I woke up to the sound of birds screeching. I rolled over, groaning and rubbing my eyes. I yawned and stretched before standing up.

I'm not used to being the first one awake, but Natalie and Bradford were still asleep, cuddled up next to each other. I smiled as I watched them for a few seconds, then realized that was kind of creepy.

As I looked out into the woods, I realized how hungry I was. Surely there would be an animal I could kill. So, I blindly wandered away from my friends and pulled out my dagger. I didn't realize how bad of an idea that was.

I hunted for about twenty minutes before I heard a man shouting. I spun around and narrowed my eyes when I didn't see anyone. I ran back in the direction of the camp to wake up Bradford and Natalie, but when I arrived, they were gone.

"NATALIE!" I yelled, spinning around in a circle to carry my voice farther. "BRADFORD!"

When I didn't get an answer, my breathing sped up. I felt a bead of sweat run down my face. I wiped it with my arm and clutched my dagger tightly as I walked away. I was a hunter, hunting my prey. Whoever took Bradford and Natalie was going to die.

Or so I thought.

Before I could even react, a sword was at my throat. I gasped and turned my head to look at the person holding the sword. My eyes widened when I saw who it was.

"B-Bradford?" I was stunned. My eyes were wide, but then, they narrowed. "What the fuck?"

Bradford grinned and put away his sword. "I was only testing your reflexes." He patted me on the shoulder. "You failed."

I glared at him, kicking him firmly where it hurt. "Fuck you!"

Bradford grunted, but his armor protected him from too much pain. After a couple seconds, he spoke again. "What if I had been one of those wildlings? Or a hill tribe leader?"

"Then I would have kicked your ass," I responded, crossing my arms. "Where's my best friend?"

Natalie answered that question for herself when she came out from behind a tree. She was limping from her leg injury, but she was walking by herself. "Don't be too hard on him, Allison. He was just trying to help."

"Help? Help? Are you serious?" I was fuming. My fist clenched even more tightly around my dagger. "If he was trying to help, we would be in Winterfell by now!"

"You suggest that we travel through the night?" Bradford asked condescendingly. "Don't you know how dangerous that is?"

"I am the daughter of the lord of the Iron Islands!" I yelled, stepping towards Bradford. "You will not talk to me as if I am a child!"

"Guys, stop!" Natalie shouted suddenly. "What happened happened! Can we please just move on?"

Bradford and I stayed silent for a moment, glaring at each other. I crossed my arms and sighed loudly. "If you ever do that again, you won't live to see another day."

Bradford scoffed. "You act as if you could kill me with that pathetic little dagger of yours."

"This pathetic little dagger of mine will be in your heart if you don't back the fuck off!" I yelled, thrusting my knife forward threateningly.

"Guys, quit it!" Natalie shouted again, but this time, we paid her no mind.

"Go on, try to kill me! See what happens!" Bradford snapped, yanking his sword out of the sheath.

I sprinted towards Bradford with my dagger, but all of a sudden, Natalie shrieked and collapsed to the ground. Bradford dropped his sword onto the ground and ran to Natalie's side. "Natalie?" He shook her rapidly. "NATALIE!"

My heart sank to the ground as I knelt beside her, sobbing. "Natalie, please wake up..."

Just then, Natalie's eyes opened slowly. She took a deep breath as she looked at us. "W-what happened?"

Bradford stroked her hair gently. "It's alright, love. You collapsed." He looked at me with slight disgust. "Allison, unwrap her bandage."

I rolled my eyes at Bradford, but I did what he said. My feud with him wasn't going to stop me from helping Natalie. As I unwrapped her bandage, I cringed at the sight of her clearly infected flesh.

"Fuck," Bradford swore, grabbing his sword again. He moved his gaze back to Natalie. "I have to cut away the infected flesh, alright? Do you want milk of the poppy?"

Natalie gasped and shook her head rapidly. "No... no... you can't! Please!" She started panting and sweating. She had a lot of anxiety about this kind of stuff. She told me this once, but I'd forgotten about it until now.

