video; un: littlebird

[toivory]

Hello everyone and- Merry Chris-mass! [She pronounces it wrong, still trying to get a hang of the new words and holidays. But she was told that's what you say, so she's going to say it, and smile.]

I wanted to let everyone know that my older brother is here! If you see a handsome, brooding man, chin-length black hair, bit of a beard, dressed in all black, that's likely Jon Snow. He can be a bit of an idiot, but he's my brother all the same- a true Stark. [One of two brothers she had left.]

If you see him, reach out. He could use the break afforded to us here, in a manner of speaking.

[It's hard, being the true heir to the Iron Throne, she imagines.] It's good to have him here.

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[king_inthenorth]

The wildlings. We had a sort of arrangement with one of them, who told us that there was one who called himself the King Beyond the Wall, who was planning an attack on Castle Black. The best way to prevent that was to pretend to be a deserter and try and talk them out of it.

And since deserters obviously don't care about breaking their oaths...

[Sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Not that it had taken much convincing.]

Tyrion seems to show up everywhere.

[toivory]

You found a wildling girlfriend.

[She smiles at him. Good to know the first person he'd been with (to her knowledge) wasn't a Targaryen.]

He's just like Littlefinger was in that regard. [Oh. Yeah. He's dead, too.]

[king_inthenorth]

I did. I hadn't planned for that to happen, I tried to avoid it, but sometimes things happen.

[The less said about that the better, probably.]

I don't know Littlefinger very well, but I'd rather talk to Tyrion.

[He knows that they never would have gotten Winterfell back from Ramsay if it hadn't been for the men from the Vale, but that doesn't mean he likes it any.]

[toivory]

Sometimes they do.

[Jon, like most men, had a weakness for pretty girls. She gets it.]

I knew Littlefinger too well, and the Tyrion I know very seldom stops talking. [She smirks. He was an idiot. But she still respected him and had that strange fondness that came with an annulment.]

[king_inthenorth]

I'd still rather talk to him. [Jon had had a good conversation with him once, on the way to the Wall, and besides, he's a much more preferable Lannister than Cersei or the Kingslayer.]

[toivory]

I would, as well.

[They'd had some good times in their marriage, once they'd settled a bit. It was meant to humiliate them. A cruel joke.]

[king_inthenorth]

So. Is there any other news from Westeros I should know about?

[Let's just get it all out of the way.]

[toivory]

I believe I’ve covered it?

[king_inthenorth]

It sounds like quite a different place than the one we knew.

[toivory]

A lot has changed and very quickly by Westerosi standards.

You must be overwhelmed.

[king_inthenorth]

A bit.

Father [he pauses, because Ned Stark's not his father, is he?] promised me that the next time we saw each other, he would tell me about my mother. I never imagined that's what he would have told me.

[toivory]

[Ned Stark raised him. Ned was very much his father. They were raised at the same table (mostly).]

What made you decide to take the Black? [She had an idea now that, after Jon had joined the Watch, her father had chosen to tell him. When he would have already abandoned any claims to the throne.]

[king_inthenorth]

It seemed like the best option available to me. Out of only a few options.

[Take the black, join the service of a knight in hopes of a knighthood of his own, or maybe some sort of apprenticeship.]

I was on the same level as everyone else there.

[toivory]

I thought it was noble of you. Even back then.

[king_inthenorth]

I didn't expect to have a family anyway, and Uncle Benjen was there. It made the most sense.

[toivory]

Father would have found a good wife for you, I've no doubt. [A third born daughter from one of the smaller houses.]

I'm sure he kept a list of eligible young women for all of you.

[king_inthenorth]

Perhaps. [It wasn't something he'd ever thought about, and Ned had never mentioned it to him. But if it hadn't come up for Robb yet, the oldest legitimate son, then it wouldn't have for him yet.]

It might have been easier not to protest me taking the black.

[toivory]

He didn't, did he?

[king_inthenorth]

He didn't. I wasn't expecting him to.

[toivory]

Well. You know you're always welcome to stay in Winterfell whenever you wish to get away for a while. it's hardly deserting if you're in talks with the Queen.

[king_inthenorth]

I'm not destined to stay only at the Wall forever. [He just has to come back, and it helps if he has a reason for leaving.] Uncle Benjen used to come for visits.

[But it's the queen thing that will be his excuse. They'll want to make sure they stay on good terms with the North.]