Robb smiled as his eyes caught sight of Winterfell. They were home---for now. They had won both battles and taken a considerable amount of resources from the Lion. Upon Zi's recommendation, Robb ordered all swords, shields, and any other usuable materials to be stripped from the Lannister and Stark dead alike. The North now had a surplus of weapons and other useful materials in war. Some lords had disagreed with the order, complaining how that the act would be a desecration of the dead. Robb's mind replayed what his queen had said.

Rolling her eyes at the naivity of the older men before her, she carefully asserted, "Milords, would it be safe to assume that once we withdraw from the area, the remaining Lannister forces will descend upon their dead? Take their weapons and such back? The dead are dead. They will not mind giving up what wasn't theirs to begin with." She paused and let her stormy eyes sweep the room, "Remember. We are taking from House Lannister. Strategy. We do not need them reusing the weapons against the North and her allies. Besides, the long winter is coming. We will need all the weapons in Westeros to fight the White Walkers and their army of the dead."

Following her speech, she sat dutifully beside Robb, cast him a smirk, and waited for the lords to side with her. Within minutes, the lords had agreed. The orders were given.

Robb laughed at the memory. She had the whole room on the edge of their seats. She was a natural born leader, yet she always deferred to him. It puzzled Robb. She could have taken the North alone, without him or his family. Hell, he believed that she could march down to King's Landing, kill the Queen Bitch and her cunt of a son, and be back before Winter truly came.

It was a tempting plan, but he and the others had figured that the Lannisters' had contingencies in place for that, and Zipporah terribly missed their son.

The horns announced their return. Zipporah road beside him with a neutral expression. She was trying to put on a strong front for the men around her.

So presumptuous of you.

He cast her a sideways glance to see her amused look.

The gates opened as they approached. Ziporrah spotted Aiden in Lady Catelyns arms. Forgetting all proper introductions, Ziporrah leaped from her horse, ran across the yard, swiftly grasped Aiden from her mother in law, and held him close to her. The babe readily snuggled into her. It was clear to the yard that the Queen in the North had one weakness: her son. No one would dare to harm. The wrath, from the gods, would be swift and unforgiving. Their queen would become the spirit of death.

Robb was close to follow, giving his mother a quick hug and joining in his family's embrace. Lady Catelyn smiled at the three. She remembered what it was like, being separated from the one you loved.

"My wife." A familiar voice beckoned from across the yard. Catelyn' s jaw dropped. Panic and excitement flooded her, "Ned?!" Gathering her garments, she raced toward her lord husband. The older Starks strongly embraced.

Robb and Zipporah had done it. They had retrieved Lord Stark and dealt a major blow to the South's ego. The Lannisters would be licking their wounds for sometime.

A whoop sounded from all around them. Robb glanced about and nodded to the loyal Stark men that surrounded them.

"King in the North!"

"Queen in the North!"

"Warden of the North!"

"Lady of the North!"

The chants bombarded their hearts and minds. The two couples shared a look of understanding: there was much to do.

The chanting died down, and Zipporah found herself hugging the Stark siblings and then she came upon Han.

"Heh, you did it, kid."

"We did it."

"From what I heard, you were a one woman army." He teased with a proud look.

"I did as I was trained." She offered with a shrug.

"Which was more than enough. You didn't even use the sabers." Han said with some dramatized disappointment.

"I did, once, and I'm sure this isn't over." Zi reasoned as she pressed her lips to Aiden's head, his wispy hairs tickling her face.

"That's one thing about bad guys, Zip. They keep comin."

Winterfell was at peace. The night had taken control, and slowly, movement and energy in the castle died. While most were asleep, Zipporah could not sleep. She felt restless. Knowing that Robb was exhausted and Aiden was fast asleep, she left their room and headed for the godswood. No doubt, the sacred place would be deserted, and she could meditate these feelings away.

Her mind and soul were heavy. The force beckoned her to hurry. Pacing to the quiet cluster of trees, she sat down cross-legged, closed her eyes, and allowed the force to fully consume her.

In that moment, she felt totally free and weightless. Her subconscious reached out into the force and searched for another to connect to. It hadn't occurred to her that she was alone in her force use in Westeros. Granted, she needed to train Bran, but the war had taken away that opportunity. At first, she was alone, floating in and out of different tethers in the force, feeling everything all at once.

Then, all of sudden, she felt another being far away from her.

Curious as to who else could be connected to the force, she pushed her force signature toward the being. A part of her hoped it was Rey; she'd always wanted to meet the woman. No doubt they'd get along---thirst for adventure, doing what was right, and flying among the stars.

The other part of her was terrified that it was Kylo Ren, however, she was confident that she would have sensed the darkness. Then again, would she? She had dabbled with the Dark Side. Her judgment could be clouded. The Darkness was an excellent soothsayer.

As she felt herself come in close contact with the person, her eyes rested on a hooded figure. From what she could tell, he was an older male.

Definitely a jedi. She thought as she took in his attire.

"Not anymore." The figure responded stoically. He had read her mind. Annoyance flooded her being. He was more powerful than she had anticipated.

"You Celchus always underestimate us Skywalkers." The figure replied to her thought, again.

Zi's mind immediately made the connection. She was in the presence of Luke Skywalker. THE Luke Skywalker.

"I am not anyone special." He added with a cock of the head. His hood still obscuring her view of his face. Her eyes could make out a graying beard and slight wrinkling.

"Seriously?" Zipporah replied with a look of unbelief. "You're the son of Darth Vader, the brother of General Organa, and the only person who could lead the rebellion to stop the First Order."

"Is that what my sister told you before you died?" He paused for effect. "I am not the solution. I inadvertently help create it."

"No one saw him turning. Trust me."

"You and Rey are one in the same. So hopeful." He claimed in a wistful tone, yet there was an air of condescension. She felt like he was trying to be something more than what she had thought he'd be. Who was she that he needed to pretend to be strong? Or was there another presence that he could sense and she could not? Was Kylo Ren, or even worse, Snoke listening in on their conversation?

Against her better judgement, Zipporah decided to be honest with the old jedi. To tell him of the gray jedi code and help him see how to avoid another Kylo Ren from rising from the Skywalker family.

"You taught the force wrong. It wasn't meant to be one extreme or the other. In my reincarnation, I have found that walking in the gray has been the best." She took a breath and saw that he was listening intently to her.

"I don't feel smothered nor do I feel the need to exert tons of power to bring balance. I simply live my life mindfully. No shame in having emotions. I wouldn't have been able to marry and have a child--the light side wouldn't have allowed such selfishness. The joy I have experienced is indescribable."

Moving closer to him, she pressed with a pleading expression strewn across her features, "Light. Dark. A balance. The jedi must come to an end."