Noah [Game of Thrones] ✓

Heading North

She had thought long and hard about how she could best tell the Starks of her decision and make it believable. She had pondered many hours in her dark room over it until she had settled on an explanation.

"My lord.. my lady.. I have something to ask of you and you may not be pleased with me.", Noah greets as she steps to the mother and son. "What is it, Noah?" Robb asks, not even acknowledging her fully while his mother had turned to her completely. "I'm leaving." There is a loud thump as all the young king had held clutters to the ground and even the other lords who had before been counseling the young wolf now stare at her. "What are you speaking of?" "I'm going to see Jon at the wall. I need to get away from this.. war. From all the blood. I can not handle to see much more of it. I'm made for books. To write and read. Not to be baggage when you are going to war." "You are not baggage, Noah. You saved my mother and I.." She knew too well what Robb wanted to say, but she shakes her head. "I can take on a man on my own. Yes. But I can not handle this. I really can't. The reason why I love the North is that it covers all of my pain with pure, white snow. I'm going where it is the whitest and expect you to have won a war upon my return." She cracks a small smile as the boy that had grown into a young man in just a few weeks steps to her side and pulls her into an embrace. "Be careful on your journey, Noah. And come back." She smiles softly and nods although she doubts it. Pressing a kiss to his dark curls she steps away from him. "I have grown to care for all of you dearly. Stay safe." She then turns to Lady Catelyn and embraces the woman tightly, swallowing the bitter tears of regret as she knows she might never see her again. "I'll miss you, Noah. You have done so much good for my family. I can not thank you enough." "I do not want any praise for it, my lady. To know I'll be missed is more than enough." With that she leaves the Starks. The family she had not been apart from for more than two whole years.

They had most graciously given her a horse which she was thankful for, since the way to the border of the 'civilised' north was a hard one.
Even harder than she had imagined. But there she was. Never once hungry or cold for in this world she was practically a more indestructible version of the kind Android Walter. Just less confused about her feelings and even more willing to sacrifice everything for them but still able to eat, without truly needing it.
There she was. Before the black keep. Riding into the rotting old stronghold, resting snug against the wall she stops her horse only once a good amount of men wearing the black approach. "Who are you?! We don't expect new recruits." "I highly doubt I'd be able to join anyways." Pulling back her hood she glances directly at the frozen solid young man standing next to his rather.. voluminous friend. "I am only here to visit my son." "Mother!" Jon pushes his way through the other men and catches her in his arms as she allows herself to fall right into them instead of dismounting the horse like a proper lady. Wrapping her arms around his neck she laughs happily, embracing him back. His dark curls tickle her as she presses a kiss to his cheek and they step apart. "Seven 'ells! What are you doin' 'ere?" His northern accent had gotten stronger during his stay at the black keep. His face had been lit up by the brightest smile any of his brothers had ever seen him wear. "Visiting you of course, you idiot. Your lordly brothers war is getting to me. That and I stabbed the attacker that tried to kill Bran a few moons ago until he wasn't recognisable anymore. I feel like I am still picking bits of his head out from under my nails." She pulls a face, while the young man's eyes widen. "You did what?" "I could hardly just watch him attack Lady Stark now, could I?" "Are you insane, woman? Show me your 'ands!" Holding them out to him he looks at them carefully. "You better be grateful there isn't a scratch on 'em." "Yes yes. I missed you too." "Mother?!" It was Sam who broke the happy familiar bickering between the two. They both look at him confused. "What?", they chorus, raising their left eyebrows questioningly. Admittedly it was a habit Jon had picked up from Noah when they first became truly close and now it just happened but still, it made the other young man look terribly confused. "Ain't she a bit young to be your mum?" "I didn't birth him. That doesn't make me any less his mother." "So you are his father's wife?" "She took me in as a mother.", Jon bluntly states, still holding Noah's hands in his. "Robb is at war?" "And winning every battle so far. I wonder how Lord Tywin faires. He must be livid by now. But what does he expect? The North has a reason to fight while his men only do it for money. Matters of the heart were always the best warcry." "How is she so.." "Mother is the one who was hired to teach myself and the children of Lord and Lady Stark to read and write. She is possibly the most knowledgeable person in all of Westeros.", Jon boasts proudly, while Noah smiles a slim smile. "Noah Mars. Pleasure." "That can not be! A woman?!" "I highly doubt you yourself can even breathe properly. If you judge intelligence by what is in between a person's legs you'd still be as bland as the pisswater you call ale here. Seven hell's I can smell that to here! What do you even mix up there?!" Jon bursts out laughing while his brother of the nightswatch grits his teeth. "I'll slit your throat you bleedin'.." "I'd like to see you try. Most lords of the north have been trying to wed me and will want your head. Joffree Baratheon on the iron throne wants my hand and his mother, queen Cercei adores me. So either way. No matter how the war between north and south goes. I can guarantee you that if there is but a mere hair on my head nicked you will be hunted down like a rabbit and torn apart by hounds." A contempt, mocking smile on her face Noah shifts a bit to stare the man down. "Do they now?" "I didn't know the little princeling liked you too.." "Neither did I. Until he waited me up in my chambers a few nights before your departure and told me he wanted to wed me. Can you imagine. He is a child! Just thirteen years old. If I would have been married by suitable time for Westeros and or willing to even consider having blood related offspring he could have very well been mine." Jon shudders at the thought. "Truly disgusting." "But you knew of the lords?" "Oh. Yes. Lord and Lady Stark would be recieving at least fifteen letters a day regarding Lady Noah's hand." "And I would burn them and make bets with Lord Stark and the maester which letters would burn the highest flame. Quite a good game. Late king Robert Baratheon joined us once too. After reading through two of the letters he couldn't continue because he had to laugh so much for the desperation some of those lords have is almost painful to endure." "You knew the king?" "Yes." "What was he like?" "I have yet to meet another noble man using the words 'fat', 'shit', 'piss', 'fuck', 'whore', 'tits' and 'ass' half as often as the king did. He wasn't seen not drinking a single time. Not even by the handmaidens or other staff. He tried to get me to become his mistress which I kindly denied and, as a final piece and the best part, actually, he was a truly good king despite everything else. Kind and true. Loyal to his friends. Reliable and understanding. Most of the time at least. I don't doubt that he was the best king Westeros had in over 30 years. Ned Stark would have made an even better king. Joffree I can handle privately but as a king all of the common folk will suffer his tantrums. Tommen is far too naive and young to be a king, Myrcella is in Dorne.If I do recall right and Cercei is trying her best to control Joffree but at the fact that my lord Eddard Stark, to whom I swore loyalty, has lost his head makes it clear that it doesn't work." She had spoken and they had listened and even the old commander who had come out had not dared to say a word until she had finished. "How long might you stay?" "Not long. I have quite a long way before me." "Are you perhaps returning to Lord and Lady Stark?" Noah shakes her head. "I'll be visiting an old.. friend of mine before heading south to the capital. Sansa ist currently their playball and I will not allow such thing. Again. Joffree I can manipulate fairly well. However.. I will be gone there the second Sansa is freed." "You believe you can take her away from right under the Lannisters noses?" "I won't have to. She is the key to the North and fingers are already reaching for her. One pair in particular." "And how would you know such things?" She smiles mysteriously. "Because I drink and I know things." The men begin to laugh loudly with her and she is led into the black keep for a meal that she savors, no matter how overcooked it is. It would be the last time she'd eat at all in weeks, perhaps. The real, true North was waiting for her.