Silence in the Godswood - Robert Stark

Rob sat in the godswood waiting for it to happen. His hand gripped one of the weirwood's roots as he leant his back against it. He remembered as kids, Jon had told him that the trees would speak to him. Now that they were older, Jon brushed it off as just a child's imagination. Rob accepted Jon's logic, but recent events made him feel otherwise.

He was sent to find Ayra since she had been neglecting her studies with her septa. He thought he had seen her slip by the way of the godswood and decided to take a look. Sure enough, Ayra was there, but so was Old Nan and little Bran. They were looking at the weirwood tree.

"What are you three doing here," Rob asked.

"I'm so, sorry my lord, but the Ayra insisted that we come here with Bran."

"He wouldn't understand," Ayra murmured as she put Bran's hand on the tree. Bran let out a gasp, and for an instant, Rob thought he saw something in Bran's eyes. Bran's eyes were no longer bright and curious, but somehow his countenance conveyed unlimited knowledge.

"See Bran, the trees speak to you. They sometimes speak to me too."

Rob knelt down to look at Bran. The sagacious look was gone now, and Bran flexed his hands as if he wanted Rob to pick him up. "What do they say Ayra?"

Ayra shrugged. "All sorts of things, but most of the time I don't understand. The trees tell me that one day my face will change a thousand times!" Ayra seemed so excited by this foretelling, but the idea made Rob shudder.

"Why did you bring Bran?"

"Because they asked me to. Bran is going to be very important one day. I don't see why." Ayra wasn't one to hide her jealousy.

"Well I'm to escort you to Septa Mordane."

Ayra whined and stomped her foot. "She won't teach me anything that's useful. I'll be the girl with a thousand faces and she'll just sew flowers into a handkerchief!"

"Ayra… Let's not displease mother."

Ayra hated being scolded by her mother all the more it seemed. She stomped her foot one last time and lead the way back to her septa where Sansa was sewing with her friends. Rob stepped through the doorway. "Septa, I'd like to borrow Sansa for a moment." Everyone seemed shocked by this request. The brothers hardly ever talked to Sansa and vice versa. There was a strange disconnect between her and the rest of her siblings.

"Septa, may I be excused," Sansa asked.

"Of course my dear."

Rob bowed to the girls to excuse himself. He heard them giggle before Sansa shut the door. "… Is there a problem?" Sansa was more curious than concerned.

"Have you ever heard the godswood speak to you?"

Sansa rolled her eyes. "You interrupt my day with child's tales?"

"Sansa, Jon told me, when we were boys, that the trees spoke to him. Now Ayra is saying the same thing, and Bran… I just can't explain…"

"Rob…" Sansa put her hand on Rob's arm to calm him. "Ayra probably heard Jon talk about hearing the trees talking to him. You know how much Ayra loves Jon. She wants to be him in every single way so she made up that story."

"I don't think you would be so sure of yourself if you had seen the look on Bran's face."

Sansa studied her brother's face for a moment. She sighed as she gave in to her curiosity. "Fine, let's go to the godswood." Upon arrival, Sansa gave a quick study of the tree and then grew bored of it. "So what am I looking for?"

"Do you hear anything?" Rob pressed her hand against the tree and he pressed his other hand to the tree as well.

"Other than rustling leaves and the wind," her voice was filled with irritation. "If you must go mad, go mad alone. I'll stay in the real world and practice to become an adult." She stormed away leaving Rob alone in the godswood. He could hear Sansa shouting at someone and then he saw who she was yelling at. Jon had entered the forest looking at Rob.

"Sansa said you are hearing voices?"

Rob rolled his eyes. "Jon... Ayra and Bran were here this morning. Did you ever tell Ayra about the weirwood talking to you?"

"I've told Ayra all sorts of things. I couldn't remember to be honest," Jon laughed.

"Take off your glove and touch the tree."

Jon raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told.

"... and?"

Jon looked at Rob as if he were crazy. "Rob... maybe you need to..."

"Sit down!" Robert leant up against the tree and shut his eyes. "Sansa thinks I'm crazy and now you! Let me tell you what happened this morning." Robert retold the story to Jon while staring ahead. He had tried to loose himself in a sort of meditation hoping to hear the trees speak to him.

"Well, I don't hear them anymore... if I even ever heard them. I don't remember Rob, I'm sorry." Jon looked at Rob who still seemed troubled. "Perhaps if we get drunk enough we'll not only hear the trees but we'll also hear from the mead..."

"Oh shut up!" Rob laughed. "Fine, let's see if we can sneak down for some mead."

After being scolded by his mother for drinking their stores of mead, Robert went up to sleep. The sound of rustling leaves woke him up. Robert looked around and didn't see anything that would have made the noise so he raced to the godswood. Excitement filled him to the marrow. It was like being accepted to some secret society and he was finally chosen to join the ranks with his siblings. He froze upon the sight of a naked woman who traced her fingers across the water. The weirwood shook hard from the force of the wind.

There was an ethereal air to this woman who stood before him. "Who are you," Robert asked cautiously.

"Are you a Stark or are you a Tully?"

Rob's eyebrows crossed in confusion. "... I am both."

The woman laughed. "They do not feel that way."

"They?"

She looked at him with disdain. "Too much of that woman's countenance is in you... and so is that southern air."

"I don't know who you are, but you'll need to put some clothes on. If we are found together..."

The woman laughed. "See, that's the Tully in you." She waved her hand at him. "A Tully worries what their mother would think of them. A true Stark, like Ayra, would have run a sword through me. Jon and Bran would have already guessed that I am a messenger from the godswood and would have asked more about our ways... but a Tully hides behind a woman's skirt."

"I hide behind no one," Robert growled.

"Better, but still not good enough. Before your second winter the gods have decided that they will unseat you."

"Unseat me?" Robert realized the woman must be mad. There was no way to unseat him if he wasn't a lord. "I've had enough of your nonsense. Be gone before I order the guards to throw you in jail." Robert turned, but the woman stood before him once more. She laughed and shoved him to the ground. Upon impact his eyes opened to see that he was back in his room. Sweat matted his hair and his heart was racing. He sat up and saw movement in the corner of his room. Leaves twirled around and round in the shadows. He shut his window and crushed the leaves in his hands. It was only a stupid dream. He decided, that night, he decided it was time for him to put his imagination to bed.