Rickon Stark

Independent role play blog for Rickon Stark. Youngest son of Lady Catelyn and Lord Eddard Stark. (Side blog to TheLadyCatelynStark)

[littlestarkpupx]

OOC

Please note that this blog has now moved and all new posts will come from littlestarkpup

[littlestarkpupx]

snowdrenched:

“My husband…we had two boys. Sons. They were…small like you once, long time ago” But they were all grown up now. All grown up and gone. Marcus twenty one, with a wife and child who Genevieve had never met, and Darius eighteen. Darius was the one she felt most guilt for, the one who plagued her the most at night. Marcus had hated how she had fawned over Micha and Oolio, how she had let them be her friends still, knowing what they did, but Marcus had been older, Marcus had understood it, even though he hated it. He despised her for standing up and leaving like he did…while Darius…Darius hated her for her betrayal. She still remember that day, that day when she had squeezed his hand, move him to silence….she had done it for him, for all of them,what else could she do? But children…children don’t forget…and though she longed to find them, to find where they escaped after the rebels had….though she longed for it, she wondered if they would even want her should she ever find them. 

“Yes, home!” She repeated the word correctly, smiling widely, relieved that Rickon had understood even though she had made a mistake in her words. She wished so much she could be better at it, and her frustration built each and every time she couldn’t get her meaning across. At least this little boy listened and did his best to understand. 

“Yes…you will come to the home, my” She tapped her chest, “home…unless you have home? A place that you…” She mimed walking with her fingers, “A place you–” She mimed sleeping. “If not…mine is small but it is….” What was the word? Christ, what was the word…. “Dry? No….” She mimed rain and snowfall with her fingers, “It is dry. For you”

Rickon smiled at Genie, "I bet you love them a lot... Even if they're not small anymore." He remembered how Mummy always said she would love him for always, even when he was an old man with white hair, "I have..." He frowned a little, remembering, "I... I had two big brothers... and two big sisters..." He smiled a little, "We used to play lots of games together... Before... Before Daddy had to go... Before everybody had to go away."

He wished he could go back there. Back before Daddy had left to go help his friend... Before his family had all left and been killed. Bran might still be alive, he thought... But he had been going North... And there had been so much fighting and he'd been alone except for Hodor and Rickon didn't think he would really be able to protect himself.

Rickon laughed just a little when Genie smiled at him. He could tell it made her happy that he understood her... And he found that it made him happy too. He liked Genie... She was the kindest person he had met in such a long time, "You have a pretty smile, Genie."

He listened carefully and watched as she showed him the words she was unsure of with her hands and he thought it must be so very hard for her sometimes. Lots of people here (like the mean old shopkeeper, who had been saying nasty things) only spoke English, like Rickon... But from the way they had treated Rickon... He was sure they had not been any nicer to Genie.

He shook his head, just a little, his voice quiet, "I... I was going to go to the big bridge... It's a little dryer under there... I don't have anywhere else." He watched Genie's fingers dance to show him the rain and the thought of spending another night outside in the cold and the wet almost made him cry, "You... You would let me... Come with you?" He sounded a little unsure... He had nothing to give Genie in payment for her kindness, "I..." He swallowed and looked down again, "I don't like being by myself."

[littlestarkpupx]

snowdrenched:

Rickon only used very short words, and he spoke them slowly, which made comprehension, even of words she hadn’t yet heard of, much easier. Children were always easier to understand than adults when speaking a foreign language, because their vocabulary had it’s own limitations, and they didn’t feel the need to speak dismissively, simply because you did not speak their language in turn. How many English speakers spoke no language but their own? But when another attempted their language and perhaps faltered…why did they mock that? Mock learning, mock broadening the mind, mock trying?

It seemed to Genie that Rickon’s Mother had died much the same way as her own husband had. Betrayed…perhaps by friends, murdered, and if Rickon was here, wandering alone, starving and staring hungrily at chocolate bars…then it seemed justice had not come for his Mother’s death either. Seeing his tears, or rather his attempts to keep back his tears, Genie put her shopping bag down and knelt in the ground which had a thin layer of snow upon it already, but paid it no mind as the cold damp that sank into her tights. She pulled the little boy close and couldn’t help but wonder if the grandchild she had never met would ever be held by her this way, if she would ever get to hug her as she had her sons, and as she did this little Rickon now.

“Drowned. Yes. They drowned him. His friends. Our friends. Betrayed him. Betrayed” She repeated Rickon’s word. Betrayal. Betrayed. She knew that word in several languages, and she knew it personally. Looking at friends, friends you have known years and knowing, knowing, what they had done. “Your Maminka love you also. She love you still” She gave Rickon a proper hug, squeezing him tight, and then retrieved from her bag, a small, worn handkerchief, and wiped his tears away with it, before returning it to the handbag, snapping it shut. 

“You come…with me?” She suggested, “I have a…..domů. Erm….” She outlined a house with her hands. A square house with a little roof. “domů. Hom? Hom? It is small, but you come?” She encouraged.

Rickon was still trying to blink back the tears when Genie put her bag down and knelt on the ground in front of him. He looked startled for a minute. Didn't she feel how cold it was? And now she was getting all wet... But he was distracted when the woman pulled him into her arms and hugged him to her gently. It had been so long since he had felt the comfort of his Mummy's arms wrapped around him. Osha would hug him to her when they were travelling... But she would never give him a hug just to make him feel better. He missed his Mummy. He missed her hugs and her smiles and her kisses.

He frowned when Genie confirmed his words, telling him how her husband's friends had betrayed him. Just like his Mummy and Robb had been betrayed. Just like Daddy had been betrayed. Poor Genie... She was too nice for that to have happened to her. He felt a traitorous tear spill down his face when Genie told him that his Mummy... His Maminka... still loved him. He hoped Mummy knew that he still loved her too. That he would always love her and never ever stop.

He felt Genie's grip around him tighten and he lifted his little arms to wrap around her neck too, returning her tight hug as best he could. He mumbled into her shoulder quietly, "Your husband... He still loves you too, Genie..." He gave her a little smile when she wiped away his tears, "My Mummy... My Maminka... She will look after him for you." His Mummy always looked after everybody... She would look after Genie's husband for her.

He watched as Genie tried to show him something with her hands. Her earlier words running through his mind and distracting him a little. Genie was a nice lady... And she had made Rickon feel safe for the first time since his Mummy and Daddy had left... He wanted to go with her.

"A domů...?" He shook his head a little, wondering if she had a box somewhere, like the one he and Osha had used when they first arrived here. Hom? A small... "Oh! Home...? A small home? Domů? A house?" He pointed to a small line of houses a small distance away before turning back to her, "You... You want me... To come to your house?" He asked with wide eyes. He couldn't understand why this lovely lady wanted to help him. She had already bought him chocolate and now she was going to let him to go to her house, maybe even long enough so that it might stop snowing and he could go back to his shelter without getting too wet.

