Winterfell.
The godswood, beside the dark pool beneath the heart tree.
Night had long since fallen over Winterfell when Maester Luwin arrived, carrying an oil lamp to find Sansa and Bran praying.
"Sansa! Bran!"
Luwin hurried through the snow-covered ground, calling their names from a distance.
Sansa, pushing Bran in his wheelchair, turned around with a puzzled look.
"Maester Luwin, what is it?"
When the flickering light of his lamp steadied, she spoke again.
A red leaf drifted down from the heart tree. The carved eyes on its pale face seemed almost alive, silently watching the three of them.
Luwin steadied his breathing and pulled a letter from his sleeve. His face was heavy with grief.
"A letter from Robb…"
His voice faltered.
"It says… it says…"
Sansa and Bran felt their hearts tighten. A dreadful feeling crept into their minds.
Sansa took the letter, still clinging to a faint hope.
"Did Robb lose a battle…?"
Then she read the contents by the light of Luwin's lamp.
A scream tore from her throat.
Her face turned pale, her lips trembled, and her body nearly collapsed.
If not for Bran's wheelchair supporting her, she might have fallen to the ground.
"That's impossible… Father… Father… how could he…"
The words on the letter were too shocking for her to even speak clearly.
Her eyes quickly filled with tears, which streamed uncontrollably down her face.
Bran, leaning against the back of his chair, already sensed what had happened.
He slowly took the letter from Sansa's hand and read it.
Tears immediately fell onto the parchment.
No matter how much the Three-Eyed Crow had taught him to use his green sight to uncover hidden truths, Bran could not escape the bond of blood.
"Father…"
His hand trembled violently, his face filled with grief.
Maester Luwin was equally heartbroken.
He had served Eddard Stark for more than ten years and had long considered House Stark part of his own life.
He had never imagined that such an honorable and righteous lord would die like this in King's Landing.
When Eddard had asked for his advice before traveling south, Luwin had strongly supported the decision.
Now regret filled his heart.
If he had known what would happen, he would have opposed the journey with everything he had.
Looking at Sansa and Bran, who were overwhelmed with sorrow, Luwin forced himself to speak.
"I know these words may be ill-timed."
"But Sansa… Bran… We do not have the luxury of mourning for long. We must think about what comes next."
He paused and looked directly at Sansa.
"Especially you, Sansa. Bran has not fully recovered yet. You are the acting ruler of Winterfell."
"You must remain strong."
"The war in the North is not over. The weight of Winterfell now rests on your shoulders.
Think of Bran. Think of Rickon.
You must keep the North stable for Robb. Especially now that he has been crowned king."
Sansa closed her eyes in pain.
Images of her family flashed through her mind.
Her father.
Her mother.
Arya.
Rickon.
After a long moment, she forced herself to suppress the grief threatening to overwhelm her.
Her voice was hoarse when she finally spoke.
"Maester Luwin… I need your advice."
Luwin nodded solemnly.
"Sansa, with the death of Lord Stark, Robb is now the ruler of the North. But he has declared himself king at Riverrun."
Luwin still could not fully understand it.
Since the Targaryens conquered Westeros with their dragons, the title King in the North had disappeared for centuries.
Yet now Robb had placed that ancient crown upon his own head once more.
"Logically speaking," Luwin continued, "even if Joffrey is a false king and Robb refuses to kneel to him, he could have supported another Baratheon as king."
"Stannis, or Renly. There is even the legitimized bastard of King Robert. Why would Robb choose to crown himself?"
Concern filled Luwin's voice.
He feared Robb had been manipulated into making a dangerous decision.
Sansa remembered the second half of the letter.
Having spent recent weeks studying under Luwin, she also realized something was wrong.
"Mother was with Robb the last time we heard from them... Why would she allow him to do something like this?"
But her question had no answer.
There was simply too little information.
Even Luwin could not solve a problem without facts.
He shook his head and sighed.
"The decision has already been made, and nearly half a month has passed. Understanding the reasons will not change anything now.
The most urgent matter is ending the war between the North and the Iron Islands."
Seeing Sansa's confusion, Luwin explained further.
"Before, even if we fought the Lannisters, we had powerful allies. The wolves, the trout, and others stood together."
"But now Robb has declared himself king. The Baratheons will surely see us as rebels.
And after what Ser Rodrik told us about the Eyrie, the Vale will likely remain neutral."
"Our alliance is fragile. With only the North and House Tully, how can we fight so many enemies at once?"
Sansa and Bran both understood immediately.
"So you mean…" Sansa said slowly as she thought it through.
"We must use Asha to contact Balon and end the war with the Iron Islands as quickly as possible.
That way the Lannisters or other factions cannot persuade the Ironborn to join them against us."
Luwin nodded firmly.
"Exactly."
"Once the North is stable, we can send Galon south to the Riverlands to support King Robb.
With Galon's military talent, he could sweep aside the Lannisters."
Those words lit a spark of hope in Sansa's eyes.
"Yes. Galon has just defeated the Iron Islands. If he marches south, we would not fear any enemy."
Bran listened quietly before speaking.
"But Asha refused to cooperate earlier today."
Sansa's mind was clearer than it had ever been. The innocence she once carried was slowly being stripped away by reality.
"We must persuade her."
"The messenger said we captured several Ironborn prisoners today. We can use that as leverage.
If that fails… perhaps we can recognize the Iron Islands as a kingdom in Robb's name."
Luwin thought for a moment before agreeing. "That may be our only option. I will speak with Asha later."
But Sansa shook her head. "No. I will go myself."
She took a deep breath and looked straight at him.
"As you said earlier, I am the acting ruler of Winterfell. Only my words will carry enough weight to convince her.
Also, Maester Luwin, we must inform Robb about Rickon as soon as possible."
Bran quickly added, "Yes. Robb is now king. If Rickon is being held by Stannis, he might use him to threaten the North."
"Robb must prepare for that."
Several days earlier, Lord Wyman Manderly had arrived from White Harbor bringing news delivered by the Onion Knight, Davos.
Rickon was alive.
Maester Luwin sighed deeply.
"The world changes too quickly... I once believed Rickon would be safer on Dragonstone than here in the North.
But now it seems Stannis may intend to keep him as leverage against us."
Sansa wiped away the tears from her face.
Her voice became steady.
"Then we must do what we can."
"Maester Luwin, please write to Robb. Tell him about the victory at Bullhorn Mountain and Rickon's whereabouts.
And warn him to be cautious in dealing with Stannis."
Then she turned to Bran.
"Tomorrow we will visit Asha together. We will tell her the truth about Theon's death. Perhaps that will reduce some of her hostility."
Bran nodded.
"I understand."
Luwin looked at the two children who had suddenly been forced to grow up.
His heart was filled with worry, yet also a small measure of pride.
Winter was coming.
Fortunately, they were learning how to face it.
He bowed his head slightly. "May the old gods protect us. May they protect the North."
Sansa and Bran bowed their heads as well, praying before the heart tree.
What none of them realized was that another presence existed within the ancient tree.
Galon.
From far away at Bullhorn Mountain, his consciousness watched them silently. After observing them leave the godswood, he fell into deep thought.
A moment later, his awareness withdrew from the heart tree.
And returned to his body in the military camp.
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