#the brother of robb and arya and bran and rickon and sansa

[cthoniian]

i think the most fundamental thing about jon snow is, he was raised by ned stark. he was trained alongside robb, but the wall & the wildlings & his treatment, influences how ned’s training shapes him. he is such a northern embodiment. he is so much a son of house stark.

[asoiafreadthru]

A Game of Thrones, Jon III

He missed his true brothers;

Little Rickon, bright eyes shining as he begged for a sweet;

Robb, his rival and best friend and constant companion;

Bran, stubborn and curious, always wanting to follow and join in whatever Jon and Robb were doing.

He missed the girls too, even Sansa, who never called him anything but “my half brother” since she was old enough to understand what bastard meant.

And Arya…he missed her even more than Robb, skinny little thing that she was, all scraped knees and tangled hair and torn clothes, so fierce and willful.

Arya never seemed to fit, no more than he had…yet she could always make Jon smile.

He would give anything to be with her now, to muss up her hair once more and watch her make a face, to hear her finish a sentence with him.

[the-boundless-sea]

a list of stark family moments and details i treasure 🫶

jon telling gilly she has a pretty name when they meet because sansa told him once that he should always tell a lady they have a pretty name upon being introduced (jon iii, acok)

robb sitting up with bran after he goes to bed, trying to cheer his little brother up after his fall by telling him how their mother will be home soon and after they'll do a surprise visit to jon in castle black

and bran realizing robb has started crying as he says this, and so taking on the role of comforter and reaching out to hold his big brother's hand as they sit in the dark (bran iv, agot)

robb being unable to resist correcting catelyn for leaving jon out when she says there were 'five wolves for five stark children' despite trying not to argue with her (catelyn ii, asos)

this acting as an echo of when they found the wolves and it initially appeared there were only five, and jon, arguing they should keep the pups to make bran happy, told ned it was a sign that there were five direwolves for five stark kids. even at 7-years-old, bran understands jon is leaving himself out of the count to make it match and loves his brother "with all his heart at that moment." (bran i, agot)

"he was no true stark, had never been one... but he could die like one. let them say that eddard stark fathered four sons, not three." - jon, as he attempts to leave the night's watch to join robb (jon ix, agot)

"mother. you forget my father had four sons. jon's more a stark than some lordlings from the vale who've never set eyes on winterfell." robb, as he legitimizes jon as a stark, names him his heir, and goes to release him from the night's watch (catelyn v, asos)

jon being so overjoyed when bran wakes up from his coma that he cries, hugs tyrion and runs around castle black telling random guards his brother is going to live (jon iii, agot)

arya and bran teaming up to ambush sansa with a dozen snowballs each and sansa retaliating by chasing arya throughout the castle until she tripped. arya stopping to make sure she wasn't hurt and throwing another snowball at her face when she isn't. sansa pulling arya to to the ground and covering her in snow while they both laugh the whole time.

sansa making a snow model of winterfell after reliving this memory because there's no point in snowballs without someone to throw them at. (sansa vii, asos)

everything about the story of jon and robb's ghost prank in the crypts. robb making sure they have one (1) candle about to flicker out. jon being covered in flour makes him a ghost. bran holding arya's hand and hiding behind robb. sansa just fucking taking off. arya's strategy being to punch a ghost into submission. jon and robb laughing so hard bran and arya can't even stay mad and start laughing too. the fact the entire reason it comes up is it's a memory that makes arya smile and feel brave. (arya iv, agot)

rickon being too young to understand why jon isn't sitting with them like he normally does when the king is visiting and holding up the procession when he sees jon sitting somewhere else. (jon i, agot) he keeps asking why jon isn't sitting with them throughout the feast. (bran iii, acok)

jon telling catelyn he doesn't care if she calls the guards on him, she can't stop him saying goodbye to bran.

robb being able to tell something is off with jon after this takes place, and gently asking if his mother said something and jon lying in response to smooth the situation out. (jon ii, agot)

bran wondering if direwolves miss their brothers and sisters too. (bran i, acok)

jon and robb climbing the towers at winterfell to practice shouting at one another after ned told them it's doesn't matter how brilliant a man is if his men can't hear his commands during a battle. (jon vii, asos)

arya thinking if she could see sansa again she'd kiss her and beg her pardons like a proper lady to make her happy. (arya vii, acok)

sansa, believing her younger brothers to be dead, thinks of how she'll name her sons eddard, bran, and rickon. she pictures them all looking like her "late" brothers and sometimes dreams they'll have a girl who looks like arya too. (sansa ii, asos)

when jon imagines leaving the night's watch, he thinks wistfully of having a son named robb. he also fantasizes gilly's son and mance's son would grow up as pseudo-twin brothers like him and robb (jon xii, asos)

the boys would all share a bed to stay warm whenever it got cold. i love to picture this after they got the direwolves so the humans and wolves are all in one big puppy pile. (jon vi, acok) jon also says he would lay up at night while his brothers slept next to him and make his plans to join the night's watch (jon i, agot), so in this mental picture i have all the other boys are dead asleep, while jon super seriously explains his plans to ghost at 3am.

whenever she's on the verge of reuniting with other family members, arya worries they won't want her anymore because of what she's had to do to survive. but when she thinks of reuniting with jon, she thinks "jon will want me. even if no one else does." (arya xii, asos)

bran, sansa, and arya all saying they have to be as brave or as strong as robb when they're hyping themselves up. (bran iv, asos; sansa iv, asos; arya ii, agot) jon dreaming of being "as good and true a son as robb." (jon x, asos) he's literally the golden standard for all his siblings.

robb's ghost showing up in both jon and arya's dreams, with neither one recognizing him (jon viii, asos; cat of the canals, affc)

bran being jealous of jon for thinking of the name ghost first for his direwolf because it sounds so cool while being so disdainful of rickon deciding to call his shaggydog. (bran ii, agot)

jon continuing to hope bran and rickon's consciousnesses live on in their direwolves when he believes them dead. (jon i, adwd; jon viii, asos)

bran wanting to be a wolf so he could find arya and sansa and protect robb in battle so they could all return to winterfell. (bran i, acok)

jon remembering how bran would always follow him and robb everywhere and try join in on whatever they were doing. (jon iii, agot)

rickon following robb everywhere and physically clinging to robb after their other siblings and parents are gone. robb arguing with catelyn over how scared and abandoned rickon feels with her gone. (catelyn iii, agot)

after bran wakes, rickon cries if robb's away more than half a day and asks bran when robb is coming back (bran iv, agot). when robb goes south, rickon melts down so much that he won't eat - he just screams and cries all day and attacks adults who try to comfort him. (bran vi, agot)

jon imagining both his sisters' reactions to seeing the beautiful morning frost at craster's. he pictures sansa crying from how magical it looks and arya running to touch everything he can. (jon iii, acok)

robb and jon's bickering devolving into a race where robb is laughing and hooting and jon is super serious and intent on winning, in a way that implies this is the norm for them. (bran i, agot)

not just summer, but shaggy and grey wind also howl in mourning when bran's in his coma. robb opens the window in bran's room so bran can "hear them sing." (catelyn iii, agot)

when bran hears the wolves howling again he worries it means somethings happened to one of his siblings. (bran i, acok)

jon and arya are so in tune they'd regularly speak in unison. (jon ii, agot; arya i, asos; arya i, acok; jon iii, agot)

jon and robb building a "great mountain" of snow to dump on whoever walks under the gate, even getting mance fucking rayder to be their accomplice, and then getting chased around the yard by their poor victim fat tom until their faces are "red as autumn apples." (jon i, asos)

rickon immediately asking if robb's coming home upon seeing a letter from him and upon being told no tells maester luwin to write robb back and tell him to come home and bring grey wolf and their parents back too. (bran v, acok)

the fact rickon specifically mentions he should bring grey wind back too, because we saw him playing with grey wind, summer, and shaggydog when his siblings were all gone or busy. they were basically his only friends for a time. (bran iv, agot)

when tyrion leaves to head back to winterfell, jon tells him that rickon will ask when he's coming back and to try explain it to him, and also adds to tell him he can have all his stuff while he's gone, which is just such cute little sibling thing, but also shows how even then jon thinks of the night's watch as being away; winterfell is still his home that he'll come back to one day.

he also tells tyrion to tell robb that he can melt down his sword and take up needlework because jon's going to command the night's watch and keep him safe. and of course, his pleas for tyrion to find a way to help bran are what lead tyrion to give bran his new saddle. (jon iii, agot)

despite his mistrust of tyrion and the lannisters, robb offers to let tyrion stay at winterfell after he sees how much his gift means to bran. (bran iv, agot)

robb no longer believing the direwolves were sent by the old gods after bran and rickon were believed dead, because what was the point of a gift from the gods if it didn't keep his brothers safe? (catelyn ii, asos)

bran going to the godswood to pray that robb doesn't have to leave and then adding if he does to have to leave to make it so he comes home with their sisters and parents and that rickon will understand what's happening. (bran vi, agot)

when jon and sansa remember robb after his death they both picture him with snowflakes melting in his hair, the way he was when they left winterfell. (jon xiii, adwd; sansa viii, asos)

when seeing sam off, the last thing jon says is for sam to put his hood up because the snow's melting in his hair, and sam notes the strange smile on his face when he says it. (samwell i, affc)

bran arguing lord hornwood's son out of wedlock should be named his heir, thinking of jon. (bran ii, acok)

robb being so upset when catelyn compares jon to theon that grey wind hops onto the crypt and bares his teeth at her. (catelyn v, asos)

jon wondering if ever really had any right to call arya his sister, saying he was as out of place as theon at winterfell. (jon iii, asos)

just... the contrast of jon thinking about sansa, and how since she became old enough to understand what a bastard is she's only ever referred to him as her "half-brother", but he misses her anyways... and sansa missing jon while living as alayne, calling him the only brother that remains to her and thinking "i'm a bastard too now, just like him." (jon iii, agot; alayne ii, affc)

robb also calling jon the only brother who remains to him. arya calling jon the only brother she has left. (catelyn v, asos; arya xii, asos)

rickon crying and refusing to leave bran until he's physically forced off. (bran vii, acok)

every word of this sentence shatters me: "every morning they had trained together, since they were big enough to walk; snow and stark, spinning and slashing about the wards of winterfell, shouting and laughing, sometimes crying when there was no one else to see." (jon xii, asos)

ok now the angsty part

like! jon is having this flashback because he feels guilty and conflicted over stannis's offer to legitimize him and name him heir to winterfell, never knowing that's exactly what robb wanted.

