ROBB

It had been a few weeks since his cousin and wife departed. He'd only received her message concerning safety, and while he took solace in the notion that she had arrived, he wondered if she was surviving and being successful. A part of him was annoyed that a raven had not been sent from Castle Black concerning House Stark's arrival, etc. Then again, he could have sent a raven as well.

He was trying to be patient, diplomatic, and composed, and he hated it greatly. Beside being responsible for the North's survival, Robb felt that it was his duty to protect the realm, to create a safe place for his son to mature and grow. Much to Robb's surprise and worry, Aidan was growing daily and was already picking up coos that sounded very close to words. He imagined that his son would be slightly more advanced than other children, given Zipporah's lineage. Robb thanked the gods daily that his siblings were here at Winterfell as well as his parents. He'd be lost as to how to care for his son. Granted, there were some painfully obvious portions to parenting, but the smaller details that could be crucial to a child's upbringing were what kept him pacing at night. Amidst all of the worry, House Stark was united.

Robb found himself outside of Bran's room, and he knew that he should let his brother continue to rest and gain his strength back, he had to know if the Realm was still under threat, and more importantly, was his family alive. As he rose his hand to knock, he could hear Bran smugly call out, "Come in Robb."

Taking a deep breath, the eldest Stark entered the second to youngest's with a grim expression. "Bran. How are you doing?"

"Resting and reading per mother's request. I take it you're here for more than just a check up? How's being king?" Bran's eyes danced with mischief. He'd been waiting for this day for some time. Robb raised an eyebrow at his brother's excitement. Hadn't Zipporah cautioned them on the use of Bran's power? That the Night King was always lurking? Darkness always sought to snuff out the light. Robb felt like he could, at times, feel the different flows, especially when he was connected to Grey Wind. He promised himself to be extra vigilant after he left Bran's.

"My shoulders always remain heavy, but it is necessary. And yes, a small, quick check up. I want to be sure that they are alive and well. That's all." Robb replied as his eyes searched the room for any indication that darkness had planted itself in Winterfell. He wasn't sure what it would look like, but he was confident that he could find it if it was there.

"Very well." Bran conceded with a slight nod of head. Bran closed his eyes, centered himself, and allowed the force or whatever it was flow through him. Bran pushed true north looking for familiar faces. He easily searched Castle Black and did not find them. A small part of him panicked; he surely would have felt their loss. Noting the large amount of life beyond the Wall, Bran pushed on and entered a bustling village. Wildlings. A lot of Wildlings. He weaved through the gathering until a familiar voice reached his ears: his cousin's. Quelling the small panic he once felt, Bran found the duo talking with an assortment of people.

"We will reside in the land given to us, peacefully so long as Mance is the leader and you are the Queen." A fiery redheaded man conceded with a wave of hand. Murmurs of agreement sounded amongst the varied.

"And when it's time to fight the undead? That time will come, and you will be called to fight." Zipporah questioned with authority. Bran had to admit that his sister in law possessed a dangerously, powerful countenance that one could not simply look away from. He hadn't seen it in real action until today.

"Aye." "Ya." "Ay." "Yea." "Ye." And more sounded from around.

"House Stark welcomes you." She replied with a look of protection over the men and women. They whooped in response.

Bran grinned at the joyous antics, but then their eyes met. Her determined eyes shifted to alarm. Bran felt the sizzle in the force. The sense of urgency she pushed toward him.

You shouldn't be here. He's looking for you.

"I'm sorry. Robb was worried." Bran replied in quiet tone. A part of him was mad at himself for being spotted. A lecture would surely come at some point down the road. Before she could respond, Bran sensed another that could see him. His eyes darted to a very tall man with dark eyes and a strong countenance. Who was he? The man in question raised an eyebrow at him and gave a slight shake of the head, clearly agreeing with Zipporah. The man looked familiar. Where had he seen those eyes before?

Tell him I'm fine. Now go. Quickly. Before he notices you're here.

                                                                                              ZIPPORAH

Anger flowed through her. Why couldn't men listen? She'd specifically told them that Bran could not be using his gift so long as the Night King lived, that evil being was looking for the young boy. Seeking to corrupt. Bran would not have the same dark, broken path as her brother, not if she had anything to say about it. Ben gave her a knowing look as the boy left their presence.

