2 Chapter 2

And the more time passed, the more worried he got despite the enjoyment he still drew from the situation as he continued to cuddle his little siblings as they peacefully slept around him. But since his mother seemed to have gained an actual sense that told her whenever Jon got too close to the rest of the family for her taste, that was actually part of the problem. It was of course more than a bit silly to Osric and depending on the severity of her anger actually quite annoying, but it was also something like a summoning ritual that had never failed to draw her out till now, concerning indeed.

Yet despite his mounting worries, Osric nevertheless knew deep down that his mother was fine as few places in the world were as secure as Winterfell, not that such facts were enough to reassure him for more than a few minutes. For while Osric fully understood that the seat of House Stark was free of true dangers as long as they weren't created by negligence, that still didn't change that his mother was absent while Jon was together with four of his siblings. And Osric was absolutely certain that everyone that had ever seen the looks Jon received from her would have agreed with him that the peace his little siblings still enjoyed was quite strange.

Thus with his mind made up, Osric swiftly sneaked out of the chamber before he started to move through the keep to make sure everything was still in order. Though as the feelings of worry slowly increased with each minute that passed by without success, he couldn't help but wonder if the children of commoner families had to deal with the quirks of their ancestors as well. Osric was thanks to his father's lessons more than aware that the bloodlines of the Great Houses meant that none of them were or could ever become truly normal and that commoners had their own struggles, but what normal actually meant was still beyond him.

For while he recognised that he was currently being influenced by his blood thanks to the changes in his thoughts and actions, they were nevertheless still a part of him. And while Osric could somewhat understand the thoughts of his future subjects, he still worried as his siblings seemed far more normal than him in times like these when he moved on instinct, despite his father's words. Which was a little problematic, as he genuinely couldn't find it in himself not to make an effort to ensure that his family was indeed still well.

Though these thoughts of doubt left his mind as swiftly as they had appeared as Osric accidentally stumbled across the voices of his mother and little sister in the gardens. And as he silently drew closer and listened, Osric finally understood why his mother hadn't manifested out of thin air as usual, apparently the proud Lady Stark had successfully been oath bound by his innocent little sister. And while Osric's mind had created quite the list of potential scenarios, what he saw before him was so mundane and special at the same time that he actually felt a bit like an idiot for a moment.

They were actually just busy planting some flowers from the south, but since his three-year-old sister was apparently in charge the progress was slow, and absolutely adorable as she did each step one by one with her little shovel. Though as he silently continued to watch it actually took Osric by surprise that his mother still resisted her nature as well as she did, since the gifts of House Tully were usually far too strong for her if Jon was anything to go by. Yet Osric nevertheless appreciated every second of her efforts as the state of Winterfell was once more absolutely perfect, so he made sure to enjoy every second of it.

To normal people it might have sounded a little silly, but to Osric some peace and quiet was actually something special since his overprotective nature was often twisted by his bloodlines into something ridiculous. Though the nigh constant strain on his mind was also what allowed Osric to properly appreciate moments like this one in which he knew the little ones were safe and everyone was happy and content. He was of course still curious about what his father was up to on this wonderful day, but Osric soon supposed that he should probably focus on finding out if his mother already knew of his moment of weakness and how much trouble he was in.

And while Sansa might have been cuteness personified, Osric very much so doubted his mother would be soothed quite so easily, since her instincts and the guards must have already informed her that he had sneaked off to the godswood with Arya and Bran. Osric thanks to his own situation understood that his mother's concerns were simply part of her nature, but despite the fact that she doted on him the most he couldn't help but think that she coddled them a little too much since there was no such thing as a fragile Stark.

Though he supposed after another moment of thought that it was his father's place to decide what was and what wasn't too soft to mold the next generation of Starks, so Osric dropped the matter and instead sneaked up on his little sister. Sansa had essentially done the impossible, or at least he had judged it to be impossible, but now that there was apparently a way to suppress the quirks of the fishblood for a little while Osric couldn't help but desire a bit more knowledge on the matter of how she had pulled it off.

He had already overheard that his mother had made a promise to plant some flowers with Sansa as they worked, so Osric had a decent idea what had happened. But since the Great Houses of the south cared little about their bloodlines beyond the advantages that came with them, he doubted his mother really noticed the changes in her behaviour. And since Sansa was still so young he could tell his time to ask some questions was very limited as she would inevitably forget the small little details that Osric was after in no time at all.

Thus he swiftly picked her up and squeezed her with a hug as she panicked adorably from the sudden change before he turned her around to face him after which his face was met with her shovel, much to his amusement and their mother's anger. It actually made Osric reminisce about the times when Robb still used to be a handful from the force of the impact to the guilty look on her face while he smiled at her, she truly was such an adorable little wolf pup that it hurt.