Tiresome Winter 1 (Patreon)

Tiresome Winter - (GoT/ASoIaF, Robb Stark!SI)

New life, new me. I was once John, now I am Robb.

I was born in Westeros as the firstborn to Lord Eddard ‘Ned’ and Lady Catelyn Stark in 283 AC. I was also the ‘younger’ half-brother to Jon Snow, Ned Stark’s alleged bastard son. All in all, I knew the deck of cards I had to play with was stacked with me and against me.

In a world of games tied to politics, wars, and magicks, I had to be cautious on how I begin with my first round of intrigue. I couldn’t be spared the ‘he is just a boy’ kind of treatment for too long. And while I couldn’t avoid all tragedies, I could still work around to lessen the effects of those.

And my ‘game’ started around the time I was just six. Jon was my playmate, my partner-in-crime, and… the only reason my new mom had a bit of a reason to punish me from time to time. She would refuse to explain ‘why’, but I already knew the truth even by personal accounting as some guards were keen to call Jon a bastard already.

When he first asked me what it meant, I just said what it was. He was confused, and yet understanding on why Catelyn may feel so strongly about him, but I told him that I actually thought it wasn’t true.

“Dad would have not brought you to Winterfell if that was the case. You are not his bastard but… whoever your parents are, he took the stain of being a bastard-maker. Which is quite big.”

“Very,” He mumbled as we both were strolling around.

It was early in the day, dad was out to deal with the Greyjoy Rebellion so Theon was soon to join the crib, and I was the brother of two younger sisters, Sansa, who was three at this point, and Arya, who was just a month or so old.

With two baby girls to keep track of and take care of Winterfell’s businesses, mom was quite busy, leaving us to either slack off, study with Maester Luwin or train with Rodrik Cassel.

Life was simple, but my words inflamed Jon's deep curiosity that simple stroll in Winterfell. Two guards were keeping some distance but checking on us as we wandered around without going too far from the keep.

“But… what else do you know about that?” Jon pressed, the boy intrigued. “Like, how come Lord Stark would take me in and then claim me as his bastard son.”

“Well, since dad is someone about honor to the point of following each step of it without any mistake, maybe something even bigger than that happened. If I remember correctly you were found around the time he was coming back from finding out what happened with Auntie Lyanna. Maybe you’re Auntie’s son.”

“...And?” He asked, even more confused. “Why would it be that bad?”

“Well, Auntie Lyanna was kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar. He went crazy after meeting her, and since King Robert doesn’t like Targaryens much… Well, you could have been killed if you were known as Rhaegar’s son.”

Jon perked as he realized what I was trying to tell him. “So… he said that because he didn’t want the king to kill me?”

“Sounds like that. Again, it’s a theory. I don’t have much to base this on beyond some strange things like how our births are just a few months apart, or the fact that dad seems to really try to make this thing of you being part of the family work when no bastards in the Stark Family ever had this kind of treatment.”

He slowly nodded at this and… we were off to play with the snow. I wouldn’t say we were out of that mood for at least a few more hours, but I hadn’t expected for that conversation to be overheard by one of the guards and for my father to be quite shaken by this mere chit-chat between kids as he was reported this when he came back from the Greyjoy Rebellion.

Theon is a bastard at  this stage, four years older and definitely trying to play the ‘give me your lunch money sort of business’. I wouldn’t say I had a reasonable plan that didn’t devolve into a degree of humbling spanking or righteous violence, but I was planning something more diplomatic. I promise.

Plus, being suddenly called by a guard that told me that my father wanted to speak with me about ‘a big affair related to the family’, I could tell that it had to be a big one. As I was summoned to Ned’s study room, I prepared myself with the ultimate way to lessen the heat behind such a topic- by bringing up my newest snack idea to the table.

“Robb… a new invention?”

“A delicious one as always, father,” I greeted politely, smiling as I offered him a cup with some fresh ice cream. It took me a while to replicate my previous life’s mother’s recipe, but I got this one done just right as I had mine already half-finished. “Give it a try and… I suggest moderation. It’s a cold treat.”

Food and cuisine- two aspects that may not sound relevant for a major uplift, but that actually had a major relevance in my big huge ‘Isolationist North’ Strategy for my little game of thrones. I had to get funds, a food business would do that. Inventions, cheap snacks, pleasant treats- all of that could be used to fuel new projects without being heavily reliant on my family’s treasury.

Small steps, but I had started less than a year ago and I had made some grand contributions alright.

Still, Ned nodded and soon his own mood improved to some extent due to the sweetness of the apple-flavored ice cream. Not enough to stave off why I was there, but the conversation definitely gave me more routes to follow without causing any escalation.

“This is not the kind of information you can share too openly, Robb,” Ned stressed. “I understand that you are unhappy about it but-”

“I am not just unhappy, father. I am genuinely upset. I am upset that mother behaves so horribly because she thinks he is a sign of your infidelity, father. I am upset because Jon is not dumb and can feel the hate. I am upset because I have a feeling this will spread to Sansa and Arya, and that this will split the family,” I paused, rubbing my arm and sighing. “I… I am not exactly the kind to say you have to do something, but I think you are one of the best people around, dad. You are just and so good with others, but mom deserves that truth.”

I will be honest- I had memorized this as part of a script. Don’t blame me for not coming up with something more ‘honest’ considering I was not a kid. I didn’t want to sound too adultish, but I wanted to hit that ‘mature kid’ button. And from the reaction from Ned, I had hit the target properly.

He seemed to consider it, then cut the discussion short as he asked for Catelyn to speak in private. From that day onward, Catelyn seemed to tune down the hatin’ until there was nothing that really reminded anyone of her behavior before that private talk.

Jon was suddenly less of a bastard and more of a son to her, and he could see that as he started to smile a bit more than usual from that day onward. Thus, any chance of him purposely being coerced into joining the Wall was avoided for now. I would have him claim a reason to take a roll up there, but not as one of those joining the Black.

Like hell I will have my bro become a member of the local penal battalion because ‘edgy is cool’.

Life was thus back to normal and-

Oh right, Theon is still a brat as he made Sansa cry a few times. SFW Correction is very needed.

—-----d-d-d-d—---

AN

Current ‘low’ expectations for this fic:
- Plan? Turtle-mode! (Let’s go Aggro-Defense Build and conquer if strictly necessary.)

- Pairing? Platonically, Grey Wind (Cuddle big dog-wolfo in bed, worship the Uplift in the meantime) - romantically, the most (in)sane;
- End Goal? 1) Survive; 2) Have Fun; 3) Share and Subscribe for more Minecraft Glitches.