wolfkissed| petyr baelish (littlefinger)

Four

It had been two weeks since the direwolves began calling Winterfell their home. They were growing fast and their appetites increasing.

Every night the coal grey pup would sit and whine at Jaleryd's door. She screamed at it from behind her door to go away, she clung metal together to try and hurt its ears, and even tried throwing water on it.

But the pup only stayed at the door enduring the strange actions of Jale Stark. It even watched her from the shadows as she helped around Winterfell.

"Do you think she's ever going to give in?" Arya asked Jon as they ate their breakfast.

The strange grey pup once again hung in the shadow of their eldest sister as she spoke with a nearby farmer who supplied the Starks with grain.

"Perhaps. Jale doesn't trust so easily. The pup will have to prove itself to her." Jon spoke as he stuffed warm grits into his mouth.

"What do you mean? It's just a dog."Arya laughed as she stared at her older sister who she idolized.

"Aye, it is. It will have to prove its loyalty to her. As all her human friends have. I saved her life, you understand and admire her, and father treats her with respect and just. We are who she trusts. She does not trust your mother, she scolds her for who she is, Sansa is only her mothers child, Theon only views her as to what's between her legs, and Robb stole what she believes to be rightfully hers." Jon finished.

Arya had always understood Jales frustration with their mother. But it was always very apparent Jale and Catelyns relationship was far more stressed.

Arya shuddered remembering her mother and sisters worse fight.

Arya was nine at the time, Jale was sixteen.

Jale had struck their mother during a fight so hard her eye was blackened and her nose cried red.

Jale hid in the woods for three days from her father. until finally she came out after she starved enough.

Arya had never seen her father so angry in her life. She remembered how much he whipped Jale. But her sister never let out a squeak or a tear.

It wasn't till many years later Arya found out what had produced such a quarrel between the two.

Lady Catelyn had melted the sword of Lyanna Stark, an heirloom left to Jale in her honor.

Catelyn melted it in her own bed chambers fireplace in a fit of rage. Jale wouldn't listen to her and stop fighting with her brothers. Jale was to be wed soon and Catelyn knew no nobleman would take a sword fighting wife. So Catelyn turned the sword to molten iron.

When Ned Stark found his wife beaten in their chambers, he discovered the burnt weirwood wolf hilt ornament below the smelted fire.

His blood ran cold at the sight of his sisters sword now melted into a pot. He as well was infuriated with Catelyn but he could not stand for his child beating her mother as she did.

Ever since that day Catelyn and Jale avoided each other's company as much as possible. Sansa soon fell into that category after she became their mothers golden child next to Robb. A pure copy of Catelyn all except for her nose and lips as well as the Stark grey eyes.

Later that evening, Jale, Jon, and Arya decided to have dinner with the grain farmers family.

Arya always enjoyed the company of the man's two sons a tad bit older than Bran and Rickon. They weren't afraid to wrestle with her which she enjoyed.

"Does that pup follow you around everywhere Lady Jaleryd?" The farmer asked as he eyed the grey wolf coward down in the corner of his dining room.

"What pup-" Jale stopped as she turned to follow the eyes of the farmer.

She scowled.

"You really haven't noticed? She's never left your shadow since she saw you." Jon said as he urged the grey wolf to come closer. He and Arya had left both Ghost and Nymeria home.

"Next time she follows me somewhere I'll leave her there for the hunters."