[littlestarkpupx]

snowdrenched:

littlestarkpup: 

Rickon smiled and nodded when the nice lady agreed to take even just one piece of chocolate. He made sure that if she was only going to take one, that it was at least a big piece. He remembered sharing his chocolate with his Daddy… And he remembered how they would always make Mummy take a piece when she caught them eating it. It had been their little secret, Daddy had said before he would kiss Mummy and tell her she tasted like chocolate.

He tilted his head a little to the side when he heard her speak another word he did not understand, “Děkuji…” He repeated brokenly as she took the chocolate, “Oh!” She was thanking him, he realised, “Děkuji! Thank you!” He nodded and smiled at her once more, “You are welcome!”

He took a bite of the chocolate and almost closed his eyes at how good it tasted. He was sure he had never tasted anything so good in his whole entire life, and though he tried to eat it slowly, he simply couldn’t stop himself from chewing on it quickly and taking another bite, and another, and another… Until it was all gone.

“Genie…” He repeated the name again, “Genie is your nickname… It is very pretty.” He nodded. Her other name was nice too… But he was sure he would never be able to say it properly.

Maminka. That was Genie’s word for Mummy… He was glad that she understood him, even though it made his throat and his tummy hurt when he told her what happened, “Mummy… My… Maminika… They… Hurt her neck…” He touched his own neck to show Genie what he meant, “And then they threw her into the river…”

He looked up when he felt a soft hand touching his cheek. Just like his Mummy used to do. And when he saw Genie’s face, he saw that she looked just as sad as Rickon felt. Her husband was gone too… And he didn’t need to ask her to know what that meant. He had gone to heaven, just like Mummy and Daddy. He reached up and put his hand on top of hers, he wished he could speak the same language as her, so that he could try to make her feel better.

“I’m sorry… You…” He frowned a little and looked around them, “You are all alone now? Like Rickon?”

Genevieve smiled when the little boy called Rickon made an attempt to repeat her word. His accent was a little off, and there was an inflection which was missing, but it was far more than anyone else had tried. No one else had tried their hand at her language at all, why would they? It was not a popular language, not one spoken by half the world, and she knew it wasn’t even taught often beyond it’s countries of origin. But this little boy tried. It was only a simple word. A small, short word, but it meant far more. 

She watched as he stood in the cold, stood in his little coat, the cold wind turning his cheeks pink, and tried his best to make the chocolate last, but he slowly began to take quicker and quicker bites until the bar was gone before her eyes like a magic trick. Jesus, he must really be starving. Was he an orphan? A street child? Like the little urchins she would see in the streets back home? 

“Hurt her neck” She repeated Rickon’s words as he had repeated hers, forming them, remembering them, learning them. She had been strangled? Or….she watched the boy’s motion with his hands, a cutting motion. Her neck, her throat had been cut. Dear God, the poor thing…his Mother had been murdered, just as her children’s Father had been….

“River? She was thrown in the river?” Discarded like rubbish, like a swimming pool filled with concrete, washing the evidence away. “My husband….was in water also…they….” The word for drowned, what was the word for drowned? “kept him…under?” She shouldn’t tell a little boy this, especially one who had suffered enough. “I loved him. Love” She looked at her wedding ring, and held her handbag a little closer, the handbag which held the photo, the one photo. 

“Alone…..that is to be….without others, yes? But there is us” She pointed at both of them. “That is….company?”

Rickon returned Genie's smile even as he quickly finished off the last of his chocolate. It had tasted so good. And it felt good to have a little something in his belly. The last time he had seen Osha she had given him a little piece of bread. She had gone out to get some more food and said she would be back in ten minutes. Rickon didn't think Osha was coming back.

He looked up with sad eyes, nodding as Genie repeated his words back to him, "She was..." What had the word been that Osha had used, "Betrayed... And they... They killed my brother too... And then Mummy..." He tried not to picture it. His Mummy. His wonderful Mummy who he loved more than anybody in the world. To infinity and beyond, they always said. He tried not to think of his beautiful Mummy being thrown away into the river as if nobody in the world cared about her, "The water... the river..." He wiped furiously at his eyes. Rickon wasn't going to cry. He had to be a big boy and be brave... And he wasn't going to cry.

He frowned as Genie spoke about her husband being in the water. Had somebody hurt him and then threw him into the river too? He tilted his head to the side, "Under... They held him under? They... They drowned him?" Poor Genie. Some bad person had killed her husband... Just like they had killed Rickon's family. He squeezed her hand a little and gave her a tiny, sad smile, "I bet you loved him a whole lot, Genie... And I bet he loved you too." He looked down for a minute, "I loved my family too... Loved my Mummy... my... Maminka," He whispered, "Even now."

"Alone..." He nodded, "Without... family... Without your persons?" He paused for a minute as she pointed between the two of them, maybe she was right. She wasn't alone right now... And Rickon wasn't alone either, "Company... Genie..." He smiled at her a little, "Genie... Is Rickon's friend?"

[littlestarkpupx]

snowdrenched:

littlestarkpup:

Rickon looked up at the lady in confusion, he couldn’t understand what she was saying, but he thought she sounded… Scared. Was she frightened of the shopkeeper? He hoped she wasn’t frightened of Rickon… He wasn’t going to hurt her… But maybe she hadn’t liked it when he had shouted. He sent one final glare over his shoulder to the man behind the counter and caught him looking the nice lady up and down. And Rickon didn’t like it.

He let the lady lead him outside and gave her another little smile when she pretended to be eating the chocolate, “For me,” He nodded his head, “But… You too?” He nodded towards her again before breaking the chocolate bar in half, holding out one half to her, “We can share?”

He smiled widely at her when she told him her name, “Genenevieve?” He knew it didn’t sound right, but when she said the second name, he nodded his head again, “Genie… I can call you Genie?” Genie was a nice name. And Genie was a very nice lady. And he thought it must be very hard for her to try to understand what everyone around her was saying. She sounded like she was from very far away… Just like Rickon. But back at home in Winterfell, everyone had already spoken English… He thought it must be very scary to be so far away from home and not be able to speak with people very easily.

Rickon followed Genie’s gaze as she looked about the street, as if she was looking for somebody. Maybe she was lost. He looked up at her and shook his head a little, an apologetic look on his face. He just couldn’t understand what she was trying to tell him, “You’re looking for the road?” And then she called him Sam… And he thought maybe he hadn’t been very clear when he told her his name.

“My… My persons?” He looked up at her in confusion, before he realised what she was talking about, “My persons… My parents? My Mummy… and my Daddy?” He looked down at the pavement, scuffing his tattered shoes a little, “Mummy and Daddy went to heaven.” He remembered how Osha had told him that he would never see them again. That they couldn’t come back, “They’ve all gone away.”