(jon xii, asos)

(catelyn v, asos)

he keeps remembering robb calling him a bastard as a mental chastisement for daring to put himself on their level, but one of robb's very last acts on earth was to name him jon stark!! bran wanted lord hornwood's illegitimate son to be allowed to succeed him because of jon!! jon doesn't think he counts as arya's brother. but he's the one she misses the most, the only one whose unconditional love she never doubts!! jon!!!

(jon xi, asos)

and yet! despite all the shame and guilt, the thing that ultimately stops him from accepting stannis's offer is his belief that the old gods sent the stark siblings their direwolves, and he can't betray his family's gods! that's what makes his decision, above all else!

(jon xii, asos)

[ghostinwinterfell]

“Would that there were five of me, one for each child, so I might keep them all safe.” (ACOK, Catelyn VI)

the story of catelyn stark is a story of a mother having to ration herself between her children, to make impossible choices, to spread herself thin as she tries to do right by each of them in turn. it is an endless cycle of guilt in which she can never win.

think about catelyn’s journey as a mother. though she originally convinces ned to go south, she regrets it once she realizes that he means to separate their family for the sake of duty. so she forces herself to part with her daughters, but allows herself to be “selfish” by praying for bran to stay with her. of course, her prayers are twisted when bran falls and is left in winterfell. however, remaining by his side means that catelyn must leave robb to act the lord alone and abandon baby rickon to his older brother and maids.

it is only the danger to her husband and daughters that finally brings her back to herself. now she must leave her sons behind, even with bran still hanging between life and death. she has done all she can do for him. however, once she warns ned about the lannisters, she cannot remain with her daughters (or even see them). she has done all she can do for them. now it is robb who needs her the most.

when catelyn reunites with robb, she puts aside the maternal instinct to send him back home to safety, for the sake of his honor as a future lord. by the time his men crown him a king, ignoring her pleas for peace, it is too late to save him. throughout the war, catelyn remains with her son or stays behind based on what is best for him. she must reconcile leaving her sansa and arya as hostages in order to win her son’s war, waiting for victory to finally reunite them all.

it is only when she believes that she has lost bran and rickon (and possibly arya) that she finally allows herself to be “selfish” again, trying to save her daughters at the cost of robb’s war. even though jaime nearly killed bran, she frees him for the sake of her daughters. though she and robb forgive each other for their mistakes, their shared grief and guilt drives catelyn further from her only remaining child. with nobody else left, it is all she can do to try to protect robb. she begs him to keep grey wind by his side, to send rolph westerling away, not to risk his life for a war of revenge, not to name jon as his heir, and to ask for bread and salt at the twins.

not that it matters. all of those impossible choices, all of her sacrifices, all for nothing. she loses all of her children, anyway.

and so lady stoneheart rises again as a mother, one who gets to be as “selfish” as she wants to be, who finally allows herself to take up space and grieve, unapologetically hunting down every last man who betrayed and butchered her son.

[witchlingcirce]

I was reading this really sweet thread about the stark family and someone pointed out how Arya, Sansa and Robb all refer to Jon as “the only brother who remains to me”

It kind of reminds me how none of the characters even know that Bran and Rickon are still alive. I also think it kind of reminds me how throughout the books, he’s the only sibling that all Starks can know if he’s alive or not: since he’s away from all the conflict!!

Which is also interesting because Jon wants to be in the conflict! He tries to leave the nights watch to help Robb, he wants to die like a Stark. And even in ADWD, he breaks his vows to try help ‘arya’.

I’m curious to know how Sansa (and maybe Arya? Although I don’t think the news would get to her) about Jon being killed. He’s the only family she would for sure know is alive and now he’s dead???

[syndrossi]

From the above prompt, enjoy the Starklings meeting the dragons!

x~x~x

“They can swim?” Robb asked.

The full size of the twins’ dragons was obscured by the steaming surface of the spring they had submerged themselves in, though judging by the two large horned heads facing in their direction, he would guess them to be ten feet tall at least.

“Not very well,” Raymar—Aemon said. “They enjoy a good soak, however, and it is cold here in the North, even in summer.”

The young prince had already stripped down to his smallclothes. He waded into the shallows of the pool, then swam, reaching the dragons in a dozen graceful strokes. Aemon grasped onto one of the horns of the blue dragon and laid his cheek against its own. The dragon’s silver eyes slitted, and Robb assumed that the low rumble that emerged was one of affection.

“That is Qelebrys,” Baelon said. He followed his twin into the water, albeit with more splashing, and as he neared the other dragon, a large black-and-copper wing emerged from the depths to sweep him in upon a mighty wave, startling laughter from the prince, who also found a horn to cling. “I have missed you too, Shadow.”

Robb stole a glance at his siblings, who were watching the display with expressions of awe, and he had to catch Rickon by the arm to keep him from cheerfully toddling to join them. “Perhaps later,” Robb promised him before swinging him up onto his shoulders to at least enjoy a better view.

Jon stood slightly apart, as he had since Daemon Targaryen had come to rain fire and ash down upon King Robert and his men—and name Jon as kin.

Ghost was at his side, as quiet and attentive as ever, though he too seemed plenty curious about the two large interlopers.

“Where—” Robb stopped himself. Where is yours, Snow? he had almost asked. He and his brother had always traded playful barbs, but such moments had become rare since the twins’ arrival in Winterfell. And might very well never return now.

He is a prince. Some might call him the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, now that King Daemon had named him the legitimate son of Prince Rhaegar and his aunt, Lyanna. But few would be foolish enough to do so to the king’s face. His claim to the Iron Throne was by right of dragon conquest, and he had very openly declared his two sons his heirs.

Whatever love he claims he held for Rhaella Targaryen, it does not extend to crowning her eldest children. Whispers of Viserys Targaryen’s demise had already circulated through the castle. Burned alive by King Daemon’s own mount, Caraxes; some said for the crime of kidnapping his sons.

But once King’s Landing was taken, and the Red Keep in Targaryen hands once more, Robb knew from his history lessons what would happen. Those who had opposed King Daemon, or those who had played the bloodiest role in House Targaryen’s demise during the rebellion, would be stripped of their holdfasts and very likely their lives.

Jon could become Lord of Storm’s End, or Casterly Rock. Third in line to the Iron Throne itself.

He should be happy for his brother. And it was not that he begrudged him his good fortune, for he knew how he had always longed for a holdfast of his own, but—

I feel as though I have lost him. 

It was a feeling that only grew as Jon was coaxed out into the water by his brothers to be greeted by their dragons. His true brothers, Robb thought, unable to help the stir of jealousy. And we are but cousins.

Bran and his sisters had run to the edge nearest to the dragons, shouting questions at the trio of princes in the center and clapping in delight at Ghost paddling in the water. It took Rickon’s insistent urging for Robb to join them.

They were wondrous beasts, the prince’s dragons. At not yet three years of age, Robb could not imagine how large they would be after another three. He could hear the princes promising rides to Bran and Arya, and even Sansa asked, uncharacteristically shy, if she might accompany them on one. The thought of soaring through the skies on dragonback had always been a child’s fantasy, one lost along the way to becoming a man. Such wonders, if they had ever existed, were so far in the past as to be legend themselves.

And although Robb found those same fantasies reawakening in himself, they tasted bittersweet. Those very same dragons would carry Jon away, to a life far from Winterfell. To a new family.

x~x~x

Jon and Robb take turns being angsty teens, alas.

[ladystoneboobs]

the younger starklings about robb (robb the strong and brave big brother, the perfect heir, the fierce and unbeatable young wolf):

arya

bran

sansa

meanwhile, actual robb (robb the lord and then robb the kitn):

before arya ever promised to be strong by using robb as her benchmark, the definition of stark strength, ned had to remind robb to be strong as the ruling stark in winterfell. (strong for bran and rickon, the brothers he thought he failed by sending their would-be killer away, leading to his great moment of weakness in jeyne westerling's bed.) as his siblings' faith in his ultimate triumph held strong, even after the loss of the north, robb himself was struggling with despair.

as grenn once told sam, maybe everyone is just pretending to be brave, maybe that's how people become brave. robb was faking it to make it too, imitating his father's lordly attitude as bran later tried to imitate robb's. as his younger siblings remembered him as their shining example, robb was trying to live up to his father's example. not the ned who'd been in his circumstances, a teenager unexpectedly turned into a lord and fighting a war to save his family. no, ofc, he never knew that young ned. the ned he knew as his father, the standard to measure himself against, was an adult man in his mid-30s who'd ruled the north for ~15 years. but was that standard for a 15/16yo any more fair and valid an expectation than 8/9yo bran believing he was almost a man grown and holding himself to the standard of 15/16yo robb as robb's heir?

and the only person left close enough to see robb as the boy he still was died with him.

