The Bastards of Winterfell (A Game of Thrones Fanfic)

Chapter Seventeen

No One's POV

The ride back to Winterfell is a silent one. The usual banter amongst the children absent for the first time in a long time; Robb stared stoically ahead, no doubt thinking about being lord of the castle one day, Theon still looked a bit sickly, and Jon had a thoughtful look on his face. Then there was Raven trying to figure out what to say to her brother that would make him give up his dream of becoming a brother of the Night's Watch.

She'd been thinking on it for weeks now. Trying to figure out why, by all the gods, would he want to throw his whole life away. She hoped this deserter nonsense would knock some sense into him, but no one would ever know what was going on in that thick head of his. Robb told her to stop bringing it up, but when has Raven ever been one to listen to her brother?________________________________________________________________________________

Raven's POV

After settling the horses into their respective stables, I decided to finally get an answer out of Jon. All of the other times I've brought this topic up, he finds a way to get out of answering. This time I won't let him get away so easily, even if it means I have to hang him from the broken tower to get it out of him.

"Hey, Jon?" He turns towards me after handing his horse's reins to the stable boy, "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course, Rave."

The two of us walk around the courtyard for a few minutes as I try to get the courage to bring it up. Just get it out Raven, it can't hurt. "Today was intense." By the old goods! I mentally curse myself.

"Yeah, still can't believe father allowed you to come along." He chuckled

"Well, you can thank Uncle Benjen for that." We laugh together, picturing how that conversation played out.

We round a corner, heading towards a more secluded part of the courtyard, "What did you want to speak with me about?"

I sigh, "I was wondering, you know with the deserter and all, if you had changed your mind?"

"Not this again." He huffs

"Yes, this again. We need to talk about this!"

"About what?!" He raises his voice

"About why you're so eager to throw your life away!?" My voice raises to match his, "Why you're so ready to leave your family behind!?"

"Fine! You want answers?" He places his hands on his hips, "Here's your answer! I-We don't belong here, Raven!"

"How could you say that? Of course, we do."

"Why? Because our father's the Lord of the castle? Hate to break it to you, but that's exactly why we shouldn't be here." He makes direct eye contact with me, "Bastards of lords are not meant to be raised with trueborn children!" He says slowly

"That may be, but we are. Would you rather if father had just left us wherever he found us?"

"Of course no-"

"Then what is your problem, brother?!"

"I JUST WANT TO HAVE A PLACE IN THIS WORLD!" He booms. I sit there in a stunned silence. Jon takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Where do you see us in ten years, Rave?"

"The North, where we belong."

"As what? Lady of a castle, and a knight fighting in a battle?" He mocks