She didn’t want to take any of the chocolate away from the little boy; he was so small (She remember her own sons being that small, tiny and hopeful and smiling, with their Father still alive. Back then they had trusted her, back then they had loved her, they had wanted to tell her things, not hide them away, they had come to her not run away from her. So little and young and sweet and innocent and happy. How ignorant they had all been, how blind….) and he looked so very hungry, and he wasn’t anywhere near as plump as a little boy should be. Maybe she should have bought him two chocolate bars. She wanted to go back inside and get him more but worried the shopkeeper had already called the police…or would if she went back in. 

She sighed as he continued to offer her a piece; she didn’t want to see rude, to hurt his feelings. She frowned and held up a finger signifying the number one. She would have just one piece; the rest was for him. She took the piece and thanked him “Děkuji”.

 She laughed a little through her full mouth when he added a thousand other vowels to her name, but nodded when he said her nickname. “Yes, Genie. It is a name…that is short? Said by friends?” A nickname. 

“Yes! Your Maminka…Mother!” Of course, she knew that word. Why would she forget it? She thought perhaps the shopkeeper had really thrown her with all his words and glares and… she frowned when the little boy became sad. She didn’t understand his words entirely, but she knew what he was saying all the same. His parents were gone, lost, dead. She nodded sadly, and put a hand on his cheek. “I lose too. My husband. He is….gone also”

Rickon smiled and nodded when the nice lady agreed to take even just one piece of chocolate. He made sure that if she was only going to take one, that it was at least a big piece. He remembered sharing his chocolate with his Daddy... And he remembered how they would always make Mummy take a piece when she caught them eating it. It had been their little secret, Daddy had said before he would kiss Mummy and tell her she tasted like chocolate.

He tilted his head a little to the side when he heard her speak another word he did not understand, "Děkuji..." He repeated brokenly as she took the chocolate, "Oh!" She was thanking him, he realised, "Děkuji! Thank you!" He nodded and smiled at her once more, "You are welcome!"

He took a bite of the chocolate and almost closed his eyes at how good it tasted. He was sure he had never tasted anything so good in his whole entire life, and though he tried to eat it slowly, he simply couldn't stop himself from chewing on it quickly and taking another bite, and another, and another... Until it was all gone.

"Genie..." He repeated the name again, "Genie is your nickname... It is very pretty." He nodded. Her other name was nice too... But he was sure he would never be able to say it properly.

Maminka. That was Genie's word for Mummy... He was glad that she understood him, even though it made his throat and his tummy hurt when he told her what happened, "Mummy... My... Maminika... They... Hurt her neck..." He touched his own neck to show Genie what he meant, "And then they threw her into the river..."

He looked up when he felt a soft hand touching his cheek. Just like his Mummy used to do. And when he saw Genie's face, he saw that she looked just as sad as Rickon felt. Her husband was gone too... And he didn't need to ask her to know what that meant. He had gone to heaven, just like Mummy and Daddy. He reached up and put his hand on top of hers, he wished he could speak the same language as her, so that he could try to make her feel better.

"I'm sorry... You..." He frowned a little and looked around them, "You are all alone now? Like Rickon?"

[littlestarkpupx]

snowdrenched:

littlestarkpup:

Rickon took a cautious step forward, looking between the woman in the green dress and the chocolate bar. He frowned a little and tilted his head to the side, “You want to get the chocolate bar? For me?” He looked once more at the bar, and he could almost taste it. He hadn’t had anything in two days… Mummy always said he should eat his proper food before sweets… But he didn’t have any proper food. And he didn’t have his Mummy either.

He watched as she put the chocolate bar beside the bread she was buying and told the shopkeeper that she didn’t want anything else. The man wasn’t very nice at all. He said mean things about the kind woman in the green dress and Rickon felt bad for her, he could tell that she was not from here and she didn’t understand what the man was saying, “She is not stupid. You’re being mean… You just leave her alone!”

Rickon glared at the man behind the counter before he turned back around to the woman, who was now holding the chocolate bar out to him. He looked at the bar for a long time before looking up at her with a little smile, “Thank you,” He slowly reached forward to take the bar into his own hands, “For me…” He pointed at himself, “And for you…” He pointed at her, nodding, “We can share, okay?”

He tilted his head to the side a little more before pointing to himself again, “Rickon.”

She could understand a little of his words,but his facial expression and body language said far more. Children were always so incredibly easy to read; they hadn’t learned sly games yet, their emotions and thoughts and beliefs were open and available for all the world to see. She nodded in confirmation of his question and kept her gaze on him a moment longer; he was young, very young, with all the eager openness of any little boy…but she saw shadows there. Suffering. 

And a bite too; Genevieve almost jumped when the little boy began shouting at the shopkeeper. No, he mustn’t shout; she had seen what shouting at the wrong people could do. She had seen it happen to people. She had seen the price it came at. “Ne , prosím, nekřičte , malý chlapec , je to v pořádku , prosím” She hurried the boy out of there, before anything could be said, because the shopkeeper could call the police…or anyone else. 

When he held the bar out to her she shook her head. “No. For you, yes?” She mimed eating, “You need the…chocolate” The word ‘chocolate’ came out very badly pronounced and the second C was missed completely. “Rickon?” She asked, finding the name strange. But most names were strange here. She pointed at herself. “Genevieve” She paused, thinking it might be difficult for a little boy to say. “Genie”

 She looked around and still saw no parents waiting for him, no friends, no family. Alone. Like the Little Match Girl in the story. “Where…” Christ, she wished she was able to speak more of this God damn language; everything felt like charades. “rodiče?” Parents. “Erm….you Rickon are….sám” No that wouldn’t help. What was the word. “Where are the persons? Your persons?”

Rickon looked up at the lady in confusion, he couldn't understand what she was saying, but he thought she sounded... Scared. Was she frightened of the shopkeeper? He hoped she wasn't frightened of Rickon... He wasn't going to hurt her... But maybe she hadn't liked it when he had shouted. He sent one final glare over his shoulder to the man behind the counter and caught him looking the nice lady up and down. And Rickon didn't like it.

He let the lady lead him outside and gave her another little smile when she pretended to be eating the chocolate, "For me," He nodded his head, "But... You too?" He nodded towards her again before breaking the chocolate bar in half, holding out one half to her, "We can share?"

He smiled widely at her when she told him her name, "Genenevieve?" He knew it didn't sound right, but when she said the second name, he nodded his head again, "Genie... I can call you Genie?" Genie was a nice name. And Genie was a very nice lady. And he thought it must be very hard for her to try to understand what everyone around her was saying. She sounded like she was from very far away... Just like Rickon. But back at home in Winterfell, everyone had already spoken English... He thought it must be very scary to be so far away from home and not be able to speak with people very easily.

Rickon followed Genie's gaze as she looked about the street, as if she was looking for somebody. Maybe she was lost. He looked up at her and shook his head a little, an apologetic look on his face. He just couldn't understand what she was trying to tell him, "You're looking for the road?" And then she called him Sam... And he thought maybe he hadn't been very clear when he told her his name.

"My... My persons?" He looked up at her in confusion, before he realised what she was talking about, "My persons... My parents? My Mummy... and my Daddy?" He looked down at the pavement, scuffing his tattered shoes a little, "Mummy and Daddy went to heaven." He remembered how Osha had told him that he would never see them again. That they couldn't come back, "They've all gone away."