[jetblack4realz]

the snow before the storm - robb stark

summary - with fresh snow on the ground only days before your family arrives at winterfell, you decide to soak up the last of your childhood with the starks

baratheon!reader who is betrothed to robb already ;)

this very much feels like a start to a series if that's something y'all would be interested in, this is kind of a trial run for me since i've never fully written for him before. let me know!!

word count - 3.8k

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

you had spent most of the year in winterfell since you were eight years old. you'd grown up with the starks and snow and cold, and you had to admit that you loved it in comparison to the loud, hot, sticky that was king's landing. you were a princess, and yet you despised the castle.

winterfell's homely build was more your speed, and you loved being able to wake in the morning to fresh fallen snow and hot chocolate in the great hall, running out your door to jon and robb's just down the corridor so you could have snowball fights with theon and the other kids who lived around.

you grew used to playing with boys that when your little brother joffrey got older you started messing around with him as well, which earned great loud laughs from your father and a smack in the arm from your mother.

it was moments like that that made you understand your true love for winterfell and its people.

when sansa and arya and bran and rickon got older you tried to include them in your games with the boys - arya taking to it as jon's shadow and rickon clinging to your arm as yours. you carried the little boy around with you everywhere - eleven years his senior you treated him as your own brother.

the little brother you wish joffrey was.

the little brother you hoped little tommen was, but wasn't around much to see.

so, it was days like this, a few months into your likely last stay with the starks, where the snow on the ground was fresh and the sun in the sky was bright, that you were most excited for - even though at the ripe age of seventeen, you were a supposed-to-be regal, well held, proper lady. proper princess, actually.

but that didn't matter when you were in winterfell. nothing involved with king's landing did.

you dressed quickly, appreciating the lack of maidens coming to wait on you and the silence that accompanied the solitude. you tied your hair back in a half up braid that had become your signature style in the north, and dressed in your black and brown leathers and fur - comfortable and easy to move in, as opposed to the layers upon layers that held up the dresses your mother kept for you at the red keep.

and then you crossed the hall, shivering slightly at the chill, and pushing the first door open without a care in the world. you grabbed a pillow off the floor and chucked it at the boy in the bed with a giggle. "come on, robb. it snowed last night."

the auburn haired boy groaned, pushing the pillow away from his face and rolling over in bed. "it's too bloody early. can't a man get some rest?"

"no," you answered simply, pushing the door shut behind you before you crossed to where he was sprawled lazily on his mattress. you pushed at his shoulder, a small smile on your lips. "we have things we need to get done today, so now's the only time we have to mess around."

he considered your words for a few moments before letting out a huff, turning back over so he was on his back, looking up at you with his beautiful crystal blue eyes.

"and what was it that you had in mind?" he asked.

"take a guess," you said, a laugh on your lips.

he grinned at you, reaching for your waist to pull you on top of him, but you swatted his hand away with a laugh, stumbling and leaning against the mattress away from him.

"robb," you said, your voice trying to be stern but breaking with your laughter.

he rolled his eyes, hand still resting on your waist, thumb rubbing circles into the leather there. "it's a valid guess."

"but, an incorrect one," you told him, shaking your head. "try again. i said there's snow outside, do the math."

he chuckled at you, hand falling from your waist onto the mattress beside him as he stretched onto it again. he glanced sideways at you. "a snowball fight?" he asked, the corner of his mouth twitching into a grin as he raised his brows at you. "really?"

"you have a problem with that?" you asked, matching his sideways smile with a tilt of your head and your hands on your hips.

he propped himself up on his elbows, shaking his head slowly as he looked you over for the first time that morning. his dark curls bounced around his face, messy from sleep. "no, i suppose not. but be warned - i'll be aiming for your pretty face this time."

"you know the rules," you told him as you leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips, leaning against the mattress as he tilted to meet you. "no headshots. that's been the rule since we were seven."

he returned your kiss happily, sitting up fully just as you pulled away from him. the sheets pooled around his waist as he grinned. "aye, i remember the rules. no headshots." his hand raised to cup your jaw gently, thumb running over your cheek as his grin grew teasing. "and no puppy eyes to distract me, princess. that's cheating."

"and not in the rulebook," you laughed, pecking his lips again before standing straight and out of his grasp. "i can't promise anything."

"that's not fair!" he objected with a laugh. "you can't just go around using those wide, innocent eyes and expect me to be able to say no to you." he reached out, pinching your side as he shook his head at you. "i swear, those doe eyes are your biggest weapon."

you laughed and dodged another squeeze, stepping back towards the door. "my family sigil is a stag, after all."

he let out a laugh as you moved away, leaning back against his headboard and trying to comb through his messy curls with one hand and failing fantastically.

"alright, consider me warned," he told you as he pulled at a knot on the side of his head. "no more falling for your pretty eyes."

you smiled fondly at him, shaking your head before moving to sit on the mattress beside him and gently push his hands away, working the knot out of his hair carefully. "good," you hummed, "i wouldn't want you to be at a disadvantage." you ran your hands through his hair a couple more times, helping the curls lay more cohesively before finally meeting his eyes.

he couldn't help but stare, a corner of his mouth quirked up as his lips parted. you helping him with his hair was not a new thing by far, but one of the things that always had his heart racing nonetheless.

you met his gaze, holding it with a small smile for several moments before finally standing from his bed again.

"snowball fight," you told him again, nodding once. "you need to get up now. i've got to go get rickon ready before your mother steals him away."

he watched you for a few seconds more before finally nodding, a light laugh on his lips. "yes, alright. you go and get the little wolf." he waved you away as he pushed the blankets off and stood to grab a change of clothes.

you smiled at his nickname for his brother, an image flashing through your mind of a little redheaded toddler with your eyes receiving the same endearment.

"can you wake jon and the others when you're done?" you asked, watching him cross his room, chest bare. "that way we can just meet you in the courtyard."

"yes, love, i know the drill," he answered, shooting a sideways smile your way as he pulled a fresh brown tunic from his wardrobe.

"thank you!" you cheered as you pulled the door open. "see you in a minute."

"bye, love."

you had a bounce in your step as you walked further down the stark hall towards rickon's rooms, his being the smallest and closest to his parents'. seeing robb this early in the morning always put you in a good mood.

you paused at the toddler's door, listening to see if lady catelyn had already risen to wake the boy. when you heard nothing you pushed the heavy wooden door open and snuck inside, crossing the stone floor quickly to kneel beside his bed.

"rickon," you said softly, pushing at his shoulder. "rickon, it's time to wake up now."

he, so like his brother, groaned and rolled over, his back to you as he shook his head. you laughed quietly, rubbing his back gently. "c'mon sweet boy, we only have a few minutes to play before we have to get you to your lessons."

he peeked over his shoulder at you, brows furrowed. "play? play what?"

"there's fresh snow on the ground," you told him with a knowing grin.

he sat up instantly, a bright smile on his sweet face. "is everyone already outside?"

"they're all getting outside, so we've got to hurry," you answered. "do you want to pick out your clothes or do you want me to?"

"i'll pick," he told you as he climbed out from under the furs and dashed for his closet before stopping suddenly and running back towards you. you let out a laugh as he hugged you tight around the shoulders. "forgot, sorry! good morning!"

"good morning, rickon," you said, chuckling still as he pulled away from you.

he broke for his wardrobe as you grabbed a pair of fresh wool socks, the thick underclothes that the north required, and his wintercoat from the trunk at the foot of his bed.

the little boy tossed a pair of breeches onto the trunk as you closed it, holding up two different tunics with a furrow between his brows.

"wear the brown one," you told him with a small smile. "robb's wearing a brown one today. you can match."

rickon was all over that idea, throwing the grey one to the floor and turning to take the rest of his clothes from you.

you turned away as he dressed, grabbing his boots by the door instead and waiting patiently on his bed.

"boots now!" he said as he bounced over to you, sticking out one foot. you quickly slid his boots onto his small feet, talking him through the motions of tying the laces before standing and taking the six year old's hand.

"ready?" you asked, but he was already pulling you to the door.

"yup!" he cheered.

the both of you made your way quickly down to the courtyard, spotting the older kids immediately. theon was tiredly walking in just as you and rickon did, rubbing at his eyes and trying to wake up a bit more. the boy at your side released your hand to run to robb, your betrothed scooping him up easily and mumbling a greeting as jon patted the boy's shoulder.

you did a quick headcount and furrowed your brows. "where's sansa?"

"she's not coming," arya huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she rolled her eyes. "she hates fun nowadays, don't you remember?"

you breathed out a laugh, robb, jon, and theon grinning at each other as they shook their heads.

jon ruffled her hair. "not everyone enjoys snowball fights like we do, arya."

"she used to!" the eleven year old objected. "she says she's grown up now and can't play. you four are all older than her and still play!"

"our priorities are a bit different than sansa's," you told her with a teasing smile. "right now i'm pretty sure all she's worried about is becoming a proper lady for my little brother."

the reminder of the royal family's arrival in a few days sent the group into a fit of sighs. winterfell had gone a bit tense as everyone prepared, and sansa had become obsessed with the idea of marrying joffrey, proclaiming her hopes for him to anyone who would listen.

arya rolled her eyes again.

"well, she's being ridiculous," she said.

"yeah, joffrey doesn't sound like someone worth being so obsessed with," robb hummed.

"you haven't even met him," you laughed, coming to a vague defense of your brother.

he raised a brow your direction. "sure, but what you've told us hasn't exactly been wonderful."

"he sounds like a right prick from what you've said," jon chimed in.

bran, the sweet boy he was, knitted his brows. "why does she want to marry him then?"

"because he's a prince," theon explained with a grin. "why do you think all the girls in the north want to be with robb? he's not handsome enough for all that attention alone - girls love a man with a title."

you and jon busted into laughter as robb frowned, arya grinning at your side as rickon giggled at robb's feet.

"i happen to think robb is very pretty," you said, smiling at the man teasingly.

"you have to," arya said. "you're betrothed."

"point still stands," you hummed. "now enough chatter, we have a snowball fight to start. we'll have rickon choose first; whose team do you want to be on, bud?"

he smiled and left robb immediately, grabbing onto your leg as he announced, "yours!"

you grinned at robb who huffed to himself.

