can explore with Summer," Jojen said, and Mare looked up from Felan.

"But... but she's so little..." Mare trailed off, hugging her a little tighter to her chest.

"And she could also use some leg strengthening, don't you think, Ladybird?" Meera chuckled, ruffling Mare's hair.

"I guess," Mare huffed, setting Felan on the ground. She immediately ran to Summer, and he nudged her along with his nose.

As they kept walking, Mare now at Bran's side, they came to an abandoned castle, and Meera left with Summer to go check it out.

"How are you doing?" Mare asked Bran gently.

"Fine," he said tiredly, closing his eyes.

"You need to get some rest tonight, no more worrying about everything. I want you to sleep," Mare said.

He sighed, but wasn't angry. "Yes, my lady," he said.

"It's all clear," Meera said, running back with Summer, who went straight to Felan's side and continued to nudge her along gently.

When they arrived at the castle, they set up a fire, and Mare wanted to do a little exploring, but didn't to Bran's say in the matter. He wanted her close, and it was because the stories about the castle were very bad ones.

"We really shouldn't stay here long. The stories about this place aren't the most comforting," Bran said, and Mare watched as Summer curled around Felan by the fire protectively.

"Have you ever heard about the Rat Cook?" Bran asked, looking at Mare. Once everyone said no, he went on. "He was a cook in The Night's Watch. When the king visited the Wall, the cook killed the king's son and cooked him into a big pie. That night, he served it to the king, and he liked it so much that he asked for a second slice, and more after that. The Gods turned him into a big white rat that could only eat his own young, and he's been roaming the Night Fort ever since, eating his babies."

Mare got up from where she was sitting. "Alright dears, time for bed. We have a lot more traveling to do tomorrow," she said, rearranging the wolfskin blankets on the ground. To her surprise, everyone actually listened to her and started moving to their places on the floor. Everyone exchanged 'good night's, and all was quiet as everyone fell asleep. She rolled over to see that Bran had fallen asleep rather quickly; it was the first time in a long while that he had fallen asleep before her.

She fell asleep a little while later to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.