"Dare I ask?" He questioned aloud, shifting in his layers. They had been able to scrounge furs for him to wear. Ben looked uncomfortable, but he'd survive til they reached Castle Black for better fitting clothes.

"My brother in law."

"Who'd find him? Clearly you were warning him about someone." Ben quizzed as his eyes watched the wildlings mill about, preparing for the day's midday meal.

"The Night King. He's the leader of the undead. Wants to end life as we know it."

"How fun." The older Solo commented as he instinctively reached for a saber. Sighing, he should have known better. He left his original in a raging sea and his inherited with his dyad partner.

"Here, have one of mine. I'll take the shorter saber." Zipporah discreetly passed one of her sabers to her brother who took it with a nod. "We'll figure something out."

"I'm fine with this arrangement." Zipporah felt his amusement. It felt odd to have only half of the weight on her legs. It felt wrong.

"No kriffing way." She fired back as they moved toward Jon. The trio were heading back to the Wall to make arrangements for passage, etc. Many ravens were to be sent out.

"I didn't know you spoke so unladylike." Ben teased, glancing at his younger sister. If he was honest with himself, he had never pictured having siblings, but she embodied the very essence of being a Solo. He missed Rey terribly, but having family around wasn't too bad of a trade-off.

"I'm no fucking lady." She murmured under her breath as Jon greeted them with his grim face. Ben snorted at her reply. She was a firebrand. "That's quite certain." He knew she heard him.

"Are we ready? We have much to do." Jon questioned as he noticed the mischievous and amused demeanor of the siblings.

"Of course." Zipporah confirmed as she subtly threw a gesture towards her smirking brother. Jon didn't know what it meant, but he could gather it held a similar meaning to what he was used to getting from Robb or Theon in the yard. Jon gave a slight smile to the wilderness ahead of them. At least the siblings were in a good mood, Jon was keeping a count of blessings and cursing for the day. So far, it had been too good of a day.

                                                                                                 ROBB

He had patiently waited for his brother to return from his wandering. Bran's face had shown a string of different emotions from curious to panicked to calm to shamed. The last signaling to Robb that his wife was indeed alive and pissed. Robb scolded himself for being weak. Could anyone blame him? Their time together had felt short and insufficient. Robb knew that he loved her and was bound to her, but he couldn't help but doubt the whole process. They were young and everything had been rushed; the times and norms had made their pairing a necessity. They had shared everything before all of this, but these new experiences were changing them. Robb silently prayed that they'd be able to pick up right where they'd left off...

"She's mad." Bran's voice brought him out of his musings. The boy looked at him with a small smile and continued, "From what I could tell, the wildlings agreed to our terms, whatever Zipporah and Jon did, worked. They're heading back to the Wall today." Robb felt excitement flow through him. Success meant she was coming home sooner rather than later.

Before Bran could continue, a quick, strong knock sounded. "Come in." Both boys called. Han Solo poked his head in and gave a small smile. The older man entered fully into the room and offered with a slight shrug, "Your dad has been lookin for ya. Something about a letter from a garden?"

Robb smirked, gave his thanks, and quickly left. Bran studied Han. There was something he was supposed to get. What was it? Bran hated puzzles, and now he had one.

"You okay, kid? You look like you're thinking a little too hard."

                                                                                                JON

Jon let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. They'd spent most of the day traveling in a relatively peaceful way. The weather had proven to be calm, and they did not encounter anyone. As the snow disappeared with the closing of the gate, Jon could feel every muscle in his back and neck loosen. The amount of threats had dwindled to nearly nothing. As far as Jon could tell, the Night's Watch were not a threat to the trio. However, there was no way that he would convince Ben of that. Because the minute the entered the darkened hallway, Ben had straightened his posture and clearly tensed his body. Then again, Jon had to remind himself that this castle was new to Ben. Jon had always wondered what Zipporah's past had looked like. She had tried to describe it, but he doubted he'd be able to actually picture it.