"i want yours too!" arya said, shifting closer to your side. she met the eyes of her black-haired older brother. "jon, you're with us."

jon followed instructions, saluting to the girl as he came to your end of the courtyard.

"that leaves robb, bran, and theon," you hummed. it was actually a decent division given the uneven numbers. rickon usually slowed you and jon down during the fight. "everyone remember the rules?"

the group nodded.

"no headshots, no rocks in the snowballs, and no unsportsmanlike aiming," jon recited with a hint of excitement in his voice.

bran and rickon laughed at the last one, remembering that they were the reason that rule had to be implemented.

"perfect. ready, set, go!"

you each ran to the sides of the courtyard, rickon on your heels as you began balling up some snow in your gloved palms. a snowball smashed against the pillar next to you and you yelped, diving to the side behind a snowbank that arya had fled to.

"make us some ammo, rickon," you instructed as jon came dashing to hide next to you all as well.

"ugh," arya huffed as she peeked over the pile of snow. "they're hiding."

"so are we."

"ha, theon!"

the greyjoy man bolted towards you, chucking snowballs the best he could over your makeshift shelter, but was soon pelted with snowballs from you, jon, and arya, rickon building a steady pile behind you all. he dropped his pile of snowballs, protecting his face. "enough, i give up! ease up!"

"you're out!" jon shouted with a grin.

theon rolled his eyes and laughed. "alright, alright."

"how are we going to get robb and bran?" arya asked as theon moved to the side.

you clicked your tongue, spotting the two tufts of curly hair behind the snowdrift opposite you. "a distraction."

a smirk spread across jon's lips. "you'll distract him? and how exactly are you going to do that?" he asked, dry humor dripping from his tone.

"by drawing fire, of course," you answered, frowning at his line of thinking. "arya, go behind them. jon, cover me."

"sir, yes sir," arya said with a wicked grin, watching you as you hopped over the snow pile and began running to the side, drawing robb and bran's fire.

"dumb move, sweetheart!" robb called with a grin, sitting up on his knees as he chucked snowball after snowball your direction.

you yelped, ducking out of the way and trying to get to the side of their snowbank. "i don't know about that, wolf boy!"

you threw a snowball at him - hard, not expecting it to hit him at all.

except it smashed in his face, earning an instant chorus of laughter.

bran stopped throwing, pointing a finger at his older brother as robb stared straight ahead, eyes wide in surprise.

the man wiped the snow off him, mock glaring at you as you laughed harder. "you're out. no headshots."

"technically, that was a faceshot-"

"you're out, little doe, come on now."

"fine, fine," you laughed, walking over to join theon. "sorry, love!"

"oh, now you're sorry?" he asked, raising his brows.

"you'll get her back next time," theon chuckled, elbowing your side as you stood next to him.

you watched as arya circled the courtyard carefully, hiding behind random snowbanks, jon now out in the open trying to pelt his brothers with snow.

"you're going down, snow!" robb called to his brother, pushing up on his knees to chuck one way too close to jon. "it's inevitable!"

"is it?"

arya smashed two snowballs against her brothers' backs, immediately throwing her hands up in the air as you and jon and rickon began cheering.

robb turned with a slack jaw, arya giggling as she stepped away from him. "we win."

"oh, did you now?" he asked, a grin pulling at his lips as he lunged at the young girl, snatching her up around the middle and running into the middle of the courtyard, spinning her around as she screamed.

"let me down, robb!"

"let you down?" he repeated, slowing his spins and walking a few steps towards where rickon was still sat behind your makeshift base. "i'll let you down."

"robb, don't-!"

he dropped her into the snow, earning loud cackles from theon and jon as you shook your head, smiling even as you helped the girl up. she scrambled to her feet, glaring at her brother.

he raised his hands in defense, smiling as he backed away from her. "you said to let you down. i let you down."

"not in the snow!" she exclaimed, but even bran could hear the amusement in her tone as she lunged for him.

which warranted him throwing a snowball at her and landing it square in the back of her head.

a few more rounds of snowball fights ensued after that, the last one ending with robb tossing you in the snow before arya shoved him in to join you. rickon jumped in of his own free will, giggling as he grabbed bunches of snow in his hands.

"alright children! time to clean up and get to breakfast, there's much to be done today."

you and robb sat up, everyone staring over your shoulder at lady catelyn standing in the entryway with a gentle smile.

arya and bran were the first to follow instructions, followed by theon and jon, both of whom avoided her gaze, and soon it was just you, robb, and rickon left sprawled in the snow.

you grunted, pushing yourself up to stand and grab rickon, the little boy wrapping his arms around your neck to keep himself in your arms. you smiled at him. "aren't you glad i woke you up this morning?"

"yes," he admitted with a small smile. "can we do it again tomorrow?"

"we'll see what the snow looks like," you hummed before your tone dropped to a whisper and you grinned at him. "but probably yes."

he matched your grin before you set him on his feet, letting him run after his siblings towards the dining hall. you turned back to the snow pile, eyes fondly resting on robb. "do you need help too?"

"it'd be appreciated," he answered with a teasing grin, holding his hands out.

you rolled your eyes but obliged, holding his hands tightly and tugging him up to his feet. it was almost instinct, the way his hands fell to your waist and tried to pull you closer, but you pushed him away, opting instead to take his hand to approach his mother. you offered lady catelyn a smile.

"you all sure had fun this morning," she hummed with a distinct fondness in her tone.

"nothing better than fresh snow to start the week," you answered, which earned a gentle laugh.

"nothing better," she agreed.

robb grinned, squeezing your hand. "especially when it's used to pummel my face."

"he's just mad he lost," you told his mother, shaking your head with a laugh.

"i am not mad!"

"of course you're not, dear," catelyn said, meeting your eyes with a smile that matched yours. she stepped to the side, making way for you both to escape down the hall. "get something to eat, you two. there's a lot of work to be done today."

"has father called for me?" robb asked.

"yes, you, jon, and theon will be assisting him today," she answered with a short nod. she looked to you. "you and i will continue preparing for your family's arrival."

"yes, my lady," you said.

she smiled fondly, nodding again. "your highness."

however awkward it was for you to hear the title, you were appreciative of her dismissal, robb pulling you away and down the hall.

he chuckled next to you. "don't look so surprised."

"she never calls me that," you told him, brows furrowed. "no one here does."

"well, maybe she's still doing it while she can. everyone knows as soon as we're married you're taking the title of 'lady' instead," he answered, grinning. "though sansa can't believe you're giving 'princess' up."

"lady of winterfell is much more appealing," you said with a light laugh. "less expectation. less awkward formality."

"more me," he joked, earning another laugh.

"yes," you hummed, squeezing his hand as you leaned into his side, grinning up at him. "more you."

"arguably the best part," he continued.

"arguably," you agreed as he slowed his steps, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. you glanced over his shoulder at the messed up courtyard, your smile softening. "i'm going to miss this."

he followed your eyes, a soft sigh slipping through his lips. "it'll be back soon enough."

you knew what he meant. you'd talked about it a lot.

you get married at the end of the week, and then you'll be expected to have children. eventually, those curly headed pups will be playing in the courtyard throwing snowballs at one another just as you and the stark children and theon had.

"it'll be different," you told him, shaking your head.

your family with robb instead of the whole family.

ned could still be in king's landing at that point as hand to the king, but perhaps he'd be home with his wife. rickon and bran would likely stay. theon as well. but, sansa and arya will be married off in a few years, sansa in king's landing with your idiot brother and arya who knows where. and jon would be at the wall, cloaked in black surrounded by men who weren't his brothers, though he called them so.

"it'll be ours," was his answer, another kiss pressed to your temple.

you looked up at him, smiling softly. "yeah, i suppose that's worth it."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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masterlist!!

[the-key-five]

arya stark appreciation week → day 1: quote

Only the kindly man knew the Common Tongue. "Who are you?" he would ask her every day. "No one," she would answer, she who had been Arya of House Stark, Arya Underfoot, Arya Horseface. She had been Arry and Weasel too, and Squab and Salty, Nan the cupbearer, a grey mouse, a sheep, the ghost of Harrenhal . . . but not for true, not in her heart of hearts. In there she was Arya of Winterfell, the daughter of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn, who had once had brothers named Robb and Bran and Rickon, a sister named Sansa, a direwolf called Nymeria, a half brother named Jon Snow. In there she was someone . . . but that was not the answer that he wanted.

A Feast for Crows, Arya II

[ahouseofstarkdefender]

Them: Arya hates Sansa so we all should hate that bitch.

Arya:

Arya never looked back. She wished the Rush would rise and wash the whole city away, Flea Bottom and the Red Keep and the Great Sept and everything, and everyone too, especially Prince Joffrey and his mother. But she knew it wouldn't, and anyhow Sansa was still in the city and would wash away too. When she remembered that, Arya decided to wish for Winterfell instead. - Arya I, ACOK

Arya sipped at her tankard cautiously, between spoonfuls of pie still warm from the oven. Her father sometimes let them have a cup of beer, she remembered. Sansa used to make a face at the taste and say that wine was ever so much finer, but Arya had liked it well enough. It made her sad to think of Sansa and her father. - Aria II, ACOK

When she thought of seeing Robb's face again Arya had to bite her lip. And I want to see Jon too, and Bran and Rickon, and Mother. Even Sansa . . . I'll kiss her and beg her pardons like a proper lady, she'll like that. - Arya VII

Winterfell is burned and fallen, Arya reminded herself. Old Nan and Maester Luwin were both dead, most like, and Sansa too. It did no good to think of them. - Arya I, AFFC

Needle was Robb and Bran and Rickon, her mother and her father, even Sansa. Needle was Winterfell's grey walls, and the laughter of its people. Needle was the summer snows, Old Nan's stories, the heart tree with its red leaves and scary face, the warm earthy smell of the glass gardens, the sound of the north wind rattling the shutters of her room. Needle was Jon Snow's smile. He used to mess my hair and call me "little sister," she remembered, and suddenly there were tears in her eyes. - Arya II - AFFC

Arya wants her sister back as much as she wants her parents and her brothers. Pretty sure if Arya read so many of Sansa's antis comments, she would try to stick them with Needle for daring to think like that.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

in asoiaf, what is the order of succession for nobles and for the throne (as i’ve read they are different)?

