BLIZZARD: Winter Is Coming VOL 7 (ROBB STARK X OC)

Prologue

Prologue:

Alana's POV

The wheel house wasn't very comfortable. The windows had to remain shut as the weather grew colder with each passing day. Father demanded we take this journey to Winterfell all together as a family. Lord Eddard Stark is his best friend after all, and he has not seen him in 10 years. I've never met the man that my father speaks so highly about.

But growing up he was all I ever heard about you'd think I'd known the man my entire life. And especially this trip from King's Landing to Winterfell, Lord Stark is all my father has spoken about. The good old days, the glory days, the days of war and whoring.

My mother would sit silently and roll her eyes just out of my father's sight. Her green eyes would lose the bit of light in them the moment another name would fall from my father's tongue. The name of the woman he was supposed to wed before her time was cut too short by the man who my father destroyed on the Trident.

My younger brother Joffrey, who's 16 years of age, leaned to me during dinner one night when we stopped at an inn to get some real rest in beds rather than a tent or in the wheel house. He scoffed and snorted a bit with laughter as he said, "If Father says 'Lyanna' one more time, do you think Mother will stab him, poison him, or smother him in his sleep?"

I punched him in the arm and stared intently at him. "I dare you to ask Mother."

His eyes that mirrored my mother's widened and he shook his head quickly. One thing about our mother? If you disrespect our father in her presence she will slap you without hesitation. Joffrey learned that the hard way when he was 13.

"Dare to ask me what?" My mother asked as she whisked past us in her gown as she head up to her and father's chambers for bed for the night. She grinned down at Joffrey and I and Joffrey instantly looked like he'd seen a ghost.

I laughed slightly and put my arm around my dear younger brother. "Joffrey wanted to ask you if you think that Lady Sansa might find him... cute? I'm not sure why... I don't think she will." I said playfully but with a bite of annoyance toward my brother.

Joffrey kept his head down and said nothing.

Mother simply laughed. "Oh Joffrey... We are not going to Winterfell for marriage proposals," Her eyes landed on me and her smile faded quickly. She took a deep breath then forced a grin again. "There's more important matters at hand... As in your father needs a King's Hand and he misses his dear friend. Plus, it's good to travel and see the countries you rule over. A lesson for both of you."

"I won't rule anything." I replied. "I'll be the one who sits pretty while my Lord husband does all the work."

"Lazy." Joffrey sneered at me. "Maybe you'd have been Father's heir if you actually tried in life. Just because you're a girl doesn't give you the excuse to let a man do all the work. When I get married my wife will do just as much as me. She'll be a queen who makes decisions with me. Not just sitting there and 'looking pretty' which might I add for you- that's a job all in itself. Must take a toll trying to be something you're not."

Mother whipped him in the back of the head with her hand. He gripped tightly onto the back of his head and before the laugh that was forming in my throat could full come up she did the same thing to me.

"You two best thank the Gods I didn't smack your heads together. Remind you both that you're siblings and must work together in this life. Once there is a family divide there is no going back... Look at your father and his brothers... How they hardly speak. Stannis is bitter on Dragonstone and Renly... Is Renly. Apologize to one another and if I find you squabbling like idiots again you'll both regret it. Why couldn't you two get along as well as Tommen and Myrcella do?"

"I'm sorry Mother..." Joffrey said softly.

"You do not owe me an apology." She sneered at him, pointing to me, and motioning for us to get on with it. Hug it out and pretend like we're the best of friends.

We're not.

Disgusted, I hugged my brother and forced a smile to my mother. To seal the deal I even kissed his forehead. Perhaps it was a push too far but Mother was content with it, she kissed his both and then went to sleep for the night.

-

"How much longer?" My sister Myrcella asked in a whining voice. "I can see snow and the castle walls. Will we arrive soon?"

Mother didn't answer.

Father was on his horse which meant we'd be arriving soon. Myrcella just wanted to be a brat today of all days. Knowing damn well that our mother's patience was already wearing thin. She hated leaving the safety of King's Landing unless it was to visit her home at Casterly Rock in the West. This was all of our first time in the North, aside from my father.

He'd been here countless times.

Mother calmed herself with practicing her breathing and then looked at my sister ever so calmly and nodded. A silent nod. One that screamed "stop fucking asking before I made you go ask your father." Myrcella shrank down in her seat and then looked at me for help. As though I'd be the one to get in the middle of it? No way.

Joffrey opened the window and shivered. "It's freezing here."

"Shut the bloody window!" I yelled at him.

Mother's glare was all we needed to shut the window and sit our asses back down and be on our best behavior. Something she spent all morning reminding us about. To be sure we use our manners with the Starks. To constantly show them gratitude for them opening their home to us. To clean up after ourselves. To clean our plates and cups. Ask if Lady or Lord Stark need assistance with anything. Offer to watch the younger children if they are unattended for too long.

She constantly reminded me that the older children will be Joffrey and I's friends and to treat them as such. "Get well acquainted with them. You'll need their support in all you do and they'll need yours. You want to be close to them the way your father is with theirs."

"Will you befriend Lady Stark?" I asked softly with my brow raised. "Or are we the only ones who are forced to be kind and make friends?"

Her teeth grit so loudly I feared they may break in her mouth. I looked down and prepared myself for either a smack to the head or to be screamed at. But for the first time in my 20 years of life I'd heard my father's voice and had never been happier or even thank the Gods for his voice.

"Coming up on the gates!" He shouted from his horse aside the wheel house. Mother smiled at him and he gave a kind yet tired smile back to her. "Can you hear the horns? They're ready for us now!"

Joffrey scoffed and Tommen curled up closer to mother. Myrcella stayed by my side and gripped onto my hand. What is it with my family and their hatred of new places? Aside from my father. The man loved travel and war. Because war meant travel and he usually only traveled because of war.

On this I did agree with my mother and siblings. Winterfell smelled like cold animal shit. It was dark and murky and the skies were as grey as the stone walls. I wanted to keep in the wheel house the entire time. But Father wouldn't allow it.

As we entered the gates and into the courtyard, the wheel house stopped. After a moment the door opened and my mother was the first to exit. Tommen trailing quickly behind her. I stayed for a moment and held onto Myrcella.

"Do we have to do this?" She asked me.

I nodded. "Be brave, sweet girl. I know I'm going to be brave... We have to show Mother and Father that they raised us well. Okay?"

"Okay..." She muttered back.

Joffrey jumped out quickly and I could hear the girly hisses over him. How he's just so cute and how they wished they could get the attention of the future King of Westeros. I rolled my eyes and let Myrcella get out ahead of me.

I wanted to prolong getting out of this wheel house as long as possible. Until I heard my mother say, "Where is Alana?"

I shut my eyes for a moment, took a deep breath... and saw Winterfell for the first time.