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━━ . ⋆ ★˙ ° /
SANSA STARK walked the familiar hallways of her home— Winterfell. She could hear the grunts and moans for her hard-working brothers in the training yard as she walked past them. The auburn-haired girl watched as Jon fought back the urge to laugh at the Kraken heir when Robb kicked Theon to the ground with a final blow. She could notice her parents standing on the floor above, opposite her, looking over the boys, with a relaxed smile on their faces.
Sansa watched Arya trying to knick a wooden sword to train and practice the moves Jon showed her the other day in Godswood without their mother noticing. A smile tugged at her lips as she observed her wily sister. It has been hard for Arya to sneak out without their elder sister's help to hide her from their mother and Septa's eyes and ears.
As she walked further, Sansa could distinguish the contemplative look on Bran's face from his place at the shooting range, deciding whether to expose their willful sister for snitching to their mother about how he had broken his promise and climbed the Broken Tower once again. It was a mistake. They all knew it— Arya hadn't meant to talk about it in their mother's presence, but due to Lady Stark's unexpected arrival in the kitchens, it happened anyway. Nevertheless, Sansa knew her brother wouldn't do that. Bran likes Arya too much. He took Leyla's words to his heart, just like her and all her siblings— family above all.
Her sister's first lesson to all their siblings starts with the same saying.
No matter where or what type of situation you might find yourself in, never ever forget you can always fall upon your family for help. When the snows fall and the winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. So do not forget that even if the whole world turns its back against you, our family will always be there, waiting for you with its arms open.
Sansa smiled fondly, remembering the time a twelve-year-old Theon bawled his eyes out —something he would never admit even to this day— when Leyla officially welcomed him into the family with those words, ceasing all the worries in his mind. She remembered her curious younger self asking how a Grejoy heir could be a Stark. Because, even though her mother never liked it, Sansa considered Jon her brother, just like Leyla, because no matter what his last name is, Jon is still and always be a Stark, but how can a Kraken be a Wolf.
Sansa still memorized the answer Leyla gave her calmly with a soft smile on her face —Why can't he be? The minute Theon is considered a Ward to our Lord Father, Theon became family. He became our brother in all but blood. As of now, he is both a Greyjoy and a Stark. And not even his birth family can take away our name from his side. A shiver ran down her spine when Sansa thought back to the words Leyla told Theon after the epic promise of a family, And if Theon ever turns his back on his pack— well, we all know what happens to a lone wolf, don't we?