[starkmatriarch]

Love Actually || Rickon and Catelyn

[littlestarkpupx]

lady–catelyn-stark:

“I know, sweetheart, I know, and most of the time people do get better…but Grandpa is very old, and sometimes when very old people get very ill….they have to stay in hospital so they can be comfortable because….” She stroked Rickon’s head softly, stroking down his hair lovingly with her finger, “they’re not going to get any better” Hoster Tully’s ailments had only increased with each passing year; there had been the arthritis, and then the problem with his legs, and then there had been the heart trouble….over the years she had seen each ailment deliver it’s nasty blow, until pain and sickness made him half-delirious, living in the past one moment and some strange imaginary land the next. And now…. 

“But we will go and see him,” She agreed, returning her little boy’s hug. “Every day, after school, we’ll stop by the hospital and we’ll tell him all about the things you’ve done at school, and all about Eddie, hmm?” His great-grandchild. Not everyone got to live to see such a thing….even if he was confined to a hospital bed, asleep and unconscious most of the time. 

“No one’s going away, Rickon, I promise,” She vowed, seeing the melancholy in his eyes and knowing he wasn’t speaking of Robb in his own house or Jorjayna at university…but of a much more serious absence “We’re all here and we’re going to stay here….I promise” And she would see to it that that promise was kept, no matter what. 

She took the blanket from Rickon with a grateful smile, before sitting on the little sofa-chair, placing the blanket over her, befor wrapping Eddie up in it, and holding him close once more. She patted the seat beside her for Rickon to join her. 

“I met your Daddy’s Father long before I met Ned. I even knew Uncle Brandon before I knew your Father…” God, how she had had a crush on Brandon, all those many years ago. “Your Grandpa came to visit your other Grandpa many times; they worked together a lot, you see. It was their idea to….well, for your Daddy and I to have a blind date” Imagine if all goes well, Cat, it would be good for the business, good for the family. “We’d never met before then” 

Eddie reached up with little hands, trying to pull Catelyn’s hair, before instead trying to reach for Rickon’s nose. 

"Oh..." Rickon looked down for a moment, before looking back up at his mother, "Well... I'm glad he doesn't feel any pain, Mummy..." He bit his lip a little, "But I wish he was better again and that we could play." Grandpa had always been so much fun to play with. And he'd always stopped whatever important business he was doing when Rickon came to visit and he always seemed to know how to play any game he wanted... Even if he hadn't told him the rules before, "I miss him." And Rickon knew that no matter how much he missed his Grandpa, his Mummy must miss him even more.

He frowned a little at the idea of his brothers and sisters wanting to move into their own houses some day. He didn't understand why they would want to do that, and he swore that he never would. He was always going to stay at home with Mummy and Daddy and Shaggydog, "Well, I'm going to, Mummy." He nodded his head, the curls once again bouncing across his eyes, "I don't ever want to leave."

Rickon giggled a little at the idea of his Mummy and Daddy going on a date. And not even knowing who they were going on a date with when they did it! He thought both his Grandfathers were pretty smart to know how much Mummy and Daddy were going to love each other, "I bet Daddy thought you were beautiful, Mummy... Right away! Daddy's smart... Just like Grandpa and Grandfather." Of course, Rickon's mother was always beautiful and he was sure his Daddy thought the same.

He looked down at little Eddie and grinned at him, before leaning down and letting the little baby grasp at his nose, "It only tickles a little... I think it's going to take him a while to get the hang of it, Mummy." He patted the baby's head softly and looked up at his mother, "Are you going to have any more babies, Mummy? I think I would be a good big brother." Well, he would certainly try to be, at any rate. He was sure Robb and Jon and Bran would tell him anything he wasn't sure about.

[littlestarkpupx]

snowdrenched:

Genevieve frowned at the little boy and gathered that the coins he had in his hand were all he had to his name. Poor thing. She looked around, trying to see parents or siblings or even teachers, but saw no one. The little thing had dark bags under his eyes and she hadn’t imagined the hungry look in his eyes when he had spied the chocolate bar. Was it greed or starvation that made him look so ravenous and bedazzled by such a simple thing? 

“I” She pointed at herself, “get” She pointed to the chocolate bar “you” She pointed at the little boy. 

Next she retrieved the chocolate bar, and put it beside the loaf of bread. “These. Only this. The foods. Only this. No more” She held out the money, the note held in her hand almost like a threat, as if she might remove it if he threw other items at her again. The shopkeeper said so much and so quickly that Genie had not a hope in hell of understanding it, but he took her money and gave her change, and she took her items. 

“For you” She told the boy, holding it out to him.  

Rickon took a cautious step forward, looking between the woman in the green dress and the chocolate bar. He frowned a little and tilted his head to the side, "You want to get the chocolate bar? For me?" He looked once more at the bar, and he could almost taste it. He hadn't had anything in two days... Mummy always said he should eat his proper food before sweets... But he didn't have any proper food. And he didn't have his Mummy either.

He watched as she put the chocolate bar beside the bread she was buying and told the shopkeeper that she didn't want anything else. The man wasn't very nice at all. He said mean things about the kind woman in the green dress and Rickon felt bad for her, he could tell that she was not from here and she didn't understand what the man was saying, "She is not stupid. You're being mean... You just leave her alone!"

Rickon glared at the man behind the counter before he turned back around to the woman, who was now holding the chocolate bar out to him. He looked at the bar for a long time before looking up at her with a little smile, "Thank you," He slowly reached forward to take the bar into his own hands, "For me..." He pointed at himself, "And for you..." He pointed at her, nodding, "We can share, okay?"

He tilted his head to the side a little more before pointing to himself again, "Rickon."

[littlestarkpupx]

snowdrenched:

littlestarkpup

It was all so incredibly easy to understand from Genevieve’s side. She wanted just one of those, just one, but the shopkeeper would insist on throwing seven at her (and a magazine and a packet of cigarettes and a bottle of water she had never asked for), and even though she couldn’t quite understand him, she understood enough to know he thought he could get away with this simply because she was foreign. 

“No,” She insisted, “Just….that” She pointed to the loaf of bread. “That…the…” She struggled to remember the word. “bread. Bread” She held up a finger to indicate one, before turning away in exasperation, muttering “Není to tak složité, jak si to udělat…” Her eyes fell on a little boy, eyeing a chocolate bar greedly. “You want?”

Osha had been gone for a long time now. A very long time. Rickon had stayed where she had told him to stay for as long as he possibly could... But it had gotten dark and then light again twice. It had been two days and he was hungry. He didn't want to go back to the camp... Not by himself. The soldiers didn't like people from where Rickon was from and they wouldn't let him inside without Osha anyway. She always sent him away when she asked them to let them inside, so he didn't know what he was meant to say to them anyway.

