🐺 𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖓 𝖗𝖕 𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖙 / 𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖒𝖊 𝖔𝖚𝖙 🌠

[forceshadowed]

You know what to do.>

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Before Jon ever leaves for the Wall

[scaledwolf]

There's laughter and warm chit chat flowing from the Great Hall where the family, minus one bastard, is hosting the King and his family, minus one Imp. There'd been a small conversation between the two before Tyrion had wandered off instead of back into the hall, leaving Jon to continue to listen to the revelry from the shadows outside. Some might say that he'd easily slip in and grab some dinner, that no one would ever notice that he was even there with the way the food and wine was flowing. But he already knows that the moment he steps foot in the hall, were he to dare, that Catelyn would fix him with a thin-lipped stare that said leave before he caused any trouble. Which means that the odds are high that he'll just slip to the kitchen to grab food tonight when he's feeling a little more hungry.

His mind isn't on the visiting royals, but instead elsewhere. Out past the gates of Winterfell and split in two separate directions. One North, to the Wall, where he's being pushed by Catelyn to join the Night's Watch, and the other West past the sea and the cold. Somewhere a little warmer. Too preoccupied to really feel the cold of the night, though being raised here, it's left the cold imprinted on his bones enough that he's not sure he'd notice it even if he wasn't preoccupied. There's a glance through the door as it opens and into the Hall, eyes searching for his brother, who he assumes is drinking with Theon tonight. A night that Catelyn wouldn't be watching the boys much as she preens over Sansa and the Queen and Sansa's sudden infatuation with the Prince that had come to visit. Not wanting to get anyone in trouble for his lingering, he will finally push off the wall where he's been leaning and start heading toward the kitchens to get a plate of food himself, not seeing if his brother will come to find him or not.

one variant of wall au or another lmao

[darys]

The feast had been... interesting, to say the least. While reading a room was hardly one of Robb's strengths, his betrothed had no qualms sharing her observations, speaking with him in hushed tones as they kept up some pretense of interest in the formalities of the event. The queen was not happy, almost angry. Neither was his lord father. Joffrey and Sansa were making eyes at each other, however, and Robb couldn't help huffing in annoyance at the prince. Pompous brat.

He did notice that Jon hadn't been in attendance, even without Jane constantly looking across the hall and out the door for him. So they'd crafted an exit strategy, something about the princess not feeling too well and wishing to retire early, and just before they exited the Great Hall he'd grabbed a cup and filled it with wine from a passing flagon, lifting it up to the younger squires gathered nearby as though in salute before walking away with his princess.

They caught Jon just before he'd turned to leave for the kitchens.

"You needn't sit this one out, you know," he tells his half-brother as he offers him the wine. He's in grey wool trimmed with white, the Stark colors, muscular and fair and with the Tullys' red-brown hair and blue eyes.

Meanwhile, Ghost has padded over to Jane, sniffing her while she fishes out the pieces of bread and pastries she'd hidden and smuggled out the feast through the folds of her skirts. "He's having more fun out here than we were," she laments, giving the direwolf an apologetic look for not having been able to sneak out any meat before holding out the foodstuff on her handkerchief to Jon, smiling shyly.

Jon says all the 🥺 for Jane and Robb

[scaledwolf]

Jon's not sure he'd be happy stuck at a table in the corner of the room watching Jane and Robb whisper to each other either if he's being honest. And that's after having to deal with Catelyn's stares and frowns at him for even joining the festivities were he to enter the room. Because for as distracted as the woman was with keeping Arya from flinging any more food and Sansa from mooning over the prince too much, he knows she'll still end up glaring daggers at him and watching for any screw up he might make. And really, who wants to eat with that when tensions among the adults are already high?

He probably shouldn't be surprised the two of them find him out here though, before he can slip away to the kitchens, though he is a little surprised his brother is telling him he didn't need to sit this one out. Jon's in black with grey-white fur at the collars of his cloak, easier to blend into the night, to the background tonight. To be unseen from Catelyn should she choose to let him be a shadow on the wall instead of the frown on her lips. "Your Lady Mother would not wish me in the hall with either royal family," he offers with a soft sigh. Though he does take the wine with a small nod of his head in thanks.

Gray eyes are softer as they watch Ghost settle by Jane. It's always been easy to see how much he and his direwolf like the Princess, which is probably all the more reason for Catelyn to grumble at his constant presence with the two, not knowing his place when it came to Jane and her betrothed, his brother. And even though he's not entirely sure her statement is true, her comment pulls a smile from Jon, soft as it is. "I'm not sure more fun is the right way to put it, Princess." Titles, because they're close enough for anyone to hear him call her anything different, on a night when the Westerosi King and his court are here.

Reaching out, he takes the handkerchief of food from Jane. He can't help letting his fingers purposefully brush against hers as he does so, wanting to feel her a little, even in a motion so simple and even as his smile turns shy for the touch too. "Thank you for these." There's a small sip of the wine before he watches them. "Though, I'd rather eat them with you up by the tower together." It's a two-fold meaning. He does mean just him and Jane, but his eyes flicker over to Robb to include his brother as well, an invitation to both if they were to want to join him. Because truthfully even with wanting to spend time alone with Jane, Robb has never felt like a third wheel. It's never been weird between the three like that, instead forming a close trio that occasionally had an odd fourth wheel when Theon decided he had to crash it.

[darys]

What could Robb say to that? It's true that his lady mother could be quite unkind, having taken it as a slight against her honor that her husband had fathered a child with another and even brought the boy to Winterfell to be raised alongside their trueborn children. So he simply steps back, pursing his lips together as he watches his brother and his betrothed look at each other with glances that are a lot more meaningful than they both try to make them appear to be. Jealousy lances through him, even if he isn't particularly besotted with the princess he'd been arranged to marry — but he never could bring himself to be hateful of his brother either, so he huffs into the cold night air to let the sentiment go.

"The Princess is feeling ill and wishes to retire," he says, a little too loudly, purely for show, in case there's anyone nearby listening. But as always, they would merely pretend to head back to their rooms; he would then leave the two of them be and circle back to the Great Hall to hang out with Theon or his younger brothers. Unless, of course, they want him with them. Sometimes they do.

[scaledwolf]

Jon doesn't mean it to come off mean or rude, because he knows that Robb and Jane would have loved nothing more than for him to sit close to them so they could all whisper among themselves. But he also doesn't want to end up on the wrong side of Catelyn's ire right now, when she's stressed enough having the Baratheon royals in house, as well as the Princess who has captured Jon's heart despite not being meant for him. And it's not a try at gaining sympathy from either of them, it's just how it is in Winterfell. Jon's learned when to be scarce because it's just better for him and the Lady of the House. There's a small smile for Robb though, to show his thanks at both the wine and the offer because the sentiment that he should have joined them is appreciated. He'll make a good Lord of Winterfell come his time, Jon's certain of it.

And to be fair, neither he nor Jane had falling into the feelings on purpose. They'd bloomed among the snow and her jokes on their own, not out of spite like it might have been were Theon's antics to try and gain Jane's attention successful. Their affection for each other just sort of happened. Though at the proclamation that she was feeling ill, Jon offers a small bow. "Then we should see she makes it safely to her room, brother." Because He's not going to nudge Robb away either. Though there's a minor glance over at Jane before his eyes dip. Whether Robb stayed with them once they saw her to her room, well, that might have to be her decision and where she wants this night to go. They could grab some cards and play games together while they nibble on the stolen baked goods she'd smuggled out, with a small side trip to the kitchens for some extra food and drink. Or Robb could go back to Theon and he and Jane can snuggle under the stars. Both were extremely appealing choices.