[A Song of Ice and Fire]: And Winterfell (Chapter Seven: Dreams)
“Best be careful, Bran. Sometimes I think you like your dreams more than us. I’m never very nice in your dreams, though.”
Bran scowled up at him. “That was only one, and I told you, it was because an evil lady was controlling you, so it wasn’t really you. You got better.” Robb reached out and ruffled his little brother’s hair, because he knew Bran hated it.
“I got better. All right, I guess that’s fine then. All right, tell me about your dream.”
“As long as you listen without interrupting.” Bran cleared his throat. “All right. I was flying.”
Bran flew a lot in his dreams. Robb thought it was because he climbed so much, or maybe he climbed so much because he wanted to fly. Robb almost never remembered his dreams, or when he did they were weird jumbles of real life and things that would never happen - like losing Bran in the woods. “I was flying,” Bran said again, “And everything was all white, covered in snow, but then I flew down and I wasn’t flying anymore, I was running on four legs, like a wolf.”
“Don’t turn into a wolf, Bran, I’d never know which one you were,” Robb said, seriously, and Bran stuck out his tongue.
“I’m just telling you how it went. But I was running as a wolf and there was an enormous flock of ravens but I ran right through them, and then I was flying again-“ Bran gesticulated wildly, holding his arms out like wings and spinning around as though he were indeed flying. Robb muffled his laugh.
“And then?”
“And then,” Bran said, dramatically, “I landed on a mountaintop, and I was wearing beautiful silver armor with a wolf’s head on the front, and I was the best knight anywhere and I’d just killed a dragon and the children of the forest were coming up the mountain just so they could talk to me.” He paused. “And then I woke up. But it was a really good dream.”
Children of the forest, dragons, a knight. All it needed was Others. Robb smiled, though, and applauded. “You’re a regular storyteller, Bran. It sounds like a good dream. You’d make a very brave knight.”
“I will,” Bran said, firmly, “I will make a very good knight, not maybe. I’ll be the best knight there ever was anywhere ever.” Robb shook his head but mussed Bran’s hair again.
“All right. But you’ll have to look somewhere else for dragons. We don’t have any here anymore.” Bran scowled.
“I know that. It was just a dream anyway. I wouldn’t want to kill a dragon, I’d want to ride it.”
“You couldn’t ride a dragon,” Robb said, high-handedly. “You can barely even ride your pony-“
“I can so!” Bran threw a punch at Robb’s shoulder and Robb pretended to crumple with a yelp, letting Bran pounce on him. His younger brother sat on his chest and Robb wheezed.
“Quarter, quarter. All right, you can ride a pony. But not a dragon. You’re not a dragon. There aren’t any more of them.” Bran clambered off, still scowling.
“You’re no fun, Robb. Next time I have a dream I’m going to make sure that you’re mean and it won’t even be because of an evil lady. You just are mean.” Robb, still on his back, reached over and tugged his little brother into a tight hug.
“You’re doing just fine, Bran. You should tell Jon that story. I bet he’d like it.” Bran brightened.
“You think so? Well, it was a good dream. I liked it.” He sighed. “Mostly I liked flying. I wish I could fly. I know people don’t, but it would be wonderful.”
Robb made a face. “I don’t know. I think it’d be cold and kind of dizzying. But I don’t like heights.” Bran sighed as though he had no clue how anyone in their right or wrong mind could not like heights, but then bounced up on his toes.
“Robb! The godswood! That reminds me - I forgot to tell you, last night I had a dream…”
If the sun came out it would have been a perfect day. Robb tilted his head and listened to his brother’s dreams.
Bran scowled up at him. “That was only one, and I told you, it was because an evil lady was controlling you, so it wasn’t really you. You got better.” Robb reached out and ruffled his little brother’s hair, because he knew Bran hated it.
“I got better. All right, I guess that’s fine then. All right, tell me about your dream.”
“As long as you listen without interrupting.” Bran cleared his throat. “All right. I was flying.”
Bran flew a lot in his dreams. Robb thought it was because he climbed so much, or maybe he climbed so much because he wanted to fly. Robb almost never remembered his dreams, or when he did they were weird jumbles of real life and things that would never happen - like losing Bran in the woods. “I was flying,” Bran said again, “And everything was all white, covered in snow, but then I flew down and I wasn’t flying anymore, I was running on four legs, like a wolf.”
“Don’t turn into a wolf, Bran, I’d never know which one you were,” Robb said, seriously, and Bran stuck out his tongue.
“I’m just telling you how it went. But I was running as a wolf and there was an enormous flock of ravens but I ran right through them, and then I was flying again-“ Bran gesticulated wildly, holding his arms out like wings and spinning around as though he were indeed flying. Robb muffled his laugh.
“And then?”
“And then,” Bran said, dramatically, “I landed on a mountaintop, and I was wearing beautiful silver armor with a wolf’s head on the front, and I was the best knight anywhere and I’d just killed a dragon and the children of the forest were coming up the mountain just so they could talk to me.” He paused. “And then I woke up. But it was a really good dream.”
Children of the forest, dragons, a knight. All it needed was Others. Robb smiled, though, and applauded. “You’re a regular storyteller, Bran. It sounds like a good dream. You’d make a very brave knight.”
“I will,” Bran said, firmly, “I will make a very good knight, not maybe. I’ll be the best knight there ever was anywhere ever.” Robb shook his head but mussed Bran’s hair again.
“All right. But you’ll have to look somewhere else for dragons. We don’t have any here anymore.” Bran scowled.
“I know that. It was just a dream anyway. I wouldn’t want to kill a dragon, I’d want to ride it.”
“You couldn’t ride a dragon,” Robb said, high-handedly. “You can barely even ride your pony-“
“I can so!” Bran threw a punch at Robb’s shoulder and Robb pretended to crumple with a yelp, letting Bran pounce on him. His younger brother sat on his chest and Robb wheezed.
“Quarter, quarter. All right, you can ride a pony. But not a dragon. You’re not a dragon. There aren’t any more of them.” Bran clambered off, still scowling.
“You’re no fun, Robb. Next time I have a dream I’m going to make sure that you’re mean and it won’t even be because of an evil lady. You just are mean.” Robb, still on his back, reached over and tugged his little brother into a tight hug.
“You’re doing just fine, Bran. You should tell Jon that story. I bet he’d like it.” Bran brightened.
“You think so? Well, it was a good dream. I liked it.” He sighed. “Mostly I liked flying. I wish I could fly. I know people don’t, but it would be wonderful.”
Robb made a face. “I don’t know. I think it’d be cold and kind of dizzying. But I don’t like heights.” Bran sighed as though he had no clue how anyone in their right or wrong mind could not like heights, but then bounced up on his toes.
“Robb! The godswood! That reminds me - I forgot to tell you, last night I had a dream…”
If the sun came out it would have been a perfect day. Robb tilted his head and listened to his brother’s dreams.