❝ Why leave? 

                                There’s nothing for you there. ❞ 

           The dilapidated gates of Winterfell canopied their scene; a family tearing itself in two beneath it. A general hustle buzzed around them, House Stark’s venture south with the King well deserving of some hullabaloo. Theon’s smile was bittersweet as he nodded farewell, one by one, to the only people he’d dare call family. In return, somewhat disinterested hugs farewell. Formalities. As the auburn tresses of the eldest girl crossed his frame to embrace him, he’d let slip a fatal phrase. Don’t go.   

           It wasn’t for her per-say. It was for the sake of their reality, their bubble of perfect isolation that sheltered them from the winds of change that sought to infect the realm. In his mind, he could already hear Bran’s silent tears at night, Jon’s moody sighs. He could already sense his best friend’s surliness take hold as he attempted to adopt his future title of Warden of the North. Today was the beginning of growing up, and Theon had never dreaded anything more. 

                      ❝You’ll regret leavin’ here before long, I’d say.
                      That blonde yapper you’ve got your eye on
                      looks like a right prick. ❞  

           Voice gruff, he rolled his eyes in signature disapproval. The words that yearned to flee his thoughts caught in his throat. We’re a family. The pack survives as the lone wolf dies. But he could imagine her piercing gaze of disdain. You’re just a ward, she’d say, before giggling to one of her posse. She never did care for him, nor he for her. But at that moment, their farewell felt like stepping off a precipice into an ocean too volatile to swim in. 

Shaking his head as if to dismiss their words, he gave her a gentle nudge, wondering to himself if he would ever see her again. 

                      ❝ Just…- Show those southern stiffs what a real
                     seamstress looks like, yeah? ❞ 

                                                          ❝ Travel safe, Sansa. ❞