They are indeed different. In most of Westeros, they use traditional Andal succession, known in our world as male-preference primogeniture. This puts women at the back of the line, so to speak, but does not exclude them. A lord's eldest son inherits, even if he has older daughters, followed by the remainder of his sons by age, and then his daughters, and then would move up to the previous generations with his brothers and then his sisters. "A daughter comes before an uncle," as they say. For example, with the Starks, Ned's succession is Robb-Bran-Rickon-Sansa-Arya. (Benjen is excluded for being a man of the Night's Watch; Jon is excluded by being a bastard and a man of the Night's Watch. But of course there's complications.) This succession also includes the heirs of the heirs, so for example Hoster Tully's succession is Edmure-Catelyn-Robb-Bran-Rickon-Sansa-Arya-Lysa-Robert-Brynden.

Note there are exceptions to this, even after King Jaehaerys I Targaryen codified the laws across Westeros. Sometimes these exceptions appear to be cultural. For example, somehow House Stark has never had a ruling lady in all its reported 8000 years of existence, and the time we know they should have, Cregan Stark's eldest (and late lamented) son Rickon's eldest daughter Sansa was (forcefully?) married to Cregan's eldest son from his third marriage, her half-uncle Jonnel, who became the lord instead. Another example - after Balon Greyjoy dies, a maester insists that "By rights the Seastone Chair belongs to Theon, or Asha if the prince is dead. That is the law", and Aeron Greyjoy dismisses it contemptuously as "green land law", and thinks the Iron Islands will never follow a woman.

Sometimes these exceptions appear to be just plain misogyny - like when Big and Little Walder Frey discuss the succession of the Twins, they don't count the women in the line. Mind you the Walders are children and may not know true details; but time will tell if Edwyn's daughter Walda will inherit or if her uncle Black Walder will seize the Twins. (Probably the latter.) Of course little Walda also has the problem of being a child heiress, but child heiresses have become ruling ladies before -- like Jeyne Arryn, whose inheritance was contested multiple times by her male cousins -- or like Cerelle Lannister, who inherited at the age of 3 and ruled for a year before dying suddenly and her uncle Gerold became lord. Um. It's hard out there for a girl. 😭

And in Dorne, they use a different form of succession entirely -- Rhoynar tradition, what we call absolute primogeniture. Much simpler, there the eldest child inherits regardless of sex. So Doran's heirs are Arianne-Quentyn-Trystane-{Elia}-{Rhaenys}-{Aegon}-Oberyn. Of course, Dorne has its own exceptions: per GRRM, a few houses in the mountains, least affected by the Rhoynar, may sometimes follow Andal tradition instead, which is likely the reason why Cletus Yronwood was considered the heir instead of his older sister Ynys. (Mind you, Cletus is dead now, and Anders Yronwood only has daughters left, so sucks to be a man compared to Criston Cole, doesn't it?) And Arianne was worried that Doran was going to have Quentyn inherit instead of her, but she didn't know that Doran was actually planning to make her queen of Westeros, which would take her out of the Sunspear succession (in the same way that Myriah Martell married Daeron II Targaryen and her younger brother Maron became Prince of Dorne).

Now. The Targaryen succession to the throne is a different matter. For them, they've had the competing issues of tradition, king's choice, sexist lords voting sexism, even more tradition, and politics. (Sooo much politics.) Putting the rest of this behind a cut because it was already a long post but it got longer:

From the start, as far as we know the pre-Conquest Targaryens in Westeros used traditional Andal succession. (It's unknown how succession was handled in Valyria, or if there was a difference between the dragonrider families and any others.) There is a brief mention that Aenar the Exile's grandchildren, Aegon and Elaena, ruled together, but every other Lord of Dragonstone was indeed a lord, and hardly any daughters are even referred to. By the time we get to the Conquest trio, we know that Visenya was the eldest child, and yet her younger brother Aegon was Lord of Dragonstone. And later, Aegon was the king, with his sister-wives as his queens (though unlike later queens, they sat the Iron Throne and handled day-to-day governance of the realm).

The first time we see an issue with this succession tradition was when King Aenys died and his half-brother Maegor usurped (and later killed) Aenys's eldest son Aegon. By Andal tradition, Aegon and his sister-wife Rhaena's eldest daughter Aerea should have succeeded after Maegor died (he considered her his heir until he had children of his own), but instead Aegon's younger brother Jaehaerys became king. Political issues there: Jaehaerys actually successfully contested Maegor's rule, he was a strong teen boy with a sword and a dragon where Aerea was a girl of six who'd been in hiding most of her life, her mother Rhaena had been forcefully married to Maegor and had few supporters, Aerea had been named heir by Maegor specifically to cut out Jaehaerys, etc. Though note Aerea was considered Jaehaerys's heir... until he had children of his own. And as for Rhaena (Aenys's eldest child), she never actually vied for the throne after Maegor's death, but later in her life she bitterly told Jaehaerys "you have my throne, content yourself with that."

As for Jaehaerys and his children, from the start there were problems, when Queen Alysanne expected their eldest child Daenerys to be queen one day (why Alysanne expected the throne to follow absolute primogeniture at this point is unknown), and Jae was like, sure, our second child Aemon will be king and she'll be his wife! But Daenerys died as a child, and as for Aemon, he died too, albeit as a father of a grown daughter with a child of her own on the way. And there you have Jae sexism part 2, instead of naming Rhaenys as his heir, he instead named his second living son, Baelon, as his heir. So here's the precedent where the throne deliberately denied Andal succession tradition, and instead went with king's choice.

Then 9 years after Aemon's death, Baelon also died, and Jaehaerys held the Great Council of 101 AC, for all the lords of Westeros to decide between all of Jaehaerys's potential heirs. In the end, the final choice was between Aemon's daughter Rhaenys's son Laenor (Rhaenys herself was also in competition, though her claim was dismissed early) and Baelon's son Viserys. By a large percentage, the lords chose Viserys. According to maesters,

In the eyes of many, the Great Council of 101 AC thereby established an iron precedent on matters of succession: regardless of seniority, the Iron Throne of Westeros could not pass to a woman, nor through a woman to her male descendants.

This female-exclusive tradition is known in our world as agnatic primogeniture, or Salic law. However, this "iron precedent" was not that iron even from the beginning. Viserys and his wife Aemma only had one living child, Rhaenyra, so Viserys's brother Daemon was considered his heir until a son was born. And, well, if you've seen the first episode of HOTD you know what happened, because of Daemon's fuckup Viserys deliberately dismissed him, "disregarding the precedents set by [...] the Great Council in 101", but used the precedent of king's choice to name Rhaenyra as his heir and make all the lord of Westeros vow to obey that decision. Again, you've seen what happened next -- Viserys then remarried and had sons, whose grandfather used the Andal tradition to try to make Viserys name as heirs, but he refused to bypass Rhaenyra. In the end, though, when the Green Council formed after Viserys's death,

Ser Tyland pointed out that many of the lords who had sworn to defend the succession of Princess Rhaenyra were long dead. “It has been twenty-four years,” he said. “I myself swore no such oath. I was a child at the time.” Ironrod, the master of laws, cited the Great Council of 101 and the Old King’s choice of Baelon rather than Rhaenys in 92, then discoursed at length about Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters, and the hallowed Andal tradition wherein the rights of a trueborn son always came before the rights of a mere daughter.

So the law cited to name Aegon II king was one king's choice vs another king's choice, as well as Andal tradition and the "iron precedent" of the Great Council. And thus we got the Dance of the Dragons, Rhaenyra vs Aegon II.

But what about afterwards? What does Fire & Blood say about Aegon III, how did the maesters decide he inherited, through Aegon II (as his only living male relative), as Daemon's son, or as Rhaenyra's son? Well, it doesn't actually explain this point! The moment Aegon II died, Corlys Velaryon's men were freeing Aegon the Younger from his hostage prison, and then when the late Rhaenyra's (finally) winning army showed up at the gates of King's Landing, we just have Corlys saying, "The king is dead, long live the king." No maester commentary on the precedent at all, much to the frustration of backseat lawyers and historians in the fandom, who keep arguing one way or the other, or the various fandom teams, who keep arguing which side actually won.* 😅

*The answer is nobody. Nobody won.

And note that because Aegon III had no known living male relatives at the time (his brother Viserys was missing and presumed dead), his half-sisters Baela and Rhaena were considered his heirs, again despite this supposed "iron precedent". Leading to one of my favorite quotes from F&B:

Yet it was Grand Maester Munkun who put an end to the debate when he said, “My lords, it makes no matter. They are both girls. Have we learned so little from the slaughter? We must abide by primogeniture, as the Great Council ruled in 101. The male claim comes before the female.” Yet when Ser Tyland said, “And who is this male claimant, my lord? We seem to have killed them all,” Munkun had no answer but to say he would research the issue.

Though Aegon III's council and regents really wanted Baela to have a proper son, and when she rejected their (fat old guy) intended husband and instead eloped with a legitimized bastard, they wasted no time getting her sister Rhaena married to someone suitable, though she actually chose her husband, an older knight she'd become friends with in the Vale. And then Unwin Peake killed off Aegon II's daughter Jaehaera in order to marry Aegon III to his own daughter, and Baela and Rhaena did an end run with a new wife for their brother, a very young girl he didn't touch for 10 years... Of course, all this plotting came to nothing when Viserys did show up alive, so the lords could be satisfied with no need for an icky girl queen, the very idea.