"Sh, it's okay," Bradford whispered in her ear. Natalie shivered and started crying softly, repeating that she didn't want to be knocked out and that she didn't want to be in pain.

"Hold on, love," Bradford said, gently laying her head down on the grass. "Your body needs fluid. Let me bring you some water." He stood up and rummaged in his backpack.

Natalie grabbed my hand. "Allison... I'm so scared... I never wanted this to happen..."

"I know," I replied, squeezing her hand. "It's going to be okay, Natalie. I promise."

Bradford came back with a flask. He gently put the top to her lips. "Drink. It'll help."

Natalie opened her mouth and drank the liquid, swallowing all of it. When she was finished, she stopped. "Th-thank you, Brad."

Then, her eyes closed, and her breathing slowed down. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she slept.

"Milk of the poppy mixed with water," Bradford told me, moving to Natalie's leg with his sword. "I won't amputate it, don't worry."

I gave the young knight a death glare. "How dare you manipulate her like that!" My dagger was pointed directly at him.

He chuckled and threw his hands up. "I can't do anything right with you, can I?"

"You manipulative little bastard," I muttered, stroking Natalie's hair. "The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because you can get us to Theon."

"We'll be in Winterfell by noon," Bradford responded, bending down beside Natalie's leg. "After that, you can try to kill me. We shall see what your brother has to say about that."

I cringed as Bradford started cutting the infected flesh. "We take what we need. We pay the Iron price. We do not sow."

"And I will be honed and ready," Bradford replied harshly, stating his house's words. "Theon is my friend. Try to kill me and he will never forgive you."

Until he finished cutting away Natalie's infected flesh, we sat in silence. I didn't have anything else to say to him, nor him to me.

"All done," Bradford said, sheathing his blade. "We should be off." He started to re-bandage Natalie's leg. I walked off to get the horse, who had been tied to a tree all night and morning. I untied her and walked her to where Bradford and Natalie were.

Now, Natalie was cradled in Bradford's arms. He slowly lifted her up onto the horse and got on it with her in his arms. "You can walk," he said coldly. I rolled my eyes, but I didn't complain, because Natalie deserved the best.

Again, a tense silence hung in the air. Natalie was asleep, and Bradford and I didn't want to talk to each other. But I didn't mind the silence. I needed it to think.

How would Theon react to seeing me for the first time in years? I was thrilled to be seeing him again, but I was terrified at the same time. What if he hated me for not coming sooner?

A horrifying thought struck me like a bolt of lightning. What if he didn't even remember me?

But I soon realized that I didn't have enough time to think about it any more. We were swiftly approaching one of the towers of Winterfell.

My heart was beating a mile per minute. As we got closer, my fear grew. I had been waiting for this day ever since Theon left! Why did I feel this way?

Bradford seemed to notice my anxiety. For once, he looked at me with a softness in his eyes. "Don't worry. Theon has been talking about your arrival as soon as we received the first raven from your father." He smiled slightly. "He's very anxious to see you again."

I nodded, not showing any emotion towards Bradford. "I know he is," I replied, looking straight ahead at the castle. "I appreciate your words."

Bradford chuckled and shook his head. "I truly hope that we can forgive each other, Allison. I'll start. I forgive you for cursing at me, threatening me multiple times, and for implying that your family is greater than mine." I rolled my eyes. "Now it's your turn."

"I don't forgive you for manipulating my best friend and I," I said coldly, entering Winterfell. "Where is my brother?"

At these words, the men working dropped what they were doing and ran off. Only one stayed behind. "Lady Greyjoy! We have been expecting you." The man smiled and bowed. "My men are retrieving your brother."

I smiled back at him. "Thank you very much." My breathing returned to normal. I don't know what I was so worried about.

Bradford jumped down from the horse, holding Natalie in his arms. "I'm taking this young lady to the nurses. They can treat her better than I can." He nodded towards me before hurrying off.

And that's when I saw him. The man I'd been waiting to see ever since he left the Iron Islands.

Theon Greyjoy.