"Come on Bran, you're slowing me down!" Arya said.
"I'm coming!" Bran said running after his sister, his direwolf-Summer that was the beast's name-racing at his side. They were somewhere between Darry and King's Landing. The King had called for them to halt and set up camp, apparently, he had something important to discuss with father. Bran didn't mind, that gave him time to play with Arya and not get into trouble for it.
He caught wind of Arya's footsteps and hurried after her, placing his hands on her shoulders when he caught up with her. She turned and smiled. "It's brilliant, isn't it?" She asked.
Bran looked at the scene before him. Trees, dark, light, green and brown. The sound of a stream in the distance. Everything seemed perfect. Far better than being kept cramped up in the carriage that had been ordered for them as they'd made their way south. Bran would've preferred to have ridden a horse, but it seemed the Queen objected to that.
"Where are we?" Bran asked. "Do you know?"
Arya was better at map reading than him, she always had been.
"I think we're near where Prince Rhaegar's rubies ended up." Arya said.
"Oh?" Bran asked, he knew some of the story, of how the King had fought Prince Rhaegar on the Trident and defeated him. Of how the man's rubies had ended up floating down stream.
"Shall we go and look for them?" He asked.
Arya grinned. "I'll race you to the stream."
Bran didn't even bother answering, he set off at once. His feet hitting the ground hard and fast, Summer running alongside him.
Turn here.
A voice he'd come to recognise as Summer's said, Bran saw a turn that led him out of the trees and took it. A few moments later, he heard Arya whooping as she overtook him. Nymeria yipped at Summer and followed Arya.
"How can we beat them?" Bran asked.
Take this turning.
Bran saw a turning up ahead that took them back into the forest, he took it. The light disappeared briefly, and he kept running. His heart raced; the wind rushed through his hair. This was brilliant. If he couldn't climb, at least he could run.
Stop.
Bran stopped and looked at Summer inquisitively.
"What is it?" He asked.
Big sister is in danger.
"Arya?" Bran asked, wondering how Arya could have gotten into danger and how she could have gotten here before him.
Bigger sister.
"Sansa?" Bran asked. Summer butted his head into Bran's chest to say yes.
Bran moved slowly through the trees and the clearing, wondering what might be wrong. He stopped when he heard crying. He hid behind a tree and heard someone with a high-pitched voice say. "All you do is fucking cry. You're useless, you know that. You're absolutely useless."
He heard a thwack and heard Sansa yell. Bran closed his hands into a fist. Who dared hit his sister?
He risked a look around the tree and saw the Crown Prince standing over Sansa, his fist raised. Before he knew what he was doing, Bran stepped forward and said. "Why are you hitting my sister?"
The Crown Prince whirled around, his face turned from one of anger to one of surprise and then something that seemed like joy. "It's a misunderstanding." The Crown Prince turned to Sansa and asked. "isn't it sweetling?"
Bran looked at Sansa and saw something in her eyes, something that terrified him. Summer growled at Lady and Lady growled back.
"Yes, everything's fine, Bran, truly."
Bran knew the moment the words left his sister's mouth that she was lying, but he didn't know what else he could do. So, he said. "If you're sure. I'll leave Summer with you, I think he wants to spend some time with Lady." Sansa nodded, Bran leaned down and whispered to Summer.
"You tell me if he hurts her."
Summer licked his face. Bran smiled and then got up and turned and ran, he needed to tell Arya what he had seen. He had to tell her what he saw. She'd know what to do.