"Imagine being surrounded with stars and deafening silence." Ben muttered. Had Jon been speaking to the group?

"Your curiosity was rather palpable." Ben continued with a side glance. Jon nodded in reply. Jon had never experienced pure silence. He imagined that only death would bring that about. You're not wrong.

As the trio entered the yard, Ben shifted closer to Zipporah, allowing Jon to lead them to the men of the Night's Watch.

"You've returned and in one piece." The Old Bear commented with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Aye. We completed our mission." Jon replied with a nod and bow of respect toward the older man. The men murmured around them, clearly impressed.

"You got the savages to agree to your terms?" Alister questioned with a captivated expression. Jon raised a brow at the older man's terminology and attitude change; he hadn't imagined, that when Zipporah said Alister was no longer a threat, that he'd shift to that level of endearment.

"The free folk have agreed. We need to write House Stark and the surrounding houses and towns to alert and explain the coming influx of northerners." Jon returned with authority. This was his realm. Zipporah connected with the free folk; he understood Castle Black.

"Maester Aemon and his assistant will support you in any way you need. I imagine that we'll talk about how this will occur and what to expect." The Old Bear offered only slight annoyance.

"Aye, but if it's okay with you, we'd prefer to get the ravens out, and then we'll strategize." Jon replied as he motioned for the siblings to move toward the raven's pen and middle tower where the Maester and his assistant should be.

"Aye. Seek me out when you lot are ready."

Jon was surprised at the Old Bear's agreement level, not to mention that no one questioned the appearance of Ben. Jon was grateful, because that would have been a large cover up. Jon and Zipporah shared a knowing look-full of relief and curiosity. The trio easily arrived at the Maester's door.

A familiar face greeted them at the door, the shy Samwell Tarly. "'Ello, you're back. How can I help you?"

Zipporah offered a genuine smile, "We need access to the raven pen as well as your assistance sending ravens to the various houses as the wildlings have agreed to our terms."

Samwell's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered and moved his attention to Ben. "Newly arrived?"

"Something like that." Zipporah confirmed as the trio entered the musty room. Books were stacked rather high. Some newly opened; others collecting dust. They spotted the blind Maester sitting at his desk. A small smile found its way onto his face but remained silent. Jon could tell that the man wanted to share something but was waiting for the right time. Jon knew that his time with the Maester would come but not now. Leaving the siblings to talk with the elder, he moved to get Samwell on helping with the large amount of letters that would need to be sent out. As Jon interacted with Samwell to write the letters, Zipporah and Ben moved to talk to the Maester, both sensed that the man was gifted.

"You have questions?" The elderly man poised with a knowing look. Ben noted that the man could see perfectly fine despite his physical state. How weird.

"Not exactly." Zipporah countered as she met Ben's gaze, and he picked up where she paused, "it's clear to both of us that you have experience."

"That's one way of putting it force wielder." Both force wielders stiffened and braced for his continuance, but it did not come. He was waiting. Ben stared at the man, trying to figure out what was the next step, but Zipporah beat him to it.

"Aye. We are, and clearly you've encountered our kind before."

"Ah, yes. Long ago. The one that arrived didn't last too long. I tried to save him, but he was too wounded."

"Wounded from what?"

"War. The dragon proved to be too much, but he had similar abilities akin to yours. He also had a unique weapon."

Zipporah ignored the bait of the weapon and focused on the more important piece of information, "What was his name? And what do you mean he couldn't stop a dragon?"

The older man sighed, rose to his feet, grabbed a small chest from a nearby shelf, and allowed it to make a rather loud THUD causing Jon and Samwell to briefly pause.

"He called himself Caleb. He wouldn't go into detail about what had happened before he'd arrived. He had tried to help a village by taking on a dragon. He wasn't strong enough to beat the creature." Zipporah found that to be troubling news as the Targaryen across the Narrow Sea possessed three dragons. If they couldn't reach an agreement with Jon's aunt and if Ben and her were not enough, they'd need creatures in the air as well. She'd have to talk to Jon about the lore of this world. They were going to need to find more dragons.

Ben pressed, "You said he had a weapon?"