———————

The cold was nipping at your skin, if it got any colder you were sure that you would turn to ice. Although, it seemed that you were the only one as both your husband and daughter seemed to be completely fine with the icy air. Lyarra was the spitting image of Jon, with dark hair and big brown eyes—not to mention the pout that was damn near identical to his. And of course, their ability to seem completely unbothered by the freezing temperature.

Jon was currently tending to the fire that you were curled up by while Lyarra was standing above you, waving her hands around while she told you various scary stories. Jon takes a moment to admire you and Lyarra. He never imagined that he would get married, let alone have kids but then you came into his life and everything changed. For the first time, he could see himself having a family of his own as long as it was with you. Lyarra was named after Ned Stark’s mother. If you had more children—which you believed may happen soon since you had missed your last blood moon—you were certain that you would name a boy Benjen or Ned or Robb.

Shaking his head, Jon tosses one more piece of wood onto the fire before moving to sit next to you on the log. He sets Long Claw down next to him and you subconsciously curl towards him due to the body heat radiating from him.

“And then, the evil maids with fish tails for legs sang a song to the sailors…” Lyarra widens her eyes for dramatic emphasis.

“You tell stories like Old Nan,” Jon states with a small grin.

“Old Nan?” Lyarra tilts her head.

Jon nods his head ever so slightly, “She lived with us in Winterfell long before you were born…she always loved to tell her stories, in fact, I think that little story book you have belonged to her.”

“Maybe we should have named her Nan,” you jest, knocking your shoulder into Jon’s.

Lyarra gives you a look making you raise your hands in surrender before she immediately goes back to her story.

“The sailors became hypnotized by the songs, falling in love with the maids singing to them…”

“Sounds like Theon,” Jon mutters and you elbow him for interrupting.

Your daughter doesn’t pay him any mind, “…driven by the sudden affection, the sailors believed the only way they could be with the maids with tails… was to crash their ships and drown at sea. The maids then ate the sailors whole…”

You blink, “That is… concerning…”

Lyarra clears her throat, “My next story is even scarier!”

“Oh it is?” Jon muses.

“I miss when you used to tell us about the strange horse with the horn in its head and the wings on its back,” you mumble.

“Didn’t the creature leave a trail of rainbows behind everywhere it went?” Jon adds.

Lyarra groans, embarrassed by her younger self's stories, “I’m telling scary stories now! My next one is about a ghost!”

You chuckle, “Go on…”

With her face illuminated by the fire, Lyarra begins her next story, “There once was an old castle, abandoned, people would say that the wind whispered… floor boards creaked at all hours of the day…”

A bush began to rustle from behind Lyarra making her immediately look over before looking back at you both, she attempted to continue her story but then heard a branch snap. Her brave facade shattered, she squeals before jumping into your arms, burying her face in your neck. Jon reaches for Long Claw before standing.

It was then that Ghost appeared in front of you all, making Jon laugh. He drops his blade and sits back down, “It’s just Ghost, Lyarra.”

“A ghost!” she shrieks, holding onto you tighter making Jon laugh more. You glare at him but based on the way you’re chewing your lip he can tell you’re trying to hide your amusement. You rub her back, attempting to soothe her before taking a deep breath.

“Lyarra,” you say softly, “it’s Ghost, the direwolf…”

She pulls her face from your neck, looks at you, then her father, then at Ghost, “Oh.”

“Hi Ghost,” she says quietly as the white wolf comes up to her, whining for pets which she quickly gives.

“I think maybe you should take a break from the scary stories…” you raise a brow.

Her face flushes, “Maybe.”

Jon leans over and ruffles Lyarra’s hair, “Don’t worry, I’m always gonna be here to keep you safe from the monsters.”

“I still think we should take a break from the scary stories,” you state.

Your husband grins, gently nudging you with his shoulder, “Are you sure you aren’t the one who's scared?”

“Shut up.”

He wraps his arm around your shoulder, pulling you both close, he presses a kiss to your forehead before whispering, “I’ll be here to protect you too, love.”