Chapter 9 Leaving Winterfell

Torrhen stood by the Window of the Tower room where they had kept Bran. Below Summer kept on howling, Winter sat beside Bran on the ground his features sad, he had not barked in joy in ages not while his brother was howling in anguish.

He turned to his mother, Catelyn Stark, and Bran who slept on his bed. Bran had not woken since his fall, a fortnight ago. His mother was there beside his bed. She had been there, day and night, for close on a fortnight. Not for a moment had she left Bran's side. She had her meals brought to her there, and chamber pots as well, and a small hard bed to sleep on, though she had scarcely slept at all. She fed him herself, the honey and water and herb mixture that sustained life. Not once did she leave the room.

And Torrhen couldn't take it anymore. He was about to tell her to sleep and take rest when Jon appeared in the doorway, with Ghost beside him.

Jon hadn't visited Bran once, though not because he didn't love Bran rather that his mother was always beside Bran. Torrhen knew that the relationship between the both of them was cold, he had observed things like that when he was far younger, he could see the way she treated his brother Jon much colder than she did him and his siblings. And Torrhen hated it, Jon was a child himself, if any anger must be shown it must be towards their father, Ned whose fault it was not the child. Torrhen had tried to make him feel included in the family, but after he had left Winterfell, he had become more melancholic.

 "What are you doing here?" His mother said.

"I came to see Bran," Jon said. "To say good-bye."

"You've said it now go away," she said.

Torrhen put his hand on his mother's shoulder and gave a light squeeze. "Its okay Jon. Say your goodbye to Bran."

Torrhen looked at Bran, his mother was holding one of his hands. It looked like a claw. The flesh had all gone from him. His skin stretched tight over bones like sticks. Under the blanket, his legs bent in ways broken. His eyes were sunken deep into black pits; open, but they saw nothing. The fall had shrunken him somehow. He looked half a leaf, as if the first strong wind would carry him off to his grave but Torrhen knew that he would be fine.

His mother looked at Bran with that faraway look. She had shed her tears too long that she had no more of it to shed. Ghost came to Winter and they greeted each other like Direwolves did.

 "Bran," Jon said, "I'm sorry I didn't come before. I was afraid." Torrhen saw the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Don't die, Bran. Please. We're all waiting for you to wake up. Me and Robb and the girls, everyone …"

Torrhen gave a wan smile as he said, "its going to be fine Jon. Bran will wake up any day now. The Maester says he should have woken already if he would wake from his sleep but I know that he will. He's going to be fine when he wakes up. This won't be your last goodbye."

Jon nodded. Mother was watching. Outside the window, the direwolf howled again. The wolf that Bran had named Summer after he had heard Torrhen name Winter.

"I have to go now," Jon said. "Uncle Benjen is waiting. I'm to go north to the Wall. We have to leave today, before the snows come." Jon brushed away his tears, leaned over, and kissed his brother lightly on the lips.

Torrhen remembered how excited Bran had been at the prospect of the journey. He wanted to become a Knight but now with his legs broken he would never be able to realize his dreams.

 "I wanted him to stay here with me," his mother said. "I prayed for it," she said dully. "He was my special boy. I went to the sept and prayed seven times to the seven faces of god that Ned would change his mind and leave him here with me. Sometimes prayers are answered."

Torrhen said nothing. He hated the Gods more than anything, he knew that anyone who had such power has they had would never be kind like the stories the priests tell. Power can only be gained using cruel means. He would have burned the Sept and the Godswood if they had hurt Bran, but Bran was a climber. Though a good climber he was, mistakes and accidents does happen and he must have slipped on a loose rock.

 "It wasn't your fault," Jon said after the silence.

She turned her head towards him. "I need none of your absolution, bastard."

"Mother." Torrhen sighed.

Jon lowered his eyes. She was cradling one of Bran's hands. He took the other, squeezed it."Good-bye," Jon said.

Jon was at the door when she called out to him. "Jon," she said.

"Yes?" he said.

"It should have been you," she told Jon. Then she turned back to Bran and began to weep, her whole body shaking with the sobs.

Torrhen gave him an apologetic nod, "Wait for me at the stable, I want to have a word with you."

Jon gave a nod, looked at Bran once again and left.

"Mother," Torrhen said as he turned her towards him. He wiped her tears from her face and held her face with his hands softly. "Look at me please."

She turned her teary eyes towards him.

"Bran is going to be fine okay," Torrhen said, looking at his mother it was very hard to hold back his own tears. But his mother needed strength and support more than his tears right now. "I promise you. He will be fine I know it. But I can't bear to see you suffer any longer, you need to sleep too. I want you to leave his side and sleep in your own chambers."

"I am taking care of Bran," his mother said. " I can't leave him, even for a moment, not when any moment could be his last. What if Bran needs me and I'm not here?"

"Then the guards will call for you when he wakes up," Torrhen said. "I will have one of my men look after him all the time you are not here."

"I want to be there to look after Bran," his mother said defiantly. "He needs his mother not a Stranger."

Torrhen sighed and kissed her forehead. He pulled her to her feet. "I will be gone with Father and the girls."

"Please do not leave me Torrhen," his mother plead. "I don't want you guys to go South, not after what happened to Bran."

"I know about the secret letter your sister had sent about the Lannisters," Torrhen whispered.

"Then you must know why I want you all to not leave," she said.

"Father won't let the Lannisters go if they killed the old Hand," Torrhen said. "I need to be there to protect him from the others in Kingslanding. He won't survive there with his honor. I will keep him and the girls safe I promise you but Robb and Rickon need you too mother. You are their mother and they will need you more than ever. You can't stay half alive not when we need you the most do you understand me?"

Lady Stark nodded.

"Let Summer stay beside Bran mother. He will wake up sooner if summer was beside him."

She nodded again, she had no strength left in her. Torrhen led her to her chambers and put her on the bed. He put the covers over her and kissed her head and said goodbye.

Torrhen caught up with Jon and Uncle Benjen as he was leaving with the party that was heading North to the Wall. Tyrion was in their party too.

"Do you really want to join the Night's watch Jon?"

"Yes," Jon said, face resolute. "It is a place where even a Bastard like me can get honor and position."

Torrhen only nodded. "You know I love you right? Like my own brother."

Jon nodded, face wavering.

"Know that whatever happens I did it because I love you." Torrhen said.

"What did you do?" Jon said.

"Nothing," Torrhen said and pulled him into a hug. "Stay safe Brother. And know that I love you. Always."

"I love you too," Jon said awkwardly. "And thank you for being there for me."

He broke off the hug and looked at Will. A member of his pack and a close friend. He will take Jon away from the Nights Watch before he can say his vows. Mance Rayder had already left a week ago.

Torrhen gave a nod to Will and he nodded back, his face telling him that he will do anything to fulfill his blood oath. He will keep Jon safe from the Wildlings North of the Wall and keep him from joining the Night's Watch.

Torrhen would never lose his brother to a corrupt order as the Night's Watch. Jon didn't know the reality about it but Torrhen had visited the Wall more than five times. Though there were good men at the Wall like Uncle Benjen, Lord Commander Mormont, and Maester Aemon, there were countless more criminals and rapists at the Wall. And he would not lose his brother to that corrupt order, not like Father did his own brother, uncle Benjen.

Torrhen said his goodbyes to the rest of the party as they left to travel North to the Wall, the edge of civilization.

The next day Torrhen left with the Kings party South to Kingslanding with Father and the Girls after he said farewell to Robb and Rickon. His Mother only stood at the Window of Bran's Room.