It had started to snow a little while ago and so he'd ducked inside the shop to have a look around... He frowned at the shopkeeper when he heard him saying nasty things to the woman in front of him. She was wearing a green dress and she looked wet and cold. He turned away quickly. Mummy always said it was rude to stare.

And that's when he'd seen the chocolate bar. He remembered how Daddy had always given him some chocolate after dinner. But that was Before.

He jumped a little when the woman spoke to him, giving her a little smile and shaking his head. He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the only money he had... Just a few pennies that would pay for nothing in this shop, "I'm only looking, Miss."

[starkmatriarch]

Love Actually || Rickon and Catelyn

[littlestarkpupx]

lady–catelyn-stark:

“I know, sweetheart, I know, and most of the time people do get better…but Grandpa is very old, and sometimes when very old people get very ill….they have to stay in hospital so they can be comfortable because….” She stroked Rickon’s head softly, stroking down his hair lovingly with her finger, “they’re not going to get any better” Hoster Tully’s ailments had only increased with each passing year; there had been the arthritis, and then the problem with his legs, and then there had been the heart trouble….over the years she had seen each ailment deliver it’s nasty blow, until pain and sickness made him half-delirious, living in the past one moment and some strange imaginary land the next. And now…. 

“But we will go and see him,” She agreed, returning her little boy’s hug. “Every day, after school, we’ll stop by the hospital and we’ll tell him all about the things you’ve done at school, and all about Eddie, hmm?” His great-grandchild. Not everyone got to live to see such a thing….even if he was confined to a hospital bed, asleep and unconscious most of the time. 

“No one’s going away, Rickon, I promise,” She vowed, seeing the melancholy in his eyes and knowing he wasn’t speaking of Robb in his own house or Jorjayna at university…but of a much more serious absence “We’re all here and we’re going to stay here….I promise” And she would see to it that that promise was kept, no matter what. 

She took the blanket from Rickon with a grateful smile, before sitting on the little sofa-chair, placing the blanket over her, befor wrapping Eddie up in it, and holding him close once more. She patted the seat beside her for Rickon to join her. 

“I met your Daddy’s Father long before I met Ned. I even knew Uncle Brandon before I knew your Father…” God, how she had had a crush on Brandon, all those many years ago. “Your Grandpa came to visit your other Grandpa many times; they worked together a lot, you see. It was their idea to….well, for your Daddy and I to have a blind date” Imagine if all goes well, Cat, it would be good for the business, good for the family. “We’d never met before then” 

Eddie reached up with little hands, trying to pull Catelyn’s hair, before instead trying to reach for Rickon’s nose. 

"Poor Grandpa..." Rickon whispered sadly as he thought about how much his Grandpa must really want to come home. He hadn't even met Eddie yet... And Eddie hadn't met him either. He didn't know how cool Grandpa was and how he let Rickon slide down the fancy staircase at Riverrun and gave him lots of sweeties and ice cream. If he stayed in hospital forever, Grandpa was never going to play silly games with Rickon ever again any time they went to Mummy's old house. He wondered if they'd even still go there, seeing as Grandpa wasn't going to live there any more.

He nodded a little and looked up at his mother sadly, "Yes, Mummy. We'll go everyday... And... And maybe he'll feel better even just a little? For a little while?" He didn't like to think about his Grandpa never getting any better. If he wasn't going to get any better, then that meant he was probably going to go to Heaven soon... And Rickon didn't want him to go.

He watched his mother holding little Eddie, "Maybe we can bring him to see Grandpa some day? Do you think Robb would let us take him out of the house to go to the hospital?" Robb didn't really like anyone taking Eddie anywhere, but he figured Mummy wouldn't count.

He smiled a little when she promised no one was going to go away anywhere, "Good... I think everybody should just stay here forever and ever! Even when we're all old! There's lots of room for everyone you know, Mummy." He thought everyone would be much safer if they all stayed at home and they all stayed together.

Rickon climbed up on to the sofa carefully, being sure not to jostle his mother or little Eddie as he settled in beside her. He leaned his head against her shoulder as he looked down at Eddie. He was a pretty cool baby. He would be even better when he could play with him properly and show him all his lego toys. He looked up with a smile, "Grandpa knew Grandpa before you knew Daddy? And did they know you and Daddy were going to love each other forever and ever? Is that why they helped you to meet each other?"

He was distracted a little when Eddie's chubby little hand reached towards him and he giggled a little, leaning his face closer so that the baby's hand grasped his nose, "I told him I was taking his nose yesterday, Mummy!" He had copied the game that people used to play with him; pretending to steal his nose, "He remembers! Look!"

[starkmatriarch]

Love Actually || Rickon and Catelyn

[littlestarkpupx]

lady–catelyn-stark:

“Because you don’t keep secrets from Mummy or Daddy, do you?” Catelyn reminded him. It was a lesson she had taught all her children from an early age; childish secrets between siblings were all well and good, but she had always wanted her children to be aware that if any person, any adult, ever did something or said something and instructed that it be a secret…she had wanted her children to know that was wrong, that no one asked to keep secrets from parents, and if it should ever happen they should tell she or Ned immediately. 

“I…don’t think Grandpa is going to come home from the hospital sweetheart,” Catelyn said gently, “He’s very old and he’s very ill,” He never woke anymore, his eyes never opened, though he breathed on, heart beating without any life support, yet without the drip…..he was just waiting to die, Catelyn realised, and it broke her heart. She remembered how strong he had been, how invincible he has seemed to her when she was a little girl, how brave…and now he lay crippled and weak, wasting away in a hospital bed. It wasn’t an end she would ever have wished for him. 

Catelyn fussed her grandson a little, fingers tickling his chin ever so lightly. “I think Robb and Eddie will most likely find their own place to live eventually, but they’ll always be home at Winterfell…that’s always there..but one day, they won’t live here anymore, no….” She was reluctant to see any of her babes leave, while at the same time she wished for them to go, to grow and lead their own lives,to become whoever it is they would become in the years that followed. 

“You are a little like Rickard, yes,” She admitted thinking on her memories of Ned’s Father as, seeing Eddie waken, she scooped him up out of his cot and into her arms in one fluid and gentle motion. “He loved his family very much, and he had been quite wild in his youth,” Though she had heard those stories from others rather than witnessing it herself, “It was your Grandpa that first introduced me to your Father” She recounted as she rocked Eddie in her arms, back and forth, and gestured for Rickon to fetch her the little grey blanket on the chair.

Rickon smiled and shook his head, "No, Mummy, I don't keep secrets from you or Daddy." He remembered very well how important they said it was for him to always tell them if someone asked him to keep a secret. Sometimes they smiled and told him they didn't need to know, like when he'd told them all about the special dinner his brothers and sisters had planned one time. It was hard to remember which secrets were okay and which ones weren't... So Rickon usually just told Mummy and Daddy everything. Just to be safe.

He frowned a little and leaned a little closer to his mother, "But... People get sick and go to the hospital all the time, Mummy... The doctors and nurses can help him get better. Just like they did with me... And with Bran... And with you too." He reached up to hug her a little, "We'll go and see him and tell him how much we love him and how much we miss him... That will make him feel better, Mummy."

