handofhonor:
“you sound like a true northman.” ned loathed to say the words but from the way his youngest son was speaking, he knew of the north, he knew the ways in which this land treated people. unfortunately, it seemed to happen at such a young age as well. if he could have protected his son, ned would have done it in a heartbeat. he would have gathered rickon into his arms and shielded him from the horrors of the world as he did his other children for all those years. eventually something had to give, something had to happen and it seemed it did before rickon was old enough to truly remember them.
“somehow he oft finds his way to the foot of our bed.” while both ned and catelyn had assumed that shaggy had come to them by rickon’s command, it seemed that it was not the truth. instead, shaggy came to him out of his own command, venturing to their chambers, being let in by the guards ned would assume. “aye, mayhaps we can ride together again once it is deemed safe.” with these killings, it would not be safe, ned knew. however, rickon’s next words caused ned to stop, feeling his heart break a little knowing that his son never truly knew nor ned truly knew him. they had been ripped from each other before either of them had such a delicacy. “as i wish to you know, rickon.”
“I should think so,” Rickon raised a brow and allowed a small smile, “I have never left the North and it is all I know,” He’d gone as far as North could go without going beyond the Wall. But even after they returned from Skagos… Osha had always dissuaded him from venturing further than they had been. And he’d had no desire to ever go South. The South only meant death for his family… He’d truly come to believe that Starks melted in the South, “Nothing good comes from the South.” Despite what his sister said. She’d been so insistent on him finding a wife and that a match with a southern house might be a good place to start. Rickon had no desire to take a bride at all, never mind a southern bride.
“Oh…” He nodded, not truly surprised. He’d assumed as much… It frustrated him that he’d felt such a deep sense of longing from his old friend. He wanted so to be close to Ned and Cat at all times, and the feeling had been so very confusing for Rickon. He looked at his Father, somewhat nervously, nodding once again, “I am glad… For I take no joy in the fact that we are all but strangers to one another.”