The next time we see any competing issues of precedent for the succession to the throne was after Aegon III's second son, Baelor the Blessed, died without any children. By rights, per Andal tradition, his successor should have been his sister (and ex-wife) Daena. However, because Baelor had imprisoned Daena and her sisters in the Maidenvault for 10 years, they had few supporters, complicated by the fact that Daena had also recently had a bastard and refused to name the father. And of course, the Dance was still on everyone's mind as it had ended only 40 years before. So,

The precedents of the Great Council of 101 and the Dance of the Dragons were therefore cited, and the claims of Baelor's sisters were set aside. Instead the crown passed to his uncle, the King's Hand, Prince Viserys.

And Viserys II was followed by his son Aegon IV and so on. After this point, we do not have any real questions about gender and succession for a while. (Though some wonder, when Daemon Blackfyre vied for the throne, if he ever cited his mother Daena's stolen claim, in addition to being the unstated choice of his father Aegon IV. Also Aerys I named his niece Aelora as his heir after her brother-husband Aelor died, but she also died before Aerys did.) By the time of the Great Council of 233 AC, the claim of Vaella, only child of Maekar's eldest son Daeron, was dismissed immediately, though note she was also considered "simple", and Maekar's fourth son came to the throne as Aegon V.

And then in 283 AC, Robert Baratheon took the throne from the Targaryens. While many believe he took the throne by conquest (killing King Aerys II Targaryen's heir Rhaegar, while Aerys was killed by Jaime Lannister), maesters cite the fact that Robert was the grandson of Rhaelle Targaryen, daughter of Aegon V! So where is that "iron precedent" now, with Robert as the descendant of a Targaryen woman? And Robert's brother Stannis considers his daughter Shireen to be his heir, and people in Westeros in general consider Robert's daughter Myrcella to be his heir (after her brothers Joffrey and Tommen). Not to mention the fact that (claimant king in exile) Viserys considered Dany his heir, naming her Princess of Dragonstone.

So. Theoretically by the time of the main books, this "no women allowed ever" precedent for royal succession is still out there. In practice, however, the throne currently either follows Andal tradition of sons before daughters (but yes, including daughters), or the "whoever has the larger army" tradition of old. And that will be what truly decides the question of Aegon (or Jon) vs Daenerys, whether Rhaegar's line was disinherited by Aerys II or whether any maesters pop up to say "but iron precedent!" or what. Fire and blood, as always.

[cellsshapedlikestars]

ok so I don't get involved in fandom drama, but I saw a post that got me thinking about one of my favorite jonsa moments in the books that I feel like is a bit overlooked?

I'm putting it under a cut because my thoughts are scattered and possibly confusing but whatever lol

so I found the post on my for you tab (why do i even go in there?) and it was about how Sansa is super classist for this part: Sansa sighed as she stitched. "Poor Jon," she said. "He gets jealous because he's a bastard."

(Don't worry, the poster did point out that all the Starks are classist to some degree, but Sansa is the most, and how Arya just thinks of him as her brother. gotta love people who try to bury their Sansa hate lol. like there was no other point to the post. it didn't even make me mad cause it was just kind of a dumb, very surface level take that was clearly just meant to point out how Sansa's such a meanie)

now, if you follow me, you probably know that I'm not someone who reads a ton of metas or even believes jonsa will be canon, but if it is, I think this is such an underrated moment.

Because Sansa sees him in a way none of her other siblings do, because she doesn't think of him as her true brother.

Arya thinks of Jon as her brother. For her, she and Jon are the same, but they aren't, and she doesn't see that - because she's 9 years old and for her, Jon is an outsider like her, and that relationship is such a safe space for her. (ugh I actually love the Jon & Arya relationship I really don't get to write it enough because I do tend to focus more on Sansa's relationship with Arya). Anyway, Arya doesn't really understand the implications of Jon being a bastard. Like, that isn't going to change for him, except in a very extreme circumstance. But she will always be trueborn. (we're taking gender out of the equation here, which is its own beast that has been talked about a ton so I won't go into it)

Arya is blinded by her love and adoration of Jon. Robb doesn't see it at all because why would he even consider it? (and even if he did, we don't see it cause there's no Robb POV). Bran and Rickon are probably too young to think about. But Sansa sees Jon for who he is, and what she says is a fact. Is it a nice thing to say? Maybe not, but it is 100% true, and she's clearly emotionally intelligent enough to see his circumstances and understand how that effects his actions.

I think that's why I found the post so funny, cause I'm like - and? Jon IS a jealous bastard. He spends the entire Winterfell feast being soooooo salty about Joffrey and Myrcella and Tommen and even Robb (radiant Sansa gets a pass tho) even though there's literally no other reason for it. He spends the rest of the books trying so hard to suppress how much he wants to be Lord of Winterfell. He loves Robb, but he's jealous of Robb, and he struggles a lot with that and feels guilty for wanting what Robb has.

Anyway, this is one of my fav jonsa foreshadowings (if it ever becomes canon) because to me, it just means that Sansa can see through his bullshit better than a lot of other people. And I like the idea of that, that she sees him.

meanwhile Jon's just over there like "yeah yeah yeah, Sansa's radiant, but have you seen how insipid Myrcella is??"

[ghostinwinterfell]

“. . . I swore to myself that I would be a good king, as honorable as Father, strong, just, loyal to my friends and brave when I faced my enemies, now I can't tell one from the other. How did it all get so confused?" (ASOS, Catelyn III)

robb’s concept of honor is so endlessly fascinating to me. all he wants is to emulate his father’s sense of honor, without realizing that such a rigid adherence to “honor” is partially what got ned killed in the first place.

when faced with the choice between trading sansa and arya for jaime, robb chooses to leave his sisters as hostages for the sake of his war. in his mind, it would be dishonorable (even selfish) to rescue his sisters at the cost of the north’s war. it can’t be an easy choice for an older brother to make, but he does what needs to be done and doesn’t back down when catelyn challenges him about it.

BUT when it comes to jeyne, there is no “honorable” option for him to choose. he can either dishonor her, or he can dishonor himself and the freys, as well as weaken the north’s position. so when faced with this moral dilemma, robb defaults back to his most basic sense of honor—aka the image of heroes protecting women and the importance of marriage / trueborn children, which runs deep through highborn families (especially considering his own family dynamic).

robb is ultimately guided by his traditional / comfortable understanding of honor, rather than the nuanced sense of duty that a more experienced king might have. and it’s this kind of thinking that leads him to execute lord karstark, rather than keeping him as a hostage to ensure the karstark’s’ continued support.

and we also have to factor in theon’s betrayal / robb’s guilt over bran and rickon into his perception of honor. for example, robb eventually regrets not trading jaime for sansa in order to win highgarden. he realizes that he could have rescued his little sister without sacrificing his war. does he recognize that there may have been other “honorable” choices that he overlooked, such as placing less trust in theon? does he wonder why traditional “honor” wasn’t enough to save his little brothers? does this make him question the concept entirely?

whatever the case, robb’s traditional and somewhat naive sense of honor plays a major role in his downfall. like seriously, has anyone ever been more doomed by the narrative.

[aphroditelovesu]

Yandere House Stark Headcanons (Platonic)

"Winter is Coming." — House Stark.

❝ 🐺 — lady l: and another headcanon was made! Yay, I hope it turned out good and that you like it! Forgive me any mistakes. 💙

❝tw: obsessive and possessive behavior, mention of murder, unhealthy platonic relationships, messy writing.

❝🐺pairing: yandere platonic!house stark x gender neutral!reader.

The Starks are one of the most, if not the most, loving families in Westeros. They are fiercely loyal and protect each other with wolf-like intensity and strength. They care for each other and love each other devotedly.

When you were brought into the care of this family, these feelings did not change, but only increased further and became unhealthy. That didn't matter, however, to any of them. They showed their fury towards anyone who dared to get too close to you or threatened you.

Ned was the one who brought you into the wings of his family. You were the child of an innkeeper who ended up being murdered by some thieves, while still a small child you were found by the Lord of Winterfell and he, compassionate about your situation, brought you to his home.

Catelyn didn't know how to react, at first, when she met you. She feared that you were another bastard child of her husband and that he had brought you to be raised just like Jon. But as soon as her husband told her the true story, Catelyn felt a weight lifted from her shoulders and she became closer to you.

Robb gave you a warm welcome. As soon as he met you, he picked you up, hugged you tightly and welcomed you to the family. He adored you immediately and didn't hesitate to treat you like a member of his family. Robb is overprotective and takes care of you like an older brother takes care of a younger one.

Sansa adored you, simple as that. Although a little skeptical of you, like her mother, any worries or reservations she had were gone the moment she laid eyes on you. You looked so small and helpless, her instincts were screaming at her to take care of you. Sansa found herself overwhelmed by this feeling.

Arya is probably the closest to you. She is bold and courageous, she adores you and loves spending time with you, constantly picking fights with others for your attention. Arya is somewhat possessive and gets irritated when attention is stolen from her. She absolutely loves you and loves taking you with her to get away from boring chores.

Bran is the calmest one in his family, he doesn't demand so much of your attention nor is he possessive, he takes everything he can, but his only demand is that you read to him. In return, he'll love reading to you or, if you are interested, teaching you how to climb. He is very calm and the least dangerous.

Rickon is the youngest and, in some ways, the most spoiled. He constantly wants your attention and is always fighting with Arya about it. He likes to follow you around Winterfell and snuggle into your arms. He is quite jealous and will sulk when someone steals you from him.

