Noah [Game of Thrones] ✓

Reuniting

It had taken far less time for them to arrive than she had expected after Jon's departure to swoon the dragon queen.
She had begun to run the moment she had heard the calls from outside.
Her dresses fly around her as she calls out his name. "Bran!" His dark eyes quickly find her and so do those of the young Reed girl. "Noah.", he addresses her, but she has already thrown her arms around him, holding the boy to her as she parts her lips and cries. Loudly. Without holding back. "My poor, good little boy.", she whispers and he smiles to himself. Despite Bran having become unborn and replaced with the three eyed raven he could admit to himself that he had missed her. Greatly even. He wraps his arms around her, gently holding onto the woman as she cries and holds him tightly. "Noah who..." Only moments later Sansa too has wrapped her arms around him and he had never felt more at home than in that very moment. "You are home.", Noah whispers, stepping back slightly, cupping his face as he looks right into those familiar, caring, blue eyes. Eyes that had watched over him for quite a while by then. "You've grown so much..." He smiles slightly, as another tear escapes her eyes. At the moment she couldn't care less. "I've missed you as well.", he finally says and Noah laughs softly. "Welcome home my dear boy." Her lips kiss his cheek as she has people help him from the carriage. "Somebody craft him a wheelchair! Now!", Noah calls out, while having him brought into the warmth. Then her eyes look to the still highly intimidated girl. "Come. You should eat." "I'm.." "You've brought me my little boy and Sansa her brother back. You are most welcome." She finally joins the tall woman and follows her into the dining hall, looking around in awe. "What is your name?" The girl looks at the brunette beauty again who is walking beside her. "Meera. Meera Reed." Noah smiles softly. "And I am Noah Mars. Caretaker of the Stark children, Teacher and the keeper of books here in Winterfell." "And most importantly Royal advisor of King Joffree until his death.", Sansa hums and Noah rolls her eyes. "Joke all you want, my sweet, but I do believe myself to be the reason why the people in kings landing haven't begun to eat each other." "You were serving the Lannisters." "I sold my service and advice in return for Sansa's protection. Joffree was weak minded despite what he thought himself to be. Just a little boy begging for his father's attention no matter if bad of good. At least I had taught him how to gain a bit of control over his grandfather. Now.. both are dead.", Noah says, speaking to Bran. "Joffree Baratheon was.." "..Never a Baratheon in the first place. I know. I doubt he would have been such a brat if his parents hadn't been twins. Still. He believed Robert to be his father. That matters most.", Noah says, stepping to the boy as he sits slouched in a chair, brushing her fingers through his unruly, matted hair. "You really mustn't treat.." "You will always be my boy to me, Bran. And your mother relied on me protecting all of you. I failed with Robb and Rickon. I won't fail you.", she speaks gently. He looks at her. "Why are you loyal to house Stark? Many who can offer you more want you in their house." "Because your family and this place gave me the feeling of being home that I needed when I came here. Your mother was always good to me. Better than my own by far." "And why is that?" Noah smiles gently and takes a seat next to Bran while Meera peeks up and listens to the conversation, quickly gaining trust towards the woman. "I've not often talked to you about it because you were far too young to understand. When I fell in love with Zachary my parents were highly against it. Because of his heritage. Mostly because they couldn't accept that I loved a man not as pale as death itself, like me, but with tan skin and dark hair. They thought him beneath them just for his appearance and it came down to me having to choose." Noah smiles gently. "I chose him and broke off all contact with my family. My brother. My father. My mother. Their false sense of righteousness disgusted me and I turned away from them." "Why did you come here?". Noah sighs softly. "I don't think I have the time to explain that one to you... just know that I've never once regretted coming. Because I love you and your family with every fiber of my being." Brans hand gives hers a slight squeeze and she gives him a caring, loving smile. One that Meera had thought only mothers could give. "Can you still love me now that I am no longer quite as much of Brandon Stark as I once was?" She chuckles and closes her eyes before opening them again. "I will always love you as if you were my own. The same way I love Sansa and Jon and Arya and the same way I loved Robb and Rickon." "Does he still call you mother?" That has the Reed girl peek up. "He never stopped." Meera finds herself with a pie in front of her, same with Bran. "Eat, you two. I don't want either of you going to bed hungry. Sansa you too!" The redhaired girl smiles. "Yes, Noah.", she chuckles. All of them dig in. "Won't you eat yourself?", Meera asks. Noah looks at her. "I can't eat in here. Only in my chambers." "Why?" "On one side out of habit. I only ever ate here when either Lord or Lady Stark asked me to. On the other because I choke up when I remember why so many seats at this table are empty." The children look at her. "Sometimes I wonder what would have been if you would have just left for Dorne... Would you be happier there?", Sansa asks softly. "No chance in all of the seven hell's I'm leaving you to yourselves. Also.. the only possibility for me to go there has passed away and I miss him terribly. Just like I also miss all the others every day." "The Red Viper. Did you love him?" Despite Sansa's glance of disbelief at Bran Noah simply answers. "In some way.. yes. But not enough for me to abandon Zach. Something that I feel like will never happen. But if I were to linger in Westeros... He would have been the one for me.", Noah admits, brushing her fingers through her hair. "You thought about it? Staying here?" She looks at Bran, feeling in her heart that he knew. All of it. "Often. But as much as I love it here.. this isn't my home, is it? It doesn't feel right to stay. I'll come back in due time but I won't linger after everything is finally made right." Bran nods slightly. He understood. "Eat now. Don't let the food get cold. Your chambers are waiting for you. You must be exhausted." "I need to visit the weirwood tree.", Bran says, after finishing his pie and Noah glances at him, one eyebrow raised, then nods. "Alright.. Come on then. Hold on tight." She lifts him up, carrying him to the door. Meera jumps up. "I'm coming along. I have to protect him." "Don't worry. Noah is more than capable of defending me.", Bran says calmly. Noah smiles to herself. "If someone even looks at him in a threatening way I'll personally beat them to death.", Noah says. "Bran is right. She has protected him before. He'll be alright.", Sansa says and Meera hesitantly sits down again. "Get some rest, child. You are safe here as long as I am here.", Noah speaks softly, then she and Bran leave the dining hall and make their way towards the godswood.