Chapter 2

"Raaaawww!!!"

Sound of kiddy roars and giggles echoed in the halls of Winterfell. Jon broke into a peal of laughter as he ran from his brother who was acting as the tickle monster.

The two ran throughout the castle and Robb finally managed to catch a breathless Jon. The latter was then tickled to submission.

"Stop! *Giggle* I give up! Hahahahaha! *Gasp* I give up!!"

Robb stopped and stood tall in all his 3'8" glory and laughed pompously, "I, the great tickle monster, have defeated ser Jon!!! Mwahahaha!!!"

"Robb!" Catelyn shouted from the first floor balcony while she glared daggers at Jon.

"Mother?" Robb asked, completely aware of what Catelyn was doing. Subconsciously, he moved in front of Jon to shield him.

Catelyn's countenance grew bitter as she saw her own son standing in defence of the brat she hated. She had tried a lot to separate the two boys from forming any kind of bonds, but, Robb seemed to have a certain type of ability that attracted people to him.

She ground her teeth and said with a bitter tone, "Don't get lost while playing."

That was all she could say. Robb adored on his half-brother fiercely. Despite of him being a mere 5 year old, his defiance to what he thought was wrong was a sight to behold.

Another thing that frustrated Catelyn was Robb's reluctance to practice the Faith of the Seven. She had tried to make the boy learn of her gods so that he could be blessed by their grace. Much to her outrage, Robb pranked the Septa and caused her to leave Winterfell.

The woman had called Robb a savage, untamable little beast. When Ned heard of it, he banished the Septa from the North. Robb would rather climb dangerous walls and trees than learn about the Seven.

Jon and he were inseparable. They did everything together, other than bathe and sleep. According to Robb, it was wrong. He couldn't explain why it was wrong, but, Jon believed in his brother and didn't complain.

When it was time for the two to learn from the Maester, Catelyn was boggled by the boys' enthusiasm to learn. 'I thought Robb hated to learn... ?'

Robb had nothing against learning. He simply found the Faith of The Seven to be insufferable and hateful as, according to them, Jon's very existance was a sin. How could a child be a sin? It was one of the most evil things a person could think.

Jon sulked alone when he learnt of Catelyn's hate. He feared that Robb, brother and best friend would hate him as well. He couldn't hide from Robb for long and upon being confronted, Jon said, "Y-You shouldn't talk to me. Lady Catelyn hates me and she's your mother. If she sees you with me, she will be mad at you."

Robb gently placed his hands on Jon's shoulders and said, "She hates you, that is true. But, you're still my father's son. That makes you my brother. You're also my friend, and, I'll never stop caring for you. There will always be someone in the world who hates you. Whenever you are sad, they are winning, ya' know."

"T-Then what should I do?" Jon asked as he looked at Robb big, teary eyes.

"Do the opposite. Smile in the face of hate because when you smile and are happy, their hate loses the fight. Always remember, Jon, you will never be alone, ya' know. You have me as your friend and as your brother. You have father, uncle Benjen and so many Stark men who adore you. With so many people looking out for you, there is no reason for one person's hate to drive you away. I won't let that happen and neither will father, ya' know."

After that talk, Jon never cried from Catelyn's hate for him.

'What gods? A bunch of arrogant bastards, pun intended.'

Robb and Jon learned about the common tongue and writing the common tongue from Maester Luwin. Everyday, they would spend an hour or two on learning and the rest of the day was spent running all over Winter town and making an absolute mess for the 'mean' people around them.

(TTOTUGS)

Robb gingerly held his newborn sister in his arms.

"Her name is Sansa, Sansa Stark." Catelyn gently said so as to not awaken the newborn.

"Sansa." Robb whispered as the name rolled off his tongue. He felt a wave of affection for the babe fill his being.

'This must be how Itachi felt for Sasuke... Or, how Boruto felt for Himawari.'

With Jon, Robb felt comaraderie and brotherhood along with protectiveness. For the babe in his arms, Robb felt the need to shield her from the world and destroy every single thing that would cause her harm.

'I feel like I'll let the world burn if it meant that she would be safe.'

Robb had the soul of an old man who fought against countless enemies. Beings so strong they could destroy the planet itself. Seeing the fragile little flower in his arms, Robb made a vow that day.

'I was growing complacent. Like I figured out when I was reborn here, this world is cruel and unforgiving. This is my family now. It's my bubble of happiness. Anyone who messes with my family, I'll follow them to the ends of this world to punish them. I give you my word, Sansa, that I'll grow so strong that the likes of 'The Mountain' will run away from fright by the sight of me. You can believe in me. I never go back on my word... Because that is my nindo.'

(TTOTUGS)

Robb got more siblings to dote upon as years went by. After Sansa, Arya Stark was born two years later.

Little Sansa could barely talk properly, but, she was one active little bundle of giggles. Her laughter brought joy to seven year old Robb's old bones.

Robb had kept his promise. He was working hard to build a solid foundation for himself. Everytime Sansa was about to take a dangerous fall, Robb would appear from the shadows and pick her up in his arms. Instead of her tears and cries, he allowed her laughter and joy.

Sansa was the world to Jon and Robb. She was the apple of their eyes.

Arya's birth only added to the happiness of the Stark household. Even Catelyn was almost happy and had learnt to tolerate Jon's existance.

Meanwhile, Robb had made an interesting discovery. He was man of nature in his last life. While he lacked chakra as Robb, he could feel some kind of natural energy in the air.

It wasn't as potent as that in the Elemental Nations, but, it had its own perks.

One of those perks was that it allowed Robb to possess animals and see through their eyes while gaining control over their bodies as well. It was a surreal feeling to be able to fly like a bird or run like a hound.

Robb meditated on the natural energy of the world every night before he went to sleep. The day after he first began meditating, he could instantly feel the difference.

Robb could feel his body saturating with vitality. Like warm water, the energy soothed him and strengthened his body. If he didn't have a lifetime of experience with using chakra, Robb would've felt it to be highly 'unnatural' given the rapid increase in his overall strength.

He had tried to help Jon feel the energy as well, but, the boy was too impatient to sit still for hours. Robb could only shake his head in exasperation.

Their training in the art of fighting had also begun. Robb excelled at learning the art of sword fighting. While Jon had a hard time in the beginning, Robb was like a fish in water.

Another year passed and Robb became a brother yet again.

'That's... fourth. How much do these two rutt?! Who am I to judge them, anyway? Hinata and I were... hehehehe..'

Arya was a fireball of a baby, crawing circles around the maids and making Catelyn pull at her hair. Meanwhile, Bran was like a docile and helpless little lamb.

Robb was nine and shaping up to be a formidable fighter when the trumpets of war resounded all across the seven kingdoms. The Ironborn had rebelled against the crown. They wanted to become a separate kingdom, like it was before Aegon's conquest of Westeros.

Ned was summoned to participate in war and he called for all of his bannermen. Robb could only clench his fists at his inability to help Ned. All he could do was believe in his father.

'I'll keep everyone safe here, father. I give you my word.'