Oathkeeper

Chapter 44: Promiscuous

Brienne and Sansa found themselves chasing after the two sets of legs that flew freely in the fields just out the castle gates. The bareness of their small-scale feet collided hard with grass occasionally sending a feather feel between their toes. The smile on their spirits and faces paired well with the giggles that echoed through the tree and leaves of the forest. Just as the mothers began to tire of playing with the children for hours, they stopped at the top of an emerald spring hill.

The women watched the twins go hand in hand as they soared down the mountain, holding their opposing arms out as if they were birds. Sansa was quickly reminded of how The Hound referred to her as such when she was a little girl.

She wondered if it was because he admired how rambunctious and free children were, or if because when they met she was locked in, desperately trying to fly away like a caged little bird. Regardless of reason, the connection brought a warm and complete feeling to Sansa Stark as the children turned and climbed back up the fill for the sixteenth time this afternoon.

Eventually the tired royal fair-skinned family occupied a small cluster of space in the fields of blueberry colored myosotis flowers whilst pointing out shapes in the clouds with the kids. Rickon's small bum sat in between the legs of Brienne whilst fidgeting everytime he recognized a different shape. Ilizabeth sat in between the three with Sansa on her left side. Her free bright platinum blonde hair danced with the light winds from the altitude as began to pluck tiny little flowers and stick them into her mothers vibrant auburn hair.

"That one's a bear!" Young Rickon shouted to the sky.

"A big scary one. RAWWWRRRR" Brienne growled, eventually getting the boy to join in.

She laughed as he curled his fingers into claws and roared with all his might. Brienne observed her growing boy everyday, practically counting the spaces in which he grew every night. With only five years of age he now stood practically at her hip, and with Brienne's long legs, that was quite big.

Sometimes in watching too long, she'd grow a toneless voice in the pits of her mind telling her that it wouldn't be long before this was the last time she'd do this. Children grew, just as fast as her son's physical body did. Still she'd smile sitting with the utmost contempt for the time.

"Can your brother and I have a few of those very pretty flowers?" Brienne spoke nicely to her daughter.

"What should I say, mother?" She whispered while giggling towards Sansa.

"I think your mother would look very beautiful with her flowers tucked in hair" Sansa smiled.

"What about me? I want to look beautiful!" Rickon pouted.

"And some for Rickon too, so we can all be as beautiful as ever" The Queen spoke dramatically.

After plucking more flowers to slip into their contrasting toned hair, Ilizabeth rose from her seat in between them sticking out her hand. Rickon placed his hand in hers, wrapping his much longer fingers around the dorsal side of her hand, and the two took off. Down the hill they went, their legs running as fast as horses, giggling, hand in hand.

Today, the children found themselves doing the same exact thing. Sprinting through the back alleys of Wintertown against the harsh winds of the night. It blew their hair back, allowing for them to feel the coolness on their scalps.

Only now, the aging of their minds brought them to something far less innocent than cloud watching and flower picking. The condensation of their warm breath colliding with the moonlight air floated out from underneath their hoods as they hid in an alleyway. As they struggled to search the town moving only through the back ends, Rickon tripped over a broken barrel board mixed in with the heavy piles of snow.