A/N: This chapter and the next have been re-edited so have a read if you want, and if your new to this story I hope you enjoy!
Cold. That was her first thought when her eyes opened. She looked around her, seeing snow everywhere, as far as the eye could see. She felt herself shiver and brought her arms to wrap around her body. The wind whistled behind her, throwing her long brunette hair in her face. Then there was a different sound. She whipped her head around, seeing a dark figure not far from her now. There was something wrong with them, she could tell instantly. Their skin glinted…like it was ice. She felt her breath begin to quicken as she began to back off, but for every step she took they took two more. Without a second's thought, she took off in a run, hoping she could outrun the creature behind her. Suddenly, she was pushed to the ground and felt a freezing hand against her shoulder. Letting out a loud scream, she shot upright. She felt like she could barely breathe as she looked around her surroundings and found…she was in her room. There was no snow around her. No creature chasing her. It was a dream. She willed herself to stop shaking. Her nightmares had only grown more frequent recently and she didn't know why. She sighed when she stood up and saw it was still dark outside, but she knew she couldn't get back to sleep now. Walking towards her door she picked up her warm fur coat and ventured outside. Winterfell was dark at that time of night, but it was still an astounding sight to see. She had a fond smile on her face when she noticed a familiar face in the courtyard.
"Isn't a little late to still be practising, Jon?" Keaira grinned.
She saw that she had startled the raven-haired boy, as he almost dropped his sword, not expecting anyone to be up at the hour.
"I couldn't sleep" Jon shrugged.
Anyone who visited the courtyard in the evenings would often see Jon practising with his sword, as he trained for the Night's Watch. The place where she was set to follow him to within the year.
"Do you mind if I practice too?" She inquired, as he turned around to give her a smile.
"You know I always enjoy your company, Keaira" Jon told her.
Her grin grew at the sound of her name on his tongue, finding it instantly sounded more appealing. Raising her arm out in front of her, she conjured up a small flame in her hand, that lay just above her palm. She closed her eyes and focused on the flame getting bigger. She sighed when she opened her eyes and found that it had only increased by a few inches. She knew Benjen would ask about what improvements she had made with her flames when he next came to Winterfell and she didn't want to let him down. He was the closest thing she to a father after he had been the one to find her beyond the wall all those years ago. She felt herself shiver at the memory. The first memory she had. Benjen had quickly realised that she was no Wildling when he met her, but her past remained a mystery. She had flashes sometimes, but none of them made any sense. Benjen had advocated for her straight away, and for that she would always be grateful.
"Are you alright?" Jon queried, seeing how she was still staring intently at the flame.
"Yes. Just thinking" She shrugged at him, as he approached her.
"About what?" He frowned, concern written on his face.
"About…how long you're going to let your hair grow?" Keaira replied, making Jon laugh.
"I'm starting to think your jealous of my hair" He grinned, playfully.
"It's true. We can't all be blessed with such beautiful locks" She giggled, running her hand through his black hair.
It was then that Keaira realised just how close she and Jon were, and he seemed to be making no plans to step away.
"Your hair is not so bad" He suggested, doing the same gesture.
He pushed her long hair behind her ear, as she felt her cheeks redden lightly and not because of the cold. A whining sound from behind her caused them both to spring apart, as they looked up to see a window had been opened. Lady Catelyn was staring down at them both, a disproving look on her face before she walked away.
"I see all sorts are up at this time of hour" Keaira mumbled, coldly.
"Keaira, don't" Jon whispered, softly.
"I don't know how you tolerate her" Keaira pointed out.
"She has allowed me to live here all these years. And you" Jon exclaimed.
Keaira let out a sigh, as she remembered when she first came to Winterfell she felt so indebted to Lord and Lady Stark for allowing her to live there. Her respect for Ned had only grown over the years, but all she felt for Catelyn was anger. The way she treated Jon was almost unbearable at times. It wasn't his fault he was a bastard. Like it was not her fault she was some freak of nature, but Catelyn would never listen to that. She saw everything in black and white. She wouldn't allow Jon to train in the day, or Keaira. They had grown close due to being the outcasts.