He watched closely as his mother tickled little Eddie's chin. His Mummy was the best Mummy in the world and he was pretty sure she was the best Grandma in the world too. Eddie sure was lucky to have his Mummy and Daddy as his Grandma and Grandpa, "Well... I hope they don't move into their own house yet... I like it when everybody's here and no one goes away." There had been too many times when someone wasn't here... First Jorjie and then Mummy. He didn't like it at all.

Rickon smiled a little to hear again about the mysterious Grandpa that he had never met. He was sure his Daddy must miss him a lot. He was distracted from this thought when hearing that it was Daddy's Daddy that had introduced them and he looked up at his mother with wide eyes as he picked up the blanket and carried it back to her, "Grandpa met you before Daddy? Did he know you were going to get married?"

[starkmatriarch]

Love Actually || Rickon and Catelyn

[littlestarkpupx]

lady–catelyn-stark:

“I don’t believe sock elves care what socks they have,” Catelyn mused, “I think perhaps they’re very greedy and want to have any socks they can lay their hands on. Especially socks that belong to little boys” She ran her fingers over Rickon’s feet, tickling them again as her fingertips danced across the soles. 

“Well,the rule is that elves and fairies and hobgoblins always have to hide from humans,” Catelyn explained, “They have to be very clever and make sure not to be seen; it’s the rule, you see. Just like Toy Story where the toys have to rush back to their original places before Andy comes to his room…the elves have to make sure no human sees them. But, if you are very careful and very clever and very quiet, you might just catch a glimpse of them” She kissed Rickon on the cheek. “We’ll go on a little elf hunt when we’re next there. And we’ll make cookies” Even if the cook at Winterfell always complained when Catelyn’s children ever took over the kitchen. They make it so….messy, she had complained with a sigh, when Arya had left little blobs of God only knew what all across the counter. 

“Well…Mummy and Daddy will get very old one day, my darling, one day we’ll be old as Grandpa, even older….but we’ll still be Mummy and Daddy. Just…old Mummy and Daddy,” She added with a smile, “But you needn’t think about that now, sweet one” That was many years away yet, and Rickon was still a little boy, and fifty still on the horizon for both she and Ned. They were a long, long way from old….even if they were already grandparents. 

“Yes, I know; he named him after Daddy, I think,” Catelyn said, smiling at how proudly Rickon produced this information. Carefully, so as to both not hurt herself and so as not to disturb Eddie, she lifted Rickon up a little so he might see over the high walls of the cot better and look down onto his baby nephew. Eddie’s eyes blinked openly sleepily, looking at his Grandmother and Uncle before going back to sleep again. “He’s very silent like Daddy at the moment, isn’t he?” She set Rickon back down upon the floor. “I remember, when I had you everybody wanted to pick you up; you were such a cute, tiny, little thing” She tapped him on the nose “You’re still a cute, tiny little thing”

Rickon giggled a little and wriggled his feet away just a little, "That tickles, Mummy!" He smiled up at her, "Maybe we can buy some more socks for them and put them in my drawer... That way we'll maybe get to see them if they see how many socks I have." He nodded his head when his mother explained it more to him, "I understand... I still think Andy would have kept it a secret if they asked him too... And I would as well." He pecked her cheek a little, "But not from you." He was pretty good at keeping secrets when people asked him too... But never from Mummy. Rickon told Mummy absolutely everything, even though he tried really hard not to when his brothers and sisters were buying her Christmas and birthday presents.

He smiled again, "They'll like your cookies, Mummy. They'll know they don't have to be scared of you when they taste them." And maybe they would come back for more, and he and his mother could hunt for elves all day at Winterfell. "I bet there's some at Riverrun too, Mummy. We should have a look for those ones too next time we go see Grandpa... When he gets home, I mean." He kept forgetting that Grandpa was staying at the hospital for a while. He hadn't been to visit him since the last time he went with Mummy.

He laughed a little and shook his head, "I'll be older too, Mummy... So you won't be any older to me at all." He peered down at Eddie in his cot, "Will Robb and Eddie still live here too when they're all really old, or are they going to go to the far away school, like Jorjie?"

Rickon nodded and watched little Eddie in fascination, "Is that why he called him after Daddy? Because he knew he was going to be quiet like him? Daddy says my name is nearly like his Daddy's name too... Does that mean he was like me, Mummy?"

He smiled when his mother set him back on the floor, shifting a little closer to her so that he was pressed against her leg, "I'm not that tiny any more though, Mummy." He looked up at her seriously, "I'm not in P1 anymore. I have to go to the older class when I go back to school." He wasn't sure how he felt about that at all. He didn't want to go to a new teacher.

"Did I have a bed like Eddie's when I was a baby?"

[starkmatriarch]

Love Actually || Rickon and Catelyn

[starkmatriarch]

“I don’t like it when he’s sad either,” Catelyn agreed. Ned did so much for all of them and he deserved to be happy, he deserved to have every reward, she fully believed that; she only wished Ned did also. He was so very hard on himself; always thinking he could have done more, when others would only think they had done the best they could. He was such a good man; a good husband and a wonderful Father. “He deserves to be very happy” All her family did; she just wished she could keep them so. 

“Oh, there are many different elves. There are elves that hide in roses, and elves that hide your socks, and tree elves. There also very naughty elves that play tricks and pranks,” She explained fancifully, weaving the story as she spoke, and taking great joy in seeing Rickon’s darling little face light up with interest and excitement. “They live everywhere…in trees, in the garden….even in houses. There are probably quite a few in Winterfell…so many ancient rooms…perfectly hiding places for elves. We’ll have to go find them when we’re next there, hmm?” They usually spent all their summer months in Winterfell; once the children were finished with school, they went up to the estate in Scotland, but with everything going on, and all the threats, and Petyr still loose, it had felt safer to remain in London. Closer to friends and allies, and most importantly, close to the police. 

“Never going to leave? Are you going to stay here and look after Mummy and Daddy when we’re very, very old?” She smiled warmly, loving that her boy intended this, that he planned very much to remain at home always. But he was only six, a baby still, and she knew, with mournful acceptance, that the day would come, in his teenage years, when the idea would seem no longer appealing, when he would grow up and the last of her babies would fly the nest. 

“Well, babies might not be able to understand, but they recognise our voices,” Catelyn reasoned as she picked Rickon up off her lap and set him down on the floor, before standing herself. She took his hand, and trying her hardest not to limp, she led him towards the kitchen stairs up to Eddie’s room. “Hearing his Daddy talking to him will be really comforting for him, and he’ll hear the words, and slowly, he’ll start to understand them. That’s how we all learn…what do you think Eddie’s first word will be?” She asked, as they reached the room, and she indicated their voices should be a little quieter in case her grandson was sleeping. 

