Jaime drew his sword and sauntered into the sparing ring. He smirked at Lyarra, knowing full well that she was no match for him. Lyarra drew her sword and got into a defensive position. The pair circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Lyarra had no intention of attacking Jaime first; she waited for him to get frustrated and attack her; then, she would counter. As they circled each other, Jaime made snide comments trying to goad Lyarra into attacking him; he failed. Exactly as Lyarra had predicted, Jaime became frustrated and attacked her. She easily avoided him and smacked him on the backside with the flat of her sword. Jaime whirled around and swung at Lyarra; she effortlessly danced away from him, and her water dancing lessons had paid off. In the end, Lyarra hit Jaime several times while he continued to miss.

After a while, Jaime began to tire, and Lyarra declared their duel a draw. She didn't need the arrogant knight upset and running to his sister to complain. That was one headache she wanted to avoid, but the two opponents knew the truth, Lyarra had bested Jaime. Jaime shot Lyarra one last glare and stomped off, trying not to appear like a petulant child. But as he continued to walk away, he smiled, she was good, and Jaime had to admit that.

Lyarra stood there for a moment; she was about to leave when she heard clapping. Lyarra turned around and saw Tyrion Lannister walking toward her. Kouga immediately put himself between Lyarra and Tyrion and growled; Tyrion fearfully backed away from the Dire Wolf. Lyarra laid a hand on Kouga's head, “It's alright, boy; he means us no harm.”

Kouga looked at his mistress and then back at Tyrion. He gave one final growl, then moved to Lyarra's side and laid down. Tyrion sighed in relief, “He's very protective of you.”

“All the wolves are protective; The Starks are part of their pack.”

Tyrion nodded, “I saw you spar with my brother; it was imposing. How did you learn to fight that way?”

“My father hired a water dancer to teach my sisters and me to fight.”

Tyrion looked at Lyarra oddly, “Why?”

“We may be women, but that does not mean we cannot die upon a sword. My father wanted us to be able to protect ourselves.”

Tyrion nodded; he saw the logic in that. He had heard what had happened to Theon Greyjoy; the boy deserved what he got, in Tyrion's opinion. After the kindness that Lord Stark had shown him, to try to rape this girl was beyond despicable. Now the boy was at Dragonstone with Stannis, and he was being treated as the prisoner he was.

Tyrion and Lyarra talked for a while, and Tyrion found her enchanting. Lyarra was intelligent and funny and made Tyrion feel comfortable. He could tell that his Dwarfism didn't bother her at all. She treated him like everyone else. Tyrion could see them becoming great friends. After a while, even her Dire Wolf was comfortable around him. The great beast even let Tyrion pet him and lick his face.

After parting ways, Lyarra was told her mother was looking for her. Lyarra went to her mother's solar and found Catelyn talking to a seamstress. Catelyn looked up when Lyarra entered the room, she smiled at her daughter, but it did not reach her eyes.

“You wanted to see me, Mother?”

“Aye, sweetling. Miriam is here to measure you for your wedding dress,” Catelyn said with a sigh. No one was looking forward to this marriage, least of all Catelyn.

She and Ned had talked about betrothing Lyarra to Small Jon Umber. The two youngsters were great friends, and it would keep Lyarra in the North. But their plans had been ruined. Catelyn wasn't a fool; she knew that Robert only wanted Lyarra to marry Jaime Lannister so he could have her nearby. Catelyn worried that Robert would try to take advantage of her daughter. She thanked the Old Gods again for agreeing to have her daughters learn to defend themselves. Catelyn didn't understand why the king was obsessed with Lyarra; yes, she resembled Lyanna, but slightly. Ned had told her many times that Lyarra resembled his mother. Perhaps it was the Wolf's Blood that ran through Lyarra's veins that made her appear more like Lyanna? Either way, Catelyn was worried.

While Catelyn was lost in thought, Lyarra was being measured for her wedding gown. She came out of her thoughts when the seamstress said the fitting was finished. Miriam informed Lady Stark that she and her assistant would get to work on the dress immediately.