"The King suggested that I should live here. It was your father who invited me, Catelyn…allows me to stay" Keaira explained.
"Maybe if you didn't spend so much time with me-" Jon started, but she cut him off.
"Don't say that. You're my friend, Jon. I don't care what she or anyone else thinks" Keaira stated, making Jon smile, lightly.
She felt herself falling asleep a few hours later as she joined Jon to break their fast. She wiped her eyes, hoping that the day would go by quickly and she could soon find herself back in her bed. She allowed herself to be mesmerised by the large hall for a few moments, not being able to believe how lucky she was to live in such a place. Even if she was made to eat at the back of the hall. After four years of living in Winterfell it felt like a dream sometimes. It was all because of her fire, as the King had recognised her potential. Her powers would surprise and most likely scare any Wildlings that tried to make it past the wall. She was like a scarecrow, she thought to herself. She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt something brushing against her legs and found that Arya was hiding underneath the table.
"What are you doing?" She couldn't help but laugh.
"Septa is looking for me…I can't go back to stitching" Arya pleaded, as Keaira shared an amused look with Jon.
Apart from the boy next to her, Arya was her favourite of the Stark children. She was so different from most little girls. However, that often got her in trouble and Keaira tried to help her wherever she could. Not to mention Arya had never feared her fire and was instead fascinated by it. Arya was like a little sister to her.
"Arya? Arya! Where is that little brat?" They heard Sansa shouting as she shot through the doors of the hall.
"Have you seen her?" Sansa inquired, approaching the pair.
"No…she might be in the stables" Keaira suggested.
"If you see her-" Sansa started, as Keaira cut her off.
"I'll slap her round the head for you" She told her, as Sansa nodded, curtly.
"What a little…" Arya trailed off, as Sansa left the room, earning a small kick from Keaira.
Arya grumbled as she rolled out for under the table, mumbling curse words underneath her breath.
"Your sisters, Arya. Can't you try to get along?" Keaira insisted.
"No" Arya responded.
Keaira knew that Sansa's prim and proper ways could get underneath a person's skin, but she knew the girl was only trying her best. She was young and wanted to be like her mother. She and Keaira had a mutual respect but weren't overly close. Sansa was the only one of the Stark children who didn't accept Jon, and that was hard for Keaira to get over.
She soon heard that most of the Starks were participating in an archery lesson for Bran, who was only ten years old. He was such a sweet and caring boy, that Keaira didn't know how anyone could not love him. He was like her little brother.
"Where do you think you're going?" She heard a voice boom from behind her.
"I expect the same place as you, Theon" Keaira rolled her eyes.
The Iron Born boy was the bane of her existence. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him, and she expected the feeling was mutual.
"Little ladies should know when to hold their tongue" Theon stated.
"And you should know when you're outmatched" Keaira suggested, raising an eyebrow.
Within the blink of the eye, all the candles surrounding them were lit up, with the candle chandelier above them swaying slightly. Theon gulped, trying not to show how her ability to control fire still managed to scare him. Whereas, Keaira was trying to keep the strain of what she had just done off her face. It irritated her that such a small gesture made her feel so tired.
"Are you two fighting again?" A familiar voice questioned.
"No, my Lord/Yes, Robb" Theon and Keaira said at the same time.
"You should know better than to take on Keaira. Remember the last time you fought?" Robb smirked.
Keaira had bite her lip to stop herself from laughing as she remembered how she set Theon's trousers on fire when he had been talking badly about Jon. The older boy walked off in a huff, as Keaira gave Robb a grateful smile.
"My hero" She giggled, sarcastically.
Keaira got on very well with Robb, and often found him the easiest to confide in, which was how he knew about her growing crush on Jon. Now that she was fifteen years of age, she couldn't hide her attraction to the Snow boy anymore. He would insist that Jon felt the same way, but until he acted on it, she decided she wouldn't either. Her friendship with Jon was too important.