Upon entering the room, the sweet little one was indeed asleep, his little wolf toy grasped between chubby fingers, his mouth sucking on an ear. “Isn’t he sweet?”

[littlestarkpupx]

Rickon gave his mother a small little smile, "Me and you will just have to make sure he's happy then, Mummy," He swung his legs a little as he thought about the picture he would make for his father. He would draw everybody and Daddy could take it into his office and put it somewhere where he could see it all the time and he would see how much everybody loved him, "And me and Daddy will make sure you're happy too, Mummy." He didn't like it when his father was sad, but he didn't like it when his mother was sad either. And everybody had been pretty sad lately.

His little eyes widened and he giggled a little, shaking his head, "In my socks? Noooo…" He scrunched up his nose a little, "I hope they live in my clean socks… And I hope they live in the ones Shaggydog doesn't like to eat." He wasn't sure which was worse. The idea of living in Rickon's dirty socks or living in ones that had lots of Shaggydog's slobbers all over them. He looked up with interest when she spoke of there being lots of elves in Winterfell, somehow that didn't surprise him quite as much. Winterfell always seemed like there was magic everywhere… If you knew where to look, of course.

He nodded excitedly, "Yes, Mummy, we can have a look… And we can maybe make them some cookies! Do they like to eat cookies, do you think?" He frowned for a minute at the thought, but continued on without truly stopping, "But I think they would like your cookies anyway, so they would eat them, especially the ones with all the little coloured sprinkles on them." And whatever they didn't eat, then Rickon could have, "Do you think they might talk to us, or will they be trying to hide? I bet they probably need to hide… But maybe they'll know we won't hurt them and they won't hide."

Rickon smiled and shook his head, "Never ever, Mummy… I'm going to live here for ages and ages and you and Daddy won't get very, very old… Because you're Mummy and Daddy… But I'll still look after you both." He looked up at her, "But I've gots to have a later bedtime, okay? Because I'll be a grown up."

He walked slowly with his mother up the stairs to little Eddie's room, and he could tell she was trying to make it look like it didn't hurt, even though it did, "I think even if I didn't understand, I would still like to hear you and Daddy talking to me," Rickon agreed before he frowned a little, "I hope he says Daddy first… I hope he doesn't say Mummy," He moved a little closer to his mother and squeezed her hand a little tighter as he looked at Eddie. He looked at the little baby as he slept and whispered, "He's really sweet… And Robb called him Eddie so that his name would be like Daddy's, you know."

[starkmatriarch]

Love Actually || Rickon and Catelyn

[starkmatriarch]

“I think Daddy would like that very much….he’s a little silly, your Daddy, and sometimes needs reminding of all the good he does” 

Self-doubt seemed to be plaguing Ned more than usual lately; he was always a man who strived to do the best by all he loved, to uphold his honour, to be loyal not only to his family, but to his friends and those he employed. It was only natural when you were responsible for so many people, that things would happen, that things would not always remain entirely rosy, but Ned always seemed to take it as a failing upon himself. She could not judge him there, for Catelyn was equally harsh upon herself, but she saw lately, with everything that happened, how his expression seemed even more solemn than usual, and the belief he had failed to protect her and their children. She wished he could see clearly how much he did do and how grateful they were, that they saw no failings. 

“Ah, but there are great many types of elves. Santa’s Elves are very specific elves, but there are garden elves, and snow elves, and water elves and…ice cream elves!” She exclaimed smothering Rickon in kisses, and blowing little noises on his neck so that it tickled him. “I know you’re very careful, sweetheart, don’t worry about any mess” She wiped away another little splodge on his top and smiled when he kissed her cheek.

“I will never be anyone but Mummy. Even when you’re all grown up and off doing your own things…I will always be here for you, and I always be your Mummy” When it came that Rickon left the nest, she wasn’t certain what she would do. Perhaps the house would be filled with grandchildren and that would soothe the ache a little, but to lose her last baby….

“Eddie is very loud, but most babies are,” Catelyn explained, “They can’t speak like we do so they have to make a lot of noise to let us know when they’re hungry or thirsty or cold or tired…” She wondered if he cried for the Mother he had never known. Poor, sweet Jeyne. “…And when he is a little older, I have no doubt he is going to look up to his grown-up Uncle Rickon” For to her little grandson, Rickon would seem as if had centuries of experience to his name. “Shall we go and see him?”

[littlestarkpupx]

Rickon smiled and nodded at his mother, "I'll make it for him, Mummy, I promise." He already knew Daddy was silly sometimes, like when he pretended he didn't know the answers to some of Rickon's homework questions and always said that Rickon was much smarter than him to work them out. Rickon knew better though. Daddy was one of the smartest people in the world and Rickon thought he just liked being silly sometimes, "Daddy does lots of good stuff. I don't like it when he's sad."

He giggled a little when his mother started to kiss him and tickle him, "What other kinds of elves are there?" He had never heard of ice cream elves before... Or water elves... Or snow elves. He'd heard of garden elves... And the most important Santa's elves, "Where do they live?" He watched Mummy clean up another little spill that he hadn't even noticed, ice cream was indeed a very messy business.

He laughed and shook his head, "I'm not going to go off, Mummy, even when I'm all grown up. I'm going to stay here with you and Daddy forever!" He didn't want to ever leave and go far away. He still wasn't very pleased that Jorjie wanted to go away somewhere far to go to the big grown up school. He wasn't going to go to any school that was too far away from his house, "But I'll get a car and I can go all the places I need to go. And I can take you and Daddy out for ice cream... Or some grown up food maybe." He was still pretty sure he would want ice cream.

He nodded and peeked around again, to make sure they were still alone, "Robb talks to him all the time... But... Mummy, I don't think Eddie knows what he's saying and I don't think Robb knows that he doesn't know," Rickon talked to him too, but he didn't really expect him to answer back like Robb... Robb asked him questions and everything, "Maybe you should tell him, Mummy." He puffed his little chest out a little when his very important new title was mentioned again, "Yes, let's go..." He looked at her very seriously, "There's a chair in his room and you can sit there, okay?" Daddy's words about how Mummy should rest were not ones he was going to forget anytime soon.

[starkmatriarch]

Love Actually || Rickon and Catelyn

[starkmatriarch]

“Well, that would be very, very lovely, thank you,my dear one” She kissed the top of his head once more and lovingly smoothed down his hair which seemed to so defiantly curl away from his scalp, pointing up at odd angles, auburn frizz seeming alive with electricity comprised entirely of her little boy’s energy. “And perhaps you could do a very nice picture for Daddy as well, hmm?” 

Ned needed that, that simple cheering up by a child, perhaps even more than Catelyn did. He seemed so…dejected. He was protective of her, yes, fearful that anything might happen, and she understood that, but he also seemed to think himself…well, a failure. As though he had failed to protect her from the threat they hadn’t even known was there. Which just wasn’t true; Ned had done more than any husband could, more than any Father could….she just wished he could more easily see that.