“My Lady, we will finish the dress in a week, then return for the final fitting.”

Catelyn smiled and thanked Miriam for all her hard work. She handed the woman a sack of gold for making the dress as quickly as possible.

After the two women left, Catelyn asked Lyarra to sit. Lyarra sat across from her mother, and Catelyn began to explain what was expected of her during the ceremony, “Your father and Robb will escort you to the Heart's Tree. Howland Reed will conduct the ceremony so your father can give you away. He thought it would be better to have Howland conduct it as he is a greenseer. Your father wants to see if Howland can glimpse your future with Jaime Lannister.”

Lyarra nodded, “Aye, Mother, I understand.”

“How do you feel marrying Jaime Lannister?” Catelyn asked.

Lyarra sighed, “I feel cheated. I wanted to marry a Northern Lord and stay in the North, but the King ruined everything. But I know the words of your House, Mother, Family, Duty, Honor.”

Catelyn furrowed her brows, “You must be careful with the King, he is convinced you resemble your Aunt Lyanna, and that may put you in danger. Do your best never to be alone with him.”

Lyarra nodded, “I will do my best, Mother.”

“Your father will have Stark guards with you at all times. I do not trust the Lannister guards to protect you. The Queen resents that you are marrying her brother, and she may want to hurt you.”

“I wouldn't doubt it. The Queen is abnormally close to her brother,” Lyarra explained.

Catelyn nodded, “I noticed that too; she showed far too much jealousy towards you.”

Lyarra agreed. She wondered what that was about, was it only a sister being overprotective of her twin, or was something else going on? Lyarra shuttered at the thought that something more was happening with the Lannister twins.

Over the next fortnight, the preparations and invitations were sent out to all of the Northern Lords. Ned also received a letter from Tywin Lannister telling him that he would not attend but instead was organizing the wedding that would take place in King's Landing once they arrived.

Jaime and Lyarra spent little time together as he still resented that she had beaten him in the spar. So, Lyarra spent some of her time getting to know Tyrion. They discovered they had a great deal in common, and Lyarra enjoyed her discussions with her soon-to-be-a-good brother.

The more Tyrion conversed with Lyarra, the more convinced he was that she would be suitable for Jaime. He only hoped that Jaime wouldn't act like an ass toward Lyarra. Tyrion knew his brother resented that he was dismissed from the Kingsguard, but hopefully, the idiot would realize Lyarra had nothing to do with it. He knew their marriage would be rocky initially. Still, Tyrion had high hopes that they would eventually fall in love, especially since Jaime had nothing to do with his sister anymore.

While all the preparations were going on, The King decided to go hunting with Ned and some other men. Jaime went along, as did Robb, Jon, and Arya. Lyarra chose to stay home. She had a terrible feeling something was going to happen, and sure enough, Bran had fallen from the tower and was severely injured. Lyarra quickly picked him up and took him inside so Maester Luwin could examine him.

When Ned and the others returned, he was informed of what had happened. He rushed to his son's side and held his wife as she cried. Lyarra stood by the door, watching and waiting for Maester Luwin to tell them what was wrong with Bran. Once he left the room, Catelyn turned to her daughter.

“Can you heal him,” She asked Lyarra with hopeful eyes.

“Aye, Mother, I can. It will only take a bit of time. We need to postpone the wedding for a few more days.”

“I will talk to Robert right now,” Ned said. He hugged his wife and daughter and then left the room.

As soon as Ned left, Lyarra moved toward Bran and sat down. She stroked his hair out of his face and placed her hands on either side of his head. She slowly started pushing her healing powers into Bran while her mother watched. Once again, Catelyn was grateful the Old gods had blessed her daughter.

For the next few hours, Lyarra worked on healing Bran, occasionally stopping to eat and drink. While that was going on, Ned talked to Robert, and Robert agreed to wait a few more days. With that, Ned returned to Bran's room to watch his daughter work.