Jon didn't know what to think of you at first. On one hand he was jealous of seeing you receiving all the love he so desired, on the other hand he was happy to have you around, since he started to like you a lot as he got to know you better. Any animosity he had for you would be forgotten once his obsession consumed him. Jon is very overprotective and will fight anyone to protect you.

Benjen doesn't spend much time by your side because of the Wall, but the few times he visited Winterfell, he adored you and telling you stories or holding you in his arms were his favorite things to do with you.

Ned didn't know things would come to this level. He knew his family would care and love you, but he didn't know how much. He even tried to be rational, but it was no use, not when he found himself obsessed with you. Once you called him "dad", there was nothing more to be done. You were a Stark until your death.

Catelyn acts like a caring and protective mother, which she is. She loves to brush your hair, reading to you or just being by your side. She fulfills your every whim and can never scold you for something. In her eyes, you were her baby and you could do nothing wrong.

Robb and Jon are always fighting over you, although their fights are never serious, they still happen and it's always up to you how to resolve them. A hug and a kiss on the cheek usually does the trick. Robb wants to be your favorite brother and Jon wants your unconditional love.

Sansa and Arya fight more than their brothers, they both want your attention all the time and this always leads to more fights. It's usually Ned who solves them. Sansa wants you to brush her hair while she tells you something and Arya wants to play or train with you.

Bran and Rickon don't fight that much, but sometimes a disagreement can happen when you pay more attention to one. It usually resolves when you threaten them that if they don't stop fighting, they won't have you. They are quick to apologize and hug you.

The Starks are wolves and we all know how protective wolves are of their litter, of their family. They will be ready to eliminate any threat to you and they will do so with a smile. Nothing is more important than you to them. Once the Lannisters arrive, the Starks will be ready to show their claws.

After all, leave one wolf alive and the sheep are never safe.

[syndrossi]

Restoration AU: Arya I

Previous part, Jon I, here (or read the entire edited part 1 on AO3 here).

x~x~x

Something was wrong, and it had to do with Jon, who was absent from the Great Hall for supper. So was Theon, but that was far more common. And the chair that her father kept for one of the servants to dine with them was empty too.

Her father usually asked after their day, or her mother after their lessons, but both ate in silence, and Robb was glaring at Father like he had forbidden him from riding for a week, as he had a few moons ago when Robb had been caught with Theon sneaking back from winter town during the night, “drunk as a dog.” He was always trying to impress Theon for reasons Arya would never understand.

Sansa kept stealing glances at Arya as they ate, either in question or accusation, but she could only shrug. Bran knew, she thought after a few minutes’ study. He was fidgeting in his seat, looking like he dearly wished to speak but had been instructed otherwise.

When they had finished their plates, the scrape of Robb’s knife particularly loud in the large hall, Father stood, his face stony. “There is a matter I would speak of. Doubtless you have noticed that your half-brother Jon is absent.”

Arya frowned. Their father rarely called Jon anything but their brother. It was Sansa who turned her nose up and made sure to correct Arya whenever he was mentioned. As he opened his mouth to speak again, Mother stood, the sudden motion accompanied by the screech of wood on stone.

“I will not listen to this again,” she said, not even looking at Father as she reached to pick little Rickon up from his chair. Her footsteps fell heavy as she stormed from the room.

Robb’s own chair shifted, and Arya thought for a moment that he might go after her, but he settled, his glare at their father turning sharper still. Arya bit her lip, worry beginning to build. Her mother was easily upset when it came to Jon, but she did not know why Robb would be angry too.

“Did something happen to Jon?” Arya asked.

“No,” Father said, rubbing at his temples. He looked very tired, and a little sad. “Jon is looking after his brothers. Your half-brothers.”

“Our half-brothers?” Arya echoed uncertainly. She knew that “half-brother” meant “bastard,” and that a bastard was a child born outside of marriage. Jon had been born around the time that Robb had, before her parents had come to know and love one another.

“Twins,” her father confirmed with a nod. “They are near to you and Bran in age, Arya.”

Robb’s fists clenched. “So you simply could not wait for the realm to go to war again, is that it? Because it meant you could visit your foreign—” He glanced about the table, at Arya and Sansa, mouth pressing into a tight line. “What oaths do you hold sacred, Father?”

She had never heard Robb so angry. Although he was not shouting, his eyes glittered, as though he were holding back tears. Arya found herself grasping the arms of her chair, worried about how their father would respond.

“That is between myself and your mother,” Father said, though without heat. “Whatever anger you harbor for me, your brothers will need your kindness. They lost their mother, and were kidnapped from their home by those wishing to use them against our family. It is only through luck that they escaped their captors.”

“And I found them!” Bran announced. “They were just outside the wolfswood.”

Robb’s anger seemed to have given way to surprise. “Kidnapped? Who took them?”

“I do not yet know. I have sent out a number of knights and men-at-arms to the wolfswood in search. The boys described what they recalled of their captor, but they were given dreamwine to keep them docile.”

Robb’s fist rapped against the top of the table. “Why was I not sent out with them in search? Or Jon?”

“Because you and Jon are yet boys,” Father said, summoning the scowl back to Robb’s face. “And I do not yet know the shape of this plot. Perhaps a full-blooded Stark captive would suit their purposes better. Your efforts are best spent looking after your siblings, old and new.” His gaze swept through all of them. “None of you are to wander beyond the gates of Winterfell until these men are caught.”

Arya nodded solemnly in response, but within, she felt abuzz with excitement. New siblings, enemies seeking to steal them away in the night. It was like something out of the interesting histories, or the games of pretend she would play with Bran—and Sansa before she decided that she preferred needlepoint and cooing over knights with Jeyne Poole.

“When do we get to meet the twins? What are their names? Do they look like me and Jon?”

Father blinked. “Their names are Willam and Raymar. Willam—has the Stark look, like you and your brother. Raymar has more of his mother’s look.” If Robb’s scowl were any fiercer, Arya thought his face might end up stuck that way. “They are supping with Jon and will stay with him in his chamber.” He gave Arya a stern look. “It has been a long day for them, you may meet your brothers in the morning.”

She huffed with disappointment. Bran had met them already, it didn’t seem fair that the rest of them should have to wait. Then again, Father had not said that they couldn’t meet them tonight. Arya snuck a glance at Sansa, curious whether she felt the same, but her sister was staring at the surface of the table, face red with upset.

“If that is all, may I be excused, Father?” her sister asked.

Their father’s face grew sadder still. “Sansa—”

“I will escort her to her chamber,” Robb interrupted, moving to offer their sister his arm. She took it, mouth trembling as though she might burst into tears, and Robb shifted to pull her into a side hug instead, arm around her shoulders as he led her out of the hall.

Arya stared after them, her mood dimming for the first time. Jon has explained to her once what a bastard was. He was like Father in that way, always willing to answer questions, even if they might be shameful ones. She still didn’t understand exactly how it worked, but she knew that it was a betrayal, the kind that Mother blamed Jon for.

“Do you still love Mother?” she asked.

Her voice sounded small in the Great Hall, and Father rose from his seat to crouch beside her and Bran, placing a large hand on each of their heads. “I love your mother with all my heart, but my deeds have hurt her deeply. She will need your love in the coming weeks.”

She nodded beneath his hand. “Are you ashamed of the twins?” He had brought Jon back with him as a babe, but not their other brothers.

Father sighed. “No, they are innocent in this. They too will need your love. This is a strange place to them, and we are still strangers, rather than kin.”

And they had been kidnapped from their home. “I will show them every part of Winterfell,” Arya promised. “So that they can feel that it is home.”

“I can show them too!” Bran said quickly. “I know places that you haven’t been.”

Father regarded him with a knowing look. “Places that you are forbidden from climbing to?” Bran ducked his head, but Father’s hand followed it. “No climbing, Bran, especially not with danger about.”

Bran’s mouth opened like he wanted to protest, but he closed it with a nod.

“It will be—difficult, for a time. You may hear unkind words said about your brothers, or perhaps even about me. You must be kind, where others are not.”

It was Sansa who their father should be speaking to, Arya thought with a frown. She would likely be one of those saying unkind things. But they both assured him that they would protect their new brothers.

“Wild as the two of you can be, you have gentle hearts.” Father pulled them in close for a hug, then stood, lifting them both from their chairs in a single motion before setting them on their feet. “Come, let us get you back to your rooms.”

x~x~x

Arya did eventually try to sleep, but after Father had walked with them to bring their direwolf pups to the kennels, she no longer had the distraction of playing with Nymeria, and she certainly wasn’t going to practice her stitches. She brought out one of the books that Maester Luwin had given her to help learn High Valyrian, because Father had told them during their walk that the twins had grown up in a noble household in Lys and spoke the language.

But High Valyrian was difficult even with a maester explaining it and she set it aside after only a few minutes, drumming her fingers atop her lap. She snuffed the lamp then, and settled into bed, closing her eyes.

Sleep refused to come. She kept thinking about Robb’s anger, and Sansa crying, and Mother’s cold fury. She thought about Jon then, and what he thought about his two new siblings. She hadn’t considered it earlier, but doubt plagued her now. Would he prefer them to her because they were his full siblings and boys? Their Stark looks had always been something special the two of them shared.

What were they like, the twins? Would they be quiet and watchful like Jon? Would they be perfect and proper like Sansa?

After tossing from side to side until she could no longer stand it, Arya threw the blanket off and dressed herself again. Her bedchamber was not too far from Jon’s, but when she cracked the door open, she saw Cayn disappear around the corner, which was strange. Perhaps Father was more worried about the kidnappers than he had told them.

She waited a few seconds, then slipped out, tip-toeing down the hall until she reached the end. She peeked around the corner and waited until Cayn had disappeared from view again before hurrying to Jon’s door, where she knocked as quietly as she could.

Several harrowing seconds passed before the door opened at last—just a sliver at first, but once Jon’s gaze dropped to her, he opened it wider. Arya stared up at him, the uncertainty of the past few hours catching up to her at last in the form of blurred tears.