“Well, I think you are perhaps a little messy ice cream elf,” Catelyn teased, playfully tapping his face with the damp tea towel. “But you’re very careful; that’s all that matters” If Rickon carelessly flung his ice cream around, smearing it like war paint on his clothes, he would be in trouble, but it was hardly a problem when a few stray splatters occurred in spite of his carefulness. All she asked was that he try his best; it was all she ever asked of any of her children. 

“And I wouldn’t want you to be anyone but yourself either,” She told him lovingly. She remembered finding out she was pregnant with Rickon; entirely unexpected, it had been eight years since Bran, and at first they had only been stunned by how unprepared they were for this new addition. But shock had quickly given way to excitement…and she remembered holding him when he was born, this tiny little thing, his hands curled up into tight little fists which would not unfurl… “Just be Rickon; always and forever” She said, smiling warmly at him as he made his promise.

“So…what does my little Rickon think of being a big grown-up Uncle now?”

[littlestarkpupx]

Rickon grinned, happy that his mother seemed to like the idea of him making her a new picture. He was going to make sure to ask Jon for some of his fancy paper and he would use all his special colours and everything, "You're welcome, Mummy," He smiled at her when she kissed his head and tilted his head a little to the side, before nodding eagerly once again, "I'll do Daddy one the same as yours only to tell him that he's the best Daddy in the world, instead of the best Mummy!" He hoped his father would like it and he'd maybe put it in his office and that way it would remind him that he was the best Daddy in the world, even when he was working. Poor Daddy. He'd been very sad when Mummy was away and Rickon hadn't been very nice to him, "He missed you, Mummy." He said simply, just like Rickon had… But at least Rickon had had Daddy to tell him that everything was going to be okay… Nobody had been there to tell Daddy that.

He smiled a little and then giggled, "I can't be an ice cream elf, Mummy… All the elfseses are helping Santa get ready for Christmas up in the North Pole," He wriggled away from the tea towel with a smile, "But I promise to try and not make a mess… And if I do, I can clean it up."

He smiled up at her again and nodded, leaning up a little bit so that he could kiss her cheek, "I will… And you just have to be Mummy," He paused and grinned at her, "Always and forever… and ever and ever."

He looked around the kitchen quickly, to make sure there was still nobody else around before answering his mother's question, "I think it's a lot of hard work, Mummy… Eddie is pretty loud," He had worried there must be something terribly wrong because of all the noise he sometimes made, "But I love him lots… And I'm going to show him lots of stuffs when he's a big boy, like me."

[starkmatriarch]

Love Actually || Rickon and Catelyn

[starkmatriarch]

“I love you too, my darling,” Catelyn told him warmly, hugging him back. There was a smell to Rickon that was entirely him; each of her children had their own unique, blissful little smell. Robb had always smelled of summer rain since he was little, and Arya always smelled of soil….Rickon smelled just as he had as a baby. Of soap and chocolates. She kissed his cheek as she held him,feeing his little arms around her waist, being far more careful than he usually was and it made her love him all the more if that was possible. 

She took another spoonful of the ice cream, surprised when she found she had managed to find an entire pocket of chocolate chips. God, but it was sweet, far sweeter than her usual ice cream, but she enjoyed it for being Rickon’s favourite. And she could hardly share her lavender and honey ice cream with her little boy, who would certainly only wrinkle his little nose in unmasked distaste. 

“Don’t worry, little one, there’s no harm done, see,” She showed him as the ice cream stain came away easily on the damp cloth, leaving no more than an innocent wet mark on his trousers, damage undone. She put a tea towel across his lap however as to protect against any other wayward splatters.

“You do everything, my darling boy, just by being you,” She told him, “You are far better for me than any ice cream. You, my boy, are magic”

[littlestarkpupx]

Rickon smiled and cuddled into his mother, "I'm going to make you a new picture... And it's going to say how you're the best Mummy in the whole world and how much I love you and how much everybody loves you." He would get all his brothers and sisters and even Daddy to put their names on it too, even though she wasn't Daddy's Mummy, Daddy still agreed that she was the best in the whole world.

He smiled as he watched her take some more ice cream, he knew she didn't like ice cream as much as he did, but he was still glad she was enjoying it... And he wanted her to be happy and have whatever she wanted to help her feel better. He giggled when she put the tea towel over his lap, "I always spill my ice cream, Mummy... I don't think you can eat ice cream without spilling it..." Although he glanced at his mother and he was pretty sure that she could eat it without spilling it. But Mummy could do anything.

He smiled a little and ducked his head down, feeling his cheeks get a little warm, "Well... I don't really do anything by being me... I don't think I would know how to be anybody else... But I'm glad I help you feel better," He looked up at her and whispered, "I'd do anything for you, Mummy, and I know you would too."

[starkmatriarch]

Love Actually || Rickon and Catelyn

[starkmatriarch]

“A very important judge will tell him precisely that,” Catelyn assured him, trying to envision such a court scene herself. To see Petyr in the docks, to be sat safely with her family around her, all of them close and content, Rickon upon her knee, Ned’s arm around her. Brynden on the other side of her children, as Petyr was finally sentenced. Her mind flashed to the gun she had obtained with Cersei’s help and the image of the court room became an abandoned warehouse filled with Petyr’s blood. She shook the dark shadows from her mind. 

She smiled down as Rickon looked up at her and kissed his little upturned nose lightly. He was such a darling boy, wild, yes, but so very lovely, and so very….he felt things so strongly. He felt happiness with wild abandon, and he felt upset far stronger than most, and his anger knew no bounds. Everything seemed to be in extremes with Rickon, and the love he had for his family was no different. She saw how he looked up at his siblings, how he believed in them and trusted them, she saw how he was with both she and Ned. Lovely boy. And Petyr was not going to get within an inch of him, even if that meant shooting Petyr herself. 

“It isn’t ice cream which makes me feel better, sweetheart,” She told him, as she picked up a towel and wiped away the little splatter which had landed on his trousers. “It’s you”

[littlestarkpupx]

Rickon nodded, feeling better for hearing his mother confirm it, "Well... Good," He nodded his head, "I'm glad. I hope we don't ever have to see him ever again and that they put him somewhere he won't be able to hurt anybody," He looked up and gave her a little smile, "But especially you." He turned around a little so that he could wrap his arms around her, still being careful so as not to hurt her, "I love you, Mummy."

He smiled and wrinkled his nose a little when his mother kissed it. It tickled. But he liked it. It was a very Mummy kiss. He tilted his head a little and rubbed his nose against hers before turning back to pick up his spoon and taking another mouthful of ice cream. He moved the tub just a little to encourage his mother to have some more. She deserved a treat more than anyone.

He looked down at the ice cream and then up at his mother with a puzzled little look on his face, watching as she wiped some ice cream off his trousers. He gave her a sheepish little smile, not realising that he'd spilt any, "Sorry, Mummy."

His eyes widened and he put down his spoon, "Me? But I didn't do anything, Mummy." He smiled up at her, "I only gave you hugs and kisses... I didn't even get the ice cream!"