𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞; 𝐣. 𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐰

rockin' around the christmas tree

The wind blasted through Alys' hair as she walked towards the house, the fresh layer of snow squishing under her boots. She bent down to push the hem of her sweatpants over her cold ankles.

    "You said it was nippy, not so cold I'm freezing my tits off," Alys grumbled as she rubbed the goosebumps covering her arms. Her crimson sweatshirt was one her mother had got her for her birthday, it was patterned with gold lions, the sigil of her mother's family. Alys thought it was tacky, but it was fleece and so soft on the inside, she didn't let it bother her too much.

    "You'll get used to it," Sansa said, flinching when a high pitched yell and a crashing noise came from inside the house.

    "Rickon, you ass!" a girl's voice yelled from inside the house, followed by a scolding from someone who sounded older. Sansa and Alys stepped inside, the warmth coating her icy skin. The large hearth was blazing, and a bunch of large dogs were cozied around it.

    A grey one with pretty, golden eyes padded up to Sansa. "This is my dog, Lady," Sansa said proudly, scratching the dog behind its ear.

    "Gorgeous coat," Alys complimented. A slender woman with dark hair rose from the couch next to a man with a mop of curly, auburn hair to greet Sansa. Her hair was in a low bun at the nape of her neck, and she had dark wash jeans and a beige sweater.

    "Sansa," she greeted warmly, embracing the red haired girl.

    "It's so good to see you again, Talisa," Sansa smiled in return. Talisa turned to greet Alys. "This is my friend, Alys."

    "It's so very nice to meet you," Alys responded sweetly.

    "This is my sister-in-law, Talisa, and that's my brother, Robb," Sansa introduced, pointing to the curly haired man on the couch. He lifted his hand in an awkward wave and gave a small smile. Alys smiled back at him and Talisa returned next to him on the couch. A smokey grey dog curled around Robb's feet and growled in content.

    Sansa dragged Alysanne into the kitchen, where a tall man with brown hair was helping a woman with auburn hair prepare some food. He was wrist deep in the body cavity of a chicken, stuffing it with various spices.

    "Sansa!" the woman embraced, opening her arms and closing them tightly around her daughter.

    "Hi, mom," Sansa said, her words muffled against her mom's emerald green apron.

    The woman looked at Alys, smiling at her. "Hi, I'm Catelyn," she said pleasantly. "Who might you be?"
    "I'm Alysanne, a good friend of Sansa's. I hope I'm not intruding too much," Alys responded sheepishly.

    "Of course not! The more the merrier," Catelyn smiled, waving off Alys's words.

    The man who was stuffing the chicken looked up at Alys. "Alysanne Baratheon?" he asked, wiping his hand on a hand towel patterned with ducks.

    "Yes, how did you know?" Alys asked, chuckling weirdly.

    "I'm a good buddy of your father's. How's old Robert doing these days?" he asked, walking over to his daughter and wrapping his arm around her in a side hug.

    "He's pretty good, hunting like crazy," Alysanne smiled.

    "I'm Ned, by the way," he added.

    Alys just smiled in return. A girl with wet boots and a mud splattered cotton shirt came rushing through the kitchen, a grey dog right on her heels. A little boy with blonde, curly hair followed the girl, a black dog on his heels.

    "Arya! Rickon!" Catelyn scolded. "No running in the house! Go back outside!"

    "Hi!" the girl named Arya chirped, stopping in front of Alys on her second loop through the house.