“Here,” Jon said, and she flung her arms around him in a hug that he returned with a comforting squeeze.

The door was closed behind her, and when she pulled back, brushing her eyes with a sleeve, she spotted their new brothers sitting atop Jon’s bed, petting Ghost. Father had said that they were her age or younger, but to her disappointment, they looked bigger—almost Sansa’s age.

Raymar drew her gaze first, because of his strange coloring. His hair was so pale he almost reminded her of Ghost, and it fell loose over his shoulders and down his back, much longer than most boys or men wore theirs. His eyes looked dark at first, like Willam’s and Jon’s, but in the candlelight she could see that they were blue, perhaps—or purple. That was not uncommon in Lys, she remembered learning.

Sansa will be jealous, Arya thought with something like satisfaction. There is finally someone prettier than her.

Arya had spent enough time wishing she were pretty like her sister, rather than “Arya Horseface,” that it only seemed fair that her sister should have to know what it felt like. It is not as though I only want it to impress boys, either.

He did not lift his chin under her gaze, the way Sansa did when someone noticed her and she wanted to preen about it. He simply returned it, his curiosity dampened by a sorrow that made her own chest ache in response, so she looked away, seeking his twin instead.

Willam, looked so much like Jon that they could have been twins, if they were the same age. His hair was straighter than Jon’s and slightly lighter, worn loose down to his shoulders. At first she thought that maybe his eyes were purple too, but after a few seconds, she decided they must be a grey like Jon’s. He had far more of the Stark look than his brother, but softened somehow. His face was longer than his twin’s, but not horselike, like hers.

He also looked sad as he stared back at her, something like longing in his eyes, and Arya understood what Father had meant about them needing their family. No mother, no siblings, and they have never known Father.

She walked up to the bed. “I’m Arya, your sister.” The twins hurried to their feet to give a proper bow of greeting, introducing themselves as well, and then, inspired, she added in her best High Valyrian, “Welcome to Winterfell.”

They blinked at her in unison, like she had always imagined twins would, and the delight of it made her smile. She hugged Raymar first, who tensed before gingerly returning the hug. Then she hugged Willam, who dug his chin into her shoulder and returned the hug with all the fierceness of one of Jon’s hugs. She could feel him shaking a little and when she pulled back in concern, she found that he was crying.

She hoped it wasn’t because she had reminded them of their own home. “I will help Jon show you around tomorrow,” she said, seeking to distract him. “And you can meet my direwolf, Nymeria.” She reached out a hand to give Ghost a scritch, hastily adding, “Ghost is different from the other pups too, but that just means he’s special.”

They hopped back onto the bed, alternating pats and scratches to Ghost, while Jon dragged a chair over, since there wasn’t room for everyone.

“What are some things that you like?” Arya asked, curious about just how much their lives had differed, growing up in Lys. “I like wolves, riding, and archery. I hate embroidery.”

Raymar answered first. “I like—riding as well, and archery. I also like history, swords, and singing.” Willam’s head jerked toward his brother, who added, “I enjoy playing the harp.”

Willam seemed dismayed for some reason, while his twin stared back almost in challenge. Arya looked between them, uncertain what had upset them. Perhaps their mother used to play, and it reminded them of her?

“Sansa has a harp that she plays,” Arya said. “She’s your other sister.” Sansa probably wouldn’t let Raymar play it, now that she thought about it. “There are lots of horses too, and I ride my own now, and sometimes I go out and practice with a bow. I cross sticks with our brother Bran too.” She smiled encouragingly at Willam, who still looked on the verge of upset. “What about you?”

“I like wolves,” Willam said, gaze dropping to Ghost, who was giving his hand puppy kisses. “I like training with my brother, especially with swords. I like—” He paused for a while, frowning. “Understanding how a holdfast is run.”

Arya’s brow furrowed. That wasn’t quite what she had meant, but perhaps Willam hoped to become a lord’s steward someday.

“He likes playing chase and discovering places we haven’t been to,” Raymar said.

Bran would like that. “Playing chase in the godswood is fun. I can show you the hot springs!” Father probably wouldn’t let them go riding until the kidnappers were found. The twins were lucky, she thought glumly, they would actually be allowed to practice archery and swordfighting in the yard without anyone raising a fuss like they would if Arya wanted to.

She asked them about food next, feeling bad that they hadn’t been allowed to sup with them in the Great Hall, but Raymar was able to tell her all about the strange things that were common to eat in Lys. Consuming lots of fish and other sea creatures was apparently very common, and he named many colorful-sounding fruits and vegetables she hadn’t heard of. Even Jon seemed intrigued.

Arya had fun telling them about northern delicacies, and Willam’s face lit up when she mentioned rhubarb, which he declared a favorite. “Mine too!” she told him. “And Jon’s. He likes it better in pie, but Gage pickles them too and lets me sneak slices from the kitchen.”

She turned to Raymar, who looked a little mystified. “I—it is not common, where we are from. It has been so long that I cannot recall what I thought when we tried it.”

If she asked nicely, Arya knew Gage would make rhubarb pie for them tomorrow. She bit her tongue rather than say it aloud, though, so it would come as a surprise.

A knock came at the door then, and Arya froze, certain at first that she had been caught. But as Jon moved to the door, the knock came again, soft and hesitant. If it were Father, or one of the guards, they would have rapped much harder.

It was Bran, who greeted the twins with familiarity, though he did mistakenly call Willam “Jon” once. Upon learning of Willam’s love of chase, and Raymar’s for hiding games, he convinced the twins that they should play hide-the-treasure the next morning.

It was Jon who interrupted then, with a strained smile. “Father may desire a chance to acquaint our brothers with the castle first.”

“We can do that,” Bran said.

“I do not mean the nooks and crannies that you know so well, but rather the people. It will—surprise many of the household to learn of our new brothers.”

Because they were bastards, Arya realized, recalling what Father had said about unkind words. They might be angry like Robb and Mother. “We can come along.”

Jon kissed her hair, but his smile still did not reach his eyes. “There is no need. I will be with them.”

Bran looked disappointed. “But they are our brothers too.”

“Give it time,” Jon said.

Usually he spoke plainly, especially to Arya, but she could tell that he was holding back, either because of Bran or the twins. He means Robb—and Mother. Robb’s anger would pass, Arya knew. It always burned hot and fast. But in all the years, Mother’s heart had not warmed to Jon, even though he was nothing but gentle towards them.

I do not care what is said about bastards. Theon is trueborn and Jon is worth ten of him. There is no wickedness in his heart.

“Father will not thank me for keeping you awake,” Jon said, helping her and Bran to their feet. “And Ghost needs to return to the kennels for the night.”

Willam looked heartbroken as Jon took the dozing Ghost from his arms, causing the pup to give a sleepy yawn. Arya’s own jaw creaked open in response, and she let Jon shepherd her to the door, where she paused to turn back toward the twins.

Though they had cheered some during their conversation, their earlier melancholy had returned. Raymar sat with his arms wrapped tightly around his drawn legs, head resting upon his knees, his gaze distant. Willam was still cross-legged, but he stared after them with a painful yearning that made her want to rush back and hug him.

Jon’s hand on her back prodded her forward, however, and she was tired enough by the late hour that when her head finally hit her pillow, sleep found her soon after.

x~x~x

Up next: What better time for Robb to decide to pay his own visit than when Jon's out taking Ghost to the kennels?

(Poor Sansa, who's a little more aware of what marriage is and the implications of bastards, is dealing with her own crisis over her father's dishonorable behavior, so she won't be joining the Starkling invasion on Jon's bedchamber.)

[goodqueenaly]

Do you think Martin could have inserted some cadet branches of house Stark (let's say they are less than 200 years old, so they have a realistic claim to winterfell ) without making the plot too complex ?

To be clear (if horribly pedantic), GRRM did insert cadet branches of House Stark within the past 200 years of Westerosi history - branches which will undoubtedly be revealed to have quarreled over their respective claims to Winterfell. Even putting aside the (mostly) mystery of what the family tree of House Stark looked like between King-turned-Lord Torrhen and “Old Man of the North” Cregan, GRRM has very explicitly introduced multiple lines of descendants from Cregan to exacerbate succession issues in the second and third centuries AC. Whatever “The She-Wolves of Winterfell” will end up being called, this entry in the Tales of Dunk and Egg will feature “a group of formidable Stark wives, widows, mothers, and grandmothers”, described as “a lot of Stark widows struggling for power”. I very much believe that this story is going to see various female-led Stark factions sniping and vying with each other to claim leadership of House Stark - not just in the moment of crisis around the wounded Beron, but perhaps also permanently as Winterfell’s rightful heir. (Nor does this even count Ned’s great-aunt Jocelyn, married to Benedict Royce possibly in part to limit her ability to claim Winterfell but whose descendants were thought of by Catelyn as Robb’s heirs presumptive and may partly comprise the current ruling branch of House Waynwood.) 

Now, I know, the actual question on the table is about the main novels, not the plot of a Dunk and Egg novella or the history of the Starks before the current story. In that sense, no, I don’t think GRRM wanted to have multiple branches of House Stark running around (as indeed his rather disinterested comment on the possibility of Stark cousins seemed to suggest). The author’s thumb was very much on the scale to bring down House Stark, in ways that I think the presence of Stark uncles (not including missing-in-action Benjen) or cousins would almost certainly have overcomplicated. No close male-line Stark relatives means no obvious choice of regent leadership in Robb’s absence (thus leaving Bran and Rickon vulnerable); no neat alternate candidate as the Young Wolf’s stand-in heir when Robb believed his brothers had been killed (and so no reason for Sansa not to have been seized for her claim); and no other willing kinsman to whom Arya might have returned, or been returned, on her travels following her escape from King’s Landing.